#fenris pre-kirkwall

[teine-mallaichte]

Whumpmass in July day 21

At some point I really need to start whumping some other characters... but I saw this prompt and my first thought was far too well formed not to run with...

Fandom: Dragon age 2 Character: Fenris @whumpmasinjuly-archive day 21 - Prompt abandoned. Premise: When Danarius left Fenris in Seheron, when the only person he had every really known, and the only life he could remember sailed away leaving him alone in a world he couldn't possibly understand... as much as years later that could be framed as his escape from slavery, on that moment is was an abandonment.

The battlefield was chaos; screams, clashing steel, the hum of the arcane, the scent of blood, and the sickening thud of bodies hitting the ground. Through the maelstrom, he moved with skill and precision, without conscious thought, his master's orders guiding his every action. Each strike, each parry, a testament to the brutal training he had undergone.

The tide of battle shifted, the call for retreat echoing across the field. He looked around desperately, he eyes finding his master amidst the fray, struggling against a relentless enemy. Without a moment's pause, he fought his way through, his body a shield, his sword an extension of his will. Blood slicked his hands, not all of it his own, and pain lanced through him where a blade found its mark. Yet, he pressed on, driven by the singular purpose of protecting his master.

They reached the boats at the edge of the shore, his master was usured aboard, but he was stopped.

"There is no room for a slave."

His eyes widened in disbelief as the guard's words sank in. The chaos of battle still raged behind him, but the true storm was within. He glanced at his master, hoping for a word, a glance, anything to suggest that this was some kind of mistake. But his master's eyes remained fixed on the horizon, cold and distant.

“Master?” He managed to choke out, his voice a strained whisper. He wanted to believe it was a mistake, that the master would call him aboard, that this was some cruel joke.

The master’s eyes briefly met his, an emotion flashing through them—a flicker of something distant, perhaps pity or regret, but it was gone as quickly as it came. The guard's firm hand gripped his shoulder, conflicting instints warred within him, to gight, to comply, he looked to the master, needing guidence.

"We have no space for an injured slave," the guard reiterated.

His world shattered in that moment, a crack that splintered his very soul. The words, the finality in them, were a hammer blow to his heart. His master’s gaze, once a beacon, was now a void, unfeeling and detached. The guard’s hands were firm, unyielding, as they pushed him back towards the shore.

“Move aside. You’re slowing us down.”

“Master!” His cry was a raw, desperate plea, but the boat was already pushing off, its oars cutting through the water with a relentless rhythm.

He staggered, the pain of his injuries forgotten in the face of this new, deeper agony. He tried to follow, feet stumbling over the wet sand as the waves lapped at his ankles. The wet sand clung to his feet, the waves lapping at his ankles, growing higher with each wave. But he could not swim—slaves were not permitted to learn such skills. The cold salt water stung his wounds, mingling with the blood, and the chill seeped into his very bones.

But the boat sailed on, his master’s figure growing smaller and smaller, until it was nothing but a speck on the horizon. He had never known anything but his master’s commands, the cruel affection that had shaped his existence. Now, abandoned, he was adrift in a world that suddenly felt vast and hostile.

He stumbled back to the shore, the salty water mixing with the blood from his wounds. Each step was a struggle, his strength ebbing with every movement. Collapsing onto the wet sand, he lay there, gasping for breath, the agony of his injuries merging with the deeper pain of abandonment. His master's face haunted him, that final, indifferent look a knife twisting in his heart.

For a long time, he lay there, the sounds of the battlefield fading into the background. When he finally mustered the energy to move, the sun was beginning its descent, casting long shadows across the shore. He forced himself to his feet, swaying unsteadily, and looked around. The beach was littered with the remnants of battle: broken weapons, discarded armor, and bodies of the fallen.

He was alone.

(accompanying art)

[sulky-valkyrie]

200 followers fic "raffle"

from this post and for @laughingpunk

Morning came too early, as always.  But evil never slept, so justice (and Justice) apparently could only be afforded the occasional catnap.  Anders yawned and rolled out of his bed as the pounding outside continued.  "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

He'd been up until almost dawn thanks to a foundry accident, and, if the water clock Hawke had given him was working correctly, he'd had only three hours of sleep in two days.

Varric's grin faded as Anders opened the door.  "You look like shit, Blondie."

"Feel like it too," he agreed.  "What’s Hawke done now?"  Miraculously, the line of patients hadn't formed yet, but it was only a matter of time.  Best to get whatever this was over with quickly, maybe catch a few winks on Hawke’s couch, then be back to the clinic by noon.

"No, they're fine," Varric assured him as he walked inside and started poking through his closet, if half of a cupboard that permanently smelled of elfroot could be called such.  "But they do need you up at the mansion.  Soon as possible."

He turned to grab his coat and staff.  "That's not ominous at all."

"Leave the gear and put this on instead."  A bundle of pale blue linen was shoved into his hands.  "Time's money, and you're costing me a fortune."

Anders eyed it skeptically, then shrugged and pulled off his shirt to put this new one on.  "What's this all about?"

"It's a surprise.  A good one!" Varric amended hastily, then winced.  "I hope.  Ancestors know what they're up to without me."

"You're not selling this well."  The fabric was luxurious and soft on his skin, but the sleeves were too short.  Ridiculously so. “And this doesn’t fit.”

"I'm not selling anything.  Not to you, at least.  And we’ll fix the rest."  Varric grinned.  "Now, come on."

He stubbornly grabbed his coat and staff anyway.  "Fine."

Apprehension dripped from Varric as they made their way through the tunnels to Hawke's cellar, and Anders couldn't stop worrying and wondering, no matter how many reassurances were offered.

When they stepped into the kitchen, nothing could've prepared him for the sight: Bels and Fenris were wearing aprons, smeared in flour, and...

"Are you baking a cake?" Anders asked incredulously.

"What of it, mage?" Fenris asked, brandishing a - was that a whisk? - at him menacingly. 

Bels laughed and plucked it from his hand before going back to beating something in a bowl.

Freed of his burdensome cooking utensils, Fenris advanced on him, pulling his coat off his shoulders with disdainful noise and reaching for his belt.  "I said this wouldn't match." He clicked his tongue in irritation.

"I did the best I could, Broody," Varric retorted.  "He doesn't have a lot of options."

"What the fuck is going on here?" Anders demanded, yanking his coat back from Fenris and slapping his hand away from his trousers.  "Is it ‘make fun of the sewer mage’ day?  Some previous unknown holiday made up just to drag me up here and–"

"Not so loud!" Bels hissed.

The urgency of her tone shut him up immediately.  Something terrible must be happening, or be about to happen that even Bels was serious.  "Varric, you said this was a good surprise," he said with a glare.

"It is!" Varric insisted.  "Just not... look, it's Hawke’s nameday."

Anders frowned.  It’s not like I could’ve done something for them anyway.   Still, not even getting the chance to wish them well?  That stung.  "They didn't tell -"

"Anyone," Bels sighed.  "Their mother is doing that thing she does, and Hawke is doing that thing they do, and didn't want to drag us into it."  She pointed toward the dining room.  "Big fancy luncheon, full of big fancy hats and big fancy Leandra’s big fancy people, in about two hours.  And they were just going to sit through it with a big fancy miserable smile."

"And we're going to fix that?" he asked, then added.  “Without kidnapping them?”

Fenris grabbed his wrist and tugged him toward the pantry.  "We're trying.  But you need to look the part."  He glanced at Bels.  “Remember, fold the chocolate into the egg whites slowly.  Don’t stir.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll be as gentle as a lamb.”  She wiggled her fingers at him dismissively.  “Don’t have too much fun without me.”

Fenris shook his head in irritated amusement as led Anders inside, then closed the door behind them.  

Well, this is new.  He fluttered his eyes coquettishly.  “You know, if you wanted to get me in bed, there are far simpler ways to do it.”

Fenris snorted.  “Take off your shirt.”

Anders tugged off his borrowed not-quite-finery and pretended not to notice the brightness in Fenris’ eyes as he handed it over.  In return, Fenris didn’t acknowledge the blush spreading down his chest.  They’d been in this strange orbit for weeks, drifting ever closer before something or someone pulled them away.  Usually it was the clinic: an urgent pounding on his door, or shouts at odd hours, but it could just as easily be Hawke themself, hauling them off together into absurd danger.  He’d resented the interruptions at first, but the more they occurred, the more grateful he was for them, simply because they’d kept him from doing something foolish.

Something foolish like getting dragged into a pantry and told to undress.

“H-How is this helping Hawke exactly?” he asked as he rubbed at his wrists to shop himself from trying to cover up.  Focus on something else.  “When did you have time to learn how to bake?”

A needle and thread appeared in Fenris' hand.  “The shirt isn’t enough to keep you from looking like the Darktown healer.  Also, I enjoy pastries.”  A dark blue jacket was pressed to Anders’ arms, and he tutted under his breath.  "This will have to do."

"Do what?"

"Why must you be so tall?" He complained as he started popping the seams at the shoulder.  "I have plenty of robes in the mansion, but they'd look ridiculous on you.  Too much ankle."

Anders had no idea what to say to that, so he just watched, dumbfounded at the speed that Fenris stitched strips of velvet between the detached sleeve and the shoulder.  It was unsettling to be half naked with him, and certainly not how he imagined it could be.  Not that he'd imagined it.  Well, not often.  Well, not too often.  "Where did you learn how to sew?" He finally asked.  "This, this quickly, I mean."

"Danarius expected his attendants to be able to assist with his wardrobe," Fenris answered flatly.  "I must admit, it's come in handy more often than he or I could have anticipated."

Any mention of Danarius always made Anders' skin crawl with the need to apologize hand in hand with the urge to insist not all mages were like that.  Over the years, though, he'd learned better.  What had been done to him was unconscionable, but to argue against his legitimate fears and trauma by equating it to the struggles of mages in the South solved nothing.  Even if he'd never admit it, Fenris had done plenty for Anders' kind, however grudgingly, and fighting with him over whether he'd done enough was a battle no mortal could win.  There would never be enough, not until every man woman and child in Thedas viewed magic as a blessing, not a curse.

"Anders."

He blinked back to reality.  Back to a pantry and Fenris giving him a look that seemed a mixture of fondness and exasperation.  "Hmwhat?"

Fenris handed him the shirt.  The cuffs were now longer, with bright blue silk stitched to the ends, and the tops of the sleeves were wound with black satin.  "This will have to do.  Your trousers are…" Fenris trailed off and glanced down.  "They're lost cause, but if you hurry to your seat, no one will notice."

Before Anders could muster an indignant retort, Fenris pressed the jacket into his other hand.  "The stitching is loose, but the black underneath should hide it.  Don't make too many sudden movements or an entire sleeve might shear off.  I'll do it properly when I have more time."

"Why?"  It was for Hawke, of course, but they could've simply not invited him.  The clinic occupied him at all hours, and he would never have noticed or known.

Fenris ducked his head and looked away as his ears took on a faint redness.  "Perhaps Hawke deserves to have a party they'd enjoy."  He licked his lips, then met his eyes.  "Perhaps I wanted to see you dressed up, haphazardly though this may be.  Perhaps crashing this luncheon was my idea, but it wouldn't be complete without you."

Something about his tone, so challenging yet so vulnerable, made Anders pause.  He looped the shirt over his arm and reached out to touch Fenris' hand.  "Is – Fenris, is this a date?"

He smiled softly and squeezed Anders' fingers.  "Perhaps."

[teineplaysveilguard]

I first bought Dragon Age: Origins about two days after release, and I was instantly hooked. I played it six times back-to-back, just to experience every origin story. After that, I kept replaying to see every possible decision and its impact. Honestly I am not sure how many times I finished origins as it was over several platforms and accounts… but it is a LOT.

DA2 came out while I was in hospital (severe manic episode and psychosis) but as soon as I got home, I dove into it. I’ve written before on my main about how much I related to Anders, partially because of the timing, but honestly, I adore everything about DA2.

I have since finished DA2 NINETEEN TIMES! Honestly I love Kirkwall so much… I love everything about the tragedy that was Hawkes live. The tragedy of Hawke’s life, the way no amount of effort or care could fix the deeply ingrained, systemic issues—it’s gut-wrenching and perfect.

Fifthteen years later there are aspects of that game I still onbsess over, the enigma of Kirkwall for example… I had so many theories, none of which are likely to ever be addressed now…

Yes, the game had issues. All games do. Some of the writing was shallow in places; occasionally a companion says or does something that feels a little out of character. Anders and Fenris were treated like narrative mouthpieces at points. Aveline’s character development is a little questionable, and, of course, the copy-paste environments were rough. But for me, the positives—the depth of the narrative, the snippets of lore and background, the things I loved—overshadowed the negatives.

Do you know how shitty it is to know that all my left in the fade Hawkes just don't matter? Which ye I guess in some ways is fitting for the guy who accomplished nothing, who couldn’t even actually kill Meredith or Corypheus, for their final sacrifice to mean nothing… but still…

Then there was Inquisition. Once again I gain it on the day of release, I may have even pre-ordered it I can't rememeber… Anyway, I’ll admit I wasn’t sold on it at first. It felt too much like a “hero narrative”—which is hard to explain, but I couldn’t connect with it initially. The companions didn’t grab me right away either. But over time, I warmed to it, and now I’ve played it six (almost seven) times, obsessively picking up every bit of lore.

same with the books… the comics… that game in the keep that I forget the name of… I've even played the table top game and DMed it

And now we have veilguard...

I was so excited to go to Tevinter in game. Tevinter has fascinated by for so long.

And I… I cannot even put into words just how disappointed I am in veilguard…

I don’t want to be “that guy” who just tears it apart—plenty of people have already done the analysis, pointed out the retcons, and broken down how much lore feels ignored.

But I need to vent somewhere, and none of my IRL friends care.

In essence, the game feels sanitised...

But here is the crux of my issue, or at least the disturbing part:

I have zero desire to replay veilguard…

[brood-mother]

sawbones Dragon Age Fic Masterlist

A list of all my Dragon Age fanfics (circa 2014-2018) to keep you occupied 'til Oct 31st. Mostly rarepairs, mostly smutty.

Dragon Age 2

A Little Self-Love Never Hurt Nobody Anders/Anders, E, WC: 2086; "Anders revisits a memory from his wild Circle days in a dream - and gains a whole new point of view." (selfcest, dream sex, PWP) Fructovorous Fenris/Sebastian, E, WC: 1790; "Fenris is his General on the field; behind closed doors, he’s so much more." (footplay, oral, light D/s) Pillowtalk Isabela/Bethany, T, WC: 755; "While Hawke is in the Deep Roads, a heatwave hits Kirkwall." (post-coital, cuddling, mild h/c) Rooftops Isabela/Bethany, G, WC: 931; "Bethany wants to learn how to support herself and her family." (gen, flirting) Tinpot Alley Implied Carver/Cullen, T/M, WC: 2679, "Three Templars went on patrol; one came back." (gore tw)

Dragon Age: The Last Court

Rakish, Reckless Marquis of Serault/Wayward Bard, E, WC: 3436; "The Wayward Bard takes a knife in the back to protect the Marquis. The Marquis wants to know why." (first time, angry sex, mild blood/injury)

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Many Hands Lighten the Load Dorian/m!Lavellan/Blackwall, E, WC: 7429; "All of Skyhold can see the way Blackwall looks at the Inquisitor, even if the Inquisitor himself can't. Dorian comes to realise there are better ways to handle such a situation than petty jealousy." (UST, mutual pining, friends/rivals to lovers) Rectrix Iron Bull/Zevran, E, WC: 1724; "Bull and Zevran met long before the Inquisition." (bondage, caning, forced tickling) Red Sky At Night Samson/Maddox, M, WC: 4450; "The rise of the Red General began with two men and a missed headcount; or, how Samson was lost to the Chantry and found by Corypheus." (hurt no comfort, pre-DAI) Ruby Red OFC/ OFC, E, WC: 3000; "Behemoth, they called her. Towering, terrifying. Where was Jess, under all that red? A twist of metal helm to mark where her head had been, two flat eyes that glinted in the low light. She was still there, Ruby knew it. She responded to her name, or at least to Ruby’s voice. Not any voice, just hers. Only hers." (angst, body horror, red templars)

The above works are all posted on Ao3, but there are more shorter-form fics over at my currently-defunct DA writing sideblog. Comments, kudos, asks, and suggestions for future fics are all very welcome. 🖤

[fangirlstorycreator]

I hope you are well 🖤💕 I have an ask.

We all know Fenris is jilted towards mages, understandably so, but what if he falls in love with a mage, sort of like in DA2 but this is pre-Kirkwall before he would meet the champion. He's out exploring and stumbles upon a young mage who is being harassed by bandits and he jumps in to save her, only to find she's hurt, and also quite pretty. He struggles with her abilities at first but then soon sees her creating ethereal style butterflies as she sits in their camp, and he finds himself enamored.

Thank you very much for the ask! This is my first ask that's from my new list and I'm very happy to write this for you! I will try my best for you 💚

Being a mage wasn't easy, with most of the people you've come across on your travels, they didn't exactly take to you very well. You were seen as a danger and they kept their distance, apart from the odd few who would confront you, weather it be on the road somewhere or in public. You had been many places all over the land, and you didn't feel very welcome in any place you visited, so you ended up only going into the public eye to get supplies for yourself. You were able to sleep easily on the road, occasionally helping the odd person hear and there for coin, and it was a fairly comfortable life...but that's not to say that it wasn't lonely for you. You had noone travelling with you, and you kind of wanted that, but if it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't the end of the world. You had just passed a market stall on the edge of Kirkwall and stoped to get some things to make for your dinner tonight, you grabbed some cured meat, vegetables, fresh fruit and a new water pouch. You walked happily back through the market, that was until this sudden thump was felt in your shoulder before you fell to the floor with an aggressive push.

Someone had knocked you off your feet, and you look up to see this arrogant man covered in scars, and 3 of his men behind him laughing at your fall. "Aww what's the matter little mage? Can't handle bumping into a real man?" You hated this man with this single question, you hated arrogant guys like this. You stood up, brushed yourself down and smiled back at him "No I didn't, but when I do I'll be sure to let you know" This mans friends all go "Ooo!" Behind him, this annoys the man who pushed you. "You need to be careful little girl, you know rudeness is not attractive" "Hears a question then? What makes you think I'm trying to attract you?" He was stumped, he looked at you like a deer caught in the light, he wasn't expecting that response. You smirk and walk past them all, leaving the market behind and onwards to your next place to travel, which seemed like the forest in the distance ahead. You were kind of used to that happening to you, not everyone was a fan of mage's, especially if you were a woman too. But because it was such a normal thing, you were used to it and tended to push it to the back of your mind.

You camped up a little while later and made a small fire with your magic, it saved spending money on stuff for it when you could just wave your hand. You had eaten and were watching the sun go down through the trees, it was a lovely end to the day....or so you thought. By the time it was dark, you were just reading a book by the fire when you hear muffled chatter and laughter, from quiet to louder as it got closer to your camp. When you finaly see who it is, you realise this wasn't good "Hello again little mage!" This was the same man and his friends from the market, they seemed a little drunk, but not enough to be properly impared. You just tried to ignore them and continue reading, but they were now in your camp, and you couldn't ignore them now. "Wanna tuck us in little lady?" "No, go away" "Ah come on, hey, if your lucky...I might let you sleep in the same bed roll as me? I think you'll be quite impressed" "You do know, being a dick isn't going to make yours any bigger?" Again, his friends were amused by how you could defend yourself and anger this man. "Watch your mouth mage! I know I can take you single handed!"

"I really hope one day you choke on all that sh#t you talk" "Oh is that right? Well then, it seems we're all going to have to teach you a lesson. Boys!" This man and his friends all charge at you, which catches you a little off guard, but not enough for you to make a protective barrier just in time to push them back away from you. But what you didn't realise, was that they seemed to have planned this attack on you, and you weren't aware of the man behind you until it was too late. You felt a painful blast behind your back, causing you to fall to the floor in pain, where this hidden man jumps towards you and grabs your arms, pinning them behind your back. "Ahaha! That's what you get you little b#tch!" This man and his friends advance on you, and start kicking you and punching you, rendering you helpless and being made to endure all this pain. You weren't able to say a single magic encantation with them punching you in the face, and your hands were being held behind you so your couldn't conjure anything, you were stuck, and scared. "Mages like you don't belong hear! And we're going to make sure you never retur-nngguuhh!"

This mans voice is suddenly cut off by the sound of him grunting in pain, through your swollen eye, you see that a mans fist has gone through his chest. But there seemed to be magic infused into his hand, and they wore a gauntlet of sharp claw like shapes. When the fist is pulled back out, the man holding you throws you to the ground and you fall forward and collapse onto the ground infront of you. Your in so much pain that the sound of fighting is just a white noise to you, and you lie there trying to make sence of what's going on around you. Your vision is blurry, but you see these men falling like flies to this unknown man. You can't make out what he looks like, but you can make out this strange colour from him...it was white...and it seemed to be, almost vibrant against his skin. It was something you'd never seen before, were you really seeing this? He seemed to have white hair, grey armour, and he had eyes like emeralds. You were fighting consciousness, and as the last man gets slane, your eyes are slowly starting to close. This unknown man walks over and kneels beside you, the last thing you remember is the feel of this mans hand against your cheek, before everything went black.

You awake some time later, with bandages on your wrists, one of your shoulders and you can feel healing remedies and oils on your face and skin. You seemed to be safe, but who was it that saved you? You slowly sit up, with your body aching and creaking as you do, this makes the man sitting by the fire notice you, and he moves to sit infront of you. "Woh woh, take it easy there. You've had a few nasty injuries" "You?...your the man who saved me?" For some strange reason he looked a little taken back by that comment, but then he said "Yes, my name is Fenris. I heard a commotion on my way through this forest. And when I investigated, that's when I happend upon you. And those awful men who were attacking you" "What did you do to them?" "They are dead, they will no longer bother you or any other mage anymore" "Well, thank you very much for saving me Fenris, my name is Y/N" "Its a pleasure to meet you" "Just one thing, how did you know I was a mage?" "Well, it was only because I over heard those men saying that you were, I don't normally spend time in the presence of mages, but you were in danger. So I made an exception"

"Thank you for that again by the way. May I ask why you don't like mages?" "Well it's because of a mage who I have had bad experiences with, he uses dark and bad magic. Hence why I don't particularly trust mages. But...I noticed when you were being attacked, you didn't use any dark magic, only a protective barrier" "I don't like the thought of dark magic, I only want to protect myself and others around me.....which I guess I couldn't do this evening" "You were over powered by many men, don't put yourself down about that" "That's kind, thank you" he made sure the bandages were secure and that you weren't in a great deal of pain, after what felt like a few hours of general chit chat, you decided to ask him a question. "Fenris?" "Yes Y/N?" "I wanted to ask you....what are those markings are on your arms and neck? I can sence magic in them, am I right?" "Yes, you are right. I imagine I must look strange to you, I did not receive these markings by choice, even so, they have served me well. Without them, I'd still be a slave" "I'm sorry? A slave?"

"Yes, I'm afraid that my story isn't a nice one, infact my story is part of why I happend upon you this evening. You see, I was a slave to a magister by the name of Danarius, he was my master and I did not want to be his property. That is why I am hear, I have escaped his clutches and I am now being hunted by bounty hunters" "But if he's getting people to hunt you down, what does he want from you?" "Not me, more the markings on my skin. It is Lyrium, burned into my flesh to provide Danarius what was acquired of his pet" "So that's why I met you tonight? Your on the run?" "Not quite, I was on the run. But I have realised that I don't want to run anymore, I don't want to live my life in fear. So I'm looking for my former master Danarius, and I intend to kill him for everything he has put me through" "I take it because he is a magister, he's a difficult man to find?" "That's correct, he is a magister of the tevinter imperium. They hold all the power over the chantry and the imperial court, and he is also a very slippery man who is able to evade many moments where I was very close to confronting him"

"It sounds like you need help finding him?" "That's right, the only thing is, whose going to help an escaped slave looking to kill their former master?" "I don't know? Maybe a mage who you saved? And is now in your debt with the knowhow and abilities to help track someone down" "Y/N, I don't know. This is a dangerous thing to ask of anyone, and being around a mage is difficult enough as it is" "Don't you like that I'm a mage?" "You seem like a lovely woman, but after my history with Danarius, I'm very cautious. You can understand that right?" "Of course I do, you have a very good reason not to trust mages. But you were kind enough to help me, and I would like to return the favour. I have many abilities as well as magic, and if I can, maybe I can show you that not all mages are the same. From the sounds of Danarius, I don't want to be anything like him. Anyone who keeps slaves and burdens them with a body burned with Lyrium, is someone with a cold soul, which I'm nothing like" Fenris looks conflicted, but he also knows he can't take on Danarius alone. "Look, if you do want to help me with my former master, then I am happy for the help. But it will just take me time to trust you, and if your magic is harmful in anyway, I will no longer want you around. Is that understood?" "Understood Fenris" "Alright, then we have a deal"

You and Fenris camped there that night after striking a deal, he was kind enough to save you, it's only fair you offer to help him in his moment of need. You and him traveled through towns and villages hunting down any information on Danarius, all while you were slowly healing from your injuries. Fenris was kind enough to offer his support and help you when you were either in pain or if you struggled with something you were unable to do at the time. After the first week of travelling with him, a friendly bond was made between you both and there was mutual respect on either side. After a few more weeks, the only thing you and Fenris were able to accomplish was slaying more of the bounty hunters and find out what Danarius's next possible moves could be. You and Fenris now got on much better, but you hid from him that you found him quite attractive. He was strong, brave, resilient and clever, and whenever he looked into your eyes, you felt so comfortable and warm. You had heard of women feeling this butterfly sensation when they see a man they have feelings for, but you didn't feel that with Fenris. You just felt calm, you wondered why? You knew more about eachother now, and you knew Fenris was scared at the thought of magic being used, hence why you didn't use any around him.

And if you did, it was very small. One evening, you and Fenris had found a place to pitch up a tent in a woodland area beside a river, Fenris was pitching up his own tent when you had finished and decided to sit on the edge of the soft and slow flowing river. It was a short distance away from the tents, but still far enough that you wouldn't be able to hear him unless he was shouting at you. It had been so long since you had done magic, and it was always so easy for you to do. Hence why when you were by the water, the colours in the water from the moon light and the fire, made you feel magic in your finger tips, and you so easily made an ethereal bunch of butterflies. They were a beautiful dusty blue colour from the water and the moonlight, and a lovely milky yellow underneath their wings, that contrasts wonderfully with the blue. You made about 6 or 7 of these lovely little butterflies, and they just flutter around you and over the water as you smile.

Little did you know, that Fenris was watching you from his tent, but not with fear, but like he was entranced. Ever since he's known you, he has been very honest about his thoughts on magic and mages, and he was very pleased that you didn't do magic around him. But as he got to know you, he had this gut feeling that you were indeed, nothing like Danarius, just like you said. He also grew to like you more from spending more time with you, and when you did use the odd but of magic hear and there, he was pleased you made sure it was only small and nothing damaging or threatening. But right now, he was witnessing you use your magic, and he quite simply couldn't look away. Not just because he was impressed with your skill in creating these beautiful butterflies, but it was your smile that was catching his eye too. He loved your smile, he loved watching you in your element and how happy you were by simply making something so sweet. He had been denying his feelings for you for a long time, and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep them in for much longer, not with him falling even more in love with you everytime he saw you smile.

He walked over to you and sat beside you at the river, which made you very confused. "Fenris?" "Yes? You sound suprised that I've seated myself beside you. Have I done something to upset you in any way?" "No, not at all. I'm just confused" "About what?" "What do you think?" You ask while pointing to the floating butterflies. "Ah, I can understand your thoughts. But I have to admit, that I'm actualy quite impressed by your magic" "You are?" "Indeed. When we first met, you told me you wanted to show me that not all mages are the same, and that you were nothing like Danarius, and in our time together, you have proven just that" "I have always been honest with you Fenris, I wouldn't ever want to hurt you or any other innocent person with magic" "And I know that now, I see that. I see it every day, and I see your kindness and honesty in your smile too.....your smile....the moon, stars and camp fire could all be hidden from view, and your smile will still be the brightest view" "Fenris...that's beautiful" "I'm just trying to show you my honesty. Y/N, I know that I am still a man on the run, but with your help I've managed to get closer to Danarius more than I ever have before and I'm very thankful for that. But during our time, I have found that I have grown a certain....feeling towards you. A feeling I'm hoping is reciprocated, if it isn't I will understand, but I needed to be honest with you if we were going to continue hunting Danarius"

"Fenris? Is this your way of saying you have romantic feelings for me?" "That's what I'm trying to do yes. I do apologise, I haven't been in this situation before and I'm not quite sure how to tell you my true feelings" "Well I can put your mind at ease Fenris, because I feel the same way" "You do?" "Of course I do" "Oh I, that's wonderful" You giggle and blow a butterfly towards his face, making the end of his nose tickle. "I thank you for this" "You do realise you don't have to thank me for liking you back Fenris?" "Yes, I know. But this is just a wonderful thing to happen to me, and I felt the need to say it. But I'm happy, very happy. If there is a future to be had, I will walk into it gladly at your side" "I couldn't quite hear that, could you speak up?" You ask cheekily. "Why don't I make it clearer for you?" He says right before he leans in with a desperate need, and he kisses you with a fiary passion. Holding the back of your head with his hand, and his lips were locking so perfectly with yours, like he craved your touch. Your eyes were closed, but you could sence that his markings were glowing as he kissed you, almost like his body was vibrating with excitement. When he pulled away after you both needed some air, he looked at you with his deeply green emerald eyes, and you were hypnotised. "Was that sufficient for you?" He asks with a little smile. "Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe you should kiss me again, just to make sure" "I think it's safe to say I will never tire from this"

[felassan]

Spacelab9 have revealed more details about the upcoming Dragon Age Vinyl box set. (It's a 70 track collection which will include songs from DA:O, DAII, DA:I, DLC and also some DA:I bard songs.)

I found this new info blurb about the cover art really interesting 👁️ (emphasis mine):

Deluxe package features all-original artwork by Dragon Age Concept Director Ramil Sunga and Lead UX Artist Danny Richardson, created exclusively for this album set. The beautifully detailed artwork presents a pictorial timeline following the lore of the Dragon Age series, beginning at the dawn of the Golden City, throughout the City's Fall and culminating in its re-emergence as the Black City, seat of the Old Gods. [source]

hello??? (the announcement blogpost for the vinyl contained the flavor text "From the land of Thedas, at the dawn of the Golden City".)

they also announced that the pre-sale for the box set was scheduled to begin April 27th (can't see it atm unless I'm missing it, maybe it's not yet started?) and that on the BioWare Gear Store it will begin on May 10th. each outlet will offer their own exclusive color variant of the vinyl.

lastly they also posted the full track listing (emphasis mine):

"DISC 1 SIDE A [DRAGON AGE ORIGINS]

1. DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS (2:49) 2. ELVES AT THE MERCY OF MAN (1:21) 3. RUINS OF OSTAGAR (1:18) 4. THE COMMON DWARF (1:24) 5. THE PARTY CAMP (0:44) 6. THE DALISH (1:18) 7. DARKSPAWN IN THE WILDS (1:13) 8. HUMAN NOBILITY (1:21) 9. URN OF SACRED ASHES (1:01) 10. JOIN THE GREY WARDENS (1:53) 11. BATTLE THE DARKSPAWN HORDES (1:05) 12. MAGES IN THEIR CHANTRY (2:01) 13. LELIANNA'S SONG (2:33)

DISC 1 SIDE B [DRAGON AGE ORIGINS]

1. THE CHANTRY'S HUBRIS (3:16) 2. THE NATURE OF THE BEAST (1:30) 3. TAVERN BRAWL (1:15) 4. THE DALISH ELVES ENCAMPMENT (1:18) 5. FERELDEN AT WAR (2:57) 6. KING EDRIN (1:32) 7. CHALLENGE AN ARCH DEMON (3:12) 8. THE CORONATION (1:03) 9. I AM THE ONE (HIGH FANTASY VERSION) (4:02)

DISC 2 SIDE A [DRAGON AGE II]

1. DRAGON AGE II MAIN THEME (2:03) 2. HAWKE FAMILY THEME (2:00) 3. QUNARI ON THE RISE (2:04) 4. LOVE SCENE (1:39) 5. VISCOUNT (1:29) 6. TAVERN MUSIC (2:11) 7. KIRKWALL ARRIVAL (5:13) 8. ROGUE HEART (3:12)

DISC 2 SIDE B [DRAGON AGE II]

1. JOURNEY TO DEEP FEAR (2:55) 2. MAGE PRIDE (4:03) 3. KIRKWALL TOWN ACT 2 EXPLORATION (2:05) 4. DARK DAWN (3:22) 5. FENRIS THEME (2:30) 6. NIGHT ATTACK AND VICTORY (1:56) 7. DESTINY OF LOVE (3:25)

DISC 3 SIDE A [DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION]

1. DRAGON AGE INQUISITION THEME (2:52) 2. THE WRATH OF HEAVEN (5:25) 3. ESCAPE FROM THE FADE (1:14) 4. CALLING THE INQUISITION (1:59) 5. IN HUSHED WHISPERS (4:49) 6. THE WESTERN APPROACH (2:07) 7. JOURNEY TO SKYHOLD (1:48)

DISC 3 SIDE B [DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION]

1. THE DAWN WILL COME (1:58) 2. ORLAIS THEME (2:44) 3. THE SCAR (0:56) 4. SIEGE OF ADAMANT (1:14) 5. WICKED EYES AND WICKED HEARTS (3:35) 6. THEDAS LOVE THEME (1:59) 7. CHAMPIONS OF THE JUST (3:55) 8. SACRIFICE (1:01) 9. RETURN TO SKYHOLD (2:13) 10. EPILOGUE (1:10)

DISC 4 SIDE A (BONUS DLC TRACKS)

1. I AM THE ONE (DARK FANTASY VERSION) [DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS] (4:10) 2. MAIN THEME [DAI DESCENT DLC] (2:58) 3. AFTERMATH [DAI DESCENT DLC] (1:29) 4. DARK SOLAS THEME [DAI TRESPASSER DLC] (3:01) 5. QUNARI ATMOSPHERE [DAI TRESPASSER DLC] (2:41) 6. LOST ELF THEME [DAI TRESPASSER DLC] (3:58) 7. D'READ KODA (1:08) [HIDDEN TRACK]

DISC 4 SIDE B (DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION - THE BARD SONGS)

1. ENCHANTERS (3:23) 2. GREY WARDEN (2:12) 3. I AM THE ONE (1:58) 4. ONCE WE WERE (2:10) 5. RISE (1:26) 6. SERA (1:45) 7. FALL OF THE MAGISTER (3:01) 8. SCOUT LACE HARDING (2:08) 9. THE SLIGHTEST ONES (2:28)" [source]

👁️ Hidden track - "D'Read Koda"? ^^ Koda like a coda? (of interest here is that the recent Mass Effect vinyl collection contained some previously unreleased and some rearranged/remastered music.)

[source]

[spiritsong]

day twelve: romance

#Veilguard30 by @pavus �� writing prompt

word count: 2.4k Hawke, who typically has trouble talking about her feelings, has an impromptu heart-to-heart with Isabela. (details: mage red hawke / fenris rivalmance / post night terrors, pre act 2 questioning beliefs, pre a bitter pill) bonus: I made an illustration of what happens right after this fic for today's veiltober prompt, which you can see here! continue below, or read on ao3.

The still shipless pirate captain pushed open the heavy creaking door, stepping into the tavern she had called home for the last few years. The air was heavy with the scent of ale, smoke, and the odor of laborers and drunkards. She deftly navigated past heavily stained tables and crates that served as seats and people with no spatial awareness, all the while careful not to trip over the places where the planked floor turned to dirt patches. 

It was a busy night, though she recognized most of the faces as regulars; others like her who found solace from the chaos of Kirkwall in the seediest of locations. She recognized one figure seated next to her usual spot at the Hanged Man’s bar; that was an unusual sight. 

“Hawke?” Isabela greeted with curiosity as she approached. “Fancy seeing you here.” 

“Fuck off.” Ferru Hawke didn’t bother to lift her head from the cradle of her folded arms. She blinked in her little bowl of darkness and waited for the sound of Isabela’s retreating footsteps, already knowing it wouldn’t come. 

Isabela, long unfazed by Hawke’s prickliness, made herself comfortable on the stool beside her. She noted the half-full tankard of ale beside Hawke, alongside an empty one that had been unceremoniously tossed to the side. 

Ferru begrudgingly lifted her head, squinting miserably even in the relative low light of the tavern. Her rust-colored eyes shifted towards Isabela.

Isabela stared back, the usual air of nonchalance all around her, though she studied all of Hawke’s overt and subtle mannerisms in a way that only a sharp-eyed rogue could. 

“I thought you didn’t drink,” Isabela commented as she waved a pointed finger at Corff, the barkeep, signaling for one order of her usual. 

Ferru snatched her mug and drained the remainder of its contents, licking the sour ale off her upper lip as she slammed the mug back down. “I don’t.”

Isabela pursed her lips at the response, then rested one elbow on the bar top, cradling her head in her hand as she turned her body fully towards Hawke. Hawke, on the other hand, continued to stare pointedly forward, gaze mostly obscured by the choppy locks of jet-black hair that fell in front of her face. 

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong, or do I need to spend the night poking at you until you finally bite?” Isabela asked. “I’d recommend the first option. It would save us both a lot of time.”

“It’s Fenris,” Ferru forced through gritted teeth, with much of the same agony that might accompany the voice of a man suffering through an amputation. 

“Ah.” Isabela couldn’t keep the corners of her lips from curling up into a small smile, though she was blessedly able to wipe it from her face before Hawke’s eyes darted back to her, full of suspicion. 

“I don’t understand him. He’s entirely unknowable.” The words came out quietly at first, though the frustration was evident in the way that Hawke’s fists curled up tightly atop the bar. “I think things are okay, I think I have things figured out, and then—”

Hawke’s mouth snapped shut as the barkeep arrived with Isabela’s drink. 

“Another one, Corff,” Hawke said, pointing at her empty tankards. 

He gave Isabela a weary look. “Is it just me, or is she more of an ass than usual tonight?”

“Hey! I’ve always been good to you, Corff,” Hawke cut in, then slumped, arms folded across her middle as she stewed in her feelings.  

Isabela shrugged with some amusement, then whispered loudly to Corff, “Boy problems.”

“Isabela,” Hawke growled.

The woman ignored the daggers being shot in her direction as she flashed a dazzling smile at Corff. “Well, you heard her.”

The barkeep grumbled something under his breath as he went to tend to Hawke’s order.

“And then…?” Isabela coaxed once he was out of earshot.

For a moment, it seemed that Hawke had bared enough of her heart for the night, but then she let out a heavy sigh. “I think he hates me. No, he despises me.”

“And that would be so bad because…?” Isabela knew she was pushing it with the leading questions, but she had a very particular feeling that tonight of all nights, Hawke would let her guard down. 

She wasn’t disappointed.

“Because… well, because— I like him,” Ferru said pitifully. 

She had never said it out loud until this point. Maker’s breath, she had hardly even admitted it to herself. She felt some of the ache in her chest leave her with the words, but they tumbled out of her painfully, catching in her throat, reluctant to be seen in the light of day. 

The confession relieved her in the way that setting a dislocated shoulder might relieve her. The way that vomiting up her insides after a night of drinking might relieve her, as she might be doing in her near future.

Isabela elected to stay quiet this time, waiting for Hawke to fill the silence.

“But it’s pointless. We don’t get along.” Ferru rubbed roughly at her face, trying to get herself to snap out of whatever this was. She pushed her hair off her forehead, and it all flopped back into place — more unkempt, less effortless. 

She sighed. “I went to talk to him tonight, to see how he was doing after what happened with Feynriel. You know he blames me for what happened in the Fade? Me? I wasn’t the one who turned against him.”

Ferru laughed humorlessly. “Very naive of me. I thought he was going to apologize.” 

“Fenris has a lot on his mind, what with Danarius’s thugs lurking around town,” Isabela offered.

“I know that!” she snapped, then sunk further down onto her stool with another sigh, body folding over as though it were finally giving out beneath the weight of the world.

“Is there no one else that catches your eye? Anders? You two get along just fine.” 

Ferru shook her head. “Anders is special to me, but it’s not like that. In another world… but I’ll always be something more than what I truly am to him.”

Isabela kicked her feet up onto Hawke’s lap. There was always a nonzero chance that Hawke might toss them off of her when Isabela did this, but it seemed far too much plagued her friend’s mind tonight for her to care. 

“Merrill, then? You’re different around her, softer to her in a way that you aren’t with anyone else. We’ve all noticed.”

“No, she’s more like a sister to me. She’s my responsibility. I have to protect her.” Ferru hiccuped right at the end of her solemn declaration.

“I hate to break it to you, dear, but Merrill doesn’t need protecting. She needs a friend.” Isabela’s voice was both tender and resolute; Ferru knew how much Merrill meant to her. 

“Hmm,” Isabela wondered playfully, turning her head to scan their seedy surroundings. “How about the Hanged Man’s resident dwarf?”

Ferru let out a short bark of laughter. “Varric is Varric,” she said, as though that was all the explanation that was needed. 

A conniving smile grew on Hawke’s face; it was the first Isabela had seen that night, and she privately praised herself for finally drawing it out.

“And besides, what about you?” Hawke put on a higher-pitched voice than her naturally deep, gravelly one. It sounded nothing like Isabela. “Oh, Varric, I want nothing more than to fondle your hairy bosoms. Please, please, please let me dive in between those plush pillows.”

Isabela grinned, her warm gaze twinkling with amusement. “What, you’re telling me you don’t?”

“That’s besides the point,” she replied. 

Corff finally returned with a fresh tankard, which Hawke took swiftly from his hand before he could set it down on the bar. She tipped her head back and let the swill wash down her throat. It was disgusting. 

In one graceful movement, Isabela lifted her feet off Hawke’s lap and shifted her weight forward to lean obtrusively into Hawke’s space. With an obnoxiously calculated tilt of her head, her next question was deployed in that very particular way that Isabela excelled at. 

“And me?”

As predicted, Hawke’s gaze fell first on the slope of Isabela’s breasts, the stark white of her loosely laced tunic standing in contrast to her beautiful brown skin. Then there was the ample rings of gold that circled the long line of her neck, her full lips, the coy look leveled back at her—

This all happened in the space of just two seconds, but Hawke, who was mid-sip, choked on her drink as she met Isabela’s eyes. 

Even against the richness of her skin, a deep flush started to bloom on Hawke’s cheeks. Satisfied, Isabela leaned back and laughed heartily.

“You’re far too annoying,” Hawke grumbled. 

For the second time that night, Isabela congratulated herself; as far as she was aware, no one else could draw a blush out of Hawke in the way that she did. It was actually quite a point of pride for her. 

“I don’t want anyone else, Isabela. I want him.” It made Ferru’s stomach turn just to say it. 

Isabela let her voice grow serious again as she asked, “What is it about him?”

“He’s unlike anyone else I’ve ever met.” Ferru’s voice was nearly a whisper. Her eyes traced the wood grain of the bar, conspicuously ignoring the very discerning, very unnerving gaze of her friend. “He’s so stubborn, and infuriating, and incredibly misguided… and entirely without pretense.”

“The stormy eyes and tight physique certainly don’t hurt, either,” the pirate captain said, all matter-of-fact, punctuating her assessment with a sip of her drink. 

“Isabela,” Ferru groaned. 

There was a long silence between the two before Ferru spoke again. 

“He… sees me. I don’t have to be the hardened criminal looking out for Lowtown, or the shrewd businessman with their Deep Roads riches, or the political schemer who has the ear of the viscount, or the rebel mage freedom fighter, or the hero. I can just be… me, in all my ugliness. And he doesn’t turn away.”

Ferru immediately grew embarrassed as soon as she finished, but couldn’t stop herself from publicly wallowing in her misery. Even more than she already had, anyway.

“I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before he does, though,” she lamented. “We have more fights than we do civil conversations. Or at least it feels like it. You’d be better for him— you’re more his type. A hot-blooded woman.”

Isabela crooked an eyebrow at Hawke. “And what does that make you?”

“A nasty weed that won’t die no matter how many times you cut it down.”

“Weeds are flowers to some. It’s a matter of perspective.”

“You’ve been spending too much time with Merrill,” Hawke rolled her eyes. “There are no flowers here to speak of. Plenty of spikes and thorns, though. Could probably give you a rash if you look at me wrong.”

Isabela snorted and took a swig of her drink, and Ferru did the same.

“Look at the way you two get along,” Ferru said.

“How is that?”

“He just seems calmer and happier around you. He doesn’t get pissed off at every other word you say or action you take. You’re not a mage,” Ferru spat the word out in the way that they had all heard Fenris do a thousand times before. “The other day, when he asked you about freedom for mages— he was far more receptive than he’s ever been with me. When we talk, it ends in explosive arguments.”

In a show of frustration and stunning melodrama, Ferru slammed her head down onto the bar.

Isabela chuckled. “Oh, Hawke. If I had even a small chance with Fenris, he would be wrapped around my finger by now.”

The annoyance emanating from Hawke was palpable, even in the thick miasma of the Hanged Man. “What do you mean,” she said, more of a demand and less of a question.

The pirate captain leaned into Hawke’s space again, this time to force her to meet her gaze.

“The reason your conversations always end up like that is because he’s mad for you,” Isabela said incredulously. “He’s so mad for you he doesn’t know what to do with himself. You challenge everything he’s ever believed in, and he isn’t sure where that leaves him.” 

She sat back up. “Now, whether this will end up anywhere half-decent for either of you remains to be seen. But don’t doubt that he cares for you.”

Hawke blinked, mouth opening and closing as she struggled to parse out Isabela’s words. “You’re insane.”

Isabela shrugged with some irritation now that her patience was running thin. “Believe me, don’t believe me, it makes little difference to me.”

Ferru rose quickly on her feet, then was hit with such a wave of unsteadiness that left her gripping on the edge of the barstool. Once the world stopped spinning, she wagged a finger at Isabela.

“This is why I don’t drink, because you try to weasel your way into my head and confuse me with your— your weasley ways,” she accused.

Isabela laughed. “Sweetheart, you did that all by yourself with your two and a half drinks.” 

Hawke leveled a nasty glare at her. “If you speak of this to anyone, I will kill you.”

“You’re yammering in the Hanged Man, Hawke. Half of Lowtown will know by the morning.”

Hawke’s gaze immediately scanned across the room. Isabela didn’t need to look to know what kind of effect it would have on the patrons of the Hanged Man; the chorus of shifting noises that followed said enough. 

“Ruling by fear works, too,” Isabela knocked back the last of her drink and stood up, making her way towards Hawke who was heading for the door. 

“Oh, no, I’m not letting you stumble all the way up to Hightown like this,” she said, resting her hands firmly on Hawke’s shoulders. “Someone is bound to end up dead. And even I know that we don’t need that sort of drama in our lives at the moment.” 

“Well, I’m not letting you walk me home,” Ferru said pointedly. 

Isabela huffed. “Well, screw you, too.”

Ferru spun clumsily on her feet and started making her way to the back of the tavern, where the rooms were located. “I’ll crash with Varric.”

Without looking back, she gave a half-hearted wave to Isabela behind her. “Love you, Isabela.”

“Love you, too, Hawke,” she said back, incapable of maintaining her irritation as she watched her typically fearsome friend trip over her own feet.

[contreparry]

Happy Friday! For DADWC, how about “I like this, being so close to you”?

I really felt like writing some pre-Fenders today for @dadrunkwriting!

It was a pleasant evening. The breeze was warm and carried the promise of summer with it. The salty smell of the sea hung in the air alongside the scent of sun-baked earth, and even as the sun began to sink below Kirkwall's rooftops and the bay the heat of the day lingered on his skin.

Fenris flopped down under the twisted branches of a tall tree with deep green, leathery leaves and melted into sweet-smelling grass and soft upturned earth in the little garden behind Hawke's manor. The sun and mild temperatures did much to soothe the full-body aches and pains of the lyrium coursing through him. It would never not hurt, but it was far more bearable than it was this past winter. The season's cold and icy winds often felt as if they would tear his body apart.

But today was pleasant. Warm. He felt content as he lay sprawled out in the grass, a rare enough feeling he was happy to indulge in. Fenris had nowhere to be and no pressing business to see to, and simply lying about was rather luxurious. He was in such a good mood, in fact, that even his present company was welcome.

"I think I've uncovered why you hate cats," Anders announced without preamble, which was typical of Anders. Fenris lifted one eyelid slowly and watched as the man settled down in the grass beside him. His fingers- restless, long and spindly like a spider's legs- plucked a long strand of grass from the earth and began to twist it around and around.

"Oh?"

"It's because you're rather cat-like," Anders explained. "You move like one when you fight, at least."

"Graceful?" It was almost a compliment, especially when he took Anders' appreciation of all things feline into account. But this was Anders, after all, and he had some point he wanted to make, so Fenris braced himself for a long-winded, twisting conversation that was bound to leave him utterly baffled.

"Jumpy. You pounce," Anders retorted. "And you want everything to be just right, you know. You're picky. And a bit snobbish. Never seen a man turn his nose up to fish the way you do." Anders sighed and leaned back until his back was pressed against the rough bark of the tree. His head was tipped back, and the rays of the setting sun struck strands of his hair and nudged the blond strands closer to a shade of pale red. Pretty.

"We all have our preferences," Fenris said. "Though these observations are diverting, I hardly see how this pertains to my opinion on cats."

"I'm getting to it! So you're jumpy, picky, reserved- you're like a cat, is my point. The neighborhood lord of cats. So you hate other cats because they're a threat to your position at the top of the hierarchy. The cat hierarchy, that is," Anders declared proudly, and his triumphant grin was almost charming. Fenris almost wanted to laugh, but he managed to turn the half-formed chuckle into a sigh.

"Bizarre," he finally announced. Fenris watched as Anders' smile twisted into a scowl- a pout, even, which only made Fenris want to laugh even more. Anders' expressiveness was one of his more charming attributes.

"I'm not wrong," Anders exclaimed. "I know I'm not wrong!"

"Your entire hypothesis hinges on the belief that I dislike cats," Fenris said slowly, opening his eyes fully and twisting his head slightly to the side so he might best observe Anders and his ever-shifting expressions. Anders was indignant, puffed up and defiant, and Fenris took some delight in prodding him in a light-hearted manner. He took delight in many things that were once forbidden.

This was the truth that lay at the heart of things: Fenris liked arguing, and Anders was so easy to argue with. There was a delightful, almost rhythmic pattern to their spats that made Fenris think of a good brawl- or a dance. Step forward, step back, turn, clasp hands, turn faster and faster until the world faded away-

Fighting with Anders was fun until one of them struck too hard and drew blood. But this sort of fight was easy. The stakes were low. It didn't truly matter. Arguing with Anders on this matter was safe.

"It's a fair assumption to make. You're obviously a fan of dogs," Anders replied pointedly. "You dote on Hawke's mabari." He was twisting grass in his fingers again, more and more blades falling to his nervous energy as he worked the grass blades into a ring.

"A fair assumption. but a wrong one. I rather like cats," Fenris said. "They're independent hunters. Graceful. Good at surviving." And his observations on cats were far more complimentary than Anders', Fenris noted smugly.

"... ugh. Just when I think I have you figured out. To think we have something in common," Anders grumbled, and he bent his head to focus on twisting more grass into the ring forming in his hands. It fell silent between them, but it was the pleasant sort of silence that happened when you had nothing left to say but didn't want to part ways quite yet. Fenris watched as the ring in Anders' hands changed shape, transforming into a tiny basket that could hang off of his pinkie. It was strange to watch hands that could hold a man's body together with magic and force of will or cast fireballs and throw lightning instead weave blades of grass back and forth to craft something as delicate and small as a basket.

Just when he thought he had Anders figured out... Fenris turned his head back to stare up into the rapidly darkening sky.

"“I like this, being so close to you," Fenris said suddenly. "You're fun to argue with."

"You think it's fun?" Anders asked. There was a tremble in that question that made Fenris hesitate. It was true that he liked arguing with Anders. It was easy. Bombastic. Thrilling. But he also liked that Anders didn't try to placate him or retreat. So this softness, this fragility, was new. He had to be careful with things that were new.

"I like keeping my wits honed. You make for an adequate whetstone," Fenris replied. He kept his voice even to maintain a cautious balance between casual and sincere. Not too much. They hurt each other too often in their carelessness, and at this moment Fenris didn't want to cause hurt. Not on a day like this. And since Anders was so good as to lower his guard and be honest, Fenris thought it best to take a chance and be open in turn.

"But this... this is good as well. It's nice to find something in common," Fenris added. "It's good to not be alone."

"I- yes. It is, isn't it?" Anders said, and Fenris slowly shut his eyes and smiled.

"Yes," he agreed. "It is."

[illegiblewords]

Dragon Age: Veilguard Review

I finally finished my run of Veilguard. Most of what I heard going in was negative, but also not blindly hateful. I had editor brain switched on throughout to make sure I was paying really close attention because I wanted any commentary to be fair. I can also only speak for myself, of course.

That said, I am extremely critical here. I still had fun and will examine stuff/potentially replay bits, but if something read as unsuccessful to me I'm gonna talk about it. To me, identifying critiques gives fans (including me lol) opportunities to better examine things and make choices while exploring fan content. Below the cut, I am going to give an explanation of some of my own decisions/mindsets entering the game (since that shaped my opinions) as well as discussing various characters, lore, narrative techniques, etc. It's going to be big and I don't even know if I'll be able to hit everything. Unmarked spoilers ahoy, buckle up.

ILLEGIBLE'S RUN AND THE CHOICES THEREIN

Understanding the game doesn't acknowledge past decisions, my personal world state involves the following:

The Warden-Commander, elven mage Alim Surana, went off about ten years ago in search for a cure for The Calling. He fathered a child named Kieran with Morrigan, was in a committed relationship with her, and as far as is currently understood remains alive but laying very low. Magic drew primarily from death magic, lightning magic (spark of vitality/life and death), and arcane warrior disciplines. Kieran was born with the soul of Urthemiel, Tevinter god of beauty and unknown blighted Evanuris, inside him. Mythal/Flemeth removed this apparently purified soul from Kieran to keep with her, leaving only the mortal soul behind to grow independently from there. The Architect, sentient/sapient darkspawn and a former priest of Urthemiel, was spared from death and remained in an alliance with The Warden while trying to find a way to co-exist with non-blighted life. Companions all lived, Alistair was made king.

Champion of Kirkwall Marian Hawke was a reaver warrior. Her sister Bethany survived the events of Dragon Age 2 as a Circle Mage and was freed when her sister took up arms to defend the mages. Hawke entered a committed relationship with fellow warrior Fenris. It's worth mentioning that this Hawke locked into rivalry with Merrill not due to lack of friendship/care but because her fixation on discovering the past by any means came at the cost of her present. Hawke also killed Anders not because of disagreeing with his cause or finding spirits inherently evil, but because more and more it became clear that either Anders was corrupting Justice or Justice was corrupting Anders to the point of not being able to navigate reality or nuance without extreme danger to others. See being ready to mindwipe and re-enslave Fenris, being ready to kill a Circle mage who was afraid of him, blowing up the Chantry instead of targeting Templars directly. Arc-wise it made sense that there were opposite parallel arcs between Anders and Fenris in terms of becoming less versus more open/forgiving. Hawke survived Inquisition.

Inquisitor Mahanon Lavellan was a knife-wielding rogue assassin who had been sent to observe the Conclave for the Dalish. He was very devout and that made for a complicated situation given the Herald of Andraste deal. Lavellan forewent all official romances to flirt regularly with Harding. They were confirmed to be dating as of Trespasser. Cassandra became Divine Victoria, Lavellan vowed to convince Solas from his path, mages were sided with over templars, Seekers are seeking to undo the Rite of Tranquility, The Inquisition continues to operate under The Chantry. Unofficially, I already intended that my Inquisitor spent time post-Trespasser/pre-Veilguard telling the Dalish the truth of The Creators. It was probably soul-shattering for him.

My main Rook is mage Valerius Mercar of the Shadow Dragons. He was a young qunari saarebas who got taken in by a Tevinter commander. His upbringing was complicated, he works to free those enslaved and suffering in Minrathous while his adoptive father fights to free those bound and suffering under The Qun. Rook was viewed with a combination of suspicion, curiosity, and pity most of the time depending on the person. He has seen some pretty horrendous shit in Tevinter working with Shadow Dragons, has mixed feelings at both his birth and adoptive nations. Subscribes to the Tevinter Chantry, magic uses mainly meteors and void-of-space cold from the evoker specialization. Worth noting most magic in the Imperium is not combat-oriented. Between the fear qunari invoke in Tevinter and his own talents with combat magic specifically, Valerius made a solid career safeguarding diplomats before he attracted Venatori attention. He was doing a bit of mercenary work until things calmed down when Varric hired him. Romanced Lucanis. My Rook didn't actually realize he was group leader until after the attacks on Treviso and Minrathous--previously had assumed everyone was equal status and they were just winging it. Temperament is very pragmatic and no bullshit when it comes to making decisions, but is surprisingly gentle with wounded people. I finished the game with all companions EXCEPT FOR HARDING GDI alive. I actually tried both death scenes and despite my Harding/Inquisitor OTP it hit me that the parallels between Harding's story and The Inquisitor's story worked with her death. They were two ordinary people who became chosen ones with weird powers by virtue of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, both faced mortal danger and heavy cultural history, both got raised up with religious reverence by others and felt weird about it. One of them lost his hand, the other died. It could have happened to either of them. Also though, Harding went in at her personal strongest. She overcame her own sense of rage for her ancestors to realize she still loved people despite the cruelty and ugliness they sometimes have. The world has good in it worth protecting. Harding also shared the legacy of the titans with other dwarves to avoid being the sole possessor of that history, which ties up a major personal responsibility for her. The Inquisitor had to tell the Dalish about the gods previously, so parallel. There was also a callback to the story's beginning when Harding got injured with an implicit question about whether she changed her mind about the risks involved by leading the way (no) and there were cool reflections with Neve too as someone else who had questions of leadership and sacrifice put in front of her. By comparison, 1) I cannot kill critically endangered baby griffon Assan who gives the best hugs 2) Davrin's story arc as I explored it would not have made sense if he died. He went in expecting to fall for a noble cause killing darkspawn like a badass. The greater good for him is to live for a noble cause protecting vulnerable life that genuinely needs him. Lol @ my Inquisitor tho.

Anyway. Despite being completely pissed off--with the help of Mythal, Morrigan, and the Inquisitor, Rook managed to convince Solas to maintain The Veil. I loved that it unfolded that way. It made sense after Rook learned how Lucanis mentally staying trapped in The Ossuary even after ostensibly being freed, because he didn't know how to heal and keep living after everything. When Rook was thrown into the Fade prison crafted to trap him in regret, my guy actually had the surreal experience of it...not really working. Which also shaped his reaction to Solas.

See, Neve tried to guilt Rook early after he chose to protect Treviso. He saw her as a peer and equal Shadow Dragon, gave her more resources between companions, home turf advantage, the full force of The Shadow Dragons, AND the most powerful mage force in Thedas. With Treviso the actual infrastructure would have made for a worse Blight. The city was actively being occupied already and at a disadvantage. Treviso is not the seat of Antivan power, just one of its cities and a companion's home. Lucanis is skilled but also literally just got out of being imprisoned and tortured for a year, doesn't sleep out of fear of what might happen, is possessed by a demon that occasionally assaults him, and isn't up-to-date with the current state of his home the way Neve is. Support is needed there. Since most resources went to Minrathous, Rook went to Treviso personally as one dude. Guy was obviously heartbroken Minrathous fell but if it was anyone's fault it was the gods/Venatori. Neve tried to blame Rook at the time and it made zero sense to him that she thought he was some tide-changing authority. Sorry u choked Neve, but you were taking the lead on that defense. You were trusted there.

Neve's arc in my game involved her on the one hand struggling with the idea 'people don't show up for me' but gradually realizing often people do but it still isn't realistic to expect everyone to drop everything all the time. When people show up sometimes they survive and sometimes they don't. For my run Neve had to build herself up and do the best she could knowing that others would also do the best they could to give support but sometimes she might just have to lead the way. Neve was the one who dismantled the enchantment during final stretch knowing it was dangerous, and she got abducted. Neve was also rescued by her companions as soon as they could pull it off. She pushed forward even when others offered her a break. She used what she learned in captivity to take control of the Blight threatening her city and her friends knowing she might die in the process, and she lived to know she succeeded without being blighted forever.

So in the Fade prison, Rook was sad but didn't rule out Neve's survival. He mostly felt intense respect for both Harding and Neve's choices. They weren't his choices to make and both Harding and Neve were his equals. Both of them made informed choices knowing there were risks, same as he did. Varric was trickier because he'd encouraged Varric to try talking Solas down and that got him killed--but by that point Rook realized he couldn't have a double standard there. Varric also made an informed choice and decided it was worth risking his life to try anyway.

So facing Solas at the end, on the one hand my Rook realized that while he personally had the awareness and sense of limitation in responsibility to escape he prison... Solas didn't. Solas didn't know how. But the way to honor Varric was to try and show him. Open the door for someone else.

It doesn't make everything Solas did okay or undo anything, but it gives him a future as part of the world where he can still shape things for the better. And he isn't alone either. CRITIQUE OVERVIEW: I enjoyed the game, but there were problems. Some of the biggest ones imo were lore holes/contradictions, sanitized settings and cast, narrative preaching, poorly thought out relationship dynamics in places, extremely bad arc navigation, lack of nuance or room for interpretation, and overall narrative inflexibility. It felt like the game did not want me as a player to have a meaningful impact on the narrative beyond the ending or get to participate in creating a distinct character/story but expected me to be satisfied with superficial scraps. It's counterproductive to the type of gaming experience Bioware is known for. It absolutely felt like the narrative was pressuring me toward some choices, away from others, and going out of its way to try and block me from certain possibilities--not because they were unreasonable but because of controlling devs. I mostly enjoyed combat but there were a few major problems there too--speaking as someone who normally doesn't notice that.

I've seen people get defensive and try to argue that the criticism leveled at Veilguard is because of headcanons not being met. This is factually incorrect. Storytelling is a craft and there are elements you can measure based on evidence, cause/effect, and how various techniques produce results. The things I've mentioned can be discussed with concrete examples to back them up. The problems are legitimate.

Again, I enjoyed playing overall. There were things I liked a lot and I actually appreciated the companions more than most Inquisition companions. 'I like it' and 'it's technically good' are separate categories. I also have sympathy because it sounds like development was hell and at some stage stronger directions were definitely on the table. It's very obvious to me that someone (or a few someones) behind the scenes sabotaged things repeatedly. There are people who were wrongfully fired and there are people who are still working at Bioware who should have been fired instead as far as I'm concerned.

LORE: Not fully going into how many choices in Origins, DA2, and Inquisition were absent, this game cut corners trying to make itself look bigger and more impressive by exploiting the work, care, and investment tied to past games then destroying what came before.

It was not narratively necessary or credible to make Southern Thedas helpless against The Blight. It was not narratively necessary to destroy Ferelden, Orlais, and Orzammar. The developers did this because they wanted players to feel sad and have a heightened sense of stakes, and they wanted the current threat of the evanuris to be framed as beyond anything faced previously. The effect actually produced was that all of the work, strength, and investment players had built in Southern Thedas got undermined and disrespected without actually making the current antagonists look any better. It makes heroes look weak instead of antagonists look strong.

An example of what I'm talking about to clarify. Lets say you're working in a franchise with multiple recurring villains. Villain A has rich history and story arcs where the hero struggled both logistically and personally to overcome them. A storyteller comes along to work with Villain B, and wants audiences to have a real sense of threat with Villain B but isn't sure how to go about building that in a way that stands out. The storyteller decides to have Villain B use Villain A as canon fodder where the hero downs them in seconds in a a single scene on the way to Villain B. Or maybe you see Villain A just destroyed by Villain B with little effort. Villain A is actively made less capable, complex, clever, and self-respecting for this to happen. Villain B doesn't actually do anything particularly capable, complex, or clever in the course of their schemes but the writer insists they were so brutal and capable that audiences should be impressed. Audiences will not have room to experience impactful narratives with Villain A going forward because of how intensely they were diminished. Villain B has earned no respect because everything they accomplished comes through derailment and the author insisting 'because I said so'. The storyteller didn't know how to make Villain B look stronger based on merit, so they made someone else look weaker instead. This sabotages respect and investment.

That is how past games were treated by Veilguard. That is how Southern Thedas was treated.

There were also issues like (for example) the reveal that undead are immune to Blight and this is common knowledge in Nevarra. Nevarra holds status within the Andrastrian Chantry to the point that it is possible to have a Divine who comes from Nevarran nobility--and if she doesn't, she's still serving as Right Hand of the Divine.

There is no longer any reason the Wardens exist, or ever should have existed. There is no reason Circles should have come to be in the form that they had. There is no reason for cremation to have been practiced as a funerary rite. There is no reason it wouldn't be widespread knowledge that spirits can exist as a benevolent force. Logistically, well before Veilguard or even Origins, there should have been skeleton on zombie warfare anytime The Blight reared up so that mortal and vulnerable-to-spreading-Blight people weren't on the front lines. Undead could have been the ones killing archdemons and there would not have been a threat of the archdemon transferring into its killer. Emmerich's mention was there to go 'oh look how cool and capable the Mourn Watch is, Blight can't do anything against the undead!' but that just opened a wholeass can of worms for the history of Thedas.

Additionally. The mechanics of archdemons were erased altogether to make them weaker than they ever were in the series. That was THE final boss of Origins. The game throws at minimum two individual archdemons at the player and leaves a third unfought, and all of the archdemons are minibosses. This is what I mean when I say the past games were degraded in an attempt to make the current game look better.

Sentient darkspawn lost everything about their thought processes and limitations (namely empathy) that made them interesting. See the Gloom Howler versus The Architect. The entire difference in faith between the Andrastrian and Tevinter chantries was thrown out, and there was zero examination of how faith in Tevinter's Old Gods differs from the Tevinter chantry in-turn. (WHERE WAS THE BLACK DIVINE? I KNOW ARCHON RADONIS FUCKED OFF TO NEVARRA OR SOMETHING BUT WHERE TF WAS URIAN NIHALIS?) The entire social structure of The Qun was dissolved in order to have flat brute Antaam antagonists without recognizing how that's like saying the entire legislative branch of US government disavowed America and ran off to conquer Spain or something with no replacement legislative branch. Tbh it's even worse because the Antaam aren't just government officials but thousands of ordinary qunari citizens. Saar-qamek is no longer a serious lobotomization risk. Saarebas are no longer abused and The Qun is no longer understood as practicing slavery (see vidaath-bas) and conquest in its own right. There is no persecution of those who leave the Qun supposedly (unless it's by rebel Antaam, who by rights are tal-vashoth) but also aspects of The Qun that were good like acknowledgment of aqun-athlok got handwaved. Par Vollen just sitting on their hands while tal-vashoth Antaam abuse close allies in Rivain and Antiva does not make sense unless the majority of the original Antaam forces straight up left The Qun and Par Vollen's forces are weak right now. If that is the case, then Tevinter should be going absolutely ham on the forces of Par Vollen as per opportunism. Might explain Minrathous falling if military was elsewhere but like... tell the audience. If it's not the case, Par Vollen should have been going absolutely apeshit on the rogue Antaam.

Slavery as a common, accepted, and financially significant part of Tevinter society is made socially unacceptable in just ten years. Fear of mages and abominations outside Tevinter is barely present as lip service now. Fen'Harel acted alone and had no loyal elven followers whatsoever while the Dalish (acting in direct opposite to everything surrounding Merill) immediately accepted in ten years that their entire culture and religion are not just fake but built on further slavery and exploitation at the hands of elves. Nbd just add Veil Jumpers.

Urthemiel is missing in action. Kieran is also missing in action. What Well of Sorrows? What arc about Morrigan being terrified of losing her personhood to the point of matricide? All of the past antagonist choices made through ambition or jealousy, fear or greed, etc. are now being framed as 'the devil made them do it' via executors as if people are incapable of natural negative impulses. Any hints that The Forgotten Ones could be the Tevinter Old Gods were thrown right out. And like... I'm not inherently opposed to archdemons/the old gods being alternate faces of the evanuris with the evanuris being particularly powerful spirits. The irony that they were elves first is fun. But the evanuris were stressed as being ancient elven mages WAY above anything remotely spirit related, which undermined their power/influence/archetypal nature to a huge degree imo. I'm lowkey mad as hell that we didn't have Elgar'nan sometimes taking a human face and answering to the name Zazikel while dealing with Venatori. When did the other evanuris even die???? Did they die during past Blights with their archdemons or did only the archdemons die? Meanwhile The Forgotten Ones have been made wholly irrelevant and are like some long-lost-cousin plot twist out of a soap opera when it makes no sense for that to be the case. Executors as spooky boogeymen from across the sea are pulled out of left field with no foreshadowing to be the next main antagonists. Templars have no power or relevance anywhere. What are the Venatori even doing anymore? Why isn't there discrimination in Tevinter toward qunari, elves, and especially Dalish elves?

With titans, dwarves, and both lyrium subtypes. I had previously hit the page that blue lyrium ties to reality, physicality, and the world as it exists while the Fade/magic ties to what could be, spirit, and the creation of new possibilities through imagination. Red lyrium as the mad, isolated dreams of titans I can get but I think it was a MASSIVE mistake to leave it as generic madness/anger at being wronged by the spirits who became elves. The Architect/The Messenger both indicate that, without being actively controlled by archdemons, they basically have no instinctive empathy. What I remember from Origins/Awakening also involved darkspawn having instincts like kill/eat/fuck with no regard for harm caused. There was room to do something where divorced from other sentience for so long and even basic physical instincts, when the Blight does find material form all it knows how to process are a sudden influx of reflexes tied to exercising power (after being powerless) and pain that cannot be articulated or understood. The Blight could have been portrayed as something legitimately feral like a human that never learned language or socialized. The idea has a lot of potential and sure like... as a fan I'll explore that. But the devs should have. Harding being upset about selling lyrium doesn't make sense to me because it's like a willing blood donation versus being mauled and left for dead by a vampire. Those are not the same.

I also looked into critique about the altered nature of the Blight in terms of source/progression, and while the devs didn't bother with anything I think I figured out a workable and fun solution so will share that in a later post.

The Antivan Crows of all people being compared to circus freaks BY AN ANTIVAN POLITICAL OFFICIAL with the casino element emphasized in order to voice disrespect made no fucking sense culturally. Ivenci should have been dead for that well before Veilguard. That's like walking into Vlad the Impaler's room and peeing on his shoes while making eye contact. Even getting close enough and getting your pants down to try isn't likely to work--much less getting out of that encounter still in possession of your urethra. I think it's okay to show some Crows are decent folks for assassins and groomed into that without any choice, but the attempt to hardcore moralize the faction is nonsense made even worse by how Lucanis's abuse by his family was framed as acceptable.

'ONLY FEMALE DRAGONS HAVE WINGS' is female supremacist bullshit only introduced to argue that males can't be cool or powerful. It defies established lore about archdemons and dragons in-universe generally. I get that there are vertebrates like anglerfish where the male is tiny and gets absorbed into the body of the female upon mating. I also know that IRL there are all-female gecko species (ex. mourning geckos) that reproduce asexually by cloning themselves, which is a bit similar to what happens in FFXIV. Both of those things are interesting as hell, but for dragons in Thedas specifically those angles don't add anything or even make sense with previous content. The impression matches what I mentioned with the villain situation. There is ZERO cause to cut down male dragons to that extent when you could easily just make the female dragons bigger, stronger, and matriarchal. I'm also looking at this like... for reproduction are males or females supposed to be the choosy sex?????? Are there courtship rituals/is one sex flashier than the other? Is one faster? Why? Both my inner dragon nerd and my inner animal nerd are so pissed that these creatures got made less badass on any front just because someone thought shitting on men was more important than lore or consistency. It's not like there's an indication we've got idk, East Asian-esque male dragons who don't need wings to fly and look awesome while they do.

Taash could have said the title 'Dragon King' is dumb because it's cheesy (if that's even necessary), which raises 'well what do you think of Shadow Dragons' and could turn into fun banter. Taash could have said 'dragons don't do monarchs' and instead gone on a spiel about dragon social structures that enriched lore. But no. The whole point was just to go 'lol men suck and are inferior' and that entire addition can fuck right into the sun.

EDIT: Talked to a buddy who mentioned that there is an issue but it's a different issue than I remembered! Basically, the problem isn't 'male dragons are wingless'. Origins had female, winged high dragons having their nests guarded by a harem of wingless drakes. That makes sense because the wingless males are performing a job and there is incentive to mate with them so there's a swarm of males protecting offspring while the female hunts + not having wings would be tied to them defending nests on the ground. I also wonder if the males would be flashy logistically or not with current game graphics tho bc could be a display for a female and could also warn away potential threats. I'm good with that. The problem is insisting Archdemons are all just high dragons and not something different when the Archdemons have established sexes where some are male. I'd actually have liked a mythozoological info dump from Taash about dragons that brushes up Origins lore. But the presentation and the Archdemon thing were still messes, and the way it was presented read more like shitting on some dragons to man-bash instead of exploring fantasy creatures and their social structures. And tbh my trust in the devs to not do that has been non-existent. So, critique to be made but it's a different one.

I could go on. And thing is, as a fan I'm looking at shit asking myself whether there are potential solutions that add upon worldbuilding (even if the devs didn't bother) versus 'this element cannot be salvaged and has to be discarded'. I've done that before and you can get really fun results that way. And again, I understand there was shit going on behind the scenes. But the execution of lore was horrendous.

SANITIZATION: I touched on this a bit. The Crows as an organization are now good guy freedom fighters all about family no matter what--barring Ilario being a clown. Slavery and racism are suddenly socially unacceptable in Tevinter of all places. The Lords of Fortune, headed by Isabella 'I stole sacred documents from The Qunari for coin', are very culturally sensitive and doing the world a service with their treasure hunting by making sure museums and religious centers are provided for. The Qunari are strict but just a little culturally spicy/the only negatives when it comes to Qunari are the Antaam. The Dalish have no xenophobia and no conflict over the true nature of the evanuris and would never follow Solas OR follow the evanuris/are immediately game to kill their gods with no questions asked. Kal-sharok are just nice all around and have none of the social conflicts or xenophobia of Orzammar, purely victims and too pure for this earth. We hear about how Wardens are often former criminals but Davrin remains on a moral high horse pretty consistently (I do actually like the guy a lot disclaimer) and the only Wardens we encounter who are even unkind are the First Warden, Gloom Howler, and whoever ordered the griffons be killed hundreds of years ago. Templar and mage conflicts, with all the prejudice/suffering/fear associated, are basically gone. Tranquil and even people recovering from past tranquility are gone. It is damn hard to so much as get disapproval with companions and players aren't really given room to disagree with them in meaningful ways. There is one 'Good and Moral' way to think and be for Veilguard. You get to phrase it differently but that's about it. No biases or discriminations in the cast, no serious personal flaws to overcome either individually or culturally.

People. Aren't. Perfect. Not even while trying to be. Not even subscribing to the most current ideas of sensitivity according to particular political ideologies that DO NOT APPLY to the worldbuilding of Thedas--let alone in a uniform way. And there is a massive lack in self-awareness about areas where the devs themselves perpetuate cases of dehumanization, invalidation of suffering/victimhood, and unfortunate cultural implications.

I saw a reddit commenter raise the point that there is a recent pattern of framing qunari as bestial, and it seems racist. People immediately flocked to argue that there are plenty of non-white characters who don't have bestial connotations. I think the actual point was missed and the original observation was not articulated with precision.

It's mostly not a race thing. It's that the Qunari are NON-WESTERN coded. They do draw from Plato's Republic (Greek) but the execution presents them as distinctly non-Western and collectivist. Other cultures in the game are mostly framed as very Western, with a few debatable exceptions for ex. the Dalish. You could argue that the Avaar in Inquisition (with their ties to animism and nature) had some beast themes while Western-coded and were explored respectfully. If instances of non-Western beast themes were also represented respectfully it would help, and if there were multiple non-Western cultures with and without that element even more so. But both the Antaam and Taash specifically with growling/snarling/mindless rage crap? That's awkward. The two qunari loyal to The Qun without beast expression that we see either die or exit stage left without allowing room to explore the subject much. When again, the majority of the story leans hard into Western culture regardless of racial demographics--having the one decidedly non-Western coded culture presented that way? Not great. It isn't like we've seen human, elven, or dwarven reavers hulk out the way kossith qunari do. It's not like we have human, elven, or dwarven characters growling and snarling while being heavily compared to animals.

Inquisition had crazed templars/mages explode into muscular hissing messes while the tal-vashoth in DA2 and qunari in Origins had a variety of personalities, mindsets, and behaviors. Those things help avoid making it weird and culturally targeted for those games. Veilguard wasn't great there.

Meanwhile holy fuck the handling of Lucanis's story was a wreck. Victim of severe child abuse and torture rescues his abuser. Her first move upon encountering him again is to try and beat him with the same cane she used when he was a kid. He kisses her on the cheeks shortly afterward. If he so much as imprisons his cousin who sent him to be tortured and killed by the Venatori, he's framed as mean/unforgiving as if it wouldn't be 50000% correct to kill that fucker right there. 'But faaaaamilyyyyyyy' no. That is grossly unacceptable to do to another human being, let alone family. It's not okay. And stripping Lucanis of agency AGAIN after that year of torture, after he was forcibly implanted with a demon who made him afraid to even sleep because he won't have control of his own body, after he was trapped in abuse and murder since childhood--lmao u r First Talon now even though u explicitly don't want that position. Hooray for FAMILY you are a hero!!!!!1!!

Vile and hypocritical. And the game presents everything as if it cannot conceive of the idea that anyone might have a reasonable objection.

The attempted sanitization hugely compromises immersion and credibility of the narrative on the one hand, limits the scope of human potential/thought/expression on the other, and only makes it more egregious when the storytellers expose their own ideas about acceptable targets.

PREACHING/PLAYER CHOICE/NUANCE: Veilguard struggles to respectfully consider a variety of perspectives and values, in-universe and in what options are available to players.

I'm going to use Emmerich as an example. Emmerich has been absolutely terrified of death since he was a child. Emmerich has been working to protect and respect the dead along with spirits for his whole life. He has an assistant in Manfred, a spirit of curiosity animating a skeleton. Emmerich wants to become a lich so he can completely avoid death and also continue safeguarding spirits/the dead, but that process carries risk and he needs to pass a character test first.

Meanwhile, there are multiple spirits being tortured via a device that threatens to cause mass casualties. Emmerich tries to dismantle the device once, realizes it's really dangerous/he could get killed, freaks out and steps away. He's afraid to try again because he might die. Manfred, who has been starting to speak and shows growing intelligence about the world/people, throws himself in harm's way to retrieve the device and get it to Emmerich. Manfred is killed in the process.

Emmerich tries to dismantle the device again and succeeds.

Emmerich could revive Manfred, a brave spirit who confronted the unknown of death because he cared about and wanted to protect others. Manfred is just starting to grow into himself and has so much to learn. This would mean that Emmerich also has to accept his own mortality as he has been informed he would be rejected from lichdom if he does this revival. He would have to stand shoulder to shoulder with Manfred as equals and treat the unknown of death not as something to run from but sometime to discover with a level of curiosity. Or, he could keep running from death to abandon Manfred and pursue his own personal ambitions of lichdom with the prestige it offers.

I chose to bring Manfred back. The narrative framed this as Emmerich being unable to cope with or accept personal loss, making him a weaker person and unworthy of his lich aspirations. Because selfish ambition at another's expense is the quality you want in a bunch of powerful undying guardians. When you ask if Emmerich regrets his choices he goes 'yeah my dream is crushed but I'd regret not saving Manfred more'. There wasn't really reflection or growth there. Both in that moment and earlier, players are framed as if disagreeing with Emmerich's goal is just crushing someone's dreams and being intolerant because it's a spooky lifestyle.

Lichdom is an avoidance tactic for Emmerich. If the point is to protect others, it's more important to do it well and sincerely than for a long time. It's important to be able to put selfish ambitions and fears aside to protect others in that position because the potential to abuse power is pretty huge. Emmerich had his protectiveness of spirits/the dead pit against his own ambitions, and the story acts like not enabling his ambitions makes you an asshole.

THAT is preachy as hell. Being told you made Lucanis merciless for daring to imprison Ilario is preachy as hell. And there are A LOT of further examples across many characters (frankly some even more egregious), where the narrative tries to instruct audiences on how to navigate social situations with no reasonable opportunity to disagree.

It is not appropriate for a video game that is supposed to let players shape the narrative. The video game isn't there to tell players who they're supposed to be and it isn't an authority on that subject. It can examine perspectives and why someone might think the way they do, but pressuring players to comply or be morally shamed is ridiculous. And honestly? If a player wants to do an asshole/evil run LET THEM DO IT. IT'S A GAME.

Origins, DA2, and Inquisition all gave room to players to explore many different viewpoints and values while trying to understand the merit in each possibility. That was not the case in Veilguard, and it not only made the experience less fun--it also flattened out antagonists to a huge degree by making them strawmen and caricatures who are evil because they are evil.

RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS: I really enjoyed aspects of Lucanis's romance a TON and love his character to bits, but agree with the critique that the game held back too much. This doesn't mean I advocate immediate gratification as some fans are trying to argue. I actually liked that Lucanis panicked and fled the room for the almost-kiss scene. But there should have been at least one consummated kiss before the final quests. Fenris was similarly nervous and dealing with trauma, he got a kiss scene. It's possible to do that. Felt like there were a lot of missing moments and the third act in particular was sparse.

I liked that Lucanis made a dessert for Rook. It still felt like that exchange was cut off at the knees and there were more significant scenes outside it that players didn't get to participate in. Massive shame imo. The background relationships Bioware put in felt forced. No substance or chemistry, hit a point of reading gratuitous and 'pair the spares' like there was something wrong with being single. And listen, I have a history of trying to find angles to work ships between any two randos as a personal challenge. These ships, particularly in how they were executed, felt deeply uninspired to me.

I am all for 'sometimes in a time of crisis while trying to save the world, people stumble into love along the way'. Most scifi/fantasy romances fall into categories like that. Characters are largely focused on other stuff, shit happens anyway. But especially when there are so many other factors at play there should be something to the dynamic omfg.

Harding getting paired off felt like insult to injury when A) I rejected the 'official' options to flirt with Harding and only Harding through DAI, achieved canon 'they are dating' in Trespasser even though there was never an official card acknowledging it or a kiss scene B) when asked about the Inquisitor Harding just goes 'yeah that's not a normal person I don't associate' like wtf C) Harding dies if you are not willing to murder a baby griffon in cold blood. There was no way to opt out of Harding being shipped if Rook wasn't with her and you befriended Harding and Taash. It wasn't as if there were parallels between Harding and Taash either, ways they shaped each other's growth, anything beyond tall and small really. It felt insanely shallow and kind of spiteful tbh. Neve and Lucanis I know about because I've seen cutscenes about it online, I think it was token hetero romance between humans. What, they both drink coffee? Mage and mage killer? Again I just do not see any chemistry. Lucanis is in a vulnerable spot, Neve can be kind of resentful without much consideration beyond her own interests for a good stretch. I wound up liking Neve because of how her arc unfolded in my game but I was really annoyed at her for a bit and I still don't think she and Lucanis specifically are compatible. Lucanis is prone to making himself extremely low priority next to others and the task at hand, Neve can be blind to others if they aren't tied to Dock Town's well-being. Given the Treviso versus Minrathous choice and what I've gathered, it doesn't seem like there's much room for them to really enhance each other's development.

Emmerich/Strife is city versus forest mage between two older dudes and that's basically it. I'm lowkey annoyed that Strife doesn't have an elven name to begin with but that aside he just feels very generic as a character imo. What arc is he going through? Does he have hopes, fears, any personal details of his own not shared by other Veil Jumpers? Did he have a clan or family? Was he raised Dalish or did he join from an alienage? We don't know.

Neve/Bellara would actually be cute, make sense, and have shit they can each draw from. They go out of their way to cheer each other up and entertain each other with the serials, the respect and appreciation between a human Tevinter mage and a Dalish elven mage under the circumstances is interesting and offers room for pretty solid discussion on magic, history, culture, and personal relationships to all factors. Bellara and Neve are going through similar situations in a lot of ways in terms of the identities of the old gods and evanuris. I think I remember Bellara cooked something for Neve specifically too. They have kind of opposite things going on with responsibility--Bellara blames herself for things that aren't remotely her fault, Neve feels like other people let her down all the time, but Neve also recognizes Bellara and tries to uplift her/be aware of her situations. They could actually build into each other's arcs and give each other room to grow.

AND YET, the devs went out of their fucking way to have Bellara go OH NEVE IS LIKE A SISTER. Dude, let your players ship them jesus christ if people want to go with 'and they were lesbians' why are you barring the way wtf.

And lbr Davrin/Lucanis could be so good, I absolutely loved their dynamic. Stood out as distinct, added to both of their development arcs, parallels on corruption, funny as fuck, not afraid to challenge each other. I'm fine with them as friends but would totally support that ship too. Like shit, what the fuck would Davrin even do if he learned Lucanis hasn't actually had a relationship before when they'd been flirting? He's had this image of a very untrustworthy, unflappable, remorseless assassin but guy is shy and skittish with romantic stuff.

It's not like past Dragon Age games didn't have companion ships in the background. Dorian/Iron Bull--fucking solid. Cultural backgrounds, compared levels of comfort in their own skin, banter + willingness to challenge each other. Legitimately interesting. Fenris/Isabella, the very opposite personalities (serious vs more playful, brooding vs live-and-let-live) but common ground in mischief/teasing was 100% respectable. But I think past games kind of understood not to overload the amount of canon ships because it could be distracting, might not always have chemistry or be something that audiences want. Veilguard it felt like crap was getting shoved down my throat constantly while the devs wagged their fingers at me going 'YOU AREN'T ALLOWED TO SHIP XYZ, THIS SHIP HERE IS MANDATORY'.

I think I saw someone from the dev team comment that they went out of their way to cram in background ships. From what I remember there was a mentality of 'you are not the center of the universe player they'll find other people' but like. They're there to save the world. They aren't speed dating. If chemistry is present cool but again, companion pairings happened in the past already. Players know the characters are doing shit when the player isn't spending time with them and ships could happen. There's no need to 'teach' anyone that.

Why are you forcing people to eat your undercooked ships Bioware? No one even ordered this and you're trying to give us all food poisoning. Take it back.

ARC NAVIGATION: Harding was solid, Neve became solid because I twisted her arm, Emmerich I think was a mess for previously mentioned reasons, Lucanis I think was a mess because of abuse apologism/'the abuse victim has to say it's okay' and because his story was set up as someone who has lacked agency his whole life being denied agency again at the end. The choice never should have been about what to do with Ilario, but Lucanis becoming First Talon or defying Caterina and leaving the Crows.

Davrin was okay but there needed to be a point he realized he himself is capable of being a monster not because of the Blight in his blood but choices he makes. I think it would make sense for him to not become a monstrous person, but being aware he could if he dehumanizes others I think would have made more sense. He who fights monsters and all that.

Taash I think was an actual clusterfuck and deserved so much better. People have critiqued 'Be Qunari'/'Be Rivaini' and I agree with the critique--that felt like a weird cultural supremacy thing trying to make Rivain better and more enlightened than The Qun on all fronts. It was a false dichotomy for a multicultural character imo. I actually wanted to see Taash explore their Qunari heritage and try to understand it better when they'd previously blanket-rejected shit, but the game was framing that as intolerant/'they could neeeeever be themself in that culture'. Thing is, Taash has the freedom to pick and choose what resonates. They don't have to obey blindly, and they don't need to let The Qun dictate their gender identity either. They realized after Shathann's death that they'd never actually understood her properly, and imo the best way to honor their mother would be to try and understand better even if they didn't agree all the time. But that was not how the game framed the choice.

I actually think Taash needed to learn to be a better listener and to reflect/try to understand people outside themself more. They were awful to their mother when she didn't even reject them--was just trying to understand what they were saying about the gender stuff. Taash's character seemed like they had more empathy for dragons than other people tbh, and I'd have preferred to see a choice reflecting whether they continued focusing just on their own wants or if they factored in others more. Not 'everything is about me'/'nothing is about me', but stepping more in one or the other direction.

Bellara's story felt kind of incoherent to me. It seemed like from the outset, she was being challenged in a similar way to Rook in terms of 'where does your agency stop and another person's begins'. She was blaming herself for what happened to Cyrian before learning he was alive, as if he didn't have his own choices in the face of risk. I was very irritated that when it came out he was borderline possessed by Anaris, she kept blaming him as if he still had full agency and awareness. I think I remember her saying he should have died or something? Insanely fucked up. And then her choice is 'do I trust people to make their own choices given knowledge of the past, not knowing if the knowledge will be used for good or bad ends, or do I limit people's potential and keep them in the dark to avoid others making choices I might not like'. The choice felt really creepy in part because of being abstract, and creepier because the game was pressuring toward getting rid of the Archive like 'WHAT IF VENATORI LEARN ABOUT THINGS WHAT IF WE BECOME CONQUERORS'.

I think there are two better options on how to progress for Bellara. 1) Cyrian comes back and it becomes a question of how to react to compromised agency/do you have compassion for someone in a trap not able to act freely or do you say that doesn't matter because harm was caused. 2) Cyrian doesn't come back, focus is kept the Archive revealing both information that could save a lot of lives/inform people about their past but also really dangerous shit--with Bellara having to decide if she's going to let people make their own choices or try to control and limit the outcome. I think her arc was trying to do too many things at once and so her development wound up super confusing.

With Rook, I think there wasn't enough time given to Varric and his situation before the final quests. Imo the game was so focused on maintaining a surprise reveal that it undermined the character development attached. Rook struggling with Varric's death more, whether they encouraged him to try to talk Solas down or told him it was a bad idea, felt like it needed more time to actually ground out that there WAS a sense of guilt there. Seeing 'Varric' really struggling with the injury, trying to talk to 'Varric' about what motivated him/how he continued to feel about both Solas and past losses in his life, would have made sense and gone a long way on that front. Rook can know about Bartrand and try to speculate on how that might have impacted Varric's choice, and about Hawke, and Anders, and even potentially about the Inquisitor a bit. They can reflect about Cole and about stories Varric has told them and how they think Varric felt personally about his own experiences. I think trying to empathize with Varric, who he was, what his experiences were, would make a lot of sense both in terms of wrestling with the loss but also in terms of Rook accepting that Varric made his own choice for his own reasons and it was never for anyone else to decide.

I know for my Rook, again like... prison of regret didn't work very well. Mostly he went through the game and was able to make the separation. Varric was meant to be more complicated and difficult, but there just wasn't enough attention given TO Varric before the reveal imo for the impact to carry clearly and at full strength. And honestly, Varric deserved more focus if he was going to get killed off like that.

Morrigan I think there needed to be clarity that she was not herself Mythal given how fucking scared she was of losing her identity. While we're at it, Flemmeth also wasn't Mythal. They were themselves but carried Mythal as one facet of who they are. If anything, they both became closer to abominations given Mythal was a spirit--but emphasizing that identity was not lost or destroyed I think mattered.

Solas imo was solid.

COMBAT: I mentioned that I normally don't notice this much but jesus fucking christ the revenant fights. I felt like I'd been thrown into a soulsborne game out of nowhere. Asked a friend and it's because everyone always aggros at you unless you come with a tank/the other characters have no health to lose. If you are a mage u r cooked. And the healing mechanic the most difficult enemies got just made me angry tbh. It felt like being told the work I'd put in didn't count.

Realtalk I didn't like the lack of party control in FFXVI when they did it there. Veilguard was a little better because at least you could give a party member a command periodically, but I didn't like the limitation here either.

I would have preferred more differentiation between the mage skills and the mage companion skills. When characters do the same shit it feels annoying and redundant to me. I also think there were too many mages in the party and Bioware might need to sit down and think about balance.

I played as a mage because I haven't since Origins. There were three other mages in the party, leaving a total of four. It felt completely excessive, and I generally try to have a warrior and/or rogue with me to help balance so I didn't get to travel with the other mage companions as much. Bellara being kind of a tinkerer was interesting as hell, I don't know if she strictly needed to be a mage for that. I know Bioware tends to do an archer rogue and a knife rogue most of the time, along with a sword-and-shield warrior + two-handed weapon warrior. If there's going to be more than two companions per class, imo it might be worth it to put in another combat option for variety. Tinkering/traps/status effects maybe?

DIALOGUE: I actually thought most of the voice acting was pretty strong. Want to particularly shout out Taash's VA not only for a distinct and believable delivery (I didn't love some of the actual lines but Jin Maley did a great job with what was given imo), but also holy shit respect for the scene when Shathann died. I wasn't a huge fan of Bellara's voice acting, and I'm sad that Bioware has completely thrown out the idea that different cultures have different accents. Ex. The Dalish sounding Irish from DA2 was really really cool and I miss it. I remember the dwarves usually have American accents but there were so many American accents elsewhere this time that it actually broke my immersion a bit.

I was distracted by my Rook's voice acting. Didn't feel like there was a noticeable difference between male British at low or medium but more than that--voice was too similar to male British Inquisitor's on the one hand while on the other there were places delivery felt kind of awkward. Sounded like Inquisitor's voice got pitched lower to me and idk if I'm imagining it. I like the fem VAs for Rook a ton at medium pitch, American male VA I need to investigate more but when I tested it wasn't really into that performance.

The actual dialogue, I think there were issues with modern language/slang as a whole. A lot of the lines were very awkward and lacking subtlety, dialogue options when given a wheel to choose felt extremely limited, and there were few ways to express sorrow about anything in-game without either 'I'm sorry' or self-blame specifically.

A friend of mine said that it felt like the game didn't give players enough room to define Rook's personality through dialogue variation. I was skeptical going in but really felt that in practice. There were a couple of moments I felt like I could get something resembling the voice I was after in terms of words and sentiment, but they were sparse and I'm annoyed about it.

I enjoyed most of the banter, it was very fun and cute.

CHARACTER CREATOR: Fan fucking tastic tbh. Someone heard the protests about Inquisition's six flavors of bald and the terror of horizontal hairline and vowed not to repeat sins past. Graphics are great, no more greasy look, solid control over features. I wish there was better labeling on some of the adjustments and that the eyes had better width and shape options. I will also say for Qunari specifically--I think something needs to be done about the hairline. I keep going to bangs so the forehead doesn't look huge and weirdly shaped but there are limited options. If you get bangs, the sides of the head are buzzed or shaved. Managing but it would be nice to have more variety.

DESIGNS: Whyyyyyyyyyyyy don't we get any black or gray armors. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy can't we see previews of shit before purchasing? Whyyyyyyyyyy do certain outfits use metal that doesn't go with anything? Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy is that one all white outfit impossible to obtain even when you view all of Solas's memories?

Some armors are decent. Some are weird and poop.

I think the actual companion designs are pretty good overall too. I like Ghilan'nain's look a lot but kind of hate Elgar'nan's. Isabella's concept art was way better. I like the amount of pus and bulbousness put into the Blight and darkspawn but I think some of the designs/colors needed refining there.

Listen, I like vibrancy a lot so it didn't bother me that the game had more of that generally. Just would have liked a little more for black/white stuff too. I think the companions read pretty visually distinct from each other while having enough in-common visually to feel cohesive. I would like more options ofc but that's no surprise lmao.

FACTIONS: Despite being a Shadow Dragon I never felt any personal connection at all with my faction or anyone in it besides Neve maybe. Also, name and catchphrase weren't great imo. It also read as very divorced from the actual people who needed help because the devs shied away from showing slavery, which was annoying. I'm extremely annoyed at the Lords of Fortune for reasons previously mentioned. The Crows I like the characters a lot but I think it's a major problem that they were framed as purely noble and nice within being assassins. I think Teia and Viago are great but I also think the ongoing practice of child abuse to make assassins needed examination. It could have been interesting to see which Crows are continuing to perpetuate that and which are rejecting it. The Wardens felt like a lot of the competence was undermined, the actual presence of criminals in their ranks was an informed attribute, and I miss my Warden-Commander so much. The Mourn Watch is fun but I think there were problems because the devs were treating the dead kind of closer to very expensive party city skeletons or pets rather than full people at times. Without value for the living and life, there can't be true understanding or respect for death. I also think it's a problem that stigma was framed as people just being mean and intolerant of someone's career because spooooooooky instead of individuals facing a heavy subject that might be religiously charged. Also though, the devs shot themselves in the foot so many times trying to stress how cool and beyond competent the Mourn Watch is instead of just letting the Mourn Watch be cool. See 'the undead can't be Blighted'. The Veil Jumpers felt shallow and like there was a whole lot of Dalish angst/conflict about the gods that got completely omitted to their detriment. More could have been done, they were all massively hurt by the sanitization issue.

ANTAGONISTS: This was one of the biggest failures of the game. I could go into individual characters here but it would be the same refrain over and over again so I'm going to speak broadly.

Solas being an exception, the developers refused to even entertain how or why a person with complex thoughts, loves, hates, hopes, fears, and ordinary moments could perpetuate horrific acts. The entire game had zero concept of the principle 'everyone is the hero in their own story'. Empathy, good intentions, past trauma, trying to protect something--there was zero examination to speak of. Antagonists were abstract 'others', just monsters in human skin who no decent person could ever become. There is no understandable goal. There is no negotiation. People are evil because they are evil and if you try to understand it might just make you evil too.

And tbh, having that approach should disqualify a storyteller at the outset. That is an unacceptable level of incompetence.

I would be able to understand (not agree obviously, but understand) if the Venatori were fighting to preserve slavery because Tevinter's economy would take a huge hit without it and there is a non-zero chance that while they're trying to restructure, the Andrastrian Chantry might invade and attempt to punish/control Tevinter's mages Pretty sure that happened before. And if the Chantry didn't attack, Par Vollen very well might.

If Elgar'nan saw and was upset by the conflicts and violence that had swept Thedas for millenia, it would explain why he wanted to take absolute control. I've personally seen someone say they wished mass mind-control was a thing because they could use that to stop people from fighting and behave 'the way they're supposed to'. Absolutely disturbing sacrifice of free will in the name of peace at any cost. Elgar'nan could have been of that mindset and it could have been something to examine.

Instead we got sadists for sadism's sake, evil for evil's sake. Over and over again. No reason. The Antaam allying with the Venatori made ZERO sense and contradicted the deep rooted Qunari fear of mages (let alone red lyrium-weilding mages), but they're being dehumanized into stupid brutes who only value strength anyway so who cares right?

When you make everyone you find morally repulsive a strawman, when you file them as irrevocably 'other' and something you could never have anything in-common with, you open yourself to the greater likelihood of falling into the same trap. Under what circumstances might YOU become unimaginably cruel? Who are YOUR acceptable targets? What do YOU let slide because you think it's for a greater good? Fear, selfishness, convenience, apathy toward others. Having suffered an injustice and using anger/power to hurt others to make sure you never feel helpless again. Caring about something so much that you'll destroy anyone that even might cause it harm.

Power and cruelty for their own sakes are meaningless, but that's all the devs were willing to think about.

Also to clarify part of the issue. I'm pretty sure that the devs would argue Elgar'nan is a litterer because he's evil and evil people litter. Elgar'nan eats kitten because why would an evil, evil person be decent to kittens? If he was nice to kittens then those had to be evil kittens. Elgar'nan would NEVER read The Randy Dowager, but if he did then anyone else who read The Randy Dowager would become evil by association. He cannot so much as brush his teeth without it being a malevolent act.

That's the level of strawman he and pretty much all the other antagonists are. It's ridiculous.

CONCLUSION: Like I said, I have other thoughts/directions based on holes left by the devs. I didn't hate the game. There were totally things I had fun with. But I do think it deserves criticism, and by admitting those criticisms I think fans have the opportunity to address them on their own terms with fan content.

Larian overdid post-release edits, removed things that were good, and put in shit that actually lowered the game's quality. I think if Bioware wants to recover from the abysmal sales being reported for this at all, they actually should do post-release edits like Larian to actually fix crap. I doubt they will and even if they did idk that it would work because they'd need to get someone with a very different approach to assist, but that's what I'd advise.

[gardensystemtv]

Been thinking about how we don't get to import a lot of choices from the past games into Veilguard. And on the one hand, it's a shame we don't get to see more of our past faves. On the other hand, that gives us room to decide for ourselves what our companions were up to in the time period soooo.... Here is my attempt at it! All of this are events pre-veilguard starting, and I do my best to avoid any Veilguard spoilers, but regardless, part of my ideas are based on what we see of factions in Veilguard so... beware spoilers?

Origins characters: Ending headcanon changes: The land given to the Dalish is the Kocari Wilds, including Ostagar, instead of the Hinterlands. And the land remained under Dalish control, despite the political difficulties with Ferelden.

Warden Ellaine Mehariel: Found her cure for the calling finally. Re-united with Leliana, but with Leliana's duties as the Divine, Ellaine could not spend as much time as she wished with her. So Ellaine moved to Ostagar to aid the Dalish lands there, and act as an important liason to Ferelden and the Chantry.

Alistair: Remained a Warden. Stayed with the Adamant Wardens and joined the Inquisition. When the Inquisition got Disbanded, Alistair originally went to Weisshaupt, but too many arguments with the First Warden made the situation difficult. Ultimately, he returned to Amarantine alongisde his girlfriend Bethany Hawke to aid the Ferelden Wardens in rebuilding there once more.

Morrigan: With Keiran no longer holding the soul of an old god, Morrigan did her best to raise and educate her son as a regular mortal. Ultimately, Keiran joined with the College of Enchanters to train in magic, while Morrigan moved north to handle the Fen'Harel threat.

Barkspawn: remains Ellaine's most trustworthy and loyal companion.

Leliana: Acting as the divine, her ability to help the inquisition is limited. Yet her support of the Dalish in Ostagar are essential for their stability. While it lends her some political enemies, her close ties to Ferelden help her maintain just enough stability to avoid Southern Thedas throwing itself into chaos once more.

Sten: With his sword recovered, he returned to the Qunari, having learned much from Ellaine, and even respected her immensely.

Wynne: Acted as the court enchanter for Ferelden for a while, until eventually the passage of time caught up with her and she passed peacefully.

Zevran: With the aid of a few friends, Zevran was able to turn the hunt against the Crows, turning the hunt around on those who dared take a contract on him. Eventually, this put enough pressure on the crows that they revised and adjusted their recruitment methods. No longer would the crows press slaves into becoming assassins, and Zevran was declared a free man with no obligations to the Crows.

Oghren: When all the Wardens in Southern Thedas began hearing the Calling, Oghren ignored the ridiculous ideas of some of the other Wardens. Instead of going to Adamant, or hunting Alistair, Oghren sent himself to the Deep Roads. In time, as he ventured deeper and deeper, Oghren stopped hearing the calling. So he worked with the Legion of the Dead to recover lost thaigs for Orzammar. Oghren would never return to the surface, but would build fortifications in Caridan's cross, shared among the Legion and the Wardens, and recruited new wardens from the populace of Orzammar.

Dragon Age 2: Marian Hawke: Did not give the Inquisitor time to argue in the fade, she held off the demons to allow Alistair and the Inquisitor to escape. She spent near two years wandering the fade, barely surviving only off the aid of a few generous spirits and wisps. Ultimately, when she escaped the fade, it left her forever changed.

Aveline: Aveline remained with the guard in Kirkwall, being a key figure in allowing the city to rebuild. Ultimately, taking over the position of Viscount from Varric, reluctantly.

Fenris: Fenris continued hunting slavers across Tevinter. Never officially joining the Shadow Dragons, but the faction knew how to inform Fenris when a slave caravan would be vulnerable to attack.

Anders: Died in Kirkwall

Isabela: originally helped Zevran get free from the Crows permanently, before returning to Rivain and forming the Lords of Fortune.

Sebastian: Ruled Starkhaven as prince, helping Kirkwall rebuild. Guided Starkhaven into providing aid to the Inquisition, and became a prominent supporter of Divine Victoria

Merrill: Aided the city elves during the Mage/Templar rebellion. She considered aiding the elves near Ostagar, but ultimately ended up working together with the mage Morrigan to figure out more about Eluvians. Originally she wished to aid the Inquisition, since the Inquisitor was a Dalish mage too. But with Hawke landing in the fade, she urged Morrigan to provide aid instead, and used the Eluvians to find Hawke. Ultimately, this brought her to Arlathan forest, and when the Agents of the DreadWolf and the Qunari messed with the Eluvian network in the south, Merrill found a way to use it to enter the fade physically. After returning from the Fade with her wife Hawke, Merrill fell in with the Veil Jumpers, aiding them as much as she could, especially when it came to Eluvians, but also trying to stay out of danger for her own and Hawke's sake.

Inquisition: Inquisitor Almithara Lavellan: The Inquisitor disbanded the Inquisition to avoid being shackled to the Orlesians for the pursuit after Fen'Harel.

Andara Lavellan: Acts as the Left hand of the Inquisitor. As her older sister, she always was protective. She continues to keep an eye out in her protection, and works closely with Charter, the spymaster of the new Inquisition. Andara also occasionally tracks and assassinates Venatori in Orlais and Ferelden.

Sera lavellan: Wife to the Inquisitor, Sera continued to aid Almithara through the best and worst times.

Thom Blackwall Rainier: No longer pretending to be a Warden, Thom Rainier got the chance to redeem himself, and continues to help others find their path to Redemption. Now acting as the Right Hand of the Inquisitor. The Men of the Blackwall act as a military force that carries no banner but their own. Yet often show up as a show of force to aid the Inquisition. When the Antaam try pressing into Southern Thedas, Blackwall fights to the last to send them back.

Cassandra Penthagast: Still working to aid the Inquisition, Cassandra often acts as a bodyguard for the Inquisitor on Diplomatic missions, and as an envoy and close friend to Divine Victoria.

Cole: Returned to the fade, teaching many of the other benevolent spirits about what life is like for the mortals on the waking world.

The Iron Bull: The Iron Bull and the Chargers still support the Inquisition, unofficially. Acting as Mercenaries, yet refusing to take jobs for Venatori, and specializing in sending those Tevinter bastards back to the Imperium in pieces.

Dorian: Returned to the Imperium as a magister, forming the Lucerni alongside Maevaris. Using his knowledge of the Magisterium to help expose Venatori and pass their identities off to the Inquisition.

And lastly, a bit of my Rook before becoming... Rook.

Lilya Aldwir grew up in a Dalish clan near the Exalted Plains. When the Breach opened, the clan moved further north, despite the dangers of the Imperium. When the Tevinter Imperium threatened the clan, Lilya escaped from the slavers pursuing her with the aid of the Mourn Watch, spending some time in the Necropolis to hide. She was contacted later by the Shadow Dragons, they had found more of her clan who were taken by slavers. Lilya worked together with a Maevaris Tilani to rescue those of her clan she could. During this time, she learned more about being trans from Maevaris, and began to realise she was transgender herself. When her clan was safe, she joined the Veil Jumpers. Getting help from the healers with her transition. When Varric and Harding came asking for help against the Agents of Fen'Harel, Lilya was put forward as the best person to help, due to her history with the Mourn Watch and Shadow Dragons giving her connections the others could not use.

On one of the first jobs with Varric and Harding, Lilya got hit with a power surge from an ancient artifact. Aside from the lightning shaped scars she still bears from it, this seemed to have amplified some of her abilities, giving her combat moves that seem amplified by magic, despite not being a mage.

[the-cryptographer]

One of the things I discovered while writing pre-canon Fenris was that there was a huge overhaul of the Tevinter clergy and a lot of its policies directly /after/ Fenris left. Which was a huge pain in terms of what I was writing because it meant I didn't have a canon name for who was Tevinter's Divine while Fenris was still working with Dany. But have since been thinking about Fenris returning a decade later after Kirkwall and realising that he's hopelessly out of touch with the current sociopolitical climate and feeling all wistful and nostalgic and then super PISSED OFF because fuck this place to death and how dare he be nostalgic about it.

[teine-mallaichte]

Filled DADWC asks

My prmpt list can be found here new pieces written on a friday.

(colour coding = OC hawke used)

Demons lure the weak like moths to flame (Anders)

Accidentally triggering a magical trap (Anders)

Hiding blood loss with bandages (pre-Fenders)

Mystery Illness (Fenders)

There always needed to be a reason, an excuse for their bodies to touch (Fenders)

Guarded Heart (Anders)

Bite down on this (Fenders)

Quiet suffering (Fenders)

Don't let anyone see you cry (Fenris)

You did all this for me? (Handers)

Branding (Fenris)

Coughing up blood (Anders)

Coughing up blood (Anders and M!Hakwe)

Trust issues (pre-FenHawke)

Cooking Together (Handers)

Phantom Pain (Anders)

Unable to control unfound powers (Anders)

Needing help but being unable to ask for it (Fenders)

"They say she sold her soul to a dark god" (Amber Hawke)

Taking care of everyone but not themselves (Anders, Aumtum Hawke, and Merrill)

Accidental magic (Anders)

Wait that's mine, you fixed it? (Handers)

Definitely just a cold (pre-FenHawke)

Hiding blood loss with bandages (Fenders)

Will not be a victim (Fenders)

My anxiety's clawing out from deep within me (Pre-Fenders)

"hey hey, stay awake ok? Stay awake" (Fenders)

Dangerously high fever (Fenders)

Whose blood is that? (Fenders)

Summer is a curse (Amber Hawke)

Falling through a frozen lake (Adam Hawke, Avaline and others.)

"You’re exaggerating, it can’t possibly be– oh. Yeah, this is bad." (FenHawke plus Platonic Isabella)

Denying the symptoms of illness (FenHawke plus Platonic Isabella)

❝ You do realize I can see ¾ to 4/5’s of your entire ass, right? ❞ (HAwke and Isabella)

"It would have been a lot easier to treat if you'd mentioned it sooner." (FenHawke)

A Satinalia mask (pre-fenders plus Platonic Isabela)

Secret messages/codes (Fenris and Orana)

It was like their skin was calling out for the other's gentle touch (Pre-fenders)

The I forgive you hug (FenHawke)

Injured Hawke (FenHawke plus Anders)

High Pain Tolerance (Fenders)

OC Hawkes:

Adam Hawke (Modern Kirkwall AU - a mage with an affinity for ice magic. He works as a firefighter, secretly using his magic to aid in his work. Unromaned.)

Adrian Hawke (A sarcastic rouge who on first appearances seems to take nothing seriously and tease everyone about everything. Romance - Fenris.

Post DA2 Adrian and Fenris go travelling with Isabella on her new ship.)

Aiden Hawke (An idealistic and gullible mage. Altruistic and caring, seemingly unable to say no to any requests for help. Unromanced - unsuccessfully trying to romance Isabella.

Aiden tends to be the Hakwe to turn up in most of my Fenders fics currenty.)

Amber Hawke (A self hating mage disguised as a rouge. Unromanced.)

Autumn Hawke (A diplomatic rouge, passionate about freedom and fiercely loyal to her friends. Romance - Anders.)

[sulky-valkyrie]

Happy Fridayyyyy my love

For DADWC, "You can drop the act with me." 500 words challenge ;) And bonus points for fenders, naturally

500 words on the dot of some pre-Fenders for youuuuuuu! for @dadrunkwriting screenshot snagged from this video

Another day, another set of madcap errands around Kirkwall.  Anders sat down on a crate outside Arianni's house as he and Fenris waited for her to finish telling her that Feynriel wouldn't be coming home.  They'd freed him from Varian and his men, but an untrained apostate haunted by demons even in the waking world would be dead within a week.  It was unsettling to be responsible for tearing yet another mage family apart, but this, at least, was Fenyriel's choice.  Why Fenris was here, however, was a different kind of unsettling; a puzzle Anders thought he finally knew the solution to.  "You can drop the act with me."

Fenris glanced over his shoulder.  "What act?"

"That you don't care."  Anders waved his hand vaguely.  "About other people.  You know, justice."

"Justice is a myth," Fenris snapped, then snorted.  "The one out there at least.  I'm fully aware your… passenger exists."

Anders pursed his lips.  "That's a fucking lie and you know it."

"Is it now?" he asked in that neutral tone that aggravated Anders more than actual shouting.  

It was like arguing with a brick wall, but Anders was too stubborn to stop throwing himself against it.  "Why kill Danzig if you didn't think it mattered?  Why kill Kelder, hm?  If it's not for justice, isn't it just straight up murder?"

Fenris didn't move, but somehow his posture looked more rigid.  Angry.  "I am a murderer.  Many times over.  Another body changes nothing."  

"So it doesn't matter that killing them saved others?"

"Likely not," Fenris answered.  "There will always be more like them.  I could rip out a hundred hearts like theirs and two hundred would take their place within a fortnight.  There is no justice in that."

Anders stood back up and walked around to face him.  Fenris' expression was weary and completely at odds with the indifference of his tone, as if he was discussing the weather, not slavery.  "This is exactly what I mean," he said softly.  "I know how much it hurts to care, believe me.  To admit something matters to you more than yourself."

"You know nothing about me," Fenris growled.  

Even a few weeks ago, the menace in his voice would have driven Anders to reach for his staff or pull on the Fade, ready to defend himself, potentially with extreme prejudice.  Now though, he knew better.  Fenris' hostility wasn't for him.  Not really.  It was for anyone and anything that threatened what little comfort he'd managed to claw into a life for himself.  "Maybe not," Anders agreed.  "But if it doesn't matter, why the void are you here?  Helping anyone at all?"

"Because Hawke asked."  Fenris shrugged.  "I owe her much."

"But how is that not a kind of justice?"  Anders asked, sympathy evaporating.  

He looked up, eyes bright with fury. "This is my choice, no Maker's design, no spirits.  Mine.  There may be none out there, but in here –" he thumped his hand against his armor loudly "– I honor my debts."

[galedekarios]

i love all the da4 content you've been posting!! i recently got into the da series (in the middle of my first origins run) and wanted to see if you had any thoughts on dao/da2 were (if you played them at all) :-)

i'm so sorry it took some time to get to your message!

i wanted to thank you so much for sending it to me, tho. i see you in my notes often and you leave the nicest tags. (':

i actually do have a soft spot for dragon age as a series. baldur's gate 2 and its expansion throne of bhaal were my first video games. i played it very often and for a very long time. then i sort of fell out of love with video games for a long time because i couldn't find anything else like it.

completely by accident, years later, i found out about dragon age: origins and it drew me back in completely. the atmosphere, the storytelling, the characters, the music - it was so amazing. even the graphics back then were something that absolutely awed me because i want from this:

to suddenly this:

da2 and dai were the first games where i actively went through the pre-release hype and playing them on release day and actively involving myself in the fandom.

i love each of the three games for different reasons, but i do love them. i do have my favourite with inquisition, tho i do realise it's an unpopular opinion.

i'm trying to be spoiler-free because i don't know how far you've played at this point or how much you know. (':

i do love dao for its dark and gritty atmosphere. there are so many moments i remember very distinctly. the battle of ostagar, the first time discovering the broodmother and the lead up to it, fighting the archdemon, among many others. sadly, i never connected a lot with the companions, tho i do think they are well written, with morrigan, loghain and sten being stand-outs to me.

i love da2 for the companions and the smaller scale setting. i loved seeing how kirkwall changed over the years and i loved seeing how all of the companion were intrinsically entangled with and changed by the city. again, there are so many memorable moments here. the death of the hawke sibling, the mission to the deep roads, the ending. the companions' stories. fenris's backstory, isabela's betrayal, sebastian's family.

however, with da2 i was never able to create a hawke that i liked. i also didn't enjoy the fandom too much bc a lot of da2 fans were super critical and obnoxious in their distaste for dai, which i've already said happened to be my personal favourite.

inquisition is my absolute favourite though. i was able to create an inquisitor that i really liked, i loved many of the companions (vivienne, solas, cole, blackwall and cassandra come to mind), the different environments were really fun to explore to me, and i absolutely loved the chosen one trope in this case because the game turns it on its head.

anyhow, sorry for the long answer. i hope you are having fun with the series and i'm happy you're here for the da4 content too!

[hyperbali]

For the DA Veilguard Asks: 4, 8, and 11?

4. What does your worldstate look like going into DAV?

Well, it sounds like they're not using the Keep anymore, and I'm not sure what questions are going to be asked for the worldstate setup at the start, buuuut...

DAO: Jeanne Amell, of course. Jeanne doesn't have a ~canon romance (though I could be persuaded if someone makes a good argument). King Alistair and Queen Anora. Werewolves cured, Circle mages were saved, Ashes untouched, Redcliffe saved with the whole family alive (though Jeanne took the demon's deal and then killed it), King Bhelen with a destroyed Anvil. Loghain survived. Morrigan got preggo with Kieran. Architect was killed. Both Amaranthine and the Keep protected. All companions alive.

DA2: I'm having a hard time deciding if I'm going to go with Adnan or Amelie, but they pretty much have the same story beats. Humorous Mage Hawke. Romanced Fenris (OT3 Isabela). Carver is a Grey Warden. Anders is alive, but unhappily so. Merrill kept the Eluvian. Aveline is married and stayed Guard-Captain. Varric didn't keep the idol, and Bartrand is alive. Sebastian's causing Kirkwall a lot of headaches. Helped Tallis. Sided with the mages. Sided with Larius.

DAI: Proserpina (Panini!) Lavellan. Artificer Rogue. Technically romanced Iron Bull, but given Solas is in love with her, I'm wondering if I should mark the Solas romance. Dorian is besties, but headed back to Tevinter. Blackwall is back to being Thom Rainier. Chargers are alive, Bull is Tal-Vashoth. Harmond pressed into service, Sera stayed. Solas helped his spirit friend. Cole made more human. Varric dealt with Bianca. Helped Vivienne try to save the Duke. Josephine helped the Du Paraquettes and the Montilyets regained their status. Cullen stopped using lyrium. Leliana was softened and eventually made Divine. Helped the mages in Redcliffe, who joined the Inquisition. Strong-armed Celene, Gaspard, and Briala into working together. Loghain stayed in the Fade, Grey Wardens were exiled. Pina drank from the Well. Exposed the truth about Ameridan and became respected by the Avvar. Found out the truth about lyrium. The Inquisition stayed together as a peacekeeping organization. Pina vowed to stop Solas no matter the cost.

8. What faction are you excited to learn the most about?

All of them, barring the Grey Wardens?? Though I might start with a Lord of Fortune.

11. What's one thing you'd really like to see in this next game?

Varric not being killed

Hard to say... I'm mostly trying to keep my expectations low, given just how long the dev cycle has been and the massive layoffs last year. I'm definitely not pre-ordering. I guess I'm kind of just hoping to be pleasantly surprised, lol.

[jicklet]

Astrid Hawke through the years.

(Originally posted this part here back in.... oh my god 2014)

Pre-Kirkwall: An apostate looking to avoid attention, she cut her hair short and used a combination of dye and illusions to disguise her unique color. Her red hair was from her father, but he went grey early.

Act 1: She no longer has Bethany to hide, and Kirkwall is a bigger city where she could possibly blend. She starts growing out her hair and lets her natural red come back. 

Act 2: Continues growing her hair out. Begins to feel like she's building a place in this world, falls in love, starts actually taking pride in her appearance for the first time in her life. Went through most outfit changes in this act. 

Post-Act 2: Her family's gone, the Knight-Commander caught her doing magic but hasn't dragged her away yet, she has no idea what's going on with her and Fenris, and (best of all) this mad city dubbed her its protector. In an effort to gain control over at least one area of her life, she cuts her hair shorter than it's ever been and gets tattoos.

Act 3: The world is increasingly falling down around her, but she starts regaining some sense of self. Misses her long hair and starts growing it out again. By the end of Act 3, it's just past that awkward length where it's long enough for a short ponytail again.

(the idea of her official Champion of Kirkwall™ look being the result of coming out of a life crisis is darkly funny and feels very Hawke to me. Of course that's the image that lasts, this is her life.)