#i love you gwaren

[gwah--ren]

thinking about how woodcarving and leatherwork become a staple of gwaren like serault and glass. are you following me here. leather armor from gwaren featuring intricate stitching designs and carving into the pauldrons... the ships crafted in gwaren being more works of art than regular sailing vessels... gwaren becoming a sort of hub of culture and art but not in the pretentious way val royeaux has... are you seeing my vision...

[cabeswaterdrowned]

hmm random but does anyone have any ideas or headcanons about what Adam and Jordan’s dynamic would be like?

[jarinnards]

I'm so sick of seeing people act like Loghain didn't love his wife. Like, yes, this dude was fucked up and yes he's so emotionally stunted that he wound up neglecting her because - let's face it - he cannot fucking work through his feelings or problems to save his life, but... Really? The guy who neglected his Terynir due to severe depression and feeling lost and only stopped fucking around after Celia practically broke his door down and shouted at him over his mistreatment not just of his people, but also of the furniture before going "can you lock the fuck in" and promoting them to have REPEATED shouting matches, which then resulted in him asking for her hand in marriage? The guy who fucking obliterated his wifes rose bush the ONE time she asks him for help tending it and then immediately decides the only logical conclusion is repentance by trouncing down to Denerim, getting not just roses, not just seeds, but an ENTIRE GODDAMN ROSE BUSH, THORNS AND ALL, stuffing it in his pack as he gets cut all to shit and tells everyone who offers to help him with it to kill themselves because it is VITAL that he be the one to give it to his wife? The guy who, after playing the longest running game of hide and seek with his own feelings and trauma, decides "yeah, I'll live with my wife, fuck it" and actually settled down with her for the whole of three years before she FUCKING DIES and prompts him to go "yeah, I'll live with my daughter, fuck it" as Anora drags the whole court down to Gwaren to give her mother the most lavish funeral ceremony Fereldan had seen to date and was so deeply affected by Celias death that he literally NEVER goes back to his Terynir because his wife isn't there anymore? Mr "you'll have to excuse me if I close my eyes and think of my dead wife" during what is probably the first and only time he has had any kind of sex since Celia died??????? REALLY????? Get the entire FUCK out of my house. Say what you will about Loghain and his fucking AWFUL coping mechanisms, but don't you spit on my boys marriage to Celia. It's possible to avoid processing your trauma AND love your wife.

[imdoingaokay]

Cullen x f!Inquisitor/Reader - After It All...

summary - after the events of Veilguard, Cullen meets his wife in Minrathous

word count - 900+

warnings - fem!reader, HUGE VEILGUARD SPOILERS (it's just one really big one, but it's still there, please don't read if you don't want to be spoiled!), mentions of children, Inquisitor's race is left up to the reader, some artistic license taken in general + what's going on in the south of Thedas (specifically Ferelden)

a/n - hey guys. been a while. I graduated nursing school and started a job, so I've been a wee bit busy. but obviously, I gotta write. I missed y'all. like- a lot. I may do the other Inquisition romances if I feel like it or if it gets asked, but I needed to write this for my sake. I feel very strongly about how much/little some characters were mentioned lol. anyways, enjoy!

It’s nighttime when she returns. 

Cullen wasn’t sleeping, though that wasn’t necessarily by choice. Aside from seeing her, nothing about this trip was by choice.

He would’ve rather their children stay with his sister and would’ve much rather not have them tag along with Cullen to Tevinter of all places. But with Redcliffe and The Blight… he couldn’t leave them anywhere. Not while she was gone. What if something happened in his absence? He’d… Maker, he knew not what he’d do.

Cullen struggled to leave his siblings behind in Gwaren, but they had shooed both him and the children away.  He could only hope for their safety. 

Still, he held no affection for Tevinter or her people. The way the family was sneered at whenever one of them was to speak, whenever someone threw a glance over to them, it was obvious. The people of Tevinter knew what he and, more importantly, his children were. Then again, maybe it wasn’t the best move to bring the dogs… they were a dead giveaway.

“Wasn’t like I could leave them behind…” Cullen murmured, glancing around the dark room. He shook his head and exited the large bedroom before quietly strolling down the hall.

The house was rented by Dorian, when Cullen had arrived and promptly assumed he was in the wrong place, Dorian ushered him back.

“You don’t expect me to let you stay in some inn, do you?” The magister had scoffed

The only thing that calmed Cullen’s nerves was the mention that they’d be under constant supervision by Morrigan… somehow.

And speaking of Morrigan, Cullen passed by an empty room. Morrigan had popped by and suggested leaving an eluvian inside for easier access, something Cullen shut down immediately. He wasn’t letting some fade demon/spirit/creature come anywhere near his family.

Cullen passed by the bedrooms, peeking in through the cracks and seeing the familiar locks of hair peeking out from under the covers. The children were so excited to be in such a fancy house, after living in the countryside for so long, it was almost like a vacation for the children. Cullen smiled to himself, remembering how the children ran throughout the halls, chasing one another while Cullen followed behind with the dogs. If Tevinter wasn’t such a mess and didn’t hate his love so much, he wouldn’t mind coming up for a vacation occasionally.

Cullen slowly made his way back to the bedroom, his thoughts drifting to his wife. Maker, he missed her. So did the children. Everyone missed her. Her letters were wonderful, but they could never replace the thing they all wanted.

“Maker…” he sighed, leaning against a wall. He hadn’t heard any news, no whispers of death, but… what if…

CREEEEAAAAAK

Cullen shot up, suddenly not tired or worried. That was the front door, he was certain. He quickly went into the bedroom and grabbed his sword before walking back down the hallway, checking inside the rooms quietly, making sure his children were safe before moving down.

He heard the intruder's footsteps and finally thought he got them, jumping out from the corner with his blade pointed at their throat. He’d ask questions. Who sent them? Who knew they were there? Whatever else came to mind.

But his thoughts were all thrown away when he finally saw his prey. Those eyes, those lips, Maker that voice calling for him.

“My love…” he breathed, letting the sword drop down, “Why didn’t you…”

“I wanted to be quiet…” The Inquisitor whispered, watching her husband nearly drop his sword before enveloping her in a tight hug. How long had it been? Weeks? Months? Too long, that was certain. Ever since he had arrived in Minrathous, their communication had been brief, he wasn’t even able to learn of Varric’s passing through her, only through Dorian, who had passed by one day to bring sweets for the children and somber news to Cullen. That evening, it had been a difficult task to explain to the children why Uncle Varric wouldn’t be coming by next summer after all. So much death in so little time, The Blights, the dragons, and with his lifeline off in The North while his nightmares grew worse in The South, Cullen was even more stressed than he was during The Inquisition.

So lost in his thoughts, Cullen hadn’t even noticed the tears that had slipped down his cheeks, it was his wife who, after finally breaking away, wiped the tears with some whispered words of affection.

They stayed like that for a while, in a tight embrace, occasionally pulling away only to be brought back again. And even when they had pulled away completely, it was only so she could put her things down. “We should go to bed…” She hummed, “I think the children will sense us and-” She began, only to be cut off by the pitter-patter of feet and the crying out of The Inquisitor’s other, newer, title.

Over an hour later, after some tears and many kisses pressed to cheeks, noses, and foreheads, the happy family lay together in one bed. The children passed out quickly, leaving Cullen and his beloved again awake.

“We have a lot of work to do…” He whispers, “The South is-” He begins before feeling his wife’s finger on his lips.

“Tomorrow…” She says, “I only want you and *this*-” She gestures to the children sprawled out over the bed, “... tonight if that’s alright. Tomorrow, we’ll…” She yawns, and Cullen smiles.

“I know…” He says, draping an arm over his wife his youngest, who planted themselves in between the pair, “I love you…” He sighs happily. “I love you too.” She smiles and finally closes her eyes. Cullen realized that she was probably exhausted, as was Cullen. So, finally feeling at peace, Cullen closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.

That night, Cullen slept dreamlessly, something he had missed almost as much as he missed her.

[apostacism]

wait ok i have some thoughts on this too but would LOVE to hear what u think about hawke's mabari

The short answer is none of my Hawkes have one and I'm against it from a meta perspective and a textual perspective

Like in a meta sense the mabari is a dlc added - as I've heard it told - to appease whiners who felt they deserved a dog and I find that obnoxious because of my own opinion that post-release editing your game based on fan reactions is a little bitch move that makes the game worse

SETTING THAT ASIDE:

There is no reason that Hawke should have a mabari. Mabari are expensive specialized war dogs belonging to the nobility (and to the Ash Warriors, who are a somewhat difficult fringe case, in part because they're so underdeveloped. Like the whole concept of the Ash Warriors is super weird, but let's just hold that they're allowed to keep breeding and owning mabari as this self contained mercenary group because they have to renounce all ties to the world and there's probably some benefits to having a reserve population to cross with noble stock. Anyway), and Hawke is a nobody from Lothering.

BUT as we know from Loghain, it is not impossible for the farming class to own mabari, so that in itself doesn't disqualify Hawke. As we also know from Loghain, having a mabari can attract attention, so I don't think on the whole the benefits of a mabari swing in the Hawke family's favor, but regardless, if we want to say Hawke HAD a mabari, there's precedent.

HOWEVER. The Hawke family had to get to Kirkwall. Flemythal ensures they get to Gwaren, but that's it. They have to get themselves onto a jam-packed refugee ship, and all the way to Kirkwall, and off the refugee ship, and into Kirkwall.

There's no way they're keeping the dog. There's no way someone at some point in that process doesn't seize the dog as a bribe or a requirement of passage - remember, Loghain is Teyrn of Gwaren at that point. While he personally probably wouldn't condone seizing someone's mabari, because of his history, we know from Arl Howe that his confederates would easily not be so restrained. A port authority, some random nobility... literally anyone could just demand the dog because they're Important and the Hawke family are refugees. And there's no way a ship's captain is allowing the mabari on their boat anyway. The space? The food? The shit? Maybe if the Hawke family could pay a premium for passage, but they're flat fucking broke and they have nothing. They can barely get themselves on a ship and they're going to convince someone to use space that could be used for cargo or overcharging refugees on a DOG?

It's the same thing even if they get the dog to Kirkwall no one is going to let random paupers in lowtown have a WAR DOG. An expensive pedigreed animal with INHERENT VALUE and INHERENT WEAPONHOOD. The dog is a WEAPON and you don't let poor people keep expensive weapons as pets and then SIC THEM ON PEOPLE in the STREET. doesn't matter if the people in the street are very very bad :( there's just no way. Someone along the way either wanted the dog or wanted Hawke to not have the dog or the dog just couldn't come with for logistical reasons the end.

Assuming the Hawkes even had a mabari in the first place which I'm still not on board with. It's like saying they had a warhorse like... no they didn't.

[mumms-the-word]

So I’ve played a bit more Veilguard and y’all

Y’ALL

Y’AAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL

Spoilers below the cut (which I may turn into a lore post later idk)

UM SOUTHERN THEDAS IS DYING?

I have everything spoiler tagged and hidden, idk if people are talking about this but EXCUSE ME??

MY WARDENS AND HAWKES ARE IN DANGER

Okay but like let’s think about this for real (I'm going off memory from replaying the "meet the inquisitor" scene like 3-4 times so forgive any missed details; also I disbanded the Inquisition in this game so idk if that has an effect yet)

Inquisitor and Morrigan said that the south is under siege from a legion, an army, a swarm of darkspawn the likes of which Thedas has never seen. Thanks Ghilan’nain for creating new horrors. That sounds bad but then it gets worse

Denerim, a city that has canonically withstood the Fifth Blight and was the showdown site for a battle against a darkspawn army and an archdemon, is lost. We lost the capital of Ferelden.

Everyone is fleeing to Redcliffe, which is decently defensible but not impenetrable. Redcliffe has already suffered waves of undead and (theoretically) a super dark pseudo-future full of demons and red Templars and such. It stood up pretty well against both, but it’s not great if it’s Ferelden’s last stand against the darkspawn.

What about the Hinterlands? Amaranthine? Gwaren? Inquisitor writes that Ostagar and the Korcari Wilds are seeing surges of darkspawn again--that's where the darkspawn poured forth during the Fifth Blight. That's not good!

Orzammar is helping, but I can’t imagine they’re not also suffering. Are the darkspawn flooding the Deep Roads? Orzammar can’t defend against them forever if it’s worse than we think. Are the Legion of the Dead overwhelmed?

Kirkwall has fallen. A city that has withstood, within the last 25 years, a refugee crisis from the Fifth Blight, a violent qunari invasion, the explosion of their Chantry and the ensuing mage-templar chaos that nearly brought the city to its knees, and the Breach, which opened up dozens of Fade rifts in the city that Varric was still dealing with after the Breach was actually closed. It's gone, it's unlivable, so much so that the Acting Viscount had to evacuate her city and her army to freaking Starkhaven, which is usually their mortal enemy (Prince Sebastian Vael tends to want to annex or control Kirkwall smh)

(Also Aveline is Acting Viscount? that makes sense and also I love that for her, but man what a time to be in charge)

Ostwick, the home city for Trevelyans, is threatened by the rogue Antaam, so I can only imagine that Wycome, where a surviving Clan Lavellan would be, is also threatened by the Antaam (Wycome is closer to Antiva and Rivain anyway). And the rest of the Free Marches is apparently experiencing "the worst" of the darkspawn threat. How many cities other than Kirkwall have fallen? Like Ferelden, what's happening in the spaces between?

In Orlais, the darkspawn have apparently cut a line directly through the country. Both Halamshiral and Val Royeaux are barely holding out, which is partly surprising and partly not. Halamshiral and Val Royeaux are luxurious cities, not defensible fortresses. That said, they have the benefit of the Orlesian monarchy's standing army and the Divine's templar (or templar-equivalent) army, so perhaps that's why they're both still standing.

But I imagine the Exalted Plains, the Dales, the desert landscapes of the Western Approach (which already had lingering darkspawn threats)....those must be suffering. Are the Dales themselves blights, the greenery dying? Is the newly-healing land of the Plains now facing death and destruction again?

I mean, yes, the threat of the gods in the north is also very bad but I am stuck on this idea of trying to figure out how our beloved characters from the last three games are dealing with this! This is their turf!

We know the Inquisitor is running around trying to help but what about everyone else? Like, can you imagine...

How is Alistair doing, facing a blight that has been described as "worse than any blight the world has ever seen"? Either he's a warden and he's sick of dealing with this, or he's the king and he's facing the total annihilation of his kingdom again, only this time the odds are infinitely worse. Is his Warden wife fighting alongside him, or is his Queen helping him keep everything together?

What about Zevran? Is he staying in Antiva, causing chaos among the Antaam who have taken over various cities there, or does his Warden romance convince him to go down south to try and help? And Leliana? if she's Divine, she's likely manning the chantry's armed forces, but if not, where is she operating? Is she with her lover, the Warden, or if she's alone, is she back in the game of fielding information to all the necessary forces who need them? She's not the Inquisition spymaster anymore, but that doesn't mean she's not active

Aveline is fleeing to Starkhaven, where Sebastian is, and Varric is with us in the lighthouse. Isabela is with the Lords of Fortune. What about the rest? Did Merrill flee with Aveline? Is Hawke with them? Or is Hawke with Anders, or Fenris, fighting wherever they need to be? (Assuming, of course, they're not left in the Fade). What about Bethany or Carver, if they're alive? If they're Wardens, surely they're in the thick of it, fighting darkspawn. If they're not, have they gone with Aveline to Starkhaven?

And our DAI friends. Cullen is in Ferelden--has he joined forces at Redcliffe, if he's not romancing the Inquisitor? Is his family okay? Dorian is in Minrathous, we can safely assume Josephine is in Antiva City. I can only assume Josephine is trying her best to keep Antiva City safe through her connections and influence, but how long until events there force her to leave too?

Cassandra is from Nevarra so she may be home, or she's Divine, or she's traveling. If she isn't with her romanced Inquisitor and she isn't the Divine, surely she's out there fighting. Against what? Venatori in Nevarra? Or will her allegiances to Orlais bring her down there to aid a Divine Leliana? Sera is still in Orlais too, presumably, as a Jenny that helps the Divine. Are they both facing the darkspawn threat?

If Blackwall is a Warden, is he even still alive? If he's not a Warden, I can imagine he's back in the Free Marches, fighting darkspawn until his dying breath. Iron Bull and his Chargers, too, if they're all alive from DAI. Whether he's in Orlais, Ferelden, the Free Marches, or passing near Tevinter to be with Dorian, he and his team must be constantly dealing with the blight and the gods acting crazy. Unless, of course, he or Blackwall are with the Inquisitor, fighting right there on the front lines.

Vivienne has probably rallied mages in whatever Circle she's established to help, but help how? Joining the forces of the Divine, or leading a campaign of her own? If Cole is human, is he finding little ways of helping, or has he been human so long that he's forgotten how? If he's a spirit, he's back beyond the Veil. Does the chaos in the south now draw him back? How can a spirit of Compassion, whether human or spirit, deal with what is happening all across Thedas?

I have so many thoughts. And I will probably write fic about it. It all just keeps churning in my head. I love it. It's horrifying. The game may have moved on very quickly from it but boy oh boy am I thinking about my Wardens and Hawkes and Inquisitors and going "What are you going to do?? The world is dying!!"

If I learn more I'll turn this into a lore post that isn't hidden by a cut, but for now I have some mural memories to live through (time to cry about Solas again) and then it's side quest city babyyyy so idk when I'll have an update again lol

if you made it this far, well done :') appreciate you

thank for joining me in this chaos!

[inquisimer]

2024 writing round up

bringing back this year-end writing review because I'm a stats nerd and it's always fun to be surprised by how much the time and effort and works add up over time! tagging forward (to some new people - you're always free to ignore or let me know if you don't want to be tagged in things <3) if you'd like to join in: @soupandsorcery | @brightaxe | @glitteringdust | @crabs-with-sticks | @dustdeepsea | and an open invitation to anyone who sees this and would like to do it - tag me so we can celebrate all we've done this year!

words posted: 160,320

additional words written: 46,038

grand total of words: 206,358

fandoms: dragon age. and dragon age. oh, and also dragon age 😂

highest kudos: to feel the sun from both sides at 166 - a missing "what are we even doing right now" scene from the Rook x Lucanis romance <3

highest hit oneshot: I pick my poison (and it's you) at 1515 - yeah, no surprises here, it's the porn 😂 Arlow and Lucanis fuck on the rooftops in Treviso and I pretend there's a plot by drawing a line between the purple lanterns and Spite's wings.

new things I tried: writing (and finishing) a smut piece! that's been on my want-to-do list for a while, so that feels good to accomplish. I also wrote and posted my first polyship works this year!

fic I spent the most time on: the very condition of existence, my fic for @thedragonagebigbang! Female Mahariel/Anora, a childhood friends to strangers to lovers AU where Mahariel & Anora meet as children in the forest outside Gwaren and are reunited years later during the Landsmeet.

fic I spent the least time on: this one is always hard for me to gauge, but probably either softness did not serve me or spit your blood and bare your teeth, two of the pieces I wrote about Nika Brosca's history with the Carta for Febuwhump (mind the tags)

favorite thing I wrote: of my completed works, knee deep without a plea - Lucanis' POV of the weeks Rook spends in the Fade prison! I am really proud of the details I worked into this one for Lucanis and Spite, and the emotions across all of the characters. Honorable mention to before you can kill the monster (you have to say its name) - my WIP rewrite of the end of Davrin's personal arc, incorporating more of the nuance from Isseya's character in Last Flight, and filling in the gaps between the end of the novel and where Veilguard picks up. I'm really proud of the first chapters, and of where my outline is going, but I don't think I can put it at the top of my favorites until it's fully realized

favorite thing(s) I read:

there is no god but they'll kill you for him by tenderest (@/tendertieflings) - f!Lavellan & Dorian, Solavellan, heart-wrenching and angsty "Dorian & Lavellan deal with everything that happened with Solavellan and the world post-Trespasser.

floriography by ritualist - Harding/Josephine, tooth-rotting fluff and humor that contrasts Harding's earnest nature with Josephine's poise, bringing them together in a very sweet way.

contact poison by hellsreluctantheir (@/nonagesimus) - Teia/Viago, yes it's smut but it is also an amazing exploration of their dynamic, and really digs into some of the issues laid out for Viago in Tevinter Nights.

Razorwing by unoshot - f!Rook/Lucanis, a character study of their relationship throughout Veilguard that really pops off with the emotion and the imagery.

hound dogs howlin' round the gate by mortonsspoon (@shivunin) - f!Tabris & f!Tabris, I'm admittedly biased af bc this was an OC gift for me BUT objectively it is such a heartfelt piece about Tabris cousins that will get you all up in your city elf feels 😭💜

writing goals for 2025: finish & publish the rest of before you can kill the monster (you have to say its name)! And if I'm really ambitious, finish my Mahariel cure-for-the-Calling fic, which was the first DA fic I ever conceptualized, but has languished as I work and rework her canon. But it's outlined and I would love to write and finish it!

new works: 65 (!!!)

template under the cut!

words posted:

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grand total of words:

fandoms:

highest kudos:

highest hit oneshot:

new things I tried:

fic I spent the most time on:

fic I spent the least time on:

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favorite thing(s) I read:

writing goals for 2024:

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[lottiesnotebook]

Here Lottie:

Oh no! Your pro tags have been given a new role! How would they fare?

Warden-> Hawke

Hawke-> Inquisitor

Inquisitor-> Rook

Rook-> Warden

Ooh hello Anon! This is very reminiscent of my Protagonist Swap Game that's gotten me through a truly hideous week (so if you want more details on these swaps, or alternates, feel free to play that too, if you hadn't already seen it!)

Without further ado, let's swap my girlies, though I will be making appropriate alterations to the canonical backstories to keep them consistent with their personalities, so with that in mind:

Luna Tabris in Dragon Age 2

Given how central being a City Elf is to Luna's identity (and the fact we have an alienage in Kirkwall), let's make the whole Tabris family refugees in the Hawke family's place. Maybe Luna loses her newlywed husband on the road to Gwaren when they face the darkspawn. She's not going to have a noble title or Hightown manor to reclaim, but let's say she ploughs her earnings from the Deep Roads into her new home in the alienage, making it a better place to live, protecting it from humans who'd take advantage of her people, maybe giving a glowing white-haired elf a few reasons to live and flirting with a pretty pirate along the way...

And then she hears a guard raped one of her people and Aveline, who was meant to be fixing the corruption within the system, didn't even investigate? Maybe Luna's the one burning Kirkwall down at the end of Act 2, never mind the Arishok. XD I could genuinely see her allying with him, at least until the issues of what to do with Isabela and the mages came up, at which point she's always going to pick her loved ones over ridiculous concepts like 'honour' and 'single combat'. I don't see a way she survives leading the Kirkwall Elven Revolution but who knows, maybe she escapes with Isabela and Fenris and lives like a pirate queen?

Rhiannon Hawke in Inquisition

So I usually say Rhiannon should have been at the club or possibly a popstar instead of in Dragon Age 2, but I actually think she'd be a pretty good Inquisitor. She's smart, charismatic, and would make a terrifyingly good cult leader, even if she'd be a little bewildered by it. She'd certainly have a better time there than she did in her own game, or than my canonical Inquisitor did. I do think she'd be a little too trusting, though, and that would get her in a lot of trouble come Trespasser...

Rheyah Adaar in Veilguard

I genuinely think Rheyah would have a much better time in Veilguard than in Inquisition. Sticking to her canonical age, she'd be about 30 when the game starts, which is a little more grownup than Rook reads to me, but that's all to the good - being the baby of the gang at 19 in Inquisition was rough for her, and being one of the grownups along with Neve, Lucanis and Emmrich would be a lot easier for her. I also think she'd probably know Taash as a fellow Vashoth mercenary, and they might even have played with her younger siblings as kids, so she'd definitely be WAY less isolated than she is in Southern Thedas.

I also think she'd be much more likely to attempt to redeem Solas as Rook than as the Inquisitor - in my head, she never quite moves on from him being one of the first people in the Inquisition to show her kindness and treat her like a person only to turn around and say that actually he'd never seen her as a person at all and now only did so unwillingly, but when she's Rook, they've never had that conversation, and she is a strong believer in second chances and forgiveness otherwise.

Cara Hawke Laidir in Origins

Oh no if ever there were a character who should not have been sent to deal with the Fifth Blight... XD Cara's defining character traits are Spoilt Princess with a (Very Well-Hidden) Heart of Gold, so I don't think she'd necessarily be a GREAT leader in this particular hour of need, or deal well with the privations of being on the run.

I do however think that Alistair would immediately be lost to her confidence and force of personality, so at the end of the game Ferelden might end up with Mage Queen Cara ruling at his side (yes I know that's not possible canonically but the canon of Origins never had a Cara to deal with). Would she be good at being Queen? Probably not, but I don't think that would stop her.

Thank you for the ask, anon! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did thinking about it!

[qunaricatnip]

Hiiiii it's me the person who reblogged your post about the Cousland x Loghain marriage (this is my main blog but 99% of my tumblr activity is through my side blog queenmelisende sorry for the confusion lol). Lets talk about Ferelden nobility. Their marriage would be an insanely good political alliance -- the two teyrnirs of Ferelden uniting? Cailan should be quaking in his boots. You said she would eat him alive??? I am desperate for more elaboration.

hi!! this is a sideblog too so no worries! but yeah cailan absolutely should be worried but the best part is, at least in my little au, he’s like…. 12 when all this is happening so all he really knows is that uncle loghain is leaving him (and anora) and it’s gonna be a while before they can see each other again :( it’s really maric that should be worried (and is) because he had to make a lot of concessions to the couslands for bryce and eleanor to be okay letting their baby girl go clean up maric’s mess (even if she really wanted it for spite reasons).

Tl;dr siobhan cousland was planning a coup from jump because she was raised to be queen and got told no and then maric dropped the perfect opportunity in her lap with a bow and his blessing, loghain was both collateral and a prize

siobhan in this au was born before the occupation technically ended and so her parents, still in the rebellion mindset of “ferelden first” was sort of groomed to believe that she’d one day be queen of ferelden because she’s the only noble girl within marrying age of cailan right up until anora is born and maric and/or rowan lose their minds. the couslands are Important, second to only the royal family and that shows in siobhan’s upbringing- she’s very politically minded, everything is duty/responsibility/optics with her and that’s something that (imo) would and should drive loghain crazy.

Politically on paper, her and loghain are an amazing match after celia dies right up until we remember that a) the couslands have already married their son and heir to a well known/regarded antivan trading family creating ties to a foreign, unallied country without the crowns express permission right after a war and b) loghain for all his accomplishments is not a man made for politics in any capacity that man is a Follower, he’s the type of person that need to be wholly devoted to a person/cause and c) uniting the only two surviving teyrnir’s is actually a recipe for disaster because oh my god why would you even think that maric that’s giving your subjects too much power and influence even with ferelden’s weird political structure

and siobhan knows this!! she knows that the people of gwaren don’t feel safe or supported by their teyrn and abandoned by their king and she’s also been personally slighted by the crown twice now!! so she graciously concedes to step in and throw the weight of her name around to build gwaren back up to the prominence it once had before the occupation gutted the city all while subtly reminding people that it was the couslands that actually care about the people of ferelden, its cousland gold bolstering the economy, its cousland trading partners bringing ships back into port without even saying anything because she’s a mac tir now after all that would just be gauche to rely on her maiden family name. its siobhan that runs the show and every single person in gwaren knows it, loghain is just insurance in the beginning (before whoops they’re actually in love your honor)

[morganaseren]

yeesss anora OUR beloved! looking forward to reading anything you write about her <3

Oh! I didn't think anyone would be interested in my WIPs for Anora! 👀

Admittedly, my two main ideas with her are just a handful of sentences at the moment. I don't have anything too concrete yet, but, hey, maybe you or one of my other readers might like them!

Queen Anora and the Royal Archmage

An alternative to Niamh's Origins ending.

I still don't know if I'll have Anora rule alone in this one or have Alistair there ruling alongside her as King. I'm tempted to go with the latter due to the potential hijinks involved with Niamh eternally trying to mediate things between those two. 😂

Plus, the castle gossip along with the political gossip abroad regarding the three of them is bound to be amusing!

That, and I've kinda taking a liking to Niamh also being formally recognized as the Mistress to the Queen of Ferelden. 😌 Isn't it just wild that someone can gain a title like that?? I've been foaming at the mouth about it ever since I saw a clip where Leliana was introduced as the Mistress to the Queen of Ferelden during the Inquisition ball in Halamshiral. 😍

Anyway, this will be another slowburn as two women---one the silent ruler behind the late King Cailan's many decisions and the other a mage the world never recognize as anyone of worth---tentatively bond over the terrible cards life has dealt them and grow stronger together as a result.

The Teyrn's Daughter and The Sea Warlord

Honestly, this one came about as part of a fever dream involving Niamh and a harem of all her favorite women, but we're not going to get into that today. 😅

Despite the latter half of the title, Niamh actually isn't a sea warlord. She actually has a similar role from one of her other AUs, where she's the Captain of her maternal family's fleet of research vessels. Her main occupation is the study and conservation of marine wildlife, but she unintentionally earned a reputation abroad when pirates and other unsavory individuals began challenging her on both the open seas and whenever she arrived to port anywhere. She's never lost a battle; thus, her infamy began to grow.

Is Niamh eternally tired of such notoriety? Yes. Is she still that quiet but lovable nerd who'd much rather keep to her research than be bothered by the growing number of people attempting to earn a name for themselves by challenging her? Also yes. Will her suffering end anytime soon? Most likely not! 🤣

Because Niamh is officially recognized as a noble in this AU, she and Anora were actually childhood friends in Fereldan's court, but her training and eventual role as Captain within the Mac Eanraig clan would slowly lead her to drift away.

Their reunion is entirely an unexpected surprise.

Although Anora's been betrothed to Cailan for years at this point, she realizes she's going to be very unhappy with him. Thus, she sneaks out one night with a small pack of unassuming clothes and just enough gold to start a new life as she makes her way down to the docks in Gwaren to board a ship.

Said ship gets attacked by pirates later on, and who should happen to be close enough to intercept the attack other than the notorious Captain Niamh? 😏

What ensues is a slowburn as Anora struggles with the idea that she's slowly falling in love all over again with her childhood best friend.

Meanwhile, the Teyrn of Gwaren and Prince Cailan put a bounty on Niamh's head because they both believe she kidnapped Anora.

So, yeah, fun all around! 😂 Also, I'm sorry the writing content on my blog and my AO3 has been lacking as of late, but hopefully these ideas might interest some of you?

[vigilskept]

8-11 for chaya/loghain?

hi anon i’m so sorry i somehow missed this in my inbox!!!!! i will happily yap some more about these 2 ty for asking <333

8. What is one sweet gesture that they do for one another on a regular basis?

what don’t they do………………… at any given moment they are probably thinking about what they could do to make each other’s lives easier (<- sickeningly in love)

the one that makes me feel the most insane is probably that they always try to be there when the other wakes up, especially if they’re down in the deep roads or dealing with darkspawn raids.

the thing is. neither of them has ever gotten good at blocking out the darkspawn dreams. maybe a side effect of taking the joining at the height of the fifth blight. who knows? no one’s had any answers about it.

it’s not bad dreams and waking up in a panic either to be clear, it’s tapping into the darkspawn hivemind. it’s waking up and still feeling the taint running through your veins and feeling the darkspawn nearby and not being entirely sure whether you’re still a person or one of them.

it helps, to have a familiar face there. someone they know they’d never want to hurt.

and if it’s come to the point where they do… then they’ll know it’s time for the calling. and they’ll go together :)

9. Is there anyone in their life that disapproves of the relationship?

answered this one here! (spoiler: yes, plenty)

10. If they were picking up something special for their partner in a market what would it be? What would they partner get them?

they are constantly bringing each other (useful!) little trinkets. warming charms. arrowheads. maps 😁

if either of them has been away for a while they’ve also gotten into the habit of bringing back a drink from that place so they can share it while catching up. this is a newer (post adamant) tradition though! in times past when there wasn’t as much coin to throw around chaya used to nick a bottle of something orlesian from the warden-lieutenant. she can’t exactly steal from herself as warden-commander so the tradition had to change!

there’s no real equivalent of the famous riding to gwaren with a whole rosebush moment bc it’s really more about the little things than the grand gestures with these 2 :’)

11. Have they said “I love you”? If so, when was the first time?

i think i answered somewhere else that they hadn’t said it till their wedding vows & even after they don’t really say it outside that specific context until the he double blight kicks off. this is true. it’s not as bad as it sounds.

like. they Know. is the thing. once it clicks that the feelings are mutual and pretty much have been the whole time they Know. but with that comes the realisation that they have been TELLING each other this in countless little gestures for the last decade. so… that’s always been enough.

it’s not that they’re averse to saying it but it kind of becomes a Dire Circumstance thing by virtue of the fact that… it wouldn’t occur to them to say those words unless they feared they’d never get a chance to say them at all.

dragon age oc shipping questionnaire

[gwah--ren]

gwaren heals elethea, elethea heals gwaren. they are one and the same. elethea is as "ruined" as gwaren is directly following the blight, and they are both rebuilt at the same time and so her identity becomes irrevocably linked with the city. i am she, she is me.

[muutos]

‘ i know, for the last time, you will not be mine. ' // Rowan to Loghain!!!

loghain's pinched brows carry a pained look beneath. his ice blue eyes moving minutely along her features, with a soft flex of a wince. "do you think this is easy?" he asks, almost offended. the hissed words coming forth stronger than he'd intended. his heart feels like an endless pit in the centre of his chest - a chasm of empty space between them, where he yearned for there to be none. but unfortunately, it was a pit he had become accustomed to. three years he'd wasted, and for three years he had known that she'd wanted someone else. and now he was chasing her back into the arms of the man who did not love her. not as anything more than a best friend, whom he'd grown up alongside. who didn't appreciate her, as she knew loghain had effortlessly.

loghain sighs. "rowan, i --" he begins. he's not used to this. to talking to her, like this. words getting caught in the strong column of his throat. they've had this conversation, and she'd agreed. albeit reluctantly... and if i do not wish to be his queen? then be ferelden's queen. he knew that this was what was best for ferelden, and if loghain had turned his back on this ideal now, than all he did was for nothing. his father had died for nothing. this is bigger than his loving a woman! and it is also bigger than being loved... and he could live with that. maker knows he would have gladly died ten times over, in order to see the rebellion through. he might have already, if rowan hadn't ridden to the bluff. but this? being on the receiving end of her ire?

he had thought this would be a familiar state to slip back into. she had been promised to him when they had met, and he had already accepted that. he was a fool to have even told her -- to have even entertained her love. but he had. and pretending he hadn't was proving more difficult than he'd expected.

hadn't he already stopped her frantic wrists from pounding against his chest? he'd already had this conversation once, how could it be a productive use of time to rehash it again? it felt worse than every time he had looked at her during those months together in the bannorn, and she had looked away with a shiver riding her broad, armoured shoulders. it hurt worse than whenever she stiffened when maric spoke highly of loghain, or keeping her at arms length when he could tell she longed to know him the way maric had. it hurt worse than her rejecting him the night they took gwaren. he hadn't wanted to hurt her, but he had done it anyway. he had gone to her, and they had both relented.

he'd only cried one other time before he'd met her, and now she had somehow gotten to see his tears twice. he would not cry again, until he buries maric's empty coffin.

his eyes become pleading beneath his continuously twisting brows. a storm of blue against her grey. he still couldn't face those eyes.. there is so much more he wishes to say. that he could have said. he could tell her that he loved her -- he could tell her that he had never wanted to cause her any pain. that all of this was ill-fated from the very beginning. that if he were a selfish man, he would have married her... but what would that serve them, now? so instead, again, not able to hide the ache in his voice, he says --- "i'm sorry."

SUNDOWNING. @kismetwilled.

[anneapocalypse]

[58] In the situation where they had to choose, would they rather stay loyal to their morals or to people they love?

For the Dragon Age OC currently on your mind!

OC Questions meme!

I think in the broad strokes Talith Tabris's morals would seem largely inextricable from the people she loves (protecting and advancing the rights of elves = protecting and helping her own family and community, etc) but of course in practice there are so many ways those things can come into conflict. Especially when pushing for greater elven freedom often means taking great risks in the short term. I think the person who always puts her principles first, is always willing to take those risks for long-term gain, is who Talish wishes she could be. As the Teyrn of Gwaren, she's struggled with fully leveraging the power she has because she worries about how individual people will suffer for her decisions (e.g. pushing for more dramatic reforms in the Landsmeet could provoke resistance lords to purge alienages in retaliation, putting people she loves in danger). This is one of the major ways she differs from Briala, who is more ruthless in the pursuit of her moral aims.

Thank you for the ask!

[fenrisdefender]

my HC for how Malcolm dies is completely different than the canon story we get. my HC is below, if you're curious to read it.

First of all, I never liked that Leandra's death was a random serial killer who had nothing to do with the rest of the story. Instead, my HC has an ongoing connection to the blood cult of Corypheus, which we know would have been in pursuit of Malcolm himself, as well as his offspring, for their blood.

When Marian Hawke was a child, she was as rambunctious as ever and even then too much for Leandra to handle alone. For income though, Malcolm traveled around South Ferelden as a healer, and was sometimes away for periods of time. Leandra herself was an herbalist and potions maker and Malcolm also sold her concoctions.

(That is how the two of them met and fell in love in my HC: Leandra was learning her craft - much to the chagrin of her parents, but she wanted something of a skill that went beyond boring nobility - and subsequently was paired up to work with Malcolm. And so it goes, they fell in love.)

So, it follows that when they arrive in Ferelden with nothing but what is on their backs (and in Leandra's belly), they choose to put their skills to use. In my HC, South Ferelden is more tolerant of an apostate if they provide community and services, since the Chantry seems to neglect the people there. They protect the Hawkes in exchange for healing and medicines that Malcolm and Leandra provide.

But as Malcolm travels around the countryside a couple of times a year, Leandra finds that Marian is too restless and rebellious to watch after while attending to the twins. As a result, Malcolm offers to bring Marian along with him to the other cities, towns, and villages across South Ferelden while teaching her about magic and the world.

While traveling, they end up trapped in Gwaren in a terrible snowstorm. It keeps them sheltered in the city for a time where Marian meets a curious older man who eventually reveals himself to be a mage. During the month or so they are snowed in in Gwaren, Marian Hawke becomes friends with this man - a fellow apostate such as herself.

His name is Quentin, and he seems kind to her.

Now, with a name like that I'm sure you can imagine that he is not, in fact, truly kind.

Hawke is subsequently kidnapped by Quentin, who has a faction of mages (including his wife) obsessed with a mysterious figure communicating to them from beyond the Veil. The voice told them to find the blood of a "Hawke." Figuring a child is easier to kidnap than a fully grown adult, they took Marian.

Malcolm, as any father would do, desperately searches to find Marian, of which he is eventually successful. However, in the process of trying to save his daughter from a cult of blood mages, he dies tragically. In his last moments he says goodbye to his eldest daughter, and tells her to run as fast as she can to safety.

Hawke, being a grieving child and bearing the immense burden of survivor's guilt, convinces herself that she cannot face her mother and siblings. She believes her father's death is her fault and runs away in the opposite direction from Lothering - back to Gwaren.

At this point, she is under the impression that the blood mages all died. Quentin, of course, survived and later turns up in Kirkwall for his revenge and rematch with a fully grown Marian. And so, that is the motivation behind Quentin's kidnapping and murder of Leandra. This all also ties nicely into the DLC Legacy plot.

Hawke stays a runaway on the streets of Gwaren for nearly three years, adopted by a mercenary group that teaches her what she knows later in Kirkwall (because it wouldn't come out of nowhere, would it?). When she finally goes home to Lothering, her family - Leandra, Bethany, and Carver - all think Hawke has been dead the whole time.

In my HC, the bitterness and resentment Leandra and Carver carry toward Hawke comes largely from her running away and "abandoning" her family after the death of Malcolm.

And thus starts the story of my version of Marian Hawke!

Hope you enjoyed my version of the story (is enjoyed the right word in a story of tragedy?).

[kiivg]

ok this is research anon. might i ask you(if you are thinking of rewriting. Which I hope you do but not pressure obv):

1. will moira's sword come into play? if alistair knows that it was gaspard that returned the Rebel Queen's sword perhaps they might use it as a symbol to pacify the nobles?

2. in the end do you think gaspard's gambit for the throne could succeed?

3. how do events of inquisition influence what is happening? sorry if i missed something but this is happening after it yeah?

4. YOUR WARDEN. I AM CURIOUS. PLEASE TELL.

.Reaearch Anon I do love you for this 💕 I’m very tempted to write something because it’s like…. Nobody else is going to lbh….. 😔.

.OH this is a bit long, have a read more 💋.

.1. I didn’t know that happened tbh, where is this info???? I love this?? Gaspard my Liege, my Lord, my Emperor, this is absolutely bang on in character for him 😩🙏✨. I’m gonna be completely honest I read half of the books and they kind of suck so I probably missed a lot…. Unless it’s in the GAME???? (I do need this info, I will use this, the sword imagery girl!! It’s phallic!! It’s a knight in shining armour!! It’s giving a sword to a King!! It’s giving!!)

.2. THAT would be a spoiler now wouldn’t it ;) but I also think he wouldn’t want to rule Ferelden, but I also think he could actually become a good King, I mean he’s been practicing for it his entire life, he was born to be an Emperor after all, and also he hates the Grand Game, he’s not going to be frippery and nonsensical with politics and stuff, but also he is a warmonger so…. I mean, is he? He fights off a Nevarran army single-handedly by duelling and destroying their King? Commander? Saving all his men from a war by being hot shit lbh. Idk I can’t remember exactly. He’d be a great King, I love him, I make the rules ✨🤷‍♂️✨.

.On a side note I 100% think he could take over a country easily, which makes me wonder if he even wanted Orlais as it was, with the Grand Game and the nobles who he’d never respect. Oohhhh. That’s smth.

.3. I think uhh I would have to insert a new Inquisitor because Goddard makes Gaspard Emperor and Celene and Briala are both killed off…. But it was set after Inquisition, so I do imagine it would be anywhere between a few months to a few years after. But, in this world state, I could just say the Inquisitor left for whatever reason (idk chasing Solas or something) and Gaspard most likely despises them for allowing Celene to remain as Empress and for killing his sister Florianne, BUT he probably respects them because the Inquisitor did save the world, and his cousin, and give his sister a valiant death in battle? Or does she just get arrested, if she was arrested I imagine he doesn’t respect the Inquisitor at all for that. At least she’s alive? But then again… hmmmmmm…. Smth to think about.

.If anything it’ll be a background thing, OR insanely I could set it post WEWH and pre-Ending? The inquisition could still be happening… OH the humiliation, not only did Gaspard fail to get the Orlesian throne but he’s been exiled for his association with Florianne, they can’t trust him at all! Oh! OH! Delicious, yes, delicious 👹.

.4. My Warden is Andrastopher Cousland, there is a lot about him floating around on my blog I’m sure. He’s 8’ 1” or 8’ 3” and is an absolute unflinching bastard. Marries Zevran, becomes the Teryn of Gwaren, the Arl of Amaranthine, the Warden Commander of Ferelden, and advisor to the King (he does sub out his work but he will also stomp right back in and take charge at any moment (v annoying)). He also re-titles himself as The Silverlite Warden as a way to split his faction of Wardens away from the Wardens in the north (because wtf are you doing Jowin?) and that is why none of them travel north to help out in Veilguard.

.He absolutely hunts down every Howe who still lives, butchering them and whatnot, spends a lot of his free time painting (mostly naked men and landscapes), he learns the Qun, he has slept with both Hawke and Rook. He steals from nobles because it’s fun and they can’t do anything about it, he fills the Warden ranks with criminals, he fills his home with mercenaries, he lets people try to kill him once, and he thinks the only thing he’s bad at is dying.

.ALSO!!! I do want to say my original plan for him was the go through his calling (with Lei Mi’Durgen’s help) and becomes a ghoul in the Deep Roads who keeps his mind and like helps Wardens pass through safely or something idk…. Veilguard just did that, they made that canon for me, so like 🤷‍♂️ good prediction on my part tbh.

.But if I’m going to make a non-canon Inquisitor, might as well have a non-canon Warden 😔🙏. RIP Andrastopher I do love you but you would just fight with Gaspard or take over the throne yourself, not a good match and I am stopping this train of thought before I end up shipping HoF/Gaspard because that’s insane, that’s insane, no.