#but I don’t believe it and I won’t ever I think

[daisymbin]

angst 2. "you promised you wouldn’t hurt me."

reader says something mean during an argument and dk starts tearing up. happy ending pls!

reading this req already hurts 🥲

request your own: full prompt list!

check out my masterlist! // seokmin's m.list

angst prompt #2: "you promised you wouldn't hurt me."

it started with something small. a mix-up about dinner plans spiraled into something deeper, words sharper than they needed to be. the kind of argument that left no room for clarity, only feelings.

“do you even care, seokmin?” you snapped, your frustration peaking. “sometimes it feels like you’re just… here. like you don’t even love me as much as i love you.”

silence.

the moment the words left your mouth, you wanted to take them back. the way seokmin’s expression fell—like you’d reached into his chest and crushed something fragile—made your chest tighten painfully.

his brows knitted together, and for a moment, he didn’t say anything. he just stood there, looking at you like he was trying to convince himself he’d misheard.

“you don’t mean that,” he said softly, his voice trembling.

you didn’t respond, too caught in the regret and shame that threatened to drown you.

“you don’t mean that,” he repeated, louder this time, though it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than you.

“seokmin, i—” you started, but he cut you off, his voice breaking.

“you promised you wouldn’t hurt me,” he said, barely louder than a whisper. his words were shaky, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “you said i could trust you. that you’d never make me feel small, like i wasn’t enough.”

you froze, the weight of his words settling on your chest like a boulder.

“is that really what you think?” he asked, his voice cracking. “that i don’t love you enough? after everything?”

“no, seokmin, that’s not—”

“then why would you say it?” he demanded, his voice rising just slightly, the pain evident in every syllable. “you don’t get to say something like that and act like it doesn’t hurt me. like it doesn’t make me feel like i’m failing you.”

his words knocked the breath out of you. you’d never seen him like this—so raw, so vulnerable.

“i don’t think that,” you whispered, your voice shaking. “i was angry, and i wasn’t thinking. i know you love me, seokmin. i know how much you try, how much you care. i just—” you exhaled shakily, your throat tightening.

your chest ached as you stepped closer to him, your hands trembling at your sides. “i was frustrated, and i didn’t know how to handle it. but that’s not an excuse, and you didn’t deserve it. you’re the last person i’d ever want to hurt, seokmin.”

he looked at you for a long moment, his breathing uneven as he tried to process your words. then, slowly, he shook his head.

“i’m scared,” he admitted, his voice barely audible. “i’m scared that one day you’ll decide i’m not enough for you. that you’ll leave, and i won’t know what i did wrong because i tried so hard to love you the best way i could.”

your heart shattered at his confession, and you couldn’t stop the tears that spilled from your eyes.

“seokmin,” you said, stepping closer and reaching for his hand. “you are enough. more than enough. i was wrong to say what i did, and i’m so, so sorry.” you squeezed his hand tightly, desperate for him to believe you. “i love you, seokmin. i love you so much, and i’ll do whatever it takes to prove it.”

his gaze softened, though the pain was still evident in his eyes. “i don’t need you to prove it,” he said quietly. “i just need you to mean it. to not say things like that, even when you’re upset.”

“i promise,” you said, your voice firm despite the tears streaming down your face. “i’ll never hurt you like that again.”

he nodded slowly, his lips pressing into a faint, trembling smile. “okay.”

you pulled him into a hug, holding him tightly as his arms wrapped around you. he buried his face in your shoulder, his body shaking with a mix of relief and lingering emotion.

“you know,” he said after a long moment, his voice muffled, “this is the part where i’m supposed to make a cheesy joke to lighten the mood.”

you laughed softly, the sound breaking through the heaviness in the room. “go ahead. i could use a cheesy seokmin joke right now.”

he pulled back just enough to look at you, his eyes still red but his smile brighter now. “okay, but don’t get mad when it’s so bad you forget why you were sad.”

you rolled your eyes, a small grin tugging at your lips. “i’ll take my chances.”

“why did the scarecrow win an award?” he asked, his tone serious but his eyes sparkling with a familiar warmth.

you blinked at him, momentarily thrown off. “why?”

“because he was outstanding in his field.”

the laugh that bubbled out of you was instant, and he grinned, his expression softening as he watched you.

“see? you’re already forgetting,” he teased, his voice light and affectionate.

“you’re impossible,” you said, shaking your head but smiling nonetheless.

“that i do,” you whispered, your voice steady and full of conviction. “and i always will.”

“yeah, but you love me,” he said, pulling you back into his arms.

[eclips-moon]

Batboys headcanon: What type yanderes they would be

Tim Drake (Red Robin) would totally be the Creepy Genius yandere. He’s super smart and uses that brainpower to keep tabs on you. Think of him as the quiet guy in the corner who knows everything about you—like what your favorite coffee order is or the exact time you leave for school. Tim's all about manipulating situations to make you feel like you need him. He’d engineer little “accidental” run-ins and always be there to save you from awkward moments. If you ever hint at wanting space or breaking up, he’d hit you with guilt trips, saying stuff like, “You wouldn’t really leave me after everything we’ve shared, right?” He’s the kind of yandere who won’t get violent but will definitely mess with your head to keep you close.

Jason Todd (Red Hood) is the Obsessive Protector yandere whose love is intense and chaotic, quickly turning possessive. He follows you around, showing up uninvited when you hang out with friends, claiming it’s to keep you safe. If anyone glances your way, he’ll confront them in a rage, insisting they back off. His jealousy runs deep, and if you hint at wanting to hang out with someone else, he’ll spiral, snapping, “You’re mine, and I won’t let anyone take you away from me!” Jason showers you with gifts, but if you assert your independence, he’ll manipulate you, saying, “I did this because I love you. How could you turn your back on me?” At his worst, he resorts to intimidation or violence, convinced that his love is the only protection you need. To him, love is a battlefield, and he’ll fight tooth and nail to keep you by his side.

Damian Wayne (Robin) is the Possessive Prince. This guy sees you as his, and he’s not shy about it. Damian expects loyalty from you, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you don’t stray. He’s the kind of guy who’d tell you who you can hang out with and where you can go. It’s all wrapped up in his twisted idea of love, and he’ll spoil you with fancy gifts, but there are always strings attached. If you even think about breaking free or hanging out with someone else, he’ll flip out and say stuff like, “You belong to me, and anyone who tries to take you away will regret it!” His obsession is intense, and he won’t hesitate to remind you of your place.

Dick Grayson (Nightwing) is the Charming Obsessive. This dude is all about charm and romance, making his love feel like a fairytale—at first. He’ll show up with surprise dates and sweet gifts, making you feel super special. But soon, his overwhelming affection starts to get a little suffocating. If you start feeling like he’s too much, he’ll just brush it off and say he’s just trying to make you happy. Dick honestly believes he’s the only one for you, and if anyone else comes around, he’ll be all smiles while secretly plotting how to keep them away. His jealousy can get intense, but he’ll always put on a charming facade, making it hard to see how deep his obsession runs.

[vigilskeep]

in your opinion, how do you think veilguard delivers on the found family trope it was aiming for? on a scale of da2 (found family) - dai (coworkers), does it break the scale?

well, for the record, i DON’T think da2 was found family 😭 i know i’m a hater for this but i have never believed any of the dragon age parties are, as a whole, found families. that has never been how they come across to me

as for veilguard, i’m not sure. the team definitely interact a lot and get to know each other... i think i would have been more sold on “found family” if we had more scenes seeing them interact as a group rather than in individual pairs, if there were timeskips for them to get closer, maybe if they had stronger investment in, and opinions on, each other’s personal quests...?

i don’t think i quite believed in it and when rook used the word “family”—i think it was to mythal—i mostly found it startling. i brought these people together to save the world and i don’t believe i ever fully felt that they were sticking together for any other reason

maybe i’ll change my mind on a second run-through though! i’m trying to max out party banters a bit more and already getting a much better idea of the full set of dynamics. and i definitely like the idea of them as a found family and i won’t mind fic/fanon that pushes that because it doesn’t stretch what’s presented in canon in the way it does for the other games imo. i mean, they’re all actually friends, which is new and startling enough! i could for sure see them developing into found family if they stick together after the game, too... like i was saying about them maybe having to continue to defend the crossroads or something. and since there’s no real epilogue, that is a free playground right now

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Calm Before The Storm

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.8k

Warnings: angst, trichotillomania, hurting yourself, fluff at the end

Request by @bee-1n-space: I was hoping you could possibly write a Drabble or one-shot about a fem reader that has trichotillomania, a hair pulling disorder. I have it and I tend to pull my eyebrow and eyelashes :( I was thinking a story with Jensen, possibly after reader has a hard or anxiety inducing con (if an actress) or moment and he helps her. Or if that doesn’t work, one with Dean after a hard or failed hunt!

Summary: Trichotillomania affects about ten million Americans which ranges from not that bad to severe. You’re not sure where you fall on that spectrum, but it’s safe to say that you’ve got it bad. You try not to trigger your disorder but sometimes you can’t help it. The one person you can always count on is Jensen. He makes the urges go away even for only a moment.

Square Filled: “I love everything about you. Even the things I don't like, I love. And I want you with me. I love you and I think you love me too. Do you?” (2022) for @spnquotebingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

x

Something like a convention isn’t normally your scene. You’d never go to one of these alone much less with someone else. The only reason why you’re going to this one is because your best friend is asking you to. You’d do anything for Jensen even if it means going to a place that will definitely trigger your anxiety.

Before you were diagnosed, you didn’t understand why you were pulling your hair out of your head whether that be from your head or face. It's an urge that you can’t control. It was only when you got to high school that you were diagnosed with trichotillomania, a hair-pulling disorder. Your eyelashes were the target of your disorder until you turned to your eyebrows before settling on your hair. You have balding spots that you cover with bangs but it still doesn’t make up for the fact that they’re there.

Still, you’re going to this convention for Jensen and only Jensen.

The car pulls up to the service entrance not available to the public. You, Jared, and Jensen leave the car and head inside the place. The room is empty as they get everything set up, but you can hear the commotion outside as fans chat and enjoy the different events going on. You won’t be going on stage with the boys but you will be around when they take pictures with their fans.

It’s okay if they come up to you and ask for pictures. You have to tell yourself that because you’ve been shown on Jensen’s social media so often you get recognized on the street by the biggest fans of Supernatural. As they are getting set up, you walk to the huge window and look out at the streets below. There are still people coming in for the events that have a late start, and you admire the different costumes you see. Anime adaptations, superhero remakes, and more.

It’s times like these that make you wish you didn’t have your disorder. You’d love to enjoy places like these but you get claustrophobic easily so large crowds are a huge no for you.

“Hey, are you going to be okay?” Jensen asks when he walks up from behind you.

“Yeah, I have my snacks and my fidget spinner. I’ll be okay,” you smile.

Jensen pulls you in for a hug and kisses you on your head. He always shows affection like this toward you even though you wish he’d do it more often.

“Thank you for coming. I know it’s not easy for you.”

You pull away and look into his eyes.

“Anything for you.”

He leaves your side before you can say anything more. The crush you have on him grows by the second. There is no way you’re going to tell him how you feel for two reasons. One, you don’t believe he feels the same way about you. He is pretty outspoken with his feelings and he would have done it by now if he felt the same. Two, you don’t want to lose him as a friend. He’s one of the best things to ever happen to you, and you’d rather have him as a friend than not have him at all.

You leave the window and head backstage to one of the beak rooms right before the panel starts. The best thing about doing these conventions is connecting with their fans and giving back to them. There wouldn’t be Supernatural without the fans, and Jensen and Jared wouldn’t be where they are today without them.

About halfway through the panel, you get the overwhelming urge to pick at the tiny hairs on your head. The urge comes at random times and sometimes when you’re calm like now. There is nothing around you triggering your disorder yet here you are, tugging on your baby hairs by your hairline. You wrap the hair once around your finger and tug, wincing at the pain. The most painful spot is by your hairline, so you move down to your eyebrows. If you’re going to tug, may as well be at a place where you can fix it with makeup.

One by one, little hairs come out until a new bald spot forms in the middle of your eyebrows. You try to avoid your eyelashes since they just grew back from the last time you picked most of them out. The panel soon ends, and you look down at the little hairs you collected on your pants. With a sigh, you dump them into the trash can and try to forget about it.

Knowing Jensen is coming back here since the panel ended, you cover the small bald spot on your head and use your bangs to cover up the empty spot on your eyebrows as best as you can. Jensen knows you have this disorder but he doesn’t know how bad it’s gotten. You try to be okay for him because you don’t want him worrying about you. It’ll only make you feel worse.

“Hey, did you have fun?” you ask with a smile when he arrives.

“Yeah. We’re heading out now to do photo ops. You’re welcome to stay back here. This place is still rented out by us until the end of the day.”

“Can I come with you?”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Yeah. I think I’m getting better,” you lie.

Honestly, you don’t want to be in the back by yourself anymore. Maybe if you’re surrounded by people, you’re less likely to give in to the urges. Plus, you feel bad for not being there for Jensen in the way you said you would be.

You follow Jensen and Jared over to the room where the photo ops will take place, and you stay off to the side but close enough to Jensen if you need him. Fans come rushing into the place to check in and get in line. Before you know it, this entire place is swarmed with fans just itching to get a moment with Jensen and Jared.

“It’s nice to meet you, Emily. Do you have a pose in mind?”

“Would you be willing to do the Jack and Rose pose?”

“Sure,” Jensen laughs and stands behind the nice young woman.

“Hi, are you Y/N?” You peel your eyes off Jensen and look at the teenage girl next to you. “Oh, my God, you are. Can I get a picture with you?”

It’s okay, Y/N. Just take a picture. It’s only one person.

“Sure,” you say shyly. “What’s your name?”

“Jasmine.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jasmine.”

You tense slightly when she puts her arm around you but you don’t make her move it. You know you can if you want to but it’s only one moment. A few seconds and she’s gone. You smile at her camera and she takes a few snaps.

“Thank you so much. I just have to say, I love your relationship with Jensen. You two are so cute.”

“Oh, thank you. He’s a really good best friend.”

Jasmine must not have come alone because three more people join her side moments later. You smooth down your hair nervously and try not to give into the urge that’s screaming at you. 

“Look, it’s Y/N!”

Immediately, her friends start gushing at you about Jensen and asking for pictures. You take them purely because you don’t want to disappoint them. They got so excited when they figured out who you were, so you’d only feel worse if you rejected them.

“So, have you ever been on set to watch them film?” one of the girls asks.

“I bet they don’t get any work done. Have you seen those bloopers?” another girl chimes in.

“What do you and Jensen like to do on the weekend? Do you hang with Jared a lot?”

Questions upon questions are thrown at you without pause. The girls are too excited to give you a chance to speak. You get it. To them, you’re either a celebrity by association or you’re Jensen’s girlfriend. Either way, you have the insider scoop on their favorite actors. A few more people gather around you once they hear the commotions the teenagers are making, and your anxiety skyrockets.

Jensen hears laughter and looks over to see a group do girls crowding around you. You’re panicking. You’re trying not to let it show but you’re picking at your eyelashes subtly by rubbing your eyes and plucking off one eyelash after the other as you pull away.

“I’ll be right back. Bathroom break.”

Jensen leaves before the person in charge can say anything. He walks over to you, and the girls surrounding you giggle when they see him coming. You look at Jensen helplessly, and he pushes past the girls to get to you.

“Excuse me, ladies. Well be right back,” he smiles.

Jensen takes your hand and pulls you into one of the back rooms. It’s a break room of sorts with all kinds of food and a huge couch on the back wall.

“I’m so sorry,” you whimper. “I tried to be good for you. I’m sorry I wasn’t doing good.”

“Don’t ever be sorry for needing time away.”

“It’s just… They were all coming at once, and I didn't know what to do.”

Jensen smooths your hair back. “You don’t need to explain yourself.” He brings you to the couch and sits with you. He pulls you onto his lap comfortably before reaching into his back pocket for something. “I have something for you.” He pulls out those picky pads you can get on TikTok. “I figured you might need this.”

You love things that keep your hands busy. It keeps you from giving in to your urges. You take the picky pad and start picking out the small beads.

“I’m sorry for everything,” you sigh. “You should go back to your fans.”

“They don’t need me right now. You do.” Those words bring tears to your eyes. He doesn’t know you’re crying until he sees two tears roll down your cheeks. “What’s wrong?”

You look up at him briefly before looking back down at your picky pad.

“Please don’t hate me,” you whisper.

“Why would I hate you?”

“Because of what I have. You know, the hair-pulling thing.”

Jensen cups your cheek and gently makes you look at him

“I love everything about you. Even the things I don't like, I love, and I want you with me. I love you and I think you love me too. Do you?”

You can’t help but smile at his confession. “Yeah, I do.”

He leans down and kisses your nose. He rubs your back as you go back to your picky pad.

“Will you be okay?”

You nod. “I promise this time. I’ll just stay back here until you’re done.”

“I should only have an hour left. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Okay,” you whisper.

Jensen moves you off his lap and starts for the door. “Oh, there is another picky pad in my bag when you get done with that one.”

“Thank you,” you smile brightly.

Jensen winks and leaves you alone in the break room. Suddenly, the urge isn’t as strong as it was before, and it’s all because of Jensen.

x

Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[tokiwarcube]

Tattoos

Just some headcanons on what the boys (+Charles!) think of tattoos -- yours, in particular!

Charles Foster Offdensen

One thing about Charles? He appreciates art. And your tattoos are art, in every sense of the word. If pressed, he’d talk about how it’s impressive that you’re willing to sit through the pain for something you find beautiful, and that he admires the uh, the dedication to taking care of it. What he doesn’t say is how he loves watching the images flex and bend to your movements, how the ink accentuates your natural features, how… attractive he really finds them.

He shows it in other ways, though. He’ll trace them with his eyes when you’re not looking… then with his thumbs when you’re lying together… then with his lips as he makes his way down your body.

He very much appreciates a good tattoo.

Nathan Explosion

Nathan goes nuts for lovers with tattoos. Any type, really — something about having the patience to be stabbed with little needles for a couple of hours and then having the willpower and diligence to take care of it afterwards is hot to him, but he also just likes the look of ink on skin. Although truth be told… he’s extremely partial to big black and white pieces.

You’ll often catch him with his hand on a favorite piece, whether it’s an appropriate time for it or not. The man likes ink, what can I say?

Honestly, he'd like to sit in with you someday if you ever end up getting more.

Pickles the Drummer

He’s got a million shitty little stick and pokes of his own, so he absolutely has an appreciation for tattoos! A good amount of them were from fun, drunk adventures with friends, and he looks upon a lot of them fondly because of it, regardless of quality. He does very, very much like yours, though. He has no clue how you’re so damn good with aftercare — Hell, that’s the main reason he hasn’t gotten anything big of his own.

Beware, he will try to sneak a sharpie doodle in somewhere while you’re sleeping someday. You have to accept that you’re gonna find a weed leaf somewhere while you’re showering, and he won’t tell you how long it’s been there for. But by his laughter… probably longer than you’d like to admit.

All that aside though, he finds your (real) tattoos very, very hot. And he’ll happily show his appreciation for them, should you be willing to flaunt them a little behind closed doors.

Skwisgaar Skwigelf

Skwisgaar is such a pansy when it comes to pain, although he’ll never admit it. It doesn’t matter how many times you tell him it really wasn’t that bad — he refuses to believe you. This is just one of many reasons as to why he, personally, will probably never get one himself. (Shame — he’d look fantastic with a bit of ink in his skin, but I digress.) But that’s not to say he doesn’t like them — quite the opposite, actually.

He loves the way they look on you. Art forever embedded in your skin — moving with you, adhering to the contours of your body… he finds them mesmerizing, and yes, hot. You’ll often catch him tracing the lines with his eyes when he thinks you’re not looking.

He might ask about the meanings of them every now and again, but he finds them just as gorgeous whether it’s got a beautiful tale, or if it was a cool flash piece you picked up along the way. Although don’t be fooled — 9 times out of 10, his questions are just a good in to show a little more intimate appreciation for the piece.

Toki Wartooth

He likes tattoos a lot! He thinks about getting some of his own all the time, but honestly, he gets stabbed with needles enough as is — sitting in one place for hours and getting stabbed the whole time? And having to take care of it for weeks after? He’s probably not getting anything done any time soon. But that just means he gets to pour all of that love into yours, right?

Call him cliche, but he loves to color in your tattoos. Honestly, you’re tempted to get more, just to give him more canvas space — it’s very soothing, feeling the cool ink swipe across your skin. He gets very into it too, it’s sweet. The media is forever confused on what color your tattoos actually are, and at this point, you’d hate to break the illusion.

William Murderface

If you think the “Pobody’s Nerfect” tattoo is his only one, you’d be dead wrong — he’s got a million of them littered around his body, basically wherever he can cram ‘em. He’s got a lot of $50 flashes — chosen moreso for the opportunity to get tattoo’d again as opposed to having something he actually likes, but that's not true for all of them! Like his big piece, there's a good handful that he really cherishes, even if they don't always see the light of day.

He’s got some ideas of things he really wants, he’s just had trouble actually rationalizing the cost. He’s weird with money like that. All that is to say though, he loves your tattoos, and that you guys share a love for them! He’d be more than happy to go get one done with you, too — it’d be a good excuse to finally get the ones he really wants, you know?

Although beyond all of this… your tattoos absolutely drive him up a wall beyond closed doors. He thinks they’re unbearably hot, especially the ones that flex and roll with the contours of your body a little more. Flaunt them a bit, and he’s putty in your hands.

[sosuigeneris]

Why do you think 50/50 is bad

because I wasn’t raised like that, I won’t let my brother have that mindset and nor will my son ever be raised the same way. Any rational and sane woman brings enough to the table, the last thing she needs to do is pitch in financially unless there’s a grave issue. Everyone provides something for their partner and sane women go over and beyond to provide that in other ways. No contribution to any relationship- be it emotional, financial or otherwise - can ever be fully 50-50 because a) measuring these things means you really don’t love each other b) you could not measure them even if you tried due to their subjectivity c) it’s a relationship, not a competition nor a pot luck

Women and men are different and their differences are unique, but work and personal lives at times demand different energies - at work, I have to embody a more masculine persona and when I come home from work I have no intention of being a man in the house too. I’ve been in relationships where I’ve done the whole 50-50 and honestly? It just makes the man lazy and not creative and you end up scrambling for the bare minimum. I remember the first time being courted by a man who was an absolute gentleman and how wonderful he made me feel - that’s when my stance on 50-50 completely switched. He made me feel like a woman, and I loved that feeling. I never felt obliged to have sex with him, I learned how to finally relax and trust someone, it actually made me voluntarily put more effort in our relationship and shower him with affection, than otherwise.

I will never ever be the cool girl who “doesn’t need flowers” or “I’m so chill haha you can do what you want babe” or “of course you can be friends with your ex babe!” absolutely NOT. I like being loved, I like being spoiled, I believe in certain boundaries with friends and families, I am not cool with anything and everything. That’s what makes me inaccessible by many.

If a man who is romantically interested in me and likewise with me, ever tries to split the bill with me…. Not only will he be friendzoned, but I’ll pick up the whole cheque and block him after and think of it as my exit fee. Or if I can’t block him because our families know each other or whatever, he’s automatically placed in the friend zone and I will personally ensure that none of my closest girls ever has to date that miser.

[drakorn]

Rewriting Veilguard Part 3 - The Grey Wardens

Rewriting Veilguard Part 2 - The Shadow Dragons

Disclaimer: I don't hate the game, I actually think it's quite great given the development hell Bioware went through in those 10 years. This is more of a hypothetical universe where there was less of that behind the scenes drama. Just a fun writing exercise.

Writing an Origin Story Mission for the Grey Wardens

So before we start, I would like to notify you of three minor changes I made to my previous blog entry regarding the Shadow Dragons:

Varric no longer tells us about Solas straight away. I believe that’s a bomb that would be more effective when dropped later, otherwise poor Rook might just be a tad overwhelmed.

Neve stays in Minrathous rather than accompanying Rook and Varric. Yeah, as much as I like the idea of your chosen faction determining your first companion, I don’t think it’s really doable given the circumstances a few other companions find themselves in at the start of the game.

The Dreadwolf title card does not appear just yet. I found a better spot to use it later.

Now that we have dealt with the Shadow Dragon origin story, let us move on to the Grey Wardens. And here, we are going to have some fun because boy do I have ideas for this one.

The Grey Wardens were kinda the faction I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to playing at first and there’s a reason for that. You see, we already played a Grey Warden in DAO, and I actually like each game’s protagonist being someone very different. However, when I think about it now, there is some narrative logic to it. If DAV truly is the last Dragon Age game (which is very up in the air right now), it makes total sense to have this choice to bookend the story. You started as a Grey Warden, and now you’ll finish as one. Plus, with the Blight giving us its last hoorah in this one, it only makes sense to put the Wardens in a more prominent position once again.

So, without further ado, let us jump into the Grey Warden origin story!

Creating Rook

We start a new game, Varric gives his opening narration about the overall state of Northern Thedas, and this time, we click on the Grey Warden origin. The little blurb reads as follows:

“You are a Grey Warden. An ancient military order sworn to battle the ever-present threat of the Darkspawn, the Wardens undergo secret, unbreakable rites that grant them supernatural powers against the Taint. As the last surviving member of the Dornen outlaws, you joined the order after a passing Senior Warden invoked the Right of Conscription at your execution and gave you the chance to fight another day. But what you will do with it, that is up to you.”

Right there, we have a great canvas to paint with when it comes to sheer roleplay. We are a former criminal, the last survivor of a group known as the Dornen. Our group wasn’t, like, evil, but we were enough of a presence in the area in and around Hossberg to cause some proper trouble. The Anderfels is a dangerous land, the most dangerous one in Thedas. People don’t live, they survive. This means that many turn to unlawful ways to make ends meet. But being a former outlaw beautifully lines up with the theme of second chances the Order gives to so many people.

In DAV, our Warden’s name is Thorne. “Dornen” is the German words for “Thorns”. The Anderfels’ linguistic and etymological side is mostly based on German (“Anderfels” meaning “Other Rock” or “Weisshaupt” meaning “White Head”). So wouldn’t it be a fun idea if “Thorne” isn’t really the Warden’s last name but just the name they ended up going with? They arguably never knew their family name and the Dornen were as close to one as they could have gotten.

Unlike Mercar, your racial choice won’t really have that much of an impact here as the Wardens accept everyone into their ranks, as long as they can fight. However, if you choose to be a Qunari, it will add a few unique dialogue lines about how few Qunari there are in the order. You are probably one of the only ones.

For this hypothetical playthrough, we shall pick a dwarf warrior, and I’m giving him a big ginger beard. Just going full Lord of the Rings here.

Alright, so we just generated our Thorne, and now we get to hear Varric’s continued narration. We get a series of those beautiful tarot-styled illustrations with Varric’s voice telling us what’s been happening with the Wardens for the last decade. The Wardens in the North specifically have been all gradually returning to Weisshaupt Fortress, by order of the First Warden. They have become much more reclusive and secretive than they already were and are sharing practically nothing with the outside world. Something’s definitely going on. And Varric thinks it might be part of something larger.

Weisshaupt Fortress

And now, for the first time ever, we get to see Weisshaupt Fortress in all its glory, a gigantic fortress carved into the very mountains, the great headquarters of the Grey Wardens that withstood for over a thousand years.

I really like the way Weisshaupt is portrayed in DAV, my only gripe is that we never get to actually properly explore it. I was…surprised by that, actually. So what better way to explore Weisshaupt than have it be part of the Grey Warden origin?

This is place filled with such incredibly rich history. Just imagine, this place has existed since the First Blight, an event older than Andraste. This is an absolute field day for lore enthusiasts such as myself.

As soon as Weisshaupt appears, we get a grand reprise of Inon Zur’s DAO main theme, establishing it as the Warden leitmotif. Now that we are able to properly play as a Grey Warden again, we are just eased back into that feeling. We might not be playing the Hero of Ferelden anymore, but we can definitely bring back the nostalgia. Music is such an important part of storytelling, it’s insane how much a well-chosen theme can do.

Meeting High Constable Janos

Thorne arrives at Weisshaupt after a recent patrol through the mountains and we are greeted by High Constable Janos, the second-in-command to the First Warden. For some reason that rank never comes up in DAV, so we’re just going to include that here.

Here we’re going to establish that Janos was the Warden-Commander who invoked the Right of Conscription during our execution all the way back in Hossberg a few years ago. But why would the Right of Conscription even work in a time without the Blight? Well, this is a fair question for any other nation than the Anderfels. But the Anderfels is constantly threatened by darkspawn incursions, making it the only nation where the Right of Conscription still holds weight without a Blight. Given how the First Warden is often seen as an advisor to the King/Queen, one can also say that the Wardens’ whole “no politics” spiel doesn’t really apply in the Anderfels, either.

Janos informs us of an upcoming mission, assigned by the First Warden himself. Thorne is to meet him, Janos, and a few others in the war room later that day. It is something quite urgent.

NOTE: Throughout the prologue, Rook is still referred to as Thorne, given that “Rook” as a nickname does not exist yet.

Exploring Weisshaupt

Before we head off to the war room, we get a chance to properly explore Weisshaupt for the first time. And there are some interesting things to be done here:

Thorne can walk in on a recruit training session hosted by Davrin. Yep, if we’re a Grey Warden, we get to meet Davrin a little earlier than every other origin. We won’t know anything about his secret griffon mission yet, so for now we just meet him as a trainer. We learn that Davrin and Thorne joined the Wardens at roughly the same time and initially disliked each other due to their different pasts. But over the years, they grew to a mutual understanding since that’s just what being part of the order does to you. In this encounter, we get to train the recruits with Davrin for a short while, even do a sparring session between the two of us.

We come across a few recruits who are yet to undergo the Joining. From here, we learn that there hasn’t really been a great influx of Wardens recently as people just don’t see the necessity. And while the Right of Conscription applies in the Anderfels outside a Blight, it does so only when the alternative is a crime verdict. The recruits know about the Joining already, so we can either reassure or prepare them for the possibility of dying.

We learn from the general chatter as we traverse Weisshaupt that many of the older Wardens are getting ready for their Calling. Since there’s such an unusually high number this time, they are organising something akin to a massive group exodus into the Deep Roads. From the same chatter, we also learn that there has been a staggeringly smaller amount of recruits every year. Some of the older Wardens are worried.

We can enter the library and meet Valya from the Last Flight novel. Instead of just leaving the Wardens for an unspecified reason like in DAV, here she stayed, survived her Joining, and has since been promoted to Chamberlain of the Grey, the order’s chief archivist after her predecessor embarked on his Calling. Her role in rediscovering the griffons had a huge part to play here, but we don’t know that yet. She has also entered a relationship with Caronel who has been promoted to Warden-Commander of the Anderfels. From Valya, who is also in charge with gathering reports from Wardens all around the world, we learn how the Wardens in the South are doing, and it’s quite something. Nathaniel Howe is now the Warden-Commander of Ferelden and operates from Vigil’s Keep. Yes, all Wardens have been ordered to return to Weisshaupt, but Ferelden is an exception to this summon as the First Warden deems Amaranthine  being an actual Arling and two Grey Wardens ruling the country as too valuable of an asset to just drop. The same can’t be said for Orlais, though, as we learn that the Orlesian Wardens, currently led by Stroud and Thom Rainier, have fortified the Warden stronghold outside Montsimmard and are currently acting as peacekeepers. In addition, Bethany is currently overseeing the still-standing Griffon Wing Keep. The First Warden looks at them with disdain for refusing to obey his orders, but he also can’t, in good conscience, declare war upon them as every Warden is valuable.

NOTE: Here we see some of our World State shine through. In this playthrough, Hawke was left behind in the Fade, allowing Stroud to be a force for good among the Wardens. Blackwall took back his original name of Thom Rainier and became a proper Grey Warden. Since Hawke took Bethany and Anders to the Deep Roads in DA2, Bethany was made a Grey Warden. Nathaniel Howe was recruited and both Vigil’s Keep and Amaranthine were defended properly, allowing the Wardens to once again maintain a strong presence in Ferelden. As mentioned in the previous post, Alistair and Cousland currently rule Ferelden. And, as we're about to see, Avernus has been left alive and allowed to ethically continue his research.

While still in the library, we get to read a few letters sent to Valya. One of them is from Cousland, dating back a few years now, stating that she is close to making progress on how to stop the Calling but that this is the last letter she’ll be able to send as she’s embarking to places where communication just isn’t possible. Another is from Stroud, stating his regret for how things turned out. Here we get some hints as to what happened when he came to Weisshaupt during DAI. Apparently him and the First Warden clashed on ideals, the First Warden insisting on staying distant and secretive and Stroud being in favour of change. The third letter is from Ramesh, the Warden from Tevinter Nights who discovered one of Ghilan’nains labs and is now searching for the other eleven. The fourth and final letter is a report from Avernus and concerns the progress of his superior Joining ritual. All of these are just codex entries as I doubt we'd get to see this publicly.

Meeting the First Warden

After exploring Weisshaupt, we enter the war room, where Jowin Glastrum, the First Warden himself, awaits us. Joining us in the meeting are High Constable Janos and Warden-Commander Caronel.

Now, let me make something very clear about the First Warden. I like that he’s old-fashioned and traditionalist in DAV, I think it was very in-character of him to act distant and dismissive towards people outside the order. However, he is also a Grey Warden first and foremost at heart, he has Thedas’ best interest in mind. He isn’t here just because of status and standing, no, he clawed his way up the ranks through valiant deeds. We know that many Wardens in the Anderfels come from noble lines and still have ties to those. While the First Warden is of a noble house, he doesn’t use that as something to flaunt over the Wardens. His idea of having ties to noble families is a strictly pragmatic one: the more ties, the more aid, the more recruits. While he might not get along with outsiders, he absolutely respects the Wardens under his command and, while not always agreeable, would never meaninglessly sacrifice them. He’s harsh, strict, often an asshole, but still a Warden at heart.

The First Warden briefs us on a mission: A strange crack into the Deep Roads has opened near the village of Lavendel and a darkspawn horde is gathering for a full assault. Wardens Evka and Antoine are already on-site, preparing the defences.

The First Warden orders us to take charge of the village’s defences alongside Caronel. Under no circumstances are we to abandon post. High Constable Janos will arrive with reinforcements to secure our victory. The idea is to lure the bulk of the horde out of the Deep Roads so that we can slay most of them.

We can inquire why Thorne was chosen for this, since our presence alongside the First Warden, the High Constable, and the Warden-Commander is pretty insignificant, to which the First Warden answers that we are very much due to becoming Senior Wardens ourselves, it’s just this one last assignment left until our promotion.

After the briefing, we leave the war room and encounter Davrin again, with whom you can share in your either excitement or humbleness. In any case, Davrin congratulates us on the soon-to-be promotion, claiming how deserving of it we are and how he would have never thought so upon our first meeting all those years ago.

If we wonder why Davrin wasn’t chosen to head to Lavendel, he’ll tease that he has something else going on, equally important, but won’t tell us what it is just yet as it’s top secret (wink wink caw caw).

Reaching Lavendel

We depart Weisshaupt and leave for Lavendel, a small but significant village not far away from Hossberg. We take a few newly joined Wardens with us, a group consisting of the recruits we met earlier at Weisshaupt.

Upon entering Lavendel, we are approached by Evka and Antoine, who have been busy preparing the defences. From the ensuing conversation we gather that Thorne is very well-acquainted with them, similar to Davrin, having shared in many patrols across the Anderfels with them.

While Caronel takes charge of the mission, he trusts your judgment on matters as it is your time to prove yourself further in the eyes of Weisshaupt. High Constable Janos leaves you be now and heads off to prepare the reinforcements on the other side of the hills.

In the distance, a faint dark red cloud indicates the approaching darkspawn.

Preparing for Battle

Before the darkspawn assault begins, we have the chance to explore Lavendel a little and engage in its defences. During this short segment, we have a few encounters to experience:

Naturally, we can talk to Evka and Antoine and reflect on some of our past adventures together.

We can speak to the new Wardens we’re supposed to co-lead with Caronel, either inspiring them or telling them to be realistic and not too hasty. It’s obvious many of them joined because of the heroic notion surrounding being a member of the order.

We can encounter Mila and her father, Lavendel’s blacksmith. Yeah, I haven’t made them occupants of Weisshaupt just yet, you’ll see why in a bit.

We can inspect the defences, which boil down to barricades, a few ballistae, and, of course, the Warden stronghold just outside the village. If we explore enough, we see a very large and lose rock on a jagged edge right next to Lavendel. Maybe this will be useful later? Since we took the extra time to look around, we can now have that in the back of our head. We can also spot a crack in the stronghold’s basement and encourage quick repairments to be made.

We can speak to Caronel and share in thoughts about the coming fight. All of us Wardens can sense the approaching darkspawn. Caronel isn’t too worried as it’s just a minor skirmish, albeit with a larger-than-usual horde. And why worry? We’ve got Janos swooping in with reinforcements, anyway. We can talk about Caronel’s promotion to Warden-Commander, which was very recent. It is surprising how one so young climbed the ladder so fast, to which Caronel responds that it’s really not so uncommon anymore, given how Ferelden’s Warden-Commander got the title only a year after joining. Well, granted, she took down the Archdemon and somehow lived to tell the tale, but the point stands.

Before we commence the battle, there is one big choice to be made about our position and that of the villagers. While Evka and Antoine suggest to pull all Wardens and villagers into the stronghold and brave the storm there, Caronel would rather only keep the villagers in there while us Wardens head out into the open and prevent the darkspawn from getting to them in the first place. We don’t really have enough Wardens to divide, so we must make that choice now.

Send both the Wardens and the villagers into the stronghold and fight on close and narrow ground. The villagers are at risk from getting into the heat of battle, but the Wardens will be close by to defend them.

Send the villagers into the stronghold and let the Wardens fight in the village itself. While the villagers will be more vulnerable in terms of sheer distance away from the Wardens, the darkspawn is less likely to even get near them.

For the sake of this playthrough, we choose to evacuate the village, and ourselves, into the stronghold. We feel confident but would rather keep our charges close to us. Being a former outlaw in the Anderfels has taught us how one should never leave their goal out of sight. Our aim is to defend, not to gloriously destroy. This shows us that Thorne is willing to cast the pride of glory aside and choose an arguably safer path.

An Old Friend

Our decision made, we deliver a short speech to the villagers, instructing them to head into the Warden stronghold. We shall follow suite immediately and position ourselves on the walls and in the courtyard. Since we’re familiar with the darkspawn’s habit of digging tunnels, we’ll make sure the basement is accounted for as well.

Once the villagers and Wardens head to the keep, we are approached by a most familiar face: Varric Tethras. This is certainly a surprise. While we’ve never met him in person, we’ve certainly heard and read about him. Varric says he was passing through on an errand of his own and figured he might as well aid Lavendel’s defences with Bianca. While we can question the sincerity of this statement, we can use any help we get.

Varric comments how many Wardens would seek out the more daring and glorious path and is pleased to see that we’re not one of them.

The Battle of Lavendel

Right so we’re all hunched up in the fortress, and the atmosphere is intense. Now, all of us sense the evil just outside our doorstep. The dark red cloud is directly above us. Everyone looks to Thorne and Caronel for leadership while Evka and Antoine keep morale up. Varric, while being easy-going, is very much battle-ready now.

The darkspawn slowly creep through the village like a dark carpet of disease and corruption. We hear the deafening screeches of shrieks in the distance and see various hurlocks and genlocks make their way between the buildings. At this point, a thought comes to us, one we share with Caronel. Holy shit, that’s a lot of darkspawn. And no sign of Janos yet. Where is he? Where are the other Wardens? Surely this can’t be less than the bulk of the horde yet. This is almost like a new Blight.

A horrifying thought grips us and we quickly sense into the Taint for any signs of an Archdemon’s song. To our relief, we hear nothing. The relief is short-lived, however, as the darkspawn reach the stronghold and send in a wave of shrieks to scale the walls.

We engage in a properly gritty fight against the darkspawn and can make use of several ballistae on the battlements. But we quickly realise that this place is just not at all well-prepared. Evka and Antoine’s pre-defences, alongside our inspection, are all that’s keeping this place from being overrun. Why is this in such a shoddy condition?

We then hear fighting from the basement. Ah, so the darkspawn did attempt to dig through. Good that we halted their progress by mending that crack, giving us time to respond.

We head into the basement and confront some hurlocks and genlocks. After the skirmish, we sent several grenades into the tunnel below, causing it to collapse without damaging our infrastructure too much.

Returning to the courtyard, we see something strange. A few of the shrieks have reached a group of villagers, but instead of slaying them, they’re trying to abduct them alive. While this wouldn’t be strange if all villagers were female, given that darkspawn need broodmothers to multiply, they are taking the men, too. What…?

We make short work of the darkspawn, and at this point, some of our newly joined Wardens have fallen, but only the Wardens. Now would be a really good time for Janos to show up.

At this moment, we hear loud dum, dum, dum. Huge footsteps approach. We look at each other and have all the same reaction: Ah shit.

The gates to the courtyard break down and a huge ogre walks in. Oh boy, here we go. Now would be a really good time for Janos to show up!

We take down the ogre with great difficulty and see that another large influx of darkspawn follows. After dealing with those, the fighting ceases for a moment.

We head to the battlements and see another group on the outskirts of the village. Then we remember the huge loose rock. Oh yeah, baby.

We quickly load up a ballista and aim across the village, towards the jagged cliff. It takes three shots for the edge to become lose enough, but it works. The huge rock collapses upon the newly approaching darkspawn horde, squashing them all beneath, but taking some of Lavendel’s houses with it.

The relief is short-lived, however, as we can still sense the Taint in our heads. Further away, past the outskirts of the village, we can already see a new horde of darkspawn amassing. And still no sign of Janos.

We gather a quick emergency meeting between the Wardens, and some start speculating that…Janos might not be showing up. Evka and Antoine are of the same belief, while Caronel holds on to the hope that reinforcements are on their way. Why wouldn’t they be? Wardens stick together.

But what about us? What do we believe? Janos personally recruited us all those years ago, he personally saw to our training. Why would he…but where is he then? Why isn’t he coming? Maybe he was held up? But by what? Was there another darkspawn horde on the other side of the hills? But why can’t we sense them? In fact…why can’t we sense any other Wardens in the immediate vicinity aside from us?

Wherever Janos might be, we have to hold out on our own. But if the darkspawn keep coming, we won’t hold out at all eventually. And if the Wardens die, the villagers will be…what exactly? Killed? Or taken? No villager has died so far. Why is that? What’s going on here?

Eventually, Thorne concludes that if we are to survive, we must seal that damn entrance ourselves.

But how will we go about this? Do we take all Wardens with us, or just a few?

Take all Wardens to the Deep Roads entrance. The villagers are exposed but the darkspawn may be largely drawn to us given that they haven’t even as much as injured anyone else yet.

Take Evka and Antoine and leave Caronel and the other Wardens with the villagers.

No matter what we choose, we are going against the First Warden’s orders to not leave Lavendel under any circumstances until reinforcements arrive. And at this point, if we are to survive, we have no other choice. We tell Caronel and the other Wardens to secure the villagers’ retreat from Lavendel, while Thorne, Evka and Antoine head off to seal the entrance to the Deep Roads. Caronel is hesitant at first but comes to agree with you. In Death, sacrifice, true, but the sacrifice has to mean something. Varric offers to accompany us but since he’s no Warden, we refuse. He’s more useful with protecting the villagers without risking getting instantly blighted.

Approaching the Crack

With Evka and Antoine at our side, along with several grenades from the stronghold, we head across the dark hills. A few darkspawn break off from the main horde and try to stop us, but we make short work of them.

After a few short skirmishes, we reach the entrance to the Deep Roads, a very steep crack located between two rocky hills. It is guarded by two ogres. The rest of the horde have already departed for Lavendel. It’s now or never. We might be fewer but two ogres…we can take them. Maybe.

We throw ourselves into a fight with the two giants and slay them after exchanging some fierce blows.

Now that we have a short breathing moment, we must quickly go about sealing that entrance. However, looking at it reveals that we can only collapse it by doing so from below. No use doing it from up here. But this action would cause the Warden who does it to be trapped.

We look at Evka and Antoine and order them to give us the grenades. They initially refuse but we remind them that as Warden Thorne, we have been given charge of this mission. It’s either us or no-one. We take the grenades and bid farewell to our favourite Warden couple, ordering them to return to the others. We then recite the oath of the Grey Wardens between us. “In Peace, Vigilance,” says Antoine. “In War, Victory,” says Evka. “In Death, Sacrifice,” says Thorne.

The Deep Roads

We descent into the cavern and find ourselves immediately struck by an overwhelming sense of the Taint. There are more darkspawn here, and they are coming.

We quickly go about preparing the grenades, when we are suddenly stricken by a strange sense. It is similar to the Taint, but also different, almost…purer. Suddenly, we become incredibly aware of the cavern around us. We can sense each layer, each type, each consistency. We can sense hidden passages, the tunnels the Darkspawn are digging right now. And we feel…whole, strangely so. And this is only something we experience if we picked a dwarven Thorne, for we are experiencing Stone Sense.

At this moment, a figure approaches us from the dark, followed by darkspawn. We look up and see a tall, cloaked being, wearing dark armour that we can’t recognise. We can definitely sense the Blight in it, but it’s…weirdly different in a way we can’t describe. The figure has veins of lyrium writhing all around its form, red lyrium.

It speaks to us, but we can only hear its voice in our head. It asks us to stop, to let be done what must be done. When we ask who and what this thing is, it simply refers to itself as “The Emissary”. While the Emissary won’t tell us exactly why it wants the villagers, it hints at a great and regrettable mistake that has to be rectified before it’s all too late.

Being the Warden we are, we attempt to still go through with our grenade plan, but the Emissary casts a spell of pure, raw magic on us, causing us to be knocked against a wall. But we refuse to go down fighting and challenge the Emissary to a one on one.

Similar with Laskaris in the Shadow Dragon origin, the Emissary is a fight we aren’t meant to win. But if we lower its HP to 0, the cutscene will be a little different.

In our seemingly dying breath, we hurl the grenades against the weakest parts of the crack, which we can clearly determine due to our Stone Sense. The Emissary howls in fury as the rocks descend upon us, sealing the Deep Roads off of Lavendel for good. All turns black around us.

Saved

But strangely enough, this isn’t the end. We wake up back in Lavendel and see Varric. He says he followed us in secret as he had a feeling we might be needing assistance. When Evka and Antoine showed up without us, he increased his pace and the three made it just in time. Varric climbed down and found us in the rubble, saving us from certain death.

Evka and Antoine join us and profusely apologise for leaving our side, despite us ordering them to do so. Well, it seems the Wardens in general have a feeling for disobedience as of lately.

When we inquire about Lavendel, we are told that everyone is save and none have been taken. This is because of the time we took to explore the place before the battle. By sealing the basement and collapsing the great rock, the darkspawns’ numbers were too few for what came next.

But…what came next? We find out the moment we walk outside.

A whole entourage of Wardens hurry about Lavendel. The reinforcements arrived after all. Or so we think.

High Constable Janos and the First Warden approach us. When we remark on the lateness of the reinforcements, the First Warden orders us imprisoned. What? Why? For disobedience, of course. We see that Janos is uncomfortably silent during this exchange.

But we saved Lavendel. We repelled the darkspawn horde and sealed the entrance to the Deep Roads. What could he possibly be so mad about? It can’t just be about disobedience, right?

Well…as we slowly, horrifyingly learn from the conversation, Lavendel wasn’t meant to survive. All who were there, Wardens and villagers alike, were supposed to fall to the darkspawn.

Here we get the context: the Calling has been manifesting in more and more older Wardens. At the same time, Weisshaupt is receiving fewer and fewer recruits. This combination will eventually have the effect of the order facing extinction. And outside the Anderfels, the Right of Conscription means less than nothing now. The world has grown complacent in a world without the Blight, even though the recent one has only been twenty years ago. And the Anderfels doesn’t have a large enough population to feed the ranks on its own.

By using this abnormally large darkspawn horde, letting it consume villagers and Wardens alike, the First Warden hoped to convince the nobility to encourage greater recruitment again. It can’t be a coincidence that the Calling has been manifesting increasingly more frequent now.

But Thorne has been a thorn in this plan’s side and ensured that the First Warden’s plan backfired spectacularly.

Shocked, we turn to Janos and ask him if he was aware of this. Yes, he was. In Death, Sacrifice. In War, Victory. And the war isn’t over as long as Razikale and Lusacan still slumber beneath the surface.

Caronel has been stripped off his rank as Warden-Commander of the Anderfels and Evka and Antoine will be assigned to very far-away duties for the foreseeable future. Thorne, however, as the instigator of this chaos, is to be tried for disobedience and treason.

This is where we can lash out, accusing the First Warden of having lost his way. We can also add that Lavendel’s villagers wouldn’t have died anyway as the Emissary wanted to collect them. When we tell the Wardens of what we saw beneath the surface, the First Warden, as we would assume, does not believe us, assuming we’re using this as a convenient excuse to paint ourselves in a more heroic image. Janos, however, knows us, so he isn’t so sure.

At this point, Varric chimes in and argues against trial and imprisonment, stating it as just a waste of effort. Instead, he offers to take Thorne away for a matter of great importance. The First Warden objects, stating that Weisshaupt’s affairs are to remain its own. Janos, however, in a change of tone, takes Varric’s side. Whatever Thorne’s reasonings are, one can’t deny that we are a true Warden. NO matter the disobedience, we fought against the Blight and won. There will be other opportunities to gather more recruits, but we do not deserve a trial for doing what we joined the order for.

The First Warden eventually relents. Remember, he is still a Grey Warden, with Thedas’ best interest at heart. Him doing this whole Lavendel thing was him acting out of desperation to keep the order alive in the long run. The morality is incredibly questionable, he’s definitely an asshole, but he is not heartless. Rather than putting us in chains, the First Warden suspends us from all Weisshaupt duties and instead tasks us with travelling the lands, searching for new recruits until further notice. Dismissed.

Leaving Lavendel

When the First Warden leaves, Janos makes an attempt at conversing with us, apologising for sending us into death. We can be either understanding, or angry, or just hurt. Despite our rough exterior, we are hurt because Janos was the one who saved us from another execution in the first place. Janos definitely feels bad about it, but orders were orders. Yeah…orders were orders, we respond.

Varric approaches us and confesses that he’s not here by accident. He’s looking for someone among the Wardens to accompany him on a very special mission of the utmost importance. He heard from some of his contacts that Lavendel would have fitting candidates. And he is certain he just found the one. What exactly are we doing, now that we’re stuck with him? Varric promises to reveal everything in good time. Now, he would very much like to get out of this place. We can either go immediately or have some final conversations. Being the completionists we are, we of course choose the latter.

We can talk to Evka and Antoine and just be glad that we’re all still alive, despite being given rather shitty jobs now. Well, that’s a no on the promotion for now, right? But we’re confident we’ll see each other sooner rather than later.

Caronel honestly doesn’t even care about his demotion. He’s just glad he survived and is now able to return to Valya. But if he were still Warden-Commander, he would make us Senior Warden in a heartbeat. Sometimes, one simply has to defy orders.

We can talk to Mila, who excitedly announces that her father has taken Janos’ offer to be Weisshaupt’s new blacksmith, given that the fortress desperately needs one again.

The Wardens who were under our command during the battle look up to us in awe and call us a hero and inspiration, no matter what the First Warden says. They actually pretty much despise him now as he was so willing to just let them die.

Once all of this is done, we head to Varric and and half-enthusiastically announce our readiness to depart. Varric smiles and welcomes us to the team. What team? Oh, we’ll see. But he recommends us going by another name for the foreseeable future as the First Warden might just be petty enough to make our life more difficult by telling foreign Wardens or members of the nobility about our streak of disobedience and conspiracy theories. Well, that’s easy enough, we say, back in the Dornen, the others used to call us “Rook” for that one time we headed straight in and brought down a very well-connected Hossberg nobleman. “The strongest piece on the chessboard,” Varric chuckles. “I like it.”

Now going by Rook once again, we head off with Varric. As Lavendel is nearly out of sight, we turn around and look at the gathered Wardens one last time. This…is not how we pictured leaving the order one day. But no, we haven’t left it. We’re just…taking a vacation. With a heavy heart, we turn back to Varric and follow him into the unknown.

And that’s it for this one! Now we have our Grey Warden Rook origin story. It’s a lot, I know, but the Wardens have a lot of material to work with. And the whole plot surrounding the Emissary will make sense later, I promise.

Next time we shall be heading off into Arlathan Forest to draft a potential Veil Jumper origin story! Stay tuned!

[moonlitwitchdaisy]

Xmas Stories From Moonlitwitchdaisy

❅ Concept: Hello everyone! I’m here with a concept I’m super excited about. We’re almost in December, and the Christmas spirit has already kicked in. So, this year, I’ve brought a little gift for everyone, whether you’ve been naughty or nice. I’ll be writing four different Christmas-themed one-shots. I honestly can’t think of a better combination than JJK boys + Christmas.

Before diving into the summaries of the one-shots, there are a few things I’d like to mention.

❅ First of all, the one-shots will contain mature content, so MINORS DO NOT INTERACT! It’s only for +18 audience.

❅ Taglist is open. If you'd like to be tagged in a specific one-shot, please leave a comment with its name. You can ask to be tagged in more than one or even all of them. (I just wanted to mention this since not everyone might want to be tagged in all of them ♡)

❅ I’m planning to post the stories every Sunday.

❅ I’m not entirely sure how long the stories will be, but I can promise they won’t be super short. My priority is delivering the fun and vibe of the concept described in the summaries.

Alright then, if we’re past all that, take care of yourselves until the first story drops, and don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments! Hope you enjoy it (ˆ⌣ˆ)

Last Christmas, I Gave You My A** (Gojo Satoru)

Last year, Gojo Satoru had been a good boy. Well, he’d at least tried. And in return, you gave him the one thing he’d been wanting for a long time. Your ass. That Christmas night was unforgettable for both of you, and you’d promised him that if he could manage to be a good boy again this year, you’d gladly give him what he wanted once more. But could your boyfriend really pull it off? Would he follow to the rules and earn his “dream ass” by next Christmas, or would he mess things up like always and end up on the naughty list?

❅ word count: ? ❅ smut ❅ modern au, santa-elf roleplaying

No One Should Be Alone on Christmas (Nanami Kento)

Ever since moving to Tokyo for work a month ago, you’d been drowning in loneliness. You hadn’t fully adjusted to the people or the city yet, and worse, you were about to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning all alone. At least, that’s what you thought. In an attempt to forget your loneliness, you went to a bar, where you met the most handsome man you’d ever laid eyes on. Other than the fact that he, too, was spending Christmas alone and that he was devastatingly attractive, you knew absolutely nothing about him. If Christmas miracles were real, maybe you could spend this night—and the morning—in Nanami Kento’s arms.

❅ word count: ? ❅ smut, fluff ❅ modern au, one-night stand (?)

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Or Not? (Geto Suguru)

Since the start of November, you’d been busy preparing for Christmas. Everything had to be perfect because this year you were going to celebrate it with your boyfriend and his two daughters. While you and the girls were bursting with excitement, your boyfriend didn’t seem to share the same enthusiasm. A day before Christmas, a huge argument broke out between the two of you, and he said something that shattered your holiday spirit: “You’re not my family.” Your excitement was completely crushed, and it looked like you’d be decorating the gingerbread house alone this year. Before it was too late, Suguru needed to realize his mistake and bring back your holiday spirit. And it seemed like he’d need his daughters’ help for this operation.

❅ word count: ? ❅ smut, angst, fluff ❅ modern au, happy ending

Everyone Deserves A Suprise On Christmas (Fushiguro Toji)

Toji Fushiguro wasn’t a good man. He was an alcoholic and a gambling addict, the black sheep of his family. He thought he was beyond redemption—until he met you. For the first time in his life, this man who believed he was unlovable learned what unconditional love truly felt like. And once he realized he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you, it didn’t take him long to put a ring on your finger. For your first Christmas as husband and wife, you had a big surprise planned for him. You knew Toji hated surprises, but this one was going to change both of your lives forever. How would your husband react to the news of the newest member of your family? Maybe surprises weren’t so bad—especially if they were made on Christmas.

❅ word count: ? ❅ smut, fluff ❅ modern au, accidental pregnancy

all rights belong to the @moonlitwitchdaisy do not copy, reproduce, or translate my work.

dividers by @estrelinha-s

[lauramkaye]

Austen is so timeless to me because even though it’s set in the past, the PEOPLE are still so true.

Like. Haven’t you had a friend who meant well but their advice was always useless to bad because they couldn’t see past their own circumstances/privilege to understand that other people had different needs and preferences than them? OH HAI EMMA!

Have you ever realized that you were unfairly cruel to someone because it was too easy/fun to think of ways to roast them with that one friend who always egged you on? That’s your Lizzy Bennet character growth moment.

Have someone in your life who doesn’t get treatment for their obvious anxiety issues but instead makes them your problem to manage? Welcome to life with Mrs Bennet.

Have you ever coped with being unpopular, socially awkward or anxious, and/or neurodivergent with behavior that is or is interpreted to be stuck up? Have you actually gone ahead and learned to believe you were better than other people at least in part because that way it won’t bother you that they don’t understand or like you and you don’t understand or like than? Well good afternoon Mr. Darcy.*

Also I mean. Too many examples of mansplaining to mention, all throughout.

Austen’s work is full of PEOPLE that behave in recognizable ways that are just as true and common now as they were 200 years ago, even if the context and the exact way it manifests is different.

(*my interpretation of the “is Darcy a stuck up jerk or is he neurodivergent/shy/socially anxious with bad coping mechanisms” debate is that he is a neurodivergent/socially anxious/shy person who learned to use the stuck up jerk persona/behavior/beliefs as a maladaptive coping mechanism and nobody ever called him on it until Elizabeth)

jane austen's ability to portray female characters occupying a wide range of roles in society, falling into a variety of stereotypes or patterns, yet give each one a depth that makes them jump off the page... is genuinely so impressive to me. as a student i was reminded sometimes not to dwell on relatability when discussing historical literature but like. anne elliot? relatable. DEEPLY relatable, in a remarkable way. this woman has put aside her own wants and needs and interests, been silenced so frequently that she learned to silence herself - but then, partially because of maturity and partially because of specific circumstances - she learns to say no, to admit to herself what she wants, to defy social convention in little ways in order to stay true to herself. so many women today are boxed in by social and familial responsibilities, raised to put everyone else before themselves. and it's why i keep coming back to persuasion, and to austen, knowing that she saw and understood and chose to give us a novel where the eternal caretaker protagonist rejects being resigned to the future that her father, sister, etc. imagine for her, and reclaims her own life and her own story. austen didn't just write real, whole women, she wrote universal women.

[chaosinstigator]

here’s the thing… I’ll never settle on that this is it, that it’s the end of it all bc there’s too many things that don’t make sense but also if anyone in this world deserves karmic justice it’s Daniel and I simply refuse that this is the end after everything he’s dealt with in the last four years.

I need to believe good things happen to good people or I’ll go absolutely crazy so I’m gonna stay in the place of hope and possible delusion that this isn’t the end, simply because it can’t be.

[turtleblogatlast]

My favorite reading of Leo’s “indubitably” tell is that it’s not actually a tell, and Leo just plays it up as one so he doesn’t get called out when he really wants to hide something.

Especially since throughout the series we see him lie and trick multiple times without saying the word once.

I like to think that one time when they were kids Leo happened to learn the word “indubitably” and because he tends to repeat new words he learns, he ended up using it at the same time as he was caught lying. He uses the word again later in another lie, and that’s where the association comes from.

OR- counter argument: “indubitably” is one of his tells, but only for unimportant things, especially when said to family. Long plays, particularly ones with villains, are in a different category in his head.

[yourinaudiblename]

ughhhh why is gender so hard to figure out. my body is like boom gender dsyorphia but won’t tell me noone about my identity

(I accidentally made an entire vent in the tags lmao)

[iamthemaestro]

Oh boy. I have a lot to say on this. I 1000% think that one of the biggest issues in AWI reenactment is the failure to reach the younger generation and I also wish the article had talked more about this and how it intersects with the inclusion of historically marginalized groups within the hobby.

I’ll put it this way: as of 2024, the BAR has an article in their constitution that prohibits women in ranks. As a young, non-male, and only sometimes white-passing reenactor, this has caused me issues in the past. People from the BAR have complained about me—a young, fairly new, dedicated reenactor—being on the field as a musician. Now, I’ve had the good fortune to be part of a unit with significant influence in the hobby, who have gone to bat for me in these instances and allowed me to feel relatively safe coming to these events, but I still can’t take up a musket at a BAR event if I want to. Over the past year I have become acutely aware that if it weren’t for the fact that I do music and not hat company, I would not be able to interpret at these events in the way I have repeatedly proven myself capable of doing.

So you have the primary overarching association responsible for organizing large-scale AWI reenactments literally denying interested, dedicated people from the younger generation the opportunity to participate in the hobby. And this is just one official organization—this is to say nothing of the culture. At the end of the day, sexism, racism, homophobia and transphobia is rampant in these environments. I do think the culture is slowly improving with time, but still, there are spaces where I do not feel safe in the hobby, and I spend a lot of time considering what my future as a reenactor might look like if I ever decide to medically transition, for example. My love for this hobby means I put up with a lot, even within my own unit, but I cannot fault other people who take one look at this mess and decide it’s not worth it. Of course there are going to be less reenactors. If individual units and the overarching organizations are going to actively resist a new generation of young living historians, interest in the hobby is going to waver.

I also think there’s an important distinction to make between so-called “progressive” units and a broader sense of historical accuracy, because ultimately reenactment is a hobby. I strongly believe that no issue of historical accuracy should take precedent over actual issues of discrimination (if we were going to really pursue historical accuracy, we would be excluding probably 90% of the reenactment community as it is!). But I also believe that the spirit of this hobby is one that is educational and authentic: second to having fun and staying safe, of course, I think the priority should be pursuing as accurate of an impression as you can in the meantime. “Progressive” units often get kind of a bad rap but ultimately I think they have the right idea. They’re what’s going to keep this hobby relevant as an educational tool and pursuit, as opposed to just being a bunch of grown men running around playing war with each other. Progressive units are, in my opinion, the future of this hobby. And yet a lot of more conservative units have this weird resistance to this philosophy simply because they don’t… want to have to adapt to what it means, I suppose. But I really do think that if that philosophy prevails, we won’t have educational reenactment—it’s possible we won’t have much in terms of reenactment at all. Ultimately I want to believe this, too, will improve in time, but the fact that we have to violently contest, for example, whether British soldiers had to shave (which they did) just because some reenactors desperately want an excuse not to… does not bode well for garnering interest from historians and enthusiasts in time for the 250th.

Anyway, that’s been my experience. I should probably stop talking about this because I think about it constantly and could go on forever. But that’s my (admittedly rather scathing) two cents on why this is the case.

Who has Wall Street Journal access I heard there’s an article about 250th reenactors and I need the tea

[girlmadeofclockwork]

I think the potential hilarity of Durge/Karlach is not capitalized on enough, cause imagine being Gortash, the subordinate you sold to the devil ten years ago is back foiling your methodically laid out plans and out to kill you in vengeance for what you did, and then just to add insult to injury she stole your murder-girlfriend as well. L’s up on L’s for this man.

[thesilverlock]

Wait a minute,

canonically,

has Number 96 technically not ever told a lie?

[poisoned-pearls]

you know, Idk if I have to say it, but, cut off those people who drain you. You shouldn’t always have to text first, your friendship shouldn’t end because you stopped talking.

And I know it sucks, that feeling of crippling loneliness. But when shit was absolutely the worst for me, when everything had fucking crashed and burned, I met a few people who finally reminded me what it meant to have someone care, and you’ll get it soon