#Varric was probably some form of father figure for him

[ranger-danger]

My beautiful amazing severely traumatized son

[dgcatanisiri]

I’ve said a few times, I’d sooner have had Felix as a companion over Dorian, on the basis of how Felix has a better claim to being capable of becoming “the Redeemer” of Tevinter society - he is already an outsider to Tevinter culture, considering that he’s the son of a Magister who has minimal magical gifts - Worlds of Thedas says that his grandfather tried to assassinate him for this. Meaning this is someone who has always been on the outside of the dominant culture of Tevinter society. 

Now, if you’ve been on my blog for any length of time, you have probably seen me talk about the difference of queer focus versus queer relevance. Long version is here, short version is that queer focus orients the story on the struggles of being queer, while queer relevance orients the story on something that is relatable across the board, but ends up having resonance for the queer people. 

My go-to example is something like Cullen’s addiction - addiction is something that hits anyone, queer or not. But because of the culture of queer spaces, where our safe spaces are bars and clubs, places where developing these habits is significantly easier, the story of breaking the addiction has queer relevance. 

Or some time ago, I looked at how Cole is pulled between being more spirit-like or being more human-like, and felt that it kinda read like a trans metaphor, of Solas pushing him to be like he had always been, the way that Solas was more comfortable with him, even if Cole had changed from that, or Varric encouraging Cole to explore the person he was becoming, even if that meant he could never go back to who he was before. 

Or, going away from Dragon Age, the Star Trek Deep Space Nine episode Rejoined featured a romance between two women. Now, these women both also carried the memories and personalities of two people who were married. Because Star Trek. In their society, the Reassociation is taboo (so it gets the capital letter treatment), because their people encourage each new life to separate itself and be distinct from the prior lives - Reassociation is so taboo to their people, they are threatened with expulsion from their society if they go ahead and take up the relationship again. It’s not taboo because of it being two women, but the metaphor is obvious because of how it IS, and yet the story doesn’t linger on that fact, all the concern is wrapped up in the natural reactions of the characters involved, how it impacts the characters in universe, letting the audience connect the dots and apply their own awareness.

So, going back to Dragon Age and Felix in particular... There’s that same relevance in him, because he can’t be what his culture says he should be. He has the same position as Dorian in Tevinter society, but for different reasons - he’s the son of a Magister, but he has barely any magic. So that kills almost any chance for him to provide that contribution to the distillation of “the perfect mage.” 

And yet... Since here we have the loving father proceed to accept him regardless, it demands a different story, while still allowing that perspective - Felix can talk about how Tevinter society said that Alexius should have disowned him and had another heir, but Alexius didn’t, choosing to love and accept his son as he is rather than try to force him to be what he is not or abandon him for being what he is. Now it’s not a queer focus, centered on the pain of a queer person, it’s a story where the queer character (since I’m saying swap Dorian for Felix, I’d want Felix as a gay romance) was accepted. 

Considering how awkwardly shoved in the homophobia of Dorian’s story is when we’re three games into the franchise and only being introduced here - because Fenris, the escaped Tevinter slave, SURELY should have mentioned that the nobility of Tevinter don’t approve when male Hawke (new nobility in Kirkwall) romances him, or brought it up against Anders, who romanticizes the fuck out of Tevinter. The few other instances of homophobia in the games could be passed off more as formed from out-of-universe reasons, that the writers still live in a homophobic society, and so are still using that lens - that’s certainly how I was looking at them until Dorian’s story came along. 

Like I saw it the same as all the sexism in the games - they pay a lot of lip service to Thedas being without it, that women are accepted in the armies and leadership, that their Jesus-figure is a woman (and more Joan of Arc-y, but she’s not the center of the IRL religion...), the priesthood is all about women, barring men from higher positions... And yet there’s still a LOT of patriarchal structure, the focus on kings and bloodlines through the son, and, y’know, wouldn’t a society that both worships a woman AND prizes dogs NOT use ‘bitch’ as a gendered slur? You can’t get away from the biases of the society you the writer are writing these things in. You can try, but things slip through the cracks. And that’s legit how I saw any nugget of homophobia in the game as well, as a societal bias of the writers.

Dorian’s story made that impossible. It said that there was genuine homophobia in this society. And it said that this place that I’d seen homosexuality as being a difference that made no difference was no longer that safe space. And I don’t know about anyone else, but I find offering places of safety and acceptance for queer people more important than reemphasizing how damaging homophobia/queerphobia is.

Because I need queer narratives that AREN’T focused on queer pain. Because I can get that anywhere else, I need my power fantasies far, FAR more. Give me queer people who are unquestionably accepted. I’ll take the metaphors, the stories that have the obvious subtext, BUT are grounded within their universe.

So instead of this being an anvil of “my family can’t accept my queerness!” it’s just part of Felix’s character. Because we have Alexius as the character willing to let the world burn to save his son. Hell, I think it would have been GREAT to get Felix’s response to Alexius’s judgment at Skyhold instead of Dorian - it’s not just the mentor figure who has fallen from grace, it’s the father who would have killed everyone for the chance to save you. How do you respond to that?

Felix was better poised to be “the Redeemer” than Dorian was. And he had a queer relevant story without it being queer focus, Make Felix our companion (meaning that we’d probably need a new mage companion for the sake of balance and all, which means probably also changing up at least one other character’s class and story, but since they’re not going to remake the game, this is all academic anyway, so the character element is all that I’m looking at here), have Dorian as like a brother or still the mentee figure, maybe graft the sickness over to him instead of Felix (or build a questline around helping Felix recover). 

And then Felix can speak of Tevinter with the luster worn off, because he’s spent his life seeing the faults of the society, the rot at its core, rather than just having had his eyes opened because Tevinter’s ills have finally reached him - they were always impacting him. He had family members try to kill him because he couldn’t be what they wanted. He’s only able to enjoy what he does because his father refuses to shut him out, something that surely has closed doors for Alexius, maybe even drew him to the Venatori before the sickness.

Felix is a better candidate to be “the Redeemer.” He’s experienced Tevinter’s ills more blatantly and more frequently than Dorian has. Felix should have been the companion over Dorian.

[princess-underthemountain]

so yesterday was my 25th birthday and the only gift I truly got myself was finishing this fic of one of my oldest babies, Taylor Hawke, and Anders having a moment together in the Deep Roads, so!

Pre-relationship fluff. All this is. Also Taylor being an awful girl in her true nature.

this is also on the AO3.

Taylor was woken suddenly thanks to a nearly heartbreaking scream of ‘no!’ that she was thankful didn’t come from her baby sister- but instead came from Anders. Yet before she could fully register what had happened- before she could sit up, wipe the sleep from her eyes-, and ask Anders if he was alright, what was wrong, he’d already crossed to the opposite side of their small, makeshift camp.

Taylor sighed softly, running her fingers through her hair before yawning and standing up, barely making out the blurry figure that sat just feet away. She took the same path he had, approaching on silent feet, touching his shoulder lightly to warn him he was there before finally talking.

"Anders, are you alright?"

Her voice was soft, an attempt to keep from disturbing anyone else they’d set up camp with- Bethany included. Yet, Taylor noticed the way Anders’ hands shook before he clasped them together, causing her to frown. She wondered what had happened, yet wanted him to speak first- all she knew for sure was that she didn’t want to leave the man on his own.

"Have you... ever heard about the dreams Wardens have? I have them nightly but I've gotten used to them since becoming a warden. It's a never ending voice. A legion. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

“Do you know about the dreams that wardens have? They never leave. They never stop- but they’re something you eventually get used to as a warden. It’s a never ending voice. It’s a legion. Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?”

Taylor shook her head in response to him- and it was a truthful answer. She didn’t know what it was like for wardens, having not even gotten to her Joining before being pushed from Ostagar with her little brother on her heels. The whole day was a blur to her, mostly thanks to the pure shock that came from leaving Ostagar so suddenly then turning around and leaving the home that she’d known the longest.

“No, I don’t know what that’s like. If I had left for Ostagar days before Lothering was destroyed with Carver, I probably would have. Or, maybe he would,” Taylor started, feeling the same pang of sadness that usually came with speaking about her father, only to deal with the same feeling when she’d talk about her little brother now too, “because Carver was adamant he was going to be a Warden. We fought alongside King Cailan’s forces for a spell, then… all I remember is being told to flee. I got home in time just to watch the place I’d spent my life go up in flames.”

“Do you ever miss it?”

A sigh, followed by Taylor shaking her head- even though she knew that Anders couldn’t see, since he wasn’t looking at her- then settling on the ground just beside where Anders sat.

“Honestly? I stopped loving it when Father died. When he was gone, everything felt empty. Like it had lost color. Mother and I… well. We wanted it to seem normal for Bethany and Carver. I took random jobs, you know, as you do. Or… as you do when you feel like helping your family is all your responsibility after your father passes away.”

Taylor found herself staring ahead, at the decorated cave wall as her mind drifted to all the times she, her father, and Carver had gone to other villages to go about their own things while Bethany stayed home with their mother. She remembered helping Carver practice for becoming a templar- something that they all recognized as irony, given his twin sister and their father were both mages. Yet, more than anything, Taylor missed these moments with her father and Carver both.

“How did you get that hand on your scar, Hawke? Getting scrappy with templars? Thieves? It must be an interesting story.”

For just a brief moment, Taylor truly wondered if the mage was able to read minds and hadn’t told anyone. Yet as she realized she had let her shoulders drop and posture change, she figured that Anders could tell she was deep in her own mind- even Varric himself would have been able to tell.

“Nothing quite so fun, I’m afraid! Don’t laugh when I tell you. You are not allowed to laugh, not even a little giggle. I got the scar when I was… sixteen? Perhaps I was older. I was working a tavern. Helping them prepare dinner that night. And, well. I looked away for a moment, and the next thing I know is my hand just… burned and stung, and the woman beside me was screaming. I got this stupid thing chopping vegetables of all things…”

Taylor looked at Anders when she heard him snort, noticing how there was the subtlest of smiles on his face that she could see plainly, even in the low light from their torch. Subtle as it was, however, it was more than enough to soften his look. A glance into the Anders that Taylor found herself wanting to see more.

“Look at that! You smiled! Never would have thought you were capable of such a thing, since you keep that adorably grumpy someone took my cookie look on your face all the time. Seems the Maker really blessed me with a small miracle.”

“You may want to count your blessings more often then, sweetheart. I know I laughed, but you don’t need to worry- you aren’t the only one with a scar with a terribly stupid story behind it.”

She watched him move, tilting her head to the side as he raised his shirt just enough to expose a scar on his hip, just above where his pants sat, “I got this one here from making a medication for someone at the clinic. It went clean through my robes. I smelled something burning, and didn't think twice because it’s Darktown. Everything smells burnt. Then I realized that I was the thing burning.”

Taylor laughed once Anders finished his story, covering her mouth as she did- a little late to not interrupt Varric, who slept like a corpse, and Bethany. The rest of their crew she knew wouldn’t be bothered, given how distanced they all were from one another. Yet still, she glanced behind them once to double check she hadn’t woken anyone before glancing back at Anders with a smile on her face- and noting the one on his, as well.

Almost months ago now, when Varric had initially told her of the warden who was residing in Darktown, Anders was the farthest thing from what she had expected. If anything, she’d thought he was an older, more grizzled man- one who’s survived through Loghain’s betrayal much like the Hero had- yet, meeting the man who ran a clinic and had amber eyes wasn’t what she expected. Though he wasn’t what she’d thought he’d be, she was drawn to him, that much was undeniable.

Drawn to him as she was, she still had no idea how things quickly escalated as they easily did. One moment, she was simply trying to comfort a friend after a bad dream. Simply sitting at his side and talking with him so he wouldn’t feel so alone. Until she realized she had moved closer to him- though she doubted she consciously meant to, not when they were Maker knew how many feet underground with a chill in the air and the man was warm. Taylor still found herself looking at him and smiling again, taking note of how he refused to look at her again until she carefully placed a hand on his forearm.

“So… are you alright now, Anders? Are you truly?”

Anders nodded, resting a hand on top of hers before glancing over at her, “I’m fine. The dreams happen nightly, as I told you. So it’s nothing to worry about- I’ll try and be quiet next time we sleep. I do appreciate your companionship, though, H- Taylor.”

“Right! Good. I just wanted to make sure, is all. Worry about my friends, you know. I like everyone best when they get the sleep they need.” Taylor said softly, leaning close to him and kissing his cheek gently. She felt him tense and was about to apologize before Anders looked at her, that same subtle smile from before crossing his features as he looked at her.

“You ‘just wanted to make sure?’ Could have fooled me. It almost feels like you’ve got ulterior motives on your mind.

She found herself simply smirking at the mage before she was opening her mouth to speak- perhaps to defend herself, she thought- until Anders moved to rest a hand on the back of her head, which caused her breath to catch in her throat. Close as they were, she noticed the subtle smell of elfroot and some form of spice as she moved closer, able to press her forehead against his.

“Oh! And I’m the one with ulterior motives!” she teased, smiling when Anders laughed. She saw how his eyes crinkled at the corners as he laughed, making him look almost nothing in a way that she’d not seen him before. 

And yet, she felt like she had when she was just seventeen, when she had her first kiss in a small village while sitting on a dock as she and her father had traveled while searching for Taylor her first set of real daggers, with some boy she’d only known for hours. At twenty-four, Taylor knew that Anders’s company was much better than some random boy, and the warmth from his hand was a comfort instead of threatening.

If she could only tell her heart that fact as it pounded wildly in her chest. She held her breath for just a moment when Anders just slightly tilted his head, with her mind screaming at her that this is what she wanted- it was something she’d thought of like a teen girl often, though she’d never tell anyone. To hide how she was feeling, Taylor copied his action- which brought a smile to his face as she finally, finally, realized just how close Anders was to her.

“Maker’s breath.” Anders finally murmured, which confused Taylor for a moment. It had her wondering if something had gone wrong- if she’d done something wrong- until he was the one who finally closed the gap between the two of them, his lips pressed against hers softly. 

Taylor’s eyes slipped shut as she took that moment to remember how his fingers gently curved around the back of her neck, how his lips were chapped but they kept the kiss itself soft- a little unexpected, but soft. She wanted to remember how his other hand came to rest on her cheek gently, almost as though he was afraid that she’d break at the slightest touch.

Then he broke the kiss- all too early. Taylor furrowed her brows when she opened her eyes, in question and annoyance both.

“I… I’m sorry. Perhaps I should have thought that over-”

Taylor shook her head before interrupting Anders, placing both of her hands on the sides of his face to pull him close again, kissing him- this kiss different from the first, just a little more urgent, just a little needy. It was more her showing him what exactly it was that she wanted.

When they finally broke apart the second time, Taylor tried to catch her breath, smiling when Anders just pressed his forehead against hers.

“Now, what were you saying, Anders? You should have thought what over, exactly? The fact we haven’t done that before, or that we should do it again? Can we do it again?”

[allisondraste]

Let’s Talk About Cole

Hi! It’s me again with another segment of “Allison Can’t Stop Analyzing Dragon Age Characters.”  This time, I am going to be talking about fan favorite Cole.  I think it’s relatively universal for people to like Cole and to enjoy his character.  People like to draw him, write about him, and just talk about our Fade Friend all the time. It’s great! 

However, the nuance of Cole is a little harder to understand, and as with most characters, he often gets reduced down to basic qualities and then those basic qualities are changed ever so slightly that the character starts to not even feel the same anymore.  I love Cole, and I have done some research about him in order to write a handful of scenes involving him, so I am just here to share some of the things that helped me out while I was learning about what makes him tick!

Step 1. If you have not read Asunder, I cannot more highly recommend it.  It has so much information about Cole’s back story.  Also, if you haven’t read Asunder and you don’t want spoilers for Asunder, you should probably go read it and then come back to my post later.

Step 2.  The Cole section of this post right here is literally magic.  The whole post is magic, but since this is a Cole meta, I’m specifically referring to the Cole piece.

Step 3.  Things about Cole that are essential to understanding him:

Cole is Neurodivergent ( and no, it’s not up for debate)

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, “Neurodivergent” is simply a word that describes a person whose mind works and processes information in a way that is considered different from an average joe neurotypical person.  Often times neurodivergent is used to describe autism, ADHD, and other conditions that affect neurological development.

Because Cole is a spirit, he processes the world around him differently from non-spirit characters in the Dragon Age Universe.  He perceives different things and understands things differently from how other characters might.  Cole also has some misunderstandings and misperceptions about human social norms and boundaries, that he becomes more acquainted with over time.  It is important to note that this development happens *regardless* of the path chosen for him with regard to Varric V. Solas (I am not a fan of this particular part of his character arc, but I am going to go into that later). The fact that Cole is neurodivergent means that someone who is neurotypical is likely going to have a hard time understanding him and may perceive him as “childish,” “naive,” or “helpless.”  They might also have difficulty understanding his speech patterns and especially recreating them if they seek to write him!

Neurodiversity is so important, and Cole is excellent representation, so it’s equally important that we strive to do our research and make sure that we are not removing that representation or presenting neurodiversity in a way that its harmful to others.  Different is different, not bad, and certainly not less.

Cole is Not a Child

I mentioned above that there is a tendency to interpret Cole’s neurodiversity as childishness or naivete, and even when it is unintentional, it is an ableistic view point that can be harmful to entire communities of people.  There is a pattern (not just in DA fandom, but also in DA fandom) whereby neurodiverse folks are often viewed as children.  They’re infantilized and treated as if they are helpless and/or cannot make good decisions on their own. Cole suffers from this as does Merrill (sometimes Sera, too).  

For Cole, this situation is not helped by the fact that the game portrays him as helpless and in need of a “father” figure to help him choose his path.  Hence we see Solas and Varric arguing on whether Cole should increase is affinity for spirtdom or for humanity.  I understand that everyone has their own opinion for what the “better” path for Cole is, and I’m not here to argue that; however, I do think that his arc would have had so much more meaning and been so much less invalidating for neurodivergent people if Cole had the autonomy to make his own decisions. In Asunder, we see Cole being very independent and making his own choices, figuring out who and what he is.  At the very end, his very last line in the entire book is, “I’m not helpless anymore.”  I don’t think that sounds like a character who cannot make his own decisions.

Fun fact: Cole is designed to be approximately 20 years old, which is the exact same age that Alistair was in Dragon Age: Origins.  (While Alistair is also the victim of infantilization… it still puts things into perspective a little bit). In order to avoid the “kid”/child dilemma, it is best to conceptualize some of the things in Cole commonly interpreted as childlike or immature as “newness.”  In Inquisition, Cole has only been in the mortal realm for a few years, and he has only been cognizant of the fact that he is not a human, but a spirit of Compassion for even less time.  Rather than treating him as a “baby” it is best to treat him as someone who is just learning a new culture, a new world.  

Cole is a Spirit of Compassion, Not a Spirit of Matchmaking and/or Meddling in your Personal Affairs.

A trend I see often is Cole as matchmaker, or Cole as interested in every detail of everyone’s sex life or Cole being a filterless vent for whatever the people near him are thinking.  It’s easy to assume that about him, as he does comment on a few relationships (Cullenmance, Solavellan, and Bullmance) in particular; however, there is an interesting tidbit of how Cole’s thought reading works located in his banter with Dorian.

Dorian: That little trick, Cole, when you dip into someone's mind and take a drink?

Dorian: Do you choose what you're looking for, or is it random?

Cole: It has to be hurt, or a way to help the hurt. That's what calls me.

Cole: Rilienus, skin tan like fine whiskey, cheekbones shaded, lips curl when he smiles.

Cole: He would have said yes.

Dorian: I'll... thank you not to do that again, please.

Essentially, Cole can only tap into thoughts that are 1.) Painful or 2.) Can help lessen the pain in some way, shape, or form. So, when he accesses thoughts about an LI or something else very personal, he does so to HELP.  It is not random.  It is not filterless.  It is a very pragmatic way to be compassionate. When I was thinking of ways to explain this, the first thing that came to mind was the work that I do as a mental health professional.  We are actual practitioners of compassion.  It is our job to listen to our clients and help them to solve the problems that are causing them to suffer.  We ask a lot of deep questions and probe about a lot of personal things, but it is very targeted.  We do not ask intimate questions just out of curiosity or just for the heck of it.  It is geared toward the issue at hand.  That is exactly what Cole does.  

Unless prodding your OC about the details of their sex life is going to make them feel better, he will not bother.

Cole is Not an Innocent, Precious, Little Cinnamon Roll

First of all, that goes along with the infantilization of his character, so it’s just a really ill-considered choice of language to describe him.  Second of all, it is simply not true.  

I understand that for people who have not read Asunder or played the Champions of the Just questline (and especially people who have done neither)  there is very little information about him to judge his character on, and what we do see is a person whose only mission, his sole purpose, is to help the hurt. That does seem very wholesome.

In Asunder, we see a much different side of him.  Believing himself to be Cole, a young mage who died of starvation after being forgotten by Templars, Compassion roams about the White Spire in a confused and lonely daze, unaware that he is actually a very powerful spirit.  He is called the Ghost of the White Spire, a legend that is terrifying to those that inhabit the tower.  Why?  Because he murders mages.

If you are thinking “oh, he probably killed them because he felt them suffering and he thought it was the only way to end their misery,” you are thinking exactly as I did, and you would be wrong.  While he did target individuals who were despairing, it was not altruistic.  He killed them because it felt good when they died, because that was the only time anyone could see him.  The way the book describes it, it was almost an “addiction” or a physiological need for him to kill.  He was distressed by his actions, but was not able to stop without Rhys’ help.

Over the course of the book, Cole learns more about his past and figures out what he is.  He also, through the help of his relationship with Rhys and Evangeline, comes to understand that he does not have to murder people to be seen and remembered.  When he is sent to the Fade using the Litany of Adralla, it all finally clicks and he returns to haunt Lord Seeker Lucius, for all the pain and suffering he caused his friends and loved ones. It is such a brilliant character arc and I so wish that we got to see more of it in the game.

Cole is a Person the Entire Time (Human vs. Spirit/Varric vs. Solas be damned)

Regardless of your opinion of Solas, one thing he gets right is in arguing that Cole is already a whole and complete person when he joins the Inquisition.  He actually argues for the personhood of all spirits in general, and I think that any reasonable person can look at the spirits (and demons) with whom we have interacted so far and, putting aside feelings about Solas, draw the same conclusions.

Let’s take a look at all of the Spirits/Demons we have had actual interactions with thus far:

Valor

Justice

Compassion

Command

Wisdom

Choice

Desire

Pride

Sloth

Rage

Fear

Envy

While some of these interactions were minimal, each of these entities show qualities that one would associate with personhood.  Qualities such as motivation, goals, higher order thought processes, emotions, etc.  When we meet Justice in DA:A, he is a thinking, feeling being who longs to right wrongs and comes to care for mortals a great deal.  He comes to this conclusion on his own after interacting with his companions in the events of the game. Choice, or Imshael, who we see in The Masked Empire, and in DAI,  has such an identity of his own that he does not like to be referred to as a demon. I could go on.  These are not mindless, thoughtless creatures, and so viewing them as people just makes sense. This is part of the reason I do not like the Solas vs. Varric questline (aside from the fact that Cole should be able to choose or not choose as he wishes).  Cole is already a person, and Varric’s line of thought is not “making him more human,” it is only serving to make him “less compassionate,” and that’s all.  He becomes more selfish which is why he is able to have more of his own personal goals (it’s not because he did not have them before; rather, it is because they were drowned out by everyone else’s).  

This is not to say that I think Cole should have to forgive his abuser.  He shouldn’t. Not unless he wants to, and that choice should be his to make, not Varric’s, not Solas’, and not the Inquisitor’s.  I have an opinion as to which path is better, but I’m not going to discuss that here because it will detract from the actual point which is that the language of “human” versus “not human” is just bad and here’s why.

It implies that forgiveness is not a human quality.

It implies that in order to be considered a person, one has to “think” and “do” as everyone else does.  

Because of Cole’s romantic/sexual interest in Maryden when Varric’s path is chosen, it implies that lack of romantic/sexual attraction is not “human,” which is aphobic.

Because of his Maryden interest in the “human” path, and because he has “become more human” in his thought processes, it implies that neurodivergent people cannot or are not interested in relationships, which is ableist.

TL;DR: I’m not a fan of that questline. Your mileage may vary.

Finally, and Probably the Reason You Sat Through the Rest of It: Cole’s Speech Pattern!

Cole’s speech is really difficult to capture in a way that is both enough and not too much.  It is not as simple as just seeing how much alliteration can fit into a chapter.  Sure, Cole uses a lot of alliteration, and it is incredibly fun to play with while writing him; however, his communication is not as simple as that.  If you check out the link I shared in Step 2, it will take you to a Character Files reference where there is some information about Cole’s speech pattern that is much more in depth than I am going to go so definitely check it out. When I am writing Cole, I categorize his speech into three different types:

Synesthesia

-  the alliteration, the purpley flowery descriptions, the metaphors, the in the moment, no regard for grammar, run on sentence speech he is known for.  This comprises most of his dialogue.

Direct thought reading

- when he is actually quoting characters’ thoughts or stating their feelings out right.  He might speak as them or he might speak as himself observing them.

Cole’s own thoughts

- Yes, he has them, and he has a lot of them.  Many of these show up as his interpretations of and suggestions for others regarding their hurt.  However, he also shows a lot of agency of thought.  He wants to know if Dorian thinks he’s handsome, he talks about wanting there to be more rabbits in stories because Bunny was Cole’s sister’s name and it reminds him of her.  Cole expresses a lot of his own thoughts and feelings if you just take time to listen.

Writing Cole effectively involves a good balance of all three types and I recommend just playing around with it!

To Sum It All Up

Cole is amazing, but he’s also often misunderstood and mischaracterized, and Allison has a lot of feelings about it that you could spare yourself from reading if you do Steps 1 and 2 and skip the middleman. The end!

[ranawaytothedas]

I just had some random HC’s for Maeve, I thought I would share.

There are a few so I put them under the cut for neatness :D 

+ Maeve doesn’t really remember much of Flemeth - This is really just something that makes sense to me given she had a fairly unpleasant early childhood and she ran away with her sister at a young age. Her memories of her mother a vague and almost all negative. Most of her opinions on Flemeth come from Morrigan’s accounts of their childhood. I see her blocking out a lot of her early memories because she was a deeply unhappy child. She saw facing the blight as a preteen as the better option than being left along with Flemeth. She also only refers to her as “My Mother” or “Flemeth” in much the way Morrigan does.

+She wanted to be a Grey Warden - this is just one of those random things when I was trying to give Maeve some more depth that I wrote down but it has stuck. I think it’s because she adores Alistair and looked up to the Warden as well. I also think that Alistair was probably the first to put an end to the idea of her joining the Wardens. Her desire to join the Wardens remains with her, even when she meets Blackwall she tells him, “Once upon a time, I wanted to be a Warden...” 

+ Maeve has a soft spot for Templars - This is another thing that her fondness for Alistair influenced. Though she heard the stories about Kirkwall from Alistair himself, Maeve still believed that most Templars were noble and honorable like she views Alistair. He tries to explain to her that they are just people and have faults but Maeve keeps her head in the clouds about this for quite some time. Morrigan kept her isolated, even as a young adult so she has rarely seen the real horrors they had caused. It ends up being what she sees and what Cullen tells her about his past that breaks that romanticized view of Templars. 

+ Maeve is half-Avvar - I had planned originally on having her be half-Tevinter but the more I played with the idea of her having some blood connection to the Avvar and their cool relationships with Spirits and Flemthal maybe being the Lady of the Skies (who knows... I went down a rabbit hole) plus the events of JoH, I thought... Avvar Maeve would be pretty awesome. Plus it explains her paleness... I do think she knows her father was an Avvar, it being a fact I think Flemeth would not let her forget, and when she gets the chance to go and meet the Avvar clans... she does her best to impress them and prove her worth. Which I think that Bull, in particular, would find very enduring about her. 

+ Maeve’s best friend as a child, was Sandal - This is mostly just a silly one but the more I thought about the more I gave this weight. She was just a kid during the events of DAO and spent most of her time at camp, with Sandal and Bodan. Because of this, I see her bonding with the odd lad, it was almost like she understood him without needing words. Maeve would watch him as he made the runes and Sandel was fascinated when he watch Maeve practice her magic. One of the few things she carried with her from her childhood was a pair of enchantment runes that Sandal made for her before they parted ways. Before she leaves for the conclave she gives Keiren one and tells him to keep it safe because she will come back for it. When she sees Keiren again she asks him where is her rune... and Keiren pulls it from his pocket. Maeve also may know what “Not Enchantment” is, though she refuses to ever speak of it often saying I was sworn to secrecy. She often thinks about Sandal and often wishes that she could find her friend and bring him into the safety of the Inquisition, where they could really use his talents. 

+ Maeve and Keiren are more like brother and sister than Aunt and nephew - This is something that Cullen and Varric both note when they see them together. Maeve seems to come alive around the young man. Cullen even ends up telling Varric he had never heard her laugh so much. They have a very sweet loving relationship and they both seem most at ease with each other. Maeve speaks very fondly of Keiren, even before they arrive at Skyhold. Never once does she mention missing Morrigan but she says she misses Keiren quite a bit. She also writes him letters from the time she arrives in Haven, she also sends him a gift for his birthday (Krem helps her make him a Mabari plushie) which happens shortly before they join her at Skyhold. 

+ Solas is very cautious but ultimately fairly fond of Maeve - I think that Solas can see whatever tiny bit of Mythal may have been passed to her just by being Flemeth’s daughter. I like to HC that Maeve got the compassion and protective aspects of Mythal’s personality. So I think from the moment Solas was brought to her, he was actually concerned because he knew who she was and what a grave mistake he had made. He watches her closely. See how she handles herself, how her temperament is in stressful situations and where he morals lie. When Solas sees she is a kind person, who only wants what is fair for everyone. That she doesn’t discount the Elves or any race. He is impressed by her and takes quite a bit of time with her just speaking to her. Asking her many questions, some in the manner as the ones he asks Sera, trying to figure her out. 

+ Maeve drinks from the Well of Sorrows as an act of defiance - Maeve went into the Temple with every intention of letting Morrigan drink from the Well. Cullen had made her promise him that she wouldn’t take that risk before she left. After having Morrigan act like a know-it-all and bossing her around during the search, she had reached her wits end by the time they get to the Well. While Solas, Dorian, Viv and Morrigan argue over who should actually be the one to drink from the Well. Maeve makes the decision for everyone. She pushes past Morrigan who actually tries to physically stop her. The women wrestle for a moment before Maeve shoves her sister to the ground declaring for once in her life she will be the one to make the choice.  None of the other’s have a chance to reach her fast enough because she fade steps into the center. Dorian declares that “Well, Cullen is going to kill us all.... I hope you all like torture because I do not think he is going to let this go...”

+ Flemeth is not surprised it was Maeve who drank from the well - This is something that leads to a possible endgame type plot for Maeve. I think that Flemeth had every intention of Morrigan being the inheritor till this moment. She viewed Maeve drinking from the Well as being open to the idea of taking of Mythal one day. Maeve says no, that she would never want that. Which Flemeth claims is Morrigan’s words not her own and that perhaps when she sees what she can do with the power from the Well that it would make her consider what gifts she could gain by taking on Mythal...even using her being half-Avvar as justification. Also... Maeve basically gains the same Dragon form as Morrigan if she drank from the well.. 

[daughter-of-the-prophet]

Aveline Vallen (TV Tropes)

Action Girl: Hell yes!

Amazonian Beauty: So far, she's the most muscular woman in the Dragon Age franchise (or any other BioWare franchise) to date, but that's not to say she doesn't have a feminine figure. It's really only seen in the prologue, however.

Babies Ever After: Hints that she regrets never having children with Wesley. After she marries Donnic, separate conversations with Isabela and Fenris reveal that they are considering starting a family in the near future.

Aveline and Donnic eventually have a daughter whom they named after Areida Hawke, Aveline's dear friend who brought her and Donnic.

Badass Normal: Deserves special mention; see Establishing Character Moment below.

Battle Couple: With Wesley and later, Donnic. She definitely prefers someone with whom she can be Back-to-Back Badasses.

Beauty, Brains and Brawn: In a trio with Areida and Bethany, Aveline is the Brawn. She's tall and muscular, skilled with sword and shield, and works as a city guard. The others sometimes make jokes about her being able to lift a cow.

Berserk Button: As mentioned below, do NOT question her loyalty or accuse her of coddling her guards.

Big Good: To Kirkwall in Inquisition, after Areida is forced to leave town. Varric notes that "Kirkwall would probably fall into the sea if she ever quit her job."

Big Sister Mentor: Has some shades of this for Areida and Bethany especially. Some cut-dialogues refer to her cornering most of the party and getting them to practice swordsmanship with her (including the mages) and criticizing their techniques.

Breast Plate: Initially played straight during the prologue sequence, in which she sports form-fitting leather armor. Averted for the rest of the story - the metal plate the guards wear is the same general shape for both men and women, giving Aveline no more chances to show off her assets.

Cannot Spit It Out: Towards Donnic. She tries courting him in more subtle ways, but her methods seem to make sense only to her. One of Aveline's ways of trying to court Donnic causes him to mistakenly conclude that Areida is the one awkwardly hitting on him.

Insane Troll Logic: Eventually, Aveline's efforts to woo Donnic get so bad that even when she does explain the reasoning behind her actions, Areida can't argue directly with them because they make no sense.

The Captain: Served as an officer in the Fereldan Army at Ostagar, and later becomes Captain of the Kirkwall City Guard.

The Champion: To the Hawke family during their first year in Kirkwall. She claims it's just to keep Areida out of trouble.

City Guards: Joins the Kirkwall guard after fleeing Ferelden and is promoted to Captain of the Guard after a mission where she investigates her superior's corruption.

Clear My Name: In Act 3, Cullen alerts Areida that Aveline is accused of coddling her men, and urges her to speak with Aveline and clear up the issue. Aveline takes the accusation extremely personally and goes on a bit of a rampage to settle the matter. See Cowboy Cop, below.

Comically Serious: Especially when paired with Varric and Isabela.

Cowboy Cop: Even as Da Chief, she has no problem telling authority where to shove it and will bend the rules for the sake of her friends.

However, do not ever question whether she is going soft on the men under her command and coddling certain individuals (Donnic). When the Templars force Areida to investigate her on this in Act 3, they set out to prove that Donnic is doing the same routes as the other men, if not more dangerous, and most of her men are fighting for their lives twice a week to keep Kirkwall safe.

Da Chief: Eventually reaches this position on the Guard.

Defector from Decadence: Aveline's mysterious father. "Orlais has a game. He wouldn't play it. I never cared to ask further."

Depending on the Artist: Her official art is... considerably more mannish when compared to her in-story model.

Did We Just Have Tea with Cthulhu?: During the Prologue and on Sundermount in Act 1, Aveline appears to be the only person in the group who actually recognises that talking to the Witch of the Wilds is not something any sane person would want to do.

Drill Sergeant Nasty: Borderline; she trains with each guard individually and makes certain that they know what they are doing. They certainly think that it's Training from Hell. She bonds with each of the guards as well, which takes the edge off of it.

She also asks Areida to allow her to have her dog, Maximus, help her train, to see if her people can handle a "good old-fashioned Mabari charge." Brings about a Pet the Dog moment (almost literally) later, as she rewards Maximus with some contraband mutton that was seized

Establishing Character Moment: One of the first things she does is tackle a darkspawn that severely wounded Wesley and punch it into submission before lever-cutting its head off with its own sword. She proceeds to fight the rest of the horde with the intention of saving her husband or dying with him.

Expose the Villain, Get His Job: Her personal quest in Act 1.

Failure Knight: Her sometimes obsessive need to protect everyone seems to be the reason she latches onto looking after the Hawke family. It is implied to have largely stemmed from her guilt at being unable to save Wesley. 

Fantastic Racism: A much more subtle and realistic (and likely unintentional) example than most, but she doesn't see any issue with elves being segregated into impoverished ghettos, nor elves being forced to sleep in stables and out-buildings (just like farm animals) in towns too small to fit an alienage, and seems mildly surprised when Merrill (an elven companion) gets upset to hear it.

She also takes her time looking to the "rumors" of one of her guards raping an elven woman, but immediately cracks down on the brothers of the alleged rape victim (also the ones who accused him) when they got tired of waiting for her to do anything about it and killed him.  

Femininity Failure: She gets teased about being "mannish" by hard-drinking, hard-fucking, foul-mouthed Isabela. That's how badly she fails at femininity. That said, it doesn't usually bother or cause any trouble for her, but it does prompt her personal quest in the second act where she needs help getting the guy she's interested in to even realise that she's a woman.

Fire-Forged Friends: At the start of the story, she bonds with the Hawke family when they fight their way out of Lothering together.

Good People Have Good Sex: After Aveline marries Donnic, Isabela offers some tips on how they can spice up their sex life. Aveline lets her know Donnic needs no help in that department.

Hair-Trigger Temper: At least where card games are concerned, according to Fenris and Donnic.

Happily Married: With Wesley before the beginning of the story. Later with Donnic.

Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Areida.

Hollywood Atheist: Averted; Aveline has no issue with the Chantry or those who believe in the Maker (she even married a Templar), but she doesn't seem to believe herself. She says that she thinks the Chant is lovely, but perhaps that is all it needs to be.

Honorary Aunt: Like Isabela, Aveline becomes an Aunt like figure towards Anders and Areida's children. They call her "Aunt Aveline".

Hypocrite: The reason she gives for pursuing the elven vigilantes is "they took the law into their own hands," yet she tolerates Areida taking the law into her own hands every day, and potentially does it herself when she joins Areida on missions.

I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Wesley's death remains a sore spot for her for a good half of the story, partially because she feels she should have been able to prevent it. Her fear of losing anything else drives many of her actions throughout the story.

Idiot Ball: Played for Laughs. She's a bright, talented, and quick-thinking guardswoman... but her intelligence plummets when it comes to dealing with Donnic. Case in point? While trying to be romantic with him, she turns it into a conversation about the sharpness of swords.

Played for Drama when she refuses to look into the cases of kidnapped Hightown women, which contributes to Leandra being kidnapping and murdered by the same serial killer, something she denies any responsibility for afterward.

Jerk with a Heart of Gold: As strict as she can be and as cold as she can be to the other companions, she's fiercely loyal to those she cares about and always attempts to do what she considers to be right.

Lantern Jaw of Justice: Rare female example.

Married to the Job: Apparently the reason she's having such difficulty with romancing Donnic. Even though she was once married, she's thrown herself into her work so much, she's forgotten how not to be a guard for a while.

Matchmaker Quest: Her personal quest in Act 2 involves her attempting to court Guardsman Donnic. They eventually get married.

A Mother To Her Men: Particularly seen in Act 3. The men and women of the city guard revere her, to the point that they unanimously refuse to join ex-Captain Jeven in his smear campaign to have her removed. Donnic says that there's not a single member of the guard who would hesitate to follow her across the Void itself if she asked.

My Beloved Smother: She's not their mother but she definitely acts this way towards the others during party banters, especially Areida and Bethany.

Foreshadowed slightly in Act 1 party banter with Bethany, who asks her why she and Wesley never had children; Aveline explains that their respective careers forced them to put the prospect on hold. When Bethany asks if she regrets it now that Wesley is gone, Aveline replies, not unkindly, that the question is too personal. It's possible that she sees her companions as surrogates for the children she never had. She does however, have a daughter with Donnic.

Named After Somebody Famous: An In-Universe example; Aveline was the name of the first female Chevalier.

She actually doesn't seem fond of the symbolism, (though it fits her perfectly), calling the name "a wish [her] father made," and expressing relief that Fenris doesn't know the story of Ser Aveline. By the end of the story, though, she seems much more sure of herself and has come to terms with it.

Never My Fault: When it comes to being a City Guard, Aveline is always convinced she's right.

She straight-up denies any responsibility for Leandra being kidnapped and murdered, even after Areida asked her to look into the disappearances of Hightown women, which Avline had refused to do despite it being her job as Captain of the City Guard.

No Guy Wants an Amazon: Ser Wesley and Guardsman Donnic are the exceptions that prove the rule; almost everyone else finds her intimidating and off-putting, as other party members point out. According to Isabela, she's a "woman-shaped battering ram."

Non-Answer: When Aveline and Areida go to confront the Arishok, the elven converts claim that one of her guards raped their sister and they tried to report him many times, but got turned away each time. When Areida asks Aveline if this is true, she responds, "There are rumors. I'll look into them."

No Social Skills: Most noticeable during her bizarre efforts to romance Guardsman Donnic.

Not So Above It All: In Act 3, she has evolved an Odd Friendship with Isabela. Any time Aveline deadpan snarks at her, Isabela warmly says, "That's my girl!" At one point, Aveline has apparently invited Isabela to a family dinner, but she didn't show up because she didn't think she'd fit in; Aveline disagrees.

                Isabela: "How's marriage been treating you, big girl?"

               Aveline: "It's been good. No, great. I'd forgotten what it was like to..."

                Isabela: "Be flipped ass over tits and hammered like a bent nail?"

                Aveline: "To. Be. Loved."

                Isabela: "Oh. Right, of course."

               Aveline: (coyly) "Not that I'm complaining about the other thing."

Odd Friendship: With Fenris and Isabela.

The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Aveline invokes this when Arishok says he must take Isabela back along with the book she stole: "Oh, no. If anyone's going to kick her ass, it's me."

Reasonable Authority Figure: As Captain of the Guard. Under her command, the guard is the most efficient and respected it's been in generations, though once Meredith takes over, some of the Templars seem to be making it a point to limit her influence and try to oust her from her position.

Despite her late husband having been a Templar, she refuses to turn Bethany in to the Templars, since she at least tries to do good. She also makes no efforts to turn in Merrill or Anders, and does her best to keep the patrolling guards from taking notice of Fenris squatting in the Hightown mansion.

Replacement Goldfish: Though never outright stated, Aveline maintains her strong bond with Areida likely because she's the closest thing Aveline has to family. Bethany will even question why Aveline continues to follow Areida, and Aveline skirts the answer.

Secular Hero: Aveline is the closest to agnosticism on team Hawke. She married a Templar and sometimes refers to the Maker, but doesn't generally worry about religion and is skeptical of the Chantry's stance that "the less [he] does, the more he's proven".

                    Aveline: "Wesley's at the Maker's side, or he's not."

Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: The first companion Areida meets, as well as one of the most important ones after becoming captain of the guard.

Slut-Shaming: Does this to Isabela on an extremely regular basis. Isabela takes it in stride.

Skewed Priorities: When a group of elven brothers formally reported that one of her guards raped their sister, she dismisses it as "rumors" that she'll look into eventually. When those same elven brothers killed the guard they reported, Aveline dropped what she was doing to arrest them first thing.

When tentions between the Qunari and Kirkwall are reaching their breaking point, Aveline decides to antagonize the Arishok even further by demanding he hand over the elven converts whose sister she put off seeking justice for, becoming the last straw that breaks his patience and plunging the city into open warfare.

Socially Awkward Hero:

"Yes, and it's a real nice night for an evening."

One of her gifts to Donnic is a copper engraving of marigolds. Odd enough to get a man (and specifically a watchman, who'd you think would be a practical type) a picture of flowers, but in traditional floriography, marigolds represent grief and cruelty. Whoops. Her reasoning behind the gift borders on Insane Troll Logic: "Metal is strong, flowers are soft, copper ages well. I thought it was clear."

Stone Wall: Her specialization focuses on defense and protecting party members. Thanks to her Indomitable ability, she's the only party member with a built-in immunity to the final boss's "stun you all so I can monologue" move. Should she be knocked out, the others' reactions are equal parts concern and astonishment that it actually happened.

                    Varric: "Sweet mother of green cheeses, how'd they take that woman down?!"

                    Merrill: "By the Creators, Aveline has fallen!"

                    Fenris: "Aveline has fallen?"

Straight Man and Wise Guy: The Straight Man to Varric and Isabela's Wise Guy.

Take Up My Sword: Upon first encounter, she wields a two-handed greatsword. After Wesley loses the use of his sword arm, and later dies, she takes up a Sword & Shield style like him. Her starting shield in Act 1 is Wesley's.

Taking Up the Mantle: By the time of Inquisition, Aveline is still leading the guard, and Bran's letter all but calls her Areida's successor as Kirkwall's protector.

Team Dad: Gender-flipped, alongside Varric's Team Mom. Most of her conversations with the party involve her providing some form of advice or critiquing their lifestyle choices. It's also said that she has people spying on most of the others and bends the rules a bit if necessary in hopes of keeping them out of trouble.

She's particularly protective of Areida, and the only person besides Anders who really takes time to console a devastated Areida after her mother's murder. Notably, she's the only companion to whom Areida seems to feel comfortable admitting that "My heart's broken" about the whole thing - even Varric, who is Areida's best friend, doesn't have this conversation.

Made especially clear by a line she says when she drinks a health potion:

                            Aveline: “I hope no one else needs this!”

To Be Lawful or Good: Establishes herself as being on the "Good" side of things at all times early in Act 1, despite having only just taken the job. She remains lawful only so long as it is useful in her quest to do good. When the two conflict, there is never a moment's hesitation in her mind.

Tragic Keepsake: Wesley's shield. She later clarifies it's less about Wesley and more just holding onto the last pieces of her old life.

Tsundere: A Type A, especially towards Isabela. Wesley and Donnic both seem to be the only people who constantly get her softer side.

Vitriolic Best Buds: With Isabela towards the end of the story. She eventually starts barking "Shut up, whore" with an obvious twinge of affection.

Widow Woman: Ser Wesley, her Templar husband, dies shortly after meeting the Hawke family due to darkspawn taint. Aveline Mercy Kill him. She eventually remarries, though.

Workaholic: The Codex notes that her life revolves around guarding others; when she's not on-duty as a city guard, she's guarding Areida and her friends. After her personal quests are completed, she starts to relax a little bit. Discussed by Varric in some dialogue in Act 1, when he asks what she does.

                 Aveline: "You know I'm a guard, why are you asking?"

                 Varric: "I mean in your off-duty hours? For fun? You've heard of it, I hope?"

                 Aveline: "These are my off-duty hours."

                 Varric: "And the trend of you scaring the piss out of me continues..."

You Can't Go Home Again: Discussed. "That's supposed to be about maturity. It's not the same if you don't have the option."

[poweredbycoffeeandwine]

12 Days of Christmas (1/12)

Here we are! The beginning of the 12 Days of Christmas. This fic is for my perfect sunflower @lechatrouge673. Thank you for being a constant source of support, in writing and in life. You are amazing and I am so glad we are friends! You wanted  Mercedes and Anders walking in the snow. Ask and you shall receive, love.

***

Cold Outside - Mercedes Hawke x Anders - Holiday Prompt - Dragon Age Canon Verse - All the pining - 1628 words

***

The Hanged Man during Santinalia was boisterous, exciting, distracting. Mercedes still wasn’t used to being out in the open among people and on purpose. After a lifetime of hiding from strangers and Templars, being an openly apostate mage in the middle of Kirkwall could only be described as idiotic. If only her father could see her now.

In attempts to save up money for the deep roads, she has done odd jobs all over the city. She made quite a bit of coin finding and fetching things, serving as an inconspicuous bodyguard-nobody ever suspected the slight, female mage.

Even more recently, she’d volunteered time in the clinic with Anders. Helping people unable to help themselves earned her favor with the undesirables of the city. She knew they would never turn her in, but she still worried. It was hard to break habits instilled in her from such a young age. To trust nobody, stay out of sight, fight only when necessary, don’t advertise magic.

Sitting with her friends, taking in the decor for the holiday, listening to the off key singing she tried to relax. She was glad that for once Carver had some of his old spark back. He was too young to be dealing with the mess they were in. He should be working in the Lothering guard, and trying to woo farmer’s daughters or tavern maids during his off time.

She wanted to have fun, let loose, instead she checked corners, suspicious shadows, noticed and observed people she felt were paying too close attention to her group, she anticipated trouble. Mercedes knew she was a buzz kill, hated that her friends spent more time trying to include her in the merriment than have a good time themselves.

Maybe she wouldn’t mind so much if it was Anders attempting to engage her in conversation, in anything really. An entire evening of pretending not to watch each other, quick glances, shy blushes, and endless distance between them. He was kind, supportive, but so certain he could never be good enough for her. He might be right, but damn if she wasn’t ready to throw caution to the wind and give them a chance.

She caught him looking again, piercing eyes making her warm from the inside. Hawke considered taking matters into her own hands and speaking to him when a patron, a woman she recognized from the clinic, approached. She recalled the lady’s soft, dark hair, soft voice and sweet smile. She would be grateful, uncomplicated, perfect for Anders. He gave himself too much credit for the collapse of any hypothetical coupling. She had just as much baggage as he did, and less experience creating meaningful relationships. It was probably a good thing he was so weary about the formation of even a tentative friendship, too much tension, instant sparks, and apparently not the kind he was willing to deal with.

Maker, she felt foolish. The spirit of the season must have scrambled her normally sensible thought process. She excused herself from the table, collecting her belongings, and pausing to let Carver know she was heading home. Fenris politely offered to see her home, but Hawke declined reassuring him even Kirkwall’s thugs took a day off for Santinalia. Wrapping her cloak tightly around her body and pulling her hood up, she stepped out into the night.

***

He noticed the moment she left. Felt the void her presence left behind in a way that shouldn’t have been possible. He seemed to always know where she was when they were in the same room, and the shock of her missing always struck him to the core. Mercedes Hawke didn’t know him, but offered aide without question in what could have been a much worse situation when he finally tracked down Karl. She was loyal and fierce when she needed to be, kind and gentle when she helped in his clinic, and stunning. Maker was she breathtaking. And he was a fool.

He politely removed himself from the conversation from the Lowtown woman offering more than thanks for his healing ministrations and hurried to catch up with Hawke. He knew a general direction, he’d never actually been to Gamlen’s home. He knew she hated when anyone referred to the house as hers. He often wondered if it was because she was embarrassed of it, or if she really just hated her Uncle that much, maybe someday they would be close enough he could ask.

Kirkwall almost looked clean, white snow covered the streets in a heavy blanket. Humble homes lit with cheer for the holiday made the night glow a soft gold. Anders had been on the run most of his life, except for the time in Amaranthine with Amell and the friends he made in the Wardens, he hadn’t spent much time noticing Santinalia. He never had the time to worry about celebrating when he was trying to survive away from the Circle. Nothing had changed, not really, but he found himself beginning to hope for something new.

Hawke’s form was ahead of him, hood pulled up over her long, dark hair, but he knew it was her. Head high, light tread, she swayed-not exaggerated like Bela-her movements were fluid and captivating.

“Mercedes,” he called out before he could stop himself, “wait!”

She paused and he was able to see the profile of her face. Her warm breath frosting in the night air blending with the light, casting a hazy fog. She looked ethereal in the festive light surrounding her, a clear sign he was a sap falling in love. “I do believe that is the first time I’ve ever heard you use my given name.” Her face flushed prettily, but it might just be the cold. “A true Santinalia miracle, one of my friends knows my name.”

He fell into step with her, delicate flakes of glittering snow glinting in the light landing on her deep crimson robes. “Of course I know it,” he scoffed.  “I just figured it would be safer to use in this moment. Two mages walking the dark streets alone, not the best time to bring attention to the city’s most prominent apostate.”

She grinned, elbowing him in the side in mock offense, “Don’t worry. I’m more than capable of keeping you safe.” She allowed a small tendril of lightning chase a streak of fire around her forearm dangerous gleam in her eyes. “We would make a pretty good team in a pinch.”

He followed the display of nature magic wind up her arm marveling at her abilities. “You said it yourself, ‘a team.’ Even you need someone to watch your back, keep you alive.”

“Volunteering to watch my back?” She chuckled, giving him a sideways glance, “You’d better be careful, I might take you up on that offer. It’s been a little too long in that department.”

“I can’t even imagine how,” he muttered looking down at his boots scuffing in the snow.

“What can I say,” she shrugged, “being a small, angry apostate doesn’t lend itself well to companionship.” The comment cut, he knew it was directed at him for the many times he refused her attentions. She paused at the base of the steps leading to Gamlen’s home, piercing him with a hard stare from her chocolate colored eyes, shifting slightly as if trying to make a decision. She began in a low-smoky voice, “I have something for you, but I’m not sure about it anymore.” Now almost a whisper she continued, “It might be presuming too much.”

Anders was stunned. She had a gift for him. Something that made her nervous from the looks of it. He felt hyper aware of everything going on around him, the numbing cold, light snow swirling around her, warm glow on her cheeks, eyes cast down in a sweet, shy way he’d never seen from her. “It’s been a very long time since I’ve had someone to get me gifts, much less for Santinalia.”

“We can’t have that,” she smiled warmly, decision made, “come on inside. Pretty sure Uncle Gamlen is gone so you won’t have to deal with that mess.”

“And your mother?”

“Why, serrah, are you worried to be alone with little ol’ me?”

“Maybe I’m worried for your reputation. I’m a dashing mage, and if I’ve read Varric’s novels correctly, you are supposed to swoon and fawn over me under a mistletoe you’ve strategically hidden.”

“Maker,” she gasped, “I knew I forgot something! I guess you can’t have your present. I am unprepared.”

“Quiet you. Let’s go inside before I freeze. It’s cold out here and I’m not as good maintaining fire spells as you. I will catch my death since your healing spells leave a lot to be desired.”

“Making it personal are we?” she arched her brow. “It’s a long walk to Darktown, sir healer. I would hate to see you tossed out and miserable in the cold.”

“I think we both know you wouldn’t do that,” he replied softly, searching her face for some sign that he was being too familiar. For her to be reasonable since he could not.

“No,” her face serious, “I wouldn’t.”

“You’re too nice.”

She laughed, “Not nice enough. You better believe I’m going to tell Varric you read his books.”

“I take it back, you’re the worst.”

“I know,” she smirked. “Come inside before I change my mind. No mistletoe traps, I promise.” she motioned her head in the direction of the door.

He debated continuing the banter, letting her know that a Santinalia kiss wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen, but that might be pushing his luck. He followed her into the house, thankful that she was allowing him to be with her when she could be with literally anyone else.

[dareactions]

Companions and advisors reaction to young inquisitor calling Vivianne mom

Vivienne: At first she wouldn’t even notice it- after all it wasn’t something she picked up on until she finds that people has gone silent. It would take a few moments to properly register it but after blinking a few times she just smiles warmer than anyone knew she was able to. She is happy that the Inquisitor finds her to be that important and that their relationship is so close. The Inquisitor plays an important part in Vivienne’s life and it didn’t really strike her until now that she truly had a motherly protectiveness around this young individual. She would burn the world for them and sure she can be harsh- but she wants what is truly the best for them and nothing else.

Cassandra: At first she stops and goes silents, the seeker doesn’t comment on it however and keeps doing what she is doing. Madame De Fer has the aura of authority but in a comforting manner; and if anyone is a motherly figure for the Inquisitor it’s her.

Solas: If anyone had expected it, it was the Apostate. Him and the Seeker had actually noticed it around the same time; that Vivienne had taken on a motherly role in the Inquisitors life. It’s only logical that they’d subconsciously search for guidance from someone they knowingly or unknowingly sees as a mother- or father figure.

Dorian: Consider him thrilled, Mom? Dorian Pavus will NEVER let this go. However the more he truly thinks about it, the more it makes sense. Vivienne- the true mother goose of the Inquisitor! Absolutely priceless in his eyes actually. He will tease the Inquisitor about it but say that he is happy they found someone they trust and feel comfort in.

Sera: For a split second she stops and just stares; and then right away starts laughing. Sera can’t breathe because- this is priceless. AMAZING even, mom? Vivienne? When the moment is right she teases the Inquisitor about it and she finds it utterly adorable actually.

Blackwall: If there was a blue-screen in Thedas, that would be Blackwall. He has to admit it surprises him but he nods internally and understands why the Inquisitor made the slip-up. Vivienne has a motherly nature around her and would be a great parent. While Blackwall was aware that they had a close bond he never really understood how close until then.

Iron Bull: He would just stare before he starts grinning. So the Inquisitor has taken in Vivienne as a motherly figure, huh? He is pleasantly surprised and very much like Dorian and Sera; does he tease the inquisitor about it- but not to the same degree and probably just every now and then. He finds it precious and is just happy the Inquisitor has someone they trust.

Varric: This is going into the book, there is no way the Inqiusitior can stop him. He has already figured out every way possible to fit this scenario into one of his stories; subtly and not so subtly and he is overjoyed.

Cole: A part of Cole is confused, as Vivienne isn’t the Inquisitors biological mother and the entire thing on it’s own can be rather confusing. But he understands rather quickly why the Inquisitor would call Vivienne mom- the two had a very similar bond to the parents and children he had seen and he won’t really find it odd after that.

Josephine: She is quick to hide her laugh and smile behind her hand. The Inquisitor is just too precious in her mind. Vivienne had taken the form of their motherly figure and she realizes that the Inquisitor must’ve felt this for some time as they wouldn’t have blurted it out otherwise. She doesn’t bring it up or point it out, but she does get very happy whenever she sees the two interact.

Leliana: She is surprised but it’s really heart-warming. She makes a mental-note to be more observant however as she hadn’t realized it until the incident happened and mentally slaps herself for not seeing it. Whenever she sees the Inquisitor with Vivienne she can’t help but raise an eyebrow and smile.

Cullen: Did- Did the Inquisitor just say mom? To Vivienne? Cullen would scratch his stubble and wonder just how in the world he missed how close those two were- and smile about it when he actually thinks about the whole situation. The Inquisitor found someone they look up to and finds a bond with- something that is hard to find these days. 

[theharellan]

RP POSITIVITY MEME

DAY 14: FREE DAY!

so this whole week i’ve kept myself from mentioning joly when possible. i promo joly on my dash every day. my very existence is a joly promo. it was mostly a way to make sure that i gave other people attention, and also b/c i saw the last day was a free day and wanted to use it to write about how much i love joly’s characters.

if it weren’t for joly i doubt i’d still be here. that’s not to say that i didn’t love rping solas beyond what i have with joly, but after my hiatus it was the desire to rp with joly again that really brought me back. and i’m so thankful for that b/c it’s allowed me to meet ppl like merc and lisa and kae, ppl who either weren’t around or i didn’t know before. also just when i was having a rough time last year and whenever i’ve had a rough time since then joly’s been there for me. they’re a really special person, who deserves even more kind words written about them than their characters do. but if i keep going i’ll probably make myself cry.

suffice to say if you like my blog, then you have joly to thank. not just for me being here, but how their ocs have shaped my solas. i cannot recommend joly’s blogs enough. they don’t have as much time as they did to write, but it doesn’t make them any less dedicated to their characters as someone who posts a dozen things a day.

before i get to their actual blogs, i want to talk about the npcs or characters that no longer have rp blogs.

first, deshanna. i’ve loved how they made a mother who is flawed and sympathetic, and who i don’t feel 100% good about solas disliking her in modern. it’s my secret desire to be able to rp in a thread where she’s npc’d one day, either in modern or batb. next, layne. what a piece of shit. i don’t know TOO much about layne, and i’m in this position where i want to know more but also i dread it. hoping one day solas and mio can shank him. and then, june. june had a blog (and may again one day??) and he was a fuckin hermit mamma’s boy that was too boring for fen to want to have anything to do with. joly’s recently been toying with some ideas for his character that i think only strengthen what they have, and i’m excited.

@ancientimpudence -

mio is petty. mio is mean. mio is stand-offish. mio is loyal. mio is driven. mio is honest. i love mio.

if you want a character who is flawed and not always nice, you’ll love mio. they’re a really good example of how you can make a character not always be a very pleasant person, but still get plenty of rp mileage off of them and develop meaningful relationships. how two characters’ relationship can somehow be incredibly deep and yet broken. i love what joly and i have built for mio and solas, two ancient friends who aren’t always the best friends.

i could really talk about about their relationship. solas goes through a period where he becomes very empathetic and in-tune with the problems of everyone around him, but mio’s somehow always escape him. i love the gap, and i love how it’s both not his fault b/c mio hides how they feel, but also he needs to do better by them. i love how mio wants what’s best for solas and their cause, while simultaneously suggesting things that actually wouldn’t be best for solas, because mio isn’t omnipotent and is also, to an extent, still trying to keep solas as he was.

i love how mio doesn’t like ian but is still there to help him. i love how mio expresses themself in ways not everyone understands. i love how modern mio has purse dogs and brings vher food b/c they spent all weekend playing the sims.

and vher / mio?? one of those ships that just kinda happened. one of the best things about talking to joly about characters is how often two just kinda cling to one another. vher is aro and can’t return the romantic feelings mio feels for them (and open enough to be accepting when mio finds romantic love elsewhere) but they still care for mio so much. everything about mio that i listed above, even the petty and vain stuff, vher loves. also sometims vher decides they wanna kiss mio and i can only imagine what it does to the poor child.

basically, what i’m getting at here is, joly lets mio be flawed but also shows how those flaws can still lead to positive interactions. joly lets mio be unadmirable at times, but still likeable and lovable. joly introduced some extra diversity in background to the rebellion and i’m eternally thankful tbh.

@betterthanmaps​ -

harding is one of those characters everyone adores, and so it makes sense that joly, one of the most adorable ppl on the planet, chose to write her. i love seeing characters with stable and normal backstories. harding is just such a steady influence, and i’ve loved seeing her contrasted with the sad backstories most canons and ocs possess. which i wanna be clear isn’t a criticism of sad backstories! i merely mean that it’s also nice seeing variety. not everyone has had a past that has made them cruel or kind, some people were raised by caring parents and lived simple lives until they heard the call to adventure. those people are just as interesting and worthy of telling stories about.

joly’s harding reminds me somewhat of tolkien’s hobbits, i suppose, now that i’m writing this out. and they’re some of my fave characters in literature. only w/ harding we also get fun dragon age dwarfy lore-- someone who is as un-dwarfy as varric but not quite so loud about it and we get actual queer representation.

@spiritualjourneys​ - 

i adore spirits? i do not adore how the fandom treats spirits. things like treating human cole as superior to spirit cole, rather than a person making different choices, both paths making them happy, even if one is for reasons we can’t all understand. pinning everything wrong with anders in da2 on justice. assuming lord woolsey, an innocent spirit-ram who has done nothing but help, has always been a rage demon (even tho the ways in which he has been shown to help the family that adopted him aren’t typical rage-related qualities) but ANYWAY.

the point is, spirits are given something of a raw deal by the fandom and are almost always judged by their ability to conform to human standards. joly’s spirit multi is fuckin fantastic and making spirits different and complex and alien, while also familiar and very much people rather than set pieces in the stories of others. though all of them started out as npcs created by either joly (love, sincerity), myself (joy), or bioware (wisdom) it took joly no time at all to establish their stories. love and joy especially...

what i appreciate about love is the path they took to get where they are. how they weren’t always love, how they focus upon a specific kind of love, how they can’t always see when love is best working past. though i’ve only just started rping peace, i’m in love (get it) with the dynamic the two of them have formed. how they balance one another out and keep one another from straying too far into their own interests, and thereby corrupting themselves. it’s a dynamic that i wasn’t expecting at all when i made peace as an au to my zenyatta blog, but i think that’s the amazing thing about writing with joly. something falls into place and then it grabs you and the idea just won’t let go.

and as for joy, it’s probably the least developed of the spirits, having no form that’s recognisably alive nevermind a person. but it demonstrates well, i think, how “humanity” in elvhenan wasn’t defined by shape. when solas says he dislikes when people see him as just a pair of pointed ears, and that he doesn’t necessarily identify much with modern elves, the idea is expressing multiple things. one of them, i think, is that being an elf sometimes meant being a physical body with pointed ears, but sometimes you could just be bubbles and you’d still be considered a valid member of elvhen society. joy doesn’t exist as we do. joy forgets, joy prefers to never touch the earth, and it exists in a state of cycles to keep itself from becoming something like despair. joly depicts the beauty and the drawbacks of existing in this state and i’m just??? so glad they decided to write joy. b/c they do it more justice than i ever could.

@paragoninexile -

tam’s new blog isn’t fully set up but i wanna talk about her anyway. tam is a good hero and a good person, and in many ways sort of made to be a hero. when i found out about tam i was rly excited simply b/c she was very much like my warden, only with so much more care and thought put into her that now she’s basically replaced my canon warden in my heart.

i think my favourite thing about tam is how much of a front she puts up for everyone. crowning bhelen, even if it meant the death of another father figure. recruiting loghain, even if it meant losing her friend or possibly lover. it shows that even neutral good heroes still have to make decisions that could be considered ruthlessly practical. bhelen is not necessarily the better choice morally, especially not as an aeducan (especially especially not as an aeducan who doesn’t kill trian). i imagine tam knows that crowning him will have dire consequences not just for harrowmont, but the entire harrowmont line. she does it anyway, not because she wants to, but because for orzammar it’s the best choice.

i’ve loved finally having a chance to write one of my fave dragon age ships: gorim/aeducan. i have a weakness for ships who have been together since they were only young, and the progression they take in the au is so good?? being able to find freedom for their love in a life that is literally killing tamar, and the reason they only get 12 or so happy years together rather than 50. but tam is so good that i’m honestly proud to be able to give her those twelve years with gorim. one day i’m gonna make joly hurt w/ thoughts about the kid gorim adopts after tam dies and who he tells them all about. 8)

@cadashsmash -

cadri i think was the first joly character i interacted with, though i believe i remember ian from way way back when i tried rping merrill and couldn’t quite get a foothold like i did with solas and thora.

i’m in love with dwarves u all should know this, so ofc i’m in love with cadri. i love how rough around the edges she is, how she tries to do the right thing, and how doing so can lead to some messed up shit like killing abelas. the work joly’s done with reaver lore is perfect, working with how dirty and raw the specialisation is without making it too hardcore for an inquisitor to ever hope to specialise in it (stop assuming all reavers are cannibals fandom smh). one of my fave threads on thora continues to be the post-battle thread where both are recovering from the drawbacks of their own specialisations and clash because of them. it’s just a really unique idea that is what makes writing with joly so... rounded? like i’m never just writing one thing with joly. they push me as a writer in the best possible way.

overall cadri is just a rly excellent character who, like tam and harding, do credit to dwarves that the series doesn’t always. i’ve loved exploring how differently her and thora react to their position in life, i’ve loved seeing cadri’s anger or indifference towards dwarven society. it’s so valid and realistic and good. i’ve loved exploring the specific ways in which she bucks the presumptions solas has about dwarves, how even in universes where she’s not inquisitor her individuality is still nothing he expects from her kind and how she changes him anyway. i also will always be fond of this being their friendship song.

cadri: hey solas, what d’you call a flower before it opens? solas: a bud. cadri: I LOVE IT WHEN YOU CALL ME BUD. solas: UGHH.

@dalishfreckles -

it’s really hard to not write a post just about ian, honestly. all of joly’s characters are special to me, but i won’t deny ian is my favourite and has a very important place in my heart. if i were to truthfully answer those top 5 fave characters questions, ian would be on there no question.

as someone who goes through some of the same struggles as ian, he’s inspirational. seeing him struggle to keep surviving, to keep loving, to keep helping even when everything inside him is screaming to stop. i love seeing him make mistakes, honest ones or ones born of anxiety. b/c anxiety is more than just hating yourself or having trouble talking to people, although that is very real. sometimes anxiety can cause you to project some really terrible things onto people, things that aren’t really fair to them.

when i see ian doing things like... projecting his own feelings of worthlessness onto solas, assuming he must think the same rather than giving solas a chance to explain? it’s realistic, and it’s not good. it’s trying to pull people into the same destructive game you do to yourself. it’s also realistic, esp since in the thread i’m referring to solas fucked up and has shit to apologise for. idk, it’s just really comforting to see ian pull the same shit that i do, but knowing he’s still a good person and that i love him is an act of self love.

ian’s an important character for so many reasons, that i could probably write a 20 page thesis on him and his development / how much he means to me. i’m proud of him so much. i’m proud when he finds the strength to tease solas, i’m proud when he stands up for himself, even when he’s standing up against the people he loves. especially when, tbh. how as he grows he can see inara’s faults but doesn’t hate her for them, and tries to help her, when he’s under no obligation to. how he still tries to connect with solas after solas coldly brushes him off the first time ian admonishes him. and i love how joly shows it’s not easy. none of it is. and that ian has to keep choosing to be good, it makes everything he does that much more meaningful.

finally, ian isn’t a hero, necessarily. he’s not the sort of person people tell stories about, which is one reason i love the solas/ian pairing so much. it’s really all about the person for solas, and ian is just so much about what solas loves about people. it’s not always about battles and heroes, sometimes it’s just about a person who has the patience and love in them to make a tree grow in the middle of a desert alienage. sometimes the most wonderful things about people are the little, radical things they do for themselves and those they love rather than how they change the world.

this has gotten to be very long, and probably rambling, but to be fair to me this is like two weeks of joly-positivity i’ve been holding in.

i’ll probably be doing one more free day tomorrow, even if today is the last day, just to do a v general positive post for those i follow. but i wanted to take at least one day to credit the person who has inspired me with their words and characters. like. this was just their characters? i didn’t even get a chance to go into the ways joly’s prose shines, how it’s descriptive and yet never difficult to comprehend. how many different types of plots they’re here for.

but to make a long story short, joly is an incredibly talented writer. i’ve said this before, but i can look back on things i’ve written years ago with joly and still like what i wrote (as well as what they wrote but that should go w/o saying), which is a rare feeling, simply b/c joly lets me access the best writer in me. we often here in the rpc use “muse” as a shorthand for “character we write that inspires us” and i’ve found it a difficult word to rly use-- simply b/c joly and their characters are as much my muses as my own characters. at least in the sense that thinking about them inspires me to write.

tl;dr- pls follow and write with joly. b/c the only thing i love as much as writing with joly is reading what they write with other people.

[cwnannwn]

For the headcanon ask game: carmilla, laura, leliana, and sera

So, I took forever to answer this, and it ended up being way too big. It was very good to write tho, I love thinking about headcanons for my fave characters!

For this Headcanons post.

Carmilla

Headcanon A: what I think realistically: As much as canon likes to ignore its own lore, Carmilla is a very powerful vampire. It’s not an easy thing, living for more than 3 centuries, especially with a creator like Lilita around. I headcanon each of the dean’s children developed a particular ability more than others, and for Carmilla, that is shape-shifting. Her panther form is her favorite, but turning into mist has proven advantageous more than once. That last one is an exercise in self-control, becoming another state of matter entirely is glaring proof of how well Carmilla has mastered her abilities.

Headcanon B: what I think is fucking hilarious: Talking about that panther form, it’s terrifying. Far larger than a normal leopard, with teeth and claws that are sharper than scalpels. And she acts like the laziest house cat around Laura. Sleeping away the day on Laura’s bed, leaving a veritable heap of cat hair, purring louder than a truck when Laura scratches between her ears, and of course, sitting in front of Laura’s computer when she wants attention (and to be a little shit). Laura’s favorite is when she can cuddle with the giant black cat, who’s far warmer than an undead creature of the night should be.

Headcanon C: what is heart-crushing and awful but fun to inflict on friends: Against the dean’s advice/orders, and under a bit of well-intentioned mockery from Mattie, Carmilla kept an eye on her mortal family through the ages. Most of them perished the same night Carmilla died, but one of her younger brothers had been sent for fosterage with some relatives. The servants under her power reported he grew up to be a kind man, very different from their father. To the Carmilla of those early years, reveling in bloodlust and excess, it shouldn’t have mattered at all. But somehow, it did. So the years passed, and she kept tabs his descendants. His daughter was smart, his son excellent with a blade, and so on. The coffin put an end to it, as it did to many things. After she got back in contact with Mattie, she learned the last of her kin, a boy no older than 17, disappeared in the Carpathians during one of the many disastrous offensives of Austria in the first world war. It shouldn’t matter, but that severing of the last real connection she had to mortal life hurt more than she could have expected.

Headcanon D: what would never work with canon but the canon is shit so I believe it anyway: This is actually a bunch of headcanons rolled into one, but Carmilla was well aware of the various confronts Mattie and the Dean had. In fact, Mattie asked Carmilla to join her in at least a few of them (both because she truly trusts Carmilla, and because, as said on headcanon A, Carmilla is no weakling). She never accepted the offer, first because she was too taken with the lavish life style Lilita offered, and later because she did not want to be interred again. The important thing is, tho both her and Mattie would desperately like to believe the Dean was dead, they would both know she is very very hard to kill, and would realize she was still around about, oh, five minutes into Mattie’s appearance in s2. Laura would have noticed the many glaring signs pointing to that too, and this all leads to many headcanons where s2 went completely different and so did s3.

For a shorter headcanon, Carmilla continues to be a vampire, and she and Mattie actually get to have revenge against Lilita over her literal millennia of abuse.

Laura

Headcanon A: what I think realistically: Whether Laura becomes a journalist or a professor, she never loses her knack for getting into supernatural trouble. One year she unveils a trafficking scheme focused on bringing fresh blood to vampires in Paris, in another a group of werecats shows up on her and Carmilla’s doorstep, asking Laura to investigate a rival colony and their recruitment methods, and so on. By this point, Carmilla just sees Laura off with a kiss and a promise to call if she needs any help.

Headcanon B: what I think is fucking hilarious: More cute than hilarious, but Laura is really ticklish around her ribs. Carmilla takes every opportunity to use this to her advantage, including to get Laura’s attention. It doesn’t annoy Laura, because the smile on Carmilla’s face whenever she hears Laura laugh is a beautiful thing indeed.

Headcanon C: what is heart-crushing and awful but fun to inflict on friends: Laura has suffered enough, so I don’t like thinking about more bad stuff happening to her. That said, among the few headcanons I have about who Laura’s other parent would have been, I have one that fits here. Laura’s mother left her and her father when Laura was around 12 years old. No real explanation given. One day she was there, and the next her wardrobe was empty, her car gone, and only a note saying she was done left behind. Neither Laura nor her dad recuperated from that entirely. She never told anyone about her mother leaving. So when Carmilla left in s2, that brought back a lot of bad memories that were never really put to rest, only buried. In the library, in the dark and with Laura’s conscience eating away at her for all the mistakes she’d made, she told Carmilla about it. Carmilla listened to her, quiet and attentive, offering silent support. It didn't make everything better, but it was a start.

Headcanon D: what would never work with canon but the canon is shit so I believe it anyway: Laura is wolfblooded. Either a werewolf or something close to it. She’s the kind that is born a lycanthrope, but her father isn’t one. Thus, one more reason for him being so overprotective of her. Laura doesn’t know much, or anything at all really, about her heritage. She only knows that once every week, she has to run around as a wolf, and it’s best she doesn’t let anyone see her. When she arrives at Silas, the woods around the campus prove perfect for that purpose. Strangely, she keeps catching glimpses of some kind of big cat walking around the forest too.

Leliana

Headcanon A: what I think realistically: Leliana will be remembered as a pivotal historical figure, whether she’s Divine or not. She will be know as a skilled bard, a formidable warrior, and one of the main fighters for the better treatment of elves and mages. She’ll have an amazing legacy even by herself, but when the tales tell of her adventures with her lady Warden, both during the Blight and after, it’s the kind of stuff that legends are made of.

Headcanon B: what I think is fucking hilarious: Whenever she and Zevran were on guard duty together, they’d pass the time by telling every dirty joke in their native languages they could think of. Even tho Leliana took a little while to trust him, these nights made a strong friendship begin between them.

Headcanon C: what is heart-crushing and awful but fun to inflict on friends: Nope, canon has fucked Leliana over more than enough, as far as I’m concerned, she’s living happily with her lovely warden and their army of nug children.

Headcanon D: what would never work with canon but the canon is shit so I believe it anyway: It would totally work with canon, but Bioware would never do it. One of Leliana’s parents, probably her mother, was an elf. Both she and Alistair can see ridiculously well in the dark, for a human, and this gives Zevran and an elf Warden pause. My Tabris brings it up during one of their shared nights on guard, and Leliana confirms it to her. After they get together, and after the Blight is dealt with, Tabris takes Leliana to the Alienage often, and there Leliana learns more about a side of her family she would never have really know otherwise.

Sera

Headcanon A: what I think realistically: Sera and Leliana have an informal archery contest going on. Whenever Leliana has some free time, and is in the mood to train her archery skills, Sera finds her and they get to shooting some targets together. They both give pointers and advice to the other, and that’s how their friendship starts. I really like the idea of Leliana and Sera becoming friends.

Headcanon B: what I think is fucking hilarious: I can’t beat Sera and her bees here, but I like the headcanon she sometimes joins forces with Leliana to prank everyone in Skyhold. They are an unbeatable team together, as Cullen learns after he asks his creepy questions about a mage warden to Leliana. Sera doesn’t feel sorry for him at all.

Headcanon C: what is heart-crushing and awful but fun to inflict on friends: I feel bad even thinking about it, cause Sera deserves nothing more than good things in her life. If a romanced Inquisitor dies because of the Anchor, Sera goes into a spiral that’s very hard to come back from. It’s only her desire for vengeance on Solas that keeps her going after it.

Headcanon D: what would never work with canon but the canon is shit so I believe it anyway: Again, this should be canon. Sera and the Inquisitor have the best fucking wedding ever. None of that crappy, half-assed cutscene we got. It’s a big party, where many of the companions helped make the food and preparations, Blackwall was the best man for Sera, Cassandra and Iron Bull cried, Vivienne has an amused, is also somewhat bittersweet, smile through it all, Dorian was ridiculously proud and happy for both of them, Varric though it was the best kind of wedding he’d ever seen, Cole couldn’t stop smiling because he was overwhelmed with all the love he could feel from Sera and the Inquisitor, and even Solas had to agree it was a very nice party. Leliana and Josephine helped with the planning, and honestly both cried a lot during it too. There was food laid out in big dining tables, everyone could take as much as they wanted, and no one was made to serve anyone else. There were so many red jennys there, and the family of the Inquisitor, whatever their background, came in full force. It was one of the best days in both of their lives.

[bemused-writer]

Dragon Age Day!

Ahh, I completely forgot about it, but I figure in celebration I'll take a moment to talk about my main playthrough a bit and the impressions I formed of my characters and their LIs along the way (plus pictures).

The Warden

Mahariel wasn't my first warden, but she was the first one I played to completion and is therefore my main. She's a Dalish rogue. The above image is how I always think of her: intimidating, strong, prepared to get things done even when it's unpleasant. It's a little strange because she generally did things the "right" way and got along with all her teammates. She wasn't about to sacrifice anyone, so there was a certain naivete there as well.

The impression I've always been under is that she started out a little more optimistic and became more jaded/worldly/self-aware by Awakening after defeating the archdemon. In other words, while she was leading in Origins, she became a real leader in Awakening.

Throughout Origins, she knew they were fighting a losing battle, but vowed not to lose anyone the way she lost Tamlen ever again and wasn't entirely sure of her own leadership. It was kind of thrust on her by Alistair after all, and she wasn't used to being around humans. All of that led to some initial difficulty for her, especially when it came to figuring out what to even do about the archdemon. Having Morrigan, Alistair, and a mabari makes for a difficult first party. XD Two of them disagree on everything and the third doesn't have an opinion.

She romanced Zevran and the two of them made for a pretty great assassin couple. I like to think that he helped her adjust to the world outside her clan and that she helped him open up about who he really is, both to her and himself.

Even though they have very different backgrounds, they have similar opinions on a lot of things. I actually really enjoyed Zevran's romance because it has a lot of layers. You think it will go one way, but it actually ends up surprisingly sweet, much like Zevran himself. I think these two are a good balancing act. They didn't always make for the most balanced party, though. XD All those rogues were squishy and I had a nightmare of a time defeating Branka.... Still, totally worth it.

Mahariel and Zevran are still traveling together (despite all the constant bugs these games give Zevran), and hopefully they'll make a reappearance in one of the future games. Someday.

The Champion

I played a blue-line mage Hawke on my first playthrough with the default appearance.

The impression I've always had of Hawke is that it's family first with her. Everything else is secondary. How else can she have a mansion in Kirkwall while atrocities are happening just a little ways away? In fairness to her, she does a lot to set things right, but I always found her to be just a bit ... aristocratic, and possibly detached from others. And yet, she's also quite cunning and extremely persuasive. She can get just about anyone to do as she wishes. Quite a dangerous person beneath the pleasant veneer.

Maybe that's an odd impression of Hawke and it might sound negative too, but I really do like the character and I really respect all she does for her family. That's why it's so cruel that her family is torn apart anyway. Her sister, mother, and father are all dead and her brother left her for the templars and didn't stand beside her in the end. Talk about a rough conclusion to things. ): She also didn't totally succeed with her friends either. She had to convince Fenris to help her against Meredith and Isabela completely ditched her.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that my first playthrough with Hawke was kind of a rocky ride. XD Even though Mahariel had way worse circumstances (fighting a war she'd never signed up for is pretty bad) things ended up way better for her at the conclusion of the story. Hawke doesn't appear to have a home at the end and her friends split up. Only Varric and Merrill keep in contact with her.

And speaking of Merrill, she was Hawke's romance in this playthrough.

Merrill is such an awesome character in my book, which is why it's always a shame to see the fandom (and kind of the game...) act like she's totally naive and incompetent. Why is this such a common opinion?

But anyway, Merrill has an incredible knowledge of history and of the elven people and she isn't completely opposed to blood magic, so we were destined to get along, but there were times when I really felt like Hawke just ... didn't get Merrill and that was such a bummer for me. XD Even the nice options sometimes sounded a little patronizing. I suppose that's where a lot of my opinion on Hawke came from. Hawke just isn't worldly. Honestly, Merrill isn't either (she'd never really left her clan before), but there's a more open, willingness to learn vibe than what I get from Hawke. If I had to choose the worldliest person in the game I'd probably go with Varric or Fenris, to be honest.

Merrill also misses Mahariel quite a bit and I really wish those two could have a reunion of some sort. I would love more of that particular story. The impression I always got was that they were really good friends and that Mahariel might have been the only person who really understood where Merrill was coming from. Her clan wants nothing to do with her anymore, so it would be nice if she could have a reunion with one person who might get why she did what she did.

The Inquisitor

I went with a mage Trevelyan for this playthrough.

As a mage, Trevelyan was pretty iffy on her role as inquisitor. She definitely didn't think she was holy and the whole thing seemed absurd to her, but she understood that someone had to rally the people. Still, I think there's some frustration there. She's definitely a mage sympathizer. She kind of has to be as a mage herself. She gets why Anders did what he did and even if she's stuck dealing with the aftermath. She figures it's a chance to better her people's lot. She has an aristocratic background, but hasn't had any contact with her family (as is the norm for anyone who grew up in the Circle), so she doesn't have as much upper society know-how as she might have otherwise. This might explain why she did such a bad job in Orlais. 8D I really didn't enjoy that party, you guys....

But she does believe in diplomacy above all else (the only reason she accepted being the inquisitor in the first place) and as such she found a good match in Josephine!

The romance with Josephine was something of an accident if I'm totally honest. XD I went into this game having no idea who I wanted to romance and so I hit the heart option with a couple different people. I was starting to lean towards Josephine because, out of my advisers, she was the only one whose suggestions really made sense to me. If I could have assigned her to everything, I would have. Anyway, I apparently hit the heart option with her the most because suddenly the game thrust me into things and I was being threatened by Leliana, so I figured, "Probably should stick with this one."

I'm so glad I did! They have a very natural romance. I even got to duel a guy who very respectfully left when he realized what we had was true. She also took me to see an Orlesian play with fireworks, so that was pretty awesome. I think these two probably have the smoothest relationship out of all my Dragon Age romances. I don't think they ever had difficulty communicating or any real awkward moments, so kudos to them!

Out of the Dragon Age protagonists, I think Trevelyan had it the easiest. Sure, she didn't want to be part of any of this, but she had a ton of resources, tons of support, a nice romance without trouble.... Compared to the Warden and Hawke, it was easy going. XD Still, things couldn't go that well forever. If she's the protagonist for the next game, she's going to have it rough. Things with Solas went ... badly, to say the least. She hasn't given up on the guy (she's an optimist), but he's pushing it.

And that's how things have gone so far. I have a lot of fanfiction ideas for all these characters, some of which are already written. I have a lot of other characters set up in Dragon Age as well, so at some point I'm definitely going to be playing through again. ^^

[carinavet]

All That Remains

Again and again, Ronia bashed her sword against Quentin’s barrier, weakening it with each blow. Behind her, her companions dispatched the last of the corpses he had raised. Finally, with a scream, she slashed through the last vestiges of the barrier, cutting diagonally down across Quentin’s chest, his blood spurting across her face and body.

The moment his corpse hit the floor, Ronia tossed her blade aside and ran to her mother. Leandra stumbled forward and collapsed in her child’s arms.

“Mother!” Ronia cried, cradling Leandra’s head. She held her mother gently, afraid that she would literally fall apart at the seams. Argos padded forward and whimpered. Ronia looked to Anders for help.

“There’s nothing I can do,” he said gently. “His magic was keeping her alive.”

“No! There must be something--”

“I knew you would come,” Leandra’s faint voice interrupted.

“Don’t move, Mother,” Ronia said desperately. “We’ll find a way to . . .”

“Shhh. Don’t fret, darling. That man would have kept me trapped in here. But now I’m free. I get to see Carver again. And your father. But you’ll be here alone.”

Ronia tried to pull herself together as her heart broke. “I’ll be fine, Mother,” she said, unsuccessfully trying to hold back her tears.

“My little girl has become so strong. I love you. You’ve always made me so proud.” Leandra reached up to touch Ronia’s face, and then let her hand fall as the light went out of her eyes.

“Mother? Mother!”

Ronia curled over what was left of her mother’s form, sobs wracking her body. Argos sat next to her and howled. Aveline and Varric kept a respectful distance, unsure of what to do, but Anders stepped forward, kneeling beside Ronia and wrapping an arm across her shoulders.

After a while, once her sobs had reduced to whimpers, Aveline spoke.

“I’ll go and fetch a few guards,” she said softly. “To . . . collect her.” She glanced around at their macabre surroundings. “And the others.”

“No,” Ronia croaked. “I’ll-- I’ll bring her.” She sniffed and wiped her face.

Her companions shared a look, discussing without words.

“I’ll go ahead to the Chantry,” Varric said. “Make sure they . . . expect you.”

Aveline nodded and the two headed out together, leaving Anders and Argos to take care of Ronia. As she collected herself, Anders surveyed the hideout. On a table in the corner, he saw a headless corpse wearing a familiar dress -- and prayed that Ronia was too focused on the form in her arms to notice.

With another wracking sob, Ronia stood, hoisting the still figure. Anders subtly shifted his position to block her view. Together they began the slow march out of the lair and towards Hightown.

They walked silently through the pre-dawn grey, meeting no one in the streets. Anders wondered if this was because of the hour or Varric’s doing. Probably both, he decided. When they reached the Chantry, Sebastian and the Grand Cleric were waiting at the entrance with a few of the sisters. Silently, they opened the door and led the procession to an inner room at the side. As Ronia laid her mother down on a slab, Anders pulled the Grand Cleric aside.

“How much did Varric tell you?” he whispered.

“Enough to expect the state she is in, and that more will be coming.”

“There are several more dead, all in pieces. It would be . . . I think the families would appreciate if you could . . . separate them. The rest of Leandra’s body is complete, but the others . . . You may have to do some . . . sorting.”

“We will do our best to honour the departed,” Elthina assured him. “In the meantime, I will leave you to care for the living.”

They both looked at Ronia, still bowed over her mother. Anders stepped up behind and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Hawke?”

She nodded, and allowed herself to be led out.

Ronia walked with her head bowed, following Anders’ guidance, seemingly numb to the world. She didn’t seem to notice that Varric was leaving her estate as they approached, or the meaningful look he shared with Anders. She simply followed as Anders led her into the estate and to her bedroom. With a gesture, Anders sent Argos to Sandal’s room. Ronia stood still as Anders wet a rag in her washbasin and wiped the dried blood from her face, then began stripping her of her armour, piece by piece. She stood still in her gambeson as he gently pulled her hair from its usual bun, then sat on the bed when prompted so that he could pull off her greaves and boots. He hesitated, then stripped her of her gambeson, as well, and gently laid her down in the bed, pulling the covers up over her shoulders. He stroked her hair, bent down to kiss it, and turned to leave.

She caught his hand and pulled him back. “Don’t go?” she asked.

Anders gave her hand a squeeze and sat on the edge of the bed to pull off his own boots. Ronia scooted backwards to make room for him as he joined her, pulling her head in to rest on his soft, feathered pauldron and wrapping his arms around her body. She settled in against him, and soon soaked his shoulder as her tears began to flow again.

“I know nothing I say will change it,” he said softly. “I’m just . . . I’m sorry. You were lucky to have her as long as you did. When the pain fades, that’s what will matter.”

Ronia nodded into his chest.

He pulled her in closer. “I’m here for you,” he said. “Whatever you need.”

They lay like that, Anders gently stroking her hair as she sobbed, until sleep took her.

masterpost

[heartslogos]

newfragile yellows [18]

“Your place at six, right?” Bull stops by Cullen’s desk to ask, “You need drinks?”

“Varric is coming,” Cullen says.

“So,” Bull drags the word out, “Need drinks?”

“Yes,” Cullen says, “Yes, I need drinks.”

“You’re going to Thanksgiving?” Sutherland asks.

“Yeah, Boss and Cole go to prison on Thanksgiving,” Bull says and then when Sutherland looks alarmed he waves his hand. “They visit their old foster father.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Sutherland says.

“Yeah, they tell him how thankful they are that he’s behind bars and that he’s finally under lock and key and how grateful they are that he’s away for a really long time,” Bull laughs. “They tell him how much they like that they finally know where he is so he can’t run off on them again. I used to go but a couple of years back we decided it’s probably best if I didn’t because Lavellan and I get a bit too mean about it, apparently.”

Sutherland stares at Cullen as if Cullen can verify this.

Cullen, personally, hasn’t seen Solas since the trial and he has no interest in ever seeing Solas again. He shrugs.

It does sound like something Lavellan would do.

“Need a ride to Cullen’s place, Sutherland?” Bull asks, “You ever been before? It’s an hour out of city limits and looks like the set for some sort of country album or horror film. Depends on what time of year it is.”

“You live on a farm?” Sutherland turns to gape at Cullen, “I thought that was just a rumor.”

“It’s not a farm,” Cullen replies. “And it doesn’t look like the set of a horror film.”

“It does,” Captain Trevelyan says, “Trust me, it really does.”

“Are you going to be there, too, Captain?” Sutherland asks.

“Considering that I’m going to be setting up for it?” Trevelyan raises an eyebrow, “Definitely. Don’t have much of a choice.”

“Since it blew your mind that I’m married to the police commissioner,” Bull says as Trevelyan walks away, “It’s probably going to wipe the rest of it clean when I tell you that the Captain and Vice Captain are a couple.”

“Isn’t that against some kind of rule?”

“Oh, Sutherland,” Sera says from a few desks over, feet propped up on Blackwall’s desk. “You dumb little newbie. Didn’t you know the higher up you go the more people we all know? Our unit is the most hooked up unit in the entire country.”

“And yet we have so many problems,” Blackwall says, lifting Sera’s feet to grab a stack of forms. “And our budget is shit.”

-

“Bull,” Captain Trevelyan yells from her office, “Why is the Commissioner texting me to make sure you aren’t breaking your fast?”

“Fuck,” Bull groans.

“He’s got blood work,” Krem yells back, reaching over and prying Bull’s hands off of a sandwich. “He’s been putting it off for two months.”

“I’m fucking hungry,” Bull says, “Do you know how many calories it takes to maintain this figure?”

“A lot?” Sera asks, “She’s texting me to remind you that she’s coming over to pick you up and that afterwards - ew, gross. Emojis.”

“Which ones?”

“Eggplant, leaf, tongue, clamshell?” Sera makes a face, “I don’t need to know this.”

“She’s bribing me with food to get me to stop eating,” Bull turns to look at Cullen, “We have some of my old blood bags right? I could use that?”

Cullen slowly turns his chair the other way and pretends to answer emails.

“Are you sure she’s bribing you with food?”

“Next emojis will be a fork, pizza slice, thumbs up, and pair of eyes,” Bull says, half heartedly trying to grab his sandwich back from Krem who takes a large bite of it while maintaining eye contact. “You little shit. I should have never put a good word in for you when we joined the task force. Chew with your mouth closed you impolite fuck.”

“There’s this Italian buffet that I told her that she should try,” Captain Trevelyan says, crossing her arms as she stands in the doorway of her office. “My bad. You’ve been putting off your blood work?”

“Do you know how long it takes for them to fucking get to me? They open at six thirty and you’ve gotta be waiting in line for like half an hour before then,” Bull says. “I can’t go that long without calories, Captain.”

“Make an appointment,” Trevelyan says.

“That’s what Lavellan said, too,” Bull says, “But that’d take even longer. Fuck it. I’m healthy. Why do I even need blood work?”

“Alright, Captain’s orders - go do your damn blood work. I’m texting her to pick you up now,” Trevelyan says. “No one’s getting any work done if they have to watch you to make sure you aren’t eating. I don’t know how she puts up with you, you giant whining baby.”

“I’m her favorite Detective,” Bull says, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “What the hell did you tell her? She’s pissed.”

“I’m still amazed you guys can understand her when she texts,” Cullen says, breaking his silence. “She never texts me in anything other than emojis. It’s like charades.”

“You’re not bad at charades,” Krem says, “You’re a detective. It’s kind of like - our job.”

“Cullen’s phone doesn’t get emojis,” Trevelyan rolls her eyes. “Just boxes with question marks.”

“Ah, that would make it harder.”

-

“Commissioner,” Trevelyan says, “To what do I owe this visit?”

“What?” Lavellan turns around, “Oh right. That’s me.”

“Yes, Lavellan, you’re the police commissioner.”

“I keep thinking that someone’s made a mistake with that one,” Lavellan muses, “Are you sure you don’t want to trade, Evelyn?”

“Frankly, Lavellan, I would rather go into PR. Considering the other units? I still don’t know how Herah doesn’t go insane with hers. Last I heard her squad accidentally triggered a demolition early,” Trevelyan replies.

Lavellan frowns.

“Was there an official reason for this visit?” Trevelyan prompts. Lavellan fiddles with the buttons on her blazer.

“I don’t think so,” She stares at the ceiling. “Evelyn why are there so many patches on your ceiling?”

“The guys were trying to settle a bet,” Evelyn replies. “Honestly? I don’t know. I think Sera won? They hid something in my office and were up against each other to try and steal it.”

“Oh, right, steal,” Lavellan claps her hands together, “I remember what I’m here for.”

“Official?”

“Personal. Can I borrow Cullen after his shift? I’m going to adopt a puppy and I feel like Cullen would know so much about dogs and where to best get them and things. It’s a surprise for Cole’s birthday.”

“Oh, you guys finally picked a date?”

“Well. No, we haven’t found a day that feels right yet but we will eventually.”

[kaaras-adaar-a]

dragon age: inquisition relationship scale

the scaling goes from one to five, with a heart indicating potential romantic interest (or sexual partner)repost // don’t reblog!

Blackwall ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Kaaras still considers Blackwall a friend, but he doesn’t consider him a close friend. What he did was wrong, and he does approve of the fact that Blackwall redeemed himself and felt guilty for his wrongs. Blackwall could do some serious good with his whole redemption trope, and Kaaras saw that potential in him. So, he’s low on the scoreboard, but Kaaras doesn’t hate him. He finds Blackwall to be boring, actually, and a little too depressing to be around. The whole drinking scene with them together was just so awkward for Kaaras because Kaaras never really felt like he could open up to Blackwall.

He doesn’t feel like they can relate, and Kaaras really doesn’t approve of what he did, because it was petty and in many ways unforgivable. He expects people to be stronger than that. So… yeah, they are just VERY awkward around one another, and Kaaras often gets a little bitchy around Blackwall.

Cassandra ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ - ♥

Kaaras really likes Cassandra. I’d say they are good, close friends with one another who have been together since the start. Kaaras also had a bit of a crush on her throughout their time in Haven, but his feelings soon disappeared when he met Bull. He RESPECTS Cassandra a lot. She’s a woman who isn’t afraid to make things right and fix mistakes done. She can hold her own, she’s strong, and she fully stands up for what she believes in. They get along well, even if they’re both quite stubborn. He definitely considers her a good friend. :) 

Cole ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cole never really SCARED Kaaras. He’s always seen spirits as people, so seeing Cole was actually kind of cool for Kaaras. He found him interesting and engaging, even if a little strange. Kaaras is very much a fatherly figure to Cole, though. He takes him in, he looks after him, makes sure he’s doing okay and he can stay in more quiet places if he needs it. Cole IS a person, he has feelings, intentions, and wants to HELP others. He’s compassionate and caring, and a little innocent. He definitely considers Cole a good friend, the only thing that annoys him sometimes is when Cole looks inside his head when he shouldn’t be. XD I guess, in many ways, he’s sort of like Varric in the way he teaches Cole things and how to be more human.

Kaaras never would have had a problem if Cole wanted to stay in his spirit form, but he feels Varric was right. It had gone too far, and Cole was becoming more human the longer he stayed in Cole’s body. Plus, Cole wanted it. Kaaras saw no wrong in that, he just wanted Cole to be happy.

Cullen ★★ ★ ★ ☆ - ♥ 

Kaaras and Cullen get along very well, especially considering they are both the sort of commanding and strategic minds that can think alike. I think the only thing they REALLY clash on is the whole mage/templar thing–Cullen being an ex templar and Kaaras being a mage. He really likes Cullen, though. I wouldn’t say they are the best of friends, and it’s hard to get the both of them to wind down and not talk about work. I think that’s where they struggle the most, is to put their work faces off and just… talk. The both of them are guarded and private, though, and they don’t expect each other to randomly talk about things unless provoked. But the both of them would die for one another. 

Kaaras is also a recovering alcoholic, so he understands what it’s like to go through withdrawal. He is supportive of Cullen’s choices and encourages him to stay off lyrium.

Also, there’s a little heart on here because if Cullen ever actually liked men or qunari, Kaaras certainly would have been sexually and/or romantically interested in him. :’D He did flirt with him until he realised that Cullen wasn’t interested in men (or qunari). Overall, a romance with them would probably struggle because of their lack of communication outside of work. There is potential, but they’d have to both work VERY hard to keep it going, and I think they’d be much happier as friends than romantically involved. 

Dorian ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - ♥

Dorian and Kaaras are actually VERY close. From the start, they both just… hit it off. I think them both being mages, and different really made them connect. And then there was the whole Redcliffe thing. Dorian was with Kaaras when it happened, and he’s the ONLY other person who remembers it because he lived through it as well. That made them bond for sure.

Kaaras has become one of Dorian’s best friends over the course of Inquisition, and perhaps one of his only friends, and Kaaras holds Dorian extremely close to him. They flirt, they talk fashion, they talk men, and tbh… Kaaras and Dorian end up talking to each other about pretty much everything.

Dorian was one of the first canon characters to actually know about Kaaras’ dad as well (even before Bull knew about it). When the whole thing happened with Dorian’s father, that really made Kaaras open up to him about it. In fact, Kaaras sometimes finds it easier to talk to Dorian than Bull about a fair few family problems and other personal things that Bull might not understand. Dorian and Kaaras talk a lot, and they really are close.

I can’t say they don’t have… SOME kind of feelings for one another, hence the heart there. Sometimes I wonder if Dorian has a thing for Kaaras, despite Bull, or perhaps they’re more platonic. But they definitely like each other a lot. Honestly, if Kaaras didn’t romance Bull, then Dorian would have been a real option.

The only thing that really gets Kaaras upset and uneasy is the fact that Dorian is a necromancer. Kaaras doesn’t think the dead should rise for anyone. They should be at peace with the world and themselves, and be left to rest. Disturbing a grave, especially for war intentions, is very much a no no. In saying that, Kaaras is still interested in all sorts of magic. Just because he refuses to use it (like blood magic as well), doesn’t mean others haven’t done GOOD with it, and Dorian is a very powerful mage.

The Iron Bull ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - ♥

Rofl. Well, they’re lovers. <3 There are a lot of things that make them close. Kaaras was very impressed by Bull, but also very curious. He knows a damn good warrior when he sees one, and being a mercenary captain himself, it did give him and Bull a little bit to talk about, also the Qun. Now, Kaaras doesn’t mind talking about the Qun, it’s when people force it down his throat that he gets all moody and upset, but Bull was never LIKE that, in fact, he offered to talk about it if he had questions, so Kaaras kind of took advantage of that to find out what he hadn’t already.

Kaaras had a thing for Bull only days after he’d hired the man. He’d been around qunari before, and his past lover was one, but there was just something about Bull that really drew him in. From all the muscles, to the jokes, the puns, the lighthearted nature, and tbh, Bull was KIND. He LIKED when Kaaras went out of his way to help the small people, and that was important to him, because it meant Bull was also the kind of man who actually cared about the small things, even if he didn’t seem like he was.

Bull is smart, clever, caring, incredibly deep and he found himself with Kaaras and with the Inquisition. Ffs, he went and killed a dragon to collect a tooth for the man XD I’m pretty sure that shows how dedicated Kaaras is to Bull. They just… WORK. Everything about their personalities. Despite what would seem to be huge differences in them both, it actually compliments the both of them. From Bull looking like he’s the big scary non caring one when in fact he’s so deeply caring that he does just about anything to please his lover, when Kaaras is actually the demanding and in control one, to the fact that Kaaras is a mage, which Bull is terrified of magic and demons and shit, and Bull is from the Qun, which Kaaras is all iojdoifjsdjf over. But they work, they are so compatible with one another, and they’re perfect <3 Don’t even get me started on their sex life. XD

Josephine ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ - ♥

Kaaras and Josie get along VERY WELL actually. They have a high respect for one another and Josie did have a crush on Kaaras in my main playthrough (which is ADORABLE BUT ALSO REALLY SAD when Kaaras has to turn her down :( ) But they are very friendly and sweet with each other. They are the kind of friends who listen to each other when they need to vent, who go out to fancy places and eat with each other and indulge a little. They are the kind of platonic friends who will cuddle and snuggle by a fire with each other. 

I stuck the heart there because honestly, Josie is one of my favourite romances in the entire game, and her and Kaaras had REALLY good chemistry. Her romances is one of the sweetest and her and Kaaras would have made an exceptionally sweet couple. If Kaaras didn’t romance Bull, I think Josie would have beat Dorian. 

Leliana ★ ★ ★☆ ☆

Leliana seems to scare everyone–and with GOOD reason. Kaaras is STUBBORN though, and he doesn’t often care if his words will get him killed, so long as he dies defending his moral code and for the right reasons. Kaaras and Leliana actually stand for a LOT of the same things… which sort of surprises me? At least with a softened Leliana, anyway–which is how Leli ended up being in Kaaras’ playthrough.

I think this definitely makes them closer than they’d like to think? I think they don’t really WISH to be close with each other, because they definitely have some differences. Leliana IS frightening, she is willing to do some very dark things that Kaaras wouldn’t agree with, but Kaaras highly respects her, and knows she is DAMN good at what she does.

They are friends, definitely, and Leliana respects Kaaras’ position (especially since they want so much of the same thing from the Chantry and mages), but they aren’t best friends. More like very useful contacts when the time is needed. Kind of “we owe each other”.

In saying that, Kaaras, personally, isn’t actually scared of her like so many others are. Does she make him uneasy? Yes. Does he find her tactics a little horrifying? Sometimes. But he also oddly trusts that she would never stab him in the back. Maybe he’s just naive, Kaaras can be that way sometimes, but he didn’t get bad vibes from Leliana in that regard. He actually feels safer when she’s around.

Sera ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Okay, Sera and Kaaras DO get along, but it’s mostly because Kaaras tends to roll his eyes and say some stupid pun or something so she doesn’t throw a hissy fit. He understands where she is coming from, trying to lighten everyone up, which is why he didn’t always mind when she’s throwing pranks, but he often doesn’t approve of them either. He finds her to be incredibly immature and sometimes a downright child and a pain in the arse. She doesn’t want to listen to reason, which makes him frustrated, but he also doesn’t want them to be enemies. So… they have a bit of a middle ground.

Kaaras is also one of those little people that Sera talks about. He understands exactly the people she is sticking up for, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to be rude all the time and play pranks on important people. Here and there, okay, he’ll let her do some, but he’s also not about to let her have run of the place. She needs to realise that the Inquisition is there for an important reasons, and saving the world SOMETIMES means you need to be serious. Even if she’ll poke her tongue out at him and call him a fart or something.

But hey, they do share cookies on the roof. :)

Solas ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 

This… one cuts me deep. Solas and Kaaras are very good friends. Solas had been there from the start with Kaaras and the Inquisition, and that’s so important to Kaaras. Solas taught him A LOT, and yes, while Solas tends to think qunari are savage beasts, Kaaras never really argued with that. Because deep down, Kaaras thinks the Qun is a terrible place to be, and so he part way agrees. Many Tal-Vashoth are also turned to savages, which Kaaras can’t even deny, because it’s true. There are a lot of Tal-Vashoth who end up running wild and killing innocent people. That doesn’t mean they’re all terrible, but Kaaras isn’t going to deny that they do make his race look shitty as a whole, and the Qun doesn’t help. Kaaras is actually incredibly racist towards his own species, and while he doesn’t MEAN to me, it’s very deep seeded into him from his childhood and everyone being so racist to him, so he just sits there and goes yeah… where’s the lie? But he also wants to overcome it so badly, too, because he wants to also prove that he’s NOT like that, that not ALL qunari are savages, but sometimes he can’t help but believe deep down that they (and HIMSELF) are. And that’s fucking painful for me to think about.

Kaaras TRUSTED Solas, and tbh he still DOES??? And that bothers me. He’s always been so much more patient with Solas than I have, and I woulda decked the fuck out of him, instead, Kaaras tries to REDEEM him, because he is a FRIEND, and he still IS to Kaaras. He respects Solas, and tries to understand him, because in the bottom of his heart, he truly believes that Solas was and still can be a good person. He also thinks that those tales of Fen’Harel are very important and can see the good in Solas’ actions and what he had tried to do for his people. He admires him greatly, but he WILL prove to Solas that this world is worth it, even if he dies in doing so.

Varric ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Varric and Kaaras definitely get along, and because the both of them love stories and telling stories, they often share them around camp. He highly encourages Varric with his tales, even if some of them are total bullshit. A story is meant to inspire, to question, and Varric does all of that, and that’s what Kaaras loves about it.

Varric is actually an incredibly encouraging friend himself, and when Kaaras is in need of some time to himself, Varric is often one of the first people to realise that the Inquisitor needs a break, so he ushers people off and out or he encourages Kaaras to play some games and have a drink so he can relax. They don’t sit there and tell each other their most darkest secrets, but they definitely quietly encourage each other. :) Also, Kaaras is a super fucking fan of Varric’s writing >///<

Vivienne ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

These two DEFINITELY bump heads at the start, but by the end, they surprisingly get along VERY well. I think it helps, for Vivienne, that Kaaras is a very strong morally run person, he’s also a mage and believes in their rights but also their powers, and he has a touch of fashion sense. Oh, they’re both also Knight Enchanters.

They definitely have their disagreements, especially on how Circles should be run. Also, Kaaras can see how manipulative Vivienne is and gets the feeling that she wants everything HER way and will do just about anything to possess that power–which isn’t right or morally correct. So that is something he really doesn’t like in Viv, but their banter is actually quite amusing, and Vivienne shows her concerns multiple times for the Inquisitor and in more subtle ways shows her respects to him as well. It’s kind of sweet, really.

BONUS

Warden + Hawke ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ - ♥

For both, Kaaras highly respects and even has a bit of a hero crush on both of them. Depending entirely on the choices Hawke or the Warden made, he would look up to and respect them greatly, even in a sense worship them. But he definitely has a fanboyish crush on them both--certainly if they have moral standards. 

They are getting docked points, however, because Kaaras hasn’t gotten to meet the Hero in person, and he only briefly got to speak with Hawke. 

tagged by: @inquisitorataashi