#and solas is still using them soooo

[doomednarrative]

Y'know I think one of my favorite things about Veilguard ended up being that Rook is not some Special Chosen Person. Sure they clearly have a rebellious streak with the faction given background, but they arent Special for it, just unrulely at most. They're Varric's second in command at the start, they're not even the one leading this mission to stop Solas, and it's only because Varric ends up out of commission that they have to take over as leader. I can't speak for other DA games, I haven't played them yet, but I'm so used to a lot of other fantasy protags being some chosen one or having Something special that makes them fit for leadership. Rook decidedly Isn't by the games default narrative, no matter what your personal headcanon is. They have to actually work to be a competant leader and get this whole team together, and they Do fail at times and are very visiblely not perfect at it, and I really enjoyed seeing that struggle, it Felt very real to me the deeper I got into the games plot.

[vigilskept]

the ‘he would not fucking say that’ of it all was getting to me in veilguard, so i am once again back in dai. deeply comforting to have sander being awful once again 🫶

[original-person]

First post on here let's go!!

SFW the only warning I can think of is argument?

I had a thought that made me want to try and write something with scaramouche

is probably gonna feel ooc? I don't think I know his character that well so most of this is based on what I deduced from YouTube videos and such.

BEWARE I HAVE NEVER WRITTEN ANYTHING OTHER THAT WHAT SCHOOL FORCED ME TO. ESPECIALLY SOMETHING WITH G/T IN IT. (I've used chat gpt to check gramatic mistakes so if anything blame the damn ai)

If you don't know what g/t is just search up giant/tiny

Note:I think this idea fits sagau soooo-

Angst and hurt/a little bit of comfort

Summary: you invite scara to your realm of solace (your room) to rest. Maybe you should have mentioned that you have another form besides your mortal looking one.

Scaramouche was sitting in his chair next to his desk, working on documents. His hand moved with the pen, the scribbling lightly echoing in the almost empty office. It would have been empty if not for you, looking out the window, staring at what used to be the sunset, now a starry sky.

You moved from the window towards the desk and behind the chair. You hugged Scara loosely around the neck and slowly rested your chin against his shoulder. He stopped his movements to not mess up the writing, put the pen down, and slightly turned his head to you.

"Is there any particular reason you're bothering me?" he asked, his tone irritated. Ignoring his tone, you knew he didn't mean it anyway, and you let out a tired sigh. "Didn't you do enough work already? You should rest." He scoffed, turning his attention back to the documents. "I don't require rest as humans do, and you know that. Besides, I'm not done yet."

Looking at the pile of papers, it seemed like it was going to take ages. "Well, I would have less if you knew how to do your own paperwork." Ah, you said that out loud. "But still, can't it wait? I want to be with you." Burying your head deeper into his shoulder and wrapping your arms tighter around him, Scara let out a sigh and put his hand on his forehead. "Great, Archon forbid you aren't with me for some time."

You stood up and sulked next to him. Scara furrowed his eyebrows and let out a big, annoyed sigh on purpose as he leaned back into his chair before getting up and stretching. Cracking his hand, he did feel sore, but he wouldn't tell you that. Jokes on him, you noticed anyway, and you lit up instantly with an idea popping up in your head.

The god glanced at their partner with a gentle, adoring smile. “Scara,” they said softly, reaching out their hand. “I’d like to show you something special.” Scara turned to them, crossing his arms. "What is it?" "That's a secret," you put your finger on his lips, "but it is going to help you rest."

Curiosity piqued, Scaramouche closed the distance between you, grasping your hand gently. "I somehow doubt that." You raised your other hand, and with a simple gesture, the air shimmered, and the room began to change. The familiar surroundings melted away, replaced by a realm—your realm. The realm unfolded like a dreamscape, an infinite expanse of tranquility that seemed to stretch on and on. Soft, ambient light bathed the surroundings in hues, creating an otherworldly pleasant glow.

Scaramouche almost forgot you were a god. Nowadays, it feels okay again, but it reminds him of when he first found out. Oh, how he felt betrayed. He felt worthless, only a mere plaything for you. But you assured him that you didn't see him that way. That you didn't come to Teyvat, to him, just to play god. No, you just wanted to experience it from their view.

“Welcome to the realm of solace,” you said, as he snapped back to reality from his thoughts, your voice resonating with warmth. The ground wasn't surprisingly smooth; rather, it felt like he was standing on a pile of pillows that seemed to shift subtly with each step. “This is a place where reality bends to offer peace and comfort. It’s where I retreat to find solace sometimes from the world.”

Scaramouche’s eyes widened in awe as he took in the sight. The atmosphere itself seemed to slowly wrap around him like a warm blanket. “Not like anything you’ve seen,” you continued with a hearty chuckle. “I also go here to sleep every night, so I guess that makes it my bedroom."

Scaramouche, still absorbing the strange beauty of the realm, nodded slowly. “It’s... incredible,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Guess I don't need to doubt you anymore.”

As you settled onto the bed? Ground? Its softness enveloped you, your presence reassuring. “I hope you find it as comforting as I do,” you said, scooting a little closer to him. Scaramouche took a deep breath and let his body relax, trusting in the promise of solace, staring at the seemingly endless, changing ceiling that looked really far away. The gentle hum of the realm lulled you slowly into a deep sleep. For Scaramouche, the comfort was otherworldly, a stark contrast to when he sometimes tried to rest before, as he was quite sensitive to any sounds. But as he began listening to your light breaths, he found himself falling more into a deeper sleep.

As the night wore on, you, feeling an unprecedented sense of comfort and trust with Scara next to you, unconsciously began changing to your godly form, as you always did when you slept here. The change was seamless and silent, but it had an immediate impact on the bed's dimensions. Scaramouche stirred half-asleep, his eyes fluttered open, pushing down on the ground to sit up. His eyes widened in confusion as he glanced around. The realm's soft glow seemed to dim slightly, reality seeping back in as he noticed the absence of your familiar form beside him. Was he really sleeping so deeply? How?  Looking to where you were supposed to be, what he saw made him spring up in caution. Your comforting presence beside him had been replaced with a colossal figure, one that he did not recognize. Panic surged through him, and he bolted upright, his instincts screaming at him to run.

"Who—where?" His voice was a frantic whisper, his body trembling as he quickly turned his head in every direction for you. You were here with him, right? Where are you? Where did you go? Those thoughts were repeating in his mind that he didn't notice the slight stir the figure made.

You were drowsy, but sensing discomfort from Scara, as this realm allowed you to, you tiredly opened your eyes and saw him turning around, looking everywhere, before he felt eyes on him and locked eyes with you.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Scaramouche couldn't see you anywhere, and to make this considerably worse, the giant figure woke up, looking straight at him, looking almost at his very being. He felt his blood freeze in his body; he didn't think that was possible. Not wasting another second, he turned and sprinted. Can he even outrun it? Where is he running? Where are you? His breath is labored; it's hard to run on this plushy surface, almost falling at every step.

Your senses were flooded with Scaramouche's fear, and you reached out instinctively. He shouldn't be scared. Your hand, as gentle as it was large, moved towards Scaramouche to soothe him, to bring him back closer to you. But to Scaramouche, it was overwhelming.

Scaramouche’s mind raced as he stumbled, desperately trying to escape from the towering figure that had replaced the comforting presence he once knew. His heart pounded, not just from fear, but from a deep-seated sense of helplessness that he had tried so hard to bury. He hated feeling like a mere doll, a puppet whose strings could be pulled with little regard for his autonomy. The sensation of being so utterly powerless, so at the mercy of someone else, triggered memories—memories that he wishes he could forget. Memories of his early days, when he was first created and learned of his true nature. Back then, every interaction had seemed to confirm his worst fears: that he was nothing more than a plaything for a god's amusement.

The plush surface beneath him, which had seemed so inviting before, now felt like a trap, each step a reminder of his vulnerability. As he tripped, he cursed under his breath, the bitterness of past betrayals mixing with his current dread. “No, no, not again...” he muttered, struggling to get back on his feet.

You, now fully awake and aware of the distress you had caused, stopped in your tracks. Your hand hovered as you weren't sure what to do now, though intended to comfort, the hand seemed to loom over him like an ominous shadow. “Please, don't run,” your voice echoed softly, trying to cut through his panic.

But for Scaramouche, the giant form was a stark and terrifying contrast to the familiar person he had come to trust. The overwhelming size of the hand, the massive gesture, only reinforced his feeling of being a puppet caught in a storm of uncontrollable forces. He had always loathed the feeling of helplessness, of being manipulated—that's why he became a Harbinger, after all—but this situation exacerbated those fears.

"Scaramouche," the figure called, their voice resonant and soothing, but it only heightened Scaramouche's panic. Scara's eyes widened in terror as the god’s enormous hand reached towards him. Instinctively, he struggled, wriggling against the closing fingers that covered him. The sensation was overwhelming; the figure’s hand, though surprisingly gentle, felt like an inescapable force.

Your head hurt. Your senses were overwhelmed with fear, the opposite of what Scara should have been feeling. "Scaramouche," your voice was firmer now, hoping to break through his panic.

“Let me go!” Scaramouche shouted, his voice strained as he tried to free himself. His breaths came in short, panicked gasps. His mind raced with so many thoughts, memories, and fears.

Knowing you should listen, to give him at least a little bit of sense of control, you brought your other hand to the one holding him and slowly opened it, fearing he might try and jump off. Scaramouche felt his stomach flip as he was turned around in the hand. As the hand opened, Scaramouche, now on his knees, looked up, feeling forced to. He once again locked eyes with you. His violet eyes, usually sharp and filled with defiance, were now wide and vulnerable. They blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of tears that threatened to spill. Each flutter of his eyelids was a silent struggle to hold onto reality and calm his racing thoughts. The blinking slowed, but his gaze remained intense, flickering with a mix of lingering fear and desperate hope.

You slowly lifted your hands, your eyes softening with guilt almost to the point of tears. "I'm so sorry, Scara." Recognition dawned in Scaramouche's eyes. He froze, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "You—what...?" Confusion consumed him.

The confusion quickly morphed into anger. Scaramouche’s eyes narrowed, and he clenched his trembling fists. "Let me down," he snapped, his voice rising. "Now."

You flinched at the sharpness of his tone, setting him down. He took a few cautious steps back, guilt weighing heavily on you. "I didn't mean to scare you," you said softly. "I thought it wouldn't matter—"

"Wouldn't matter?" Scaramouche cut you off. "How could something like this not matter?" His voice was sharp, cutting through the tranquility of the realm. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? That I wouldn't care? You... you lied to me!"

"I didn't lie," you said softly, trying to keep your voice steady despite the tears threatening to spill. "I just... I didn't know how to tell you."

"That's a lie by omission," he spat, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Scara, please," you reached out a hand, but he flinched away, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Don't touch me!" he snapped, taking another step back. "How can I trust you now? What else have you been hiding?"

The guilt weighed heavily on you, the pain of his mistrust cutting deeper than any blade. "I never meant to hurt you. I only want to protect you."

"Protect me? From what?" His voice was a mixture of anger and hurt, a rare vulnerability showing through his usual bravado. "I don't need to be protected!"

"I know you don't," you said softly, "I'm sorry. I should have told you." You took a deep breath to calm your growing headache and began focusing to slowly form back into your smaller self.

Scaramouche watched as you shifted back, the process like one big fluid motion. His anger was still simmering but mingling with hurt. "You should have," he said as you took slow steps towards him, giving him some space. His voice was quieter but no less intense.

"Let's go back, Scara," you said as you looked at the ground in shame. Scaramouche looked at you, his expression hard but conflicted. "Fine," he muttered, not meeting your eyes. "Take me back."

You nodded, lifting your hand as the realm dissolved and his office materialized around you, the air thick with tension in the small space. Scaramouche immediately walked over to his desk, his movements tense and agitated.

You stood by the door, watching him with a heavy heart. "I'm going to get some fresh air. I'm truly sorry for all of this." He didn’t respond immediately, his back turned to you as he gripped the edge of his desk, his knuckles white. After a moment, he spoke, his voice low and strained. "Just... leave me alone for now."

You nodded, though he couldn’t see it. "Alright..." With that, you turned and quietly left the room, closing the door softly behind you. Outside, you leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath to steady yourself. The pain of his mistrust still weighed heavily on you, but you hoped that, given time, he might find it in his heart to forgive you. You pushed back against the wall as you paced back and forth, your mind equally chaotic. You couldn't help but replay the events over and over, wondering how you could have handled things differently. The weight of your guilt was overwhelming, but you were determined to make things right, no matter how long it took. You started walking towards the exit, ignoring everything around you as you walked.

Inside the office, as the minutes ticked by, the silence was deafening. Scaramouche's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. He hated feeling this vulnerable, this betrayed.

Scaramouche sat down heavily in his chair, his mind racing. He was furious, hurt, and confused all at once. The revelation of your true form had shattered the trust he had painstakingly rebuilt with you. He didn't know how to feel, but he knew he needed time to process everything.

BONUS

As you walked down the hall, your mind still reeling from the confrontation with Scaramouche, you barely noticed Tartaglia approaching from the opposite direction. Usually, you would exchange a few words, but today you couldn’t muster the energy.

He lifted an arm in greeting. "Hey, comrade, are you—" You didn’t even glance his way, storming past him without a word. Ajax furrowed his brows in concern. He stood there, watching your retreating figure. Something was definitely off. He had never seen you this upset before. You were one of the few who seemed cheerful every day.

Curiosity and concern gnawed at him, so he decided to head towards Scaramouche’s office. As he approached, he could hear the furious scratching of a pen on paper, punctuated by occasional grunts of frustration. Ajax frowned, pressing his ear to the door, trying to make out more.

Inside, Scaramouche’s anger was palpable. His pen moved with a fury that seemed to match the tempest in his mind. Ajax pieced together the situation, concluding that you and Scaramouche must have had a serious argument.

With a sigh, Ajax stepped back from the door. He knew better than to intrude on Scaramouche when he was in such a mood. As he walked away from the office, he instead decided to find you and see if there was anything he could do.

I  Honestly hope this is okay I've been writting since midnight to 5am

[bloedewir]

The more I think about all that trapped-in-the-Fade situation the more possible ways of interaction pops up in my mind. Just like flowers after rain.

I mean if Solas will be connected to Rook in some abracadabra fade spiritual mental way.

Few tiny thoughts:

What it's like to have a freaking god inside your head? He lives much much longer, he has a very different definition of time, way of thinking, or a depth of feelings.

Rook may not be able to handle the weight of that kind of emotional pressure. (Not because they're weak, because they're mortal).

I mean if an ancient elven god suddenly felt a bit sad it has to be like a qunarian punch in the face. Evening discussion in Lighthouse and Rook idk just starts ugly crying during the conversation for no reason. Or flies into a berserker rage because the weather isn't that good. Or catching up a devastating depression mood like Howl (because Solas remembered his vhenan 🥲)

Solas thinking or murmuring on ancient elvhen which Rook doesn't understand and it drives them crazy. Like a broken radio you can't mute, "blah-blah, dirthara, blah-blah, set'lin".

While everyone else speaking Rook is also continuing arguing inside their head, having two conversations at a time. And it's not always going well.

For example:

Harding: ..and then we finally found..

Rook: CAN YOU SHUT UP FOR A FREAKING MINUTE??

Harding and rest of the squad:

Memories mingle all the time. Flares up like fireflies over and over again. Old, disturbing or just too strange to this world. But some memories are surprisingly understandable. Maybe familiar even.

If solavellan involved the first meeting must be soooo embarrassing.

"I see that "Inquisitor" for the first time in my life, why in the hells I feel so.. sad and full of regrets? Why the heart beating so fast.. and wtf is this? Am I, what, sweating now??"

Some changes is going. Rook started to use words they never prefer before. Some of those words on elvhen they can't translate but just know the meaning. Solas accidentally found himself asking not the "did you consider the upcoming consequences of your own actions?" but "what the fuck are you doing now?"

Undesirable thoughts and growing anxiety. "Am I still me? Just me? What is this, my thoughts or nightmares he sent to manipulate my fears? Or..?"

Meanwhile Dreadwolf scratching Rook's sculp inside with claws in silent rage, forced to be an observer incapable of continue the fight he started a long long ago while two evanuris are fleed from the cage.

And there it goes another day and all starts over again...

such a capturing topic to speculate with oh gooods

[kirkwallguy]

something about the solavellans i see on my tl is soooo fascinating because theyre kind of repulsed by solas being bald and will constantly make jokes about it or use mods where he's like... got stubble on his head so he's still technically lore-accurate bald but the suggestion of hair is there. but because they're so nervous about the bald thing they have this weird sense that the romance is subversive / they're the underdogs for taking a chance on this man with an inherent flaw. this is all based on my limited understanding of how straight people work so maybe that's just normal for them idk

[fenharel]

some of my thoughts after finishing veilguard a couple days ago before i start my second playthrough :)

ok i think its important to note first that the things i was most looking forward too was 1. solas, 2. solavellan, 3. lore. im self aware enough to know that this will have had some influence towards what i expected from the game and what i enjoyed/cared about or not 👍

good

solas: im honestly so happy. my man is finally happy and reunited with his wife!!!!!! my heart feels so full 😭 this game was a solas fans wet dream. absolutely loved everything we got. hunting down regrets and watching old memories. talking to him in the fade. the entire crossroads!!!!!! him shit talking elgar'nan. watching him go trickster mode and imprison rook. fighting the archdemon as the dread wolf!!!!!! i could go on forever. CHEFS KISS TO IT ALL<3333333333333 if anything i wish there would have been MORE im greedy what can i say

solavellan: screaming crying throwing up. i still cant believe it oh my fucking god

lore reveals: i found all the reveals about all our old theories so fun. i didnt like all of them (old gods are just dragons? c'mon.) but overall it felt so rewarding to have picked up on it all. or be totally surprised by something (mythal and solas the reason for the titans and the blight? wow.)

the executors, forgotten and forbidden ones: the next big bads of the next game huh!!!! loved what we got for the most part, the mysterious circle codexes where probably the most interesting in the game. anaris actually showing up shocked me. i wish bellaras brother didnt say "for plot reasons i must die" and actually told us something about him but oh well. im cautiously optimistic about the secret ending for now. what it implied could go either way for now...

main quest: not all of them, but a lot of them were awesome. dare i say some quests were up there with the best main quests in da??? weisshaupt was epic. or the blood of arlathan. every time we get to talk to solas (thehe<3). the final bits. the strong points were so strong that the low points got highlighted a bit too much imo

act 3: by far my favourite act. this was soooo good. the romance finally (?!) kicking it. suicide mission 2.0 stressed me tf out. the varric reveal? send me to the asylum. solas tricking rook? king behaviour i was cheering for him while crying about varric. the dread wolf transformation. the conversation between solas/mythal/lavellan at the end. i basically was in tears throughout half of the thing. couldnt read the credits at all. act 3 was amazing

minrathous vs treviso: i loved this especially with the angst of playing a shadow dragon who failed minrathous. and then the consequences and quest changes this causes throughout the game was really cool. i wish there were more bigger choices like this since it felt a bit flat choice wise besides of this one, but it was amazing.

villains: ghilan'nain and elgar'nan were great. they really felt like the tyrannical gods they were supposed to be. im so glad there was mostly no corypheus-esque cringe. (tho especially ghil had some video gamey lines but sdjkfhjksdf i still love her)

neutral

rook: i dont really care much about rook.. 🙈. mind you rook was certainly not the reason why i wanted to play this game so im sure a second playthrough will make me warm up to them more, now that my head is more free, but it just didnt insta click. rook didnt feel like a real person to me, almost nobody had any (to my taste) realistic reactions towards them. the stakes just were too high for them to get treated this way (nobody is pissed off that they freed the gods? everyone just believes them when they say gods are walking around? everyone just agrees to work with them? nobody cares how rook is doing? or who rook even is? idk.) i didnt like the introduction much either. the shepard treatment didnt work for me here, just believing that rook is fit for the job because varric says so wasn't enough for me. anyway i dont wanna bash on rook, i know i'll end up liking them later. the headcanons will be headcanoning<3

companions: i... don't have strong feelings about most of them? all of them got to me sooner or later, made me cry. but afterwards im still 🤷‍♀️ about most. i didnt feel like we get to know them as deeply as we get to know companions in the previous games. i really really missed sitting in the lighthouse for hours and talk to them, ask them about their profession or what they are about outside of cutscenes like in the previous ones. i think that would have helped me click with them faster. i didnt find all companion quests very strong either. the "high stakes" of the main story made some conflicts feel a bit like we can just fix that after the story lol. i did not like the mass effect 2 treatment of them much... (but me2 is overrated anyway sshh dont kill me<3) some companion quests i did find interesting lore wise (bellara, harding) even if i wish that some of them would have went a bit deeper there. anyway i know i'll probably end up loving them all after a couple of playthroughs, this almost always happens to me, dai is the best example.

combat: don't care. this isn't my type of combat, i don't play a lot of super actiony combo dodge dodge block combat games. still hate the limited abilities. at least it didn't feel too clunky on mouse and keyboard and it was "fun enough" to me so thats good

puzzles: i could put them into the bad category but at least they weren't too terrible so i don't want to be too harsh. but i don't enjoy doing them. i dont want to search for a crystal in a bush. i mean i did them all but at what cost. this felt like filler i thought they wanted to avoid by not adding fetch quests???

bad

pacing: this games hardest battle imo. the pacing of the game is... strange. act 1 is way too fast. it feels like we're running and have absolutely no time for anything. (makes sense! didnt work well though). act 2 then drags a bit with all the companion quests, and the mix really drags the progression of the romances as well to a ridiculous degree. at least with lucanis, idk how it is with the others. i love him and i can headcanon to fill in the blanks so i liked his romance, but it does make it seem like nothing is happening for 50 hours for everyone who doesnt like to headcanon around. anyway, the pacing/storytelling felt often not fitting. it was trying to be mass effect in a story that is too complex and the lore too rich to run through it. this felt like the main reason why we just never went very deep into the lore of the factions or new npcs, or learn or see certain things, the complex nature of the crows, or tevinter magisters and their slaves, we are just running all the damn time? we never get to explore certain things that would feel unnatural to come up in a conversation or in some other way because we are limited by the things the story "has time for". or what the devs had time for.

wishy washy writing: not everywhere but in some places and im not used to that in a da game so its a bit baffling. "the blight is different now so thats the reason for x trust me bro" ok....? "the first of my people do not die so easily" = mythal is shattered and lives on, makes sense. but the other evanuris are all dead, even the ones that were "dead" already? why? idk........ i shall stay delusional for now and hope i've missed something in my completionist run that i now in my next run will find somewhere lol.

limited worldstate: im not tooo hung about it but i certainly wish it was different. i had hoped they at least commit to it. but then adding little references that could have just been made personal by switching one line just made the reference a bit jarring sometimes instead of exciting. or making morrigan eat mythals memories for the regret quest....really? this could have been the well of sorrows choice, why could they not have just made the inquisitor show up in the crossroads if they were the one that drank from it. this whole choice thing + some other problems ended up feeling like something they didnt really want to do but ended up doing because the game was in development for so long they just had to finally fucking finish it. and it sucks for us.

the veil: why... is it still there? they left breadcrumps of clues throughout the entire series about all the positives it would do if it was gone, even add a damn prophecy, and then just dont do it.... ever perhaps? must the blight really be cured for this? demons forever feared? listen im just glad solas is ok at the end of the day but he could still have had his redemption/healing/forgiving himself moment after destroying it imo.

i wish the inquisitor was more involved in everything :((( the moments we did get made me SO happy but. yeah.

no quicksave and the skip button that ruined my screenshots deserve their own bullet point what the hell

anyway enough yapping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! overall i loved the game because the stuff i cared about the most was the best aspects of the game sdkjhsdjkf im not ashamed to admit that this is my new solas 2.0 game. ..... <3

[lostiel]

Ooof, I've been seeing a lot of people writing off veilguard because prev choices don't matter as much, and while I get where that frustration is coming from, the reaction on the whole seems a bit... extreme? It's a new story with new characters and a new setting, plus the world is kind of... on the brink of ending? Idk Inquisition had a lot of flavor text, but objectively, it still wasn't a good game? I love the Warden, I love Hawke, but I get why they are not important to THIS story, and that's fine? The Well of Sorrows plotline was kind of resolved in Inquisition when Solas consumed Mythal (it was a bit like heeey you were worried about that Well when really, you should have paid more attention to your weirdly knowledgeable companion). Personally, I think it would have made more sense to take into account who ended up ruling Orlais because THAT kind of stuff is of interest internationally? But then again, none of us have played veilguard, and it seems like act 1 alone packs a punch and could have been an entire game in and of itself — it genuinely seems like a well-crafted, high-stakes story, and trespasser already made it pretty clear that da4 would be all about stopping solas so the "why is solas at the centre of this story" salt makes NO sense to me? (and here's the thing – he is not! he is the catalyst, but the story itself is about... the veilguard + rook's journey, so a completely new set of characters 😭😭😭😭).

Idk, I'm curious about your take on the situation?

to be honest i can't say much on this as a relatively new fan but i appreciate your ask so i'll try!

my general attitude is to ignore the bits of canon i don't like and use the bits that i do like as prompts for my headcanons so even if veilguard had no mention of previous choices/characters at all i'd still be excited about the new game bc we get a new story to play with

if the choices are a deal-breaker for someone it's understandable to stay away from the game that makes them unhappy. though i do hope they still give it a chance bc there's soooo much fun stuff to explore like the locations and new companions alone are worth it imo

[lokorum]

Pls rant about non romance cole…he’s my favorite character in anything, ever and it feels so sad that we never got to have a deeper relationship w him. Like the mechanics/possible lore of having a romance with a spirit are so tantalizingly interesting but no…also doubting we will see him in veil guard which leaves me so so broken …

*looks at their pile of unpacked feelings about cole*

so ૮( ◡̀_◡́)ა where to start....................

first of all uh! im not good at talking! that's why i draw phphp but i'll try my best to resurrect my memories from 2014 and share it with you!! sorry if it will sound weird, english is not my native language! 

well WELL from the begining then. i remember spending hours  more like days hhhh thinking about how weird and cool the recruiting scene with cole is? later when he is already with the inquisition, our party is either on guard around him or kinda treats him like he is helpless and needs special attention or guidance or something like that? demonising someone like him or framing them as in need of help are like textbook behavior ofc and im not here to be a hater, i just noticed it? moments with solas and varric fighting over him like a divorced couple are super cute for sure!!

but i remember being confused because excuse me, out of all of them, this guy??, this feral bat that is chilling on the ceiling like it's a lounge-zone inside Lucius' head, created especially for him?

he is confident. also a little bit nervous, a bunch mysterious and just ghostly cool. but also confident. (im not saying this confidence is not misplaced sometimes btw x) he even tells you that if you'll leave your head you'll die! what a jokester (҂ ꒦ິヮ꒦ິ)

and the whole quest with templars and envy are soooo horror coded, i love it!! it looked a bit silly, sure

(even after so many years im not able to get rid of the image in my brain phphphp) 

but it's still a very interesting quest!! dorian is ✨the bestie✨ but i'm always picking templars bc the implications of the story are just so good

1. its placed at the beginning of the game and your character is probably confused and anxious and dont yet worked out the routine of how to deal with their new title\powers + not every inquisitor character would want to be in the spotlight.

imagine you suddenly got yourself into position where a lot of people looking up to you, listening to what you saying, placing their hopes on you or waiting for you to fail? this is terrible! id 1000% just jumped out of a cliff!!! a small one, but still 

2. you meeting the guy who basically came from a place you now have unlimited access to.

he is: a) almost as confused as you are b) possibly came to this world without knowing consequences of that decision c) along the way he is figuring out how to be himself in the environment that is nothing like where he used to live. wow thats just like forced immigration *nervous laugh*

3. and let's not forget that you are meeting him inside your head and you can say to him "you look familiar".

dont know about you but apparently i dont need much to start screaming ¯(ツ)/¯

also can i just spend the moment to say that this is three (3) identical dialogue options??????????

the screenshot is from here btw

how awesome would it be to be able to figure out stuff together? to find comfort in someone, with someone who barely experienced it this way? to build on your strong sides? like "hope" for cole and i guess "unhingedness" for the inquisitor? i bet they would ground each other easily as well: cole distracting inq by being unintentionally mischievous and inq would have a notepad with cole's "firsts ____" or they would just read together. oh im such a sucker for hurt\comfort\some things cant be healed stuff uaaaaaaaaa

ALSO THE "FORGET" THING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the drama the horror the tension!!!!!!!! you can fight me over this but heres the thought:

cole being so stressed that he is erasing\being on the edge of erasing the inquisitor's memories??????

i got the feeling that cole's confidence in the concept of "help" is, among other things, makes him being able to zoom in on something borderline obsessively? or vise versa - dismissively, not noticing "it hurts, its not for the better"? he thanks you when you promise to kill him, he cries when you do not. i swear this man (─ ‿ ─)

+quick addition bc im not entirely sure: so if i got it right, the anchor makes the inquisitor "too bright" to read? so among all the people we know about inq is the one that cole can't truly empathise on this lvl? on spiritual lvl you might say lsdkjflksdjflkj sorry!!!!! but jokes aside,this is like the perfect ground to build both comforting stories 

"someone from the party notices that cole is hanging near inq before inq do, and when asked he explains it by saying something like "dry warm skin. the air is stilled with quiet, easy to breathe. i followed the shining whispers and then i was followed no more" with the most plain face possible? "

and "today for lunch i have glass" kind of stories, like "the inquisitor is cornered and possibly bleeding and probably on the verge of passing out and they know that situation is bad and no one should follow/find them, "it's better to wait it out and deal with it on my own" kind of clown behavior. so they laugh tiredly at how pathetic they are, maybe remembering something similar from their childhood, remarks from their sibling for ex., and just trying their best to not think about how they need cole's help, cole's presence. the sense of safety that comes when he is around" 

uh!!! that wasnt neither quick or painless so i'll go make a tea wait a second please

im back!! so since i talked about the forget thing i must confess - i dont really like cole's personal quest???? again, im not complaining or anything but i remember feeling kinda empty while playing it? like deep inside me, there was something sad, but it was so far away,i coudn't even feel it properly?

both human and spirit versions of his ending made me feel like the distance between you and him lengthened, and maybe you could do something about it before but now? this "something" is missing and you're lost and can't even tell for sure if theres was a chance to do something in the first place? and cole just moved on? its super logical considering he is not a romance option but phphph so, i rarely romance someone in games, partly bc rpg tends to be a little horny and im that kind of ace who is not interested in this, partly bc i tend to pay attention to non-romanceable characters, so when i started to explore last da:i dlc and i saw cole having gf i was like "well ouch".

imagine your inq has a crush on cole but they never were able to say it clearly?

mb it was a melancholic slowburn, and your character was going through too much and felt like burdening cole with their problems would be unfair?

maybe they tried but the timing was wrong, the words felt stupid, and their hands felt too dirty, too guilty?

oh anon its been ten years and its still huuuuuurts!!!! if you following me for a while you know that im an edge lord in poor disguise so its not surprising for neither you or me that i ended up rumbling about inexplicable sadness and crushing existential guilt, but sorry for that anyway!! if anyone would want me to talk about something specific, or to draw something - im here, staring at the wall, listening to cole's banter :') thank you for the wonderful question tho, it was more than just nice to return back to this ship. im so agreeing with you about cole being the fave character from everything, but i also understand that this could mean being very unsatisfied with the way he was portrayed at some points or just with the fact that characters like him are rare so im sending you warm and tight hugs and a little sketch!! <3 

let's collectively accept the fact that dav gonna be a beautiful mess, we gonna love it (passionately), we gonna be hurt by it (not surprisingly) and COLE FOREVER WILL BE THE BEST DA CHARACTER EVER IM NOT GONNA CHANGE MY MIND FIGHT ME

[yarpharp]

Okay so I was beginning to tell myself that DA4 is not gonna be as bad of a trainwreck as the reveal trailer was. I really was. But then I finally just watched the DA4 gameplay trailer and like....

Alright Varric I respect your desperate need to convince Solas not to be a dumbass. I really do. I would do the same with more cussing. But also DO YOU WANT TO DIE IN THE INTRO SEQUENCE? And why is your hair black but grey???? Dude you are strawberry blonde what is this shite. Gimme going-grey-with-a-hint-of-red. And where is your chest hair, old man???

The character models are so... Valorant blender smooth. I keep seeing Battle Royale designer vibes and it's very strange. I know that is industry standard by this point but still... where's that Bioware stylization?? Secondly: the iconic DA design style is SOOOO muted in this. Where are my angular and pointy Tevinters? I got some of it, but like viciously sideways. Why are the demons so fuckin weird? They don't even look like the demons from the LAST THREE GAMES. They look like Bioware was running on a tight schedule given to them by EA at gunpoint and decided to cut the models down to save on time. Which... Yikes. Yikes my guy.

The dialogue wheel is janky. I know this is still supposedly pre-launch but... Did they really just slap the old UI with a different visual style? Bro you had TEN YEARS. And also, who the hell wrote your dialogue? And when was Varric ever that close to Solas? They respected each other, sure. But best bros? Solas is notoriously introverted. People made jokes about it. This is some fake news.

Thirdly, I'm a little puzzled by the hyper drama of the Arlathan forest ritual shite. I am aware the stuff behind the scenes in the comics have been talking about shit happening in the forest, but... Okay, correct me if I'm wrong: Solas raised the Veil at Skyhold. His theoretical resources to raise said Veil were his orb and the central locality of said castle. Cool shit. What the fuck are these statues? Are they supposed to represent the gods? If so, what the fuck are you doing USING THOSE, SOLAS? AND ARE THOSE FIGURES EMERGING FROM THE HOLE IN THE VEIL SUPPOSED TO BE THE CORRUPTED EVANURI?? WHY ARE THEY DESIGNED LIKE A FUCKIN HYLICS 2 CHARACTER? (no disrespect, I love Hylics 2) I just... I recognize that Solas is desperate to fix his wrongs and theoretically save everyone from the Evanuri (because if the theory the elven gods are inflicted with the blight is still true, then yeah ya gotta kill the source of the blight) so he's seeking out dangerous shortcuts, but... Idk man. Idk. I am just sooooo skeptical of this. This has so much more obvious "EA has its paws on a franchise and proceeds to ruin it" energy. I am sooooo skeptical.

My positive opinion? Solas looks great. Did he fuckin growl like a wolf when he smashed Bianca with his glowy eyes? Yes, yes he did. Are the landscapes awesome? Yes. Is the companion programming still janky even in the new game? Yes. Is that floating building a magical panopticon?! Possibly, and that's fascinating. Are the voice actors the same? Can't quite tell, because I can hear voice mixing happening to their voices so either they aren't the same VAs but they're tuning them to sound close or they are not putting full effort into the VA shit until release. Am I an EA hater?

Yeah, but that's because I have been burned too many times to believe EA won't ruin a glorious RPG franchise. I'll try to stay optimistic, but I am struggling.

[broodwolf221]

Wondered if you wanted to rant a bit about Merrill x Solas? Honestly never thought of the pairing before and I would like to hear your thoughts if you wanted? You'd don't think they'd argue?

oh! hi anon! yes i would love to rant about these two :')

it's a relatively new idea for me, too, and i do think they'd argue at first - solas is soooo condescending about the dalish and that would really bother merrill. but at the same time, she's a bit of a pariah within clan sabrae and would imo understand better the mixed feelings ppl could have about the dalish. not to say she'd roll over and accept his insults, but she'd consider his pov more than others might before arguing it, and i think that consideration would throw him off his stride a bit

and nicely, her use of blood magic would be a total non-issue, which i think would be kinda an amazing experience for her? to have another mage, another elf, even a non-dalish, accept her type of magic without blinking an eye or saying she's doomed to be possessed or whatever would be comforting. she doesn't need anyone's approval and has gone for a long time without it, but to get it, at least on that front? yeah, it'd be a pleasant surprise

and solas' disdain for the dalish tapers off when he realizes a dalish inky is willing to listen to his pov. he still holds them in some contempt but he's no longer as hostile about it, so i think if they could get past that initial rocky stage, and i imagine they could, then they'd find a lot to be interested in with each other.

merrill is extraordinarily powerful. within canon her immense skill is kinda undermined by the other character's perception of her, including the perception of her own keeper, but the truth is that merrill restored a blighted eluvian from a single shard. if solas learned about that? he'd be hella impressed and would question her all about it, but in an interested, engaged way rather than a condescending one. and i think she'd open up a lot when she realizes she can have a Mage Friend who is non-judgmental about her methods

imo a relationship btwn them would be something she pursues, bc he's still hung up on everything, same as he is with a dalish inky. and i honestly don't even think merrill would be upset that he's fen'harel? upset that he didn't tell her, yes, but not upset that he's the trickster/deceiver/etc. - she's very dalish, but like i said earlier, she's also somewhat removed from the dalish, a pariah amongst her own people who's had to forge her own path in many ways. and living among the city elves for so long would have broadened her perspectives on what it meant to be an elf. she wouldn't have painted him as a villain immediately or rejected him out of hand, but she would press him for the truth, bc just like him she wants to learn everything

nerds in love, frankly, is their dynamic in my head :')

[miumura]

what do ur moots remind you of?! (ex. places, color, song, etc)

ooo another moot game ! tysm anon :) <3 ill only do a few cause im on a brainrot rn 😭😭

@flwoie — bad by wave to earth

bc u literally make my day 100% better. i always look forward to talking to you!! like you’re someone i can talk about anything with bc you wouldn’t judge me 🙁 like im prob on disc most of the time talking to u or waiting for a dm back. but yeah, i could never be bored when talking to you 🤗 love u lots pooks 🤍🤍🤍

@wvnkoi — one and only by enhypen

i was truly lucky to have you in my inbox (or for me to being in yours) 🙁🫶 like u acc put up with my bs and im so glad for that </3 U R MY ONE AND ONLY FR !!!! like who does it like u tbh … im always looking forward to our convos whether u think otherwise 🤍 but yes please be more active bc i cant be missing one of my ramyeonz 😊

@haknom — jolly ranchers but green apple

this is SOOOO random but HEAR ME OUT i love love LOVE jolly ranchers, just like how much i love you (ohhhh was that smooth 😍😍😍) which is a lot LMFAO. but i love green apple sm u dont understand…its pretty unexplainable why ure so fun to be with but us 08z r js like that!! UNBREAKABLE BOND!!!! #jolly-ranchers-w-soph-foreva #just-like-sola (soph + kayla .. get it)

@yeokii — nail polish 😊

listen hana ure prob like … erm What the freak!!! but just hear me out. nail polish isnt good for u (js like how ure not good w/ me /j) to smell but its addicting. thats like u and me cause ure addicting to talk to u (or make fun of) AND ITS GETTING OUT OF HAND!!! but its like a guilty pleasure soooo be glad i only had good things to say. love ya official 08z goofball !!!

@yenqa — strawberries

u just do 🤨🤨 like idk strawberries taste vary depending on the harvest / kind u get .. like sometimes u can be vv sweet and super kind 🙁 and then we have the sour kinds where u used to (and still do) hate on me and fight me 🤬 at least ure not bad like hana ALL JOKES but strawberries r a superior fruit so ure superior in my book 🤗🤗🤗

@yswon — hi-chew candies

hi-chews r too good n need to be talked abt more!!! js like ur blog (it deserves all the love) idk how to explain it, but u remind me of the candy in a way…like could be sweet if u pick the right ones 🙏 and u cant tell me hi-chews dont fit ur blog rn!!!! like its a comfort candy + super soft = amazing type of candy i tell u. nobody does hi-chew like this which makes u awesome n unique 😍 … what am i even saying urm but u get it (hopefully)

@soov — beaches

beaches r really pretty (just like you) and i really like how calming they can be. but sometimes, they can get violent as the waves of the ocean crash and could nearly drown u (js like how u could kill me w/ ur pics ohhhh) LMFAO but i really do love them!!! and i just get that beachy vibe from your blog too :)

guys i swear i was gonna do more than this but i really cannot think rn 😭 sorry i may have not tired my brain out writing (soph cb???) so its hard to come up w/ reasons why i think ure this etc etc. i could prob edit this post or js say in the comments what u remind me of if u do wanna know ^^ <3!

[nevarran-hahren]

hey, hi there, I changed my username

@whispering-depths » » » @nevarran-hahren

still me! just reflecting the ebb and flow of my monomanic hyperfixation from bg3 to dragon age

also feel like I should do an intro post since it's been awhile, soooo

I'm mik! 29 yo, librarian, cross-stitcher, hobby artist, she/they is cool. this is my fandom blog, non-fandomy things will be over at my personal blog (@queenofcarrotflowers-s). my likes and follows will come from there as well. I like to post about my ocs sometimes, usually art or screencaps. but mostly i reblog things.

I'm usually super inconsistent with remembering to tag things, but I am diligently using both the "#veilguard spoilers" and "#datv spoilers" tags on *anything* related to da4 for the foreseeable future. please blacklist those tags if you wish to avoid spoilers.

» non-exhaustive list of fandoms/interests you may see here:

dragon age

baldur's gate 3

disco elysium

stardew valley

dungeon meshi

dropout tv

the sims

beastars

blue eye samurai

» my ocs (general oc tag):

Dragon Age (canon world state)

warden shira tabris (dao): city elf duelist/assassin rogue, romanced alistair (prev zevran). (she/they)

hedy mae hawke (da2): human apostate force mage/spirit healer, purple hawke, romanced anders (prev isabela). (she/her)

inquisitor janne lavellan (dai): dalish hunter/champion warrior, romanced solas. (she/her)

lorna "rook" ingellvar (datv): dwarven reaper warrior of the mourn watch, romanced lucanis (prev taash). (they/them)

Baldur's Gate 3

sorcha agaric: foundling, raised by myconids. half-drow circle of spores druid (they/she) - completed my first playthough with sorcha as a dark urge romancing astarion, but in my revised version of their story she is not exactly that. if i ever replay with them, she will romance both shadowheart and halsin.

juno: "drow" dark urge way of shadows monk (redeemed), romanced astarion (prev lae'zel). (they/them) - playthrough complete (twice lol)

tiresia allseer: urchin/orphan, tiefling wild magic sorcerer, fears her own power after a traumatic childhood experience, romanced gale (prev astarion). (she/her) - playthrough in progress

artemisia silvershield: disgraced noble, human-turned-tiefling fiendish warlock, romanced minthara. (she/her) - multiplayer playthrough abandoned, plans to revisit for future evil run

DnD/TTRPGs

gwinnera "gwin" strongbrow - gen z hill dwarf wood sculptor and art school dropout, college of creation bard with a glorious pink beard and space buns. travels the country performing live chainsaw woodcarving routines with their girlfriend, a fire-eating tiefling bard. (she/they) - created for a modern-day setting "oops! all bards" DnD campaign

hazel hawkins - 89 yo wandering occultist/researcher/folk magic practitioner, increasingly batty, cool lesbian grandma to the party. was selectively mute as a child, now never shuts up. will try to play matchmaker. got yeeted by a giant eyeball monster in the campaign finale. (she/her) - created for a call of cthulhu campaign

» other links:

my art

etsy shop (I sell digital cross stitch patterns that I create!)

ao3

feel free to say hi or reach out to chit chat about any of the things i've mentioned! i don't bite, but i *am* bad at starting conversations myself

x

[alltheanonymousmusings]

I finished my 1st playthrough of Veilguard and I definitely have thoughts. If you are still actively avoiding spoilers until you finish your game, do not interact. While there are no plot spoilers, I don't want anything in the post to potentially spoil something for you.

The Good:

I really enjoyed the game overall. Will definitely be playing multiple times, hopefully finding something new the next couple times. (I wasn't anywhere close to 100% this time around haha)

I love that I can make Rook and absolute purple menace, and I also love that sometimes the companions will call you out on it if it bothers them. I used the not-american voice option for my female Rook, and the voice actor was absolutely delightful. They really nailed the inflection and timing for me.

I really like the return to a smaller world as compared to Inquisition, but it still feels large and expansive without being overwhelming. And no bears! Or spiders!

The Lighthouse is so much fun to watch change as your relationship with your companions grows. Harding's little greenhouse going from boarded up and empty to a literal overflowing garden is soooo cool. And Lucanis going from an empty pantry to a less empty pantry with a lamp. 💀 Man is a whole ass mood, I get it.

I literally cried. Like had to put the controller down and take some time, cried. (You know the part) And here's the thing, I LOVE when media makes me cry. I LOVE having my feelings put through a pasta sheeter. I LOVE having my feelings hurt in the only way Bioware can. And when I look back on the entirety of the game now, I just.....wow. Very very good.

I surprisingly (for me) really enjoyed the combat. It kept me really invested in what was happening, and instead of just bringing the same few people I always do- I had to actually think about who combos with who and what not- which I actually found fun. Though I do wish there was a feature when choosing your party that showed which abilities or who certain companions comboed best with depending on their abilities.

I really like how the inventory works. I did fight with the menu from time to time, but that's a user error and just getting used to what buttons do what.

I could probably write a dissertation on the character creator, but enough people have already. It's seriously the most comprehensive character creator I've ever used to date. I think there's a few things that could be tweaked, but not enough to make me feel it's not amazing.

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE that you can choose an armor/weapon, but then set the appearance to something different. It seems silly to some, I'm sure, but I have had moments I've wanted to use a lower tier item because I absolutely hated the way the higher tier item looked. (I'm a visual person...not sorry)

BEING ABLE TO PAUSE CUTSCENES... as someone with a young kid, this is an absolute dream come true.

I love the campy dialogue. I love being a shithead to Solas. Some of it got a little cringe- but keeping within the dragon age charm we all know and love.

Auto saves at decision points is soooooo cool. Gone are the days of save scumming (to a degree). I love it so so much.

The Meh:

Sometimes the pacing gets a little weird, but that's kind of inevitable when you're playing a game with lots of little side quests like Dragon Age games usually have. I know a lot of people who played Inquisition didn't like the power system, but I found it really nice for getting a ton of side quests done and a large chunk of exploring out of the way.

Patch 1 dropped about halfway through my playthrough, but I did hit some weird respawn and mission bugs. I didn't go back to see if the patch had taken care of it or not, so we'll find out next playthrough. But I adored the new chest in the Lighthouse, and the nod to Mass Effect...that was so cute.

I know I just praised the character creator, but a few things: it does take a certain level of skill, and...if you lack skill...patience. I don't like the triangle sliders as much as I thought I would, but again...skill and patience. I know the more I practice with it, the better I'll get and the more I'll enjoy it. Also, in the character creator, I literally could not see the glitter anywhere, even when I turned the intensity up to 100% and made the glitter an obnoxious color. That could be something on my end, but I ended up always just using none and moving on.

For the amount of hair options they gave us, I still really struggled to find one I wanted. There are so many hairstyles where it's just a different length of the previous option, but of course not the one I wanted. (Also, a long- like chest length version of Antoine's hair would be so pretty... come on, bioware)

The Cons:

I need more companion moments. I need more romance scenes. I romanced Davrin for my first playthrough, and he's charming, he's flirty, but where's the spice? A huge selling point they gave us was how impactful and significant the connects we'd build with our team were, how deep the romances were, and how steamy and spicy the romances were. I'm not expecting (nor do I want) a full blown bedroom scene, but like...Davrin gave me half a shoulder rub and magically took my clothes off. Give me more buildup, more tension...something. I feel like they were so much more focused on the connections between the companions that the connection with the player fell to the wayside. The "dates" felt like filler, and the whole thing kind of felt like an afterthought. Seriously, bioware, if you need help writing romances, look to the fanfic community...we're going to be working overtime to satisfy a lot of missing content.

The lack of an epilogue other than the "where are they now" right before the credits is a HUGE bummer.

There are other thoughts, but they take a level of nuance to discuss that I don't think can be accomplished in this particular setting.

Overall, my opinions are overwhelmingly positive, and I'll definitely be doing a bunch of playthroughs. The game was so so enjoyable and I had a great time. I know the community will fill in the romance blanks with all the amazing art and fics. I'll also be writing up a storm...even in just the tiny bit of content I got I've fallen so hard for these characters.

Anyway, on to my next playthrough!!

[softdekus]

ok ill start heres two of my rooks,,, Mhar Aldwir and Vettorio de Riva (tori to friends). theyre both so pookie to me. ill put the rest under a readmore

in my mind palace mhar actually was apprenticed to my other DA oc Feynhel (a lavellan and childhood friend of my inquisitor), so Mhar was helping the Inquisition since they were a teenager. after the inquisition disbanded they wandered around with Feyn for a bit before setting off on their own to hunt straggling demons and darkspawn and helping Dalish as they traveled towards northern Thedas. They still kept in touch with the inquisitions members and with their mentor, but joined the Veil Jumpers not long after the group was established.

theyve got RBF but actually care a lot more than they let on. they put on a tough front while out in the field but with their teammates theyre more relaxed. theyre handling the events of the game fairly well but. theyve also had to witness all the stuff w corypheus and mostly shove their own fears down until later. its still tough getting them to genuinely open up unless they think its something that will help someone else. looks up to varric and actually used to enjoy learning from solas and hopes he's not too far gone.

is a Taash kisser and has had a lot of good talks with them about their shared experiences. aside from their fellow dalish they like hanging around the shadow dragons and helping with their revolutionary activities. (and its an excuse to talk to dorian. dorain is together with Feyn and Mhar likes to check in on them) Mhar's bffs aside from taash are Davrin, Neve and Lucanis. emmerich and bellara are in a special category of 'i like to listen to their lectures about magic'. (solas was in that category during DAI)

Vettorio is less developed but i also like. just made him not too long ago lol. he has diff nicknames depending on who he's around. 'Tori' for friends, 'Ward' among his fellow Crows, 'Rook' obvs. Tori was raised by a retired Crow of house de Riva after his own parents sent him to them for his own safety due to their family's infighting. He doesn't know who his family is and hasn't been told either, currently just thinks he's an orphan. He officially joined the Crows after his caretaker thought he'd gone through enough training, and he immediately made himself everyone else's problem. Very friendly! but he's also a pain in the ass for anyone looking after him bc hes stubborn and impulsive but very skilled. working with the veilguard is helping him learn to temper his foolhardy-ness a bit and learn to look before he leaps.

hes soooo smitten with lucanis its not even funny. he's bffs w bellara, neve and taash. he may act like a smartass but he is nOT having a good time handling all this 'risen god' responsibility and is pretty insecure about whether he's making the right choices and it weighs on him a lot!! he may be a professional assassin but he's not used to having the fate of the world on his shoulders ok,, he goes to varric and solas a lot for advice actually because he doesnt want to weigh the team down.

i was roughly planning out a plotline for if he had a personal quest it'd likely involve one of his estranged siblings tracking him down and trying to drag him into family affairs by targeting his old mentor/caretaker.

no spoilers but this is an open invitation for anyone to gush about their Rooks in the notes,,, i wanna see all of them and hear about their Lore (whether you made one from scratch or built off what the game gave you.)

are they taking everything in stride? are they really struggling? who is their bestie, who can they NOT get along with,,, are they wooing anyone? i want all the details

[villainanders]

Everything in inquisition, especially the mage stuff like that’s the worst, but everything else too is written so badly that basically I just take the general concept and make up something actually good and then I go to replay the game and I’m like oh yeah this is bad actually. I wanna play the inquisition that’s in my head that treats mages like people and isn’t 90% side quests irrelevant to the plot but inexplicably mandatory to play the game.

Inquistion drops the ball in so many ways and it really is such a shame for the game that had the most time and resources put into it. So much of it is driven by trying to backtrack what was set up in DA2 because people didn't like DA2 (completely missing what most of DA2's problems were) or just feels like filler so they can chug along to the Solas reveal and then make the game they actually want to make (which they still haven't made lmao). I think that's why Trespasser, for all its problems, stands out as so much from the rest of DAI to me: they're telling a story they actually care about telling!

I keep thinking about this post because it hits soooo much on what my problems with DAI were and what it could have been. I can't believe that the fantasy political conflict they had spent two games developing the nuances of and that had developed into a full out war ended up comprising a quarter of the game to make room for their flop genericbadguy villain. It's also a shame because in the context of the mage-templar war, the inquisition would have made way more sense and been a way more interesting part of the story! In theory I'm actually fine with the inquisition being shitty to mages because I think there's so much room to do something interesting with the player being a part of a system actively trying to enforce the status quo. Like imagine if the game really was about the mage-templar war and if the player character wanted to try to use their position to do something meaningful they genuinely had to fight for it. Creating meaningful social change for the better by uh, going against your Catholic paramilitary force that is moving across the continent claiming land for their purposes.

Inquisition flirts with the idea of the inquisition being a problem (though it does so best in Hakkon and Trespasser IMO, which are not even part of the main fucking game lol), but I would have loved to have seen that woven into the game instead of just occasionally gestured to. Frankly, I think if you're going to make a game like Inquisition and have it be good you have an obligation to do that.

also yeah the side quests are shit why are there so gd many of them

[seyaryminamoto]

Leap of Faith: Sokkla Saturdays 2022

Day 4: Sokka dresses Azula

On FF.net//On AO3

And here's the first sequel I've written this year... the sequel to my Dragon Age AU from last year :'D about half as long, so still ridiculously long, but yet again... you can't expect better when adapting such a long game, not even when you're only centering it around secondary characters.

Anyway, it was a wild ride and I was very happy to finally fulfill my main headcanons in that franchise regarding a potential way to save a certain someone from being trapped in the Fade forevermore...

Hope you enjoy it! Read in either link above, since, yet again, Tumblr won't allow me to post the full story here.

Now, as for thoughts you may read after you finish that story...

Regarding the controversial ending... I can't be the only person who finds Aang and Solas can be disturbingly similar x'D There's obvious differences between the two, but even the fact that Bryke described Aang as a "trickster", and the Solas is notoriously known for being the Trickster God? Stuck in an iceberg for 100 years, and dormant for over 1000 years? Both are struck by tragedy when their civilizations were completely wiped out -- and both struggle with guilt over it, though I hold Solas far more responsible for it, in his case. In short... this was a no-brainer. The reason why Aang was never around in the first part of this story, the Prince Sokka and Peasant Azula prompt from last year, was because the minute I wanted to write a Dragon Age AU, I knew Aang would be the ideal Solas if I ever got around writing the Inquisition sequel. I know it was probably weird back then, but I hope it makes some sense this time, especially for people who have played these games.

Regarding Ursa... Flemeth is another big question mark in the future of Dragon Age's franchise as a whole. I recently watched a video with a lot of crazy theories about her being the source of all that's wrong with Thedas, but going by DAI's ending, with that epilogue in which Flemeth/Mythal kind of dies (?) in Solas's arms and Solas takes in her essence? It doesn't feel like Flemeth will be returning as herself in the future, at the very least, hence why Azula is sure she won't see Ursa again. Ursa is such a strange, gray character here because that's what Flemeth is like, but until the universe proves otherwise, I elect to believe that Flemeth's cruel treatment of Morrigan was actually a very twisted way of breaking her own cycle and setting her daughter free from the burden of inheriting Mythal directly... even if, by drinking from the Well of Sorrows, Morrigan is connected to Mythal all over again anyhow. Anyway. Well. I don't know what else is there to be said about this, but the point is Ursa's characterization wasn't so sketchy and strange for no reason, it's all because of the source material.

Regarding Dragon Age 2... I honestly wish I knew who to cast in the place of DA2's cast. I have a soft spot in my heart for most of the DA2 party characters, but unfortunately, I've already used soooo many ATLA and LOK characters, and finding some that correspond really well with the DA2 cast was so difficult it became virtually impossible. I actually thought June would be a perfect Isabela at first. I switched her to Hawke when I realized that I had no Hawke, and I NEEDED a Hawke for this story X'D my personal preference for Hawke is female Hawke too, which helped in that decision, but I couldn't possibly figure out who to turn into Merrill, Fenris, Aveline, let alone Anders (hence why he's not mentioned by name, I really have no idea who he'd be), and so, I chose to just reference a potential physical relationship between Hawke and Zevran (in this case, the old fandom-favorite obscure ship of Jet and June) rather than confirming a more traditional DA2 romance for this Hawke, since I just couldn't sort out who the rest of the DA2 cast would be. I didn't leave them so far out of the story because I wanted to, it's because I kiiind of had no choice, the shortage on characters rendered me helpless.

Regarding the Inquisitor... writing Inquisitor Korra Adaar made me happier than I imagined possible from writing that character. I thought about making her just a warrior, but I suppose she's a kind of physical mage, a warrior-mage hybrid of the sorts I don't think exist in this franchise. In her case, I didn't go all-out to confirm any DAI romances because I honestly didn't want to push a pairing for her, since it was also not exactly important for the story? Therefore, I left it up in the air. If you want to believe Korrasami happened, well, Josephine/Asami is certainly willing to be romanced by any Inquisitor, so that's a valid conclusion to reach X'D I suppose a case of the sort could be made for Mako/Cullen, but I realize Cullen isn't supposed to romance Qunari Inquisitors. Still, eh... it's up to whatever readers would like to imagine in the end, fic writers have been notorious for disregarding all of the canon preferences for characters anyway. Weirder things have been written in fandoms.

Anyway. I think that's basically all the notes I had to give for this particular chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it!