#iv. the magic of old must be preserved. no matter how feared. ( morrigan: mannerisms )

[worldevoured]

MORRIGAN B. 9:03 DRAGON || COMPANION

STATISTICS

FULL NAME Morrigan.

DATE OF BIRTH 9:03 Dragon.

PLACE OF BIRTH Unknown, suspected near the Fallow Mire.

RACE Human.

GENDER Cisgender woman.

PRONOUNS She/her/hers.

SEXUALITY Bisexual.

NATIONALITY Fereldan.

RELIGION Agnostic.

POSITIVE TRAITS Discreet, individualistic, knowledgeable, resourceful.

NEGATIVE TRAITS Amoral, manipulative, secretive, vindictive.

PHOBIAS None.

MENTAL HEALTH Relatively healthy, situational anxiety.

AFFILIATION Orlesian Court, Inquisition.

TITLES Arcane Advisor.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

CLASS Mage.

SPECIALIZATION Shapeshifter, battlemage.

WEAPON Staff.

COMPANION STATS

Follows most Origins canon regarding approval and disapproval.

CONNECTIONS

FAMILY Biological parents unknown. Flemeth ( adoptive mother, estranged, alive? )

WANTED SHIPS Morrigan/Warden, Morrigan/Hawke, Morrigan/Isabela, Morrigan/Inquisitor.

NOTES

ON CHARACTERIZATION I follow Morrigan’s characterization in Origins more so than in Inquisition. This means that I won’t tiptoe around Morrigan being petty, occasionally cruel, frequently vicious, and intentionally unkind. I also won’t ignore Morrigan’s capacity for compassion and love. Morrigan does berate Alistair for his grief; Morrigan does belittle the Warden if they try to save the mages ( even saying that the mages deserve to die in front of terrified children ), and Morrigan does withhold vital information from the Warden and Alistair with the intent of manipulating them later. Likewise, Morrigan does show intense and emotional gratitude when considered a friend by the Warden; Morrigan does care very deeply for the Warden; Morrigan does feel immense guilt for withholding information and manipulating them. She’s a fascinating and nuanced character for her flaws as much as, if not more so than, for her virtues.

ON FLEMETH Morrigan’s behavior in Origins — her willingness to goad her mother into fights, her flippant and insulting commentary about Flemeth — certainly speak to a level of dislike between them, but Morrigan shows very little, if any, indication that she’s frightened of Flemeth until Inquisition. In Inquisition, Morrigan’s fear of Flemeth is used primarily to emphasize that she is a better mother, and to make her more sympathetic, in a way that doesn’t quite feel natural. Morrigan, in Origins, is her mother’s foil in much the way that Leliana is Corypheus’ foil later on, and this is the characterization which I think makes the most sense, which I prefer, and to which I will default.

ON THE DARK RITUAL Morrigan is influenced by Flemeth to manipulate the Warden and Alistair to complete the ritual, and by the time Flemeth is “dead” ( either after the Warden kills her, or when she is believed dead ), Morrigan feels that she’s in too deep. She makes the choice to continue withholding vital information that can save the Warden and Alistair — if she has a good relationship with the Warden, she tells herself that it’s for their own good; if she does not, she tells herself it’s for her own good. Either way, Morrigan’s behavior is manipulative, and though she is not wholly at fault, she does bear some responsibility for making that choice. I will not gloss over that. I also will not write Morrigan as having taken part in the Ritual with a Warden or Alistair who is unwilling — which means that the Warden or Alistair must know all the details, and must make the choice on their own. Since Loghain cannot complete the ritual without being coerced or intimidated, I won’t write Morrigan completing the ritual with Loghain without significant divergence in this regard.

ON SHIPPING I will be extremely selective in shipping Morrigan, and will only write ships with her with writers I know well and am comfortable with. I also will not write Morrigan and Alistair involved in a relationship. They may become slightly friendly during an Inquisition timeline, if Alistair is Kieran’s father, but that is the extent of it.

ON MORRIGAN AS ARCANE ADVISOR Morrigan has been stealing from elves at least since Witch Hunt, possibly longer, to learn of their magic and to take from it. She has very little interest in to whom a culture belongs, and she does believe herself to be the only person fit to drink from the Well of Sorrows, despite her limited knowledge of or respect for elven history and religious practices. Morrigan as the expert on Eluvians works much in the way that British museums are “experts” on artifacts that have been stolen from indigenous cultures. If we write following canon events and choices, Morrigan’s “authority” on such topics will and should be treated as being questionable at best. ( For alternatives, please consider: Velanna or Merrill as the expert on Eluvians, and present at the Temple. )

PLEASE READ!

It’s totally okay if this isn’t your scene! I won’t be offended if you’re not interested in my portrayal of Morrigan, and I encourage you to blacklist her tags if you don’t like what I’m doing with her. I also encourage anyone who wants to have a discussion on this topic to reach out to me; I love talking about my inspiration for Morrigan, how I develop her, and the historical analysis and theory I use for the character’s backbone. To me, the most interesting things about Morrigan are her many faults, and how she weaponizes the very things for which people dismiss her, especially her womanhood. That means examining, as honestly and critically as I can, the manner by which Morrigan takes part in oppressing the elves of Ferelden, all of which is supported by canon material. I have studied medieval and early modern imperialism to some extent — but am always learning! — and am drawing from not only canon, but from the historical influences from which canon drew. Please be an adult about this; nonstop vagueing and accusing me of misogyny when I point out Morrigan’s canonical racism isn’t the gotcha anyone thinks it is.