#oc: harwen lavellan

[invinciblerodent]

Man, I had forgotten just how much I loved these two together.

I'm so sad that I don't have recordings of their "main" scenes (or that most of the shots that I do have are from before I could have optimized things to be able to run on high settings), but at least I have these ❤️

[invinciblerodent]

If I remember right, I eventually settled for "Shiny"!

Quick!! Reblog this with a picture of your Inquisitor and the nickname Varric gives them! (I'm honestly so curious!!)

[invinciblerodent]

I snoopes around your old tags aand I am a little in love with Harwen

Aaaah, thank you, I'm so happy you like him! ❤️❤️

I've been thinking about him a lot this Veilguard eve too, kinda revisiting him (and some of my other, "non-canon" guys, especially vis a vis the Themes™ and how they continue through the new guys), and for what it's worth... I think that for a character I made when I was only like 22, he still works pretty well!

I would probably do a few things differently now, more consciously, but, I mean... I still think that the "reclusive, introverted, gray-ace-but-specifically-demisexual Dalish assassin-strategist Experiencing Cultural Divide And Alienation" is still a fun concept that I really like!

.... I have also been toying around a bit with mods for the BG3 cc, to try and make (among others) him an updated face for the Veilguard timeskip too, and um.

the "Vallaslin" and the nose on this one are not quite right (the Vallaslin is supposed to be Andruil's, and his nose is supposed to be a bit hooked, kind of aquiline), but in his mid- to late forties? There's no way Harwen isn't gonna be dilfy. A positively dilfy elf.

(This is, I believe, is Shadowheart's dad's face, and he's an assassin-spec archer rogue in Dragon Age canon, but I think he'd be more of a hunter-, or gloom stalker-subclass Ranger in real DnD.)

[invinciblerodent]

woke up pacing up and down mentally about contrasting my Josie-mancer mLavellan Harwen, and my planned fAldwir Syl, and the ways they are going to experience their elvishness

because I think I'm going to wind up making her struggle eerily similar as the one I gave him back in the day.

(rambling under the cut)

i mean for Harwen (who initially never really had any doubts and hangups about being Dalish, he was just straight up an elfy elf raised in a forest and a useful member of his clan), becoming Inquisitor in his timeline was primarily a story about a profound loss being replaced with a subsequent gain of a new, far more personal identity than the previous.

Losing his role as huntmaster and gaining a new one as "the herald of Andraste" had allowed him to break out of his predetermined role within the clan (one that he had originally accepted without question), while more or less letting him maintain his Dalish identity. But eventually, him loving Josephine ended up working as something of a symbol of him choosing to be the individual man he became during the story, rather than returning to either identity imposed upon him by outside expectation.

(it really crystallized for me that he wants to be neither Herald nor Huntmaster when, while playing him, I decided that he chose to desecrate holy grounds of his people during What Pride Had Wrought out of fear for her -a shemlen's- life specifically.) (Simply put, he elected not to honor the rituals and run through the temple instead, because the longer he dallied, the longer would she also be in danger.)

And at the end of the game's plot, I basically had him choose to forsake his heritage in favor of staying in human society, and move to Antiva to stay with Josie- primarily for love, but on a deeper level, for the singular kind of personal acceptance he never did find with his very own people.

It wasn't an easy choice, abandoning all that he had known before and sacrifice so much, and it continues to be a sore spot for him (possibly for life- I once gave him a line that went something like "no gilded saddlery will make a wild donkey into a thoroughbred, and wrapping your elf in silks and velvet won't make him a noble suitor either"), but... well, he had always been a man who lived with a layer of glass hanging between him and the community. What's being an outsider in a different culture, if it means having honest, devoted, kind love that extends beyond his performing of a function. (which yeah, that may have been me channeling my own feelings of inadequacy and separation from my own culture through him, but yknow, what the hell, having him silently struggle with loss and the guilt of not feeling more guilty despite being actually happy continues to be cathartic to me lol.) (it's pretty autobiographical for the place I was in back then, lol.)

--

For Syl on the other hand, I've been rotating in my head some plans about a potential love triangle between her, Neve, and Bellara, and kind of using that romantic conflict as a representation of the diverging paths ahead of Syl, with either woman being sort of a representative of the two "warring" sides of her.

I'm thinking of her so far as an Orlesian-born city elf (her backstory is a bit foggy still, but I kind of want her to have met and become utterly infatuated with Neve in some context before the start of the game, partly because sapphic yearning, and partly because it'd represent her upbringing to a degree) who later elected to join the Veil Jumpers as a desperate attempt to try and connect with the culture she was always told was supposed to be hers (the Dalish). As one such person, she would have experienced a lot of rejection from both sides: always too Orlesian for the Dalish, and too elvish to be more than "just an elf" in the eyes of the Orlesians. She is, in all respects, a woman in-between.

I think I'd like either outcome a lot, and it would either play on the same theme as Harwen's story, or be pretty much its opposite. And I know nobody but me cares about this, but fuck, I'm just vibrating with excitement over getting to play with new dolls in Thedas again, lol

And now I'm toying with which way I want her to go. Which means that choosing between the human- and the Dalish woman will probably represent which part of her own self she is going to choose to embrace: Is she going to end up as a city elf in Tevinter (potentially a bad time) by Neve's side, or will she remain a Veil Jumper and embrace Dalish tradition (which skin will never truly fit as it should) by Bellara's?

I think this is going to be a situation where change and complacency are kind of all mixed together in this odd soup where the two options are somehow both representative of both those things at the same time, and it'll ultimately come down to how resistant Syl is going to be to everything, and which person she is with either woman she likes better.

[invinciblerodent]

Man, I can't get over how close this face really IS to a timeskip-Harwen face. His brows are not quite as ~~~lush~~~ and his nose isn't hooked, but if this guy showed up in a sequel made ten years after the original and they told me that it's the same guy as the one above, I'd probably believe it.

He grew out his undercut slightly, got his tattoo touched up (oooh, controversial move!), and that's kind of it.

.... And now that I think about it, I'm not sure what his title should be. Before I didn't give it much thought, and assumed that it would be "Lord Montilyet", but that wouldn't be true, would it.

No, his has to be a courtesy title, because his only association to nobility is by marriage (and let's be real, he probably mostly agreed to get human-married only because Josie asked, and she too only asked because she knew it would legitimize their relationship and grant him a degree of legal protections in Antiva), which would make him a "Mister".

But they don't USE "Mister" in fantasy-lands, and I... don't truly feel like submerging myself in this particular bed of worms too deeply, lol.

Maybe I'll just have them refer to him as "the Master Montilyet", which can, if they leave out the "the", sound like they're using it as a subtle insult too, to liken him to a child.

.... I think the two of them being publicly together probably caused quite the stir either way. For a lady of "good stock" and the head of such an old and powerful family to marry a "Dalish savage", it was probably the talk of a big slice of the upper crust of Antiva City for a while, but I'm sure it was ultimately handled.

I can see a fun story in them and Leliana just sort of forging a birth certificate for him (not like he had one to begin with), and presenting him as sort of a lost "Lord of the Dalelands", just so most of the Merchant Princes (who may be varying degrees of shitty about the Dalish but would still not mind dealing with the Montilyets) would have an excuse to shrug, and accept the Lady Montilyet's husband's pointy ears as just her little quirk of character.

(I get kind of a kick out of his presence acting as sort of an unofficial litmus test for future allies. Like if someone approaches, and immediately assumes that he's part of the staff or his own daughter's nanny, they've shown themselves boorish and/or stupid in one move and aren't worth dealing with, but if they show enough cunning to have gotten enough information in advance to recognize him, or simply have enough tact to just treat the suspiciously well-dressed elf with basic respect, that's a person worth hearing out, lol.)

[invinciblerodent]

Masterlist

Twitch page 🎮

YouTube channel 📺

❌No longer tagging "datv spoilers" for Dragon Age: The Veilguard! I continue to tag "dragon age" for any post relating to the franchise, and "squirrel plays datv" for my own posts!❌

Fic:

AO3 page (as of jan 2024, mostly old Dragon Age and Mass Effect fics- this is to be updated)

Ficlet on immortal elven souls and vampiric immortality (BG3, Astarion/Iona)

"Prayer of an unknown cleric" (BG3, Gale/Arvid)

Warden Tristan of the Grey - OC backstory snippet (DA:TV)

Verbena of the Shadow Dragons - OC backstory snippet (DA:TV)

Selected love letters (DA:I, Dorian/Ray)

Characters:

Baldur's Gate 3

Arvid Trygg (he/him, 54)

"Gold dwarf" cleric of Tempus

Soldier background

❤️: Gale Dekarios

Playlist 🎶

Summary:

Note written by Gemria Bozzahr, 1438 DR, found pinned to the swaddling of a corpse-blue, wailing infant boy: "If you've any care for the weak, please find one who may care for him. I cannot face my family as mother to a half-breed. May he find grace in the glory of your god, and let him bear the name 'Arvid', after the father he may never know."

A bastard son born from but one night shared by a trader's daughter and a handsome duergar soldier, Arvid was raised by clerics of Tempus in a small and insignificant monastery/fortress, in a small and insignificant town close to Neverwinter. Now, it was unusual for Tempurans to take in urchins like that, but the boy, while unusual in his appearance and meek in his nature, proved a quick study, and a rare talent at healing. Which, with his quiet, mellow (and soon, not even quite so anxious!) personality, made him a favored addition to the "mercenary" excursions of the warrior-priests: and so, hitting the ground running, Arvid learned to fight in the very melting pot of battle.

With body and spirit molded by the Foehammer's teaching, he took his Acolyte vows shortly after his 16th spring, and became a fully fledged cleric of the Faith much younger than most. And as time passed slowly (and with... only a regular amount of constant bloodshed), he made his way to the rank of Direhar (guardian-priest). It was at 53 that he was called to Baldur's Gate: partly to replace the sole healer of the city's monastery who had perished (naturally in battle), and partly at the urging of his Warlyon (high priest), as an opportunity for him to eventually, maybe, even head his own congregation.

Of course, the mind flayers had different plans.

After merely a year of trying to establish a foothold in the city with... middling-to-poor success, Arvid was yanked from the city streets while trying to usher as many of those fleeing into the protection of the temple as possible. Fat load of good playing the hero did for him. (But to be fair, that's... kind of his theme.)

Iona Raedir (she/her, 61)

High elf sorcerer (draconic ancestry, red)

Guild Artisan background (jeweler/trader)

❤️: Astarion Ancunín

Playlist 🎶

Summary:

"Don't ask, kitten, and I won't lie."

Once dutiful daughter, once devoted wife, always a secret sorceress. Iona lived most of her life in a settlement by the name of Puremount's Hollow, among the so-called 'Emissaries of the Immaculate': a radical offshoot of the Ilmaterian church, one that views all magic as the domain befitting solely the gods, and arcane casters, abhorrent thieves of divine power. So, with the magic of ancient dragons thrumming in her veins, that... was sort of a problem.

To her very good excuse, neither did she join of her own accord, nor did she know she commanded such powers at the time. She was only 11 years old, after all.

But, one of the things elves do best, is wait. So that's what she did, and she played her part expertly: she and her beloved father lived their life in accordance with human traditions, he took a second wife (we don't talk about the first, it's too painful), she married the first boy who asked her (Herric Birchlight- a nice boy, if rough around the edges), and kept her facade (though loveless and rote, minor issue) impeccable, while ignoring her magic as it grew and yearned to be used. For over 30 long years, she kept playing her part. But even the best liars must eventually slip- or be made to slip, more accurately.

Uncovered as an "abominable thief" of divine power, a "pretender", a "fucking witch" and "magespawn" (all Herric's lovely words about the woman he had once called "wife" and "love"), Iona was forced to flee the compound, and took the burning of bridges behind her quite literally, taking little more than the clothes on her back and that brand new scar on her face.

She was snatched less than a day after she had finally arrived to Baldur's Gate, penniless, exhausted, and alone- and for all intents and purposes, she can't quite shake the feeling that this really might have been a better outcome than many of the possible alternatives.

Petyr Wildbrook (he/him, 45)

Wood half-elf ranger/rogue

Outlander background

❤️: Shadowheart, Halsin Silverbough

Playlist 🎶

Summary:

Raised among druids of the Circle of the Shepherd, Petyr waited quite a bit longer than he should have had to for his magic to show itself. And, well, it... simply never did. Brother, cousins (gods, so many cousins), friends, all inducted into the druidic arts before he could as much as conjure a single goodberry.

So, partly at the urging of his mothers and partly out of spite, Petyr took to trying to learn all he could about the wild- on his own, through sheer trial and error if need be. At 20, he gathered what meager belongings he could call his own (and a big pack of gifts from his worried, but oddly relieved family), and set out to find his luck wherever it may guide him.

Though it wasn't easy, or painless, or even smart by any stretch of the imagination, he fell into the role of a ranger and forester, and made a living as a hunter of monsters and big game, and a silent keeper of his little patch of woods: a lone watcher, and reclusive woodsman. He had always enjoyed the company of those who expect no social niceties from him anyway.

Turns out, the exception to that particular rule is the silent, squirming passenger of a tadpole behind the eyeball. And, yeah, so maybe even a self-identified utter bitch of a man is capable of being a "hero", if you stretch the meaning of the word far enough.

"Mara" (she/her; ???)

Lolth-sworn drow monk

Dark Urge

❤️: Karlach Cliffgate

Playlist 🎶

Summary:

She is three days old, and all she knows is murder.

But she's... nice. No, I promise. Or at least, she's... she's trying her best.

Dragon Age

The Veilguard

Verbena "Ver" Mercar (she/her, 32)

Human (Tevinter), Shadow Dragon warrior

❤️: Davrin

Playlist 🎶

Summary: TBD

"Tanner" Laidir (she/her, late 30's)

Dwarf (Orzammar), Lords of Fortune rogue

❤️: Lace Harding

Playlist 🎶 (WIP)

Summary: TBD

Tristan Thorne (he/him, 41)

Human (Ferelden/Orlais), Grey Warden warrior

❤️: Emmrich Volkarin

Playlist 🎶 (WIP)

Summary: TBD

Coris de Riva (she/her, early 30's)

Dwarf (Antiva), Antivan Crow rogue

❤️: Lucanis Dellamorte

Playlist 🎶 (WIP)

Summary: TBD

Marcus Ingellvar (he/him nonbinary, 25)

Human (Nevarra), Mourn Watch mage

❤️: Bellara Lutare

Playlist 🎶 (WIP)

Summary: TBD

Syl Aldwir (she/her, 27)

Elf (Tevinter), Veil Jumper rogue

❤️: Neve Gallus

Playlist 🎶 (WIP)

Summary: TBD

Origins

Aren Lorna "Arie" Aeducan (she/her, DAO: 25, DAI: 36, DATV: 46)

"Canon" Warden-Commander

Noble dwarf, sword and board warrior (Berserker+Champion)

❤️: Leliana (softened, Divine)

Aesthetic

Summary:

Aren Lorna Aeducan is a woman forged in fire through and through. Bearing the name- and donning the armor of her late grandmother, she quickly proved herself to be as steadfast and politically shrewd as her namesake.

As she was bred and born a leader and thus grew up an unintentional rival to her elder brother, she is generally proud and poised, unapologetic in her way of carrying herself, and assertive in her opinions which, while driven by a desire to do and be good, are quick to take backseat to a strong emotional motivation- She is as dedicated and passionate in love as she is in duty.

While her assertiveness may make her come off as harsh, stubborn, she is nonetheless essentially benevolent, mindful and supportive of emotions and wants of those around her- keeping people’s best interests at heart, she is diplomatic and ambitious, occasionally sarcastic, with strong convictions of what is right and just, which she intends to enforce and uphold even if that means resorting to less than legal measures. The end, in her eyes, sanctifies the means, even if that end is just the survival of one more person, be it others or herself.

The main conflicts of her character throughout the story are the choices that force her to pick between her compassion and her desire for vindication, and the choice dictated by her royal upbringing in grossly homophobic Orzammar conflicting with her later-life realization of her own bisexuality, with which she grapples until eventually she allows herself to fall in love with Leliana.

While trying to avoid facing her own emotions whenever possible, for the first chunk of the game, she is almost singularly obsessed with the idea of revenge, and until Bhelen’s eventual death at her hands, her personal vendetta takes priority even over the establishment of a stable dynasty that might be best for Orzammar in the wake of the Blight. That anger and defiance that resides in her is eventually placated, and it is only once the faith of Ferelden and Thedas no longer rests on her shoulders that she mellows out, turning from the commander into herself.

Vogar Brosca (he/him, DAO: 22, DAI: 33, DATV: 43)

Casteless dwarf, dual-wielding warrior (Reaver)

❤️: Zevran

Non-canon Warden, but an unrelated Warden in my head regardless

Vogar Brosca is unequivocally what the Hero of Ferelden should not be- he is abrasive and selfish, almost completely illiterate, and easily the most cynical man Thedas has ever carried, in its belly or on its back.

He carries a lot of anger in him- a lot of envy and jealousy, as well as overall resentment towards most everyone willing to exploit him and people like him. As he is motivated mostly by spite and a drive to prove people wrong, he always strives to show an image of strength and confidence, even though many times he would rather hide under a rock and never again poke his head out- the man has turned “fake it till you make it” into a personal motto and intends to stick to it.

After an adolescence and early adulthood as a Carta grunt (during which he had to sell his sword arm and honor simply to stay alive), he keeps his loyalties fluid, and his morals where his money is; if it suits his fancy, he is prone to reasoning away any and all decisions he might make as reasonable and moral.

As little beyond his love for his sister and his friendship with Leske tied him to the city, he was quick to jump on the opportunity to abandon Orzammar in favor of the promise of an ability to be someone beyond a casteless thug, although he won’t deny that the idea of “pretty and easy Surface girls with knockers the size of my head” also contributed to the decision- the fact that later he happened to find love by the side of a very male assassin who had been sent for his head is but an amusing caprice of fate.

As the game progresses, he grows and changes rather quickly and dramatically- the responsibility of decision-making affects him pretty badly, but the rest of the party poses a whole new set of good and bad examples and influences on him. The surface, where people look at him and say “Ser” instead of spitting, will finally show him an angle of the world which he likes- a world in which his existence is at least acknowledged beyond him being an eyesore. He also manages to eventually overcome his deeply internalized homophobia with Zevran’s help, (come to terms with his now past but then obvious affection for Leske,) and learns to trust and allow people to get close to him.

Inquisition

Raymond "Ray" Percival Trevelyan (he/him, DAI: 24, DATV: 34, BG3: 55)

"Canon" Inquisitor, Inquisitor-as-Tav AU

Human

DA: sword and board warrior (Reaver)

BG3: fighter/Oath of Devotion paladin (noble background)

❤️: DAI- Dorian Pavus, BG3- Wyll Ravengard

Playlist 🎶

Aesthetic

Summary:

There's one thing that is to be said / about him in the years to come: A hero seldom lives to see / past the ending of their tale.

Raymond begins his story a naive, idealistic young man with a passion for the romantic, the sentimental, the dramatic, and the comedic. He is witty and bright, an educated and charming man, but as such, he is also impulsive and brash, immature, and emotional- his decisions are motivated mostly, if not only by his heart, and an almost comical sense of justice.

Inspired heavily as a young teen by the Tale of the Champion and the refugees' tales about the Hero of Ferelden, he aspires to be the great hero Hawke and Lady Aeducan were painted as- while fully aware of how unattainable that ideal might be, he nevertheless aims to become the generous and brave "Knight in Shining Armor" Thedas wants him to be, more or less successfully.

In the beginning of the story, he is deeply Andrastian and practices his religion frequently, but throughout the game, his faith is shaken. Initially, it is his firmly held belief that he is in fact Andraste’s chosen, but confirmation of the opposite at Adamant plants the doubt in his heart that later results in the abandonment of organized Andrastianism, and establishing a rather more lenient, personal relationship with religion.

Throughout the events of the game, as he is faced with more and more injustices and pointless loss of life, his initially neutral-positive views on mage freedom and elf rights quickly radicalize. While the realizations take away a lot of his naiveté and optimism, make him slightly jaded and more skeptical, ultimately he matures and grows as a person. He unlearns a lot of the toxic views he internalized growing up noble, and slowly, with the help of the friends and the love he finds in the Inquisition, he also learns to allow himself to be loved.

At the end, while tired and battered and suffering from moderate- to severe PTSD, the once-green-eared kid emerges a soldier and a man more or less worthy of his title as Inquisitor.

---

The BG3 AU is set roughly 30 years after the events of DAI. After a tumultuous youth of adventuring, ostensibly saving the world (which earned him the moniker "Inquisitor of the Dales"), and the loss of his sword arm in the process, Raymond had retired from heroics young, at merely 25 years of age. Upon the peaceful passing of his father (a minor, but old-money Baldurian baron in this reality), he quickly took to managing the family estate (reconciling a tenuous love with his estranged mother- we don't talk about the past much on that one), and settled in for two joyous decades of blissful domesticity by the side of the love of his life, Dorian.

Except fate has a way of throwing its doomed chosen at increasingly bigger problems, until one finally manages to kill them.

A handful of years pass between the assassination of his husband over blasted politics and his own abduction by mind flayers, and Ray, both dreading and strangely anticipating the adventure, falls back into the role of a leader and a hero like he would into a bad habit, though he is barely a shadow of his once-gregarious, larger-than-life hero self.

Maybe this time, throwing himself at a nigh-immortal god-monster will finally wind up killing him for good. And then, maybe he can finally rest.

Or not. Who knows. At least if he's lucky, fate will take a fucking leg this time.

Adela Cadash (she/her, DAI: 37, DA:TV: 47)

Surface-born dwarf (Marcher, Tantervale)

Archer rogue (Tempest)

❤️: The Iron Bull

Non-canon Inquisitor

Summary:

Adela Cadash is a woman with an undeniable talent for consciously putting herself into the wrong place at the wrong time. She’s cynical and efficient, energetic- not one to sit idly by and contemplate consequences, more often than not she leaps before she would look. She fixes mistakes as she goes, making a lifestyle out of risk and thrill-seeking, but regardless of what it is into which she’s throwing herself, she always gives off the impression that she is at least one step ahead, even -or especially- when that’s not true.

Perceptive and cunning, Adela is an expert at reading people and giving them who, and what they want her to be. She is flexible and adaptable, clever and shrewd, capable of morphing herself into whoever the situation requires her to be- from the principled dame, through the mother figure, to the commander of war, there is a personality in her arsenal that fits that role, while she keeps her true thoughts and feelings buried six feet under.

As for religion, Adela is mostly agnostic in her views. She is mostly neutral concerning the plight of mages- while she is mostly aware of the injustices, Tantervale's Circle never caused the kind of problems Kirkwall's did, and overall, she holds mostly the same views as Vivienne does- that magic is dangerous as fire is dangerous, and she's not about to let herself get burnt.

She has, however, a passion for the finer things in life- be it food, bathing, or love, she likes to make an event, a spectacle out of the mundane. Be it Orlesian opera, really nice shoes, disgustingly overpriced alcohol, or elaborate, kinky sex, she is not one for saving things for special occasions- to her, having lived most of her life in mortal danger, every day lived is a special occasion worthy of celebrating, and she lives life from one day to the next, barely thinking past tomorrow for it may never come.

She is, all in all, a professional survivor.

Harwen Lavellan (later on Harwen Montilyet- he (primarily)/they (incidentally), DAI: ~35, DATV: ~45)

Dalish hunter

Archer rogue (Assassin)

❤️: Josephine Montilyet

Non-canon Inquisitor

Summary:

Harwen is a no-nonsense, practical man- a calm and collected, rather quiet person whose every word is spoken with purpose.

Able to think coolly and logically even in the face of danger, Harwen is a born analyst and strategist. He’s prone to seeming emotionally detached in his decision-making and known to prioritize the purpose over the idea- Ultimately, he is a smart worker rather than a hard worker, with a remarkable talent for seeing the big picture without getting swallowed up in the details.

He is very pragmatic and equally introverted; a very private person and while not unfriendly, he is difficult to get to know and even more difficult to predict. Being perceptive and at times suspicious, he may come off as grumpy, coarse. That is, however, merely the surface- as a private person, he is deeply romantic, loyal, and works best as a member of a team. Having been trained as a Dalish hunter, he seems to have a gift for seeing the strengths and weaknesses of each of his companions, and working with- and around them with efficiency.

He is also an eerily fast learner- while as a Dalish elf, he has not had any formal education and is barely literate in human writing systems, he is remarkable at absorbing large amounts of information very quickly and applying it as the situation requires.

Regarding beliefs, Harwen is a traditionally wired mind with a modern twist- while conscious and critical of its flaws, he observes Dalish customs and honors the gods according to his clan’s practices, invoking Falon’din and Andruil before each battle. In this, he does not allow himself to be shaken- while he accepts that his people are not perfect, not by a longshot, he is nevertheless devout. As the story of the game progresses and he is forced to give up elements of his heritage, he only seems to cling tighter to the few parts to which he can.

In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, and he often whistles out of tune.

By Veilguard, he lives in Antiva as Josephine's husband, no longer wears his clan name, and is a father to one half-elven daughter by the name Valeria Montilyet (she looks human, and her father is often mistaken for merely her caretaker).

[invinciblerodent]

relationship and courting ask: 26 for Ray, 29 for Harwen, and 20 for Adela?

(heyo I don’t even know how late this is but then again I often am late with stuff so really what else is new haha :’))

26.) ♥What do they love most about their significant other?

isn’t that a bit like telling me to summarize the phonebook tho i mean lbr

If I have to narrow it down to just one blanket term, I’d have to say his intensity. Dorian is, overall, an intense person. He talks and feels loudly, his presence has this way of filling not just a room, but a ballroom if needed, and he doesn’t half-ass anything- he whole-asses whatever he’s doing, and throws himself head-first into everything, much like Ray himself. If it’s worth his attention at all, it’s worth every ounce of it, at the same time.

Whether it’s passion for a cause, or passion for a field of study, or passion in love, Dorian sinks his teeth deep into whatever catches his eye, doesn’t let it go while it still has an ounce of life left in it, and Ray absolutely adores that about him.

… of course it’s worth mentioning his sense of humor, his intelligence, and his confidence as well, but if I had to list everything Ray loves about Dorian, I would have to sit here until spring comes. :)

(Fael’s snark, Elden’s earnestness, and Kaiden’s ability to not just keep up with-, but match and one-up him in wit also come to mind, but I meeeeeeeeeeannnnnnnn)

29.) ♥How do they express their love to their partner?

I guess it bears saying that Harwen is, overall, a quiet, introverted person, and he’s honestly not very tactile at all. So his most obvious expression of love for Josephine is probably just… the fact that he consciously relaxes around her. With her, he makes sure his body is loose, and his body language is open and inviting.

Having been a hunter his whole life, Harwen is like a coiled spring. He always has this underlying layer of alertness, of tension in him. His shoulders are generally stiff, his back is straight, his bubble of personal space is on the larger side, and at a moment’s notice, he’s ready to reach for a weapon. But with Josie, he almost makes a show out of letting his guard down. Slouching his shoulders, pulling his feet up underneath him, leaning back and letting his face be as soft and tender as he feels around her.

For instance, he’s prone to flinching away from friendly touches. But if they’re sitting together and she has to get up for something, he’ll catch her hand without hesitation, and coax her into a hug to nuzzle her hip, or lay his forehead on her stomach. (He did that way more while she was pregnant.) 

He’ll just go out of his way to nonverbally let her know, he trusts her and enjoys her company, even if he’s not being talkative (even though he talks a lot more around her than anyone else). He’ll let her play with his fingers, he’ll lay his cheek on top of her head if she’s resting against his chest, he’ll tell her jokes, he’ll pull her into his lap every now and then, kiss her shoulder, or hand, or temple, etc. Just stuff that she knows is much softer, gentler than the man he presents as, and is overall much closer to who he is as a person.

He’ll even trust her to shave the hair on the back of his head. (Which is intimate as heck, because not only is she holding a sharp object and messing around sensitive parts of his body, she’s also doing that out of his view. So that’s one heck of a show of trust.)

I guess the TL;DR is that he shows his love by not just letting, but inviting her into his shell. :)

20.) ♥How did their relationship start?

I like to stick close to the canon events, so… with a lot of very obvious flirting, and him showing up in her room to say “hey, I know you’re game so, jussoyaknow, if you’re down, I’m down”.

And at that point, she really wasn’t looking for anything more than that. She had recently come out of a 10+ year romantic relationship, she had already had her few-month rebound after that with a lovely elven vixen, it hadn’t occurred to her to think about getting into another serious relationship.

But, it wasn’t her first ride around the block, she was an experienced kinkster who knew full well what she was getting into and knew how to handle a D/s relationship, and yeah, maybe he was also the hottest thing on two legs she had laid eyes upon in a long time.

So she was like “#yolo”, and took on the offer. They were friends and coworkers, they fooled around, joked around, he hung her from the chandelier once, it was fun.

And then came the dragon’s tooth conversation, which I headcanon happening after a good, long, exhausting night of filthy sex.

As part of the aftercare, as he’s massaging her joints, I headcanon that Bull likes to make quiet, idle conversation- partly because asking seemingly random questions is a good way to make sure his partner’s mind is clear, and partly because his partners tend to find his voice soothing.

It was on a whim that she even asked, but his answer stuck in her mind like a pesky nail that sticks out on the bottom of a table- it doesn’t affect much at all, doesn’t even show, but she knows it’s there. And for some reason, she kept reaching for that thought every now and then, even though she knew all it would do was drive her mad.

It was when their first dragon, the Northern Hunter, cried its last roar that she remembered it, and, well… she essentially just bent down to take a tooth without thinking much of it.

She didn’t make a secret of it, but she didn’t parade it around as a trophy either- she just cleaned it off, wrapped it up in cloth, and stuck it in her pack. Stayed there for weeks before she would have decided, again, that “#yolo” is the way to go. :)

[invinciblerodent]

All your ocs + writing :)

Ooooooh!

Alright, so starting with the ones I would think are the most interesting in this case...

Vogar and Harwen are the uneducated ones. (Which means nothing with regards to their intelligence and way more with circumstance and the kind of opportunities their game-given backstories established, mind you.)

Vogar was raised in Dust Town and he had been a mercenary since he was about 15- I thought it reasonable to assume that education wouldn’t be on top of his list of priorities when he and his sister were struggling to stay alive and keep their mother alive as well. Rica of course learned because, well, I figured being dressed up in nice gowns is worth shit if you’re not a good conversational partner. Vogar was simply busy standing around and looking menacing to spend time enough with his sister to learn it at least from her. It was only on the surface that he learned how to read and write. His first few letters back to Rica were shaky and messy, but for how little time it took, he was very proud of the progress he made.

Harwen, his case I’ve talked about- his native language is... well, what I would call a creole that’s a mixture of Common and Elvhen, and it is only human writing systems in which he’s not literate. While the mages and the merchants of the clan who actually dealt with humans had to learn to communicate with them, Harwen had always been a hunter- he never participated in the trade, and he had always been more preoccupied with avoiding humans that could have proven to be a threat to his team than with establishing connection with them. So it was after joining the Inquisition, as a 30 year old man, that he needed to learn how to write.

He could always read, but only very slowly, and it tired his eyes out quickly. (His handwriting is very slow too, to this day, but it’s always been very pretty. Vogar’s always stayed a chicken scratch.)

Leena, Ray and Arie are well-educated. Two of them were raised noble (which again means nothing of their intelligence), and the third had been the Keeper’s First for a very long time, they’ve simply had more opportunities to learn. (Of the three of them, Leena is probably the smartest.)

Leena, being an academic, had always been a smart person- she writes like a scientist too, which is to say, it’s pretty much completely illegible. She just writes as fast as the thoughts are coming, as fast as she talks- making it a hot mess in the process. But, she knows what it says, and somehow Leliana can decipher it, and that’s all that matters.

Ray and Arie, being my canon heroes, both have a journal- which is their respective games’ codexes. Both are nowhere near neat or organized, both have every note and torn piece of paper and pressed leaves tucked away in them- the one difference is that Ray scribbles things down as they come up, while Arie sits down at camp every night, and calmly writes down the day’s events as she remembers them.

Which, I think, probably shows the difference in their personalities pretty well. XD

They’re also all familiar with their respective cultures’ literature- Leena has a book into which she wrote down the stories she remembered from her childhood and saved them for her son, Arie is familiar with classic dwarven literature and has a faded Antivan poetry book tucked into her pack, and Ray of course has his very worn copy of the Tale of the Champion and the headful of poems his tutors made him memorize. :) That’s not really writing, but, y’know, they were written down once. So it counts.

And last but not least, Adela is my wildcard. She never had much of an exposure to any sort of higher education, but she is regardless a very, very smart woman. At the risk of sounding like I’m borrowing from Varric (which I’m not, to be clear), I’m kind of thinking about giving her a knack for storytelling? Not as an author or a writer because that really would be too much like Varric, but as an entertaining speaker. A performer.

Like she could read for hours upon hours to a child, and they just would not fall asleep, simply because it’s too fun to listen to her.

I mean, she does have Sumalee Montano’s voice- it’s just very, very pleasant to listen to her talk, and with her colorful Carta past, her anecdotes are just a whole lot of fun. (Now I’m picturing her and Varric having a story-off by the campfire- I can think of more than just one companion who would have the time of their life listening to them.) (God, can you picture Cassandra trying to mask her engagement with those sparkling eyes, or Bull scaring up a nearby flock of birds with his laugh? Priceless.)

But never ask her to actually write it down, the charm really doesn’t come through well.

I’m sure I forgot someone because I’m a terrible mother but it’s midnight and I’ve been sleeping like garbage recently so my brain feels sponge dry I’m sorry

[invinciblerodent]

Ray + eating, Harwen + music? :)

Oh, honey. Remember this post, when I rambled a good 2k words about what I think happens to a Reaver’s body with the training? I think only mentioned this in passing, but not only does it completely fucks Ray’s impulse control- it also gives him the appetite of like.. three fully grown, adult men. Nay, qunari. Who spend their whole dang day doing manual labor.

Which is kind of true, the training burns a lot of calories, the mildly increased body temperature is a sign of his metabolism working overtime, and he DOES spend most of his time running around all sorts of countrysides in full plate armor. And yeah, he IS a big, 6′4″, young and physically active dude, of course he’s going to eat a lot.

BUT FRIENDS. YOU DON’T KNOW THE HALF OF IT.

I mean it. This boy just. Schnarfed it all right up. In that One Period I always mention when they were feeling out the whole training and notoriously overdosed him with dragon blood? He basically INHALED food. Hungry all the time. He even temporarily got back a bit of the squish he had going on into the Inquisitorial business. (The cooks were delighted. The others either entertained, or mildly intimidated.)

The worst part was that he hardly even realized it. Good thing that’s over with.

Harwen actually has a pretty good ear for rhythm! Despite never having been trained with any instrument, or really any sort of familiarity with anything other than his people’s folk songs, he’s been caught humming or whistling to himself many times.

After first hearing the song Maryden wrote for Sera, he had gotten many a pebble thrown at him by a specific elf for absently whistling it on the road.

.... also, you try to tell me Jon Curry’s voice as the American male Inquisitor isn’t just endlessly pleasant to the ear. I would be doing the world a disservice if Harwen couldn’t sing. At least elven lullabies to his daughter.

And I’m not about to do that. I don’t like to give my kiddos singing as a talent, and it’s not like it is a talent with him, but he can probably hold a tune the best.

(send help, I just imagined Josie watching from the doorway as her husband is holding little sleeping Valeria and singing softly to her, I am weak)

[invinciblerodent]

Harwen + Ears | Ray + underclothes ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

How likely is it mine are the only elven OCs in this fandom who cannot move their ears independently? Because he absolutely cannot, for the life of him, and neither can Leena. XD

Harwen’s ears are completely stiff, and fixed in position, like a human’s- they don’t emote, they don’t move, really all they do is sit there, and prove a bit of an inconvenience in laying down. (they don’t sit completely flush against his skull and they point a bit past his nape, so laying on his side and folding them to his head, or laying on his back and pushing them forward, that kind of hurts, he can’t help it.)

He can’t even hear significantly better than average. What “superior” hearing he has, he got from having been trained as a hunter his whole life, and it’s more just pattern recognition than anything else. As in, he can’t really hear that much better, he just knows what to listen for, and recognizes faint noises easier. Like, there is a difference between the sound a pack of wolves, and the sound a herd of wandering halla makes? With training, it’s not that hard to tell them apart. That, to the untrained person, may make it seem like he has some sort of a sixth sense, or just completely inhuman abilities, but nah- he’s completely within the realm of human capabilities, he’s just very good at what he’s doing.

He wasn’t the huntmaster for nothing. ;)

Something that’s kind of “unique” to him... would be maybe that it is only post-game, after moving to Antiva, that he becomes conscious of how different he looks from humans, and how big a part his ears play in that. They’re on the large side even for an elf, after all, they really stand out, so they.... make him a bit self-conscious. For long years, he’s hyper-aware of the eyes that always go to his ears whenever he’s introduced to someone new, and once his daughter is born, he can’t deny a bit of an... awareness of, if not a shred of disappointment over the fact that her ears are small and smooth, like her mother’s. He knows it’s selfish, and it would only inconvenience Valeria later in her life if she looked more like her father, but hey, feelings can’t be controlled.

u nasty ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

i must admit that I like nasty m’self ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

so, underclothes you say? Well, I hope you know what kinda drawers people wore in that period

super hot ain’t it

this, ladies, gents, and everyone in-between, is the reason why I just completely disregard this element of historical accuracy, and substitute these intensely sexy items of clothing for their modern counterparts.

So, while Adela is the queen of naughty underdrawers, Ray’s appreciation for finely made items is nothing to sneeze at either. He was, after all, raised noble; he’s used to both quality and aesthetic pleasure. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

... on his partners. On himself, he’s very, very boring. I like to keep the period-appropriate lack of an elastic waistband and add ties instead, but other than that, he is very, very boring. ((one would have to be very convincing in his arguments to talk him into anything else, ‘sallimsayin’))

((wink wonk))

[invinciblerodent]

Harwen + nature?

SEND ME A CHARACTER + A WORD AND I’LL WRITE A 5 SENTENCE FIC FOR THEM

(with this one, I tried to go for a younger Harwen- the lanky, graceless boy who snuck out of camp pretty much every night to practice shooting. :) Not much has changed since then, I’d say.)

(THIS FIVE SENTENCE LIMIT IS SO HARD TO KEEP OH MY GOD.)

As if he was journeying into the imagination of someone with no other escape, the leaves of tall grass, like many glossy, waving hands, brushed welcoming against the boy’s knobbly, bony knees. The forest ate away at the clearing with each long, wading step, and slowly, but surely, it encapsulated him in the soft, gentle darkness- somewhere in the distance, a creature called for its mate, howling its solitude over the rushing of the nearby river.

Timber wolf, he guessed- after all, the hunters had shot down a male earlier that day; a big, burly, beautiful beast the pelt of which was to warm Ellana’s newborn, come winter.

No matter, the boy sighed to himself, and he set his flat, sad little bag down next to a tree with more holes in its bark than grooves.

Unslinging the bow from his torso, he fished a -now blunt- arrow out of his quiver, and notched it, his inexperienced hands trembling slightly, and pulled it back- exhale, and release.

[invinciblerodent]

Here's a question I ask all of my friends about their OCs when we get to brainstorming. If your characters were flavors of ice cream what would they be? For example my Cadash is coffee ice cream, he's sweet but not as sweet as some. Kind of strong. A touch bitter under his sweetness. For some an acquired taste, people who like him tend to really love him while others just never warm up to him.

welp time to research the crap out of some ice cream flavors then

that’s a very good question, actually! I might steal it, too :) It took me more thinking than I would care to admit, to find one that fits for each of them, but in the end, I think I did pretty well!

now prepare for unnecessarily flowery language and a lot of weird words to be associated with food ((that y’all are probably used to by now lbr))

For Vogar Brosca, I’m thinking rum and walnut. Not sure how popular a flavor that is elsewhere, but here in Hungary, it’s very common, sold pretty much at every stand. He’s a peculiar, decadent, very strong and slightly alcoholic flavor that, to me, invariably overpowers everything else. He stands out without trying, just by being himself, and even if forced to mix with something else, that bitter, earthy, astringent tang will never quite go away. (Plus, raisins. Lots of people don’t like raisins for some unfathomable reason, even though they’re fkin great and my 5′5″ ass will fight anyone for their honor. Yeah, they may be small and kinda unpleasant in large doses, but soak them in copious amounts of buttermilk and rum, and they turn real soft, and gentle, and I’m not even talking about raisins anymore am I) (( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°))

For Harwen Lavellan, I’m thinking green tea. He’s mild and… well, generally just sweet and inoffensive in his presence, with a subtle grassy, and maybe a touch minty aftertaste. He’s a bit of an acquired taste, and if prepared -or in this case, approached- by a careless, unthinking hand, he can turn out terribly bitter- if that’s the only way one has tasted him, they will forever be turned off of him. But those who like him, or those who take the time to learn to like him, he’s a treat. (And, the color complements his eyes very nicely, too. :) That’s not exactly a selling point, but it’s pretty.)

For Leena Lavellan, I’m thinking something for the curious, the adventurous- Apricot Noyaux. She’s the usual, fruity sweetness of apricots, but with the inner, white, almond-like interior of the seed lightly fried and ground up to add a new, artisanal twist to something old and well-known. She’s got the smooth familiarity of apricots, but the bitter-almond flavor and the texture of the noyaux adds a surprising newness, and just a touch of refinement. (I think this flavor is from… a Chicago shop, I believe? Not too sure, but I know it’s a very experimental flavor.)

For Raymond Trevelyan, absolutely Black Forest. He’s the old, well-known, well-loved, and entirely expected, predictable bittersweet dark chocolate, but with the playful, fruity sweetness of a sour cherry syrup swirl that you won’t even know of, right until you look past the surface and actually dare take a bite. He’s an intense, decadent flavor, kind of an assault of tastes that may be a bit overwhelming to some, but those who have a taste for the dramatic, swear by him. Since it’s usually served with chocolate shavings either on top or hidden inside, there is also a delightful crunchy roughness to him that melts at the heat of a tongue, and if that ain’t Ray, then I’m the queen of the Nile.

For Adela Cadash, black truffle. Against the basic, nondescript vanilla custard base that blends flawlessly with most everything, the heady, earthy sweetness of expensive, high quality, confectioner’s truffles really stand out. (Is it weird to describe a food as erotic? Because I think truffles are a very sexy food. Like, it’s an honest to god fuck-me food. Black Forest is a sexy flavor too, but yknow.) Can be served with a sticky-sweet caramel swirl, or whatever topping one might like- she’ll go well with most everything, and show a new face to everyone who tries her. A real indulgent, luxurious treat that won’t let herself be pinned down.

And finally, for Arie Aeducan, I have to say butterscotch. She’s very sweet and creamy; a rich, caramel delight with a flavor that still won’t let itself be overpowered. With a lot of brown sugar, and that smooth, buttery texture, she’s what I would call a diplomatic flavor- something that works extraordinarily well with some others, harmonizes with them, but without letting her voice blend into the background noise for one moment. (And I happen to know for a fact that strawberry cheesecake and butterscotch make for a very soft, but perfect combination of flavors, because that happens to be one of my favorites, and I think Origins!Leliana would do well as strawberry cheesecake. :)) (they’re both flavors that describe soft bi girls and I’m a soft bi girl, what did you expect honestly)

[invinciblerodent]

kurosmind replied to your post“please, for once, just let them have the disgustingly cute familial...”

please keep going, yes,

do you really want me to keep going because honey I can talk HOURS about the cute domestic bliss I plan for them

like I will always love the thought of Harwen ditching the storybook when his eyes get tired, and just making up nonsensical but fantastic stories for his daughter every night instead

or him carrying each of his girls to bed, one by one, because they’ve been in Josie’s office too long and they’ve already started nodding off

or him trying desperately to figure out how to re-braid his daughter’s pretty, wavy hair before mommy notices that she was playing on the tree again and he was too proud of her to tell her she shouldn’t do that

or him smugly and proudly smirking at the dignitaries who get all flustered when they learn that he’s not a servant but Lord Montilyet, the husband of the lovely and intelligent businesswoman with whom they want to trade ((that I especially like accompanied with them bending over backwards to appease the elf they asked for a drink not twenty minutes ago))

or him just looking at his girls, newborn daughter in his arms and wife resting her chin on his shoulder, and feeling so full of- and surrounded by nothing but love and acceptance and gentleness and UGH

just. I love Harwen Lavellan, the grumpy demisexual Dalish assassin, being the loving and loved, happy, and playful, and present father that he deserves to be to his baby bird because he’s 100% cheesy like that and he WILL call her that always

[invinciblerodent]

“please, for once, just let them have the disgustingly cute familial domesticity they deserve” I beg myself, as I cackle demonically, and write about nothing but his feelings of inadequacy and his struggle with giving up his culture in favor of giving his daughter the future he feels she deserves

((help I can’t stop thinking about Josie helping out shaving the hair off the back of Harwen’s head and neck, where he can’t see it))

((like a super peaceful morning of maintaining his shaved up ‘do after the Inquisition days))

((like something stupidly idyllic, with the Sun just rising over the Antivan hills, her still in her pastel pink embroidered nightgown, and him bent shirtless over the washbasin))

((watching her in the mirror with this fond smile))

((up to his little elfy ears in love and thinking about just how unbelievable it is that this woman didn’t just choose him, but chose to be his wife))

((help))

[invinciblerodent]

Since I mentioned that I love Harwen, for TMI Tuesday: Do you have any headcanons about Harwen and Josephine's sex life? Aaand, what is Harwen's biggest regret?

well, wouldn’t I have any. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

((well. not many, but some exist. :) I feel like I start to really get into a character only after I’ve finished the game with them at least once? So he’s gotten quite a boost since I finished his playthrough.))

I’m gonna preface this by mentioning that Harwen is on the ace spectrum. I play and write him as a demisexual man who is content with who he is, and was never pressured to be anything other than who he is. So sexuality doesn’t factor into his story as heavily as it does for, for instance, Arie (whose struggle with coming to terms with her bisexuality is a focal point of her story) or Ray (to whom his homosexuality was one of the parts of him he was forced to hide growing up). Harwen’s story is more focused on culture shock, and he may not have had a word for what he felt about it all, but he was always happy with the person he was, as he was. :)

Their sex life, in general, is... I guess the way I could describe it in just one word would be by saying that it’s soft. All around it’s very soft, and gentle, and exploratory, and... generally pretty basic, honestly. Probably my most... significant sexy headcanon about them is that the first time they even attempted to have sex, it just... completely died down in giggles. And not the embarrassed kind, but full-on laughter from the both of them. :)

I mean, it was kind of funny. With their fumbling in the darkness and the fact that elves’ eyes glow in the dark, it ended with the two of them just... naked-cuddling, and talking through the evening. It was awkward, and the romantic atmosphere was ruined the second he accidentally elbowed her in the ribs, but it was nevertheless a bonding experience they remember fondly, now that they’re more experienced lovers.

Buuuuuut, the part of their relationship that’s most intriguing to me is that with how much time they spend apart, letters have to be frequent. And, as a Dalish hunter (whose education therefore focused a lot more on technique than on theory), Harwen is... not really literate in human writing systems. Or he’s literate, but not nearly as educated as he would like to be. He can read, sure, but only slowly, long text or small letters really tire his eyes out, the pen sits awkward in his hand, and he has spent many a night just... sitting over a length of parchment, in the ass-end of Thedas, wracking his brains over how to match Josie’s passionate words.

Because she? Now she is a master of dirty letters. Lady Josephine Cherette Montilyet, a well-read woman with an abundant vocabulary and a delicate hand, writes the best naughty letters humanly imaginable, and there is nothing anyone could say to convince me otherwise. She writes long, and beautiful, and later on steaming hot letters; the kind that her poor boyfriend has to strain his eyes to read (because her handwriting is super tiny and the lines are super tight), but they have him blushing well into the next day.

Yes, even though they are absolutely adorable. Like there are even little hearts on the corners. And smiley faces. And the paper is spritzed with her perfume too, so every time it’s unrolled, that sweet lavender scent fills the tent. Way to condition your boyfriend to get a little riled up every time he opens a wardrobe.

He’s trying really, really hard, you guys. He’s trying to learn, and he’s trying to woo her the way he thinks she wants to be (no matter how many times she tells him she loves him the way he is), and he’s doing his best, but... yeah, he’s way better with spoken words. And while his letters may be curt and awkward, he more than makes up for it in person. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

(His voice actor is Jon Curry. He’s a tall, scrawny elf with garlic cloves for an ass, and a stupidly deep, sexy voice. Even if what he’s saying makes little sense, it’ll be sexy.)

.... and one more thing, since it just occurred to me that they do need to worry about that, I have not a clue on how contraception works in the whole 17th century setting. With my borderline encyclopedic knowledge about sex in that era, one would think I know, huh. But nah, all I know is that the condoms were mostly made from animal bladders and such. That wouldn’t really sound good in fic, now would it. (That’s why I always write the others barebacking, because I don’t want to explain where the condom could have come from. XD)

Maybe he’s just the... pulling out kind of guy. Or someone hooks them up with some sort of a potion that, uh... empties his quiver for the time being. Dunno yet. I’ll need to do some more research into it. :)

As for his biggest regret, I’m thinking it would be... trespassing in the Catacombs in the Temple of Mythal. He wasn’t thinking straight at the time, he was just scared out of his mind, thinking that unless he acts as quickly as possible, the fighting is going to reach the camps, and the Empress, and most importantly, Josephine.

Later, he can’t help but think that it was more or less a betrayal of his heritage, his people. It’s not that he regrets worrying about her, or that he would change anything if he had the opportunity for a do-over, but he can’t escape the thought that he is responsible for the loss of something that cannot be gotten back. Which is true, he can’t bring Abelas or the Sentinels back to life.

He doesn’t regret drinking from the Well though. It’s unnerving, and he knows that it may end up hurting him, but there was no way he was going to let Morrigan “take” that from his people.

.... now on that, I think he might change his mind the second he first holds his daughter in his arm(s). ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[invinciblerodent]

I love Ray of course, but I've got a soft spot for Harwen too. Not sure why even, I guess partly it's because male Lavellan with Josephine is pretty rare to see, and they seem so lovely together. And his personality (the calm pragmatic introvert) is one I have a hopeless weakness for as well. And then there's Arie, who I don't know as much about as I'd like, but Aeducans are pretty awesome in general. Honestly all your characters seem realistic and grounded to me, in the best of ways of course.

You know, all joking aside, I’m super happy that you would say that. :)

Harwen, while a very important character to me, I thought multiple times about giving up on. Mostly because… well, on one hand he didn’t garner a lot of feedback and if there is more interest in someone else I’d rather try that, but on another, most of the little feedback I got on him was just… not really on him. In fact, it mostly consisted of people assuming that he’s with Dorian, which, y’know, isn’t a very pleasant feeling. (I’m afraid I’ll always remember that time his face, just his face, was tagged “Pavellan”, even though it had nothing to do with Dorian. That shouldn’t have wounded me as deep as it did, but… what can I say, I’m a super-sensitive potato.)

He’s a very personal character to me, in the way that he too struggles a lot with fitting into a society that’s very different from the one in which he was raised; the one with which he is familiar. That part of him was shamelessly inspired by what I’ve noticed on myself, and how I, someone of an Eastern European background, fit into a largely Western environment. That’s sort of what I was trying to grasp, in an exaggerated, slightly tongue-in-cheek kind of way of course; I do the same with the Orzammar dwarves, in maybe a way that’s a little more distant from me, a little more satirical.

More or less all throughout his story, Harwen is in a near-constant state of culture shock, and he adjusts by giving up something that, to him, was precious… in order to gain something new that ends up becoming just as precious, but in a different way. That’s sort of analogous with what I’m thinking about doing by planning to move across the ocean in… maybe a couple years.

So any and all feedback on him that’s from people who like him, or enjoy what I do with him, it’s very important to me, and it really makes me very, very happy. The others as well, but he has a special little place in my heart as well. :)

And you’re right, the last time I checked the statistics, mLavellan was by a longshot the least popular pairing for Josephine, with a measly five works on AO3; one of which I wrote myself, so it’s definitely something I really, really would like to see more of myself! Might as well try to do my part, right? :)

… oh, and thank you so much for the second half, and that last sentence as well. lot more. :)

I don’t know why it took me so long to let her out of the closet, honestly. Alistair is a lovely character, but he’s just not the right fit for her.