#but when you know zevran. yeah no sorry

[thatwavephenomenon]

me: i sure hope the crows are not gonna be solely depicted in veilguard as a brave force who 'fight for all' when they are at their core a criminal organization who is known to buy children to indoctrinate them and turn them into assassins, by putting them in overcrowded warehouses and making them fight for scrapes in order not to starve, to later torture those who reach adulthood to finish their initiations and kill them anyways if they dare to try getting out

bioware: i cooka da pizza

[perilegs]

one of the things i'm most disappointed about is that da:tv will sell well. it's been designed to bring as much new players in as possible, and apparently a lot of people disappointed in it will still buy it on launch day. and ea will keep producing absolute steaming garbage with some ip slapped onto it just because it sells. theyre treating the series with as much respect as netflix originals with their medias.

[dareactions]

How will companions react to a teen!Warden? Will their behavior change or they will act the same way as with an adult!Warden? Who would like to be friends with Warden and who's more annoyed by teens? Sorry if my request is too long:(

Alistair: He always wanted a sibling in some ways. There's something nice about the idea of having someone that depends on him and the Warden becomes a younger sibling so fast he gets a bit scared. Alistair wants to so badly steer them in the right direction- and he very easily falls into that role of the cool older brother. Honestly he kind of lets them get away with way too much just because they're younger but eh- he's not here to be a dad let's be honest. Leliana: Honestly she's kind of excited. Teenagers are always some of the most creative people in terms of problem solving and they have the ego and gumption that rivals most politically inclined adults. She for sure leans into the big-sister role that she finds herself in. She is a confidant, someone who listens and gives advice when asked. Also the person who pretend she doesn't see anything if you don't want her to. Loghain: Only one internal thought- what the fuck? He is so confused. Like- Loghain can't even be angry, he's just confused. Why the fuck is a teenager this competent? Since when were Grey Wardens below the legal drinking limit? There's such a mix of feelings that anger never even bubbles to the surface; he just becomes an exasperated dad in the funniest way imaginable. He hates this, he doesn't want this but it's not like Alistair or Morrigan is going to tell the kid off. Morrigan: She is so actively displeased she may as well just have even more of a permanent frown. She's not bad with kids and she would argue she can handle teens even better; but really? A teenager? She just sighs, rolls her eyes and makes sure they're not more than an arm's reach away when they're in major cities and anyone who even so much as raises their voice at them- it's on sight. Oghren: This man- does not know what to do. He isn't exactly the most stable person to put anyone around; much less a teenager. There's a lot of squabbling and stupid fights. Teenagers like pushing boundaries and Oghren likes pretending he is unbothered until he no longer is. It takes a LONG time to find a stability that actually works on the road between the two but hey- he doesn't mind teaching the kid a trick or two. Shale: Could care less, let's be honest. Just more inclined to not take you as seriously initially but eh- humans tend to exceed all odds. Sten: It's a big of a weird situation. In some ways- he likes the initiative the Warden is showing at a young age. After all, it's not like age actually decides your competence in battle - however he really could do without the whole mood swings and feeling on top of the world thing. He doesn't baby them whatsoever- just treats them like he would any teen within the Qunari. Wynne: If the Warden didn't want a mom figure- they should've stayed out of Wynne's sight. She is ON THAT. She does not mind being the bad guy unlike Alistair and is here to ensure the Warden survives this Blight. She's soft, comforting, nurturing- and also willing to put her hands on her hips and stare them down with a look that would make gods shake. Zevran: You know that older brother or uncle that teaches you how to pick locks and steal cars? Yeah, that's him. Zevran is actually the one who seems the most upset visibly that they're doing all of this so young- but he takes it in stride. He keeps them within arm's length, his protective nature is always a silent one. He is pissed when he finds out he was hired to kill a child though.

[dearest-and-nearest]

You know about whole "we wanted blank state" once again. My Warden died. Like literally. Completely. She refused to help Morrigan with a child and sacrificed herself, killing an archdemon. Alistair mourned her, Zevran had no lovers after her, what a sad story, yeah

BUT

Her grave is at Weisshaupt, like all warden's, who made an ultimate sacrifice. And when I heard we will visit Weisshaupt, i thought something like "wow, i'll see grave of my first protagonist! Cool!". But I won't.

Because for Busche and others choices before their precious fanfiction about Wolf and Halla don't matter. They don't care about warden, Hawke or anything beside solavellan and how sad it is, wow such a tragic romance, she wants to save him from himself((999((

That's the harsh truth. That is why all our backgrounds are the same, why even as Crow you still have this "you saved people" shit and Crows even didn't try to kill you for such failure. Because Busche, Weeks and others don't want you to roleplay in roleplay game, they want you to see hero they created and allowed you to give this hero your appearance (until you're a woman. If you're a woman, then sorry, you will have man's body, because poor little studio couldn't make good female body model, let's pity them). They don't want to continue stories of your inquisitors, of world you created, they want everybody to play in their fanfiction about Solas, found family and other shit.

I won't buy this game, because I don't want to invest in such a slap in my face. I didn't care about Solas before, he was just an annoying bald man who i will need to kill, but now? I hate him and I hope this game will fall as it deserves, because if it won't, studios will learn this lesson. They will remember you can basically split in faces of most fanbase and they will still buy your shit and protect you.

[luckyjak]

The Decisions I Would Have Included in Veilguard

(Not that anyone asked me)

(Sorry, yes, I am still a little salty about this, apparently.)

Kieran: Does he exist? Who is his dad? If he DOES exist, there should be a small cutscene when Morrigan goes to leave where we see a grown-ass Kieran wave as he picks his mom up before she leaves. If the HoF was sacrificed, there should be a HUGE memorial for them in Weisshaupt...that we see get promptly destroyed by the elven gods when Weisshaupt is attacked. Really hit us where it hurts, you know?

Zevran's fate Of all the original DAO love interests, Zevran has gotten the least amount of attention. We are going to be working for the *Crows* man. Give us a side-quest where we have to hunt Zevran down, and decide to either let him go or murder him.

Sten's fate I care about this one way less than any of the others, and I have no idea how into the story the Qun are in this game, but it would have been a nice little acknowledgement had Sten been the Arishok.

Are Fenris, Isabela, and Merrill alive, and what was their relationship with Hawke? Given the factions, let's be real: Fenris should be a Shadow Dragon, Isabela a Lord of Fortune, and Merrill a Veil Jumper. Especially if they are all alive/unromanced by Hawke. Hell, they could be voiceless merchants and the fandom would be tickled pink, I think.

What is the fate of Dorian, Iron Bull, and Josephine? What is the Inquisitor's relationship to them? Again, idk how much the Qun are involved in the story, but of all the companions in Inquisition, these are the ones who stand the best chance of being seen in Northern Thedas again. Dorian especially since we'll be in Minrathous!

Is Cole a human or a spirit? This one is mostly for giggles, but I would love it if Solas and Varric continued their custody battle arguments ten years later, especially since both of them seem trapped in the Fade (?).

Well of Sorrow Absolutely should have an impact, somehow. I'm interested in seeing how they wrote themselves out of this one. + the questions that are already in Veilguard I agree with them that I don't think who the Divine is or who is ruling various kingdoms in the south will make much of an impact on the game, but yeah. These are the changes I would have made.

[kurczeno]

ok so a little rant about DA:V, because I feel like it needs to be said. First a disclaimer: if you are hyped, thats good for you, really. Enjoying the final product is absolutely fine. However, I've seen SO MANY people, especially here on tumblr, but also on tiktok and reddit acting as if any criticism of the game is just people being mean haters or homophobic.

And don't get me wrong - there are probably people taking things too far, just for the sake of it. There are also people mad about the wokeness - though as a person that is very interested in the topic, I've seen only one? discussion about this matter and it wasn't even made by people that like the series, they just wanted to complain about wokeness in games, etc.. But I'm not saying these people don't exist, because I haven't seen them.

However I am seeing so many valid criticism of the game being discredited for no reason and I feel like there is at least one thing that needs to be said.

I played Origins over 20 times. DA2 and DA:I - also more than once, but I didn't count it. I loved all of them - even the Inquisition, despite its many flaws. But it's not a post about them - the thing is, I am a fan of a series. I've been since I was little and later I got that stupid hyperfixation. I was extremely excited about the game, despite SO MANY red flags - I'd say it's still Dragon Age and I'm sure it won't be that bad.

But at this point even I can't cope that hard.

First of all - it's barely Dragon Age at this point. I just want you to remmeber that most of the staff that was working on the first three games got fired or resigned themselves. The LEAD WRITER himself, David Gaider (he's incredible btw, go follow him on twitter and play stray gods!!!) has been trashing Bioware on TT for years and he's been there for 12 years. He tried to highlight just how badly the company treats its workers - and it's not only Bioware, it's gamedev in general. I have many friends that work in gamedev and whenever we talk about situations like this their reaction is "yeah, but thats what happens in gamedev every half a year". You know, it's so bad, we just treat it as a standard. Why am I bringing all this up? Because I think that countering every argument with "you haven't played the game yet" or, even worse "people are only complaining because woke" is just buying into their narrative, taking the responsibility from them. When the truth is that every single teaser looks, to say the least, outdated. The graphics are very, very bad, the designs are mid at best (I'd single out Neve and technically? Emmerich, but he looks horrible because of the graphics, so...), the reps show that they know little about Dragon Age (I'm in love with that one recording in which they collectively barely remember Zevran. The companion in the most beloved game. The guy that is basically the only source of info we get about the Crows. The Crows that are a fraction in their game???), they have already stated that your choices don't matter. I can elaborate on each of these, but the post is already to long and my point is different - don't excuse Bioware. And I'm sorry, but "play the game first" shouldn't be the argument here, because the things that should be good, regardless of the game itself fail - I'm sorry, but this isn't an indie game. It's made by a huge company, with loads of money after two commercial flops. I know some of you (including me!) are nostalgic towards Bioware, because of their games and what they meant back in the day, really. But at the end of the day, the games were made by people and Bioware is just a company. A big corporation, that just wants to make money, has a long history of mistreating their employees and has delivered the worst teasers I've seen in a long time.

TLDR: I'm not trying to tell you, you are wrong to be excited. I'm just kindly asking you to stop coming to Bioware's defense at all costs, because they don't deserve it.

(also I know David himself has reacted to the teasers and reviewed them in a positive way but I am talking mostly about the things that I blame on higherups. However I personally think that Gaider, as someone who's worked in the industry knows that there are many people there that ARE actually passionate about the product. Not the reps, please, they are embarassing, but the animators, writers, etc. And trashing their work as a lead writer of the first games would be a little too much, even if the final thing is not their fault. They don't need any more shit)

[mtsuzuka]

talk about zevran

...do you really want to open that can of worms

Anyways yes I'll gladly talk about Zevran Arainai from the hit game Dragon Age Origins

Essentially he was born into a brothel, his mom died during childbirth (more on this later), and all the other women treated him like shit for legit no reason but uh yeah he was sold by those women to this assassins group called the crows and basically tortured into being someone who could withstand pain and kill indiscriminately and efficiently.

He fell in love with both of his closest friends (Rinna and Taliesen, I need to say their names just in case I bring them up again but yay poly rep) and Rinna ended up wanting to escape the life of the crows, and they made Zevran kill her for it even though he didn't want to. He hates the crows but it's the only life he really ever knew, they dictated his life and choices because it was "do this or you'll die, or we'll kill your friends!"

And then he finally gets his mark/target on the remaining grey wardens (main character/s) because he's been hired by the antagonist, and Zevran KNOWS he isn't good enough at assassinating to actually kill the wardens. He takes this job with the intent of getting himself killed because he wants to escape this life so badly. I guess I should mention now that Zevran isn't really skilled in actual killing and usually uses deceit like poisoning or charming people in order to kill them. Anywho

You have the choice to spare him after you beat his ass and his romance is really nice, he really has such a warped concept of love because he was never allowed to love really or make any of his own choices and he's absolutely terrified of any commitment bc of what happened when he last felt committed to someone. Oh did I mention he also uses horrible innuendos and flirts all the time in order to get people off his back. I'm yapping so much IM SORRY

But ok there's this woman named Wynne she's like a grandma and they have this banter where she inquires as to whether or not he feels guilty about his line of work and he immediately goes to flirting with her until she gives up and stops asking him questions it's just so. You are such a traumatized man and I love you so much.

Oh and also you have to end up killing the other man he loved bc he comes back to bring Zevran back to the crows and afterwards you can talk to him and he'll give you his earring 🥺 but if you ask him if it's a proposal he'll get mad 😭😭 then come back later and say "well. If you want it to be a proposal then sure it can be that."

MY FINAL NOTES: I love zevran so much because he is a character whose whole story is about rediscovering his autonomy and that yes, he too can choose his own life ❤️

And here's some obligatory zev images about his ending and jst other random shit he says

[bluerose5]

I would like you to know that I am OBSESSED with your whole Zevran-in Faerun thing (and am now rolling around my own thoughts bc in my personal canon, Zev is married to the HoF and they have an adoptive daughter (who ended up as the inquisitor) and the idea of him casually bringing up yeah my husband and daughter both saved the world. i mean yeah i was there i helped but they're the heroes. and the rest of the party just ????????????? is hilarious to me) and i am eagerly awaiting every new post

also for your consideration: /Fenris/ in Faerun. that'd be a breakdown and a half, I think.

AHHH! THANK YOU. Tbh I'm so obsessed with this idea right now too, and I love the idea of Zevran just being the type to brag about his husband and daughter at every opportunity while somehow winding up the leader of this group. The type of husband and father to just whip out pictures when nobody has asked, but you are going to listen about how amazing they are because that's a threat and a promise. 💀

I do have a Fenris in Faerûn playthrough, too, but I just vibe so much with Zevran being more of a neutal/chaotic neutral character (at least in my opinion) and I find it to be such a fun alignment & approach in a setting like bg3. So sorry, Fen, he's getting the attention right now. 😂

[ndostairlyrium]

Dragon Age companions (and advisors) as Jenna Marbles' quotes

Alistair: "You know what's better than sex? Crying"

Oghren: "There's a lot of room for opportunities to improve in my life but I'm just gonna continue ignoring them like I do every year"

Loghain: "[my eyebrows] just grow in a sad direction"

Sten: "Worst case scenario you're right"

Cole: *whines like a cermet*

Sebastian: "I don't know if you've ever been like 8 years old before but you can't just staple everything together. It doesn't work"

Wynne: "So much work and it hardly was even worth it"

Sera: "I feel beautiful, I feel bratty... Actually I'm in pain"

Shale: "We looked fierce. I still have dreams about me"

Bull: "Snatch me like one of Liam Neeson's daughters!"

Vivienne: "That joke was so pigmented"

Cullen: "If you'd accept a treat, maybe it'd be a rewarding experience for you"

Leliana: "I love fucking myself up"

Josephine: "Sorry guys everything is fine, daddy has everything under control"

Isabela: munching on a beauty blender "Calorie free marshmallow! ✌️ Coachella!!"

Justice: "Get a Ouija board or something. Bring 👏 me 👏 back! 👏"

Cassandra: *that defeated look Jenna makes when Julien is being too much of an aries*

Anders: "This is me putting on my mascara with confidence knowing full well that later on in the middle school dance I will lock myself in the bathroom and fucking crying"

Velanna: "I feel so bratty I'm just ready to disobey my parents. I also lost my cat" shrugs "sorry mom. What would you do about it"

Blackwall: stretches "Ouch" raises thumb "Good game" dad noises

Nathaniel: "Welcome to "I'm feeling generally unmotivated""

Fenris: "Sabado y domingo es my favorito" thinks about the following up "Muerte!"

Carver: "Everyone is getting pizza for lunch but I have to eat this lettuce sandwich my mom packed me. Yeah with mayonnaise. My mom never learned about nutrition. She just opens a can of lettuce, cuts a hole and squirts mayonnaise"

Morrigan: "I have a lot of feelings but like they're not for me and they're kinda fake"

Zevran: "This is me inviting myself to a party no one invited me to"

Sigrun: "Nothing says beauty guru quite like black white flannel checkered shirt"

Varric: "Oh no" nervous smile "this is gonna get worse and worse"

Bethany: "Life is short but also like terribly and insufferably long at the same time"

Dorian: "I literally just wanna sit here and like see how useless I would be in an apocalypse scenario"

Merrill: "When those people do it it's art, but when I do it it's "is Merrill okay?""

[runespoor7]

Levi Dryden remains written like the least trustworthy NPC to ever do a run for

It's so weird because he's on the level! But here he is, talking about his good friend Duncan who totally promised he'd something for him and it's so weird he didn't ever speak about me! But he promised, so you're gonna do this for me right?

For the record, Daphnis doesn't think it's weird or anything she didn't hear of Levi, she knew Duncan for only a short time! But the way Levi goes at it and his insistence are ringing all her alarms for it being at best a con. Maybe another ambush?

I hc that we can check with Alistair that "Soldier's Peak" was a warden base (and possibly even about Levi Dryden being an acquaintance of Duncan? though he might not know either, Duncan might be discreet), and maybe even ask Zevran if he's heard about another ambush/trap by Loghain. He'd laugh bc that's not how Crows work, but the fact that we just got Zevran makes Daphnis think this probably isn't a Loghain trap. Loghain doesn't know yet his assassin failed.

So to Soldier's Peak we go. It's not that far from Denerim anyway, and it might get us things we need - more info, or more recent treaties, or weapons, or anything of the sort.

Daphnis is NOT IMPRESSED with what she finds.

She grits her teeth and decides to check on the tower the demon moving Sophia Dryden's corpse talks about. Hopefully it contains the key to repairing the Veil and anto-demon stuff - which would explain why the demon wants it destroyed so bad! But since she can't be sure, she doesn't destroy the demon before going to the tower. Just in case they do need to rely on the demon to close the Veil.

Also for the record Zevran being unable to pick locks means taking Leliana with me as well, which means that when Daphnis starts "negotiating" with the demon Leliana speaks and I miss out on the Zevran +2 approval would happen if she wasn't in the team! I'm very annoyed! Zevran "I can pick locks" Arainai no u can't. False advertising!!! (which I comment on at every single possible point when playing, I think I'm hilarious)

Long story short:

- Daphnis doesn't drink the result of Avernus research because she doesn't trust it

- Daphnis does manage to make Avernus see he's fucked up, and he agrees to judgment

- we fight Sophia (sorry not sorry. the demon was never going to walk away)

- Avernus closes the Veil

- Daphnis executes Avernus. The way Avernus talked about it, it sounds like maybe he took a demon in himself to survive, as well, which given the decisions he's been taking re: torture of fellow Wardens, isn't a great sign that he's not being influenced by the demon.

Even without that... it was bad.

At this stage Daphnis has come to the following guidelines, which will inform her decisions in Redcliffe:

- you can fight and win against demons in the Fade, paradoxically. You can confront, including negotiate with, demons in the Fade.

- it's a terrible idea to bring things out of the Fade! Do not! Do not do it! You can beat demons in the Fade but demons in our world are just bad! Do not!!

- mages going "yeah I'm going to bring an army of demons that I'm definitely going to be able to control and also let a demon into my body to interact with the real world, I will definitely not be taken over": so far we're on 2/2 of Do Not.

- Daphnis trusts herself but less so other people. It's okay when people don't bring demons into the world or torture people or stuff. She doesn't do these things. So it's okay.

Notably: Daphnis hasn't talked with Wynne a lot yet. :) Wynne is a little preachy and telling her not to be overconfident, and Daphnis was a little surprised when she came with, but she's okay.

I also wanted Avernus' robes because Daphnis is going to do blood magic, and if I hadn't she might have left Avernus alive, buy the decision/scene wasn't horrible to make from a RP perspective.

[fade-and-loathing-in-thedas]

Some Killian incorrect quotes using this generator to give you all a feel of him and his relationship with his companions. It's below the cut, cos there's a few lol

Killian: I'm not funny, I'm just really mean and people think I'm joking.

***

Killian: You seem familiar... have I threatened you before?

***

Killian: BEHOLD, the field in which I grow my fucks! Lay thine eyes upon it, and thou shalt see that it is barren!

***

Alistair: When I first met you, I did not like you.

Killian: I'm aware of that.

Alistair: But then you and I spent some time together.

Killian: Uh-huh?

Alistair: It did not get better.

***

Alistair: How stupid do you think I am?!

Killian: You really want an honest answer to that?

***

Alistair: Did you have to stab them?

Killian: You weren’t there. You didn’t hear what they said to me.

Alistair: What did they say?

Killian: "What are you going to do, stab me?"

Zevran: No. He's right. That’s fair.

***

Killian: We either die free, or die trying!

Zevran: Are those the only choices?

***

Killian: I'm gonna need a human skull but you can't ask any questions.

Zevran: Only if you also don't ask any questions.

Zevran: *pulls four pristine human skulls out of their bag*

Killian: ...

Killian, grabbing a skull: This one will do.

***

Zevran: Killian, my friend, you're an asshole.

Killian: You are what you eat Zevran.

***

Killian: I need to dye my hair.

Zevran: ...

Killian: Or get another tattoo.

Zevran: ...

Killian: Or a new piercing.

Zevran: Why?

Killian: To, you know, appease the mental breakdown gods.

***

Morrigan: You’re an idiot.

Killian: That’s the charm.

***

Morrigan: Can you cut me some slack, Killian? I’m sort of in love.

Killian: I’m sorry, but that’s really not my problem.

Morrigan: I’m in love with you.

Killian: Yeah... That still sounds like a you problem.

***

Morrigan: I still have no idea how I’m attracted to you...

Killian: Yeah, well, you’re stuck with me, and no take backs, babe.

***

Alistair: Are you the big spoon or the little spoon?

Morrigan: I'm a knife.

Killian, from across the room: She's the little spoon.

***

Killian: Morrigan, you do remember when we agreed we were better off as friends, right?

Morrigan, naked in Killian's bed: No, I absolutely do not.

Killian, already taking off his clothes: Fuck... Me neither.

***

Leliana: So I have made the decision to trust you.

Killian: A horrible decision, really.

***

Leliana: Killian, this morning, I called you abhorrent and reprehensible, and I’d like to withdraw that statement-

Killian: Aww, thanks-

Leliana: But I can't. Those are the two words that best describe you.

***

Leliana: How are you today?

Killian: Please don’t make me think about my life.

[shadowheartwife]

I can’t draw humans for shit so here is my Warden from my current playthrough, made with picrew! Below I write about her relationships with her companions, though nobody asked - enjoy if you wish! Reminder that these are JANESSA’S opinions - a fictional character’s opinions - and not necessarily mine!

If anyone is interested in her relationships with the Awakening crew, let me know!

*I imagine her with a rounder face, darker brown hair, and more defined curls.

Janessa Cousland - Rogue (Duelist)

LELIANA: Janessa is bi and was attracted to Alistair initially, but found him to be immature and whiny (cue Jon Snow “I dunt wunt et!”). He refused to make, like, ANY decisions, which rubbed her the wrong way. Throughout her journey, and especially during the Urn of Sacred Ashes quest and Arl Eamon’s miraculous recovery, Janessa developed a deeper faith, which she loved discussing with Leliana. It was those deep, philosophical conversations that really started their connection. Janessa had pushed back her attractive to women for so long because of pressure from her parents to marry a nobleman. That part of her is finally free to be true to herself.

ALISTAIR: Alistair became a best friend to Janessa, part of her new family. Heartcrushingly, due to fear of magic and distrust of Morrigan after finding out that she knew the Grey Warden secret the whole time, Janessa refused the Dark Ritual. Having Alistair sacrifice himself hurt me sO BAD but it’s role playing, and Janessa wasn’t willing to risk an unknown magic when the fate of the world hung in the balance. She gained a huge amount of respect for him upon his death and sometimes regrets not stepping forward and doing it herself - but she knows that this was Alistair’s choice and that he was proud to do it.

MORRIGAN: Janessa and Morrigan got along better than I would have expected, but there was a mutual “I respect another strong independent woman when I see one” vibe between them. Upon Morrigan’s revelation and betrayal, however, Janessa decided Morrigan was a bitch. (I personally love Morrigan and find her to be a fascinating character)!

WYNNE: Janessa respects Wynne but finds that she reminds her of the Chantry sisters who annoyed her so much growing up. Still, as her faith evolves, she finds herself talking to Wynne more and seeking her wisdom. She is freaked out by the spirit possession though. It takes her awhile to fully trust Wynne after learning that she’s a Diet Abomination.

ZEVRAN: She could take him or leave him honestly lol I rarely brought him with me in this playthrough. They got along but there was nothing special there. Sorry Zev!

OGHREN: Oghren is a great guy to have around, tactically speaking - let him take all the hits - but that’s the only thing Janessa finds him good for!

STEN: There is honestly so much mutual respect here. Sten is like a proud but weird uncle to her. They aren’t super close but know that they can 100% rely on one another.

SHALE: GOD I LOVE SHALE! So does Janessa. She finds her so strange, but such a breath of fresh air. She loves going along with Shale’s humor (though sometimes she’s unsure if it’s really humor!).

DOG: Janessa named her dog Bryce, after her father. She did this as a prank when she was a younger teen (like 14; she’s 18 at the start of Origins) so she could be like “yeah Bryce shat in the kitchens again” and “Bryce ate an entire pork roast, vomited it, then ate it again.”

If you have any questions that would help me flesh her out as a character more, let me know!

[icharchivist]

I have played Baldur's Gate 3

I know the feeling of having my soul shrivel up and die when my fav disapproves of my choices 😥

And the urge to go back and redo it and realizing your last save was five hours ago

HELPP

yeah that's fair BG3 makes it work to.

but did you have to kill your fav because of it. Now that's the question. (sorry i'm like haunted by my very first da2 playthrough, the one time i didn't romance Fenris and didn't manage to max his approval, and then on the last quest he turned against me and looking online was telling me that he was going to die and the only way to change it was to replay a huge chunk of the game because the approval i was missing was *in act 2* of the game. But thankfully i managed to reason with him last minute but i was in the trenches then.)

(tho i also have a friend who told me the horrors of playing DAO and romancing Zevran, forgetting to save the whole time she was in the Deep Roads, finally got to the end of this fucking dungeon, accidentally clicked on Zevran and triggered a romance scene, fucking up the romance scene and having Zevran break up with her indefinitely, and screeching because she hasn't saved from the whole dungeon and she had to restart everything to save her relationship.)

Anyway. fun!

[viladlind]

in the long stretch of silence between them, fiyero's eyes well up enough for him to not be able to stop it when the tears start rolling down his cheeks. he looked up, finally, with the touch. really, at the first suggestion of zevran reaching out to cup his face, he already looked up. he still doesn't like it— zevran looks exhausted to the bone, and there's dried blood on his face.

it's so, so different. knowing zevran's line of work, the familiarity that fiyero has with bloodshed, and yet looking at zevran like this tears at him, digs into his chest, his throat raw with hurt.

he shouldn't be doing this. he should be a steady surface for zevran to lean on, not crumbling in front of him. but it's a helpless thing, like being swept away by waves that are too strong for fiyero to fight against. he doesn't know how to swim.

zevran thanks him. fiyero can't reach him from where he's kneeling, not the way he wants to. so he leans up, over the elf, keeps himself steady with an outstreched arm, crouching over zevran. keeping zevran's hand on fiyero's cheek with his own palm pressed against it. his hair falls around zevran, framing his face, and it's better like that. cocooned as he is, by fiyero. it feels better.

fiyero sniffles, a tear dripping onto zevran's face. he's still crying but deftly ignores it, the way his chest hitches with each breath not long enough. he leans in instead, presses a long kiss to zevran's lips.

it's barely more than that. a press that would be desperate if it weren't for the tiredness in the both of them. fiyero forgets to breathe, remembers halfway through, makes a small whimpering noise as he draws in air through his nose. ' yeah, ' he mumbles as they part, his forehead against zevran's. his eyes are closed again.

yes, you'll be fine.

' don't apologize. i'm glad you came to me. it's— ' my job? he's doing terribly at it, then. zevran's trying to comfort him and it's such a pathetic reminder of his own undoing. he feels so useless. ' —sorry, ' he blurts instead of continuing where he left off. ' sorry, i should be ... i'm usually better at this. if i had my healing ... i'm sorry. '

zevran frowns.

fiyero will not look him in the eye. the assassin can understand why he might be upset -- it is no easy feat, to see someone you care about hurt, to be the one poking around their insides with needle and thread. but fiyero is a healer with months of near daily combat behind him, surely he has dealt with such issues before? even in the distant world from which the tiefling hails, so alike and yet so different from zevran's own, magic was no bottomless font. in his current state, tired, addled, and slightly confused, he cannot understand why fiyero will not look him in the eye. it bothers him.

perhaps it is not only the injury that upsets him so. perhaps zervan, himself, has upset him. by having the audacity to get hurt. as if that was a decision he had made willingly.

the stitching causes no pain. zevran has suffered needles so many times in his life he can no longer feel it. besides, he is sure nothing can pierce the thick blanket of discomfort that has wrapped itself around his body and heart.

he does not know what to do. suddenly he finds he would give anything to make fiyero look at him, to wipe the unshed tears from fiyero's eyes, but he does not know what to do. he cannot move while the bard works. so he does nothing.

not until the tiefling has finished and pulled the stitching taut.

only then does he brave the chance to reach out, to cup fiyero's cheek with one of his bloodstained hands. when he tries to speak words do not come, not for a long moment. he swallows.

"thank you.... i..." a pause, "i am sorry you had to do this, but thank you. i will be better now, see?"

[jewishzevran]

Please tell em about your Jewish Zevran headcanons

THANK YOU FOR ASKING ok so

There are other Jewish DA fans who I have seen incorporate Judaism into existing elven lore and culture in such a canon-compliant way that you'd never think it wasn't there. I am too lazy to do that, so I just shove judaism wholesale into the game because I can

With Zevran, he's obviously cut off from his heritage from an early age. I don't imagine him as thinking much about it (beyond his mother's gloves) because it's something he feels he will never be able to have, so there's no point wishing for it. But then when he meets my warden, subsequently falls in love with her and leaves the crows, that's when he starts to wonder, and long for that connection.

Rivka is very religious, and during the events of origins, she still takes the time to pray and participate in ritual, she tries to say shabbat blessings every week, even when they're in the deep roads, and I headcanon Zevran has having a really deep pull towards it.

Once the blight is over and it's just the two of them, he starts to ask her questions about it, and they engage in discussions of theology and religious practice and Rivka lets him explore at his own pace, and teaches him everything she knows. She can see how interested he is but understands how intimidating it can be trying to reclaim your heritage so she doesn't push him.

Zevran discovers challah and it becomes his favourite thing in the whole world, he picks up the elven language really easily, and says the shehecheyanu every morning, because in his words, "just waking up next to you is a joyous occasion worthy of blessing"

I think he and Rivka go back to clan sabrae, where they stay for a couple of years and whilst they're there, Zevran gets his adult bar mitzvah and vallaslin, and he and rivka eventually have a big jewish wedding. i haven't thought about where they permanently settle, but his favourite part of Jewish culture is the food, and i headcanon that he becomes an excellent cook and loves cooking for anyone that comes to stay at their house

I haven't decided yet if they have children or not, but if they do, their daughter is named after Zevran's mother

SORRY this is a rambled mess and not at all coherent but YEAH i love zevran and him reclaiming his jewish heritage is v important to me

[rosella-writes]

"Ayurnamat - The philosophy that there is no point in worrying about events that cannot be changed." for zev and alistair?

oh lovely, thank you so much Tato. 💚

Rating: T

Words: 1016

for @dadrunkwriting

~~~

It wasn't often that it was just them.

Alistair burrowed his nose deeper into Zevran's loose hair. It spread over his shoulder in smokey-fragrant tangles and caught in the sweaty crease of his elbow — Zevran just hummed and snuggled closer under his chin.

"Why are you awake, amore?"

Alistair grunted and shifted. Zevran hooked his leg tighter around his in protest. "Thinking."

Zevran snorted. "That is dangerous, yes? With thinking comes doubt, with doubt comes sadness, with sadness comes malcontent." He sobered slightly, and his grasp tightened slightly before relaxing again. "Be content with me, tesoro."

"I just —" Alistair's voice caught in his throat. He cleared it. "I think about it when she's not here."

"Hmm? But she is with you so scarcely."

He grunted an affirmation, and thought about his wife, asleep in a too-large bed in a wing as far away from this room as it was possible to be in the keep. He hoped her lover was there to warm it for her.

Zevran pulled back and rested his elbow beside Alistair's head — he leaned on his palm and stared down into Alistair's eyes, his gaze as sharp and assessing as it was safe and warm. He knew Zevran wasn't searching for weakness to exploit — he was searching for a way to understand.

"This isn't about Rhiannon, is it?" Zevran murmured.

Alistair sighed, and soothed the spinning thoughts away with slow strokes of his fingers on Zevran's back. His skin there was smooth and warm, contoured by relaxed muscles.

"Everything is about Rhiannon," he said, "eventually. If I follow it far enough."

Zevran frowned. He reached his spare hand up to comb through Alistair's beard. "How so, amore?"

He thought of when he surrendered control of their direction to her — this strange Dalish elf he'd just met, tattooed and grumbling and far from home. He thought of the moment she tried to give him back his rose, and he'd pushed her hands away. He thought of the hard glint in her eye when she placed her hands on his shoulders and told him Goldanna wouldn't know family if it struck her between the eyes. Everyone's out for themselves, and I'm sorry you learned that this way. He thought of the set of her mouth when she asked him to be king, to marry Anora, to stand aside while she let Loghain go...

"Speak to me, caro," Zevran murmured.

Alistair took a deep breath. "Well, I can't help but think of how everything could've been different. If I'd said this or done that or if she'd been different or I'd treated her different, blah, blah, blah." He huffed out a sigh with a dramatic roll of his lips. "And... well, yeah, That One."

Zevran knew the sound of those capital letters in his voice. He smiled slightly and nodded. "What about her?"

Alistair stared up at him for a moment, feeling his heartbeat pumping ice through his veins. It hadn't felt real until it was time to say it out loud. "Anora. She wants an heir. From me."

Zevran blinked. "Why shouldn't she? It is simple enough to give her one."

"No." Alistair recoiled, drawing his hand off of Zevran's back. "I don't... we don't do that. No. We both made it clear at the start that this was just... it's a marriage of convenience, Zev. She has her love, I have mine. And besides" — he shuddered for dramatic effect, attempting to stave off Zevran's concerned look — "I don't want to imagine her naked, much less see it. At this point it would be like seeing Goldanna stripped down past her skivvies."

Zevran raised one brow and the corner of his mouth.

"No, don't you — no Zev, stop thinking that," Alistair spluttered, laughing in spite of himself.

"I said nothing."

"I could see it written all over your face."

Zevran hummed and smiled warmly now, all teasing gone. He drew his fingertips absently across Alistair's chest, painting lines of heat through his hair.

"My dear king," Zevran murmured, "I was a Crow once, yes? I saw princes raised high and kings laid low. I saw rumoured heirs killed and gutted and poisoned — well, I killed a few of them myself. So I struggle to fully understand your plight. Fereldan politics do so bore me."

Alistair snorted and shifted under him, but Zevran leaned harder against his chest.

"But I know you, tesoro," he said gently. "You are a good man. A loving man. It is so in the way you treat even the daughter of your sworn enemy. Any other would have put a babe in her and not given it a second thought. But you? That you agonise so speaks to your character."

Alistair stared up into the warm amber of Zevran's eyes, feeling his own well up with hot tears. He blinked them away and cleared his throat. "What do I do? I can't ask Rhiannon, I can't. She'd tell me to do it."

Zevran sighed, then raised his hand to cup Alistair's cheek. Alistair leaned into the warmth of his palm. "I cannot tell you that, my dear one. This choice is yours and yours alone. Besides" — a sad smile tugged at his mouth — "Rhiannon learned long ago not to make decisions for you, no matter how much you beg. She would have you take your life into your own hands."

"I wish she had learned that sooner."

The sad smile spread on Zevran's face, twisting his black tattoo. "I believe she wishes that too. But there is nothing for it now. What is done is done."

Alistair took a deep breath and released it, raising Zevran up and down with the expansion and relaxation of his chest. He realised he'd been rubbing his thumb back and forth on Zevran's rib, as if to soothe himself — he wondered if he'd scrubbed the skin raw.

"There is only forward," he sighed.

Zevran hummed his agreement, then leaned forward to steal a sleepy kiss. His mouth missed slightly, locking crossways on his lips, but it spread warmth through Alistair's heart all the same.