#like who actually gives a shit about the darkspawn?

[mostlygibberish]

Every now and then I will see someone mentioning the Dragon Age games like they're still relevant and wonder what exactly I missed that they had any sort of lasting impression on people.

[ziskandra]

1, 8, and 10 for the Violence Meme :3

1. The character everyone gets wrong

The way that ‘Loghain Mac Tir’ immediately comes to mind probably says a lot about the way he’s portrayed in fandom, huh… While I obviously don’t expect anyone to see my blorbos 100% the same as me, sometimes I’ll see takes that are so diametrically opposed mine that I’m just like: huh.

That being said, Loghain is a very complex and layered character, and all the different possible ways to read his motivations only leads credence to that fact.

Anyway, here are my own preferences/biases when it comes to Loghain:

1) Maric is Loghain's everything, and not only that, but the Maric that lives in Loghain’s head is even larger than the man himself was in real life. Personally, I like how this explains the discrepancy between the way Loghain describes Maric (as though he farts rainbows) and the way Maric is described in the tie-in novels (rather punchable).

Sure, they might've gone through a lot of shit together, but Loghain is completely abnormal about Maric and I love that for them.

2) I think Cailan’s death at Ostagar wasn't planned, per se, but rather that Loghain was willing to take that loss if necessary.

And look, Loghain did try to warn Cailan that fighting on the front lines would be foolhardy, but Cailan refused to listen and well… what can I say other than Loghain knows how to pick his battles? 😌

3) Loghain is not very politically savvy: I like to think Anora got her more astute people skills from her mother.

That being said, I think people sometimes forget how at the start of Origins, Loghain is a man deeply in mourning: in the preceding years he’s lost his best friend and his wife.

I feel this is also part of why he doesn’t realise he can rely on Anora: fully accepting that she’s a capable adult and no longer a little girl with pigtails as skinned knees would be to accept that there is no going back, he can never go back: the happiest, most purposeful part of his life is behind him and who is he, other than a father with a disobedient daughter, and the general of a nation that is starting to rise up against him?

Loghain basically suffers from like, a catastrophic loss of identity during the course of the game and is pretty much ready to die by The Landsmeet. If anything he’s glad to have found such a worthy opponent in the Warden: it means Ferelden’s fate is in good hands.

4) Leading to my last point: a combination of all the factors above means Loghain is very open to manipulation (by Howe, by Anora, by the Warden should they so choose).

That being said, I don’t think that absolves him of his complicity in his crimes, and especially not the slavery in the alienage. He very much knew the elves were being sold, but had also accepted that the alienage was lost to the darkspawn. I can certainly see someone with Loghain’s background deciding that giving the elves at least some chance of survival as well while also making more money for the war effort as the practical choice. While it’s not the moral choice, it is a pragmatic one and Loghain is a pragmatist.

Anyway my actual point is that while some Loghain fans might try and minimise his involvement in the alienage, I find it far more fascinating to explore through the lens of who he is a person. After all, I am not looking at fiction to inform my morals wholesale, but rather to explore other perspectives, and I am especially drawn to how people can justify atrocities to themselves, SO! Here I am, sharing my Loghain thoughts on tumblr dot com 😌

[choose violence ask meme]

[arrenkae]

Some more Veilguard thoughts:

The siege of Weisshaupt was straight up amazing. 10/10 no notes. I have so many feelings about the Grey Wardens. For all the problems with other factions - they did really well with the Wardens, actually. Maybe unpopular opinion at that point, but I did not like their portrayal in Inquisition at all. Here, it hits all the right notes, just the right mix of heroic, deeply flawed and doomed by the narrative.

I also now feel that a Grey Warden Rook would make for the best story, since we're fighting against the villains who caused all the blights and now are bringing about another mega-blight. Would also make more sense mechanically - yes, previous games also hand-waved us fighting against the darkspawn as non-wardens without getting blighted, but here it feels especially jarring. Mega-blight and all.

Actually, thinking about all that? I feel like the faction system is one of the main problems with the game. It seemed cool at the beginning, but got disappointing really quickly. The way everything has to be divided between The Factions feels really artificial, and makes for some of the weakest narrative points - the elves only being represented by the Veil Jumpers (who are not even a proper Dalish clan!), the Crows becoming a bunch of batman-style good guys, only one area in Minrathous, the Lords of Fortune... just everything about them, to be honest. Hell, even class specializations are tied to the factions - why?? I understand that they were implemented in the game at some point in development and it wasn't that easy to get rid of them. But I still wish we could just be a Grey Warden with more race reactivity (because there is VERY little race reactivity compared to the faction reactivity and I'm disappointed)

Still, the Mourn Watch, even without being particularly story relevant, are super cool. I love everything about them. Emmrich is one of the best dragon age characters EVER. Even if the rest of the game was total shit, meeting him was totally worth it.

I also ended up really liking Davrin. I was worried he'd be overshadowed by Assan - but the thing is, even though a large portion of his dialogue and quest line deals with Assan, it still directly relates to his own character and who Davrin is as a person. The weight of responsibility, the struggles of raising Assan right - it's all very well done. It's not just about a cute pet being cute. Also, as I said before, the Grey Warden stuff hits unexpectedly hard.

Rook keeps giving me "constantly smiling through the pain" vibes. Playing therapist for your party is nothing new for an RPG protagonist, but in this game, with all the nice domestic interactions we see between the companions, being unable to join the party banter (why?? we could in Inquisition) and Rook always acting friendly and supportive, it really feels like we're this part of a friend group who always solves everyone's problems but then gets left out of all the fun group activities. This is probably unintentional, but I think that with time fandom will embrace this characterization for Rook, just as it did with Hawke being a colossal fuckup. It's kind of interesting and tragic, in its own way. Still not a good way to write an RPG protagonist, though.

[luckyjak]

Since the game doesn't really expand on it, here are my headcanons for post-game.

My Rook was a female Lord of Fortune rogue who romanced Emmrich. Worldstate was a female Lavellan who romanced Solas.

(Spoilers, obviously)

After leaving the Lighthouse, Rook returns to find that Solas and Lavellan have claimed it as their home in the Fade. They travel the Fade often, doing their best to try and sooth the Blight. Dreamers see them occasionally, and stories spread of the Dread Wolf and his Hart/Heart mending the Veil and soothing the Blight throughout Thedas. Legends start about the Immortal Lavellan, the woman who changed the Dread Wolf's heart, and in doing so, saved Thedas. She becomes a godlike figure in elven mythology, and many who travel the Fade claim to see her still, helping where she can.

Solas occasionally stops by in Rook's dreams. Mostly to complain about things ("why is my laboratory now a greenhouse?") But Mostly because, in spite of everything, he considers Rook a friend. Rook gives him shit every time she sees him, but ultimately, they are both happy with how things have turned out.

After defeating the Elven Gods, Rook and Emmrich take some time for themselves. They stay in Nevarra for Manfred's studies. Eventually, they make a trip to try and help Southern Thedas recover, and there they meet the most peculiar person: a spirit turned human by the name of Cole. This sparks a wild debate about Manfred (should they try to make him mortal? Should they not? Is he happy as just bones???) But eventually, they decide it is Manfred's decision, and leave it be.

Three months after that, Manfred Laider-Volkarin appears as a 14 year old boy, made of flesh and bone. He has his father's eyes, and his mother's heart.

Bellara Lutare becomes a Grey Warden. While not a choice she would have gone with on her own, it was either that or die of Blight sickness after being possessed by Elghan'nan. She survived her Joining, and primarily serves the Wardens as an elven expert. Mostly, she hangs out and snarks with Antoine.

She and Davrin almost switch places in life, as Davrin, still a Warden, spends most of his time in Arlathan, helping train the newest generation of griffins to help protect the ancient forest.

(Maybe Bellara and Davrin date? I gotta travel with them together more often.)

Archon Dorian Pavus is stressed beyond believe, given the horrendous state Minrathos is in. However, he has help; Neve Gallus, who becomes the voice of her people to the Archon. She uses her detecting skills to find out what the common people of Tevinter actually need, and then reports it to the highest authority (Dorian). The Archon employs a full time Qunari bodyguard by the name of the Iron Bull, and anyone with eyes can see the two are in love. The Shadow Dragons get to reform Tevinter out of it's ashes, and none are more proud than Neve.

That is, when she's not in Antiva with her boyfriend.

Lucanis never wanted to be the First Talon of the Crows, but heavy is the head that bears the crown. Because Neve drags him to the undercities all the time, his rich boy attitude gets humbled, and the Crows are better for it. The Crows stop using slaves as recruits, and no child ends up like Zevran ever again.

The Veil Jumpers live up to their name, and become Eluvian guardians, helping people travel across Thedas with what Eluvians remain. Because of the Eluvians, life prospers after the double blights, with supplies and help getting to the people who need it most quickly and rapidly.

The Lords of Fortune move south to help out in the Free Marches. Their leader, Isabela, cannot stand by while her once home gets decimated, and it's pirates, of all people, who help recover the Marches.

The South survives. King Alistair, a former Grey Warden, uses his knowledge of darkspawn to keep more people alive than the Inquisitor knew. However, Orlais is decimated, and may never be the glory of the Empire it once was. The Divine Victoria moves to Skyhold, her once former home where she served as spymaster, and in the Inquisitor's absence, uses it as chantry stronghold for which Orlais can rebuild.

The reason Redcliffe lasts as the final stronghold is because that is where the Hero of Fereldan, Amell, lives, and it is through her sheer force of will that Redcliffe remains.

King Alistair might not have survived the onslaught, had his life not been saved by the most unexpected source: a young mage named Kieran. If the two happen to bear more than a passing resemblance to one another, well, who's to say?

[sketchy-saram]

Okay! Day 1, Introduce your HoF! I wish I had more time--maybe I'll reblog this with some art later, if I can. But my Canon HoF is Bronwyn Aeducan! She is a fierce warrior whose first love is battle, and she'd rather solve her problems by beheading them, if possible. She and Gorim were together romantically, but honestly probably more from proximity and being companions in arms than being compatible.

She was extremely proud and determined to prove herself as a commander. She never wanted the throne--she probably would have been happy killing Darkspawn till she died, if her brother hadn't betrayed her. The sight of her coming out of the tunnels, covered in gore, feral and absolutely alight with murdering, must have been something for Duncan and the other Wardens to behold, when she found them.

She took to the whole thing like a fish to water. Especially when Alistair acquiesced to her leadership--after all, that was basically the role she had been preparing for her whole life. Fit like a pair of Dalish gloves. At first, she didn't know quite what to make of so many mages and humans and whatnot, but she gradually grew to enjoy the freedom from strict Dwarven caste expectations that had never let her relationship with Gorim be anything more. She actually made friends, which she had never had, since as an Aeducan everyone was either trying to kill or manipulate her. She definitely related to Alistair a lot on that level. (Her best friends were Shale and Sten, but she also had a soft spot for Wynne and Alistair.) She was genuinely pleased to see Gorim alive in Denerim, and happy he had found someone. It never even occurred to her to be jealous. (Although she was baffled that he could give up fighting to be a merchant of all things, LOL)

She helped Harrowmont ABSOLUTELY out of spite, and took so much satisfaction out of murdering her piece of shit brother. At least, she thought she would. It all made her feel pretty hollow. She swore to never go back to Orzammar after they finished there--it was dead to her, like she'd been to it.

After all the worries about being knifed in the back, then, it was so surprising when she found herself so charmed by Zevran; an Elf sent to kill her....who didn't even do a good job of it. He flummoxed her, confused her, and even affronted her, just on a technical level. It took her a looooooong time to believe any of his flattery. But his affability, his easy-going nature even in the face of everything he had suffered, and his hedonism eventually wormed their way under her skin. The first time she took him to bed, she told herself it was just scratching an itch for both of them, and that she would fight better after getting it out of her system.

Well, let's just say Zev was more than enthusiastic to take pointers in other areas than just fighting, and apparently the itch was a rash, because it kept happening. Bronwyn's worst nightmare was the hot few seconds after Taliesen offered to take Zev back to the Crows. She was already preparing to be betrayed again... one that, she was shocked to find, would have been more obvious, and yet about as brutal as losing her whole life had been. And then he turned them down, and she knew she'd keep that silly Elf twink safe forever.

(Now they are the Thedas couple that hang out in the bar and entice hotties into an unforgettable threesome 😉 When she isn't busy keeping order or killing more Darkspawn, anyway.)

She wasn't about to let either of them die if there was something as simple as sex to save them, so she bullied Alistair into sleeping with Morrigan for the ritual. Sooooo they all lived happily ever after. (She let Anora rule, because honestly, she was better suited. Bronwyn would know.) And for me personally, if anyone could find a way to beat the Calling, it would be Bronwyn. So I'm sure she has ❤️

[gyrovagi]

back to thinking very very seriously about whether eloy would destroy the anvil of the void. i think he knows that inevitably, people will be unwillingly turned into golems again, especially if bhelen becomes king, and that does go past what she can justify to herself. but eloy is generally in favor of preserving knowledge and making new discoveries even if the results can be questionable/dangerous. i also think actually seeing the deep roads and fighting past the darkspawn broodmother nightmare to get there in the first place really shakes her, makes him terrified of a warden's inevitable demise to the calling and so eloy is like... well shit, if the dwarves are this fucked and this has just always been going on underground, who am i to deny them a tool that really could help them to defend themselves and reclaim their territory? if bhelen owes his reign to me could i count on that giving me enough sway to keep him in check with regards to this at least? i dont knowwww im going to have to open dao back up and actually play through the deep roads to decide

[crossdressingdeath]

I read somewhere that if Alistair was exiled, he reappears in Inquisition as a Grey Warden but from the Orlesian branch. This means that an Alistair who protested Loghain being spared gets a taunt from the Nightmare demon which basically calls out his refusal to take charge of anything. I think it fits with your post perfectly.

Oh, that's very fun.

Honestly, the impression I get with Alistair is that he does want the power of being in charge! He just doesn't want the responsibility. You can see that in how he immediately freaks out the second you do something he doesn't like; he wants you to be the one making all the tough choices, but he expects you to make choices he agrees with. He gets his way, and you have to carry the weight of all those moral choices!

I'm tempted to call it cowardice, actually. Alistair wants someone else to make all the same decisions he would've made so that he can get his way without any of the agonizing moral questions and guilt of actually making those decisions or taking on the blame for anyone who gets hurt or worse by them. He clearly doesn't have enough moral qualms to not go along with fucked up shit if it doesn't negatively affect him personally; remember that in Darkspawn Chronicles he has werewolves and golems in his army, meaning he slaughtered the Dalish and kept the Anvil intact, and he also released Vaughan from his cell. Whether he did those things because Morrigan pushed him to do them (which is a theory I've seen floated around) or just because, he's clearly perfectly willing to do terrible things, even if only on someone else's urging! But he doesn't want to be responsible for the bad things the group might do. He wants to be able to blame someone, anyone else. ...Which might play a part in why he's so against becoming king, come to think of it; there's no one to blame if you're the one on the top, after all.

And I don't think he's doing it entirely deliberately, but... let's be honest here. If someone is willing to do basically anything someone asks up to and including sacrificing his young relative or his stepmother (for lack of a better thing to call Isolde here, although it is important to keep in mind that Alistair disapproves twice as much to you sacrificing Isolde as he does to you letting the entire village except Eamon's family die, which... probably says something about him) and only ducks out when they make a decision that blocks him from fulfilling his personal grudge? That says something very very bad about them. Wynne, Leliana and Shale will all fight to the death to stop you from doing something they consider unforgivable, Sten will fight you for control of the group if you drag the group well out of the path of the Blight to visit Haven unless you've earned his trust, and Zevran will straight up turn on you if you haven't won his loyalty, but Alistair? If he abandons the group it's basically him throwing a hissy fit over you obeying the senior Warden present instead of him (despite him actively giving up leadership) and storming out, and it is explicitly his personal vendetta that causes it rather than him believing you've crossed a moral line. It is pure selfishness. Alistair clearly has some morals (he's firmly on the mages' side and only doubles down in later games, for one), but... a lot of the time his morals come down to what benefits him and his family, and he clearly expects the Warden to play by those same rules.

[thekingofwinterblog]

What are your thoughts on Vivienne?

wasted potential mostly.

The fact is that Vivienne, unlike Sera, IS a very well written character... its just that because Inquisition is the way she is, Vivienne has no character climaxes of any kind. she's not the only character withouth any such finales, but she is far and away the one that is hurt the most by the lack of one.

If you like competent schemers who wants to attain power with understandable, well written, and incredibly humanly flawed character motives, chances are you'll appreciate Vivienne. having an evil party member is not by definition a bad thing, provided its well written.

The problem comes from the fact that her character isnt actually building up towards anything, wheter for or against her.

if you like vivienne, there is no climax you can help her work towards, nor are you able to change her character traits in any way the way you could with morrigan.

Her one, big reward she can actually get, is becoming Divine, and its not in any way a result of her own actions, but rather random choices you make in game, that has nothing to do with her. it really feels like, oh shit, we need a third divine option between leliana the reformer, and cassandra the wellmeaning, but ultimately unsuited seeker, who the hell do we have? ... What about Vivienne? she's powerhungry. Yes, excelent, an extremely pro chantry, pro circle evil option, she's perfect!

Problem is, that unlike Cassandra and leliana, Vivienne has NO possible reason why anyone would realistically choose her of all people as a successor to justinia, and more damningly, she makes no actual developments herself to make it happen. it just falls into her lap, so its completely unsatifactionary.

Thats not really a problem for the other two, as their entire arcs are about the question of religion and their relationship to the chantry, but man is it a probelm for vivienne, who isnt exactly related to religion at all.

on the other hand, if you just HATE vivienne, or feel that her character needs to end at her failing spectacularily to actually work(like if you like anders or fenris as characters, but think their stories work best if they end tragically at the end of act 3), you are in even worse off, because there is absolutely no such thing in the entire game.

there are no dramatic final encounter the way there can be with leliana, wynne, and most of the DA2 companions. you dont get the option of having her executed like with alistair, or anders, and you cant even give her a satisfactory ending by just refusing to hire her on, like you can with sten in lothering, leaving him to the darkspawn.

You don't even have the option of kicking her out like you can with sera, meaning that if you hate vivienne, you are STUCK with her.

Most of the DAI cast can stand on their own feet in some regard, even withouth a climax to seve as the final point of their character, but vivienne can not.

Vivienne is written as an evil character, and to that end, you need to have the option of either changing them, or kicking the feet out from under her, the way you can morrigan.

Morrigan worked so well because you could do either. You could genuinely befriend her, romance her, and change her outlook on life. Or you could tell her to get bent by betraying her to the circle, refuse the ritual, or at the end of witch hunt, you could stab her in the gut for her only using you.

or if you wanted to go the truly tragic route, you could romance her, impregnate her, but not go through with the ritual, leaving her with your child while you yourself died. or refuse, and instead send alistair or loghaine off to die in your place.

There were SO MANY OPTIONS with morrigan, and the end result is that regardless of how you felt about her, the player was left happy at the end, because they got to choose a route that they were happy with.

Vivienne has no such climax, or thematic ending. she has the single worst personal quest in the game, because all it does is highlight just how unchanging she is.

if you poisioned her lover, regardless of motivation, that should BREAK any sort of friendly relationship you have with her to pieces, the way destroying the urn did in origins... but it doesnt. at all. and that more than anything showcases how there are no true development with Vivienne in this game.

[rlainarin]

Yoooo Ghost, Midnight, and Nightmare for Angharad

ghost: Who or what haunts your OC? What happened? How do they live with their ghosts?

doing this in a numbered list because oh boy

1: His father, who left for the surface when he was a baby. haunted with this absent father, so easy to idealize and think oh, someday I'll join him. (why couldn't he take me too?)

2: narratively-assigned ghost, Leske! sorry I dragged you into this, but couldn't take you with me. (and sorry I didn't realize I was gay. sorry I came back to Orzammar with a new boyfriend and no space for you.)

3: what happened to Daveth and Jory really stays with him and influences his maverick style as Warden-Commander! he's terrified every time a new Warden goes through the Joining-- that he's too much like Duncan, not enough, that he's doing the wrong thing.

4: Morrigan and Kieran. things did not go well between that gay boy and his best friend, and it's not until Morrigan is LONG gone that Angharad realizes he wants to be a father. so obviously you never admit what actually happened with Morrigan and only ever admit to OGHREN that you have a kid out there somewhere. these are great coping methods.

midnight: What keeps your OC up at night? Do they have nightmares? Fears? Anxieties? What do they do in the small hours of the morning when they should be sleeping?

oh, poor dwarf Wardens, going from no dreams at all to horrible darkspawn nightmares.

Angharad is used to stealing sleep a little at a time, wherever he can, so moving to a diurnal schedule... it goes weird for him. so he'll steal midnight snacks while everyone is sleeping, get bothered by the emotional support mabari for snuggles, go stargazing...

and, of course, "Alistair?" "Yes?" "Are you asleep?" "...Yes."

nightmare: What does your OC have nightmares about? How do they deal with their nightmares? Do they tell people, or keep it to themself?

I'm running with the joke about Oghren's nightmares to say that dwarf Wardens DO pick up regular dreams, and even if they don't Angharad has ENOUGH weird fucky Fade shit that it would probably give him dreams anyway.

so when the darkspawn dreams stop, his nightmares are of Orzammar. being underground, suffocating.

[choccy-zefirka]

He buddy listen I see you have severely expanded the lore and story of a minor side character (Alexius) who doesn't have much screen time in the game and I am into that and would like to hear like a. Idk, synopsis? About all that. Yes I know it will probably be a big synopsis but I don't mind.

Why in your inbox and not your dms? I thought I'd give you the chance to brag publicly. But you can totally dm me too, in which case this ask won't even need a response. K byeee

Hello! Thank you so much for the ask! Much of the lore and story is actually present in World of Thedas Vol. 2, the gist of which is as follows:

1. Alexius' father really wanted him to go into politics, and as Alexius got the family seat in the magisterium, he started advocating for more accessible education for the Soporati, which is probably not what his father had in mind.

2. Alexius' wife Livia was his research partner and "sweetheart" of many years. Alexius (and Dorian) specialized in experimental magic defying the known limits of what magic can do, while Livia and her apprentices tested how those experimental spells affected the Veil.

3. Felix was born with some magical talent, but it was very limited, and his grandfather (the aforementioned Alexius' father) tried to have him assassinated for being "little more than a Soporati" and supposedly tainting the pedigree and whatnot. Livia, however, had him killed first. Alexius was apparently chill with it.

4. As Felix struggled to cast even the simplest spell, Alexius hired tutors to help him discover his true talent, which turned out to be mathematics. So his parents got him enrolled at the University of Orlais, and it was on the way back from the university for the winter holidays that he and his mother were attacked by darkspawn.

5.* Alexius actually hates fruit baskets. This one is with an asterisk because I remember people telling me that it was in WOT but I could not find it myself.

These are the facts we are given, but I also have a few headcanons that usually come out of nowhere, just for shits and giggles:

1. Alexius was a rebellious youth that often clashed with his (likely abusive) father, and he sees a lot of his younger self in Dorian. From that rebellious time, he still has a couple tattoos. I also like the idea of him having scars.

2. While happily married to a woman for a large part of his adult life, he is a mostly closeted bisexual. He comes out to Dorian post Last Resort, which is also when he meets Halward and has a shouting match with him, because their treatment of their sons' "imperfections" is polar opposite.

3. Alexius' bonding with most of my Heralds/Inquisitors begins when he is left behind during the evacuation of Haven and, as part of the dungeon wall collapses, stumbles into the Herald's unconscious body. They wander through the snowy wilderness together for an undetermined amount of time, and are forced to team up against wild animals, the elements and the occasional demon.

4. As the Inquisition's semi-imprisoned researcher, Alexius designs little runes that warp time a little bit, so that if they are attached, say, to horseshoes or a scout's boot soles, they make them Go Fast. Essentially making fast travel canon.

5. One of the tutors Alexius brought in for Felix was a drawing tutor. While Felix showed no interest in the craft, Alexius did, learning enough to illustrate his own research notes.

6. The idea for rounding up the Tranquil and making the Oculara did not come from Alexius himself (since that part of the game made little sense to me; it's like two separate writers strung things together without really consulting one another). He received orders from someone higher up, passed them on, and did not give that much thought. A part of him did feel it was wrong, though, so he tried to push the Tranquil out of Redcliffe (as opposed to gathering them in one place for more convenient harvesting). As a new agent of the Inquisition, he relays all he knows of the Oculara operation, and instead of collecting shards, the Inquisitor (as in, a generalization of my OCs) starts giving the Tranquil skulls a proper burial.

7. Felix obviously survives, one way or another. The Wardens are usually involved, but in one instance, Adiba Adaar, my medical doctor OC (waves at @talloseye ), imbues a rune (again with the runes lol) with a bit of Fiona's mysteriously resistant blood and implants it into his heart as a sort of cleansing filter I guess.

8. I have like a dozen OCs that bone this old man. Because I like his cheekbones I guess. Said OCs range in age from early 30s to roughly Alexius' peers, and are mostly mages, or gain some magic due to the Mark, allowing for extra bonding. A lot of my storytelling is informed by media aimed at younger audiences, which is why I favour happy endings and wholesome love stories, even if they start out, like, super rough.

These are the things I can think of off the top of my head (it's 3 am lol), but for more in-depth Alexius headcanons, I recommend @lazyadmiral . I am just herd to clink my Barbies against him, honestly.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Imma focus on To Be Kind and To Love Yourself Worldstates

Caoimhe Tabris is 100% best friends with Zevran, Leliana and Shale. Zevran because both had a lot to talk about regarding humans and their actions to elves, while Leliana was because both women are very kind people who strive to be good people. Caoimhe 100% softened her and the two just vibed. Shale became a best friend because Caoimhe was curious about her, and later because both liked shiny things. The dynamics between all three differ. Zev and Caoimhe like to complain and bitch at one another about things while also trading tips on weapon care. Leliana and Caoimhe just were very kind people who did a lot of discussing on how people hurting them doesn’t give them the right to hurt others, and discussing mortality. Shale and Caoimhe were battle buddies who loved a pretty rock or two.

Riley Cousland’s best friend was Alistair. She got along with everyone else but there was just something about them being the only Grey Wardens together that had her bonding with him more. Riley was more serious than Alistair but she had a wicked joke at her lips when needed and often played along with his jokes. The two also talked a lot about duty and bloodlines. They are just a very good pair of friends who went through the same shit. I like to imagine that Riley can also stride into Denerim at any time and Alistair just drops everything to hang out. She has 100% picked him up for Darkspawn hunting when he beeds to just kill things.

Ivy Hawk is very different depending on which world state. In to Be Kind, she was closest with Varric and Sebastian. She was friends with everyone but Varric was the guy who did not judge her or make comments. He was there when she needed to sit and rest in her own thoughts, or when she needed to rant. Sebastian is mostly because Ivy struggled a lot and sometimes turned to the Chant to find answers. Sebastian was there to listen and the two developed a quiet sort of deep friendship based on the fact both had pretty bad parents.

Now, in To Love Yourself, Varric was still a good friend but Ivy really vibed more with Merrill because her different opinions on magic just made sense to Ivy more then what her father taught (and oooo boy that relationship was a trash fire). Ivy really liked spending time with Merrill who offered more insight into magic that Ivy did begin to learn to love herself.

Revas Lavellan is fun. My OG thoughts on this jock is that she’s besties with Bull and to be fair she does hang out with him for a while at first UNTIL I ended up taking him to Redcliff and woo boy. The hut with the skulls, his comment… Revas’s story contains that her sister was made Tranquil and Harel is still around. Yeah Revas dropped him like a hot coal and started hanging around Blackwall and Sera more. Those guys are just her speed. Revas and Blackwall are just the people who talk about wood carving, share war stories (Revas has a lot of stories about Darkspawn and fighting off bandits) and compare fighting styles. When the truth comes out, Revas truly gets running from something and sees how Blackwall is trying to atone. They become closer through this, the idea of atonement and doing good .With Sera on the other hand Revas was more playful and laid back. Playing games, pulling pranks and just living. The two grew close through Revas finding a spark she’d lost long ago, a childish one.

With Harel Lavellan (same one, the universes are AUs of each other. This one has Harel not being tranquil and a dead Revas) her best friends were actually Vivienne and Dorian. Harel and Vivienne are both powerful mages who enjoy talking about potions but also both challenge each other frequently about things. Harel challenges Vivienne on her ideas of Circle, Vivienne challenges Harel on her knowledge. Both are very smart and can play political games (Harel has a long history of dealing with that as a Keeper’s First) and they just like each other. Dorian and Harel are both necromancers who enjoy playing chess together. They really get closer through debates to and just vibing in general. Nerds.

no more romance. romance is canceled. tell me about your warden/hawke/inquisitor's best friend and any info you want to add about their dynamic 🖐

[curiousstrawberry]

Some under the cut veilguard thoughts and spoilers

Beware since I'm not that far in the story (i think) but done ton of side quests

Idk how I feel about the Inquisitor showing up. Like it's no surprise I don't enjoy inquisitor as a character but this whole meeting has very much a vibe of this could've been an email...

Seriously like here's statue, south is fucked btw but i'm handling it somehow lmao gl

Anyway i hope they show up again (preferably to die for solas tbh... I always thought they'll die cmonn don't let me down)

It's the first quest line i actually dislike actually. Gives whole lot of telling and now showing dai vibe we could literally do without. (What was said w inquisitor Harding or Varric could say, literally no reason to go out of your way to meet inquisitor)

Idk how to feel about the whole solas mythal thing tbh. Like i do not think that's something new at all just hmm yeah I guess (have to digest all that)

Im getting they are giving him more layers and everything and i get it i get it. It's just hmmm curious where this leads

All older character that make cameo literally feel like in marvel movies. Like wink wink nudge nudge see what we did there?? Which tbh i don't mind? Just don't think too hard about it

Also to be absolutely clear the less we know about what's going on in south the better because then we can headcanon shit ya know? Nothing contradicts itself really and everyone is happy until proven wrong (Hawke and Warden are killing darkspawn while making out sloppy style as we speak)

Also so i don't just vaguely complain i really love the choice between saving the two cities from dragons. The way it's so abrupt and all. AMAZING especially if you play either as crow or shadow dragon absolutely delicious angst

I also want Taash to marry me (me, not Rook, they gonna marry Davrin.. already co-parenting griffon with him so yeah!)

God it's so delicious when everyone is like poor Neve how bad she must feel after what happened to her city while Kalais (Rook) is there like crying and self doubt (no shade on Neve at all btw! She's fucking amazing and I love she gets to be pissed at Rook)

Overall i really like characterization of everyone in main group and how they feel together. Like it's honestly lot more like group who's saving world but becoming very close friends vibes and it really works!

They could've killed Varric. Or idk made him more incapacitated or leave. Because he literally serves zero purpose there. I love Varric a lot like A LOT but like he's just literally there just for fanservice. If they killed him in first mission it would've worked better (i would definitely be pissed but if he dies now it'll just feel cheap but guess then Solas would hardly remain redeemable in writers eyes... Tho would make things definitely more interesting with possible redemption)

[fangsandfeels]

Oct 11 - Favorite Awakenings scene/dialogue

All dialogues with Justice and Sigrun are my favorite as they reveal entirely new worlds and philosophies.

Justice shows the part of the Fade that few non-magi actually know: that it's not just a place of demons and horrors. It's also a place of spirits, who are genuinely sympathetic and curious, and kind. They reach out to mortals in their most horrible moments (Cole, Wynn), when these mortals are completely and utterly alone - and they stay with them. Or they will fight for the doomed and trapped souls because they can't stand seeing their pain and let them be hurt any longer. It's incredible, how powerful and yet, how innocent they are.

(this is also why I have always hated that "Justice becoming Vengeance = bad" in Dragon Age II. It's not that I'm opposed to the idea of spirits becoming more aggressive and getting corrupted by the influence of the mortal world, but making vengeance the scapegoat yet again and demonizing it. I feel like Justice becoming Judgement would be more fitting.)

Sigrun's story and interactions with the world show the perspective of a Legion of the Dead fighter. And, I sympathize with Legion of the Dead immensely. They're basically Grey Wardens, minus the darkspawn blood transformation and heroic aura around the name, but equally doomed - and they know it. What makes things even more tragic is that their work is necessary -- they are the ones standing between darkspawn, but also Orzammar and the rest of the world that couldn't give a shit unless a new Archdemon is awoken. However, at the same time, people like Sigrun end up being Legionnaires because their own homeplace wants nothing to do with them. It doesn't give them a chance because they were born castless, it punished them for getting forcefully drugged into crime or resorting to crime to feed themselves, and then it offered them ways to die - either by execution or joining the Legion of the Dead. Given that the Darkspawn are the main threat for Orzammar, Orzammar is shooting itself in the knee with that approach.

And, yes, Bernadette absolutely kept coming up with very important tasks for Sigrun, delaying her long walks over and over. And Sigrun amasses an ample collection of surface world trinkets, from books to plants to toy figurines - sometimes she jokes about Bernadette inheriting her collection once she is gone. Bernadette doesn't think it's funny, but plays along.

(Also Bernadette would have never told Anders to give up Sir Pounce-a-Lot. Are you fucking kidding me? Having a pet doesn't make you too soft, it keeps you sane - Bernadette would know she gave him the cat in the first place and in this essay I-)

[dreadfutures]

TLDR: Dead Pasts, Dread Futures

Decided to put something together for All The People who will never read DPDF but may actually be interested in Ixchel for other reasons. tw mental health, past suicide. She gets better. If you read all of this you’d be all caught up on Dead Pasts and Dread Futures and (probably) be ready to jump into The Brave Guide, though you’d be missing a lot of nuance. Like 600,000 words of nuance. But.

tldr: Ixchel is the Inquisitor and main protagonist of my resurrection/time-travel/fix-it Bloodied & Broken series of fics. Her story is #hopepunk and deals with her upward journey finding hope for herself & for the people around her. But she starts at rock bottom. She was an orphan of unknown partial-elven origin, eventually adopted in Clan Lavellan, and first became Inquisitor as a clueless teenager and fucked up a lot. She had no romance arc, but she loved all of her friends dearly. Her entire life became the Inquisition and when it ended she had nothing left. She died by suicide a few years after Trespasser when she's ~ 25-27ish. Dorian ((and Solas)) used the power available after the Veil fell to return her back in time to the Conclave to do it all over again.

Early Life

The nameless half(?) elven orphan grew up fending for herself and sheltering in ruins in Ferelden prior to the Fifth Blight. No Dalish Clans she encountered took her in, either because of her not-fully-elven appearance (unlikely) or because times were tight and dangerous due to the encroaching Blight (more likely). She believed it to be due to her not being fully Elven and developed a complex about wanting to belong. She stowed away on a boat to the Free Marches and ended up wandering the countryside. After the Archdemon's defeat she returned to Ferelden, and in a ruin there she discovered a word she'd found written on a wall: IX CHEL. She encountered a mysterious traveler (Halevune Mahariel, HOF), who translated the inscrutable runes into Ixchel, and she thought it was pretty so she took it as her name.

She eventually did return to the countryside outside of Markham calling herself by this new name. In 9:37 Dragon, a particularly harsh winter drove the Lavellan Clan to seek out the orphan and took her in to teach her to hunt and fend for herself better. She remained with the clan for a short time but wanted to "prove" herself, so she volunteered to go to the Conclave as a spy, due to her ability to pass as a human and travel unnoticed. She was roughly sixteen years old.

Some traits inherent to her upbringing are that she has a nearly photographic memory and can memorize things pretty well be repeating things to herself, which is how she would "learn" things from ruins growing up. She has no terrible fear of demons -- no more so than bears. Demons are predictable creatures of habit and will eventually give up chasing. But Darkspawn have always terrified her.

First Inquisition

She fucked up a lot like I said. She tried to please everyone but that always meant someone disapproved of her choices. She slowly developed her own moral code mostly through saying "oh, shit, I actually hate how I feel after making that decision." Her advisers were pissed at her when she formed an equal alliances with the Free Mages. So when she had to choose for the Wardens, she conscripted them. Which pissed everyone off because they wanted her to exile them. And so on.

She tried the make the Inquisition welcome to everyone and thus decorated and incorporated aspects of many different cultures in it, but she worried that she just ended up making everyone feel uncomfortable, and it only highlighted to her the fact that she didn't really feel like she belonged to any group. She butted heads with Sera a LOT in these regards, due to Sera's scorn for how much Ixchel desperately wanted to be "an elfy elf."

Her first Inquisition lasted a very long time--many years, in fact--as she criss-crossed Thedas and fumbled so much and tried to figure out who and what Corypheus was.

Solas

Ixchel has special relationships with everyone. Her closest friends were Dorian, Solas, and Cassandra. Dorian as an older brother/best friend, Cassandra as a sister/stern tutor, and Solas as a mentor and nurturing figure. She was endlessly curious, good-hearted, and quick to learn. Solas saw a lot of himself in her desire to do good but the constant mistakes she made. He afforded her the forgiveness and support that he never offers himself. She had no biases of the Chantry or Dalish upbringings and absorbed everything he had to teach her about history, war, politics, elves, spirits, dragons, you name it.

But part of this curiosity and openness meant that Ixchel picked up on certain inconsistencies and evasions and became somewhat suspicious about his origins. After the encounter at the Temple of Mythal, she figured out not only that he was an Ancient Elf...but that he was Fen'Harel. He admitted as much but did not fully explain his history, his role in it, or his agenda. They grew even closer as friends and she asked him ever more questions about the past.

But Ixchel did not end up adopting his *philosophies* and in the end the student would surpass the teacher in many ways. In other ways, she was shaped very much by him and Dorian's insecurities and flaws of Pride and fatalism.

Gaining Her Vallaslin

She lost her Clan during this time and definitely blames her advisors in part. With her clan's death, her self esteem took a massive hit and she didn't think she *deserved* to be welcomed as an elf because she thought she hadn't done enough for them. She had learned about Celene's burning of Halamshiral *after* she saved Celene's life. Sera was constantly mocking her. And her advisers were constantly exasperated at her. After a very hard-won "victory" at Adamant, Ixchel had a bit of a spiral. Solas and Dorian and Cassandra picked her back up out of it and started building her up as her own person, growing from her mistakes, and finding worth in herself.

She completed Jaws of Hakkon during this time. When she discovered Ameridan's identity she of course wanted to bring that information to the Dalish. She ended up taking it *personally* to the clan on the Exalted Plains lead by Keeper Hawen. He had originally called her a "flat ear" and a "shem" but then she went OUT of her way to help them, and then this: she brought not only the news that the first Inquisitor, Ameridan, was Dalish and a mage -- but also presented the Clan with the Suledin Blade -- and gave them the original copy of the Tale of Red Crossing found in Din'an Hanin.

For this effort, Hawen--who had already started to see her as "a Dalish elf standing for all Thedas" offered her the vallaslin of Dirthamen, the Secret Keeper. She was to take this honor as "a lore-seeker, secret-keeper, and finder-of-kin." Solas took her aside at this point and told her the truth about the vallaslin. She had her first real fight with him about it and insisted she would take the vallaslin because of what it represented to her and to the modern elves. I wrote a oneshot about their fight. :sadcat:  He ends up telling her that he respects her decision and admires her but she feels like there's a hollowness to it.

Post-Corypheus & the Exalted Council

Ixchel's entire personhood was built around the Inquisition. Her first and only real taste of family, of *home*, came with it. And after Corypheus's defeat, her found family began to drift away. Solas left first, of course, without saying goodbye. :sadcat:  Cassandra became Divine. Leliana was often busy helping Cassandra. Dorian went back to Tevinter. Thom began his travels to preach and support the imprisoned across Thedas. Cole, who had become more human, went with Varric to Kirkwall. Her armies began to return home. Etcetera, etcetera.

During the time between Corypheus's defeat and Trespasser, Ixchel travelled with Morrigan and Kieran. They spent time with the Avvar and Chasind, and they traveled all over via eluvian and on foot. Ixchel started learning ancient Elvhen from Morrigan, who had the Well of Sorrows. She and Kieran grew close. Mahariel returned from the West--having failed in his endeavors--and stayed with them for a time. But then Mahariel started to get sick.

Ixchel returned to Skyhold alone. By the time of the Exalted Council she was in a pretty dark and lonely place, ||which was only made worse by Solas's revelations -- and his refusal to let her join him, or to kill her.||

In the aftermath, Ixchel disbanded the Inquisition entirely.

Cassandra wanted her to stay in the grand cloister where she had come to live, but Ixchel didn't want to take up her time and concern. Cole offered to come back to Skyhold to stay with her but she thought his work was too important. Cullen wanted to stay with her but she essentially kicked him out, because she believed in his lyrium rehabilitation clinic. And so on, and so on, until Skyhold was left with no more than thirty people in it at the time. Her anti-Solas efforts were essentially comprised of herself, Charter, Lace Harding, and Jester, and Sutherland and Sutherland's company. Ixchel tried for a while to find a way to defeat or disprove Solas's plans, but she had a harder and harder time motivating herself.

After the events of Callback, where Solas's frescoes are destroyed by a demon who fed on Solas's Regrets, Ixchel's story starts to end.

**Dead Pasts and Dread Futures**

Starts with Ixchel's death, her literal rock bottom. Solas succeeds and the Veil comes down. Magic floods the world. And Dorian uses his gifts and this limitless power to reforge Ixchel's soul out of the distant Fade, reforge her body out of his memories, and sends her back in time. Solas meddles.

Ixchel isn't the kind of person who can turn her back on people in need and her story is thus about how empathy sometimes leads to an overwhelming sense of responsibility and how and when to set boundaries for her own sanity and health. She jumps into the Inquisition all over again, relying on her foreknowledge and her regrets to lead her decisions this time. As her power grows, she begins to question too how much she SHOULD meddle, and how much should be left up to the free will of people around her. Her relationships with *every single companion* (except Sera) are explored, and the dissonance between what she knows and loves about them & what they know and understand about themselves is highlighted.

And she finds herself empathizing and loving and wishing better for Solas every step of the way. They have a romance that's overshadowed by feelings of guilt and grief that are at once related to the person in front of them, and also not at all. They are broken in a lot of the same ways. They are mirrors for each other. And in loving the other they learn to love and forgive themselves.

The thesis of Ixchel's story is this: "Hope is a choice you make every day. Belief is a state of being." The question is when, if ever, hope can become belief.

Ixchel convinces Solas to choose hope. And to help her continue to choose hope, too. They can pick each other up when they stumble or waver on this path. They don't support each other, or follow each other--they walk *with* each other in parallel as equals.

**DPDF Major Events** (spoilers)

Ixchel saved both the Mages and the Templars and recruited them into the Inquisition

Ixchel convinced Samson and Calpernia to defect from Corypheus's ranks

Ixchel killed Corypheus's red lyrium dragon

Ixchel recruited the Wardens after Adamant

No one (....sorta) was left in the Fade

Ixchel can hear the Calling, and lyrium, for some mysterious reason, though she is not Blighted herself

Ixchel is developing mild magical ability independent of the Anchor

Cole chose to align more with his Spirit side

Dorian, Cassandra, Solas, Cole, Morrigan, and Kieran all know the truth about Ixchel's past and the circumstances of her resurrection

...though no one but Ixchel and Cole know that Solas is the Dread Wolf.

Ixchel reunited Briala and Celene. Gaspard is dead. Briala and Celene are having some Issues ™️

The Halamshiral Alienage was burned a second time by Gaspard's Chevaliers and malcontents, with some string-pulling by Corypheus

The Halamshiral Alienage formed a labor union comprised of disenfranchized humans, alienage elves, and other nonhuman merchants and bargained with Celene and Briala with the neutral support of the Inquisition

In the wake of what happened in Halamshiral, Ixchel is viewed as a leader of rebellions for equality, named "The Brave Guide."

Alienages all around Thedas have begun to demand their walls to be torn down, to integrate with their cities with equal amenities or be allowed self-governance.

Mythal is meddling in her life again, though Ixchel and Solas cannot figure out why.

Ixchel has discovered that a key ingredient to her resurrection was the Old God Soul that Mythal took from Kieran, though it is now dead or dormant within Ixchel

Ixchel and Solas are in a loving, trusting, and very communicative relationship. #battlecouple

He has abandoned the din'an'shiral to instead walk with Ixchel on a path of hope -- to work with the world as it is, rather than to change it by force

Ixchel has begun to incorporate spirit channeling/partial temporary possession into her battle style, the way the Avvar do. For this she was named 'god song' instead of the canon 'first thaw.'

Anders and Justice separated with the help of the Avvar, and now Anders wants to volunteer to be made Tranquil expressly so that Cassandra can try the Cure on him, and make sure the Cure is made safe for others, so that any Tranquil who wants to be cured can be cured safely and rehabilitated safely.

Ixchel personally intervened in Wycome to Save Clan Lavellan and Protect Wycome's Alienage, and thwarted the Venatori's red lyrium plot

Anti-Elven sentiment across Thedas is threatening to boil over

She met the mysterious Marquis de Serault, who has discovered red lyrium growing in their Marquisate

Corypheus attacked Skyhold but Ixchel thwarted him and stole the Orb of Destruction, which she now keeps below Skyhold. Corypheus escaped.

And there we have it, 600,000 words summed up!

As of January 2022, you’d be all caught up.

The questions dealt with The Brave Guide are more about dissonance between how one is perceived and how much control one has over it, and what to do with the image you have in the world. Where DPDF was about Ixchel vs. Herself more often than not, RGL is more about Ixchel vs. The Image of Ixchel -- as well as Solas vs. Himself, because hope isn't easy.

[zenatness]

Actually, I'm not done.

Obviously I'd remove the belittling post-quest summaries and the Varric voice over cutscenes as they make the game choppy and only add meta knowledge that isn't even useful when we get them.

The companions also need an overhaul. Every last one of them.

The most memorable Dragon Age cast (to me) is the DA2 crew. There's not a single one of them that I forget if you ask me to list them. I love them, your honor. And the reason for that is because they all have flaws. They might belong to the same friend group but they're not all friends - they fight, they're mean to each other, hell Anders even approves if you hand Fenris back to slavery.

The DAV cast are so sweet and friendly and everyone likes each other and it's... bland. It's boring. They blend into one another. They need more bite. More conflict.

Emmerich is a necromancer and the way the dead are handled in Nevarra is completely alien to the rest of Thedas. And yet everyone is so accepting of him and Manfred. No! Make him work for their acceptance! And have him do some shit that's genuinely objectionable because it's the norm in Nevarra. Let him get frustrated with the others Not Getting It.

The Dalish elves shouldn't automatically go 'oh, our gods are evil, ok :)' There should be conflict! These are their gods - why aren't they flocking to them? This includes Bellaria and Davrin. As Davrin voluntarily left the Dalish he should have an easier time coming around to 'the gods are evil', especially as he can feel the blight corruption.

Davrin's pride kept him from going back to the Dalish after leaving them to find adventure. Ok. Where's that pride now? Why isn't it becoming a problem? Let him bump heads with Harding over the gods, who is the better tracker, etc.

And as far as I'm concerned, Bellaria should have been Merrill. Don't come into my house and offer me a neuroatypical Dalish elf who repairs eluvians, is driven by a desire to learn more about her people's past and regret over losing a loved one, and is on good terms with Varric and then give me a substitute.

Despite being a Tevinter native Neve is against slavery - why? Dorian was pro slavery and you could (too easily) change his mind. Why not make the slavery in Tevinter a bigger deal and her personal questline about choosing tradition or humanity? That's also where Dorian should have had his cameo, not with the first warden in a random bar.

Taash's gender identity issues are treated with such excruciatingly modern values that it feels like HR is in the room with the characters. It's addressed too quickly too. Let her be a bit of a dick for a while about feminine things, let her take a while to process things - let her meet Maevaris as part of a quest and have that "oh!" moment on her own. Then we can start to talk about it in the group.

Lucanis and Spite should be a bigger deal. This dude is possessed and we're all just fine with that? Really? Emmerich I understand, but the rest should have objections, especially Harding who is from Ferelden where such things is absolutely not ok. And if he's staying awake for ages to avoid Spite taking over, guess what? He'll be an irritable mess even without Spite in control.

Harding... Harding worked for the Inquisition for a decade. She's done this before. Let her be bossy and authoritative instead of sugary sweet. She should be the one most convinced and bumping heads with the Dalish when they have their doubts.

Also, only 30 hours in, but if the gods don't puppeteer the grey wardens - including Davrin - via the darkspawn blood then Bioware dropped the ball. Do I want that for Loghain (the only grey warden that truly matters)? No. But not doing it doesn't make any sense if they're controlling the darkspawn via the blight.

The more I play Veilguard, the more I want to edit it. Do some trimming, add some flesh and conflict to the bare-bones characters, and rearrange some elements.

Solas should have been the major threat for the first third or half of the game. It should have been about thwarting his agents and trying to find him. It would have kept the threat level low enough that it wouldn't feel weird to go and have a cup of coffee with your new teammate or lighting candles in the graveyard. Like, yes, this is urgent but we've got no leads so in the meantime we can go have a walk in the woods and search for truffles, sure.

Solas being the main threat but working behind the scenes would also mean that it would make sense that we're only a small team working on doing something about him. Nobody else believes us, etc.

Unleashing the elven gods should have been the twist that escalates the story, not the start. That's when you should start to have to gather armies to help you fight, because what do you mean it's less than a dozen individuals trying to save the world?

And no, we won't have time to go feed the birds anymore, sorry. The world is at stake and the blight is everywhere.

[lavellander]

hello im feeling extra “touch the stove”-y today so. i was looking for any dialogue where solas just straight up lies and (of what i could find online/transcribed, obv) i didnt find anything that was 100% untrue. he’ll completely avoid the question, change the subject, give part of the truth, etc etc etc, but nothing was just Entirely A Lie

what really gets me is that there’s a handful of convos where someone infers something from what solas says, and he will even point out that he didn’t directly say that. like, he tells people how to see through his shit, lmao

here is an embarrassingly long ass list of examples, all sorted by what kind of not-lying he’s doing lol, just bc i am unhinged<3

*note that some of these are cut from longer bits of dialogue or have been split up from one conversation into different categories*

literally just Not Answering The Question lol

Dorian: How much “will” do they have? They’re amorphous constructs of the Fade. Solas: Hmm.

Dorian: Solas, have I offended you? Solas: If you have, why would it concern you?

Dorian: Solas, what is this whole look of yours about? Solas: I’m sorry? Dorian: No, that outfit is sorry. What are you supposed to be, some kind of woodsman? Dorian: Is it a Dalish thing? Don’t you dislike the Dalish? Or is it some kind of statement? Solas: No.

Dorian: Let me get this straight, Solas. Dorian: You’re an apostate – neither Dalish nor city elf – who lived alone in the woods studying spirits. Solas: Is that a problem for you?

Solas: [has a whole tactical moment about the red jennies lmao] Sera: Where d’you get all this, then? Solas: Do you wish to be unnerved by another tale of my explorations of the Fade? Or do you wish to learn something?

Vivienne: You must be pleased with what was revealed at the Temple of Mythal, Solas. Solas: Why should those ruins please me, Enchanter?

changing the subject before he backs himself into a corner

Gatt: I don’t see any tattoos, but you’re carrying a staff. Are you from a Chantry Circle? Solas: No. And I would prefer not to discuss it.

Solas: I find the fall of the dwarven lands confusing. Varric: What’s so confusing about endless darkspawn? Solas: A great deal, although that is a different matter.

giving the truth, but not the whole truth

Blackwall: Skyhold. How did you find it? Solas: I looked. Blackwall: Now you sound like Cole. You looked? Solas: This world is full of wonders for those who seek them.

Blackwall: You spoke of seeing death and destruction. Did you fight in a war? Solas: There are struggles across Thedas at any given time. I doubt you would have heard of it. Blackwall: An elven skirmish? Solas: In a manner of speaking, yes.

Cassandra: Solas, have you always lived alone? Out in the wilderness, as an apostate? Solas: For the most part.

Cassandra: Have you ever encountered templars before? Solas: Only at a distance. I am an apostate, after all. Cassandra: And they never caught you even once? Solas: I am a very careful apostate.

Dorian: We found elves, living ancient elves, at the Temple of Mythal. Does that bother you, Solas? If Inquisitor allied with the Sentinels: Solas: I am pleased we were not forced to kill them, if that’s what you mean.

Iron Bull: You’ve got an odd style, Solas. Your spells are a bit different from the Circle mages or the Vints. Solas: That comes from being self-taught. Solas: I discovered most of my magic on my own, or learned it from my journeys in the Fade.

Vivienne: So, an apostate? Solas: That is correct, Enchanter. I did not train in your Circle.

Solas: You are a man who made a choice... possibly the first of your life. Iron Bull: I’ve always liked fighting. What if I turn savage, like the other Tal-Vashoth? Solas: You have the Inquisition, you have the Inquisitor... and you have me.

from cutscene at beginning Inquisitor: [mentions the anchor closing a rift] Solas: Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach's wake – and it seems I was correct.

from cutscene at beginning Solas: [to a Dalish Inq] You are Dalish, but clearly away from the rest of your clan. Did they send you here? Inquisitor: What do you know of the Dalish? Solas: I have wandered many roads in my time, and crossed paths with your people on more than one occasion. Inquisitor: [Crossed paths? dialogue choice] Solas: I mean that I offered to share knowledge, only to be attacked for no greater reason than their superstition.

from “I’d like to know more about you” convo in Haven Inquisitor: What made you start studying the Fade? Solas: I grew up in a village to the north. There was little to interest a young man, especially one gifted with magic. But as I slept, spirits of the Fade showed me glimpses of wonders I had never imagined. I treasured my dreams. Being awake, out of the Fade, became troublesome.

actually telling the truth but no one picks up on the gravity of it

Solas: [...] I believe the elven gods existed, as did the old gods of Tevinter. But I do not think any of them were gods, unless you expand the definition of the word to the point of absurdity. I appreciate the idea of your Maker, a god that does not need to prove his power. I wish more such gods felt the same. Cassandra: You have seen much sadness in your journeys, Solas. Following the Maker might offer some hope. Solas: I have people, Seeker. The greatest triumphs and tragedies this world has known can all be traced to people.

Cole: No, inside. I don’t hear your hurt as much. Your song is softer, subtler, not silent but still. Solas: How small the pain of one man seems when weighted against the endless depths of memory, of feeling, of existence. That ocean carries everyone. And those of us who learn to see its currents move through life with their fewer ripples.

Cole: You didn’t do it to be right. You did it to save them. Inquisitor: Solas, what is Cole talking about? Solas: A mistake. One of many made by a much younger elf who was certain he knew everything.

Solas: Empires rise and fall. Arlathan was no more “innocent” than your own Tevinter in its time. Solas: Your nostalgia for the ancient elves, however romanticized, is pointless.

Solas: Our people used to be here. Sera: Pfft, you say that everywhere. Solas: It is more true than you want to believe.

Vivienne: You must be pleased, apostate. With the Templars dissolved, your rebels will be most difficult to pacify. Solas: My rebels? Am I an agent for their cause, whispering poison into the Inquisition’s ears? Solas: How comforting. Vivienne: You enjoy seeing yourself as a villain? Solas: No more than any other clever man who wonders what he could do if pushed.

Vivienne: [about the Temple of Mythal] Now you know the elves were once a mighty nation. Solas: I always knew, Enchanter. The Temple of Mythal is just another reminder of what was lost.

(in the Emerald Graves): These forests have changed much since I was last here.

during the Fade!Haven cutscene Solas: It seems you hold the key to our salvation. You had sealed it with a gesture... and right then, I felt the whole world change. Inquisitor: [romance option] “Felt the whole world change?” Solas: A figure of speech. Inquisitor: I’m aware of the metaphor. I’m more interested in felt. Solas: You change... everything.

pointing out that people assume he means things he did not directly say

Cole: There is pain though, still within you. Solas: And I never said there was not.

Solas: You may well become fully human, after all. I never thought to see it. Cole: When did you see it before? Solas: I did not say that I had.

Iron Bull: We’ve got the alliance with my people. Given how much you love the Qun, I figured... Solas: I might scold you? Berate you for your decisions? Iron Bull: Hey. The Chargers died as heroes for the good of the mission. Solas: I never said otherwise.

Sera: Don’t you start. Solas: I’m reasonably certain I said nothing.

Vivienne: [talking shit about grey warden mages] Solas: I never claimed mages should be above the law, Enchanter. Vivienne: No, darling. You merely implied it, while offering no viable suggestions for improvement.

after infamous “side benefits” dialogue Warrior Inquisitor: You find my muscles enjoyable? Solas: I meant that you enjoyed having them, presumably. Warrior Inquisitor: Ah. Solas: But yes... since you asked.

diminishing things he does actually know by saying he he “believes” or “thinks,” or that things were vaguely “said” or “told”

Solas: I say what I believe to be true, even if it gives offense to those who prefer the lie.

Dorian: That orb Corypheus carries... are you certain it’s of elven origin, Solas? Solas: I believe so. Why do you ask?

Solas: It is said that we lived at a pace that sustained us for... ages.

making it sound like he’s talking about something/someone else, but it’s just him lmao

Cole: Do you know a lot about wolves? Solas: I know that they are intelligent, practical creatures that small-minded fools think of as terrible beasts.

Solas: No man can kill so many people without breaking inside. To survive... those you fight must become monsters. Iron Bull: The ones that kill innocent people, yeah. The rest... I don’t know. Solas: The mind does marvelous things to protect itself.

during In Hushed Whispers Inquisitor: I’m glad you understood what he just said because I’m not sure I did. Solas: You would think such understanding would stop me from making such terrible mistakes. You would be wrong.

misc

this one i wanted to include because it’s the only circumstance (that i came across) where someone directly asks solas to lie and he literally says he can’t

during the fucking crestwood breakup scene Inquisitor: [angry option] Tell me you don’t care. Solas: I can’t do that. Inquisitor: Tell me I was some casual dalliance so I can call you a cold-hearted son of a bitch and move on! Solas: I’m sorry.

*also note that most of these are banter transcriptions from the wiki; some are cutscene / other dialogue posted by either @/daitranscripts or u/karinini on reddit; it’s not all his cutscenes obv, but I’m not about to look up every single one individually sdlkfj*