#male hawke/female lavellan

[go-fornicate-yourself]

Memes of my DA Ocs bc Nobody Asked

[shem-fatale]

Dragon Age Inquisition: "Canon" Choices Survey Results!

Tell us about your personal "canon" Inquisitor who will make an appearance in The Veilguard? What were their choices? Answers to this short survey were collected via a tumblr post between June 11th and June 22nd 2024. I have since found out which of the choices mentioned will and will not affect DA:TV but I will include all questions anyway. Text version and tags under the cut!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1. Who is your "canon" Inquisitor and are/were they in a relationship with another DAI character? Female Adaar/Blackwall - 1% Female Lavellan/Blackwall - 1% Male Lavellan/Josephine- 1% Male Lavellan/The Iron Bull- 1% Male Trevelyan/Cassandra - 1%

Female Lavellan/Josephine - 2% Female Trevelyan/Josephine- 2% Male Lavellan - no romance - 2%

Female Adaar/The Iron Bull - 3% Male Adaar/Dorian - 3%

Female Trevelyan/Blackwall - 4%

Female Adaar/Josephine - 6% Male Trevelyan/Dorian - 6%

Female Lavellan/Cullen - 7%

Male Lavellan/Dorian - 12%

Female Trevelyan/Cullen - 13%

Female Lavellan/Solas - 33% Added headcanon comment from @spiders-scribbles: Male Adaar/The Iron Bull "Kas is played with the female model cause I hate how bulky the male Qunari body is and also trans reasons" <3 And another one from @doves-wing: Female Cadash/Josephine "i think they have an open relationship and so my quizzy has dated iron bull though that relationship ends before trespasser. she is still with josie though." <3 2. What combat class and specialisation apply to your "canon" Inquisitor?

Warrior/Two-Handed/Templar - 0% Warrior/Weapon and Shield/Templar - 0%

Rogue/Daggers/Artificer - 1% Warrior/Two-Handed/Champion - 1% Warrior/Weapon and Shield/Reaver - 1%

Warrior/Two-Handed/Reaver - 3% Rogue/Archer/Tempest - 3% Warrior/Weapon and Shield/Champion - 3%

Mage/Necromancer - 4%

Rogue/Archer/Artificer - 5% Rogue/Archer/Assassin - 5% Rogue/Daggers/Tempest - 5%

Rogue/Daggers/Assassin - 8%

Mage/Rift Mage - 30%

Mage/Knight-Enchanter - 32% 3. Did the Inquisition form an alliance with the Mages or with the Templars?

Mages - 86%

Templars - 14% 4. Who was left behind in the Fade?

Alistair - 5%

Loghain - 9%

Hawke - 29%

Stroud - 57% 5. Did the Inquisition give the Wardens a second chance?

Yes - 89%

No - 11% 6. Who rules Orlais?

Gaspard - 1%

Celene - 10%

Gaspard as Briala's puppet - 14%

Truce between all parties - 32%

Celene and Briala - 43% 7. Who drank from the Well of Sorrows?

Morrigan - 48%

The Inquisitor - 52% 8. Who becomes Divine Victoria at the end of DA:I?

Vivienne - 7%

Cassandra - 18%

Leliana - 75% 9. What happened to the Inquisition at the end of Trespasser?

The Inquisition continues in the service of Divine Victoria - 17%

The Inquisition was disbanded - 83%

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A big thank you to:

@themightynej

@rotaryshakes

@slothsoep

@ladyotakukiut

@ellie-shy

@spaaace-ace

@infinitediversities

@missrosequeen

@re-venge

@tokyopewpew

@ennayeliah

@alesdaer

@what-ever-this-is-man

@maintitle

@doves-wing

@filbert-weevil

@robinthewarden

@flashyxtemplar

@0rzammar

@bonniemikaelson

@darthbootchie

@gugle1980

@hawkgirlriot

@huneybumble7

@onelessvenatori

@stillpanicking

@stuckyonbucky

@wildefiction

@animusrisunovatur

@anulindale

@azinareens

@cullens-babe

@energeticbasilisk

@fadejumper

@humonster

@joyfulpolicehologram

@krampus236

@maleficarmage

@mortalitasdeeznuts

@soft4sana

@themagnusbane

@thereiswarathand

@touchofweave

@tyralily

@witch-light

@witchybullshit

@littleballofanxiety

@precious-gem-of-a-cat @onlypartiallystars

@spiders-scribbles @titanwolfackerman @nervousparsnip @sowrongbutsowrite @argonian-at-heart @too-caught-up-in-moves @yjannu @lilywasx and also to everyone who didn't want to be tagged, plus everyone who spelled their user names wrong! I figured out some of the typos but some of you left me some crazy riddles hehe. <3

[exhausted-archivist]

Common Fanons That Are Confused As Canon

Through my time of collecting lore and learning things about Thedas I've come across a couple things of fanon that leaked into lists of canon elements. Which was an interesting little thing to follow the rabbit hole of where they even originated. While making this list I did ask others for any that I might have missed or not seen because I wanted to be thorough as I could when even making this list. I haven't been in the fandom long enough to see all the things that have come up.

To be clear, I thought it was neat to see what became so pervasive in the fandom to become easily mistaken as canon or misunderstood. I'm also not discussing whether canon as it stands is "good" or judging the fanon or anything like that.

I just wanted to put it all together in a list, especially as I have had friends who were getting into the series and ask about certain things; as well as Dragon Age Summer hitting us soon and new interest in the series abound.

General

Mages can sense other mages The closest source I can find to this is the fact that Anders states that he can "feel the power in you". No other mage states anything similar and could likely be attributed to the fact that he is possessed. Much like how Cole can sense your magical connection as an Inquisitor. An outlier is how Keiran can sense your magic regardless of if he has the Old God soul; but he is also not confirmed to be a mage as of yet.

All Saarebas always have their lips sewn shut/horns cut off This seems to originate from da2 specifically, with the model of Ketojan having the scarring, the other saarebas missing horns, the concept art, and then boils down to BioWare being inconsistent with their lore/depictions. Most of Thedas fixates on the fact that the Qunari have saarebas with their lips sewn shut, the Seer's yarn tale denotes that tamassrans tell the story of a saarebas with their lips sewn shut, the tarot art for Saarath, and the flippant joke between Sera and Iron Bull. But, the lore specifies that it is in extreme cases or in general that it can occurs but it is not the standard. [WOT p. 103 & 128] Much like tranquility, it is used as a form of punishment - one that we know can and is abused by certain factions. We also see saarebas characters in Inquisition who do not carry either of those traits. Specifically Hissera (multiplayer), Saareth (Trespasser), Heroes of Dragon Age models, and some Qunari in da2.

All Saarebas have their tongues cut out This is seperate from the previous point due to the different source of this fanon. It seems to be an exaggeration of one particulare line from Sten. In dao, Sten will state during the Broken Circle quest that "This is why we cut the tongues from mages, in Par Vollen." He is very general with the statement, but contextually it is reasonable people took this to mean all mages. However, since dao it has been made clear that it is not a universal practice throughout the Qun.

Elves are shorter than humans This one does have a clear point of where this started, though it is never stated in lore, back in Origins elven models were universally shorter than humans. But from DA2 onward, male elves were only shorter than their human counterparts of the same sex while female elves are shorter than both human sexes. Fenris is taller than f!Hawke while both forms of Hawke are taller than Merrill. Solas, Abelas, and a m!Lavellan are taller than female human characters but all human characters are taller than female elves (except Sera who has a female human model).

Dalish are illiterate This is a little less clear to me where its origins started. Perhaps based off of medieval period history (which da isn't necessarily medieval in time period) or due to the fact that most common folk in certain regions in Thedas are illiterate and reliant on pictures over written words. But we know from the Witch Hunt dlc that the Dalish keep tomes of their history and of the ancient elven empire. They also actively translate ancient elven script for their own records. Whether this is role restrictive or not is unclear, but we do know that the Dalish are literate in both Common and semi-literate in ancient elven script.

Dalish and City Elves don't have contact This seemingly comes from a misunderstanding stemming in the city elf origins in dao where some npcs will comment on how Dalish might be myths. However, in dao, da2, dai, the comic Knight Errant, and the novel The Masked Empire, that elves from both sides do semi-regularly trade people with each other if not visit certain alienages, as well have other points of contact with each other. Pol, Zevran, Coran (Vaea's uncle), and potentially Feynriel are all city elves that join Dalish clans. Merrill and Arianni are known Dalish who join alienages.

City elves are genetic/physical differences from the Dalish elves This one I have seen around a lot, most stemming from the idea of the previous one that the elves in the city are generations apart from the Dalish, implying they have no contact with each other. Which could be true for certain alienages. But as far as lore is concerned there isn't any example of this, not even as being a point of reference for the Dalish to consider any of the aspects as to what makes them "less of an elf" in comparison to Dalish.

Elves pass on their elven traits Most seem to know this isn't canon, albeit one of the less popular canon elements; but new fans don't always know this. It is popular fanon to give half-elven children the reflective eyes, smaller stature, more angular features, straighter nose bridge, and/or pointed ears from their elven parent.

Only elves can have mixed kids with other races This seems to come from the fact that elven traits aren't passed on to their kids when mixed parentage is involved. However humans, dwarves, and vashoth can all have mixed kids from the other races. According to Patrick Weekes, this decision was made consciously to avoid very racist and harmful rhetoric. We know of many elf/human mixed kids: Alistair, Eiton, Feynriel, Gestan and Thale (residents of elven area of Halamshiral), Kieran (conditions), Michel de Chevin, Rinnala, "Sabina's Brat" (son of the elven prostitute Sabina at the Blooming Rose), Slim Couldry, Tainsley (Potentially. Is described as a 7'(2.13m) human, though he references a Dalish uncle.) While mixed dwarf children are rare simply due to dwarven fertility issues we do know of two dwarf/human kids: Keiran (conditional) and the child of Tyrdaa Bright-Axe(Avvar) and Hendir (dwarf).

Elfroot leaves get you high/is Thedosian marijuana This is another Origins era thing, due to an easter egg that made a play on the American "This is your brain on drugs" anti-drug campaign using elfroot. This was then repeated in 2015 when Patrick Weekes said that its medicinal properties were rediscovered in 4:20. [Source] Elfroot hasn't been shown to get anyone high in canon, it is the roots that are primarily used as medicinal. In World of Thedas (WoT) vol. 2 the recipe for Dalish Deep Forest Comfort says you can substitute elfroot for spinach making the leaves more vegetable in quality. That said, marijuana leaves are edible and rather nutritious. They just don't have the chemical make up to induce a high. Those lie strictly in the buds. According to Origins, elfroot does flower though.

Red lyrium is completely different and more dangerous from blue lyrium This one is all on BioWare in regards to this misconception. Because while yes, it is more dangerous than the blue lyrium, they aren't two seperate substances. More that red lyrium is a branch off. To cover the generals of the written lore of lyrium it breaks down like this: Blue lyrium in it's raw form innately toxic to just be around to all but dwarves, however it will kill a mage who gets too close in proximity. That proximity being within the same room while non-mages would have to touch the stuff. It also has a pension of self-combustion without warning or a clear cause. When it is refined down for templar use it is "safe" for non-mages to come in contact with and consume. Whether this level of refinement is the same level as what is used to make various cocktails and liqueur is unclear. But we do know that getting too close, being in same room as lyrium refined to this level, is enough to make a mage sick. Finally, we have the most refined and diluted stage of lyrium, this is used by mages to make potions, certain alchemical work, and other things. This isn't enough to kill a mage, make them sick (without extreme over use), and infact can result in positive outcomes for a mage. Red lyrium overlaps with most of that, with a couple key differences. First off is that red lyrium doesn't seem to self-combust. There is some contradiction on whether or not non-dwarves can mine it as due to game mechanics you can destroy it, but the only ones we see mining wild nodes are dwarves. But if the red lyrium is grown from a living creature it seems accessible to all races? In codices about the various types of red templars, we learn that a small vial around a templar's neck is enough to make all the mages in the area around him sick.

Character Specific

Alistair

Alistair is a dog person I couldn't track any clear origins for this, it seems to be a case of overlap with the stereotype that "all Fereldan's love dogs" and a mix of building off of a line of dialogue about him being raised by the hounds and them being his family. However, he doesn't seem overly one way or the other. He mocks dog at times, talks down in not such a playful way, and at times seems to treat dog with the same attitude he does Morrigan though not as blatantly. This could be chalked up to his joking nature though.

Alistair's obsession with cheese While he does admit to an obsession to cheese, it is often cited that Alistair makes a ton of cheese jokes in dao. When in truth he only makes four through out the entire game. Given his joking nature it is up to personal interpretation of how much he actually loves cheese.

Alistair and Cullen knew each other before Origins This is more specifically that the two went to the same monastery for their templar training. There is no canon evidence for this though. That said, there is a possibility due to not knowing much of anything about how the Templar Order trains its recruits nor the amount of monasteries they have in Ferelden for training.

Alistair collects toy soldiers This seems to come from the gifts he can be given during the Feastday dlc. Canonically he is given runestones and carved statuettes of various types stone. These statuettes are described in a manner closer to effigies than toy soldiers.

Alistair's mother is not Fiona This one is a bit funny as it has multiple origins and is dependent on the player's experience with the series. From what I have gathered there seems to be one of three sources: - People who never read the Dragon Age novel The Calling - People who read The Calling after playing dao and feels like it is a retcon (though The Calling was released prior to the release of dao, same with the novel The Stolen Throne) - People who take a "chuck the baby with the bathwater" approach to the lore The funny thing about this is that the cover story in dao for Alistair's mom is based off a combo of things; the hypothetical scenario Fiona told Maric and answers she gave Maric when he asked what to tell Alistair if he asked about his mother. The hypothetical was that Fiona would not return to the Circle and would hide from the templars and pretend to be a washer woman. When Maric asked what to tell Alistair of his mother, Fiona said to tell him his mother was human as she did not want him to deal with being half elven and all the stigma that comes with that as well as to tell Alistair that she was dead.

Avaline

Aveline is straight She will kiss Hawke regardless of gender and ask them if they ever considered her and them. Though it is clear she never had romantic interest in Hawke in particular. An easily missed aspect I think given the general opinion of Aveline as well as most people seeming to not choose the flirtatious option with her.

Blackwall

Blackwall doesn't have a sense of humor This one genuinely surprised me considering he jokes with Sera, The Iron Bull, and Solas. His banter shows as much that he does have a sense of humor and tells jokes. But it does seem pretty common of a fanon characterization for him.

Dorian

Dorian paints his nails His model doesn't have painted nails in game, but it is a popular fanon. There is nail polish in Thedas though. It's mentioned in the novel Masked Empire as well as the novel Last Flight. It seems to be of Anderfles origins, but given the Last Flight is post Orlesian occupation, it could originate in Orlais.

Lady Mantillon said, tapping an elegantly lacquered fingernail on the polished wooden arm of her chair, “we will fail, or we will be killed. Neither is acceptable.” - Masked Empire, Chapter 17 p. 362 Every one of her fingers glimmered with a jeweled ring, and her nails had been freshly lacquered. - Last Flight, Chapter 13 p. 144

Fenris

Lyrium can be drawn from Fenris' tattoos There is no mention of this being possible in da2 or any of the subsequent media. There isn't even mention of others being able to sense the lyrium in his tattoos or even mages getting sick around him as they sometimes will dependent on the concentrations and/or purity of lyrium.

Fiona

How Fiona was cured of the taint This comes from The Calling novel, where it isn't ever clarified what actually removed the taint from Fiona. The common fanon is that it was either the mentioned brooch, or that by having Alistair. That it was by having Maric's son who has Great Dragon blood due to being of the Theirin bloodline that cured her. However, in the novel she is very clear that the mages at Weisshaupt aren't sure what cured her. She only offers one explanation that the Grey Wardens theorized and trails off before saying what the second one was.

“It’s gone,” she said flatly. “The mages at Weisshaupt weren’t sure if it was because the First Enchanter’s brooch sped things up artificially, or... at any rate, all the corruption vanished. They don’t think it’s going to come back, either. There was test after test, but they think I may be the first Grey Warden that never has to endure the Calling again.”

Hawke

Hawke is stabbed by the Arishok This fanon likely came into being due to one of the moves the Arishok has where it will leave you almost dead. So a bit of canon as it is in his move set, but fanon in the idea it is something that always happens in canon.

Unable to confirm if Fanon, Canon, or a mix of both

Teagan marries Bella, the barmaid from Redcliffe This one goes back really far and is hard to tell if it is a case of mistaken identity and association, or a really buggy option for the epilogue, or isn't actually a possibility. What I can confirm is that Teagan does have a woman he can marry given certain conditions are met in dao, but it is actually Kaitlyn, the sister who's brother goes missing in Redcliffe. If you properly compensate her for her grandfather's sword she'll open up a foundry in Denerim and will marry Teagan after having known him for a few months. According to this thread, you have to get Kaitlyn to move to Denerim with her brother, make Bella the maid to Teagan and in the ending slide Teagan and Bella will get married. Though I haven't been able to confirm that this is possible. (If you have a screenshot/video of this slide and know how to trigger this please let me know) This is also not an option mentioned in the Keep, however neither is Kaitlyn's. Which isn't surprising given some of the ending slides that were not direct player choice (ex) choosing Orzammar's king) are mostly cut from canon.

[angry-eevee]

I'm going to set up a world state for DA:I that I (cannot even deal with upsetting fictional characters, hate making choices that hurt people and will endeavour to find a secret third option where everyone is fine and happy) did not personally play but I think will be a world full of plot beats that will hopefully make it dynamic, exciting and probably deeply fucked up.

Here's my plan*. Please feel free to send me suggestions to make this world state even more of a dramatic mess ❤️

*kind phrase to describe the scribblings of varying quality.

Origins - EITHER Female Brosca Rogue, Romances Lelianna, No Dark Ritual, Alistair is a Warden, Sacrifice Self

OR Male Brosca Rogue, Romance Morrigan, Dark Ritual, Alistair is a Warden, Survives

(This is the one I'm deliberating most on, can't decide if I want a dead warden or Kieran in the world, please feel free to advise)

DA2 - Female Purple Mage Hawke, Romance Merril, Carver Becomes a Templar, Side With Orsino, Forgive Anders

(I know siding with Meredith would be more messy but I need a Hawke that Varric liked to make him sadder later.)

Inquisition - Female Lavellan Fighter, Romance Solas, Drink From The Well, Remove Vallaslin, Hawke is Left In The Fade, Inquisition Is Disbanded, Vivienne Is Divine

(This is where all the pieces fall into place - Dying and guilt ridden Alistair, Hawke abandoned, sad Varric, hardened Lelianna, inquisitor just made terrible choices, possible old god baby, Anora rules alone, Anders on the run, Mage Divine.)

So these are not the choices I made whilst actually playing, but I think it will give me a fun, turbulent world for Veilguard to take place in and hopefully give me some good repercussions and hard choices . If you can think of other things I can do to spice up Thedas, let me know ❤️

[homiest88]

Want to share my canon Dragon Age Romances.

DAO: Female Mahariel x Leliana

DA2: Male Mage Hawke x Merrill

DAI: Male Mage Lavellan x Cassandra

[black-emporium-exchange]

NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN!

Nominations for the Black Emporium are live until July 3rd! Reach out and tell someone (namely: us) about your favorite rare-pairs (namely: any pairing under 300 complete fics on Ao3). You have twenty nominations to use. Pairings can be twosomes / threesomes / moresomes / etc. We believe in sharing the love.

How do you, in fact, become a true Fereldan buckaroo by nominating a rare pair or 20?

Go to the Dragon Age Rare Pair Tag Set and click Nominate (you have to be signed into Ao3 for the button to appear). For inspiration or to check if someone had the same idea as you, we have a Searchable Nominations Spreadsheet that we manually update.

For more information on this stage of the exchange and how best to format your nominations, please see below the cut:

Full Participation Walkthrough Guide || FAQ

Important things to remember: 

Pairings/groups must be nominated in order to be requested during the next phase of the exchange, Sign-Ups.

Nominations require a set format — keep reading for more details

All nominations should be under Dragon Age - All Media Types.

Pairings/groups cannot have more than 300 completed works on AO3.

We allow original characters in this exchange as well as canon characters. 

Nominating a pairing/group is not “binding”; you do not need to request or offer the pairing later.

Nomination Formatting: 

All nominations should be nominated under the “Dragon Age - All Media Types” fandom. 

Nominations do not need to auto-complete to be accepted; if Ao3 does not complete your ideal nomination, just type it in manually. 

For romantic/sexual relationships, please nominate the characters you wish to nominate with a “/” between each character. For familial, platonic, or otherwise non-sexual requests, please use a “&.” e.g., “Meredith Stannard & Orsino” would not have any sexual or romantic undertones. “Meredith Stannard/Orsino” would be considered sexual and/or romantic, even if the fanwork itself didn’t include any sexual acts.

Nominations should be spelled correctly. e.g., “Merrill”, not “Meril”

Nominations should ideally be in alphabetical order, by last name. If a character does not have a last name, use the first name instead. e.g., “Zevran Arainai/The Iron Bull/Solas”

If a character has multiple names or aliases, go by their “main” name. e.g., “Blackwall”, not “Thomas ‘Thom’ Rainier”

For Dragon Age player-characters (such as the Warden, Hawke, and Inquisitor, etc.), we treat different surnames and gender as different characters. Female Surana will be evaluated differently from Female Brosca, Male Surana, etc.

Nominating Dragon Age “Player Characters”

For the purposes of this challenge, the Dragon Age protagonists will be considered different characters based on their gender and surname. The three genders we utilize for this exchange are: Male, Female, and Nonbinary. 

When nominating characters, please format as such: 

Male [Warden Surname / Hawke / Inquisitor Surname]  (e.g., Male Trevelyan)

Female [Warden Surname / Hawke / Inquisitor Surname]  (e.g., Female Hawke)

Nonbinary [Warden Surname / Hawke / Inquisitor Surname]  (e.g., Nonbinary Brosca)

So, for example: “Male Trevelyan/Male Cousland” will be accepted as a nomination; “Inquisitor/Warden” will not.

You can nominate pairings where one version of the pairing is over the limit as long as the version you nominate qualifies. For example, you can request “Male Lavellan/Solas” or “Nonbinary Lavellan/Solas,” even if “Female Lavellan/Solas” is over the limit. 

Customized or individualized Wardens/Hawkes/Inquisitors are not valid nominations. For example, “Mary Trevelyan/Vivienne” would be ineligible; the requester would need to use “Female Trevelyan/Vivienne,” “Male Trevelyan/Vivienne” or “Nonbinary Trevelyan/Vivienne.”

In your prompts in your sign-up, you can request preferred details (such as specific OCs, a first name, looks, personality traits, class, background, etc.), and creators may choose to incorporate those elements into their gift for you. However, creators are not required to incorporate those preferred details, and works will not be checked for that by moderators.

Nominating "Dragon Age: The Veilguard" Characters

Yes, DATV characters are eligible for nominations!

For nominating "Rook," reports show that Rook's surname will be decided by faction, though the surname options haven't yet been revealed at the time of updating the Walkthrough/FAQ. Therefore, to make it easier for future tag-wrangling, please nominate Rook by gender (Female, Male, Nonbinary) and faction (as we currently know them):

Grey Wardens

Veil Jumpers

Shadow Dragons

Lords of Fortune

Mourn Watch

Antivan Crows

Eligible nominations could include: "Female Shadow Dragon Rook" or "Nonbinary Antivan Crow Rook" or "Male Mourn Watch Rook."

Nominating Characters from Other Canons (i.e. Crossovers)

We allow crossovers from other series so long as they are interacting with at least one canonical character. However, when nominating a character from another specific series, please put the name of the fandom the character is from in parenthesis after the name, for example: “The Iron Bull & James Vega (Mass Effect)”

For crossovers that are from different media within the Dragon Age fandom, no specification is needed, e.g., “Merrill/Solas.” 

Nominating Other Original Characters

Original Characters who are not Wardens/Hawkes/Inquisitors are also allowed to be nominated, provided they follow the following guidelines:

The OC is listed in such a way as to give someone freedom in how to write them. 

OCs should be generalized or archetypal. e.g., “my OC Gerald D’Vivir” is too individualized and customized, but “Male Orlesian Noble” is eligible

A good rule of thumb here is whether the character idea can be summed up in 3 or less words; if you can, it is probably a good option. If you cannot, it probably is too complex for this kind of exchange. e.g., "Tal-Vashoth Mercenary" or "Original Templar Character" is eligible; but "Older Blonde Warrior Dwarven Warden Widower” is not

If the gender of an OC is considered important to your request, please include it. If you are fine with any gender option, gender does not need to be added, and the creator of the work can choose their choice of gender options for the character. e.g., "Orlesian Noble" or "Female Orlesian Noble”

The OC is not listed in such a way that would, essentially, reflect the spirit of a canon character that is otherwise not permitted in a relationship. 

As an example, while it is possible to have an Original Female Elf Inquisitor who is not Lavellan, it is so close to canon based on that description that it would essentially function as the same character.

Lastly...

What are you waiting for? GET YE TO THE NOMINATING!

[inquisimer]

HEY BB if you had to pick 5 fics you’ve written to make a “crash course” and sum up your writing personality, which would they be? I must know.

thank you for the uno reverse, MWAH

it's only fair that I have to turn this lens on myself but DANG was it hard to be like "what is my writing personality?" I think it really boiled down to: platonic relationships, grey wardens, a just a hint of Lore™️

Gen'adahl - Female Lavellan/Cullen Rutherford, Rated G, 1485 words

this was one of the first ever DA fics I wrote; I remember scrawling it out in a notebook at my last job where I wasn't allowed to keep my phone at my desk. And I was so proud when I finished it! For me, it represents the proof that I can finish pieces, no matter how long it takes

to be seen feeling - Male Mahariel/Morrigan, Rated T, 5039 words, a gift for @dreadfutures as part of the 2023 DAFF DIscord's OC Swap

writing this fic was not only an absolute joy, it was a pinnacle for me: if I could write a fic that captured the depths of Blue's OCs, I could probably do anything. And I did! And I can! It was exactly what I needed at the time and also a reminder that however blase my own knowledge or fandom experience feels to me, it will slot into what even the most knowledgeable fandom personalities know in surprising ways.

Shards of Glass - Female Brosca & Rica Brosca, Rated G, 3304 words

One of my first toe dips into the gray area of lore! It was so fun to imagine an alternative for Brosca's origins, to give her a deeper connection to the Stone, to play in the absolute barren wasteland wide open sandbox of Bioware's dwarven lore. Beyond that, this piece highlights my Sibling Bias™️ and how much i love exploring the DAO origins before the Blight, in general.

nothing hits the ground without an echo - Alistair & Bethany Hawke, Rated G, 1045 words

My first Dragon Age canon/canon fic! Absolutely wild to think that before I got into Dragon Age I was vehemently anti-oc in fanfic 😂 I'm so glad I outgrew that and can love and celebrate all of our OCs. At the same time, it was a joy to return to my canon x canon roots and play up the Grey Warden lore and happenings at Vigil's Keep that seemed to die in game after Awakening ;-;

I carried my own ashes to the mountain - Zevran Arainai & Female Brosca, Rated G, 1202 words

Nothing particularly poetic to say about this one, to be perfectly honest, I just like the Vibes™️. I think the humor and sarcasm suits my writing personality, and the lighthearted overtones that are haunted by unnamed pining and angst are Very Me :3 Also Nika not recognizing her face and yet reluctant to let go of it until someone gives her permission is something deeply personal to me, that I didn't even realize until after I'd written this. I look back on it and go, yep, yeah, I see you now, past mer😅

[rosella-writes]

Fanfic Writer Questions

Thanks for the tag @plisuu 💚 I’ll go ahead and loop in @sulky-valkyrie @darethshirl @inquisimer @demarogue and @exalted-dawn if they like but no pressure.

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 102

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 520k

3. What fandoms do you write for? Most recently Dragon Age, but I’ve written for Fallout, Skyrim, Sherlock, and Twilight in the past.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Needle and the Shield (Alistair/Zevran tattoo smut)

don’t feed me (I will come back) (Male Lavellan/Dorian/Solas threesome smut)

pick a star from the sky (Solas Holds a Baby)

Basvaraad (Solas saves a saarebas)

Demands of the Arishok (Arishok/Female Hawke)

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes! Eventually. I keep them in my inbox for a while and just look at em.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? It’s hard to chooooose but I think the gift I wrote for @dreadfutures focusing on two Mahariels and the loss of Tamlen to the Blight is a pretty angsty one.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? This Solas x Cassandra piece is the fluffiest and happiest thing I have in my catalogue I think, mainly because I ended it before the breakup lol.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I used to in older fandoms.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Oh yes, all kinds. Usually of the poly/kinky/queer variety.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? Dragon Age/the Green Knight lol

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I don’t think so?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? A couple times, mainly with friends just for fun! It’s challenging but worth it if you don’t get hung up on where it’s heading or when you finish.

14. What's your all time favorite ship? I’m such a sucker for solavellan but all time? Nine x Rose

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? My old longfic, Eunoia. It’s just very unlike anything I write now or want to pursue plotwise.

16. What are your writing strengths? Dialogue and emotions and smut oh my

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Pacing and plot

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I used to be pretty particular about my Elvhen translations especially, but now I translate it and indicate what language is being spoken.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Sherlock

20. Favorite fic you've written? I’m so proud of this Loghain piece I wrote (and finished!) of his time serving the Inquisition.

Blank form under the cut!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5. Do you respond to comments?

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

16. What are your writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

20. Favorite fic you've written?

[dirtyhecker]

Chapters: 59/? Fandom: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Cole & Female Trevelyan (Dragon Age), Minor or Background Relationship(s) Characters: Female Inquisitor (Dragon Age), Female Trevelyan (Dragon Age), Female Lavellan (Dragon Age), Female Hawke (Dragon Age), Male Lavellan (Dragon Age), Cole (Dragon Age), Blackwall (Dragon Age), Cassandra Pentaghast, Dorian Pavus, The Iron Bull (Dragon Age), Sera (Dragon Age), Solas (Dragon Age), Varric Tethras, Vivienne (Dragon Age), Josephine Montilyet, Leliana (Dragon Age), Raleigh Samson, Original Characters, Original Fenris-Hawke Child(ren) (Dragon Age), Fenris (Dragon Age), Alistair (Dragon Age), Female Cousland (Dragon Age) Additional Tags: Minor canon divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Asexual Character, Self-Discovery, Fix-It, Queerplatonic Relationships, Self-Indulgent, Unrequited Lust, Emotions, Mental Health Issues, Novelization, Mage Rights (Dragon Age), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Punch Mage, Human Cole (Dragon Age), Bad Templars (Dragon Age), Attempted Murder, Not Canon Compliant, grey morality, Pining Solas (Dragon Age), Sibling Bonding, Protective Siblings, Blue-Purple Hawke (Dragon Age), Mage Hawke (Dragon Age), Mild Sexual Content Summary:

Asexual Chaotic Good Mage Inquisitor is sarcastic to all the people who want to kill her.

Gemma Trevelyan was a secret mage; an apostate, never taken to the Circle, raised as a nobleman's daughter. Now that she's the so-called "Herald of Andraste," that secret is out, and what's more, she's suddenly far more powerful than ever before. She now has to navigate a role she never intended to fill, all without getting herself killed or stirring up the wasps' nest that is Thedosian politics. Should be fun, right?

At least she has an elven hedge mage and the physical embodiment of a Fade spirit to watch her back.

[dapolyshipping]

Nominations Update!

✨ There are currently 321 approved tags ✨

View Nominated Tags: gSheets | ao3 | autoao3app Nominations Close TOMORROW: Sunday, September 8 2024 at 12pm ET Visit our website to see the schedule in your local time.

☆ MORE INFORMATION

rules & info | faq | how to nominate

☆ CONTACT

ask | discord | email: dapolyshipping@gmail.com

Tumblr’s asks are famously unreliable. If you don’t see a response within 72 hours please feel free to resend the ask or send an email.

‼️Outstanding tag errors that need correction:

Please provide gender and last name for Inquisitor and Warden, i.e. "Male Lavellan" and "Female Cousland"

Alistair/Inquisitor/Cullen Rutherford

Alistair/Inquisitor/Cullen Rutherford/Warden

Cremisius "Krem" Aclassi/Lace Harding/Inquisitor

Inquisitor/Josephine Montilyet/Cullen Rutherford

Inquisitor/Leliana/Josephine Montilyet/Cullen Rutherford

Male Inquisitor/Dorian Pavus/Cullen Rutherford

Male Inquisitor/The Iron Bull/Dorian Pavus/Cullen Rutherford

Trevelyan/Josephine Montilyet/Sebastian Vael

Varric Tethras/Cassandra Pentaghast/Inquisitor

Already in the Tag Set. You can nominate something else if you'd like!

Anders/Fenris/Male Hawke

Anders/Fenris/Nonbinary Hawke

Anders/Male Hawke/Justice

Female Hawke/Isabela/Merrill

Fenris/Male Hawke/Isabela

Male Hawke/Isabela/Merrill

Zevran Arainai/Leliana/Female Tabris

Zevran Arainai/Rinna/Taliesen

To Make Corrections:

▸ Go to the 2024 Tag Set. ▸ Click the My Nominations button on the top right of the page under the menu bar. ▸ Click the Edit button on the top right of the page under the menu bar. ▸ Click the X to the right of the tag, and reenter the corrected tag in the text box that appears. ▸ Click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.

[saiikavon]

Dragon Age ask on my dash? I apologize in advance.

1, 2, 4-8, 12, 17, 21, 29, 30, 38, 39, 49, 60 (I realize this is a lot, so you can pick and choose if you don't want to answer all of them lol)

I love you. So much. (Lol this got so long I was so excited.)

1-How did you get into Dragon Age?

It's been so long it's sort of hard to remember! But I'm certain Inquisition wasn't out or even announced by then. I think my sister actually got Origins initially and I gave it a try...got interested enough that I wanted to get DA2 before I'd even finished Origins, lol. Wound up playing 2 first and the rest is history!

2-Have you finished all three games?

Several times over by this point! I like making lots of different OCs and trying all the romances!

4-What was your first Warden (gender/class/race/personality)?

I think my first official start was male mage Hashaad Amell. I wasn't sure what I was doing so the only real personality I had in mind was 'cocky.' I never actually finished his game tho. My first finished game was female rogue Duiva Mahariel. She wound up being very quiet and dutiful with a tendency to go after revenge.

5-What was your first Hawke like (gender/class/temperament)?

First Hawke was a male mage I named Warren; leaned incredibly heavily into diplomatic options. He is still my favorite Hawke I've made to date, though I've made many more since.

6-First Inquisitor (gender/class/race/personality)?

Two-handed warrior Amara Lavellan; she was a proud-ass bitch with a sharp tongue. I really love the two-handed warrior mechanics in Inquisition so she was FUN to play.

7-Favorite DA:O backstory?

Dwarven noble, hands down. That one was the background that changed my playthrough the most. Confession? I nearly always pick Behlen to rule Orzammar despite the fact that he is a foul conniving bastard (I just happen to like that, out of the two, he's the one who allows the casteless out of the slums whereas Harrowmont is content to let them rot for sake of tradition; imo neither is a perfect choice, Harrowmont just happens to be more palatable). But Chimera Aeducan was directly betrayed by her scheming asshole brother, and I couldn't see her wanting to support him for ANY reason after that. She is still my favorite Warden I have ever made.

8-Preferred class overall?

It varies from game to game. I feel like Rogue is hands down the best in Origins for someone who likes to stay in control of their Warden at all times, which I do. It's too hard to deal with traps and locks otherwise.

Most fun to play in DA2 is a mage mostly for story reasons; I really love the mechanics of DA2's combat, so all are fun to play. I just feel like mage Hawke is more personally imbedded in the politics of Kirkwall. Plus it feels soooo nice to look Meredith right in the eye and know the bitch can't touch me because of my Champion status. >:)

I already mentioned how much I love two-handed warrior mechanics in Inquisition; you really feel the WEIGHT behind your swings and it feels SO good to bludgeon enemies to death with a giant-ass maul. Add on the Reaver specialty and-*chef's kiss* Beautiful.

12-Do you prefer DA:O, DA2, or DA:I the most?

I have probably restarted Inquisition the most out of all of them, but the game sort of feels like it stops after Haven after playing through once. DA2 has...numerous flaws, but its companions and their arcs are my favorite, so I will always love it the most. Even if I can recite Cassandra's interrogation by heart and couldn't even tell you what the first few lines of DA2 are. XD

17-What did you name your Mabari?

I always change up the name to suit whoever owns said Mabari, but in Duiva's run, I remember having seen "Barkspawn" in a fanfic somewhere and just went, "Oh, yes, perfect!"

21-Did Hawke side with the mages or templars?

Mages. I literally saw no justification for siding with Meredith. Even despite things some of the mages in the circle did, that woman was unhinged and would have looked for any excuse to take them all out. Who calls for the Rite of Annulment based on an apostate blowing up the Chantry? AN APOSTATE, MEREDITH.

29-What are your feelings on the Chantry?

I think like anyone with issues involving real-world organized religion, I tend to project some of that onto what is more or less Thedas' equivalent of Christianity...with some differences, of course. I think ideally, the Chantry would be run by people like Cassandra or Leliana. People who believe in less grandstanding and more helping people, guiding them. Guidance which, I think, has to be less inherently manipulative than real-world Christianity, for the sheer fact that they have otherworldly things like Darspawn and magic and spirits to point to the possible existence of the Maker.

The main thing I don't like about the Chantry is their overwhelming presence overshadowing pretty much everything. I do not like being told, as a Dalish elf or some other race, that the Maker would hear my prayers or look out for me even though I am not human. I do not like Cassandra's disapproval after telling her I, as an elf, believe in my own gods and I do not like being asked "is there no room for one more?" That is rude and unfair and assumes everyone in the world takes comfort in having a god you were not raised with and do not personally connect with hovering around you like a shadow. I want Andrastians to stay in their fucking lane.

I...may have strong feelings about this.

30-What are your feelings on the Circle?

Tbh totally mixed. I think Tevinter had a few too many things go to their heads, and I don't like the idea of mages being trapped in Circles, taken away from their homes forcibly and not being allowed to see their families without some considerable influence.

But like. People can shoot fire out of their hands and, sorry Solas, no one lives in a world intrinsically bound to the Fade anymore. That shit's more dangerous now and some people just cannot control their own power.

I think the problem both Tevinter and Southern Circles both have in common is the attachment of morality to magic and mages. If people want to look to Andraste's words of "magic is to serve man and not rule over him," then I think they need to remember that the quote mentiones MAGIC and not MAGES. Meaning, mages should not be ruled by magic any more than non-mages should be. Mages should be able to feel safe and in control of themselves without being chastised and fearmongered for what they were born with. "Yes, dearheart, magic can be scary...but only if you don't become in tune with it or use it unwisely." (Not a real quote, I made that up, lol.)

Circles should exist, but not as they are. Templars, imo, should learn magic side by side with mages and both need to be separated from the Chantry as an institution, because giving a religious organization a military force is never, EVER a good idea in my book.

38-Funniest moment in the game?

I have simple needs: "Chanter says what?"

39-Creepiest moment in the games?

Creepiest? The poem leading up to the Broodmother in the Deep Roads in Origjns. Gives me the shivers every time. If the question had been "most horrifying," I would have said Leandra's death in DA2.

49-Something you do in EVERY DA playthrough, no matter what?

I will always recruit every single companion available to me, even if I don't care for them. Hell, I'll even try to understand and be friends with them even then.

60-Who do you wish had been given more story?

I mean, throw a dart at anyone in Inquisition (except probably Solas; we got so much and are getting more so I can't complain too much). I feel so much more disconnected with the da:i companions than any of the others and it bothers me so much. I think Vivienne might top my list, tho. Even after her companion quest I feel like I know nothing about her.

(God this got soooo long, but it was so fun! Thank you so so much!!

Dragon Age Questions

[hazelestelle]

Rarepairs! - A Dragon Age Black Emporium Exchange Rec List

Maybe a bit late, but then again, it's never too late to read great fic, right? ;)

So here are some recs from the @black-emporium-exchange

First, of course the amazing gifts I got! Every year, I'm so blown away by everyone's generosity and talent <3

Subtlety by SidheLives, Female Hawke/Loghain Mac Tir, Explicit

It has it all: Fake Relationship, Bed Sharing, Feelings, and really great smut. I love this fic so much!

Mistakes have consequences by Toshi_Nama, Female Hawke/Loghain Mac Tir, Mature

More Loghain for me, and it's so good! Hurt/Comfort and Enemies to Lovers, yes thank you!!

Vigil Kept by SidheLives, Jowan/Male Surana, General

It's so sweet! Thinking the other one is dead so that pushes you to confess your feelings? Always a great trope!

And some other fics, that weren't specifically written for me, but are just as amazing!

Reaching Out to Him by MeganMoonlight, Zevran Arainai/Jowan, Teen and Up

Not a pairing I ever considered, by I love them both, and this is so lovely!

Special Delivery by taintandlothering, Anders/Cullen Rutherford, Teen and Up

It's so sweet and lovely and funny at the same time! Spot on character voices!

The Maker's Sense of Humor by Toshi_Nama, Gamlen Amell/Orana, Teen and Up

Soulmate AUs always get, and I never thought of those two together, but it works so well!

Looking for a Bargain by SidheLives, Mouse/Male Surana, Explicit

Demon Sex? Demon Sex! So hot and such an interesting dynamic!

xX dReAM a LitTLe DreAm oF ME Xx by Anonymous, Nonbinary Lavellan/Solas, Mature

It's a My Immortal retelling, and I died laughing! Seriously, I couldn't breathe. Please comment so that they get 5 good "revows" and we get the sequel next year XD

And of course, go check out all the other wonderful works in the collection too!

(Sorry for the long post, but there's a lot of good stuff there!)

[archonfurina]

6, 8, & 9 for the dragon age asks?

Questions 6 and 9 are kinda related for me because I looked at the companions first and came up with a character to romance them.

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

My first playthrough in any DA game is always a female elf rogue for some reason. It's the one PT where I just do what I feel is right and don't really roleplay (except as myself I guess?) and where I make horrible decisions because I don't know any better (rip to both Hawke siblings and the entire clan Lavellan).

8. What faction are you most excited to learn more about?

The Veil Jumpers!!! I saw that and was like omg. I love exploring old ruins in games and I hope we get to do that.

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

I came up with rough ideas for a male pc to romance Davrin and female pc for Bellara, since I'm most interested in those two. It can change as we get more information and as I'm playing the game but because I'm still only cautiously optimistic that the game is really released at that time and in a playable state, I don't want to get too excited yet.

[DA Veilguard ask game]

[bog-mummies]

4 for the da:v q&a ! :D

thanks for the ask!!

4. what does your worldstate look like going into DA4?

DAO:

female cousland warrior.

alistair romance (hardened).

loghain dead, alistair and anora married.

warden dead.

harrowmont rules orzammar

i liked this one bc there was this whole theme of duty with cousland and alistair (couslands duty to her country as nobility becoming her duty as a grey warden and alistair's duty as a grey warden becoming his duty as a king). i just thought it was neat

awakening:

alliance with the architect

DA2:

male mage hawke (red)

bethany and carver both dead

anders romance

mage alliance

anders dead

hawke is a very practical person and he has the worst luck in the world. i had a very hard time figuring out whether or not he would turn isabela over to the qunari but ultimately decided that he wouldn't. he WOULD kill anders tho, in part because anders was willing to die, in part for political reasons, and in part for anders deception during act two

DAI:

female mage lavellan

solas romance

mage alliance

briala rules orlais

grey wardens recruited

hawke left in fade

drank from the well of sorrows

Trespasser:

inquisition disbanded

lavellan swore to do whatever it took to stop solas

like hawke, my lavellan is also a very practical person. she does only what she thinks is necessary: no more, no less. this is why she left hawke in the fade: she can't recruit the wardens and simultaneously condemn one of their only members of any significant rank. as for trespasser, she knows how stubborn solas is, and ultimately came to the conclusion that the only sure way to stop him was to kill him. i don't agree with her, but im not really in charge here

tldr im a sucker for tragedy and i like to kill my favorite characters

[anneapocalypse]

April Recs!

I think my recs this month have a few different themes in common: choice, consequences, loss, and also a reimagining or deepening of some aspect of canon. I had a hard time coming up with a pithy thematic title for this post, but I can certainly say that all of these fics have given me a fresh or deeper perspective on characters and events in the Dragon Age universe! I'm excited to rec them all, and I hope that you'll enjoy them too.

As always, please check the full tags and warnings on AO3.

Counting Paces by XerosXVI. Male Lavellan/Cassandra, and other companions. Varlas Lavellan struggles to come to terms with the death of his clan, and to connect with the friends who both can and cannot understand. I think it really effectively explores the aftermath of the tragic end of the Clan Lavellan plotline, in a way the game does not. Warning for family deaths and grief. 8500 words, rated T.

The Old Gods of Serault by hes5thlazarus. Felassan & Imshael, and some other people. Sundered from his body, Felassan wanders, coming across an old acquaintance in the Tirashan Forest. A fantastic and fantastical fic that brings these minor characters and a part of the world we've never seen vividly to life in weird and wonderful ways. Warning for descriptions of mycelium and body-horror-adjacent things. 3500 words, rated T.

Halliserre, Half Sister by Cryptographic_Delurk. Jowan/Lily, unrequited Female Surana/Jowan, a hint of Surana/Lily. In this story, Halliserre Surana has escaped the Circle Tower with Jowan and Lily, and now wonders what future awaits her with the blood mage she loves and the woman he loves instead. I really love this deeper look at these three characters and their complicated relationships. Warning for unrequited feelings and unplanned pregnancy. 3200 words, rated M.

three truths and a lie (Orphaned work). Cassandra, Leliana, and Varric. Cassandra has asked many times and in many ways what really happened to Orsino. One day, following Hawke's death, Varric finally tells her. Hands-down my favorite reimagining of the end of DA2. Warning for violence, eye trauma. 1800 words, rated G.

For Love of the People by @ammoniteflesh. Female Mahariel & the Dalish at Arlathvhen, with a side of Mahariel/Morrigan. Ghila Mahariel, who defiled the Sacred Ashes of Andraste in vengeance for her people, meets her people again, and faces their reactions, both positive and negative. It's a really interesting exploration of that game choice from the perspective of a Dalish Warden. 1300 words, rated G.

Happy April, friends, and happy reading.

[black-emporium-exchange]

NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN!

Nominations for the Black Emporium are live until July 3rd! Reach out and tell someone (namely: us) about your favorite rare-pairs (namely: any pairing under 300 complete fics on Ao3). You have twenty nominations to use. Pairings can be twosomes / threesomes / moresomes / etc. We believe in sharing the love.

How do you, in fact, become a true Fereldan buckaroo by nominating a rare pair or 20?

Go to the Dragon Age Rare Pair Tag Set and click Nominate (you have to be signed into Ao3 for the button to appear). For inspiration or to check if someone had the same idea as you, we have a Searchable Nominations Spreadsheet.

For more information on this stage of the exchange and how best to format your nominations, please see below the cut:

Full Participation Walkthrough Guide || FAQ

Important things to remember: 

Pairings/groups must be nominated in order to be requested during the next phase of the exchange, Sign-Ups.

Nominations require a set format — keep reading for more details

All nominations should be under Dragon Age - All Media Types.

Pairings/groups cannot have more than 300 completed works on AO3.

We allow original characters in this exchange as well as canon characters. 

Nominating a pairing/group is not “binding”; you do not need to request or offer the pairing later.

Nomination Formatting: 

All nominations should be nominated under the “Dragon Age - All Media Types” fandom. 

Nominations do not need to auto-complete to be accepted; if Ao3 does not complete your ideal nomination, just type it in manually. 

For romantic/sexual relationships, please nominate the characters you wish to nominate with a “/” between each character. For familial, platonic, or otherwise non-sexual requests, please use a “&.” i.e. “Meredith Stannard & Orsino” would not have any sexual or romantic undertones. “Meredith Stannard/Orsino” would be considered sexual and/or romantic, even if the fanwork itself didn’t include any sexual acts.

Nominations should be spelled correctly. i.e. “Merrill”, not “Meril”

Nominations should ideally be in alphabetical order, by last name. If a character does not have a last name, use the first name instead. i.e. “Zevran Arainai/The Iron Bull/Solas”

If a character has multiple names or aliases, go by their “main” name. i.e. “Blackwall”, not “Thomas ‘Thom’ Rainier”

For Dragon Age player-characters (such as the Warden, Hawke, and Inquisitor, etc.), we treat different surnames and gender as different characters. Female Surana will be evaluated differently from Female Brosca, Male Surana, etc.

Nominating Dragon Age “Player Characters”

For the purposes of this challenge, the Dragon Age protagonists will be considered different characters based on their gender and surname. The three genders we utilize for this exchange are: Male, Female, and Nonbinary. 

When nominating characters, please format as such: 

Male [Warden Surname / Hawke / Inquisitor Surname]  (i.e. Male Trevelyan)

Female [Warden Surname / Hawke / Inquisitor Surname]  (i.e. Female Hawke)

Nonbinary [Warden Surname / Hawke / Inquisitor Surname]  (i.e. Nonbinary Brosca)

So, for example: “Male Trevelyan/Male Cousland” will be accepted as a nomination; “Inquisitor/Warden” will not.

You can nominate pairings where one version of the pairing is over the limit as long as the version you nominate qualifies. For example, you can request “Male Lavellan/Solas” or “Nonbinary Lavellan/Solas,” even if “Female Lavellan/Solas” is over the limit. 

Customized or individualized Wardens/Hawkes/Inquisitors are not valid nominations. For example, “Mary Trevelyan/Vivienne” would be ineligible; the requester would need to use “Female Trevelyan/Vivienne,” “Male Trevelyan/Vivienne” or “Nonbinary Trevelyan/Vivienne.”

In your prompts in your sign-up, you can request preferred details (such as specific OCs, a first name, looks, personality traits, class, background, etc.), and creators may choose to incorporate those elements into their gift for you. However, creators are not required to incorporate those preferred details, and works will not be checked for that by moderators.

Nominating Characters from Other Canons (i.e. Crossovers)

We allow crossovers from other series so long as they are interacting with at least one canonical character. However, when nominating a character from another specific series, please put the name of the fandom the character is from in parenthesis after the name, for example: “The Iron Bull & James Vega (Mass Effect)”

For crossovers that are from different media within the Dragon Age fandom, no specification is needed, i.e. “Merrill/Solas.” 

Nominating Other Original Characters

Original Characters who are not Wardens/Hawkes/Inquisitors are also allowed to be nominated, provided they follow the following guidelines:

The OC is listed in such a way as to give someone freedom in how to write them. 

OCs should be generalized or archetypal. i.e. “my OC Gerald D’Vivir” is too individualized and customized, but “Male Orlesian Noble” is eligible

A good rule of thumb here is whether the character idea can be summed up in 3 or less words; if you can, it is probably a good option. If you cannot, it probably is too complex for this kind of exchange. i.e. "Tal-Vashoth Mercenary" or "Original Templar Character" is eligible; but "Older Blonde Warrior Dwarven Warden Widower” is not

If the gender of an OC is considered important to your request, please include it. If you are fine with any gender option, gender does not need to be added, and the creator of the work can choose their choice of gender options for the character. i.e. "Orlesian Noble" or "Female Orlesian Noble”

The OC is not listed in such a way that would, essentially, reflect the spirit of a canon character that is otherwise not permitted in a relationship. 

As an example, while it is possible to have an Original Female Elf Inquisitor who is not Lavellan, it is so close to canon based on that description that it would essentially function as the same character.

Lastly...

What are you waiting for? GET YE TO THE NOMINATING!