#also hawke is always the same but a mage in one worldstate <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[wildfairies]

dragon age worldstates

titles & quotes from ulysses by alfred, lord tennyson

A NEWER WORLD

"Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world."

Nalori Tabris* | Warrior: Champion | ♡ Alistair

*Remembered as the Hero of Ferelden, though she would sharply correct anyone who said so that the true hero was her brother Talisen, a fellow Warden who gave his life during the Siege of Denerim.

Rosamond Hawke | Rogue: Thief | ♡ Fenris

Sabine Trevelyan | Mage: Rift Mage | ♡ Iron Bull

Portia Ingellvar | Mage: Death Caller | ♡ Lucanis

A HUNGRY HEART

"I am become a name; For always roaming with a hungry heart Much have I seen and known;"

Kelden Aeducan | Warrior: Berserker | ♡ Zevran

Rosamond Hawke | Rogue: Thief | ♡ Fenris

Ivuna Lavellan | Rogue: Tempest | ♡ Josephine

Francesca de Riva | Rogue: Duelist | ♡ Emmrich

A SINKING STAR

"And this gray spirit yearning in desire To follow knowledge like a sinking star, Beyond the utmost bound of human thought."

Talisen Tabris* | Mage: Arcane Warrior | ♡ Morrigan

*Remembered as the Hero of Ferelden, though he was known to smile sadly at the honorific, modestly insisting the true hero was his sister Nalori-- a fellow Warden who perished in the Battle of Denerim.

Rosamond Hawke | Mage: Blood Mage | ♡ Fenris

Salshira Lavellan | Mage: Necromancer | ♡ Solas

Ghestlin Laidir | Mage: Spellblade | ♡ Davrin

[thedragonagebigbang]

Bang Creator Interview: Tumblr: @fade-and-loathing-in-thedas  |  AO3: Fade_and_loathing_in_thedas

The Collaboration period has begun! In these quiet months before works are due, we want to foster a sense of excitement, camaraderie, and celebration among our participants. To that end, all participants were given the option of a formal interview by our mod, Dema, or an informal “ask-game” survey. We hope you enjoy getting to know our phenomenal creators as much as we have!

5 Signs You're experiencing Deja Vu (Number 3 Will Make You Question Reality!)

Strix and Dema talk reluctant heroes, DA4 (spoilers ahead!) and ALL the worldstates

Dema: To jump right in, on your user intro you mentioned OC creation first in your list of things you love about Dragon Age. What about DA OC creation in particular appeals to you?

Strix: I love the choice of it all. I get the opportunity to craft rich, multi-faceted characters within a deeply immersive world that I love and see everyone else's amazing creations too. I have endless possibilities for creative expression and storytelling and ways to explore personalities, choices and experiences that I don't have personal experience in, and on the flip side I get to explore characteristics that I have in so many different ways. I also love learning about how others approach the same thing and there is always so much diversity in how it is approached.

Dema: Do you create your OCs with writing in mind?

Strix: Not necessarily. I have several that were created with writing in mind, but the majority were created with the idea of exploring the world of dragon age from a particular lens and what that would mean for how they would interact with the world.

Dema: What has been the most interesting character configuration for you, in game? 

Strix: I find it really hard to pick just one. However, I will say I really love any non mage Hawke. They're just a regular guy and because of the tensions between the mages and templars and between their friends, they're always kind of stuck in the middle. I find it's an interesting dynamic because in the end they always have to take a stance, regardless of personal feelings, investment in the mage or templar cause, or the risk to themselves. 

Dema: Do you have a favorite Hawke you've made? (Cruel question, I know haha)

Strix: Hahaha, it really is lol. But I would have to say my canon Hawke. Aeryn Hawke is a dual wielding rogue and purple Hawke. She just wanted to live an uneventful and simple life, but fate had other ideas.

Dema: I LOVE a reluctant hero.

Strix: She's become a bit of a tragic figure as the DA timeline and story has progressed and I'm honestly terrified of Varric dying in da4 because that would honestly be the thing that breaks her. She can't and hasn't saved the world, all she's done is hold back the tide a little bit.

Dema: OOF, yeah! So I assume you're keeping up with the DA4 news to some extent?

Strix: Absolutely! I'm obsessively following all the updates. I have no care for spoilers. 

Dema: What are you most excited about?

Strix: Meeting all the new companions. I have loved all the past companions and I'm so excited to meet all my new friends and LIs. Through a chance to punch Solas is a close second.

Dema: Are you already planning your Rook, or are you waiting?

Strix: I've got plans for at least five already, lol. I have 13 completed world states and uhhhh an addiction to OC creation.

Dema: Hey. You are so valid. Who knows how long we'll have this game before the next one comes out, if we've got a decade surely five play-throughs is reasonable.

Strix: I'm so scared I'm going to create more than 13 Rooks and then I'll have to create wardens, Hawke's and Inquisitors to match them. The backgrounds sound so intriguing.

Dema: To pivot a bit, because I would love to ask a couple writing questions:

Strix: Let's go!

Dema: Pitch is in? How are you feeling about your DABB project?

Strix: My pitch will be in tomorrow, I've been working on it today (blurbs/summaries kill me lol) But I'm super excited about DABB! I can't wait to read all the fics and see all the paired art, it is such a fun concept. I'm also super excited to finally be writing my fic, because it's a fic I've wanted to write for ages now, and the way the DABB has been structured has really helped me kick my ass into gear to tackle the project. I love fandom events and gift exchanges because of the commitment component. You've signed up, you have a deadline and you have to think about how and if you can deliver the project, which means it isn't as self indulgent as regular fic writing is (for me anyway).

Dema: Ooooh so is this your first Big Bang?

Strix: Yes!

Dema: I am excited for you! It is a lot of fun. Finally: it is time for your no-spoilers click-bait title.

Strix: Ooohhhh um.... 5 Signs You're experiencing Deja Vu (Number 3 Will Make You Question Reality!)

Dema: Perfect, thank you! And thank you for taking the time to chat with me!

Strix: Thank you! This was fun!

[cyborg-squid]

Veilguard is going to be real fucking weird for me, because like, I was 15~16 when Inquisition came out, and it was my first real experience being... super conflicted about a game/media. I subjected my dad and sister to SOOOO much rants about Inquisitions flaws (and merits as well). Mostly about the failed resolution of the Mage and Templar conflict. At the end of all things, I do like Inquisition, of course, and in large part due to Trespasser, but it wasn't exactly easy.

So with Veilguard, I was already let down once by the franchise, and that was with the work in itself; and now I know a lot more about how shitty and mismanaged of a company Bioware's been, and how they fired almost all of their good writers, and I see fans bring up a not insignificant amount of lore mistakes/retcons, and how talky the dev and/or PR team is being, and I see how fucking badly it wants to be the next Baldur's Gate 3.

And I know that the multitude of choices in Keep would be hella hard to export into a new game again (and it's note like the carryover into Inquisition was a smashing success either), but. Dragon Age and Mass Effect are known as sorta choice-based RPGs, and this isn't always a good thing, as I felt that even Inquisition had a fair amount of choices that don't really... do anything, that feel like they're there just for the sake of having them. There's some choices that you want to make, to have the ability to affect the world, and then there's some that the game forces you to make, that you don't want to (the Inquisition does NOT have any sort of authority over the Grey Wardens. Neither should the Inquisitor have any over Hawke or Alistair/Loghain/Stroud. That was a choice almost solely there for the 'players', yet makes little and less sense for the characters involved).

And then only ~3 choices will be present in Veilguard. and it makes you go "Ohhh, no one but me really cares about these choices then." Which has kind of always been the case, but it kinda smacks of. the current devs really just want to make their own thing with Veilguard; which does make an amount of sense given how the team has been switched up, and they likely want to make Dragon Age: Veilguard, not Dragon Age Origins+II+Inquisition. But in distancing themselves from these choices and worldstates, it feels like it's (like unintentionally, but I can't be sure) distancing itself from the rest of the franchise as well. And I might actually like that, if that was the case, in writing this out, I'd had that the thought that maybe Veilguard might be more appealing to me if it wasn't Dragon Age: Veilguard. But it seems to me now like it's in this really weird sort of Limbo, where it's not close enough to DA to be the game we've all been waiting for, but neither is it far enough away to be something truly new.

So there's a lot of things I'm pretty concerned about with Veilguard. and not pre-ordering it is a gimme, but for me, for the first time in a while, this really feels like a "wait and read the reviews" sort of release. Because, in some ways, if VG ends up being a truly bad entry in the franchise or something like that, I personally could live with Inquisition and Trespasser being my personal ending with the series. Because I'd rather go out on a high note (or at least a medium-high note) with Dragon Age than a low one. (though hopefully VG will actually be good and this bit here will all be moot).

God, posting several paragraph long posts about Dragon Age on my tumblr blog, it really is like I'm 16 again. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

(I also still think Dreadwolf was the better title)

[queenaeducan]

Questions for Thora: 4- attitude towards Andrastianism? 18- do they have any irrational fears?

Questions for your Hawke: 6- attitude towards the Qun? 16- do they get sentimental about their weapons or armour?

Questions for your Warden: 13- their thoughts on the Grey Warden order? 23- do they have, or want to have, children? 23-a: if they want to have children, what do you do with the obscure lore that wardens have impaired fertility? (obviously "I ignore it as the Maker intended" is a valid response according to me)

DA Worldstate Questions!

Thora Cadash

4. attitude towards Andrastianism?

Thora is Andrastian- or rather, she believes in both the Stone and the Maker. This is based on some lore that I believe is from Orzammar discussing how the two don't contradict each other (so really Cass should be asking Cadash if there's not room for the Maker in their lives rather than Lavellan).

Her attitude towards Andrastianism is different from her attitude towards the Chantry. She believes in and finds strength in Andraste and her story, perhaps in many ways more than in the Maker. The Chant gives her strength and she loves to sing it. When it comes to the Chantry, she has always felt excluded from it. She might have joined it had she been allowed (and in her companion verses if Leliana is Divine she may serve her), but over time she comes to be more critical of it. Kirkwall taught her to question the Circle, and Inquisition drives those questions to the root of the problem. She does want to believe it can change and supports Leliana in pursuit of that change.

18. do they have any irrational fears?

Not really. She's afraid of deep water and dogs. In the Nightmare she doesn't see spiders, but her companions as they appeared in the Red Lyrium future. All of those fears have some pretty solid basis. Her biggest thing that impacts her day-to-day is that blood/corpses make her ill despite death being part of her job, but again I can't really call that irrational, just unusual for adventuring fantasy protagonists.

Sylvia Hawke

6. attitude towards the Qun?

Definitely not for her. She is more or less the Arishok's foil, undisciplined and chaotic to his control and order.

Her attitude to it at large is less negative than you might expect, in part due to the grudging respect she comes to hold for the Arishok. She also can't say she's a fan of the natural conclusion of its enforcement, which is to say: the conquering of the south. While she had sympathy for the situation of the qunari, after she discovers why they really stuck around so long she found them a little pitiable. She'd fled her home because of the Blight, they were in exile over a book.

16. do they get sentimental about their weapons or armour?

Not at all. She likes to add little touches that she carries from one piece to the next, but isn't attached to any kind. Ironically, in her playthrough I do end up having the same robes through most of act 2 and 3 (robes of the notorious pirate) because there are only a handful of pants for mages in DA2 and Sylvia just isn't a dressy robe person. So she isn't sentimental, but she is picky.

Tamar Aeducan

(Tamar isn't my OC, but my spouse's, but she is my worldstate Warden and the one I'm carrying to DA4).

13. their thoughts on the Grey Warden order?

Tamar is realistic about it. She takes her duties seriously, but finds a lot about the Order to criticise. She had a poor relationship with Clarel when they were both still alive, and is more likely to grant Solas his due in his criticisms than Ian, who holds the Order up on a pedestal. Tamar also is willing to play a little loose with the rules- for example, during Ian's recruitment in DA:O she "recruits" him with no intention of having him Join, letting him go back to his clan after the Archdemon's defeat.

23. do they have, or want to have, children?

She doesn't have any. Tamar has issues conceiving even in verses where she isn't a Warden, like our Modern Thedas verse. She does want them, as does Gorim, but there isn't room for one in her life as Warden-Commander. In Modern Thedas they do adopt, though!

[bossuary]

Having just finished Tevinter Nights, I have un fucktonne of questions and theories. But, below are a few of the subjects/problems that I can’t stop thinking about.  I’m curious how other people interpret them, or if I’ve missed some critical details, because it seems like there’s some retconning going on.

so, spoiler warnings apply, since i’m about to discuss the Big Doings below the cut.

The most immediately relevant items come from the final story, right? BUT, because of the nature of the characters, I sort of assumed that much of “The Dread Wolf Take You” is a study in unreliable narrators. Can any of the tales be believed after Charter exposes the Bard? Do we move forward assuming the puzzle pieces we’re trying to fit together are the correct ones, or tread carefully on the word of a known liar?

Nothing about the Assassin’s Tale fits the facts we know: 

Meredith’s corpse didn’t actually stay in the middle of the square in uptown Kirkwall. Her remains were taken away to The Black Emporium. (iirc, Varric mentions this in one of the recent comics)

Pieces of her sword (Certainty) were re-forged for Samson to use in service of Corypheus, a sword which eventually passes to the Inquisition.

A shard of the idol continues to exist outside of Meredith’s remains, or her re-forged blade. Depending on worldstates, the shard is either a weapon rune--forged by Sandal and given to Hawke--or it was given to Varric (who then gave it to Bianca to study, I think). 

In the comics, and in a few of the short stories, the fiasco of Fen’Harel’s agent losing the red lyrium “item” is cleverly handled from a lore-continuity perspective. It’s only ever referred to as a “weapon,” which could mean a lot of things, and allows for greater freedom in describing it in later media. Until the Assassin’s Tale, I firmly believed they were talking about Certainty. Now we’re supposed to believe it’s been the magically re-formed Primeval Idol this whole time, freshly revealed (by the equally untrustworthy Mortalitasi) as a go-go-Gadget ritual blade.

So, are the Tales a cheeky narrative lie, or is it all lore retcon? If it’s a retcon... -What ritual could the blade have originally served? -Might it actually be a key, as lots of people have theorized? -Is there really a potion that can melt lyrium? -Does Solas actually have the idol now, or was his entire story a lie to cover the truth that he still hasn’t found it?

Also, uh. . .Can Solas just. . .kill people while they sleep/dream, even dwarves? I mean, he has demonstrated the ability to create a “dreamlike” state for a dwarf Inquisitor. But, this power seems OP, even for him, and narrative reach. Possibly it’s further evidence that nothing in “The Dread Wolf Take You” can be trusted. 1. If the plans for the Fade are already underway, what does this mean for people like Evangeline, Anders, Grandin, and Sigrid, who’re possessed by spirits/demons? It’s possible they’ll be forcibly separated. Those (like Evangeline) who’re only alive because of their spirit, will likely die. Without Justice, Anders might finally succumb to the taint. 

There are probably thousands of people across Rivain and Seheron, and among the Avvar and the Dalish, who’re contentedly hosting spirits. Would these spirits allow their mortal hosts to be harmed by Solas? Or could there be resistance to his plan from the Fade side of things?

Lots of the stories in Tevinter Nights include the theme of outliers breaking ranks from within a seemingly monolithic society: the Ben Hassrath don’t support the Antaam in their campaign, the Venatori and their supporters operate in defiance of Tevinter, the Crows had one of their Talons disrupt a centuries-old pact.

Going forward in the next game, we might see a spirit faction that, for any number of reasons, acts against The Dread Wolf’s plan to sunder the Veil.

2. Why does everyone in this book describe the red lyrium idol as having only two figures, when every depiction of it that we’ve seen clearly shows three? The crowned figure is (if Solas is to be believed) comforting one person, but no mention of the other poor soul, an even more skeletal figure who seems to be missing their left forearm, and is stuck on the other side of the large ring. No love for that dingus, I guess. Very curious.

And no mention of the serpentine shape that surrounds all three of them.

3. The sea is going to be a big part of the next stage of this story. 

-Mythal’s origin has her emerging from the sea. -In “Luck in the Gardens, the 8 Venatori who were tasked with keeping the “formless” monster in its sealed prison each wore a clay amulet depicting a thin four-winged dragon rising above a sea. -“The Horror of Hormak” describes the viscous gray transformation fluid (and the monsters it creates) as stinking of brine. -The Mortalitasi’s Tale includes a reference to The Dread Wolf screaming about the Sea of Dreams. -The Executors appear to be stepping into the action, finally. They are known as ‘those across the sea.’ -Among the murals discovered during Trespasser, there are some that include imagery of flowing water: The Death of a Titan, and  Lifting the Vallaslin -Before ascending to godhood, Ghilain’nain killed all of her creations. . .except the giant monsters in the deepest waters. Lore says “Pride stopped her hand,” which could mean that she spared them because she was too proud of how perfectly-made they were. Or, that an aspect of Pride (as a demon or spirit), convinced her to let them live.

4. I’ve always thought that the painted murals of Trespasser and those completed at Skyhold are actually of a different sort, in a very specific way. Much of the ornamentation, symbology, and iconography that’s used in the various frescoes in Trespasser. . .isn’t found in Skyhold’s frescoes.   My feeling, based on these differences in style, and the uneven quality of the paintings in the Vir’Dirthara, is that the murals in Trespasser have been painted-over. 

-Thanks to Gatsi, we know that the mosaics we worked so hard to complete for the Inquisition were all re-carved by several hands over the ages, making it difficult to get an accurate interpretation from them.

-During “The Horror of Hormak,” Ramesh and Lesha encounter mosaics depicting elven kings and queens, and their subjects. But the mosaics shift and change the longer they stare at them. The scenes transform from a glittering parade of nobility offering succor to their subjects. . .to a death-march of tyrants forcing magical torments on their slaves. 

-In “Genitivi Dies in the End,” our industrious well-traveled Brother is humbled when he discovers an elven tome that depicts the continent of Thedas in superior and, crushingly, more correct detail to anything he’s ever seen. Which means that either the continent has changed dramatically, or all the maps that exist in modernity are based upon a flawed (altered) source.

There’s an established trope of people from all parts of Thedas altering relics in order to change history’s interpretation of them. So, why would the frescoes/murals be any different? I believe that either Solas, or someone loyal to Solas, altered the murals in order to obscure the truth behind them. 

If we believe Philliam, a Bard! (though, again, an unreliable narrator), the Qunari Rasaan disbelieves all of the names attributed to Solas, either by his enemies or himself. As Philliam posits, to know Solas’ true name would be know the best and worst of him, his flaws and weaknesses, and what he’d “failed to be.”

Essentially, I think we’re being misled at every turn. And this leads me to. . .

5. None of the stories in Tevinter Nights expands on the role of dwarves in past and future conflicts. We get lots of new and juicy stuff on Tevinter, Nevarra, mages, elves, the Crows, the Lords of Fortune, even the Qunari. Noticeably and glaringly absent is any mention of dwarves, titans, and how they fit into the unfolding lore.

One of the largest and most influential groups of dwarves in all of Thedas (The Ambassadoria) lives right in the heart of Minrathous. Above ground. Vulnerable to the invading Qunari and Fen’Harel’s agents.

Dwarves are as tellingly absent in this set of stories as dragons were in all the Evanuris revelations.

The one place where those two things intersect. . .is out in the Hissing Wastes, near the Sunstop mountains (which has always sounded to me like the same naming convention as Skyhold).  

Out there, we come across a dwarven thaig, the only thaig to have been built above ground, that pre-dates the first Blight. It’s called Kal Repartha, which means ‘a place where we may meet in peace.’ Paragon Fairel and his sons appear to have built the thaig as a way to escape some huge conflict in the Deep Roads. 

Statues of Mythal’s dragon form are arranged in places of honor outside Fairel’s tomb. As if in protection. 

Fairel was a rune-smith, one of the greatest who ever lived. Mythal might have worked with Fairel toward some common goal, relying on his skills to make devastating weapons, runic keys for hidden places, or repositories of knowledge best kept secret. She might have protected Fairel as a respected friend and ally.

Reaching a little deeper, Mythal may have helped separate the ancient dwarves from the hivemind control of the titans, freeing them to create their own vibrant society, far from the “witless, soulless” existence they lived as drone-like workers. 

(As an interesting aside, Fairel wrote about dragons, proving that dragons, dwarves, and the Evanuris existed at the same time)

It just seems like the root of this unfolding elven lore is the Titans themselves, the life they created in the dwarves and the tangible world, the innate power of their blood, and the knowledge that was stolen from them. Why don’t dwarves feature more heavily in the anthology?

That’s it. That’s my tinfoil haberdashery at the moment. Thoughts? Corrections?

[red-wardens]

About the Character: Blue Surana

Tagged by: 3 people so I’ll do separate ones :) last one is for @heraldofwho‘s tag, thank you! <3

Tagging: @gothkimmyschmidt @dickeybbqpit @numphet @feeshies @a-gay-bloodmage @goblin-deity @life-is-no-sugarlicking @cullenvhenan @lelibela @hobgoblinhoe

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― your muse’s name:

Blue Surana

―  a favorite picture / faceclaim of your muse:

― two headcannons you have for your muse:

Blue has a moderate addiction to lyrium.  Circle Mages aren’t taught as thoroughly about the addictive nature and dangers of lyrium abuse as Templars are, so during the 5th Blight the Hero of Ferelden used to down potions of lyrium like water. Especially after she mastered her mana-draining specialization Arcane Warrior, Blue became heavily reliant on the substance without realizing how much of a physical dependence she was developing. By Inquisition time, she’s reduced her use of it only slightly due to the expense of obtaining it.

In my Multi-Warden AU, her reliance on the substance causes a rift in the friendship between her and Spirit Healer Warden Amell. Alyss’ attempts to get her to quit lyrium have fallen on stubborn ears as Blue refuses to admit she has a problem. Though she cuts back gradually for Alyss’ sake, Blue’s tendency to break doctor’s orders on a whim greatly stresses the medic. Watching Blue pour a few drops into her tea habitually really upsets Alyss who can’t help but be bitter since she’s doing all she can to keep her friend alive. Additionally, Blue obtaining bootlegged lyrium from an ‘anonymous source’ also unintentionally puts strain in the friendship between Warden Amell and Warden Aeducan.

The reason Blue and Sten’s affection for each other was doomed from the start was that they were too similar. Both of them were the types to put their responsibility to the masses over the desires of their hearts. They both knew that they would never be able to place a single person- not themselves, not even each other- in priority over the groups they were respectively loyal to. It isn’t any kind of consolation to them to know this though, and neither was learning later that the other felt the same. If anything, they wished that the other had been indifferent to their love. Maybe then it would have made the impossibility of their togetherness easier to bare. 

― three things that your muse likes doing in their free time:

Knitting. Though it requires skill and a certain degree of focus, she’s gotten good enough at it to do it absent-mindedly to stim without too many mistakes. Wynne taught her how during their nights in camp during the Blight and it helped ease her mind a bit to focus on something other than the world ending. Now she just knits sweaters and scarves for her Wardens. Sometimes gloves. 

In the Multi-Warden AU the Squad has matching sweaters made by her they all wear every Satinalia. 

Sparring. Though she has an aversion to casual physical touch,  the sport of hand-to-hand combat has always been more therapeutic to her than anything. A rush of endorphins, the exertion of muscle and testing of reflexes; there isn’t anything quite like it. She’s nearly undefeated among the Wardens.

In Multi-Warden AU her typical sparring partner is Kieran Tabris who can often put up a good fight but has yet to win a single match despite managing a draw once or twice. 

Watching Plays/Musicals. In her occasional passings through Orlais, she’s attended an opera or two and enjoyed them greatly.  In Antiva she’s attended theater plays and watched traveling performance crews. The masks and roles and stories fascinate her, and though she watches them all with a straight face, she enjoys the emotions the performances evoke.

In Multi-Warden AU, she occasionally travels with Isseya Mahariel and Zevran to Antiva and watches theater with them. When they want their alone time, she takes their kids to shows.

― seven people your muse loves / likes:

In ‘Canon’ Worldstate 1: she loves Leliana and Sten. Blue is deeply loyal to the rest of the Grey Wardens under her command but carries no strong personal attachment in this Worldstate. 

Multi-Warden AU: the other 6 Origin Wardens + Sten (bonus: also still Leliana. and she has a more personal stake in the well-being of the 6′s significant others including Zevran Arainai and Nathaniel Howe) 

― a phobia your muse has:

Running out of time. Death is coming for her, she feels it in the burning blood in her veins, in the song in her head, the ache in her bones- and it doesn’t scare her. Blue’s just anxious she won’t finish what she has to do first: cure the Wardens, keep promises to her friends, see him again...

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[Helios Adaar Edition] [Akono Hawke Edition]

[mahalzevran]

5, 14, & 20 for Bolin :3

5. Is your inquisitor jealous that both the warden and Hawke have a mabari hound?

Not really. Mabari are really big compared to him. He doesn’t mind them but he wouldn’t want to have one for himself.

14. If they’d been in each other’s places would they have made the same or different choices? And who would they have romanced, if anyone?

Zayn (the warden in Bolin’s worldstate that I never talk about lol)

DA2: Probably would’ve romanced Anders? other than that no

DAI: Would’ve allied with the mages instead of conscripting, softened Leliana, made Leliana Divine

Alden

DAO: no romance, no dark ritual, not let loghain join the warden, anora is queen by herself

DAI: no romance, would’ve allied with the mages instead of conscripted

Bolin:

DAO: he probably would’ve romanced any of them,

DA2: no fenris romance for him

They all probably would’ve mostly kept the same choices. Except Bolin because he tends to be centrist at first until his companions teach him better. Also Alden always ends up with Fenris.

20. Who handles responsibility the best? And who handles it the worst?

Tie between Zayn and Bolin. Alden is the worst because he just does whatever he wants.

30 questions about your Dragon Age Protagonists (specify for Bolin’s world state, otherwise I’ll answer for my canon world state)

[vvakarians]

DA 20 Questions

Tagged by @goblin-deity ! Thank you fam! If anyone wants to be tagged consider yourself tagged!

1. Favorite game of the series

Inquisition! It’s the one I started with! It’s an amazing and beautiful game. 

2. How did you discover Dragon Age? 

There was a cosplayer I used to follow here on tumblr that cosplayed as this character named Dorian, and then they cosplayed as Fenris. I looked into both characters because I really liked the designs. From there I checked out the game from the library and fell in love with DAI!

3. How many times have you played the games?

I’ve played DAI too many times to count, I can probably count on my pc, which is a handful of times, otherwise on my ps4 at least 25. DA2 I’ve completed exactly twice, played it four times. DA:O I’ve completed exactly once, but played multiple times, like three times I think.

4. Favorite race to play as?

Elves or qunari!

5. Favorite class?

I absolutely love mages, always have. In DAI I play as a necromancer or knight enchanter, in DA2 I play as a blood mage or a spirit healer. I have a harder time playing as one in Origins, but I usually play as a blood mage or an arcane warrior. Other than that I play as a Double Handed Warrior, usually a Reaver or some other scary subclass lmao.

6. Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions?

In general I usually make the same choices kind of? Mostly because I can’t push myself to ally with the templars. I do edit my canons outside of the actual games, like Calliope allies with the Mages but they do end up saving the templars as well, just after they get to Skyhold. Artemaeus, my city elf who was adopted by the Dalish, sided with the mages but left the templars to fend for themselves (save for Barris who did not deserve to die). Honi, my Adaar, sided with the mages and conscripted the templars, she was pretty harsh on them but decided that both sides could benefit from coming together. In general I haven’t changed my stance on the Grey Wardens, it wasn’t their fault that Clarel had a moment of weakness in being manipulated and I couldn’t find my Inquisitors justifying anger towards them enough to banish them. With Halamshiral I can’t in any way place Celene on the throne, it’s just my personal thing. After reading Masked Empire I said nah. But if ya like her that’s cool. I don’t usually have someone drink from the Well, I considered it with Callie, but I felt that shit could go down from a Solas perspective and I was not about that angst. 

7. Go to adventuring party?

1st World State: Tauriel Mahariel /Ophelia Hawke/ Calliope Lavellan

DAO: Alistair/Zevran or Leliana/Morrigan or Wynne 

DA2 (When I need Anders): Anders/ Aveline/ interchangeable rogue

DA2 (When I need Fenris): Fenris/ Sebastian or Varric / Merrill

DAI (Base Game): Solas/ Sera or Cole/ Iron Bull

DAI (Hakkon): Dorian/ Iron Bull/ Sera or Cole

DAI (Descent): Vivienne/ Iron Bull/ Sera

DAI (Trespasser): Dorian /Iron Bull / Interchangeable rogue

2nd World State: Aviel Tabris / Valentyne Hawke / Honi Adaar

DAO: Alistair / Leliana or Zevran / Wynne

DA2: Anders (or Merrill)/ Isabela / Fenris (or Aveline)

DAI: Dorian (or Vivienne) / Sera / Iron Bull (or Blackwall)

3rd World State: Mah’Vir Surana / Sparrow Hawke / Artemaeus Lavellan

DAO: Zevran / Morrigan / Alistair (or Sten)

DA2: Fenris / Merrill (or Anders) / Interchangeable Rogue

DAI: Dorian (or Solas) / Cole or Sera / Cassandra

8. Which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

Calliope 100%, I put most of the thought into my first world state characters. Tauriel was the easiest to make and her canon hasn’t changed much, same with Ophelia, but all three of my heroes were well, well thought out. I’ve had four or five years of making them under my belt.

9. Favorite romance?

For angst, absolutely Solas. You can’t get much more angsty than that. Other than that my most favorite romance is Fenris’, he’s a character that I love greatly and as a sexual abuse survivor with PTSD I related to him a lot lmao. 

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

I have all of the books except for Last/First Flight (?), I’m currently reading Masked Empire. I also have the World of Thedas Volume...2? And I have the first Magekiller comic.

11. If you’ve read them, which was your favorite book? 

Masked Empire for sure, it’s because I love Felassan.

12. Favorite DLC’s?

Trespasser or Jaws of Hakkon, I absolutely love the stories in both. I’m also biased towards my favorite of the series/I love killing Dragons. And Veil Quartz, I love Veil Quartz.

13. Things that annoy you?

The fandom mostly. I fucking hate some of y’all shits. I hate the lack of rep too, they did fucking great in DA2 with almost every LI being bisexual. Could have done that with DAI with the straight LI’s but, shrugs. Other than that I don’t hate it much. 

14. Orlais or Ferelden?

Orlais, it has the Emerald Graves and I love big ass trees. 

15. Templars or mages?

Is that even a question? Mages

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

I have three separate world states, and then an AU with @trans-aloth . Calliope’s has at least 25 separate oc’s in it because I’m a fucking menace. Other than that they usually stay seperate. Alexx and I combined worldstates with Cianan and Callies for that AU. 

17. What did you name your pets?

I only have names for Calliopes world state pets, but I will def name the rest of the others when I play. 

Tauriel: Kili (mabari)

Cassiopeia: Ser Claws (mabari)

Merielle: Howl (mabari)

Serynn: Athena (mabari)

Fen’Asha: Pluto (mabari)

Ophelia: Willoughby (mabari)

Calliope: Bones (Deepstalker) , Enasalin (Dracolisk) 

18. Have you installed any mods? 

I did way back when I thought my computer could handle it. Still got all of them downloaded but I play primarily on my ps4 or ps3.

19. Did your Warden want to be a Grey Warden? 

Tauriel had accepted the fact that she needed to become a Warden and only was angry about it when Duncan said that it was no place for the children. She managed to convince him to let her take them however. Cassie did not want to become a Warden and fought it tooth and nail, but had nowhere else to go. Serynn had accepted it wholeheartedly, it wasn’t much of an issue. Merielle wanted to get out of the Circle but was difficult in taking the Ritual because she didn’t like the fatality rate. Fen’Asha was also in that same boat and at first saw it as another injustice. 

20. Hawke’s personality? 

Ophelia is a securely purple unless dealing with templars, then it’s Red through and through. Halcyon (their eldest sister) is a Red Hawke, Blue with her family, and Hero is a Blue Hawke, Red with templars.

21. Did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquistion? 

Yes! I usually do! I use a gold/red/black color scheme, so it involves a lot of fucking Dragon Bone. 

22. If your character could go back in time and change one thing what would it be?

Tauriel would have gone back and saved Tamlen. She would have insisted that they look for him and at the very least if they found him they would make him a Grey Warden too. If that wasn’t an option she’d make sure Evra and Krie didn’t get traumatized by the fact their father was killed by a mirror of all things. 

Ophelia would go back in time and watch their mother more closely, or perhaps ask Carver not to go to the Deep Roads with them. Leandra’s death was the hardest thing they ever had to go through aside from handing Carver over to the Grey Wardens. The estate just felt so empty without Leandra. 

Calliope would go back in time and save their best friend from being taken by the templars. But they also realize that things would have been vastly different or the both of them that way. And they also realize that they were pretty young when Isi was taken from the Clan, they wouldn’t have been able to do much. It’s just something that haunts them to this day. 

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

Calliope is a mage and a warrior, SO I MEAN. Calliope’s home clan is also from Orlais and their mother is a former slave from Tevinter who then went to the Kirkwall Circle after being captured in the Free Marches.Other than that they end up with a First Enchanter that’s an oc of @trans-aloth ‘s. I also have an oc that ends up with Varric, because I have a distaste for the real life Bianca. Tauriel also ends up in a poly relationship with Cassiopeia and Alistair. Other than that, Alistair, Zevran, and several other people are trans. 

24. Who did you leave in the Fade?

Stroud, all three times.

25. Favorite mount?

Dracolisk’s or any of the Harts, I love ugly boys and giant elk.

[thenugking]

Thought I should do bios for all my Dragon Age OCs so here we go, here are the world state 1 people. Other world state people appearing at some point in future, probably.

Therlia Surana

(Have a dollmaker, since I’m not quite happy with any of my Origins screenshots)

Therlia was my first Warden, from back when I knew very little about this game and how much angst she was in for. (Consequently she romanced Alistair, tried to do the Ultimate Sacrifice, and ended up having him die for her. I cried for like an hour.) She’s in an almost continuous state of despair because Thedas is awful, especially if you’re an elf and a mage.

Origins feels a lot like a prologue for her, after Alistair’s death, she left Ferelden to try to move on accompanied by Zevran. The two of them are best friends who travel round Thedas fighting templars, Crows, slavers, and generally fighting for freedom for their people. And have accidentally adopted five kids while doing so, Kas, Bri, Robin, Veena and Torano. They’re usually wanted by at least six organisations at any one time. While she romanced Alistair in-game, Therlia’s polyamorous and was upset about having to choose between him and Leliana. Post-Origins, she eventually ends up in relationships with Anders and Briala. She’s also had casual sex with various other characters.

I’d quite like to make her my protagonist again in DA4, although who knows if that would actually work yet. I’m theoretically in the process of replaying her in Origins, but got stuck because I don’t know whether to exhaust companion dialogue options in Lothering like in her first playthrough, or play better than that. This playthrough, I’m making her a mostly-primal spells Arcane Warrior. And she’s always learned blood magic in Awakening because fuck the Chantry.

Lucy Hawke (Hawke Amell?)

My first Hawke, who doesn’t like the name Lucy, is only called that so I can differentiate her from my other Hawkes, and would much rather go by Hawke Amell. We’ll see if that happens. She’s a purple mage Hawke who tends to use humour to cover up any actual emotion, such as distress over her sister’s death. Or her brother’s death. Or her mother’s death.

She romances Isabela, although they have a mid-game break up after Night Terrors, due to Hawke taking out her fears of losing everyone she loves on Bela, and Bela sucking at emotions even more than Hawke. They get back together in Act 3, and become pirates together post-game. Lucy Hawke is very pro-mage, wholeheartedly supports Anders blowing up the Chantry, and would high five him for it if that was a thing in Thedas.

Kasiara Lavellan

(Look the only have good quality screenshots of her in Trespasser, and in most of those she either has her mouth open or is wearing the nutcracker outfit. I’ve already posted the one good Trespasser screenshot of her here at least twice.)

Kas started off as one of the baby Crows Therlia and Zevran adopted, and because I liked her and wanted a chance to play her, I ended up making her my Inquisitor in that worldstate. As a Crow, Kas was forced to kill her only friend at the age of eight, and is still really messed up from that. She despises the Crows, although still enjoys using the assassin skill set, and daggers are her special interest.

Kas romances Sera, although her closest relationship is with Cole because wow I may have created Kas before knowing anything about Cole, but I could not have made a more perfect companion for her if I’d tried. They’re both stabby autistic cinnamon rolls who try to do the best for everyone, and believe in each other so much and help each other realise they’re good people, despite having killed innocents in their pasts. Plus Kas is primarily non verbal, and having a best friend who can read your thoughts and speaks the way you think is incredibly helpful. Sera and Cole end up getting on a lot better later in her game, because let them be friends damn it.

I kept her connection to Clan Lavellan by making her biological parents part of it, before they left to live in Antiva City. Kas enjoyed spending time with the clan because it helped her connect to her Dalish heritage. I accidentally got them killed in my Inquisition playthrough, and kept that because it fit with Kas’ story. The death of her clan is the point where she hands all Inquisition decisions over to Cole, on the reasoning that a spirit of compassion is more likely to know what’s best for everyone than she is, since she’s already made too many mistakes.

Veena

(Just pretend that she has elf ears)

Veena was originally a perfectly innocent, if slightly abrasive, mage kid with a Fade obsession, who Therlia and Zev also adopted. After going to Skyhold to help her sister, she becomes best friends with Solas from nerding about the Fade with him. She totally fails to become friends with anyone else (except maybe sometimes Dorian), because she’s an asshole who thinks people who disagree with her are idiots. She believes elves as just better than humans, and mage elves are just better than non-mage elves, and the ancient elves were just better than modern day elves. Because of this last belief, she refuses to fight the Sentinels in What Pride Had Wrought, even when they’re attacking her, because they’re better than she is. And anyway that’s when I realised I’d accidentally created a villain.

Veena spends a lot of time feeling unwanted. She spends a lot of Inquisition wishing she’d been the one to get the anchor (Kas, meanwhile, hates having it) and being jealous of Cole being best friends with her two best friends. After Solas refuses to let her help tear down the Veil , she runs away into the Crossroads because she can’t face her family when she knows they’ll be trying to stop him and really not be okay with her wanting to help.

Veena drank from the Well of Sorrows and will probably eventually be able to persuade Solas to let her help, so I’m looking forward a lot to seeing what I can do with her in DA4. I’m hoping that she, Solas, Kas and Cole get a dramatic face-off where they all have to try not to hug each other because Friends. I’m worrying that I’m going to have to kill her.

Robin Surana

Robin is another of Therlia and Zevran’s kids, and the only human of the group. Despite never having been a Circle mage, he joined the rebel mages because he’s a massive fan of Fiona. He’s a lot more easy going than the rest of his siblings, but is still happy to enthusiastically cheer on Fiona in fights with Vivienne. Robin occasionally accompanies Kas in the field, but generally stays at Skyhold with the rest of the rebel mages.

Bri Surana

(Elf ears. Totally.)

Bri was adopted at the same time as Kas, and from the same cell of Crows. Xie later develops magic, and really enjoys being able to distract enemies with flashy spells, before sneaking round behind to backstab them. Bri’s incredibly cheerful and friendly and loves juggling dangerous objects, like fireballs or daggers or grenades of bees. Xie and Torano leave Thedas to look for a cure to the Calling, along with Therlia, Zevran and Shale.

Torano Arainai

(I rly need  to make a better Torano sim, but until then, here’s a dollmaker.)

Torano’s the youngest of Therlia and Zev’s kids. (He’s only 18 in Trespasser he’s a BABY and I can’t deal with it.) He was a House Arainai Crow and idolises Zevran for how he managed to escape and is now working to bring them the Crows. Torano spends his time perfecting his Sexy Hair Toss and Brooding. He is definitely just Aloof and Mysterious and not just very shy, shut up.

[red-wardens]

DA Questions

Tagged by: @goblin-deity and @gothkimmyschmidt -- thank you :)

Tagging: @jaffa-keksi @chillyrose @dickeybbqpit @mocha-writes @the-dread-doggo @heraldofwho @keeperscompanionsdai @space-vashoth (if you guys haven’t done it already. if you have, tag me so i can see!)

–---------

01) Favorite game of the series?

Dragon Age 2. I love the bisexual disaster companions and how they have friends/relationships/lives outside of you. And I love Hawke and their tragic story. I also like having years passing with the same protagonist/companions instead of “my new companions and I had one crazy year together”. Plus fighting mechanics were my favorite in this game. 

02) How did you discover Dragon Age?

I saw gifs of Morrigan on tumblr years ago (back when DA2 was still new) and thought, “holy shit, she’s pretty I should play that”, and just never got around to it till a couple years later till when I saw a lot of gifs of default Marian Hawke and thought “she’s gorgeous and funny and I would die for her” (I still can’t believe I used to think I was straight...) and then found out she’s not till the second game so I hurried up and bought Origins to play first. Then got hooked, Origins has such a great story.

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

I’m on my 4th and 5th (playing simultaneously) playthroughs of Origins, I’ve played DA2 either 6 or 7 times. Inquisition I’ve only played once and I skipped most of the side missions because that game is so long.

04) Favorite race to play as?

Elf. I love dwarves a lot though and if they could do magic they’d easily be the fave. 

05) Favorite class?

Mage. I like healing and not having to get close to enemies. 

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

I try to play differently each time and role play hard (ex: certain mage OC’s are only allowed to have skills in certain fields of magic even if it’s inconvenient for me, my traumatized-by-Carver’s-death Hawke who is triggered by seeing ogres can only “hold position” when one appears and I can only fight as the companions because she’s having a panic attack). In Origins I like to put someone different on the throne each time, side with mages once and templars the next, and have companions love/hate me according to my OC’s personality (and not cheat by using the Feast Day gifts). In DA2 I have a different personality Hawke each time and they make varying choices but in the end I have never sided with templars. I think in my 2nd Inquisition playthrough I’ll side with templars though out of curiosity. 

07) Go-to adventuring group?

Always depends on who is the love interest and who are the closest friends of my protagonist. Even if the team comp is terrible. 

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

Blue Surana was my first character ever so she’s had the longest time of me adding/subtracting/updating her and her story. That being said I like to think I’ve put a lot of thought into my Mahariel and Amell as well. Out of my Hawkes, Claira is the most developed. 

09) Favorite romance?

Fenris. 

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

I've read all the comics and I’ve read “The Calling” and “The Last Flight” I plan to read the other books soon hopefully. 

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

I really recommend The Last Flight if you’re a die hard Grey Wardens fan like me. The main character inspired the name for my Mahariel. 

12) Favorite DLCs?

 I genuinely forgot Awakening is DLC since it came with my game but, yeah. I love all the companions in Awakening and I wish it were longer. “The Exiled Prince” is also another fave since I genuinely like Sebastian Vael and he’s a kickass squadmate. 

13) Things that annoy you.

The white-washing, what happened to Orsino, the way Inquisition doesn’t take into account Hawke could have been a blood mage, no healing as an Inquisition mage, the fucking Requisition Officer, the way you can’t be nicer to Sera, no dwarf romances, and how the Inquisitor can’t call Cullen out on certain things (Cassandra too, honestly, though I love her she can be really insensitive to other cultures). That’s just in the games, don’t even get me started on some of the fandom. 

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

Frozen Dog Lovers > Snooty Elf Oppressors, any day 

15) Templars or mages?

Mages, no contest.

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

I have 3 worldstates that I have playthroughs for, and a Multi-Warden AU

Worldstate 1 - Arcane Warrior/Battlemage/Fire Mage, mutual-pining-for-Sten, grey-sexual Blue Surana + Spirit Healer/Ice Mage, Fenris Romance, gay Akono Hawke

Worldstate 2 - Ranger/Assasin Archer, Zevran Romance, straight Isseya Mahariel + Blood Mage/Earth Mage, Sebastian rivalmance, panromantic/ace Henley Hawke

Worldstate 3 - Blood Mage/Spirit Healer/Entropy Mage, Leliana Romance, bisexual Alyss Amell (dies) + Shadow/Dual-Blade Rogue, Anders Romance, bisexual Claira Hawke

Multi-Warden AU: Blue Surana is main warden and recruits the others after Ostagar forming what I call the “Warden Squad”. Most thought-out world, that I have the most writing for but will probably never get around to writing the actual fic. We will see. Also, I need to make some Inquisitors for all these worldstates....they’re planned out I just need to force myself to actually play them. 

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

Mabari’s: Rabbit (Blue Surana), Dog (Isseya Mahariel), Teddy (Alyss Amell), Tor (Akono Hawke),  Better Carver “BC” (Henley Hawke), Bear (Claira Hawke). Isseya Mahariel numbers her wolf and bear summons A-# for wolves and B-# for bears. 

18) Have you installed any mods?

I play on xbox so nah, sadly. 

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

Blue Surana didn’t want to leave the Circle and Isseya Mahariel didn’t want to give up searching for Tamlen so “no” for both of them, but they both were amazing at it. Alyss Amell, as much as it terrified her to leave to fight things, wanted to be free of Kinloch Hold. 

20) Hawke’s personality?

Akono is almost exclusively Purple though he has rare Blue moments when speaking to Carver or sometimes Fenris. 

Henley is solidly Red except maybe once or twice chose purple banter for talking to her only friend, Varric. 

Claira is the most varied in that she’s split 60-40 between Blue and Red, meaning well and wanting to be all good/peaceful, but having a wild, passionate temper when defending mages and her friends/family. I also headcanon she has the foulest mouth of my Hawkes though she actively tries to stop cursing it’s an unbreakable habit. She’s also a shameless flirt and hits that heart button almost every single time it comes up (I wouldn’t consider her Purple at all though since she isn’t sarcastic and is the type to laugh at jokes rather than make her own).  

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

I made Cole and I matching outfits because I love him ._.

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

This could get long if I listed everyone so, Blue Surana regrets not telling Sten how she felt sooner, though she doubts it would have changed anything. Isseya Mahariel wishes Tamlen could have been found sooner so the Joining could have saved him. 

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

My entire Multi-Warden AU is a big “fuck you” to canon because all those potential wardens deserve to live dammit.

24) Who did you leave in the Fade?

In this house we do not leave Hawkes in the Fade. So, sorry Loghain :(

25) Favorite mount?

I legit forgot I had a mount 90% of the time. At least I got to hear more dialogue I guess.