#Sola’s feeling a bit Dumb

[lavellane]

nathaniel crushing on ella has never really felt right in my head bc they strike me as more platonic comrades but um. well. now im thinking abt nathaniel and ASHARA

[harmonysanreads]

Dosis Sola Facit Venenum

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Yandere!Jiaoqiu x Reader

cw(s) : yandere themes, force feeding, drugging, implications of munchausen syndrome, biting, gaslighting, non-consensual touching, intrusive thoughts, victim blaming. read at your own discretion.

「 word count : 900+ 」 「 read on ao3 」

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Tagging @yandere-romanticaa I did not expect to write Jiaoqiu content so soon TvT

Your naïveté knows no bounds. Pushing, objecting, fighting and defying a phenomenon your senses can't even perceive. Blinded in spite of a functioning vision, immobilized even at the absence of tangible restraints. You protest and mewl and reject, but you're oblivious to what against. It's enough to lure out the claws kept in check, entice them to sink into layers of tender flesh.

Your turned head and stretched palm before his insistent advances are delightful to spectate, so much so the healer can't for once peel his eyes away. “I feel full.”

“Full? From two measly spoons of medicinal stew?” he tilts his head as though to better gauge the increasing pressure between your reddened lips. Blood rushes to and paints your skin in a flush, he can very well predict your next words.

“You call that medicine? It's spicy enough to burn my whole digestive system!” you all-but roar at his placid face, Jiaoqiu gives but a hum in exchange.

The bite of the capsaicin renders you restless, his scheming gaze doing little to soothe your distress. You are a pitiful, confused thing ; aiming your arrows without direction in hopes of eliminating whatever it is that sends you in disarray. A hunter lost in a maze of a forest, soon to lose their titular identity and succumb to the shadows' calling.

Your stare is dumb when his thumb swipes across the residue stew clinging to the corner of your lips, a shudder nearly cracks his facade when his tongue acquaints with the taste.

“Barely stings. If I add any less of a spice than this, it's going to taste like distilled water.”

Jiaoqiu nearly tsks at the way your fingers clench the ends of your garment, it should've been him — not some measly piece of fabric in the clutches of your attention. But the silence that now spreads around the room intrigues him, for once you have nothing sassy to say.

“Whatever. I'm not eating any more of that Jiaoqi—mmph!”

Silly little thing. Cloaking yourself in sickness in order to escape your duties, provoking a famed healer to cure your mystery, non-existent ailment. You're a sinner just as much as you're a sin, bit by agonizing bit, ensnaring his soul in your dainty grasp yet sporting the audacity to not see it. Jiaoqiu knows he could never escape from beneath your fingertips, but he can attempt to seize your flighty little being in a death grip.

There's a scintilla of defiance in your pupils even as his hand grasps your jaw, shining through the discomfort induced by the silver spoon shoving a mouthful of that detestable stew and not relenting until the movement of your throat determines its consumption. Your breaths are stirred in abrupt patterns, titillating the Foxian's interest. You eye his lingering fingers absentmindedly squeezing close the flesh of your cheeks, a few dots of darkness almost blurring your vision.

“Was that necessary?” you bite out vengefully.

“I think I need to cure that attitude of yours before whatever sickness it is that prevents you from doing that one particular work. As for whether this is necessary?” Jiaoqiu's free hand slides down to your right wrist, the fabric of his glove makes unwanted gooseflesh appear on your skin.

“Look at how skinny you're getting. Even an old fox like me could snap this in half and you're whining about me keeping you under observation? You really don't know what's best for yourself.”

You sputter at his pointed words, “I'm not that weak... and I definitely don't need your specialized medicinal stew to cure me—heck, I'm not even actually sick!” you snap with vigor but can't find the energy to snatch back your wrist.

“Oh really?” a squeeze to your cheeks shuts you up, the heat in his orange eyes threaten to engulf the spark still keeping you alight.

“But that's where you're wrong. You are sick and you do need me and my healing art. If you aren't in fact sick, how come you can't even keep your eyes on mine anymore?”

No amount of spice could rival the image that paints itself before him, muscles fighting the pull of slumber and sagging before his voracious gaze. Not even a single coherent word can escape from your heavy tongue and shut lips, no finger vigorous enough to lift against his grabby hands.

Jiaoqiu observes the pliant face in his grasp. The scent of fear and desperation tickles his nose and beckons him closer to the sin, fangs so insistently obscured now sinks on the first bite of his demise. You flinch upon the intrusion of something sharp on the skin of your throat, collapsing to a pair of awaiting arms. Indentions marr the previously flawless canvas, a sheen of saliva shines obscenely and the Foxian is certain he's too far gone.

Your resilience is an infuriating trait, especially in response to the forces that try to weaken the fire in your soul. When one drop of Tumbledust fails, a second is added and if this continues for more than one meal — even the most roaring flame will be rendered suppliant.

The dosage of medicine is an area of caution for any physician, prescribing more than what is necessary can accelerate the erosion of health. But without sickness and ailment, what value does a healer hold? Without the presence of this flame that brightens his stale life, what purpose is there for Jiaoqiu to continue pursuing this existence?

Naïve, pitiful, agonizing, sinful, intoxicating — he'd never run out of adjectives to describe you. You brought him to ruination, and an eternal damnation he'd choose still before the prospect of losing you, too.

[senseandaccountability]

the narrative that could have been

Having mulled over the game for a couple of days I have realised that the main problem for me is that Veilguard is good based on the premises they ultimately choose, but not based on the set up and promise of what was there before. I know this isn’t a unique take by any means and yes it’s all about the Evanuris and the Veil and Solas. 

Replaying really emphasises how incredibly little the game convinces me of its original main quest - to prevent Solas from doing his ritual. This is a problem as a long-term player because for three games we’ve had build up for a great crescendo tackling the overarching themes of the (restrictions and oppression of) magic, of tears in the Veil, of religious tyranny and oppression based on myths about the Black City and the temptations of flawed humans, we’ve seen and deconstructed the elves quite a bit, we got started on the dwarves and in DAI your Inquisitor can openly ask Solas if it wouldn’t be better if the Veil came down because then spirits wouldn’t be separated from the living and risk becoming demons. Cole, whose function is to reflect the plot, talks endlessly about the old songs wanting to be sung again, about how it hurts to be cut off from part of yourself, how the templars feel it, how the mages feel it, how the elves and the dwarves feel it. The Veil as a prerequisite for life has been deconstructed, the Fade demystified, the gods have mostly fallen. The Veil as an actual wound inflicted on this earth has been presented as a theory and not been convincingly rejected by the narrative. 

The game actually gives no explanation whatsoever as to why the Veil coming down would be worse than what Rook causes in the beginning and what the escaped gods then do to the entire Thedas. The entire south falls to the Blight because Elgar’nan and Ghilan'nain are let loose. The Wardens are more or less wiped out. There’s enormous political turmoil. The game gives us Solas saying “thousands” would die when he brought the Veil down, but that he had a host of spirits there to help. (Yes, I know, his sole function in this game is to Trick and Deceive so who is to say if he’s lying, HUH, but even so, THE ENTIRE SOUTH FALLS TO THE BLIGHT IN ROOK’S VERSION OF THINGS.)

The game puts emphasis on Solas's questionable methods and past horrors but it doesn't ever explain why his goals are despicable here and now. It doesn't convince us that tearing down the Veil with lots of safety measures in place and after considerations is a bad result, all things considered - save for Varric’s initial yelling about demons. (We even learned in DAI that the Veil itself creates demons because it restricts the passage of spirits, come on.) Because three games have suggested it's not, not ultimately. Trespasser especially nuances this, just as it nuances Solas’s view of this current world state. Right after his long nap he would have nuked it all, I’m sure, but the whole point of character arcs is that things happen in them and what happened to him is that he was shown layers and angles he had not considered and adjusted his mindset and ultimately his plan accordingly. That is where DAV should have picked it up. That's where the build up was headed. But, now he must serve the narrative solely as the God of Treachery and Lies which means that previous build up is washed away for the most part. (In no way do I think he is OOC in DAV, I just want to point that out so nobody thinks I’m a sappy fangirl or whatever. I think he is perfectly in tune with his inner Dread Wolf, but that is also all he gets to be, because of the narrative, and I’m always much more interested in when roles and personas clash.) Again. The main problem is that the narrative cannot explain why bringing down the Veil would be the worse option than the shit we see unfold on screen. Instead it gets a bit lost in the past.  And I have Issues with that, as well.  Like, the dumbing down of the war against the Evanuris. The war that started because the leaders of the rebellion - who previously had to carry out terrible orders so the Evanuris, the upper crust of the Elvhenan, could play gods - decided that the Evanuris was a threat to them all. And the game gives us what, a depiction of how the rebellion ended up crossing lines, too? No shit.

Like, I am fully on board with the individual theme of regret on Solas’s part and he ought to be wrecked with guilt but I wish the game could be less all over the place with what sort of things he ought to be wrecked with guilt over. Saying fuck you to the Evanuris is the best and brightest of his character, I suppose I just don't want it dragged down to the same level as him breaking the Titans. I suppose I would have wished for a narrative that also worked on a systemic level when depicting things like, you know, war and revolutions and subjugation. But we don't have that, because DAV is only about personal choices. The Lighthouse crew flippantly writing the hierarchical and violent power struggle off as being about love and betrayal is on my shitlist forever. 

No, Taash et al, it was not about pussy, it was about feeling compelled by superiors to commit heinous war crimes and being lied to about the actual purposes of your damn war in the first place. The elves shouting at Elgar’nan and Mythal in this painting aren’t driven by love and sex they have been lied to by their ruling class. It was never about freedom or ending the wars, it was always about Elgar’nan jerking off to ultimate godhood. The writing even suggests betrayal here is to be understood as Netflix drama betrayal, maybe some juicy porny plot but it’s ABOUT THE BETRAYAL OF THE ELVES BY THEIR OWN KIN.  ((ETA: I would have wanted my Dalish mage to be allowed to be furious, NOT WITH SOLAS, but with the fucking Evanuris for betraying her people and being so fucking vile that the only option that remained was to create a world where she's a second-class citizen. I would have wanted the game to recognize that not all causes are equal and that Elgar'nan's cause for godhood was objectively more vile than Solas's cause for freedom because as it stands now, there are some really iffy vibes of "both sides are equally bad" and other things authorities tend to say when comparing destructive regimes with uprisings.)) I’m sorry, this shit hits me on a personal and political rage level. 

I also can’t help but mourn a game where the Trickster God fulfilled his trope’s duty and shook the stagnation apart with his actions - for good or ill, the way trickster gods are wont to do - and where Rook was tricked into helping and then, a more complex game about its consequences could have unfolded. The Evanuris could still have been the bad guys, if they wanted big villains frothing at the mouth. There could still have been numerous unplanned consequences, like all of Solas's plans have. Maybe other ancients awake as well. Maybe ancient evils who aren’t elves, who knows. Point is - the Veil should have come down, at least in some form, at least in some outcome. THAT is what they've been building up to. In this game that never was, Rook could be an actual interesting character where we could mold her as either accepting of this trickster role (which fits perfectly for a blank slate with no ties) or set to overturn it and enforce status quo, with some vanilla option in the middle. Maybe the Veil doesn’t come down until the very end of the game, ancient magic takes time after all, maybe a lot has happened by then. But ultimately, Rook’s choice in the end should not have been about siding against Solas because he’s lying to you or because he did horrible things in the past or siding with him because you want him redeemed. The narrative should have provided those options either way. The narrative should have been brave enough to suggest that hey, maybe Solas isn't wrong at all - his methods maybe, but his goal, no. If they truly wanted mirrors between Rook and Solas, Rook should have tackled the issue of actively bringing down the Veil herself, not because it's a roses and sunshine-outcome but because it might very well be the lesser of two evils. Gods, that would have been interesting. It should have been a choice about what sort of world Rook and the Veilguard wants to see in the future. It should have been about the people, the world, not how angry Rook is that an ancient elf has tricked her. 

That would have been the game I wanted to play.  This story doesn't really give anything new to the world of Thedas, which a world without the Veil would have. It accomplishes closure for our favourite trickster god and bless them for that, but as for the plot and the world-building it ends on a meh because the narrative isn't about the people unless they're brought up as being endangered. This is why I can feel satisfaction regarding the thematic conclusion to certain character arcs, the trickster becomes the healer with the bloodiest hands, the wolf submits willingly to his trap and so on and so forth, and I can have fun with the characters and their arcs but also really mourn the game that was there, in subtext and build up over three previous games and in several tie-ins.

[tench]

Veilguard is such a weird game.

It's not a Dragon age game, it's bately a role playing game. It's an ok action. Even though it is the most stable AAA release it is still just a bunch of barely tied together stuff in a trench coat.

The writing (insultingly dumbed down and absolutely incapable of taking itself seriously untill the last 1/6 of the game) is all over the place, the direction is nonexistent judging by the tonal shift from one quest to another. We can have very heart felt monologue about the fear of death sit right next to a conversation where a lot of things are told using one specific phrase (I really hope in a clumsy attempt at emphasis) repeated till these words lose any meaning to you.

There's also a problem of role-playing in this "rpg" and the Rook. None of your dialogue choices matter in terms of defining your character, no matter the option you choose, the general conversation will carry the upbeat silly tone. "Your backstory and class matter more than your race" works untill it doesn't, like when you are a dwarf but you are denied your own journey and realizations tied to the titans, and maybe it is not your journey to take yet you can't even try to be a part of it, even when Harding is actively reaching out to other dwarves to share this connection. It's also weirdly more interested in writing romance between npcs than for the main character (Lucanis comes to mind, it feels like the game is actively punishing you for pursuing him, you have to lose the whole shadow dragon faction, you won't get to hang out with Dorian and still you have bare minimum and he more interested in Neve anyway), that's extremely funny that this game is player-sexual yet completely player-aromantic. (And I miss the dai option where you can come up and kiss your LI whenever you feel like it).

I won't even touch on the weird and unnecessary sanitation of everything, like we can't allow people or factions to have negative traits whatsoever. And it's not "southern propaganda", it's "we are not engaging with complex topics for the sake of clear dichotomy between good us and evil overlords". Speaking of which

The whole plot.. The general idea of it is ok. You come to stop Solas, you make the situation go sideways, you have to work together to fix your mistakes and maybe learn to sympathize with the antagonist haunted by his own transgressions with the main theme being legacy and your relationship with your culture and the baggage it brings. But the journey is a complete disaster. Part of it works solely because the characters absolutely Refuse to make a plan and the other - because the main character has a blunt head trauma. Maybe it's related. Maybe it's all a mass hallucination. I may try to elaborate on how it's absolutely ridiculous how little the inquisition and the politics have any impact in this game yet somehow 8 people squatting in the Fade with no political affiliations are held responsible for providing for every faction they come across. I won't even try to make sense of it. It's the usual case of "the main character does everything".

The direction is not only absent in the writing. Some lines that are ok in text delivered in such a way you may think they were allowed only to use the very first take.

The music is absolutely forgettable. Also the odd riff during the dramatic reveal absolutely took me out because I thought I heard kazoo (but I bet Varric would love it).

The visuals are.. Ok. It's pretty on the first glance but the more you travel the more you realize that the general design of the locations are kinda lacking. They have this weird gradient that makes everything a little bit more unfocused and a bit washed out. There are also too many cases of the horisont just drowning in the fog. Air perspective is great and it suits locations like Necropolis, but I would argue that these establishing shots should be used for environmental storytelling in other places, with some focal points in the background, like during the final mission where you see the world absolutely drowning in the blight, devouring local statue of liberty. Or the dead Titan. Or the first shot of the Veil jumper forest (I forgot how it's called) where you see the ruins going into he sky. But because of the fog (or sometimes darkness) it feels like the game is more interested in cheating the optimisation than to hint on the bigger picture (like the chantry and the gallows buildings that you can see almost from all locations in DA2 or the andrastian/dread wolf imagery of inquisition)

So, in conclusion. Not the worst game I played, yet disappointing, even if we pretend it's not an installment of a beloved franchise that people were waiting for 10 years.

Ps. Also making such a game with nerfing all the lore only to nuke all the legacy locations is a choice I won't ever understand. It's like it is not for the fans and it's not for the new people but a secret third thing.

[paragonraptors]

YEHAW DA:V REVEAL THOUGHTS BELOW!!

Overall: Feeling so excited for this game. I'm climbing up the walls. I can't believe that was 20 minutes, it felt like 10. Need this in my hands yesterday.

What I liked:

-Holy fuck wow wow wow the hair looks like nothing I've seen in a video game before.

-Combat seems very different but also a natural progression of gameplay past. Real-time turn-based was always a little on the clunkier side, and while it never really bothered me, moving towards something more ME-style was expected. Very excited about being able to aim a bow. Would like to know what difficulty they were showcasing bc I'm considering jumping right into a Nightmare run.

-Now that I've been soulsborne-pilled the prospect of a parry mechanic has me buzzing.

-I feel like people are gonna dunk on the "stiffer" animation, but I prefer it so much more than the BG3/HZD constant wobbling. It'll make the key performances stand out instead of mostly jangling keys in front of a baby and letting the big moments get lost in the sauce. (Not that the aformentioned games didn't have good animation, just. If your characters don't need to move their whole body to convey dialogue I'd prefer if they didn't.)

-The sublety in the facial animations is CRAZY.

-The roleplay dialogue seems really reactive!! And the cuts to inject the unique dialogues feels smooth. I'm sure there will still be moments where it's easy to tell, but still cool. Seems like they're gonna be paying more attention to your personality type like DA2 too.

-So excited about Harding and Neve as companions and can't wait to meet everyone else.

-Neve's staff/wand makes me excited to see what kinds of focus options we'll get as a mage AAAA.

-God the costumes have so much swag. One of my hottest of many BG3 takes was that the costumes were overall flavorless. (Really hoping they didn't change the Grey Warden uniforms though that would really disappoint me.)

-Cinematography looks fantastic. Lots of well set up shots.

-NGL I felt something when Solas showed up. Wasn't expecting that. And while not perfect, I liked his interaction with Varric. Their relationship from Inquisition really slips under the radar if you're not bothering to look.

-Varric has never gotten over the trauma of what happened with Anders and it breaks my heart in a good way. God you could see it in his eyes!! [chef's kiss]

-However, I definitely have to kill Solas now for what transpired in this preview.

What I'm iffy about:

-The voice peformances feel a bit stilted. Not really what I'm used to from Bioware and I feel like it's important when the animations are more subdued. Hopefully this feeling will change when I get more of the game.

-The dialogue also felt a bit dumbed down. "Solas is doing his ritual!" "Yes. Solas' ritual. The ritual that we have to stop." Again, hopefully this is symptomatic of a tutorial level/trying to onboard newbies quickly and not the whole game lol. While I prefer this to dialogue that tries to sound smarter than it is, I'm really hoping we see an overall improvement from Inquisition.

-Sort of wish they went with the Andromeda dialogue system instead of bringing back Inquisition's, but I do like that it seems all dialogue options are getting tonal indicators again and they're not as easily conflated with morality. (Though I imagine people will STILL interpret it that way.)

-A little confused about them introducting Minrathous' panopticon shit and then immediately swerving into Solas' ritual. Would have liked some breathing room on that kind of worldbuilding.

- While I'm generally open minded about the change, I Do Not Love not being able to switch to playing companions. Might turn around on this if your ability to issue them commands opens up the closer you are to them/the more you grow into a leadership role. I do like that it seems you will eventually be able to command when they use abilities a la OG Mass Effect bc that was my biggest beef with the Andromeda gameplay, esp on Nightmare/Insanity difficulty.

-Not crazy about the new Pride demon design where are their leggies.

-Not really a Criticism, but they are definitely setting up for Varric to die and while I get it, narratively, I'm NOT HAPPY. Dragon Age has been almost allergic to scripted deaths so it's also gonna feel like being dunked in an ice bath. EVIL STUFF. IN DENIAL.

[yarpharp]

Dragon Age Veilguard ramble (with some spoilers about the ending of the whole thing)

I... I know there are plenty of people defending this game. But on a story level, I am kinda confused. And frustrated. So The Veil is powered by the Evanuris who are immortal and trapped in a special alternate space veil prison thing where they serve as batteries until somebody cracks open the Veil.

So First Question: how the fuck didn't they (the Evanuris) escape from their prisons during Inquisition? I'm... I'm really confused how that didn't happen. I mean, Solas/Corypheus bungled it so bad it cracked a huge hole in the sky! TWICE! Once in the beginning of the game and then again at the climax! And what about the small rifts? I mean, Solas' knife ritual cracked open a hole in the Veil that WASNT MUCH BIGGER THAN A RIFT. Why didn't one of the Gods escape then? And you can't tell me those dumb little devices we helped hunt down for Solas were somehow keeping the Gods back. Most players didn't even find them all!

Second Question: did they seriously retcon Morrigan and her fucking son? And what is the deal with the Mythal lore? I mean, I ain't SHOCKED Solas probably once fucked Mythal or had feelings for her. That seemed obvious to me. But what the fuck about Mythal/Flemeth's scary warnings in Inquisition and DA2 about "reckonings" and "finally getting her vengeance"? ONE OF THE DA4 ENDINGS IS MYTHAL SOMEHOW REACHING OUT FROM MORRIGAN (oh and apparently Morrigan, she who feared her mom and feared becoming her mom's new meat suit for extending her life, decided to become Mythal's next host I guess???? Seriously???) TO TELL SOLAS TO LET GO OF HIS MISSION AND GRIEF? Are... Are you serious? What happened to all that fucking anger and plotting? Was that the ultimate plot of hers? Make Solas become a battery with the remainder of her killers? I... What. And what happened with the Old God Soul? Seriously, what about that? Is that supposed to be how Solas transforms into a fucked up hyena dog? (Sorry the design for the dread wolf is kinda disappointing to me.)

Third Question: Why is there a path option where somehow the Inquisitor Lover actually finally manages to persuade him to do the right thing? BRO, WHAT WAS TRESPASSER FOR THEN??? IF SOLAS IS WILLING TO DOUBLE-CROSS HIS LOVER AND ROOK TO GET HIS WAY, WHY WRITE THAT ENDING SCENARIO?

Fourth Question: Did the developers forget that Solas is actually pretty neutral about Blood Magic? Because there was a whole scene in the game where he claimed he abhorred blood magic and then proceeds to reveal the Veil is definitely partially a blood magic ritual. Or was it supposed to be a really lame "oh look he lies!" moment?

Fifth Question: Does this mean we retconned all those codex entries and Cole ramblings about how Solas was a spirit of Wisdom once and he LITERALLY HAS THAT SCAR ON HIS FACE BECAUSE HE BURNED MYTHAL'S VALLASLIN OFF WITH MAGIC? Because this makes the whole "Mythal and Solas are lovers and Solas did this all for her, blah blah" feel far more fucking malicious if that's still canon. I mean... Isn't it a bit weird to have at one point opposed the woman/god who quite literally owned you as an advisor/agent of her will, and then you burn her slave markings off your face, and somehow you became lovers somewhere in all of that? What kinda toxic bullshit is that? WHY TRY TO DESTROY THE WORLD FOR A TOXIC EX? Wanting to kill the Evanuris? Valid. Wanting to tear down the Veil to restore the elven people after seeing what happened to them? Fucked up but strangely valid. But arguing that he went through all that bullshit for his ex-lover because he "wanted to honor their promise and memory" feels really fucking janky and sloppy as a plot point.

And Sixth Final Question: Did bioware really not give me the ultimate bad ending of "Tear Down the Veil"? Because that's just plain disappointing.

[ell-vellan]

A bunch of my random, non-story initial opinions of Veilguard, with the knowledge that I do and will love this game no matter what, because I need somewhere to put them all:

I kind of hate the color customization system?? I cannot figure out the brightness and saturation levels to make the colors I want. Am I just dumb?? What am I doing wrong here that all the blonde options look green

I do love the stylized look of the game, it's different from DAI but it has a unique flavor and the colors are very lush (for once in a DA game lol)

So far, rogue has been more fun for me than mage. Haven't tried warrior yet.

i wish we could have customized Inky's arm/prosthetic even a little

It's so cool that we get body tattoos and scars and we can customized which ones go where. Would have loved to be able to mix and match but I know we can't have everything (sigh).

It's pretty apparent as someone who has background with the games, but it would've been cool to have the tattoos labelled "Dalish," "Dwarven," "Lord of Fortune," "Crows," etc for story reasons (even though I'm sure it only matters to the small percent of us who are into the fanfic side of things lol)

Elven ears are huge again and we can't change that. lol it's whatever i guess

The thing about customizing heads based on 3 different heads is...hmm. It's difficult to get the hang of, but I'm glad that you can customize it so much? Still, it's been hard for me to figure out how to make that look good.

they let us check our character in different lighting and with different armor!! great idea

terrible idea: only 3 previous worldbuilding choices. I got spoiled to this so I was prepared. but what the heck was the point of the Keep? why did we waste our time with all of that if none of it was carrying over? Way to flush the previous 15 years of story down the drain. Who's the leader of Orlais and Ferelden? Who's Divine? Who got left in the Fade? Guess it doesn't matter at all! I'm okay that we don't know where our Hero of Ferelden is, it's been long enough in game that their part is done, but Hawke? boo.

At first I was so excited about the "random" name generator! But it's literally just like 15 pre-made names not sorted by race naming conventions that you cycle through. Could've been cooler. oh well I know most of their demographic just wants to kill things I guess

The elves look like dwarves to me for some reason? like they're stockier now, not lithe like DAI. Just takes some getting used to.

While I kind of miss the open world a tiny bit, just for the sake of feeling like we're truly exploring and less "point A to point B," it's also nice not to feel like i'm wasting hours of my time just walking through open nothingness and getting a million meaningless fetch quests

The voices are all so good

Rook's moves are cool, they're fun to play

Speaking of, why do we walk so slowly?! I'm sprinting 100 percent of the time.

Miss the search function for items, even the highlight/glimmer is faint enough with the lighting of the maps I missed a bunch of stuff the first ten minutes

I wish we had a teensy bit more unique dialogues/reactions based on our background/race, so far it's been quite a small amount

I'm undecided on the whole...armor system thing

the maps are gorgeous

I love how many settings we can customize, it's great. I don't care about combat and I can make that part so much less annoying and save myself a bunch of time spamming attacks to get back to the story, which is what I care about, lol

Solas is so hot like this. wow

[lehdenlaulu]

Okay, 40h in, some stray thoughts:

I keep going back and forth between 'oh it's not really that bad after all' and 'ugh why' basically. Every time there's actually a nice bit of writing etc. the frustration at some other aspect soon takes over.

I'm particularly not fond of the random faceless mook hordes that keep respawning in certain locations (seriously, DA2 was bad enough). Or the dumb pointless boss battles you have to do in order to unlock new areas in the Fade where your reward is... another boss battle. And more faceless mooks. And maybe some gear. And maybe more of Solas's tedious sob story if you're lucky. The ghost of the live co-op thing really keeps quite literally haunting the narrative.

Oh, and there's even a fucking gladiator arena. I'm guessing that was originally for PvP. And now it's just there just in case you didn't already get your fill of combat elsewhere. And wanted to ogle Isabela who now inexplicably wears only a bikini and thigh-high boots. Because apparently that's Rivaini cultural outfit now or something? Some pseudo-Aztec thing? Sure. Whatever.

Honestly, just imagine if they'd put as much time and effort into making sure the story is narratively sound and makes any kind of sense as a sequel to its predecessors as they did into crafting the combat system and the needlessly byzantine combat skill tree. *sigh*

I do really like the new exploration mechanics though. I like that I can strafe on narrow ledges and vault over fences and through windows and such. Not super fond that I can magically just use my absent companions' exploration abilities because of my mystical magical all-powerful MacGuffin, though. Guess some people really don't feel like changing their party composition ever. 🙄

And that's another thing. This game coddles the player way too much to the point of treating us like particularly dense toddlers. Not only are there tons of visual options that basically guide you by the hand and point out everything relevant (all of which I obviously immediately turned off) but the dialogue also will very unsubtly tell you what to do at every turn. Like... Taash, babe, we're both Lords of Fortune, I don't think I need to be told to check out if there's something behind the waterfall. And if someone is so new to RPGs to not know something that basic, they need to discover it for themselves, not have it spelled out to them. Honestly, I thought this game's age limit was 18, not 12.

Speaking of Taash and all things unsubtle... I feel like there was a way to introduce their struggle with gender identity in a less... anvilicious way. And maybe come up with some in-universe lore and terminology instead of just defaulting to modern real-world vocabulary. The codex entry in particular frankly felt like breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the player. And I say this as someone whose own gender identity is pretty nebulous.

Frankly, I'm surprised someone hasn't already literally told Bellara she has ADHD. Yet. I'm guessing she and Taash are relatable to some players, but to me they feel... vaguely insulting, honestly, because it really is about as subtle as a brick in the face. I'm also getting the vibe they're both someone's self insert to some degree at least. Which isn't new for DA, but... yeah.

What else... Oh. Yeah. The less said about the main plot the better. Varric, this really is your worst book yet.

Speaking of Varric, it's pretty funny how he keeps telling Rook to please get some sleep. Sure, mate, would love to but a) all I get for a bed is apparently a bare divan in a room with a massive glowing aquarium b) every time I try to sleep some smarmy elf keeps mansplaining at me in my dreams. Which, you know, is something I shouldn't have in the first place as a dwarf. Maybe I should just start chugging coffee with Lucanis. (But honestly, only Taash and Davrin get to have actual beds, everyone else has to make do with cots, bedrolls, divans, and... an embalming slate??)

Oh, and I'll be really surprised if Varric survives this story. I mean, he's barely there in the first place and keeps talking like some ailing relative who secretly has consumption in a Victorian novel. I mean, his writer was laid off after all.

The pacing and structure of this game is extremely weird. The beginning was particularly rough, then it got better, but it's still a bit all over the place.

Oh, right. I'm fairly sure we were promised cool bard songs at some point. I haven't heard a single one yet. Unless that one street performer in Treviso strumming Enchanters counts, which I don't believe does. It was nice to hear it, though, as much as it was a bit contextually odd to choose that song in particular. Ah well, I guess Empress of Fire would have been even odder.

This is also the most forgettable Hans Zimmer soundtrack I have heard in my life. I can't think of a single theme or leitmotif off the top of my head, but the Inquisition theme on the other hand was instantly recognizable. I might say he's just new to writing video game soundtracks, but... dude's famous for his highly catchy, recognizable and evocative themes. Weird.

But hey! As much as I don't like the cartoony character models, the game is actually otherwise really pretty and has some really lovely visual designs in environments and architecture etc. It's also very stable and smooth for a brand-new game, I've only had one crash and two obvious bugs so far. That's always a big win for a studio. Too bad its actual problems are too baked in to be fixable with some patches.

Anyway, that's it for now. Lots of negativity, I know, but I actually do like playing this game for the most part. I just have to... not think of it as a Dragon Age, basically. Because for all the bells and whistles, or maybe because of them, it really doesn't feel like one. There are glimpses here and there of a great DA game it could have been, but unfortunately, the final result is a bit of a Frankenstein's monster of different and largely incompatible concepts hastily sewn together.

[cirwedh]

Early Impressions Spoilers below the cut.

I am currently in the Crossroads for the first time (approx 8hrs total, slightly over 3 of those in CC).

The writing is a bit… Regressed. It’s very hand-holding, telling rather than showing, doesn’t let you draw your own conclusions really. I particularly dislike the way that companions make hard assumptions about other characters motivations and feelings. Speak for yourself, girlies.

Diversity win? The Veilguard is currently composed of women from each “lineage” in Thedas. And also [Spoilers] is here.

All the things I hate about the combat would be true in any action game (which is why I don’t play many).

I am playing on storyteller and could definitely go up a difficulty level or two, but also I don’t wanna. We’ll see if that changes.

Everything is running very smooth and very pretty on PS5!!!

The Evanuris are, like, borderline camp. Their voices, their dialogue… oof!

Elgarnan: Wahahaha, we’re so evil, sister. We must squash these meddling kids!

Ghil: And their dumb dog too!

I like the scene between Rook and Varric about taking over leadership, but Rook is right tbh… They kinda haven’t earned it. There’s no reason for everyone to be this chummy already.

Also, people keep telling Rook that she’s a loose cannon… I would love to know what about my choices is reinforcing that opinion bc, uhhh, I don’t see it. Like, yeah… sarcasm and a gun, but not much else.

Solas and his piano built for two 💀

[talesfromthecrypts]

Hi. I think you’ve always done a good job when people ask you your opinions or reviews on things. So would you recommend Veilguard. All the reviews I’ve seen seem to be super negative because of “wokeness” letting you choose genders and queer characters. And the other negative reviews seem to be from people who didn’t get free review copies. The only two valid criticisms I’ve seen frequently are that the story doesn’t really connect well to the first trilogy and that the gameplay and decision systems seem dumbed down to appeal to younger ages.

I really enjoyed the first game but was too burnt out by it to ever get into Dragon Age 2 and 3. I tried to play Baldur’s Gate based on your posts but I always felt overwhelmed with not understanding all of the gameplay systems and just always feeling like I was playing it “wrong”. I want to pick it back up. But I haven’t had the time to fully watch videos so I can understand what I’m doing. So overall what are your thoughts on veilguard and would you recommend it?

Sorry for such a wordy ask.

Ok first I feel like I should say what my experience with the series is. I shotgunned all 3 games over the summer back to back like an insane person. I have no nostalgia, all my opinions on the series are brand spanking new and not really affected by the overarching fandom because I have no connection at all to the fandom.

It's much easier for newcomers and modern gamers than Origins or BG3 is combat and mechanics wise if you're worried. Also way more streamlined than BG3 if you find that much freedom overwhelming.

I enjoyed it! I think if someone is a fan of the series they will enjoy it well enough. Once I got the hang of the combat I really enjoyed it. Exploration was a lot better than Inquisition. Love the factions, love being able to choose a faction to help build a character. I enjoy Solas as a character so any time with him is appreciated. I think Dragon Age in general is really open with sexualities and I really appreciate how many bi options there have always been (despite the weird memory hole right wing grifters were trying to make about it). The art direction is gorgeous and the use of color is incredible. I do enjoy several of the companions. The character creator is way better than the other 3 (I love making a character it must be said).

Now I have some criticism! I do think they simplified the morality of the world. It feels very "these are the bad guys and they are cartoonishly evil and these are our heroes and they do only good things". This becomes an issue especially among returning characters or concepts, The Crows and some things around Solas especially get real weird since both of those things tend to fall in a morally grey space. Like there are points where some banter will bring up a grey area and its very quickly swept under the rug. And there is some very unnatural "therapy speak" in some places which is my number one modern writing pet peeve. I don't like how little you can talk to the companions, which hurts the romance aspect as well. The inclusion of the few choices from past games they did decide to include was poorly implemented in my opinion. Solas and the Inquisitor should be in it way more than they are especially since their relationship (whatever that may be world state wise) is kind of important.

Also I prefer when I create my own character in an rpg to have them a little bit more blank slate and Rook is pretty heavily defined but I can imagination that away and that's a heavy personal preference. Just wanted more freedom in my roleplaying choices.

So its good and I would recommend it for people wanting a fun fantasy adventure but I do miss the more morally complex concepts the past games were working with.

[skaianettechsupport]

so i’ve gathered my thoughts a bit and…i’m still in camp pessimism, though more in a call the family just in case but he may pull through kind of way rather than jumping straight to writing a eulogy, i realize that we only saw 15 minutes of gameplay and that’s hardly anything, but based on that here are some of my thoughts (i’m sure there will be more (both critical and praising) after i’ve had time to really ruminate)

(adding a cut bc this was LONG)

the art style doesn’t totally have me sold, i realize it’s probably for performance and longevity’s sake but i really liked the skin textures in dai (they felt more human to me w/ their flaws rather than everyone being smoothed) i also don’t see why we have to redesign the demons & darkspawn every single game but that’s nit-picky (the spells are also a nit-picky thing for me i think there are better ways to illustrate an ice spell than putting big snowflake graphics on it)

i really wasn’t thrilled about the voice acting and thought a lot of the delivery sounded flat, along with that i thought that the writing was kind of lackluster and kept some of that vibe from the cinematic trailer that was making me nervous, all of the “what are we some kind of suicide squad” and “he’s right behind me isn’t he” comments are resonating for sure and i hope there’s a little less of that than the clips we saw implies

there were a lot of cutscene shots that, are forgivable, but did make me kind of roll my eyes because it just felt like the game desperately pointing out look how epic and sick and cool and kick ass these guys are trust me bro these guys are mind blowing fr you don’t have any frame of reference yet but you really don’t need it bc just look at them :) (some of the combat animations felt this way too, it felt gratuitous to me and could’ve been toned down a little, to be fair they probably are cool guys but i don’t know them yet and it felt like the game was trying to push me or convince me to feel a certain way rather than letting me develop those feelings/ideas on my own, it’s a little patronizing though again this is forgivable, it was just one of my minor gripes so it’s going in the post)

another minor gripe is that the game felt a lot more mass effect-y to me than dragon age, i know what minrathous is and i know it’s basically their equivalent of a hyper modern city, but it didn’t feel like it was magic powered to me it felt like sci-fi tech? (specifically the spotlights and loudspeaker announcements) i just wish it didn’t have that sci-fi futurism feel to it it was odd, though maybe it is more of a fantasy setting in game as you explore or maybe i’m just used to ferelden being super backwater, i don’t know, the vibe change is giving me some crazy whiplash

i guess my biggest issue was the va work and writing, i’m worried everyone will sound flat for the duration of the game and the writing will keep that cheesiness (which is what made me so anxious after the cinematic, i thought that might not bode too well) this game may be more tailored for “modern audiences” but i don’t think that means it needs to patronize the players and dumb itself down for us we can handle heavy subject matter and complex story lines (i remember seeing this gripe about inquisition too nothing new here, just a steady progression from 1 to 4 it seems) i’m not ready to throw a funeral for bioware or anything but i am feeling pretty nervous, cautiously observing shall we say, ill be a pessimistic optimist about it how about that

i will say that the lighting and effects are beautiful and the setting is also gorgeous, i’m excited to see everything and spend forever exploring. all this being said i will be creating the most sad little fail guy ever and romancing emmrich, thank you

(i’m just glad to see solas again, smoothed and flat in his delivery as he may be..and apparently there’s an inquisitor creator! so maybe there’s still hope for solavellan closure? maybe? maybe not..(please please please please please please pleaspleadepleasepleasepleasepleasdpease i’ll be happy if there’s satisfying closure i promise i PROMISE BIOWARE ARE YOU LISTENING????? I PROMISE ILL NEVER GRIPE AGAIN!!!!!!!!! OR BITCH OR MOAN OR COMPLAIN EVEN A TINY TINY BIT I SWEAR 😭🙏))

[modern-inheritance]

Rough Day (MIC Chat)

(I'd love to turn this into a short but I think I'd get caught up in descibing Saphira's thought process and miss out/go another direction) Sometime during The War, in the limbo of timeline hell. Saphira: *doing a bit of a wander around 'her' portion of the far more sparsely tented side of camp* Saphira: *stops, midstride, pulls back a bit and looks down* ??? Arya: *laying facedown on the ground in some tall grass and strong sunlight* Arya: ... Arya: *muffled, sounding very tired, never lifting her head* Hey Saphira. Saphira: Having a nap, or a breakdown? Arya: Very astute of you. Yes. Arya: I have had...I have had a very...very rough day. Wait, what day is it? Saphira: Solas Rest. Arya: Oh. ...I've had a very rough three days. Saphira: Are you well? Physically? Do you need me to get Eragon or Glen? Arya: No, thanks. I'm good here, just...just going to gather my thoughts. Connect with nature. Eat some dirt. Saphira: ...If you're sure. Arya: Yep. Saphira: *pauses again* Saphira: *gently takes the back of Arya's combat jacket in her first few front teeth, drags her kitten style over to a shaded patch of grass and deposits her there* Arya: Thank you. Saphira: You have picked a nice spot for a breakdown-nap. I shall join you. Arya: Aw, thanks. And Saphira just sorta proceeded to half nap half defend this dumbass elf having multiple in-the-field Recall episodes. Chatting with her between them like 'so, what's new with Yaela, she's been rather smitten with that auburn haired smith that's got his forge set beside Horst's.' 'The downdrafts have been particularly fierce, there's rain coming soon.' 'I think Eragon needs to get more cardio. Should I chase him?'

Iunno I want these two to be friends really bad. In MIC, it's not shown quite as much yet, but Saphira's a little on the fence about Arya when they first start traveling after Gil'ead. Even though she recognizes her mind, there's this unsettling feeling about her (likely, I think, from the high levels of 'dragonblood' Arya has and her just being so different and dangerous from anyone else they've interacted with so far) and Saphira does take some time to completely trust Arya with Eragon, taking even longer to fully accept that Arya's there to protect her as well. Eventually they do become really good friends, bonding over battlejoy and protecting Eragon's dumb ass and Saphira does realize the lengths Arya's going to go to keep them both safe after the Star Sapphire incident.

And while Saphira never really understands the results of Gil'ead on Arya's mind, she understands pain, she understands some of it from Eragon's later PTSD manifesting, and she also recognizes the more animalistic side Arya (and other elves, though they prefer to tamp it down) displays when she gets distressed. Saphira knows an injured dragon can and will lash out, understands how much more stress it puts on them when others see them vulnerable. So Saphira treats Arya more like a very small, very scaleless dragonling. She's welcomed in to the Thunder, if you will. They're both the odd women out, and sometimes it's just nice to sit together and shake their heads at the men and boys and share knowing looks. ...even though half the time they don't know what exactly they're saying with their eyes, they just know it's the same thing.

I am...not making sense. Friends. I want them to be friends.

[rosella-writes]

HAPPY FRIDAY ROSELLA💜💜 For DADWC, perhaps some Solas x Cassandra + ❛ don’t go where i can’t follow. ❜?

This yells Trespasser things at me that I have, instead, shoehorned into an All New, Faded for Her interpretation. 💚 Thank you, Mer.

Rating: T @dadrunkwriting

~~~

“Solas.”

The line of his back is rigid as he stalks away — his foot slips in the tall grass, but he recovers from the stumble and keeps going. Cassandra spots a bit of blood in every other footstep as she chases after him. 

“Solas.”

He jerks his shoulder from her grasp as she attempts to stop him, to turn him to face her. But she is nearly as tall, and just as broad, just as strong — her hand does not slip the second time. 

Solas turns on her, his pale face bright with rage, but she doesn't let go of him. She has one hand gripped in the worn fabric of his jacket, the other on the staff still in his hand. He doesn’t raise a hand against her, as she expects him to. She’s even braced for what she thought to be an inevitable burst of flame, a spell purge ready on her lips. Neither comes. 

“Seeker, release me.”

His voice is cold. His anger is ice, and she feels frozen by it. 

“I cannot,” she grumbles. “I cannot allow you to put your life at risk in this way. No mage should —”

“Ah, there it is,” he spits. He shakes her hand off his staff. “The apostate, running away? Just as you expected? With no Templars to garrison me, you would see to it yourself?”

“It is not safe!”

He yanks away from her, his lip curled in an expression of utmost disdain. His eyes are glassy and red-rimmed, but he doesn’t look away. “Oh, so you fear for me! Or do you fear for those I may harm, as the dangerous, unleashed mage that I am? May I remind you that I have lived thus far with no need for Templar supervision or —”

“Solas,” she interrupts, stepping forward into his space again. He does not back away, not this time. “Solas, you lost… your friend. You confronted those other apostates with such rage as I have never seen in you. I am…” 

Cassandra trails off, casting about helplessly for what to say. She grunts with anger at the loss of what words might comfort him, her teeth gritted and her eyes fixed on his. She feels dumb, mute, as if her intention reaches for him through thick mud. 

“I am afraid,” she finally sighs. “I will not chase you, if you must go. Just… please, do not go where I cannot follow. Rest and mourn if you must, but leave some trail of your passing.”

His jaw tenses and releases, muscles twitching beneath his ear. His icy gaze flickers, then softens, despite his next words remaining as sharp as shards of glass. “A trail, in lieu of a phylactery?”

“Solas…” she scolds. 

But she lets him go. He disappears among the rocks quickly, and she feels his absence keenly the moment he is out of sight. It is only when she turns away, to inform the Inquisitor that she did not succeed in drawing him back, that she realises Solas had never healed the wound on his foot — a faint trail of scarlet remains in every other footprint he left in the grass.

[exalted-dawn-drabbles]

ed prompts ed prompts ed prompts 🥰🥰🥰 for Solas x Alora: “Magic does not work like that.” “Maybe. But have you ever tried it?” “No, because I’m not bloody insane!”

HEHEHEHE OKAY BUT I LOVE THIS PROMPT THO! I changed up the wording a bit to be a bit more in line with Solas' and Alora's mannerisms but the soul is the same uwu I hope you enjoy this dumb fic about a meta Dragon Age game mechanic XD

for @dadrunkwriting

Rated G: Fluff, Comedy, 479 words

Cliff Diving | Exalted_Dawn

“What if I were to just… cast a Barrier spell and jump down?”

Solas looked at her as if she’d grown a second head. Maybe she had. Alora couldn’t tell anymore. She was just too damn tired. 

And they were standing on a really tall cliff. 

She stared down glumly at its sandy base, where the violent green weave of a Rift shivered and flexed– gaping like a grotesque Fade wound. Demons of various types milled about its radius, unaware of the company waiting to slay them lingering just a few hundred feet above.

Creators, why did it have to be so far down????

“You have to admit it’d be an effective ambush tactic. If I’m lucky, I might even land on one,” She tried, her eyes darting sideways to where the taller elf stood stock still, a harsh scowl leveled at her. 

“Absolutely not.”

“But-”

“As you know, that is not how the Barrier spell works, Aloranna,” he chided, his words falling like a headsman’s axe. “If you do that, you’ll only wind up getting yourself killed.”

Alora flinched at the use of her full name, her mouth pulling into a tight grimace as she stared back down at the steep slope beneath them. It’d take at least an hour of carefully traversing the rain-slicked stones of Storm Coast’s hills to get them down to the beaches, and Alora wanted nothing more than to just find a nice spot to camp, collapse into a dry bedroll, and sleep. A life-threatening drop seemed almost preferable if it meant saving herself the time between now and then. “Maybe,” she grumbled, biting out the admission. “But have you ever tried it? We don’t know- it might work.”

“No,” he repeated again, his voice flat. “Unlike you, I am not so deprived of my senses to ever try such a thing. No matter how soggy.” He reached over to swipe his thumb across her brow, pushing the rain-plastered bangs up and out of her eyes. “I understand that you are tired, vhenan, but it is just one more Rift. Once we close it, we can return to Skyhold.” 

She slouched heavily against his limber frame, feeling all at once the aches and pains she’s been carrying around in her body for days at the mere suggestion of her bed back home. In all her many years of travel on the road, she never would have thought walking would ever be a reason of concern when it came to exhaustion, but Storm Coast had been steadfast in proving her wrong. She missed solid ground. “...Fine then,” she sighed. “One more. But if I collapse on the way down, you’re carrying me the rest of the way back to camp.”

With an almost silent chuckle, he ducked to press a glancing kiss to the crown of her rain soaked head. 

“It is a deal.”

[isolctions]

♡ — zephyr & maliq

soft ship questionnaire

WHO ASKED WHO OUT FIRST? —

i feel like, in a completely shocking turn of events, zephyr was the one to ask maliq out??? like okay i might as well get SUMN outta this.

WHO WENT IN FOR THE FIRST KISS? —

well in my sims 4 save file it was maliq. so, maliq.

WHO GIVES THE OTHER NICKNAMES? —

they both do! and they're both incredibly dumb!!!

WHO COOKS THE MEALS? —

nobody. cheap pizza, hot wings, & uber eats all day bestie.

WHO HAS BETTER TASTE IN MUSIC? —

zephyr does. she's literally the DJ for everything ever.

WHO HOGS THE BED? —

zeph & the kids!

WHO WAKES UP FIRST? —

the kids. and maliq.

WHO MAKES THE COFFEE? —

also maliq. coffee makes her tummy hurt. :/

WHO'S THE BIG SPOON? —

maliq!

WHO STAYS UP THE LATEST? —

it's a tie. zeph is up late on tiktok doing fuck all, while maliq is up late doing musician shit or whatever.

WHO REACHES FOR WHO'S HAND? —

zeph. and she calls him annoying for giving it to her. <3

WHO'S A FAN OF PDA? —

boffum! they're grossly affectionate!

WHO SNORES? —

zeph lolz.

WHO GETS ANNOYED MORE EASILY? —

ZEPH, LOLZ.

WHO INITIATES SEX? —

it's a 50/50 horny home in here.

WHO ASKS WHO FOR THEIR HAND IN MARRIAGE? —

maliq did, and it was beautiful!!!

MY MUSE'S FAVORITE MEMORY OF YOURS:

her most favorite memory is when she was still pregnant with sola, and he caved and bought them a car like omg bestie...you finally added a carbon footprint in this world for US.....

A REGRET MY MUSE HAS REGARDING YOURS:

kicking him out of the apartment for suggesting she should forgive her mom. :/ like maybe we were wilding a little bit, this not even my apartment fr — but it's still fuck her!

IF THEY COULD CHANGE ONE THING? —

he would be home more. the kids are in school now, she is LONELY all day!!!

THEIR LOVE LANGUAGES ACCORDING TO MY MUSE:

physical touch, words of affirmation, & acts of service honey!

[emerald-amidst-gold]

A sneaky peeky!

You know, it’s amazing what an extended break from writing can do for you!  It can be a little difficult to get the flow back, but sometimes, it actually helps get your thoughts to translate more clearly. So, here you are, lovelies! A teeny, tiny blurb of my favorite dragon and wolf! :D

--

The moment Fane’s expression softened and a tiny sigh slipped past his lips, Solas knew he had won.

“...Okay.”

Solas blinked a bit. He had not been expecting a verbal affirmation, knowing how sensitive the topic of marking was for Fane, but its arrival made his heart quicken a few beats. Without really thinking, he reached up to cup an ivory cheek, his own growing warm whenever his dragon responded with a nuzzle and a kiss into his palm,

“Okay?” Solas whispered with a note of disbelief. It was not that he was doubting, but he wanted to be sure, to know this was what Fane desired as well. It would not be a one-sided decision. It would not.

Fane huffed out a laugh against his palm, nuzzling it once more. Two-toned eyes, the depths jade, the outer ring a brilliant gold, gazed down into his own with utter warmth and utter affection. The look made Solas feel…relieved, and his dragon’s next affirmation held the certainty he was seeking.

“If it’s what you really want, and you’re aware of the risks that go along with it, then…” His dragon’s eyes flickered downwards for a moment, the lids growing heavy as they fixed themselves upon where Solas could feel his pulse fluttering and his voice came forward once more, encased in the deepest of growls, “...I’ll make you mine. Gladly.”

Solas visibly shuddered at both Fane’s words and his voice. In fact, so visceral was the shiver of his spine that he found himself burrowing into his dragon’s front, face aflame and breath short. Fane’s arms wrapped around him immediately, pinning Solas’ form to his own with a tender squeeze. This was…dangerous, but Solas adored it. He had heard his dragon’s pitch and depth many times, but when it was soaked with desire, with want? Oh, that caused his mind to melt, his blood to spark. Not even the knowledge that this act would hurt deterred him. A darker side of him craved the pain, the implication.

And now, he would have it. Consent had been given. Now, all that was needed was initiation.

--

This is actually a pretty big milestone in Fane and Solas’ relationship. And one that takes quite a while for them to get to because my dumb, dumb dragon is overprotective. *sighs fondly*