#maybe with aveline as well?

[teecupangel]

Hello! I just discovered you recently, dived headfirst into several your fics and am so in love with them. I'm also incredibly grateful because I'm in the middle of putting a house on the market and your fics are saving my sanity. My most recent read is 'Ouverture', and I love bitter, slightly elitist and secretly disdainful Desmond. Now I have so many questions about Unity cannon (that you've cannonballed) if you wouldn't mind just head cannoning some future what if answers?

Does Arno return to France and get caught up in the revolution? Does Des come with and keep out of sight? IS Des considered a traitor by the Paris Assassins? Arno have an opinion on the Parisian Brotherhood? Does he have better Eagle vision since Des trained him? Do Paris Assassins read blue or white to him? Does he meet Elise again? What has become of the de la Serre family?

The French Revolution:

*random rooftop after absurdly flashy physics breaking move that avoided the lookout of five Paris Assassins*

Pierre: "Pisspot."

*arrogant eyebrow game at max and full permission from Des to be an asshole*

Arno: "0uncle Pierre."

Pierre. "Figured. Only one other who could hold eagle vision that easily to evade everyone with that stunt without breaking his neck. He would have kicked me as he flipped over my head."

Much love and thanks! And sorry for the long submission!

Hello! I’m so happy my fics were able to help you during such a hard time and please don't apologize. I love getting submissions and asks, no matter how long or short they are (although I am quite late in answering them TTATT). I hope selling your home is going well!

Okay, so let’s talk about the possible future of Ouverture and A New Way To Do Things in relation to Arno.

Arno will, of course, grow up in the homestead in this one. Unity officially starts 5 years after the end of AC3 when Arno is around 21 years old. Arno returns to France because he actually followed Desmond back to France (while Ratonhnhaké:ton and Clay had to stay behind for the Brotherhood and tells Desmond that they’ll catch up to him instead). Desmond returns because Lafayette requested their aid (he and Lafayette talked a lot during the American Revolutions as two French dudes doing whatever they can) and Desmond agreed to help his ‘motherland’.

This means that Desmond and Arno went back to France without the Parisian Brotherhood’s ‘approval’ so they’re going rogue (although Charlotte gets a visit and she cries because of how much Arno has grown).

Arno now calls Desmond ‘dad’ in this one too although he still calls Charles Dorian ‘father’ and they become embroiled in AC Unity’s plot as well, with Desmond having bad feelings because there’s something in Paris that just makes his skin crawl.

Desmond is sorta in a very precarious position in the Parisian Brotherhood, especially now that Sophie Trenet is a council member. A lot of the council members have a more forgiving stance on Desmond, especially after they hear how he helped Ratonhnhaké:ton take back the ‘colonies’ from the Templars but they’re not necessarily happy that he’s back. Sophie’s the one who is pushing for him to regain his old rank (not that Desmond wants it) though because she remembers him as being a good man and a great Assassin.

Desmond and Arno actually visits Bellec in prison and that’s how they reunite. Well…

That and the cannonball that ‘started’ the prison break…

Arno is officially a member of the American Brotherhood of Assassins (like Desmond) so he’s not thought of as a traitor but more like an outsider. Arno doesn’t mind though because his memory of France felt more like a distant dream. He doesn’t like to go to Versailles though.

Arno’s opinion of the Parisian Brotherhood is pretty much nonexistent. Desmond doesn’t like to talk about them, not even to complain about them. Other than say their ranking system is ridiculously long but Arno is pretty sure Desmond was being sarcastic (he was not).

Because of this, the Parisian Assassins appear as either blue (Bellec and Sophie) or white to him. They’re polite to him but also sorta cagey because he is not one of them as far as the Brotherhood is concern.

He does have a better Eagle Vision, one of the more advanced ones, actually, considering Desmond, Clay and Ratonhnhaké:ton trained him (and that means his Assassin style is a combination of his three instructors). The whole “I see their memories” thing Arno is also theorized by Clay as being a mutation caused by Arno’s close proximity to whatever Charles Dorian was carrying with him before he handed it off to another Assassin then returned to France to get his next (and last) mission. Clay believes that it’s some kind of POE and that it sorta mutated Arno’s Isu genes to be more prevalent in this case because he was still young when he was in it’s area of ‘influence’. Of course, that’s all guesswork and Arno just uses it to get more information.

Arno does meet Élise once more and it’s… well… it’s complicated.

While it’s highly possible that Arno would still hold a torch for Élise during that time, it is also highly possible that she would just be a distant memory, the kind girl whose parents may have had a hand on the death of his father (or so Desmond believed). Hell, if you want to add more drama in that front, it could be that Élise and Arno sees each other as ‘enemies’ this time around, their childhood memories being nothing more than the innocence of children that they could no longer go back to (especially with them no longer having any long history with one another so Arno sees Élise as a Templar gone rogue and Élise sees Arno as just another Assassin). (If you want to make it hurt, have Élise be the one to actually carry a torch for Arno while Arno had already fallen in love or may have already gotten married by the time he returns to Paris. To who? Ellen’s daughter Maria who becomes Arno’s childhood friend in the Davenport Homestead). Also, he’s seen as the older brother of Ratonhnhaké:ton’s children as well so, in many ways, Arno feels more at home at Davenport than he is in Paris while Élise’s father died because he couldn’t get the letter meant to warn him in time and she’s just full of anger and the burning desire for vengeance right now, with no one she can trust at all.

Also, also… Desmond has a reunion of his own to rival Arno’s Templar-connection past.

His aunt…

Madame Flavigny.

(Yeah, that’s right. The only person who knew Desmond as Antoine Faroy and his only living blood relative is a Templar, to be more exact, a Templar from the Radical Faction.)

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

I'm not ready to shut up about Aveline and Carver--so, when you go see Aveline in Act 1, you can catch up with her a little bit and that's where this conversation can happen:

Aveline: "It's just one more change, though. The real end for me was Ostagar. What about you, Carver? You were there. Do you feel something similar?" Carver: No. Aveline: All right, then. Bit of a tit, your brother.

I wanted to see what she would say if Carver isn't in the party. Instead, she says this:

Aveline: Carver was there. I imagine he feels something similar. If he allows it.

......well, at least she didn't call him a tit?

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

forever mad about how dirty they did aveline from act 2 onward

[avakitsune]

Okay so. Time for more emotions because everything is running really high. I'm stressed as fuck but it's literally because I only have five more days until I'm in a hotel room for an entire weekend, face-to-face with someone who has become...irreplaceably important to me at this moment? And I'm going to be gushing and going into extraneous detail here, so like. Don't mind me.

BUT. He is flying across the country to meet me. Which, yes...this whole thing is impulsive and I should probably feel scared. I'm not scared. This feels right, even though it absolutely should not. And I think that's where all the guilt keeps coming from? By all senses of propriety and reason, I should be ashamed of myself for moving on so fast from someone who was so deeply enmeshed in my life.

But let's be real here. The moment I was no longer enmeshed with my husband, we ain't got shit to talk about anymore. That's far from the case here. The guy I'm meeting could talk to me about absolutely nothing and I'd hang on every single word. I love his voice, and I love the things he says. I love listening to the way he thinks and sees the world, and I only really feel more and more comfortable.

So...5 days from now. We'll be on the ride up the elevator, after a long car ride together all alone, but the moment we get into the hotel room, that'll be the first moment that he and I are completely alone. The first moment that propriety is no longer in the room. No one watching. No witnesses.

In a perfect world...he'll likely say, "After you." And I'll step into the room first, and once he's through the door behind me, I'll realize I'm at his mercy. Can't get around him to get back to the door. Panic will set in. I know myself well enough to know that I won't be able to stop the nervous reaction. Maybe he'll get a chuckle out of that, tease me by sliding one hand under my shirt, his hand on my stomach in warning as I find myself pressed to the wall.

He won't have to say it. I'll know that I'm not going anywhere. And I'll try to regain control of the situation with charm; giggling, squealing and bargaining...making self deprecating jokes that only end up getting me bitten and licked to make me make more humiliating sounds. His knee might slide up between my thighs and lift me up slightly as he holds me against the wall, since I barely weigh anything at all. And it stings, my all my body weight baring down on my cunt, making my body tilt forward into him, making it easier to grab my face and tease me for how stupidly easy I really am to control.

And then... like nothing happened, the moment I'm clearly worked up, just gently letting me down and walking to the bed. Patting the side next to him or his lap, beckoning me closer. Telling me that this time, I'm supposed to come to him. The door is behind me now. I can leave, though I have to get away on my own means, but I know he wants to see me obey. Be a good girl and come to him. Show him that he can scare me like that, and I'll still want him to like me.

And I will. I'll go right to him, kneel...maybe straddle him and kiss him. Because let's be realistic here: I'm starving for him already, and I know that sitting in the car with him for an hour and half or more is just going to have me going crazy and committing his scent to memory the way I've already done with his voice.

And...God, hearing his voice in person is everything. I don't know how im going to be able to handle hearing him speak in person...up close and right in my ear. It's already hypnotic. The things I'm willing to do just to hear it again...and again...and again. What I'm willing to admit, to bare, to cast aside.

But most of all... I want us to connect. I want to know he's just as excited as me. And that it matters as much to me that it's him as it matters that it's me to him. I'm just excited to know that I'm going to be in close proximity with someone who wants to play with me. And not side by side. It's the same game, 1v1. Someone I know is going to be intense and powerful against me, and to know that the only offense I have is compliance.

But then...at the same time, I know he's someone who I could literally stay up with all night talking about deep questions, existential shit, movies that we each know too much about, cats, music, strange people or places, video game lore. So I may be looking forward to the pillowtalk at least as much, for the record. He's just...probably the most mature minded person I've ever met. And so I want his opinion on everything.

[vigilskeep]

baffled and vexed by instalment 3 of this fic having an obvious title. does that mean i have to title the rest of them. good lord

[drasticdoodling]

i get why ppl dont like night terrors but i like it with a party pf aveline, varric, and anders bc then aveline and varric- the two in the group who’ve known hawke the longest betray hawke to demons while JUSTICE who everyone(including anders!) talks about as being dangerous and not able to be trusted stands by hawke and helps defeat the demons.

and then aveline doesnt even apologize and says that mages should be locked up.

EDIT: she does apologize immediately after getting out of the fade but doesnt in her follow up quest. (which is where the "mages should be locked up" line is. got the timeline mixed up in my head this makes more sense lol)

[hawkepockets]

actually. 🫷😀🫸 THOUGHTS ON AVELINE

i think aveline is a CORE da2 character, and her relationship with hawke is super super interesting. she’s hawke’s oldest friend in the game & by act 3, maybe the only enduring connection to their homeland & childhood besides the mabari. her voice, her bearing, her stated values are all very noble & movingly fereldan—but her actions both as guard captain & as a party member should be so profoundly disappointing to hawke almost no matter how you play them, which generates a powerful tension. imo it’s really poignant and adds a lot to the game’s central tragedy.

because how can hawke cut her off! but look at how she behaves: ignoring the serial killing & sexual assault of isolated older women and elf girls, baiting the arishok, slut shaming isabela, condescending to merrill. but how can they cut her off? the question is a privilege and a torment!

in this way i think she strikingly complements gamlen. like no matter what gamlen does and says to you, your love interest, leandra, the surviving hawke twin—he’s family and the only way into kirkwall. hawke is not permitted to sever those ties. and no matter what aveline does and says to you and all the women in your party, she remains your oldest friend and the only way back to ferelden, emotionally.

both aveline & gamlen will maintain a warm relationship with hawke as long as hawke tolerates their picking on those in proximity to hawke—but if hawke pushes back with aggressive dialogue options, both will tone match and became sour and hostile. aveline can be really quite awful to a red hawke, and will throw them to the ground and beat them at 100% rivalry. so there’s kind of an underlying challenge in both of these characters: how much will hawke, as gang leader & player character, put up with when it’s not directed at them?

of course, for all the nostalgia that seems to occlude av’s wrongdoings in kirkwall, she’s not really a childhood friend of hawke’s. she was a grown woman when they met, lothering was lost, and the moment was pretty heated thanks to aveline’s hostile templar husband.

and yet hawke is no more reliable & objective in their treatment of the past than varric is. and aveline is what they have! she’s standing in for all of ferelden, all of the past before the blight!

and likewise hawke for her! hawke is the only one left in act 3 who remembers wesley! aveline is the only one who remembers the dead hawke twin!

and as reprehensible as some of her decisions are, aveline’s grief for wesley and her enmity toward the old corrupt guard captain are sympathetic and her voice is sexy and husky and beautiful enough that. well im sorry i just lost the plot for a minute. uh

there’s also the act 3 subplot of the templars trying to take over the city guard, which sets up aveline as the only thing standing between kirkwall’s mages & absolute templar authority in the city. it’s literally her or cullen at his most brainwashed & violent. (to cullen’s credit he also thought it was a bad idea. but i won’t give him so much credit that i believe he’d turn down the position if aveline was removed.) between a knight-commander and a hard place, a pro-mage hawke has to choose the hard place.

so both of my playthroughs i’ve felt like hawke’s friendship with her is at the very least strained, if not completely ruptured, but they have to back her. how much that feels like fucking sandpaper may vary from hawke to hawke.

ultimately i just think she brings a lot to the table. i don’t necessarily understand why she’d be anyone’s all time #1 favorite companion, but you know.

[hungee-boy]

playing her at the beginning is going to be so funny when varric acts like her didnt house and raise her as a niece for a decade in kirkwall while her father, his estranged former coworker, backpacks across thedas killing slavers and only coming back for weeks at a time when hes injured or theres no leads for him to follow

lol

i think its decided that my second rook is gonna be my teenage fenhawke baby

[tossawary]

I mentioned before that I think DA2 is perhaps the most appealing to me for a Time Travel AU. This is in part because Hawke as a protagonist doesn't have to worry about an impending apocalypse in the same way that the Warden and the Inquisitor do, so there's arguably more space for slow-moving character work, and I think it would be fun to explore Hawke's relationship to Kirkwall.

You can take Inquisition-era Hawke, sacrifice them in the Fade, and then handwavy magic happens there that sends Hawke back for a Time Travel Redo. (If it's irrelevant to the rest of the story, let's skip going into depth on the time travel method! It does not matter!) If you want to avoid time paradox concerns, given that time magic actually exists in this series, this can actually be a Dimension Travel AU as well, sending a Garrett Hawke back in time to another dimension where there's a Marian Hawke instead or something. Two Hawkes!

I prefer sending a mage Garrett Hawke "back" into this alternate dimension because he is absolutely going to look like his own father, Malcolm, to the young Hawke family trying to escape Lothering. And that's some delicious angst.

Another reason that I think Hawke in particular would be interesting is that I think it would be interesting to have a time-traveler (dimension-traveler) be upfront about what had happened to them. A tired Garrett Hawke reveals at least the basics of the "future" to his friends and family (all of whom are strangers to him and it hurts) because he wants to keep them safe, and then the butterfly effects of canon divergence ripple out from there.

There are so many time travel fics where the protagonist confides in no one or only does so very late in the story. There are often reasons for this. 1) They will not be believed. 2) They are surrounded by enemies. 3) They are focused on changing a very specific event and do not want things to change before that. 3.5) They are unwilling to share their knowledge and give up some measure of control over the future. (These control issues are often in-character!)

Sometimes, I am persuaded by these reasons and find them compelling and sympathetic. Sometimes, I find the protagonist's insistence on doing everything alone frustrating and even cruel.

I think that if Hawke had the chance to do a Time Travel Redo, it would be incredibly cruel if they did not at least TRY to share some of their knowledge with their companions. I don't think Hawke's companions would believe them immediately, of course, but they live in a world with strange magic. If Hawke was willing to be calm and vulnerable, they could at least give their future friends some potential leads in their individual quests (being open about the fact that this world may be different to their own).

Like, let's look at Fenris. Fenris would not trust some strange mage talking about fucking time magic, of course. But after knowing each other for a month or so, Hawke might be able to approach Fenris and say, "Hey, I have a really weird story to tell you." And then Hawke could share what they know about Fenris' past according to their own world, so that Fenris can maybe look into that and prepare himself. Because keeping that information away from Fenris is a dick move! Fenris deserves to be able to decide what to believe, what to investigate, and what to do for himself.

I also don't think I could suspend my disbelief if Hawke let Anders and Justice just... play out again over the course of years. I think most Hawkes wouldn't be able to resist confronting Anders in some way! Even Hawkes who end up saying, "I'm going to personally murder Meredith this time." Is a mage-friendly Hawke just going to let characters like Karl Thekla be made Tranquil and be killed again?

Do Merrill and Isabella and Varric and Aveline not deserve to try and avert some of the tragedies in their own lives?

Like, it is totally reasonable for Hawke to be focused purely on their own family or the companions they like, rather than try to save every person in the city. I think it's more than fine if there are tragedies a protagonist just doesn't care about averting. Hawke is not even going to remember everything.

And it is VERY normal for people not to want to give up some measure of control over their lives, especially someone as traumatized as Hawke. I do often find it realistic that a lot of time traveling characters in fanfiction are kind of "control freaks" who don't want to be vulnerable, even if it's "safe" to be. I'm imagining that this future-sharing from Hawke would stem in large part from 1) exhaustion, 2) loneliness, and 3) Hawke being used to celebrity, due to the "Tale of the Champion", and somewhat blasé by this point about all the fucking shit they've been through.

And I think that spilling everything (or even just the basics) would not necessarily go well for a Hawke. I think Varric would take even limited information about Bartrand's future very badly. As strangers to Hawke, I think all of the companions would be upset and disbelieving. (I'm currently imagining a mage Garrett Hawke who previously romanced Merrill, so that he and Past!Fenris were barely friends, because Fenris didn't like this mage Hawke hanging out with a blood mage and Hawke kind of thought Fenris might turn him in to the Templars someday. Past!Fenris was more Isabella's and Varric's friend.) I think these new companions might go on to make some BIG mistakes trying to avoid the future that Hawke has described, as much as they might avert tragedy.

I also imagine that Hawke's relationship with this new Hawke family might be very strange and awkward, even if both Carver and Bethany live. Garrett looks like Malcolm and everyone thinks it's weird; Leandra is probably the happiest and most practical about it, but Garrett can't forget how his own mother died horribly and also blamed him for his own Bethany's death. Neither Garrett nor Marian know what to do about each other; Marian doesn't like some new person waltzing in and taking control of situations. Garrett unconsciously treats this Carver as older and Carver loves it, but Marian doesn't like it. Bethany likes having a mage sibling, but Garrett is awkward because he's used to Bethany being the Hawke family's perfect dead sister. And Leandra's shitty brother is not fucking helping any of this!!! And what's that about Leandra maybe getting murdered by a serial killer in the future???

By saying all of this, I mean to make clear that I really don't think "communicating" would immediately fix every problem for a perfect "Time Travel Fix-It". I do think it would fix SOME problems. Emotional conversations and immediate canon divergence also appeals to me because I like reading those things.

What I mean to make clear is that I think it would be fun to write something that explores autonomy, authority, agency, and control. There are many issues in the world that stem from people unwilling to give up control of a situation for a variety of reasons, and other issues that stem from people believing they have the authority to dictate other people's lives.

What right would a new Garrett Hawke have to withhold information and try to manipulate all of their strangers' lives? Especially from people like Anders and Fenris, whose stories are so deeply concerned with freedom of choice? To conceal backstory information from someone with amnesia, like Fenris, is a choice, and I think it's a cruel one, even if Fenris might not like what he hears and might react badly. Can Garrett Hawke really claim that he "knows best"? What if he doesn't know what's going on with this version of the world? What do you do when freedom means standing back and allowing some of the people you like and love to make "bad" choices?

Some time travel fics seem to me to be incredibly lonely. The protagonist trusts in no one. The other characters can be written as predictably following a timeline to the point of being shallow caricatures of people. It's just not to my taste.

It could be nice to explore Hawke finding new sides of companions that they missed in their previous "run" (which was very much not perfect and full of strife). It could be nice to explore an exhausted Champion learning to trust in other people and have them step up to help solve these shifting problems. DA games are so much about making choices for everyone around you: on behalf of your companions, on behalf of entire kingdoms, on behalf of the entire world. It might be fun to explore an exhausted older Hawke giving up some control and being pleasantly surprised on some fronts as paths diverge.

[morrigan-le-faye]

Likelihood of companions showing up in Veilguard: my thoughts

So, I was thinking about Veilguard and who I want to come back, so here’s my take on who I think is coming back!

Warden: lol no bitch, we’re never seeing them again. That would require giving them a voice and personality. Likelihood is we get another letter.

Alistair: We’re pretty far from Ferelden, if you made him king I could see him getting a mention but not marching his ass up to Tevinter/Rivain/Antiva/the Anderfels. Possibly another letter. If you kept him a warden, he’s either dead or could possibly show up in the Anderfels? I could see whoever got left in the fade tying in with the Veil Jumper plotline, maybe.

Morrigan: Possibly? Theres a possibility if she drank from the well she’s now bound to Solas because of him killing Mythal. I could see the Veil fuckery doing some weird shit to Kieran though.

Leliana: If you made her Divine, definitely. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t say so. She had such a big role in Inquisition, I don’t see her playing a huge role here.

Zevran: We’re in Antiva, we better see the boy! He is canonically with a romanced Warden in Inquisition, but I could see him taking a break from that to take care of Antivan things for a bit.

Wynne: canonically dead. Sad for her. RIP mage granny.

Sten: He’s the Arishok now, I see him tying into the Qunari plotline.

Oghren: please god no.

Shale: I hope so, but since she was DLC I would doubt it.

Loghain: He’s dead babe. Either you killed him in Origins or I’m assuming like nobody saved him in the Fade in Inquisition, and see what I said about the Veil Jumpers in Alistair’s section.

The Awakening Squad (minus Anders/Justice): doing this as a collective cause I’m not typing all that out. Probably not. Might see a couple of them if we go to Weisshaupt while we’re in the Anderfels.

Hawke: If you left them in the fade, again, could show up with the Veil Jumpers. Since there is a possibility they’re dead, I could see them just sending a “hey I’m fine in Kirkwall” message if they’re alive.

Anders: maybe, maybe not. This game seems like it’ll have less emphasis on the Mage/Templar conflict, but we haven’t seen him since 2, so who knows.

Fenris: We’re in Tevinter, I’m hoping he shows up! Let us help him kill slavers please.

Merrill: Seeing how Solas’s agents use the eluvian network, I could see her showing up again. Possibly with the Veil Jumpers

Isabella: I don’t think so. If she shows up, might be part of the Lords of Fortune plotline.

Sebastian: No. Might get referenced, but he is DLC.

Aveline: I don’t think so either. I think she’s too busy keeping things together in Kirkwall. Also ACAB includes Aveline.

Carver/Bethany: If you made them wardens, possibly show up in the Anderfels? But seeing how customizable their appearances are, I doubt it.

Blackwall/Rainier: Again, possibly in the Anderfels. Or elsewhere if he didn’t get recruited into the wardens.

Bull: I hope so, I wanna see the chargers for at least one mission. But since he can be dead if you kept him loyal to the Qun, don’t have high hopes.

Cassandra: if you made her divine, sure. I could also see her leading remnants of the inquisition if she isn’t divine.

Dorian: We’re in Tevinter. If Varric or Harding don’t mention they have a magister friend that can help, I’m going to be very disappointed.

Vivienne: Again, if she’s divine, yes. If she’s not, probably a letter writing cameo.

Cole: I could see him having a very cool plotline with the Veil breaking down and him either being a spirit with human elements or a human with spirit elements.

Sera: I could see the Friends of Red Jenny playing a role, if not her specifically.

Bonus Advisors:

Josephine: Maybe. Could see her helping with Inquisition remnants like Cassandra.

Cullen: No, cause Greg Ellis is an asshole.

[truetealtears]

So many fic writers don’t acknowledge the fact that canonically Fenris hosts a game night with Donnic at the mansion WEEKLY

Like sure he probably put them on hold for a bit after his personal quests since oof those were not good times but past that he sees Donnic once a week!

So many of you guys are missing out on A - probably one of/the only friend Fenris consistently hangs out with OUTSIDE of Hawke and Co (even though he’s Aveline’s husband lmao). And B - the closeness and hilarity of their relationship, like they do this for years, they clearly talk to each other about a lot. To the point where Donnic tells him about maybe having children and stuff, which Fenris then asks Aveline about and she goes ‘you two talk too much’ LIKE??? ITS RIGHT THERE IN CANNON

The funny part comes in when you’re romancing Fenris because everyone depicts him as like brooding about it alone in his mansion for weeks (which he definitely did ngl) but then only confiding in either no one at all or like Varric WHEN DONNIC IS CANONICALLY RIGHT THERE

Like can you imagine that at one point during one of their game nights in Act 3 Fenris is like:

“Donnic”

“Yeah?”

“So you are married…”

“Listen Fenris, buddy, you’re right. I am happily married and as your friend I would love to give you relationship advice but you were there for the absolute mess that was Aveline trying to court me. You know full well why I can’t really help you get with Hawke. The two of you combined are worse than even my dear wife.”

“We are not that bad”

“Fenris”

“Fasta vaas, fine. So what now?”

“Well I can offer encouragement, Aveline is close with Hawke used to have tea with her mother a lot, so I can tell you with absolute certainty that Hawke is into you and Leandra wouldn’t have disapproved. You just have to make your move… and also never tell either of them that I told you this”

*Meanwhile in the Hawke estate*

“Aveline I need you to do me a favour and get Donnic to find out if Fenris is still into me”

“What?”

“You told me they hang out a lot! And I can’t just ask him that myself so I need you to find out for me Please? I really need you to return the favour here!”

I think this would be an absolutely hilarious interpretation of canon events and a really funny and sweet dynamic between the four of them. The rest of the Hawke flock could joke about them going on double dates lmao

TLDR: Donnic and Fenris are canonically really good friends and this should be acknowledged more in fics and stuff

(Fenris and Aveline are also good friends fyi but that’s for a different post. As well as something I have actually seen a couple of people talk about on here so yeah another time)

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

Me, when Sebastian joins my party for the first time: Okay, this time I'm not going to forget about you, Sebastian. I'm going to make an effort to use you a lot this playthrough so I can better understand you.

Also me, immediately forgetting about Sebastian while finishing Act 2 and making it halfway through Act 3 before I finally notice his Faith quest: ......................Oh. Right. My bad.

[malizanu]

Varric was young when he realized tragedy would always follow him. Bianca, the real one, was by his side as they silently digested the consequences of their love story. Like the most succulent meat, their flavor could only be savored through the death of the innocents. If this was the outcome, maybe they weren't meant to be.

Years later, when his brother died… No, when he killed his brother, it wrecked him, but still nothing compared to when he saw Leandra's life fading away, as Hawke tried to hide her pain for the sake of one last happy memory. Her mother died proud of her daughter. Like Varric, she saw the beautiful parts of a broken hero.

He stayed with Hawke for as long as she needed, and when Aveline and Merrill took her under their wings, he spent the rest of the week drunk.

"You smell like shit", said a voice by his door.

"Isabela!", soaked in bad alcohol, he would later remember that he forgot her nickname. If the woman noticed that — of course she did —, she said nothing.

"Hawke smelled like shit too", she tried, but her voice carried no trace of fun. Varric contemplated how long it would take the pirate to deal with what was going on with her heart. "I gave her a bath. Since Andraste's compassion blessed me today, should I bathe you too?"

"Hah! You wish, Rivaini, but Bianca will get jealous", he tried to smile and the expression felt so foreign.

"Oh, you flatter yourself too much. I'm sure if you bothered to install some legs, Bianca would run away."

"It'd leave me devastated, but you know what? It's better for her", Isabela gave him an odd look as he continued. "You should run away from me too, Isabela. Tragedy follows me. And now it also follows those I love."

***

I'm writing what was supposed to be a one-shot focused on the reactions of the Inquisitor's companions when Solas took the anchor. SUPPOSED because there's already 4k words and my Inky still hasn't woken up. Well, unfortunately as the story is progressing this bit needed to be cut, but I really enjoyed writing it so why not post it here, right? Hope you all enjoy it too!

[thatrandombystander]

Personal tier list of how likely I think past companions are to make a proper on screen appearance in Veilguard

S tier: Morrigan, Varric and Solas are already confirmed.

A tier: We're going to Tevinter, Maevaris Tilani is confirmed to be making an appearance. Dorian has connections to both, is well-liked among fans, and there's story room to explore with him especially in relation to the Shadow Dragons faction and his mission to better Tevinter. If he doesn't appear I will be legitimately shocked.

B tier: All three are fan favourite and I would be surprised if none of these three appear, although I don't expect to see all three. - We're going to Antiva and the Crows are involved in the game, Zevran fits in perfectly. - We're going to Rivain and the Lords of Fortune faction sounds incredibly suited to Isabela. - We're going to Tevinter and Fenris provides perspective as a character directly impacted by slavery in the Magisterium and he has been well featured in comics.

C tier: I think these characters have a good chance but I would still be pleasantly surprised to see them. - I can see Leliana, Cassandra or Vivienne appearing in-game as the Divine, although they may just be referenced via a letter or dialogue. If the Divine doesn't make an appearance I doubt any one of them would appear at all. - Shale has been in Tevinter and I can see them making a brief cameo appearance. - Merrill I think could appear in Arlathan Forest with the Veil Jumpers, but at the same time I feel like the devs might want to avoid including her especially since they've hinted at our protag having good reason to dislike blood magic? Although would love her Dalish perspective on the awakened Elvhen gods - Cole I can see making an appearance (maybe with the Inquisitor) as one of the only characters sympathetic to Solas as a person at this point

D tier: I think these characters appearing is unlikely but could still happen - Alistair has too many possible current states that feel like they'd be difficult to incorporate at this point. King? Warden? Drunkard? Trapped in fade? - Maybe Sten could appear among Qunari but I don't see any particular reason for him as the current Arishok to appear. - I would LOVE for Velanna to make an appearance. She would be SO GOOD to appear in Arlathan Forest as a Dalish perspective with her respect for their stories and history. Unfortunately being an Awakening character lowers her chances. - Anders my beautiful favourite is just too controversial and risky to include, plus I'm not sure how much he relates to the new game. This bad boy needs to be deployed when The Themes are right. - Blackwall, Iron Bull and Josephine all could easily make an appearance depending on what sort of direction the devs go with plot and events, but at the moment I don't have a reason to believe they would

F tier: I would be shocked to see any of these characters in game. - Wynne? Canonically died in the novels. - Loghain? Already had pay-off for keeping him alive via Inquisition appearance. Too many current fates (Dead, Warden, trapped in Fade) to make the effort worth the result. - Oghren? Do I even need to explain. - Nathaniel and Sigrun as mere Awakening companions (thus not as popular or well known) with little connection to the Veilguard story makes me doubt they will appear (even though I love them both dearly.) - Aveline and Sebastian are busy with their respective jobs, have little to do with the Veilguard plot, and are not very popular. - Bethany and Carver have too many current fate options and feels kinda pointless to include them in game unless Hawke is somehow relevant - Cullen... lol only if they recast him but I think Greg Ellis dug the character's grave. - Sera isn't that well liked by the fandom as a whole compared to other characters and I feel like she'd be avoiding any of the current veil related nonsense

[thewardenisonthecase]

Ok I actually want to talk more about Aveline's dialogue post All That Remains because I think it's really well written.

I like that she's the one that talks to Hawke because, even if all the other companions have been through grief in their own ways, Aveline feels like the one who can "handle" it best, in the sense of, she has lost a lot of people. We know both of her parents are dead, her first husband is dead, she saw all her fellow soldiers die at Ostagar, this woman knows grief, it's a very core part of her character. And she's also one of the few characters who has known Hawke the longest, as she came with them from Ferelden.

One thing that I love is that if you choose the dialogue option to say "My mother's dead. My heart is broken", Aveline replies with "I could tell you that at least you knew yours, but that would be more about me than you." and I LOVE that she says this because I see people say some variation of that when another person lost a family member AND IT'S NOT COMFORTING AT ALL.

It's a phrase that always bothered me and she really put it very simply why: because then instead of helping the grieving person, you're making it about yourself. And telling someone who just lost their mother that "at least you knew yours" doesn't make them feel better.

Depending on dialogue options, Aveline then goes on to talk about her father and his last days alive. It's a very touching moment for me because from what I understood, Aveline apparently doesn't talk that much about her father so it's a moment of her opening up but also, I like it as way of like...ok let me rephrase this. Sometimes when someone is hurting, you can comfort them in different ways. You can adress the issue or you can distract them, and I think that's what Aveline is trying to do. She's telling this very personal story to Hawke, showing that she understands how it feels but also it's a bit of a distraction. Maybe talking about Leandra would have hurt more, so she talks about her father instead, and she even apologizes for going off topic.

And then Aveline says a piece of advice that I think is just perfect. She tells Hawke that no one can tell them how to grief and when to move on, and if someone does, tell them "my choice." I think this was just a great thing to end the conversation on, because grief is a messy and complicated thing and everyone grieves differently, but there's also a lot of societal pressure to just "move on", so for her to say that was really important.

Also, I think that like, Aveline feels partially guilty too. There was a murdered on the loose and her guard didn't catch him time and it cost Leandra's life. One of her closest friends is hurting and she could have prevented it. So all she can do now is offer comfort.

[demigoddessqueens]

bubbles with babe

A/N - based off a previous two scenarios here

I tried getting as many as I could or however many the tags would let me 😅

Summary: bath and relaxing headcanons 🥰

Altair - he insists you always bathe with him, washing your hair calms him down

Elise - wants to spoil and lavish you entirely, loves massages too

Desmond - a whole cutie pie who refuses to leave the tub and just loves a few sudsy cuddles

Bayek - presses tiny kisses into your shoulder as he weaves his fingers through your hair

Ezio - oh he’s shameless in spoiling you with all the bubbles!

Evie - a “guilty pleasure” she feels no guilt in because spending time with you is always a pleasure

Edward - cheeky in spending more time in the tub with you than getting anything done

Malik - he won’t admit it but he does enjoy how your spoil him and remind him to take breaks

Jacob - sure he MAY spoil you but he’s also so needy with your time and likes when you suds him up as well

Maria 🗡️- a reminder that she needs to take time for herself, particularly likes shoulder massages

Aya - jasmine and other floral scents fill the tub as you laugh and reconvene with each other

Haytham - he’s one relaxing session away from collapsing into your arms and the suds, loves a good scalp massage

Shay - likes when you wash his hair and offers to wash yours as well

Yusuf - you can’t leave yet unless he says so, just be prepared for bubbly cuddles and some face masks

Aveline - she likes a hot stone massage and maybe some lavender oil for a bath

Ziio - the temple run when you wash her hair is the most relaxing

Eivor - a bit of a spa day get away and tons of steam rooms that leave you both refreshed

Connor/Ratonhnhake:ton - he loves how you just melt into his touches and when you rub his back as well

Arno - a lil romantic who draws all the bubbles and oils for hours of relaxation

Henry/Jayadeep - he’s a sweetie who gushes about anything with you, neck and back rubs are a must

Kassandra - spa days are a must for you and her

Bonus

Shaun Hastings is a man of business who sometimes forgets to relax so relaxing baths are way of reminding him he deserves TLC