#luthe cousland

[kogiopsis]

Things I have noticed replaying DAO/that I had forgotten:

There's a strong argument for placing Morrigan on the autism spectrum IMO, specifically for the way she talks about not understanding human social norms.

Wynne drops hints about her Big Secret IMMEDIATELY.

Sten's gifts are paintings/art. I love this, because from what we know of Qunari culture, there's not a lot (if any) room for pure creativity or beauty for beauty's sake, and the fact that this is what Sten values as a gift is such a great little character tidbit.

[kogiopsis]

I THINK I've finally gotten Luthe to the point where he doesn't look like an old man despite being like. 19.

[kogiopsis]

Wynne talking to Luthe about her worries that tragedy would befall him or Alistair because of their relationship hurt me, actually.

[kogiopsis]

boys being sappy <3

[kogiopsis]

Extremely happy with how Luthe looks now, especially with the Warden armor.

[kogiopsis]

DAV ask meme 2 4 6 9 11 !! God damn I really miss ask memes this is great.

ALRIGHT ALRIIIIIGHT

2. Which Dragon Age game is your favorite so far?

You know, it feels like going against the grain to say this but I just... love Inquisition a lot. It's got a lot of flaws (I mean, they all do) but I find exploring the open world really satisfying, the landscapes are gorgeous, the story still compels me, and I love (most of) the characters. I do think the combat can be kind of dull, but I don't play Dragon Age for the mechanics.

4. What does your worldstate look like going into DAV?

lol you sent me this just so I could ramble about my overly complex worldstate structure didn't you? I love you.

anyhow, I have three:

Primary: Daine Surana/Kenina Hawke/Kepi Lavellan, all mages. Pretty much the 'lawful good' runs, very heroic protagonists trying for the best possible outcomes. Decisions that I think will be relevant... Morrigan did the dark ritual; Alistair remained a Warden and was later left in the Fade; Kepi drank from the Well; Leliana is Divine; Celene and Briala reconciled. The Inquisition was disbanded and Kepi swore to stop Solas.

Secondary: Tohora Mahariel/Signy Hawke/Faina and Isaak Trevelyan. Tohora was a rogue, Signy a warrior; Faina's a mage and Isaak is a rogue. Lore-breaking/reluctant hero playthroughs. Yes to the dark ritual; Alistair became king; Hawke survived the Fade. Morrigan drank from the well... I think Vivienne is Divine, and I can't recall what I did in Orlais! I have not played Trespasser yet, but Faina is a faithful Andrastian, so she'll keep the Inquisition together but still swear to stop Solas.

Tertiary: Luthe Cousland/Basil Hawke/assorted Inquisitors. Luthe is a rogue (archer); Basil will probably be a mage, as that seems like the laziest path for him. No dark ritual; Alistair becomes king. I have NO idea how Basil's playthrough will go, because his defining trait is that he doesn't want to do any work, so he's going to do the bare fucking minimum and probably end in disaster. I have not yet defined all of the inquisitors for this worldstate.

6. Do you have your Rook(s) planned out to any degree? If so, would you share some details or ideas you have?

I mean, I have to play a female elf mage first, but other than that... I'm waiting for more information (video/images/pre-release of the CC, info on how Rook gets to the point of meeting Varric, etc).

Faction-wise, I think the Shadow Dragons or the Veil Jumpers are most likely. I have a good idea for a later-playthrough Lord of Fortune character, and I want to see how the Crows are characterized in-game before I design a character for that faction. The Mourn Watch is just less appealing for a first run because necromancer is the one mage specialization I'm not considering, and the Wardens... well, I know you're going to play a Warden first, so I don't want to do two of the same. :D

9. Which romance, if any, do you plan to pursue first?

If the game was released tomorrow, with no additional information, I'd just let things happen organically. Since I expect we'll get lots more character info, I imagine I'll have decided between Bellara, Neve, and Taash by the time it's out. But historically, DA romances can sneak up on me, so I don't know!

11. What's one thing you'd really like to see in this next game?

KAL SHAROK KAL SHAROK KAL SHAROK.

I've wanted to visit Kal Sharok since first reading about it in Origins, and after not getting to go there in Inquisition OR learn more via The Descent... gimme gimme GIMME. It's clear from The Descent that there's a lot of un-plumbed depth (pun intended) re: dwarf lore and I want it SO badly.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Hype Q&A

[kogiopsis]

2 for your inquisitors, 3 for your wardens, 5 for you Hawkes? on the companions ask meme

ALRIGHTY HERE GOES.

2.  Which companion does your hero find hard to trust?

Kepi has mixed feelings about Vivienne, given their fundamental disagreements about magic, but the companion she distrusts?  Solas.  Her Dalish identity is deeply important to her, and she feels weird about him from the moment he disavows both Dalish and city elves in their first conversation.  It’s hard for Kepi, someone whose whole life has been shaped by a sense of duty to her people, to like or trust someone who will criticize but refuse to help, and that’s how she sees Solas.

Nell trusted Blackwall... until she didn’t.  Also, the first time Solas told her what he thought of her idolizing the Wardens, she told him very bluntly where he could shove it.

Faina does not like Cole at first.  She gives him a chance for Varric’s sake, and when he becomes more human she can relax a bit more, but she’ll always find him somewhat unsettling.  She also dislikes Solas; she thinks he’s irresponsible with magic.  Both of these tie back to her Circle background and the fact that she is very wary of spirits and apostates on the whole.

Isaak... listen, Isaak likes everyone, by and large.  Not really Mother Giselle after she tries to get him to lie to Dorian, but he’s a friendly guy.  I guess, at first, he’d have trouble trusting Cassandra - she’s a little too by-the-book and, well, as a trans guy in a world we know does have transphobia, Isaak is probably a bit leery of authority figures.  (This is assuming we’re talking about an AU in which he and Faina are separated.)

Marva might not even recruit Cole, to be honest.  She’s not here for that spirit shit. 

Shahar does not trust Sera as far as they could throw her - and they’re a warrior, so that might actually be pretty far.  Shahar tends towards careful, reserved planning and Sera is the inevitable wrench in any such strategies.  They’re also leery of Bull before he becomes Tal-Vashoth, because his split loyalties make him a liability.

Minari trusts no bitch.

Wardenquisitor Daine - well.  Do I even need to say it?

3.  Who does your hero get competitive with?

Daine is very internally-focused, the kind of person who competes mostly with herself... but I think as she develops her skills as an Arcane Warrior, she spars with Alistair and sometimes Leliana, and gets a bit competitive with both of them in a playful, sporty way.  You could characterize her friendship with Sten as competitive, in the sense that they’re both trying to be the more stubborn one.

Tohora acts as if competing with her companions is beneath her... but she and Morrigan absolutely try to one-up each other in woodscraft.  It’s weird, especially for everyone else, especially when an argument on Morrigan’s side of camp escalates to shouting and then, inevitably when everyone is trying to pretend they’re not watching, to passionate kissing.  Also, Tohora and Zevran have an ongoing darkspawn kill count competition, though only Zevran will admit it.

Luthe would love to challenge Leliana in target-shooting, but knows it would be a waste of arrows.  He’s probably arm-wrestled Zevran and Alistair at least once each when they stop in taverns.  

5.  Which companion teaches your hero something new?

Kenina really... didn’t pay attention to how elves were treated before she got to know Merrill.  She feels pretty rotten about it, in retrospect; she tries really hard to be unselfish, and yet she had this enormous blind spot.

Signy learned how to slow down and examine a situation from Varric, who is much more considered and observant about people than she is.  She’s something of a blunt instrument by nature - doesn’t prevaricate, doesn’t do stealth, etc.  Varric models a more cautious, nuanced approach.

Basil refuses to learn anything.  That would be work.

[kogiopsis]

anyway nobody asked but Hurts Lie Hell by Fleurie is THE Luthe Cousland/Alistair song

[kogiopsis]

hey, OC LI ask meme, since I forgot to send you stuff yesterday: 3 and 5 for Daine, Tohora, and/or Luthe

I love the ‘or’ there, like there’s a chance I won’t do all of them.

3.  Has their love interest ever made them blush?

Daine:  Mmm, yes.  Leliana is a much more demonstrative person than Daine is, and it takes her a while to get used to it.  Shortly after they finally admit their feelings, Leliana probably comes up behind Daine and puts a hand on the small of her back and whispers in her ear and Daine just goes pink to the tips of her ears.  I headcanon that the templars at Kinloch tended to discourage mages from being particularly affectionate, especially with touch, and that Daine in particular is kind of touch-starved and hypersensitive as a result.

Tohora:  She and Morrigan probably compete to make the other blush, and Tohora has a natural advantage because her deep skintone hides a flush better.  Alistair tries his hardest not to allow alcohol in camp after they get together, because when Tohora and Morrigan get tipsy they get salacious.

Luthe:  Let’s be real, every conversation between him and Alistair is just Blush Central.  They’re both terrible and awkward and bad at dealing with feelings and anxious.  The rose scene, though?  That’s the worst of them all.  In the background, Zevran has both hands over his mouth to stop from bursting out laughing.

5.  What are some ways they like to spend time together?

Daine:  Leliana wants to show her the world, and though after the Blight she struggles with PTSD, their excursions into Orlesian festivals or hidden ruins are some of her happiest memories.  She’s also got a scholarly bent, which she has a chance to indulge in the years after the Blight, and sometimes they’ll just curl up together and read - Daine picks natural history and magical theory; Leliana goes for novels, often corny ones, and reads the best parts aloud in a dramatic bard voice.

Tohora:  God, this is tragic, but I don’t actually think Tohora and Morrigan spend much time doing things together.  Like... Morrigan is very resistant to anything that feels like ‘relationship’ instead of ‘dalliance’, and Tohora definitely pushes that, probably more than she should, but she doesn’t win that one.  Their version of spending time together is more that Tohora sort of inserts herself into Morrigan’s space, especially in the evenings, and Morrigan allows it.

Luthe:  He asks Alistair to teach him self-defense relatively early after they start traveling, because while he doesn’t want to kill at close range (or at all, but that ship has sailed) he also doesn’t want to get killed that way.  It’s a little awkward, because crush happens, but it also becomes a good point of stress release and a constant in an otherwise chaotic time.

[kogiopsis]

Working on a revised DA heroes page with icons for everyone in Inquisition graphics, so I made a Luthe last night!  Good lord, these games do not want me to be able to play a string bean of a man.

bonus:  a derp and a perfectly timed Cass facepalm in the background.