#felassan romance when?

[whereismywarden]

god, i love this man 😂

[babe-a-yaga]

Template by @dalishious

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

this is not a fully formed thought yet im still working this out. but after reading other people's impressions and seeing some complaints about Solas' characterization in this game i do disagree, but i see where people are coming from in a way

when you (or a character) have a Spiraling Breakdown of personality and belief and everything else. theres 2 kinds of ways it goes: spiraling OUT vs spiraling IN. Outward spirals happen when you start acting out of character/unlike yourself, because who you are (or used to be) failed. Inward spirals happen when instead you buckle down and commit to the one way though you can see, even if it keeps failing you, because maybe this time if you do it harder or better or more it will finally work.

in Inquisition we see Solas spiraling out. His world is shattered, everything's different, it's all his fault. And in response he desperately looks in every direction he can and grabs at anything he sees as being an option to set things right--using Corypheus, using the Inquisition, using whatever it will take. He loses his sense of self and who he is, he pretends to be someone else and falls into that character more than he expects because everything has gone so wrong he's trying to mentally distance himself from it. pretend it never happened, pretend he can turn back time, that this world isn't real. He mirrors your Inquisitor's treatment of him because the core of his own personality is so tangled he can't find his true self until the game ends, and we see him again in Trespasser.

in Veilguard we see him do the opposite. It might look like he's calm and focused but he's still spiraling, it's just inward this time. He has picked one core facet of himself and is becoming solely that aspect more and more and more. he's abandoning the parts of himself that he thinks don't serve this one goal he has fixated on, because this time he's not pretending he can turn back time--he knows that undoing it is not just erasing a new timeline it's altering the course of the current one. he can't look away from it but he also can't risk stopping. we see him as Fen'harel the war general who will do anything it takes no matter the consequence or personal cost, he lies and he tricks, and he leans into tricking you because that's his only out now. He can't stop and explain and make you see because he gave up the part of himself that can listen to alternatives. He's not calm and resolved, he's panicking--we see him make promises he can't keep like killing the Archdemon, so he's not just lying to us but himself. He kills Varric just like he killed Felassan just like he killed Mythal.

And that's also why it takes so much to snap him out of it. You can't appeal to the other parts of Solas--his love, his friendliness, his more lighthearted joking side. You can only beg your case to General Fen'harel, which is why you need the only one left who was also there to witness that part of him, Mythal. He cannot move forward or allow the other parts of himself, like the part of him that loves the Inquisitor if you romanced him, to surface until the spiral is shattered.

[kcwriter-blog]

More thoughts on Solavellan

I started replying to a post about the psychological aspect of Solavellan because it was interesting, well thought out and I thought good points were made but it got very long, and I had new thoughts. I wanted to put them down. This is not a criticism of that post in any way, it’s good and I urge people to read it. I just see things differently.

The big problem I have with most takes on Solavellan is how they take agency away from Lavellan whenever Solas is mentioned. We have a woman who grew to be one of the most powerful leaders in Thedas but when we talk about her and her feelings, she suddenly becomes this naive child desperately in love with the man who broke her heart. I just don’t see it. I don’t see a relationship – no matter how intense – of a few months, defining her going forward. So, let’s look at it.

Solas and Lavellan do love each other deeply. We don’t hear Lavellan say I love you until the breakup scene and she never calls him vehnan until Trespasser. Obviously, that is, as with most things in the romance, because it was a rushed, late add to the game. But it is interesting.

People get on Solas’ case for not defining the relationship, but I would argue she isn’t in a hurry to define it either. Which is smart. They haven’t been together long and one, the other, or both of them could die.

It’s possible that Crestwood is the first chance they have had to talk about it. I’ve never liked the first dialogue option because Lavellan seems genuinely surprised that up until now, she doesn’t know what to call Solas. Which is silly. They have been exclusive for a few months now. They are in love. She’s been calling him something and my guess is it is vhenan (her heart, home). And Solas fully intends to have that discussion. He just gets cold feet because what he has to tell her isn’t something she is going to believe.

Moving on. The valleslin scene has had a lot posted about it and I don’t want to get into it. I think what’s important is not whether it is removed or not but the idea that Solas alone destroys her faith by telling her the truth. Did he hammer the final nail in the coffin of her faith? Yes, but a smart Lavellan has to be questioning everything already. Why? Because she met Mythal.

Even before she meets the head of her pantheon, she has been to the Temple of Mythal and learned a lot that differs from her people’s mythology. She learns that Mythal was murdered, not locked away. She learns that the Dread Wolf had no part in that murder. She sees a depiction of the Dread Wolf in an antechamber of the temple in a guard dog position which is weird. If she drank from the Well, she has a lot of ancient elven voices in her head telling her stuff. If she didn’t, she would have Morrigan telling her the same stuff.

She meets ancient elves. And those elves don’t see her or the Dalish as their own. Just as a reminder, Solas isn’t the only ancient elf to have feelings about the Dalish. Abelas is very pointed about saying Lavellan isn’t one of his people. Felassan makes fun of the Dalish. Mythal says “the People bend the knee to easily” in DA2. Heck, Felassan thinks more of the city elves than he does of the Dalish. Solas eventually comes around. It’s a grudging respect but he does allow that they have some good qualities.

Lavellan meets Mythal and Mythal isn’t exactly a nice person. She has chosen to possess the body of a human, not an elf. She never helps the elves. So, you have an elven goddess in diminished form running around helping human heroes but doing nothing for the people that pray to her. That must rock her world and her faith.

Her faith is already on the ledge by Crestwood. Solas possibly pushes it over. And he never would have told her if he hadn’t messed up and changed his mind about the other thing. It’s all impulsive. He isn’t thinking straight, just covering his ass and it hurts her. However, I think he still intended to carry on the relationship without telling her the truth. During the kiss, he finally realizes that if he loves her so much he almost told her everything, then not telling her is morally wrong and he comes up with a reason to end it.

After the breakup, Lavellan is hurt. It always hurts when someone breaks up with you. What hurts the most is knowing he still loves her. What also hurts is he won’t give her a reason. I don’t think she is questioning everything he told her at this point. He’s just the cold-hearted son of a bitch who broke her heart.

Most of us have been there. We’ve got breakup playlists, alcohol and friends to help get us through it. I usually imagine my Lavellan grabbing Bull, Dorian and Cole to help her take out her anger on a poor unsuspecting dragon. I also put off triggering the Wicked Grace game until after the breakup.

That doesn’t mean she isn’t angry or crying on Josephine’s shoulder. Of course she is, but she isn’t questioning her life choices. She could tell Solas to get lost, but she keeps him around. She is even kind to him when the Orb is discovered broken.

And everyone is kind of busy planning to find and finish Corypheus off once and for all. I see her putting a pin in it. Once they win, she will confront him and demand answers.

She doesn’t get the chance because he leaves without saying goodbye. That has to hurt. I don’t see her in a place where she could never trust anyone ever again. It’s more likely, she throws daggers at a drawing of him out in the practice yard. Even if she still loves him, she is an adult not a maiden in distress. As much as she loves Solas, her entire world does not revolve around him.

Solas made his choice. She may be concerned about him - especially after Cole’s cryptic message - but I don’t see her searching frantically for him. He knows where she is and can send her a message if he needs her.  

And she is busy. She must help clean up the mess Cory made. She has rifts to close. She has dignitaries to meet. She has paperwork. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for pining.

There is an idea that Lavellan is alone because all of her inner circle except her advisors go off and do their own thing. Except that isn’t true. They write letters – which you can find exploring the Winter Palace – in those letters some of them mention having visited or that they will visit. Lavellan is also capable of making new friends. She is not static.

Solas leaving her may still hurt. She may have (and probably did) tried to move on but so far no one matched him for any number of reasons. She is only alone in the sense that any leader is alone. What she probably misses the most about Solas is that he always treated her like a person, not an icon.

Then we get to Trespasser. If you have found all the clues for the secret dialogue option, she has figured out Solas is the Dread Wolf long before she confronts him. She has seen the murals, learned his story. She knows the Dalish got it wrong. She knows from experience that the Dalish get a lot wrong. And he’s Solas. She might not know him as well as she thought but she saw beneath his mask a little. She isn’t going to be afraid of this figure out of Dalish legend. Mostly she is going to be pissed because he didn’t tell her the truth, because he didn’t trust her.

As far as the arm thing goes. Weekes and Epler have said, he did not amputate her arm. Solas drew out the magic that was killing her. The arm disintegrated. It was already doing so by the time she meets Solas. If he hadn’t drawn out the magic, she would have disintegrated just like Solas’ friend Wisdom. I think arguments that she would have trouble trusting anyone based on this are a non-starter

Once all that is over, will Lavellan have a hard time trusting anyone? She will have a hard time trusting Solas. Who wouldn’t? Will it color her perception of anyone she might want to be romantically involved with? For a few years maybe but what are the chances she will fall in love with another god?

Trust isn’t just about people you’ve been romantically linked with. She still trusts her inner circle. They help her. A bad experience with one person, no matter how much she may love him, isn’t going to make her stop trusting people entirely.

Now apart from Solavellan, I’m pretty sure Lavellan is messed up psychologically. You can’t go through what she did and not be a little messed up. But it is that experience that may make her empathize with Solas and understand why he left her.

She knows what it is like to be a leader. Not in the sense of leading her clan but in the sense that her decisions have huge consequences. She knows how a leader’s decisions are always second guessed - like they are at the Exalted Council if you chose to exile the Wardens. She knows what it is like to have to step up and be the one to save the world. She knows that sometimes there are no good choices, and you do the best you can. She knows it messes you up and you can lose your way. Solas has lost his.

Is it ten times harder to empathize when you loved that person, and they destroyed your trust? Yes. Solas will have to win her trust back. She will view anything he says or does with suspicion, as anyone would. However, Solas rarely outright lies. She knows this. She will be asking a lot more questions and be paying more attention. She also knows that he didn’t lie about loving her.

Okay, but he is still planning to tear down the Veil so he must not love her very much. Her love moved the needle. He went from believing nothing was real to thinking everyone is real. Is it so hard to imagine that Lavellan thinks he can be reasoned with? I doubt she thinks her love alone will change him. That doesn’t mean she won’t want to try. That doesn’t mean she will want him back when it’s all over. It also doesn’t mean she is a quivering mess obsessing over their relationship.

Solavellan can be whatever you want it to be, based on your own experiences. For some it's an angsty story with a Lavellan pining for him. For others, she gets over it fast with Cullen's help. For me, she is a strong, proud woman who is able to use her own experiences to empathize with Solas and want to save him from himself. She may still love him, but that love has been tempered by her experiences with him. They will need to have a long talk if they ever meet up again.

[felassan]

What if

In Warden Mahariel worldstates, Davrin has a comment about it?

When we go to Weisshaupt, there are some references to the Hero of Ferelden and their fate? Maybe some codex entries (Weisshaupt has a library), a statue dedicated to them like the griffin one we find in Redcliffe in DA:I, something like that?

When looking around The Lighthouse, there are paintings and notes written by Solas about the Inquisitor, friendly or romanced?

There is some kind of reference to Felassan, the friend that he killed, in The Lighthouse?

[baphometsss]

Starting to think that 'memories of a duet' might also be about a high approval Inquisitor.

Ofc it will never be confirmed/denied, especially since it makes little sense to be there for a low approval inquisitor and it can also be read as being about Mythal and the early days of Solas living in a body, where she forged him into a weapon. But it's interesting to have it in a room which is otherwise a shrine to the Inquisition. There is beautiful sunlight pouring in through the windows, and it isn't the dull bluish light in the rest of the Lighthouse. He has repainted the frescos from Skyhold, to remember his time as Wisdom ('seeing wholly, and being wholly seen'), with those friends he loved and betrayed. There is a chair with an Inquisition mural on it facing the harpsichord, as if waiting for the Inquisitor to sit and watch him play. A ton of cheese, because they were in Ferelden. There is an Orlesian clock, a Astrarium, and basically 0 references to Mythal. It's odd, then, that the Duet codex would be about Mythal, in a room that is otherwise devoid of her presence. It is a sanctuary, the only part of the Lighthouse that truly lives up to its name for Solas.

You have to make the statues of Fen'harel and Mythal face each other to access it. As if it's only by facing his regrets and humbling himself that he will allow himself to indulge in his 'selfish' desires to be loved and seen for who he truly is, something that Mythal and even Felassan did not give him. The rest of the Lighthouse is filled with destroyed frescos of memories he wants to forget (mainly featuring Mythal), and there is a fragment of Mythal in the Crossroads that he never goes to see. He doesn't allow himself to be selfish or he'll be tempted off his path like he was when he was with the Inquisition, and the presence of Mythal in the Lighthouse is his way of reminding himself to stay true to his purpose. Yet still, he destroys references to her; he destroys the murals because they are too painful to witness, his Pride cannot handle it.

The truth is that since gaining a body, nothing about Solas's life has been about want. He never wanted to come through, but he was asked to by a friend who wanted his help and wisdom to fight a war they would likely die fighting in. He cannot resist appeals to his true nature. He didn't want to stay and seems to have returned to the Fade at some point (the second memory where Mythal shrugs him off to return to the Evanuris appears to take place in the Fade).

He hasn't had anything he wanted since he was a spirit in the Fade. A romanced Lavellan/high approval Inquisitor, and the bonds he formed in the Inquisition, made him reflect his true purpose, and it's through his time in the Inquisition that he begins to change. By his own admission, he came very close to breaking during the Crestwood moment with a romanced Inquisitor. However, the destruction of his orb by Corypheus, and the ritual to tear down the Veil already being underway, meant that he couldn't abandon his plans. He failed in his attempt to unlock the power of his Orb.

And that's kind of the crux of his change: Pride cannot handle failure, as failure requires humility, which is its opposite. Solas in DATV is Pride is trying to prove its purpose; Mythal is used a figurehead for all his regrets, but don't forget that he destroyed a fragment of Mythal in his pursuit of tearing down the Veil, to steal her power from her. It's no longer just about the debt he feels he owes to her for leaving her to fight the Evanuris alone (i.e. leaving her to die), it's the fact that his words of wisdom were not heeded, and as a manifestation of Pride, he cannot tolerate that. It's the fact that he left to start a rebellion, and it got Mythal killed because he wasn't there when she needed his help. His Pride has convinced him that it would've made a difference, when by all accounts he was outnumbered and not powerful enough to fight them all anyway. All of these mistakes and regrets are deeply humbling. So of course he's desperate. Pride will stop at nothing to prove its purpose, like Elgar'nan's Tyranny will not stop until he achieves godhood.

To a point though, it's kind of Mythal's fault that Solas/Fen'harel happened in the first place. She shouldn't have twisted him from his purpose and used him as a weapon, she shouldn't have kept him loyal to her so she could keep the fight against the Evanuris by manipulating and branding him as her lap-dog. She shouldn't have made him forge the Wolf's Fang to kill the Titans and start the Blight. But also--she was Benevolence, who became Retribution, and that meant that she also needed to prove her purpose. Solas/Fen'harel is the collateral damage of that.

It is only by appealing to his true purpose (Wisdom), that Solas has a chance to be redeemed. The Inquisitor is the one who brings the statuette to Rook's attention. The Inquisitor is one half of the key that brings humility to Pride, to make him see that there is Wisdom in humility too, that he still has that good in him, that he is loved and cared for despite everything. It is Mythal who is the other half of that key, as she is the one makes him understand that the shame isn't just his own, but a shared burden that he must accept a proportionate amount of blame for. Mythal is the release, and the Inquisitor is the guide for his new direction. They are foils. He says that the high approval Inquisitor is why he can see a better way forward, and a romanced Lavellan is there to remind him that he is loved, that he has a purpose beyond all he has known for thousands of years, that he is not alone in his struggle.

[mumms-the-word]

Some general reactions to Veilguard so far! Under the cut in case of spoilers <3

So far I’ve gotten Neve, Harding, Bellara, and Lucanis and I am so enamored with each one of them. Jae (my rook) is basically co-parenting baby Harding and Bellara with Neve (which is funny because iirc everyone is basically 30-35 out of this group). Lucanis just got here and Jae does NOT know what to think of him

I, however, love him

The scenery is GORGEOUS. I’ve spent hours exploring Arlathan Forest just getting a bunch of side content done. It’s so eerie and beautiful at the same time to me

I’m also obsessed with looking at all the details in the Lighthouse. The DAI callbacks, the codexes, it’s all so good

I’ve played two solas memories and OH MY GOD FELASSAN. I fell in love with him in The Masked Empire and I flipped out when I saw him on screen. My brain is already trying to trick me into writing Felassan fic lmaooo

I have a few grumbles as well. Varric’s narration transitions feel…odd to me, like I’m missing a frame sorry that explains why he knows everything enough to play Lord Foreshadow with everything. The random villain POV cutscene felt juvenile. I literally was like “they did this in Kingdom Hearts too” lmao which may not be a compliment (though it worked there). Some of the dialogue is mid, but other conversations are lovely and even heartbreaking. So it’s a mix.

Overall so far the game feels a little too glittery but I’m also getting used to it. I had a moment while exploring the Underwater Prison where Lucanis is, where I was like “we are the furthest thing from Dragon Age Origins now, like, wow, Alistair would flip out if he knew mages and ancient elves could make underwater prisons like this” but I mean…different times, different products and all that

There’s nothing that makes me absolutely hate this game, as of yet. I’m disappointed about some things, but other things make me really happy! And honestly, that’s what I expected. I had a day or two where I was sad about stuff that I knew I wouldn’t get to see or hear (mostly Morrigan not acknowledging my warden, who romanced her, or her son, but also a few other things) but once I felt my feelings about it I could jump back in with fresh eyes and see what else I could discover

There are more callbacks to the older games, novels, comics, and short stories than people say. They’re just subtle. But I’ve kept my eye out, I’ve been taking some pictures, and I plan to have a few posts in the works about lore, if that interests anyone!

Anyway that’s it for now. Just got Lucanis, and now I’m back on the side quest grind. Updates soon!

[teresiel]

Bhannen Aldwir/Felassan

Meet Rook template by @arcandoria

Somehow Felassan has returned!! and he's back with glowing eyes and a penchant for Necrotic Magic, as a probable hint to just how he's back (spirits and spoiler-y things).

"Bhannen" means something like Nothing Known and was a name given to him by the Veil Jumpers after they found him in Arlathan Forest and helped him acclimate without his memories. (in jest, not mockery; they know he has a good sense of humour)

I was not planning on romancing anyone, but damn does Lucanis suit this Rook's enigmatic desire to understand rather than destroy when it comes to spirits, as well as his kind-hearted sarcasm.

You all can and should try and play the game this way; it makes all the Solas stuff and memor-bits all the more fulfilling, sensible, and tragic (and helps make up for/explain some of the game's otherwise-failures).

His eyes are a blank black throughout most of the First Act, until you get to certain Solas and Felassan centered flashbacks, and revelations are made/identities are unlocked.

Gender-Identity-wise, I figure Felassan didn't have much of a gender until "modern" Thedas, but he retains a masculine identity out of the most immediate recall/and out of ease. Realistically, he's likely a he/they non-binary (as I've implied in my prior fan-art).

Also here's him with dark eyes:

[pikapeppa]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤️

Oooh don't mind if I do since I'm on a kick of rereading a bunch of my own writing currently! 🤣 First off: tagging back to you, lovely @johaerys-writes, and forward to @crackinglamb @alyssalenko @sinsbymanka @vorchagirl @chloefraazers @mwasaw @himluv @ocean-in-my-rebel-soul @contrivedchaos and anyone else who would like to play! Please, anyone and everyone, join in!

So okay. I thought wayyy too hard about this and had A LOT of difficulty choosing because I actually really enjoy rereading my own fics 😅 but I did my best! Answers below the cut for anyone who wants to keep reading:

- Fall Into The Tide: Dragon Age, Sten/f!Mahariel, ~54k words. The premise of this fic is that Mahariel decides on a whim to follow Sten on his maritime journey back to Par Vollen. This was actually the first fic that came to mind as a favourite, and to date, I feel that it's the best thing I've ever written; I'm really proud of Sten's characterization and the emotional beats. I still cry like a baby every time I reread it LOL.

- Lovers In A Dangerous Time: Dragon Age, Fenris/f!Hawke, ~525k words. This is my Fenris the Inquisitor fic. I just finished rereading it and I had a lot of "wow I wrote this? Good job me" moments while reading it! 😂

- Until We Meet Again: The Witcher, Geralt/f!Reader, ~250k words. The point of this fic was that I personally want to fuck Geralt so I made it everyone else's problem BAHAHA. This fic completely mutated from self-indulgent smut to accidentally-falling-in-love in a totally unplanned way, and I'm so thrilled with how it turned out!

- Just Hold On, We're Going Home: Samurai Champloo, Mugen/Fuu/Jin, ~38k words. SamCham is my favourite anime, and the end of it is so heartwrenching to me, even though it's a happy ending. So I wrote this fic to heal myself 🤣 This fic was entirely a gift I wrote for myself on the assumption that no one would actually read it, and it's been lovely to see how many people were craving a poly happy ending like I was!

- The Love That Grows From Violence: Dragon Age, Felassan/f! Lavellan, ~181k words. This is a post-Trespasser fic where a bitter Lavellan falls in love with Felassan, who was made Tranquil rather than killed in the Fade. This fic holds a hugely special place in heart partly because the idea was BRILLIANT (it was suggested to me by a wonderful reader-friend!), and because writing this became my cozy escape during the worst of COVID. I'm really proud of some of the emotional beats in this fic and the lore aspects, and I really hope that Veilguard will not end up proving me entirely wrong or I might just die LOL. 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS (I CAN'T HELP IT, THIS WAS REALLY HARD):

- Even The Hardiest Desert Blooms Need To Get Wet Sometimes: Horizon Forbidden West, Drakka/Aloy, ~365k words. I JUST REALLY LOVE DRAKKA, OKAY? I JUST LOVE HIM. A LOT. I had a ball writing every chapter of this fic just because I adore the disaster Desert gremlin, and I always love the opportunity to write texting in fics, which I got to do here a lot, so this fic makes me a very happy girl 🥰 The only reason this didn't make my top five is that I don't actually reread it very often!

- Inadvisable: Dragon Age, triple romance for Solas/f!Lavellan, Abelas/f!Lavellan, Felassan/f!Lavellan (different Lavellans LOL), ~668k words. This is my modern AU university fic collaboration with my beloved friend and artist Elbenherz. IT WAS SO HARD NOT PUTTING THIS FIC IN THE TOP-FIVE; the only reason it didn't make the cut is because it was either this one or The Love That Grows From Violence, and I just have such cozy-fuzzy vibes/memories of writing TLGFV. 

If anyone decides to check out any of these fics, I hope you enjoy! 🥰

-- love from your friendly neighbourhood Pika xoxo

[agentwashingcat]

I'm still so mad Felassan dies at the end of The Masked Empire because he'd be so funny in Inquisition if you romanced Solas

Felassan: Oh so when I get soft for one of the people it's a no go but when Solas almost gives up a plan a millennium plus in the making for one it's fine. No yeah, totally understand.

[longer-than-i-should-admit]

Thirteen (point six) hours in now that it’s finally downloaded…I tired…I’ve been up since seven am lol, it’s so much better than I expected!🥰

I’ll post better images once I figure out where in the hell my screenshot folder is but my baby Fenalan turned out so so gorgeous oml🥹

Spoilers mentioned under the cut:

I’m so glad Varric is okay. He gave Fenalan a little pep talk when she cracked under the pressure a bit so she’s doing her best to hold it together for the team. She left the mayor bc he’s a shithead and she’s generally been rather purple-coded, as I thought.

She has also given Solas a hard time at first, as planned. I wasn’t expecting him to clap back like he did in that second scene lol, but now that Varric has given her more insight into Solas’ personality she’ll be more cooperative going forward (while still being a lil shit of course).

God I know I’m waiting to romance Lucanis for Khalida but I understand why people are so I love with him. He went grocery shopping for them🥹and the delight in his voice when Fenalan got him the wyvern tooth dagger? Oh my lanta, my heart. And the fact that he noted her favorite drink being tea? That slew me on the spot. By god I am going to smooch you so hard next time. Get ready for it. (Rn he and Neve are flirting up a storm and it’s so damn cute I want to die.)

Honestly all the companion missions so far have been so sincere and sweet. I can’t wait to see more! I’m starting to get all the little side missions branching out so I’m trying not to get overwhelmed with them all by taking them one at a time. I think I’ll tackle more of arlathan forest first thing tomorrow.

I unlocked the memory where Solas fights Elgar’nan, so is the elf who was with him Felassan? I’m assuming it’s Felassan. And if that’s Felassan I am going to cry bc he seems so nice and outgoing.

Also who summoned the fish in the Lighthouse? (I think it was Felassan lol, he seems like an agent of chaos. The “you summoned them, you’ll have to feed them” line took me out.)

I’m mentally cataloguing all the little differences I’ll be making with Khalida, who is more of the soft-spoken, shy, diplomatic type. Her favorite drink will be the “something sweeter” option, she’ll have supported Varric’s plan, and she’ll be more open to Solas’ input off the bat once she gets over her initial fright of him. She’s such a sweet little thing and Lucanis is going to be an utter disaster with her since she’s a bit oblivious lol

God idk if I’m going to be able to sleep after all this but hey, here’s to trying lol

On nydha, lethal’len!🥰

[senseandaccountability]

romance in Veilguard

Me: Aah, let's see who Rook vibes with when we get to know the companions.

Also me: Lets her flirt with everyone and can't decide AT ALL.

She felt very into the ladies until she ran into Davrin whom she CLEARLY wants to fuck in that guesthouse at the Lighthouse. And who can blame her? I don't think she'd go for shemlen blokes and Neve... well, choices were made and I've played enough RPGs to get a feeling for how that will play out. If she could, she would probably bang Felassan in one of those memories.

[celiacelie-stuffblog]

Putting on my tinfoil hat and clown makeup to wildly speculate on DA4 !

I think the scene we saw where Solas kills Bianca has two versions whose outcomes are affected by some of those Key Decisions made in inquisition that affect how the game begins.

I don't think Varric is coming out of this scene alive and our Dwarf is going to get got in one of two ways and it'll depend on your inquisitors status with Solas/ and choice whether to try save him or kill him.

A befriended/romanced Solas has grown and feels more conflicted about what he's doing. He spares Varric because he cannot bear to kill his friend.

A Solas that goes unfriended never learns to see the people of this world as people. He's the same Solas that killed Felassan to see through his mission.

It still hurts him, he doesn't like what he's doing, but not like it does when he's become more connected to the world. Like softened vs hardened Leliana.

The unfriended Solas does not aim for Bianca. He kills Varric. And in the moment becomes irredeemable to the player. Solas is beyond saving- and he will be killed by the Evanuris or player.

A softened Solas cannot kill Varric and the scene plays out like we saw. The Evanuris step loose, and strike Varric down. (And if I can be delusional for a moment- the Evanuris move to kill Solas and Varric saves him, sacrificing himself.) Varric is killed and Solas survives and moves forward to redemption and helping fix his newest spectacular fuck up.

I feel absolutely insane. I want to chew on this man. I'm having so much fun.

Bonus points if Harding takes and repairs bianca and carries her through the rest of the game.

[ly-art]

Brain rot!! Guess I'm a whore for the Demon of Vyrantium...sigh

So... of course I'm currently playing Dragon Age: The Veilguard. As much as work and private life and writing allows. And man... I knew i wanted to romance Lucanis, but I'm all fired up. Although I didn't expect him to be so well... NICE. I expected an arrogant ass (wait, I see a pattern... *eyes Solas*), but I'm still happy. Davrin looking fine as well.... FFS

It also means it is time, fellas. For some new one-shots... SMUTTY ONE-SHOTS with Lucanis... I already have three ideas in the works ( my Solavellan longfic is currently crying and screaming in the corner at me). The Dragon Age brain rot is back at it again lmaoo

(SIDE NOTE: AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO FUCKING CRIED WHEN SHE HEARD AND SAW DORIAN??? MY TEVINTER BABY, I MISSED YOU. and. Griffons. They're so cute. I WANNA HAVE ONE.// and I didn't scream when I saw Felassan in Solas’s memories. Nope totally not. Or when I found his messages... 😭😭)

Okay I'm done. Thanks for coming to my usual brain rot that needs to get out sometime

[thedragonagebigbang]

Bang Creator Interview: Tumblr: @fatale-distraction  |  AO3: Fatale_distraction |  Wordpress: History Will Say This Was Just a Book Blog

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

Woman single-handedly ruins decades of work using one simple technique you won’t believe!

Fataleity and Dema talk rarepairs, Swayze-coded Cullen, punk rock Solas, and Shenanigans

Dema: Starting very, very basic: how long have you been in the DA fandom? What about it inspires you to write?

Fataleity: ​​Gosh, it’s probably been around fifteen years or more? I played DAO not too long after it originally came out and while I haven’t always been active in the fandom, I’ve been a fan since then. I’m super inspired by the characters and the lore, in particular anything relating to the elves. I love that the DA universe took typical elven lore and kinda flipped them upside down.

Dema: Do you have a favorite bit of Elven lore? Or if “favorite” isn't the right word, a piece of lore that particularly struck you?

Fataleity: Along with everyone else atm, I am really fascinated by the Evanuris and the idea of Ancient elves like Abelas and Felassan. I also love that each Dalish clan has different customs, different levels of knowledge, etc, but are still connected by a common history and language, lost as they might be, and try to lean into that in my writing.

Dema: So, you played all three games more or less as they came out, but when did you start writing fic for DA? What prompted you to start?

Fataleity: It’s been a while, but I believe it was around the release of Inquisition that I started actually posting. As far as writing, it would have been from the start in private notebooks or sharing with a friend of mine. Inquisition’s release was when I started getting into the tumblr fandom and seeing others posting their work, and figured if others were going to, why shouldn’t I?

Dema: Oh wow, right from the beginning! You’re an OG! What was your first published DA fic about?

Fataleity: It was a short one-shot of Leliana and Zevran during Inquisition. They crack me up as a couple. It was mostly banter and porn tbh, very little if any plot, lmao.

Dema: Oh my god, this was a pairing I did not know I needed until this moment. Fabulous, thank you.

Fataleity: You’re welcome. It’s a good one.

Dema: So do you tend to be more inspired by the canon characters or by your OC's? Or if not "inspired" per se, do you write more of one than the other?

Fataleity: I wanna say it's about even? I’ve noticed that recently I’ve been writing more from the perspective of canon characters than I did when I first started writing, even when writing about OCs. I think it's fun to try to emulate their voices, and also their reactions to some of my OCs ridiculous behavior.

Dema: Who is your most ridiculous OC?

Fataleity: My Inquisitor for sure. She’s the youngest of a very large Dalish family so she’s a little childish for her age, very affectionate and kind, but she has a powerful sense of justice. She’s best friends with Sera and the Chargers, so she gets herself involved in all kinds of shenanigans.

Dema: Gotta love the shenanigans. Did she romance anyone?

Fataleity: She romanced Solas primarily, but I have also shipped her with Krem and Fenris. I did a few OT3 fics of her, Krem, and Solas that I think came out pretty sexy. 

Dema: Krem is under-shipped, I fear.

Fataleity: I do my best to fix that. I’ll put him with anyone who will treat him softly. Or not. Depending on his mood I guess. He deserves the world and more.

Dema: Thank you for your service. This is like asking for your favorite child, but do you have a particular canon character you really love to write?

Fataleity: Krem for sure. Great narrative voice, great jokes, and since he’s not as canonically developed as other characters, there’s a lot to play with.

Dema: Do you do anything in particular to get into the heads of the canon characters? I find that's such a challenge (a fun one!) to adopt the voice of a character I didn't create, and am always curious how other people do it.

Fataleity: Getting super familiar with the source material is obviously very important. For some characters that’s easier than others, so I will also rely on similar characters from other media that I feel resonate strongly to the character I’m trying to portray. Also simply putting myself in the character’s shoes. “If I was this particular character with this particular background, how would I react to this particular circumstance based on my prior experiences?” I feel like I’m also pretty influenced by whatever media I’m consuming at the time. For instance, writing 90s Cullen around the same time I rewatched Dirty Dancing, he ended up VERY Swayze-coded.

Dema: Omg, incredible. Is there any non-DA media inspiring your fic for the Bang?

Fataleity: I’ve been listening to AURORA’s newest album a lot. My partner and I are also watching a lot of comedic detective shows recently, so I feel like that sense of humor is going to be a big influence by the time this is done.

Dema: Man, I feel like any follow-up I ask to that question will have to be redacted, ha! What's the most out-there piece of media that has inspired a fic for you?

Fataleity: I don’t recall if there was a particular piece of media that inspired this, but I created a Y2K dragon age AU specifically so I could cram the characters into specific period-appropriate outfits, specifically young Solas as an early 80s late 70s punk kid. I think It might have stemmed from rewatching That 70s Show. This is also where Swayze-Cullen came from.

Dema: Was there a musical number. Please say yes. 

Fataleity: I tried to shoehorn my Lavellan into having a band on top of everything else, so there were definitely musical numbers. Krem was playing the solo from Freebird. ABBA was involved.

Dema: Amazing. God, I am dying to see some Solas 80's punk fanart now.

Fataleity: I would die. I would pay blood, sweat, tears, money, and my first, second and third born children.

Dema: Anarchy patch on his leather jacket…

Fataleity: Piercings. The piercings alone, man. I made him a college professor so he got rid of most of the piercings, but he kept a few. “The ones that would hurt most if I wanted to get them done again.”

[Dema and Fataleity have an increasingly suggestive emoji exchange.]

Dema: Sorry, I'm incorrigible.

Fataleity: As am I.

Dema: Do you find you write a lot of AUs?

Fataleity: I think I imagine more than I actually put down in words. My favorites are definitely different time periods. I’m a sucker for costuming.

Dema: Same. Costumes tell you so much about the culture and the characters! Do you tend to have visual references when you are writing, beyond what is provided by the games?

Fataleity: If I have a particular outfit or setting in mind, especially for AUs. For those I’ll have Pinterest boards or the like. If I’m doing something more based around existing settings, I’ll look up a reference as needed, but I don’t tend to have, like, a vision board or anything for those.

Dema: If you have any visuals for your Bang fic, will you give us a teaser? 

Fataleity: https://unsplash.com/photos/purple-flowers-near-mountain-during-daytime-S73YlRU8hy0 

Dema: Oohhh the vibes! I’m looking forward to it. On a very different note, if your bang fic had a clickbait title, what would it be?

Fataleity: “Woman single-handedly ruins decades of work using one simple technique you won’t believe!”

Dema: Perfect. Thank you for your time, Fataleity! 

Fataleity: Of course, this was fun! 

[felassan]

Game Informer:

"Yes, Dragon Age: The Veilguard Has Nudity, And I've Seen It by Wesley LeBlanc on Jul 10, 2024 at 01:00 PM Dragon Age: The Veilguard will feature nudity. That's something I learned firsthand while customizing my Rook within BioWare's Edmonton, Canada, office earlier this year during my cover story visit. We were customizing a feminine Rook, and while adjusting body options - read Game Informer’s in-depth feature about Veilguard’s character creator here for more details – our Rook's shirt disappeared to let us customize things like chest size. And that's when Veilguard game director Corrine Busche smiled, likely knowing full well that nudity in the character creator means nudity elsewhere in the game, like in Veilguard's romances, something I know BioWare fans will be delighted to hear. "This is a mature RPG," she tells me."

"I only see topless nudity in the character creator, and when I later ask BioWare if there is bottom nudity as well, I'm told that's something it wants to let fans discover for themselves in the game. Interesting answer, considering we're talking about genitalia here, but I don't push further.  Though the game's leads wouldn't share too much about romance options in the game, I have a feeling nudity will play a part in some cutscenes and that's what BioWare is alluding to.  Nudity has been present in previous BioWare games, but it's almost always been implied. Characters are sometimes naked in romance scenes and elsewhere, but arms, legs, shadows, and pieces of scenery obscure characters' more… oogly bits. With some of those bits on full display in the character creator, I have a feeling Veilguard's romantic scenes will be the spiciest in the series' history. And the game's pretty visual design, running in EA's Frostbite engine, only adds to that.  Okay, I think I've hit the limit that I can write the word nudity on my work computer before it gets flagged by HR or something. You'll have to wait for the game's full release this fall to learn more about nudity, romance, and more.  For more about the game, including exclusive details, interviews, video features, and more, click the Dragon Age: The Veilguard hub button below."

[source]

Felassan's cliff notes section of post:

DA:TV features nudity

In CC, if customizing a feminine Rook (for example), when adjusting body options Rook's shirt disappears to allow for things such as their chest size to be customized

"And that's when Corinne smiled, likely knowing full well that nudity in the character creator means nudity elsewhere in the game, like in Veilguard's romances, something I know BioWare fans will be delighted to hear". Corinne: "This is a mature RPG"

BioWare were asked if there is also bottom nudity in the game. In response, they said that this is something they want to let fans discover for themselves

The writer's thoughts: "I have a feeling Veilguard's romantic scenes will be the spiciest in the series' history"

[source]