#i love the Anders-Dorian parallels

[invinciblerodent]

and now that I'm on my "musing about Dragon Age" bullshit once more, now that that stuff is all swirling in my mind again, I'm once again conflicted on who to have as my canon Origins romance!!!!

because.... if I go with Leliana, first of all I fucking love her and it works with the character I have going for that game wonderfully, I'm 3/3 on the "be gay do crime" aspect (Leliana with fAeducan, Anders with mHawke, Dorian with mTrevelyan), AND I really like the thought of the Warden-Commander just casually being married to the Divine, which is overall also just better for Thedas anyway.

BUT!!!!! on the other hand, if I go with Alistair, then if I do end up with Davrin as my canon boo in Veilguard, I can be 3/4 on romancing the tragic Grey Warden dudes, plus the whole "romanced Alistair remains a Grey Warden and barely escapes the Fade by the skin of his teeth only to stare the Calling between the eyes only a few years later" can make for some absolutely bloody delicious drama, AND!!!!!! then my otherwise underdeveloped Hawke can turn into this giant piece of connective tissue, this sinewy throughline of gristle across all the games???

Like...... Hawke's sacrifice saves Alistair, but hurts Anders, completing that circle around games 1 and 2. Then, the "Ten years -- a hundred years from now -- someone like me will love someone like you, and there will be no Templars to tear them apart." line that set up my Dorian romance beautifully, can trail from 2 and 3 all the way into Veilguard- in which the Inquisitor can either mirror Hawke in his fate and complete another circle, OR subvert the parallel by surviving, and complete Anders' prophecy!!! Plus, if I make my Rook reminiscent of my Warden in some little ways, those two can then act as another pair of mirror images, and both love Grey Wardens with full knowledge of the tragedy they carry!!!!!!

I just. Grrraahhh!!!! Too much about Hawke was set for my to get SUPER invested into them as a character, but I get so hyped about them existing sort of a ghost that connects everything.

I'm so fucking hyped about Hawke having known Alistair, who, because he survived the Fade and left for Weisshaupt, then knows Davrin, and Anders and Dorian being mirror images of one another in that latter got all that had slipped through the former's fingers, and is anyone even still reading this because I'm just vomiting words out of myself at this point, I'm so bloody excited

[broodwolf221]

meta that's mostly about vivienne and her pro-circle views, but also touches on both sera and anders. I love them all and that shows, none of this is character hate, but I'm trying to explore the nuance at play here

adding character hate on this post will get you blocked

cws: mentions of the following: abuse; starvation; murder

obviously sera and vivienne are very, very different from each other... but I think one important commonality between them is a desire to avoid anarchy as a solution

sera doesn't want the red jennies to become a new political power - she wants to keep the current batch of nobles on edge, knowing that the "red jenny" may come for them if they fuck up too much. she also doesn't want to take out all the current nobles bc she knows that new ones will rise to take their place. she hates the nobles, but she also sees how an anarchist revolution would harm the very people she cares about, those she's trying to help as a red jenny

vivienne doesn't want to abolish the circles, but she also doesn't want to permit the abuses within them... but she, quite realistically, views the destruction of the chantry/subsequent vote for the dissolution of the circles as an inciting factor in the mage-templar war

anders' actions gave people new and immediate reason to fear mages. whether he was right to do it or not - and I tend to think he was - does not preclude it having consequences, even those that directly harm the very group he was trying to liberate

further, the function of the circles as a place for mages to train is necessary, and is also why I personally tend to feel a little uncomfortable with direct parallels being made to rl groups. no minority or oppressed group in rl can accidentally burn down the family barn because they get upset. I'm all for ppl making these connections if that works for them, but I always look at things first and foremost as existing within their canon context, not referencing reality outside of it

with that in mind... training mages is necessary. they need to be able to avoid possession, to learn to control their abilities, etc. does it need to be in a circle tower? no! ofc not! but there does need to be a form of training

vivienne sees the circles as fulfilling that role. the dissolution of them plunged mages into uncertainty - the anarchy she is so opposed to. who will train new mages now? how will they even be discovered?

in banter with dorian, sera once mentions a mage who got picked up by the templars, so he's "better now." dorian reacted with shock, asking if she knew what the southern circles are like, and she replied that he got three square meals a day, a cot. and he wouldn't starve or be killed in the street, both of which she'd seen

this isn't saying circles are the ideal, because they have abuses occurring within them too. the one in kirkwall seemed to be the worst, but we can't know the extent of it in every circle throughout time. it is, however, a place with a severe power imbalance and stark controls placed upon people as a matter of course

it is also the current and only solution within a large part of thedas. without it, what will happen to those kids who get mad and burn a building down? will the non-mages around them be kind, or will they be brutal? will they be able to turn them over to rogue apostates?

this is the problem with anarchy imo - some systems absolutely deserve to be destroyed, but there are a LOT of people who are going to fall through the cracks in an anarchist revolution

so, tl;dr: anders was right. and vivienne is right. circles are bad, but they are also the only system in place rn. and sera and vivienne have an anti-anarchy pov that they share, which is very interesting to me.

[housecantori]

For the DA asks 7, 9, and 19?

Warden: Cara would say Shianni, then frown and say her dad, then shake her head and say Zevran. Then she would get mad about the idea of only choosing one

Hawke: Brighid faced this choice herself, when it became clear her best efforts weren't enough and her friends were scattering. She chose Anders over safety, in the end.

Inquisitor: Her Keeper, during most of the game. Solas, later down the road when she spends a decade searching for his ass.

Warden: Is it too cheap to say gift giving? Lmao, but honestly I can see Cara being the kind of person to lean on people she loves and trusts. Physically leaning on them, I mean, like to get comfy by the fire or lounge around.

Hawke: Brighid is an Acts of Service kind of girl through and through. To the point it can pull her apart at the seams.

Inquisitor: Quality time, for sure. Bellanaris will spend long amounts of time with her friends in the Inner Circle. Magical theory discussions with Dorian, historical stories and dreams with Solas, roof time with Sera (that one's more parallel play)

Warden: Cara is afraid of certain kinds of death. She doesn't want to die in the Deep Roads so strongly she's going to cure the Calling about it.

Hawke: If the Maker were to let Brighid die, it would mean she could finally fucking rest. The Maker isn't that kind to her though.

Inquisitor: Absolutely. She does not want to die even a little. She has things she has to get done. Things she wants to do. People she wants to see. She can NOT die.

[mtdreamcatcher]

Bro I was on TikTok watching Dorian edits, cause he’s my blorbo, and someone commented about parallels between Anders and Dorian. They said the “I think I’ve seen this film before and I didn’t like the ending” audio could work and I have not known peace since.

Both are mages coming from a horribly corrupt system. they’ve come out the other end scarred, physically and mentally. Both strived to fix things, but Anders failed and Dorian is still trying.

I swear, if something happens to Dorian imma lose it.

Just thinking about my inquisitor standing horrified amongst the ashes. Wide eyed, struggling to process what was in front of him. His heart shattering as he no longer sees the man he loves but a monster. I’m not okay, lol :,)

[imjusthereforbatfam]

Okay, I saw that you like Dragon Age too, and I gotta know, who do you think Jason would romance???

Oh ho ho~💕

My dear Duke (Kansas??), you have come to the wrong right place.

Gonna put a Keep Reading cut here because I know myself and I know I'm gonna go crazy with this BUT LET'S GO!!!!!!

Canonically, we've seen that Jason is generally attracted to intelligent, independent women who can (and would) kick his ass. The people he's attracted to also tend to compliment his sarcastic sense of humor — whether that's being sarcastic themselves or just responding to it with the right sort of beat.

So I think for the first game it's pretty safe to say he'd romance the HECK out of Morrigan. However, I also think he'd be a little charmed by Alistair, too, and would do a second playthrough as female Warden just to see what that's like. (I think sweet Alistair's total swooning devotion might be a little hard for Jason to take at times, but it's such a pure love I think he'd ultimately enjoy it.)

For DA2, it gets a little trickier.

My initial thought is Isabella, for the same reasons as above. Also because I think he'd really enjoy her "I do what I want when I want, with whom I want" attitude. The man drinks his Respect Women Juice all day every day. But I can also see him really connecting with Anders and Fenris, too.

I don't know if he'd actually be able to complete a romance with Anders though, because I feel like he might eventually get a little too uncomfortable with the parallels between the two of them — becoming a nearly completely different person thanks to a traumatic event (Anders: hosting Justice/Vengence vs Jason: murdered & coming back), being literally overtaken by blind rage (Vengence vs pit rage), the willingness to "go too far" and the backlash that follows, etc. I think this is especially true if he's already completed the game before and knows he's eventually going to have to judge Anders's life for his crimes. Idk I just feel like it might overwhelm him?

I think he'd immediately be intrigued by Mr. Ripped-a-dude's-heart-out-of-his-chest-with-my-bare-hand and I do think he'd enjoy brooding and being pissy/dramatic with Fenris, but I'm also not sure he'd finish out that romance either. Namely because Jason tends to be The Dramatic Broody One and him being with another Dramatic Brooder feels like it might eventually... idk I don't want to say it'll fizzle out, but I do think he would have more long-term investments with someone a little more grounded/lighter than him. Also when Fenris leaves him in Act II?? idk if he would get over that... Maybe but idk

For inquisition... dear god, I have no clue.

I feel like he'd wish he could romance Vivianne because she just oozes confidence, intelligence, and a sense of being in control of her destiny in a way that I think he'd really be attracted to. But alas.

Maybe Cassandra because she definitely has the "I can and will kick your ass" vibes and is a tank of a woman. I feel like Jason has a weird relationship with faith though, so her constant Maker talk might not be great. But at the same time, he really likes loyalty so maybe he'd be inspired by her devotion 🤷 When he finds out she likes reading trashy romance novels I think he'll initially scoff but find it endearing.

I don't know if Dorian is usually his type as far as men go – I see Jason liking guys who are a little more laid back – but I can see him really enjoying his sense of humor and loving the fact that he's a bookworm and researcher so he'd being willing to try it out. Ultimately, I think he would really enjoy romancing Dorian because the man's a total nerdy sweetheart under all that dramatic sass like Jason and Jason would like the feeling of being the one Dorian trusts to fully let his guard down with.

hmm... yeah. Actually, now that I think about it some more, I feel like once he romances Dorian for that first time he'll become Jason's go-to L.I. for Inquisition.

Anyway! What are your thoughts? Agreements? Disagreements?

I'm curious to know! 🥰🥰🥰

[tonystarkfucksaround]

So....Cherik Drqgon age.

Erik as Blackwall who somehow ended up as the inquistor with opening portals and shit. (Blackwall aka my favorite and toughest bitch)

Logan as the Iron bull

Emma....Vivienne obviously because she's THAT bitch.

Raven as Sera (I hate Raven but people hate Sera for some reason. SHE'S UNDERRATED AS FUCK! HAVE YOU SEEN THE BOWS SUE GETS TO SHOOT! THERE IS A BOW THAT WILL LITERALLY BLOW UP THE ENEMY! AND HER SPECIAL MOVE CUTS! THAT MOVE HAS SAVED MY ASS SO MANY TIMES LIKE YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE!)

If not Angel can be Sera. Let Raven be Iliyana.

Moria as Cassandra. (She gets a Lotta damage but that bitch ain't giving up.)

Charles....um Solas? I don't know. Pale smart bastard. You don't suspect him at first but once you found out the truth. You can't help but wonder. WHEN WAS THIS WHEN THE ENEMY SENT A DRAGON TO KILL US! YOU TELL ME THAT YOU WEREN'T AS WEAK AS YOU APPEARED TO BE! It's the kind of rage that you never really get over.

I don't know who would be Dorian. Janos?

Selene obviously Morragan.

Apocalypse as corypheus

Varric.....Gambit?

Cole....Peter. except you know the dead part. No dead quicksilver on this shit. I'm not Joss Whedon.

I only know Dragon age Inquisition. I don't know who else the rest would be.

Ohhhh I like this idea!! A fusion of two of my favorite things? SIGN ME THE FUCK UP

Tbh I think that in DA!verse it would make sense if mutants were mages, because they’re two opressed groups fighting for their rights, and you have Circle of Magi (controlled by the Templars) and apostate mages (which could be paralleled to Erik’s Brotherhood).

Blackwall as Erik though... lmao they do both have some sort of lumberjack aesthetic, don’t they? :D Also the fact that Blackwall tried to hide his real identity and was actually on a run!

I don’t mind Raven, and I think she could’ve been Leliana maybe? They’re both talented spies, after all!

Viviene as Emma is a perfect fit! Also LOVE Cassandra as Moira, especially since they both have kinda started their corresponding teams!

I’M STILL CACKLING BECAUSE I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THE PARALLELS BETWEEN SOLAS AND CHARLES JUST THE OTHER DAY (and let’s get real, there’s at least one VERY PROMINENT parallel, ie THEM EGG). But also yeah, could’ve worked! A wise and patient mentor at first sight who turns out to be someone insanely powerful... not sure how the whole Dread Wolf thing fits Charles, but it could’ve been an interesting take on dark!Charles!

Love Corypheus as Apocalypse! Both undead/undying bastards with a god complex :DD

Iron Bull as Logan sent me cackling, makes sense too!! Although Bull seems more gentle than Logan sometimes XD Still, a huge scary looking hunk who cares for his people... sounds about right! Also iirc Logan used to have a team of his own (or at least lead the X-men at some point?) in other verses (there was an animated series, I’m pretty sure, and probably some comic runs?), so also adds up!

Cole seems a little too melancholic to be Peter for me... but I can’t think of any other characters for either of them :D

But really, speaking of Dragon Age games, I think you would’ve enjoyed DA2, I wouldn’t go into details about other characters if you don’t know them, but there you have Fenris - a runaway slave whose master experimented on him and made him into a terrifying weapon (and who kills his former master in the end), which sounds familiar huh? ;D - and then there’s Anders - a soft-spoken mage who runs a free clinic for people but who is also possessed by a spirit of Justice (that later transforms into Vengeance). Both have Erik vibes (esp with the stunt that Anders pulls at the end when he blows up the Chantry and essentially starts a war), although I think with the rivalry between the two they’d make a good Erik/Charles parallel!

[taki118]

Fenabela the looked over ship (a DA2 meta)

~~slight TW: mentions of abuse~~

Fenabela is one of those things often pushed to the side in the Dragon Age fandom, I find. Despite being a cannon ship there aren’t many fics or art dedicated to the pair. This is especially noted when compared to Adoribull (and the fact that the personalities of Dorian and Bull parallel Fenris and Isabela)

Now part of this is of course taste, most people having dubbed Isabela their wife or Fenris their husband and disliking pairing them with anyone other than Hawke or shipping with other npcs. To each their own I realize not everyone can multiship.

However I have noted a few general misconceptions or certain readings that get passed around and a few critics on the narrative that really need to addressed.

And I will display and counter these things here so strap in. (Obligatory sex joke)

Before that I want to state it is not my intention to tell anyone what they can and can’t ship. However I have found a good deal of unwarranted hate towards this ship and wish to defend it and explain why one might ship it. I do greatly enjoy this pair but I will do my best to remain objective.

I don’t like the characters

Of course if you don’t like characters involved in a ship you won’t like it. But Fenris and Isabela are often misunderstood or misread so I’ll go over some things for each quickly.

Fenris

Generally speaking Fenris is the fan favorite of DA2 (and I think a surprise one to the BioWare crew as I’m fairly certain they thought Anders would be the most popular).

However if you aren’t a fan of the broody archetype you likely won’t like him at least for half the game, towards the end he grows to be more relaxed and open.

Another general issue with him is his hatred of mages and support of the Chantry. While his feelings are understandable it can get grating. But again this softens as the game goes on if you weren’t an ass to him by the end he is willing to put his own issues to the back to protect mages and even stating he respects Mage Hawke or Bethany indicating mages who prove themselves to be humble and strong willed are able to earn his trust.

Isabela

Now Isabela is, at least I’ve found to be, one of the more polarizing and misunderstood characters in Dragon Age, and as such I’ll do a more in-depth meta on her at a later date. But here are some common things noted in regards to this ship.

People often think Isabela is a selfish bitch who doesn’t care about anyone but herself. However this is only if you don’t learn about her. The best quote I can give is from Act 3 between her and Anders.

Anders: I always knew you had a heart of gold

Isabela: shush don’t tell anyone.

Isabela has lived a life where she was shown that no good deed goes unpunished and as such tries to hide this aspect of herself. You gotta remember the whole reason she did the Qunari job is because she couldn’t go through with bringing slaves to Tevinter and was forced to steal the tome as compensation.

It wasn’t built up/rushed

Now I can’t be certain on this as I obviously don’t work for BioWare but it should be noted that:

1- this was the first time BioWare had a Love Interest romance and likely wasn’t sure about how much they should do. The next one was Talibrations in Mass Effect 3 that had around the same level build up followed by Adoribull that was given more time to develop naturally.

2- It seems like they wanted to do more but with the notorious 2 year time crunch by EA couldn’t. You can see this in the purposely added dialogue for them in dlc

Of course I am only guessing here but given this it sort of makes sense why it is the way it is. they were likely trying to find a balance between believable and non intrusive that was later utilized better in DAI but you gotta start somewhere.

Fenris doesn’t like Isabela or her flirting

I just um ok this is just so wrong I’m sorry I’m trying to be objective and shit but like come on.

So I know the line most go to, to prove this it’s

Fenris: From what I gather, you like a lot of things.

Isabela: Nonsense. But when I see something I like, I go after it.

Fenris: I suggest keeping your distance.

BUT that’s only if Fenris is romancing Hawke if he isn’t the banter is instead

Fenris: From what I gather, you like a lot of things.

Isabela: Nonsense. But when I see something I like, I go after it.

Fenris: Do you intend to go after me, then?

Isabela: Will you take off all that spiky armor you're wearing?

Fenris: It's been known to happen.

That’s a big tone difference isn’t it. In the first version he pushes her away as he’s interested in Hawke currently but in the second he’s flirting right back.

While yes in Act 1 he’s unsure and unused to her flirting but by Act 2 he’s willingly playing along. I mean he wouldn’t offer to play “Guess the color of my underclothes” with her if he didn’t enjoy it. It’s a safe way for Fenris to explore his sexuality and the only reason he tells her to back off at that time is because he’s serious about pursuing Hawke.

And no matter what Fenris respects her if only for one thing

Fenris: So you freed a group of slaves?

Isabela: Would-be slaves. They weren't slaves yet.

Fenris: Still, you did the right thing. Many would turn a blind eye.

Isabela: Don't read too much into it, all right? It just seemed a good idea at the time.

Like fundamentally I don’t think Fenris can hate someone who freed slaves.

It’s toxic/just about sex

I feel like this is more a jab at Isabela but again it’s over simplifying her character. Because here’s the thing most people over look when saying this ship is toxic for Fenris cause he’s a sexual abuse survivor ISABELA IS ONE TOO.

Isabela doesn’t really talk of her past much but from the dialogue given in game and tie in material we do know that

- her husband Louis purchased her from her mother young in the 10-13 age range

- he likely intended to groom her to be his perfect bride what with the lessons, gifts and such

- he forced himself on her and when isabela rebelled against him it’s implied he either did or was going to allow his friends to do so as well. To again let me reiterate a girl young enough to be his daughter.

Regardless of what exactly happened this did effect Isabela just in a different way. Isabela took autonomy of her body back once he was dead. Look some survivors of traumatic experiences are terrified of ever encountering it again but others continuously face the action head on to refuse it power, both are valid ways to deal with it. One is just less noticeable/sympathetic.

This line of thinking also ignores that literally the first intimate thing Fenris does when he enters a relationship with Hawke is have sex. They don’t ease into it just bam sex, but I have yet to see a Fenhawke is toxic hot take. which I mean I could make easily. Don’t believe me?

In the act 2 romance scene Fenris is angry, raw and emotional and taking it out on Hawke verbally before psychically pushing Hawke against a wall. when Fenris realizes what he’s done and pulls back Hawke immediately kisses him and they have sex. I could say Hawke took advantage of Fenris in his emotional state for their own sexual gratification. I don’t actually believe that but I could claim it. if you’re thinking that’s insane, you are correct but that’s the point it is very easy to twist things to fit a narrative if you really want to.

Now you might be thinking “Well it’s different Isabela just wants to use Fenris for sex” and if you think sex is just sex with Isabela you haven’t been paying attention.

Again I’ll go more into this with my isabela meta but to her sex is safe, it can’t hurt her but people can so she keeps them at arms length. With sex she can get the pyshical closeness she craves while keeping her feelings locked away in one night stands/flings. So the fact that she WANTS to continue seeing Fenris almost immediately after their first tour below deck is telling. And the fact he wants to continue just as much shows the relationship is as much his choice as it is hers.

And speaking of sex...

the memory plot hole

The main confusion I see people have with this ship is the Fenris gets memories after sex bit. And I get why it’s kinda vague but let me assure you it’s not a plot hole.

When you romance Fenris in Act 2 he leaves after having sex with Hawke due to memories returning and being unable to handle them. The confusion I see is often “so what sex with Hawke was so good it gave Fenris memories but not Isabela?” Or “why is it only Hawke?” The answer, it’s just a matter of timing.

The scene in question with Hawke only takes place in Act 2 but Fenris and Isabela don’t hook up until Act 3 and those three years in between make all the difference.

Act 2 Fenris has been free from Danarious(I will not spell his name right sorry) for at least 6 years but he’s still controlled by the man. He’s pissed at the lack of leads and when he gets one demands you go after it immediately and will straight up leave the party if you take too long. The reason is twofold he wants revenge and he’s afraid.

Fenris has only just started to carve out a life for himself in Kirkwall but he’s terrified that whatever life he has there will be torn away by Darnarious. Cause it’s happened before. So when he engages with Hawke and he’s flooded with these mostly happy memories it’s too much. He can’t handle it, at that time.

In just three years Fenris becomes a much more open and relaxed person. by Act 3 he has weekly card nights with Varric and Donnic, willingly helps Aveline and is even more relaxed about mages. The idea that he once had a life and a family before Danarious and that he can have one now isn’t as daunting or impossible to him as it was in Act 2.

It’s not that he doesn’t get the memories when sleeping with Isabela it’s only that he’s now in a place where he can handle them. Had Hawke the option to tell Fenris to take things slow in Act 2 the pair likely would not have separated. However that’s not what happened Fenris thought that he could handle it but couldn’t as he was in Act 2.

Don’t believe well Fenris himself says so to Hawke in Act 3 when asked why he left.

Fenris: the pain, the memories it brought up... it was too much. I was coward. If I could go back I would stay.

I’m not surprised people either missed or didn’t pick on this bit it happens late in the game and it is entirely possible to miss this branch of dialogue but it’s there and confirms what I stated. It’s not a plot hole only a matter of timing. Hawke had bad timing Isabela didn’t.

By Act 3 he’s in a better place mentally and is able to feel okay with the memories, with intimacy and with the idea of having a life. Whether or not Fenris and Isabela are serious about the relationship is irrelevant (though I head cannon they tell themselves it’s just a fling only to still be together years later) it’s the fact that he feels he can engage in this fashion with someone that’s important.

It should have been Isabela x Merrill

Now I can’t argue with people’s taste that’s ridiculous and I can see the appeal they’re cute. However it’s not something they could simply put in the game like Fenabela.

Let me explain. The reason it works in DA2 is cause it’s a light, flirty and fun type relationship and even if you don’t ship it, the idea is easy to chew off. If you play through their romances the idea that the two characters with huge trusts issues hooking up for fun isn’t that hard to buy.

Merrill however would require more than a couple teasing lines of dialogue. The reason being her romance plot.

The first thing Merrill says after having sex with Hawke is “I love you” if you don’t think Isabela would freak out at that and jump on the first boat she could find I don’t know but I’d like to hear your reasoning.

It takes Isabela a long ass time to be ok with saying and being told that with Hawke. It’s a big part of her romance arc.

Sooooo if one were to play through both their romances then play a game where they got together off screen it would require more dialogue than what Fenabela got otherwise it’d be a far bigger plot hole issue as the pair do not move at the same emotional speed.

Like I can’t see Merrill being into having a casual fling even by Act 3 and I can’t see Isabela being ok with a serious relationship either without a good deal of added dialogue and scenes.

Now this one is the most subjective part of the meta, I’m well aware, but with how BioWare handles their side romances Isabela x Merrill just could not be folded into the narrative as easily as Fenabela and likely would have been too intrusive for those uninterested in side romances.

So we’ve covered the main misconceptions and complaints on the ship. now to get into why Fenabela does work, and why people like this ship.

Their romances parallel each other

Something I noticed about the Kirkwall crew (and I might make a meta on it damn I got so many things to write) is that they each parallel and reflect each other (which is one of the reasons I dislike the Sebastian addition cause he kinda screws it up)

Aveline and Varric:

- Both are non romanceable

- Need Hawkes help to sort out their personal lives

- Both thrive in the friendship Hawke gives them

Merrill and Anders:

- both thirsty AF for Hawke and immediately move in

- both have blinders on in regards to their goals and ideals, Merrill with the mirror and Anders with well you know

- this also causes problems for both in their relationships with Hawke

So then we have Fenris and Isabela

- both wear a mask of indifference in Act 1 that is peeled away by Hawke in Act 3

- both runaway/try to distance themselves from Hawke and their relationship in Act 2 only to renew it in Act 3

- and both NEED to feel they can trust Hawke in order to move forward

Now unlike Merrill and Anders who’s conflict with Hawke is mostly situational (ie were it not for the mirror and being in Kirkwall aka mage torture capital of the free marches, there would be no problem) Fenris and Isabela’s conflicts are purely emotional and an emotion they share

Leading us to

They are damaged in similar ways

The main conflicts in their romances is fear.

A fear of happiness and a fear of love.

They both think that if they were to get that which they desire most they’d lose it or it’d be used against them or most of all they aren’t deserving of it and will never receive it.

And this is entirely because of what happened to them in life prior to arriving in Kirkwall.

They lived lives where love and happiness were things that could be used against them. A weakness to exploit or a reward to be taken away. So it makes sense that for their romance arcs they have to have trust to believe this love and happiness with Hawke is worth the risk.

So it’s safe to say that we’re they not romanced by Hawke it’s only natural they’d be drawn to one another. We often look for similarities in our partners sometimes it’s in appearance, others it’s values but for them it’d be their shared pain and fear.

Hawke: you’re not afraid of being hurt you’re afraid of hurting someone else

Isabela: no I look it isn’t like that it’s just easier this way

Isabela: you were right. I wasn’t afraid of love I was afraid of being loved.

Fenris: I killed them all

Hawke: why would you do such a thing?

Fenris: I felt it inevitable. My master had returned and this...this fantasy life was over.

Fenris: I’m sorry. All I ever wanted was to be happy...just for a little while. Forgive me.

Its why they are implied to have a more casual relationship in Act 3 than they would with Hawke. Hawke doesn’t have the same issues with intimacy as they do thus would take longer. And there is an appeal to the idea of two people finding comfort and support in one another even if it’s only temporary.

Isabela = fog warriors

So this is something I literally just noticed as I was working on this meta but um the Fog Warriors who helped Fenris after he first was free of Danarious whom he speaks of fondly greatly resemble Isabela at least in the traits he describes that he seems to find the most appealing.

Fenris: I had grown fond of the rebels. They bowed to no master and fought for their freedom.

Fenris: I had only been with them a few months but in that time I had felt I truly lived. They were bold, strong, free with their affections. I was in awe of them.

Like let’s take what he says here out of context for a second.

He says he was in awe and felt truly alive with someone who was

- bold - strong - free with affection - rebellious

- defiant - strong sense of freedom

That kinda describes Isabelas base personality perfectly. I can’t state that this was intentional or even if Fenris was aware but it’s not a long shot to say that Fenris would be drawn and attracted to people like this for this reason.

Their banter is cute

I mean I know it’s subjective but they do have some great back and forth and if you enjoy flirty snarky people it opens up some great opportunities in fan fiction and such. Characters who play well off each other are always more desirable and they got a great wise guy/straight man thing going.

They spend more time than we know together

A thing that can be overlooked easily it that each act has about 3 years in between them making the total run in the game about 9 years. We know from banter that the various characters interact with each other regularly regardless of whether or not Hawke is there. (Something I wish they could do more if EA got their heads out of their asses and gave us re release!)

Anyway we know from these brief moments that

- Fenris lets isabela visit the mansion

- isabela helps him out from time to time

- she’s one of the few people who’s opinion on mages he considers

- they play cards and/or make bets with each other

- they interact enough that Varric takes notice in the MOA dlc

it’s again something that’s fun to play with in fiction.

To summarize

- it’s not toxic

- they like interacting with one another

- there is no plot hole

- it’s not just about sex

- they were the easiest to pair up on the side

- they parallel each other

- share similar fears and traumas

- their personalities are fun to play with for fans

Fenabela really does not deserve the hate or lack of care it gets from the fandom. It’s the story of two damaged people finding support in one another if only for a short time and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying that.

Again I’m not saying this ship is better than any other, I’m not trying to get you to jump ship all this meta is here for is to clear up some misconceptions and unwarranted hate, and bring some much needed spot light to this ship that is often overlooked.

Anyway I want to thank anyone who read through this whole thing for their time and if you’d like to discuss any points here with me please reblog with “makers breath” first and I’ll 100% be up for talking (if you didn’t bother to read and just want to rant at me I will ignore it) I plan on making more of these as well as finishing fics but this topic has weighed on me for some time.

[euryalex]

25 Dragon Age Questions

Thank you @aimryax and @lelibela for tagging me ^-^ idk who to tag so go ahead if you want to do this

01) Favourite game of the series?

DA2, probably?

02) How did you discover Dragon Age?

ok so i was playing the sims w origin and i was like ‘hmm i want free game’ so i started playing the da:i demo but a while later i met my friend @swingxilly and she and her best friend played it so i was like ‘ok imma try too’

03) How many times you’ve played the games?

hmm DA:O once, DA:II twice and da:i... 10 times completely, at least

04) Favourite race to play as?

hmm imma go with.... human

05) Favourite class?

Mages!!!

06) Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time?

nope i do the same thing every time

07) Go-to adventuring group?

DAO: Alistair, Wynne and Leliana

DA2: idk anders is permanently there, for sure

DAI: idk? Sera, a lot, or Blackwall. Mostly Sera, Vivienne and Cassandra bc they’re overpowered

08) Which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

hmmm I guess Evan?? idk?

09) Favourite romance?

Leliana, Anders, Sera and Dorian

10) Have you read any of the comics/books?

I read the first book and I’m trying to read the others

11) If you read them, which was your favourite book?

The Stolen Throne

12) Favourite DLCs?

hmm idk like... the DLC in DA:O and DAII are nice but the fact that DA:I portrays the Inquisition as good and pure and totally not filled with spies and the chantry as a good thing, but then you get to the DLC which is just... a major punch in the face lol

13) Things that annoy you.

the racism, the homophobia, the ableism and all that

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

Ferelden

15) Templars or mages?

Mages

16) If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

hmm no, don’t think so :p

17) What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

ok so i had a mabari named cole bc my childhood friend had a dog named cole and i miss him. and in da2 i had barkspawn

18) Have you installed any mods?

i amn..........;;a poor consol player.................................i canot change this.....................

19) Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden?

Solona was glad to be gone from the circle.

Lyna didn’t want to leave at all lol. duncan had to use the uhh conscription thingy bc she kept being like ‘no let me stay here and die plz’

Elissa wanted to join from the beginning

And Faren... idk i think he wanted to stay in Orzammar

20) Hawke’s personality?

My Marian is blue :D

21) Did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition?

Not intently, or directly. Sera and Valyna wore matching colours once, that’s the only one i remember

22) If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

Solona: hmm........ idk? Oh, go back to save the dude’s daughter in Redcliffe (bc i’m a dum dum who forgot)

Marian: go back in time to save her mom, tell anders she knows what he’s doing and how she approves...

Evan: Hmm... he’s a dork and wouldn’t change anything he’d just go back to fall in love with dorian all over again

23) Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

hmm no not really

24) Who did you leave in the Fade?

Loghain lol. i love hawke, stroud and alistair too much and loghain can die for all i care

25) Favourite mount?

BATTLE NUG! BATTLE NUG! BATTLE NUG!

[enchantment1385]

🐉 Age Questions

I was tagged by the very lovely, @nerdierholler to give up some of my darkest gaming secrets... Yaaay! Thank you, darling XD 

1. Favourite game of the series? Wow... Not pulling any punches, are we? Honestly, they all have things I adore and all have things I dislike. I’ve played DAO more than the others, but that’s because it’s the oldest of them all. I love the camp mechanic and just how in depth Origins is, but the combat is... dated? Da2 has Hawke, which for me is a winner in itself.  And DAI has so many wonderful characters.  

2. How did you discover 🐉 Age? I honestly can not even remember at this point! I remember playing DAO when it was quite ‘new’. I remember dying, aaannnnd then i didn’t play it again until someone showed me how amazing DAI looked. So, I bought it and then got back into them all in a big way, and destroyed my life in doing so! 

3. How many times have you’ve played the games?  Ahahahahaha... Umm... I don’t know..?  Let’s put it this way, on my laptop alone (as in ALL my console hours, which is a whole lot, not counted.) I have clocked up over 1200 hours on DAO, 720 on DA2, and 1250 on DAI... So, yes. Now you all know how very sad I am... 

4. Favourite race to play as? Dwarfs, they hands down have the BEST and funniest dialog options.

5. Favourite class? DAO; Dual wield rogue  DAI & DA2; Mage. Oh, so many mages...

6. Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time? I kinda vary it, but not as much as I sometimes want to. I’ve never done a pure ‘asshole’ playthrough, even though sometimes I would like to see how it ends up. I blame Bioware for making the NPC’s likeable.

7. Go-to adventuring group? DAI: Alistair, Zevran, Shale. DA2: Varric, Fenris/Carver, Anders. DAI: Varric, Dorian, and random. My 3rd spot always changes so I can hear as much awesome dialog as possible. 

8. Which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

This poor sod...  Viridis - My DAO dalish elf is a close second, but she’s dead, so her struggle is over, and she went out a hero. Poor Faeron suffers every. single. day. And still finds some reason to try and smile. 

9. Favourite romance? Alistair. But that is helped hugely thanks to cute (and not so cute) mods.  This is actually hard because, Although I like to romance certain people more than others, that isn’t me saying that their romance is my favourite.  I mean, I freakin’ love Dorian, but out of all the romances I feel his was done really well, but... A little quick compared to others which had a nicer, spread over time, thing, going on. 

10. Have you read any of the comics/📚? I read one... But that was a long while ago now.  It was good! They’re just pretty pricey and very rarely on sale. 

11. If you read them, which was your favourite 📓? The one I read? 

12. Favourite DLCs? All are acceptable answers, bar trespasser. - I don’t care what you say, I know it was amazing. I know it was stunning. I know it answered a lot of questions and set up DA4 in a great way and such - BUT

This. This is too much. HE’S ALREADY LOST HIS LOVER - AND THEN THE AVERAGE, BALD, WOLF, WHO STOLE FAERON’S ARMOUR BTW, THEN RIPS HIS SODDING ARM OFF?! 

FUCK YOU, BIOWARE.

13. Things that annoy you? Invisible walls. Boundaries and made to be broken!  And doors in DAI. I am always getting stuck behind one instead of running through the doorway. Please tell me it’s not just me?! I miss the doors of DAO and DA2. I am willing to sacrifice immersion on that one small point, I just want to get through the doorway, please. 

14. Orlais or Ferelden? Who in the shit picks Orlais? For Ferelden!! 

15. Templar's or Mages? Mages. Especially as i’m playing one 95% of the time.

16. If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one? Depends.  Jereth, Xander, Tobias, and Faeron & Nico, are all from the same timeline, and my ‘canon’ run if you like. Xander also has a sister (other than Bethany) who is from the same time, but also has her own separate parallel play-through.  I mix and match backgrounds. 

17. What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc.) Jereth called his mabari, Captain blightballs, because he is forever 12, and thinks it’s funny. Xander’s mabari was named Wrex, as in Wrex from Mass Effect.  Faeron’s Halla is named Ghilas, which is elven for ‘to go’.  Nico’s horse (yes a horse and NOT a halla) is called stormy, which is a RP in joke.

18. Have you installed any mods? Oh hell yes! Many, many mods. Gods bless you mod makers! You guys make everything so much better! And I say this as someone who has played all the games, many times, totally un-modded.  Lots of better textures for CC, gameplay changes, cheats. You name it! It’s not like I don’t know the base game at this point. 

19. Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden?       Yes, and no.  Did Jereth want to get out of the circle, and possibly being made tranquil? Oh yes! Yes indeed. However, did he want to drink blood cocktails, watch his bromies die, and actually have to do stuff?  Not so much. 

20. Hawke’s personality? Purple. They always all end up as purple... Or at least, varying degrees. I can’t not.  Xander is 100% purple, bar maybe 4 occasions in the whole game. 

21. Did you make matching armour for your companions in Inquisition? Heh... I have TWINS. I had to try and remember who was wearing what, and which parts were dyed, and then make two sets... Utter nightmare. 

22. If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change? Jereth wouldn’t change anything, because he isn’t that wise. Plus, in his mind he ended up coming out ahead.  Xander would have tried to save Bethany and paid more attention to his mother. He’d just try and be more responsible, I guess, but probably end up failing and just being the same smartass as ever.  Faeron... My poor boy... Faeron would do it all differently if he could. I think, if he could change one thing, he’d have let Morrigan drink from the pool. Having yet MORE voices in his head was the last thing he needed, not to mention a constant reminder of who Mythal really is...  Nico wouldn’t let Dorian get close enough to Faeron for the relationship to start in the first place. It was was a big enough thing for her to accept it in the first place... But when he decided to leave, and said Faeron couldn’t go with him... Nico didn’t take kindly to it. 

23. Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?  Twins? Someone dating Varric? The fact that Hawke, Amell & Alistair are all alive?? Sorry Stroud. (not sorry) Yeah... I substitute that bit... You know all those pictures of Hawke or Alistair’s LI waiting on them? Well, I just can’t ever kill Alistair and leave poor Jereth holding some wilting daisies, pouting. I mean... Who would put up with him full time?? Leliana?? I think not! 

24. Are any of your character(s) based on someone? Yeah, me. All of them. Well, mostly. Tobias for example is nothing like me in any sense. But Jereth, Xander (& his sister Lola), Faeron and Nico are all some part of me. Some of my other wardens and Hawke’s too. 

25. Who did you leave in the Fade? Sorry again Stroud. (Still really not sorry...) 

26. Favourite mount? Faeron on his Halla is definitely most epic... But the Hart sound... It’s like having PTSD, I’m forever on edge and thinking ‘Don’t stop suddenly... DON’T stop suddenly...’  I did get this awesome Dracolisk mod which made them look like Maleficent’s dragon, which was so good for my qunari mage. 

Tagging: @heraldofwho @tessa1972 @keeperscompanionsdai @ielmoe @shannaraisles @dreadhobo @gugle1980 @inquisitorsmabari @sassylavellen @dickeybbqpit @dalish-ish @john-cousland @long-liv-prairies

[bodyofvvater]

25 dragon age questions babey

got tagged by @arlessaofamaranthine yeehaw

01) Favourite game of the series?

da:i definitely has like, the most nostalgia value to me? but the characters from da2 are my absolute favorite so i’d have to say a tie between those two

02) How did you discover Dragon Age?

soph ( @triforks ) introduced me to da:i back in like 2016 or smth i think? and i thought was cool but kinda forgot abt it again, but then early last year another friend introduced me to the tavern songs and i started listening to the soundtrack too and i knew I Had To Own It Immediately

03) How many times you’ve played the games?

ah shit ... well first of all ive never actually completed da:o, bc i didnt get properly into until after i hurt my wrist, so it’s been like impossible to actually do so. i think ive completed da2 three times (julian, agnes, flynn), i would’ve played it more if i hadnt hurt my wrist toward the end of agnes’s playthrough. and then da:i ive played .. i think 7 times all the way through? (elinor, athel x4, althea, axeline)

04) Favourite race to play as?

elf babey

05) Favourite class?

MAGE BABEY

06) Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time?

i usually change dialogue options based on their personality, and a few major decisions have varied, but i do have a tendency to make characters who would make very similar decisions

07) Go-to adventuring group?

again, i dont have much experience with da:o, but for da2 i usually go varric, carver (or fenris, if carver is dead), and anders, and for da:i i either do dorian, cassandra, vivienne; dorian, blackwall, sera; or iron bull, varric, solas

08) Which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

i wanna say a tie between agnes, athel, and axel. theyre all characters i put a stupid amount of thought into considering i rarely actually talk about them

09) Favourite romance?

tie between isabela and dorian. sera wouldve been up there as well if lukas nastyman hadnt fucked it up

10) Have you read any of the comics/books?

nah

11) If you read them, which was your favourite book?

havent read them

12) Favourite DLCs?

descent and trespasser both have very special places in my heart. honestly i think it’s like 60% bc of the soundtrack but beyond that i absolutely love the interactions between the inquisitor and their companions

13) Things that annoy you.

lukas nastyman and everything he has touched (except carver which im still amazed he wrote)

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

they both kinda suck politically most of the time but aesthetically i would say orlais

15) Templars or mages?

mages babey!!!!!!

16) If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

my hawkes are in different universes, and so are my inquisitors for the most part, altho i do imagine if he hadnt been the inquisitor athel still wouldve joined the inquisition so he’s there in all of them

17) What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

literally all i remember is elvira cousland named her mabari dane

18) Have you installed any mods?

i would if i knew how but i dont and i have yet to find a guide that doesnt confuse the shit out of me fdjfgkfdjk

19) Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden?

elvira wasnt entirely against the idea, but when it came down to it i think things like having kids and growing old were a part of her plan that she wasnt expecting to have taken away from her. i wouldnt say she regrets becoming a warden, bc the work she’s doing is important, but i do think she wishes she’d been able to make more of an informed choice, or really have a choice at all

20) Hawke’s personality?

purble

21) Did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition?

nah i just put whatever has the highest armor rating on them and call it quits

22) If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

elvira would take her parents far, far away where howe couldnt find them

agnes would’ve never left her mom’s side when a serial killer was on the loose

flynn would’ve kept carver far away from the deep roads

elinor would have run away with sera before corypheus showed up in haven

axel would have never said a word to solas after he taught her to seal rifts

and athel wouldnt change anything, i think. redcliffe showed him the importance of details and of people, and i think no matter how much he regrets something or wishes it hadn’t happened, he knows that things might have turned out much worse if it hadn’t

23) Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

idk if it really goes against canon specifically, but a big part of agnes’s character arc (in my head, at least) was how terrified she was of becoming an abomination. a lot of what she did was motivated by the need to stay in control of herself and the fear of turning into the very thing that was used as an excuse to oppress her people

24) Who did you leave in the Fade?

the warden, usually. my hawkes all mean the world to me i cant leave them behind jkdfjgkd

25) Favourite mount?

harts are very good

[icaxrus-moved]

25 DA questions !

Tagged via @lelibela !! Danke !!

I tag @lethalins @cosunter @sisternightingayle and any DA fan because I forgot dnsjsjfns

01) Favourite game of the series?

DA2/DAE, this game always makes me cry and go like an emotional bastard.

02) How did you discover Dragon Age?

Mainly I wanted something LGBT-related so I discovered the ME series and stuff, then when it was kinda lackluster I heard that DA in comparison had better stuff so I DIRECTLY installed DAI with cosunter in the house, created the first Inky aka Tanaka Treveylan and ever since I fell in love with its lore and stuff <3.

03) How many times you’ve played the games?

A lot to the point I forgot, I think more then 200+ hours on DAI alone and like 7 different playthroughs in DA2/DAE.

04) Favourite race to play as?

Qunari !! I mean I love elves but horns hnnnnng.

05) Favourite class?

Mages (Plus points if Mage Warrior with the arcana sword) but double dueling rouge comes REALLY close to it, I would say Warrior with shield is a third.

06) Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time?

I try my best to play differently even if it hurt at times, but there’s some stuff I would never do (Rival anyone in DA2/DAE, turn down anyone in DAI)

07) Go-to adventuring group?

DAO: Alistair, Morrigan and Leliana or Leliana, Shale and Zevran.

DA2/DAE: Aveline (I need TANK) Anders and Merrill or Aveline, Fenris and Isabela.

DAI: Blackwall, Dorian and Sera or Iron Bull, Cole and Varric.

08) Which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

I would say my Cousland aka Deltev Cousland, He has a completelt different face morph, his personality is rather off-canon (Romance Nate and has children by DAI) So there’s a lot of thought put into thay bastard.

09) Favourite romance?

Leliana and Zevran (also Morrigan dnnsdn), Isabela and Anders, Josephine and Dorian.

10) Have you read any of the comics/books?

I think I’m up to date with modt things, want to go one though.

11) If you read them, which was your favourite book?

The Stolen Throne.

12) Favourite DLCs?

DAO: The Stone Prisoner.

DA2/DAE: Legacy

DAI: The Descent.

13) Things that annoy you.

Ah Shit, Here we go again.

I would say the racism from the writers themselves whether whitewashing or the treatment of elves...

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

Ferelden.

15) Templars or mages?

Mages.

16) If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

Yes they all co-exist ! (Although in DAO my Cousland and Sabrae would die if my Surana was chosen :() but in DAI the two Treveylans are cousins, the three Lavallens come from the same family and they all like siblings to each other and my Adaar also exists !!

17) What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

I will not say anything further then Maki Surana’s dog was named Pepproni, she was a good mabari.

18) Have you installed any mods?

Too much like 4 GB of mods per game.

19) Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden?

Maki Surana: Yup, She always wanted a way out as well she heard the stories of them and wanted to go out and fight, she loved Duncan and always wears the warden outfit.

Deletev Cousland: NOPE, he refused first and Duncan pulling him away from his parents made it worse, he always distaned himself from the wardens and had a big hate for Duncan.

Theron Sabrae. It’s sort of Bittersweet, they don’t mind the wardens but it would have been better if left with a choice, as well as the whole Tamleen fucked them up, but they are chill.

20) Hawke’s personality?

Aside from the default ones which are often Purple.

Jasmine: Purple with a mix of Blue.

Blond Hawke that I totally didn’t forget his name: Blue.

21) Did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition?

Nah.

22) If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

Deletev: Definitely kill Howe before anything happens.

Theron: you know.

Jasmine: Saving Bethany or sacrificing herself for her at least.

Lin: Never date that egg because the next time he sees him, he will kick ASS.

23) Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

Deltev: Romancing Nathaniel and adopting children because fuck the system.

Maki: Coming instead of Stroud into the Fade along Hawke. (She would never see the wardens fall like that)

Senaca Adaar: Being a healer who deals with the healing spirits really closely.

24) Who did you leave in the Fade?

Stroud, Alistair REALLY actsike my brother and my emotional ass is emotional, even if he’s white I gotta overlook that.

25) Favourite mount?

I don’t remember it’s name yet the Skelton was the coolest shit.

Thank you <3.

[bitchesofostwick]

dragon age questions

tagged by @cullenvhenan thank you!! 😘 tagging @gingerbreton @veridium-bye @a-shakespearean-in-paris @free-the-mages @gothkimmyschmidt

01) favorite game of the series? inquisition!! i like the open-world-ish feel even though each region has its own map. i like that it’s just bigger than the other games over all. it still sticks close to all the main quests, etc. but there’s a sense of vastness and exploration that you don’t really feel in the first two games.

02) how did you discover Dragon Age? so about three years ago, my boss when i was working at MIT gave me his xbox 360 when he got an xbox one. it had a bunchhhh of games already on it but i stuck to skyrim (and then later busier myself by buying oblivion and kotor). cut to this past spring (2018). my best friend and i were lurking around toys r us getting blowout clearance game deals and i saw da2 for $5 and i was like “hm, i think the first game of this series is on my xbox already...?” so i bought it and then started playing dao then!

03) how many times you’ve played the games? once each (i mean, i started this spring lol). i’m currently in my first dai playthrough.

04) favorite race to play as? human! i just love the concept that people just like me with no powers or special anything can do something really awesome.

05) favorite class? rogue.

06) do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time? well, i’ve only played each once. but for most of dao and some of da2, i didn’t really know what i was doing (especially with companion approval) so i would do some things differently with that. for example, i didn’t have high enough approval with zevran, so he betrayed me and i had to kill him. canonically this would never happen with emilia, so i would change that. the same thing happened with isabela, who is canonically aurelia’s best friend and wouldn’t leave her. so i’d change that in another playthrough so she would stay.

07) go-to adventuring group? dao: alistair, leliana, wynne (daa: anders, nathaniel, justice). da2: fenris, varric, anders. dai: cassandra, sera, dorian.

08) which of your characters did you put the most thought into? ellinor!! because like i said, with the first two games, i kind of didn’t know what i was doing and i crafter emilia and aurelia’s personalities and backstories mid- and post-playthrough. but i was waiting to play dai until i got my xbox one, so i had a lot of time to think about who i wanted ellinor to be before i started. i even started writing her fic before i started playing the game lol.

09) favorite romance? cullen, overall! but for dao it’s alistair and for da2 it’s fenris.

10) have you read any of the comics/books? no. but i just bought the world of thedas volume 2 a couple weeks ago, so i’m going to start reading that soon (i’ve mostly skimmed so far).

11) if you read them, which was your favorite book? (see above)

12) favorite DLCs? i actually haven’t played any!! while playing the first two games, i was living in this awful temporary apartment with wifi so shitty it couldn’t support the xbox live microsoft store, so i couldn’t even download them. i have all the DLCs for dai, but i’ve been focusing on the base game so far and haven’t delved into them too much. i will soon though!!

13) things that annoy you. the repeating dungeon maps for da2.

14) Orlais or Ferelden? ferelden!! orlais is gorgeous but ferelden reminds me of skyrim and skyrim was my first game love soooooo

15) templars or mages? all my OCs have, when the games pit one against the other, sided with the mages. but i personally believe that the chantry’s system is awful to both groups and that if i could help both with their own respective problems, i would.

16) if you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one? i sadly only have the time and emotional capacity for one OC per game, so as a result, they all exist in the same universe!! aurelia and ellinor will meet down the road in AWA, and i once wrote a ficlet where emilia slides by haven really sneakily to say hi to leliana before continuing her search for the cure. she may meet ellinor after the events of dai but i haven’t written this out yet.

17) what did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc) this is clearly the most important question. emilia’s mabari is fletcher and her horse is prince, aurelia’s mabari is shadow, and ellinor’s childhood horse was whinny and her inquisition horse is fleet. i haven’t named her and cullen’s future mabari yet.

18) have you installed any mods? nope! playing on console rip me.

19) did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden? i think she would have welcomed the idea anyway, but seeing her parents did in front of her and being presented with an opportunity she could use to eventually get revenge on howe was not something she could pass up for sure.

20) hawke’s personality? red/purple! aurelia’s a fiery hot mess.

21) did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition? so, the only character i craft armor for is ellinor (sera gets her custom hand-me-downs tho) but i always tint the armor so the squad matches. they just look so good in red and black i can’t help it

22) if your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change? i think emilia would try not to be so harsh around alistair initially. aurelia wouldn’t have left bethany behind when she went to the deep roads (although she wouldn’t know that the consequence would potentially be worse). ellinor would focus harder on destroying the red templars sooner.

23) do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon? ummm not really any big ones, i don’t think? except kind of all my stuff having to do with ellinor’s siblings.

24) are any of your character(s) based on someone? they’re all a bit based on me!! although ellinor is the most. aurelia’s a bit like me when i was a teenager and i think emilia has a lot of qualities i aspire to have.

25) who did you leave in the Fade? stroud. bye boiiiiiiiiiiiii (ok i actually got really sad leaving him even though i didn’t know him well as a character)

26) favorite mount? the amaranthine charger!! mostly because i hc that cullen bought it for ellinor as a gift after she told him stories of whinny and how beautiful and midnight black and fierce she was.

[princessvicky01]

Dragon Age Question Meme

Thank you for the tag @charlatron !

Tagging @inner-muse @gugle1980 @andrastini @melaena @missragdoll84 @gremlinquisitor @jonogueira @kierarutherford @a-shakespearean-in-paris

01) Favourite game of the series?

Has to be Inquisition, although I do love them all.

 02) How did you discover Dragon Age?

My husband (boyfriend at the time) had played origins and recommended it. Something I think he still probably regrets.

03) How many times you’ve played the games?

Origins and DA2: 3 times each

Inquisition: 5 times (with two saves in progress)

04) Favourite race to play as?

Human. I rarely stray from human, but have played as an elf.

05) Favourite class?

Tank! Sword and shield warrior woman here who likes to be in the thick of the action. Also like a bow or daggers for a rogue.

06) Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time?

I always play blind the first time, so the decisions are my own, the second play through is normally me fixing my wrong decisions to get the best ending, and I also like to play as my oc’s.

07) Go-to adventuring group?

- Origins: Alastair, Leliana, Morrigan or swap Leliana for the mabari if I’m a rogue!

- DA2: Isabella, Fenris and Anders

- Inquisition: This varies but normally Sera, Dorian and Blackwall or Cassandra

Basically I like two warriors, a mage and a rogue.

08) Which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

Anyone who knows me, knows its Annabel Trevelyan. She actually comes from an original story I’m writing and decided to throw her into Thedas. Many hours over many years have been spent getting to know that woman!

09) Favourite romance?

Cullen – of course. Alistair takes second spot.

10) Have you read any of the comics/books?.

No, but the Stolen Throne and Hard in Hightown are waiting to be read.  

11) If you read them, which was your favourite book?

n/a

12) Favorite DLCs?

Marrying Cullen, of course! They could have asked me to pay just for that and I would have thrown my money at them. 

13) Things that annoy you.

Not being able to get mods on the console ☹

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

Ferelden: I am a big dog lover and English so feel its mandatory

15) Templars or mages?

Difficult - I like both but if forced to choose Templars – I know, I know, I just think they get a lot of mud slung at them when really most of them are actually decent.

16) If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

My Cousland, Hawke and Trevelyan are all in the same one. Of course, Bryan and Annabel can’t both be Inquisitor so there is a different AU for him.

17) What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

Mabari: BarkSpawn (Origins), Ser Barksalot (DA2) and Prince (Inquisition)

18) Have you installed any mods?

I’ve never played on a PC ☹

19) Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden?

Not really, no.

20) Hawke’s personality?

Purple!

21) Did you make matching armour for your companions in Inquisition?

Nope, but I did make them the best and armour I could, that still looked good of course.

22) If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?  

Annabel would have slept in and missed the meeting at the conclave! Of course, then she wouldn’t have met Cullen so messing with time is dangerous.

23) Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

Annabel only has one older brother – but other than that I stick to canon most of the time.

24) Are any of your character(s) based on someone?

Nope - just formed from different personality types that I like.

25) Who did you leave in the Fade?

Stroud. Thankfully King Alistair was happily married to Queen Eve!

26) Favourite mount?

I like the horses. The noises the Harts make really put me off! Annabel has Free Marches Ranger of course, but for me it’s probably the Imperial Warmblood because it’s pretty.

[slothssassin]

Dragon Age Questions

Tagged by @starsandskies, thank you! ♥

Tagging @briarfox13, @liaorban, @katajanokka, @tessa1972 and @nerdierholler.

1. Favorite game of the series? It’s really hard to decide. Whenever I play one of them, I really enjoy it and think it must be my favourite. If I could play only one forever though I’d probably choose Inquisition.

2. How did you discover Dragon Age? I played Mass Effect and was active in the fandom here. So I discovered that a lot of people who loved ME also played (and loved) DA. I already had Origins in my library, so I thought why not give it a try.

3. How many times you’ve played the games? Well, I started DAO once but never finished it. A few months later I started a second time and then played all three games. So DAO (almost) twice, the other ones one time.

4. Favorite race to play as? (Dalish) Elves all the way!

5. Favorite class? Both my Warden and my Hawke are Rogues, but technically I always played the Mages in the team. That’s why I decided that my Inquisitor would be a Mage too, and in the end it’s honestly my favourite class to play.

6. Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time. I mostly make the same decisions again.

7. Go-to adventuring group? DAO: Alistair, Wynne, third one changed, but mostly Sten or Morrigan DA2: Fenris, Anders, Varric DAI: Blackwall, Dorian, Varric, often also Cassandra

8. Which of your characters did you put the most thought into? I’d say my Inquisitor Sellia Lavellan.

9. Favorite romance? Well, Alistair x Warden is really sweet and adorable, but I’m also a big fan of Cullen x Inquisitor. I have to say I enjoyed the cutscenes between them the most.

10. Have you read any of the comics/books? Nope

11. If you read them, which was your favorite book? -

12. Favorite DLCs? Trespasser I think? Or Jaws of Hakkon cause I really liked the Frostback Mountains.

13. Things that annoy you? Uhhhh the combat?? Especially in DAO. I mean I love the games but the combat can get really hard, repetitive and annoying. I was glad my Warden was able to sneak cause I sneaked past a lot of enemies, especially in the Deep Roads. DA2 started with great combat but got boring around Act 2. Inquisition had the best combat for me.

14. Orlais or Ferelden? Ferelden.

15. Templars or Mages? Mages.

16. If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one? I only have one character in each game.

17. What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc.) Ashera’s mabari was called “Brutus”, Marlow’s “Atilla”, Sellia has a horse called “Shiral”.

18. Have you installed any mods? Yes quite a lot actually. Most are for the CC. But in DAO I also had the one to skip the Fade, a few to add more content with Alistair. Clothing mods too. I love mods a lot.

19. Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden? She didn’t mind. She was up for the adventure, though she didn’t know how dangerous it would be.

20. Hawke’s personality? Between blue and purple.

21. Did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition? No, they’re all unique.

22. If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change? Ashera lost her father as a child. He tried to save her from a bear. She’d always go back to help him.

Quite similar for Marlow, she’d like to go back to save Carver. And her mother later on.

Sellia would turn back time to go back to the Fade to try and save both Stroud and Hawke.

23. Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon? Yes, I headcanon that Alistair stayed a Grey Warden after the Blight, but Anora got assassinated. He was already married to Ashera at that point, but agreed to become the new King if he didn’t have to officially marry anyone else.

24. Are any of your character(s) based on someone? No.

25. Who did you leave in the Fade? I honestly hated that decision. And it was the reason why I made up the headcanon I mentioned earlier. I didn’t want to leave either Alistair or Hawke, so I chose Stroud but felt really bad about it. My Hawke didn’t feel like herself anymore, so I’m still thinking about leaving her instead, which means Alistair could stay a Warden.

26. Favorite mount? The Imperial Warmblood.

[impossible-rat-babies]

DA 20 questions!

I was tagged by @acepavus! Thank you darling!

I’m gonna tag: @apostatetabris, @dirthara-mama, @wicked-eyes-and-wicked-hearts, @star--nymph, @red-wardens, @vvakarians, @trans-aloth, and anyone else who wants to do this! Sorry if I’ve double tagged you all!

--

01) Favourite game of the series?

I gotta go with Inquisition. I love all the maps and the characters I’ve gotten to make through the games. It’s a beautiful game.

02) How did you discover Dragon Age?

I saw art of Dorian around and figured out he was from dragon age and that he was gay and I was instantly hooked on wanting to play the game. I hadn’t ever seen a video game before with a gay man in it and I was desperate for LGBT content and validation. Dorian has been immensely important to me in helping me realize my identity.

03) How many times you’ve played the games?

I’ve played origins all the way through four times I think. I’ve played da2 three times, twice with my main Hawke and then another Hawke. I’ve played inquisition at least six times with Darva and I’m playing Dimitri for the fourth time. I’ve played that one the most by far.

04) Favourite race to play as?

Elves! I love the elves of dragon age so much

05) Favourite class?

Dual wielding rogue by far along with archers. Rogues are one my favorite classes ever. I do have a soft spot for mages and warriors thought

06) Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time?

I try to make little sorts of different choices. I’ve both allied/conscripted the templars and mages before on different little games and I’ve both banished and kept the grey wardens. I’ve never put Gaspard on the throne himself, but I’ve done all the other ways Halamshiral can end up. I’ve only ever not drank from the well once and the was because I was playing a human. I try to mix it up a little each play through for variety sake. Plus I love Calperia’s story so much more than Sampson, so I do side with the templars on occasion. But I am a mage loving gay.

07) Go-to adventuring group?

My Origins go to gang for Eth is Shale, Wyne and Alistair and Slivayn is usually Wyne, Shale, and Zevran. DA2 is a whole grab bag of people, but I usually have one mage, one warrior and a rogue + my mage Hawke.  My crew for inquisition depends on who I’m playing. Darva mainly roles with Cassandra, Vivienne and Dorian while Dimitri runs with Iron Bull, Sera and Solas.

08) Which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

Dimitri and Darva are at a big ole tie with Eth coming in second place. Dimitri is my ever evolving kiddo mainly bc I play a TTRPG with him as my PC, but Darva is like that comfort character where I truly see myself in. Eth is my precious little complicated warden child who I revisit on occasion because I forget how much I do enjoy origins.

09) Favourite romance?

Oooo it’s a hard tie between Bull and Dorian. Dorian was really like that gateway--along with dragon age in general--into me making gay characters explicitly and having them represent me. He made me feel okay with who I am and seeing that blatant love between men was something I had never seen. It was kinda the same with Bull, but he was also like that shattering of men having to preform to a certain degree of manliness to be seen as valid. Bull is manly af, but he loves the color pink. Masculinity doesn’t have to be as society defines it.

10) Have you read any of the comics/books?

I have read the Magekiller comic, but that was about it. I wanna read the books, but having the energy to do it. Does reading the TTRPG book count? Or the World of Thedas books? lolol

11) If you read them, which was your favourite book?

I haven’t read any of the main book tbh

12) Favourite DLCs?

I loved the Return to Ostagar DLC. That one was full of a great atmosphere and just generally quite sad. I liked Mark of the Assassin best out of the DA2 DLCs because it was humorous as well as having good drama going on. A very fun time even though it was a bit of a pain. Trespasser is probably my favorite DLC for Inquisition mainly because of the run through the elvhen ruins at the end of the DLC to get to Solas. It’s throwing everything you have because this is the end at the enemy and I love that.

13) Things that annoy you.

Ehhh most of my annoyance come from the lack of mlm romance options in the game and the treatment of characters like Sera and Sandal who are coded as neutroatypical. But, most of my qualms come from fandom and the rampant homophobia, transphobia, racism and white-washing everyone does. Ya shitty fandom.

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

Ferelden, personally.

15) Templars or mages?

Mages as always.

16) If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

I have multiple characters across two world states, my canon one being Eth Tabris, my dual wielding rogue warden who romanced Alistair, Bryn Hawke, my force/blood mage, who romanced Fenris and Darva Lavellan, my dual wielding rogue who romanced Dorian. I also have other Lavellan's that go along with Darva like Fisk and Livonah. Then I have an alternative world state with Slivayn Mahariel, an archer rogue who romanced Zevran, then Farlan Hawke, my two handed warrior who romanced Anders, and then Dimitri Enallasani, my mage elf who romanced Bull. Dimitri only has Daniel as his other sort of important character.

17) What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

Eth named her Mabari, Witt, after her brother who was sent to the Circle when she was 16. I cannot remember for the life of my what Bryn named his Mabari, rip. Darva ends up with a Mabari in Kirkwall just named Da’len. Slivayn named his Mabari Tamlen after his clanmate and lover. I can’t remember what Farlan named his Mabari, RIP. Dimitri has an Anderfels Hart he raises later on named Ghilan after his Keeper’s old Hart and he has a great horned owl named Falon who he rescued.

18) Have you installed any mods?

Nope! I play all my games on console, so no mods for me. I do want to get a good gaming computer after I graduate from college so I can indulge in some mods for Dimitri and Darva and learn fly cam. I would really like to have Dimitri’s vallaslin in the game and more dalish outfits for my kiddos. Alas, I am stuck with what I have for now.

19) Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden?

Wanting to become a Grey Warden wasn’t something Eth thought about wanting or not wanting. She was ready to die for having saved Shianni and that would have been enough. She kept her safe and that was her duty. Duncan thought she was worth the risk and she accepted that if this was going to be her new duty, it was going to be her new duty.

Slivayn didn’t want to be a Warden at all. Duncan had to conscript him and even then he hated Duncan for a long, long time. He didn’t get to see if he could save Tamlen at all so he was intensely grieving and he was torn from the only home he had ever known. Ostagar was his first experience with humans who weren’t out to kill him and his family.

20) Hawke’s personality?

Bryn is firmly in the Purple Hawke camp, but strays into Blue on occasion. Farlan is a firm divide between Red and Purple.

21) Did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition?

Yes, omg yes. My quizzies have their own color palettes I work off of. Darva alternates between Bear Fur + Plush Fustian Velvet + Infused Vyrantium Samite + Blue Vitriol and Great Bear Fur + Darkened Samite + Silk Brocade + Blue Vitriol. Dimitri’s changes from Snoufleur Skin + Drakestone + Darkened Samite + Higher Weave to Great Bear Fur + Darkened Samite + Dragon Scale. aka, Darva wears a lot of deep browns, blues and greens and Dimitri is a lot of reds, blacks and oranges.

22) If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

Eth wishes she would have done more to keep Shianni safe along with the rest of the Alienage. Her biggest regret is that she allowed what happened to happen.

Bryn wishes he could’ve saved his family. He covers up a lot of his grief with humor and deflection, but he hurts a lot for what he did. Part of him wishes he had done better with his mother, but he wouldn't admit it.

Darva wishes he could’ve saved his father; he knows he was only fourteen and that he would have gotten himself killed, but at times he thought that a better fate than having to deal with his mother and her all encompassing, smothering grief. 

Dimitri wishes he could’ve saved his clan. He goes over what happened as much as he can, trying to piece together what he could've done to save his family. It’s his life’s biggest regret.

23) Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

Oooo could Darva being trans be one? Idk, that's a headcanon that doesn’t much go again canon. Biggest one for him would be him leaving the clan at 18 and traveling around Thedas. 

Dimitri’s whole origins and magical usage is a big middle finger at the canon for the dalish inquisitor considering he is sort of his own sect of elves who are drastically different than their southern counterparts.

24) Who did you leave in the Fade?

Ooo Darva leaves Alistair in the Fade because I can’t bear to leave Bryn behind, rip. But Dimitri ends up leaving Loghain in the Fade. I can’t give up my Hawkes.....

25) Favourite mount?

Me personally? I love the Pride of Arlathan mount. Darva mainly uses that mount and it’s his favorite. Dimitri loves his horse, the Amaranthine Charger. But, later on he gets his Anderfels Hart--which is a sandy colored breed of Hart that is larger and tougher than others of it’s breed. They bond with only one rider in their lifetime and will stand their ground, full of as much conviction as the elves who originally bred them.

[normal-goatboy]

DA Questions

Thanks for the tag, @bitchesofostwick ! I’m gonna tag @dirthara-mama @red-wardens @will-and-her-fandoms (and anyone else who wants to do this - tag me, yo)

01) favorite game of the series? DA2. The horniest, most punk rock, and least popular of the games

02) how did you discover Dragon Age? Round when Inquisition was about to come out, my friend was gonna play Origins again to refresh himself and made the mistake of letting me roll a character. Then he spent the rest of the game watching me play

03) how many times you’ve played the games? UHhhh I have no idea. I’ve probably finished the games twice each, but I’ve got a lot of unfinished plays

04) favorite race to play as? Probably human. Though I like the city elves a lot

05) favorite class? Warrior. I like hit things

06) do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time? I try to make different decisions. I’ve definitely played most of the romances. I also almost NEVER play a non-mage Hawke. I just like Hawke as a mage. And that way Carver lives so I get to see my son

07) go-to adventuring group? I switch it up a lot, but I like Alistair, Oghren, and Zevran; Fenris, Isabela, and Varric; Iron Bull, Cole and Dorian; Cassandra, Sera, and Vivienne

08) which of your characters did you put the most thought into? Halsa. That’s just cause she’s the first one, though. ((and also cause I love her the most))

09) favorite romance? That’s a good question. Dorian’s and Fenris’ are both very fucking good imo

10) have you read any of the comics/books? None except part of the godawful Orson Scott Card one. The comics are kind of expensive and my library system doesn’t have them 

11) if you read them, which was your favorite book? Haven’t really read them. I should, though

12) favorite DLCs? Probably Awakening. I absolutely loved Jaws of Hakkon and The Descent, though. I have only played them once cause I sold my ps4, but I would love to play again

13) things that annoy you. The four billion little bullshit fetch quests and whatever in Inquisition

14) Orlais or Ferelden? Listen, I’m from the Midwest. Fantasy Ohio forever

15) templars or mages? As far as my characters, Halsa and Marian are vehemently against the Circle and the Chantry, Garrett is a moderate (read: coward) but defends the mages in Kirkwall, Jane allies with the Templars. If I were there, I’d side with the mages, but no one would ever put me in charge so I’m not sure that’s relevant 

16) if you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one? I have two world states, which I’m working on fleshing out at the moment. 

One has Halsa Tabris, Garrett Hawke, and Amalia Trevelyan (as well as a couple other OCs I haven’t named yet)

Two has a Warden Aeducan I don’t know that well yet, Marian Hawke, and Jane Trevelyan

17) what did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc) Halsa’s dog is named Onion, Garrett’s is Annabelle (Beth named her), Marian’s is Ivan, Jane has a horse named Dirthamen (because she is a giant nerd), Amalia has a few outdoor cats, one of which is named Tidbit

18) have you installed any mods? Nah, I play on a ps3 like a peasant

19) did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden? Halsa did, sure. She was ready to prove herself. I don’t know a lot about my other Warden, but I know they definitely did Not.

20) hawke’s personality? Garrett’s straight purple Hawke - Charismatic and cocky, never takes anything seriously. He’s a soft-hearted people-pleaser, often pretty spineless.

Marian’s between blue and red. She’s well-mannered and diplomatic, but headstrong and fierce and not afraid to stab a bitch if it comes to that

21) did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition? Not rrreeallly, though I do always make sure they look hot

22) if your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change? I’m gonna stick w the events of the games cause otherwise it’d get really messy: Halsa would be a little smarter about political maneuvering within the Landsmeet and as an Arlessa - Garrett would get involved in the mage/templar conflict way sooner and be less judgmental and more supportive of Anders and Merrill (tbh, boy’s got a lot of regrets) - Jane would set her intentions sooner with the Inquisition and not let Cassandra lead her for so long - Marian is kind of a no regerts kinda girl. She just doesn’t think that way

23) do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon? Oh yeah. The characters in my first world state are way more intertwined. Halsa spends time in Kirkwall, leaves with Anders, later joins the Inquisition. Garrett and Fenris join the Inquisition together. Halsa’s not looking for the cure bc it’s not in character for her. Amalia leaves the Circle and spends some time as Garrett’s sort of protégée before going to the Conclave.

There’s more about Jane but I haven’t gotten that far in her story so

24) are any of your character(s) based on someone? I mean, they’ve all got a lil bit of me in them. Halsa’s probably got the most me. I think about a couple friends of mine while writing both the Hawkes

25) who did you leave in the Fade? In game, I left Hawke on my first play through (how dare I) and Stroud on another? But idk I don’t like the way it’s set up very much so mine will be different in fiction

26) favorite mount? Ima keep it real w you, chief: I do not use the mounts. I’ll miss the banter!! Which is already kind of hard to trigger in dai?