#not that he DID hear it because INSANELY varric is MAKING THIS UP

[vigilskeep]

“we deserve better. you deserved better.” “you know, your father got angry like that.”

[shiredwarf]

i'm gonna rant a bit about veilguard for a sec, spoilers behind the cut but honestly, it's just anxiety-fueled speculations and I need to write this down because I feel like I'm going insane. aptly titled:

WHAT THE FUCK VARRIC (aka please god no, please no)

i've done everything i can do up to recruiting davrin.... so I'm not that far into the game, I think, and I have no idea, I might be wrong about all this, and it's just weird writing but things are feeling off guys :(

so.....my thoughts.....

Did Varric survive the opening sequence?

chat.... I don't think so :( I really thought he did but I started growing more and more suspicious with each cutscene and I think it's time to prepare myself :(

Maybe this is preferable to him surviving and then being corrupted by the same lyrium idol that corrupted his brother but yeah, I don't think varric is really there because:

NO ONE TALKS TO HIM, no one visits him, no one talks ABOUT him in any way that would suggest he's recovering in the infirmary

NO ONE LOOKS AT HIM during cut scenes, or talks to him, or acknowledges his existence in any way :( Rook is the only one who talks to him/visits him/addresses him/looks towards him when varric talks :(

both harding and neve have talked about varric in a strange way. not confirming he's dead but in a sort of wistful way you might use when talking about someone who died and you're just at the edge of being able to think about them the way you remember them rather than as a corpse

neither bellara nor lucanis have spoken to varric AT ALL as far as I know, nor have they mentioned him??? wouldn't that be the first thing you do once you've been recruited?

the "power transition" was really weird to me because at first it did feel like they were just putting varric on bed rest so they could make me the main character. and I wondered why not harding? why not at least include her in that conversation.... unless of course it's all not real and varric was dead to begin with

that one line harding says at some point that goes sth like "if only I could have saved...." AND SHE STOPS TALKING! GIRL WHO! WHO!

solas seems very convinced he killed varric :( and then gives his typical cryptic non-answer when rook suggests he might not be dead :/

i really hope i'm wrong but honestly, i'm convinced now he's dead and no one but rook can see or hear him :( maybe he's a fade ghost, maybe he's a hallucination because we got our brains turned into scrambled eggs, maybe he's an echo? bound to bianca? maybe he died but left a piece of himself inside rook when we were knocked out and thrown into the fade?

or maybe..... it's not even varric :(

Is it even Varric???????????

varric guiding us through the story bit by bit really fooled me :( how could he be dead when he's telling the story :( but one thing I noticed very early on is how different his tone is from how he told the story in da2? again this might just be a writing choice but it's strange how he almost sounds gleefully foreboding at the end of each sequence :/

He has not told us anything we don't already know..... his dialogue is full of varric-like quips but whenever he talks properly he's like "remember how I told you...remember when you did this.... remember when we did that"

he never once mentions bianca's status! he never once looks at her even though she is broken right beside him. he never once made an attempt to fix her BUT I did get one quip from him that went sth like "can't wait to get out there, bianca is getting impatient"....SIR SHE IS BROKEN WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ARE YOU JUST REPEATING COMMON VARRIC PHRASES WITHOUT CONTEXT?????

man I'm reaching but when solas and varric struggle there's a chime sound? as if the dagger went through the veil? and then there's like a fade tendril attached to the tip as solas pulls back???

and then there's all the fade light coming from the wound with the dagger still in it as if the fade itself was now inside his chest. when neve draggs him away later you can still see the green shimmer around his neck

varric looks very dead in the first scene in the lighthouse ... in fact he looks a lot like justice did .... but that could just be an artistic choice????.... his looks do improve after all.....dunno but it struck me as so familiar when I first saw it

and then when harding comes in and starts explaining where we are he gives you this look??? which is just a weird look? he looks like he's worried she might say too much right??? doesn't he???? that's not varric is it????

and lastly: WOULD VARRIC LET A BANDAGE STOP HIM FROM SHOWING OFF HIS CHEST HAIR! NO! :'(

so.... what if... we're being manipulated? something latched on? or maybe it's the dagger itself? we've been told over and over again in the last games that lyrium might be alive... maybe it was stuck in varric's chest long enough to learn about him and now we're the one carrying it around.... i dunno, seems strange because we already have two (three) antagonists but... i can't shake the feeling this is not varric :(

[theonekrafter]

not to drag you into da mode but do you have any thoughts about veilgaurd? excited for what’s to come? tentative? any companions making your heart skip a beat. would love to hear any thoughts if you’re willing to share!! in a secondary unrelated note that just occurred to me as I was typing this up: did you ever write a fic about jesus and andrastate interacting or was this a fever dream of mine? much love <3

oh gosh yeah veilguard has me thinking Thoughts for sure, so i guess i can share them here.

am i excited? yeah! am i sort of worried that it will have the effects of the bioware layoffs all over it? absolutely. right now im mostly tentatively excited and hopeful that it will add fun new lore and interesting characters to learn about.

i don't really see any of the companions as appealing to me right now, besides varric who is my og, but that's mostly because ill need to play some to get a feel of who they are. emmrich seems cool though! i love an old guy who loves magic.

tbh the most Interesting aspect of the new game is the way it will show how the old game companions have changed, or give us new angles to understand them from. i think everyone is Constantly talking about solas, but i do want to understand what the hell his plan was.

i want to see the full interactions he and varric have so i can write appropriately angsty fic about solas and different members of the inner circle talking. the game trailer implied a higher level of closeness between varric and solas than i expected, which adds a new layer of suffering to solas's choice to abandon the inquisition.

like. those are his friends. he wasnt JUST close to the inquisitor, the rest of the inner circle had considered him to be a FRIEND.

idkkk. we shall see. i will say that the stuff ive seen with harding has been insane, especially related to the stone and her possible dwarf powers/magic that may be reawakening due to the fall of the veil. i wanna see how much is changing in general because of how destabilized the veil is.

did you ever write a fic about jesus and andrastate interacting or was this a fever dream of mine?

LMAO ok so i did not write one, but i definitely convinced one of my friends in my discord server to write one and post it. then i made some fanart for it as seen here (warning, the art is very old and kind of bad)

basically in my server we were like "jesus and andraste would have a lot in common huh." and it may or may not have turned into a crack ship. i adore it. andus forever.

ty for the ask!

[theheraldsrest]

“Inquisitor bringing back a dragon egg and claiming it as their own child”

Yeeeaaahh It’s been a bit since we’ve made any posts. Our schedules have cleared up a bit and we should be able to post more, and this time on an actual schedule. I’ll be posting on Mondays-Tuesdays and Cabot will be posting on Wednesdays. Here you go, our first ask back!

-Lord Lex

Cullen

-”No no no NO! Absolutely not! We are not going to be raising a DRAGON in Skyhold! A dragon destroyed Haven, and that one wasn’t even on our side! How in the name of the Maker are you going to train that thing?! This is absolutely ridiculous, what are you thinking?! How-”

-You have to survive his rant first but, to be fair, he has good reason to worry

-If you keep it, he doesn’t argue with your decision, but you have noticed that Skyhold is being more fortified, people are being the taught on how to “take care” of a dragon, while others are being taught how to actually take care of a dragon

-Cullen sees this turning out two ways: One, this could actually be a great benefit to the Inquisition or Two, the Inquisitor has finally gone insane and this is just the Maker’s way of punishing Cullen for existing

Josephine

-”Haha, very clever joke, Inquisitor! You actually had me there for a moment! Hahaha...ha...he...you’re not joking, are you? Oh Maker…”

-Takes a lot of convincing to get her to actually allow you to keep it. Is even a little proud that you made a list of pros and cons

-Tries to even change your mind with other “pet” ideas. Just do what Leliana’s done and get pet nugs. They’re vicious enough if you train them. Or mabari, mabari are good pets, love cuddles. Or how about-?

-Is ever so slightly curious about how this will turn out though, even hires people who are dragon experts to help make sure it’s safe and well taken care of

Leliana

-”A dragon? That...actually could be very resourceful.”

-Unlike her co-workers, she finds this to be a rather interesting and fun idea that could really help the inquisition

-Does pass along notes about its growth to researchers and caregivers. Kinda wants to help in the process of raising and training it. How different can it be from nugs?

-Very. Very different. Nugs don’t breathe fire, for one.

Vivienne

-”Put it back, dear. We don’t need to add on another dangerous creature with horrible, destructive capabilities to our little group. We already have Cassandra.”

-It’s like a very tired mother telling their child to put back the puppy. The fire breathing, 200 ton puppy.

-Keeps talking about your image, trying to raise such a thing after the several encounters you’ve had with dragons ended with you almost dead

-Actually, no, go right ahead. She’d love to see what’d happen. Don’t worry, you’ll do fiiiine.

Varric

-*Currently having Vietnam flashbacks* “Please no.”

-He’s kinda split. On one hand, he doesn’t want to deal with this. On the other, imagine the stories he could write

-He thinks he needs to stop telling dragon jokes because the first time he said he had expected Corypheus to pull a dragon out of his ass and he did. Made the same joke about the Inquisitor…

-Comes to like the idea when he sees the Inquisitor treating it like a mabari. Who’s a good, man-eating, electricity-breathing dragon? Yes it’s you!

Cole

-”Your child? But...it’s a dragon? How do you make it your child? It’s rather big. Warm and happy, it doesn’t know about the outside yet or what’s waiting for it...I think you’d make a great mother dragon.”

-He’s a little confused, but he’s got the spirit. (Get it? No? Ok, I’ll see myself out) He has no problems with this

-It actually helps a lot that Cole can tell you if he's upset or not happy. Gives you an idea of the mood swings it has

-Cole is confused on why you keep calling it ‘one’ of your children. Who are the rest? Varric puts emphasis on Kid when he’s talking to Cole.

Solas

-*Solas Disapproves*

-What could go wrong? He has a list. What if it doesn’t listen? What if it’s uncontrollable? How do you expect to raise it? What are you even going to feed it? People? Your enemies? Where are you going to keep it? What if it causes more damage than the one Corypheus had? What if-?

-If he can’t convince you to put it back, he does try to help you with it. Hell, (if your inquisitor drank from the Well) you were able to control the ancient dragon, this one shouldn’t be much harder

-He gives it pet names, favors calling it names associated to the type it is. For example, a fire one would be nicknamed Little Burner or Little Light, a cold one would be Frost or Snowflake.

Cassandra

-*Cassandra Greatly Disapproves*

-Makes you put it back, she doesn’t even want to hear the ridiculous reasoning for why you want it as a ‘child’. You already have destructive children and their names are Varric, Sera, Bull, and Cole.

-There is absolutely no way in whatever realms that exist is she going to allow this to happen, the absolute absurdity of the whole idea is- Somehow you got it to Skyhold and it’s name is now Fluffy.

-Maker, give her strength to put up with you. She might see you as a great leader, but sometimes you can make some really stupid decisions.

The Iron Bull

-”This is one of the most dangerous ideas I’ve ever heard. Can I help raise it?”

-You don’t even have to ask, he’s helping to carry the egg, talking about different ways it could be used whether for battle or for intimidation

-He’s dedicating his time to this creature and has actually done some reading up on how to properly care for it

-If you’re not careful, it starts to think Bull’s it’s mother, following him around and chirping. The Chargers have taken to calling him Mama Bull. 

Dorian

-”That’s a brilliant idea, Inquisitor! And after that, we’ll go raise Corypheus from the dead and ask him to join us for afternoon tea! Oh, why not invite my mother as well! Why not just summon Andraste herself?!”

-Safe to say, he thinks this is one of your worst ideas. But he’s not gonna stop you. What? It’s gonna be funny watching you try and raise this creature

-Said he wanted nothing to do with it, but still comes around to make sure you haven’t killed it. And that it’s properly being covered. And that you’re not breaking it.

-He adores it, though, once it’s born. Won’t admit it, but the baby talk gives it away

Sera

-”This. Is going to be. The BEST joke. Ever!”

-Keep Sera away from it, she’s almost broke it several times, either by trying to carry it or rapping her knuckles against it

-It’s like a little kid waiting for their baby sibling to be born: she’s drawn pictures of it eating people and taking a shit on nobles, she keeps talking about what all they can do with a dragon on their side including blowing stuff up

-Has nicknamed it PeeWee. No reason whatsoever.

Blackwall

-*very deep sigh* “Please, please say you’re joking.”

-You’re not joking? Andraste, he’s too old for this. It’s like the Inquisitor is trying to give him a heart attack wherever he goes

-He doesn’t really give his opinion but you do see him give the egg a weary look every once in awhile

-Comes to actually enjoy the little thing, feeding it bits of food because ‘it gave me the look’ or petting it and telling it that it’s very handsome/beautiful

[sinsbymanka]

Rubatosis from fun word prompt for any Anders-centric ship of your choosing?

Hello! For the @dadrunkwriting challenge. I wanted to do a little bit more for this but I’m trying to stay short. I may come back and add to it. 

Rubatosis: The Unsettling Awareness of Your Own Heartbeat

Pairing: Anders & Merrill 

Rated: M to be safe 

CW: Blood Magic 

Two weeks passed since they left Kirkwall, and Anders still hadn’t gotten used to Merrill’s neverending chatter. 

Maybe it was because he, for the first time, found himself alone with the woman. There was no Hawke to redirect her inane questions to, no Varric to engage her in friendly banter. It was just two of them and Anders has never felt less talkative in his life. In fact, he could use some good, proper silence to plan. To think. To try and come to terms with his new life. 

“What do you think that cloud looks like?” Merrill asked. 

Anders looked up at the blue sky and the white, puffy clouds drifting lazily across it. He didn’t scream. Barely. 

“Hawke’s drooling mabari,” he answered sarcastically. “And a big, juicy steak.” 

“Really?” Merrill looked over her slim shoulder, eyes wide. “I thought it looked like a fennec myself.” 

She turned that bright gaze back to the sky and squinted into the clouds. “I suppose I could see the steak, though.” 

Anders barely repressed a hysterical laugh. How had he ended up trekking across the countryside with Merrill of all people? 

Easy question. He blew up the Chantry, and everyone that was unlucky enough to be in it, before Hawke sent him packing just before Templar reinforcements showed up. Anders was a fugitive now, and he couldn’t afford to be picky when Merrill was sent alongside him to help him get as far from Kirkwall as he could. One companion was about as good as any other. 

“I really don’t see the mabari at all. Are we looking at the same cloud?” Merrill asked. 

Maybe the Templars would have been preferable. 

Before he could summon the proper retort about Merrill and her ridiculous games, non stop talking, or any of the other things that had done nothing but annoy him since their escape from Kirkwall, he heard the clatter of hooves on the dirt road behind him. 

Merrill froze and Anders followed her lead. They both looked over their shoulders at the sound of thundering hooves just in time to hear the accompanying shouts of men and women. Angry men and women. 

“I knew that innkeeper was looking at us strangely,” Merrill murmured. 

Anders barely heard her over the roar of blood in his ears. The fear always came back like this, sudden and intense, causing his stomach to turn and bile to rise up his throat. The sound brought back memories, metal armor and stone walls too high to climb, a lake separating him from the world outside… 

“Run!” he yelled. 

Merrill didn’t need to be told twice. They both sprinted from the road just as the figures of men and horses came into view. Anders heard the triumphant shout as they were spotted, felt the sucking drain of their powers around him, the popping of his ears. 

“Duck!” 

Merrill hit the ground just in time as the smite flew over their heads. She scrambled up in a moment, staff in hand. Her eyes flashed, deadly and sharp as the blade at her hip. She hollered something in Elvhen as Anders shoved himself up off the ground before it burst into a tangled forest of thorns. 

Then her fingers closed around his arm and she pulled him onwards into the cover of the trees. He twisted around as a male scream pierced the air just in time to see a templar dragged to the dirt in his shiny armor. 

That meant he wasn’t looking forward when Merrill dragged him right into a low-hanging branch. It whacked against his head with a worryingly hollow hunk that almost drove a laugh from his lips. 

Irving always said his head was empty. 

“Ooops!” Merrill chirped. “Sorry! Humans are just so tall.” 

“I’ll be a lot shorter if you take my head off,” he huffed breathlessly as she dragged him onwards. Despite his height advantage, he very much felt like he needed to keep up with her as they raced into the forest. 

Branches hit unprotected skin with the same sharp bite as a whip, snagged at his cloak and shirt. He barely had time to regret the mending he was going to have to do before Merrill bit off a sharp Elvhen oath and skidded to a stop. 

The forest floor in front of them abruptly ended in the jagged edge of a cliff. Below them, nothing but a rocky ravine. Anders stood on the edge of the precipice, Merrill’s hand still latched on his arm, and the sound of clanking coming closer. 

“There’s a way around.” She sounded so determined, so sure. “We need to-” 

Her eyes blazed green as the ivy climbing up the ledges, reminded him of the brightness of the soft grass beneath his feet on the days they left Kirwall behind. The freedom of being out from behind the city walls, the blue sky above. Knowing he’d never be back in the circle again. There was some peace in that, even if the alternative was death for being an abomination. 

In the grim tip of her pink lips, Anders could see the same grim reality on Merrill’s face. No matter what happened, she’d not be taken alive either. No use for a blood mage in a proper, respectable circle. 

“No.” His tongue darted out to lick at his lips and he felt Justice’s power crackle beneath his skin. “I think we’re trapped like nugs in a sewer.” 

“I do like nugs,” Merrill murmured, already sliding into a stance prepared to attack and defend. “And you do like sewers.”

“I do not!” he protested quickly. 

It was the last thing he said before the templars burst into view and they had no choice but to fight for their lives. A blast of energy from him sent them skittering backwards like iron-clad beetles into Merrill’s vines, but they kept coming like roaches ready to feed on their corpses. 

Sweat dripped down his forehead and burned in his eyes. Lightning sizzled, ozone around him crackled. Beside him he heard Merrill’s staff thunk against metal, heard the distant scream of another templar being toppled over the cliff behind them. 

Then a blade appeared in the corner of his vision and he lashed out with his staff, catching it in the enchanted wood. He grunted, forcing the other man back with all his wiry strength. 

He never saw the silence coming.

It hit him like a fist, dropped him like a punch in the stomach. His vision swam, his ears popped. Anders scrambled to reach for the last vestiges of his mana, but it was gone, gone. Justice, his magic, the noise of battle, everything was fading. 

Above him a blade shimmered in the afternoon sun, piercing the clouds. Anders’ heartbeat thudded in his throat, his fingertips. He counted the remaining beats, wondered how long it would take to count the very last one. 

Would he even feel the very last one?

A shrill scream. Then something sizzling. The smell of iron and the splash of something warm against his face. 

Then screams. So many screams. His heart thudded uncomfortably and he looked around as men began to drop. They clawed at their eyes and began to utter prayers to Andraste, the Maker, anyone to save them. But their Maker went silent long ago and there’s nobody to save them from the blood bubbling over their lips. 

A blood mage, after all, can’t be silenced. Maybe that’s the real reason the templars killed them on sight. 

Merrill’s hand dug into his shoulder, pulling a fistful of feathers from his coat. “Anders! Anders get up!” 

He staggered to his feet and reached blindly for Merrill’s hand. Their fingers twisted together and she pulled him upwards. He caught sight of blood dripping down her pale skin, the bright fury of her gaze. 

And then they ran. 

xx

It took him far too long to realize there was too much blood. It slid down to where their fingers were entwined, dripped onto the ground. Merrill started to weave and stagger before she slumped against him. 

Only then did he notice the horrific gash in her thigh, through the thin leggings she wore. He caught her in his arms and held her to his chest as her eyes fluttered closed over her pale cheeks, vallaslin stark on her cheekbones. 

“Oh don’t you dare,” Anders rasped, slowly lowering her to the ground. “I swear on Andraste’s dirtiest knickers, if you make me go tell Hawke I got you killed…” 

“It… it’s not so bad,” Merrill insisted, a bold statement considering the sheer amount of blood soaking her clothes. Anders tried to summon mana to his fingertips, only to come up heart wrenchingly short. 

He had nothing. Nothing. And Merrill… Merrill needed healing. Merrill needed healing or else…

“Anders-” she whispered. 

He tugged his cloak from his shoulders. “Where’s your knife?” 

“Anders, it’s okay. Hardly hurts at all.” 

“That’s cause you’re going into shock.” He pried her blade from her hand and sliced a long strip from his cloak. “You’re not stupid enough to cut into your own artery are you?” 

“Templar,” she murmured quietly. 

A templar blade to her unguarded leg, probably at the same time he got hit with the silence. And yet she used that blood to bring them all to their knees. Anders didn’t know whether he really disapproved. 

Merrill’s eyes shut, her chest rose and fell shallowly. He quickly tied the makeshift tourniquet around her thigh, watching her face. “Merrill! Merrill, you gotta stay with me. Talk to me.” 

They fluttered open one last time, fixed on the clouds above them. A small, soft smile graced her lips just before unconsciousness claimed her. 

Anders thought he knew all the iterations of silence, the way it settled in your bones and drove you slowly insane. The way it haunted you, the way it comforted you. But he had never heard silence like this before. Silence so pristine he heard his own heart begin to fracture as his fingers flew to try and staunch the bleeding that continued with each faint beat of Merrill’s own. 

If she survived, he would never complain about her talking ever again.

[felassanis]

Characters that I think will make a return in Dragon Age 4

Okay, So lets get the first two out of the way and the reasons why I think they are bound to return.

Dorian Pavus: Pretty much a given, he’s already in Tevinter. He’s got big plans for the city and he’s a fan favourite. it would be a crime if he didnt come back.

Fenris: Will the Blue Wraith release I can’t help but wonder if that’s setting up Fenris’s arc and how it’ll pertain to DA4. How this wonderful character will tie into the shitstorm that’s about to occur in the next installment. When you hear Tevinter, chances are a couple of things will come to mind. Mages, blood-magic, Dorian, Slavery and Fenris. His whole character is linked to this setting. Hes a character who's got the biggest reasons to be there so he better be there. either as the leader of a slave rebellion or possibly an agent of Fen’harel. Also, given how vocal the fandom has been about him coming back, I think Bioware will deliver. I just hope he’s intertwined witht the plot like Varric was, and not given a crappy cameo like Zevran was in dragon age 2. And even if you did (You fucking monster) Give him back to Danarius, then he’ll be in Tevinter too. Or if you killed him like a fucking moron, well Bioware have brought back characters from the dead before. Leliana I'm looking at you

And ngl, I really want a FenHawke moment

Now, these next ones are the “Realistic” few who I think will make a return based on theories and evidence but I’m also making a section of characters who I want to see come back even if it’s not likely:

Sten: I find it very likely we will see this guy again. There conflict between Tevinter and Seheron should be one of the focuses in dragon age 4 and given that our actions in dragon age 2 he becomes the Arishok and if memory serves; he’s in Seheron. More Sten? More likely than you think if I’m right.

Talis: Another one who should make an appearance given her allegiance to the Qunari. Talis was a really good character and criminally underused in Mark of the Assasins and dragon age 2 as a whole. I think she’ll make a cameo, doing her thing as a skilled assassin for the Qunari.

Krem: It would be interesting for this character to make a return, perhaps he could not stand to see what is happening in his home country and makes a return. Given how important Krem is for representation, him being from Tevinter and how popular he was, I think he will also be making a return.

Verania: A small cameo. But I think if you stopped Fenris from killing her, then his sister Verania will be making a return. Which could offer an interesting scene if Fenris also makes a return. She does return to Tevinter, and given that her master was killed (Hopefully) it would be a curious thing to see how she ended up.

Varric: The reason why I think Varric will come back is because of the Red Idol. Varric has history with that thing, it was him and his brother who made the expedition to recover it from the Deep Roads and given how obvious it is that the Red Idol will play a major role in DA4 I think Varric will feel compelled to try and get it back or destroy it. He hates red lyrium and he hates that idol and he knows exactly what it is capable of, so the thought of it ending up in the wrong hands must unsettle him. He felt at fault for the red lyrium and Corypheus, hence why he stayed with the Inquisition to try and sort it all out. I think it will be the same for the red idol, he feels a responsibility to stop it because he thinks it’s his fault it’s out there in the first place.

Scout Harding: A potential LI maybe??? I think she’ll play a vital role whether or not the inquisition was kept or discarded in Tresspasser. I hope she gets a more important role than a simple quest giver.

Isabela: With the recent concept art I am seeing A LOT of Pirates and I couldn’t help but think of Isabela. And that one concept art seems to confirm Isabela is coming back and I'm so excited.

Leliana & Cassandra: It sounds to me like Leliana and Cassandra will come back as advisors of sorts, I’m not sure what role they’ll play exactly in the grand scheme of things in the next game but I do think they will both come back in some capacity, because of their words and cameo in the ending to Tresspasser.

Abelas: maybe only a cameo if you killed him, but Solas essentially recruits Abelas and if hes alive I think Abelas could make a return. 

Unrealistically, but why I think they should:

Zevran: He’s has somehow been mentioned or appeared in every game since origins and I don’t want that streak to be ruined. I think there’s definitely a role for him given how much he adventures and explores, his wit and his tendencies to get into trouble, and how he is a fan favourite.

Oghren: Honestly? Just because we haven’t heard from him a long time.

Cullen: I highly doubt he will come back. Why? Because I feel like the option to romance him in Inquisition on top of his sort of redemption arc in that game is his...end. Like, he got closure, he got the focus he needed regarding all the shit he went through in the past two games and I honestly do believe that is where Cullen’s story ends. But...I could be wrong, they might want to keep the pattern of him appearing in every game and maybe they have something else planned for him since they strangely liked this character because he went from this minor dude in Origins to Meredith’s lackey in dragon age 2 to a fully fledged main cast member in dragon age 3.

Meredith: Speaking of Meredith, I think it would be so neat for her to make a return as a boss fight. Because fighting her in dragon age 2 was so much fun and I think with the return of the Red Lyrium Idol, having her come back somehow would be appropriate. Maybe the statue she turns into merely keeps her in hibernation? So under whatever the hell material the red lyrium used to ‘kill’ her, it actually didn’t snuff out her life but rather preserved it. She’s still alive and fiddling with the Idol brings her back. Edit: turns out shes super dead but I'm leaving it here in case I can somehow rationalise how this scary lady could come back

Orsino: I can totally imagine the theory that Varric lied about Orsino’s death in order to protect him so Cassandra and the Templars wouldn’t go after him. Even the devs said his death was a mistake, so this could be a great way to rectify how shitty a card he was dealt in DA2 and give him a better storyline and role in the next game. Orsino is just a really good character who would do well with more time and focus spent on him. 

Bodahn & Sandal: because I need answers about what the fuck Sandal is and I miss Bodahn. And given Sandal's massive fucking foreshadowing to Solas and the magic of the elves I think HE HAS TO COME BACK but also...idk what they would really do with him, if hed really play a role other than what he did in the first and second game. An enigmatic dwarf for comedic effect and also creepiness.

Anders: if hes alive, and if you didnt romance him. I want a cameo, since he was originally supposed to appear in Inquisition as a hermit in a cave. I'd like that concept to return in the area near Tevinter/Antiva. Because I think it would be tragic, if hes borderline insane and a wandering nomad hiding his identity. Maybe Justice has taken over, maybe we have to free him of Justice to recruit Anders. Maybe we need him to enter the Fade somehow? Maybe when the veil is broken Justice takes over completely that way? I just want an Anders cameo, see a tragic ending to a tragic character with the potential of redemption? Potential chance at happiness through helping the player fight Solas? And maybe, if Isabela or Varric come back...theyd have something to say? They might beg the player to help him? Mourn their friend or fret over him? Varric and Anders hug?

Spirit of Wynne: my girl Wynee gets no fucking love or mention from what I've seen and I will not stand for it. I'm sure she died, even by DAII's timeline. But if the veil is torn? Maybe her spirit will pay us a visit, give us words of encourage or wise lessons??? I miss Wynne so much.

Morrigan: I do think something is being set up with her character and Kieran. And with her being so woven with the whole Mythal thing, I wouldn't be shocked if Morrigan wanted to get involved, since Mythal wanted to live on through Morrigan. Maybe Morrigan has a bone to pick, maybe shes mad that Solas killed her mother.

[athenril-of-kirkwall]

Hello! For DADWC, from Drabbles: 41. “I’m not drunk enough for this.”

Hello there! :)

Marzia Cadash, “The Herald’s Restlessness” (AO3)

Varric gingerly stepped over the threshold of The Herald’s Rest, lantern in hand, with Sera a couple of steps behind him as they approached the figure hunched over the bar, a lone candle providing all the illumination for the bottom floor of the tavern save for a few others hanging off the columns.

“Is she alive?”, Sera whispered into his ear harshly.

“Shh!”, he retorted. “I’m trying to hear for her breathing.”

Marzia Cadash, almighty Inquisitor and the Herald of Andraste for whom the tavern was named, slowly glanced at them, saying, “I can hear the two of you, you know.”

“Right, that’s me done, having fetched Skyhold’s counsellor,” Sera said, yawning performatively as she headed up the stairs. “Normally I’d love to chat with you lot but, it’s like, three hours before the sun’s up, yeah? I can barely get any sleep in this place when you’re all tearing the place up, you know.”

“All right,” Varric said to the empty space where Sera had been. “Just leave me to handle this all by myself, sure. Thanks for nothing.”

Her voice sounded from the second floor, shouting, “I snuck out the window to go fetch you and that’s the thanks I get?”

“Just go to bed!”, Varric shouted back, muttering to himself again, “Andraste’s sake, either sleep or don’t, just don’t try and have the last word all the time.”

“What’s this all about, then?”, Marzia asked as she turned around to face Varric. “I didn’t know there was a public enquiry out for me.”

“Nothing like that at all,” Varric answered, “Just that Sera noticed you were still here and in a state long after even Bull had packed up and left and, well, she didn’t want to come down the stairs to check if you were still breathing so she went all the way to the main keep to find me.”

“Why you?”, she asked, before clarifying, “Not that I meant—”

Varric shook his head as he drew up a barstool, saying, “Don’t worry yourself with it, Bashful. She, and half the people here, must figure that I’ve got the magic touch or somesuch. So, your Inquisitorialness, what’s troubling you?”

Marzia crossed her arms, saying, “Whatever makes you think that I’m in trouble?”

“Not that you’re, strictly speaking, in trouble, Your Worship,” he explained, “But you have to admit most reasonable people aren’t up at four in the morning at the bar, downing…”

He sniffed the air to identify her drink of choice as she picked her mug up to display it, saying, “Tea. The kind Solas despises. But yes, I’ve got a killer headache already, so I do appreciate your current volume.”

“Things must be pretty bad if you’re drinking Solas’ tea of all things, Marzia,” Varric said, finally addressing her by name. “I was thinking you were looking a bit morose even as the Chargers were coming this close to tearing down the whole place. You’ve done a great thing there—I think Bull’s feeling better than he has in ages, that’s for sure.”

Staring into the bottom of her mug, Marzia said, “I don’t know about that. Anyway, this is the first thing last night that…well, you can read it for yourself.”

Marzia took out a small scroll and handed it over to Varric who pored over it, picking out the most relevant parts of the note, mouthing, “Rainier freed from Val Royeaux, en route to Skyhold, arrive here tomorrow or…oh. Well…”

“…Shit,” she finished, taking it back from him. “Now you might understand why I’m not exactly overjoyed right now.”

Varric nodded, saying, “This would be rough on anyone, but especially you, seeing as well, the two of you weren’t trying to be subtle or anything. Still, maybe you want to get some rest so you’re fit to pass judgement once he gets here.”

Marzia suddenly pounded the table with her mug, arguing, “That’s the problem! Who in the world thinks I’m fit to judge him, given that we…oh, it’s such a mess, Varric! I should have just left him in that cell, but…”

“But you don’t mean that, do you?”, Varric gently asked. “And, well, you’re the one person who can judge him outside of whatever courts they have in Orlais, and that’s not really an option anymore, is it?”

Heaving a deep sigh, Marzia said, “No, you’re right. About both things. But…it’s insane, Varric! Everyone in the world is waiting on me for answers, but what am I?! I’ve just sunk our alliance with the Qunari, and what did I base my decisions on? Not being able to bring myself to watch Bull’s guys get slaughtered? I’m not fit to be choosing how the world’s going to go from here.”

“You say that,” Varric mused, “But sometimes the best decisions aren’t made by suppressing your gut feelings, they’re made with your heart…as corny as that sounds. Also anatomically confused, I realied. Besides, I know the qunari well enough to say that even if they’re grateful to you for their precious dreadnought, I’m actually a little relieved they’re not going to keep a presence over hereabouts. Call it personal prejudice, but that never sat all that well with me.”

“Personal prejudice?”, Marzia pressed.

“Yeah, well,” Varric said, “They can camp peacefully for a few years, and then try and tear the entire place to shreds, and still say they’re being morally consistent before and after. Maker knows how they’d justify coming down here as a permanent presence, you get what I’m saying? Even when they withdrew all their aid, they still left a knife for the Bull.”

“Maybe you’ve got a point,” Marzia said, scratching the back of her head. “But see, you could’ve made that decision with all that information! I wasn’t even thinking that hard!”

“And maybe you didn’t need to,” Varric countered. “You’ve got a great deal more wisdom than you’re giving yourself credit for, I think.”

“Really, now?”, Marzia asked back. “I…allowed myself to believe in our resident false Warden and even went to him for…comfort…and I’m still meant to judge him less than two days from now. What are people going to make of it?”

Idly looking for something over the counter for himself to drink, Varric said, “I genuinely think you’re being far too harsh on yourself for that. After all, Sister Nightingale was a veteran of the Blight and she didn’t put the pieces together all that long before we did.”

Sighing again, Marzia continued, “I don’t know where important people even get all this wisdom and judgement from, Varric. I wasn’t anyone important in the Carta, just someone sent to hit problems with a sword. Uncle Gavius always made the big decisions when it came to us…even here I’ve got Cullen, Josephine and Leliana to give me my options. When it came to the dreadnought or the Chargers, it was just me. And I chose based on…well, you already know. And then there was…”

Varric filled a mostly-clean tankard with something from the keg behind the bar, pausing halfway through his sip to ask, “There was what?”

“And then there’s Hawke…”

Silence reigned in the empty tavern as Varric slowly paced around the bar to sit by Marzia. Looking into his own mug, he downed a good quarter of it whilst considering his words.

“Is this what it’s about then?”, he asked carefully.

“Yes,” Marzia said, tears streaking down her face. “No. I don’t know, Varric. I’m sorry, but…I made the choice. I made a choice that hurt you, the one thing you wanted to avoid when you got caught up in this. I’m so sorry…”

Varric stared through the wall in front of him, finally saying, “No, I don’t think you did.”

Looking for something to wipe her eyes, she asked, “I didn’t what? Hurt you?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think that was your choice to make. I don’t know how much you remember from my account but Hawke’s brother, Carver, he owed his life to two Grey Wardens. One you’ve met, Ser Stroud, who’s reporting back to Weisshaupt this very moment.”

“And the other?”, Marzia asked, drying her eyes on her sleeve.

Varric let himself have a bitter laugh as he offered a cloth from his pockets. “The one who got us all into this mess. Well, the mess Part One anyway. Good old Blondie.”

“Anders? But didn’t she…”

“Funny way the world works, huh? She wound up falling in love with him during their time together in Kirkwall, and went along with all his grand plans and schemes until she realised where she was headed with them. And then…well, you know the rest, I believe.”

Mariza pressed her fingertips into her forehead, rubbing it in a bid to think harder. “But what does that have to do with…?”

“I’m getting to that,” Varric said in between sips of what had turned out to be ale. “It was Anders who brought a Carver who’d been Blighted to Stroud and the other Wardens to save him with the Joining, and that’s why he of all Wardens was Hawke’s contact. If Anders hadn’t known the way, and if Stroud hadn’t been able or willing to act, there wouldn’t be any Hawkes left in this world. Do you get it now?”

“I…so, when Stroud tried to give his life to cover our escape…”, Marzia said, trailing off.

“It wasn’t your choice to make, not really,” Varric said, continuing, “Hawke owed her brother’s life to two men, one of them she herself killed, and here was one volunteering to die for her sake. Well, I reckon she felt that didn’t have a choice either. It took me a long while to figure it out, but there it is.”

Silence hung in the air with that conclusion, until Marzia finally spoke up.

“So, what does that all come to? How do people make these choices? Or how don’t they make them?”

Varric looked over to her, saying, “Hell, you think I know? The best advice I can give you—and I’m speaking as someone who started drinking ale at four in the morning—is to make sure, for as long as possible, that you have a real choice and things aren’t taken out of your hands because by that point it’ll all be too late.”

Marzia blinked as she absorbed his worldly wisdom, saying, “You know, I think that almost makes sense.”

“Come on, it’s the best I can manage at this hour,” he said, “You want some actual advice? Go get some sleep. No good choices were ever made in taverns this early in the morning.”

“I’ll drink to that,” she said, clinking her mug against his.

-

@dadrunkwriting

[novamm66]

Red Sky in the Morning - Chapter 23 - Red Sky at Night

Hurray! A new chapter!  I am so excited to post this because it is the beginning of the end. The next chapter will be the final one and it is already written. I wrote these two together so that there won’t be a wait for the next post. Or at least not a long one. 

Thank you, amazing @lechatrouge673​, my wonderful bata, my teacher, my friend. I owe you so many drinks.

—

It was the dinner hour, so the gardens were empty. The evening sun was soft and warm as it slanted across the patches of earth and grass. Kiaya knelt in the dirt next to Ja’rell, her hands busy clearing dead and dying leaves while he harvested herbs to dry. It was peaceful, but Kiaya couldn’t ignore the passage of time. Soon she would have to go to the meeting that she had called and face both her past and her future.

Kiaya watched Ja’rell work, his hands gentle as he cut stems. She wanted to beg his forgiveness, but she had done that so many times over the last fifteen years that she had lost count. She wanted to ask for his advice, talk everything through with him. She wanted to see her friend looking back at her from his hazel eyes, but it was never going to happen.

“Imshael is here, on this side of the veil. He is working for Corypheus, and I have to face him.”

Ja’rell continued his work, and there was a long pause before he spoke. “Use caution. Your agreement with Imshael doesn’t protect you from its power on this side, but Imshael is likely still protected from you.”

“I remember.” Kiaya grabbed his closest hand. “If I don’t come back, stay close to Evie. You have to protect her for me.”

“Alright.” Ja’rell returned to his work the moment Kiaya released her hand. Kiaya watched him for a few minutes longer, before rising to her feet and heading for the War Room.

—

The heavy doors closed behind Kiaya. Her confession was over. She had told her friends everything and left them to decide what to do. Whatever they chose, Kiaya already knew her plan. She would face Imshael, stop the production of red lyrium and spit in Corypheus’s eye the next time she saw him. She was just really hoping that she wouldn’t have to do it alone.

As she climbed the stairs, Kiaya reminded herself that she wasn’t alone anymore. Cullen repeated those words to her every night before they fell asleep together. His acceptance and faith in her had given Kiaya the strength to face her friends, and Kiaya hoped it would carry her through her next confession as well.

Kiaya had asked Evelyn to meet her in Kiaya’s room, and she wasn’t surprised to see her sister sitting behind the desk as Kiaya crested the stairs. Evelyn smiled at Kiaya before going back to her writing. “Once again, Lady Buecette is requesting the Inquisitor attend her son’s name-day party.”

Kiaya snorted. “Isn’t that the third request this month? Where do these people get the idea that we do children’s parties?”

Evelyn put her quill down and rolled her eyes. “Her son is turning twenty-one.”

Kiaya laughed. “She probably thinks the boy can woo the Inquisitor and gain an alliance by marriage.”

Evelyn grinned. “Probably. If we went, we could bring Danin and Cullen, see how they squirm to work around that.”

“Yes, the presence of a husband, never mind that there are two of us, would definitely cramp their plans.”

Evelyn suddenly looked delighted, and Kiaya realized what she had implied. “Evelyn, I have to tell you something,” Kiaya said soberly before her sister could get sidetracked. She crossed over to the couch and sat down, and Evelyn followed her.

“Is something wrong between you two?” Evelyn looked worried.

“No, Cullen and I are fine. This is something from my past, and I am sorry that I kept it from you for so long, but now you need to know.” Kiaya swallowed and looked at her hands, clenched in her lap. “When we were in the Circle, the therapies that Lydia created for me did, and do, help, but they weren’t going to repair the damage that kept me from walking. After I overheard Lydia say that, I found another way. I used blood magic and made a deal with the demon Ishmael, to be able to walk again.”

Kiaya risked a quick glance at her sister’s face. Evelyn had gone very pale, her eyes wide. ”We were so careful.” Tears began to gather and fall from Kiaya’s eyes. “Ja’rell helped me research and prepare, and I made sure he was in no way connected to the act itself. I have no idea how it was twisted to blame him. If I had known…” Kiaya shook her head and wiped her eyes. “I am so sorry,” she sobbed.

Evelyn patted and rubbed Kiaya’s hair, shoulders and back until she calmed. Evelyn was crying as well, and she cupped Kiaya’s face in her hands briefly before rising, retrieving two handkerchiefs from the desk and returning to hand one to Kiaya. Evelyn wiped her own face and hugged Kiaya again. 

“First, you don’t owe me an apology. Second, you are my sister, and I love you. Third, I am not going to scold you, not now anyway.” Evelyn smiled gently. “I suspect you have been flogging yourself plenty for the last fifteen years anyway.”

Kiaya returned the smile weakly and began to clean herself up. “I have a feeling I will be receiving plenty of scolding in the next few days.”

“Why now?”

“Imshael crossed the veil. He is working for Corypheus in the Emprise du Lion,” Kiaya answered, her voice heavy.

Evelyn sat back and eyed her sister. “You’re not thinking of going after him alone, are you?”

“If I have to. I have to stop him, Evie.”

“That would be insanely stupid.” Both women jumped when Varric spoke from the top of the stairs. “Thankfully, it is unnecessary,” he continued as he crossed the room.

“Fuck, Varric. How do you do that?” Kiaya laughed shakily as her nerves made her stomach roll.

“The Kid tipped me off as to the best moment, the rest is just skill.” Varric dipped into a roguish bow. “Smudges, your presence is requested at the Herald’s Rest. Casual attire. ‘No’ is not an acceptable answer.”

“For a public tar and feathering?” Kiaya asked dryly.

“No, for cards and drinks.”

Kiaya stared at her friend in disbelief. “I confess to using blood magic, and you guys throw a party?”

Varric chuckled. “Seems as good a reaction as any. I’m not saying you won’t have some ruffled feathers to smooth over, but we are your friends, and we support you.”

“You are going to make me cry again.” Kiaya sniffed. Evelyn hugged her around the waist while Varric patted her shoulder.

“No more of that, Smudges. It’s time to drink. Cabot has a bottle of scramble just waiting for you.” Varric pulled both women to their feet. “You joining us, Roses?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Evelyn answered, squeezing Kiaya’s hand. “I’ll just swing by the forge to grab Danin, and we are there.”

“Let's go.” Happy tears were spilling over, and Kiaya felt lighter than she had in years.

—

Kiaya hummed to herself as she strolled the walls. The day had turned out better than she expected: no one that had come to the Herald’s Rest had treated her differently. The drink flowed, laughter was constant, and the evening had ended with Cullen making a naked dash along the battlements.

Kiaya giggled as she approached Cullen’s office door. She could hear him swearing from inside as she knocked and entered. Cullen dashed for the cover of his desk.

“It’s just me.” Kiaya grinned.

Cullen groaned, and his embarrassed blush made Kiaya’s smile widen. “I did warn you that Josie was a shark.” She said.

“Yes, I know.” Cullen rolled his eyes then glared at Kiaya. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Can you blame me?” Kiaya laughed as her eyes travelled Cullen’s bare torso, and she rose on her toes to see over the desk.

“Stop that.” Cullen tried to scowl, but his lips insisted on curving into a smile. He beckoned Kiaya to come closer. Kiaya walked around the desk, holding his trousers out to him, but the moment she was within reach, Cullen yanked her into his lap. “There, that’s better.” He said.

Kiaya settled comfortably against him. “Why did you come here? All your clothes are in our room.”

“I know,” Cullen sighed. “I panicked. Besides, there is no way I am running through the hall or the kitchens naked. I wouldn’t have made it out alive.”

“I guess it’s a good thing I convinced Josie to give me these,” Kiaya said, tossing the trousers onto Cullen’s desk before wrapping her arms around his neck. “You have to negotiate for the rest yourself.”

“And I am grateful for your efforts.” Cullen kissed Kiaya’s hair. “Are you feeling better? With how things turned out?”

Kiaya hummed happily. She closed her eyes and relaxed into the warmth of his chest. “I am. I’m still not convinced it isn’t a dream, but I keep pinching myself, and it hurts, so I’m not asleep.”

“If you keep your eyes closed, you will be,” Cullen chuckled.

Kiaya snuggled closer. “You are very comfortable.”

“Also slightly cold.”

“All evidence to the contrary.” Kiaya kissed his shoulder, Cullen always felt hot to her.

 --

Private message for Commander Cullen.

Dearest,

I know that this is unusal for me to write but I feel horrible about how we left things. I truly wish that you were here with me. I could use you support and love to face Ishmael.

That being said, I do stand by my decision, expsially now that I am here. I would not wish this place on anyone. I am sure it was beautiful once, but now it is a nightmare. There is red lyrium everywhere. It is more like that horrid future then anywhere else I have seen. I feel so guilty for not coming here sooner to stop this. But it was so hard to even get here. Digging through the snow in the pass, I swear we lost Bull in the drifts twice, and Dorian was exhausted from melting a path. Leliana is going to have her hands full getting the troops through. There is ice everywhere, the footing is too dicy for horses, it’s almost to dicy for me. (I fall down a lot. Don’t worry I am fine.)

Getting back to you is wonderful motivation. Take care of your self, and I will tell you everything when I return.

Yours always, Kiaya.

Kiaya held her shaking hands up to her mouth. The letter had taken forever to write, the inkwell kept freezing, the quill too, and she had to hold the page over a candle when she was finished so the ink would melt and dry. Now the parchment was a little brown in spots, but she hadn’t set the whole thing ablaze.

She rolled it up and sealed the letter before passing it to a scout. It was much too cold for the messenger ravens to fly directly from here, so it was necessary to carry the reports out of the mountains to warmer weather.

Kiaya sighed as she headed for the tent everyone was sleeping in, huddled together to stay warm. Tomorrow they were heading further into the quarry and the pain and death that filled the area. Everyone was miserable, and Kiaya was keeping her party small, switching out often. Still, their next foray into the quarry would be deeper this time. Cass, Dorian, and Cole were in for the haul with Kiaya. All of this before even approaching the keep.

With dark thoughts that she couldn’t calm, Kiaya headed for what rest could be had.

—

Kiaya had been wrong. The keep was, in many ways, worse than the future that Kiaya had seen. The keep was full of experiments, living things infected with red lyrium and left to rot. Or if they survived, they became crazy violent. The infected giant took down many soldiers with it.

Everything made Kiaya blood boil, which made it easier to push down her fear. She could see Imshael now, standing next to the parapet, watching the inquisition troops in the courtyard below. The demon appeared human, dressed as a mage, but Kiaya could feel the distortion to the veil around it like a sick twist in her stomach.

“Remember, fifteen paces only and a clear travel path. Otherwise, I won’t be able to pull you back,” Dorian hissed. Kiaya could feel the sticky spell on her back and chest that tethered her to the other mage. He and Sera were Kiaya’s lifeline while she baited the demon. Kiaya’s plan was risky, and none of her friends liked it, but no one had a better idea.

Cole and Varric were off to intercept any minions that might show up. Blackwall, Cass, and Bull were positioning themselves to hit the demon hard once the fight began. No eye contact with the demon was allowed until then. Kiaya was sure that the demon could cause her harm though the blood she had given in their exchange, and possible control and manipulate her magic. Kiaya would not risk being used against her friends, so Kiaya would render herself harmless.

She had already drained as much mana as possible, and she was unarmed. She had a potion hidden in her hand, ready for the last step. Kiaya started to move out into the open, slowly counting her paces. She stopped at ten.

“Kiaya! My child, I was so hoping we would run across each other.” Imshael greeted her without turning around. When he did, Kiaya felt his gaze like a blow. It closed the distance between them by half, opening its arms in greeting. “Look at you! You have grown up so much.”

Kiaya was seized by the compulsion to move forward, and it was a few steps before she locked herself down. Imshael frowned. “You have done so well.” The demon’s voice was warm, fatherly, and it made Kiaya’s skin crawl, but it drew her forward as Imshael glided up to her. “I took this job in the hope that we would meet again. I am so proud of you.”

Kiaya felt his words like a slap, and she found her voice, hatred dripping from every word. “You can take your pride and shove it. I am not proud of what I did, and it has tainted everything that has followed. You will not take credit for any good that has come from my mistake.”

Imshael sneered at her now. “You think what you did was a mistake?” It laughed, “It got you here, leader of thousands. Money and power the likes of which most can’t even dream, but you are not satisfied.” Condescension dripped from every word. It was trying to provoke Kiaya, fuelling her anger through their connection so Kiaya would strike them.

Kiaya took a slow breath tamping down her fury. She did not bother to hide her disgust, and Imshael growled when she resisted its power and stepped back. “I was young and stupid, caught up in my own head, and I believed you then. But not anymore. You wish to break our pact then do it, suffer the consequences, but I will not do it for you, you maggoty piece of druffalo dung.”

Imshael was furious, its eyes were bulging and the human illusion was starting to crack. “Why did you come then? To make another deal for your little Inquisition?” It spat. “I would be willing, you know, for old time’s sake.”

“I will never deal with you again, and I would be here to stop this atrocity if you are here or not. Getting to send you back to the cesspool you crawled out of is just a lovely bonus.” Kiaya eased the cork out of the vile in her hand. Imshael was too distracted to notice. “You arrogant piece of shit. I know that I can’t hurt you, but I can make damn sure they can.” She quickly swallowed the mage bane potion, striping her remaining mana and closing her connection to the fade and Imshael all at once.

“No!”  The demon screamed, exploding outward as its anger forced it to take its true form. Kiaya couldn’t move as it reached for her with clawed hands.

—

Like and reblogs are always appreciated. Asks are very welcome too. 

To read from the beginning the Master List is Here or if you prefer it is here on AO3

[doctorhawke]

all six of my oc hawkes in one big thing, i have an au where they are all a big happy family and run amok in kirkwall

below the cut theres “brief” bios for them all (including their names because my renditions of their handwriting might not be very legible) and a little chart showing more insight into their personality makeup

all the ages are from act 1, after a year in kirkwall, relative to carver and bethany’s 20 (fyi they both survive in this au and both become grey wardens. cannot IMAGINE that any of these hawkes would let one of their littlest siblings fight an ogre 1v1 when theres literally eight of them lmfao they tag team it like they do everything)

steve hawke- he/him, age 27, adopted by the hawkes at 8. steve is a mage, a healer, and a pacifist. as such when there are fights he will focus on incapacitating enemies without harming them (force magic and mind blast comes in handy) and especially on supporting the team through healing. he’s gay and immediately takes to anders, mainly because he spends a lot of time helping in his clinic. 

he strongly believes in mage rights especially as malcolm imparted a lot of responsibility on him towards his younger mage siblings, nyx and bethany. he’s protective and a bit of a worrier, though as time goes on in kirkwall he becomes more and more exhausted, and starts to cope through making light of things. post-game, he and anders are on the run. 

—————————

kit hawke- he/him, age 24, bio kid, and a dual-wielding rogue. he’s bold, charming, and a bit of a pessimist- all of which kirkwall amplifies by virtue of being a crazy fucking city. kit is also pretty business minded and usually spearheads bone pit related shenanigans. varric (who deeply cares for all the hawkes of course) immediately takes to him and the two are inseparable. 

kit is bi, and likes to have fun, though over time he falls for both isabela and fenris, and over time the three get together and become the most impressive trio you ever saw. all kit’s siblings are kind of like “are you serious dude, we have a limited number of friends and you end up with two of them? what about the rest of us” but considering the amount of drama and heartbreak kit undergoes over the years in relation to his love life, they all kind of figure he’s earned the happy ending. post-game the three of them become pirates on isabela’s ship and free slaves in between tracking down hidden treasure or whatever it is that pirates do, and they eventually have adorable baby twins. 

—————————-

syl hawke- she/her, age 26, bio kid but only leandra’s, she actually is varric’s half sibling (though she does NOT know this and the sibling rivalry that develops upon them meeting is incomprehensible to the both of them). so syl is the shortest of the bunch, and looks a lot more like varric and bartrand than kit, carver, or bethany, despite them all being related. 

syl’s the only warrior of the group (other than carver- a dynamic duo), fights with hammers exclusively, and has a tendency to be super intense. she doesn’t really get humor at all, in the rare case that she accidentally makes a joke and people laugh she assumes they’re laughing AT her. she’s also very shoot first and ask questions later, and the only hawke more protective than steve is. her big sister energy is off the charts and she’s prepared to kill any templar that so much as looks at her family. as such she’s staunchly pro-mage.

she’s a lesbian and has massive game despite not really being any good at flirting- it’s probably her sheer intensity. she and isabela have a brief fling, tallis is very taken with her, and she has a rivalry-fueled sexual tension with aveline for ages (the long road is a VERY fun quest to play through with syl). however she was always very supportive of and close with merrill and eventually the two fall in love. once they’re together they’re insanely sweet and have mega chemistry and i love them so fucking much. post-game they’re forced to leave kirkwall but end up living in the denerim alienage.

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lith hawke- she/her, age 25, adopted by the hawkes at 9 along with her twin nyx. an archer rogue, with speed taking precedence over power or precision. lith is a lot to take in okay. she’s the only one who’s pro-templar in the group, and is a rabid andrastian. back home in lothering her chantry beliefs were instrumental in keeping her family safe, as she not only knew every templar by name (as the whole family did) but also is endlessly trustworthy to them and to all the chantry sisters and mothers. countless times a templar might have come calling to take away one of her siblings or her father, but was dissuaded by lith- after all, little lith hawke would NEVER help hide apostates, right?

she supports her siblings because she believes that in the end their souls will be saved. (the only thing that freaks her out more than nyx’s blood magic is when syl casually drops that she’s thinking about converting to merrill’s religion.) she doesn’t trust mages if they aren’t related to her, and always advocates for the circle when given the chance. she’s best friends with fenris and they hang out a lot, more and more as the years pass. since merrill and anders both move into the hawke estate (which was already a bit of a circus, can you imagine the chaos?) lith finds herself more and more outnumbered ideologically and often escapes to fenris’ mansion for some quiet. 

during the endgame, she sides against her family and the mages. she basically has a villainous breakdown. she helps them kill meredith and once it’s revealed that meredith had been influenced by the lyrium idol, lith’s whole worldview is pretty much shattered. post-game she leaves the city and seeks out her cousin, ash amell (i have eight wardens so im not going to get into this but basically my amell and my cousland (eve) are in a gay throuple with leliana and its dope as all hell). spending time with ash, eve, and leliana is very healing for her, but all her siblings assume she’s dead and she doesn’t see them for years after kirkwall. 

—————————-

nyx hawke- they/them, age 25, adopted by the hawkes at 9 along with their twin lith. nyx is the blood mage of the group, and is an absolute icon quite frankly. they’re very chaotic, and especially close with kit, merrill, and isabela. nyx has a ton of fun fighting, and they and syl make an especially good team in combat. nyx always looks up to syl and its very sweet, and syl is the only one in the family who never once messed up nyx’s pronouns (everyone is very good about this of course, and by kirkwall its a non-issue, but even lith slipped up once or twice early on). 

they have very noodly arms because they’ve never had to worry about fighting hand to hand when running out of mana, because of the blood magic. this leads to quite a bit of teasing but tbh they pull it off. nyx is bi and has a thing with isabela for a short while but in the end they’re better as best friends. 

nyx and lith are very close. they’re often perfectly in sync when doing things, especially in combat, and have that twin esp thing going on which can get spooky at times. however they also bicker a lot, and obviously clash on ideology pretty much constantly. though this is the norm nyx always assumed they would have each other’s backs no matter what when it came down to the nitty gritty, and lith’s betrayal during the endgame is really heartbreaking for them. 

over the years anders and nyx do a lot of collaborating when it comes to mage rights. they help him polish his manifesto, and smuggle mages out of the gallows. the only real reason nyx isn’t brought into the loop on the chantry explosion was a mixtures of anders’ crushing guilt and his knowledge that if he told nyx and not steve, steve would be really hurt. (however he couldn’t tell steve because he didn’t want the deaths to be on steve’s conscience- anders knows he definitely would have helped if it came down to that). post-game nyx goes on to be one of the leaders of the mage rebellion.

—————————-

lou hawke- he/him, age 22, adopted by the hawkes at 10. hes a cowboy and i love him. an archer rogue, he prioritizes powerful firing over speed or precision. he’s a massive sweetheart, terminally polite, and has massive ears that he’s self-conscious of and tries to cover with his hair. however whenever his hair gets long enough to cover them leandra starts poking and prodding him to get a trim and he’s always too soft to refuse for long, beginning the cycle again (and after leandra is murdered he always keeps his hair to her liking- he gets weepy if it grows too long). he’s the only hawke i’ve drawn without his in-game outfit because this fucking game doesn’t have cowboy hats or cute shirts with tassles and i do what i want. 

lou also plays instruments, he’s got a guitar and a harmonica and plays the piano passably. he IS the piano man in the eyes of the hanged man’s patrons. sing us a song, they tell him, etc. he manages ten minutes of harmonica in the deep roads, citing excellent acoustics, until anders tells him to stop because the darkspawn will hear. when the hawkes get rich lou buys a horse and goes for morning rides out on the wounded coast. 

lou is bi, and runs around for years with a massive crush on isabela but that doesn’t exactly work out. he ends up with jethann (theres a lot of lore here but suffice it to say its extremely tender) and post-game they leave kirkwall and end up owning a ranch not far outside denerim. lou hires lots of farmhands that end up looking to him as a father figure and its super sweet, and jethann refuses to do manual labor. 

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this got insanely long i am SO sorry flkjsdlkgjlkcxjglsfkd

feel free to send any asks relating to them because i really love this family so much and could talk about them forever dlfskjlxcjglskd if you couldnt tell from this diatribe

[elfrootaddict]

SHE IS THE KEY - Chapter 5/5

DESCRIPTION: Solas is desperate to meet the person who survived the explosion at the Conclave. Things certainly didn’t go as planned.

SERIES: Halla & Wolf

VOLUME: 2

Solas quickly hides back behind the rubble wall, “I’m sorry?”

The dwarf reaches the top of the stairs, “There is reason dwarves live underground, you know,” exhaling from almost complete exhaustion, “Way too many hills on the surface.”

Solas looks at the dwarf in utter confusion as he promptly sits down next to him. Holding his crossbow ready for attack. For the first time in a long time, Solas doesn’t quite know what to think or say. 

“Anyway,” the dwarf continues on. “I noticed you on the bridge before. You certainly aren’t from around here are you?”

“What gave me away?”

“Oh nothing much,” he looks down at Solas’s feet. “Just the fact that you’re not wearing any shoes in the middle of winter.”

Solas can’t help himself and smiles as he releases a genuine chuckle.

“I’m Solas.”

“Varric Tethras,” extending his hand out, “At your service.” 

Solas brings his hand out and shakes Varric’s hand, “Pleasure to meet you, Durgen’len.”

“Maker,” huffs Varric with confusion. “I hope that’s a compliment.”

Solas, always happy to teach, smiles sincerely. “It means, ‘Child of the Stone’.”

“I see,” smiles Varric in return as he shirks his shoulders. “Well I have been called worse things.”

Solas is quite taken with this dwarf, and is still trying to comprehend the fact that this Varric Tethras is now sitting next to him. Also, Solas finds it incredibly hard not to stare at his chest hair.  With the dwarf’s golden mane literally shimmering in the sunlight, Solas feels like Varric’s chest hair is actually staring back at him.

“Why are you here?” asks Solas looking purposefully into Varric’s eyes.

“Well honestly, I know a good story when I see one,” begins Varric as he strokes the side of his crossbow. “And Bianca and I have been getting a little bored. Besides,” looking back at Solas, “You’ve attracted quite the attention now, haven’t you?”

Solas peers over the rubble behind him, “Yes, it seems I-,” whipping his head back in confusion. “I’m sorry, who?”

“Bianca,” and with a deep, meaningful look in his eyes. “The only woman I’ll ever need,” and looks back at Solas with a smirk. “Trust me, you’re gonna want to have her around when we try to kill those demons down there.”

It seems there is no getting rid of you and… Bianca, is there?

Solas also realises that since he is unable to close the rift himself, he will need all the help he can get in killing off the demons. And this dwarf seems to be good enough company. 

Looking down at Bianca and then at Varric, Solas resides back to usual self, “I see. Well Master Tethras, shall we? I could certainly use the help.”

“Yeah, no shit,” remarks Varric with a chuckle as he stands up and rests Bianca on his shoulder. “And besides, only an insane person would come this close to the temple alone.”

Solas stands up too and casts his protective enchantment on them both.

As the two of carefully make their way closer to the demonds, Varric looks at Solas confused, “Did you bump your head on a rock?”

“No. Why?”

“Then why else would you come all the way out here, by yourself?”

Varric and Solas soon reach the edge of the small drop and prepare to dump down into the ruins below.

“I have just come from seeing the prisoner-” remarks Solas looking towards the demons below. 

“Wait, the prisoner who…”

“Yes.”

Jumping down from the edge together, Solas and Varric immediately engage with the demons into a battle. Accessing his primordial magic, Solas stretches his out as he hails a rain of fire onto the shade demons. 

Using Bianca’s unique firing power, Varric then goes for the wraiths who are throwing balls of Fade magic towards their direction. 

“Why were you with the prisoner?” shouts Varric above the noise of their battle.

“I happen to know a great deal about the magic at play here,” shouts Solas back as he builds up a ball of electricity and hurls it at one of the shade demons, causing it to convulse into a spasm and eventually die. “And so, I came to offer my assistance in sealing the Breach.”

Varric shoots a cluster of arrows into the sky, causing them to rain down on the remaining shade demons. The demons cry out in pain as they fail to dodge the shower of arrows. 

While the demons try to shield themselves from Bianca’s wrath, Solas quickly freezes one, allowing the falling arrows to shatter the second shade demon into tiny fragments. 

Varric runs to take cover from the wraiths attacks and hides behind some rubble next to Solas, “What do you know that any circle mage doesn’t?” asks Varric as he starts shooting at the last shade demon, which is still trying to remove the arrows protruding out of its body. 

“I spend a lot of time in the Fade,” answers Solas as he manipulates the energy in the air and creates a miniature lighting storm, electrifying the wraiths as it dances around them, “This has allowed me to seek and gain knowledge from Spirits that know a great deal more than any living person alive today.”

“Well, that’s...” murmurs Varric looking away alarmed. “Something. I guess.”

Solely concentrating on the demons, Solas simply answers, “It is,” and continues his attacks on the wraiths. “In any event, the prisoner might hold the key to stopping all of this. I have managed to prevent the magic from killing her, but she is still unconscious and I fear she may never wake,” eventually one of the wraiths fall to Solas’s magic and perishes. “That is why I came here, to try and seal the rifts myself.”

Varric stops to reload Bianca, “Well then let's hope she pulls through, as I don’t think I can live in a world roaming with demons all day.”

Then suddenly from the corner of his eye, Solas sees Cassandra flying in the air and causes the ground to tremble as she lands. Her sword drawn, and her face fierce and determined.  

Cassandra doesn’t even bother to take note of Solas or Varric, and starts screaming as she charges straight for the last shade demon.

While still comprehending the fact that Cassandra has just come out of nowhere is when Solas sees a massive ball of lightning fly passed him, instantly killing one of the wraiths. 

Whipping his head around, Solas sees another person standing at the edge they recently jumped from. Her silver, shoulder length hair being swept up by a quick icy, breeze. And Solas can hardly believe his eyes. 

She’s alive?!

The prisoner jumps off the edge and with a staff in her right hand, runs straight towards the remaining demons. Her face is hard and serious as she builds a ball of fire at the tip of her staff and then slams the base onto the ground, causing sparks to flash out, and in the same moment she hurls the fireball towards the last wraith. 

Solas watches the wraith burn alive as it finally perishes into thin air. 

Cassandra then goes for the final blow with her sword and pierces straight through the shade demon, causing it to cry out in pain as it disappears into the earth.

Seizing the opportunity, Solas decides to test his theory. Everything he has endured up until now has led to this moment. With his heart pounding in his chest and adrenaline surging throughout his body in anticipation, he leaps towards the prisoner and attempts to grab her wrist.

The prisoner, startled by Solas appearing so close and also out of nowhere, steps back and they lock eyes.

Lavender. 

Solas tries to shout above the noise coming from the rift, “Quickly! Before more come through!” and then forcibly grabs the prisoner’s left wrist and aims it towards the rift. 

Turning to face the prisoner, Solas watches her close her eyes as she understands what he trying to get her to do. As she tries to focus, Solas intensely focuses her face distort as she concentrates. Her determination profoundly evident. And eventually with a simple gesture, the magic of the Anchor reacts to her desires and green, electric energy shoots out from her hand and towards the rift. And because of his hold on her wrist, the static energy from the Anchor runs across Solas’s arm, but he ignores it. He only concentrates on her.

Meanwhile, the rift violently starts to expand and distort as the pressure builds. Until it finally explodes before them.

She closed the rift! 

With the rift now gone, the prisoner rips her hand away from Solas’s tense grip and brings her arms close to her body as she cradles her hand to try and relieve herself from the pain. 

“What did you do?” cries the prisoner as she looks at Solas confused.

Elated by the fact that his theory of the Anchor is actually correct, Solas feels an immense amount of pressure fall off his shoulders. Also, he’s delighted that Cassandra no longer has an excuse to chop his head off. He is quite fond of having it attached to his body and intends to keep it that way.  

You may have stolen my Anchor, but at least it wasn’t for naught. You are at least useful, for the time being.

Immediately recognising the shift in power between them, Solas knows he must gain this prisoner’s favour so that he can remain close to the Anchor. Therefore, for the sake of appearances, Solas smiles and humbles himself, “I did nothing. The credit is yours.”

Anxious to hear what she has to say in response, Solas watches the prisoner contemplate the reality of her situation as she looks down at her hand.

Eventually she murmurs, “At least this is good for something.”

Humble.

Solas leaps at the chance to educate, “Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand,” and releases a subtle smirk of pride. “I theorised that the mark might be able to close the rifts that had opened within the Breaches wake. And it seems I was correct.”

Cassandra then steps forward and stands next to the prisoner, adding to Solas’s theory, “Meaning it could also close the Breach itself.”

“Possibly,” still trying to appear humble himself, Solas brings his hands forward and fiddles with them awkwardly, “It seems you hold the key to our salvation.”

The prisoner stares at Solas with her wide, lavender eyes and says nothing. He can see her mind trying to comprehend it all as she takes in her the reality of the situation. And even though she is trying her best to appear calm, clearly her heart is pounding and her face begins to loose colour. 

“Good to know!” shouts Varric from afar as he breaks the silence between them, adjusting his gloves. “Here I thought we’d be ass deep in demons forever.” and slowly walks towards the rest of the party.

“Varric Tethras,” begins Varric as the prisoner turns around to meet his advance. “Rogue, storyteller and occasionally,” looking at Cassandra. “An unwelcome tag-along.” and promptly finishes with a cheeky wink.

Cassandra’s face scrunches up as she almost releases a growl.

“Are you with the Chantry or…?”

Solas bursts out laughing with a quiet chuckle, “Was that a serious question?”

She really is Dalish. 

Varric corrects her, “Technically I’m a prisoner,” looking down and fiddling nervously with his gloves. “Just like you.”

“I brought you hear to tell your story to the Divine,” interjects Cassandra. “Clearly that is no longer necessary.”

Varric defensively throws his hands in the air, “Yet, here I am. Lucky for you. Considering current events.”

The prisoner bows her head respectively towards Varric, “It’s good to meet you, Varric.” 

Remembering how Varric came to be in his company, Solas can’t help himself and playfully adds, “You may regret that stance, in time.” 

Varric smiles and shifts around, “Aww. I’m sure we’ll become great friends in the valley, Chuckles.”

Chuckles?

Cassandra almost leaps onto Varric as she cries, “Absolutely not!” and lets out a loud, audible sigh. “Your help is appreciated Varric but-”

"Have you been in the valley lately Seeker? Your soldiers aren’t in control anymore,” looking deep into Cassandra’s eyes, he whispers with a cheeky smile, “You need me.”

After a long, intense stare down between them, Cassandra shakes her head in annoyance and only manages to grunt in response before walking away.

Solas then takes a few steps closer to the prisoner and points his hand towards his chest, “My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions,” and drop his hand as he forces a smile. “I am pleased to see you still live.”  

“He means,” interrupts Varric. “I kept that mark from killing you while you slept’.”

The prisoner turns to face Solas with a subtle smile, “My name is El’lana. You seem to know a great deal about it all.”

Pleasantly surprised to hear such a statement from a Dalish elf, Solas offers a meek smile in return. Throughout his travels, the Dalish have never wanted to hear what Solas had come to say to them. They would always dismiss him, and would even go so far as to call him “flat-ears”. And although that was not the worst thing Solas has been called in his lifetime, after a couple of attempts and only receiving rejections from the very people he wanted to save, he decided to dismiss the Dalish completely. Leaving them to their pride, and fragmented knowledge, and outright lies.

“Like you, El’lana,” adds Cassandra. “Solas is an apostate.” 

Solas looks slightly irritated towards Cassandra as he subtly snaps, “Technically all mages are now apostates Cassandra,” and with impulsive eagerness to share his knowledge, Solas looks back at El’lana, “My travels have allowed me to learn much of the Fade. Far beyond the experience of any circle mage. I came to offer any help I can give with the Breach. If it is not closed, we are all doomed regardless of origin.”

“And what will you do once this is all over?” asks Lana innocently.

Ah, quite the curious one aren’t you? 

But being a master of deceit, Solas easily shifts the conversation towards something he’s more comfortable discussing and ignores Lana’s question entirely. And even though Solas is addressing El’lana directly, he makes sure he speaks loud enough for Cassandra to hear, too, “One hopes those in power will remember who helped and who did not,” and now purposefully addresses the Seeker, Solas turns his gaze. “Cassandra, you should know: the magic involved here is unlike any I’ve seen. Your prisoner is a mage, but I find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power.” 

Cassandra bows her head respectfully, “Understood,” and starts walking towards an embankment. “We must get to the forward camp. Quickly.”  

As Solas follows Cassandra’s lead, he can feel Lana’s eyes follow him. Hopefully he has made the right impression and will be able to remain close to the Anchor.

“Well,” announces Varric as he throws his hands up in the air. “Bianca’s excited.” 

With the last one remaining, Lana watches on as her captor, a well-informed elf and a confident dwarf walk through the rubble and down the embankment.

And then looking down at the mark on her hand, she realises that her life will never be the same again. 

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

READ ON AO3

Halla & Wolf Series

[vigilskeep]

sorry if you've gotten an ask like this before, but imagine your hawke and warden (any of your choice) got flipped, how do you think they would get along w the companions from the other game? and in general how would they do and feel in the position of the hof/champion, hypothetically?

i just love hearing about your characters ngl i really want to put them in situations

LOVE asks like this pls put my guys in situations

keir as the hero of ferelden... i guess not totally unreasonable, he did fight at ostagar, duncan could’ve picked him up (read: pried him away from his family with the right of conscription.) he’d get along with alistair well enough, though it might take him a minute to warm up to him for near-templar reasons. wouldn’t get along too well with leliana or wynne, and wynne would leave the party after he defiled the sacred ashes, leliana only staying via an intimidation check which is a thing you can do if she’s hardened iirc. fuck the chantry he’s gotta get them reaver powers. not much patience for oghren. would do well with sten, shale, zevran. would kill loghain, no doubt abt that. and honestly, i’ve said before that they maybe had a thing in lothering, keir would romance morrigan and do the dark ritual with her (suddenly just realised the hilarious implication that kieran’s name is loosely inspired by keir possibly in the normal worldstate as well). keir would be fairly bitter about the whole thing and abt the wardens, and his priority would still be finding his family and (if only by virtue of stopping the blight) keeping them safe. he would put alistair on the throne alone, not hardened

it’s harder to see how minerva would become the champion, but if she wasn’t the hero i guess she could end up as an apostate and maybe wind up in kirkwall fleeing the blight like everyone else. if she had the relationship hawke has w varric they’d get along like a house on fire, i’m trying to find a normal way to say she loves when people are obsessed with her AGHASJSKSKK. i cannot imagine her talking to sebastian. minerva and aveline in a room would not go well. she would rival fenris but like still a close important relationship but that means even more tension. friendship with anders but she wouldn’t distract the grand cleric for him even if she would support him in the end; she doesn’t act if she doesn’t know what’s going on and she doesn’t appreciate being asked to let alone what she sees as the attempted emotional blackmail. easily friends with isabela and definitely sleeps with her regardless of romance choice, that happens in dao anyway lmao. friends with merrill, would be such an interesting way to explore minerva’s growing confidence in blood magic. i’m honestly undecided on romance—isabela hits a lot of the same beats as zev’s and thus makes sense for her to go for, merrill would be incredible for her as dalish love interest for minerva makes me insane conceptually let alone a fellow blood mage, fenris would be kind of an unhinged choice for, you know, noted blood mage, but also it’s a different flavour on fen rivalmance because of the shared heritage and i know she’d be into him and like... the drama of it all... anyway minerva would love gaining power in kirkwall as the champion and would lean ambitious, maybe even try for viscount even if it was impossible because of who she is. and in the last straw would be mad at anders for going behind her back—significantly more mad than she is in the canon situation where she is generally highly supportive, actually, because she was right here anders we could have fucking talked abt this and planned ahead—but she’ll support him when it comes to it and she’d never let anyone lay a hand on him

[pikapeppa]

OC Interview: Rynne Hawke

I did this already for Fenris the Inquisitor and I’ve been tagged again by the precious @littlesnowarrow, so here we go - Fenris’s partner in love and in crime kicking Coryfish’s ass or whatever: the infamous Rynne Hawke! (Art by the delightful @schoute!) 

The rules: Answer the following questions as your OC of choice. 

(Like for Fenris’s interview, let’s pretend some journalist from Val Royeaux is interviewing Rynne for Inquisition “publicity reasons”.) 

1. What’s your name?

Rynne Hawke! But everyone just calls me Hawke. 

2. Do you know why you are named that?

My father liked the name, I think. [laughs] I mean, why do parents ever name their children anything? Either because they like the name, or because they want to jack themselves off by naming their brats the same thing as themselves. [Beside her, Fenris makes an odd noise and rubs his mouth.] What? What did I say?

3. Are you single or taken?

Taken. Frequently and very, very well, thank you for asking. [Fenris snorts, stands up while muttering something about Inquisition business, then leaves the room.] Hey, where are you going?

4. Have any abilities or powers?

Yes. I’m a mage. 

5. Stop being a Mary Sue.

Ooh, I’ve not heard of that one. Is that a sex position I don’t know about? I’ll have to ask Bull about that.

6. What’s your eye color?

Some say amber, some say copper, some say whiskey... A lovely shade of golden-brown, as you can see. [charming grin]

7. How about your hair color?

Boring brown, I’m afraid. 

8. Have any family members?

[small laugh] Living ones, I assume you mean? There’s Fenris, of course. Toby, my big hairy baby. Carver, my big hairy baby brother. Oh, and our uncle Gamlen is still kicking around in Lowtown, according to Aveline. 

9. Oh? How about any pets?

Oh. I suppose Toby? But... no, I take that back. He’s a family member, not a pet.

10. That’s cool, I guess. Now tell me something you don’t like.

I don’t like wearing shoes and socks. I wish I had nice hard elfy soles so I could go around barefoot like some handsome elves I know.

11. Do you have any activities/hobbies that you like to do?

Of course! We like reading, playing cards, gossiping and going out for drinks, and... well. Never mind. Fenris wouldn’t be too pleased if I told you about the rest. [wiggles her eyebrows salaciously.]

[From the adjacent room, Fenris calls out: “I can hear you. I am right here.”]

Oh good! So does that mean I can tell them about our sex life? Fenris? [a long pause ensues] Is that a no?

12. Have you hurt anyone in any way before?

Absolutely. Especially if they’re trying to hurt us first.

13. Ever… killed anyone before?

Um, absolutely. It’s a kill-or-be-killed kind of world out there! Maker’s balls, Is this the first time you’ve poked your head out of Val Royeaux in months? What sort of questions are these?

14. What kind of animal are you?

Hmm. Now that’s a great question. Funnily enough, I wouldn’t say a hawk. [calls out to the adjacent room] Fenris! What kind of animal am I?

[Fenris replies: “A mabari. You are extremely loyal, exceedingly affectionate, and utterly vicious and lethal when necessary.” Rynne smiles.] 

Awww, I love you too. 

15. Name your worst habits?

I don’t have any. I’m perfect. 

[Fenris calls out once again: “She is a terrible blanket hog. And yet she complains about being cold at night.”] 

Hey, that’s not fair! [she leans in conspiratorially to the interviewer] I just tell him I’m cold so he has to hug me. It works every time. 

16. Do you look up to anyone at all?

Absolutely. He’s sitting in the next room. 

17. Are you gay, straight or bisexual?

Bisexual, thank you for asking. What about you? What kind of genitalia do you most enjoy fondling? [widens her eyes when the interviewer doesn’t reply] What’s wrong, are you shy?

18. Do you go to school?

If you mean sitting in Solas’s rotunda and asking him as many questions as I can to see if there is anything he doesn’t know, then yes. Absolutely. [whispers] I have yet to ask him anything he doesn’t have an answer to. It’s frankly insane.

19. Ever want to marry and have any kids one day?

[bursts out laughing] Did you know we’ve been engaged for over two years? Honestly, that’s good enough for me. Weddings are so expensive. Who needs a big party for no reason? Not me. [laughs some more. She sounds slightly nervous.]

20. Do you have any fangirls/fanboys?

Absolutely. Oh no wait, that’s the mob of faithful Andrastians who want my head on a spike. Next question please! [chuckles]

21. What are you most afraid of?

[she hesitates, then laughs.] What Dorian will be wearing every day, honestly. I don’t know where Vints get their fashion sense from, but I can understand why the Qunari are always so angry at them.

[In the adjacent room, Fenris snorts.]

22. What do you usually wear?

[leans back leisurely on the couch and slowly crosses her legs] Have a look for yourself. Don’t be shy.

23. What one food tempts you?

Oh fuck yes. You know those Rivaini roasted vegetable crisps that they toss with the sweet and spicy rub? I love those things. I would die for a bowl of those. I should ask Leliana about getting our hands on some of those. Seems like important Inquisition business, right?

24. Am I annoying you?

Not at all! I could do this all day. 

25. Well, it’s still not over!

Go ahead! 

26. What class are you (low/middle/high)?

Ooh. Funny question, that. I suppose I’ve been all over the place? I’m the Inquisitor’s lady now, so I guess that makes me rather fancy and high-class. 

27. How many friends do you have?

Everyone is my friend! Unless they try to kill me or Fenris. Or Toby, or Carver or Varric, or... shit, maybe I don’t have that many friends. [throws her head back and laughs] 

28. What are your thoughts on pie?

I love it. Why, do you have some? Now you’ve got me wanting some. Thanks for that.

29. Favourite drink?

Brandy! Antivan is best.

30. What’s your favourite place?

Oh. Aww... you know what, I really loved the study in my old house in Kirkwall. It was just... there were a lot of memories there. The study and the bedroom. [she winks.] That’s all I’ll say. 

31. Are you interested in anyone?

Yes. I’m very interested in the Inquisitor. He’s fascinating. So intelligent and handsome, with such a nice growly voice...

[From the next room, Fenris calls out again: “Kaffas, Hawke, you will make me blush.”] 

Good. That’s what I was hoping for. [laughs]

32. That was a stupid question…

Not at all! I’ll take any and every opportunity to rave about Fenris. He’s my favourite. [A soft chuckle and an indistinct Tevene curseword can just barely be heard from the other room.] 

33. Would you rather swim in the lake or the ocean?

Ocean! I know there are just as many living things in oceans and lakes, but somehow oceans feel... cleaner? Less muddy and more sandy. It’s hard to explain. 

34. What’s your type?

White-haired elves with lyrium tattoos and dirty thoughts. 

35. Any fetishes?

I’ll tell you a terrible secret: not really. Though with Bull being around and putting all these ideas in everyone’s head, who knows what could happen? [wiggles eyebrows and grins]

36. Camping indoors or outdoors?

Camping indoors? Isn’t that just... normal indoor living? Or are you talking about building a pillow fort? Because that’s just ludicrous. [calls out to the other room] Fenris, can you ask Josie to send us about twenty more pillows?

[Fenris replies: “No.”]

Damn. Worth a shot. Oh, is that all? All right. Swing by the tavern later if you have a chance! No guarantees Varric won’t bet you out of your own pants, though.

****************************

Read more about Fenris the Inquisitor and his right-hand Rynne Hawke here on AO3. 

Tagging forward to... errr, who haven’t I tagged for this already? @iarollane @charlatron @emmavakarian-theirin @faerieavalon @schoute (I NEED DIS IN PIRATEPIPER’S VOICE) @lyrium-lovesong @inquisadaartabras and honestly anyone else who wants to play! 

[fandomn00blr]

Dread Moon, Chapter 9 Excerpt

[Oh look! Finally a direct reference to the name of this thing...in chapter 9 (lol!). This quickly turned into a fic about the group therapy the Kirkwall crew desperately needed after DA2...rescuing Dorian and foreshadowing the revelations in Trespasser have just become plot devices for getting everyone back together to talk through their shit. And I’m not that sorry.]

...

The journey from Cumberland took them just short of five days, pushing themselves and their mounts as hard as they could, and stopping to rest for only a few hours each night. Evelyn and Cullen were an incredibly efficient team when it came to setting up their tent and taking full advantage of the limited time to rest. The others, however, seemed to struggle more and more the closer they got to home.

“Oooooh, look!” Merrill cooed, as she laid her bedroll out on the ground. “There’s a Dread Moon rising over the Vinmarks tonight!”

“A what?” Hawke asked, still struggling to set up her tent. Fenris had accused her of being incapable of doing so, and she’d insisted on doing it herself tonight out of a stubborn desire to prove him wrong.

“It’s what the Keeper used to call it when a full blood moon rose near the constellation Fenrir…” Merrill reminisced. “You know, ‘the wolf’...over there!” She pointed to the cluster of stars just above the giant reddish moon.

Hawke turned her head sideways, then tried in the other direction. “I don’t see a wolf.”

“You don’t see his cute little snout? His seven beady little eyes? His long bushy tail?”

“You had me at cute little snout…” Anders smirked at Fenris, who was doing his best to ignore him while he stood, arms crossed, waiting, as instructed, for Hawke to set up their tent on her own.

“So this portends some kind of disaster, I take it?” Fenris sighed.

“Well, no. Not unless you believe in that sort of thing…” Merrill looked back quizzically at him.

“Do you, Fenris? Do you believe in the Dread Moon curse?!” Anders’ eyes were wide and his tone was full of mockery.

“I believe you promised to return to your cave once Cullen had been healed…” he muttered.

“And Varric promised to help me find Justice.”

“Oh yeah! What did the Kid say about that?”

“Just a bunch of vague stuff before helping me heal Cullen. Not nearly as helpful as you might think for a spirit of compassion…”

Merrill frowned. “He told you to forgive yourself. You promised him you’d do that, remember?”

“Wow, imagine that. You not following through on something...” Fenris drawled.

“Oh, please spare me your hypocrisy!” Anders gathered up his bedroll and began to walk away from them.

“Wait...forgive yourself?” Hawke had pretty much abandoned her efforts with the tent. “It seems like the whole rest of the world has...how have you not?”

Anders gave her an exhausted eye roll before wandering off into the dark with an audible sigh.

Hawke looked to Merrill, who looked suddenly wounded. “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have brought it up! I just...”

“Oh no, Daisy. You should. Blondie needs to hear it from somebody. Better you than...well, anyone else, really.”

“But he’s our friend! We need to help him. The spirit...Cole...he said that Justice left because he thought we might forgive him if he did. So it’s our fault, really, that he’s so unhappy!”

“Yeah, fine...I guess.” Varric shrugged, sounding unconvinced, as he turned his attention back to helping with setting up the tent he and Bull had been sharing since Fenris had joined Hawke in his.

Fenris, meanwhile, had been quietly watching Anders as he walked off into the forest, grumbling animatedly to himself.

“Someone going to go after the Healer?” Bull asked.

“I’ll talk to him,” Fenris said.

Everyone turned and stared at him in shock.

“You?” Hawke asked in disbelief.

“Yes.”

Hawke continued to stare at him for a moment, trying to decide if this was some kind of deadpan joke, something she didn’t quite get. But when he stared back at her just as intensely, without a hint of sarcasm or wickedness, she nodded. “Ok. Yeah. Alright.”

“Good luck, Broody!” Varric called as Fenris disappeared into the darkness after the mage. Then he turned and gave Hawke a pitiful look. “Really...let me help you with that tent. This is embarrassing.”

“Promise not to tell Fenris?”

“Yeah...” he chuckled.

...

“You know Merrill is trying to help you,” Fenris said, as he caught up with Anders. “Right?”

“And what are you trying to do? Make me feel worse?”

“No. Just trying to help you see past your idiotic self-loathing, I guess.”

“Oh, please...you hate yourself as much as I do!”

“Yes, and I...I’ve actually been working on that. It’s easier with friends, I’ve found.”

“Friends? How nice for you. Varric certainly seems to think I should be dead. Hawke gets irritated with me every time I speak. And if she feels that way, Maker knows what you must think of me. And every time I so much as think of the possibility of running into Aveline, I think I might die of a heart attack.”

“If any of us actually wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Anders muttered.

“Give Varric and the others some time. He loves this Maker-forsaken city. But it’s better now, whether he would like to give you any of the credit for that or not. The whole world is better off because of what you set in motion.”

Anders was speechless. He had expected Fenris to tell him to get his shit together or leave, just like he had five years ago. He was certainly not expecting this. And he hadn’t prepared a defense for the unlikely scenario in which Fenris admitted he was actually right about something.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t see that before,” he continued. “We all just thought you’d gone insane, lost control...and to me, personally, it felt like you’d cheated.”

“Cheated?” Anders was confused. “At what?”

“I was doing everything I could to keep my anger in check, to keep from lashing out about all the things that had been done to me, and then there you went, blowing up the Chantry. I could only imagine how good it must’ve felt, and I was jealous, really. Killing Hadriana,” he growled, “then Danarius...hadn’t felt like enough.”

Fenris stopped himself. He took a deep breath, and his whole body, which had gotten tense as he spoke of his former torturers, relaxed. “But I’ve come to realize, even after losing count of how many slavers we’ve killed over the years, that nothing could have been enough back then. I thought it was about revenge for you, too, because that’s all I really understood. But I see now...it was bigger than that.”

“I don’t know…” Anders whispered. “With Justice, I was so certain that what I did was right. That what we were working towards justified it all. But without him...I don’t know who I am and why I’m even still here.”

“Well, it turns out, you’re still a pretty decent healer. Even Cullen can appreciate that.”

Anders glared at him. “I was prepared to die for my actions, for Justice. But then Hawke...she spared my life. I still don’t know why. I have spent a lot of time being angry at her for that. For forcing me to live with my actions...with myself. When she knew...she knew that deep down, I was a coward! And that this fate for me would be far worse than death!”

Fenris was quiet, collecting his thoughts, choosing his words more carefully now than he had been before, because he knew he needed to get this part right if there was ever going to be any hope of reconciliation among his friends. “Hawke didn’t do it to punish you. She did it because she couldn’t kill you, Anders.” He didn’t like speaking for others, but the two of them could probably never have this conversation on their own. “None of us could. You were...you are, above all else, our friend.”

Anders looked at him, wishing he could argue. Wishing he could think of something mean or spiteful to say in response. But the corners of his eyes were filling up with tears, and if he so much as opened his mouth to speak, he was sure he would suddenly be sobbing in the arms of someone he had convinced himself utterly despised him.

Fenris’ eyes softened a little when he realized the message was finally starting to sink in, and that very nearly broke Anders anyway.

But thankfully, Fenris spoke again, giving him a reprieve. “I remember what it was like to be alone, to be alive when I didn’t want to be, or at least didn’t think I deserved to be. I wasted nearly a decade convincing myself I had to keep others away. Try not to be as stubborn and stupid as I was.”

“But Fenris…” Anders was still staring earnestly at him. But the tears in his amber eyes had turned into mischief. “...that’d be impossible!” His mouth curled into an obnoxious little grin, and it took all of Fenris’ willpower not to hit him.

“Yes, fine. Deflect with your shitty sardonic humor. I suppose I walked right into that, didn’t I?”

Anders laughed feebly, more relieved than amused. “You are a bit out of practice, it seems.”

...

[daughter-of-the-prophet]

Aveline Vallen (TV Tropes)

Action Girl: Hell yes!

Amazonian Beauty: So far, she's the most muscular woman in the Dragon Age franchise (or any other BioWare franchise) to date, but that's not to say she doesn't have a feminine figure. It's really only seen in the prologue, however.

Babies Ever After: Hints that she regrets never having children with Wesley. After she marries Donnic, separate conversations with Isabela and Fenris reveal that they are considering starting a family in the near future.

Aveline and Donnic eventually have a daughter whom they named after Areida Hawke, Aveline's dear friend who brought her and Donnic.

Badass Normal: Deserves special mention; see Establishing Character Moment below.

Battle Couple: With Wesley and later, Donnic. She definitely prefers someone with whom she can be Back-to-Back Badasses.

Beauty, Brains and Brawn: In a trio with Areida and Bethany, Aveline is the Brawn. She's tall and muscular, skilled with sword and shield, and works as a city guard. The others sometimes make jokes about her being able to lift a cow.

Berserk Button: As mentioned below, do NOT question her loyalty or accuse her of coddling her guards.

Big Good: To Kirkwall in Inquisition, after Areida is forced to leave town. Varric notes that "Kirkwall would probably fall into the sea if she ever quit her job."

Big Sister Mentor: Has some shades of this for Areida and Bethany especially. Some cut-dialogues refer to her cornering most of the party and getting them to practice swordsmanship with her (including the mages) and criticizing their techniques.

Breast Plate: Initially played straight during the prologue sequence, in which she sports form-fitting leather armor. Averted for the rest of the story - the metal plate the guards wear is the same general shape for both men and women, giving Aveline no more chances to show off her assets.

Cannot Spit It Out: Towards Donnic. She tries courting him in more subtle ways, but her methods seem to make sense only to her. One of Aveline's ways of trying to court Donnic causes him to mistakenly conclude that Areida is the one awkwardly hitting on him.

Insane Troll Logic: Eventually, Aveline's efforts to woo Donnic get so bad that even when she does explain the reasoning behind her actions, Areida can't argue directly with them because they make no sense.

The Captain: Served as an officer in the Fereldan Army at Ostagar, and later becomes Captain of the Kirkwall City Guard.

The Champion: To the Hawke family during their first year in Kirkwall. She claims it's just to keep Areida out of trouble.

City Guards: Joins the Kirkwall guard after fleeing Ferelden and is promoted to Captain of the Guard after a mission where she investigates her superior's corruption.

Clear My Name: In Act 3, Cullen alerts Areida that Aveline is accused of coddling her men, and urges her to speak with Aveline and clear up the issue. Aveline takes the accusation extremely personally and goes on a bit of a rampage to settle the matter. See Cowboy Cop, below.

Comically Serious: Especially when paired with Varric and Isabela.

Cowboy Cop: Even as Da Chief, she has no problem telling authority where to shove it and will bend the rules for the sake of her friends.

However, do not ever question whether she is going soft on the men under her command and coddling certain individuals (Donnic). When the Templars force Areida to investigate her on this in Act 3, they set out to prove that Donnic is doing the same routes as the other men, if not more dangerous, and most of her men are fighting for their lives twice a week to keep Kirkwall safe.

Da Chief: Eventually reaches this position on the Guard.

Defector from Decadence: Aveline's mysterious father. "Orlais has a game. He wouldn't play it. I never cared to ask further."

Depending on the Artist: Her official art is... considerably more mannish when compared to her in-story model.

Did We Just Have Tea with Cthulhu?: During the Prologue and on Sundermount in Act 1, Aveline appears to be the only person in the group who actually recognises that talking to the Witch of the Wilds is not something any sane person would want to do.

Drill Sergeant Nasty: Borderline; she trains with each guard individually and makes certain that they know what they are doing. They certainly think that it's Training from Hell. She bonds with each of the guards as well, which takes the edge off of it.

She also asks Areida to allow her to have her dog, Maximus, help her train, to see if her people can handle a "good old-fashioned Mabari charge." Brings about a Pet the Dog moment (almost literally) later, as she rewards Maximus with some contraband mutton that was seized

Establishing Character Moment: One of the first things she does is tackle a darkspawn that severely wounded Wesley and punch it into submission before lever-cutting its head off with its own sword. She proceeds to fight the rest of the horde with the intention of saving her husband or dying with him.

Expose the Villain, Get His Job: Her personal quest in Act 1.

Failure Knight: Her sometimes obsessive need to protect everyone seems to be the reason she latches onto looking after the Hawke family. It is implied to have largely stemmed from her guilt at being unable to save Wesley. 

Fantastic Racism: A much more subtle and realistic (and likely unintentional) example than most, but she doesn't see any issue with elves being segregated into impoverished ghettos, nor elves being forced to sleep in stables and out-buildings (just like farm animals) in towns too small to fit an alienage, and seems mildly surprised when Merrill (an elven companion) gets upset to hear it.

She also takes her time looking to the "rumors" of one of her guards raping an elven woman, but immediately cracks down on the brothers of the alleged rape victim (also the ones who accused him) when they got tired of waiting for her to do anything about it and killed him.  

Femininity Failure: She gets teased about being "mannish" by hard-drinking, hard-fucking, foul-mouthed Isabela. That's how badly she fails at femininity. That said, it doesn't usually bother or cause any trouble for her, but it does prompt her personal quest in the second act where she needs help getting the guy she's interested in to even realise that she's a woman.

Fire-Forged Friends: At the start of the story, she bonds with the Hawke family when they fight their way out of Lothering together.

Good People Have Good Sex: After Aveline marries Donnic, Isabela offers some tips on how they can spice up their sex life. Aveline lets her know Donnic needs no help in that department.

Hair-Trigger Temper: At least where card games are concerned, according to Fenris and Donnic.

Happily Married: With Wesley before the beginning of the story. Later with Donnic.

Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Areida.

Hollywood Atheist: Averted; Aveline has no issue with the Chantry or those who believe in the Maker (she even married a Templar), but she doesn't seem to believe herself. She says that she thinks the Chant is lovely, but perhaps that is all it needs to be.

Honorary Aunt: Like Isabela, Aveline becomes an Aunt like figure towards Anders and Areida's children. They call her "Aunt Aveline".

Hypocrite: The reason she gives for pursuing the elven vigilantes is "they took the law into their own hands," yet she tolerates Areida taking the law into her own hands every day, and potentially does it herself when she joins Areida on missions.

I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Wesley's death remains a sore spot for her for a good half of the story, partially because she feels she should have been able to prevent it. Her fear of losing anything else drives many of her actions throughout the story.

Idiot Ball: Played for Laughs. She's a bright, talented, and quick-thinking guardswoman... but her intelligence plummets when it comes to dealing with Donnic. Case in point? While trying to be romantic with him, she turns it into a conversation about the sharpness of swords.

Played for Drama when she refuses to look into the cases of kidnapped Hightown women, which contributes to Leandra being kidnapping and murdered by the same serial killer, something she denies any responsibility for afterward.

Jerk with a Heart of Gold: As strict as she can be and as cold as she can be to the other companions, she's fiercely loyal to those she cares about and always attempts to do what she considers to be right.

Lantern Jaw of Justice: Rare female example.

Married to the Job: Apparently the reason she's having such difficulty with romancing Donnic. Even though she was once married, she's thrown herself into her work so much, she's forgotten how not to be a guard for a while.

Matchmaker Quest: Her personal quest in Act 2 involves her attempting to court Guardsman Donnic. They eventually get married.

A Mother To Her Men: Particularly seen in Act 3. The men and women of the city guard revere her, to the point that they unanimously refuse to join ex-Captain Jeven in his smear campaign to have her removed. Donnic says that there's not a single member of the guard who would hesitate to follow her across the Void itself if she asked.

My Beloved Smother: She's not their mother but she definitely acts this way towards the others during party banters, especially Areida and Bethany.

Foreshadowed slightly in Act 1 party banter with Bethany, who asks her why she and Wesley never had children; Aveline explains that their respective careers forced them to put the prospect on hold. When Bethany asks if she regrets it now that Wesley is gone, Aveline replies, not unkindly, that the question is too personal. It's possible that she sees her companions as surrogates for the children she never had. She does however, have a daughter with Donnic.

Named After Somebody Famous: An In-Universe example; Aveline was the name of the first female Chevalier.

She actually doesn't seem fond of the symbolism, (though it fits her perfectly), calling the name "a wish [her] father made," and expressing relief that Fenris doesn't know the story of Ser Aveline. By the end of the story, though, she seems much more sure of herself and has come to terms with it.

Never My Fault: When it comes to being a City Guard, Aveline is always convinced she's right.

She straight-up denies any responsibility for Leandra being kidnapped and murdered, even after Areida asked her to look into the disappearances of Hightown women, which Avline had refused to do despite it being her job as Captain of the City Guard.

No Guy Wants an Amazon: Ser Wesley and Guardsman Donnic are the exceptions that prove the rule; almost everyone else finds her intimidating and off-putting, as other party members point out. According to Isabela, she's a "woman-shaped battering ram."

Non-Answer: When Aveline and Areida go to confront the Arishok, the elven converts claim that one of her guards raped their sister and they tried to report him many times, but got turned away each time. When Areida asks Aveline if this is true, she responds, "There are rumors. I'll look into them."

No Social Skills: Most noticeable during her bizarre efforts to romance Guardsman Donnic.

Not So Above It All: In Act 3, she has evolved an Odd Friendship with Isabela. Any time Aveline deadpan snarks at her, Isabela warmly says, "That's my girl!" At one point, Aveline has apparently invited Isabela to a family dinner, but she didn't show up because she didn't think she'd fit in; Aveline disagrees.

                Isabela: "How's marriage been treating you, big girl?"

               Aveline: "It's been good. No, great. I'd forgotten what it was like to..."

                Isabela: "Be flipped ass over tits and hammered like a bent nail?"

                Aveline: "To. Be. Loved."

                Isabela: "Oh. Right, of course."

               Aveline: (coyly) "Not that I'm complaining about the other thing."

Odd Friendship: With Fenris and Isabela.

The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Aveline invokes this when Arishok says he must take Isabela back along with the book she stole: "Oh, no. If anyone's going to kick her ass, it's me."

Reasonable Authority Figure: As Captain of the Guard. Under her command, the guard is the most efficient and respected it's been in generations, though once Meredith takes over, some of the Templars seem to be making it a point to limit her influence and try to oust her from her position.

Despite her late husband having been a Templar, she refuses to turn Bethany in to the Templars, since she at least tries to do good. She also makes no efforts to turn in Merrill or Anders, and does her best to keep the patrolling guards from taking notice of Fenris squatting in the Hightown mansion.

Replacement Goldfish: Though never outright stated, Aveline maintains her strong bond with Areida likely because she's the closest thing Aveline has to family. Bethany will even question why Aveline continues to follow Areida, and Aveline skirts the answer.

Secular Hero: Aveline is the closest to agnosticism on team Hawke. She married a Templar and sometimes refers to the Maker, but doesn't generally worry about religion and is skeptical of the Chantry's stance that "the less [he] does, the more he's proven".

                    Aveline: "Wesley's at the Maker's side, or he's not."

Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: The first companion Areida meets, as well as one of the most important ones after becoming captain of the guard.

Slut-Shaming: Does this to Isabela on an extremely regular basis. Isabela takes it in stride.

Skewed Priorities: When a group of elven brothers formally reported that one of her guards raped their sister, she dismisses it as "rumors" that she'll look into eventually. When those same elven brothers killed the guard they reported, Aveline dropped what she was doing to arrest them first thing.

When tentions between the Qunari and Kirkwall are reaching their breaking point, Aveline decides to antagonize the Arishok even further by demanding he hand over the elven converts whose sister she put off seeking justice for, becoming the last straw that breaks his patience and plunging the city into open warfare.

Socially Awkward Hero:

"Yes, and it's a real nice night for an evening."

One of her gifts to Donnic is a copper engraving of marigolds. Odd enough to get a man (and specifically a watchman, who'd you think would be a practical type) a picture of flowers, but in traditional floriography, marigolds represent grief and cruelty. Whoops. Her reasoning behind the gift borders on Insane Troll Logic: "Metal is strong, flowers are soft, copper ages well. I thought it was clear."

Stone Wall: Her specialization focuses on defense and protecting party members. Thanks to her Indomitable ability, she's the only party member with a built-in immunity to the final boss's "stun you all so I can monologue" move. Should she be knocked out, the others' reactions are equal parts concern and astonishment that it actually happened.

                    Varric: "Sweet mother of green cheeses, how'd they take that woman down?!"

                    Merrill: "By the Creators, Aveline has fallen!"

                    Fenris: "Aveline has fallen?"

Straight Man and Wise Guy: The Straight Man to Varric and Isabela's Wise Guy.

Take Up My Sword: Upon first encounter, she wields a two-handed greatsword. After Wesley loses the use of his sword arm, and later dies, she takes up a Sword & Shield style like him. Her starting shield in Act 1 is Wesley's.

Taking Up the Mantle: By the time of Inquisition, Aveline is still leading the guard, and Bran's letter all but calls her Areida's successor as Kirkwall's protector.

Team Dad: Gender-flipped, alongside Varric's Team Mom. Most of her conversations with the party involve her providing some form of advice or critiquing their lifestyle choices. It's also said that she has people spying on most of the others and bends the rules a bit if necessary in hopes of keeping them out of trouble.

She's particularly protective of Areida, and the only person besides Anders who really takes time to console a devastated Areida after her mother's murder. Notably, she's the only companion to whom Areida seems to feel comfortable admitting that "My heart's broken" about the whole thing - even Varric, who is Areida's best friend, doesn't have this conversation.

Made especially clear by a line she says when she drinks a health potion:

                            Aveline: “I hope no one else needs this!”

To Be Lawful or Good: Establishes herself as being on the "Good" side of things at all times early in Act 1, despite having only just taken the job. She remains lawful only so long as it is useful in her quest to do good. When the two conflict, there is never a moment's hesitation in her mind.

Tragic Keepsake: Wesley's shield. She later clarifies it's less about Wesley and more just holding onto the last pieces of her old life.

Tsundere: A Type A, especially towards Isabela. Wesley and Donnic both seem to be the only people who constantly get her softer side.

Vitriolic Best Buds: With Isabela towards the end of the story. She eventually starts barking "Shut up, whore" with an obvious twinge of affection.

Widow Woman: Ser Wesley, her Templar husband, dies shortly after meeting the Hawke family due to darkspawn taint. Aveline Mercy Kill him. She eventually remarries, though.

Workaholic: The Codex notes that her life revolves around guarding others; when she's not on-duty as a city guard, she's guarding Areida and her friends. After her personal quests are completed, she starts to relax a little bit. Discussed by Varric in some dialogue in Act 1, when he asks what she does.

                 Aveline: "You know I'm a guard, why are you asking?"

                 Varric: "I mean in your off-duty hours? For fun? You've heard of it, I hope?"

                 Aveline: "These are my off-duty hours."

                 Varric: "And the trend of you scaring the piss out of me continues..."

You Can't Go Home Again: Discussed. "That's supposed to be about maturity. It's not the same if you don't have the option."

[kagetsukai]

Drops of Satina: Day 18 - Distance

Raphael Trevelyan belongs to @out-of-the-embers​

Excerpts of correspondence between Hannah and Raphael as they travel around Thedas and miss each other terribly. 

Words: 2048 || Read on AO3

My Darling Hannah,

My life is agony. Whoever decided that Western Approach was a good place to inhabit was mad and I would like some words with them. It’s incredibly dry here and the temperature never stay the same for more than a few hours. Some days it’s terribly hot and other days I have to wear my jacket for warmth. It’s insane. And let’s not mention all the sand; it must’ve seeped into every crevice of my body and no matter how hard I try, I can’t get rid of it. I long for a bath, but that won’t happen until we’ve reached our next destination. At least Varric understands and commiserates with me.

I miss you dearly. I know it’s only been a week since the last time I saw you, but it feels so much longer than that. I really miss our daily walks around the gardens - it’s made even more acute by the fact that there’s almost no plant-life around here. I did come across a flowering deathroot and picked a few buds to send with this letter. Didn’t you mention once how purple was your favorite color? I hope you like them.

Are you well? Were you able to travel safely? I do trust Cullen and his men, but I can’t help worry about you; there’s too many horrible people who do awful things just for a laugh. I hope to hear from you soon, because I desperately need to know you’re alright.

Yours, Raphael

=============================

Dearest Raphael,

I must confess, your dramatic depictions of the Western Approach had me giggling like an idiot. Surely, it can’t be that bad? I’ve never been to a real desert so I can’t say if I agree with your description, but I do hope you got to have a better time than what you’ve described. If not, I’m sorry for your discomfort. If it makes you feel better, I really appreciated the deathroot flowers you’ve sent me - did you know they are hallucinogenic and are used by some as a form of intoxicant? I caught someone eyeing the petals, so I had to hide them in my engineering journals. I hope you don’t mind.

To answer your questions, I am well. As much as I’m thrilled to be out of Skyhold and seeing the world, I desperately miss my own bed. I forgot how much I hate sleeping in tents. That being said, I’m currently in Caer Bronach to look into repairs to the castle, so at least I get to sleep in one of the rooms here. I’m amazed how much lack of proper maintenance can put such a young stronghold into immediate decrepitude. I got to inspect other Fereldan places as well, but I doubt you care to read about it - this isn’t an official report after all. The most important part is that I’m almost done with Inquisition properties here and I’ll be traveling to the other side of Frostbacks soon. Judging by how angry Lily got over the bridge in Exalted Plains, I’m sure to find a doozy.

I will admit, I can’t wait to be done with all inspections so I can be back in Skyhold and awaiting your swift return. I never considered myself the waiting type, so I place all the blame squarely on your shoulders; considering you have strong and capable shoulders, I’m sure you can handle it. I miss you terribly, too. I just don’t have a reason to laugh as much when you’re not around to do dumb things at the most inappropriate times. I also miss having you around during mealtimes - things just don’t taste the same without you adding your salted garlic paste. And really, I just miss your kisses. Your kisses are the best.

Hannah

 [added in a rushed scribble]

Ps. Chargers just arrived with summons to go directly to Western Approach. They are to escort me to Griffon Wing Keep so I can oversee urgent repairs and construction of a bridge through some horribly noxious area. If I’m lucky, I’ll see you there - I cannot wait.

=============================

My Darling Hannah,

I tried to postpone our departure from the Griffon Wing Keep until you’ve arrived, but Lily would not be convinced. Logically, I understand that the sooner we’re done exploring western Orlais the sooner we can be back in Skyhold, but my heart wanted the gratification of seeing you immediately. I hope you received the note I left for you with Rylen; he was terribly amused by it and poked fun at me, that cheeky bastard.

We’re in the Forbidden Oasis and it could not be more different from the Western Approach. It’s still technically in the middle of a desert, but this place has canyons shaded from the sun where all sorts of waterfalls and verdant pools sit in a warm shade. I took the liberty to soak in one of them and it was glorious. I wonder if you’d like it here. According to Lily there isn’t anything to build so she won’t be requesting your presence, which I’m sad about, but perhaps it’s for the better; I loathe the thought of you traveling through the desert. Still, I miss you dearly. It’s been entirely too long since I’ve seen you last and I’m starting to suspect it will be even longer before I see you again. This expedition is shaping up to be long and arduous. I just hope you’re well.

With all my kisses, Raphael

=============================

Dearest Raphael,

Thank you for the lovely note you left me at the Griffon Wing Keep; it brought a smile to my face. Granted, Rylen decided to be a little shit and make fun of me for my reaction, but he changed his tune once I reminded him he’s just a man and can feel pain just like the rest of us. Perhaps I shouldn’t have kicked his balls, but maybe he’ll learn the lesson quicker that way.

Anyway, I now understand why you hated Western Approach so much. This place is so dry, my face has turned into a prune! By the time you see me again, I’ll have aged 20 years and I’ll no longer look youthful; I hope you’re prepared to court a grandmother, because that’s how I will look from now on. At least the area is interesting and should keep me occupied for a while.

Speaking of which, I know I had originally estimated it would only take me a month to attend to everything, but with the exploration of the Western Approach and increased workload, I doubt I’ll make it back to Skyhold anytime soon. Just judging by my initial sketches, I’ll have to stay here for an extra month to make sure everything is done correctly; who knows if something else doesn’t crop up while we work. I hear Lily might be returning to the Griffon Wing Keep at a later date so maybe I’ll get to see you here instead of Skyhold? I would very much like that. As much as I enjoy Rylen and Krem for company, I terribly miss having you around. Can you imagine having a date on the dunes? Sand would get everywhere, I’m certain, but I’d still enjoy it.

I’d like to thank you for all the little flowers you’ve sent with the last letter. They are so pretty! They’ve joined all of the other blooms I keep in my journal and now, whenever I open it, they make me think of you. And they still have the scent! They’re wonderful, so thank you once again.

I hope you’re well and you continue to be well. I cannot wait to see you next, because I miss you dearly and it’s horrible how long I have to be without you. Maybe fates will bring us together soon.

Yours, Hannah

=============================

My Darling Hannah

It’s been a while since my last letter, because we’ve been slowly exploring the entirety of the Hissing Wastes and haven’t been back to the main camp in what feels like an age. Yes, you read that right. Hissing. Wastes. In case the name isn’t a good enough clue, the place is an even larger desert than the Western Approach with even less friendly flora or fauna. The wind blows at extreme speeds and everything is so grey and muted, I think I’m sad just from looking outside my tent at night. I suppose it’s an important spot to the Inquisition, though in my humble opinion, I’d just let it fall by the wayside. Why does Lily have to be the one to look at this stuff? Can’t we send some archaeologists to excavate the dwarven ruins? I suggested that once and Lily only got annoyed with me. I thought it was a good idea, but oh well.

I wonder if you’re still at the Griffon Wing Keep. Judging by my count, you’re probably done with your work and heading back to Skyhold as we speak, though I do hope you are still there when we arrive later this week. Maybe that way we could escort you back home? I’d love that, I won’t lie. I miss you so damn much. Normally I don’t mind traipsing around Thedas with Lily, but being away from home is really difficult this time; not only it’s a longer trip than any before, but I now have a reason to want to return. I wish all of this was over already, so I wouldn’t have to travel so much. I miss our daily chats. I miss you.

Always yours, Raphael

=============================

My Dearest Raphael,

I miss you, desperately. It’s been too long since we’ve kissed or held each other or even talked, and I’m going a little crazy from this clutching feeling in my chest I associate with not having you around. I hate the fact that we’re apart and there isn’t much we can do about it. I cannot wait to be back at Skyhold with you, so we can go back to some semblance of normalcy. I’m done with being on the road and constantly sleeping in a bed that isn’t my own. I’m done and I want to go home.

Instead of Skyhold, I’m in Exalted Plains. When Lily first told me of how Master Wardell completely neglected his duties when constructing this bridge, I hadn’t expected this level of incompetence. I mean, it’s a functional bridge, but with the kind of resources we are given, he should have been able to repair this gap properly and in no time. Thankfully, the team I already have here is hard-working and not afraid of challenges. Once I draw up new plans and divide up the responsibilities, all work will be done fast. I hate that I have to once again clean up Wardell’s messes, but it can’t be helped. At least this is the last of it.

I hope you are well. I hope you are taking care of yourself. I hope to see you soon.

Yours, Hannah

=============================

My Darling Hannah,

We are on our way home. We just passed through Exalted Plains and I got to admire your handiwork in person - you’ve done a fantastic job here, dearest. Lily is also happy with the results, but I’m sure she’ll want to thank you in person, so I’ll let her speak for herself. Still, I’m proud of you. This bridge and what you’ve done in the Western Approach proves that you are the right person for the job and I’m so glad you are finally recognized for your hard work.

I will see you soon, my darling, and I cannot wait. Lily wants to stop by Emprise du Lion to take care of some dragons, but once we’re done, we’re coming home. I cannot wait to see your beautiful face again. I miss you so fucking much. We will be together soon.

Forever yours, Raphael

=============================

Raphael,

I came back to Skyhold two days ago and I am thrilled beyond words to finally have my own bed back. I cannot wait to have you back as well. I spoke to Leliana and she said you should be home within a week, so I won’t be making this letter long. I miss you and I’m looking forward to seeing you again. Be safe.

Yours, Hannah

[heartslogos]

newfragile yellows [552]

“There’s got to be something weird about the guy if he’s dating someone like you,” Herah says.

“That’s hurtful. You dated me for a while.”

“That’s different,” Herah replies. “I’m at least your level of weird, if not more so on a slightly different horizontal axis.”

“Please don’t bring graphs into this,” Kaaras says, nudging both women forward into the armory so he can get out of the busy hallway. He has no idea why, but summer always seems to pick up with the assignments and the whole business. “Why do you have graphs for weirdness?”

“The more interesting question is why don’t you,” Ellana replies, “Mister scientist.”

“Doctor, scientist, to you,” Kaaras teases lightly. “Come on, I have less than an hour to outfit you and make sure your gear is calibrated correctly before you have to leave on your flight.”

“That’s one hour for me to talk about your weird boyfriend,” Herah says. “Are you sure his background check came up clean?”

“I ran him through Leliana, I ran him through Edric, I ran him through Sera, I ran him through Josephine, I ran him through Cullen, I ran him through you, I ran him through Maxwell, I ran him through Dorian,” Ellana says, “I ran him through my brother, I ran him through Neria Surana. I had Surana run him through Sten. I ran him through Zevran. I ran him through Garrett Hawke, I ran him through Varric. And just for the fun of it, I ran him through Blackwall. If he’s something at least one of these people would’ve hit on it. I mean, sure, he’s got a record — “

“I knew it.”

“But most of the time he comes out looking worse for wear with justification, and he’s an acknowledged pillar of his community,” Ellana continues.

“She’s found herself a contributing member of society,” Herah muses. “What, he does bake sales with the PTA?”

Ellana’s lips purse together and she quickens her stride to catch up to Kaaras as he pulls down cases of ammunition, locking the ammo case with his key card.

“What’s his best seller?” Kaaras asks.

Ellana looks visibly torn between keeping it mum, and proudly expounding upon her newfound boyfriends several domestic talents.

“He makes the fluffiest donut I’ve ever eaten in my life and I don’t like donuts,” Ellana admits.

Herah whistles. Ellana’s distaste for donuts is notorious. To say that she doesn’t like donuts is a severe understatement. She’s thrown up from even eating a single crumb off of a donut. It’s not even an allergy. Her body just fundamentally hates dough that’s been fried and sugared. She can’t even tolerate a donut hole. Danishes are pushing it.

Kaaras smiles, “I think that’s nice.”

“Something’s got to be off about him,” Herah says. “Otherwise he wouldn’t be dating you.”

“That’s hurtful,” Ellana repeats.

Kaaras gives his sister a half-hearted glare. Just to mess with him, Herah smiles, “Kaaras agrees with me.”

Ellana rounds onto her brother who busies himself with pulling out some carry cases for the ammo and various extra gun parts they’ll be needing.

“Kaaras,” Ellana says, sounding petulant. “You gave me dating tips and everything.”

“I didn’t think they’d work,” Kaaras admits. “Ellana, you have to admit it is a little…unusual. He’s a civilian. And you’re…you.”

“What about me!”

“One of the top assassins for the Inquisition, the boogeyman that most government fixers won’t even think to cross,” Herah answers. “So clandestine that even the Crows hesitate when our name gets thrown around.”

“It’s not like I talk shop with him,” Ellana says. “My entire life isn’t assassinations and rigging governments and blackmailing billion dollar corporations.”

Kaaras and Herah decide not to comment on that, because, honestly, for a while it was her entire life until she met this guy.

“He looks like he should belong to someone,” Herah says. “Tell me at least one of those background check sources of yours admitted that.”

Ellana huffs, snatching the bag Kaaras holds out to her.

“They all nodded, said something along the lines of they’ll get to the bottom of it, and then came back a week or so later looking embarrassed and admitting they couldn’t find anything.”

“He has one eye,” Kaaras says, “He’s missing fingers. He’s as tall as Herah and almost twice as wide as I am. He’s covered in scars. Could you blame them for thinking he was something?”

“He is something,” Ellana says, “Hecka cute with a great boot…y.”

“This has to be Maxwell’s influence,” Herah decides.

“He knows you’re ace, right?” Kaaras says. “I just. I just want to make sure. You’re okay?”

Ellana pats Kaaras’ arm. “I’m okay. Don’t worry. I know that’s kind of counter to everything about you, because you’re just one big constant, ongoing worry machine. But on this one thing I can promise you it isn’t a problem.”

“Okay,” Kaaras says, obviously unconvinced, but letting the subject drop. “Are we done talking about it yet? I really do need to make sure you guys are outfitted properly. I don’t want you guys to get in trouble in the field.”

“It’s a seven day trip,” Herah says, “And four of it is just transit. Relax, Kaaras. Besides, Ellana and I are masters of improv.”

“This isn’t prop comedy, Herah,” Kaaras says. “This is sabotaging an enemy state’s database.”

“I can’t think of anything more suitable to prop comedy than that,” Ellana says.

Both Adaar siblings give her fond looks.

“And that’s why it’s weird that your boyfriend is a civilian,” Herah says, pinching Ellana’s cheek. “Man, am I lucky that we didn’t work out as a couple. I think we’d have driven the rest of the world absolutely insane if we did.”

“Can you imagine?” Ellana muses. “The wailing in the streets? The river of tears? The echoing and droning, perpetual chant of cries for mercy?”

“You disturb me,” Kaaras says, “Please.”

“There it is,” Ellana says, “I can hear it as if it really did happen. Speak, spirits of futures that have not passed. Speak!”