#Ness Cousland

[enderevynne]

DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS ➤ SHIP GIFS: Couslainai (???)

NESS COUSLAND x ZEVRAN ARAINAI

I’m okay... 🥺😭

[lavampira]

ngl I think I might change gabriel to my canon warden 🧍‍♀️

[indigoraen]

My main HoF (Rhona Cousland) has always had Carn as her mabari. I don't know where I first heard the name; I just liked it. Once I eventually looked it up, it also felt fitting for the Cousland origin, and I headcanon that the irony is not lost on Rhona. She named him for the "pretty rocks" scattered throughout the highlands as a child, not realizing exactly what many of the "cairns" denoted after the Orlesian Occupation.

My main Champion (Alyn Hawke) was the first time I tried to swing with a more in-game lore name. I eventually settled on Hafter, though I've always been "meh" on the name. Figured I'd run with the "meh-ness" for story purposes, and I headcanon that Alyn let Carver name the mabari in a rare show of childhood sibling solidarity, because he was the one who found Hafter, and was genuinely upset when the puppy imprinted on her instead of him.

edit: typo

in the tags tell me what your warden and hawke named their mabari and why 👀

[keldae]

Tagged by the incomparable @dingoat -- thank you! <3

3 ships

Right now, to nobody's surprise, Gale/Devi is eating my soul. On paper, they shouldn't work -- he's an educated, wealthy, powerful mage (who makes very poor life choices), and she's a much-younger-than-him thief who grew up as an urchin on the streets of Baldur's Gate, whose only "acceptable" skill is playing a violin (apparently pickpocketing and stabbing people aren't considered widely acceptable or desirable skills?). But in all the ways that really count, they are compatible -- they're protective of each other and their friends, and Devi's street-smarts balance out Gale's book/arcane knowledge, and her feisty-ness is another counter to his more balanced way of dealing with things (read: he's 90% of her impulse control). I suppose opposites DO attract! ;)

Theron/Xaja has lived in my brain ever since Shadow of Revan dropped, in canon-verse and in at least two AU's. Theron definitely brought out a side of Xaja that isn't necessarily a proper Jedi side to show, but it's definitely her -- she's also feisty, and protective, and she's got a snarky streak to her that sings to Theron's soul. And she loves Theron's devotion to the cause, and his intelligence, and his wit.

(also, looking at Xaja and Devi... apparently I've got a TYPE when it comes to my main characters in RPGs. You should take a look at my canon Warden from DAO sometime, Lynaen... who ALSO is a redheaded dual-wielding rogue with a healthy dose of snark. At least she was raised a Cousland and didn't spend time learning how to pickpocket on the streets like the other two? #roguelifeFTW)

And I gotta talk about Reanden/Mairen too. They started on a bit of a whim when @andveryginger and I decided to throw them together for a couple of one-off kiss prompts, annnnnd now they run a good chunk of our respective brains (Reanden likes to hang out in Ginger's head a lot). Mai (Ginger's) loves Reanden's intelligence, and his dedication to his kids and the Republic, and the compassionate, caring streak he has under his sociopathic facade. And he's got a type for snarky redheaded Corellian Jedi ladies -- the fact that Mai loves his kids like they're her own, and doesn't think less of him for his rare moments of vulnerability, means the galaxy to him.

First Ship

Oh man -- my very first OTP was Faramir/Eowyn from LOTR, ever since I first read the books at the ripe old age of 12 years old, and it's STILL one of my favourite ships. I think, even 20 years ago, I was seeing myself in Eowyn (as a female character, as one who wanted to fight and seek out renown, as one who, as I would discover later on in my own life, had a bucketload of mental health problems to the tune of depression), and wanted my own Faramir (gentle, noble, compassionate, intelligent). So a bit of projection there? ;) The first ship I wrote... well, I'd started a girl-falls-into-Middle-earth fic in high school, and the endgame goal was my OC with Legolas, but looking back on it now, I think my OC may have had more chemistry with Boromir. Either way, that fic has been abandoned for like 15 years -- I ain't bringing it back out to resurrect it. ;)

Last Song

According to Spotify, "Master Of Illusion" by Battle Beast! If/when I come up with a Gale playlist, that song's going on it.

Currently Reading

"Tress of the Emerald Sea" by Brandon Sanderson. I'm not too far into it, but so far I'm enjoying it! (Also, I LOVE Sanderson's writing style, and the little bits of snark he peppers in there. Current favourite line: "... he had a jaw so straight that it made other men question if they were.")

Last Film

In theatres -- "Argylle", which I enjoyed! I wouldn't class it as a "favourite" movie, but it was fun! At home (read: at Chez Boyfriend), it was "RED" -- that's one of my favourites. Bruce Willis and Karl Urban snarking at each other... =D (Karl is also my faceclaim for Reanden, and that movie was a big inspiration!)

Currently Craving

Nothing at the moment! I have my coffee and I have a big-ass Costco-sized muffin that I'm working on before I go for my tattoo appointment. (Also, Part 1 of my tax return came in last week... I could get ALL the groceries, thank God! Part 2 is dropping on Thursday, for all the backpay after the CRA applied the ADHD disability credit to my previous years... I legit cried when I saw that number. I can afford to get my car fixed, AND get this new tattoo, AND a haircut, AND maybe, I don't know, throw something into a retirement fund!)

Tagging, if you wish: @greyias @storyknitter @nayci @elveny @abysskeeper @auroraesmeraldarose

[mxanigel]

OC tag game

tagged by @mxkelsifer, thank you! no-pressure tagging @milesmentis, @galfrey, @spindleweedss, and @dr-paine to play

favorite oc - They're all special to me, but current favorite is a tie between Shion Miller and Neri Surana

newest oc - Winter Shepard-- wait, no, Ria Hawke

oldest oc - Neri, albeit not in their current form

meanest oc - Hmmm. Probably Winter. With Dana Hawke a close second.

softest oc - Every OC has at least some steel in them, but Aryn Lavellan and Shion can be quite soft

most aloof/standoffish oc - Winter

dumbest (affectionate) oc - Dana, though say that to her face and you'll end up very hurt (tbf I tend to write intelligent OCs, making this a somewhat challenging pick)

smartest oc - Uhhhh… Aryn and Shion, perhaps?

horniest oc - Winter, though Heather Cousland is up there

oc you'd bang - none of them; this thought has never crossed my mind before 😅

oc you'd be best friends with irl - I really don't know! I expect I'd be friends with most of them, but best friends? Shion and Neri and I might get on each other's nerves too much for that. Or just be a trio with raging imposter syndrome. Lynn Shepard's a good candidate, though I'd struggle with her military-ness.

[ell-vellan]

who out of all your ocs is closer to you in terms of personality and who out of other fictional characters is also closer to you?

This is such a cool question, thank you for asking! I've been thinking about it all day and it got me on a tangent on how I make characters, so I hope you don't mind that I rambled.

So, I'll start off saying that part of my process of making new characters is to give them one or two characteristics of my own that I'm very familiar with and dial them up to 11, or I infuse characters with opposite traits that I have. First because I have to have something relatable about my characters to write them, and also it's just kind of impossible to fully avoid when you're spending so much time with them. You're either writing them going through stuff which passes through the filter of your imagination and your experiences, or you're literally role playing as them in a game. It's easier to either go "this is what I would do" or "this is what I would NEVER do" and then go from there, especially when starting out with a new character you're just starting to get to know.

Eventually their paths diverge from yours, but you gotta start on common ground. Or I do, anyway.

A character's upbringing, religion, philosophy, culture, etc is a huge part of what makes them who they are. So because I don't share those same background experiences, my characters act how I would extrapolate someone with those experiences to act given the traits we share. That's sort of my "in" to that character's mindset, helps me see their very different life through their eyes. Especially when it comes to Dragon Age OCs, lol.

So with all that said, I think because I've spent the most time with Ellawyn while writing nearly 200 thousand words with her, and because I set off with the plan of making an insecure Inquisitor who struggles with it, and also crafted her as an opposite to Iron Bull, I've probably given her more of my own traits than anyone. The anxiety, Eldest Daughter Syndrome, and earnest do-gooder-ness, but way more intense. Her anxieties are different, but I understand that part of her, which helps me figure out how she feels about all the other stuff that goes on in her story. I can't imagine how it would feel to have magic or kill in self-defense, but I can relate way more to anxiety about being in charge and trying to do a good job.

Growing up I really didn't see a lot my personality in fictional characters because I was a quiet, shy kid who was scared of doing stuff, and those aren't main character traits! Because of course the confident, powerful character is the one that affects change, they're the ones driving the plot, and they're the interesting character to follow. Main characters can't reject their destiny and decide to stay home where it's safe, because then there's no story. So I like to write more unassuming characters who typically wouldn't be the hero. Ellawyn having been accidentally Inquisitor and feeling like she isn't up to the task but having no choice was interesting to me.

For my Cousland, she's the absolutely typical hero, because I always want to be the Lawful Good character in games and get everything right and help everyone have a happy ending lol. So that was my in with her. But Cousland gets an added dash of bloodthirsty revenge goals and a sheltered, privileged, ignorant origin story.

Mahariel is most my opposite - the cold orphan who has never regrets anything and is looking only to selfishly survive, without bringing his people down with him. He's the character is fed up with an unfair world and just says "Fuck it, I'm gonna watch it all burn." Sometimes it's fun to play as someone who doesn't give a shit about anyone but themselves, lol.

There are characters I've written that I've given negative traits of myself from past or present. It's fun for me to explore character arcs for people with similar traits but who took different paths. I've written a main character with agoraphobia, a mom-friend, bookish loners, cheerful optimists, headstrong rebels, Type A honor roll overachievers...because it's what I know. (Side characters are different because they often serve a narrative purpose to support the main story so they tend to be more a mix of different archetypes.)

But I definitely try not to fully put myself on the page because, again, I'm boring and wouldn't make a good main character, lol.

I did relate to Jane Eyre, especially her as a child. But one of the first characters I really felt like I saw a reflection of myself in was Cath from the book Fangirl, because she was a writer who was too scared to eat in the college cafeteria by herself, so she lived off food bars in her room. Which is something I literally did.

Those are the only ones I can think of! There are characters I admire for being the kind of person I *wish* I was, but that's a different question, lol.

Probably why I write the types of people I do, because I'm drawn to write what I want to read.

Thanks for letting me get on my soapbox and explore this super interesting question! You always have such insightful ones, too!

[queen-scribbles]

Owap and J22??? 👀✨

OWaP is the Dragon Age joined canon for my Trinne and my friend Alex's Harvey(Amell and Cousland, respectively). It's going pretty slowly just bc shorter fics keep jumping the line (rip), but I am very invested and love them dearly so I am GOING to FIINISH THIS.

I don't have anything written right now, but the next chapter I'm gonna get to explore Trinne's bff-ness with Jowan and her massive blind spot/hypocrisy streak where he's concerned, so that'll be fun, and Harvey and Alistair are off to the Circle tower to collect mages for un-possessing Connor, which will also be fun. BONDING TIME. (Alistair is Trinne's romance and Harvey's best friend, eventually, but she's been hogging his time recently. rn they're annoyed at each other and he's on assignment with Harvey, so I'll get to build their friendship some and I'm so looking forward to that.)

J22 is my sister's Christmas present(her first initial + the year is my identifying system). It's about a character(Ros) v loosely based on said sister, who's handmaiden/undercover bodyguard to a princess (Qhel, the one I got art of yesterday). They're currently in a foreign country as the younger prince there is seeking a marriage alliance with Qhel. She decided to accept his offer to visit so she can feel him out as a suitor. THAT part is going well. But a local group tried to kill her. And kidnapped one of her guards. They rescued him(joint operation with the prince's men), and are now trying to thwart the group's attempt to frame Qhel's entourage for assassination by preventing the assassination. Trouble is, they don't know who all the targets are.

[ocean-in-my-rebel-soul]

What's something about your OC that has surprised you as you developed them? For an OC of your choice! (Or all of them ❤)

Myrini! Sorry it took so long to get to this ask. God, you could have sent this a million years ago and I wouldn't know. Sorry, I don't reliably get notifications about incoming asks 😭😭😭

So, since I can't decide on an OC to answer for, I'll answer for the ones I mostly write about!

Wardens:

Ilya Surana: She has a twin sister, and she's from the Denerim Alienage! When that little tidbit started growing, I was really surprised. Anara is a blacksmith and Therion is a scholar (who later goes on to travel, Brother Genetivi style, and ends up at Skyhold after Lavellan and Blackwall die and witnesses the elvhen fort in all its glory). The Surana patriarch came from an alienate in Nevarra and married a delightful woman, Lysea, and the Surana family grew up to be close friends with the Tabrises.

Rhiona Cousland: She ended up being the middle child, with Fergus being (I think) two years older than her and Elissa seven years younger. Rhiona has a wonderful relationship with her family, and what ended up surprising me was that Rhiona helped champion Elissa's proposal to study in Orlais to her family. Her parents, remember, are heroes of the rebellion, and had had some pretty knee-jerk reactions to the request, as did other members of the extended and found family. But Rhiona was Elissa's most ardent supporter, even though Rhiona has some issues about Orlais to work through herself.

Hawkes:

Adrian Hawke: still fleshing him out, but what surprised me is that he is a mage who ends up romancing Fenris, not Anders. He wins Fenris over by being unreservedly honest with him. While Adrian may not always make the straight-and-narrowest of decisions, he values Fenris' opinion and expertise. He gets through to him by coming to him one day with a request for physical training, saying that he never wants to be solely reliant on his magic. This earns him some respect, and Fenris agrees to train him, and this starts their long, rocky road to romance.

Garrett Hawke: Red warrior Hawke but a simp for Anders. Full stop. I mean, I kinda assumed that was going to be the case, given my absolute apeshit-ness about Anders, but the absolute scary-dog-privilege meets "i want belly rubs now" juxtaposition caught me off-guard. Also, he goes to what passes for really shitty therapy after Leandra dies!! (It was a recommendation from Jethann.)

Inqusitors:

Elara Lavellan: Elara is *wildly* Dalish, like, almost nationalistically so, and when she romanced Blackwall it really surprised me. I went in thinking that it'd make the most sense for her to be a no-romo run, but damn if I (and she) didn't fall for that bear of a man. She becomes surprisingly sentimental about him, and they have a really rocky go at things, which is mostly resolved when she runs away from the Inquisition post-slaughter of Clan Lavellan and he follows her, but when they get home again, things get tense once more. What's really surprising is that after years of their romance and essentially raising the surviving clan children, Elara is demanded to choose between her people and Blackwall, and breaking against all that she was raised by and born into, she chose him.

So yeah! Those are my main OCs! Thanks for asking what was probably back in the Cretaceous Age!

[black-emporium-exchange]

Clarifications Needed - Time Sensitive

Please edit your nominations and/or email mods at blackemporiumexchange@gmail.com ASAP as nominations phase close in two hours!

We require the gender and background of each player character (e.g. Warden & Inquisitor) as each is evaluated differently as far as its rarey-pairy ness. Please edit to specify backgrounds and gender of the below:

Anora Mac Tir/Female Warden

Which background? Please note Female Cousland has already been nominated and approved.

Female Inquisitor/Flemeth

Which background?

Flemeth/Female Warden (Dragon Age)

Which background?

Flemeth/Inquisitor (Dragon Age)

Which background and gender?

[ollifree]

Dragon Age Origin Character Prompts

by @dalishious​

MAHARIEL

1. What was Mahariel’s relationship like with their clan mates? (Ashalle, Tamlen, Merrill, Fenarel, Paivel, Marethari…)

Everyone in the clan was family, and if his life hadn’t depended on it he wouldn’t have left.

I headcanon clan Sabrae to communally raise children, so while Ashalle was a mother figure to him Terron’s care was split between several people. Paivel was a particular favorite of his, because the storyteller never tired of his questions. He was closer to Marethari than most youngsters of the clan because of his friendship with Merrill.

Merrill taught Terron a lot of what she knew, partially to share the knowledge and partially so she could in turn learn it better. Mostly that manifested in “outside” knowledge: how to speak some of the trade tongue and a bit about magic as well. She tried to teach him reading and writing, but he had so much trouble with it he decided that since there was no real need for him to read he didn’t need to learn. Turns out the trouble he had was dyslexia; he learned out of necessity during the Blight.

During the Arlathvhen when Merrill joined the clan, Terron met the Keeper of clan Mahariel for the first time. Part of why he latched on to Merrill so strongly when she was introduced as Sabrae’s new First was so he wouldn’t have to worry about either of them being seen as outsiders to the clan he’d known his whole life. Outside of Tamlen, Merrill was Terron’s closest friend in the clan.

Fenarel was the other member of their quartet. He was part of the same hunting troupe as Tamlen and Terron, and generally a part of whatever mischief the two started. He had an unrequited love for Terron, chickening out and making excuses for himself over why the time to confess wasn’t right, and decided it was best not to send Terron off with that over his head when he left the clan. Fenarel had determined that if they met up again he would tell Terron how he felt. The next time they met, Terron was with Zevran.

Tamlen and Terron were raised together. Terron’s mother died very soon after his birth. (Terron was born late afternoon/early evening, she left to die later that night, grief of her partner’s passing coupled with the trauma of the human attack coupled with postpartum depression.) Tamlen’s mother, who was due a few months later, offered to nurse him after her own child was born.

The two grew up being able to communicate via facial expressions and body language. One could always tell what the two had decided or when shenanigans were afoot when they looked at each other and by what identical face they would make. While they were still young adults by the start of the Blight, they both brought out the more childish side in one another. Physical roughhousing was their main form of interaction as children and they weren’t about to stop just because they’d earned their vallaslin. Terron received Falon’Din’s and Tamlen Dirthamen’s in part as a recognition of their bond.

2. What was Mahariel’s response to coming across the three humans? How did they react to the repercussions of whatever their decision was with Marethari?

Terron let the humans go after getting all the information he could about the ruins from them. He figured a few spooked shemlen hunters couldn’t do much damage to the forest, and sparing them would invite less trouble to the clan. He was 60-40 confused and angered when Marethari told him they were still going to be uprooted despite this.

3. What was going through Mahariel’s mind while exploring the elven ruins?

Terron was cautious about it. It set him on edge that there was a part of the forest the clan didn’t know about. Sure the Brecilian was like that, but they knew where it was like that. He was the one urging Tamlen to head back to camp and let the Keeper know what they’d found. His main character trait is still curiosity, though, so in he went.

In the ruins he was mostly categorizing what to tell the senior clan members about, noting the layout and so on. He did not for a minute trust that mirror.

On a humorous note, that bereskarn that shows up partway through?

4. Did Mahariel ask Ashalle about their parents? If so, what did Mahariel think of hearing about the story, after all this time? If not, what do they think happened?

Until then, the most Terron had interacted with the idea of his parents was the one meeting with Keeper Mahariel and a visit to their graves Ashalle took him on near the end of the same Arlathvhen. It really was his curiosity winning out over the emotional and mental exhaustion of finding anything else out that day that made him ask. He was too drained for big emotions at that point, but for a time after he wasn’t able to come to grips with the why of his mother’s death. The older he got, and the more the Calling affected him, the better understanding he had.

He took the heirloom necklace with him and wore it throughout the Blight. He gave it to Zevran before they parted ways between Amaranthine and Antiva.

5. Did Mahariel join in with Hahren Paivel’s history lesson? If so, how did they handle it? If not, why?

Yes. Terron’s first-hand experience with the importance of oral history always made him take passing on his clan’s traditions seriously, a trait that stuck with him throughout his life. It was a shared trait of the clan imparted to him as a child, and ergo one he did his part to pass on.

6. Did Mahariel stop to talk to Pol? If so, what was their reaction to hearing his story about escaping punishment for thievery? Did this affect Mahariel’s view of their kin in the cities?

Terron stopped to talk to Junar, his hunting master, and by proxy happened to meet Pol. He didn’t retain much of the meeting due to his illness and focus on finding Tamlen. It wasn’t until he visited the clan between the events of Origins and Awakening that he remembered Pol at all. The most he had was some vague recollection of someone he was unfamiliar with being in the camp, and believed them to be a messenger from another clan.

7. What was Mahariel’s first impression of Duncan? Did this change?

After the fever haze? It was his first real interaction with a human, and he took his cue from Marethari on how to act around him. Ostagar lasts about two weeks in my canon and throughout most of it Terron was reliant on Duncan and Alistair (plus my other babs in the multi protags au) to figure out how the human world worked. He built up a quick respect for Duncan based on the man’s actions.

8. Did Mahariel join Duncan willingly, or did he have to “drag them kicking and screaming?”

He didn’t go kicking and screaming, but he wasn’t entirely willing. If not for the literal life or death situation he was in, along with the all but outright order from his Keeper, Terron likely would never have left his clan at all. He asked to stay for what would be the first time he buried Tamlen.

9. How did Mahariel handle the fast introduction to the world outside their clan?

Terron took it in stride as best he could. He was only partially fluent in the king’s tongue (roughly a fourth of the way there, thanks to Merrill) which impeded him at first. His curiosity and determination for answers helped quite a bit, but for a good while people assumed he was the strong, silent type because he was too busy translating what was being said to contribute to a conversation.

There were three Dalish wardens from Orlais at Ostagar who took him under their collective wing after he survived the Joining and helped him adjust. Of course, they all died during the darkspawn onslaught.

10. How did Mahariel feel about Zathrian’s clan, and their situation with the werewolves?

The Blight could fucking wait. The archdemon itself could have shown up and Terron would have ignored it until after he was done.

Zathrian’s clan was a sister clan to Sabrae, and nothing would have stopped Terron from giving them aid. Even though Witherfang convinced him to bring in Zathrian for a parlay, Terron sided with the Keeper. He was furious at Zathrian for being the cause of things, however, and if Terron didn’t have such a deep-rooted respect for Keepers Zathrian would absolutely have been killed.

As it was, Zathrian calling Terron lethalin before the final battle made Terron a member of that clan, as I headcanon a Keeper calling someone “kin” to have that connotation. By then, Terron had cooled enough to appreciate the gesture.

AMELL

1. Did Amell have any memories of their life before the Circle? If so, what of? If not, how did they feel about not knowing where they’re from?

Caedan was seven when he was first taken to the Gallows, and over time lost most of his memories of those years. He has vague recollections of his birth family and knows he’s from Kirkwall. Either way he prefers to think of the city and its Circle as little as possible. He remembers he's from nobility, but considers it just another fact about himself like the color of his hair. It’s not something that means anything.

2. What was Amell’s relationship with Jowan like? What did they think of the revelation of him being a blood mage?

“Due to his crimes against Arl Eamon, the blood mage Jowan will be sentenced to death.” Caedan: “You don’t have all the facts.” “Which are?” Caedan: “I love him.”

Caedan and Jowan had a friendship that stretched back to when Caedan first entered Kinloch Hold at the age of twelve. Caedan was very fond of Jowan, and what little privilege he got from being Irving’s pupil he made sure extended to Jowan as well. The two were friends with benefits, along with Surana, and that brought along a certain intimacy they wouldn’t have had otherwise.

It wasn’t the revelation of Jowan being a blood mage that affected Caedan so much as finding out Jowan had kept it a secret from him. (Caeden himself became a blood mage between the Blight ending and going to Amaranthine. He certainly never had an issue with the practice.) At the time he was mostly concerned with himself being the target of the templars’ ire since Jowan managed to get away. When they met up again in Redcliffe, and while they were taking care of the Connor debacle, they were able to discuss it. Jowan got away from Redcliffe despite sticking around to help by Caedan smuggling him out before help from the Circle arrived.

3. How prepared was Amell for their Harrowing?

Mages weren’t told when their Harrowings were to take place in Kinloch. Irving had taught Caedan as best he could over the years, and when taking Caedan to the Harrowing Chamber gave him as much as a warning as possible before the templars interrupted.

Speaking from a character-building standpoint, Caedan was already one of the most skilled mages in the Circle. His Harrowing was the first advancement to realizing that strength.

4. What was Amell’s reaction to first entering the Fade?

He was cautious about his surroundings, but entirely fascinated by them as well. He was extremely interested in how his dream body behaved differently from his real body depending on how much he expected it to. Like a proper researcher, more experiments were done the next time he went.

5. Did Amell believe in “Mouse?” What did they think of his story?

There was enough credit to Mouse’s story for Caedan to believe him at first, but by the end of the ordeal he had a decent enough guess at Mouse’s true nature.

More than during his Harrowing, however, was how Caedan’s relationship with Mouse grew afterwards. Caeden did a full exploration of what bit of the Fade was available to him during his Harrowing: winning a staff from the spirit of valor and answering the sloth demon’s riddles. Doing so had fostered something of a companionship between the two.

When Caedan went back to the Fade during the Broken Circle quest, he found Mouse again. Mouse, it turned out, wanted the new sloth demon gone as much as Caeden did. The two once more paired up until Caedan returned to the waking world. Between the events of Origins and Awakening Caedan went to Soldier’s Peak to study under Avernus and record the knowledge should the wardens need it again. While there, he asked Avernus to teach him blood magic.

Though Caedan didn’t need to make a pact with a demon to become a blood mage, Caedan did occasionally call upon Mouse’s help to amplify his abilities. One such time was when Caedan was transported to the Fade in the Black Marsh. Had it not been for Justice’s presence urging Mouse to caution (and Caedan yeeting Mouse’s rat form away) two pride demons would have found themselves on the other side of the Veil instead of the one.

6. How did Amell feel about living in the Circle?

He loathed it. He still preferred remaining indoors after the fact, but he then had the choice of when and where he desired to do anything and the option of going outside.

The worst part by far for him were the templars. In Kinloch Hold he had the protection of being Irving’s pupil, but it only meant punishments were less severe or cut short once Irving caught wind of them and interceded on Caedan’s behalf. As a boy in the Gallows he’d been whipped, and he’ll shut down completely on hearing certain parts of the Chant.

7. Did Amell favour a particular Fraternity? What did they think about Circle politics in general?

He kept out of politics as much as he could, but wasn’t able to fully separate from them due to studying under Irving. Not to say he didn’t have any stance: He simply didn’t see the benefit in arguing over which direction the Circle should take when the Chantry would always decide in its own favor. He idealized the thought of the Circles being abolished, but knew it would never happen.

8. How did Amell feel about working with tranquil mages?

Overall, they were another part of life in the Circle. He was cordial with them and didn’t go out of his way to avoid them. Unless they were anyone he’d known before the rite. Then he dreaded going near them and felt sick at the mere sight of them.

9. Did Amell decide to help Jowan and Lily, or did they tell Irving of their plans? Why?

Caedan wanted to help Jowan. Lily was a nonentity to him, but since she was part of Jowan’s plans for the future he was open to helping her. Caedan would have liked to go with him, but knowing that his phylactery was already en route to Denerim and could be used to track him down put him off the idea. He had enough clout of his own in Kinloch to do well so long as he wasn’t transferred to another Circle.

10. How did Amell feel about returning to the Circle, and seeing it in chaos?

He was pissed at the templars for not doing the one thing the Chantry expected them to do, enough so that it took the Knight-Commander aback. Caedan hadn’t wanted to return and would have been happy enough taking on the Archdemon without the Circle’s help. Once he found out what had happened, however, he wasn’t going to leave until he made sure his fellow mages were safe.

The few blood mages that he came across he aided in escaping the Circle by claiming he had conscripted them and giving them the direction to flee once they were away from Lake Calenhad. The lust demon with the entranced templar he was more than eager to accept a “no harm no foul” agreement with.

Leaving was harder on him the second time. Knowing that the event would only crack down on how the mages were treated made him almost regret not being able to stay and add another voice in the mages’ favor.

BROSCA

1. What was Brosca’s relationship with their family like? Leske?

Nasi’s relationship with her mother is one of mutual deep-seated anger, resentment, and hatred. Rica was the one to raise Nasi and remains the only person from Orzammar Nasi’s never had a dark thought about.

Leske was a childhood friend of Nasi’s and the one person outside of Rica she got along with for an extended period of time. Nasi was both the brain and brawn of their operations while Leske was the nimble fingers.

2. How did Brosca feel about working for Beraht?

Beraht held the esteemed title of being the only one Nasi ever hated more than her mother. She knew he was dangling her and Rica by strings while they were stuck unable to do anything about it. Rica began working for the Carta as a means of supporting the family and an attempt to keep Nasi out of trouble for as long as she could. Immediately afterwards Nasi became a bruiser for them.

3. What did Brosca decide to do with Oskias? Why?

Let him escape and sell half the lyrium before reporting to Beraht. Then lie to Beraht about shoving him into the lava because that’s what she wants to do to him.

4. Did Brosca stop to talk with the surface merchant? If so, how did they react to hearing about life above ground? If not, did they have any ideas about what the surface must be like?

Nasi had no interest in the Surface. She was focused on the here and now of surviving to the next day.

5. What motivated Brosca to approach Duncan at the proving? What did they think of his kind responses?

Leske bet her she wouldn’t do it so that meant she had to. His kindness took her back, and she figured he was only being such because he didn’t understand she was casteless.

6. Did Brosca use the drug on Mainar, or fight in the Proving without cheating? Why?

No, because finding out the man they needed to win was passed out drunk ate up the time they would have used to drug the other. It’s not like she needed the handicap.

7. How did Brosca go about escaping their cell in Beraht’s estate?

Step one: Leske picks the locks. Step two: Nasi kills everyone.

8. What did Brosca plan to do after defeating Beraht, not knowing they would be recruited as a warden?

Nasi doesn’t do long-term planning, and at the moment she wasn’t doing short-term either. She was just going to deal with whatever happened when it happened.

9. What was Brosca’s reaction to seeing the surface for the first time?

Fear. And then: it’s bright it’s loud it’s cold she hates it. Her impression never improved.

10. How did Brosca feel about returning to Orzammar, amid the fight for the crown? Nasi: Everything that’s happened since stepping back in Orzammar has managed to piss me off so much I’ve looped to tranquil fury. Terron, who hasn’t stopped disassociating for a full year: Fucking superb, you funky little lesbian.

COUSLAND

1. What was Cousland’s relationship like with their family? Gilmore?

With her family, affectionate and loving. Lani was ten years younger than Fergus and as such was doted on by him as well as their parents. She might have been a little spoiled as a child, but by the time of the Blight she’d been through a strict enough upbringing it wasn’t a fixed part of her personality.

Gilmore was an old friend from childhood. He tried to keep a proper distance as she was above him in rank, but Lani ignored it.

2. How adapt was Cousland at the politics they grew up in? Did this affect their relationship with their parents?

Lani learned politics at her father’s knee. Bryce reared her for the possibility she’d be the one to rule Highever. While her father’s lessons stuck closer to home in terms of economics and society, her mother’s dealt with Ferelden’s courts.

3. How did Cousland feel about being left in charge of the castle, while their father and Fergus went off to battle?

She knew it was a show of trust from her parents, and she was ready to prove herself. But, ooh, she wanted to join the fighting so bad.

4. How did Cousland treat the castle’s staff? What did the staff think of them in return?

Lani treated them with kindness and civility. As a child she had a mindset of “everybody is my friend” and didn’t yet grasp things like rank and propriety. Though it was tempered somewhat as she grew, she never thought of anyone as less than or beneath her. She in turn was viewed as a respectable, if unusual, noble.

5. How did Cousland react to hearing Duncan say they would be a promising recruit for the Grey Wardens?

It was both very exciting and validating to hear. Lani was already a skilled swordsman, and sure of her own self worth, but it felt different coming from a Grey Warden. She’d been upset that her father hadn’t let her participate in the tournament that brought Gilmore to Duncan’s attention, and knowing she’d caught his eye regardless made her giddy.

6. What did Cousland think about Howe suggesting they marry one of his children?

Lani’s not outright opposed to marriage at that point, but Fergus already has an heir so it’s not something she needs to be concerned about. And, ugh. Thomas? Really? She’s known him her whole life and can readily say, no thanks.

7. How well-versed is Cousland in their family’s history? Did they stop to talk with Aldous about it?

Aldous was her favorite tutor, she stops to talk with him whenever their paths cross. Pick a point in Ferelden’s history and Lani can tell you what the Couslands were doing and what was going on in Highever. Did you know there’s a local legend that the Alamari people of Highever are descended from were werewolves? Werewolves.

8. How did Cousland handle seeing the death of those around them? Of the destruction of the castle?

A lot of trauma and a lot of death.

9. Did Cousland willingly join Duncan, or resist fleeing? Why?

Lani had to be pushed into it by her parents. She did not want to leave them.

10. How did Cousland feel about/react to seeing Howe again? About eventually killing him? “And how did you deal with your trauma?” Lani: “I didn’t.”

She had to be physically held back from attacking Howe when he came with Loghain to Eamon’s Denerim estate. Everyone agreed to look the other way and that whatever happened between her and Howe when they fought was her business.

SURANA

1. Did Surana have any memories of their life before the Circle? If so, what of? If not, how did they feel about not knowing where they’re from?

Surana’s earliest memories are of living in a Chantry orphanage. She believed the Revered Mother in charge of the orphanage hated her for being an elf, but after a few more elven children joined and were given better treatment she realized that wasn’t the case. Discovering she was magic was almost a relief since then she at least knew why she’d been treated so differently from the other children.

Unbeknownst to her, she was born in Kinloch Hold. She was sent to an orphanage under Chantry jurisdiction so they would know when her magic manifested.

2. What was Surana’s relationship with Jowan like? What did they think of the revelation of him being a blood mage?

Surana was part of a friends with benefits triad with both Jowan and Caedan. While she didn’t hold any romantic feelings for the two, she was very fond of them both. She only learned about Jowan’s blood magic after the fact and never had a confirmation for it until Caedan returned to the Circle for the mage questline. Though she knew Jowan was responsible for his own actions, she spent a lot of time wondering how things might have gone if he’d confided in either of them.

3. How prepared was Surana for their Harrowing?

While she was as well-prepared as anyone could have hoped to be in skill and smarts, her Harrowing could not have come at a worse possible time. Jowan had escaped from the Circle, sure, but it was as a maleficar and she figured it was only a matter of time until he was found and dealt with. Depending on the worldstate, Caedan was either made tranquil or believed to have died at Ostagar with the other wardens. This particularly shook her, as she learned of his supposedly deceased state only a few hours before being taken to the Harrowing chamber.

Surana’s Harrowing went differently from the Harrowing presented in the Mage Origin. No Mouse, for one, and was more a one-on-one confrontation with the demon that did appear. Surana was able to succeed by letting it think she was willing to give into her emotional turmoil.

4. What was Surana’s reaction to first entering the Fade?

That she wanted to be there as little as possible. Although she was able to work with the slight differences it produced in her magic, she didn’t like that there was a change to begin with. She resolved that, if nothing else, she’d make it back just to be in a body that felt completely hers again.

5. Did Surana believe in “Mouse?” What did they think of his story?

6. How did Surana feel about living in the Circle?

It was a step up from the orphanage. She only learned to read and write before coming to the Circle because she’d begged the Revered Mother to let her join lessons, and she was only allowed to if she sat in a corner and didn’t ask questions. In the Circle she had tutors for any subject she desired and a personal mentor in Wynne. Her peers were other mages and she wasn’t openly discouraged from interacting with them. And, again, she now knew the reason her life was the way it was.

That being said, she knew it was a prison. The one thing she missed from her days at the orphanage was being outside. She’d spent most of her days as a child alone and playing with flowers.

7. Did Surana favour a particular Fraternity? What did they think about Circle politics in general?

Surana generally deflected from politics. If asked she’d give the safe answer of being an Aequitarian, though in truth she aligned with the Libertarians. Her life had always had the structure of an organization behind it, and she knew that she had no way of surviving outside some sort of similar community.

8. How did Surana feel about working with tranquil mages?

She disliked having to do it. The tranquil had once been people, but the Brand took away everything that made them individuals. It was an ever-present reminder that it could happen to her and those she cared for. She avoided them when at all possible.

9. Did Surana decide to help Jowan and Lily, or did they tell Irving of their plans? Why?

Jowan and Lily both told Caedan and Surana of their plans at the same time. Surana’s reaction was that Jowan was in far, far over his head and that the plan would go wrong somewhere. Her concern was for his safety, and what would befall him if the templars prevented his escape. Caedan, still recovering from his Harrowing, didn’t have a damper on his impulses and shoved her in a closet. The result was Surana being locked in there for several hours until after events had transpired.

10. How did Surana feel about returning to the Circle, and seeing it in chaos?

TABRIS

1. What was Tabris’ relationship with their family like? (Cyrion, Adaia, Shianni, Soris…)

Tabris was very close with all her family, both immediate and extended. She was respectful of her father and his wishes, and very tight-knit with her cousins as they grew up together. She was a younger version of Adaia: skilled with a blade and sharp with her tongue. Adaia was the parent Tabris was closest with when she was a child. Her death was hard on both Tabris and Cyrion, but it brought the two closer together.

2. How did Tabris handle being told of their arranged marriage?

Resigned. She knew it was something that would be expected of her someday. She wasn’t thrilled at the thought of marriage but decided to take it in stride as best she could. The best thing she could see about the arrangement was that she wasn’t the one who had to move to a new alienage.

3. How did Tabris react to meeting their betrothed?

Tabris knew she was rough around the edges, and was the one telling Soris it wasn’t too late for them to run up until the eleventh hour, but decided after meeting Nelaros to make the effort to get along with him. Better than a life of misery, in her eyes.

4. Did Tabris have any knowledge or ideas about the Dalish? Did they believe they were real, or a myth?

She knew a little of them, gathered from stories and rumors. As a child she believed they were real because she needed the idea of groups of truly free elves making their own way in the world. By the time she was grown her idealization had been tempered, and she hoped if any Dalish were out there they had the sense to vanish into the countryside forever.

5. Did Tabris stop to talk with the children playing? If so, how did they handle the children saying they didn’t know any elven heroes?

Same hat?

Tabris was never good with children, and it was the idea of becoming a mother more than anything else that made her balk at her betrothal. It was more her dragging her feet to meet her fiancé than a willingness to get involved with the children that made her stop.

6. How did Tabris respond to Vaughn harassing the elven women? To he and his men crashing the wedding?

Death. It was a lot of people shoving her behind them so her anger wouldn’t get her in more trouble. Soris had to physically hold her back so she wouldn’t murder Vaughn on sight when he crashed the wedding.

7. If Tabris was kidnapped, what was their plan before Sorris showed up? If Tabris launched a rescue mission, what was their motivation to do so like?

Step one: find weapons. Step two: kill shems. Step three: go home.

8. Did Tabris kill Vaughn or accept his money? Why?

Having the accept money option should not have been included in the game thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

"Like dogs, Shianni." is such a raw fucking line to have in response to being asked if you killed someone. Tabris should be everyone’s favorite origin just on that merit alone (I say as a Dalish main).

9. What was growing up in the alienage like for Tabris? How did they feel about having to leave?

It was hard growing up there, but it was all she knew. As she’s not a warden, Duncan wasn’t there to bail her out. She convinced the guards she was the only one responsible for the slaughter of the nobles to protect the others. She managed to escape the guards and hide out in the maze of Denerim’s alleys. Since going home would bring more trouble to the alienage she left the city, slipping past the gates without drawing attention to herself.

10. How did Tabris feel about returning to the alienage, and finding slavery?

Tabris never went back. When she escaped her hands were still bound, and she eventually stumbled across a human she half-intimidated into helping free her (the other half was pity). Darkspawn attacked the area shortly after and the two wound up sticking together as they fled Ferelden. They made it to Orlais where they joined with a mercenary group. Tabris now goes by Skinner, and the human by Stitches. (Stitches gave her the nickname before they joined Bull’s Chargers. He had to call her something.)

[enderevynne]

DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS ➤ SHIP GIFS: Nessistair

NESS COUSLAND x ALISTAIR THEIRIN

↳ Battle of Ostagar

this absolutely broke me

[inquisimer]

My OCs (for mobile)

Dealing with desktop links on mobile is a pain, so for people who are exclusively mobile users, here are links to mobile-friendly versions of my OC pages. 

For links to which OCs exist in the same world state, check out the desktop versions

Dragon Age: Origins

Nada’sariel “Sari” Mahariel

Ember Cousland

Ariya Tabris

Solona Amell

Nika Brosca

Dragon Age II

Léan Hawke

Mari Hawke

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Inquisitors

Neria Surana Lavellan

non-Inquisitors

Aliyah 

Ness

Acacia Trevelyan

[bisexualryder]

OC Voice Claims

Tagged by the lovely @daydreamingdragonage, thank you, hun! Not sure who has or hasn’t done this yet, but gonna tag @bosmerie, @sunshinemage, @sidestepsbutt, & @halfblood-fiend if any of y’all wanna do it! And if anyone else has been wanting an excuse to do this, consider yourself tagged! c:

Origins

Lanariel Surana - Anjali Bhimani

I’ve always imagined Lana’s voice is bright, but also with the ability to be subdued and soothing when she wants. A voice where she can be loud and mouthy, but turn around and coo softly to someone she cares for. Something in Anjali’s voice just clicked for me when I was listening to that vid once with her and Chloe and here we are, lmao.

Rylee Tabris - Cara Gee (à la Camina Drummer in The Expanse)

There’s nothing soft about Rylee. She has a rough, throaty voice that commands attention when she speaks no matter how loud or soft she is. I also love the idea of city elves sounding distinct from the humans. Not like the Dalish, but there’d be this pride, almost, to not lose your “elfy-ness” and start sounding like a shem. Tbh part of it is also that she brings a nice counterpoint to Ise’s bright, lilting voice.

Isethari Mahariel - Joanna Page

Ise’s voice is very bright, high, and... distinct to her. There’s usually a sing-song tone behind her words when she’s in a good mood. It can drive her companions crazy at times, but she still manages to bring a sunshine mood wherever she goes.

Eleri Cousland - Alex Wilton Regan (à la the femquisitor in Inquisition)

This one has taken me forever and a half to fucking figure out. Eleri has such a, idk, distinct voice in  my head I guess that’s made it difficult to pin down an actual voice about it. But something about Alex’s performance as the Inquisitor just feels so much more accurate to Eleri that anyone else I’ve found. I actually tossed around the idea of it being like Rebecca Ford in how she portrays the Lotus in Warframe. There’s a similar... tenor? I guess? To their voices that just fits Eleri. She doesn’t have a higher pitched voice, but it’s also not overly low and sits right in that space between.

DA2

Rayna Hawke - Jamie Murray & Ashley Hawke - Jo Wyatt

Can’t get away from the default voice for Ashley. It’s just... her to me, but also why I felt Rayna needed a voice all her own, but still something somewhat similar. Her voice, however, is definitely on the more haughty side compared to Ash. Where Ashley usually sounds bright and playful (and flirty), Rayna often sounds like she’s talking down her nose at people (she kinda is tho, to be fair).

Inquisition

Olivia le Blanc - Chloe Hollings

Being from Orlais, I naturally wanted to have someone that sounded French for Olivia, but not too French. Olivia’s been away from home for quite a while and her accent has definitely faded (except when she gets angry, then it suddenly pops up again and usually it’s quite thick an accent at that point, too). While she can carry a commanding tone if she desires, her voice is much more soft and subdued than most expect of her - not just because of her templar background, but her position as Inquisitor. A few nobles have even commented on how honeyed her voice was after meetings with her.

Nathra Lavellan  - Paula Burrows (à la Rayla in The Dragon Prince)

She has that Dalish sound, that accent, but not as strong as, saaay, Ise. It’s an accent she picked up from her parents, and one that fades in and out at times the more she’s around the Inquisition. Her voice is generally pretty mellow and soothing.

Anika Ramsey  - Shirley Manson

Anika always has been, and always will sound blatantly from Starkhaven, lol. Something about Shirley’s voice just seems right for Anika to me, I dunno. There’s kinda this warmth to it? And that’s definitely something key to Anika being the warm and nurturing type she generally is.

Talonia Adaar -  Shohreh Aghdashloo

Tal has somewhat of a lower toned voice, and she’s more on the soft spoken side. There’s a roughness around the edges, some of it from simple disuse - she doesn’t talk much and when she does there’s a frayed sound around the edges. Shohreh’s distinct voice just... something about it seems to work for Tal unlike anyone else I’ve been able to find.

Bonus

Aela’Shar nar Moreh - Gal Gadot

I’ll honestly say I haven’t thought that much about finding a voice (yet) for Aela, and I wasn't planning on doing my ME OCs at the moment (would have been way too many for me). Buuut in hunting for Eleri, I was listening to an interview with Gal and idk man, something just clicked and I went "that's Aela". So, here we are, I have no better description than this lmao. 

[tauristar]

Alright, well I’m new to the DA fandom, but I have to say...

I always wondered if Alistair was really straight or just a closet bi. Don’t get me wrong, I love Alistair and I will definitely look at romancing him with a Cousland or even Tabris, but I’ve been trying to decipher once of his in-game dialogues and how... Defensive(?) he seems with any mention to a male Warden romance with Morrigan. Maybe it’s a brotherly thing, but hmm.

Alistair: So what's the deal with you and him, anyway? Dare I ask? Morrigan: Him? Him who? Is this supposed to mean something to me? Alistair: You know exactly who I'm talking about. Mister Let's-Make-Kissy-Faces over there. Morrigan: My, my. You are jealous, aren't you? Did I take your favorite Grey Warden away from you? Alistair: What? I'm not jealous! I'm horrified. Morrigan: Those blushing cheeks of yours tell a different tale.

And it doesn’t stop there with Morrigan:

Morrigan: Perhaps we should go and tell him together of your touching concerns? Perhaps he'll pay more attention to you if you ask nicely. Alistair: Uh-huh. I think we're done here.

Now that’s my main case (the link to the dialogue is here), but let’s continue.

It’s also kind of funny and amusing to see he’s the one that initiates idle gossip with Leliana about a relationship between the Warden and Morrigan:

Alistair: So have you heard? Morrigan and him are... you know. Leliana: Have you nothing better to do than to spread idle gossip? And besides, he can probably hear us both. You're not being very discreet. Alistair: No, look, he's not even paying attention.

AND THEN, if that wasn’t enough to solidify his possible Closet Bi-ness, I present to you this wonderful dialogue between Alistair and Zevran, probably the Ultimate Bi Awakening for those who didn’t know before:

Alistair: So those... designs you have all over your back... Zevran: They're called tattoos. And I have them in many more places than just on my back, my friend.

Can we safely assume that Alistair had, at least once, stared at Zevran’s back? Maybe simply staring at his tattoos, but there’s no way one can simply stare at only the tattoos without also looking at muscle definition. In my opinion, this is more than just curiosity at tattoos, but also a slight bashfulness one would have in staring at someone... Especially when they don’t want to admit it.

I mean, if you hear the dialogue (which is here), he seems really hesitant to ask and kind of embarrassed. And then, in the follow-up dialogue (which is here), he gets extremely flustered about the idea of the ritual.

Now perhaps that is assuming too much of Alistair, but I feel like it’s something that someone might go through if they might be questioning themselves. Truly, Alistair only wanted a tattoo from Zevran. But he knows how Zevran is (though Zev has many layers to his character, which is a whole other subject for another time). So, if he were to get a tattoo, could he have found someone else more experienced in the art, maybe someone he’d trust more?

I mean, surely there are people in Ferelden who know the art of tattooing?

Yes, so Zevran is in the immediate area since they’re both on the same team, in the same group, with the Warden as their leader, but if this is something that Alistair really wants -- and he still has distrust in Zevran, as the assassin hired to kill not only him but the Warden too -- wouldn’t he have sought someone else out? I don’t know. Maybe it is a sign of trust towards Zevran, but... 🤔

Zevran: Not so fast, my friend. There is an entire ritual to how this is done, do you not know? First I need to bathe you in a mixture of olives and rosewater. Alistair: You need to... bathe me? That seems... odd. Zevran: No, no, no, not at all. It needs to be worked into your skin, preparing it to receive the ink. The massage is quite pleasurable, do not worry. You are in good hands. Alistair: The... massage? You're... having me on, aren't you?

(This is in the follow-up dialogue section, the link is earlier in the post.)

In the end, in my heart, I feel like Alistair is a closet bi. Of course, I happily oblige with the canon choice to have him as straight, for more believable purposes if anything considering the ratio of cis straight people to LGBT+ people in reality, but I do think it would have fit him just as well if he was bi in-game. He gets incredibly flustered when he’s being called out by Morrigan through her teasing, after all, and he doesn’t hesitate to gossip to Leliana about Morrigan and the Warden. It’s dancing the fine line between brotherly and not-so-straightly, but I feel like ultimately it’s up to the player how they perceive Alistair.

Either way, I love that dork.

Next up on character analysis (maybe) (hopefully): Alistair vs. Cullen featuring Other Beloved Characters; what makes them different from each other past the surface?

[ocean-in-my-rebel-soul]

Here are my main playthroughs:

Wardens:

Ilya Surana:

Anders. If she isn't with Zev and Ali in their power throuple, she's with Anders from DAA to DA2, regardless of when he leaves for Kirkwall (he can still romance Hawke/others, but she'll be waiting for if he returns). I envision that he's already kinda her platonic/emotional soulmate. I mean she, Jowan, and Anders were basically a three-for-one deal at the circle; where one was, the others weren't far behind. They all promised each other that they would make it out of the circle alive, and if any of them were successful, they'd come back and bust everyone else out. In her canon timeline, she fulfills her promise by putting Jowan out of his misery at Redcliffe and by conscripting Anders in DAA.

I feel like she might initially be attracted to Solas, but I'm not sure she'd do anything with that. She would appreciate his deep understanding of magic and the Fade, especially if she went full possession like she does in her canon. But his single-minded focus on magic and the Fade would, in time, remind her of those she knew in the circle and she'd just get wigged out.

Rhiona Cousland:

Probably Cullen, tbh. She's looking for similar values of patriotism, faith, fidelity, etc. Basically she wants a mabari, but in boyfriend form. She would definitely appreciate his military strengths, though they would greatly disagree on the Chantry and their interpretations of faith.

Hm, I don't think she'd date anyone from DA2. Maybe Isabela? But not as a romance; unfortunately she was raised noble and you can't kill that bougie-ness and entitlement that comes with that, so I doubt it'd be romantic, more a physical thing that fizzles out when they realize they don't have much in common other than attraction.

Hawkes:

Rian Hawke:

Alistair or Morrigan, probably. She contains multitudes. The snarky mage thing really gets her going, and alistair is just so wonderful and earnest and genuine! Morri and Rian would be like a moody cat and a sincere dog who just wants to love her. Rian spent her whole life protecting Bethy and Malcolm, so finding another mage and pulling the guard dog card would be right up her alley. Alistair would be a kindred spirit, I think. They're traumatized in different ways, but they both use deflection and humor to cope.

I feel like she would be drawn to Bull initially on a platonic level, but once they get to know each other and gain each other's respect, a physical and maybe romantic chemistry would grow. She greatly respects people who are good at what they do, people who do the work. I think Bull or Sera would be good fits. Sera! Oh man, Sera would pick up on Rian's mischievous side. They'd fall in love while kicking in some Orlesian shitlord's windows.

Garrett Hawke:

Either Zev or Alistair, maybe Leliana. He'd be attracted to the sheer competence that Ali and Zev bring to their professions, even if he's kinda nervous about Zev (would still fuck him, though). He'd appreciate Alistair's earnest sincerity and would love to help him unwind, and he'd love Zev's sense of humor. Garrett has some history with Leliana from Lothering, where he had an ill-advised crush on her. If she'd been from anywhere else but the chantry, he would have sought her out; with her being not really chantry in Origins, he'd feel much better, especially if this were a straight-up Hawke as Warden scenario traveling with mages.

Oh he'd love the shit outta Iron Bull and Dorian, and would make mad puppy eyes at both of them. He likes burly men and smartass, deadly intelligent mages. (Even better if he can be in a sandwich, he loves that.)

Elara Lavellan

I don't really know who she'd resonate with in Origins. She'd appreciate Sten on some levels, maybe him. He'd be a giant compared to her, lol. I don't know that she'd romance anyone else. Maybe Alistair? Maybe he'd ninja-mance her like he did me!

Merrill. Merrill, Merrill, Merrill. She'd love her. I really wanna write this now. She'd love the comfort of sharing various Dalish traditions and seeing how they differ between clans. Elara would respect Merrill immensely and would help her achieve her goals.

Which DA2 and Inquisition companions would your Warden romance?

Which Origins and Inquisition companions would your Hawke romance?

Which Origins and DA2 companions would your Inquisitor romance?

[lypreila]

OC 3 words meme!

Tagged by @lavellanlove (Thanks!🤗)

Rules: Say the first 3 words that come to mind when you think of your OC!

Kyana Hawke: Ice, fierce, underestimate

Min Lavellan: Mad(ness), adventure, lonely

Kalazar Amell: Ambition, blood, manipulation

Clementine Shepard: Booze, bullets, freedom

Anya Trevelyan: Tragedy, empathy, library

Lilibet Cousland: Whoops, blades, fur

Kyanite(SU): Truth, longing, moon

Lia(Skyrim): Flesh, sly, indulge

Thanks for the tag, this was super fun! Whomst to tag....hmmm..... @jawsandbones @rannadylin aaaannnd @nitewrighter