#oh and mage hawke mage hawke is so funny

[valaratminaforaldrar]

finished the game a second time feeling sick

[persephoneggsy]

... has anyone considered a Mage!Sebastian AU

instead of being exiled from Starkhaven for drunken shenanigans and sleeping around, Sebastian gets sent away much earlier because he unexpectedly manifests magic (maybe he sets one of his brothers on fire a little).

i think he resents his magic for a long time, maybe even thinking his parents were relieved he turned out to be a mage so they could wash their hands of an inconvenient third son early. of course, his parents also hate the fact that he’s a mage, if only because it brings shame to their family and makes arranging marriages with their other two sons much harder, since everyone now fears that magic will pop up in their heirs, too.

as a noble, he’d probably get sent to one of the “nicer” circles, list Ostwick or Montsimmard (i personally like Montsimmard so Vivienne can be his mentor uwu). so he grows up kind of sheltered, not experiencing the worst the circle has to offer, though he’s aware that abuses happen. i can almost see him being like a pre-grey warden anders, sneaking out for his own amusement until the templars drag him back, with the added bonus that because he’s got royal blood they’re not gonna risk executing him or making him tranquil.

maybe the thrill of his repeated escape attempts wears off, or he gets properly chastised by his mentor, and he realizes he has an opportunity to be an example: a “good” mage, someone to prove to the common people of Thedas that they don’t all fall to demons and blood magic.

then for whatever reason he gets transferred to Kirkwall’s Gallows. maybe to help mentor the mages there, i don’t know. there, he finds his status means much less to Meredith and her templars, and he sees the horrors his fellow mages face much more openly. 

my trail of thought is drifting off, but i imagine he still meets (mage) Hawke & Co. (though i’m not sure how he’d be allowed to travel with them). Hawke is the first apostate he’s had extended contact with, and he’s fascinated by her; she’s definitely dangerous, but he can’t bring himself to be afraid of her. he’s also curious about Merrill, having never met a Dalish mage; he probably asks her all sorts of questions about magic in their culture. and I think with Anders he’s definitely friendlier, but the relationship fractures as time goes on because he finds Anders’ methods to be too extreme, whereas Anders thinks he’s too complacent.

[tokyopewpew]

writing my Rook's background out I'm finding the one true thread that connects all my protagonists together... the glue behind every hero Thedas has ever had...

This absolute Queen. My one true Maker

[curioussubjects]

I just finished Veilguard, and...I'm really not sure how I feel about it?

All in all: good game, had fun, but still didn't quite hit some of the highs it wanted to hit and it's still not as good as DA2

(Spoilers galore below for everything)

The Good:

Pretty game is pretty;

Love the codexes, especially the ones written by companions or with their commentary;

Speaking of, the Mementos had so excellent tid bits of lore flavor to them, as well;

Regrets of the Dread Wolf was a damn good quest;

Some truly funny party banter;

I actually thought it was really easy to figure out who my Rook is as I played the game, which was much harder for me to do for my Lavellan in DAI;

And speaking of Lavellan, she was in character she WOULD say that she WOULD do that. Bless;

Everything about Nevarra and the Mourn Watch, I wish there was more content there because I was so into it;

Orb and dagger mage is really fun to play, which was VERY surprising considering I don't play close range ever;

I also really enjoyed destroying blight boils for some reason lmao;

Petting cats (they PURR WHEN YOU DO);

Assan <3;

Taash being so autistic;

Teia and Viago my beloveds;

✨Friendship✨

The Solavellan of it all;

And Solas, too. Love that sadsack disaster man;

Maybe this is super basic of me but I liked Varric's narration...idk it's comforting;

Honestly, just Varric in general was a bit safety blanket in a nice way for me because the game feels overwhelming at first;

There's no party like an all Dalish party!

Exploring -- loved finding all the fun details in each location, and I know I didn't even do enough in my playthrough;

I'm weak for stories about guilt, fear and regret. And I'm even weaker when those stories are so obviously about forgiveness and moving forward. Also love. Always love.

The Bad:

The pacing. I've said this before but DAtV could've used a more explicit arc structure or have quests note which level they're meant for or SOMETHING because some times it seemed I was doing quests too early or too late for when I was in the main story. I also thought events kept oscillating from happening too fast or too slowly, and it very much did get in the way of immersion;

The romance. Literally what are you doing Dragon Age that you fumble the romance. Granted, I only romanced Davrin so far, but I'm getting the sense from looking through the tag that maybe Lucanis' romance also feels a bit off? Honestly I have so many issues with the romance progression for Davrin that it's its own section;

I hope this is only a Veil Jumpers issue, but I thought Rook was so separate from the faction. I felt very little connection to them;

I've seen some people point out NPCs talk to Rook like they're a child, and while I don't really agree with that I do think Rook doesn't have enough opportunities to be knowledgeable in their own right. Especially annoying with a mage Veil Jumper Rook! I miss the Inquisition perk dialogue options that let my Lavellan be a smarty pants;

Holy overdesigned armors! Yikes!

Not all areas are as well developed as the others: Rivain is the most egregiously empty and underdeveloped, but I actually thought Arlathan Forest was super lifeless too. So was the Lighthouse! You get the early game discovery bit and then nothing ever again and it's like oh that was really it huh (and the stuff we did get was so good please more?);

I hate to say this but BioWare missed the mark with Rook's place in the group. The companions seemed connected to each other, yeah, but Rook was like some cross between group therapist and not-so-undercover boss. There was none of the warmth Hawke got from their companions (or the Inquisitor, for that matter!). The game really needed 1. a lighthearted party hangout cutscene and 2. companions coming together to take care of Rook (the fact this isn't even a thing in the romance is bonkers to me);

Taash's personal quest being about choosing between being Rivain and Qunari as if that's how culture works is Bad Actually;

The worst minimap I've ever seen in a game wow;

Also: give me back my beacon marker;

The gods were in a regret prison but what were their regrets exactly we just don't know.

The Bad (Romance Edition):

Again, the pacing! Incredibly slow to start (and not in a slow burn way, mind!) and then super fast in the last third of the game;

In fact, the romance seemed to be running on a completely different level than the rest of the story. The last romance scene was incredibly out of place tonally, especially.

The first two romance titles for Davrin are "Thrill of the Chase" and "Hot and Bothered"...and like WHERE????

Davrin never writes about Rook as a romantic partner or as if he has any concerns with the relationship...which we later find out he has, but was news to me;

Tbh, the romance felt like an afterthought. There were cutscenes that in any other DA game there would've been flirting options, for instance, but this time there was nothing (what do you mean Rook can't make a flirty comment when Davrin is shirtless working out with Taash? It's low hanging fruit!);

Not nearly enough flirty banter between Rook and Davrin, which is nuts considering their personalities;

I'm really super disappointed with Davrin's romance, which sucks because he's actually perfect for my Rook and I really like his character. There was so much potential for a really fun romance that was both tense and sexy, but also sweet. But no. Secret good Davrin romance that exists in my head save me.

The ???:

Southern Thedas got scorched when the North didn't how?

Please tell me who was catfishing Andraste;

Making enemies super aggro on Rook unless you specifically have companions taunting was very weird.

[vigilskeep]

isabela being gone for the act 2-3 act break is so funny with pro mage hawke bc it’s like you’re back!! oh what have i been doing for the last three years? psychological warfare with knight-commander meredith. don’t worry about it

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

Are there any companions you can't stand?

I wouldn't say I have any that I can't stand. Something that's so engaging to me about DA is that the companions have good, bad, and a lot in between. Honestly, I don't hate any of them. There are companions that I have more issues with than others, but I like them all; even, and sometimes especially, the ones that tend to be heavily hated on by the fandom.

The only companion that might fall into this category for me is Sebastian, but I totally acknowledge that I've yet to make an effort to use him when I play DA2. I legit just forget about him. How am I supposed to have a good grasp of his character when I don't engage with him outside of his companion quests? Plus I usually romance Anders so Sebastian always leaves my party in the end with threats of bringing an army down on Kirkwall for not killing Anders, soooo... yeah. Not the greatest impression he's left me with.

I would like to have a more well-rounded opinion of Sebastian because the concept of him is interesting; he's this chantry brother who is also a prince, but his family was murdered so he puts up a bounty on the chantry board [which admittedly is SO funny] and his companion quests are about avenging his family and helping him decide if he should take back his lands or remain a chantry brother. But then I talk to him, I listen to him talk to the other companions, and it's like... oh, the chantry has become his entire personality because the dude was brainwashed and now he's saying shit like the maker was actually the one who freed Fenris from slavery, and when Fenris tells him a story about how Denarius killed a child in a ritual for more power, Sebastian just doubles down that the maker has his reasons, like....babe, c'mon now.

I feel like I've read pieces about him written by fans who love him that are more compellingly written than he is, if that makes sense. Really, I would love to be educated by those who love him, especially Sebastian romancers because of all the love interests in all of DA, he's the one I look at and go, "....okay but why?" I have a lot of fun with character discussions and other perspectives so I mean that sincerely.

Also I think it's worth noting that when I play, I tend to get super into the roleplay of my warden/hawke/inquisitor, but while they have party members they can't stand, I have opinions that are separate from them, y'know?

For example, since I've talked about it a lot recently, my mage Hawke and Aveline butt heads constantly. By the end of Act 3, they're rivalry is heated and Ed's surprised Aveline even sided with him in the end because THAT is how much their relationship deteriorated over the course of the game... but then there's my warrior Hawke who adored Aveline. The two of them were best friends and Aris always gave her the benefit of the doubt, like she had Aveline's back through and through.

I've complained about Aveline a lot in my posts so it probably does sound like I can't stand her, but that's not true. Aveline's actually a companion that fascinates me, like she makes me go, "God, you're such an asshole, tell me more right now." and it drives me crazy how she and Carver are foils, like I love it so much, I could go on and on about how foiled they are, it makes me want to bite something.

It's very easy to look at Aveline and think she's just a bitch, she's a cop, she's a bad character, #Aveline-critical, bad companion, etc. I see it all the time, and not just with her, but with every companion in dragon age, y'know? I'm not saying that's wrong or anything; some characters just don't vibe with you or you have legit reasons for hating them and that's fine. I'm just saying some of it's very surface level unless you make the effort to elaborate.

If you don't like a character, you're less likely to make an effort to understand or see anything positive about them. You're more likely to have confirmation bias, so whenever they do or say anything, you go looking for the worst interpretation. I try not to do this just because for me, that's the "boring" approach to games like this but as we've seen, I'm not immune either... y'know, Sebastian.

But Carver gets this a lot, too, and I think I've made myself clear that Carver is my favorite, I love him, the Hawke twins are S-tier companions and I would throw everyone in Kirkwall into the ocean if it meant Bethany and Carver's happiness.

Now that I'm thinking about it, the characters a lot of fans can't stand are some of my favorites?

Like a lot of people shit on Sera, and I'm like "Nah, that's my girl! Listen, she's got a LOT of internalized issues, but we're working through them okay! She's getting better!"

And Vivienne? Oh, don't get me started on Vivienne, I have a whole deal about her. She's also an asshole and I love her.

My canon inquisitor is Surana who escaped the circle and joined the dalish, becoming Lavellan. Vivienne is a reflection of what Ash could've been if she hadn't run away with Jowan. She played the game of the circle, she stepped wherever she needed to step because Ash knew she was at a disadvantage by being an elf, for one, and for two, not coming from a family with wealth that would give her special privileges. Her downfall was buying into her own hype and believing she couldn't be wrong about Jowan, believing that she could either prevent them from making him tranquil or help him and Lily run away, and believing she was above punishment because she worked her way into being Irving's favorite. Yet it all bit her in the ass and she had to run… so then years later after living outside of the circle and realizing just what the chantry is, how it conditions and abuses mages and shit, she meets Vivienne who also played the game well and came out on top, who now spouts the same shit Ash used to spout and it's makes their dynamic sooo chewable.

Then there's Cullen who's not a companion but I lump him and Josephine in with the companions anyway. They're advisors, they're in the inner circle, they count.

He's such a spineless ass in DA2 like believe me, I get all the criticisms he gets... but he's also fairly polite to Hawke even if they're openly anti-templar, he's softer spoken, and he's unwell after what happened to him in DAO and Meredith's clearly taking advantage of his state... but then he becomes an advisor in DAI who is so done with people's bullshit and blatantly honest about it, like he looks at Chancellor Roderick like "this fucking guy again" and he's so ready to just go for it, y'know? Well... unless you're a pretty lady who bats her eyes at him, then suddenly he doesn't know how words work. Like sometimes I feel crazy because I find him to be so funny in DAI, and overall a compelling character that I enjoy interacting with even when he's being a total asshole. Yeah, there's issues in his writing but I appreciate the vision the writers were going for, even if they stumbled... except for Sheryl Chee, I don't appreciate her contribution of those few posts on the DA forums that everyone uses as a smoking gun to "prove" awful things about him. Nothing gets under my skin more in character discussions than bad faith arguments and there's so much of that when it comes to Cullen.

Actually, while we're on that, can I just add a note that when I first got into this fandom, I saw someone's post about Chee doing an interview where she said all those bad things about Cullen wanting to assault the mage warden and I was like, "What? An interview? What interview?? Where??" and I couldn't find shit until much later when I read another anti-Cullen post that cited a DA forum as the source for her saying those things... so not an interview. I went digging for the forum, went into the way back machine to find it.... only to discover that this smoking gun comes from a fanfiction forum where Mary Kirby was also talking about Sten and catgirls and y'all expect me to take that seriously?

We can have discussions about whether or not Cullen's a bad person or a bad character, but the moment you bring Sheryl Chee into it, I know you're here in bad faith and your argument is void.

Sorry for the tangent and the long answer but this is the stuff I enjoy. I could talk about the characters of DA for ages unprompted that when someone does throw me a bone, I will discuss and gush about them all.

[inkyquince]

Real talk as a dragon age fan, Inky if you could choose from past companions and the Veilguard team who would you want to stick in a room together to talk/throw hands

For talking? God I wanna see Zevran and Josie and Lucanis chatting. Josie to keep the peace since Zevran is an exiled crow, but also in case Lucanis actually likes the guy. Love them.

Varric and Alistair. Just because it would be funny. Out of pocket shit plus with daddly advice? Alistair might cry.

I want Anders and Wynne to have a proper sit down and talk, i feel like it would be so healing for the poor guy. Also Spite and Justice, just to show how despite Lucanis also being an abomination, he embraced Spite and now they're living their best life together, all poly. Anders and Justice NEVER found this harmony and so are constantly struggling.

MERILL AND BELLARA WOULD BE THE BEST, THEY'D BE BEST FRIENDS?? Oh my god. I'd love to sit in on that conversation.

Isabella and Zevran deserve a third reunion, their banter is always amazing.

EMMERICH AND DORIAN SINCE ITS CANON EMMERICH TAUGHT DORIAN. HE TAUGHT BABY GAY DORIAN AND NOW DORIAN HAS A MOUSTACHE LIKE HIS BISEXUAL PROFESSOR. They deserve a sit down and a chat.

Aveline and Cassandra should start a bookclub. I love them.

Taash, Iron Bull and Sten would be the most awkward, horrific sit down and I need to document it like they're insects. Like brother, the future Arishock?? Ben Hassrath turned Tal Vashoth Iron Bull?? Taash, taken away from the Qun and now sees themselves as more Rivaini? I dont want them to HANG OUT, just be forced into the same waiting room for a bit.

To fight?

I want Fenris to lay Solas out. I want him to rip out his spleen and make him eat it. Solas wouldn't be able to do SHIT against Fenris. Die, stupid egg.

Also doesn't REALLY count but Serana/Amell should meet Inquisition Cullen and beat the fuck outta him. Any mage inquisitor should meet Origins Cullen and beat the fuck outta him. Hawke should remain kicking that man in the ribs.

Also I know in my gut that just the sight of Scout Harding would fuck Oghren up.

[spainkitty]

Vitta Adaar- Age: 33; Serious, genuine, and kind despite her no-nonsense demeanor. Both her upbringing as a Tal-Vashoth constantly reviled or on the run to her adult years as a mercenary in a closeknit group of ragtag ne'er-do-wells shaped how she now tries her best to believe in second chances and giving the benefit of the doubt. While down-to-earth and goal-oriented, she has a softness for luxuries, silly games, and pretty women with cute smiles. (So far her story is incomplete.) She initially distrusts any unfamiliar mage, Cole, and the Iron Bull; Champions of the Just.

Class: Rogue Assassin (but really Stealth, where is the Shadow specialization?!) (dual wielding daggers)

Love Interest: Sera or Josephine (undecided)

Besties: Sera, Cullen, Cole (little brother-esque), Cassandra

PS @merrybandofmurderers I saw the reply to my ask, like, yesterday. For some reason my tumblr isn't alerting me to @mentions or ask-replies?? But I'm ecstatic you wanted to see more! Here's my final girlies, including my Danae Tabris!

Just a little more from this picrew. I really love all my girlies and I'm going to finish Danae's journey one day

"Non-Canon" but Equally & Fiercely Loved Girlies

Danae Tabris- Age 21 (Mabari: Mellaros); she's angry. After the farce and then travesty of her "wedding day", she hates the world in general and is distrustful of everyone (except elves) she meets at first glance. Becoming a Warden gave her power and freedom, but she has no loyalty to them or grief over their end. Her journey isn't about being not angry, fuck that, it's about finding people to trust and love, to be able to protect and save the disenfranchised like her, and to become a Hero without hiding the blood in her wake.

Class: Rogue Assassin, dual wield (longsword & dagger), poison enthusiast

Love Interest: Leliana

Best Close Friends: Zevran, Morrigan, and sigh Alistair

Marian Hawke- Age 25-32 (Mabari: Shadow) Imposter Syndrome, Mom Friend, and a fun little amnesiac with a heart of gold. A lot of her actions are trying to prove surviving Ostagar and Lothering meant something (survivor's guilt hits hard). She wants all her family to be safe, sacrificing personal comfort and needs to do so. Pro-mage. The first four years she managed to masquerade as a "regular" swordfighter until the Arishok Duel.

Class: Mage (Arcane Warrior/longsword, two-handed & Healer)

Love Interests: (prev) Isabela, Fenris & Anders (fugitives/poly)

Best Friends: Varric, Merrill, & Isabela

[leastdatablebracket]

SEMI-FINALS, MATCH 2

Propaganda under the cut!

Peter King

Propaganda

Oh I could go ON AND ON but here’s a list: He’s a stalker, he showed up late to a date HE REQUESTED, he killed either your landlord, roommate, or coworker (depending on route) and stuck them in a freezer, lied to the police about it, followed by a car ride either consisting of traumadumping about his family (valid tbh) or him talking about how much he wants to fuck your brains out, then you finding a bloody knife in his glove compartment, asking about it, and him smashing your head into the window to shut you up while he takes you to his house. He is The Worse Datable, as well as The Only Datable because well…he killed the others…and kidnapped you….

FUCK THIS DUDE!!! Country Human looking-ass bitch, I want him dead and obliterated

Many violence, Yandere behavior, cut your leg off in a semi-canon series of illustrations, smashed your head into the passenger side window of his creepy van, chloroformed you in your own house, brought you flowers that were probably tainted with his own blood, given context from another route. Generally a terrible person. Also just very strange to look at :/

He knows what he did….😒

He broke into Y/N’s house and chloroformed them. Generally a really creepy and perverted guy. TK is better :/

Send that man to Worst Datable Hell! Put him in the trash file (he’s a pseudo-sentient AI, similar to Monika, so this threat is valid)! He sometimes looks like a kicked puppy when talking to you, but with your small contributions, we can make him look even more like a kicked puppy! Vote Peter King for Worst Datable Datable Character today! Bonus: Funny canon facts about him! - He can’t swim - He’s allergic to peanuts - He has to wear glasses, but usually wears contacts - He had an emo/goth phase in high school - He’s a YouTuber; he does product reviews - He has very strong mother issues (understandably) - He will respond to and greatly enjoy the nickname “Cockbite” (there are many other names he enjoys, but this one’s the funniest to me)

Cullen Rutherford

Propaganda

stupid racist cop creep whose fans cry about how hes "changed" and "you can't judge him he was addicted to magic drugs" nah he still chose to be a racist cop and abuse his power over innocent people and i hate him. the writers making him romanceable in da:i after how blatantly horrible he was in da:o and da:2 is baffling but i guess they had to appeal to the part of their audience who watch those "mafia boyfriend" videos on tiktok or whatever

He's creepy in origins, though still 100% willing to kill the female mage pc he's crushing on, as well as all the other mages trapped in the circle with him. He's the second-in-command in an even worse circle in 2, listening to and defending the increasingly obviously insane meredith until literally the end. He's one of the people still pushing for the circle system by inquisition, and yes he's going through withdrawals and working through the traumas of previous games. And to be brutally honest his was the first romance i took and while i don't remember much from it, its not worth all the girls going absolutely nuts over knockoff terrible alistair.

He's basically a cop who thinks being born a certain way can revoke personhood and by Inquisition still thinks mages are monsters to be controlled, not people. He gets a fairy tale cutesy romance that focuses on his personal struggles with addiction while showing absolutely no regard to the atrocities he committed and still thinks were justified. He can be romanced BY A MAGE and his actions and beliefs are just glossed over. He believes mages are 'not people like you (Hawke) and me', but if the Warden was a female mage he canonically had a crush on her and would deliberately hang around her despite the fact that he was her *jailer*. If that Warden romanced Leliana, there is war table dialogue in which he pesters Leliana for news of his 'former' crush despite her repeated statement that she doesn't want to talk to him about her. All this shitty behavior and lack of introspection gets swept under the rug by the game, not even giving the PC the chance to really challenge his beliefs. Like damn even Fenris could apologize when he lashed out due to past trauma with mages, and if anyone has a reason to hate mages it's Fenris. If you want an ex Templar hottie Alistair is RIGHT THERE. Tbh I know Cullen is a popular romance and I'm not here to tell anyone what they can or can't do or like in a video game, I'm just saying I think he is deeply undateable

Spends the first two games as an antagonist, fervently devoted to the cause of subjugating mages, then a bunch of "character development" happens off screen and the games treat him like he's completely reformed. However he's actions make it clear he still sees mages as dangerous and lesser. Not to mention if you romance him with an elf he doesn't pay your culture more than lip service respect like most of the devout characters 

He was a total villain in the first two games who was violently prejudiced against mages and uses one single bad experience as an excuse for it (a bad experience that is pretty much exactly what he in his job subjected graduating apprentices to, mind you, but this is never brought up). Now he says he's changed, but his words and actions say otherwise. He still distrusts mages, sympathises with the rebel Templars trying to kill them, and he never owns up to the terrible stuff he did and helped others do in the past two games. He totally knew what Meredith was doing and says he doesn't, and he still tries to defend her intentions. And you have no option to call him out on it. If you romance him as a mage, he angsts about how he might have seen you as subhuman in the past but NOW you're one of the good ones, and when you ask him if he'll kill you if you get possessed, he dodges the question. And the PC is written as being almost sad that she's a mage? Like 'can you love me despite what I am??' Also if Leliana romanced a female mage PC in the first game who is still alive, he asks her creepy questions about their relationship. Fitting considering his original purpose was to be creepy to the female mage Warden. 

I hate him and want to cause chaos. Plus his VA is an asshole.

Cop

I think you covered almost everything but don't forget that beautiful moment in DA2 - Act 2 where you find out some templars had a petition to lobotomize all mages and Meredith, THE HARDCORE TEMPLAR LEADER, rejects it, but Cullen says they got a point. Despite the fact that we just found out that those templars were using lobotomy (or the threat of) to rape people and get away with it. And then Cullen in DA:I is whining that anything that happened it's not his fault because Meredith kept the worse away form him so he didn't know, but also that anyway Meredith had a point and did what she had to do. Meredith does not go mad until Act 3, before she was of sound mind and Culllen was her second in command BECAUSE he hated mages as much as (or even more) than her. What the FUCK did she even hide from you, Cullen. Oh, but he changed! Because the writers make A VICTIM OF THE TEMPLARS say so. And anyway he only says so BECAUSE HE READS MINDS not because Cullen did anything to show it. Also the narrative wants to sympathise with Cullen for his drug problems while Cullen is openly attacking the only other character with the same problem for...having the same problem. And he's the antagonist, so there were OTHER things Cullen could be mad about. But he is mad about the drug problem. Also I'm not an expert on writing characters with addictions but he is an addict only when it's time to have a cut scene where you pity him. Otherwise it has zero impacts on everything else.

[winged-self-indulgence]

So this was an idea I had for the TS winter event but lord knows if I'll actually finish it because this is much longer than I thought it would be. I just think it would be funny for my Unnamed MC Theya to try cooking and be utterly distracted by the cast.

It began, as most winter tales do, with someone dead.

Or at least Theya thought they might be dead. Her dark eyes squinted at the small, rectangular card upon which the image of a crumbling citadel in the process of being devastated by golden lightning shimmered across the surface. In her mind’s eye she saw flashes of ruin, pain, and a body lying hapless in the middle of some backwater alley. The gash in its neck bled sluggishly, dying the cobblestones scarlet with blood.

A blink and the image vanished, replaced by the dim yet familiar corner of the Wet Wick that Theya used for her sessions. If Leander had an issue with her commandeering one of the couches, he’d never brought it up and neither had the bartender. Theya wasn’t naïve enough to think that meant anything. Nothing in this crumbling world came for free, so Theya ensured that her little sideshow business brought in coin.

For only a few coppers, Lowtown denizens came to have their fortunes read by Leander’s newest guest – the travelling oracle. If the cards fell in their favour then surely that warranted a drink. If not, well then it wouldn’t hurt to drown your sorrows in a few casks of ale.

Theya wasn’t sure how she felt about being branded Leander’s anything, but she couldn’t deny the benefits. Or the thud-thud-thudding of her heart when the mage slung an arm around her shoulders with a sort of easy affection that left her starving for more.

“Well?” A gruff voice startled Theya back to the present. Across from the woman sat her most recent client, fingers clasped tightly together in an almost prayerful pose while his eyes darted around the room like buzzing flies.

This was Jeremiah’s first reading of the evening, but certainly not of the day. Here was a man with a penchant for playing card games and an even bigger penchant for losing at them – even when the game was fortune itself. He seemed to think that if he came back often enough, somehow the deck would twist in his favour. As if tarot was a lottery and all you had to do was keep playing in order to draw the right card.

Theya could have told him that wasn’t how tarot reading worked, but the pouch of copper and silver pieces sat heavy on her hip.

“Oh, misfortune dogs your steps!” Drawing up the mask of the all-seeing divine oracle, Theya gasped dramatically and lifted the card high, keeping the image out of sight for the moment. Jeremiah’s back stiffened in a hunched curve. “You’re running from someone, but they draw near every day. No matter what you do, they will find you.”

The sound he let out reminded Theya of a dog keening in the gutter, a high-pitched whine that ended in a low sob. “Oh, sweet All-Mother,” he buried his face in his hands. “Is it Alfons? I promised him the money, but–! It’s these gamblers, they’re all liars! Cheats! It’s not possible to win as many times as they have! It’s not fair!”

Theya pressed her lips together. Considered telling Jeremiah that he was just as much as a gambler, liar, and cheat as anyone else in the Amaryllis District. That she’d seen his sister hawking terracotta wares on the bridge. Paused to note the family resemblance, and hum sympathetically when the woman began complaining about her older brother who she’d caught her brother stealing handfuls from her coinbox. When she’d gotten a better lock for the crate, he’d started stealing some of her sculptures and then her work tools.

Pity warred with disdain. Tiring of the man’s spiraling emotions, Theya pretended to catch sight of another card. “Your fate is sealed, I fear,” she hummed. “Unless…”

A puppet on a string, Jeremiah sat bolt upright. Nearly leaped across the short table to grab for her hands. “Unless? Unless what?!”

“Ah, I’m afraid the vision is faint,” Theya sighed dramatically, letting her shoulders slump. “I will have to channel the cards again.”

The implication could not have been clearer, but Jeremiah pretended to be ignorant until Theya’s eyes began to wander around the room for another client. Then he scowled and began searching his person for another copper coin.

A few seconds passed. Then a minute. Theya arched an eyebrow as the man’s face reddened by degrees. “If you do not have the coin, you do not have to get a reading. Not knowing the future is not necessary to live a good life.”

“So says Leander’s pet seer,” Jeremiah scoffed at her, and the disdain won out. Giving up on patting himself down, the man ducked under the table and emerged with a small burlap sack. It bulged oddly, but didn’t jingle the way a purse would. “What about this?”

“Is it coin?” Theya asked, almost rhetorically.

“Better,” he replied with a sort of uncomfortable desperation that told her he was lying, yet also pricked at what remained of her heart.

Sighing, the woman pulled the pouch closer and opened it to reveal… “Pitangas?”

Small orange fruit gleamed from the sack’s interior like jewels. The glow of a sunset caught on plump skin, and catching the candlelight. Theya was usually good at hiding her expressions, but she couldn’t help being caught off guard.

“Got it from one of the trading caravans this morning,” Jeremiah bragged. “The guard was too busy making eyes at one of the courtesans to pay attention to me.”

“Hm.” Theya retied the bag and rose to her feet. Gathering up the cards, she turned to fix Jeremiah with a stern glare before he could complain. “On your way home, steer clear of the alleyways and the bridge. Hide somewhere public, a brothel maybe. A place with eyes and ears and many doors. Goodnight.”

The evening was in full swing, the Wick’s crowds swelled with the late hour and the wintry chill. The usual odour of human bodies was alleviated by the subtle aroma of soup – something spiced and herbaceous to ward off the cold and soothe the senses.

Theya heard Leander before she saw him. The man had a voice that drew attention. Deep, but not booming. Effusive but not overbearing. He held court amongst a group of Bloodhounds, regaling them with some story that seemed to require a lot of arm movements.

The firelight reflected off him like a theater spotlight, outlining him in a way that marked him as somehow separate from his rapt audience. Theya hadn’t meant to catch his attention, but that was difficult with Leander. Upon spotting her, he bade his entourage goodbye and made his way over to her side – his long strides easily devouring two of hers.

“There she is,” Leander’s voice washed over her. “My favourite oracle. Everything alright?”

“Fine. Same as usual,” Theya hummed, pushing her dark hair off her face. The knee-length locks were useful for looking the part, for adding an air of mysticism, but the long strands got in the way. “I even gave an early winter gift in return for some fruit.”

Leander’s lips tilted up in a smile, amusement and confusion swirling in the fathomless green, until she opened the bag and showed him its contents.

“Surinam cherries?” His brow furrowed though the smile never left his face. “You didn’t tell me you liked them. I would have gotten you some if I’d known.”

That was another thing about Leander that Theya didn’t understand. The constant wish to do things for her. For seemingly no reason. Nothing in life came for free. Ever since escaping the cult, Theya had learned that lesson far too many times. Leander himself had told her to be wary of things that seemed too good to be true. Yet here he was dogging her steps with gifts and offers and more.

It was suspicious. It was intriguing. It was intoxicating.

“Well, now you know,” she pulled out a round, pumpkin-shaped cherry and popped it into her mouth. It burst between her teeth, sour and sweet.

“Now I do,” he murmured, agreeing. His voice washed over her again. Warm, but not burning. Well, not unless you were Theya and responded to open affection like it was a trap. It was a trap. It had to be. But at least it came with free accommodations and access to a kitchen.

[chronurgy]

10 characters, 10 fandoms

Thanks for the tag @rowanisawriter!

Tagging: @weavewithshadow, @bhaalsbabe, anyone else who wants to play!

Oooo this is going to be hard because I tend to get really into multiple characters from the same thing, but let's go! In no particular order:

1. Essek Thelyss - Critical Role

He's a war criminal. He's a prodigy. He's a traitor. He's a time and gravity wizard. He's a heretic in a theocracy where his mother is a living saint. He floats everywhere instead of walking. When the gang asks if they're going to have to kill him, he laughs and says "I'd like to see you try". He crushes someone to death with gravity simply by closing his fist. "My reasons [for treason] weren't good, but they were important". He goes from not having cared about anyone in 120 years to caring so much about a bunch of weirdos in like, 6 weeks. He made his father so mad during an argument that the guy stormed off and died. What's not to love? He makes me so insane.

Honorable mention: Caleb Widogast

2. Anders - Dragon Age

My favorite chaotic bisexual disaster man. The contrast between awakening anders and da2 anders is so fascinating for me. He's this carefree guy, except he isn't really that carefree, is he? He escapes over and over and over, swimming across the lake even. He hates the circle and hates the Templars just as much, he's just funnier about it. When you start adding up the year in solitary, Karl, the fact that he must have seen all the injuries in the circle as a spirit healer, it starts becoming very clear why he is the way he is. He also sucks! He's petty, he's mean, and he's so up his own ass about how right he thinks he is about everything. But he also runs a clinic for the poorest of the poor, dodging Templars and freeing mages all the while. He does the excellent wizard hubris thing of taking the future into his own hands, even if it kills people (suck my nuts elthina). He loves a romanced Hawke so much, even as he experiences this greater calling. Plus Grey wardens are cool as hell and he loves cats.

Honorable mention: mage!Hawke

3. Merlin - BBC Merlin

This show manages to be both ridiculous and sad. Merlin is such a happy go lucky, cheerful character at the beginning, then we watch as things just keep getting worse. He cannot seem to win. By the end, that cheerfulness seems much closer to a mask he's desperately clinging to than anything else. He's an expert liar and manipulator, he's a killer, and he's so, so alone. If he ever tells anyone that he's a sorcerer, he'll be executed. And he lives in the shadow of that for years, unable to be himself even with the people he's closest to. Also characters who have their eyes change colors when using their powers my beloved.

4. Daenerys Targaryen - ASOIAF

I love her chapters - there's so much interesting and human depth to her struggles (even when her struggles are fantastical). She struggles to know how to rule, and rule well. She takes hostages but loves them too much to kill them. She struggles to create and maintain a peace for her people even as that peace asks things of her she cannot bear. She worries what it says about her that her children are monsters and she both loves and fears them. She desperately wants a simple, loving life but is also so, so doomed to never have that. She's a queen and a dragon rider and a young woman trying to understand the world. She's great. (I don't care about the tv show I'm talking books here)

Honorable mentions: Jon Snow, Cersei Lannister

5. Gale Dekarios - Baldur’s Gate

Oh yeah, another hubris wizard. He's funny and has this easy, good natured charm that makes it possible to ignore that he's an absolute FREAK. He's got one of my favorite wizard traits - a strong ends justify the means streak. He points, very genteelly, at all the ways power and knowledge drive and corrupt. He's a sweetheart but he brags all the time. Except it isn't bragging, because he can back it up. He can really, genuinely, become a god. His relationship with the dark urge also makes me insane, because I think in some ways he's both the clearest eyed about what will happen to them and the one most willing to meet them where they are and also desperately wants to believe they're a good person, even when it's clear that they aren't. His line about how their life is no longer theirs to lead, only to follow to a dark urge who embraces Bhaal is incredible. The diverging paths of who he can become over the course of the game are fascinating and there's so much depth to him. He's great. Oh, he also excuses his cat's crimes. Love that in a man.

Honorable mentions: Enver Gortash, The Dark Urge

6. Camilla Hect - The Locked Tomb

She's the most composed, controlled, meticulous batshit fucking crazy woman in the world. Unstoppable force vibes. Instead of moving on after her necromancers death she pieced together tiny fragments of his skull and then shared her body with him. She's a genius and she can't let go of her insanely codependent relationship, even when it kills her (but honestly Paul seems pretty cool and I'm excited to learn more about them)

Honorable mention: Palamedes Sextus

7. The Jovial Contrarian - Fallen London

A little more niche, this one! I sometimes find that characters in fallen london can sort of pale in interest compared to the overall lore and happenings, but the Jovial Contrarian is one of my favorites. He loves arguing and will argue with anyone about anything at any time. If you have regular debating lessons with him, people will hide behind couches rather than face you. He's part of the calendar council and hates the masters but also wants a solution that isn't the liberation of the night. Anytime his name is mentioned you know you're about to read something ridiculous. Fun guy!

Honorable mentions: Poor Edward (incredibly narsty. great villain), The Eagle, Ascendant (they have like, 3 lines of lore and they're all fantastic)

8. Midna - Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

I remember playing twilight princess for the first time and I just immediately fell in love with Midna. She's snarky, she's mean, her design is cool as hell, and I really loved her arc as she grew to really care about people over the course of the game. She remains firmly the best Zelda companion in my mind.

9. Elim Garak - Star Trek

You always knew it was going to be a great episode when Garak showed up. He always feels 30 seconds from chewing on the scenery and it is fantastic. He's an exiled spy and maybe a little bit of a monster and he never pretends otherwise. His lines to Sisko in "In the Pale Moonlight," telling him that he must have known what Garak would do, and that if the price of winning the war is Sisko's self respect then he'd call that a bargain are some of my favorite in an episode that already has a lot of really good lines. Aw man I wanna watch DS9 now.

Honorable mentions: Julian Bashir, Captain Picard, Tasha Yar (but wasn't she lame and poorly written? Yes. But young me was extremely taken with this aggressive short-haired woman for reasons I could not articulate at the time 🥴)

10. Morgan Yu - Prey (2017)

Okay so if you haven't played Prey stop reading right now and go buy it. Don't look up any spoilers or plot or anything just do it. If you liked dishonored or deathloop you'll love it. Now: who IS Morgan Yu? Who WAS Morgan Yu? Are they even the same person any more? How culpable are they? How culpable were they? Part of the reason Morgan is so endlessly fascinating to me is because we'll never know. How integral are memories to the continuity of the self? Why did you do what you did? Did you, the person standing here right now, even do it? The game just delivers gut punch after gut punch to Morgan and I love it and I love them (whoever they might have been).

Overall honorable mentions: the outsider from dishonored, garrus from mass effect, vimes and vetinari from discworld, and all my dnd characters (shout out especially to Hermès Montclair who fucked a dragon, died (unrelated to said dragon fucking), then came back wrong and fucked the dragon again! No one's doing it like you baby)

[randomfoxehs-belly]

Still thinking Dragon Quest thoughts but DQ11 is running out of steam for me so I'm switching to DQ3's remake properly lol

And that game is making me think of a different noms oriented DQ inspired idea track I've had, with a bunny preyboy protagonist instead >3> Name of Mudison, because his dad would be name Muda.

Thinking of basically like, he was taken in as an orphan by a foxeh who used to be an devil demon king overlord final boss dude who was in charge of a nation of monsters (predators), but that was a long time ago and now he's just living in seclusion. Found the bunny infant after his home was destroyed during a storm and his family was gobbled up by preds, so he took the child in and raised him to be a 勇者 "yuusha" (the "hero" title in japanese in Dragon Quest) because he thought that'd be funny.

was basically ruling the world being a walking natural disaster and kingdom devourer, then one day was like "okay this is boring I'm done" and just up and disappeared. Various stories about what happened to him, but no one really knows the truth. That he just dipped lol. Found prey protag boy alone and was like "this might be fun for a while I guess" and adopted him raised him to be RPG protagonist OP busted O-o

Finally once he turns 16 his dad boots him out to go become an adventuring hero dude, and the bunny is all like " c= " cuz he's a real boy scout paragon type who wants to help everyone and solve problems.

Dressed up like this cuz I DO love the Erdrick costume lol

Heads into the closest castle town to get his start, first person he runs into literally runs into him because she's a thief-y mouse girl. She yoinks his coinpurse but he snatches her hand. And while she's like >.>'' he's just like " =3 hi, speaking of my money, know where I can get some more? Don't think I have enough to buy some proper adventuring gear with." And she's like =x well you can always go gamble it at the town Arena.

And he's like oh cool an Arena, I can fight in that and get prize money maybe, good suggestion ^^

And mouse girl is like =/ yeah no, I said you should try betting on the fights, not actually JOIN the fights. Little bunny boy like you would get gobbled up instantly.

But he's already heading towards the fight pits and she's like >.> and follows along. He enters to fight despite all skeptism, and uses the Arena provided sword and shield gear. Gets sent out to fight some "Monsters"

In this setting I'm basically imagining it just being furries. Prey species furries as the "civilized" ones with towns and castles and whatnot. Pred animals just being overworld and dungeon dwelling random encounter dudes. In place of the typical fantasy monster races, you'd just have carnivore furries. like going through the monster manual and just making them lions and tigers and bears instead lol. Instead of harpies, you'd have raptors like eagles and hawks. Instead of orcs, you'd have boars. Ect. Probably still would be dragons though cuz dragons HAVE been pretty much coopted by furries lol.

So he goes out in the Arena to fight the Arena preds, like beefy tiger dude and wolf dude and bear dude. And long story short he totally wins in a darkhorse victory. Using unique Yuusha magic like Zap to pull out the win. Gets the prize money for beating the Arena. And as he leaves the mouse thief girl is like hey wow good job not getting eaten, and it turns out she bet on him and made BANK because he was the underdog. Her name is Hazel. He wants to start an adventuring party which he invites her to join. She says she'll think about it, but the next day after he buys some Adventure gear she meets up with him at the pub where they go to recruit two more Party members.

First recruited party member to join is a black mage squirrel boy, big hat logan sized wizard hat and he casts from a spell book. He's a squeaky book worm type. He joins up because the news about a bunny boy winning at the arena was making waves in the city so he figured he should tag along with a strong adventurer and go out and get some practical experience.

Last to join the party is a white mage dog girl. Canines are predators, but dogs are domesticated and it's a whole world building thing. Dogs are the only carnivores accepted in prey society, because they can be trusted to at least ask prey permission before eating them and know that No means No. But the mousie and squirrelly would still be a little nervous about her asking to join them, because she's have MASSIVE fat voluptuous knockers. Just huge boobs. And preds having weight on them like that is an overt indication that they've eaten people - like her tits are obviously that big because she ate some dudes and they went to being padding on her breasts. But she promises that they were willing prey and in fact she has offered to let them out, but they like being a part of her, she's a good girl she promises. Bunny boy has no scruples about letting her join since he was raised by a predator anyway so he's nonplussed about it anyway (he does not reveal this information naturally.)

So we got Yuusha (hero) bunny boy, thief mouse girl, black mage squirrel, and white mage doggy. Going on QUESTS

[sandalssandal]

DA2 (Fake Rival!Warden!Carver banter Act 3)

Hello! This is fake banter I came up with in my free time. Fenris’s dialogue is the only explicitly paired one, but you can read any of them assuming they’re romantic or platonic with Hawke. These also assume everyone gets along with Hawke but they’re not explicitly friendship.

I hope everyone is decently characterised, enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carver: You… and my [Brother/Sister] are together, correct?

Fenris: That is correct.

Carver: I don’t get, what do you see in [him/her]?

Fenris: Do you really want to know?

Carver: I want to understand.

Fenris: [He/She]…

(Green personality): Brings me peace of mind.

(Purple personality): Makes me laugh.

(Red personality): Knows how to throw [his/her] weight around.

Carver: Really, that’s what you like about [him/her]?

Fenris: I can share other aspects of why I like Hawke if you wish.

Carver: Forget it - perhaps I’ll never understand.

======

Hawke: I’m proud of you.

Carver: What?

Hawke:

(Green personality): *chuckles* I’ll say it again, if you want me to-

(Purple personality): Didn’t hear me the first time? I’ll say it a hundred times more-

(Red personality): You heard me, don’t make me repeat myself-

Carver: I get it! Stop, just stop it.

Hawke: You look upset.

Carver: I just - don’t want to hear those words from you of all people. I don’t need your approval.

Carver: Besides… you remind me too much of Mother when you say it that way.

======

Carver: I have a request to ask of you Merrill.

Merrill: A request? What kind of request?

Carver: Well… you don’t have anywheres to be… I was thinking- *ahem*, I was thinking once I leave for Vigil’s Keep …perhaps you can leave with me?

Merrill: I’m sorry Carver, I can’t do that.

Carver: May I ask why you can’t?

Merrill: Sure you can!

Carver: …

Merrill: …

Carver: …Why can’t you leave?

Merrill: Because Hawke still needs my help, now more than ever! I won’t abandon [him/her] like that.

Carver: *long sigh* Of course [he/she] does.

======

Carver: Do you regret not making me a guardsmen?

Aveline: Makers breath Carver, are you looking to open old wounds? Put it to rest.

Carver: I just want to know, because…

Aveline: Go on…

Carver: Because sometimes I wonder if it turned out differently, if I wouldn’t have gone with my [brother/sister] on that stupid expedition.

Aveline: Hm… I see.

Aveline: If you want my honest opinion? I don’t think being a guardsmen would’ve made a difference. You would’ve signed up anyways and Hawke wouldn’t have stopped you.

Carver: Do you think so?

Aveline: I know so.

======

Varric: So Junior, how’s that popularity in the Wardens coming along? Are people kissing the ground you walk on yet?

Carver: Ha-ha very funny Dwarf, you of all people should know that kind of information.

Varric: Should I? The Wardens can be very secretive y’know, even with their gossip.

Carver: Hm… yes I suppose we can be. Sometimes I forget who I’m speaking to.

Varric: Aw not going to share anymore, Junior? *tsk* I shouldn’t have said anything.

======

Carver: I knew somehow [he’d/she’d] end up in the centre of it all… it’s like [he/she] begs for trouble to find [him/her].

Anders: It can’t be helped can it? [He’s/She’s] a mage after all. Hawke’s a part of the fight regardless of [his/her] station.

Carver: Can it Magey. This is partially your doing, filling [his/her] with nonsense about “justice” and “action”.

Carver: I don’t know why I didn’t hand you to the Templars before, I should just drag you back to the order once I’m finished here.

Anders: I’d advise against doing that, Warden Carver.

Carver: Oh? And tell me why I shouldn’t.

Anders: Because Hawke would follow suit.

Carver: And become a Warden? *scoffs* Please, I wouldn’t let [him/her].

Anders: It wouldn’t be up to you, trust me.

======

Carver: You seem like a free spirit.

Isabela: Is that so?

Carver: Yes, and you have a ship.

Isabela: If you’re trying to flirt me, you could just say I have pretty eyes and huge tits.

Carver: That’s-! Not what I’m- I just don’t understand.

Carver: Why do you stay here in Kirkwall? There’s nothing here worth your time.

Isabela: Oh so you finally drop a proper line, I’m swooning in your arms already.

Carver: Isabela…

Isabela: Fine, I guess I’ll answer your question.

Isabela: I guess I stay because… I like the view.

Carver: The view? Are you referring to my [brother/sister]?

Isabela: Maybe I am - maybe I’m not, maybe I’m referring to what’s in front of me.

Carver: I… see…

Isabela: *chuckles* It’s fun to watch the view turn red.

[gil-galadhwen]

31 Days of Dragon Age

Days 1-5 here. Days 6-10 here

Day 11 - Favourite Awakenings Scene/Dialogue

Anything with Shale! I love her dry humour!

I was reminded of this interaction between Shale and Zevran, whom my Warden was romancing... (stolen from reddit)

Shale: I have noticed that the painted elf seeks the attention of the Grey Warden.

Zevran: He certainly does.

Shale: (Snorts) I watched many such couplings during the time I spent immobile in Honnleath. Or should I say I was forced to watch. You do know that this usually ends in reproduction. I have seen it many times, indeed.

Zevran: Oh? That is not such a terrible thought. Creating a new life can be a great deal of fun.

Shale: So you say. I have no idea how a golem is created, but I doubt I shall be creating one anytime soon.

Zevran: Just as well, I imagine. Any lover of yours would no doubt be quickly reduced to a puddle of bruises.

Shale: So you see me winning the affection of another golem, do you? Most golems are slaves to whomever holds their control rod.

Zevran: Funny, it works exactly the same way for us as well.

Day 12 - Favourite Awakenings Lore/Codex

The magic worked! I banished the dragon's essence to the Fade, but the enchantment was imperfect and the bond between spirit and physical body remained. The beast lay dormant long enough for me to rip her apart and scatter her about the marsh. That should suffice for now.

Had the spell failed, I would have perished. What was I thinking, working untried magic on such powerful beast? Ah, hindsight.

So I saved this soggy cesspit. I don't know what that proves, but these are my lands now, and Orlais must not see me as a failure.

—From the journal of the baroness of the Blackmarsh

Day 13 - Introduce Your Hawke

This is my Hawke Sana, the black sheep of the family 😆 Definitely my harshest DA OC, she has no time for bullshit, especially her brother's and Fenris'. "If you don't want my help, you can rot" is something she'd probably say 😅

Day 14 - Favourite DA2 Romance

Anders has way too much mage angst for me to bypass. Plus, he's friends with Justice, whom I love and think is a wonderfully written character (same with Anders. He does some terrible things, but I get it. I do.)

Day 15 - Favourite DA2 Companion

Aveline, and it's fucking criminal that I hear almost NOTHING ABOUT HER. What is it? A bitch boss with red hair too much for you? I don't want this question answered btw. It just makes me sad is all...

[vigilskeep]

out curiosity are their any pc backgrounds/hawke personalities/love interest match ups that just don't work for you? i tried to romance leliana as surana and it just...didn't click because my elf had been hurt by andrastianism far too much and that's a huge part of leliana's character. i tried purple hawke/merrill and there's a cultural divide linguistically which results in her not getting a lot of his jokes while hawke's purple responses seem more condescending to her than blue and red are

i think there’s something cool you can do with every single dao origin and romance pairing and i did a whole ask game on that basis! but there are a few i wouldn’t personally play, like i think everything that can possibly be said abt ali/cousland has been said and i’ve never come up with a tabris to suit ali, tabris or surana with leliana doesn’t do much for me, i’ve never really felt like doing an aeducan or mahariel with zev, i’ve never had a mahariel concept i feel like would work with morrigan, etc. etc. and those are all GOOD pairings and i see good content of them and i can totally see their potential, and some other people’s ocs who are in those pairings are beloved favourites of mine, it’s just not smth i’m personally drawn to doing myself

in da2... again i don’t think there are any “bad” ones it’s all a matter of taste. because the options are so limited its easier for me to come up with the one specific hawke variant i like for each romance than cross off everything i don’t. personally i prefer mage hawke for isabela and merrill and non-mage hawke for anders and fenris... as for the hawke personalities i think it depends how u play it. generally i prefer purple dialogue in the isabela and fenris romances because they respond well to that lightness and blue/red dialogue in the anders and merrill romances because they’re so rarely taken so seriously. but that doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t be purple in general, and i really do think there’s something fun in all hawke variants with each romance. i keep trying to think of one i absolutely wouldn’t do and then i’m like... wait... there’s something in this...

i do think there’s something kind of charming abt purple hawke/merrill specifically because purple hawke can’t rely on their usual joking front to win her over like everyone else. also in a relationship, purple hawke painstakingly explaining every joke to her to everyone else’s irritation and her a) laughing when she finally gets it or b) going “OH! but isn’t it supposed to be funny?”

[daitranscripts]

Well, Shit Pt. 4

The Leak

Varric Masterpost First: Bianca Davri Previous: Cave Renovation

The PC finds a key.

Bianca: There you are!

She fiddles with the door.

Bianca: They won’t be able to use this entrance again.

Varric: Bianca…

Dialogue options:

General: They had your key. [11]

General: You were the leak. [12]

General: Varric? [13]

11 - General: They had your key. PC: That’s exactly like your key. How did they get a copy? Bianca: Well… funny story! [14]

12 - General: You were the leak. PC: You were the one who leaked the thaig’s location. Bianca: It’s not like that! Not… entirely. Shit. [14]

13 - General: Varric? PC: You want to say something, Varric? Varric: Andraste’s ass, Bianca! You’re the leak? [14]

14 - Scene continues.

Bianca: When I got the location, I went and had a look for myself. And I found the red lyrium, and I… studied it.

Varric: You know what it does to people!

Bianca: I was doing you a favor!

Bianca (Varric kept red lyrium shard): You’ve had people studying it for years now, and they’ve come up with nothing! Bianca (Bartrand alive): You want to help your brother, don’t you? Bianca (Varric did not keep red lyrium shard/Bartrand died): You want to know how this stuff works just as much as I do!

Bianca: I just… wanted to figure it out.

Dialogue options:

General: Did you? [15]

General: You’re not saying everything. [16]

General: That was stupid. [17] +Varric slightly approves

15 - General: Did you? PC: Did you figure it out? Bianca: Actually… yes. [18]

16 - General: You’re not saying everything. PC: How did you go from studying red lyrium to giving the location to Corypheus? [18]

17 - General: That was stupid. PC: You could have been killed. Or worse. And for what? Bianca: Knowledge! You’re not going to beat Corypheus with ignorance! [18]

18 - Scene continues.

Bianca: I found out that red lyrium… It has the Blight, Varric! Do you know what that means?

Varric: What? That two deadly things combine to form something super-awful?

Bianca: Lyrium is alive! Or… something like it. Blight doesn’t infect minerals. Only animals. I couldn’t get any further on my own, so I looked for a Grey Warden mage. Blight and magical expertise in one, right?

Hawke sided with Larius Bianca: And I found this guy, Larius. He seemed really interested in helping my research. So I gave him a key. Varric: Larius? He was the Grey Warden we met in Corypheus’s… Oh, shit.

Hawke sided with Janeka Bianca: And I found this woman, Janeka. She seemed really eager to help with my research. So I gave her a key. Varric: Janeka? The Warden who was trying to control Corypheus? Maker’s breath…

Varric (pre-WPHW): I knew something seemed off! Varric (post-WPHW): That’s how he survived.

Bianca: I didn’t realize until you said you found red lyrium at Haven. I came here and… well… Then I went to you.

19 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: Varric, you know this person? [20]

Investigate: Why did you come with us? [21]

General: It isn’t really your fault. [22] +Varric slightly approves

General: You put this on us. [23] +Varric slightly approves

General: You’ve done a lot of damage. [24] -Varric disapproves

20 - Investigate: Varric, you know this person? PC: That name means something to you, Varric?

Varric (Hawke sided with Larius): He was at the Grey Warden prison where we found Corypheus. And he definitely wasn’t a mage before. [back to 19] Varric (Hawke sided with Janeka): She was at the Grey Warden prison where we found Corypheus. She was more than a little obsessed with him. [back to 19]

21 - Investigate: Why did you come with us? PC: You had to know we’d figure out what happened, Bianca. Why did you insist on coming with us? Bianca: Varric told me what people were doing with the red lyrium. I… had to help make this right. [back to 19]

22 - General: It isn’t really your fault. PC: You couldn’t have known what would happen. Varric: Maferath’s balls, she couldn’t! I told her exactly how bad this shit was! I told her to keep away from it! [25]

23 - General: You put this on us. PC: You told Varric you had a “lead” so we’d straighten out your mistake. [25]

24 - General: You’ve done a lot of damage. PC: You’ll have to answer for all the damage you’ve done. [25]

25 - Scene continues.

Bianca: I know I screwed up, but we did fix it! It’s as right as I can make it!

Varric: This isn’t one of your machines! You can’t just replace a part and make everything right!

Bianca: No, but I can try, can’t I? Or am I supposed to wallow in my mistakes forever, kicking myself, telling stories of what I should have done?

Varric: As if I would tell stories about my own mistakes!

Dialogue options:

General: She’s right. [26] +Varric slightly approves

General: Varric is right. [27] +Varric slightly approves

General: Just let it go. [28]

General: Get a room, you two. [29]

26 - General: She’s right. PC: She did at least try to set things right, Varric. Varric: (Sighs.) [30]

27 - General: Varric is right. PC: The red lyrium is out. Closing this entrance won’t undo that. Varric: (Sighs.) [30]

28 - General: Just let it go. PC: What’s done is done. There’s no point arguing about it. Varric: (Sighs.) [30]

29 - General: Get a room, you two. PC: Oh, for pity’s sake, would you two just get a room? Varric: Sorry, Inquisitor. [30]

30 - Scene continues.

Varric: We’ve done all we can here. Bianca, you’d better get home before someone misses you.

Bianca: Varric…

Varric: Don’t worry about it.

Bianca: Get him killed, and I’ll feed you your own eyeballs, Inquisitor.

Next: Back at Skyhold