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tossawary · 4 months ago

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I mentioned before that I think DA2 is perhaps the most appealing to me for a Time Travel AU. This is in part because Hawke as a protagonist doesn't have to worry about an impending apocalypse in the same way that the Warden and the Inquisitor do, so there's arguably more space for slow-moving character work, and I think it would be fun to explore Hawke's relationship to Kirkwall.

You can take Inquisition-era Hawke, sacrifice them in the Fade, and then handwavy magic happens there that sends Hawke back for a Time Travel Redo. (If it's irrelevant to the rest of the story, let's skip going into depth on the time travel method! It does not matter!) If you want to avoid time paradox concerns, given that time magic actually exists in this series, this can actually be a Dimension Travel AU as well, sending a Garrett Hawke back in time to another dimension where there's a Marian Hawke instead or something. Two Hawkes!

I prefer sending a mage Garrett Hawke "back" into this alternate dimension because he is absolutely going to look like his own father, Malcolm, to the young Hawke family trying to escape Lothering. And that's some delicious angst.

Another reason that I think Hawke in particular would be interesting is that I think it would be interesting to have a time-traveler (dimension-traveler) be upfront about what had happened to them. A tired Garrett Hawke reveals at least the basics of the "future" to his friends and family (all of whom are strangers to him and it hurts) because he wants to keep them safe, and then the butterfly effects of canon divergence ripple out from there.

There are so many time travel fics where the protagonist confides in no one or only does so very late in the story. There are often reasons for this. 1) They will not be believed. 2) They are surrounded by enemies. 3) They are focused on changing a very specific event and do not want things to change before that. 3.5) They are unwilling to share their knowledge and give up some measure of control over the future. (These control issues are often in-character!)

Sometimes, I am persuaded by these reasons and find them compelling and sympathetic. Sometimes, I find the protagonist's insistence on doing everything alone frustrating and even cruel.

I think that if Hawke had the chance to do a Time Travel Redo, it would be incredibly cruel if they did not at least TRY to share some of their knowledge with their companions. I don't think Hawke's companions would believe them immediately, of course, but they live in a world with strange magic. If Hawke was willing to be calm and vulnerable, they could at least give their future friends some potential leads in their individual quests (being open about the fact that this world may be different to their own).

Like, let's look at Fenris. Fenris would not trust some strange mage talking about fucking time magic, of course. But after knowing each other for a month or so, Hawke might be able to approach Fenris and say, "Hey, I have a really weird story to tell you." And then Hawke could share what they know about Fenris' past according to their own world, so that Fenris can maybe look into that and prepare himself. Because keeping that information away from Fenris is a dick move! Fenris deserves to be able to decide what to believe, what to investigate, and what to do for himself.

I also don't think I could suspend my disbelief if Hawke let Anders and Justice just... play out again over the course of years. I think most Hawkes wouldn't be able to resist confronting Anders in some way! Even Hawkes who end up saying, "I'm going to personally murder Meredith this time." Is a mage-friendly Hawke just going to let characters like Karl Thekla be made Tranquil and be killed again?

Do Merrill and Isabella and Varric and Aveline not deserve to try and avert some of the tragedies in their own lives?

Like, it is totally reasonable for Hawke to be focused purely on their own family or the companions they like, rather than try to save every person in the city. I think it's more than fine if there are tragedies a protagonist just doesn't care about averting. Hawke is not even going to remember everything.

And it is VERY normal for people not to want to give up some measure of control over their lives, especially someone as traumatized as Hawke. I do often find it realistic that a lot of time traveling characters in fanfiction are kind of "control freaks" who don't want to be vulnerable, even if it's "safe" to be. I'm imagining that this future-sharing from Hawke would stem in large part from 1) exhaustion, 2) loneliness, and 3) Hawke being used to celebrity, due to the "Tale of the Champion", and somewhat blasé by this point about all the fucking shit they've been through.

And I think that spilling everything (or even just the basics) would not necessarily go well for a Hawke. I think Varric would take even limited information about Bartrand's future very badly. As strangers to Hawke, I think all of the companions would be upset and disbelieving. (I'm currently imagining a mage Garrett Hawke who previously romanced Merrill, so that he and Past!Fenris were barely friends, because Fenris didn't like this mage Hawke hanging out with a blood mage and Hawke kind of thought Fenris might turn him in to the Templars someday. Past!Fenris was more Isabella's and Varric's friend.) I think these new companions might go on to make some BIG mistakes trying to avoid the future that Hawke has described, as much as they might avert tragedy.

I also imagine that Hawke's relationship with this new Hawke family might be very strange and awkward, even if both Carver and Bethany live. Garrett looks like Malcolm and everyone thinks it's weird; Leandra is probably the happiest and most practical about it, but Garrett can't forget how his own mother died horribly and also blamed him for his own Bethany's death. Neither Garrett nor Marian know what to do about each other; Marian doesn't like some new person waltzing in and taking control of situations. Garrett unconsciously treats this Carver as older and Carver loves it, but Marian doesn't like it. Bethany likes having a mage sibling, but Garrett is awkward because he's used to Bethany being the Hawke family's perfect dead sister. And Leandra's shitty brother is not fucking helping any of this!!! And what's that about Leandra maybe getting murdered by a serial killer in the future???

By saying all of this, I mean to make clear that I really don't think "communicating" would immediately fix every problem for a perfect "Time Travel Fix-It". I do think it would fix SOME problems. Emotional conversations and immediate canon divergence also appeals to me because I like reading those things.

What I mean to make clear is that I think it would be fun to write something that explores autonomy, authority, agency, and control. There are many issues in the world that stem from people unwilling to give up control of a situation for a variety of reasons, and other issues that stem from people believing they have the authority to dictate other people's lives.

What right would a new Garrett Hawke have to withhold information and try to manipulate all of their strangers' lives? Especially from people like Anders and Fenris, whose stories are so deeply concerned with freedom of choice? To conceal backstory information from someone with amnesia, like Fenris, is a choice, and I think it's a cruel one, even if Fenris might not like what he hears and might react badly. Can Garrett Hawke really claim that he "knows best"? What if he doesn't know what's going on with this version of the world? What do you do when freedom means standing back and allowing some of the people you like and love to make "bad" choices?

Some time travel fics seem to me to be incredibly lonely. The protagonist trusts in no one. The other characters can be written as predictably following a timeline to the point of being shallow caricatures of people. It's just not to my taste.

It could be nice to explore Hawke finding new sides of companions that they missed in their previous "run" (which was very much not perfect and full of strife). It could be nice to explore an exhausted Champion learning to trust in other people and have them step up to help solve these shifting problems. DA games are so much about making choices for everyone around you: on behalf of your companions, on behalf of entire kingdoms, on behalf of the entire world. It might be fun to explore an exhausted older Hawke giving up some control and being pleasantly surprised on some fronts as paths diverge.

#tossawary dragon age #hawke time travel au #spoilers #fic ideas #long post

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symphorine · 9 days ago

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some more, still with spoilers

- i rly like how many actual Scenes between companions ive seen!! not just banter, but them hanging out or helping each other (or fighting lol i just had to mediate between emmrich and taash). def doing a lot to make them feel more real and more like a team and its just nice tbh

- the dragons look good but i think they recycled a lot from dai there (quite a few of the attacks were the same, the head shapes, etc). overall easier than dai in terms of moveset id say. but I also have a stupid powerful build rn that gives me 10k crits about 10/15% of the time. which is actually a fair amount. they do need that balance patch

- still happy with bg integration in interactions! there's been less warden focused stuff but it still comes up. its nice

- ive started coming back to the lighthouse more in between missions and its paying off. characters interacting yay

- did a few personal quests including lucanis'. decided to romance him when i discovered he needed therapy so bad that spite had to stage an emergency intervention. i am endeared and entertained.

- going dragon hunting with taash is actually rly cool and fun... they know a lot abt the dragons and they respect them, dont see them as trophies or anything.

- i like reading the codex entries. a lot of them have been notes or correspondence between characters and i like the format.

- transmog system is a lifesaver. i wonder if unlocked appearances stay unlocked between playthroughs...? that would be nice

- i think the cities feel alive and i find that impressive. its hard to make it feel like that ive found in games, esp for massive cities, but both treviso and minrathous locations are only one district, which helps, but theyre also well populated, with ambient dialogue painting different people going on about their lives! i like it!

- crashed a couple more times but going well other than that. load times are surprisingly short. but to be fair i have a very decent setup and installed the game on an ssd, so that helps. still, nice experience

- ive noted before i regret a little having companion relationships be mostly not too conflicty. 1) not entirely true, as ive had more banter (emmrich with taash, a little bit davrin; davrin and lucanis), but also 2) i think that the multi companion scenes i mentioned above help with selling me the notion that this is a team thats close knit. and i appreciate that. like, that closeness is being backed up by dialogue and scenes and not just told. ill admit im very basic in my approach to rpgs so i dont mind that much the lack of diversity in mmmmm amiability? like the way characters will find understanding with rach other, be polite, be nice, rather than more antagonistic or abrasive. but i understand why it would disappoint others.

can't sleep so gonna jot down some thoughts abt davg under a readmore. itll have spoilers!

#dragon age #davg #davg spoilers

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emerald-amidst-gold · 3 years ago

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18 19 20 27 28 from the protag questions <3

Ooooo! Lots of goodies! o3o You all spoil me~! X3

Thank you so much! Let's get into it! >:D

18. What is the biggest similarity between your protagonists?

Grey morality. PFFFFT!

I'm serious. I have a habit of creating characters that have questionable methods to situations, but yet can be empathized with or even sympathized with. Fane, Rylen, and Elise all do what they have to do, and it's up to the audience to formulate whether or not they agree or disagree with their personalities and actions.

I'll say this once because I've had people in the past kind of...bash me for it, but just because your character has a specific view does not necessarily mean you as the creator share that same view. That isn't me throwing swings out at self-inserts or characters that are reflections of their creators, this is just how I feel in response to my own characters. I try to disconnect from my characters because I want them to be their own. I build the foundation, give them a name, a history, or a family to influence them, but I don't steer their minds, their decisions. They flow the way they want to flow. Simple as that. Fane is the OC that is most reflective of me, but not with everything. He has his own methods, own reasons for thinking the way that he does and so do I.

I think it has a lot of my fixation on making characters teeter has to do with how I interact with the world in real life. I just...don't see black and white. I give everything the benefit of the doubt and I hold my ground concerning my views even if others might see them as 'wrong' or 'controversial'. I'm horribly analytical and I'm always like, 'But what if...'. That's just...me. XD

But yeah! Grey characters are my vice and I'm not sure if I'm doing it right most of the time, but I try! :3

19. What is the biggest difference between your protagonists?

Mainly how they approach situations and their feelings surrounding leadership.

Fane is rash, doesn't plan, doesn't think everything through before acting or he just outright chooses not to. He tends to make decisions on his own, but mainly only in battle. In more diplomatic settings, Fane is the master of deferral. XD He divvies out tasks that he feels aren't his area from either a lack of interest, a lack of confidence in himself, or just feeling that someone else would be the better option.

Rylen has his moments of brashness, but he's pretty subdued, go with the flow type of deal, but most who know him intimately know he's pretty high strung when it comes to matters where his voice has power. Man's a ball of stress and anxiety. PFFT!

Elise is the calmest out of the three. It was practically trained into her in the Circle. She's also just inherently docile, but after the Blight she does have moments of being feral and unhinged. That mostly happens if one of her companions are in danger or if her own life is threatened. She's not afraid to make her voice heard, either. Generally, Elise is soft spoken, but she will stand up for herself and other people, despite the grief it could cause her.

20. Who handles responsibility the best? And who handles it the worst?

If Fane puts his mind to it, he can handle responsibility pretty well. His want to involve himself deeply in matters doesn't happen until after Adamant and only gets stronger and stronger after Trespasser. Fane is a force when he wants to be and Solas tries to draw that out, to make him realize he can do whatever he puts his mind to. However, Elise would be the best in terms of responsibility. She had a lot in the Circle, even more during the Blight, and a substantial amount as Warden-Commander. Does she wish she could rest? Of course! But she doesn't complain because she knows she can make change. Rylen's okay with responsibility; he becomes Viscount after all. But, he is prone to slacking off at times, but really only after the Chantry explosion. The guy is TIRED. What can I say? XD

All in all, none of them bad at handling responsibility. They just have different ways that they go about it! :D

27. What would their fears on the graves in the fade during Here Lies The Abyss be?

Yes, yes, yes, YES! The question! The big question! The question that leads to Fane and Solas' first kiss! AHAHAHAH! >:D

Elise - Betrayal. This is more in terms of Elise towards herself and her own actions. She's afraid that everything she's ever done has been one great betrayal to everyone and everything she has ever cared about. She had no choice but to witness Jowan become Tranquil, Alistair, so hurt and angered by her decision at the Landsmeet, abandoned her to face the possibility of the death alone, her faith was sundered after the Broken Circle, making her fear her magic for the first time in her life and making her wonder when she would become the very monsters she had just finished killing. The list goes on. Elise made so many decisions in service to the world, but she silently wonders when it'll all come crashing down around her, when everyone will leave her because they'd been betrayed.

Rylen - Wasn't enough. Rylen wrestles constantly with the fact that he's never been strong enough. He wasn't strong enough for Carver; the ogre ripping him from their family and pounding into pulp. He wasn't strong enough for Bethany; unable to protect her from the templars, so he opted to take her to the Deep Roads, thinking it would be safer, but it wasn't. He wasn't strong enough for his mother; his eyes focused on the horizon rather than the ground that began it all.

And he hadn't been strong enough to end Corypheus for good. We all know what happened wasn't Hawke's fault, but Rylen the master of blaming himself for everything, so that's one event he dwells about every. day. every. night.

Last, but not least, FANE. *sounds the horns* You ready? You ready?! >:D

Fane - To be forgotten. That's right.

That's Fane's biggest, deepest fear; to be forgotten. I know there's only been a few chapters of my main fic that kind of reference this, but you know how Fane constantly says to himself, 'I wish I could be forgotten. It would be better if I would just disappear and be forgotten.'? Yeah, it's a front. He's trying to convince himself that that's what he wants, but in actuality, it's reversed. He's terrified, terrified of being forgotten by the world, by his sister, by the Inquisition...

...by Solas. That's the worst person who could forget Fane. And around the time of Adamant, Solas and Fane being the stubborn fools that they are, act as if they haven't known each other for fucking centuries even though the truth literally screamed at them after Haven. They were lost together in the mountains with that truth hanging between them, and still they ignored it because it hurt and they both felt they didn't deserve the hope that they could be together. Fane attempts to unearth some lost memories, some lingering feelings, but Solas wasn't ready and guided them away from that unopened bag, refusing to let Fane in on his agenda or allowing him to help in any way. It gets to a point where Fane starts to believe Solas doesn't actually recall their relationship, who he is and he spirals pretty bad in the Raw Fade when that tombstone is glaring at him.

When Solas sees it...he cracks. Quietly, in his mind, but he realizes how stupid he'd been, how stupid they had been. The truth was looking at him in two tones and he ignored it out of fear. It's what spurs Solas to take Fane into the Fade and show his dragon the place where he had endeavored to make sure the other would never be forgotten. Solas also makes it clear that he had never forgot Fane, ever.

"I could never forget you, my dragon. Your memory lingered within the halls of my mind even as I slumbered. I am but a fool, a fearful fool. I thought it kinder to let you live a new life, unburdened by my burdens. I do not wish for the past to repeat itself, to see two tones ebb away and breath leave your lungs once more.", Solas said, eyes downcast, pained grimace housing sorrow, grief, and despair in its curves. "...But, it is not kinder. It is more agonizing to try and forget than it is to remember. Though, I have never tried to erase you from my memory nor have I tried to abandon what I felt for you--what I feel for you.'

Fane frowned, tugging on the mage's forearms to bring him closer, urgently, but timidly; Solas didn't even protest, but his eyes remained downcast. "What do you feel, Solas?", he asked and received no answer. "What do you feel, Solas?! What can't you forget?!", he repeated, voice echoing off the halls of death and remembrance. He needed these words, he needed to know!

What did the sky feel?! What did it remember?! He just wanted one damned answer in this upside down world!

Solas' eyes shut slowly, chest rising with a deep inhale. "I..", he started, but paused again, face twitching with hesitance and reservation. "No, it's not--!"

Fane growled low. "Enough! If you won't tell me,", he barked, yanking Solas forward by his arms, barely registering the grunt of surprise that left his lips, and shot his hands up to hold a bewildered face. "...then show me!"

I tease~ >:3

-----

28. What is their favourite location within their own game and what would be their favourite in each others?

I answered this ooooonnnneee HERE! >:D (I would just copy and paste, but it LONG. ADHDKS)

And there we have it! Beautiful! Perfect! And FUN! X3

#asks #ask #dragon age #oc: fane lavellan #oc: elise amell #oc: rylen hawke #woo! all asks answered! :3 #these were a lot of fun! the questions were different and interesting too! X3 #thank you so much again! <3 #guys i drabbled again #this is how i get my inspiration surprisingly enough #i just have a lot of solavellan feels and it's only doubly with fane and solas ;3;#solavellan

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the-lightning-mage · 3 years ago

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Inquisition OC as a Companion

I’ve already made a post about some stuff about Holly, but I love the format @little-lightning-lavellan made, and it really made me think. The picture is my best attempt at making her on artbreeder.

You have selected Holly Trevelyan to join your party!

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Class: Mage

Specialization: Rift mage

Background:

Holly Trevelyan is the second youngest of seven children born to Bann and Lady Trevelyan. Born in 9:12 Dragon, she is also the only mage of the family. She came into her magic when she was 12, and thus spent most of her life in the Circle. Due to the more lax nature of the Ostwick Circle, and her being from a noble family, she was able to regularly send and receive letters. The only person she ever really got letters from is her younger sibling. This caused them to be incredibly close despite the distance.

In her early years she spent most of her time studying healing magic in hopes it would help let her get out of the circle. After lots of discouragement, she ended up giving up on that dream. Instead she focused her studies on storm based magic, as she had always found rain and thunder comforting.

After reading several books, and hearing several accounts as to how much more advanced Tevinter magic could be in certain areas, she had a new goal. She decided to try to harness electrical based magic so that it could be used as an energy source. This path has led to her becoming one of the most powerful storm based mages in Thedas.

When the talks of rebellion began, she was a part of them. She hated being cooped up all the time, and she had heard horror stories of how other mages were treated. When the rebellion began, she was not so involved. She was horrified by the levels of wrathful violence some of her peers employed. She spent a lot of time helping people escape. When she herself did, she knew that the entirety of the rebellion could not be like that, and she seriously considered joining them. Instead she decided to go find her younger sibling. That choice only solidified when she heard of what happened to the Conclave.

She becomes a rift mage because that is what either a. Killed her sibling or b. Almost killed them.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

She arrives in Haven shortly before the party leaves to address the Chantry in Val Royeaux. She shows up not to necessarily join the Inquisition, but in an attempt to find out what happened to her sibling. She can be found just outside the gates near the stables arguing with Cullen, demanding information.

If the Inquisitor is human, and thus her sibling, the conversation to recruit her flows a lot more smoothly. She will then ask to be part of the Inquisition, saying she damn near had a heart attack when she thought they had died, and that they had been apart for far, far too long. If she is refused, the Inquisitor will tell her to go home. There will be a war table mission to ensure she gets there safely. If she is accepted, she rises through the ranks rather quickly due to her skill. Solas will accuse the Inquisitor of nepotism.

If the inquisitor is not human, she will get emtional, wanting to know where her sibling is. She will demand to join the Inquisition to get justice for her fallen sibling. If denied, she will join the rebel mages instead. If they are sided with, she will technically be part of the Inquisition, but not as a companion. If not, she discovers Dorian, gives him what info she has, and flees. If she is accepted, there will be a war table mission to find her sibling’s remains or something they had on them.

In Haven, she can be found near the Inquisitor’s cabin. In Skyhold she can be found in one of the unused towers near Cullen’s office. It will have fancy looking equipment for her experiments.

She can be used to gather rebel mage support.

Approval and Romance

As they are siblings, human Inquisitors will have an easier time gaining approval, but for certain situations, they will face greater disapproval than non-humans. For example, non-humans will get “Holly disapproves” if they conscript the mages instead of treating them as allies, but humans will get “Holly greatly disapproves.”

When it comes to the big decisions, like what to do with the Wardens, who goes into the Well of Sorrows, etc. She tends to take in all of the “what ifs?” and bases her own opinions on that rather than her own morals. She may not like a decision, but if she thinks it will ultimately have the best out come, that is the one she goes with.

She likes to view most things from every angle she can. She prefers more merciful forms of justice, and can tend to be very forgiving. She likes it when the Inquisitor tries their best to understand others, while not necessarily condoning their actions. She likes it when they help those in need, though not as much as Cole does.

She can only be romanced by non human Inquisitors for obvious reasons, and she can be romanced by both men and women. If neither she or Cullen are romanced, they will end up in a relationship together. Instead of having a big romance scene, at high levels of approval, human Inquisitors will get an emotional scene where she tells them just how much she was worried about them.

Her personal quest involves her closest friend from the Circle. He sends her a letter telling her that he alive, and would love to catch up. It turns out to be a ploy, as he betrays her. He can be killed or talked down and shown mercy.

Her romance quest involves taking her to a few different locations throughout Orlais and Ferelden.

Trespasser

High Approval: She stayed with the Inquisition over the last to years as their advisor on matters of the Arcane. She presents them a unique weapon she had been working on in free time. Romance does not change this.

Low Approval if Cullen was romanced: She spent the last two years traveling. Seeing the world she never could see before. She helps and sends word back to the Inquisition when need be.

Low Approval if Cullen was not romanced: She remains with the Inquisition, helping where she can. She spends a lot of time helping Cullen figure out how to best utilize the mages.

Post trespasser: She spends much of her time working, and when she is able to get a working prototype she presents it to whatever Mage authority there is, and gets funding. It helps propel mages into good opinion. Details about her relationship are shared.

Combat Comments

Killing an enemy:

“Block this!”

“Eat ash!”

“You shouldn’t have underestimated me!”

Low health:

“Do we have another healer?”

“Armor failed me.”

“Help!”

Low health Inquisitor and Companions:

“Inquisitor!”

“Brother/Sister!”

“I’m on my way Dorian.”

“Maker, someone help the Seeker.”

“I’ve got you, Varric.”

“Shit... Bull!”

“Cole’s down!”

Other

Approaching camp: “I’ve always want to go camping.” “I’m not expert, but this seems like a lovely place to stop?”

Approaching a High Dragon: “Are they really that big?”

Using an ocularum for the first time: “Are you sure you don’t want me to examine it first?”

Picking up shards after finding the temple: “What are these doing all the way out here?”

Location Comments

Arbor Wilds: “It’s a shame we have to fight here.”

Old Crestwood: “No wonder they’re having problems with undead. Look at all the spirits.” “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Emerald Graves: “Am I the only one who thinks this place is beautiful?” “Wow....”

Emprise du Lion: “This... this is why I wear a cloak.” “I should summon some lightning. Start a fire and destroy the red lyrium. Two birds with one stone.”

Exalted Plains: “They really could not think of a worse name.” “A place that is a monument to humanity’s evil taken over by demons. Ironic.”

The Fallow Mire: “Ugh.” “I think I saw a bug the size of my hand.” “I love nature, but I hate this place.”

Forbidden Oasis: “This place would be nice if it weren’t for the Venatori... and the giant.” “I’m confused. Why is they’re a temple here? Who built it?”

Hinterlands: “Can we visit Redcliffe?” “So much chaos....” “We can help the people here, right?”

Hissing Wastes: “How do I have sand in my armor?” “Dwarven ruins on the surface? This is a dream come true.” “Great. Venatori.”

Storm Coast: “Crossing the Waking Sea was my favorite part of getting here.” “I actually quite like the weather.” “I wonder... is this place more prone to lightning storms?”

Western Approach: “Talk about a wasteland.” “Poison hot springs and chasms into the Deep Roads? At least there are ruins.” “I suppose this is a good place for nefarious deeds.”

Advisor and Companion comments

Blackwall: “She’s very dedicated and has a good heart. She’s what people should think of when they hear “mage.””

Cassandra: “She is very dedicated to the cause, though I worry she might set fire to Skyhold with one of her... experiments.”

Cole: “Trapped. Walled in. Caged like a fancy bird. Not anymore, but she stays because she wants to help. Is helping. She’s good, like her healing spells.”

Cullen: “She’s dedicated, clever, and very, very persistent. She’s been a great help with the mages.”

If in a relationship with her: “She’s... amazing, isn’t she? I’m not sure what she sees in me.”

Dorian: “You don’t find many people so open to new ideas, or people that are that accepting. She is excellent company.”

Iron Bull: “She’s different from the other mages. Too entrenched in her work to boast about it. Way more practical. I have a lot of respect for what she’s trying to do.”

Josephine: “Though I wish we could make better use of her noble ties. She is invaluable, and holds great conversations.”

Leliana: “It’s not often you meet someone who has truly nothing to hide.”

Sera: “I dunno. She makes too much sense for a mage, ya know? At least she’s pretty.”

Solas: “Holly? Ah. We don’t particularly get along, but I approve of what she is trying to do, and has accomplished.”

Varric: “You wouldn’t guess it, but Bookworm is just as good in battle as she is in that tower of hers. Thank the maker it takes a lot to piss her off. I don’t want to be on the receiving end of one of her lightning bolts.”

Vivienne: “I’ll be honest, I do not agree with her on everything, but at least she is loyal. Her work ethic is to be admired as well. She dresses rather simply though.”

Trivia

At first, everyone thinks Holly is the nickname Varric gave her. It doesn’t match her personality.

While she may not believe Dorian about the time magic, she immediately believes him and Felix about the Venatori. She had heard rumors about them before the events of Hushed Whispers, but nothing concrete enough to tell anyone.

Her relationship with Cullen starts with him asking her if she can soothe headaches. She has somewhat of a reputation for her healing magic, even if she doesn’t use it much.

She is an excellent singer.

Like Solas and Varric, she acts like a parent towards Cole.

If the Inquisitor is a human man who romances Dorian, she’ll tease him for having a type.

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dai #trevelyan

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gemstoneslesbian · 4 years ago

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I love you Matt hcs so much! So much inspiration for mine too!

Have you got any post-cannon hcs? (Maybe angst/Whump one? But that’s not so important I would love to hear any ^^)

Thank you sm!! :D

All right SO, my main niche in the fandom is fleshing out the Ace Attorney prison, examining the relationships between all the characters there, fleshing everyone out, considering their character arcs, etc. It’s definitely something I put a lot of thought into and get excited about ^^

I imagine there being three main prisons:

Prison A

The canon prison shown in Ace Attorney Investigations: 2. Prisoners are allowed one animal companion, there’s a supplier with influence over the warden (and, imo, the guards as well), it’s overall a prison that can be interpreted as more relaxed--with limited corruption, due to the fact that, in my opinion at least, Sirhan Dogen wouldn’t put up with much BS. Although he can’t control everything, Dogen has a decent amount of power that he uses to make his prison livable.

Prison B

This is the opposite of Prison A. Damon Gant is in charge, but in a different kind of way; after being Chief of Police for so long, he still has a lot of power and connections, and many officers hold respect and / or fear towards him. The prison is a hierarchy of power and control with a lot of corruption, and anyone who doesn’t work for Gant is in danger.

Prison C

The women’s prison. Dee Vasquez has the upper hand here, due to her outside connections with the mafia. She handles things in a more manipulative, underhanded kind of way--isn’t so much focused on the prison at large, but moreso on securing her own matters. She uses protection or exploitation sparingly, and when she does, she deflects attention off of it as much as possible. While the prison isn’t as horrible as Prison B, it’s not as safe as Prison A.

Now that the environment has been established, time to get into the details about Matt:

‎

Matt Engarde went to Prison A.

In Ace Attorney, fame and riches seem to make little difference when it comes to putting someone behind bars. However, the game does show that it can add complications, and affect things to a certain level. With that said, here’s how I imagine things went over with the arrest:

Things are a whirlwind of chaos and fear and pain at first, but it doesn’t take him long to get a deal set up with the prison. Sometime within the first week of his imprisonment. Thankfully, this is done quickly enough that his assets haven’t been transferred to his parents, yet.

His sentence is 10 years. No death penalty or life sentence, because the deal is that, for each year that Matt Engarde is alive and healthy, the prison receives $500,000. This would give them ample reason to take measures to protect him from De Killer.

Matt doesn’t have an endless amount of money, and he also doesn’t want to be stuck there forever. In his mind, hopefully De Killer would be behind bars or dead by the end of those 10 years, and if not... well, he’ll figure it out when he gets there.

He’s given the cell down the hall from Sirhan Dogen, the infamous assassin. This scares the HELL out of Matt at first, but the guards assure him that it’s for his own safety:

However, since he’s placed in this cell before the deal is made, there was an ulterior motive as well. Due to the fact that Shelly De Killer is another infamous assassin, Warden Roland considered it a possibility that he’s one of Dogen’s outside contacts. If Dogen were to rat out Matt’s location to him, the prison would be prepared to capture and arrest De Killer, and it would be confirmed that they had been contacts.

Obviously, Dogen could rat him out no matter which cell he’s in, but it’s more convenient to place Matt there as bait since the hallway is monitored so heavily--they’ll be prepared to restrain both De Killer and Dogen if/when that time comes.

If the deal were made beforehand, he likely would have been sent to Prison B; even though it’s a harsher atmosphere, no one in there is presumed to be a contact of De Killer’s. While he could have been transferred at this point, it’s decided that they’ll stick to their regular plan, just with added precautions and safety measures.

Matt, although suspicious, never has any sort of confirmation that he’s being used as bait--at least, not until years later.

BUT ANYHOW.

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Interactions and Reputation

I get into it a bit in this fic*, but the gist is this:

There’s no point in continuing to act charming when everyone knows it’s BS, and any chance of Toughness or Good Standing he could have had are kinda... shattered by his frequent (very loud) panic attacks late at night.

For the first year, he doesn’t bother trying to make friends. He doesn’t care about them, they won’t care about him, and he’s not interested in playing a tug-of-war with power dynamics when he knows he won’t always necessarily come out on top. So he’s kind of a loner here. Occasionally entertains himself by picking fights.

*(Spoiler warning for AAI2 in the fic I linked!!)

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Character Arc

From this point, I can see it going in several different directions. I have two different fic AUs where things turn out differently in each one, and I also have an extensive role-play I did with a friend of mine. In terms of imagining his “canon” life and his future, I definitely learn towards the events that transpired in the role-play, so I’ll focus on those.

(My friend and I made a post analyzing his personality and character arc, so most of the things I’ll mention here have been mentioned in this post in greater detail. HOWEVER the post is EXTREMELY long and also contains major spoilers for AAI2. So if you want to avoid spoilers and also want a summed up version, feel completely free to just read the summary below!) (oh also, with relation to the post I just linked, tw for?? a variety of common triggers)

I should mention that this might not be COMPLETELY spoiler-free, but I do avoid saying the spoilery name. It’s hard for me to accurately gauge what is and isn’t revealing, since I already know all the spoilers haha.

And, without further ado:

-Everything about his world has been turned upside-down. Instead of being adored, he’s despised. Instead of being the one with power, he’s the one under the thumb of others. Instead of a life of comfort and privilege, he’s confined to small, uncomfortable areas, and is barely paid anything for his labor. Additionally, he could be killed at any moment at any hour at any location--and this is something he’s forced to endure for years on end. The entire situation is incredibly stressful and traumatic for him.

-About a year after his arrest, a guy moves into his cell with him. Things align in just the right way that a friendship of some sort is formed between them: the guy is friendly, pretty, relatable, into some of the same hobbies he’s into, and he has power within the prison walls. It’s beneficial to form a friendship with him... and the guy isn’t annoyed with him for his (now much less-frequent) panic attacks, but rather, shows sympathy.

-Neither of them particularly trust one another, but they enjoy each other’s company.

-Humans need comfort, and Matt is no exception. Under the intense trauma and stress he’s enduring, it’s all too easy to form some sort of bond with the nice guy who dances with him and pets his hair and holds him.

-It’s important to mention that Matt is rendered unable to do his usual power & control shit. And he especially can’t get away with that kind of stuff when his new cellmate shows up. The guy is Very Alert to underhanded behavior (due to his own underhandedness + the fact that he’s dealt with one too many bastards), and is quick to call Matt out on even minor things. So Matt’s options at this point are either:

a.) try his manipulative shit and lose any small amount of power or comfort he may have had, with an added risk of retribution

b.) resist all forms of connection / interaction with other people, and just be miserable and alone and scared all by himself

c.) be friends with the guy WITHOUT being a shady douche, and getting to enjoy the comfort and benefits that provides

-So... YEAH. Long story short, he makes friends with the guy. And, also, lowkey catches feelings for him.

-Matt also makes friends with Simon Blackquill a couple years later (and that has its own backstory)

-His previous ways of moving through the world do not work at all here. In the end, Matt’s main goal is to get what he wants, and to feel good. With the circumstances, he has to completely change his approaches in order to meet that goal.

-Matt may be cold and uncaring towards other people’s emotions, but it’s clear that he does have very intense emotions. He shows much more vulnerability and pain now than he used to, because doing so makes him more sympathetic to his friends--but he also needs to learn to not be as manipulative about it, and to actually consider the other person’s emotions instead of making it all about himself.

-He does ultimately decide to make the overall changes necessary for healthy interpersonal connections, since it’s in his best interest to do so. It’s not easy, and he hits plenty of road bumps along the way. It definitely dredges up a lot of shit, a lot of painful emotions; he’s extremely self-protective, and genuine vulnerability is hard and frightening.

-The tl;dr is that he’s dragged through a healing arc, kicking and screaming the entire way.

‎

That’s what his life in like in prison, overall! There’s a ton of aspects and details, but I figured it’d be best to cover the basic storyline ^^

I also have thoughts on how things would go after he’s released from prison.

‎

...OH SHIT I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO MENTION THE SHELLY THING LMAO

I’m gonna make a post where I detail out what happens, and then link it here when I finish.

Edit: Here it is!

#Matt Engarde #aa post #Matt #thank you for the ask!! and thank you to everyone else who's been asking too aaa #I'm so happy people are interested in my headcanons #aaprison

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jewish-gay-elves · 4 years ago

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You Give Me Too Much Credit 2/2

AO3 Link

Leli thinks this shouldn't be too hard to understand. Alistair thinks that it is that hard to understand. Zevran thinks that it went about exactly as he expected. The Warden thinks his friends are hiding something from him.

Words: 3028, Chapters: 2/2, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of the Stephan Cousland: There's Never Much of a Choice for You

Fandoms: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age (Video Games) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Alistair (Dragon Age), Male Cousland, Zevran Arainai, Leliana (Dragon Age), Morrigan (Dragon Age), Dog (Dragon Age), Sten (Dragon Age) Relationships: Alistair/Male Cousland, Alistair/Male Warden (Dragon Age), Alistair/Warden (Dragon Age), Alistair/Cousland Additional Tags: Drabble, Warden has shitty friends tbh, dog is actually called calenhad, and warden is stephan, and now Warden has less shitty friends, i did not know i could write more for this

“So theoretically, how long could a Fereldan spend talking to a dog?” Zevran asked as he and the Warden’s other companions sat eating their dinner.

“Considering what we told him earlier? Indefinitely.” Leliana replied nonchalantly.

“I believe that begs the question, what exactly did you tell him then?” Warden Cousland asked, standing with his food in hand behind the two rogues. During their silence he sat in the almost too small space between them, forcing them to shift apart in order for him to join them. After another tense moment, Zevran spoke.

“To be fair, Warden, it is more along the lines of what we did not tell him,” he said with a grin. Cousland just stared at him, waiting patiently for either of them to fill in their intentional blanks.

“Though you should know Warden, that he brought up the subject first, asking for my intentions towards you. He believed that we were sweet on each other.” Leliana explained hesitantly. At the Warden’s shocked face she nodded sympathetically. However since Cousland’s expression of shock could easily have been mistaken for his expression of confusion, they were very similar, Leliana hoped he knew that her intentions were good.

“Then he assumed I knew the source of your good favour and believed you and I to be amors, when in reality, I have eyes.” Zevran added with a wink. Cousland’s cheeks, dark as they were, began to redden under Zevran’s knowing smirk. Zevran tried not to laugh, he really did, but could not help the few chuckles at Cousland’s face.

“Then, once we corrected him in that you have no particularly special feelings towards Zevran, Morrigan, or I. Then, we simply just, suggested what type of person you might be inclined to have feelings toward.” Leliana added, trying to soften the blow. Cousland’s cheeks, if anything, got darker at her admission and his normally stoic expression began to pull downward into what would have been a fierce frown on anyone else. However on his face was just a slight tug down on the edges of his lips.

“Then there was a very amusing bit where he was confused on why I had not made you my own dear Warden, but we rectified his mistake quickly do not fear. Our kingly friend is not the sharpest sword on the stand it seems,” Zevran added quickly, interrupting whatever thought Cousland might have had.

“Oh good, that’s just what I was worried about thank you Zevran. Alistair is perfectly intelligent, just because he was mostly raised in a chantry does not mean his education was lacking. I just, I can’t believe that you two-” Cousland began.

“He started the conversation!” Both Leliana and Zevran claimed in their defense.

“Regardless, my feelings were my own! Don’t you two think I should have had the chance to tell him on my own? When I was ready to face the repercussions?” He said plainly, looking at them with disappointment.

“We did not say exactly-”

“Alluding to it is close enough Zevran!” Cousland interrupted as he stood, his food forgotten. “I need to speak with him, maybe I can fix this somehow.” He began to pace in front of the two rogues, both of whom shot nervous glances at each other. Normally it was as hard to get Cousland to open up as it was to get Sten to speak about anything. Seeing him this concerned and ruffled made them start to think twice about their actions.

“Perhaps Warden, you should let him continue talking to the dog.” Zevran quietly interjected as Cousland began rubbing at his chin as he stalked back and forth.

“I can’t let this go on too long, what if he thinks I’ve been entirely lecherous to him? What if he hates me for it? It’s entirely inappropriate, we’re brothers in arms I shouldn’t have even been so obvious for you two to figure it out.” The Warden said, mostly speaking to himself at that point.

“He never said he was opposed to the thought of two men together, I think Zevran is right and you should let him work through this on his own. Alistair will come talk to you when he is ready,” Leliana added, supporting her fellow rogue.

“What if he’s never ready? What if he-”

“Kadan,” Sten interrupted loudly from the open space next to camp, both away from the main fire and where Alistair and Calenhad were on watch. Cousland stopped immediately, his head popping up to stare at the Qunari. In response, Sten hefted his recently reclaimed sword on his shoulder and beckoned Cousland over. The human in question just nodded and abruptly headed toward his own tent to grab his own sword and practice leathers.

Leliana and Zevran were both adequately stunned by the new development and watched wordlessly as the two warriors then begin to spar. It wasn’t strange for the two of them to spar, but dropping everything he was doing to spar was newer. Though they both used large two handed swords, their fighting styles were so vastly different that it made every spar a battle of strategy rather than might. Cousland had flexibility and reach, while Sten had brute strength and steadfast swings.

The two didn’t need words but as they practiced, the rogues could see the conversation between their blades. Nervous, unbridled energy from Cousland, then steady relentlessness from Sten. Slowly Cousland fell into his more focused fighting, taking calculated risks, getting up close to the qunari to land better hits as he normally did in battle. Without pause, Sten rebuffed his advance and forced him back with sheer weight alone.

During any other spar, Cousland would have taken that as an opportunity to dive down and under Sten’s wide shoves to overwhelm him. Instead, he took the full force of the qunari’s might and buckled under the pressure. For a moment, Leliana and Zevran were worried that Sten wouldn’t know to stop, or couldn’t see the distracted state their leader was in, but Sten’s blade stopped next to Cousland’s throat, ending the spar. After a moment, he withdrew his sword and reached out his large hand to help him back to his feet.

On most nights, you couldn’t stop hearing the clash of metal until well into the night, for Sten to win so quickly proved how unsettled Cousland was about being found out. Instead of berating him for his absent mindedness, Sten instead simply told him to prepare himself and they went at it again.

Cousland went down four more times before he finally found his footing and let his frustration take over, getting all of his nervous energy out. He had never let his emotions rule him, but Cousland’s nerves could give him a hard time. It was good that Sten had told him to spar, and Cousland was grateful for the outlet it provided.

While the two rogue’s attention had shifted some during this, they both drifted back when they realized how intently Alistair had began watching the spar. Leliana and Zevran knew what that look meant. Whether Cousland or Sten had noticed was anyone’s guess. Or even if Alistair knew how he had been looking at his fellow Warden.

As they observed quietly, they saw both Wardens eyes begin to get hooded with weariness. The rogues finally agreed that it was late, and they were travelling to the Brecilian Forest come morning for seemingly no reason since they had already gained the trust of both elves and weres. Either way, it was a long walk, one best not unprepared for. However, if they both decided to keep an ear open towards the Warden’s tent, well that was their little secret.

And if neither Warden slept in a tent that night, that was their little secret as well.

The loud and raucous laughter that rang through camp come morning once the two Wardens found a quiet moment to talk wasn’t necessarily a secret, and later, neither was the fact that poor Alistair had thought that the two rogues had meant that Cousland had feelings towards their, albeit two-handed warrior, resident qunari.

If Sten found it amusing, he never revealed it, and instead gave them both a withering look for their lingering chuckles throughout the day.

#writing #dragon age #dragon age origins #stephan #stephan cousland #alistair theirin #zevran arainai #leliana #sten #m!cousland #alistair x cousland

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bread-elf · 4 years ago

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DWC 2020 - Day 23

Friendship

The Long Vigil - Post Battle for Hyjal “Hello!” The energetic greeting from the pink haired elf catches Jiroki off guard. “Uh- hi…” She had seen this woman a few times during their training but never had the chance to speak with her, nor had much of an interest. “Jiroki, I’m sure you know Thy’lena Oceanmoon.” Yeeasea Bladefist is in charge of overseeing them, bringing the two new fleshing Watchers to their new beds, where they would be sharing an alcove in the Hyjal Barrow Dens. “You two will be staying here.” “Yes Ma’am.” The both say in synch, and the Warden walks away. The two regard one another, Thy’lena giving a sort of mischievous but friendly grin while Jiroki remains partially guarded. “We never had the chance to talk much, it’s nice to finally meet you.” “Likewise.” Is all Jiroki says before stepping in, heading to one of the beds. Like the usual Night Elven buildings across the land, the alcove is open with little privacy, although amongst women in these dens Jiroki had no issue. “Ooh, I figured you a cold shoulder type of gal.” Thy’lena goes to the other bed across, sitting down at the edge and watching her roommate. Jiroki turns and raises a brow at her, making a face. “Er- not intentionally.” There was little Jiroki could rebuke. “Heh, don’t worry, I’m just teasing.” Thy’lena grins, her natural fangs showing. “We have plenty of time to get to know each other!” “Uh huh…” Jiroki keeps the little sigh to herself that she nearly gave out. This should be an interesting time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The pair shared their watches together on occasion. Sometimes they would be set to Watch over the druids in a slumber at the Stormrage Barrow Dens, sometimes they would watch fiendish captures in their very own Hyjal Barrow Dens. They often spare in their free time with one another, improving their skill sets and giving each other feedback. Somehow things felt natural around Thy’lena, the carefree spirit making near any scenario endurable. Before she knew it, Jiroki was smiling and laughing happily around Thy’lena in their free time, and they spent everyday together. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Tch, is that him?” Thy’lena came along with Jiroki to Wintersprings, invited over to her family’s yearly excursion to the snow covered land when fall comes. “Shh, don’t stare…” Jiroki had told Thy’lena, who had become a dear friend of hers, about her complicated relationship with the man Rydras. A childhood friend, close to their family since their birth, and the one Jiroki had given herself to. But after he betrayed her heart she had distanced herself from him and had done so for thousands of years. But an awkward chemistry lingered between the two, and she couldn’t deny that she felt something for him after all these years. “Hmph.” Thy’lena had expressed her distaste for him hurting Jiroki, though still Jiroki wanted to bring her along. “He’s family, just play nice.” The pair walked over to where Jiroki’s family waited, who embraced Jiroki happily and welcomed Thy’lena as one of their own. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Come on Jiroki, don’t be a scaredy-cat!” Thy’lena teases from atop of the hippogryph she sat upon, the two going to go for their first flying session. “Sh-Shut up…” Jiroki could climb trees very well, but she found she hated the view from atop of Mount Hyjal to down below, how steep the fall is freezing her to the ground every time she sees a glimpse of it. But the hippogryph she gets paired with for this eve is ancient and gentle, waiting patiently for the anxious Kaldorei to hop on. Sloooowly Jiroki does so, the seconds ticking by and making the impatient Thy’lena throw her head back. “Uuugh, come on! You seriously never have ridden a hippogryph before?” “No, I have not!” Jiroki exclaims defensively, finally getting atop the noble creature and being strapped in. “May I remind you that just a few months ago you didn’t know the difference between an Owlkin and a Balance druid?!” “H-Hey, don’t say that out loud!” Thy’lena flushes in embarrassment, a few snickering heard nearby of other Watchers and hippogryph handlers nearby. Then she pouts. “Fine, be that way!” Thy’lena, having more experience than Jiroki, urges her hippogryph onward and they take flight. “You started it!!” Jiroki shouts upward, then just sighs. “Whatever, I can do this, how bad can it be?” Mostly muttering to herself, but after she’s fully strapped in she takes a few deep breaths. For a few moments she stalls, then clicks her tongue in a pattern, and the hippogryph gets the signal. Large wings spread and stretch, then with a running start it begins to take off. “WAIT I CHANGE MY MIND!” Jiroki squeals as she feels her stomach begin to sink, but it’s too late. Up and up the hippogryph goes, and Jiroki’s hanging on for dear life as she squeezes her eyes shut. “See? You’re doing fine!” The flapping of another pair of wings nearby, Thy’lena flies besides Jiroki. “This isn’t so bad!” “I don’t feel fine!” Jiroki complains, still keeping her eyes closed. But she starts to open them, and she sees a whole different world as she flies amongst the treetops of the forests. That crippling fear still gripped her heart, but as the hippogryph safely takes her around it slowly starts to fade, the elf getting used to the motions of the great beast and the way the wind playfully tussles through her hair. Thy’lena continued to fly nearby, smiling brightly as she watches Jiroki getting used to flight. It set a warm flame in her heart, watching the way Jiroki smiles. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Estal’anar Glaivefall, the youngest of the Glaivefall children, had gone missing. And later, it was determined that she was dead. Jiroki had searched tirelessly for her, even daring to tread to the accursed Highborne for aid, but nothing. Having lost heart and having no choice but to give up and accept things as they were, she laid curled up in her bed in her and Thy’lena’s alcove, huddling in a fetal position with her back towards everything. Thy’lena watches from her bed, sitting at the edge as she looks on with a sad expression. “Jiro…” Thy’lena gets up and walks closer, standing by Jiroki’s bed. “Scoot over, I’m joining.” For a moment Jiroki doesn’t move, but soon enough she starts to scoot forward, giving room for Thy’lena to climb on and lay behind her. An arm drapes over Jiroki’s side as Thy’lena holds her close, saying nothing and doting little kisses on her shoulder in comfort. She can feel Jiroki slightly trembling, trying to hold back her sobs as she silently grieves. Thy’lena reaches a hand up and brushes back some of the sea green hair clinging to Jiroki’s face, and she comes up and rests her head against her dear friend. They stay like that for the rest of the night, Thy’lena there for Jiroki however long she needs her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The pair survived the War of the Shifting Sands together, their first true battle against an overpowering menace that needed to be defeated, even if the solution was to hold them off at bay. After the barrier had been set up over Ahn’Qiraj the Kaldorei earned a much needed rest, and Jiroki and Thy’lena left for a brief time to join the Glaivefall family in their rest. Rydras, of course, is there, as he had been accepted as one of the family for such a long time. But tension between Thy’lena and Rydras only grew. “You’re so despicable!” Thy’lena leers at Rydras, the pair alone in the forests. Jiroki had thought it strange that her friend had suddenly left, going and searching for her, but once she discovered the pair she remained hidden and listened. “How long are you going to keep pussy footing around?!” “This is none of your business!” Rydras growls back at her. “You’re like a loyal mutt with how you follow around constantly! Maybe if you’d back off, I actually could!” “Oh don’t put the blame on me! How long have you known her now?!” There were few times Jiroki had seen Thy’lena fired up, and she could tell the woman certainly is fuming right now. “I’m tired of seeing her hung up over you! But I haven’t done anything because I want her happy, but you’re just making it worse! Do you even love her?!” “O-Of course I-” Rydras stalls, the words suddenly locking up in his throat. Jiroki feels her chest tighten while her heart slowly begins to crumple. “YOU CAN’T EVEN SAY IT!” Thy’lena shouts, and she shoves Rydras back hard in her fury. “WHO DO YOU EVEN THINK YOU ARE?!” Jiroki couldn’t listen anymore. She sneaks away, and then runs, needing private seclusion where no one could find her for a time. Hearing Rydras hesitating on his feelings for Jiroki… She couldn’t handle this a second time from him. Not after already losing someone else she had developed feelings for, who killed themselves in their grief because of losing someone else they loved. As she huddled against a tree to cry her pain away, it crossed her mind that perhaps it’s time to move on. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jiroki loved the feel of the wind in her hair, gripping tightly onto her hippogryph Takesh’s reigns as they flew down the mountainside of Hyjal, racing against Thy’lena and her companion, Sera. “Down to the creek! Meet you there!” Thy’lena shouts and then ushers Sera faster, the graceful creature spurring forward. “Oh no you don’t!” Jiroki urges Takesh faster, feeling the wind rush as Takesh catches up. The hippogryphs wings spread as they brace to shift the direction of their flight, getting closer to the base of the mountain. With their powerful wings and form they tilt and speed through the treeline, now focusing on speed rather than descent. Jiroki and Takesh weave through the trees easily, having flown together through these woods for many years now, Jiroki having long overcome her initial fears of flight. It’s a close match, but Thy’lena and Sera manage to reach the creek first by mere feet. “Ugh!” Jiroki complains, Takesh landing and expressing his own agitation, the pair similar to each other in their stubborn pride. “Heehee, told you!” Thy’lena gloats, Sera ever the graceful being as she starts to preen her own feathers, also subtly gloating. Thy’lena hops off, as does Jiroki, and they let the hippogryphs graze and enjoy a rest while the elves sit and relax by the creek. Jiroki lays back in the grass, arms tucked under her head, while Thy’lena lays beside her with hands resting over her stomach. The pair watch the clouds streak across the sky as dusk falls, waiting to see their Mother Moon begin to peek through the trees. As they rest in a comfortable silence, thoughts dance in Jiroki’s head. A familiar loneliness creeping in, but only amplified with the lingering presence of Thy’lena beside her. The argument she had eavesdropped on years ago persisted in her mind, only making her aware of subtle glances and actions done by Thy’lena towards her. And it became harder to ignore as time went on. “Hey Thy…” Jiroki begins to pry, feeling the anxiety start to creep into her heart. “Do you like anyone?” “Uh-” An immediate hesitation, Thy’lena getting tense as her eyes shift to her friend and then away. “Y-Yea. A little.” Trying to act nonchalant. “Why?” “I think I’m getting over Rydras.” Jiroki bluntly states, wanting to see what sort of reaction she gets. Thy’lena’s eyes widen and sits up, looking down at her. “Wait- Really?” With how wide her eyes are, Thy’lena almost looked hopeful. Though she catches herself, shaking her head in bewilderment. “Er- that’s, well you know how I feel, good riddance!” Getting back her usual energy. “What does that have to do with who I like?” “I need advice.” Jiroki says, pushing herself up to sit as well. “This is a person who I’ve known for quite some time now. They care about me a lot, and I for them, but I think for the longest time I never really knew just how much they cared…” Jiroki forces herself to look towards Thy’lena, feeling a flush of color come to her cheeks as she feels that fear of rejection grip her heart. “And I… Don’t know how I should express it to her.” Thy’lena stares at Jiroki with a shocked expression. Perhaps she could tell that Jiroki had meant it was her, at least she hoped so so that way she didn’t have to bluntly state it. And she doesn’t need to, for Thy’lena suddenly leans forward and steals a kiss from Jiroki. It takes Jiroki back, and Thy’lena catches herself and quickly withdraws. “Wait- ah- you didn’t even-” Thy’lena is completely flustered and embarrassed, having lost control for a moment. “I didn’t mean to- I just- um- c-couldn’t-” Jiroki is flabbergasted, blinking and unsure of what just happened. But she sputters and starts to laugh, feeling a warmth blossom in her chest. “Well, that makes it easy for me.” “Y-You mean-” Now it’s Thy’lena’s turn to be flabbergasted, mutual confessions coming out without outright saying it. Jiroki nods, getting embarrassed as she runs combs back some of her sea green hair with her fingers. “Yea, um…” Jiroki purses her lips together, having to look away from Thy’lena as her blush grows. “It’s you…” Thy’lena bounds over atop of Jiroki, claiming her lips in a fierce kiss. This takes Jiroki by surprise, falling onto her back while Thy’lena straddles overtop of her. Instinctively Jiroki’s hands grip hold of Thy’lena, but the kiss melds into a passionate one as she returns it, the pairs lips staying locked for a time. “You’re such a dummy…” Thy’lena says as she pulls back a bit, her eyes lightly wetting with tears. “Do you know how long I had to wait?!” “I’m sorry…” Jiroki reaches up to brush back some of Thy’lena’s pink hair. “You didn’t make it obvious enough.” Jiroki smirks at her tease, which causes Thy’lena to huff, but the two quickly kiss again. The thought of Rydras springs into Jiroki’s mind, and she dismisses the thought, remembering how he couldn’t even say those three little words of her. Eventually they tangle with one another as they learn better of each other like no other, as they would do for many nights to come. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jiroki had never known loss like she did from the Battle for Hyjal. The Legion had been pushed back, yes, but at a great cost of the Kaldorei’s immortality. Not only that, Jiroki’s parents had both perished from the valiant effort, in which Jiroki blamed herself daily for. Rydras had also perished, and it left Jiroki with regret for the thousands of years she had hesitated her feelings for him. Not even Thy’lena’s comfort could help ease her grief, but Thy’lena understood. The loss recently, morale low amongst the Wardens as is with the release of the Betrayer having gone wrong. Many had lost their lives trying to stop the High Priestess from freeing him, only for it to ultimately result in him fleeing and rejoining the Legion. Murmurs and chatter could be heard from further up the hall amongst the acloves the Watchers of Hyjal stayed in, and Thy’lena tries to stir Jiroki from her grief. “Bladeswift is coming!” Gently shaking the elf, knowing she was awake. “Come on, stand up, you need to stretch your legs anyway.” It took a moment but Jiroki slowly gets up, looking a mess as if the life had been drained from her, but just in time for the pair to be standing when Yeeasea Bladeswift comes to their alcove. The pair salute their overseer. “The Wardens are forming a hunt for the Betrayer.” She says, a grim expression on her face. The pair stiffen, but Yeeasea regards the demoralized elf in her grief. “They’re bringing a few Watchers with them. Glaivefall, you’ll be going with them. They depart first thing tomorrow.” Both Jiroki and Thy’lena stared in shock. It was an honor to be chosen for a grand hunt with the Wardens, and for the Betrayer no less. Yeeasea quickly departs after that, having more Watchers to select that will be going, but apparently Thy’lena isn’t one of them. “Wow…” Thy’lena is shocked, glancing over towards Jiroki. “I guess congratulations are in order…” “Why me?” The news is enough to snap Jiroki out of her funk, face creased in confusion. “I’m such a huge mess…” Looking down at herself. Perhaps she could pick herself up today to be ready for her duties. “It only makes sense, you’re so good at what you do…” Thy’lena also appeared worried, looking over her dear friend who clearly had grief piled atop of grief. But duty calls, and Jiroki must answer. “Hm…” Jiroki doesn’t have much commentary, having no choice but to accept. “It is what it is. I’ll make sure he pays for his crimes.” Though Jiroki didn’t have as much as a fiery passion compared to the others. Thy’lena looked on with worry, biting her lip. The day goes on, Jiroki refreshing herself and getting herself ready. Her armor fine tuned, her umbra crescent sharpened to a deadly point, doing some warm up exercise to loosen herself up and get her body ready. But it was obvious that some of her usual fire is still snuffed out, her head not in the game despite the severity of this hunt in particular. Thy’lena could spot it the most, and it had led her to do some hard thinking. As Jiroki set aside her armor near the foot of her bed to have it ready for when she wakes, Thy’lena comes back with some cups of warm tea. “I made some tea.” She says, setting one of the cups down on the nightstand by Jiroki’s bed. “To help you be well rested.” “Thanks.” Jiroki didn’t pay much mind to it, focused on getting her things ready. Though Thy’lena had a cup for herself she didn’t touch it, setting it down and sitting on her own bed. “Um…” Thy’lena perks up, a bit hesitant, and it manages to catch Jiroki’s attention. “Can I sleep with you tonight?” Jiroki looks up, a little surprised at the question. “Of course…” The pair having shared the same bed for many nights as is, but Jiroki tilts her head. “... Are you scared?” “A little…” Thy’lena breathes, looking down. “I just… I don’t want to lose you, so…” Not finishing her sentence. Jiroki sighs, making herself stand, and she goes over to Thy’lena. “This will no doubt be a very dangerous hunt, so I can’t guarantee anything.” Jiroki reaches up to brush back some of that short pink hair. “But no matter what happens, I’ll always love you.” “No matter what happens?” Thy’lena glances up, needing affirmation for her question. It stirred a bit of confusion in Jiroki, but she nods. “Yes.” Leaning down and kissing the top of Thy’lena’s hand. “No matter what happens. And you’re always more than welcome to sleep with me.” Jiroki manages to snort, and Thy’lena smiles. But her lips purse, a little anxious. “Drink your tea at least, I want you well rested for tomorrow.” Thy’lena insists, and Jiroki obliges, although manages a light roll of the eyes. Jiroki goes and sits on her own bed, takes a few generous gulps of the tea. Thy’lena stands and moves on closer as Jiroki starts to get groggy, blinking her eyes to try and dismiss some of the tiredness, but it overtakes her slowly. “I’ll always love you too.” Jiroki hears Thy’lena say before Jiroki passes out against her will. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next day Jiroki begins to stir, so groggy with her head pounding. It takes her a long moment for her to comprehend where she is and what had happened. “Thy’lena-?” Jiroki pushes herself up, the warmth of the other person missing from beside her, glancing around. The other bed is empty, Thy’lena’s armor left there, but her weapon is missing. As Jiroki starts to stand she realizes that her own armor is missing from where she left it, and a deep rooted fear plants itself into her. “No, no- what time is it?!” Ignoring the throbbing pain in her head she stumbles out of her alcove, desperately looking around before running down the hall. Ignoring the odd glances from other Watchers still in their own acloves, she rushes as fast as she can to Yeeasea’s area, stumbling herself in without waiting for approval. “Jiroki?!” Yeeasea sounds shocked to see her, just about to head to her own duties. “What are you doing here? You were with the others this morning.” “I just woke up!” Jiroki exclaims, her worst fears coming to life. “Where’s Thy’lena?! My armor is missing!” “What?!” Yeeasea’s frown sets in deeply, extremely confused and bewildered all at once. “You- no… Did she go in your stead?” Jiroki stumbles back a few steps, running her hands through her hair as she starts to hyperventilate. “She- She gave me tea last night…” Last night’s conversation runs through her hair, the way Thy’lena seemed anxious and worried, coaxing her to drink the tea she made. The pair remain silent, the ploy obvious as daylight. Thy’lena had drugged Jiroki and took her place in the hunt. “I never thought Thy’lena would do such a thing…” Yeeasea says, having the most stern frown Jiroki’s ever seen. “But that was hours ago, they must be far off now…” She sighs, reaching up and rubbing her eyes. “Blast, of all the times to pull a stunt like this… There’s nothing we can do now. All we can do is wait for the hunt to be over.” “Nothing that can be done?!” Jiroki lashes out. “She stole the hunt from me!! She stole my chance!!” “When she comes back she’ll definitely have some repercussions to face.” Yeeasea says sternly, not appreciative of the anger being tossed at her, but she takes it in stride. “You’re in no position to go after them. Just go back to bed and nurse off whatever drug she gave her.” So much confusion filled Jiroki, and so mage rage. Why would Thy’lena do something like this, to her of all people? Thy’lena had great ambitions, but never seemed the type to do such a ploy like this. Jiroki could have had her revenge, she could have proved herself to be on par with the Wardens, she could have, she could have- She could have at least died with honor. Having no choice but to wait, Jiroki wastes away in her thoughts, the grogginess of the pain in her head from the drugs lingering as she curls up in her own despair, the grief of her recent loss amplified by the betrayal of her friend. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The day felt like one of those days where despair lingered in the air for unknown reasons, and it spread amongst the Watchers of the Hyjal dens as word got back about the party that hunted down the Betrayer. Yeeasea didn’t know how to share this with Jiroki of all people, who was supposed to have gone with them, but it had to be done. Tentatively stepping into her alcove, a grim look on her face, Jiroki being one of the last to know about what had happened. The entire party of the hunt for the Betrayer, save for one person, had been slain. Thy’lena’s life had been lost in vain. Jiroki refused to do her duties. The bitterness, the sadness, the grief she could barely manage through, for days she stayed in their alcove on Thy’lena’s bed, torn up in grief and refusing to exist. Others tried to check up on her, including Yeeasea herself, but little could be done that wouldn’t require force. And so she was left alone in her grief, murmurs and whispers being spread of what could be done, or should be done. Eventually a male voice could be heard at some point, something unusual for these dens that were mostly filled with women, and a familiar one at that that catches Jiroki’s attention as it's heard down the hallway some. “I don’t think she’s fit to uphold her duties any longer.” Yeeasea whispers in the halls, even though it still bounces off the walls. “You were the best contact I could get a hold of…” “I understand.” Brethilon Glaivefall responds gently, Jiroki’s own brother, the only other survivor of the Glaivefall bloodline. “We’ve… Both have lost so much recently…” A fury sweeps through Jiroki, causing her to finally rise from her bed, stumbling out of the alcove and catching the attention of the pair. “You’re getting rid of me?!” Jiroki accuses Yeeasea, who garners a firm line on her lips. “Just like that?! After all these years?!” “Jiroki, what have you been doing since the battle for Hyjal?” Yeeasea fires back. “You have lost yourself, and I think it’s time you leave so you can find yourself, no matter how you do so. I had tried to get you to go after the Betrayer, I had hoped it would spark something inside of you, or at least you could have died for your people if that is what you truly wish for. But I think Thy’lena had predicted that much before even I could.” Then she sighs. “But if I had known the entire party would have been slain…” Jiroki stumbles a few steps back, refusing to believe such words. Yes, she could have had the chance to die and get rid of the pain she felt. But Thy’lena took that from her, her last words hoping that she would still live, that no matter what she would love her… “Jiroki…” Brethilon could see Jiroki crumpling right before him. “Let us leave together… You are all I have left.” “No!” Jiroki hiccups, covering her face. “How can you possibly know how I feel?! I should have gone, I should have been the one to die, not her!!” Brethilon is taken aback, and a small sneer forms on his lips. But he holds his tongue, turning to face Yeeasea. “I know of someone who can possibly watch over her.” He says, a druidess that’s a mutual friend of theirs. “I’ll make sure my sister is no longer a bother.” Yeeasea nods, and Brethilon takes his leave, intent on getting a hold of their friend they call Moon. Jiroki falls to her knees, Yeeasea standing there for a time as Jiroki is enveloped in grief. The Warden grinds her jaw a bit, then turns and leaves, not able to do anything to help the younger woman in her grief. Jiroki already had lost her love Rydras, and now her other love Thy’lena is gone too. Yet Jiroki still had to suffer the curse of life, now ticking away as she’s forced to be mortal. (( @daily-writing-challenge ))

#stories

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dragonagecompanions · 5 years ago

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Could I request a Teen!Quizzy nervously coming out as lgbtq+ to the companions (bonus if you include advisors) and then they admit they were terrified of coming out to the companion because they were terrified they'd disown them (with the implications that their family had disowned them for coming out)? My adopted child just came out to me and I want them to feel extra supported since i know they follow this blog (do your homework, poppet)

Poppet, if you are reading this, you have utterly failed the instructions in this ask.

Cassandra: At the risk of sounding uncaring or cold, Cassandra simply could not care less who the Inquisitor is attracted to. They are too young to be courting, and anyone who decides to risk the wrath of the Seeker will have an ardous path ahead of them. That being said she makes sure they are aware of her unwavering support, and gives them stern instructions to direct all detractors to her doorway.

Solas: With all the concerns this world is facing, denying a child for who they love seems so asinine as to be utterly idiotic. Whoever they choose to love, Solas will encourage, if only to ensure they make the best of the time they have left. And any one who decides that his Da’len is wrong is due for a rather unpleasant surprise from the Inquisition’s resident fade expert.

Blackwall: Like their seeker Blackwall is convinced their young leader is not ready for relationships, but he also remembers the brutal years of puberty, and the first stirrings of puppy love. If they have their eye or heart set on the same sex that’s all and good-- the South has never been so judgemental on that, after all. So long as they are safe and happy and still getting a chance at the capricious years of youth the would-be Warden is content.

And anyone else can take their opinions up with the backside of his hand.

Vivienne: What a positively drab reason to denounce a child. Truly, darling, it lacks imagination and verve. Better the herald was away from all that, and among the more metropolitan influences of their Inner Circle. Orlais has never demanded love go hidden, after all, and the youing inquisitor attending a fete or party with an inamorato would certainly bring the right kind of attention. She will speak to her tailors.

Sera: Big people with big mouths don’t know shite. Love’s love, yeah, and that’s that, and arrows to anyone who disagrees.

Dorian: How many times, oh how many times had his younger self yearned for a confidant who could be trusted with so great a secret. The necromancer understands more than perhaps anyone other how frightening the confession can be, and despite his own nerves he does his best to give them the answer he himself would have wanted, and to assure them that this does not change who they are or what they can become.

And then later, over a rather large glass of wine, weeps for both what he has found and lost.

Iron Bull: It doesn’t matter who or whom their Herald states an attraction to; as soon as they come to him with the news that they have noticed other people their age exist the Ben-Hassrath agent sits them down somewhere private and gives the Talk of a lifetime. No matter their gender he covers safety and well being for whatever they might run up against, and hammers in the importance of consent and respect above all.

At the end of it their Herald may likely never look at another person again, but the Iron Bull can rest easy knowing he’s done his part.

Varric: Honestly, it’s such an old fashioned thing to harp on. If their Herald wants to love someone he’s all for letting them. Not only are they going through enough as it is, but the profits from the book deal will be astronomical.

And Bianca supports them too. Mostly against people who don’t.

Cole: The spirit is of very little help, besides being a constant source of embrassasment for the young leader, but their guardians take to listening for clues as to who exactly needs a shovel talk.

Cullen: He’s given this talk to young mages and young templars before, and in truth it is perhaps the only part of bringing up the young herald that he is the most comfortable with. Like the Iron Bull he focuses on health and safety- though with particularly less time spent on...technique- and makes sure they have no questions before letting them go-- with the assurance that nothing between them has changed.

Josephine: Well, this is certainly useful for sorting out the preemptive courting requests from noble families with children of similar ages. THey have made her job easier, though she promises that they have no intention of marrying off the Inquisitor without their express permission and blessing. For the meantime she is honored they trusted her with this, and she ensures their herald that they are not at all alone in their preferences.

And any nobles who take umbrage to this fact suddenly found themselves housed in the coldest, draftiest, easiest to prank parts of Skyhold...

Lelianna: She’s known. Very little gets past her. For the most part she lets the other companions take on this task, but if the Herald comes to her she is quietly supportive, and offers the discreet delivery of love notes if they so require. It makes it easier to track their activity of course, but having been a lovesick teen herself once or twice she also geniunely wants to help.

And anyone who has differing ideas on who their herald shouold love is quickly silenced....one way or another.

Seriously, Poppet?! Homework, now!

-Mod Fereldone

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ranawaytothedas · 5 years ago

Text

Taking In Strays

Pairings: None/Gen

Rating: G/Teen

TW: Implied/Referenced child abuse - Non-graphic detail

Characters: Morrigan, Maeve (my oc), Ella (HoF), Alistair, Barkspawn

Setting/Time Frame: Start of DAO

Summary: Shortly after venturing from the Wilds, Morrigan is struggling with leaving her younger sister Maeve at the hands of their cruel mother. She is consumed by fear and worry till she hears the sound of a hound barking and a young girl’s giggle.

A/N: I always knew I was going to cover some backstory for Maeve and what her experience was during the fifth blight and before, and how these things shape her as Inquisitor. Also because Maeve’s existence along changes some relationship dynamic in my mind, which leads to Morrigan and Alistair getting together eventually…. Which has its own huge role in Maeve’s story. So I wanted to start writing a little glimpse into Maeve’s past to set up her overall story.

Huge thanks to my sweet friend @cornfedcryptid for her editing skills, listening to me ramble about Tamaris and Maeve and helping find all the plot holes! I would not have been able to get anything written without her!

Enjoy!

AO3 LINK

It had only been a few hours since leaving her little sister in the hands of their mother, yet fear and worry for her consumed Morrigan as she followed behind the two young Wardens. Even if she voiced her fears, these strangers wouldn’t understand. How could they? They saw her mother being helpful and almost kind. They didn’t see the real monster she could be. Morrigan's mind raced. With each step, Morrigan hoped that Maeve would be able to weather their mother’s torment alone. In the past, the child would crumble into tears as soon as their mother cast her gaze in Maeve's direction. It had been Morrigan who had shielded her sweet-natured little sister from everything. Their mother had never looked upon Maeve’s sweet nature kindly, to her it was a weakness but to Morrigan it was hope. A hope that Maeve would one day escape. Morrigan wasn’t listening to the conversation of the two young Wardens, too lost in her own thoughts. Trailing behind them she muttered, “She will not last the week…” the comment going unnoticed by the others as the witch glanced back in the direction whence they came.

The hours passed as they made good time. The Wilds were long behind them when the sun began to set. The distant sound of a child’s laughter accompanied by an unfamiliar bark drew Morrigan out of her thoughts. The sound gave her new companions pause. Such a sound has not or should not be heard. But it was one Morrigan knew quite well, and one she didn’t think she would hear so soon. Morrigan spun around, “Maeve…” She muttered as she set off in the direction of the laughter not even thinking to pay the Wardens a second thought.

A hand clasped around Morrigan’s wrist. “Where are you going?” The young Dalish Warden named Ella asked quickly. The elf’s deep green eyes focused on the younger woman’s face filled with questions.

Morrigan scowled. “Do you not hear that?” The dog barked again and the laughter continued this time a young voice called out for the animal to follow her. Ella let go of Morrigan’s wrist and let the taller woman storm off in the direction of the sounds.

“Good riddance…” The other Warden, a young man named Alistair grumbled watching Morrigan storm off, “We really do not need her… an apostate will just be asking for trouble.” His Chantry based views blinding him to the situation at hand. A moment later Ella gave chase, an exasperated Alistair not far behind.

They didn’t have to walk far till they stumbled upon the scrawny little creature that was Morrigan’s younger sister. With her messy, poker straight, chestnut brown hair twisted into a knot on the top of her head. In her hands, she was waving a stick trying to get the attention of a Mabari that was a few yards away in the woods looking right at the child. Maeve was so preoccupied trying to get the hound’s attention, she didn’t notice that her sister had walked up behind her till she placed a hand on her shoulder. “What do you think you are doing?” Morrigan questioned sharply.

Maeve slowly turned her head to glance over her shoulder, her bright golden eyes wide. For a moment a small relieved smile crossed her lips that she had found her elder sister. “Oh, hi…” She stuttered nervously as she noticed the two Wardens behind her sister. Alistar was trying to glare at her but couldn’t maintain his scowl and ended up cracking a small smirk at the child. Ella, kind and compassionate as always just smiled warmly at the child.

“Answer me.” The sharpness in Morrigan’s voice made Maeve jump, something Morrigan instantly regretted. “Please, Maeve…” She corrected her tone making it less harsh, less sounding like their mother.

Maeve laughed nervously once more as she dropped the stick and was turned around by her sister. The child took in a sharp breath and looked up at her sister. The chlid’s whole demeanor changed. Guilt slumped her shoulders and dropped her gaze to her dirt-stained hands “I could not stay there…by myself...with her...” Maeve muttered, each pause punctuated by the scuff of her boot in the dirt. Her eyes darted back and forth between her sister and the strangers. She had been taught to fear anyone unknown. But her sister was not afraid or uneasy. Did that mean she could trust them?

Morrigan snapped her fingers to get Maeve’s attention, her younger sister’s eyes darted back to her. “What did she do? Did she try anything?” Morrigan began frantically looking over her sister, pushing up the sleeves on the patchwork tunic she wore looking for any sign of harm. Maeve fought against her sister’s fretting, trying to push her sister back but Morrigan was bigger and stronger than Maeve. “I swear, I am gone hours…” The elder sister muttered as she pushed up the bottom of the tunic to see a fairly fresh cut just bellow the young girl’s ribs, one mark of many that covered the young girl’s back and stomach. Morrigan drew in a sharp breath and pulled her sister close. “I should have never left you, I am so sorry…” Morrigan whispered against her sister’s cheek as she held her tightly. Morrigan wasn’t going to let Maeve be sent back. Morrigan silently resigned herself to taking Maeve and leaving if the pair of Grey Wardens did not approve. “You are not going back..” Morrigan whispered again reassuring Maeve.

The two Wardens shot each other a confused look as they watched Morrigan. In the limited experience they both had, they had seen little compassion from her and even less affection. Yet, there she was. Kneeling next to her sister. Arms wrapped around her tightly. It was touching, confusing, and a touch alarming to them both. Alistair was the first to voice his confusion. “What could your mother have done to her in a few hours?” His flippant comment, spoken in ignorance, caused a rage to bubble up in the young mage.

Her head snapped around as stood up placing herself between Maeve and the Wardens. “My mother could do quite a bit and none of what she could do is the concern of yours. My sister, however, is not going to be sent back…” Morgan declared firmly. “If you do not wish to take her on during your mission, I understand. But I will not send her back to Flemmeth.”

Alistair started to laugh as he bent down to speak to Maeve directly. “What are you going to do fight dark spawn, little witch? Can you even cast a spell?” He asked raising a questioning eyebrow. She was a scrawny child, looked no older than eleven if Alistair was to guess. How was she going to manage where they were going, even if she could actually cast a spell?

Maeve peeked out behind her sister and smirked. “Not really, my magic is still… unpredictable…” Maeve mumbled looking up at her sister, who for a brief moment let her mask fall and smile at her sister as she patted her cheek reassuringly before Maeve looked back at Alistair. There was a twinkle of mischief in her eye. “But I can cut your throat in your sleep and take all your coin.” The way she said it, trying to sound older and tougher than she really was, drew a chuckle from Alistair and Ella.

Morrigan tutted softly. “You have never killed anyone or anything in your life…” She pointed out sharply, before turning back to her new companions. “She is, in fact, a good little thief, her magic needs training but if she applies herself I have full faith she could defend herself and at very least stay out of the way…”

“I already found you a Mabari… he was how I found you…. He was tracking you…” Maeve pointed out to Morrigan as Alistair walked around them to go catch the hound in the woods. Maeve turned back to Ella and smiled. “He walked past the hut and mother was distracted… so I gathered what I could and followed.”

Morrigan shook her head. “You don’t even have proper clothes.” She picked up the bag that Maeve had packed in her rush and looked inside. It had a few books, one change of clothes and not even an extra pair of socks. “Maeve,” Morrigan groaned.

Maeve smiled sheepishly at her sister and the elf across from them chuckled. “We will buy her proper clothes,” Ella responded kindly as she took a step forward and placed her hand on Maeve’s cheek. “You will listen to us if we tell you to hide? Yes?” Maeve nodded enthusiastically as Ella continued. “I am a Mage too, so it is not just going to be your sister getting on you about your training.” Maeve nodded solemnly as Ella slipped her gloved hand away from the young girl’s face. Ella shifted her gaze to Morrigan. “It is rather telling when a child would rather face a Blight than stay with her mother.” Morrigan nodded solemnly as she clutched Maeve to her side.

Alistair returned a moment later, the mabari close on his heels. “It’s the one from Ostagar, Ella…The one you helped cure from the taint. I’m amazed he made it out alive.”

Ella smiled brightly as she saw the beast. Recognition dawned on the two of them, giving Ella just enough time to brace herself. The excited hound crashed into her and licked her face in a frantic excitement. Alistair let out a low amused huff as he glanced down at Maeve who had her arms wrapped tightly around her sister. He noticed the way that Morrigan had her hand placed protectively on the side of her sister’s head, holding her again her. Letting out a low laugh he thought briefly about making a comment about taking in strays but thought better of it.

With a warm smile, he glanced down at Maeve who was watching the two Wardens with a nervous eye. Alistair remembered what it was like being a child, leaving everything he knew for the first time. Alistair knelt down so his head was level with Maeve’s and whispered, “Do you want to learn how to fight like a Templar?” He kept his voice low, a mischievous twinkle to his eye, as if he was letting her in on a secret.

Maeve’s eyes grew wide, a smile played on her lips, as she pushed herself away from Morrigan turned towards Alistair. “What’s a Templar?” She whispered.

Alistair laughed as stood back up and offered his hand to the young girl. “Come with me, half-pint. I’ll tell you all about Templars and what it takes to be a great Warrior. Unless… you don’t.” The corner of his mouth turned upwards as he smirked, making him look like the 18-year-old young man he was for just a moment.

Only Morrigan had ever looked at her with such warmth and kindness. Her curiosity overshadowed her fear as she reached out and placed her hand in his. The worn leather of his glove was smooth against her palm. There was a nervous twitch to her fingers as she waited for the trap to spring. But there was none.

“Do they have magic like my sister? Do they wear armor like you?” Questions tumbled out of her mouth as she stepped away from the safety of Morrigan’s embrace. A reassuring nod from Morrigan when she looked back added to the confidence that had taken root within her.

Fear bred from their past made Morrigan want to keep her close, to never let her out of arm’s reach. Though she had only traveled with them a short while, she knew no harm would come to Maeve. The young Warden may very well not have a brain in his head. But he made her sister smile, few people had ever been able to do that.

Ella smirked over at Morrigan as she patted the dog’s head. “I think this is going to be good.”

“You are not worried that she will get in the way?” Morrigan asked trying to hide her own fear.

“ It’s a Blight, she was not going to avoid violence and death in the Wilds. At least with us, she can learn to have a fighting chance and we can protect her…right?” Ella smiled softly. She wanted Morrigan to be at ease. The short time she had spent healing from her injuries in their home, told Ella everything she needed to know. That home was thick with tension. It was the same tension and fear her clan felt any time a human settlement wanted them gone. That was no place for anyone to be, least of a child. Ella knew that their fates may not be better, but at least they would not make either Morrigan or her little sister feel unwanted. Morrigan nodded sharply agreeing and Ella reached out and placed a tender hand on Morrigan’s forearm, “She seems like a bright girl.”

“She is.” Morrigan noted, sounding more like a proud mother than a protective big sister.

“Then she will be fine. I promise you.”

#dragon age fanfiction #inkies:maeve #dao fanfiction #DA fanfic #dragon age fanfic #alistair theirin #warden alistair #da morrigan #morrigan dragon age #my ocs #dao oneshot

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demoiselledefortune · 6 years ago

Text

Dragon Age Inquisition final play-through session!

So finished Trespasser

Overall that's a pretty amazing ending. I'm not sure if it's as interesting if you're not playing a Lavellan/romancing Solas; but it's densely packed with lores and things that'd make a replay (I mean I was spoiled enough to view Solas with hefty dose of suspicion from the start, and I did know he was an immortal of some kind from the beginning; and then got more spoilers as I progressed in the game -- but I expect there's still a whole lot of things to catch better now that I have full context). Trespasser is very well structured and paced overall, between the interludes in the gorgeous gardens of the Winter Palace (although I wish we had better to do in there that those silly and rather frustrating quests), and coursing through the Eluvian (which in itself is great, still allows a few fun sidequests; and lots of great lore drops). The political mess of a situation is a pretty logical follow up from the rest of Inquisition, and that the main choice in the end is deciding the future of the fate of the Inquisition in the political landscape is something I appreciate. I'd have liked if the end choices weren't quite as binary, but I guess that's simpler and ok, it's not like we have that many options. The Viddasala makes a decent minor villain; and of course the whole thing turns the whole Inquisition as an awesome set up to Solas as the kind top tier antagonist that I would put asides to my favourite video game villains. And hey, we even get a dragon fight! Except for once, we had an option of not killing her, which I took because I like getting an option not kill stuff (even though I of course slaughtered eagerly all 10 optional dragons the game provided before -- :3) which resulted in a pretty Hawk-esque fight by which I mean I ended up with all three of my companions down while I was running around trying to figure out how to manage to release the creature; which made for a very fun epic experience in a way that I seldom got from big boss fights in Inquisition apart from that. (I did solo fights due to companion death with Hawk on the first two dragon battles of DA2. Which ended up as good prep for the Arishok fight :3) The end game mechanic of your Mark running out of control, forcing you to release it at close interval was also a pretty great gameplay experience to make the last battles interesting and convey viscerally how dire this shit on your body is becoming... and almost makes up for how shitty the focus mechanics were overall. That we don't get a third round of discussions with the Companions before the last time in the Eluvians was a bit disappointing though. I guess they kinda ran out of material to discussion. It's also a bit odd that they drop us off at the very end to be solo before meeting Solas without a last framing discussion. The way they did banter spots to trigger though was great. (and a huge improvement on the way banter worked in Inquisition). In term of roleplay my character was the most shaken by the reveal of the Evanuris as False Gods. I always saw her as someone with a huge mystical bend, although not necessarily something that affected her choices a whole lot (besides, say, the Well of Mythal) and someone who values genuineness a lot so that reveal turning out around false premises hit hard; and trying to rebuild a sense of identity and view of the world out of that is going to take her time. She's not even the sort of Dalish who is the most focused on the past (obviously it's important, because it's one of the baseline thing that the Dalish care about; but it's not her main focus compared to trying to work with people, building consensus and exchanging viewpoint. My Lavellan is a diplomat and a community organizer at heart.) The reveal from Solas in contrast was less shattering. She'd figure out that Solas had to be involved somehow with the Fen'Harel organization (from the Vallaslin bit, especially) but expecting him to actually be Fen'Harel was a bit too huge a leap to make on her own... yet something that fell into place when it came and the feeling of catharsis of finally knowing what the fuck was up with him stronger than the feeling of betrayal. In the end I think she had a sense that nothing he could turn out to be would surprise her. She was saddened, bitterly disappointed, horrified; but she never felt like the person she'd fallen in love with wasn't the person in front of her, and she's not giving up on him. She kept the Inquisition as the Divine's guard, of course she did. As I said after Solas left she was sure something bad was coming, and knowing more about exactly what that something bad was only cemented that. And of course, the Inquisition is what she has left, in term of something built up. She has too much emotionally invested in it to discard it when the foundation of her world believes are shaken this way. As far as the other characters go: - Vivienne wasn't the person my character ever got along the best with; and while the epilogue frames her as a big pain in the ass, I think Ireya actually approves of it... what she held the most against Vivienne was always that instead of building herself up as a leader by gathering support from like-minded mages, she'd tried to grasp it parasitically from others in power, and it seems she finally started to do otherwise. Perhaps it's not so bad either for the future of the mages for there to exist multiple competing models... (well it also could result in disaster but what can you do) - I don't have much to say about Blackwall, he was one of my least favourite character and probably mostly for shallow reasons (I never got over that he's such an unattractive character for a romanceable option). His story is interesting yet unsatisfying in term of story integration. My character does have a higher opinion of him than I do and she was happy to see him fulfilling his purpose in the Wardens under his true identity in a way that made him feel better. - Ireya never felt very close to Cullen, but she always respected and relied on him a lot; and is happy to see him continue to work in the Inquisition as well as continuing to work on helping out Templars. - In a way my character and Varric are very similar people (in term of being caretaker at heart) that nonetheless never properly connect (they work on a very different register and of course Varric's feeling of awe at the Herald even though he works at it is a barrier). Still a good friend. I do love seeing him becoming the Viscount of Kirkwall (and annoying poor Bran) which I'm sure will make him happier (he was so depressed during Inquisition). - She always kept a little bit wary and careful with Cole while still valuing him a whole lot, except towards the end, he ended up being the only source of input on Solas' outlook and she's going to miss that. She hopes he will be able to help, somehow. - Iron Bull always impressed me with his emotional intelligence and savviness. He was never someone to underestimate and also someone who brings a lot of things to a group which Ireya valued a lot. Keeping the Chargers alive is a very rewarding choice in term of what that means for Bull's outlook (as well as the Chargers themselves being around) even though I expect you'd only see the difference at the very ending. My character also ended up very invested in his relationship with Dorian, and delighted to see what it brings to the both of them. - It was a joy to realise that Sera has grown up a lot, and reacts with much more tact and sensitivity (in contrast to how she was right after the Temple of Mythal/Vallaslin removal in the main game) when my character felt very shaken about the Evanuris reveal; as well as touched to see they continued being very good friends with the offer of getting into the Friends of Jenny. Keep on being awesome, Sera! - My character started being a bit in awe of Lelianna (she was something of a Fifth Blight stories fangirl XD) but also distrusting her emotional turmoil. She feels very proud of having helped her find an emotional peace once more, and in that context her becoming the Divine is something she's glad of. - While she was sometimes infuriating, Cassandra was always someone whose honesty and willingness to criticise herself earned great respect from Ireya. She was also very fun to tease and someone to bond over being sappy sappy romantic. A very good friend, and I'm glad she's rebuilding the Seekers into something better. - Dorian wears his heart on his sleeve and was a great friend. His ending gives my character great hope for the future. - Josephine was probably Ireya's best friend in the Inquisition or at least the one she felt was the most of the same wavelength, and she's glad to see her fulfil her ambition for her family; but sad to see her go far away. I also really liked Josephine's outburst towards the end of Trespasser, I don't agree with all the points she makes in term of having doubts about the kind of organisation the Inquisition is becoming, yet having some kind of doubts about it is warranted and to have Josephine work her role as moral centre by being worried about it worked very well for me. Overall Inquisition is a bit... too spread out with a lot of things; but still a very entertaining experience as a game!

#dragon age inquisition #dai #dem plays da

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userwithnoname · 7 years ago

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ive played skyrim before and liked it an a friend recommended dragon age but i dont know which one i should pick

Hm… this is still a little bit complicated, so I’m going to put another cut here just because it gets a little long.

tl;dr Your friend was probably talking about Inquisition, and while I recommend you start with Origins, Inquisition’s not a bad game to jump in with.

If Skyrim is your only basis for comparison, then I think your friend was recommending for you Dragon Age: Inquisition. I was in a very similar place when I started playing Dragon Age: had just beat Skyrim for the thousandth time, was getting bored and didn’t know how to mod my game, so I started looking at Steam recommendations. However, I had a bit of a buffer. Steam recommended me Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which is a pretty good game, but not quite what I was looking for.

What Skyrim lacked to me was character involvement. That isn’t to say there aren’t good characters, but they are limited and of the companions you’re given, they have little to do with the actual story and almost no involvement other than one quest here or there. Kingdoms of Amalur is similar to Skyrim in terms of story and gameplay, and if you liked Skyrim’s open-world and hack’n’slash combat, you’ll like Kingdoms.

To that end, Dragon Age is a pretty logical leap from either of those. But I can see where it would get confusing. The games are both reliant upon each other, yet can contradict each other horribly. When most people talk about Dragon Age. they’re referring to Inquisition because it’s the newest game to come out in the series. But as I mentioned, there are three games in total, not counting Awakening or Heroes of Dragon Age.

There’s no easy way to do this, so I’ll do a brief description then a (personal) pros and cons to each game before talking about the flaws the series has on a whole.

(Disclaimer: I am not a games reviewer or expert in any sense, these are personal opinions so take them with a grain of salt.)

(Also: SPOILERS)

Dragon Age: Origins (DA:O):

The first game in the series, DA:O focuses on the Warden or Hero of Ferelden. Without getting too much into the story, it heavily focuses on the arc of your character and the story that unfolds, allowing you a range of choices and quests that help keep replaying the game from getting boring.

Pros:

Personalized character backstory.

Character creation is interesting.

Pretty backgrounds (for the time).

Pausing combat doesn’t interrupt the flow of combat too much.

Gameplay is pretty straightforward and intuitive (at least on PC).

A lot of dialogue options.

Just enough side quests to pad out the story without distracting from the main quests.

Quest timing options.

Gifts to fix things if you mess up the dialogue options and can’t reload a save (they have diminishing returns, so be wary).

Companion options–don’t like someone? Kick them out of the party!

Weapon and armor options–spell casting doesn’t work well for this, but most weapons and armor aren’t class restricted.

DOG. PUPPY. WHO NEEDS ROMANCE, I HAVE A DOG.

Cons:

Main character has no voice acting.

Clunky animations. Like… mages in particular just stand there and point a staff in the air and sometimes wave their hand.

Sometimes confusing leveling mechanics.

Too much Codex stuff too fast.

Focuses a little too much on Alistair romance (even if I love him) and not much on the other characters.

Dialogue options can be hard to understand–this was before Bioware got their choice menu properly sorted out.

Will probably never see the Warden/Hero ever again no matter what they accomplish.

No armor modifications, only giving runes to some weapons.

Repetitive environments.

Limited romance options.

Hats.

Dragon Age II (DA II):

As the name implies it is second in the series, focusing on Hawke, the eventual Champion of Kirkwall, and has only a little to do with Origins. Not a direct sequel, DA II is very disputed across the fandom, and could have been handled better in general. Bioware changed their story-telling rhythm in this, instead breaking it up into 3 acts rather than major quests you can pick and choose the order of.

Pros:

New main quest each Act that focuses on Hawke as a person.

Varric.

Combat animation feels involved and fluid–you’ve upgraded from a person standing to actual fighting.

Hide hats option in menu.

Main character is voice acted now–yay!

Fixed the dialogue options so it’s not as confusing.

Dog is no longer a party member, so you have a back up you can summon if shit hits the fan.

Gives you a junk slot in your inventory so you know what you can sell.

Rival and Friendship system make it so you can hate someone you need and still keep them in your party.

Rival and Friendship system make it so you can romance someone even if you don’t particularly like them.

Cons:

Rival and Friendship system also, unfortunately, can lead to weird things happening in the story unless you go all out one way or another.

Cannot have a set team you use all the time unless you’re willing to possibly lose a few companions *coughs*Isabela*coughs*. Characters must be rotated out on quests if you want to get Friendship/Rivalry where it needs to be.

Specific, limited gifts that are easy to miss.

Confusing leveling mechanics.

The fuck did they do to the elves in this one?

Almost no interaction from anything in DA:O.

The screen layout got worse.

Facial animations (specifically eyebrows and mouth) are sometimes horrifying.

Character relationships are harder to manage.

Spend more time thinking about who you want on what quest than you probably should.

Romances are weirdly broken up in this one.

Armor picked up can only be worn by Hawke.

Please. Just let me romance Varric.

Combat animations are a little over the top and unrealistic.

Story makes it feel like your actions only effect Kirkwall, but actually end up effecting the whole world.

Race options–it forces you to play as a human.

Very repetitive environments.

Background is glanced over and explained away with no interaction.

Sibling death.

Dragon Age: Inquisition (DA:I):

The baby of the series, the most recent game and prettiest overall. DA:I has way more options in just about everything in comparison to the previous two games. You play as the Herald of Andraste, eventually becoming Inquisitor.

Pros:

That character creation tho.

Armor and weapon creation and customization.

Fixed elves appearances–no longer aliens.

Races now have different body types.

Fixed the combat ratio of fluidity to excessive.

Open world.

Actually get a horse/hart/dracolisk/freakishly large nug to ride this time.

Voice options (only two, but that’s one more than DA II and two more than DA:O).

Way more companion options.

Can play as a qunari.

Interesting cameos from companions in DA:O and DA II.

Cool search mechanic.

Cole.

HUGE map.

More romance options.

DRAGON MASTER.

Don’t have to play Origins or II to get the story-type you want, just log in to Dragon’s Keep and fill out some stuff.

Screw attributes completely.

Cons:

The hair. For everyone, but mostly qunari.

Undermines other choices in previous games.

Ooh… you might wanna get that hand looked at, buddy.

Hardens companion from DA:O regardless of actual choices in game.

Cut scene animation is a little weird sometimes.

Save files corrupt so quickly.

Sudden retconning of Dalish facts and changes the way mages are handled by the Dalish.

Main character disappearances.

Needs DLC in order to get the “real” ending.

Does not mod easily.

Bugs with animation and placement.

WHERE IS MY DOG, BIOWARE??????

THE MOUNT IS NOT A REPLACEMENT, IT CANNOT FIGHT OR FOLLOW YOU.

Doesn’t feel like a solid story ending, regardless of DLC.

You know those helpful numbers and bars we had to measure friendship in DA II and DA:O? Fuck ‘em. Don’t need ‘em. Oh, but likability is still being measured by the game, just not visibly.

Fuck gifts, too.

No more healing spells.

Oh, and let’s limit the number of healing items you can carry at once.

And we can’t make it too easy to make money, either.

Random loot is incredibly buggy.

Weapons/armor now class coded.

Gameplay takes some getting used to on the PC.

Screw attributes completely.

And that’s not including Awakening and Heroes of Dragon Age, which I am not discussing in this post.

Now, despite what you might think after that, I love these games.

They just… have their issues.

They pull a “Supernatural” on us, if you will. Each game, the enemy somehow gets bigger and badder. In the first one, you’re trying to stop the Blight and save your home, which is already a big feat. In the second one, you end up causing a civil war across multiple countries (even if it doesn’t feel so big at the time). In Inquisition, you have to save at least three countries at once, and in the fourth it looks like you’re going to have to save the world.

Each game focuses on a new protagonist, which is great in that it means a fresh new take on each challenge and new characters, but it really, really sucks in that it feels like you’re leaving a story unfinished. I mentioned we’ll probably never see the Warden in-game again and it’s been confirmed by Patrick Weekes, the lead writer for DA (I’d put a link here, but I can’t find it right now). This is mainly because the story has moved on from the Warden, but also because importing a Warden from DA:O to any new DA game would be almost impossible from a technical standpoint. While this is sad, it’s understandable from a story standpoint. But this method wasn’t what fans were expecting when DA II came out.

Which is probably the biggest reason for all the hatred towards DA II. It was marketed as a sequel to DA:O, and people kind of automatically thought of it as a direct sequel, mostly because the only other RPG series Bioware had running was Mass Effect and that’s what happened there. But it didn’t happen with DA II. Instead, we were given a new hero with new goals, no familiar companions and in a place DA:O didn’t even mention. Other than a few cameos, a couple characters, and a mention every now and then, there was nothing from DA:O in DA II.

And that’s really Dragon Age’s biggest problem. Playing DA II, it makes it feel like all those choices you made in Origins were insignificant (which on a scale they were). And Inquisition didn’t fix this. In fact, in some ways, it made it worse. It gave Hawke and the Warden more stories, which isn’t a bad thing, but it took your characters and tried to generalize your Warden and your Hawke into The Warden and The Hawke. Imagine you’d been given a choose-your-own-adventure book and the first two chapters are about one character, and then the next two about another, and so on and so forth. But in each of these chapters, you get glimpses of the previous characters doing other things in the same world. No interaction, no conclusiveness, just your character doing things that your character might not do. You have no control of the character whose choices are supposed to be yours after those two chapters are done.

Basically: for the story, with the way they’ve set it up, it forces you to bond to a character that you create but only briefly glimpse into their lives before someone else takes over. Yet instead of divorcing entirely from said character, the shorter timeline forces the heroes to interact in some capacity that we’ll never get to see. Varric is the perfect example of this. DA II is set up in a way that you know Varric will have to be involved in Inquisition. But after people started really liking him and the general backlash of DA II, Bioware couldn’t kill him off and couldn’t send him away. So they gave him a minor role in Inquisition and then retired him.

They do this again with the Inquisitor. The way DA:I ends left many fans to believe DA4 had to continue as the Inquisitor; after all it didn’t feel like the Inquisitor’s story was finished and the next Big Bad had been hinted at being kind-of their fault. But we’ve already been told that DA4 will not star the Inquisitor–instead, their story is supposedly done and the only chance we have of their involvement is probably a letter, a cameo, or as an advisor. That’s if Bioware doesn’t kill them.

Once again, they put away another character when it feels like they should still be involved, thus reducing the choices made in the previous games by an even smaller margin. Bioware takes a character you made, tells you their story is over when it feel like it’s just starting, then takes control of them.

The solution?

The Elder Scrolls series actually does a pretty good job at doing the same thing–by spreading the events out. I get that the whole name of the series is focused on a hundred year margin, but that’s still a hundred years for you to spread events out. Over the course of three games, only about 10-20 years have passed. DA:O takes place over the course of 1-2 years, maximum. DA II takes place over 7. And DA:I is about 2-5 (depending on if you count Trespasser), with a short gap between II and Inquisition.. That’s a lot of shit to happen over such a short time.

Give the games space. Let them breathe. Let the actions of the Warden fade as time passes, not lie ignored by NPCs just because it’s hard to account for all the choices. Let the stories have their own weight before you stack the other on, and maybe don’t rely to much on rapid storytelling.

And that really went off on a tangent, sorry.

Simply put, the games have their own flaws. If you have the money and prefer a newer-looking game and have the system to handle it, I recommend Dragon Age: Inquisition to start off. Being able to control the world through your choices in Dragon’s Keep gives you a good idea of previous stories without having to play them, while still preserving the themes from the series.

(But oh my god save frequently. Save every few minutes. And stagger save, too, don’t just save over old files because that shit corrupts EASY.)

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vvakarians · 7 years ago

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I'd love to know 1-32 about Calliope! :>

OH BOY MY DUDE, prepare yourself for all the info under the cut

1. What is their favorite word?

Uh, dragon, of course, at least I’m inclined to say dragon. In elvhen her favorite word would probably be “Enasal” or “Enasalin” which could mean victory in the latter or as the wiki says “joy in triumph over loss” for enasal. Just because those words mean a lot for her.

2. How do they sleep

I mean, not that great in one way this could go, but we’ll get into the how she sleeps first, physically at least. She’s always cold and leeches off everyones body heat so she always keeps a shit ton of blankets in her bed. Not only that but her bed is a four poster with the curtains hanging off of them to keep in the heat, you can imagine her favorite season is summer, also winter because everyone wants to be warm.

On the more emotional side of things, Callie doesn’t sleep very well at any point. As a child it was hard to sleep because of nightmares that her mother would be able to soothe, but her mother died when she was fairly young, after that nights are really the worst time. It only eases a little bit when she finally gets together with her partners, whether in canon with Solas, or with Halla in their au, or Isidoro in my combined canon au with Alexx. Especially after Here Lies the Abyss she can hardly sleep because of both the anchor and because of the dead that call to her at night.

3. Favorite companion

She wouldn’t really be able to choose if directly asked, even those she may not agree with she still loves in her own way for them. Her best friends are Cole, Sera, Dorian, Bull, and Varric though, out of the main companions, as well as Solas, because she romances him. Calliope adores all the advisors, including my Warden-Commander Mahariel who joins with Ophelia (my hawke) after Here Lies the Abyss.

4. What secrets do they keep, untold to anyone?

Calliope is pretty much an open book to anyone that is fairly close to her, but she has some secrets that aren’t widely known except to her twin brother and the Inner Circle. Shockingly the secret has nothing to do with being the reincarnation of Falon’Din, which was pretty hard to keep out of anyones way once the ball started rolling. No, it’s the fact that she has such a hard time feeling like she is needed for anything, that she feels much of what has happened in the world is her fault. She also mainly keeps her feelings about her gender to herself and only lets people know what pronouns they should use for her, and it’s pretty much not spoken about as to what her orientation is, but everyone knows she isn’t straight.

5. How do they feel about magic

Magic and the Inquisitor have a complicated history honestly. Both herself and her brother came into magic at the same time, Elessar accidentally froze Keepers feet to the ground while Calliope set a halla’s ass on fire and almost caused a stampede. She was not raised as a mage because of the high volume in her clan and they did not wish to be called upon by the Chantry, so Elessar was the one trained as a mage instead. Calliope was trained to be a Master and a Hunter, which she excelled at rather well; she was awarded the position of Protector of her fathers aravel when he went on excursions for trade.

During Inquisition she comes into her magic with mixed feelings, she really doesn’t pay too much attention for a while. The spells she knows are really only fire based and healing based, as well as being the most basic. She has no problem with magic really, as many of her friends and family are mages. There are a few times when Bull says shit about magic that she gets very defensive and upset, but aside from that there isn’t much until trespasser. Her thoughts on blood magic are even alright with it really, as long as it’s consensual to both parties if someone else is involved.

6. How do they feel about killing

She feels that it is a necessary evil, nothing more nothing less. If someone deserves to be killed than they will be. Callie tries to spare the innocent as much as she can. After all she is Falon’Din, so her views on death aren’t an end, and even without being Falon’Din she sees death as something that isn’t an end even if she grieves pretty heavily when someone dies.

7. How do they feel at night, in silence, all alone?

Badly, it’s all negative feelings all at once. She tries to keep away from this situation as much as possible.

8. Tell me about them in a modern AU

I actually have two of these for Calliope! In DA:I in a present day setting she’s still Inquisitor, at least eventually, but she comes from a farm/general store owning family from an elven town in the Free Marches. She’s trying to go to school in the city when the Temple of Sacred Ashes (a political summit in this au) gets blown to pieces, she was there to observe as part of a class she’s in for college, along with several other members of that class.

In a regular modern day au she’d still be a college student, probably going for a double major in Religion and History. Her twin brother is going to college for Forensic Sciences, and there’s a lot of coffee shop shit, and falling for a good looking Grad Student who works at the school library.

9. What is their favorite meal

Dalish Forest Comfort with Hearth Cakes!! I own the Dragon Age cookbook and it’s real good. Callie would love her cultures food even if other people would consider it to be plain.

10. What guides them

Their compassion for all people of Thedas tbh.

11. What hinders them

Feeling like she’s not good enough or that she will fail at every turn.

12. Do they have hidden talents

She can tie a knot in a cherry stem with her tongue, also she’s shockingly good with the stable creatures? And I say creatures because have you seen the Dracolisks?

13. How do they carry themselves

Calliope carries herself as a kind and easy going person, which gets some people thinking they can just walk all over her, where she quickly puts them back in their place. If they do it more than once she gets really angry, and no one wants to see the five foot tall reaver and reincarnation of falon’din angry.

14. What are their vices

Probably getting more angry than needed, and also she cries a lot but that’s not really immoral behavior?? She also won’t give mercy if she isn’t shown mercy. Calliope also hates no one except herself almost exclusively.

15. What was a turning point in their life

Honestly? The end of Trespasser. Calliope gets really hard for a while and bitter, thankfully raising Athim and focusing on helping people affected by Solas’ shit does give her back some softness that she lost.

16. Do they ascribe to any religion

Nope, she doesn’t believe in Andraste, nor does she believe in the Creators.

17. How do they react to trauma

Depends on what kind it is, but usually she shuts down first, then gets angry, or really really weepy and sad.

18. What is their relationship to their parents

Calliope adored both of her parents, her mom Imryll died when she was really young but she paved the way for a lot of good things that Callie strives for nowadays. Her dad was the saving grace in a lot of situations so she loves him very much, she gets very depressed when he dies. Elgar’nan and Mythal are another thing altogether, she gets defensive about Mythal, and angry towards Flemeth for claiming to be her. Her “father”? Well she doesn’t talk about him a whole lot.

19. Do they have siblings

Yep! She has one! His name is Elessar and he is her fraternal twin.

20. Tell me about their love interests

Well the egg is her love interest in canon, but in the Pure World State AU, @charlatanreyes ‘s Isidoro Rosetti is her husband, he’s an Antivan Enchanter who’s very good and lovely. The other is the kickass Halla Trevelyan from @lorspolairepeluche !!

21. What sexuality/gender suits them

Calliope is nonbinary and prefers they/them or she/her pronouns, her orientation is panromantic demisexual.

22. Tell me about their body, are they tall, or smol

Callie is very smol and stronk. Abs for days. She also has albinism.

23. What is their combat style and weapon of choice

SLASH AND HACK THEM, the bloodier the better, and her weapon is a Sulevin Blade with a master dragon slaying rune.

24. Do they have any fears/phobias

Calliope is afraid of uthenera/the long sleep, and failure.

25. Do they follow their instinct or hard facts

Instinct all the way, Calliope is very emotional and not a logical being at all.

26. How do they cope with sorrow

Not very well at all. Grief comes in large waves and she’s very empathetic unfortunately, even more than is healthy honestly. If it’s to a really severe level she’ll isolate herself for a long time because she doesn’t want to bother anyone at all with her feelings. If she’s pressed about it too she’ll flare up with anger, especially if she doesn’t know you very well.

27. What makes them burst out laughing

BAD JOKES. LIKE REALLY BAD JOKES. Also there was one time that Dorian showed up to a meeting with his mustache all fucked up and Calliope was very tired, she started going into a giggle fit that no one could cure.

28. Tell me about their grooming routine

Well really all she does is bathe and wash her hair/skin, she doesn’t have much time for anything else. But sometimes she’ll have moments with Solas or her other LI’s and take long baths with nice smelling oils.

29. What makes them blush

I MEAN, anything really, especially if her LI is teasing her. Honestly anything in front of other people will get her to blush really bad. Solas once kissed her full on in front of the group one morning in the Frostbacks, just a lazy kiss that he didn’t think much of and she was red for the full morning.

30. What makes them cry

Injustice and death, which often go hand in hand. Sometimes she’ll wake up during nightmares crying, and certain memories will trigger crying fits if she’s not careful.

31. Tell me about their aesthetic

Blood, golden sharp teeth, green lightning, big ass swords, ravens, cryptic sayings, dragons, and sleep. Also bear hugs.

32. If they had a tumblr, what would they post

Probably lots of positive posts and social justice things, book quotes, flowers. Honestly anything on dragons too and lots of adorable animals, some shit on history and certain videogame stuff too.

#long post #sorry that i got short at the end i got really tired and also had a panic attack for some reason #calliope lavellan #booker answers #meme-feline

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jentrevellan · 8 years ago

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SUMMARY: Cullen’s POV to the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Cullen x Lyla Lavellan (Mage)! One-sided Solas romance! Some in-game scenes expanded! Plus lots more to come! Reblogs, likes and replies are loved. ^^

**Updated every 2 weeks!**

FIRST | PREVIOUS | NEXT

-> Read on Ao3 -> Read on FF -> Artwork by @anafigreen

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: To the West

The ride to the Western Approach is hard on the troops, knowing that each step takes them closer to their deaths. I ride with them, listening as mages and templars swap stories of their different - yet similar - lives. I see one templar speak excitedly to a mage, their faces animated as they speak of their tactics and how they can work together in the coming battle. I watch from a distance as I see their friendship develop over our weeks on the road, and pray that after all of this, the relationships between the two groups will remain as strong.

Despite our haste to arrive, with our vast and growing numbers, it takes much longer to cross Orlais with the hundreds of horses and foot soldiers. I hang back and move slowly with them, but as we get closer to the desert, our destination only a few more nights away; I take a small escort and gallop away to the next forward camp. It's hard work and in my armour I sweat continuously after each ride.

On the second day of fast travelling, I finally see the Griffon Wing Keep on the horizon - it's stone walls rising high above the sand in the desolate landscape. It's late afternoon, the sun is low, and I urge my stallion on as we get closer, my body aching from the ride.

Once through the gates I dismount in the busy courtyard, amazed to see it so full and buzzing with activity. There are vendors here, selling weapons and supplies for soldiers, whilst just outside the gates, new rows of tents are being pitched in preparation for the arriving army. I hand the reigns of my stallion over to a stable hand and pull of my gloves, running a hand through my hair, as I make my way into the fort.

It's far too small to host an army with the place bustling and full to the brim, even before my troops arrive. Regardless, I look forward to a simple luxury of perhaps sleeping in a soft bed tonight, rather than a bedroll on the hard ground. With disdain, I notice that even inside the keep, there is sand in every crack of stone work, and I just know that it's going to take months to get all of the sand out of, well, everywhere.

"Commander," a voice behind me says. I turn and see Blackwall make his way through the crowd towards me.

"Warden Blackwall," I greet formally. "Has the Inquisitor arrived?" I had hoped to catch her up on my gallop to the keep, but either she had already arrived or I had overtaken her at some point. The fact that Blackwall is here makes me realise that she and her Inner Circle crossed the desert quicker than I thought.

The bearded man nods. "Yes - we all arrived yesterday. I can take you to the Inquisitor, if you like?"

I nod in reply and follow Blackwall up thick stone steps, taking in every detail of the keep, noting it's excellent condition, despite the Wardens abandoning it. I see Captain Rylen running drills with new recruits as Blackwall leads me ever upward through the keep. I know that without his guidance, it would take me hours to find where I needed to be.

At the top of the final stairs there are tents pitched on the stone courtyard near the Inquisition flag, flapping high in the wind. I look around and see Iron Bull talking with Dorian in the shade, Varric tuning his crossbow and Cole following Solas around one of the upper ramparts.

"She's through here," Blackwall says, pointing to a low door wedged between thick walls. I push the door open and see Lyla standing with her back to me, her head bowed over a table, Cassandra talking in a low voice with her. Alistair lingers in the corner but glances up when he sees me enter. It's a small and dark room, but most likely one of the biggest in the hold, meant for the commander of the keep. There's a narrow bed against one of the walls, but the desk in the middle takes up the most space, the rest of the room is sparse with minimal belongings and decorations. I assume it was looted by the Venatori when they held this place.

"Inquisitor," Blackwall says. "The Commander has arrived."

Lyla spins on the spot, her face breaking into a huge smile. I resist every urge to go up to her, so instead remain just inside the room, but a lopsided smile creeps onto my own face in response. Maker, I will never get tired of the way she looks at me sometimes. As if realising, she looks down and adjusts her face, drawing over her Inquisitor mask, just as I don my Commander one. I can feel Cassandra's eyes flying between us as she tries to understand the situation. If the situation weren't so solemn, I know I would take some delight in her puzzlement.

"Commander Cullen," Lyla says formally, and I incline my head in response.

"Inquisitor," I reply, just as formal, pretending those heated moments on the battlements at Skyhold are dreams and tricks of the fade, and not real.

"Is the army with you?" Cassandra asks.

"They are but two days behind."

"Good," Cassandra says, crossing her arms. "We've had reports of more activity coming from Fort Adamant."

"There are hundreds of Wardens there now," Alistair says quietly from the corner. "It will be hard to launch a siege."

"But not impossible," I say, stepping forward. "Inquisitor, I suggest that as soon as the army arrives, we move out for Fort Adamant - we have no time to waste."

Lyla nods, pursing her lips in thought. "Inform the troops here. Let's prepare to leave tomorrow, just incase."

We run through the final plans and preparations and before we know it, the sun has long set and we're pouring over the same maps and plans by candlelight that I've seen a thousand times now. As Cassandra speaks about the positioning of some of the mages, my eyes drift over to the bed in the corner of the room, it's soft mattress looking so inviting.

"Perhaps we should adjourn for the night?" Lyla says, looking at each of us in turn.

"Yes, Inquisitor," Alistair says, heading out, quickly followed by Cassandra. She pauses in the doorway, giving me a strange look when I do not follow. Lyla turns away to stand by the arrow-slit window, and finally, blissfully, the door closes and we are alone.

As soon as I hear the latch click, I take three strides across the room and she's in my arms once more. She sighs as I hold her, my mouth brushing the top of her head.

"You've got sand in your hair," I say with a smile.

She chuckles quietly. "I've got sand everywhere - I did warn you."

I'm not sure how long we stand like this, just in quiet, letting the dark night envelope us. I cherish every moment, knowing that with each passing minute, the inevitable danger gets that little but closer.

"I've never done this before, Cullen," she whispers sometime later.

I pull away, resting my hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

A faint smile. "Well I'm just leading an army against Grey Wardens and demons tomorrow. So I'm brilliant." She says it with such dry humour that I smile in response.

"You should sleep," I say, nodding to the small bed.

Lyla shakes her head. "I can't - not when there's so much to think about." She picks up a report off the desk and sits on the edge of the bed. "Run this through with me, will you?"

I pick up a few other reports addressed to me and stand by the foot of the bed. She leans against the stone wall, getting comfortable. I'm halfway through one report when I see her pat the space next to her.

"Can you make out what Rylen means by this?" she says idly pointing to a scribbled roll of parchment.

I hesitate, but I'm so tired from the journey that to feel something soft and comfortable is a temptation I can't refuse. I sit next to her, careful not to brush against her accidentally, just incase my mind wanders to the fact that we are alone in her quarters, sat on her bed. Maker's breath…

But she focuses all of my attention on the reports in her hand and eventually we fall into a companionable silence as we work side-by-side in the candlelight. Whether it's minutes or hours, I'm unsure, but when I finally let myself look at her out of the corner of my eye, I see that she is leaning against me, her head resting on the shaggy coat around my shoulders. Her eyes are closed and her breathing deep.

I daren't move incase I disturb her, so try to focus back on a new report in my hand, but the words do not absorb. I am acutely aware of the sound of her soft breaths on my coat. Perhaps I'm imagining it, but I think I can feel her heat through my armour. She shits and rubs her neck, opening sleepy green eyes at me.

"Sorry," she mumbles, her words slurred by sleep. "Must've dozed off…"

I slide off the bed and help her lie down, pulling a blanket over. She slips into the fade almost instantly and I resume my spot on the end of the bed, reports in hand. It is not long until I follow her into the abyss of dreams.

I wake to a soft feather pillow and a warm blanket. I inhale and smell the sweetness of strawberries that remind me of my childhood. I dream of them, my siblings, so when I am pulled out of the fade into this comfort, I am momentarily confused. I blink awake, noting the sandy stone walls, the sparse decorations and the hum of a busy keep preparing for war. I sit up, scanning the room and spot Lyla leaning against the arrow-slit window, her hair falling down her back.

Even as I rise, feeling stiff and sore after sleeping in my armour, she does not move. I approach slowly and take her in my arms, no words need to be said. She sighs and relaxes against me, making my heart beat faster. I inhale the smell of her hair, trying to remember every detail about this moment as the sun rises in the east. Her hair shining in the sunrise. The delicate flush on her cheeks. The way she bites her bottom lip when deep in thought.

The door bursts open behind us, and I jump back, hands instinctively resting on the hilt of my sword out of habit.

Cassandra strides in. "Ah Commander, good, you're here already," she says. "Inquisitor, our forces have just been spotted on the horizon."

"Already?" Lyla raises her eyebrows.

"They must've pushed hard to reach here sooner," I say, moving to the desk in the middle.

"We could be at Adamant by nightfall," Cassandra finishes, a heavy silence falling. I knew this would happen, that last night would be the beginning of the end.

Lyla clears her throat and signals to a scout just outside of the door to come in. "Tell all of my Inner Circle to meet me here at once, to discuss the final battle plan," she orders, the scout salutes and marches swiftly to do her bidding.

As we wait, I stand next to her, and when Cassandra's pouring over the maps, I pretend to do so too, but I carefully place a hand on the small of Lyla's back. She feel's solid and stoic, but relaxes against my touches and glances at me though the corner of her eye. My stomach is in knots, and I slip my hand away when the Inner Circle start to enter the room. Lyla clicks her fingers and pulls her hair out of her face, into a high practical ponytail.

Once everyone is assembled, the door is closed and the room is dark and cramped. we wait as Lyla reads a final report in front of her before looking at each of her Inner Circle in turn, along with Alistair and Hawke, who both stand just in the shadows.

"My friends," she says quietly, and their chatter dies out as they listen. "This battle for Adamant will not be easy - indeed taking any fortress presents its own challenges, but this is different. There will be Grey Wardens there - Wardens who are loyal and simply following orders and Wardens whose mind's are no longer their own. We must be ruthless and forgiving; harsh but sympathetic. Despite everything, not all Warden's know what's at stake, so - where possible - I ask for minimal casualties.

"Commander Cullen will lead the vanguard and attack with the supplied trebuchets with the bulk of our forces. The new siege equipment will be used to break down the door, which is the weakest structure at the fortress. Once down, I will then lead a small division into the fort to find Clarel - and spare any Wardens along the way."

Lyla's voice is steady and strong: she lets no-one see just how tired, just how scared she is, except when she admitted it to me last night. My chest swells with pride as I see her determination rub off on those around her. She continues her talk, pacing around the desk.

"Alistair, Hawke, Blackwall, Cole and Solas will come with me into Adamant. There will be demons and abominations, so the rest of you will stay with the vanguard, under Cullen's command." They nod at her orders before she continues. "Dorian and Vivienne - I need you both to hold back and stay with the healers to help those injured. Varric and Sera: you will help oversee the archers - make sure you take down as many on the ramparts as you can see. Cassandra and Bull, you'll both lead sub-divisions and flank from the north and south respectively."

She takes a breath and stops her pacing, looking at each person in the room, her eyes linger on me a fraction longer than anyone else, but I'm probably just imaging it. "It's going to be tough, but if we march this morning and through the day then, we will attack the fortress tonight, when it will be cooler. Please take care - I'll be very upset if you do anything stupid," she smiles faintly, and there's a flicker of nervous laughter around the room. As Lyla goes over the finer details with each person I try not to worry - try not to think about anything but the task at hand.

I depart and meet the army with just a brief farewell to Lyla. She presses her hand to mine as I steady my stallion before charging out of the gates of the Griffon Wing Keep, to reconvene with the troops. I can't help but look back over my shoulder, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end as I see Lyla watching me leave.

#and we're up to date!#yay!#my da #my dragon age #War Never Changes

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dgcatanisiri · 3 years ago

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Oh for...

How did I not connect that sooner?

‘Kay, so I’ve often been over the fact that I don’t particularly care for Dorian as a character and am frustrated with him as a portrayal of a queer narrative because it not only felt intrusive on what I use as an escape from the homophobia of the world I live in (not having felt homophobia having a place in Thedas beyond little bits that stem more from the out-of-universe-writers not being able to separate themselves from the homophobic society we all exist in), but also just reduces him to a prop for the growth, development, and sympathy of his homophobic father. Even have had this whole thing about how Felix would have made for a better case of representation, a better choice as a companion, and a better choice as the face of “redeeming Tevinter,” because him being a non-mage in a society that values magic makes a metaphor for homosexuality that makes it obvious but is also not as in-your-face an anvil.

There’s also the inevitable AIDS metaphor, given his Blight sickness.

Which, I suppose, comes with its own cultural baggage, with how, given the time that AIDS was considered “the gay cancer,” makes it something that would probably be considered by some a little questionable. Y’know, there are certainly a lot of AIDS narratives built around “Hello, I am gay, I have AIDS, I am dying, and I will impart upon you A Moral and Lesson™ for you to learn from, before tragically dying.” Still, I think it would also have been a chance to SUBVERT that narrative that says that AIDS has to be a death sentence - Inquisition released in the same year that How To Get Away With Murder premiered, and that first season diagnosed Oliver with HIV, which continued to be a thing throughout the series, but he got to live a full life with the HIV controlled because we have PrEP now, without that overtaking the whole of his character, giving him things to do that weren’t focused on his illness, as well as showing that he and his boyfriend still had an active sex life together after starting PrEP.

Finding a way to treat Felix’s Blight sickness would have had a similar narrative, of arguing that this doesn’t have to be a death sentence, all while keeping it couched in the established world-building elements, rather than intrusively introducing massive societal homophobia in the third game of a series that had never brought it up to any significant degree before, even though if it was meant to be this thing, it should have, considering that Fenris is an escaped slave from Tevinter, who can get in to a relationship with Hawke (who is a rising noble - bring up how in Tevinter, gay men are expected to have their relationships with women and just use and discard their slaves, particularly the elven ones, to “get out their URGES.”), who is in a rivalry with a mage who idealizes Tevinter while having had blatant affections for a male character - not just Hawke (whose gender is variable), but also Karl (which, y’know, insert separate rant about cutting out the reference to Karl as Anders’s first time if Hawke is female, but...). Like, these are VERY obvious ways to introduce this ahead of time. That they don’t says that this wasn’t a THING until writing Dorian, which does not mesh well with the rest of the franchise, where as far back as the Cousland origin in the first game would have the noble family not bat an eyelash at hearing that the future Warden has someone of the same sex waiting for them in their bedroom, with Fergus even joking about it in front of their parents and his wife and young child. Like, argue “Tevinter is a different nation and society” if you want, but again, Fenris, who is from Tevinter, never brings this up, despite having ample opportunity to.

Y’know, it’s like how on Deep Space Nine, the Trill Reassociation taboo is obviously metaphored as standing in for homophobia, but it keeps it in the context of the universe, never making a point in the episode this is brought up in featuring two women in a relationship that it is about two women, just that these two people are doing something taboo for their society, while, because we the audience are seeing that dynamic, the metaphor is obvious without hitting you over the head with it.

Kind of a subtlety that I’d prefer over the anvil that is “homophobia is bad” that Dorian has as is.

Maybe this goes back to the BioWare writer generation gap I’ve brought up before, where writers like David Gaider and Patrick Weekes (Gaider being the one who did the majority writing with Dorian, Weekes because I saw them being one of those who spoke loudest about being moved by Dorian’s story) are queer people who would have come of age in the height of the AIDS crisis, would sooner avoid that topic and those stories. I don’t know, I wasn’t in those offices at the time, can’t speak to what was going through their minds.

Still, I feel like this would have been something that I would feel happier with, rather than Dorian, who, as a character, frustrates me to the point that I do not recruit him into my Inquisition anymore. Like, yeah, maybe the tale of the dying, suffering, too-good-for-this-sinful-world gay has its own baggage, but... It’s also a story that very clearly centers itself on the character himself. Considering that I feel like the writing of Dorian features him being played more as either a prop for the development of the straight supporting characters (his father in particular) or the sassy gay BFF for the female Inquisitor, at least that would be a point more in Felix’s favor, that he would feel like he’s there, first and foremost, for the gay men in the audience, because of things centering on him and how he is handling things.

#dg rambles #dg plays dragon age #another angry queer rant #bits of being #dorian critical #but it's not really about dorian himself

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thebloodychampion · 6 years ago

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Small things on each muse

Just two or three things:

Archer Hawke

Most people would asume that Archer hates mages like the whole bunch of them, but that is not true. He doesn’t like magic, he can see the value of it, but doesn’t want it close to him.

To strangers Archer is very abrasive, aggressive and always in fight modus basically like that (ง'̀-'́)ง. To friends and such he is the total opposite especially to people he is intimate with.

He has a greatsword called Vigilance (which yes is basically the same sword from Dragon Age Awakening xD). Which is huge, it goes almost down his whole body and ends around his knees or lower. And Archer is 6′3″.

His character song is: “I Am Human” by Escape The Fate

Cyrion Hawke

Cyrion has like a weird relationship with his hair, it is very long but he cuts it everytime. He basically cuts it when he is basically sitting on it or if birds have started nest in it.

He gets sometimes mistaken for an Avvar just from his height alone since he is roughly 6′9″ tall.

Despite him looking nothing like Archer or Dreag, they did actually look very much alike as children. Cyrion is just the least to look normal given the fact that he lives in the woods.

His character song is: “Stay” by Rectifire

Dreag Hawke

Dreag is by all accounts a Tevinter Citizen since he lived there for ten years or more. He trained under a magister and basically inherited everything from the magister. Besides the seat in the magisterium.

Dreag is also a blood mage. Since he feels like that this type of magic helps him keep his raw magical power more in control. Considering he uses his own blood to power it up. He never sacrificed an innocent person.

He is not really the best person to be around in general, not the most social guy after all.

His character song is: “Rise” by The Glitch Mob, Mako And The World Alive

Lia Tabris

Lia is very distrustful of humans, but she knows someone’s value and this is why she recruited Loghain into the grey wardens. She can be sometimes very harsh when it comes to making decisions.

She is in her canon verse married to Zevran and will sometimes refer to him as her husband this does not mean that a Zevran muse has to be married to her. Often times Lia will say that her husband is an Antivan Crow.

She is always Warden Commander but not really into the Hero of Ferelden stuff. She also keeps the Architect alive as well.

Her character song is: “Bring Me Back To Life” by Extreme Music

Sethius Amladaris

He sometimes speaks Ancient Tevene so that he can insult and talk about people better without them knowing about it. Although he probably is insulting everyone without Ancient Tevene.

He will always refer to the Old Gods as his gods and does not acknowledge the Maker and Andraste at all. He would also not set foot in a chantry not without trying to paint something on Andraste.

He is generally a well normal guy, apart from him being a bit more skilled when it comes to magic.

His character song is: “Alive” by Late Night Saviour

Elgan Lavellan

She is a necromancer. And she will never chose any other specialization than Necromancer. She likes the art behind it actually.

She is not against a romance with elves, she is just not that interested since she spent all her life surrounded by elves. Most of them she might see more as her siblings. She might also have a thing for beards. This is why she romanced Blackwall in game.

She is not an Inquisitor by default. She can be by request.

Her character song is: “Shameless” by Colorblind

Diran Lavellan

He gets always annoyed when people mistake him for a girl because of his rather feminine facial features even though he has a deep voice and is not feminine looking from his physical appearance.

He is also gay although he does sometimes flirt with women. But he only likes guys in the sexual way.

He is the default Inquisitor from my muses. But he can be a companion as well.

His character song is: “The Chosen Ones” by Dream Evil

Hjarrandr Bearhold

He is the former Augur of the Jaws Of Hakkon but he got away before the Inquisitor destroys them. He is also not following their believes that close, he is more for all the gods.

He was not always an Augur, only after his wife died and he had to chose for himself to go on revenge or just come to peace with it. He chose the latter.

He is the Augur of the same clan as Alan and Valerie from @capeshifters

His character song is: “I’m Alive” by Ends With A Bullet

Lucius Veridio

He is a slave hunter and refers to slaves most of the time as his package. He even tracks them down as far down as Ferelden or as far north as the Anderfels. He brings them always back. He also gets angry when someone harms them or kills them, which meant no money for him.

He fought in Seheron at the age of 20 up until the age of 25. So he has a slight animosity towards Qunari especially spies.

His magic is focused on ice, spirit and sometimes and very rarely blood magic. He specalized in something of a Knight Enchanter. Although he never uses it that often.

His character song is: “I Am Stronger” by Empathic

Etienne DeLechanger / Petyr Gallus

Etienne and Petyr are actually characterwise the same, he was never one for great ambition and only went with the plan to enter the Fade almost out of boredom.

Etienne really likes sex and will not see it as something that has to be hidden away.

Etienne’s physical appearance is an illusion form his own magic. He has multiple scars on his face and a blind eye.

His character song is: “I’m Dangerous” by The Everlove

#relevant #hjarrandr bear hold #etienne delechanger #lucius veridio #dreag hawke #cyrion hawke #lia tabris #elgan lavellan #diran lavellan

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