#i could be playing the game and solas could be like 'no i mean literally i want to bring back the elves and arlathan and stuff i lov it.'

[maliro-t]

some game design thinky thoughts.

[tortoise-teapot]

should i wait for veilguard lore or should i be the last of a generation of fics with pre-veilguard speculation

[star--nymph]

Vivienne's fear being 'becoming irrelevant' isn't something that's linked explicitly to her pride, no matter what Solas says about her (and the irony of Mr.Pride himself saying that should not be lost on you), it reveals what and who Vivienne truly is.

She's a survivalist.

Because we don't spend as much time in the Free Marches or Orlesian circles, we don't get to experience what being a mage is in these cultures. In Ferelden and Kirkwall, a mage is a lesser being without freedom no matter what they do--but in the Free Marches and Orlais specifically, mages are commodities that are given freedom so long as they play an entertaining enough role. They can explore the world if they have a noble patron, if they catch the right person's eye. They are, in a way, two sides of the same coin--refusing mages agency and forcing them to relay on higher powers. Vivienne lucked out, as sad as it is, when Bastion fell in love with her; she found someone who was contrarian enough to recognize her as a full person and also someone with power that could help her rise through the ranks. This is not to say that Vivienne on her own wasn't an exceedingly talented and intelligent individual--by nineteen she was already the youngest full fledged mage in Circle history and she was skilled enough to make herself an enchanter. But, I can not emphasize this enough, none of that matters if she didn't also play the Game and impress enough people.

Vivienne could have been the most brilliant mage in the history of Thedas and it means nothing if she was overlooked by nobility.

So when Bastion made her his mistress, she gained not just a lover but also a means to an end. Now she can use her magic to protect herself. Now she can roam where she wants and not be question for it because she's Madame Vivienne. Now, she can walk into the Orlasian court and belong there.

And what happens? Celene notices her and makes her the Court Enchanter, a position that has always been the equivalent of a jester. Vivienne took that title, ignored that it was essentially a glorified insult to who she is, and made it a position of power. She made the Court Enchanter into an advisor, a political rank. She had done the impossible and made mages an actual political entity in the Orlasian Court, something that wasn't seen outside of Tervinter (not counting what players can do under very specific conditions if they made mages in DAO and DA2).

All that, however, only continues as long as the court recognizes her as something worth their attention. Vivienne needs to maintain her act as Madame De Fer, The Lady of Iron, the Court Enchanter, The Jewel of the High Court, because the second she just becomes Vivienne, it's over for her. The assassins coming raining in, her name gets devoured by rumors and gossip, and she'll be found dead at bottom of the stair case with a dagger in her back if she's lucky.

So of course when the Circles fall apart during the Rebellion, she clings to that Loyalist Mages to maintain that structure--of course she moves her pieces to the Inquisition, knowing that if the Circle DOES fall, she at least as another place for herself and mages latch onto--of course when she hears that Celene replaced her with a new Court Enchanter that appeared out of no where, she grows to resent Morrigan.

Like, Morrigan literally pops up out of thin air, makes herself invaluable to Celene, and then plants herself in the place Vivienne had to claw her way up to and create so she could survive. Would you not be resentful when your life's work is usurped by some random witch of the wilds because she happened to charm the Empress? Everything Vivienne strived for all whisked away because the court find a gem who glimmers ever so slightly more than Vivienne.

So yes, Vivienne fears becoming irrelevant because the world has made it so that irrelevance for an Orlesian mage means death.

[felassan]

Snippets. 🐺💜 DA:TV spoilers under cut.

When the Community Council played the game, in the working version they played, it sounds like when the 'no dying' mode was turned on, when the player's health gets low the screen turns red (but you don't then die, of course) [source]

Caitie of Ghildirthalen shared that everyone that she talked to from the Community Council really liked the gameplay. "They were all into it, none of us had any complaints about how they were doing the gameplay, we all thought it was solid" [source]

The Lighthouse isn't literally an actual lighthouse by the sea. It's in the Crossroads. It's "like a bubble in the Crossroads, kind of like what Morrigan brings you to" in DA:I. "It's its own little bubble, it's not actually the Crossroads, it's like its own little bubble of reality." "It's not really in the Fade, but it kinda is, but it's kinda not". "It's so cool, I loved it so much [...] it's very comfy". It used to belong to Solas and "as you walk around there, you will see, like, stuff, that kinda shows what Solas has been up to for the past couple years" [source]

"They say in the [Game Informer cover] article that [The Lighthouse] like looks gaudy, and stuff, and like it does, in like an ancient elven way, but it's not like going to grandma's house which has that 2005 Tuscan kitchen feel." It sounds like there are a lot of frescos made by Solas in there. "It's kind of like, sad, too, 'cause it's a little bit like, ancient elven bachelor pad that he's been too busy to really keep up with it". "I think it's the coolest hub [in a DA game] by far" [source]

After the gameplay reveal video, Solas essentially gets trapped in the new prison he was trying to build for Ghil and Elgar'nan. "I don't think they explain it well in the [GI cover] article what happens, like, lore-wise, like how this connection between Solas and Rook one, works, and then two, like, how it's done. [...] From that [Community Council participation and talking to devs], I have a better understanding of this link, and I do think the explanation given [in-game] is good, and is satisfying to me. They're just not explaining it well in the article, I do think they give a better reason in the game"[source]

Caitie shared that she doesn't know why marketing for the game keeps saying/trying to say that Rook isn't a Chosen One as a talking point. "Maybe [Rook] wasn't chosen, [they] just happened to be there, but now there is a connection there, like [they] can't just leave, [they] have that strange Solas connection that nobody else has". "In this game Rook was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, or right place right time, depending on how you look at it, and it could have been anyone in that scene, that's kind've what they're trying to say" [source]

Photomode is something the devs expressed to Community Council that they want to include in the game [source]

User: "many of us would love to see cosplay kits again of the new companions. Just thought to throw that out into the ether" Trick: "Agreed! Definitely bring that up to official BioWare accounts. I think it's a great idea." [source]

John: "at this point my brain is about 70% DATV and 30% everything else" [source]

User: "I keep looking at that horn [Taash's blue one], thinking: 1. What -is- it made of?" Karin Weekes-West: "If only we knew!" [source] User: "If this turns out to be some high-value gemstone or crafting mat, I can't promise I'll be able to suppress certain... larcenous urges." Karin: "How very Lords of Fortune of you! :D <3 It really is SO PRETTY, isn’t it? Our art team is so good. :)" [source]

User: "I need to know if Rook gets their own room CAN WE DECORATE" Carly: ":^)" [source]

User: "anyway they [Neve and Harding] are both in this concept art. next to each other even. this has to mean they are both alive after the prologue. right? right???" Carly: ":^)" [source]

Kala: "the overall UI is very nice" [source]

Kala: "I remember the sliders [in CC] having pretty good range tbh, so probably pretty tall and pretty short" [source]

Kala: "I can't wait to learn who the VAs for Rook are! I know one and I know people will be really excited for this person to join the Dragon Age family 🤫" [source]

[baphometsss]

solas is canonically bi and i will die on this fucking hill.

trick talking shit about it on twitter in 2015 or whatever means nothing to me. oh you wanted to avoid the depraved bisexual trope, did you?? you mean depraved bisexuals like iron bull who will literally betray and try to kill you in trespasser if you sacrifice the chargers? depraved bisexual zevran who tries to kill you and will try again if your approval isn't high enough in dao? depraved bisexual anders who commits an entire act of terrorism? depraved bisexual isabela who will run off with the qunari artefact in da2 and never return if your approval isn't high enough?? i could go on and those are just the depraved bisexuals. there are plenty of good, non-depraved bisexuals in this game too (leliana, josephine, fenris kinda depending on how you play it), so it's a moot point anyway

esp since as far as depravity actually goes, he's fairly good about the romance. like, his ultimate goal aside, he makes a point of saying in trespasser that he wouldn't sleep with lavellan under false pretenses. that's more than can be said for blackwall, who doesn't think twice about the potential consent issue of sex with someone who doesn't know who you really are

if it wasn't the fact that a good chunk of solas's romance lines were voiced with the male VAs in both base game dai and trespasser, i would be inclined to believe that this was an intentional choice, but given that and the fact that both solas and cullen use gender neutral language in their romances, and only cullen has a line which specifically turns the inquisitor down for being a dude, i find it much more believable that they literally just ran out of time

iirc neither solas nor cullen were going to be romancable to begin with but then they had a bit of extra time and they decided to do it, only to run out of time before finishing the male VAs lines

honestly i'm just frustrated by the fact that we have inconsistent writing and weird cop-out answers that people cling to bc they're offended that their precious straight boy might not actually be straight. i actually saw someone complaining on reddit about how 'refreshing' it was to see a straight character in dragon age like?? what. are you playing the same game? blackwall, cassandra, cullen (who was meant to be bi too but ig had either the same issue or his va was just too much of a bigot to do it), morrigan and alistair all spring to mind lol you're not short on straight people

in any case we can retcon our inky to be nonbinary, so unless they fuck it up by deciding that he's only into female elves and lock out all the nb solavellans who had to choose between male and female inky in dai, which is unlikely, it seems like it won't matter much.

just let me be gay with my silly egg man and i will be happy

[dippedinmelancholy]

TW for spoliers for Dragon Age Inquistion (I guess????? It't been 10+ years guys) I keep seeing a lot of people talking about Solas and how horrible he is ( keep my wife's name out of your mouth, I love him your honor) but like, honestly as someone who fell in love Dragon Age Inquisition, it triggered my entire love for the whole series . . . people are missing something huge. Literally all of the main companions, and honestly all of the Advisors, are morally grey, fucked up people. Cole - Literally a spirit/demon. Kills people to 'help'. Varric - Bro is in a long term affair with a woman he can't/won't commit to, is constantly running from responsibility. Sera - Claims to be on the side of the small and helpless, could not give two fucks about the elves at all. Is obscenely racist and cruel, especially if you're playing Dalish. Doesn't seem to give any fucks for how her actions make others feel. Cassandra - Seeker/Templar. Thedas cop. Doesn't care that the mages are regularly abused and violated. Blindly believes in the Chantry, and even after she is given evidence of their fucks ups, cannot pull herself away. Iron Bull - Once again, massively dangerous, worse than a cop. Warrior/master spy. Openly infiltrates your group, sees no sin in how the Qunari operate or stripping people entirely of rights. Blackwall - War criminal????? Fucks you in a barn and leaves???? Takes on the identity of a Warden all in hopes that he can pretend hard enough to be a decent person. Again, dude fucks you in a barn. Jail. Gross. Vivenne - Hungrily plays the politics of Orlais. Believes in keeping the mages in Circles, regardless of the abuse, and is constantly out for her own gain. Her reasonings are wholly selfish. Dorian - Bro defends slavery like five minutes after meeting you. The need for gay rights doesn't fix that my guy. Solas - Doesn't see anyone in the world as people unless/until you change his mind. Sees the Iquisition as a means to an end, and your Inquisitor as someone to manipulate to get to his end goals. Cullen - Reformed Templar, fighting addiction and his past crimes. Abused, violated, he didn't believe mages were people. Josephine - Was a Bard in Orlais. Sounds nice, actually murderous. Killed a friend, is haunted by the act. Though sweet, plays the Game as ruthlessly as anyone else. Leliana - Assassin, murderer, has no problems with being brutal and manipulating everyone for her end goals. Every single one of them are terrible. They are people who have done terrible things, brutalized others, and yet have chosen to stay with the Inquisition. From all corners of Thedas, and yet dedicated to protect the world. Even Solas. His goal to tear down the veil isn't a desire to destroy the world. It's to save the very crumb of his people that remains. And in all of these characters, YOU shape them. You help them choose to be better or worse. That is the beauty of Inquisition. When the world is falling to shit, the sky is literally caving in and a would be god is trying to destroy you all out of spite, PEOPLE come together. They want to protect the world. If you're going to apply a cold, unmoving and non-understanding moral compass to Solas, you better be prepared to do it to every single one of them.

[magnetic-rose]

y'all can screenshot this post and clown me if i'm wrong but the more time goes on the more i think varric ISN'T going to die in da:tv. at least not in the beginning we saw. midway/end of the game is another story. there's a few reasons why.

"There’s a fascinating relationship that’s already being set up, Varric and Solas as opposing narrative forces, with your character, Rook, pulled between them."

this is an article from inverse with a journalist who played an hour of the game.

"I literally have no idea if Varric dies I don't know any spoilers about the ending or fate of characters! the only thing i'll say is that the devs have said that Varric is a major character."

this was some tweets from kala elizabeth, who's part of the community council and has played parts of da:tv.

It didn’t stop Gaider trying to kill him again, though. “I tried to kill him in Inquisition,” he told me. “I think mainly because I didn’t get to do it in [DA2]. And everyone was like, 'But the Inquisitor isn’t Hawke! It lacks the same meaning.’ And I was like, 'Yeah, I guess you’re right.’”

people often bring up that varric was supposed to die in a da2 expansion and then again in inquisition. it was gaider who wanted to kill him both times and gaider doesn't work for bioware anymore. not only that, but gaider was dissuaded from killing varric in da:i by the other devs because varric dying wouldn't be as meaningful to the inquisitor than it would be to hawke.

and the same could be said about rook. rook doesn't have a strong relationship with varric. and new players coming into the DA fandom for the first time also won't have a strong attachment to varric if he dies in the prologue.

idk it just doesn't make narrative sense for varric to die 40 min into the game. the fact that they're being so coy and "teehee woowee" about his supposed death is also suspicious. if a beloved character was going to actually die in the game like that, i feel like they'd do anything to keep that spoiler secret. i remember before da:i came out, they edited leliana's tortured model to look normal so players wouldn't see the extent of damage she had in the future timeline.

[broodwolf221]

been thinking about which of the companions - from all games - would join solas

now, for reference: i do not think his plan will literally destroy the world. i think it will destabilize the world on a social, cultural, and political level. i also think it likely that the evanuris will be a threat, but even if they weren't, war is likely throughout thedas.

with that said...

dao:

morrigan - she wants more magic in the world, and to preserve what is already there; she is fascinated by elven/elvhen history and power

wynne, maybe? she's experienced circles and their oppression, but also she's bonded with a spirit - the latter may sway her (obv i'm ignoring some relevant canon here to even give her the option of joining)

leliana but not really this leliana, more dai era

da2:

merrill - wants to restore elven/elvhen history; respects but does not fear magic; respects but does not fear spirits/demons; is willing to go to extremes

fenris - deeply anti-slavery which i tend to see shifting over time to being more broadly anti-oppression; he'd still be a tricky one to get on solas' side, but if he was approached just so, i could see it happening

anders - his whole Thing is working against mage oppression - the idea that magic could thread through the entire world, that many, many more mages may occur as a result of this, so many that the chantry/templars can't possibly stop them all - yeah, he'd be on board with that. he's also willing to take extreme measures when he sees no other choice. plus, i mean, justice. anders knows personally that spirits =/= evil, and justice would want to join as well i think

isabela... maybe? tbh i've always struggled to get my head around her character, but she is opposed to slavery and appears to be pro mage freedom. i could also see her being wary of the massive disruption this would cause, though. would need a very particular approach and may end up leaving - although i don't think she would betray their location/plans even if she did leave

dai:

cassandra - i know, i know. just hear me out for a minute. she always does what she thinks is right, is willing to change her mind, and is repeatedly willing to move against convention. after the whole seeker reveal, she begins working to see if tranquility can be reversed. yes, she's wary - yes, she doesn't necessarily trust mages. but she listens to cole, she listens to solas, and dorian, and probably vivienne altho now i realize i've never played with them together (to be rectified....). another one that would require a very careful approach, but i could see her being swayed over time

leliana - she's openly pro-mage and values many mages more than she values herself. she also values elves, although she can sometimes have a... savior-esque attitude towards them. but if she could help to recreate a thedas that saw those two groups uplifted rather than oppressed? i think she'd be willing

dorian - he's a mage who comes from a culture of mages; yes, tevinter is bad in other ways, and he openly protests that they make for a good example, but i think he'd be willing to see it through - and frankly, he'd be so intrigued by the idea of a joined world, of magic everywhere, in everything. he also increasingly questions slavery as a practice throughout the game, and values elves; i think he'd be wary, fascinated, and ultimately willing

non-companion bonus round:

calpernia - she's staunchly anti-slavery, is a mage herself, and seems to have a perspective of intense disruption/change and manipulating the way things become afterwards. she saw the venatori as the best route forward to a tevinter without slavery - i think she'd see solas' plans as the best route forward towards a world without slaves, and magisters without a unique power and iron grip on tevene society, and she'd want to be part of that and have input

[therealeagal]

Baldur's Gate 3 - companion ranking.

Decide for yourselves whether my list is accurate or not. Whichever you decide, please do @ me, bro. I'm interested to know who your favorite character is!

I switched up my usual intro. What do you think? Anyway. Let's begin. This is a list of the companions in Baldur's Gate 3. I think I got all of them. There's so many. They are enumerated from best to worst.

Wyll Ravenguard, the Blade of the Frontiers. Really got a stick up his ass. I try to romance him and he starts throwing out disapproves whenever I talk to someone else. Motherfucker I'm not the one flirting with them I just want to know what they're up to. Stuck up piece of shit. Also I guess he's a hypocrite that literally sold his soul for power (he says he had a good reason…) But mainly I'm mad about him being a fucking diva when other people flirt with me. Fuckin' Wyll… Wyll stans got pissy at me because they didn't get the joke. Well, his placement at the very bottom of the list was a joke. Don't tell the stans, but my review was completely accurate) What? I didn't say anything. I mean, Wyll Ravenguard is Ao's gift to humanity. There exists no person in this world that is better than Wyll. I could wax loquacious about all the ways in which Wyll is perfection beyond perfection, but I won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that no matter what Karlach's entry may suggest, Wyll is truly the greatest of the great.

Scratch the dog. Maybe it's just because I'm a dog person, but there's no way you can convince me that Scratch isn't the best.

The owlbear cub, for much the same reasons as Scratch. Although I can't say I have any strong feelings one way or the other about owls or bears...

Karlach. No question that Karlach would take the top spot if Scratch and the owlbear weren't around. As she is the first companion that is both A: a good person and B: not a prick about it on top of being irrepressibly cheerful and kind, there is no question that Karlach is the best official companion (Scratch and the owlbear are more pets/familiars than companions). I mean, Gale is also a good guy too and he's not an asshole about it, but he's kind of a tool. Karlach is a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.

Editing this one in, because I FORGOT WITHERS! Rookie mistake. Sorry, Withers!

Jaheira. I never played the first two Baldur's Gate games, but I understand that Jaheira is a returning character. Either way, she's a fuckin' badass. A regular in my final party.

Shadowheart/Lae'zel. It's hard to choose between the two. They've both got excellent storylines, which are actually quite similar in a lot of ways. And they're both badass chicks. What's not to love?

Boo, the miniature giant space hamster and his human familiar, Minsc of Rashemen. Also often a fixture in my party, because he's funny.

Gale Dekarios. To be honest, I wasn't crazy about Gale at first. Kind of pretentious. But he's grown on me. Yes, he is kind of a tool, but at least he generally likes it when I'm nice to people, unlike a certain vampire who shall remain unnamed... also he eats three of my magic items. Not that I was using them but it's the principle of the matter!

(this is Wyll's true rating, but ignore it because obviously he belongs at the top of the list. PLEASE LIKE ME!)

Halsin. Ever wanted to fuck a bear? In every sense of the word? Well, have I got news for you!

Astarion. WHY DO YOU HATE IT WHEN I'M NICE TO PEOPLE, ASTARION??!?!?!?!?!? IT'S SO ANNOYING!!!

The dirt.

The worms inside the dirt.

The stool of the worms inside the dirt.

Minthara. A giant asshole. Which I guess is to be expected. Still better than Solas. Yes, I know they are from two different games. Shut up. Fuckin' Solas...

The Emperor. He of the gaslighting and the tentacles.

The Absolute. Yes, the main bad guy. I'd rather hang out with the main bad guy than...

Oh, lemme edit this in. Just in case. If you, for some reason, get your dander up about the contents of this list, please refrain from reblogging this to just whinge about what a terrible person I am. Not that I am opposed to someone challenging my ideas, but the death spiral does get tedious quite fast. If you really really got an axe to grind, try the PMs. Please and thank you. :)

[jackals-ships]

💚 and ❤️ for the other ask meme :3

ignore me taking a second bc the frog blinking is real HFJ

for Solas bc the man is Haunting My Dick,,,

💚 do they both realize they have a crush early on, or does it take them forever to realize?

okay so this is one of my fave things about having jackal be an Isekaid self insert. bc they KNOWW about solas they know his whole Thing (+I imagine in this universe when they played the game they didn't romance anyone/didn't romance him. unless-) so on their end it's an immediate “I know what you are (🐺)”

which means their guard is up, they're Not gonna fall for his tricks they won't even be friends so help them god !!! they can't handle it !!! it's already stressful !!!

unfortunately. the game was rigged from the start <3 a fact they are Very Mad about + do try to deny in the form of “its not a crush. it's just. it's nothing. it's just. Vibes” (“sparkles you literally have to swallow smoke when you see him”) “Varric. Shut The Fuck Up Or I'm Tellin Harper You're Bullyin Me-”

solas is in a similar but to the left boat, where he was Aware of his attraction to them while he was staring at them sleeping like a lil weirdo making sure the anchor didn't yanno. Kill Them. but he was convinced it was just a physical response he could ignore

and then in barges Some Human, who looks at him with the biggest softest little seal eyes and oh his chest feels warm in a way that's all too familiar and oh. God Fucking DAMN IT- well. he can just have some fun (this action will have consequences)

❤️ how did they meet? was it love at first sight, immediate enemies, or something in between?

SO it does follow the game first meeting pretty closely except jackal Fuckin Books it from the first demon you meet, so Cassandra isn't there (she is NOT happy about this fact)

an it remains mostly the same because i am. absolutely abnormal. about solas taking jackals hand in his and putting the mark up to that tear in the veil, helping them close it

and jackal is standing there shaking from the cold and just. sheer abject Terror, they're cradling their hand w the mark to their chest and they know. they know

but he's looking at them so gently looking at them like they hung the stars and he doesn't even KNOW them yet but he's praising them and 👁️👁️ ✨fuck✨

[misculenica]

DA: Dreadwolf Thoughts & Trespasser Choice - and speculation of quests/choices

I've had a lot of spacing out time on my hands since I've been sick the past week (feeling better, dw)

I've been thinking a lot about that final choice with Solas in the Trespasser dlc; attempt to redeem solas, or, attempt to stop solas.

And that's a real headscratcher, isn't it? Because... That's the last interaction you have with the lord of eggs. Like... Why would this even be a choice to make, beyond dialogue/emotional fluffing for some kind of 'conclusion' that isn't even a conclusion to the narrative? It's a beginning, if anything. But Inky isn't going to be involved at all anymore, given the next protagonist in DW will be new.

So why the choice, and why is it framed like a serious game-changer choice? (not a dialogue wheel, a this or this kind of choice, like conscripting or allying with the mages/templars)

So I did some more thinking, and got somewhere ;)

Your (Inky's) choice to try and redeem solas or to try to stop/kill him will impact the narrative of Dreadwolf, and how missions will play out.

Inky (and what remains of the most trusted members of the inquisition - as stated in the comics; varric, charter and harding -correct me if I'm wrong); will be working towards an alternative to bringing down the veil or will be taking a more 'anything you can do i can do better' kind of role with solas, if redeem was chosen.

If stop was chosen, it will be much more 'kill any of his agents/bring them in', basically a lot more aggressively trying to stop him because he's getting close to doing it.

I can explain, but I will need to go back to Trespasser.

For clarification, what tipped me off to this idea was the specific dialogue from the dlc:

Now that's some interesting wording, huh?

"Try to convince Solas to change his plan"

And here's the varying dialogue for approval/romance etc

High Approval:

Romance:

"Solas, our love (is the) way (to) endure/unto death" (literal translation; "solas, our love (is the) way unto death/(to) endurance" (bless my solasmancer heart, the literal translation is kind of a nod to solas' greatest fear and how lavellan is trying to comfort him by saying essentially how he won't die alone because she's with him to the end/loves him beyond the constraints of life, and then this poor miserable bastard responds the only way he knows how)

(fuck you patrick thank you *cries* this is the most goodbye i've ever felt)

Low Approval:

You don't choose anything... Solas just kinda... Snatches your arm and tells you to piss off in the most Solas way possible.

Romance/High Approval

Now, allow me to rant about this dialogue.

The implication of the redeem lines are more telling than the 'stop him' ones, partially because it's very "you're being an idiot so your ass is grass"

But let me address the high approval lines:

"You don't need to destroy this world. I'll prove it to you."

I feel like this implies a lot for what comes next. But what could you mean by that? We're going to try and convince him there's an alternative. And my mind's racing for what that could mean for the plot of Dreadwolf, and what alternative could the Inquisition be seeking.

Here's what I'm thinking;

Dreadwolf's overarching narrative will be the same; prevent Solas from doing his thing.

However!

Based on this final choice with Solas, the language of the quests could change/what you're told about the Inquisitor will change.

For example; you're going out on the same quests, but the quests could be worded differently, or priorities change. Like... Sabotage/kill an agent of Fen'Harel but lose information vs steal information from an agent but let them go, or, beat agents to x objective vs neutralize agents seeking objective x

I think the game will allow us to go rogue on these decisions, however. I think Inky will be at the top of the order, giving orders down, but we as the player can choose to do what we want (naturally), depending on how we or our character feel about things. But the Inky's orders will be different based on that redeem or stop at the Trespasser choice. However, the missions/quests -for the most part- will be the same, only wording/language/priorities will change.

But I do feel like if you choose 'redeem' and go down a path of 'we need to be compassionate/understanding/prove Solas wrong - the game will very much punish us for it - it'll definitely get a lot of innocents killed.

If you choose to 'stop' him, you'll probably be given more aggressive/no nonsense objectives, and it'll probably bring the heat down on you more, but I feel like the game will encourage you to do this - innocents will die, too, but you'll get to blame Solas more.

Overall, bioware games tend to hammer home that 1. regardless of your choices, bad things will happen, 2. 'the ends justify the means' always leads to a persons downfall/blowing up in their face - leads to something far worse, 3. the road to evil is pathed with good intentions.

But I think the game will play into you as the player, and Rook, choosing to act with their own agency, even though they'll be working by the Inquisition's will - and this will impact Solas, and the rest of the plot and it's themes. Like imagine Solas bringing up the fact that a rebellious Rook acts with their own moral compass instead of doing what the 'hero' wants.

Which way will the droplet fall?

Unpredictability seems to be a thing for Solas and his plans, and it'd be interesting to see it brought up in Dreadwolf - especially as a theme and narrative device.

You can make plans, try your best, but ultimately, you have no idea what a person can/will do, nor how events will turn out (especially when you're attempted an act of god) - yes I'm comparing Dragon Age to Jurassic Park, and we better get a dragon roaring epically with a banner falling in front of it after it randomly saves us from darkspawn {I'm kidding, but damn that'd be cool) "Don't worry... That's the good kind of rumble!" - Bellara

Solas: You cannot stop me.

Rook: No... But they can ;) -->

I'm still going to stick with my theory that we're going to have to obtain the alliance with some powerful being to combat Solas, and I'll be damned if I don't get to pet a dragon in the next game.

[amatres]

another half baked idea i have over the dragon age franchise is they shouldn't have gone back to ferelden at all in inquisition, it should have been solely set in orlais

no i'm serious, i don't think placing a sequel in the same place as the previous game(s) is ever a good idea unless the story is linear bc then you start with multiple plot points you have to consider to either respect and try to work with, or retcon them to make writing easier which Sucks bc then it feels like all the work you did in the previous game was for naught

plus it wouldn't be too hard to change the big explosion to val royeaux bc the chantry was literally Born in orlais, it would make sense to deal with their bullshit in their birthplace. the need to keep up appearances would play a much more important part in the game and make players consider how their actions will affect not only the way the story goes but how they are seen by the nobles in it's hold. you could also have an easier time tearing down the chantry for good instead of Having to work with them just saying

you could even you know, probably fit parts of the masked empire and asunder into the game instead of making them side material books so players actually know what's going on instead of it just being neat references and resolutions to stories the players dont even know.

the whole cole finding out he's a spirit thing? could have been his character quest. the reveal about what celene did, and deciding if you want to side with her, briala, or gaspard? could have been a big choice similar to the landsmeet with in actual game context on what's going on instead of having to have purchase and read a separate piece of dragon age content. felassan could have been a party companion, and solas cold feel more like an ominous built up to villain, or you could have still had solas as a companion and you met him through felassan? solas's betrayal not just being he just fucks off for two years with no explanation, but that he kills another party member (felassan) and then fucks off so your character can have more reason to have complicated feelings on him without the elven god reveal

you could also better center the player characters origins and not just be like Some Guy from elsewhere everyone worships now and actually have a reason to care about what's going on beyond 'i don't want to die'. you could have been a circle mage, or a city elf in orlais, or your noble background as a human could Mean something by giving you a leg up in the politics, or-

[yes-these-obsessions-are-healthy]

Being a thirsty Solasmancer is wild because within the canon of DA:I, Solas explicitly does not fuck, but fanon designates that not only does he fuck, but he fucks severely.

It’s really hard to stay the course and keep true to canon because canon deprived us of what literally every other romances in Origins, II, and Inquisition got. It does add to the tragic, spiritual theme of the love, but damn does it suck to remember “oh wait, canonically this could not have ever, ever happened during the events of Inquisition”. 😭

We do get that line that amounts to “I’m grim and fatalistic. That it draws you into bed with me is a nice perk”, which, if we are taking it at its strict meaning, is that he and the Inquisitor literally just share a bed and do nothing else in it, which now that I think about it, speaks to how powerful the platonic side of the relationship is. In fact, you could go even further and say that sharing your bed with Solas is a deeply intimate/meaningful gesture, because if there is one thing the man loves, it’s exploring the Fade in dreams, and he has dreamt alone for how many centuries, millennia. Sleeping together is not just ‘we are sharing a space in a manner that is reserved for those we trust and feel comfortable with”—he is also sharing one of his..dare I say, hobbies with you. The very act of sleeping together is like drinking a pint with the Iron Bull, or playing pranks with Sera. What makes it even more special than those amusements is that you are doing this with him for 6-8 hours straight, and it’s a necessary function, so yeah, it’s doubly convenient. It all lines up in such a simply splendid way.

But as I was..fandom creations that depict Solas having sex with the Inquisitor within the confines of Inquisition’s core game (or even Trespasser, I guess), is an act of terribly understandable wish fulfillment, but writing him having sex with the Inquisitor DOES change an aspect of his character, tweaks it a bit. The opportunity to “lay” with the Inquisitor while hiding his true self is one he does not take, canonically, out of principle. For a Solas to have sex with the Inquisitor, his character would have to break that link in his inscrutable moral chain. The thing about ethics, morals, people, characters, is that so much can postulated based on what line they will not cross. Clearly, Solas holds honesty in sexual relations to be important. He would not have sex with the Inquisitor under false pretenses, or more specifically, with a partner who was not fully informed on who exactly he was, because he is correct to assume that someone who had the full picture might hesitate to jump into bed with him, but that option was not able to be presented for obvious reasons. So he stamped the whole sex thing with an “N/A” and left it at that. He wasn’t going to allow a lack of information to affect the Inquisitor’s decision—he was not going to take the risk of it unfairly swaying in his favor. It would be unethical in the highest degree. The man may lie “by omission”, but he wasn’t going to let those lies deliver him the use of someone’s body like that.

[vir-adahlen]

3, 4, and 6 for the dragon age asks!

oh haha! yes! hehe!

3) Do you usually play as a warrior, mage, or rogue? Which class are you planning to try first this time around? Which subclass?

Okay for the most part in video games if i can be an archer, i will be an archer -- i do tend to create rogue characters for my first da playthroughs because i think the mechanics are fun :-) and then vibe out and develop how i think of the character in my head as the game progresses. my warden is a rogue (archer.........) but my canon hawke and inquisitor both ended up being mages. it's always mage or rogue for me but maybe one day i'll nut up and make a big warrior woman. but jeez yeah i mean. to be deft and nimble. that's my silly little power fantasy

okay so thinking about it now i do kinda want Rook to be an archer.. back to basics for me it seems. veil ranger is a cool subclass name. i think people are speculating that mournwatch has to do with the mortalitasi in nevarra and being a slinky little rogue among them seems very appealing

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

Warden alistair and mahariel are the hallmark of beautiful quintessential absolute divine partnership -- we do anything for them we tear the worldstate asunder for them. they are doing their thing researching the taint and also merrill hangs out with them doing that too

hawke and isabela fell in love but when isabela skips town for years hawke and anders kind of fall in love it's insane it's toxic they fight about politics hawke is vehemently anti-chantry and anti-circle but doesn't have the revolutionary spirit... they can't bear choosing that much loss.. hawke feels totally and completely betrayed by anders at the end of the game while still loving him deeply...

hawke is in the fade :( when she sees the look in alistair's eyes she knows he won't stay behind... so she does!! i think she's alive and i think she's going to Come Back Wrong. every single thing is tragic about hawke. isabela is raging against it. merrill is helping her too

it took me forever to figure out an inquisitor that made sense... the first few i made just literally crumpled up in my mind as the events of inquisition happened....... like i couldn't think of a person who could withstand it all....... but i finally landed on a lavellan who is a historian and writer and he's able to kind of like actively parse the absolute insanity that is the religious fervor and politics of it all as it is happening and that keeps him from going insane. he can't really fight and has to be shepherded to and from the rifts but he has an insane quiet charisma. this is obviously absolutely infuriating to solas who is trying not to fall in love with people but ends up falling in love with him so so hard -- they fade hooked up a little in the beginning but then lavellan :0 falls in love with dorian!!! and so solas is stuck being in unrequited love with lavellan and he's gonna destroy the world over it a little

leliana is divine inquisition is disbanded

6) Do you have your Rook(s) planned out to any degree? If so, would you share some details or ideas you have?

my rook is gonna be an elf.. there's no other way for me. i dont know why but im he/him-ing this guy in my head. another man? could it be? we'll see. i don't know!! my characters definitely take shape as i play. could homosexaulity happen between him and davrin? we'll see. no strong ideas yet i suppose. he feels fast, he feels bossy. i think he's going to be from the city. maybe he wont be an archer. what's up man!!! i cant wait to find out.....

[rhyske]

oh my god, Belphie is such a sweetheart! I love the little black spot on his nose and it looks like he has eyeliner and that is too cute! oh so when i called him escape artist i wasn't too far of huh? haha

I have 3 cats and one was an accident. My mom wanted a ragdoll so we got Tex, and we also got Slinky (a black house cat) so she would have a friend. Then I found a grey stray in my village and I took him in and named him Totmes, my baby. the girls don't like him very much (eww boys!🤢). Totmes and Slinky love the balcony but especially Totmes, he'll be there all day in the sun and I worry the sun will melt his brain or something.

So far Mass Effect is all right but I think I've come to the conclusion that I like fantasy more than sci-fi but maybe I am wrong and I'll be obsessed with it in a minute. The romance options for ME1 are... not great but I am planning to romance Liara in the first one at least and see how it turns out and then I might pursue someone else when the options open up in the second game. My brother played femshep and romanced Garrus so I want to do something different than that even tho he's so cool. For roleplay purposes I'll have Garrus as more of a best friend character to my femshep.

that's how I approached it in dragon age too. Varric was Hawke's bestie and Fenris was OBVIOUSLY the romance option cause he's just that good imo. In inquisition, Dorian was Lavellan's best friend and Solas was her romance option because of the DramaTM.

I try to play my characters as separate from me so sometimes I choose the mean option and I'm just like I'M SORRY I DIDNT MEAN TO BE MEAN BUT SHE WOULD SAY THAT AAAA. Lavellan was pretty grumpy at the end... well the beginning too because she never wanted to be the inquisitor.

ANYWAY mass effect has been difficult because the full dialogue isn't really what i expect from the little text option. sometimes it feels like the choices doesn't matter? idk but i'll figure it out!

this is the first time I've properly played D&D so it's a bit of a learning experience for me! what did you use to play as? ^^ 💜

He's precious 🥰 Haha, yeah, no, literally half an hour after I responded to you I found the front door open and him nowhere to be found. He's safe, he realized we found out and came running back 😂

Does Totmes have a lot of brain cells? Could be they are actually melting. I joke that Belphie killed his last brain cell when, the first day we got him, he forgot cars have windows and tried jumping out, only to smack his head into the window. I love when cats kinda choose you as their owner and not the other way around 😆 Your cats sound so precious 💕

I definitely think ME1 is the weakest of all the games. I wasn't super invested in it my first time around (and it's still a bit more of a chore to get through whenever I replay), so I don't blame you there. Just hold out until ME2, it's the game that made me fall in love with the series. Yeah the romances...are very lacking in 1. They branch out so much in 2 and 3.

GASP YOU ARENT GONNA ROMANCE GARRUS??? As someone who is a rabid Shakarian fan and can't romance anyone but the dumb turian boy, I am obligated to say you are making a mistake 😂 But if Garrus didn't exist, I'd probably romance Liara so 😆 Thane is also a good contender, you'll meet him in 2 😏

Dorian was my Lavellan's BFF too! I always imagine one going to the other like "GIRL GUESS WHAT." Tali/Liara always end up being my Shep's BFF. I imagine them having girl nights and gossiping a lot 😆

I didn't like how Inquisition just....ignored your origin. Like, when you play as a Lavellan, you don't follow the Maker. You might not even know how most shemlan cities operate! And you want me to be your religious idol??? No thanks! But nothing is ever done about it and it's frustrating.

I always tend to play as if I was in the MC's shoes. And it's helped me learn a lot about myself, tbh. But I can't be mean to most characters cause it makes me feel bad 😭 Unless they deserve it.

Choices do matter (: You'll see your choices echo through the games, in what ways you can approach missions (Paragon vs Renegade) and how people remember you (if you were rude or polite). How much attention you put into your teammates is a big mechanic in 2, for example. It's hard to see how your choices change things until 2, since y'know, first game and all. Keep at it!

I played as an elf rogue my first, and only time, playing DnD. That was my first ever exposure to DnD, so I knew nothing. Now that I know a lot more, I wanna play again and really lean into the roleplay and the shenanigans. Who are you playing as? :D

[ziracona]

Who would be your favourite and least favourite romance options from the first three DA games?

Can you romance in Awakening????? Wait or do you mean DAI. I think of DAI as fifth.

Uh. In every game but DA2 it might depend on my pc. I play super immersive so I pick who the person I’m pretending to be would like. I did romance Alistair, Anders, and Lace. If you mean I, R, as myself? Mmmmm for DAO, Alistair or Zevran. Or platonic life partners with Sten & go to Par Volen. For DA2, Anders (and Justice). Easy. Always. No question. I’m literally in love with him. [honorable mention even though I’d literally never pick someone over my husband: Isabela. Glow-up, Queen, my bestie. Dtf you’re my second choice girl]. For DAI? Probably no one. Your odds of surviving the next six years are so low it seems like I wouldn’t want to do that to someone. Maybe Lace??? If I had to choose? She’s hot she has sound ethics and she’s funny, as far as her limited screen time tells me? Krem if he was an option but he ain’t ✊😔 if we’re counting Awakening then …? Idk I haven’t thought about that bc I was already romancing someone from DAO and not a cheat. I’ll think on that. Or—Anders I guess?

EDIT: shit, missed least favorite. Uhhhh. That’s really hard for Origins? I love them all. /if/ I was choosing in the context of later games, maybe Lelianna least favorite to date simply because I would be like “How the hell could I have failed her during DA2-DAI so hard as to let her be manipulated into committing war crimes for the church” and it would just make me too ooc. For DA2, Sebastian, duh. Fuck that guy. I’d love to kill him though. For DAI…? Uhhh. Let me remember who even is bc I played a Qunari man & only had 4 options hang on. Uhhh I guess bottom of the pile would be Cas and Dorian? The slavery apologism is fucked up from both (whether Cas calls tranquility that or not - plus the other xenophobia) and as far as flaws go are the highest level of incompatibility with myself. If we count Trespasser which I try to forget exists bc it shouldn’t; it ruined the game and butchered one of their best characters, then Trespasser!Solas, because active Genocidal Fantasy White Supremacist beats out the other flaws for most repulsive.