#once again I feel really honored about getting this ask so thank you 😌

[bibastibootz]

Hello! First of all, I love your blog so much, you give off such warm, positive vibes :)

I wanted to ask if you would explain your head canons regarding Basti and Thorsten's sexualities a bit more? I've seen you refer to them as gay/bi respectively quite often and I would love to hear your reasonings and explanations behind that. (Not at all because I disagree, I'm just obsessed with the two of them and I think you'll have some very interesting takes on the topc!)

If you don't want to just ignore me :)

Hi! and thank you for this lovely ask, it put a really big smile on my face!! you're so kind! 😌 and OOHHHH do I have headcanons about Thorsten’s and Sebastian’s sexuality, I hope you’re ready!! 🔥 (I prefer making lists rather than writing articles, so I hope this still reads well enough)

schwuler Thorsten <3 It would be so easy to say that Thorsten is straight because he had a wife and a daughter back in Hamburg, but people who claim that aren't watching the show right. Here's why I think that a reading of him as a gay man is so so so so valid:

Susanne and Lilli: There are many ways to fit his late wife and daughter into this headcanon, so take your pick: He genuinely didn't know he was gay and started a family. He was in denial and started a family anyway. He was well aware of his homosexuality and maybe this was a mutual arrangement between him and Susanne. It was purely superficial.

(lack of) interest in women: Once Thorsten is in Stuttgart, he literally never shows any interest in any woman whatsoever (much to the dismay of his neighbour) and I do not remember him flirting with any woman ever. Also when asked about women, he literally answers, "Keine Ahnung, ich bin da kein Spezialist." A fortuneteller read his hand once and said: "Sie sind ein lebenslang Suchender. Besonders Frauen sind Ihnen ein ewiges Rätsel." and Thorsten replies, "Jetzt wird es vielleicht doch etwas zu persönlich." Hm. . . So Thorsten is sb who still hasn't found himself? And women are a mystery to him? Hm, gay. Also: Another relationship with a woman, much less so marriage, is so far off his radar that he proposed to Sebastian to start a "Alters WG".

often presumed gay: It is almost a running gag that people assume Thorsten is gay (except that the possibility of a gay Thorsten should not be the punchline). Julian Siebert in "Grabenkämpfe" assumes that Thorsten is gay. His boss while undercover in "Freigang" assumes that he's gay: "Bist du schwul oder warum sind hier keine Weiber?" Thorsten replies, "Schwul.", which the boss plays off as a joke.

casual, yet serious about queerness and other queer people: This is particularly striking in comparison to Sebastian because Thorsten seems so #woke about everything. He understands subtle and not so subtle nods and hints from other queer people but does not make a fuss about them and immediately recognizes queerness (as opposed to Sebastian): Once again "Grabenkämpfe," where Thorsten never jokes about Julian Siebert's obvious interest in him. Also in "Hart an der Grenze" Basti treats them playing a gay couple as a fun joke while Thorsten is very much not amused - and there is just sth in the way he treats the topic so seriously that makes it seem as if it real to him. In "Anne und der Tod" they interrogate clients and stand in front of an old man who has pictures of him and another man on his shelf and wall, and while Sebastian very innocently asks whether that's his brother or son, Thorsten's behavior suggests that he caught on instantly that the old man is in fact gay and that those are photos of him and his late partner.

actively against homophobia: When an old man makes a homophobic remark at him and Sebastian, he immediately grabs Sebastians hand to make that man uncomfortable and as a big fuck you and a way of saying, "Yeah people are queer, get over it, old man!!"

never denying, never clarifying: As much as men flirt with him or people assume he's gay, Thorsten never denies it and never clarifies that he is, in fact, heterosexual. Never! Best example is (once again) "Grabenkämpfe" when his neighbour spots Thorsten at a gay bar with another man and says that at least now she knows why he didn't have time for her - and Thorsten does not get defensive and screams sth like, "I'm not gay, I'm here for a case!", he just lets it slide. And remember when the Freigang boss derogatorily asked Thorsten whether he's gay but then later it seems that Thorsten had sex with a woman, to which the boss replies "Na egal, bin ja froh, dass du nicht schwul bist."? Thorsten once again does not outright say, "Genau, bin ich nicht." but instead replies, "Ich weiß." and looks sad and angry at this blatant portrayal of homophobia.

love confession: In "Die Nacht der Kommissare" Thorsten confesses his love to Sebastian while on drugs with a loud and clear "Sebastian? Ich liebe dich." He continues to confess his love to other men in that episode, but this "Ich liebe dich" feels very different, very sincere and from the heart. I like to read this scene as both a platonic and a romantic love confession.

There is probably so much more, but this is just from the top of my head. Moving on!

bi Basti <3 Sebastian is bi because it Just. Makes. Sense.!!!!!

the rise and fall of the Bootz family: I need to start with Julia and the kids because Sebastian is introduced as a happy, young family man who has basically achieved everything, both in his private life and career. His life as a husband and father is basically too perfect when we meet him, and of course it does crumble more and more into pieces with every new episode. We soon see tension in his and Julia's marriage, ultimately leading to their divorce and Sebastian's never-talked-about problem with alcohol and his separation anxiety. I encourage everyone to watch all the eps until "Spiel auf Zeit" as if Sebastian is falling out of love with Julia and in love with Thorsten (. . .is it possible to love two people at once? Good question, Sebastian).

Felix Klare supremacy: Even Felix Klare himself thought that Tatort was lacking diversity in terms of presentation of women and gay people back in 2013 and he advocated for becoming the first gay Tatort duo. Aber Richy wollte nicht. Tja.

bi in another universe: In "Tödliche Tarnung" we learn that Sebastian and Julia were once close to breaking up and Basti wonders how different his life could have been: "Julia, hast du dir schon mal überlegt, wie unser Leben verlaufen wäre, wenn, naja, wenn wir uns damals getrennt hätten?" Cue "Scherbenhaufen": When he is about to go undercover, he has to come up with a backstory for his character. And what does he do? Completely remove a wife and kids out of the picture and then says, "Ehrlich gesagt, ich hab sie dann mit meinem besten Freund betrogen." Kinda bi to make up a scenario in which he gets to be with Thorsten instead of Julia, if you ask me. And he looks so happy about it, too.

weird about queerness: Sebastian has always been weird about political correctness, and to me this reads as a defense mechanism, as a way to distance himself from queerness and treat it as sth "not concerning me". And yes, I do headcanon Basti as having serious internalized homophobia, why do you ask? I have yet to form proper thoughts about Basti's uncharacteristic compassion towards the gay man who has just lost his lover in "Vergebung", it feels so personally affected. What we can nevertheless witness, though, is some personal growth in that Sebastian is more comfortable with and knowledgable about queerness.

heteronormative worldview / hetcomp: Sebastian literally doesn't know that bisexuality exists. When he hears of married men (yes, there have been three such storylines. . . THREE!!!!) who had a secret lover on the side, he always assumes they were gay and never once considers bisexuality. Looping back to the Bootz marriage&divorce as well as the countless "secretly gay married men" trope, Basti is literally describing his life in "Vergebung" without acknowledging the parallels.

flirting with Thorsten: Of course, any straight man can flirt with his friends, but the way Sebastian does it is so "haha just joking!!! . . . unless 👀"-coded. First the pretend gay couple at the adoption agency, then another pretend gay couple in the waiting room, then the queer undercover persona plot twist. And look how flustered he gets when he gets flirted with.

honorable mentions: bi lighting, bi sitting, bi bi bi music.

Again, there is most definitely more and everyone is free to add on to my thoughts! 😌✌️

bonus: Are Thorsten and Sebastian in love? 👀 Yes, and as of February 2024 there are 32 episodes to prove it. Thank you for reading! 🫶

[heniareth]

Alrightalrightalrightalright. I realize we’re also talking in private now, but this post still merits an answer (post!!!!!!!! Such a post!!!!!!!!!! ~\(≧▽≦)/~)

Thank you for the notes on the drawings!!!!! Yes to everything!!!!! Valendrian is growing more grey hairs as we speak!!!!! In fact, by now he probably has a grey-hair-sensor and a Tabris-kids-are-doing-dumb-stuff sensor (which must’ve been going haywire during the Blight. Poor man. Not a moment of rest). Alsoalso Duncan prooooooooobably didn’t take Novhen to the wedding for a reason (“he has a twin he says? well off i go to Denerim!”) And even if Novhen can’t do much about Duncan recruiting Astala (T_T) It’s the thought that counts. Astala appreciates it.

Also seeing the phrase “I left some angst for you under there” somehow gave me the feeling of coming home to a surprise package on my desk XD XD XD XD Weird how that works

Also, good to know that your Companion Novhen is not a Warden. I must’ve gotten things mixed up with your canon. It is true that having another companion who is a Warden and at the very least not opposed to sleep with Morrigan would make the Dark Ritual much less intense. But for the purposes of this AU, I like the idea of them both being Wardens, recruited at different times 😈😈 Poor Cyrion: first Novhen has to leave (maybe disappears outright? 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀), then he gets the letter detailing a dangerous new career choice, and then Astala gets roped into that same dangerous career!! And he was hoping at least one of his children would settle down with a normal job, a spouse and some children ToT Really, it’s good that things end more or less okay for Astala and Novhen if only for Cyrion’s sake.

You know, I’m also curious as to how all of this would affect Soris and Shianni. Soris in particular; I get the feeling that he was already a bit of an outsider in the family when Tabris and Sianni went of to do stuff of questionable legality together. Now they both are Wardens, with important (and harrowing) Warden business to attend to. And he certainly doesn’t have the fighting skills to keep up with them. Ironically, this might bring him and Shianni closer bc they’re on a similar skill level with regards to fighting and aren’t Wardens and stayed in the Alienage. Not that there would be a rift between the cousins necessarily; but the fact that two are Wardens and national heroes (sorta) and two are not would change the family dynamic significantly I think. Also, from his comment after confronting the slavers (“Once again you’re the big hero, cousin. Must be nice, to have everything work out for you” or smth along those lines), I always thought he felt a bit of resentment towards warden Tabris? And I mean, it makes sense. The whole Alienage turned against him after the purge and then his wife disappeared. Meanwhile for all he knows, his cousin has been traipsing about Ferelden doing great deeds and receiving many honors. I really don’t envy Soris. Poor fella

Back to the Joining! Would it be too much to ask for two mabari? 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀 If yes, we can always pull a funny and have Novhen insist on calling the mabari Griffon, and Astala insist on calling him Rascal. Mabari are smart, he’ll understand he has two names 😌😌 Or Griffon is the official name and Rascal is what people descend into when scolding him or something. Pet names are extremely mutable, after all. Although a warhound is technically (and also very practically) not a pet

Also, it makes sense that Novhen can’t and won’t tell Astala everything about the Joining. I can only imagine the cold sweat running down his back when Astala tells him she can’t leave, she’s already tainted. Even if Ilanlas isn’t part of this AU (but, I mean, we’ve already lobbed all three of them together once. In fact, if you want to import Pavle so Astala can squabble with him about the nobility, or Radka for More Crime(TM), that has potential to be great fun and maybe get out of hand. But you gotta live a little, y’know)... Even if Ilanlas isn’t part of this AU, Astala is a very physical fighter, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if her first encounter with a darkspawn in the Korcari Wilds would result in her being tainted. And if she and Duncan have to traverse the Wilds to get to Ostagar, there’s plenty of opportunity there. Duncan meanwhile swears up and down to Novhen that he didn’t get Astala tainted on purpose. Not sure if Novhen believes him.

But also the Joining would be a delicious angst moment. Astala is taken totally by surprise and horrified by Jory’s death, only bc he didn’t want to drink the darkspawn juice. She would absolutely look around, see if she sees Novhen, and try to get some sort of reassurance for him just by look. And then she drinks the thing and drops like everybody else and oh, the seconds until they know if she’s still alive... Seems like it’s Novhen’s turn to get the Tabrises-inflict-grey-hairs disease. Astala will get her turn too soon enough, I wager.

The who is the HoF thing will be interesting. Astala will NOT have Novhen take the Ultimate Sacrifice upon himself. She just can’t. She’ll cry and beg (and probably get a bit histerical. She’s not doing well by the end of DAO in my canon). But she’ll have no alternative, bc Alistair is a good friend and she would like to survive as well, and if Novhen doesn’t tell her before the battle that there’s a ritual he’s done with Morrigan, she’ll absolutely try to stop him from killing the archdemon. It’s a bit complicated, because in my canon she basically kills the archdemon because she’s the only Grey Warden left standing. Everybody else is either injured to the point of not being able to do the deed or presumed dead (Ilanlas gets it particularly bad). She wouldn’t kill the Archdemon in a moment of adrenaline rush bc she’d just freeze up. If she kills it, it might be protecting Novhen if he’s down, and she would not go in with the intention of killing, just driving the beast away. And then she hits it too hard and we get a lovely explosion. She could also be protecting somebody else. Otherwise, the kill may be Novhen’s, and then Astala gets to scream and cry a lot because she thinks her twin brother is dead. It will not help Morrigan’s focus as she tries to save him.

And well... Astala’s gonna tag along with the decisions about the king of Orzammar and the killing of Flemeth. For the first, because there’s no better option, and for the second, because Novhen is going, and no way in the Void is she going to let him go alone. She’s probably gonna curse everything when she sees the dragon Flemeth turns into, but at that point it’s way too late to turn back. And seeing the dragon out to turn them into a metal-clad snack will be enough to convince her that Flemeth has to die.

And yeah, regarding the Zevran romance... There’s one thing I’m working on in my canon, which is that Astala is at first royally pissed at Zevran and at herself because she met Zevran at the tavern at Redcliffe, after dealing with the undead, and in her drunken state told him where they were headed next. And, lo and behold, the sweet and handsome elf turns out to be an assassin who follows them and tries to kill them all. Astala’s angry at Zev for taking advantage of her, but most of all at herself for being so stupid to say anything at all. Worst of all, that stupid part of her actually still trusts Zevran after the attempted assassination because a) he had been terribly nice and b) city elf!! friend!! :D So. Would you like to keep that? Because I think it could make for great fun; absolute bewilderment and disappointment on Novhen’s side (“Really, Stala? Really?”) and utter frustration on Astala’s side (“I know!!! I know!!! It’s so dumb but I can’t stop!!!”). Honestly Novhen would have every right to be angry at Astala because come ON girl, we have a bounty on our heads! And it’s not like you’re very inconspicuous to begin with! If you think this overcomplicates matters however, or if it just doesn’t seem as fun to you, we stay with the nice old “hey, he tried to kill us, why are you getting heart eyes, I know he’s handsome but stop��, which already makes for great fun ^^

Also yes though. Needling and fishing for gossip and teasing the other sibling about their crush. “Why aren’t you all smiles today? Something good happen?” “Hey Morri! Nice bracelet ^^ Didn’t I see Novhen carrying that around yesterday?” “Whaaaaaaat? You want to sparr with me? I thought Zevran was your new favorite sparring partner.”

ALSO! Novhen is definitely doing Witch Hunt. But, ngl, the image of Astala pulling out a long parchment of questions and methodically going through them while annotating the answers is making me crack up XD XD XD XD

Morrigan: “Must we do this? ‘Tis an awkward affair.”

Astala: “Just pretend I’m my brother.”

Morrigan: “You do realize that does not help in the slightest.”

Honestly, with the shield... I think if Novhen tells her he has a surprise for her and then returned with the shield, she’d be so awestruck that she wouldn’t even ask where it came from XD XD XD As things are, Novhen gets caught before he can do that, doesn’t he? No shield for them, then U_U Shianni as a distraction would work, however. Shianni is clever, and Astala is easily distracted. Poor Soris though XD XD XD He’s the only kid without criminal tendencies and he’s paying for it

And! We’re agreed on Adaia’s timline then 🤝 Astala’s gonna have a moment to be terribly unfair to her mom XD XD XD Poor all of them. It really is an emotionally charged time. Novhen doesn’t have to worry about her critizising Adaia after her death, however. Astala would think that terribly rude as well, and also Novhen didn’t like it at all and he’s not doing well. She’s not about to make things harder for him right now, not when he’s struggling like this. She absolutely puts the alcohol on the top shelf, maybe even pours it out or gives it away. That she won’t compromise on.

The smuggling will indeed not be to her taste at all, but I think by that point she’d be so tired from her jobs and done with everything that she just accepts it. She didn’t change her mother’s mind, she’s not gonna change his mind. And they do need the money he brings home. She’s gonna impress the need to keep Novhen safe on Alarith though, very diligently so. As for Alarith’s age, I headcanoned him to be three to five years older than Astala. But yeah, Novhen can get to tease her for a long time about it. It’s easy to make Astala blush XD XD XD XD (Also I’m happy that you like the thing with Astala starting to work after Adaia disappears XD XD XD XD I’m very fond of that detail too, although it does land Astala with a bit of lumbago and some sleep deprivation in her early twenties).

Regarding the Dark Ritual and what Novhen tells Astala after the archdemon has been slain and everything’s done with: she’ll let Novhen talk and cry all he needs to. She might be burning with curiosity, but I think she’ll catch on fairly quickly that this is a painful topic for him (also because of the lies, but also because Morrigan’s gone with the child) and not press more than necessary. And I think she would tell him to go after Morrigan! She doesn’t hold a ton of loyalty to the Wardens at that point, other than the fact that she will have their backs before the Crown. As far as she’s concerned, they’ve done their due, and there’s other wardens now to take on the most pressing duties. Nathaniel would be a good candidate. Or, hell, Alistair could step up and take up Duncan’s mantle (I don’t remember Novhen making Alistair king... He doesn’t, right?)

Also, the book 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀 Astala’s gonna get somebody to give her a primer on blood magic and once that’s done, she’ll study the book in private. And once she reads the part with the Dark Ritual, she’s probably gonna look up and stare into the air for a while (Zevran might get worried) before shouting “That sneaky little... Novhen!” Honestly, she’d probably not be horrified though. First, it’s already happened. Second, her brother’s involved, and she trusts him. Third, she trusts Morrigan. Fourth, she has a nephew??????????? WHERE?????? And, fifth, it did save their lives. It was good. She would probably not tell anybody anything. Novhen kept it secret under great pain, probably, and she’s not going to throw that into the wind. Morrigan and Kieran are family now. Weisshaupt can eat their letter paper for all she cares, they’re not gonna hear even a peep about them from her. Neither would she tell Cyrion. That’s Novhen’s prerogative. Does this mean that Warden Andras would interrogate Astala as well though? 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

Also, the angst!!! ToT ToT ToT ToT ToT ToT ToT She can’t send letters! She dies first! She can only hear of her brother and Morrigan and Kieran, but never see them ToT ToT ToT ToT ToT How old would Kieran be when the Calling catches up with Novhen??

The paper is tear-stained

I hope there is some sort of an afterlife where they can see each other again

Ough my heart T_T

On the other hand, since they join forces to find the Cure, they’re surely gonna find it. Between Morrigan’s knowledge, Merrill who cured a shard of an eluvian, Avernus, and the sheer awesomeness of these two, they’re gonna be fine. They’re gonna! No way around it. I’m manifesting it

I love that the elves use the p/matronym of whichever parent didn’t leave their Alienage to get married, aka. the one best known in the community! That’s so clever!! hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I love these kinds of headcanons, they tickle my brain just right XD XD XD XD XD XD Also!!! With Adaia speaking Rivaini Elvhen, Astala might be a step closer to getting her ‘r’s right and understanding the Dalish!! Which is so cool!! She’d love that XD XD XD XD The help with Antivan is also appretiated. I’m pretty sure she’s gonna end up there, with frequent visits to Ferelden, but there nontheless

And you would share the WIP with me?? O.O O.O O.O That. That is an honor. I love fictional languages (Tolkien got me bad). If in the end you decide not to, no problem at all; a fictional language can be very personal. We could also operate on a need-to-know-basis. Just know that Alfish definitely activates the language nerd within me. Seriously if they’d taught me syntax and grammar at school by making me create a new language, I would’ve mastered it so quickly and thoroughly.

Also!! I wrote a little scene based on Astala exploding in front of Adaia after Adaia gets back home from being locked in a dungeon. It’s super rough and super short, just a bit longer than a page, but I’m gonna share it. Somehow. I’ll let you know how and maybe you can tell me if you like that version or if there could be some changes, and also if Novhen’s dialogue sounds good? And Adaia’s too. I must say, given that we have no in-game reference of how she talks, I really have no clue what she’d sound like XD XD XD XD The most I’ve seen of her comes from you, actually, from drawings and bits of stories. Anyways, I’m going to find a way to link it. Until then! ^^

So!! I've been wanting to do this for a while, but life got in the way, so now I'm here to take that thing up again because!!! Fun!!!! This is about the relationships between OCs, and I don't want to impose anything but. Regarding how Novhen and Astala would get along:

What if they HAD grown up together? Maybe not in the same family (although, it would be fun 👀👀👀👀👀👀 they are very similar and very different from each other in different aspects. For example both are very loyal and community oriented, but also Astala is loud and boisterous while Novhen is quieter and more underhanded), but definitely the same Alienage. They'd know each others' quirks and habits. Maybe Novhen got frustrated with Astala because she'd always hide in these really obvious spots when playing hide and seek and Astala in turn would never be able to find Novhen? Maybe Novhen would at some point have stolen a plum tart for her and maybe Astala would've helped him against another kid who made fun of Novhen? Maybe, if we wanted them to meet up later during the Blight, Astala had to move away from Denerim at some point. I think she's a bit older than Novhen; maybe she got married elsewhere. Or, if not, now we gave more elves storming Vaughan's estate, which is alwats fun. I think Novhen would get to lead that one operation until Nelaros's death, because before that, stealth does seem to be the best option.

I think these two would get along well, differences aside. Astala would make an effort to lower her if needed, and having a familiar face to lean on during the Blight year would probably be a big comfort to them both. I think they'd be comfortable enough with each other to talk about the recruitment and how it didn't exactly happen willingly; they could gripe about nobles and politics; they could just. Sit in silence after Broken Circle and try and digest Sloth's nightmare. They could kill the slavers at the Alienage together!!! I think having a like-minded person from the same cultural background would help enormously.

One thing Astala probably wouldn't be on board with is the Cult of Fen'Harel. She'd let Novhen practice alright and defend him if accusations about this were levelled against him, but I think she would either have fallen out of it if she'd ever been introduced to it (it didn't save Adaia after all, so...), or never warmed up to the idea of this elvhen trickster god

These are my thoughts as far as they go. What do you think? Also I hadn't thought of it, but if you want to move this conversation to DMs, they're open ^^

(And if this doesn't tickle your fancy anymore, feel free to ignore ^^)

👀👀👀👀👀 I am eating this ask up like breakfast. Or, er, ramen. Which is the thing i am actually eating atm. But yes yes yes to all of this, i love it so much

Full response under the readmore for length, but i'm realizing now my response is mostly about them as kids 😅 Oops

[Ask Game]

The way i play with companion!Novhen, i'd assume he and Astala are probably either siblings or cousins (i waffle), except this time on their mothers' sides. I don't know Astala's exact age, but Novhen was born in *pulls out notes* Wintermarch of 9:7 Dragon. If we try to stagger them based on Adaia's death, that's probably close to a decade between them which seems a tad bit higher than it should be. We'll just have to dance around that matter

Even if Astala isn't significantly older, there's probably never a single moment where he's taller than her XD Add onto that that girls tend to hit puberty first, there's gonna be quite the height difference around age 10

But yes, their personalities go in very different directions but are probably pretty compatible, especially if given the benefit of a shared childhood! They're both very sociable, but i suspect most people like Astala more, especially authority figures. She's much less of a troublemaker, and Novhen definitely took a while to come into his own as a social mastermind. (This also would make her the ideal candidate for a distraction whenever Novhen’s a-scheming. That’s gonna do her a lot of favors when trying to get him to steal plum tarts for her XD These two are the real blight as far as anyone in the alienage is concerned XDD)

Oh, actually! If they knew each other, i can imagine pretty well him practicing with or studying Astala to get better at social situation! And clearly it worked! (A: "Ok now make an angry face... You just look like you can't find a chamberpot. You have to scrunch your eyebrows like this." *jams her thumb down his forhead*)

Astala seems to prefer her hair shorter during the Blight, but how was it as a child? Because if it were in some sort of puff, i can imagine her child-level object permanence resulting in her hiding in an empty barrel with the puff still peeking over the top! (Artist's Rendition Below)

I don’t think he’d be too frustrated with her poor stealth outside of team games at least! (If they’re partnered is another story…) He does sometimes tease her that she’s not going to be a very good criminal when she gets bigger. Idk, how would she respond to that? Because how does she feels about the fact that she's not going to follow in her mother's footsteps (or how aware of that she'd be as a child) or maybe she would retort about how she’s already bigger or something else? Definitely a lot of ways to take that one lol

But also the idea of Novhen as alienage king of hide and seek is kinda cute. He's usually the last one left (all that damn thief training), so it’s not unheard of to see a parade of Astala, Shianni, Soris, and whoever else they've wrapped into their game (which with Astala could be quite a number) turning the alienage upsidedown to find him. There's probably at least one time he gets found in the first minute, and he thinks he's going to die of embarrassment. Because of that, they almost never let him be a hider in the first round. Sometimes when he’s hiding, they'll accidentally pick up seekers who weren't even playing along the way because they want to see him knocked down a peg XD That's what happens when you win too much!

Astala probably has him beat at wrestling tho! And the game where i imagine they’re most evenly matched would be arm wrestling. As an archer, Novhen has insane upper body and especially shoulder strength, but Astala has insane everywhere strength

On the less competitive side, imagine them as dance partners as little kids ☺️ Astala’s probably the more enthusiastic one about it, but i’d imagine she could drag him into it Easy whether through blackmail or Ole Reliable (puppy dog eyes). There have to be lots of events in the alienage that call for dancing, so it’s good to have a go-to dance partner! And if they ever get a Silly Urge while dancing, the one thing that i’ve found little kids most reliable to do is spin so fast they nearly make themselves sick, and when there’s two of them spinning each other, there’s no stopping them until the centrifugal force throws them both to the ground. At least they’re having fun lol

The Cult of Fen'Harel thing makes sense. I wouldn't expect Astala to be into that. I imagine in this case that Cyrion and Adaia agreed to expose the children to both sets of beliefs, so they could choose once they got older

It's a good thing Novhen's good at keeping matters hush because otherwise Astala would likely get stuck constantly mediating between Novhen and Ilanlas on matters of religion 🤭

Tbh Novhen would slightly begrudge her for choosing the Chantry, but i don't think he'd ever let her know if he could help it. It's just not worth it, and you can't talk about that without talking about Adaia's death which nobody is excited to talk about. Still, it's a potential source of drama, esp as the politics of DA:D are winding up

Back in the present day, if the endgame configuration is one where they live in the same location (which i think could only be the case if they were both companions), Novhen would offer her once for him to educate her child/ren in the way of the Cult of Fen'Harel and/or the Vir Banal'ras fighting style, probably get denied at least on the first one, and never bring it back up. He knows she's Andrastian and also wouldn't expect her to teach them that fighting style herself (too rogue-based), but if he had permission, he'd want to at least try to expose them to their family's traditions, so they could make a choice themselves like Novhen and Astala did

And honestly, if he's present for the origin, once Nelaros dies, Novhen would more than happily hand leadership of the mission over to Astala. Stealth only goes so far, and she has first dibs on revenge #SupportWomen

And with Unrest in the Alienage! As soon as Caladrius is dead, Novhen is scampering over his corpse to pick the lock on Cyrion's cage. Doesn't even wait for someone else to pilfer the key. Astala is free to react to that little scene however she wishes, and we get the whole Tabris family reunion after

Whoever’s Warden, i imagine those two leaning on each other a lot for emotional support during the Blight because not only are they the only alienage elves in the party, they’re family (or at the least childhood friends). Once we personalize the Broken Circle dreams, they get upsetting fast. If either of them get sent into that mission (or Maker forbid both of them), they’re definitely going to need to share a blanket by the fire for a minute

EDIT: the paragraph looks like it's been eaten but also! Novhen would be very cautious about Astala's Zevran romance at first. ("Yes, Stala, he's very dreamy, but let's not forget he's only here because he was hired to kill you.") We know he's very protective, and they're both so eldest sibling-coded

[nako-doodles]

check in tag 😌

tagged by the cutest babes @jaehyukkies @gimbapchefs @taesjpg @joenns @honsool @taehyungq @himbojin @jiminswn & @kimtaegis  mwah! ✨✨

1. Why did you choose your url?

namjoon bought a duck mold, ventured out into a snowy day in winter, and gave me the greatest tweet i have ever seen

2. Any sideblogs? If you have them name them and why you have them

the day i gain the ability to wrangle more than one blog ill let yall know

3. How long have you’ve been on tumblr?

*starts calculating time furiously and almost burns out her single braincell* ive been here since like freshman year high school.....so............2010? 2011? ive deleted and restarted like 3 times tho so.........also you can calculate my exact age now (as if I dont have my age on my carrd aiowgjiorajgo)

4. Do you have a queue tag?

no we dont tag we just chaos in this house *finger guns*

5. Why did you start your blog in the first place?

i took a break from tumblr and kpop and then decided I wanted to make a bts blog out of the blue

6. Why did you choose your icon?

i drew all these tiny snow ducks i might as well capitalize on them yknow? really embrace my duck persona (Kim Namjoon witness the person you have made me)

7. Why did you choose your header?

honestly my entire blog brand at this point can be narrowed down to the hour ish (probably) joon spent wrangling snow into duck molds, placing them together for the twt, and captioning them ducktan sonyeondan (im on the look out for new ideas im ready for a change lmk if you have ideas 🥰)

8. What’s your post with the most notes?

i think its this post?? of the babies on rollerblades from that one iconic dynamite stage. and on that note tumblr should be able to let me filter based on note count instead of forcing me to rely one my shoddy terrible no good math skills. asking me to compare numbers bigger than 0? despicable. 

9. How many mutuals do you have?

absolutely no fucking clue 🥰🥰🥰 i do love them to the moon (Kim Seokjin) and back tho!!!!

10. How many followers do you have?

ngl its still wild for me that even one of yall follow me thank you 🥺🥺🥺 its a great honor that you have bestowed upon me

11. How many people do you follow?

303 bc I like it when numbers are palindromes and also bc im bad at checking new blogs

12. Have you ever made a shitpost?

would like you to direct you to my #shirley you cant be serious.txt tag

13. How often do you use tumblr each day?

i try my best to “clean out” my blog (reply to my dms/askbbox, check out my mentions, scroll for new content i may have missed etc.) in the mornings and evenings when i have the time. ive been kinda bad at this lately bc its been hectic here in shirley headquarters but ill get to everyone soon I promise!! (this sounds like bad. its not!!! its just that leaving things stresses me out? like how i like replying to texts as soon as i see them or reply emails as fast as i can. ‘unresolved’ correspondence feels rude.)

14. Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once? Who won?

no im the type to unfollow/block/ignore if someone did or said something i dont agree with without a word

15. How do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?

i get the need for those signal boost posts and promulgating important information but (and this is going to sound selfish) tumblr is my destress zone. i go here when the world is being overwhelming and terrible. i certainly read and educate myself as much as my mental health will let me, and i try my best to promote information and donate whenever i can, but i feel like social media has caused some people here to be too into canceling, managing, and being performative in their ‘wokeness.’ like you HAVE to have a blackout pic on instagram and you HAVE to reblog all these posts and you HAVE to immediately cancel everyone who has ever made a mistake EVER with no nuance or context (or dare i say......humanity). like fighting for human rights and speaking up again racism and bringing attention to societal problems is just a checklist to go down instead of being things you should understand and try to improve? like being ‘unproblematic’ starts and ends with mindlessly reblogging ‘woke’ content. idk sorry for going on a rant. going back to your regularly scheduled lighthearted content in 3...2...1

16. Do you like tag games?

ABSOLUTELY TAG ME IN EVERYTHING PLS AND THANK MWAH

17. Do you like ask games?

ofc!!! i used to do a lot of ask games back in the day but work and the pixel art ive been working on has been eating up all my extra time (and i always feel bad if I leave asks unanswered for too long see: q. 13) i do have that clover moots post saved for when my mental health is up and i have the time to tho!!!! 

18. Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

ngl the idea of being tumblr famous is hilarious to me bc it usually just the same 10 moots who share a braincell bouncing posts back and forth each other, but i do think all my moots are superstars that even class o super giants millions of millions of miles away are turning green w envy 🥰🥰🥰

19. Do I have a crush on a mutual?

i have a confession i have to make........i have a big phat standing crush on all my moots........its really embarassing............thats its bigger than even tae’s tush or joon’s tits..................pls let me down gently if you dont feel the same................

tagging: @cafejoon @stargazingjin @yoobijin @jinbestboy @jintae @jinv @taemaknae @butterful & anyone who wants to ✨✨

[astrxlis-archive]

I'm once again dropping by because I felt like you need to see this (given that you also wanted this as a skin 👀): venti ✨

It's my pleasure to link the uquiz for you!🤭💕 I'll be coming back with possibly a bunch of those whenever i feel like rummaging through the links i've sent to my friend 😅 i swear everytime i find something to send to you or show you, there will always be a new reply to my asks 😤 i find it to be a nice thing :DD

i couldn't agree less on my albedo result too, it was very spot on 😩 it's nice to know your thoughts on agreeing with my result too 🤭 and nope! It is just right for you to assume that whenever i see any fox related stuff my thoughts will always think of you now 😌💖 Ooh xiao as your result 👀 i definitely agree on you being introverted 😂 especially the part where "there are people you admire and care for," if that ain't you then i dont know who is 😤 it's too accurate to be true 😅 we are getting exposed 😰😂

A belated gift??!?!?! 😱😱😱 I gotta admit that i kinda malfunctioned after reading this. Like, are you serious Fox 🥺 i totally don't mind but are you serious,,,😰🤭 Gift or no gift please do whatever you want 😂 it's already an honor for you to give me something 🥺💗

Likewise for the results linking, i dont mind you linking or pasting it in your responses! :D maybe only provide the link when the picture in your result is funny like what you did 😂 the decision will always be up to you, since i wont mind either way 💞💞💞

I'll be cheering on you to complete your assignments!! 😤😤😤 You can do it Fox!! 🥺🥺 (Imagine yourself having a concert and i'm one of the fans seated at the front seats 😌 Picture me as albedo who have a ribbon wrapped like a headband around my head, with lightsticks on both hands and holding a poster reading, "GO FOX WE LOVE YOUUU!!!!!!" 😂 basically hypeman albedo,,,)

— 🍰.

hi 🍰, welcome back!! 💕

the way i kept smiling at that venti adapted skin omg 🫣🫣🫣 i would grind for it the same way i did for ningguang's skin. i'd buy it if i had to. like, no joke. 🥲 thank for you sending it to me i'm treasuring that tweet forever 🥺

i don't know how uquiz creators manage to be this accurate with their results, but i'm not complaining, even if it creeps me out a bit sometimes 😂😂 we do be getting exposed tho like damn

about the gift, i'm 100% serious!! there were already plans in the making before that but with your birthday coming soon i though "why not?" 😌😌

that was a nice mental image tbh 😂😂😂 thank you so much for the support!! they're not really assignments, more like recorded classes i have to study for my midterms. hopefully i'll finish them with extra time for reviewing 😮‍💨

thank you for stopping by!! see you soon 💖