#but will fenris ever really be okay with what he is?

[itseghost]

a slightly sillier continuation bc the events immediately after were also in my head, esp with anders unsuccessfully reading the room trying to cut the tension lol

i think its extremely interesting from a character perspective that fenris and anders have so little (if any) sympathy for each other's struggles but sometimes i wish there was a button to tell them to shut the fuck up for a second. LMAO

very straightforward redraw because this quest and this whole scene have been ON my mind.

[rennybu]

AAAAUHG.. so many things come to mind so i will start with... i like to imagine he and Fenris are the same height :') (5'11"). This got a bit long but i'm always happy to talk about this guy!!!!!!!!! @trebuchet151

he's got a big garnet signet ring with the Amell family crest carved in it, and that's about the only recognizable thing that denotes his lineage... he has always liked stamping wax seals on letters with it!!! he's a ring guy generally, he likes mixing and matching stones and metal.

his hands are very scarred and rough from reckless casting, and especially casting fire magic without a staff (in a pinch).

He has a heart tattooed on his ring finger for Fenris :') their wedding was very. Andraste as the witness, on the road, impulsive. Vows for themselves, nothing legally binding. Fenris has a plain gold band on a red cord somewhere on his person at all times.

his testosterone is taken via oral tincture, some kind of oil solution he takes drops of daily. like a mild and highly personalized potion recipe! it's the only reason he sometimes needs a home base or shop to set up in, to prepare a big batch. He stores it in little glass vials he collects from trinket shops. Malcolm found the recipe for him after he came out in his tweens.

Bethany is kind of sainted in his mind, when he's exasperated or stunned he might utter an "oh Bethany" (in the tone of "are you seeing this shit") rather than an "oh Maker"

He struggles a lot with empathy, in that he frequently can logically recognize when he should feel for another person's situation, and yet finds himself unmoved. He will deliberately go out of his way to care for others, sometimes more than is needed, to try to make up for what he perceives as a personal flaw. This is how he ended up like a wrung out mouldy rag, emotionally, by the end of DA2.

His spell class is fucking terrifying, he has a lot of mana and not much hp, but is really reckless about his reserves. He combines force magic with fire magic, trapping foes and incinerating them, and sometimes leaving himself winded in the wake of too much magical exertion at once.

he's pretty spry and strong but doesn't have a great constitution. He tires out quickly in fights, hence trying to end them explosively and quickly.

Was briefly stalked by a sloth demon, perhaps around Act 2, and passed a very "get off my doorstep" homebrew harrowing as a result. Burnt it out of his shadow and got some spring back in his step, around roughly the same time he recognized his feelings for Fenris, settled into his role as Hawke within Kirkwall, etc. He Killed Dysphoria, Forever!!!

His love for Merrill makes him very "blood magic is okay", he loves her worldview and wisdom about its use, but his upbringing prevents him from extending that grace to himself. He was forced to use blood magic in his duel against the Arishok in order to survive it!!! Angst. Hates himself quite badly for this. Until Merrill is like "why are you special" and he's like ooohh. I get it

We all kno Hawke goes thru hell but I love reflecting on Orson's arc from early family life to Now/post-DA:I, he found closure among his friends and family and was able to fully remove himself from a public leadership role and is doing much better for it. He's a bit of an anarchist i guess, jack of all trades with a pretty rigid set of personal morals that sometimes forces him to act outside the law. He's very grey market, hard to contact, arrive in the nick of time.

He and Fenris do not ever shut up around each other. Two dudes who talk about fuck all, very intelligently. If you see Fenris in the wild, Orson is probably around, too. They love hunting Venatori and only sometimes get in the way of other spy/subterfuge activities.

he smells like BRITTLE sun-baked wood, with a hint of oily herbal medicine.

[privatebooth]

Since I dived into the pool of nostalgia, why not go deeper?

How did I even decide to romance Fenris? I could never imagine going after someone like him. From all the things we were being told during the development stage, I didn't think I could like him. Though honestly, after Zevran I didn't believe it was possible for me to ever like a game character so much.

Fenris was obviously prejudiced, and normally that would be a huge turn off for me. It's much easier to get along with more open minded people. Still, out of all those characters Fenris intrigued me the most, primarily because he'd been written by David Gaider, and I had faith in him. Then there were talks about a new approval system, and it was said that some romances could only be done trough rivalry, and I suspected that Fenris (with a mage) was the one they'd meant (guess they cut it out altogether in the end, thank the Maker! Never liked the concept of Rivalmance, and what a huge relief it was to learn that it was possible to friendmance him as a mage!)

Dumb as it is, what really cemented him as the one was a piece of Gaider's interview, where he talked about Fenris's aversion to being touched and how he would attack anyone who attempted it - except for Hawke. And it wasn't even dependent on Romance. Like, Hawke was the only one he didn't mind touching him. Even if it was due to the game mechanics (what kind of companion would attack the PC?) -which could be written off as his respect for the leader's authority, in the beginning at least - Hawke was his exception. I admit, I am weak for exceptions, and If it's you it's okay trope gives me life. So I figured it might turn into an interetsing relationship, even if one of the characters involved was angry, antisocial and hard to talk to.

All these thoughts had taken root in my mind way before I actually met the guy. Didn't want to be spoiled too much, so it took me much longer than it should have to meet him. I did the Bait and switch quest sometime just before the Expedition. Missed a lot of friendship points because of it, but it worked out for the best in end!

So, Bait and switch. Even after all these years, this fateful encounter makes my heart beat faster, and I don't mind replaying it over and over. Just, oh my GOD, it's incredible!

Fenris's introduction is so epic! It's badass as hell, sure, but the way he spoke... It was not the voice itself which alone deserves an entire article tbh, but the way it sounded. It was so composed and steady, even as he ripped into that guy's chest to crush his heart. And then he apologised(!) and started explaining himself, and readily answered every question, calmly as a sea... Think I turned into jelly just then.

Maybe it's because of my own weak ability to cope with stress, but soft spoken characters who manage to keep their composure and talk calmly in any situation often enthrall me. I was listening to his every word with baited breath while asking every question...

And then he asked for help, and I was exposed to his puppy eyes for the first time... What marvelous facial expressions he displayed right from the start!

Yeah, he managed to win me over, though all those nuances were superficial. I had no idea how deep it would get.

[letzterpartygast]

Dragon Age - The Veilguard. A better story?

It's not that I think the whole game is bad. There are parts that I really like. Every encounter with Solas is one of them. And the whole ending of the game.

But step by step.

The Beginning

It's understandable that a beginning is sudden, that as a player you first have to find out who and where you are. But the fact that I'm standing alone in a pub and Varric joins me after my decision: To ask or to fight - is strange. 

A little foreplay would have been good. Even if it had only been a conversation with Varric (and Harding) at a pub table.

Even better: a little movie explaining why Rook had an interest in joining the hunt for Solas.

My version would be the following: Rook is a Dreamer - like Feynriel in DA II. (In that case, Rook couldn't be a dwarf) They don't know about it, don't even know what a Dreamer is. But Rook has always had strange dreams with a strong pull. Lately they have been about Solas. They have heard of Solas and finds him either fascinating, repulsive or both.

How Rook and Varric met is not important. They could be traveling together in the next sequence. Rook's dreams help to track down Solas.

At the ritual site, it would be appropriate to show groups of Solas allies and opponents fighting in the background or as a short movie.

The rest of the beginning could stay the same. Only Solas wouldn't need to use blood magic to face Rook in the dream. And Rook's reaction could be different depending on their ambitions:

Fascination: At last I can not only see you from afar, I can talk to you!

Hate: Damn it! I was hoping the dreams of you would have gone away after you disappeared into the rift.

Distrust: I can talk to you now? Okay - what do you want?

Companions and Factions

I was pleased to see Varric and Harding as "old acquaintances". I found Harding's companion quest fascinating. It's a shame that Kal-Sharok wasn't a fixed region for regular excursions.

Davrin and the Grey Wardens faction were also believable for me. In my opinion, the Weisshaupt quest was the best part of the game before the endgame.

I thought an answer to the question of why the griffins were thought to be extinct and a way to save them was great. Assan anyway!  I would have liked to see groups of Grey Wardens everywhere there was Blight.

Neve. I had hoped for much more from the "Shadow Dragons". When a group fights against the superiority of the Magisters in Tevinter and the slavery there, it should be recognizable. Nice to meet Dorian again. But – where was Fenris?

Lucanis. An interesting introductory story with the underground prison, the vial of blood (as a parallel to Anders) and the demon implanted with blood magic and violence. Also sexy and charming accent.

But no. 1: A demon of malice whose only action is to say what it smells like? If Spite were a descendant of Grenouille, he would at least develop a lust for murder towards the scent-separators.

But No. 2: The crows as some kind of Robin Hood gang? That's such a distortion! Although Lucanis says that he murders for money, you don't see that. Murder scenarios involving harmless citizens are missing, as are gruesome training camps for slave children like Zevran.

Professor Emmrich is sympathetically naive and Manfred is amusing. But necromancers in Dragon Age are no harmless, cranky graveyard society. At the very least, alongside a friendly group that concentrates on researching spirits, there could have been a defense against dangerous liches and summoners; with Hezenkoss as their leader, if you like.

Bellara. For my feeling, a cute girl with such a childish behaviour doesn't fit into the world of Dragon Age. And the introduction of the "Veil Jumpers" with the young woman desperately struggling with her artifact until the warrior accompanying her finally steps in and saves the day is as silly as it is patriarchal. Why "veil jumpers" at all? Has anyone ever jumped? Except over tree trunks, I mean. "Artifact researcher" or simply "Dalish" would have been more appropriate.

And then comes Taash...

Taash could have been such an interesting character. When I set out to find a famous dragon hunter, I expected anything but a petulant teenager who still lives with mom. Also, a companion quest that focuses on bird feeding, eating with mom and transsexuality is poor.

My ideas: A Qunari born as a woman who resists the Qun's stipulation that only men can become warriors and has left Par Vollen because of it. (It could also be that her mother left Par Vollen with her because she wanted to protect her daughter).

A transsexual in her prime, for whom sexuality has long since ceased to be a question, but rather an exclamation mark. When asked whether they are a man or a woman, they would answer "I am a dragon hunter" in a tone that would make any contradiction stick in the throat.

Possible companion quest/s:  1) Search for the last free-living dragons whose extinction is imminent

2) Hunting a gang of ruthless dragon hunters who only care about their own profit

3) Protection from Qun/Antaam, who were set on the hunt for Taash and their mother

All three storylines could - as before - end in the lair of the Dragon King.

The Romances

The romances were the most horrible I've ever experienced in a roleplaying game. And since I've always seen romance as the most beautiful thing in these games - the romance with Zevran was the reason why I fell in love with DA:O like no other game before it, and why I had played it what felt like 1000 times - that was the worst flaw in Veilguard for me personally.

What could the romances have looked like?

Flirting in the first part - brash or reserved, depending on the character.

Kisses after Weisshaupt and from then on always possible.

The decisive intimate scene BEFORE the "Point of No Return". It could have been tied to the end of the respective companion quest and the platinum brooch in the personal file.

+++Attention! Endgame spoiler! +++

Embedding such a scene at a point where the group has just lost a close companion is in absolutely poor taste. Consolation, hugs and tearful kisses would have been appropriate here.

Even in the moment before the last fight, there could have been another hug and a kiss.

+++ End of endgame spoiler +++

So - enough complaining and revealing my own ideas. But when I associate the game with such dreams, it only seems half as bad to me. That such or similar dreams will ever come true is unfortunately illusory. Unless Bioware says in 1-2 months: "Sorry, guys, that was a bad joke. That was all just the alpha version. The final version will be out in the summer."

------------------------

Thanks @a-driftamongopenstars for her friendly welcome here an tumblr and their help with my very first steps here! ❤️

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

Okay since we were talking about our beloved Lorcan earlier 😂

What about Lorcan falling in love with one of the newer fae in Aelin's court? Like a fae who took over for one of the Lord's after the war?

*smiles in evil fox* I had way too much fun...

Smartass

Lorcan always knew that he liked his females strong-minded. He liked the bickering. He liked the teasing it brought. A game of some sort. Chasing and catching. Charming. He wasn't picky about the looks. It's the brain that he valued. Had spent way too many nights in taverns, with ladies who only knew how to bounce their breasts but the words that came out of their mouths made him want to rip his hair out. He was sure his life was going to be doomed by careless messing around. One night adventures and fleeting the moment he was done.

But you just had to walk into his life. And turn his ancient world upside down. He was accompanying Aelin in one of her meetings regarding the reserved army she wanted to recruit. She said that she needed Lorcan as her formal army commander to run over the details with a commander of allay troops just in case.

Well, one thing Lorcan wasn't expecting was a female. Tight armor like a corset, pants that accompanied the high slits of your dress shirt. Lorcan had forgotten his name for a moment as he watched you walking towards them. "See something you like?", you smirked at the male, making Lorcan swallow thickly, your voice alone could send you to his knees yet all he said was, "No, but good to know that you're so full of yourself". You let out a chuckle as you walked past him. The scent of you made Lorcan growl slightly.

It was a torturous week. Watching you. Sensing you. Hearing you. You were a tough cookie. Every time Lorcan had tried to jab you. You had always come out on top. "There's no way to cross the mountain", he said in one of the last meetings of the day. You just turned to him, "Oh, really? You are now an expert in that too?", you chirped. Fenrys snorted across the table. That man had attended every single meeting now that Lorcan was being put in his place daily. "I've traveled through that area countless of times, sweetie", he swilled his drink in his glass, "You haven't even been born yet".

Crickets sounded across the room as you watched him for a moment. "Careful your old age is showing", you chirped, dabbling your nail on the map, "I can ask a healer to make you a tonic so you would not forget to button your pants in the morning".

Lorcan let out a warning growl, grip on his glass tightening. Even Gavriel let out a chuckle. You threw the male a sympathetic look, "Did I bruise your ego, baby boy?", "You're walking on thin ice, dove", he pointed a warning finger at you. You leaned over pretending to bite it, "I'm commander Y/N to you".

And this went on and on. As if you two were in a silent battle with one another. Leading one another on. Yet there was something about you. The way you laughed sent shivers down Lorcan's back. Even if you pissed him off, he still walked right beside you as you monitored the training of the soldiers. He listened as you spoke to his man. His gaze kept them all in line because, maker, help them if Lorcan sensed their thoughts going elsewhere.

When the time for you to go came, Lorcan found himself dreading the moment. His mood dropped then he saw you saddling your horse, humming under your breath. Yep, you were the prettiest, strong-minded female he had ever seen. "Came to wish me a smooth journey back?", you straightened your posture, and brushed your hair away from your face. Lorcan leaned against the wall of the barn. "Nah, wanted to cut your saddle's leather", he breathed, making you let out a laugh. Even Lorcan felt his lips curving upwards.

"And here I thought you genuinely liked me", you stepped closer to him, shaking your head. "I hate smartass females like you", Lorcan growled, predator eyes piercing at you. You nodded your head, before quickly pulling at the flaps of his shirt, yanking him closer to you. Your lips met his and Lorcan's hands instantly reached for you. It was desperate and messy. Your heart was beating so loudly in your ears that you couldn't hear anything else.

You pulled away breathlessly, "A parting gift of sorts", you muttered, brushing your finger over Lorcan's lips, trying to get the red tint off, "So you wouldn't forget just how much you hate me". Lorcan growled as you stepped out of his embrace, turning to walk towards your horse. "When I'll get my hands on you...", Lorcan called after you, voice deep. "Actions speak louder than words, commander", you chirped over your shoulder. So Lorcan stepped forward, more than happy to show you the power of his actions.

[thevalkyriesshadow]

People saying SJM will write Elucien because she's not going to make poor baby Lulu (PBL) suffer again because he's one of her favorites ....

My brother in Christ.

They're ALL her favorites. It's her fucking book. They're her fucking characters.

Now if we were going to RANK her favorite characters, I still don't even think Lucien would make top 5. He's not a part of the IC for a reason - and considering that SJM has chosen to write about them over him - tells us enough about the ranking of her faves. It's always going to be:

1. Rhys / Feyre

2. Nesta

3. Azriel

4. Cassian

5. Elain

6. Amren

7. Mor

8. Lucien

And honestly placing Lucien at 8 is still debatable. His storyline has been reduced more and more with every single book. I'd say he was definitely up there with Feyre in Book 1 - but since ACOMAF his character quality and page persona has declined steadily. Significantly.

Idk if y'all have ever read a book or written anything - but typically a writer who likes a certain character ... writes about that character. A lot more than she writes about her other characters. That character might've started as a minor one or even background character - but the writer likes them so much they find a way to put them in the page more, finds a way to work them into the story. See what SJM did with Ithan Holstrom in CC. With Fenrys. They were introduced as minor characters and then became a big part of the story.

The exact OPPOSITE is happening with Lucien. It's not a slow burn - it is erasure.

If he is such a favorite - where is he?

Also what makes you think SJM isn't going to make her favorites suffer? Y'all saw what Aelin went through. Saw what Rhys went through. I don't like to compare traumas - but Lucien's trauma pales in comparison to some of the other harrowing backstories we've seen in ACOTAR itself. Genuinely I think whatever Rhys, Elain, Nesta, Azriel, Emerie, Gwyn went through is far worse than what Lucien went through. Not saying he didn't suffer - but the argument that SJM wouldn't have him lose his mate because she likes him is so ridiculous.

Let's stick to the books. And I mean the actual text in the books - not farfetched headcanons and fanfics and theories and claims of extrapolation "foreshadowing".

SJM can change her mind and her opinions and her interviews and her Pinterest boards. What she can't change is the story she's laid out for 4 books now. What she can't change is the direction her characters are taking her in and the words she's already written.

Hi anon

I hope you feel better after getting that off your chest... sometimes you just gotta rant

BUT

I would like to make a few points

1. I do write stories (beyond fanfics) and yes I have favorite characters I write but if I spent as much time writing about a character as SJM did with Lucien, that character has a story to be told. He's connected to many characters in the story and is mated to one of the Archeron sisters (who the stories being told in ACOTAR are ultimately about). To say he is being written off the page just because he wasn't as prevalent in ACOSF for example is a bold statement (he really had no ties to Nesta's storyline so it makes sense he wasn't in it as much) but a storyline he is connected to? Elain's - whose book we will inevitably get.

2. I don't like how you say his trauma is not as bad as the others. It's not okay to compare people's traumas. What might not seem like an emotional/psychological/physical traumatic event to one person doesn't mean it's not devastating to another.

3. SJM can absolutely change what she's already written... She is the god of ACOTAR afterall. She can do as she pleases. A perfect example of this is when she retconned that Azriel was present in Sangravah when it was attacked. Making him the first one there, the one to slaughter all the soldiers in one room, and save Gwyn from further harm. Previously, we were to believe he was just informed, but SJM changed that with what she wrote in ACOSF.

Hope you have a wonderful day anon!

[doberbutts]

Hi Jaz! I’m picking up my first ever puppy (not first dog; he’s a 9wo Poodle) on Sunday and I am losing my mind preparing and planning. Like I have ideas and goals but don’t want to overwhelm him but also want to start socializing and training as soon as I can. What do you do the first day/week with your puppies to best set them up?

While it's good to have a plan, I think the best thing you can do for your new puppy is remember that he is a puppy! He's just a baby, there's no rush at all. I have been deliberately taking things slow with Fenris and he continues to amaze me with his progress.

Honestly with Fenris the things I focused on were;

1: training basics. Not positions or anything but teaching him what the clicker means, how to interact with food in an active and positive manner, toy skills, following food for the lure, offering behaviors for good, that it's okay to guess and even be wrong sometimes, how to interact with training tools like wobble boards and paw targets, things like that. I really didn't name anything except

2: RECALL. Emergency recall, casual recall, recall and release, holy God teach your dog to come back to you asap and reward the shit out of that behavior every time

3: trades for outs. I didn't name it, I never punished for picking up forbidden objects unless they were uniquely dangerous like a dropped knife, but the concept of "spit that out and I will give you a thing" was introduced the second he picked something up in my house.

4: leash skills on walks

5: exposure, socialization, and existing in public. Fenris already was a pretty strong puppy in his environmentals but I've had plenty of dogs that needed lots and lots of help with this and I think it's a good idea even if your puppy is already pretty okay with this because it will help you get through whatever fear period you get much faster. We went everywhere and interacted with everything that's dog friendly (within limits- high risk areas we skipped like the dog park, and we avoided high dog traffic places until he was fully vaccinated, so we went into fabric stores instead of pet stores etc). I really like sitting outside of grocery stores and going to public parks and playgrounds for this because your puppy will see a lot of diversity in human behavior this way and will learn that we're a bunch of mostly harmless bald apes instead of The Most Dangerous Demon Ever. I also have my dog touch, sniff, or otherwise interact with various objects- again playgrounds are great for this because there's a variety of surfaces and movements to show them that it's really find and the trash can is not a diabolical monster out to gobble you up.

[gyrovagi]

34 & 43 for ur hawkes!

(hawke questions)

34. If Bethany/Carver is alive, how is their relationship after so many years like? And how is it after Leandra's death?

quick context: seongmin is not literate. (quite possibly dyslexic but he just never learned. early parentification in generally unstable family circumstances will do that to you.) pre-leandra's death it was bethany and leandra writing to each other while bethany had very little to say to seongmin, and seongmin never knew what he could say to her in a letter that might possibly Fix It. he loved her and wanted to keep her happy more than anything and this was exactly what made her resent him, so maybe the best thing to do for her now is just to let go (< guy who is now sister-projecting onto merrill so much it's embarrassing).

after leandra's death they almost entirely fell out of touch, it was varric receiving the sporadic bethany updates (she's not writing to gamlen.), though at some point on bethany's end it was more force of habit than genuine resentment. she didn't know how to reach out again, it feels impossible to Get Into It through letters especially when she'd have to make varric act as intermediary. nightmare. their relationship does eventually recover, post-game - bethany fully goes awol from the wardens to accompany anders and seongmin on the run and i don't think she ever looks back. they really are just glad to be alive and with each other again, after everything.

something crazy is happening in rina and bethany's relationship always. when leandra dies rina basically shuts down, she blames herself and redirects the blame onto aveline and lashes out at everyone else (regression into her act 1 aggression my beloved <3). and bethany is horrifically isolated in the circle, with rina kind of incapable of even thinking about her, as cruel as that may be. rina eventually refocuses on bethany as her last family member and Her Responsibility after being named champion, though this is not necessarily a good development. she operates as meredith's right hand and leverages the position to ensure bethany's treated well while refusing to see any problem with how other mages are treated.

they never talk about it but bethany Knows that there's a moment at the end where rina considers letting meredith run her through and finally freeing herself of the burden she's carried her whole life, the little sister she loves and loathes in equal measure. and the fact rina defends her is as much out of love as it is rina trying to justify it all to herself - she's not a monster. she still loves her sister. she does this for her <3 and then rina becomes viscountess and the exceptionalism gets worse!! bethany can't afford losing rina's protection. she would be dead or worse without her sister. how could she not love the sister who saved her. how could she love her sister who's done all this. I don't know what happens to bethany after rina dies and if i think about it too much i might throw up

(carver thoughts pending because i need to actually replay the game with a mage hawke and like. Remember him. before i get into it. my so-min playthrough in high school is just blurs in my mind)

43. How does Hawke react when Varric publishes the Tale of the Champion? Have they read it?

so seongmin DOES start learning to read by late act 2, in my mind it's him and fenris going okay i guess we're doing this fucking thing together and making sure the other actually commits to it. however post-game he is actively a fugitive so it takes a while for word of the insane rpf varric's published to reach him, and i don't know if he ever gets his hands on a copy of it. his reaction is equal parts 'why would he do this? when did he even get the time??' and 'of course he would fucking do this.' i don't think he ever seeks out a copy - i think he understands and appreciates it as varric's effort to set the record straight/cast seongmin as the Hero of the story, but he'd be way too uncomfortable trying to read it.

varric sent rina his first draft and she sent it back with comments on every page like 'i did not fucking say that. keep it in it sounds cool.' circling and underlining any time she gets straight-out described as attractive or if varric is just dedicating a little too much time to making her sound hot. occasionally writing something flirtatious in the margins (< she just got married to sebastian). the sincere or emotionally vulnerable annotations in the tragic parts were scratched out so intensely she nearly tore through the page. later she asked him if she could get that first draft back as a keepsake ('i think i wrote enough in the margins to be counted as co-author') and varric refused.

i'm assuming varric publishes the tale of the champion a year+ after the end of the game, by which point so-min's emotions about the whole thing are somewhat more... settled and i think she mostly views it as funny. it's a little bit of a deflection thing to avoid dwelling on any lingering regrets or resentment from kirkwall, but she does also genuinely think it's funny. she gets very drunk with isabela at one point and they read it through together and she doesn't actually remember any of her thoughts on it afterwards.

bryn rivals varric ^_^ and so i think finds out about the tale of the champion and is not especially impressed. like seongmin, they're capable of understanding it as well-intentioned on varric's end, but they're a lot more skeptical about its effectiveness. it's another biased narrative in a sea of biased narratives. i do think they're more likely than seongmin to seek it out at some point just out of curiosity - they're more capable of emotionally distancing themself from Varric's Hawke and they do want to know what bullshit he said about them, though i don't think they finish it. either they tap out after leandra or realize they actually can't handle confronting varric's opinion on their killing anders (as much mercy kill as genuine judgment and execution and as intentional martyring)

[rookinthecrownest]

DESPERATE to hear your fenrook thoughts what are the vibes do they have a soundtrack or song, do they have longterm endgame plans, what do they feel for each other early on and do u have an arc in mind for how that changes for them both?

HELLO HIII

OkOk so I'm working on building a playlist for them now and the only two songs I have right now are Daylight by David Kushner and Once Upon a Dream by Lana Del Ray, not necessarily for the lyrics but for ~ the vibes ~

I have to do a bit more research on this, because it has been SO long since I read Fenris' Blue Wraith/Dark Fortress comic series. From what I vaguely remember, since the time of DA2 he doesn't seem to fuuuully trust mages but he's more chill about them than he was in DA2 (someone who's read the comics more recently please feel free to chime in because it has literally been YEARS). The Hawke in this universe was not a mage (they were a rogue) but sided with the mages.

So early on I imagine, even knowing that Varric trusts Rook, the fact that she's an assassin who kills people for money and uses her magic to do that puts him off/makes him distrust her at first. Mages doubling as assassins is probably not a very common occurrence outside of the Antivan Crows/Antiva. I don't think he'd very much approve of anyone who uses magic to kill for profit.

But, as Val explains her story (eventually), maybe he comes to realize that it was either join up with the Crows and work within that system as much as she could (trying to minimize the death of innocents, much like her buddy Lucanis), or live as a prisoner in the Circle. Not sure he'll ever really be fine with it, but he at least understands why. And if Varric vouches for Val/Rook, then he's willing to give her a chance and work with her.

Early on I think Val wants to know more about Fenris, more than Fenris wants to know about Val. She's been alone most of her life and her closest friends in the Circle were.... the rats, tbh. And she mostly kept to herself in the Crows, mostly interacting with Viago (king of the social butterflies). But Fenris has a certain je ne sais quoi about him that makes her curious about him in way that she's not really experienced with anyone else. I am so certain Fenris thinks she's weird as hell at first. He's convinced she can't actually understand animals like she claims and she's just fucking with him. But maybe seeing the way she cares for her lil animal pals? Well, once you've seen a girl go on a side quest to help a bird rebuild its nest after it was knocked down during a fight it's over for you buddy....

The arc, in my head, is like...

Okay, she's a mage. Will keep my guard up, but Varric trusts her so she must be ok.

Ok, she's a mage... kills people for money, don't like that, but we need to find/stop the Dreadwolf so I'll put a pin in that for later.

Alright, this weirdo thinks she talks to animals. She's rebuilding bird nests. She's talking to the rats. Why is she talking to the rats. Ok, she's a rat now. Where the fuck did she go. I have to find the rat-girl before Varric accuses me of killing her and dumping the body.

Why does she want to know about me. Fine, I'll tell her. Oh no, she's not just weird, she's cute and weird. And off-putting. Why do I feel like I can tell her my entire life story and she will actually care.

Oh no, I love this pathetic wet rat girl maybe. And said wet rat girl who previously didn't show much interest in human companionship, who's been alone for most of her life, is curious about the guy who's also spent the last 10+ years alone fighting for what he believes in and is drawn to that.

But like..more drawn out than that obviously. That's the vibe the pairing gives me. It's reluctant at first. There's distrust. She's a mage who kills for money, he's a mage-killer. They form a tenuous connection at first, and for long time they don't really know how deep that tenuous connection really is.

Long term goals... I don't now if I've gotten that far. Like, one idea I was floating around was Lucanis, as first talon, coincidentally giving Val contracts for evil mages/venatori remnants in Tevinter so she can stay and help Fenris.

That's all I have so far but I'm going insane over it lololol

[revvethasmythh]

okay I HAVE FINISHED. a few final thoughts below the cut

-yes, i romanced lucanis. yes, my personal canon has rook is a throuple with lucanis and davrin. we exist

-i was very aware going into this that there was criticism of the lucanis romance in general and honestly i don't even know if i can judge it accurately considering how much time i spent dicking around before moving the story along. my suspicion is that the romance plays pretty fine if you're consistently moving along, but has heavy lags if you're spending a lot of time dicking around as I did. i still enjoyed it! especially the final romance scene after coming back from the fade, that was good stuff. it's hard to build a romance with a character who is really scared of a relationship and is frightened to act on things, but i think there was room for one more small scene after you commit and before completing his personal quest, probably. just to smooth over the whole experience. i have thoughts, but they're kind of vague so put a pin in that. but again, overall i liked it and would do again. it ain't the fenris romance but, then again, what is?

-it was fun seeing the inquisitor and dorian back at it again! bonded for life after in hushed whispers best friends fr

-choosing harding for the distraction team AND bellara to deal with the wards absolutely felt like the perfect choices in my playthrough. harding's sacrifice hits very hard because she was always very "whatever it takes" about this and "if you need me like I needed you, i will be there. that is my promise to you" and her belief that the world is good and people can change was genuinely inspiring in that it made rook choose to take the high road and give solas one last chance to potentially fuck her over to see if she could save him (which he almost did, but didn't because of The Convocation Of 3.5 Women Needed To Change His Mind). rook would simply have not made that decision if she wasn't trying to honor harding's memory as best she could.

-bellara taking control of the blight FUCKED. there was NO waffling, no uncertainty, no "ifs" or "maybes" or "mights." she said "I CAN do this" and then she DID and I think it felt like fantastic character growth for her. great choice, no notes, honestly glad i chose her for this instead of neve (because it would have felt like neve whump at that point, she'd been THROUGH IT this game).

-i wish there was more of a discussion to be had with taash about what happened with harding or some resolution to it that wasn't one line of dialogue when you get back to the lighthouse. i wanted to do a proper check in about that (and be like! hey! don't say everyone you love dies! please let me help you taash!). but that's overall a part of the fact that there's little follow up at the end of the game, which, it is what it is. da2 did also just kind of END, so like. been there, done that i suppose.

-i had a lot of fun! there are clunky things and some awkward writing and it's an imperfect game, yeah--but i really, genunely did have fun and will play this more than i ever will inquisition or even origins. not to repeat myself but: it ain't da2, but then, what is?

[cycloneofthewild]

Did i write almost a thousand words for this? Yes yes i did. Enjoy pure fluff -Arisanna📚

Arisanna found herself wandering deeper into the archives, away from the portal. She did this often although it normally ended with Caspian dragging her out for a break. Ari smiled softly, running her hands over the books as she walked along the shelves. She spotted an all too familiar one.

Lady of The World

She walked over and picked it up. It was about Momboo after all. Momboo, Strawberri, who was always kind to Arisanna never questioning how she acted. Momboo who's smile reminded Ari of a sunset. Whos mere presence made Arisannas heart race. Gods she sounded like Fenris.

She sounded like Fenris. Had she fallen for Momboo?

Arisanna fumbled for her comm and clicked on Fenris’ contact. After a few rings he picked up.

“Ari?” Fenris’ voice came through. Arisanna could hear Rae hushing Vaeh in the background and smiled knowing her brother was happy.

“I think i understand now” The words tumbled out of her mouth without thinking. Fenris was quiet for a minute before responding, “What? Ari what do you understand-”

“Everything you said about Rae, the way you talked about him I understand now” She explained ever so slightly cutting him off. She heard Fenris chuckle.

“So who's the lucky guy? Or lady?”

“Momboo” Arisanna mumbled her face growing hot. She sat against one of the shelves still holding LoTW.

“Are you going to do anything about it?”

“Fenris Momboo is gone”

“Ari, when was the last time you visited?”

“Uh a few months ago? Why?”

“Ari Momboo is back”

Arisanna froze hearing that. She was back?

“Will I see you soon?” Fenris asked, laughing.

“Shut up” Arisanna muttered with no anger in her voice and ended the call. She stood up and ran back toward the portal area. As they got closer they slowed down to walking.

————

Momboo hummed walking through the fields of flowers around the tree. She enjoyed being able to feel the breeze on her face again. They had seen almost everyone again except a certain allay. Apparently Arisanna spent most of her time in Elysium now.

“Momboo?”

Momboo turned around and spotted Arisanna standing at the edge of the field. She was even prettier than the last time Momboo had seen them. She smiled softly and walked over to the allay. No sooner did Momboo get within arms reach did Arisanna throw herself into their arms. Momboo hugged the former, feeling her shoulder get wet with tears.

“Are you alright Ari?” Momboo asked cautiously. Arisanna mumbled something incoherent into her shoulder. “Hm?” Momboo prompted.

“Didn't think I'd get to see you again” Ari repeated, stopping herself from calling Momboo a petname.

“I'm right here petal, I'm not going anywhere,” Momboo soothed not noticing how she called Ari ‘petal’ until after she finished speaking. “Why don't we spend some time catching up? I've been staying nearby,” She added, feeling her face grow warm.

~~~~~~~~~

The two of them sat on Momboo’s old couch. Arisanna looked over at the other gathering up her courage.

“Hey Momboo?”

“Yes Arisanna?”

“Why- why did you call me petal earlier?” Arisanna asked, watching Momboos' expression. It hit them when they saw her face flush.

“Well you're really important to me Ari and I think, I think I see you as more than a friend,” Momboo explained.

Arisanna stared at her, processing the words for a minute before responding, “I think I do too.”

Momboo smiled and pulled Arisanna closer, planting a soft kiss on their cheek. “Would it be okay if I called you my girlfriend?” Momboo asked, unable to contain her happiness.

“That would be more than okay Boo, gods I feel like I'm living in one of those fairytales the allays tell me about,” Arisanna replied, a smile of her own plastered across their face.

Momboo laughed, wrapping her arms around the allay. “Am I your fairytale then Ari?” They asked. Arisanna hid her face in Momboos dress as she felt it get warm again. The two of them sat there simply enjoying each other's presence.

————

Momboo smiled, running her hands through Arisannas hair as she slept. The allay had admitted to not sleeping much recently and had consequently been made to take a nap. Momboo heard her communicator ding and she looked down seeing a message from Caspian.

Traveler(Caspian): Have you seen Arisanna?

Momboo: She's currently napping at my house

Traveler(Caspian): Why is she with you Boo? You actually admit your feelings?

Momboo: Caspian!

Traveler(Caspian): Is that a yes?

Momboo: Yes Caspian I admitted it

Traveler(Caspian): I take it she felt the same? If you two are hanging out?

Momboo: I'm not answering that

Momboo laughed, putting her communicator down, turning their attention back to her girlfriend. Gods that was amazing to think about. Arisanna looked up at her slowly waking up.

“What's so funny fairytale?” They asked, voice still laced with sleep.

“Caspian knows about us now,” Momboo replied smiling at the petname. Arisanna woke up more at the mention of Caspian.

“I should get back to Elysium soon”

“Can you show me Elysium?”

“Of course, as long as you don't mind my siblings flying around,”

“Your siblings are lovely Ari I wouldn't mind at all,” Momboo assured them. Arisanna pulled herself up to sitting and held out a hand to Momboo who happily took it. The two of them walked quietly to the portal and stepped through.

“Welcome to my home Boo,” Arisanna said when they entered the archives. She happily showed Momboo around pointing out the different areas of the archives.

If Caspian found them passed out together hours later he made no mention of it.

[croquettish]

14, 15, 25 for end of year! 🩵

thank you so much for the questions!! :D

a fic you didn’t expect to write: oh my god, so many of them honestly. I wrote several fics for birthdays and those were all planned. but in april I started writing a fic with a (somewhat flighty) friend of mine that I definitely didn't expect to write and honestly probably never expected to write but that also might not ever see the light of day bc rn I'm stuck waiting for her to write a section and it's been months. so WE SHALL SEE I think the biggest surprises (aside from the aforementioned WIP) all happened in the second half of the year. I didn't expect to write a rugan fic (DIDN'T KNOW HE COULD STAY ALIVE FOR SOOOOO LONG) and I definitely didn't expect to write the two nancy drew fics that I wrote after the one I wrote for my sister. one of them (the thanos one) was less of a surprise since it had been a wip for almost a decade. but the other one (the grigor one) was a huge surprise since that one had only been plotted out (somewhat) for almost a decade. that said, aside from the probably-forever-wip fic, the biggest surprise of them all is the one that I'm currently writing (albeit very slowly) that will also take a metric fuckton of coding before I can start posting it, so that won't start being posted until sometime next year. the huge surprise there is that I never expected to get into stardew valley, let alone to write fic for it... eight years after it first came out, but that's just how it goes sometimes... honestly, if I had more time right now and wasn't spending the vast majority of my days doing phd research and writing my dissertation, I'd be spending all of my time on that fic just bc it's so damn fun to write. I can't wait for people to get to read that one :D

something you learned this year: this is a good question. I don't think that I learned anything huge but I feel like I learned a lot of little things: I found that I will always be able to surprise myself in one way or another. I really like experimenting with different things and seeing what works out. there's less fear in that for me than other people (apparently) seem to feel, and that knowledge does feel pretty liberating, honestly! I learned that I am a lot funnier than I give myself credit for, or rather than I was always told I was growing up. and I learned that I am not only capable of writing longfic, sometimes longficitis strikes me when it used to be something that I worried I wouldn't be able to make happen. which, in terms of problems to have, is honestly not a bad thing at all :D I also learned that I care a lot less these days about having an actual audience so long as I'm writing what I want to write. like, no one is out there reading my nancy drew fics, and that's fine. I doubt anyone will be reading the stardew valley fic this long after the game came out. and the fic I'm writing with my friend is even less likely to go anywhere. but that's okay! because I'm enjoying myself and that's what matters!!

a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read: this one also isn't easy. I honestly don't read a ton of fic (especially while I'm writing something myself or busy working) but I will end up with small periods where I read loads of it. my tastes for fic esp can also be a bit all over the place, so I'll list a few (since I know I have a lot of friends from different fandoms on here): Kingdom Come: Deliverance - Hans Capon/Henry of Skalitz - in character and it gets the dynamics right. doesn't make either of them too weepy or too assholeish. just insanely well-done Dragon Age II - Carver/F!Hawke - I am starved for more Carver/Hawke smut but this one is amaaaaaazing and the most in character it could ever possibly be. bathroom sex leading to bedroom sex Dragon Age II - Fenris/F!Hawke - sex pollen and a rescue. just a delicious and super ic well-written fic Resident Evil 2 Remake - Leon Kennedy/Claire Redfield - hhhhh I also yearn for more good porn of them but this really hits the spot. post-canon motel room sex. just really really good all around Baldur's Gate 3 - Durgetash - fellow zhent book club members will have already read this fic but it's by far my favorite iteration of their dynamic that I've seen And then there's the fic that I reread about once a quarter at least because it is simply a Perfect Fic, which was a present from my sister to me for my birthday (very belated present) some years ago: Persona 5 - Yusuke Kitagawa/Ann Takamaki

full list of questions is here!

[anti-eluvians]

First Veilguard playthrough thoughts! Spoilers obviously. I started writing things down about 24 hours in, most of which was exploring the maps and avoiding plot (as is tradition).

Overall I loved it. Obviously. One doesn't cry for twenty minutes over a world they don't care about. Or write however many words this post ends up about events that didn't affect them.

Post introduction- I'm really worried about Lace. She's taking everything too hard and I don't know if I can save her without romance.

Bellara is so cute and so smart, but basically Merrill if Merrill had been supported. That romance may appeal to me later but not on this run

So they really put something to steal on the very first aravel we can ever board. Really? Really???

After D'Meta's Crossing- the chat with Varric where he comforts us about the hardship of leading and says he met us during our faction's catalyst event. Doesn't that make him this game's Duncan? So all Rooks happened but only the one he was WITH got recruited? I love and hate that because we know what happened to Duncan.

Solas said the Blight we've dealt with since Origins is a tiny fraction, and that his rebellion drove the Evanuris to turn to it as a weapon. That sounds a LOT like the time Andruil went too deep "into the Void" and Mythal had to beat her ass to cleanse her. So WHO or WHAT is in the Void that actually created the Blight? Is it Titans?

If the lyrium ritual dagger is such pure lyrium dwarves wouldn't work it... is Rook gonna be okay carrying it around??? Clothing is not enough to protect someone from lyrium poisoning! Are we gonna start hearing the song and hallucinating like Origins Templars?? Honestly I would love that lol

I'm quite pleased that my pre-game take on Rook has panned out! My Rook chose to join Varric & Lace on their mission so she's not nearly as weighed down as my other three leads. Warden was forced to Join or die. Hawke was forced to flee and stumbled into infamy trying to protect their family. Inquisitor picked up the wrong rock and was shunted into their role as Herald/Inquisitor. Rook could have said no, but chose this path. Having had a choice is so freeing!

Reading that Lorelei (the Shadow Dragon vendor) was from Denerim is the second time I cried. Loghain sold her into slavery before the Warden could rescue her and I feel, weirdly, personally responsible for failing her.

I can't believe Lucanis is so charming and doesn't even try. I can take him out with anyone and they get along. Not sure yet if that's a HIM thing or Bioware avoiding the friction of Anders/Fenris and Vivienne/Blackwall.

So the Dalish and Veil Jumpers know that the Evanuris sucked actually. That is AMAZING for me because I've wanted my Lavellan to shout what she learned (from the Well of Sorrows and in Trespasser) from the rooftops. That it is now common knowledge means SOMEONE shared what the Inquisition knew! And I have no reason to think it can't be my girl at an Arlathvhen. Which is what I always wanted for her; spread the word, brace the world against whatever Solas did next.

My clever brilliant snarky sister pointed out that maybe there are seven Old Gods for Tevinter but nine Evanuris because Mythal and Solas weren't sealed and don't count. I had to stare at a wall for a while. And if they really are the same entities, which Archdemon was which Evanuris?? And also, we're out of dragons so what happens after? A question Solas snarked at Blackwall in 9:41, the ass.

They really got to built the Kirkwall they WANTED with Minrathous. Twisting winding streets so easy to get lost in. I wish DA2 had gotten the development time it deserved.

Griffons made me cry happy tears and jump up and down. Losing the griffons immediately had me in stunned silence. And now.... it's Amaranthine all over again. Virmire. This sucks haha

I looked up the consequences of "Minrathous or Treviso" because I had to stop and go to work in the morning & cannot wait another 10 hours having simply CHOSEN. Mostly I feel like I made the right choice but Neve may never forgive me and that hurts. Reddit is also saying that the faction shop in the abandoned city is GONE. Does that mean I failed Lorelei again?? That she's dead??? Or just won't sell to me anymore? I have to wait until I get home from work and I really don't want to know!

Update: they fucking executed her. By burning. I have never sought out fights with a Dragon Age faction before but I scoured Minrathous for Venatori. It felt like hunting Cerebus after the ME3 coup. I wanted blood and by god I took it.

In Arlathan forest after Davrin's mission I think I found the trail of the fourth Forbidden One. I had forgotten I even hoped they would be in the game!

The book club throughline is very cute and very sweet. I may even use it as the DAV group tag somehow. The cooking and domestic life stuff is heartwarming. Healing. I hope someone has written lovely canon-compliant fanfic for me to find after I finish the game.

The devs really went all out with the set dressing stories. Finding the corpse clutching an Evanuris relic made me put the controller down for a sec. And finding Keeper Hawen's skeleton made me outright cry.

I can't remember if Varric narrated in DA2, but I know he didn't narrate as much as they have him doing in this game. While it is fun listening to him write our story while we're still in it, it's also kind of disheartening to know how many people are stacked against us! Shut the fuck up Varric!

Gotta love the devs leaving little treats for players by key locations. Loot bags, ore, small chests-- like tempting a dog into a car with snacks lol

Tell me why the map that feels most "Dragon Age" is the worn down, miserable, dark, decrepit farm swamp. It feels like Lothering and I hated that place

I take it back I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LOVE THE ECHOING WELL

After the Cobbled Swan meeting:

Wow okay wow okay so the South is OVERRUN with the new Blight and that's why Inquisitor isn't involved. That makes sense and I appreciate Bioware acknowledging there would need to be a Good Reason. that said I am still annoyed she has a prosthetic at all but also started shaking and crying immediately.

Still thinking about this. everywhere we've ever loved is burning. And despite trying to rally the South again the Inquisitor made time to save Lace's Ma? Shut up I'm emotional again. though I wonder how "evil inquisitor" players feel about that move... Also glad to see that APPARENTLY non-Well Morrigan and Well-Drinker-Inquisitors reached a truce in the last 10 years. I hated having any PC who distrusted Morrigan.

Regrets of the Dread Wolf:

Wow. There was so so SO much information stored in the Regret murals. So many theories confirmed. Solas was a wisdom spirit, ALL elves were spirits, the elves waged war and killed the Titans, Solas and Mythal were Very Close, the Black City was elven/the Chant is incorrect. I should be reeling but really I am just. Vibrating out of my skin. Seven years of wondering, vindicated. What I did NOT expect is for Solas's dagger to have caused the Blight by sundering Titans and their dreams/lyrium. We thought lyrium and blight could be connected but never quite to this extent. THAT has me reeling.

So like. The Evanuris used Solas' dagger to end the Titan war, which also created the blight. They then went mad with that corrupted force (including Andruil and her Void swim) (Void = the emptiness left behind by the death of Titans?) and killed Mythal. Solas locked them, and all knowledge of the blight, away in slumber using their life force to power the prison. However the prison/veil also split magic and spirits from the material world, destroying the world order. Then the magisters siderial (one per locked-away Evanuris) accidentally let a pinprick of that power out, starting the First Blight. Do I... do I have it right.

Hold on (reviewing footage) the FIRST MEMORY we can view says Solas and Mythal met in secret because he had already split from the group. So is his rebellion NOT rooted in her murder?? Which is what he said in Trespasser??

the Regrets questline is destroying me. Morrigan ended up carrying Mythal anyway, after seeing her mother's ghost regret dying? After all I did to keep her as herself! Then that final word from Mythal that the elves of today can and will surpass Arlathan-- I started crying again. Leave me alone!!

Weisshaupt. Very emotional and too immersive for me to remember any thoughts. But I swear to god if Cabin In The Blight is Anders I will SCREAM.

Genuinely worried that Varric is a fade ghost and that's why no one ever visits him. That he died at the ritual and Rook is hallucinating.

You know the longer I think about it the more upset I am that Morrigan inherited Mythal. I spent the last 3 games trying to prevent what was, apparently, her inevitable fate. Why even give us the choice of the Well? Why offer the Dark Ritual at all? I'm used to going against canon (Warden Alistair) but this feels like a slap in the face to all my choices. All this along with essentially wiping southern Thedas off the map. So what was the point of our hero's effort? Just to, as Solas said in Trespasser, buy a few more years of peace?

Lace's fight with the Shade was such a great scene. I can't help but remember that she was present for the DAI Corypheus finale and saw him split the earth, lifting the Inquisitor's party into the sky. When she turned around to split Rook & Co from her own platform I gasped.

Emmrich wants to be a what

~~~

Took a 3 week break for the holidays, came back and started the loyalty missions. Sad I don't expect to see Cole or Sandal in the last act. This game broke Sandal's perfect score!

I also realized while gone that Lace was so angry at the start but seemed to settle down suddenly because the Shade split off. Her anger LITERALLY LEFT her body. And now she has dwarven/Titan magic. If we get another DA game I NEED it to be about the dwarves.

Poor Taash. Shathann (Sumalee Montano) knocked that final scene out of the park and I wept.

Loved the treasure hunt! And a new Compassion who talks like Cole and wants a big hat!! Cuuute

All these Chasind/Alamaari references got me emotional too. Makes me miss Jaws of Hakkon and Ferelden.

Wow the Warden puzzle in Sharksmouth is both so satisfying and so annoying! I love all the nods but hate that none of these statues are people from Last Flight. You know. The book about the Fourth Blight. That one.

On the other hand I got the Meredith unique item (mage flavor) so I can't stay mad loll

Okay! So! Wow! I would never guess that Taash's plot would be the one to highlight What Lies Across The Sea. frankly, I thought the executors would be on the same level as the snake men: namely, a joke that Bioware would never follow through on. And WHAT is all this NOISE about a STORM! Green clouds like Fade magic? The original Kossith settlers fled across the sea only to fall to the First Blight. The tablet says those blessed with dragon fire "see the unseen" so what is it about dragons (and archdemons) that means they can fight back? Is the Qun a sign that the Kossith left behind failed? So the Executors founded or inspired the Qun? This quest left with so many more questions I worry we'll never have answered.

Lost and Profane left me so upset I didn't write anything down. Seeing what became of Isseya was too terrible to feel good about saving the griffon babies. And then having to choose what happens to the griffons left me actually out loud sobbing for 15~ minutes. My sister sat with me until I calmed down. Yes I chose Arlathan but I feel like a traitor to my Warden and everyone who ever hoped to see a griffon again. And not being able to show Isseya Revas' feather because I decked the First Warden does not make me want to load an old save, it makes me angrier at the writing.

Bellara's mission hit less hard. I thought we would have to choose Cyrian's fate not... that. She really is Merrill The Second. So just like with Merrill I encouraged her to keep the item with lore of her ancestors. Also Anaris was looking for shelter from a storm. Bioware what are you up to

Still worried about fade ghost Varric. Are we keeping his soul from peace? IS there an afterlife for dwarves? Only if the Maker is real! Or is it all bad/slipshod writing because Mary Kirby was sacked before writing ACTUALLY wrapped???

I feel the need to point out that with the new rules introduced with Corypheus and enforced by Isseya, The Architect COULD TOTALLY COME BACK. UTHA WAS RIGHT THERE HE COULD ABSOLUTELY BODY HOP AND JUST BE CHILLING IN THE DEEP ROADS COME ON

Emmrich saved Manfred. My personal distaste for undead was less important than saving Emmrich's son (though we couldn't ask Fred's permission and that does bother me a bit).

~~~

Okay it is January 2025. My sister says I will likely finish the game this weekend. So here are my 'pre end of act 2 and/or third act' thoughts:

If Solas really killed Varric I may just take any chance to break the egg. I've had Varric way longer and he's been too important to too many of my heroes to go out like this.

IDK how to feel about the option to encourage my Inquisitor to actually get back with Solas. I had thought before playing DAV that she might DIE with him so if that's on the table I'm prepared for it. But they had her mention "give it all up for him" and uhh was that an option? Yes she loves him enough to die with him but does she love him enough to LIVE WITH him, and accept allllll his bullshit? I don't know. It'll depend how they present the choice, I guess.

I also said pre-release that if I could sacrifice Rook like we could sacrifice Warden in DAO that I would. That WAS before I romanced anyone so I don't know if I would go through with it given the chance. That's what save files are for I suppose?

My sister is being SO OMINOUS about act 3. She gives me the saddest looks but also says she loved the ending, I don't know what to think!!

I also built my Rook playlist on the idea of playing a Lawful Evil/Renegade Rook but the game has not allowed or led me in that direction. So now I'm considering going full renegade in act 3 as like a character breaking point... but my girl Mercar has held up far better than any of the other three did this far into their plots.

Knowing who writes the Randy Dowager has me in stitches and also agony

~~~

Well. Finished the game January 12. So much happened in the last four hours of gameplay that I really haven't processed it yet. Let's start with: I hate being right about Varric. Loved the prison quest, hated everything that happened. And how long were we gone? Days at least, weeks more likely, but the damage to Minrathous could happen in moments if Elgar'nan wanted it to. Viper is so strong and noble and definitely dying soon. Take the Joining you ass!

The Juggernaut(s) looked so much like Meredith's final form I got angry at her all over again.

So the Evanuris are gone and there will be no more blights. That's.... huge. The Evanuris were real and also the Tevene dragon gods. So the only religion left with a leg to stand on is Andrastianism. I do noooot want to meet the Maker. If the Maker is real then Varric can be with my Hawke. Don't turn that into another spirit thing.

And the void that sucked up Lusacan's body. Was that The Void where Andruil found the blight? Where does it go? Why did it take the dragon? He would have been a good source for more Joining materials, which are now a finite resource. The end of Grey Wardens, Dragon Age's staple faction, is in sight. That plus only having 50 years left to the "dragon" age really worries me for the future of this franchise. We cannot keep skipping a decade ahead.

Absolution ending Solas is just... wandering free? That is the OPPOSITE of what I want but having seen the other options, it is certainly the one I prefer. Finding out he CAN call himself a god (fight end) did fuck me up. And hearing DAI music followed by Lost Elf made me cry again. My Lavellan going with him feels less terrible if they can still visit her family and friends. And help people. However she IS still mortal so there's still a tragic end coming. This also means every headcannon and drabble I have are entirely plausible...! ...?

And what was with that stinger?? The Veilguard Remains Vigilant. Sure but do we get DLC? A book? Comics? A DLC?? The thought also occurs that a "storm that drinks the sky" sounds like the black hole that ate Lusacan. So are we veering into space metaphors/magic now? And is the consistent mention of Andruil hinting that she or the Void WILL return?

Wait was that slide about Arlathan saying the Golden City had returned? I read it as the Elves had a chance to make their own nation again, but the phrasing is actually very different isn't it... oh my. That would be cause for an Exalted March when word gets out.

That the Well of Sorrows song (any Inquisition song really) made me gasp every time it played highlights how flat this score is. I can mentally listen to Lost Elf or Dawn Will Come at will. But the only noteworthy DAV song was the menu theme and that's disappointing. Lorne Balfe and Hanz Zimmer have both done AMAZING work: what happened? I want to want to listen to this album, but I can't think of any specific song. Sometimes Arlathan sounded Mass Effect. Sometimes Minrathous sounded Anthem. I hope data miners will find and share the unreleased tracks, but I WISH the score had more emotion.

As much as this game hurt me, and as much as the world state choices let me down, it DID give me more Fade missions than all other games combined. I would love it for that alone.

And finally, quality of life improvements I wanted:

Beacons labeled on the map (so I know where the hell I'm going)

Previewing clothing & weapons (so I know what I want or don't)

Any explanation of the Valuables/faction points system (so I know not to sell everything to Veil Jumpers!!)

Enemies as red dots on the mini map. This seems self explanatory. I had to check with my party if there was another enemy nearby.

And an interrupt system. There were several cutscenes I would have liked to interact with via interrupt, especially at the end. This is less QoL and more something I said out loud several times.

[violetasteracademic]

Favorite ships:

Of all time

Acotar

TOG

CC

Not Elriel (ACOTAR related)

Secondary fave ship

What ship would you want to live in real life?

Crack ship

A toxic ship you love?

Best fanfic for ship of your choice?

(feel free to send to others)

Meep! Thank you @nikethestatue for this!

Fave ships:

Of all time: Kanej

Acotar: Elriel 🌸🦇 with FERVOR

ToG: Manorian

CC: Night and Day

Secondary fave ship: Ahhhh this is tough. I love Feysand and Nessian for different reasons. I think both of their relationships have bright spots and flaws, but I feel Feysand edges out just because we have so much more perspective of their relationship and they are the OG's! I wish I could read their story again for the first time probably more than any other couple in the SJMverse.

What ship would you want to live in real life?: Genuinely, Elriel. The peace and quiet girlies get it. The house husband girlies get it. I am truly a person who requires a great deal of alone time and quiet time to recharge. I, much like Elain, enjoy a great deal of solitary activities. Writing, baking and gardening. I like filling my free time making something. It gives me a sense of peace and purpose outside of the capitalist hellscape we live in. I have yet to experience a romantic partnership where my "me" time or quiet time was treated as valuable or important. Nothing will ever be more romantic to me than Elain and Azriel simply wanting to be around each other, even if in silence. Sitting together quietly in the sun. Or Azriel listening to Elain talk about her gardening plans, because he is interested in the things she thinks about creating.

It's a special type of connection, to not constantly need high energy conversation to feel close to someone or learn about them. Being at peace with one another, being interested in each other's minds, and understanding what someone else needs to feel calm and grounded, that is really beautiful to me.

Crackship: Ansel and Rolffe, but also Gwyn and Fenrys!! I am a Twilight of the Gods theorist and genuinely believe the Valkyrie will play a huge role in the Ragnarok retelling. Fenrys is one of my fave SJM men, but he and Gwyn have a lot in common. Both were twins who got horrifically SA'd after witnessing their twins murder. Both have a sassy sense of humor, and a long complicated history being loyal to and in service of powerful and short tempered leaders (Maeve and Merril.) I personally see a lot of connections there, and see Gwyn and Fenrys both as side characters in their respective series that may likely become key characters in the multiverse!

A toxic shop you love: Klaroline 🙈 still not over it.

Best fanfic for ship of your choice?: Okay, despite the nearly 100k multi chapter fanfic I wrote in April, I am still brand new to the fic world and haven't read a lot of fics yet! So I'm still gathering recommendations and figuring out where to start! But I did read Pretty Little Angel by DottieLovegood after a friend sent it to me over a year ago, and it essentially became my religion. I can't wait to keep diving into all the talented writers in the Elriel community! I've read some great one shots by @tswaney17 and @bloomingdarkgarden (ehoney on AO3) and have years worth of fics to catch up on!! I'm sorry I'm such a newb 😭 and taking recommendations!

Tagging @faeprincesswarrior @enigmaticexplorer @nikachansstuff @gracie-rosee to see your answers!

[kaija-rayne-author]

Wow. So much dislike about elves generally preferring to be barefoot in the Dragon Age world.

Y'all.

Why elves not wearing shoes in Dragon Age is completely logical.

Okay, so it’s not a huge secret that I grew up poor. We're talking hardscrabble poor. The kind of poor most people don't think even exists in the western world anymore (I guarantee it does).

To someone with very little ability to buy things, shoes just aren't the priority everyone seems to think they are. City elves are poor in most depictions.

The Dalish would likely feel they'd rather use the materials for something else. They may not be as poor as city elves, but they likely wouldn't be wasteful either. Depending on where they wintered, they might not even use them then. I go out barefoot in light snow and frost, you do actually get used to it.

Fenris is a former enslaved person with lyrium tattoos on his feet. The tattoos cause him pain when touched. Of course he doesn't wear shoes.

I never had casual wear shoes in the spring/summer/fall. They just did not exist in my understanding of the world. There was no need to buy and ruin a pair of shoes when feet toughen up just fine.

I grew up in the Adirondack Mountains, by the way. There are a lot of bloody rocks there. You can't dig very far down before you hit bedrock up there.

We had horses and dogs too, (yes, I'm aware of the crappy juxtaposition of parents who pay for horses but not shoes) so it's not like we're talking a pristine woodland. (Not that anyone who has spent much time in actual wilderness would say it's 'pristine' in the sense of 'clean', anyway.

I'd get a pair of sneakers/runners before school started (usually second hand) and a pair of boots in the winter. I remember having to wear bread bags around my feet inside my boots to keep them dry and whole. Less likely to get frostbite that way.

I distinctly remember my first brand new pair of shoes. I remember my second and third pairs too.

Even now, when I have far too many shoes, more than I could ever need, (I've got a thing for boots, my kids tell me my collection is 'extra'. They're right 🤣) I still prefer to go barefoot. From around April to November, I just don't wear shoes unless I have to. Like, to go into a store or public area; I'll reluctantly wear proper footwear to hike in (and even then they usually wind up over my shoulder instead of where they belong) shoes just aren't the absolute necessity so many folks act like.

I'm aware of what Gaider said about it, that he blamed (unfairly) the art team. It's the director's job to approve things like that, so, uh, bad form.

Still.

It is very possible to have a strong preference for no shoes. You don't really miss what you never had. And to me, it feels like y'all wearing shoes all the time is weird and likely unhealthy. In fact, it kinda is.

"Walking barefoot helps to improve circulation which increases the nourishment of nerves, muscles, and bone of the foot and helps minimize swelling of the lower extremities. Walking barefoot may also help improve the strength and flexibility of the muscles and ligaments of the foot which improves the function of the foot, reducing injuries of the foot, and improving posture and balance of the body."

At most, for just every day, I'll wear a pair of flops if I think the terrain is dangerous enough to warrant it. That's very rarely. I do have a habit of watching where I step, though.

In spring, I go out on the tarmacadam to intentionally toughen my feet up. And no, my feet aren't calloused monstrosities.

It's just kinda mind-blowing to me how essential so many people seem to feel shoes are. They just aren't.

To me, it makes perfect sense that the elves, a historically repressed and abused people (sort of like a lot of my ancestors) don't feel they're necessary.

In a medivalish world like Dragon Age, where blights or false gods or wars keep tearing civilization to pieces, shoes would be ridiculously expensive. I mean, soldiers didn't take boots because they thought they were cool. They did it for resale value.

And cobblering is incredibly skilled labour. I was lucky enough to find someone who still knew how to keep my favourite boots alive longer. That guy could make those boots look almost brand new.

But in that world, poor elves would absolutely not be likely to wear shoes.

Shoes feel incredibly confining to someone who didn't grow up wearing them. I utterly loathe the way shoes feel.

I've also been a dancer and martial artist for a large portion of my life. Two groups of people you'll frequently find barefoot.

The way you walk in shoes is completely different from how you walk barefoot.

It's also an incredibly privileged viewpoint to utterly insist shoes are necessary and that elves in a video game should absolutely have to have them.

The only thing I'm annoyed about is that the armours often include boots, which my elves just wouldn't wear. I should have a barefoot option.

It may not be strictly canon, for the whys behind barefoot elves, but it makes complete sense.

The only elf I'll say it doesn't make sense for is Solas. Why he doesn't wear shoes could just be a big commitment to his cover of elven apostate hobo.

Or perhaps his culture didn't think shoes necessary any more than I do. That would also explain why elves could have a preference for no shoes, it could be a holdover tradition because they all descend from the Elvhen.

It's true that you develop a sense for the earth, or trees, or whatever you're walking on if you don't wear shoes. I spent a lot of time with a book in trees, because few people would climb as high as me so I was safe there. It could easily be that elves wouldn't want to lose that sense, too.

You can learn a lot about an area by what the surface feels like under your feet. If you're a hunter, it's sometimes easier to track if you know your quarry prefers a certain type of terrain. You don't need to look down if you can feel the ground.

In fact, despite what people may think, my feet are incredibly sensitive. Tough, yes, but still very 'feely'.

Point made, I'll stop blathering now 😅.

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[psalacanthea]

WiP Whenever

it's not wednesday but I have time for once, and I know it's been a while since I updated anything. So here's a little from the Hawke x Varric fic (post-canon, post Hawke escaping from the fade) for my tumblr buddies.

Hawke meets a new friend that happens to be related to someone she met in the Fade.

...

“What are you doing?” the worst four year old in Thedas asked for the fifth time.

“Having a headache,” Hawke replied, a hand draped over her face.  “I’ve had a very hard day, you know.”

“Uncle Varric was mad.”

Yep, he sure was.  Still mad, actually.  If Naomi didn’t feel like she’d been thrown down the harbor road in a barrel, she’d probably be hovering over him.  But instead she was stuck being Thedas’ worst babysitter.

She shifted, moving from hand over the face to arm over the face.  Still blocked out the light, but more dramatically.  “Only a little at me, mostly at other people.  Where’s your mom?”

Her response was in Dalish.  Elven.  Whatever they called it, Naomi didn’t speak it.

“Okay,” she said, rather than ask for clarification.

It gained her no reprieve.  The small creature continued prattling.  “Uncle Varric said you from F’relden.  Where’s you dog?”

“My friend Fenris stole him.  They stole each other, I guess.”  At the fretful little tug on her arm, Hawke lifted it above her eyes.  Her head swam a little as her vision focused, in a way that made her finally admit Varric was right and she shouldn’t sleep until her brains un-scrambled, or he found a mage.

Disturbingly close to hers, a round-cheeked, but pointy face framed by wavy mahogany hair cut too close loomed, eyes fixed intently on her face.  Weird eyes, actually.  Not a color she’d ever seen before, even in other elves.  They weren’t gray like she’d thought.

“Your eyes are purple.”

“Yours eyes are blue.”

“Kid…”

“Aslin,” the little interloper corrected her.

“Aslin, I have a headache.  Because someone kicked me in the head.  Several times. And that's after a long lifetime of people kicking me in the head, so it hurts a lot.”

“D’you need a medicine?”

Not even bothering to question if it was a good idea or not, Hawke dropped her arm back over her face.  “Yeah.  The bottle on the table is my medicine, can you pour me a glass?”

The weight on her knees disappeared, and Naomi slumped deeper into her chair.  Maker.  Where was Anders when you needed him?  Wasn’t Varric’s stupid paragon a mage?  Or had the magic left her when her ex chopped off her arm?

“Hey, is your mom a mage?”

“No.  Is you a mage?”  There was a disturbingly loud clink, a splash, and then a very faint ‘oops’.

Naomi didn’t open her eyes.  “No.  Is anything broken?”

“No, its yours turn.  You say ‘is Asalin a mage?’ and ven I say yes.”

Naomi honestly wasn’t really listening. “Seems like you have it handled.  Is anything broken?”

“No.”

“Then keep going,” she invited.

There was some excessive glugging, some more splashing and some more ‘oops’es, but eventually Hawke’s dangling hand had something cold and very damp shoved at it.  Gratefully she fumbled her way into grabbing the glass by the bowl, letting the drenched base drip onto the floor.  “Thanks, kiddo.”

“I spilled.”

“Yeah.  On the table or yourself?”

“Yes.”

Naomi was smart enough to know that a small child covered in wine would get her into trouble.  She remained in the darkness behind her eyeballs though, because seeing things made them real and she didn’t feel like dealing with it.  “Shit happens.  You can take anything you want out of the big wardrobe in the bedroom.”

As little bare feet pattered noisily away on the stone floor, Hawke took a sip of her wine, feeling the drops pattering against her thigh.  And chest, as she lifted the dry red to her lips.  “This is why I don’t wear white,” she muttered.

It didn’t take long for the little beast to do whatever destruction she was doing in the other room, and there were no crashes or screams.  No sobbing.  See?  Four year olds didn’t need that much oversight– she was perfectly capable.

“Asalin?  Aslin!”

The voice echoed up the hall, too distant to be unpleasant, but still rousing a wrinkle of Naomi’s forehead.  Which hurt, so she stopped.  Being kicked in the head was unpleasant.  So was the rest of it, of course, but right now the headache was so insistent that she couldn’t think about anything else.

The pain was in her teeth.

Like a duckling, she heard the pitter-patter of little elven feet again.  “I have to go mamae.”

“Good luck.  Remember, you should ask Uncle Varric where his beard went.”

“Okay.  Daref shiral.”

“Dareth shiral,” Naomi replied, because she knew that one.  Didn’t know what it meant, but she knew what it was.  Merrill said it sometimes.

“I’m close a’door.”

“Thanks for letting me know.”

Another little pitter-pat, and then some huffing and puffing and very serious child grunting.  “Why can’t somefing just work?!” the little voice declared with a very adult cadence and exasperation, but hilariously childlike pronunciation.

“It’s a heavy door and you’re a small bean.  It’s fine.  Leave it.”

Unfortunately that required another round of farewells, which meant the kid’s mom got close enough that Hawke could hear when her crimes were uncovered.  First it was fussing over what she was wearing (one of Varric’s shirts, apparently, which meant it was a wonder the kid was covered at all and not just tripping on his neckline) and then it was asking why she smelled like wine in a much higher and more strained pitch.  Oh yeah.  That probably would be noticeable, wouldn’t it be?

But the moment Hawke knew she was in real trouble when a small, serious voice piped up from the hallway.

“Shit happens, mamae."