#not to the Templar who give a shit but to everyone else. its annoying AND she seems to like orlais? jail.
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elfmagesurana · 7 months ago
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im at the point of my da media where im finally reading asunder. I actually rly like it but everyone sucks ass except wynne and shale lol
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review-anon · 25 days ago
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Oh man.
I just finished watching The After Chapter 1.
And it was...something.
So as a full disclaimer I'm not going into this blind. I do know the death order and some of the major events, but more like the spark notes so I don't know the full context behind the situation.
The idea that these are students for a new Hope's Peak but got kidnapped and the world forgot about them is harrowing, now since this is Danganronpa and nothing is cut dry like that, I do imagine some context was missing but it's a disturbing motive, the fact everyone, including your family has abandoned you, little surprise none of the cast react well.
The Konoe and Chisa dynamic, I don't know what to feel about it because while we don't know what Chisa has gone through, she feels she needs to keep running and not look back or ask for help, and when Konoe tries to understand her, she freaks out and attacks her, but this doesn't stop Konoe from reaching out to her.
I was getting quite angry with Konoe for her need to support Chisa even after she freaking attacked her, which is normally a red flag, and while she was right that Chisa didn't kill Yukime, or that Chisa completely misread Yukime's motives, I still wouldn't feel comfortable around her. But maybe its because Konoe is a optimistic and I'm not optimistic.
Either way I'm still very unsure of her as a protagonist as she's clearly not coping well with the situation and on one hand its a relief to see a protagonist who doesn't have their shit together and needs others to help them, I do hope she learns to stand on her own two feet or else I'm not gonna have a lot of love for this character.
I also feel really bad for Miharu, as being a Kirigiri means she must have astromically high expectations placed on her, and the fact she calls herself "assistant" is proof she doesn't see herself as the same levels as say her grandmother. No wonder she breaks down at the end when she realises all she did was lead someone to their death.
Yukime was a okay person, I did find her annoying at first but maybe because I don't like the super high pitched Japanese voice the VA gave her, its really grating. She does redeem herself ironically enough when she dies as we learn more about her, that she can tell someone's character by their writing, and that her ghost at the end does forgive both Konoe and Chisa for the argument eariler.
And then we get to Issei, dear god. Mitch has offically been dethroned as "Worst Chapter 1 Culprit" since this guy is the literal worst. First he gives nudes to people he meets without even asking which is just pure disgusting, I don't blame Marin for burning them one bit. Then when he's exposed as the culprit he is a completely deranged lunatic who's so detached from reality you think he's a regular user of Twitter. Always blaming others for his own flaws, talking about events that never even happened, and even when Koin gives him a VERY deserved The Reason You Suck Speech, he still doesn't relent, in the end implying that he forgotten who he was as he was so engrossed in acting.
But then we have Ryohei and you guys know I hate him. His Chapter 2 actions are deplorable and while I will get the full context later in Chapter 2 when its analysed in its detail, and I'm noticing that the critcism that Creeper had towards Tsurugi where it seems a switch was flipped for him due to how Tsurugi exhibited no symptoms of him being a Knight Templar prior to Mitch having a date with Yellowstone, whereas other emotional twists in the canon series had some elements of foreshadowing, its even worse here since unlike Tsurugi who while reasonable is quite strict and stern, Ryohei is affiable and friendly to others, giving them words of support, sticking up for Konoe when she feels down and then the ending scene with Miharu...
I never felt so fucking conflicted about a character in my life. I know what he does, I know his motives are inexcusable. I know his plan was apparently so similar to what LINUJ's original plan with Nikei was that he had to make last second changes, and I know every single word he says to Miharu is ultimately hollow and will screw her over in the worst way possible...
So why did I like how he was performed in Chapter 1? Its a horrible ugly feeling when you have conflicting emotions of both absolute hatred, and yet you really like how he was done in Chapter 1. I completely despise this feeling within me. Of course I'm sure once Chapter 2 has been fully analysed those feelings will go away and its just the transitional phase now.
Urgh that scene with him and Miharu has really messed me up. And I don't know why, is it because of dramatic irony? Is it something else which is going on? I don't know!
If you cannot tell; The After is a extremely underrated fanganronpa and you guys should 100% watch it for yourself. Not many people know it and the fact its making me, someone who doesn't often feel emotions, feel so many emotions, says a lot.
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vitosscaletta · 5 years ago
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🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓 Christian, Helena, Gina, Georgie, and Aaliyah!!!
THANK U!!!! sorry this is so late :(
CHRISTIAN
IDK if I ever said this but his whole mansion in Bel Air is modeled after the interior in Versailles - still modern but with STRONG Baroque vibes
His favorite european city - besides Versailles of course - is Venice 😳 he lived there for some time in the 18th century and loved it there... he misses it a lot
He has a ghoul.... his name is Claude, the only living descendant of his favorite sister :(( Christian tracked him down in the early 1900s in Paris and eventually offered him to embrace him, but Claude was like nah... I wanna see the sunlight dude. They’re still living together in Bel Air since they’re the only family they have left :0 
Hangs out in LA nightclubs a lot - not the goth ones we see in the game.. the sexy ones where rich people hang out, he mostly feeds from them there.. slurp slurp!
Can speak english, french, italian, german and a few words in latin.. op king. being that old gives you time to learn languages ig
Went into an overdramatic state of fake depression after Helena dumped him.. didn’t leave his mansion at all, just hung around in his room, not eating (... drinking blood..), moping and talking about killing himself bc Toreadors are fucked up. Claude is like.. get up dude -_-
HELENA
I also dont know if I ever said this but even though shes not the fledgling.. Heather is still her ghoul (she was in the santa monica clinic to get somehting done for la croy and yeah).. she regrets it because Heather is soooo annoying and does all of this shit for her like calling her her master and all that and it’s just so uncomfortable. Especially when she offers her her student loans. Helena is like “oh my god I can’t take this what the fuck?????????? this is yours. okay you know what.. if you insist.. i will take it 😏”
She doesn’t have the heart to kick her out though.. mostly because Helena misses having a roommate :c
The only people who were genuinely sad about her death are her mom and sister jhdsjhds.. the fake rich friends she had before her embrace didn’t really give a fuck about her until they realized they could get attention through it & started posting sob stories on myspace. Helena is mad about it.. those hoes treated her like a third wheel when she was alive 😤
she probably ends up “accidentally” telling her family she’s alive.. 
what annoys her the most about her death isn’t even the fact that she was killed.. it’s the fact that she didn’t die in a beautiful way, she was just some random nobody with no friends or fame who may have been killed by her boyfriend (except that the official story is that she never arrived at his house). Christian couldn’t have waited until she was an established actress so it could have been more poetic, nah he had to embrace her when nobody cared :((
She liked Christian’s Bel Air mansion but honestly?? her weird old apartment was still better - it wasn’t big and the furniture was a mess but it was still her home
GINA
Grew up with a single mother because her father died early in an accident... he was a construction worker or something :c her mom worked as a maid for a rich family until she got fired for stealing from them jdfkjsd
gets to rapture by assuming some rich girl’s identity. idk how she does that but.. somehow she does. Of course nobody knows about that, it’s her big secret 🤫 to the other rapture residents she’s just a rich heiress who acts a little different from New York’s high society because she lived abroad
she dislikes Rapture’s upper class for living so large when the poor have nothing just like she had nothing growing up.. doesn’t do much about it though..  Gina: *donates like a tiny amount of her wealth to an orphanage* wow helping people feels so good :)
Doesn’t have any real friends in rapture either except maybe Diane.. ironically because she thinks everyone else is fake 🙄
She didn’t like F*ntaine AT ALL because she thought he looked creepy but also because the Bronx accent scared her.. she’s really paranoid that he might have run into her while she was still living there and remembers her even though that’s soooo unlikely 😒 every time they’re in the same elevator together she turns away and pretends to look for something in her handbag
The civil war is just the worst for her bc she doesn’t want to align with the rebels they’re all freaks but there’s also no way in hell she’ll be on Andy Ryan’s side.. she’s just like *reluctantly joins rebels because she thinks its the winning team and because she thinks A**** is hot and doesn’t realize its the same guy she hid from at parties* *doesn’t do shit* 
GEORGIE
has a weird relationship with her mom... she died when she was very very young and Georgie really doesn’t remember much about her - almost everything she knows is from her father reminiscing about how beautiful and loving she was but that’s not.. true.. its just how he remembers her, in reality she was a very cold & narcissistic person. she’ll never know the truth though :/
does NOT care about any politician or noble whatsoever but had a soft spot for Jessamine mostly because she made a friendly impression on her (from what she’s seen on posters and all that stuff).. Georgie liked to imagine she wanted to make things better for people like her. (the heart when pointed at Georgie: this bitch digs through garbage cans. freak.)
has little pots with flowers all over her little clinic in the distillery district, it adds a little life to her weird looking little home and makes it look even more goth-ish because they’re all dried out :/
is one of those people who are pretentious about drinking tea
has a weird rivalry with dr Galvani that he doesn’t know about 😒 her clinic is near his home and she's mad jealous of him, this dude has money to fund his research and expensive tools and what does he do with it?? dissect fucking rats? (she heard about it from Granny Rags and yeah she believes everything she says).. she’s out there calling him an idiot, meanwhile Galvani doesn’t even know she even exists
used to be a pickpocket as a kid.. mostly when her dad didn’t make enough money, she still got into trouble for it most of the time though and stopped when she got older -_- its ok though because she got to steal family heirlooms at the Boyle mansion during their masquerades because one of the sisters called her ugly
AALIYAH
unlike the game wants you to believe she’s from Nevarra City rather than Ostwick 😳 the youngest of 5 siblings and the only mage in the family - since Nevarra is pretty chill about magic and has no circles, she grew up without the whole oppression thing that’s going on in the rest of thedas, thus all this templar shit is nonsense to her. We’re fine back home, thank you! Your mages are just fucked up because you put them in prisons!
She was supposed to become a Mortalitasi and have a pretty powerful position in the Nevarran court until idk something political that involved the chantry in one way or another happened and she got shipped off to ferelden’s circle (post blight duh). She managed to escape after a few weeks in its weakened state and joined the mage underground - she never really was a circle mage like in the game 🙄
She and a group of other mages she was friends with were supposed to go to the conclave together to.. vote for mage rights but you know what happened! Also you know this excerpt from a very angry person’s journal you can find in the fade? that was from her best friend who died in the explosion :c She still misses her a lot
The only people she’s close to within the inquisition are Sera, Varric and Dorian.. the rest are either more acquaintances or outright hate her (especially Vivienne.. i love her but BOY did they not get along).. She likes the advisors a little more, Josie is cool they’re not like bffs or anything but they like each other.. Leliana and her got along soooo well I think they were really good friends. Cullen was.. unfortunately her boyfriend but they also hated each other in the beginning. more on that later
The worst thing for her was the attack on Haven it fucked her up sooooo bad :c All those innocent people she wanted to protect dying, she tried her best to save them but it was still too late for some of them despite her best efforts.. it just really messes with her and she hates thinking about it.. she actually tried to run off on one occasion after that 😳
Feels sooo weird about the fact that she’s nevarran because on one hand that’s her home and she’s proud of it!!! on the other hand everyone acts like she’s the biggest freak bc they think she was in a death cult or something and she HATES it :((
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crystalessenceswrites · 4 years ago
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You’re Enchanting-- Excerpt
 So I guess I was feeling a bit angsty today? Not sure what brought it on, but I had to get this down on paper today. Decided I might as well share it too. Gives some lovely insight into Delphine’s childhood, although a bit depressing... whoops.
You can check out Chapter One [here] or on AO3 [here]
Thanks to @flyingmarshmallow64 for letting me bug you about this all evening!
Summary:  Delphine always told Elazar she would do anything to help him if he was ever in trouble, even knowing his knack for finding it. She didn't expect to be helping him save the world after someone blows up the Conclave and tears a hole in the sky. Nor did Delphine expect to be falling for anyone, let alone a troubled, former templar, while she's watching her best friend shape the future of their world with a green glowing hand.
Pairings: Cullen/Trevelyan & Dorian/Lavellan
Warnings: angst, panic/anxiety attack, Cole tries but is not particularly helpful this time... but Cullen’s here to save the day
Excerpt- The Winter Palace Approaches 
Josephine has enough energy to run Skyhold three times over on a normal day, and how she did was well beyond Del’s understanding. Just meeting with guests on sparse occasions in lieu of Josie was exhausting. Del’s years in the Circle had worn down whatever tolerance she had for her fellow members of the nobility. When word finally arrived on the status of securing the Inquisition’s invitations to the Winter Palace, Josephine truly became a force of nature.
Every detail had to be perfected; every soldier attending in the retinue briefed and schooled in court decorum, accommodations sorted and reserved, travel plans sorted down to the minute, clothes tailored and wardrobes packed. It was enough to make anyone’s head spin. Josephine took it all in stride. Del simply did her best to offer support where she could, even if it didn’t seem like much, Josie did always voice her thanks.
She did so again with a knowing smile as Del corralled Dorian and El into Josie’s office with the others. Varric was already lounging on a sofa in front of the fireplace -much like he did in the main hall- talking rather animatedly to a disinterested Cullen, Josie was deep in conversation with Leliana at her desk, passing swaths of fabric back and forth, while Dorian and El draped themselves over the sofa across from the author and commander.
Del’s eyes quickly shot back to Josie and the spymaster tossing around satins in varying shades of blue. Now she knew what this meeting was about. Was it still possible for her to sneak away and escape the coming torture? El would approve of her skipping anything for the first time in her life.
Whatever chance she did have of escape slipped away with Bull’s entrance, his boisterous greeting drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
Smiling at the final arrival, Josie clapped her hands together and got down to business. Del slid into the spot next to Cullen on the sofa, much to the enjoyment of the couple sitting across from her. El gave her his signature shit-eating grin and Dorian wiggled his eyebrows rather suggestively at them. Varric tried rather unsuccessfully to hide a snort of laughter behind a cough.
At least someone was enjoying themselves right now.
Josie looked rather unimpressed with the dwarf but continued on with a speech about etiquette and appearances at the Winter Palace, “… so, taking this all into consideration, Leliana and I have chosen a formal uniform for those attending the ball.”
Grinning- something Del did not see Leliana do all that often- the spymaster unfurled a red formal military jacket. It wasn’t overly flashy despite being trimmed with a gold pattern and decked out with full shoulder pads, but it was understated in terms of Orlesian fashion. Del could live with it as it lacked a corset.
Varric made his distaste rather clear, moaning to Leliana about his reputation in Kirkwall, and whatever else seemed to come to mind.
El, surprisingly, didn’t seem to perturbed by it. He and Dorian held the jacket between them, inspecting the design. Even while holding it, Del couldn’t picture El wearing it, it was the opposite of his style, if you could call El’s choices in clothing a style. Most days he wandered around Skyhold shoeless, in a half unlaced white tunic and brown leather breeches, much to Dorian’s apparent delight.
Maybe this was Josie’s way of getting back at him for his blatant lack of regency as the Inquisitor.
Cullen pulled Del from her thoughts as he gingerly wrapped his hand around hers where it sat between them on the sofa. His move, while discreet, did not go unnoticed by their company. Iron Bull sent them both a knowing smirk from his place leaning against the wall behind Dorian and El.
Del rolled her eyes at the qunari before leaning over to bump shoulders with Cullen.
“Care to share your opinion Commander?”
As annoyed as he was by the proceedings, he still sent a small, soft smile her way, one that made Del want to wrap herself up in arms like the lovesick girl she was trying not to be.
“There’s a long list of reasons why templars don’t attend balls. I’d say this is near the top.”
Del tried to hide her mirth at the mental image of templars dancing in full armor but was rather unsuccessful. Cullen’s smile matched her own, his honey-colored eyes shining. He must be having a good day to be looking at her so warmly.
“How in the Maker’s name are you going to get Bull in one of these?”
Del didn’t even try to hide her snickers at the pure indignation that laced Elazar’s voice. Cullen rolled his eyes.
“We have an army of tailors at our disposal, Inquisitor. Iron Bull’s outfit will be taken care of.” Josie reassured the room while Bull looked like he was holding his tongue.
“Oh, but Ambassador, can’t you just imagine the juicy gossip that would arise from Bull attending the Winter Palace shirtless!” Dorian cooed, obviously enjoying whatever mental image he had conjured.
Josie balked at the thought, drawing snickers from most of the room. “He will do no such thing!”
As Josie descended into banter with the Tevinter mage, Leliana slid up beside Del, one hand lightly curling over her shoulder.
Curious.
“Has Josie spoken with you yet?”
“Spoken of what?”
“The letter we received from your mother.”
A chill ran down Del’s spine and Cullen aptly noticed. His grip on her hand tightened- his show of silent reassurance.
“And what does my mother want?”
Leliana didn’t react to the steel in her voice, or at least not in a way Del could note. Elazar did. Del chose not to acknowledge how he leaned away from Josie and Dorian, his brows furrowing, tattoos crinkling around his eyes.
The spymaster produced a piece of folded paper, passing it to Del, “she notified us she would be sending the Trevelyan’s family seamstress, who arrived in Skyhold this morning, to prepare and fit you with a new gown for the ball.”
Del wondered why the news seemed draw all the air from her lungs.
“But…” Del’s voice croaked slightly, she cursed her body for betraying her. “There’s no need- the uniform…”
“Josie and I thought it best not come between a noblewoman and her daughter.” Leliana spoke softly. Her voice calculatedly level, as if to sooth, “and we debated for a time… it may prove beneficial for the Inquisition for you to appear at the ball as a lady of your station. Your name, after all, supplies the Inquisitor with substantial credibility.”
It made sense, the were playing The Game for the highest stakes. So why was her head spinning?
Del nods, rather weakly. “I see…” She couldn’t find it in herself to look across the room at Elazar. “Would you give me a few moments to read her letter?”
“Of course.” Leliana retreats to Josie’s desk, shuffling papers in the now quiet room.
Del quickly squeezes Cullen’s hand back before standing, “I’ll be back in a moment.”
No one responds as she darts toward the main hall.
Cullen’s frown deepens as he watched her figure disappear, letter clutched tight in her fist.
“Maker’s balls, follow her Curly!”
 Delphine thanks Andraste and the Maker that the courtyard was empty today. She found her seat on the floor of the empty gazebo, leaning back against the railing as she pours over her mother’s words.
They hadn’t spoken since before the assault on Haven but Delphine recognized her handwriting all the same. They were definitely her words too- about her role in showing Orlais the position of the Trevelyans- that she couldn’t appear before the court as anything less than perfect.
You are a Trevelyan after all.
What a load of crap. Del’s grip tightened around the parchment. She hadn’t been a Trevelyan since she was eight.
“Delphine.” Elazar’s soft voice drew her attention away from the letter as he crouched down in front of her. Cullen stood silently behind him; worry etched onto his features.
Maker, she didn’t want Cullen to see her like this.
“El- I-I didn’t hear you…”
“S’okay, Del. It’s just us.”
Just us- just the two people who meant the world to her.
“Can you tell me what’s wrong, Del?”
Del wasn’t sure she could. She didn’t know if there were words to explain why it felt like there was a druffalo sitting on her chest.
“Broken… shattered… betrayed. Why did they lie to me? Why would they send me away? I tried to be good. I promise I’ll be good…”
Del immediately recognized the icy feeling washing over her as Cole seemingly materialized next to her, sitting cross-legged on the gazebo floor with her. “Every time they call it twists the knife deeper, stinging and biting… you want to be angry but you aren’t.”
If this wasn’t anger she was feeling then what was it?
“Like a doll or a prize they pull out to show it off when people are looking and then shove back on the shelf the moment they look away. It hurts… but for a moment you forget… its warm. She makes you feel safe, like when you were little and she’d hold you in her lap and tell you how special you were and how important you would be one day.”
Maker make him stop. She wants to scream so her eyes will stop watering but she can’t breathe. She can’t speak.
“And then they send you away again and back to the cage- to the shelf they hide you away on so no one can see the blemishes on their precious name.”
The first tear falls, Delphine tries to choke back the sob building in her throat. She can’t bear to look at Elazar or Cullen.
“Cole, this isn’t really the time-”
“She hurts too. Every time she sends her little girl away, she’s worried she’ll never see you again. She never wanted this life for you.”
How in the world could he know that? In what world was it okay for her mother to play the victim when it was Delphine they sent away! When they replaced her!
“She has no right to be sad!” Delphine wants to scream it so all of Skyhold can hear, but her voice comes out just above a whisper between her broken sobs. “They had the chance to stop it, they had the power to make people look the other way! They chose to send me away, even after they said they would do everything to protect me. They betrayed me, that’s all there is to it.”
Her vision is blurry, she doesn’t see Cullen kneel at her side, but Delphine hears him. Armor against stone. And she feels him. Cole’s cool presence quickly replaced by Cullen’s warmth. His arms begin to gather her up and Del lets him pull her into his lap, pushing her head into the space between his chin and chest piece. Her mother’s letter flutters from her grip. Del grasps at his armor, his cloak, the fur, anything she can find purchase on as the sobs come faster. She’s blubbering into his neck but Cullen just wraps himself tighter around her. Shielding her. One hand runs up and down her back in time with his breathing, the other cards through her hair, unintentionally pulling her braid apart.
A hand joins hers where it’s tangled up in Cullen’s mantle. She recognizes Elazar’s spindly grip. It’s grounding, in the way only El can be. She grips it as she grips at reality.
Slowly, Del begins to match her breathing with Cullen, long and deep as he continues to rub her back. The tears being to subside, replaced by hiccups. His arms never loosen.
“Come back to us, Delphine. Come back to me…” Cullen’s voice is so low she almost can’t hear him as he keeps her pressed tightly against his chest. His breath is warm against her neck but his armor is cold against her limbs. She tries to focus on the sensations and not the swirling mess in her head.
“Cullen-” his name falls from her lips as she wraps her arms around his neck- “don’t let go.”
“I’ve got you.”
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tonks32 · 5 years ago
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Hawke X Cullen - First Meeting
This is an idea that’s been playing around in my head to give Hawke and Cullen from my Noble Wolf (CassxTrevelyan) fanfic a bit of a back story. Not sure if I’m going to make this a full-fledge story or not. 
   Hawke had her fill with the Wounded Coast. Once again, she and her companions found themselves patrolling the shores on a lead to find some missing Templar recruits. Theories, or gossip rather, were pointing the finger at the Knight Commander herself conducting some sort of ritual sacrifice. Or something along those lines. A part of Hawke wished that they would find this bit of information true, though she prayed they weren’t about to stumble on a pile of mutilated Templar corpses. Things with Meredith were getting worse by the week it seemed and if there was some evidence against the woman it would force the Chantry’s hand in hopefully removing Meredith from power.
   Hawke knew that was wishful thinking on her part. Even if Meredith had her hand in why the Templar recruits were disappearing, that woman wasn’t about to give up her seat of power easily.  Being a mage was becoming more dangerous by the day and being one, Hawke wanted to stop Meredith’s hatred from infecting even more of Kirkwall’s citizens.
   “Didn’t we already pass that rock?” Carver commented drawing his sister from her stupor. “Because it looks exactly like one we passed twenty minutes ago.”
   Sighing, Hawke pinched the bridge of her nose. “They all look alike, Carver. We’ve been here enough that you should know that by now.”
  The warrior huffed in disagreement and didn’t miss the opportunity to add his usual sly comment. “We can’t all be observant as you, dear sister.”
  Hawke shot him a look over her shoulder, noting both Varric and Isabella were doing their best not to snicker at the exchange. “You’d be off better if you could hone such a skill, brother. Might stop you from getting lost coming back from the Hanged Man.”
  A voice raised in a commanding tone laced with a hint of fear came from the other side of the hill they were currently climbing spurring them into a run. Down below, two Templars, one blonde the other dark-haired, were at a standoff with blades at each other’s throat. Alarm bells of all kinds were blaring inside Hawke’s head as she pulled the staff from her back. Something in the blonde man’s voice pulled at her in a way she didn’t quite understand. The underlining fear she heard as he demanded information from the other Templar filled her own blood with ice. Not for herself or her companions, but oddly enough, the man himself. She didn’t allow herself to process it, acting on instincts to help the unknown man as the altercation was escalating rapidly.
  Carver snatched his sister by the arm, holding her in place. “Wait.”
  “We need to help.” Hawke was nearly mad with the need to make sure no harm came to the blonde headed Templar.
  “Will you just hold on for one Blighted second,” Carver hissed keeping the others back as well. “That’s the Knight Captain.”
  The knowledge registered but didn’t draw the reaction that it should’ve. Right-hand man of Meredith was cause for her to high tailing it back to the city and hide under a rock for a few weeks. Instead, the mage yanked her arm free, face hard with fortitude. “Something is wrong down there. I can feel my blood humming from magic.”
 Isabella’s brows shot up. “They’re both Templars.”
  “They will drag you to the gallows the moment they see you waving your staff around,” Carver added to the pirate’s keen observation. “I’ll be damned if I have to explain to mother how I allowed that to happen. Not after Bethany.”
  “I am going down there.” Hawke’s tone left no room for argument from anyone.
   “Is she mad!” Varric demanded taking off after her.
  “It’s Hawke,” Isabell explained on her way down. “Move your ass, junior, and we may yet save your hard headed sister from going to the Gallows.”
  Glowering, Carver pulled his large sword from its sheath on his back and begrudgingly followed for their mother’s sake. He wouldn’t be the one to give her more bad news about one of her remaining children.
   “Stand down.” Sweat pouring off his face, Cullen held his blade steady at his opponent’s throat refusing to be distracted by the approaching group. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end indicating his fears of something being wrong were confirmed. “This is Templar business.”
   “What is happening?” Hawke demanded, finding herself being pulled closer to the Knight Captain as if a magnet was working between them. She glanced down at the dark-haired man finding his face pale and eyes hallow. “Oh, shit.”
   The woman’s voice might have been hard as steel but it had him looking up in wonder. For a moment, before his fellow Templar started laughing sinisterly, the world came to a crashing halt. A calmness he never had the pleasure of feeling before washed over him. “Who are you?”
   Hawke flashed a grim smile. “Might want to leave that for later and worry about that thing.” She gestured to the man transforming into a large Shade demon. “Oh, look he brought friends.”
   Four more Shades circled around them causing Hawke’s group to close rank and form up behind the Knight Captain. Varric leveled his crossbow while Isabella pulled out her blade readying themselves for the battle to come. Having listened to her brother in some capacity, something she would never openly admit to anyone but the Maker, Hawke unsheathed the sword attached to her hip. Her father had taught her many skills over the seasons. How to hide her magic. To manifest it with using only the tiniest of mana. And not only how to cut down an opponent not using only a spell and staff, but to be just as deadly with a blade of any kind.
   “Foolish humans!” The Shade’s booming voice echoed around them. “You shall tremble at my feet and beg for mercy.”
  “You’ll be the one begging for mercy.” Hawke’s quip earned her a sideways look from the Knight Captain. The smile that touched her face was the first true genuine one she’s used since fleeing Lothering. “It’s Olivia by the way!”
  And Maker’s breath did that smile dazzle him! Cullen found himself rooted to the spot, lost in thoughts not suited for their current situation as the woman known as Hawke flew forward, sword raised and ready to strike. Quickly, he shook his head clear, forcing himself to focus on the matter at hand. He’d hoped this whole issue could’ve been resolved peacefully, but with demons and no doubt blood magic involved, death was the only option for his Templar recruit.
   “Dwarf!” Cullen dodged the slashing of claws, sidestepping and coming to rest at Hawke’s side. “Keep the little ones busy.”
  Varric shot the man a look. “Who put you in charge?”
   “Do it!” Hawke growled working with the Templar to take down the larger Shade. They were working, striking and parrying, flanking and covering in a perfect tandem one would think they’d fought side by side for years. A trust, unspoken and unexpected, passed between them. Hawke couldn’t say why and couldn’t afford the time to figure it out. All that mattered was she trusted the man to help get them out of his scuffle alive. “Isabella and Carver work your way clockwise.”
   “Watch their reach!” Cullen deflected the demon’s large claw with his shield. “They will tear you to pieces in a heartbeat.”
  “Watch it!” Even as he was issuing his warning, Hawke snagged the Templar by the back of his breastplate and yanked to remove him from the path of a stream of acid that came from one of the demons trying to protecting the alpha of the pack. Having a dead Knight Captain on her hands was the last thing she wanted or she’d endure Meredith’s wrath. Or that’s the reason Hawke told herself.
  At first, Cullen had been highly annoyed by the group’s interruption. Now, as sweat poured off his brow and rolled under the heavy plate he wore, he was grateful for the assistance. He pictured having to rough up Wilmond a bit to get him to divulge information on what exactly was going on with the recruits. Maybe some idle threats of dragging him in front of the Knight Commander for answers. Never did he think for a single second he’d be going toe to toe with a small horde of shade demons. This whole ordeal was only leading to more questions and fears that were deepening by the moment.
  Most everyone was subject to possession regardless of race and creed. Cullen had hoped that Templar would put up a bit more of a fight. Wilmond and most likely the other recruits seemed to give in to the demon’s pull without much of a fight. What was driving them to take such measures? Was Meredith right to see Blood Magic in every being that walked Thedas? After Ferelden circle, Cullen should know better about mages and magic. He’d been at its mercy in the worst way possible.
   Seeing one of the demon’s winding up to strike in the woman’s blind spot, Cullen lashed out with his shield to keep the blasted thing from knocking the woman down. Or worse, far worse in his mind, deliver a killing blow. The thought of losing her was enough to cause his heart a pause. He pushed that away, for now, to focus on the battle and only the battle.
  “Carver!” Watching her brother stumble beneath a heavy blow from the Shade he was fighting, Hawke snatched the small dagger in her boot and sent it flying, hitting the approaching demon straight in the face. She noted the look of pure annoyance, possible hatred, on her brother’s face for her interference before she shifted to be back to back with the blonde headed Templar. “Your life always this exciting, Sir Knight?”
   Maker help him, Cullen let out a huff of laughter. Her off-handed comment should have shifted his focus, making him sloppy, but instead had the opposite effect. Something else to think about later. And by Andraste, she was easy to look at. “Hardly.”
  Humor danced in her Ferelden drawl, “Don’t tell me you’re one of those strait-laced templars, Sir Knight.”
   Cullen shifted along with the woman, striking out at Wilmond’s shade form. “I just might be.”
   “You’re breaking my heart, Sir Knight!” Hawke recalled back the barrier spell slipping past her guard. No need to prove her brother right and have the Templar throw her into the Gallows.
   He laughed. Why was he laughing? Bantering in battle? He’d never been one for it before and found it to be a needless distraction. Yet, here they were beating back the Shades carrying an almost calm conversation taking away the stress of possibly dying. They taught unification of battle in Templar training and harped on it constantly. Cullen simply never had the experience in his rather turbulent career. It felt… Well, nice. “I have a name you know.”
   Hawke stopped him with a hearty laugh. “No don’t, it will break the mysterious aura, Ser Knight.”
   “Will you two cut it out!” Came Carver’s grumpy done behind them. “These things are trying to kill us and I rather go home with everything intact.”
  “Don’t you worry little brother,” Hawke tossed over her shoulder. “I’ll make sure you go home with all your swords.”
  If it was possible, the younger Hawke blushed under the stain of red from the demon’s blood.
 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 (Battle Section Needs to be Written)
  “I knew it!” Now that battle was done, Cullen threw his shield to the ground, gripping tightening on the hilt of his sword. “I knew he was involved in something sinister. But this… Is it even possible?”
   Hawke watched the Knight Captain pace like a caged animal. She could see the words Blood Magic swirling in his amber gaze. “I take it your friend here was possessed.”
  “He wasn’t my… Yes. How I’m not sure.” Cullen resisted the urge to drag his gauntlet clad hand through his disheveled curls. “Usually we only have to worry about Mages falling into temptation. I have heard rumors of Blood Mages and other types of magic that could summon a demon into an unwilling host but had only thought it was rumors. Hope it would be,” He softly added.
   “Why were you out here alone?” Isabella wondered tracking the Knight Captain’s movements herself in case she had to intervene on her friend’s behalf.
  “I’ve been investigating the disappearances of some of Templar Recruits,” Cullen quickly shot back a heat now settled in his gaze. “I followed Wilmond here in hopes to find the others and get some answers. I had intended to confront him quietly and out of sight.”
   Varric chuckled slightly. “Not the usual Templar style”
  Hawke shot the dwarf a look to turn off the sarcasm. By the looks of things, it was clear the Knight Captain had enough rattling around in his head, he didn’t need to be poked anymore.
  “People are thinking that Knight-Commander Meredith was involving them in some sort of deadly ritual,” Isabella’s words had the Templar coming to a halt as his head jerked around with a look of utter disbelief etched on to his face. “What was Wilmond doing out here?”
   “I don’t know really. Wilmond has never been one to be fully convinced of the Templar rules.” Cullen glanced down at the pile that was left of the man he spoke of. “Mages can never be our friends. They must always be watched.” He missed how his words caused Hawke to pale. “I thought perhaps he was meeting up with old friends that escaped the circle.”
   Hawke listened to him theorize and talk about his previous experience at the Ferelden circle out loud trying to remember her father’s training about her emotions while pushing her magic down further. She didn’t know why, but hearing him say mages couldn’t be Templar’s friends stung far more than it should. Carver caught her gaze, an urgent look in his moss green eyes telling her that they needed to get out of here as fast as they could. For once, she agreed wholeheartedly and didn’t care who knew that.
  “I didn’t want to hurt him,” Cullen finished pushing to his feet and turning his back on the ashes. “I drew my sword because he had to think my threats were genuine. I never wanted to hurt him. You must believe that.”
  “I do.” And Hawke found herself speaking truthfully. “Where is your investigation now, Ser Knight?”
  “My trail has led me to the Blooming Rose, but haven’t been able to venture there to find any answers. I need-.” Cullen found that Wilmond had one more trick up his sleeve. There was a spike of panic, one he couldn’t even be sure belong to him before he acted. Throwing his battle partner to the side, he couldn’t manage to stifle the cry as sharp claws pierced through his armor. Searing pain broke out across his chest, the sensation moving upwards to his throat. There was a shout from his battle partner and another high-pitched screech from what remained of the demon as he hit the ground with enough force to rattle is teeth.
   Maker, it hurt. Cullen couldn’t move past the agony to actually form the words.
   “Shit. Shit.” Hawke dropped down beside the injured. The Knight Captain had three deep lacerations starting at his sternum, his breastplate had been pierced so easily it might as well have been cloth, to his neck, that was filet open. He was losing too much blood. Yanking her gloves off, Hawke found herself stroking the man’s matted curls in order to soothe while inspecting the ghastly wounds.
   “Don’t!” Carver commanded seeing the moment his sister threw caution to the wind for the sake of the Templar’s life. “We need to go, Olivia. Now!”
  “He’s going to die!” Hawke wouldn’t leave him. Couldn’t. Thinking about it made her heartache. She had to save this man’s life. Templar or not, she couldn’t allow his existence to be snuffed out from this world and even found the mere thought was nearly as painful as the man’s physical wounds.
   Carver pulled on Olivia’s arm. “He is the fucking Knight Captain,” He reminded receiving an elbow to the groin that brought him dropping to his knees. “Fucking Maker, Olivia!”
  “He’s trying to save your life!” Isabella countered steadying the younger Hawke before he fell face first into the mud. “We need to move, Hawke!”
  “If I don’t help him, he will die,” Hawke shot back breaking the seal of control she kept over her magic. He looked terrified. His eyes, two pools of liquid honey, were blown wide and filled with a terror she had seen in the final moments of Bethany’s life. Losing him was incomprehensible. She just couldn’t allow it to happen. They were pleading with her for the help her companions were trying to denying him laced with a hint of confusion as to why they would leave him to die in the first place. “And don’t you think our lives will be safe when the Knight Commander gets wind we were involved in the Knight Captain’s death?”
   Varric, his voice calm and collected, knelt down beside her. “Think about what it will mean for you, Sparrow.”
  It didn’t matter. Her life and freedom didn’t matter. Only this man she knew next to nothing about. Mindset keeping this man alive, she looked down. His expression had changed. Maybe he sensed her determination, desperation, to save him. Regardless, he now looked at her with a sense of contentment. For what, Hawke wasn’t sure. Perhaps knowing if he did die, at least he wouldn’t be alone. Placing her palms flat against him on either side of the gaping wounds, Hawke shook off the mental block she always kept on her magic and let it come roaring to life. She watched him, watched the changes in his amber eyes, as she cast a healing spell in a last-ditch effort to grasp onto the remnants of life rapidly leaving him.
  Stay with me Hawke silently prayed, fighting his body’s attempt to purge her magic. A fail safe all Templar’s possessed but he was stronger than anything she ever felt before. Stay with me.
  I’m trying
  The mage jolted. Cullen hadn’t uttered a single word. She’d been watching his face intently studying his features for signs her magic won the battle for life. His mouth never moved. Yet, she clearly heard his voice in her ear. Shaking it from her mind, Hawke poured everything she had into the spell, draining both her mana and even her life force as she rode death with him. Her companions had stopped trying to distract her though Hawke could feel their worry hitting her like a sledgehammer. Later, much later, she would have to apologize and attempt to explain her deep-rooted need to save a Templar. She hoped by then she might have an explanation because right now there was no logic behind her reasoning other than she didn’t care what it cost. She didn’t care it was a Templar’s life. The only thing that mattered was she saved him.  
   Tears burned and gathered, distorting Cullen’s vision and losing sight of his savior’s face. He could feel the first sweet signs of relief from the burning anguish as his body’s resistance gave way to her spell. Magic began to work up his torso, knitting the larges gashes hastily together. After all his years of service and what he experienced at the Ferelden Circle, Cullen should’ve fought harder to resist the magic and take out the mage with what little strength remained. Strangely, he found himself relaxing into her touch, trusting her as she battled with the keepers of the Fade to keep them from taking him. He felt her strength dissipating with each passing moment. Felt the pressure of her weight against his tender chest as her body sagged in exhaustion. Soon, his breathing evened while hers grew ragged, almost painful. Was she experiencing his pain?
  Too delirious to understand what was happening, Cullen let the darkness take him knowing she had won the battle.
   Hawke collapsed beside the unconscious man gasping for breath and barely able to remain conscious herself. His wounds were healed though they would scar heavily from the severity of them. At least the bleeding had stopped and she could feel his strength regenerating already. Meaning he would wake to fight another day and most likely take her away from all that she loved. She asked herself once again why she didn’t care as long as he pulled through.
   “Carver grab her and let’s get the fuck out of here,” Isabella instructed picking up the man’s two-handed sword knowing Carver was overly fond of the weapon. “Before he wakes or others come.”
  “Wait,” Hawke weakly protested.
  “Shut up!” Carver slid his arms under the limp frame of his sister. “For the love of the Maker, shut up and listen to me for once. Believe it or not, I’m trying to do what’s best for you.”
   “Potion.” Hawke didn’t fight him this time around. There was no energy left anyway. “Leave potions.”
   “Got you covered, Sparrow,” Varric assured digging into his satchel for some vials. “You just let junior take care of you.”
  Carver held her tightly against his chest. “What were you thinking, Olivia? How could you be so reckless.”
  Two of the more important questions stemming from her exposure. Too tired to do anything but breathe, Hawke laid her head on his shoulder and slipped into the darkness.
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bhaalble · 6 years ago
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Alistair: A Defense, a Critique
I PROMISED AN ESSAY
I DELIVER AN ESSAY.
So here we go. What’s up Ferelden, its him, ya boi
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So, let’s start off by clearly delineating some things that Alistair is, and more importantly, what he is not.
I think there’s a tendency with Alistair critical posts to treat the worst possible version of Alistair as the “real him”, which is more than a little unfair. Unhardened, kinda bitchy Alistair is a part of him, yes, but its a part of him that only arises when your Warden is continually a dick to him, and I think it’s fair to say that none of us are the best versions of ourselves when we’re constantly being treated like shit or ignored. Furthermore, this isn’t really something we do when we talk about the other characters. Zevran straight up tries to murder you if you don’t have his approval ratings high enough and somehow most people don’t see Zevran as inherently a backstabbing little shit.
So, let’s run down the list of common accusations and overturn them
Alistair is not stupid. He’s just…not. Morrigan jokes, yes, but Morrigan tends to see everyone as an idiot for not sharing her worldview, including your Warden. The one who jokes about Alistair being stupid more often than anyone is Alistair, but as we see time and time again, he’s rarely the most trustworthy source for his real complications.
Alistair may not be a scholar and can make some pretty boneheaded statements, yes, but he’s hardly alone in that department for the DA:O crew. His retorts show some real wit behind them at points. He can demonstrate great social awareness (e.g. catching on to the fact that the Grand Cleric sending him, an ex-templar, to interact with the Circle Mages was definitely an intentional slight). Furthermore, I’d like to point out that he managed to catch on to the Chantry’s bullshit all on his own, before he racked up dozens of counts of mage abuse (*cough* CULLEN *cough*). He still shows some effects of the templar’s training, (especially in his treatment of Jowan and Morrigan) but I’d argue that this is hardly a surprise. He’s been subjected to it 24/7 since he was a child. But he’s aware, and based on the other templars we meet throughout the game that on its own shows some serious introspection and critical thinking.
Alistair is not selfish. While he has his moments, I don’t think that’s really who he is, deep down. Take, for instance, his forgiveness of Arl Eamon. He hasn’t seen Eamon for years. The expected arc would be that he waits for Eamon to wake up, gets an apology, and then forgives him. But based on how he talks about him when you enter Redcliffe, its clear that he’s already forgiven Eamon, and is honestly more than a little ashamed of his behavior. Frankly, this is more selfless than even I would be: imagine being twelve, having lived your life as a street urchin because your adoptive father simply won’t treat you any different than he treats his paid employees, only to be sent away from the only home you’ve ever known because your presence embarrasses his wife. Frankly, I think Alistair would be justified in resenting Eamon for it, but it’s clear that he doesn’t. He calls him a good man from beginning to end.
Furthermore, I think what the Guardian says to Alistair is telling. He doesn’t just feel sad that Duncan is gone. He feels guilty. He, deep down, genuinely believes it should have been him. He wishes he could throw himself on the sword to save his mentor. Then there’s the ritual to consider. It takes some convincing (because of course it does) but with little fuss, Alistair will sleep with a woman he genuinely dislikes (which hoo boy does this make a consent conversation more than a little shaky) to conceive a child that he will never get to see. He, a bastard child cast away from his father, is essentially doing the same thing. All to ensure that he won’t risk his friends dying. Even an unhardened King Alistair casting off a non-human non-noble Warden, while it of course hurts, to me shows a sense of latent responsibility. He genuinely loves and cares about your HoF, but he has the sense that this matters more. That even though he never wanted this burden, he has to carry it as best he can.
What Alistair is is immature.
I want to draw a fine distinction here because I think we tend to use immature interchangeably with “selfish” and “stupid”, so it can sound like I’m contradicting myself. So, to explain myself: I use “immature” in the sense of a symptom, rather than a personality.
For an example of “immature as a personality”, look no further than Tony Stark in like, the first half hour of Iron Man (arguably Tony in the rest of the movies too but ashfagdkh follow me here)
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Early Tony Stark is very much someone who is irrepressibly immature. He is capable of being an adult, but he chooses not to be, valuing his own desires above pretty much everyone else’s. He acts out simply because he knows no one will stop him, chases the shiniest, biggest toys he can get, and throws a fit when he doesn’t get his way. He treats other people’s time and needs with a flippant attitude, generally behaving like they are literally side characters who only matter so long as they help him get what he wants.
This isn’t to say there isn’t a reason Tony is the way he is (his relationship with his father being a big contributor), but what is important is that Tony is fully capable of being otherwise, knows it, and chooses not to. He revels in his shamelessness, believing that his immaturity is a sign of his intelligence. Everyone else acts like an adult because they have to, but Tony acts like a child because he is smart enough and rich enough to get away with it. Call it a sort of Capitalist Peter Pan syndrome.
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By contrast, Alistair strikes me as immature as a symptom. First off, his age is important to factor in here. Alistair is 20 (my age, which is trippy as fuck). He is barely done being a teenager by the time you meet him.
There are further factors that have stunted Alistair’s emotional maturity, even for the average 20-year-old. He jokes about having been raised by Mabari, but its very clear there weren’t a lot of adult influences in his life at a young age. He mentions Isolde ensured that the castle wasn’t home to him long before he was sent to the Chantry. Imagine being under ten and feeling like you were unwanted by a person who has the power to make your life miserable in every imaginable way.
Then, once he was moved to the Chantry….well, if the Circle is any indication, the Chantry doesn’t exactly know how to accommodate children. Alistair made life a merry hell for the priests but it’s clear he wasn’t treated very well by them. Then straight into templar training. All of this while barely interacting with the outside world and shunned by his peers for his status as a bastard. Kids need to engage with other people in order to grow up effectively. With that in mind, it’s frankly stunning that Alistair has as much care for other people as he does.
The observation of Alistair’s immaturity is exactly groundbreaking either. Think about his dream in the Fade. We see Alistair at his most honest and vulnerable, fully convinced of the illusion. And it seems his greatest dream is to have the family he never got as a child, via his sister. Alistair behaves childlike to the point of parody in this dream. He pleads like a child and tries to entice the Warden to stay by begging his mom sister to make a special meal, his favorite. Hell, the whole “hardening” subplot is basically about the Warden forcing Alistair to let go of the childhood he never got to have and moving forward into adulthood.
His immaturity doesn’t just express itself in the obvious childlike behavior, however. Even though we tend to forget that Alistair is a junior member of the Wardens and is barely more experienced than the HoF in terms of actually fighting darkspawn, I think we can all agree that tossing the decisions on someone who’s barely past their Joining probably isn’t great behavior. Pretty much every comment he makes, about mages, blood magic, elves, even women, also read as the words of a man who simply does not have the world experience yet to really know how to engage with people who aren’t like him. It doesn’t mean these comments don’t….yanno, suck, but there is rarely any real malice behind them. Despite the hardships in Alistair’s life (of which there have been many, I grant), he has still been on the receiving end of certain privileges by virtue of being a man and being human non-mage, and it is clear he is still unlearning the prejudice inherent in that. His youth doesn’t excuse how hurtful or ignorant his comments can be, but its the unfortunate truth that, especially for those of us who grow up relatively privileged, being mindful of the Other is a learning process.
However, the main reason I view this immaturity as a symptom more than a personality is that I think Alistair has a genuine desire to grow past this. He acknowledges that he complains a lot, with an additional note that “and you haven’t been having an easy time of it either”. If you push back on his comments (or at least when the game gives you the chance to), he’ll usually apologize for it. And as I said, the hardening storyline to me indicates that Alistair is more than ready to grow up. He’s just still learning how to do it.
None of this, by the way, means that you have to love Alistair. Its more than easy to be annoyed by him, especially for a non-human and/or non-noble character. In the interest of full disclosure, it took me romancing Alistair to move past simply tolerating him. But I think its time for all of us to stop pretending Alistair is something he isn’t. He isn’t really a side character as much as he is a deuteragonist. More than any other companion (except, arguably, Morrigan), Alistair has a character arc that acts in response to your own characters. He grows and changes over the course of the narrative in a way that parallels how the story treats him, and if you create an Alistair that behaves like an asshole, well, you might want to take a look at how you’ve been treating him
to
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worthyfate · 6 years ago
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// Dragon Age Questions
Tagged by: @dalathin Tagging: idk man come take it
01) Favourite game of the series? i am ATTACHED to da2, but dai has jumping and man i love that so much
02) How did you discover Dragon Age? uh.... no idea honestly. i think i bought my ps3 and then just grabbed a handful of games, and dao was one, and then i just. i was hooked. 
03) How many times you’ve played the games? 
dai way more than i should, but i’ve only finished dao twice, da2 once, and dai like. several (ive been on a dai finish quest for alllll endings)
04) Favourite race to play as? 
elves because... elves.
05) Favorited class? it was mages at the v beginning but dual wielding rogues? my new fav
06) Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time? i generally make the same choices, but sometimes i just go ‘fuck it’ to see what happens -- one of my most recent playthrus, my inquisitior was a dick. i mean i loved her, but she was truly a horrible person
07) Go-to adventuring group? mmm in dao it was alistair, wynne, zevran usually. in da2 it was typically fenris, anders, isabela. dai usually sees me with dorian, bull, and then the third one changes based on 1) who i’m romancing 2)what my class is and 3) who has the best weapons at the moment
08) Which of your characters did you put the most thought into? 
definitely teren by far. he’s my baby and i feel everything he does on such a strong level. but ellie is now beginning to get the same amount of effort
09) Favourite romance? 
you can pull the dorian romance from my cold dead hands thanks. THAT BEING SAID i also adore encouraging bull/dorian, and if that means i need to romance someone else, then fine. cullen, too, is precious. i’m quite fond of zevran and anders’ romances. (i love fenris as a romance, but i feel like idk... there’s just more thought and angst in anders)
10) Have you read any of the comics/books? 
nope 11) If you read them, which was your favourite book?
i should get on this, honestly
12) Favourite DLCs? trespasser is gold, but i ADORE jaws of hakkon. ameridan’s story is just. i love it. admittedly i haven’t actually... complete most of the dlcs for dao or da2
13) Things that annoy you. i mean nothing comes to mind? i guess the sort of inherent sympathy for mages? like the game kinda pushes you to that, and the templar route in dai is so fascinating and kind of? more developed? than the mages? but everyone chooses mages because, well, mages.
14) Orlais or Ferelden? ferelden on like.. principle, but orlais is hilarious.
15) Templars or mages? i always end up choosing the mages just because i feel like thats what the game wants, but i also really love the templars in dai
16) If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one? well my player characters are generally in their own verses, but game canons are generally all lumped together. mostly its based individually though
17) What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc) i only ever named my dog in dao, and that was rune. i think i named the one in da2 something similar. i don’t.... name things.
18) Have you installed any mods? 
i only JUST got into modding and well. that’s why i don’t do anything else anymore
19) Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden? 
aedan didn’t, aliana hadn’t considered it but was pretty happy about it
20) Hawke’s personality? sort of a sarcastic dick, honestly.
21) Did you make matching armour for your companions in Inquisition? not for all companions, but my quizzie and their LI always have matching armor (and if its bull/dorian, i give it to them too).
22) If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change? teren would never go to the conclave, ellie wouldn’t have had her vallaslin removed, aedan would have tried harder to train, ali wouldn’t have changed much, warren probably would have tried harder to get along with carver. then there’s all the canon shit for the game canons
23) Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon? idk how much of what my hcs are are for or against canon. my main thing is that fenris is not from seheron or whatever. also teren’s mark began acting up at least a month before the council, but he hid it from people. morrigan is not straight, but that’s mostly just for samarha. and also hawke isn’t just a mage. he’s actually more a rogue than anything.
24) Who did you leave in the Fade? 
i typically leave stroud where its an option. teren left loghain, and ellie leaves alistair because... i mean mostly because she didnt want to see varric sad. ive left hawke a few times though
25) Favourite mount?
i’m really fond of the frost elk
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a-friend-of-red-jenny · 8 years ago
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i think an indication of the light (i.e. the talented writers.......) leaving the da series is that like origins is, in a lot of ways, a type of game i’m not usually into. i hate the way everything looks, i hate a lot of the mechanics, i have adhd and the idea of reading all that warden dialogue makes me want to take a nap and usually would really break illusion for me but i loved the game and i got so attached to my surana...i played through it twice with her to explore different options and romance leliana and zevran, and then when i got it on pc i made the same character, because i couldn’t think of playing it without her tbh, and modded the game to romance morrigan like i’d always dreamed of lmao. bioware made me create and live through this character and go through an expirience that for me, always culminated in a dramatic, fitting, emotional sacrifice. i am still touched by the story of my surana, who finally went out into the world and really got to know it and make friends in it for a short time, and then ultimately made the decision to die protecting it. nowadays i dont remember like..anything abt it except for the characters, but thats msotly because it got way overshadowed in my heart by 2
dragon age 2 is a rushed and broken piece of shti with half its story missing. i’ve probably played it all the way through about 9 or 10 times?? i made a bunch of different characters this time because i wanted to explore all the options (in a game where you explore the same caves 800 times and have the same argument through the entire storyline lol). i cared more about that game than i maybe ever have about a game? it made me love the series, somehow, even though i hated so much stuff about the da world bc its boring as hell tbh, because of the life in the characters. i romanced them all at least twice. i did everything i could other than side with the templars, and i like tried, multiple times, but i couldnt. the game made me feel strongly enough about it that i couldn’t bring myself to /pretend/ to agree with a socio-political stance in the game world because it went too strongly against my morals. a lot of the ‘choices’ you make in biowares are illusions of choice that mean nothing, but in da2 i feel like they were the best at both 1)hiding that, and 2)making some choices matter if only because YOU know what YOU did, even if it doesn’t effect anything.
and the kicker is like, this is dorky as hell lol but in my mind’s eye i picture my surana in a relationship with zevran, leliana, and morrigan, because they were all characters i got invested in and stuck with me and i feel they made an impression on the character i created and put into the story to an extent that it would feel wrong picturing that character without any of them. she’s best friends with sten. she wishes her and wynne could get along better, as fellow mages. she...wishes the best for alistair. hawke is the same deal; the four og romances were each affecting and important enough to me that i end up deciding ‘my hawke’ is just dating everyone lol. i like all the characters too much to choose. i’ve thought so so so much about the hawke i finally settled on. about her relationships with her family and their past, things she feels guilty about, how she handles and expresses that guilt, how she feels deep down about every important character and plot point.
when i first got inquisition it was the most hyped i’d ever gotten about something. i would gush at my brother about the lore of the world for literal actual hours at a time in the months before the game came out. i borrowed money to buy it the second it came out. I played through the whole thing, like, 99% completion, the only achievements i was missing were ones that required a second play through or specific story choices i didn’t know about. I freaked out at my friends not to spoil anything because they’d finished the game before I’d gotten to the winter palace. I never finished a second playthrough. I started several other characters but I know on a few of them i never even got to the fight at haven (or past the pride demon, but that was as a mage on expert mode which i’m pretty sure is actually just not possible so rip i guess) I don’t really have a ‘canon’ inquisitor? I don’t really feel anything about the one I finished the game with. Even as excited as I was I spent the whole game annoyed that the inquisitor didn’t seem to have personality at all, let alone the choice of a personality that you could make with your warden or with hawke. I romanced sera.....and I actually felt bad about myself because of how they wrote everyone else to treat her. It actually made me feel unwanted and wrong as a young lesbian. I cried when sera was confirmed pre-release as a for sure, specifically Lesbian love interest. I loved her before the game even came out. It made me feel accepted in a time and place where I very actively was not, and when I was struggling, within finding myself as a Gay Youth in general, with the idea that being a lesbian, specifically, was a bad thing that I should choose not to be in lieu of a better, more progressive form of Gay. Cue a proud and unapologetic lesbian character, the first in the series, that everyone fucking hates and that you can kick out of the game at any time with little consequence. With a romantic story line that seemed like an afterthought, and to have less care and attention put into it than two straight options that actually WERE afterthoughts, because they weren’t even going to be in the game until mid-development. A lesbian with an opening quest for her romance arc that is basically just you running around to every other companion and listening to them list everything they hate about her, at worst telling you you’re making a mistake in associating with her bc shes stupid and disgusting and at best giving an obvious “well....whatever you think is best....hope that works out for you..........OUO;;;.....” That quest, if you keep romancing her, culminates in what is supposed to be both of you deciding “fuck what all of society thinks, we’re all we need” because, lesbians, right? thats the lesbian narrative? except homophobia doesnt exist in this world so we had to make everyone hate sera Herself in order to fit it in and that doesnt have any implications at all. and then you have sex; sera’s very sexual, because,,,,,,,,,,not because men think lesbians are hot umm........its because........uhhh........its empowerment!!! but i digress like i love sera despite bioware lol. and i tried to spend time daydreaming and fleshing out my inquisitor and her and their relationship and lives with each other and shit but all the thinking i did on it was forced. unlike my surana and my hawke, my inquisitor isn’t poly w/ everyone because i couldn’t bare to choose between characters i loved. i didn’t even romance most of them. i don’t even have a specific character in mind as ‘my’ inquisitor. the characters i liked the most, that felt the most well-written and fleshed out, were established characters from pre-existing da content. and the game even fucked up my hawke that i cared about and loved because they wanted to capitalize on how much people love hawke, and love Their hawke, but put in a weird hawke-puppet that had none of Any of the personalities you could give them, and that just said dull bullshit about how theyve seen what the corruption of blood magic can do, etc. etc. etc. like.....................................the magic is gone and their left with good characters they don’t know how to write and i mostly boring world with some interesting aspects they decide never to touch on.
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