#origins Honestly did the best at that with sten. not great but | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lavellane · 4 days ago

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ok i have avoided talking abt my datv thoughts but now ive finished and slept on it here it is. this is huge btw and really just a way to process my thoughts for my own peace of mind. and get out what i need to say. so yeah word salad below

2 disclaimers before i start. firstly i think im going to be SUPER blunt and clear about my thoughts on this post but then i will mostly be putting the matter to bed in my heart bc i am not someone who delights in being a hater nor do i take comfort in it. i will take from this the things i enjoyed and keep my distance from the rest. second disclaimer: ultimately i think i will still enjoy being a part of the fandom and seeing other people enjoy the game, because it will endear it to me and maybe take away the pain im feeling right now, so this isnt a long rant to make you feel bad about enjoying the game if you do like it! in fact quite the opposite. it comforts me that there are people who find value in the game and i hope in watching you play it i may be able to eventually be able to say the same

that being said . obviously i didnt like the game

which is an extremely difficult thing for me to say. i went into this game thinking "i will at the VERY least enjoy the game. not love it but at least like it. but im sure ill love it". it really is quite distressing for me that it didnt even really reach that bar for the most part. i TRIED to like it. i begged this game to give me ANY handhold at all that i could cling to, to forgive and like this game. i think the things i liked err more on the technical side. the graphics i loved, the character DESIGN was *fantastic*. the art. the pacing. the vague vision of what they were obviously nebulously aiming for. and honestly, i mostly enjoyed the main plot although i wish it had been more disciplined and constrained with the lore it was trying to expand on. act 3 was fantastic and naturally i am happy and fulfilled for the most part by the conclusion of solas's story, who i still believe was and is the best written "villain" of dragon age. sorry logang and meredith nation but i do still stand by this.

but thats really about it. as a disclaimer i am not an origins puritan or a da2 diehard or anything like that. i have loved (almost equally) EVERY single iteration of dragon age which has been released. i am one of the few people who sees equal value in inquisition and origins. i love them both so deeply. i couldnt pick between them.

for me what i love the MOST about dragon age - and which every single previous game has always nailed despite other flaws - is the characters. right under that is the world's capacity for introspection. and unfortunately nothing in this game provided that for me

regarding the characters: i do not care about a single one of them unfortunately. or at least i do not CARE about them the way that i have CARED about the other previous games companions. companions i would write banter about !!! just for fun when i was bored!!!! i would say my only exception is harding, but even then i care about her only because i care about her due to inquisition. overall i just found them all so ..... shallow. and devoid of any of the conflict or nuance or ethical quandries that make biowares stories so compelling - and sure, usually controversial! i would give ANYTHING for this game to have been controversial. for a unforgivable RO, or a problematic fave, or a cancelled wife. did bioware forget that their most beloved or at least enjoyed characters are people like anders, merrill, mordin solus, blackwall, sten, loghain, SOLAS??? i dont understand HOW they could have forgotten that, because solas is literally right there in game and handled (in my opinion as a fan) well. love him or hate him or dont care about him, he is such a hallmark of great bioware writing (in dai if nothing else) - characters who are not EASY to like. characters who are not SAFE to write and who WILL generate criticism from all sides because they are written boldly and unapologetically, strengthened by a foundation of consistent ideals, clear objectives and beautiful faults. characters that do not NEED you to like them, but instead invite you to engage with them critically. solas, even to someone who hates him, is nuanced and morally complex enough to muse and fight over for 10 whole years. hes IN this game, just as ethically murky as ever, but the morally grey hallmark of biowares writing really does kind of live and die with him alone. the rest of the companions feel like they barely made it out of their concept phase. what are lucanis's flaws??? genuinely asking. other than being a murderer who exists in an organization which buys and trains literal child slaves of course, but i'll get to that in a sec (because bioware sure as fuck didnt). um, i guess you could say hes broody?? and emmrich too. what actual flaws does he have?? he has a fear of death, as we're TOLD, but it does not really reflect in the overall convesations we have with him over the course of the game. mostly hes just.... a little bumbling i guess. bellara's flaw is being a scatterbrain. harding's is that shes..... angry??? but shes not???? fucking come on. i really felt the lack of actually being able to TALK to these people at the end of act 2, when i realized i still felt like i havent really MET any of them. and yet here rook is talking about found family and being a team. ok

and then there are the romances. which from my perspective - having romanced taash - and my friends who have romanced lucanis, neve and davrin..... WHAT romances. davrin's full romance is 20 minutes in a 30 PLUS HOUR GAME. solas had the least amount of content out of any companion in inquisition and was a last minute unintentional RO and still had like easily 50 minutes of content. so why did these romances feel like nothing. actually nothing. i was so excited for taash, but their romance straight up felt like neither rook nor taash even wanted to be there. i forgot they were technically together at certain points. zero chemistry. zero intimacy. all TELLING zero SHOWING. if you had told me that i would be saying these sorts of things about a writer like trick weekes a month ago i would call you fucking crazy to your face. i cannot reconcile that taash was written by the same person who wrote solas. i cannot reconcile that mary kirby - who wrote the fucking chant of light - wrote lucanis. its so dire. its devastating actually.

lastly i want to talk about my other point - bioware's famed emphasis on introspection and ethically quandries. again, i'm genuinely experiencing a sense of profound whiplash because when it comes solas's character you can still see it. its still there. they actually doubled down on making him worse than he was in trespasser which i LOVED and thought was so incredibly promising. they could have caved to solavellan fans and uwu-ified him but they didnt. thats great.

but where was that energy for literally anything else. everything has been defanged - even minrathous, the capital of the tevinter slave trade, does not even ADDRESS the elephant in the room of slavery. and i know because i played a shadow dragon. so tell me why i as a shadow dragon am happily allied with the crows, who solely exist to assassinate politicians and BUY SLAVES. THEY BUY SLAVES. THEY BUY SLAVES AS CHILDREN AND TRAIN/TORTURE THEM TO MURDER. HELLO??????????? there is no commentary made about the mages/templars. there is no discussion of the treatment of the elves in the north or Anywhere. there is no discussion of why exactly blood magic is or isnt acceptable - they simply tell us its bad. all the theories of the last 10 years were answered with handwaved comments or bare bones codex entries that honestly stripped so much nuance away from so many things (the blight, my BELOVED) that i dont know how im going to go about fixing it or making it right in my head. the introspective nature of dragon age always went hand in hand with player choice, but there really WAS no choice in this game as so there IS no real capacity for other interpretations or schools of thought. it is so..........................bleak.

i think the thing that finally made it click in my head that this game had fundamentally let me down was the gloom howler quest. and i know im not alone on this. for those of you who dont know - the gloom howler, "isseya" was the protagonist of the dragon age novel "the last flight". i would HIGHLY recommend you read it, especially if you're an origins fan. super bleak, super political, not flashy at all in terms of magic. it was set 500 years pre origins, during the 3rd blight. isseya is very similar to characters like loghain and solas in a way - a richly complex, beautifully intricate, terribly thought provoking character who did HORRIFIC things for the most NOBLE reason you could imagine, under the most traumatic of circumstances. im tearing up just thinking about her story, and how the title "the LAST flight" foreshadowed that her story had a definitive, bittersweet, finite and peaceful ending.

and then this game did THAT to her. turned her into a grotesque caricature of what she was. stripping her of her nuance and her capacity for atonement or forgiveness. and once again, i do not fucking get it. she was obviously brought back because she is a parallel to the solas dilemma. so WHY is she not afforded the same opportunity for empathy that he is. why is bellara's brother not either. its insane. its literally insane. i cannot begin to imagine the oversight or laziness or WHATEVER IT WAS that occured to have this game turn out this way.

there are innumerable other problems with the game that im not going to get into because what ive said above is the main crux of my problem. introspective and character. those are all i really wanted from this game, and like..... i thought we would get that. because the game centered around solas. and i know people dislike his fans for very fair reasons, but i hope those who know me know that i enjoy him not because hes hot (he is though) but because he is terrible. i love him because they made a character who was TERRIBLE, and then gave you the task of using your head and refelcting on your own morality and values and deciding and arguing and meditating over whether he is worth loving anyway. to me, solas is the person i point to when i want to describe why i love dragon age. its complicated, its nuanced, it is terrible and wonderful and everything in between depending on the angle you look at it from. and so having the writer of a character like THAT in charge of the whole game filled me with hope and dissuaded so many of my fears for this game. but i was wrong apparently.

so now im left with a feeling akin to survivors guilt. genuinely. because at the VERY least, despite me saying all of these negative things, i at least finished the game crying happy tears and being overjoyed that my favourite character was handled well and got an ending i enjoyed. and yet that happiness *i* got to feel and that glimmer of good writing was paid for at the expense of literally everything else. i feel almost personally responsible in a way, which sucks. im sorry to all the people who did not enjoy or care about solas, im sorry that you really did get nothing out of this game. i hope we can all be comforted by the trilogy we have and will always have, and i hope we can all take what good parts we enjoyed out of veilguard and make peace with the rest

leaving this youtube comment my friend sent me which is unfortunately a summary of how i feel about the game as a whole.

#tay plays datv #datv #datv spoilers #datv critical #nobody needs to read this but fgdjkfgjk if you do #i hope it is clear that i write from a perspective of profound love for this series and all its characters.

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josephinemontilyace · 1 year ago

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I can’t draw humans for shit so here is my Warden from my current playthrough, made with picrew! Below I write about her relationships with her companions, though nobody asked - enjoy if you wish! Reminder that these are JANESSA’S opinions - a fictional character’s opinions - and not necessarily mine!

If anyone is interested in her relationships with the Awakening crew, let me know!

*I imagine her with a rounder face, darker brown hair, and more defined curls.

Janessa Cousland - Rogue (Duelist)

LELIANA: Janessa is bi and was attracted to Alistair initially, but found him to be immature and whiny (cue Jon Snow “I dunt wunt et!”). He refused to make, like, ANY decisions, which rubbed her the wrong way. Throughout her journey, and especially during the Urn of Sacred Ashes quest and Arl Eamon’s miraculous recovery, Janessa developed a deeper faith, which she loved discussing with Leliana. It was those deep, philosophical conversations that really started their connection. Janessa had pushed back her attractive to women for so long because of pressure from her parents to marry a nobleman. That part of her is finally free to be true to herself.

ALISTAIR: Alistair became a best friend to Janessa, part of her new family. Heartcrushingly, due to fear of magic and distrust of Morrigan after finding out that she knew the Grey Warden secret the whole time, Janessa refused the Dark Ritual. Having Alistair sacrifice himself hurt me sO BAD but it’s role playing, and Janessa wasn’t willing to risk an unknown magic when the fate of the world hung in the balance. She gained a huge amount of respect for him upon his death and sometimes regrets not stepping forward and doing it herself - but she knows that this was Alistair’s choice and that he was proud to do it.

MORRIGAN: Janessa and Morrigan got along better than I would have expected, but there was a mutual “I respect another strong independent woman when I see one” vibe between them. Upon Morrigan’s revelation and betrayal, however, Janessa decided Morrigan was a bitch. (I personally love Morrigan and find her to be a fascinating character)!

WYNNE: Janessa respects Wynne but finds that she reminds her of the Chantry sisters who annoyed her so much growing up. Still, as her faith evolves, she finds herself talking to Wynne more and seeking her wisdom. She is freaked out by the spirit possession though. It takes her awhile to fully trust Wynne after learning that she’s a Diet Abomination.

ZEVRAN: She could take him or leave him honestly lol I rarely brought him with me in this playthrough. They got along but there was nothing special there. Sorry Zev!

OGHREN: Oghren is a great guy to have around, tactically speaking - let him take all the hits - but that’s the only thing Janessa finds him good for!

STEN: There is honestly so much mutual respect here. Sten is like a proud but weird uncle to her. They aren’t super close but know that they can 100% rely on one another.

SHALE: GOD I LOVE SHALE! So does Janessa. She finds her so strange, but such a breath of fresh air. She loves going along with Shale’s humor (though sometimes she’s unsure if it’s really humor!).

DOG: Janessa named her dog Bryce, after her father. She did this as a prank when she was a younger teen (like 14; she’s 18 at the start of Origins) so she could be like “yeah Bryce shat in the kitchens again” and “Bryce ate an entire pork roast, vomited it, then ate it again.”

If you have any questions that would help me flesh her out as a character more, let me know!

#dao #dragon age #dragon age origins #grey warden #warden cousland #my characters

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karaslluthor · 5 years ago

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supercorp fanfic masterpost pt.2

this has been in my drafts for over a year so here ya go and hasn't been updated since then but if u haven't read these then ur welcome. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

its literally a big ass list jsyk and i did all the tumblr tags back then so idk if they are still the same users but hopefully lmao.

original part 1 is here boysss

MULTI FICS

somewhere i have never travelled (http://archiveofourown.org/works/9268886/chapters/21008012)

kara and lena visit all different places lenas lived and then they find a home together and its super cute and fluffy I cry

Paranoia Incarnated - @justmickeyfornow

mickey is my fucking supercorp spiritual guider with the best fucking fic and ive read it about 322934 times and still is sooo good. Also the whole heartbeat thing KILLS me. SO MUCH ANGST but literally its worth the death u go through trust me

Transcendent Interactions

Kara and lena share this bond thing from birth and can feel each others emotions and they finally meet and its so great like im actually fucking in love with this fic and kara gets herself off all the time thinking lena doesn’t know idk just read it u wont regret I stg

Closer and Closer (Until We Collide) - @hallow777

Im a slut for bed sharing tropes and this is so CUTE like lenas all freaking out because she keeps waking up cuddling kara and alex is oblivious to everything and its just soooo good

So, This Happened?

Drunk kara leaves drunk alex for a more suitable cuddle buddy aka lena lesbian luthor and lena sleeps in a supergirl t shirt bc of course

Sojourn

Holy mother of fuck as if this fic didn’t absolutely ruin my fucking life??? Lena has to go to London for a month so she invites kara to come with her and lena has a gay awakening and realises shes in love with kara and its SO FUCKING GOOD

just one wrong move (baby, baby)

lena is having karas baby from this alien tech accidentally! And lena is so loved and its so cute like honestly and obviously they fall in love bc duh

hold me, my dear (and don't let go)

kara is a professional cuddler and lena hires her services bc shes a sad touch starved young lady and deserves to have some hugs in her life hello fluff my old friend discovering the moon

alex and lena brotp and holy fuck does it deliver!!!! Alex is like a wingwoman we all need and kara and lena just need to communicate tbh but AMAZING

Focus on Something You Love, and Breathe

Lex is a little shit as always and wants to kill lena bc he thinks shes in love with supergirl (which she is) so kara says she can stay with her and obviously the angst is juicy and ruined my life. So. Good. Read. It.

Offstage

College theatre au but like literally one of the best college aus ive ever read!!!! Lenas just a big lesbian and karas confused and they bang secretly and its glorious

it's a boy!

lena takes in a super powered alien baby that falls from the sky and gets a weird neighbor in the form of kara danvers and theres not many chapters yet so im not sure whats happening with kara yet but im super excited for this!!!

Break My Fall

Kara dates monel but kisses lena as supergirl and its angsty and smutty and all round a good fucking time

carefulness can be damned

Post 3x7, literally smut with some plot need I say more??

A Foolish Wit - @seabiscuits-us

if you haven’t read seabiscuits fics are you even a supercorp fan?? Lena needs a husband and Clark Danvers is positively charming and also actually disguised as a man, I mean.. quality content

In My Veins

im soooo excited for this fic because the lena/alex brotp is written so well!!! Basically lena and alex become really good friends bc they both deal with their issues by drinking obvs and kara thinks they are secretly dating and gets upset and im SO READY FOR THIS ANGST

Would You Catch Me If I Fall For You ('Cause I'm falling)

This is absolutely amazing and so captivating and I was honestly on edge the whole time kudos to the author!!!!! Kara goes back in time to warn lena about her dying on the venture and lena falls in love with her but she disappears and then when real kara and lena meet, kara doesn’t remember knowing lena and ughsalkdhsla its so good.

We Need a New Song

Oh my good golly gosh this fic ruined my life. Ballet au that has barely any ballet and an abundance of GAY and I had to take a moment after reading this to collect myself tbh

and stick it into someone else's heart

Rhea infected lenas boobs in a cage dress with some weird alien stuff and her and kara have to bang or THEY’LL DIE pretty much but they love each other

The Laws of Fate

soulmate au where everyone has a red string and lenas points to the sky and shes confused af but it’s a gay slow burn and the angst is good for ur soul

My Sun

Lena gets into a car accident and kara thinks she died but lex is a maniac and wants lenas help and fdjsaklfs it’s a rollercoaster let me tell you

Mercy on Me

lena falls under black mercy and in order to bring her back karas has to break her poor little gay heart bc lena thinks her and kara are in looooove AWWW heart shatters

Be your own Hero

Collection of supercorp one shots!!!!!! Quality content lemme tell yaaaa

pick a blossom and hold it to your breast (honey, you know that’s my love bursting loud from inside)

kara and lena rely on their late night phone calls with each other and get the feels and go on a date and they are just cute adorable dorks that are nervous

your voice is pretty, baby (but i’d rather have your pretty skin instead)

part 2 of pick a blossom ^^^ still adorably cute and a smut chapter I mean come on, treat yoself

Firsts

kara and lenas first told in the cutest wayyyyyyyy

Whispers

lena works with lillian to save supergirl and its oh so angsty and kara always believes her girl bc that’s canon

My personal Santa in heels

Kara loves Christmas almost as much as she loves lena, almost

Timer

Soulmate AU where everyone can have a device installed to tell them the time until they meet their soulmate, kara and lena love each other but kara cant have a timer installed obvs kryptonian skin and its so cute and soft and angsty

The Fatal Flaw

Super cool and different fic and keen to see more chapters from this!! Kara doesn’t have her powers (yet) and she meets lena at a party at college and then clark tells her shes actually an alien ooooo im keen

Stay the night

Lena inherits the national city womens basketball team and star player kara danvers is a muscly babe and they try not to fall in love BUT ITS JUST TOO HARD BECAUSE THEY ARE SOULMATES also I love jack in this such a wingman

1865

MATTTTTTTTEEEE lena is the daughter of the governor and shes a little rebel. She falls in love with kara but her family has arranged her marriage to monel BUT LIKE THEY JUST LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH btw they are aliens but like in 1865 so cool. Pls update I love this so much

All Our Bodies in the Grass - @seabiscuits-us

fuckkkkk this fic honestly, amish au and lena knows nothing but kara is down to help her out while also sharing lovely girl mags ;)

B.F.F.W.E.B

Kara and lena are friends with benefits but feels get involveddddd, lenas a useless lesbian

All the little lies

Kara comes to earth and falls in love with lena but she has to go back to krypton and breaks lenas heart in the process, but she comes back and its only been like 7 months but its been like 3 years for lena!!! (I cant remember exact dates don’t judge me)

half melted m&m's

lena needs a fake wife to stay in the country so kara is ever so helpful and agrees to be her wife, oh I do love a fake wife trope and this delivers!!!!

The Wrong Superhero

Lena gets saved by batwoman and supergirl thinks she is super jealous because of superhero-related reasons but shes just in love with lena

We'll Take on the World

College au, just useless fools in love that need to communicate and make out more

And they call me from beyond the stars

Omg I LOVE THIS FIC SO MUCH ok so kara is a ghost (still from krypton and stuff) but no one can see her except lena so lena works on trying to get her back into the physical plane of existence so she can find alex but they FIND LOVE WITH ONE ANOTHER oh my god so angsty let me tell ya be warned

Wait for me to come home

https://lostariels.tumblr.com/

idk where to even start on this fic honestly, im pretty sure most people have read this bc it’s a rite of passage but fuck it gets me everytime!!!! Army au and there is so much angst and I love it

An Unexpected Surprise

supercorp baby au!!! Kara and lena bang and kara ends up preggers. Iconic

Days in a Lifetime

Kara and lena grow up together, massive slowburn but worth the wait!!!!! ACTUALLY GO AND READ ALL OF STENS BECAUSE I JUST REALISED HOW MANY I PUT IN HERE AND THEY ARE ALL FUCKING GREAT

Do you wanna (like you know I do) - @seabiscuits-us

another seabiscuit, I couldn’t not put this in!!! CAPE COD and sharing of bunk beds!!! Pls update this my soul is withering away

Purple and Black are my Favorite Colours

Kara gets in contact with kryptonite that makes her gp! And her and lena b a n g

ONE SHOTS

danishes and other sweet treats

oh my fuck this is so cute and its like a long one shot so I mean get on it because kara and lena go to a conference and share a hotel room need I say more

Sun Kissed

Kara takes lena on a roadtrip to the science museum for her birthday and my good golly gosh its so cute I could ascend to heaven

Only Human

A one shot with two chapters in different POV but lenas jealous of monel and then supercorp bang and its all angsty and lena protects kara and tbh they need to communicate but happy endings and love all round

The Right Thing

Lena freaks out because lex knows her and supergirl are dating and does the most dramatic thing (of course) by distancing herself from kara and did I say angst???/ also I cried multiple times in this

funny how the stars crossed right

Kara and lena keep meeting at parties and have super dorky costumes and fall in love (literally love anything written by you btw, im going to go ahead and say I would have all yours bookmarked so everyone just check them ALL out)

Accidental Text

kara accidentally sends a love confession to lena and its short and cute!

Unspoken Promises

supergirl and reign battle and lena finds out about kara being supergirl and supercorp are just obliviously in love

Green (Kara loves it and hates it in equal measure)

Im a sucker for a jealous trope and boy does this deliverrrr. Karas hella jealous of lena having other friends but realises its because shes super in love with her

Crush

Karas jealous because lena is flirting with supergirl but lena knows kara is supergirl so shes actually flirting with kara, nice!

My Donuts

Karas really jealous of sam and lena spending heaps of time together and then kara walks in on them having donuts and she fucking loses it because its their thing duh.

when we get there

Lena invites kara to her beach house to chill and they obvs fall in love because they are cute af

Have a Break

Lena is determined to work out how to use a vending machine to get kara her candy and kara and winn are watching it all unfold via cameras in catco, basically lena vs. the machine (himym singing voice)

Self doubt and comforting talks

Drunk kara, comforting lena fluff and adorableness

Shopping carts and a beautiful girl

Kara crashes into lenas car in a shopping cart and they go on a date and its SO CUTE

Distractions

lenas oblivious to kara being supergirl even though kara slips up all the time!!! #nicehalloweencostumekara

Lip Bites & Long Gazes

lenas a big gay flirt and kara gets frustrated and flustered and calls her out and they make out

Off the Record

kara spots lena at a gay club and they dance and make out *lizzie mcguire voice this is what dreams are made of*

Not so secret

the superfriends take a weekend away and kara and lena bang pretty much smut but its cute

come be my lover, be my getaway car

How many amazing tropes can you fit into one fic (aka the fic that made me lose my fucking mind oh my god its so good, had it include)

A one time thing

Kara and lena end up banging in a motel and kara has an internal meltdown its great

This is Home

Listen here, this is the most adorable thing my two eyes have ever witnessed. Lena doesn’t really have a home kara the sweet soul she assists her in finding a home with her (aka its kara, kara is her home get it)

Her Biggest Fan

lena is apart of the supergirl fandom, aka shes me

Drunk Puppy

kara being a drunk gay mess wanting to hunt seashells with lena

Act Natural

kara and lena have hickies and try to hide them on a beach trip with the gang

Like a date, date

kara asks lena on a date and lena has a gay panic attack pretty much

Datable

everyone thinks kara and lena are dating so they just start dating? Amazing

Stop following me, creep

Please clarify

Lena tries to tell kara she loves her and wants to date but karas an alien and just doesn’t get it, so cuteeeee

Fate is Written in the Ink (part 1)

Fate is Written in the Ink (part 2)

Soulmate au!!!! Any ink on your skin appears on your soulmates and omg its so cute like kara draws all this art on herself and lena gets to see it too!!!!!

Muddle my heart (then add a dash of lime)

Kara keeps going to the bar because punk/bartender Lena is a babe and she has a big lesbian crush on her

be hopeful, don't get broken (stay caught up in the moment)

angsty dog au and I mean PUPPIEs and SUPERCORP need I say more?

The makings of a family

Clark is the one who arrives after being stuck in the phantom zone and kara has to look after him and lena helps her out and wow new baby for supercorp

Let Your Guard Down

Lena in a DEO uniform sparring with kara and its so angsty because lenas mad at kara for not telling her the supergirl secret and then they bang and did I already mention lena in a DEO uniform???

Do you not like the service here?

Thirsty kara and waitress lena, lenas jealous of alex l o l

here is where time is on our side (part 1)

our corner of the universe (part 2)

long oneshot but fuck me its so good. Post daxamite invasion/mon-el coming back and both are healing from everything and go on a roadtrip just wherever the map takes them and oh my fuck its so cute and everything u want in a fic. Part two is the follow up

The Uncanny Valley

cadmus replaces real lena with a robot version and kara didn’t know but then kara finds lena and its cute

put these battered bones to rest

soulmate au (you should know by now im a sucker for a good soulmate au), lena has a foreign name on her hip (its kara btw)

pain

another soulmate au hhehehe soulmates feel each others pain obvs both these babies have a lot of paiiiiiin in their lives

Love is Garbage

Literally a garbage truck au, im not even going to say more

i know you're out there somewhere waiting (i know the stars can hear us praying)

Whats this??? Another soulmate au!!! Classic lover one arm, enemy on the other, honestly lena deserves more and just waits for kara to love her and I love this fic, also they help sam!!

Monster in the Mirror

Supercorp reveal in the middle of the lena/edge poisoning children episode oooooooh so angsty but happy love ending

Safety

Supercorp first ever sleepover!!! This is so cute stop

Please Clarify

Lena tries to ask kara out in every single way possible and kara is an oblivious alien

love is a flower, you gotta let it grow

Unrequited love makes u grow flower petals in your lungs but when ur love is returned it clears up, this was dope and I love ur work

where our hands hurt from healing - @seabiscuits-us

its seabiscuit do I need to say more?????? I will tho. Alex and lena match on tinder and become besties and I live for alex/lena brotp so….

blessed be (the mystery of love) - @seabiscuits-us

*dj Khaled voice* ANOTHER ONE, look I love every single fic this one does not disappoint and nothing like a good light hearted first date fisting hahahahahaha

The Luthor and the Super That Saved the World

Fit it fic for the season three finale where there is more supercorp and less shit writing, LOVE STENS WORK

Kara Danvers and the Brown Belt of Lesbianism

Karas gay brown belt that she always wears that makes her look like a big ol lesbian drives lena mental bc she so gay

SIN

ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING BY JAZZFORDSHIRE IM NOT FUCKING JOKING LET YOURSELF FALL INTO THIS SMUTFEST AND LIVE UR BEST FUCKING LIFE AND IF YOU HAVENT READ THE CAMPING AU UR NOT EVEN A SUPERCORP STAN

Pleasure

like sweat dripping down our dirty laundry

What Happens in the K Room Doesn't Stay in the K Room

green-eyed monster

Kara shows Lena what makes her Super

Supergirl, Kara, and a Luthor walk into a bar...

Late Night Heroics

Good Vibrations

Two Lena Luthors and a blonde walk into a bedroom...

Her perfect match

Girls' Night

Happy Halloween, Supergirl

What She Wants

make the rules then break them

an animal within an animal

THE WILDEST THING IVE EVER READ, STRAP THE FUCK IN (youll understand my pun when you’ve read it)

#supercorp #supercorp masterlist #fic rec #kara danvers #lena luthor #supergirl #supercorp fanfic

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theharellan · 4 years ago

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101 DRAGON AGE QUESTIONS | not accepting

for the sake of reducing the number of ooc posts i’m answering these all in one and just @ing the people who asked the questions! thank you for them all!

if you sent me one of these btw and rbed this meme yourself and i didn’t send you something, please let me know! i want to send you things back and must have missed you reblogging the meme. this includes non-mutuals.

1. How did you get into Dragon Age? | asked by @kaaras-adaar & @dreamerlavellan

Sort of by accident, actually. It was the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in university (2011) and summertime is generally a time of inactivity and depression because I cannot tolerate the weather here. My dad happened to own Origins and I picked it up because??? Fantasy? RPG?

Starting the game I saw you could play as a dwarf, who have been my favourites in fantasy since a child as The Hobbit is among my favourite books. Then after that I fell in love with the worldbuilding for dwarves and Gorim, my first actual Dragon Age love. I was more or less hooked after that. DA was actually not my first Bioware game, I was obsessed with Jade Empire as a kid so like Origins appealed to me immediately despite being far less fun to play than literally any other Bioware game I’ve ever played. The characters and world more than made up for it.

I beat it relatively quickly and my dad bought Dragon Age II which had come out earlier that day, actually against my suggestion because I’d heard it wasn’t good. And in this instance my dad forgetting something I said turned out for the best because I ended up enjoying DAII more in some respects. While it took me a while to join the fandom as a content producer I was a consumer and certified DA trash from then on.

2. Have you finished all three games? | asked by @kaaras-adaar

Kskjdfs yes. I’ve beaten each at least 4 times, but probably more like 8. The only thing I haven’t played are some of the Origins DLC because as much as I enjoy my replays I am so ready to be out by the end of the game (and I have the worst luck with Awakening bugs) and I also don’t have Sebastians DLC b/c his never goes on sale individually and I refuse to spend more than like $4 on him.

3. How long did it take you to finish the series? | asked by @kaaras-adaar

I honestly don’t know. I think it took me like a week to beat Inquisition without 100%ing it, I’d say my first playthroughs all probably took about that long. I tend not to do everything in my first playthrough. Like shard collecting didn’t happen until round two, etc.

7. Favorite DA:O backstory? | asked by @dreamerlavellan & @fatefaulted

I’ve played through all of them and I enjoy them all except Cousland, but my favourite is Aeducan. I enjoy the politics, the culture, the aesthetic of Orzammar. I love Gorim Saelac and the surprising amount of depth to this character who is designed to be thrown away after the prologue. I love how it ties you to the Darkspawn threat in a bigger way than any of the origins accomplish. I love how it ties you to the Orzammar plot later in the game, and playing Aeducan first is probably one reason why I adore that branch of the game. It’s a good origin that establishes its world really well and has great characters to boot.

11. Share a pic of your favorite OC from any DA game. | asked by @dreamerlavellan

I just want to share pics of my girl and Solas’ future husband.

Ian Lavellan, non-Inquisitor written by @theshirallen

Thora Cadash, dwarven Inquisitor and default Inquisitor for this blog written by... me lmao.

22. Favorite DA2 party combo? | asked by @fatefaulted

My main Hawke is a mage Hawke, so this party is horrendously imbalanced, but: Varric, Merrill, Isabela. They all just like each other and I think that’s neat. Although in act one my favourite is probably Carver, Merrill, Isabela / Varric. Unfortunately the game doesn’t want me to have a warrior in my party.

24. Favorite main-story quest from DA:I? | asked by @kaaras-adaar

It’s hard to pick between In Hushed Whispers and In Your Heart Shall Burn. I love seeing the red lyrium’d companions and the dark future of Thedas, and speculating on what happened in the intervening year. I love reflecting on what it must do for the Inquisitor to see that and have it be undone. I think it sets up the rest of the game really well, and in ways Champions of the Just doesn’t do quite as well.

In Your Heart Shall burn is a simpler quest but I think the power and emotions in the quest are so raw. Playing this the first time was riveting and I was on the edge of my seat. The triumph of closing the Breach, the strangeness of your first encounter with Cole (whose appearance at the gates is another reason I prefer IHW tbh, I think it’s more tension building than Dorian’s), Corypheus, crawling through the snow. Capping it off with The Dawn Will Come and the journey to Skyhold idk, it’s just such an emotional high point in the series that every time I replay I get goosebumps.

25. Favorite DA:I place? | asked by @fatefaulted

It’s a tie between the Frostback Basin and the Emerald Graves. I love the lore in both, as elf trash I prefer the lore in the graves especially if I can include the Din’an Hanin into that category. But the Avvar lore and Ameridan is also Very Good, and while I adore the giant trees of the graves the Frostback Basin clearly was able to have more resources poured into its design, and as a result the different sections of the map have so much more character.

A close runner-up is the Hinterlands, as I think the quests there are fun and it feels like home. I enjoy returning to it. Which is good, b/c I’ve played through it... a lot... I think loving it might be a coping mechanism, but also I love the vibe of the early game that’s best captured in the Hinterlands.

32. Favorite DLC mission overall? | asked by @fatefaulted

Trespasser is up there with Shivering Isles as my favourite DLC ever produced. Its hits every emotional beat I think it needed to hit, set up the next game with greater detail and intrigue than the initial epilogue, and I’m honestly dying to get to replay it again on Thora despite what it does to my nerves. The first time I played it I could feel my heart beating faster like wtf me.

37. Blood magic: yes or no? | asked by @hopewrought

Would I use it myself? No. Morally I think it can be reprehensible but also neutral, much like any other magic in the game. In certain characters I think even if used for good it may encourage unhealthy habits, but I think it can be learned to be engaged with in better ways.

59. Who was written really poorly? | asked by @theshirallen you can’t hide behind anon I know it was you

Oghren fucking Kondrat. When I think about the reasons Origins is my least favourite game he is among them. With Oghren there was a really good chance to portray an alcoholic abuse victim, suffering from severe mental health issues, and still mourning his wife, with the respect it deserves. Instead he just... is a gross sexist dwarf and his alcoholism is mostly played for jokes. And then he comes back in Awakening and... continues to be a gross sexist dwarf whose alcoholism is mostly played for jokes.

There could have been some really interesting stuff with Oghren, the Warrior caste of dwarves I think would suffer from issues similar to qunari warriors, where when they can no longer fill the purpose society has dictated they must serve, what then? They can’t do anything but fight. There could be comradery with Sten, or perhaps Zevran or Alistair, or any of the companions who have had the path their lives took dictated to them by societal forces they had no say in (even if they are happy with that direction). There are snippets of good stuff in here, the line “let us show them our hearts, Warden, and then show them theirs” is one of the best of the good-byes the game offers us imo. It’s a shame about what came before.

Like there are other characters, such as Sera, who I think were done dirty by their writers, but Sera at least got some growth in the DLC and there were attempts to address criticism of her character. Oghren in Awakening was just kind of a take two of an already poorly-done arc.

60. Who do you wish had been given more story? | asked by @hopewrought

I wish Briala had more, like that she had some impact on the story in universes where Gaspard isn’t crowned with her as his puppetmaster. She and the elves reappears in that but not if you reunite her with Celene or exile her, and I think it would’ve been neat. I also wish she’d had a chance to interact with Solas in some small way given how many parallels were drawn by one of his own agents during Masked Empire.

I also wish we had more about dwarves in general in 2 and Inquisition. We get some great lore in Inquisition that was set up in 2, but with our only dwarf companion being Varric, who honestly has a relationship with his race that at times is comparable to Sera’s, it pulls a few of its punches. I really think they have dwarves set up to be important players in the next game, with their architecture featuring heavily in the dev diary, buuut no dwarves to be seen. So who knows. Just give me dwarves in the next game who aren’t Varric Bioware pls. Let me kiss one maybe.

61. Favorite NPC? | asked by @kaaras-adaar

I’m not going to count advisors even though they kinda are NPCs and I’m going to answer one for each game so uhh...

Origins - Anora

DA2 - Feynriel

DA:I - Krem

Bonus - Lord Woolsley, the only unproblematic DA character

63. Best story moment? | asked by @ghilannainguideme

It’s a tie between the journey to Skyhold and the talk with Solas at the end of Trespasser and the resulting disbanding of the Inquisition (if you so choose). I really can’t separate them because I think the reason Trespasser works so well is how it calls back to the very beginning of Inquisition and that moment with Solas in the snow. It’s triumphant and sad, something’s ending, the fellowship is breaking, but you know all of you will continue to work towards a better world apart.

In DA:O I think it’d be saying good-bye before the final battle and in DA2 I think the moment where you can tell the Arishok he was right to take in the elves who killed that guardmen is good. Probably one of the reasons why I think Hawke-Arishok work so well as a protagonist-antagonist combination.

81. Favorite fanfic? | asked by @ghilannainguideme

I don’t read a lot of fanfic, actually. Save what I read on here, which I do count, but idk if other people do.

My favourite writers to read are @theshirallen, obviously. Joly wants to tweakIan’s personal quest but I think the version they have written now is still very good and you can find it here. I love reading Peace’s stuff and find their smut especially spicy in the best possible way, you can find a Merrill/f!Mahariel piece here! Gaia doesn’t write on Tumblr much these days, but she wrote a wonderful Tug/Sketch (the companions from Leliana’s Song) that you can find here.

I follow so many talented writers and I can’t list them all but here are a few I can fire off real fast: @theshirallen / @ghilannainguideme / @seahaloed / @sabraelin / @valorcorrupt / @mercysought / @hopewrought / @ofrevas / @skyheld have all moved me with their words at some point, be it in fic or rp.

82. Favorite fanart/fanartist? | asked by @ghilannainguideme

Again I just can’t choose jsdfks.

The easiest way is to just link my Solas fanart tag. Obviously this favours Solas artists, however, so also here’s a link to thedaswlw where there’s a boatload of amazing fanart all of wlw.

Of people I’m mutuals with I know @abracafockyou, @kaaras-adaar, @dalathin (currently inactive but I gotta link them), and @syntharts are all very talented artists. I’m also a big fan of destinyapostacy, nipuni, elbenherzart, starscollected (on twitter), and many more.

97. What’s your favorite DA mod? | asked by @ghilannainguideme & @hopewrought

I’ll chose one as many as I want to apparently from each game again, b/c why not?

DA:O - I have to admit I find this game hard to mod because nothing can really salvage the gameplay or look of the game. I need Better Dwarf Model so I don’t have to look at the odd dwarf proportions in the game (the women have arms for days). Mostly I have armour mods. I like Grey Wardens of Ferelden so I can match Alistair in the final batte and have everyone in uniforms in Awakening. I do like Kirkwall Exports because I can put Zevran in the robes of the notorious pirate tho. I haven’t used this mod yet but I also love this mod I retweeted this morning.

DA2 - Again, I don’t mod 2 very much. You could probably make some kind of chart for correlating my enjoyment of a game versus my urge to mod it, with the more I love a game means I want to mod it more. With 2 I enjoy the combat and overall design of the characters more so I mostly use a couple of tweaks, my favourite is Ishs Scarf for Merrill which just adds a cute blue scarf to Merrill and hides the fact that elves in this game have weirdly long necks. Oh and a mod to fix the weird hand dirt.

DA:I - Equal Opportunity Solas mod, I bought the game again on PC just to use it. Being able to play Solas/Ian for screencaps was everything tbh. Other mods I enjoy are More Banter, which while I have better luck with banter it is nice to be able to count on it. I installed it this latest pt and I have heard location comments that have never triggered before. Black Hair for Everyone has changed my life because finally Thora doesn’t have grey hair. No Dirt Buildup is also amazing, as the dirt can cause some really weird blotting on PCs that’s especially noticeable on dark-skinned Inquisitors.

99. Where would you live (Ferelden, Orlais, Free Marches etc?) | asked by @heysales

Probably Ferelden. It is fantasy England and hey if I make it past Inquisition maybe nothing will ever happen there again. Somewhere in the Free Marches might also be chill. Not Kirkwall. Maybe Starkhaven? Honestly tho I just want to live in the Frostback Basin. Have a spirit friend. Shake hands with nugs.

101. If you could meet your Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor, what would you say? | asked by @dreamerlavellan

If I met Thora I’d tell her I’m proud of her. She’d be confused, but that’s ok.

#( munday meme )#( ooc )#( about me )#( asks )

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abbeyfangirl · 5 years ago

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dragon age: all characters (companions)

I’ve been in this fandom for a hot minute now and I want to update my opinions on characters :)

Origins

Alistair: super sweet dude who literally is not the stereotypicalchantryguyfightme. He’s a great example of healthy masculinity and I totally wish he was bi because I have an entire essay on that— also: he’s a poc! His mum was brown. In game he’s got dark features. if you really want a blond/blue-eyes/white guy, make your warden that. or accept that brown people can be noble and moral. or just draw cailan, idk. just because BioWare whitewashes doesn’t mean you should.

Leliana: someone hug my singing girlfriend before I crush her under with my own hugs. Also: nugs. Yes! Shoes. Yes! She likes how I style my hair? YES!! I honestly think she’s super duper and it pisses me off whenever someone’s like: yeah she enjoys killing people and the Game. ok. and michel de chevin willingly participated in genocidal marches through the alienage he grew up in with his elvhen mum.

Morrigan: dirty swamp witch that i stan and also have a v big crush on. tiddies. Have a son with a GW so we can raise him with our tiddies out in the forest. she’s also white-passing, as her father was chasind and all people we’ve seen that are chasind are black. therefore, she is biracial. therefore, poc can be goths and don’t shy away from giving morrigan a darker skintone. if the devs had of been thinking, she’d have a darker skintone.

Zevran: Actually is the best romance, I think. Loves consent, therefore I will stan him so hard my skull cracks a little. Also: he is a very brown boy and if he’s white in da4 I’m seriously going to throw all canon out the fucking window. genuinely a good person who needs to be told so.

Wynne: grandma who only likes my friends who go to church. but also super sweet and I’d rest my head on her bosom (in a platonic way omg ZEVRAN)

Sten: angry quiet boi. the bestest boi. I totally would give him a kitten for a gift and bake him cookies. Thicc softie. I think if I had DA:O and i knew how to use mods i would mod the fuck outta him. sorry.

Sha(y)le: who’s gender? idk her. See also: fuck birds and authority. pound ur ass into the ground you feathery meatbag little shits. fuck songbirds.

Dog: such a good boi. thicc. thinks Alistair is a whiny fuck and is Morrigan’s only friend. love him. he’s the cutest companion. bet.

Ohgren: honestly forgot about him bcc he’s such a shitbag. also: he could’ve been a really cool addiction recovery type but NOPE. probably would have a trump shirt in a modern au and would catcall wlw and hit mlm. no thanks.

Awakening

Anders: he acts like rlly straight but he’s so gay I can smell it. also he’s rlly cute and fun and I love him so much.

Justice: MAYBE i’M selF CONSCious OF THE twitchING. is the friend that genuinely doesn’t get dick jokes but is ur 110% ride or die.

Nathaniel Howe: honestly is sort of a white knight/neck beard a little, but it’s kind of charming with his whole velanna m’lady?? grump boi. annoying soul patch that I’d mod out SO FAST—

Sigrun: would have ROMANCED the FUCK out of her. why she even entertains the idea of fucking with ohgren makes me realize most of the writers are dumbfucks.png. peppy little emo. 12/10 would die if she kissed my cheek teasingly.

Ohgren: why. why. why. I’d have brought Shayle over. Maybe Zev? Definitely Dog.

Velanna: she was written to be an annoying feminist and you can tell but I deadass am a kindred spirit with her bcc I too am deadpan annoyed with Thedas’ general population too. love her. Would’ve loved to romance her. She’d totally be one of those who’d get all tsundere and be like “n-no i hate you” *kisses the fuckin soul out of you then blushes so hard she’s now a tomato*

Dragon Age II

Anders: fuck the cops. i don’t care. fuck the cops. (vine reference). also: do i hate him for blowing up the chantry that would eventually annul a huge collection of his people? no. read dalishious’s meta on Anders. v intriguing. didn’t they retcon the fuck out of the reported deaths too? like there was like eight Templars and Elthinia in there. Templars killed more “abominations” in a day than Anders in the game canon—

Aveline: initially thought she was fine and then realized she’s shit to my lil brother and I will fucking clap her ginger ass. See also: whorephobia isn’t a joke so fuck off with treating Isabela badly, you tit.

Bethany: sunshine. Literal sunshine. I feel my freckles grow in her presence and i love it. she’s my little baby sister and I’d slam that ogre so fuckin hard before it touched either twin.

Carver: there has to be a mod where both twins survive. I love them both to bits. My babies. carver is my bitter, angry little brother and I can relate because I too am very angry and would totally clap my own ass. hes so genuine and I don’t get the competition between Beth and Carver. Like, both are fuckin stellar in different ways. In this essay I will—

Fenris: honestly, I don’t get the general hate between him and Anders. Fenris’ main arc should’ve been a recovery arc, not drunken moping and revenge. he deserves better. give him a soft sweater instead of his spikes and let him love himself as much as I love him for MAKERS SAKE. like when you really think about their relationship, it could’ve been an eye-opener for fenris and finally some legit sympathy for anders. but we all know that if they had of teamed up that Meredith would’ve been dead before the end of Act 1 so.

Isabela: whorephobia is not a joke. oversexualizing your only appearing brown woman is so poorly written. how about we appreciate her and her lovely bosoms but also let people tease her about her heart of gold? her innate understanding of freedom? instead of just a wave of dick? please?? can we give her some pants for when she fights? can we accept that i fall for rogues who hate themselves?? fuck. also whomever draws her x femHawke x Merrill literally is after my own heart.

Merrill: my fucking babygirl MARRY ME. Fenris could’ve been her older brother type, but NO. she and Isabela should’ve been canonical gfs instead of Isabela/Fenris (no shaming the pairing tho!!). I love how she’s written as neurodivergent. V nice. Sometimes I just look her up and cry because she’s fucking everything. Also: she’s in the Dalish origin and she’s far from being white. Why did they make the most innocent/naïve character really white? hmmmm.

Sebastian: whew that boy. Would totally be that annoying Mormon at your door but you still let him in bcc he’s super sweet. Also: huge ass bible thumper and should get his head slap because you said the maker loved all his children why do you defend a complicit old hag you annoying attractive fuck—

Varric: totally is a bard and the devs couldn’t handle the idea of him being one bcc it might make him look less straight. is the only grey morality person I don’t want to fucking bash in with a fry pan. he sees people and I like that, but you totally know he’s siding with mages every time bcc him and Anders are like besties. I’m sorry. I don’t make the rules. “Professional Younger Brother”.

Tallis: I know nothing about her but she seems okay. I think she was an escaped slave and honestly? Fucking props. Spy on a shitting organization, idk what you’re doing, but your VA was that cool lesbian from SPN so I think ur okay?

Inquisition

Blackwall: Redemption Arc 101. Love him to bits. Sad dad bunwall. good man. actually atoned for his sins by actively becoming a good person. his initial design is 80% hotter im so sorry but so not.

Cassandra: was way browner in the last game. would romance the fuck outta her. I love me a butch lady who melts at my dorky recitation of poetry. BioWare is a coward. also is the worst choice for divine. but not a bad person. could use some more guidance or get her ass whipped by a dalish elf about religion or a circle mage kid whos like “yeah bud i didn’t ask for the templars to whip my ass everyday for existing.”

The Iron Bull: I think the Qunari/Vashoth were a little based off black people (the whole anti blackness thing where ppl are scared of them bcc of whatever reason) and it pisses me off that he had a weird ass dubcon thing with Dorian in banter. It doesn’t make sense— he’s an A+++ dom and would not jump straight in role play without at least checking in at first like wtf BioWare.

Cole: his mother was chasind so he’s like not supposed to be that white? or like biracial? albino? idk. love him to bits tho. He’s neurodivergent and I deadass love him. romancing him? idk. I see why ppl think it’s fuckin nasty but also like as a writer I’d age him the fuck up so fast before my inquisitor even THOUGHT about that. like idk. I’m down with him being a sweet little bro character tho. he’s a babe. love him.

Sera: had the worst fucking writer I’ve ever seen and I willingly read the twilight saga twice by a shit ass racist white lady who okay’d pedophilia. like. Fuck you Kristjanson suck your own dick you fuck. had the worst options in regards to speak to her. has a thicc case of internalized racism that literally most of the fandom just loves to use against her. my lesbian neurodivergent queen. Would write a thousand fix it fics for her. Love her to bits. im gay.

Varric: I haven’t played DA2 so i don’t get why everyone wants to romance him but like. a dwarf romance? yes please. Idk he reminds me of my uncle so I only see him as fun uncle material. Deadass should adopt Cole and Merrill and co parent with Blackwall for Sera. dads? fuck yeah. love me some wholesome, present fathers.

Dorian: is a gay stereotype that I love/hate so much. and he’s also just as bad about being a creep bcc he sexualizes qunari men (in banter). I attribute that to shit writing tho. I want to protect him from all the “omg gay best friend!” people. he’d clearly be that tired gay that wouldn’t give a diddly damn about ur het romance. wanna talk about politics? he’s ur guy/gay.

Solas: “me, an intellectual:”. I don’t hate him, but I’m not about him. He comes off as mysterious and suave (which he totally is) but I deadass would not save him from himself because he’s a racist, exclusionist eggshell. idk. not my cup of tea, but I can totally see the appeal. And he’s interesting, I’ll totally say that. “I think the Dalish are garbage but they made you” is not a compliment. it’s so offensive. and such bait for “quirky girls” which I’m no fan of. Would be Achilles and let Patroclus (Lavellan in his case) die before he realized how his pride is literally a waste of time. If he gets a redemption arc I hope Lavellan gets to slap him before getting him to teach all about ancient Arlathan and show that the Evanuris weren’t all total dicknozzles. (Aka I really have a hard time believing that they’d be slavery cult things. especially since they’ve compared elves to indigenous ppl, Jews and the Romani.)

Vivienne: it’s so racist that they’d make a black woman be pro-slavery. That’s such internalized racism. She could’ve been the cool ass “educate yourself first before you speak, fool” ice lady, but NO. the devs could’ve kept the “Templars are a tool that I proudly can mandate” and the “circles are very good education” and we. Could. Have. Romanced. Her. Like. Fuck. Sake. I just wanna give her a hug and say “love yourself omg!!” and not even in a romantic way. Also: she and morrigan should not have been so antagonistic towards each other. I’d expect them to have great respect for each other, as they both moved up in the world through hardwork and very little help. They could learn different magic from each other too and still maintain that rival respect “oh you” mood. Sidenote: probably the cooler option for Divine. if her approval is high enough she’ll love and be loyal to you forever and i can’t see her agenda being bad. she improves the circles exponentially and tells all the antis to suck her pretty painted toes.

Josephine: an actual disney princess. romanced her my first playthrough. I love her so much. she just makes me so happy. And she’s like: “Integrity, Loyalty, peace. That is what it means to be a GREY WARDEN good fucking person.” she’s the person who would let you hold her hand if you got anxious and she’d be that person who shouldered the whole group project with finesse and poise and would probably lie for everyone as to not be mean. i love josie. her and leliana’s relationship is so cute, too. whether it’s romantic or not: women supporting women.

Leliana: if you leave her hardened you must hate her. why. she becomes so against herself. i like how shes feminine and lighthearted because that’s so powerful-- to remain hopeful when the world is hopeless. (its hard to know when to soften her/harden her so i get it but. google it. she deserves to be happy and sweet again.)

Cullen: uwu war criminal with shit ass “redemption arc” that was actually a half-assed (at BEST) recovery arc. Recovery isn’t linear, it isn’t pretty, and even the broken need to be told they are wrong in order to heal right. Like I’m offended by that bullshit. I’ve had to do some mental health recovery in the past and unlearning lots of toxic ideologies— which I’m still unlearning— and it bothers me that he gets an easy pass because he’s hot. It’s one thing if you like Cullen, it’s another thing if you hold him accountable.

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borisbubbles · 5 years ago

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Eurovision 2010s: 65 - 61

65. Michael Schulte - “You let me walk alone” Germany 2018

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[2018 Review Here] (shared with Eugent)

When Germany revealed this homely carrot top as their entrant I of course IMMEDIATELY rolled my eyes at it. Discount Ed Sheeran, GTFO!! Idk what the general lowdown on Ed Sheeran is, but good lord that man is responsible for some really BORING and GENERIC music (I will never get the obsession with “Perfect”, ever.) and as you can expect that also bled into my initial opinon of Michael.

However, two things. A of all, “You let me walk alone” is a much better song because it is actually VERY catchy, in a good way. ONE love / TWO hearts / THREE kids / LOVING mum is among the more memorable hooks in this decade.

Secondly, Michael’s emotion is *real*. This is a song about his coping with his dead father and well... I am not made from stone. Dude was in GENUINE TEARS during the endgame!! And as someone who deeply loves his father, I can definitely empathize with that message on a personal level.

There are better songs around. There are better performers around. There is better emotional pull left in this ranking. Regardless, Michael was able to stun me into teary-eyed silence and that is a feat which earns nothing less than RESPECT.

________________________________________________________________

64. Softengine - “Something better” Finland 2014

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FANTASTIC INDIE ANGELS <333 The appreciation I have to Softengine I have is obvious, yes? Highly energetic indie rock song from one of my favourite Eurovision countries. 😍 That also did VERY well because it’s genuinely that good. Take THAT Finland bullies!!! #HeyaSuomi

However, Softengine offer even more than just a kickass rock song. They offer some of my favourite song lyrics ever? They are both puzzlingly weird and endearingly ESL Even Human Bound People Rolling Dice Such A Novel Life She Thought While Knowing Nothing At All~

What on earth is Topi singing about? 😍 Well actually, it’s the story of an old man looking back at the life he’s had and.. It actually has a LOT of emotional pull wtf? Take a look at the bridge:

ALL THESE WORDS SHE MEANT TO SAY TO ME

ALL THESE WORDS AGAINST MY FAITH

ALL THESE WORDS BEFORE SHE PASSED AWAY

ALL THESE WORDS WILL NEVER NEVER NEVER CHANGE

A wonderful display of juvenile energy that has me coming back craving for me. SHOULD HAVE BEEN TOP 10 but lol it’s Finland when is Finland not getting bullied by people with no taste. 😭

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63. Litesound - “We are the heroes” Belarus 2012

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More rock angels. 😍 However, Litesound rank on the other end of the quality spectrum, being great because of their incompetence.

Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything more endearing when the inept give it their all, completely oblivious to their amateurism, a description which -let’s be honest- is “Belarus in Eurovision” is in a nutshell 😍. Well that plus the hilariously rigged NF, remember that ALYONA LANSKAYA originally won Litesound’s NF and then had to bequeath her spot to them when her voting fraud was exposed. 😍 It’s not even the most hilariously rigged NF of the decade though, omg YES we shall discuss that whenever it’s “Samo shampioni’s” turn. 😈

Anyway, Litesound bring the a double whammy of hilarity with some A+ Bad English diction (let us all sing along)

WONEVER STEN INDO AR WEH WHEEL MEK IT FRU DE DEH CUZ WE AR DA WEINERS WE AR DA GEEROS

WIR BRACKING DOWN DA WALLZ GODDA HIT DE MALL CUZ WE ARE DA GEEROS WE ARE DA DRIMURS

and the fact that all Litesound members look like animals, introducing:

The seahorse

The afghan greyhound

the mongoose

and of course Dima who might be the lovechild of Alsou and an ostrich. 😍

All of this may make you believe I merely stan Litesound on an ironic level, but I actually LOVE them on an unironic level too. “We are the heroes” is a fun, futuristic electronic rock rollercoaster and Litesound strike a perfect balance between good song, disarming incompetence and going ALL OUT in proving themselves as high quality, laced with high voltage addictive rock beats. SO, NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY, NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO, I’LL MAKE IT ALL RIGHT! I’M BRACKING DOWN THE WALLS, THEY ARE THE *HEROES*

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62. Justs - “Heartbeat” Latvia 2016

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AGE OF AMINATA <3 what a glorious two-piece act in the herstory of Latvia. To Latvia’s credit they completely reinvented themselves in the Supernova Era, usually resulting in bold entries (and Carousel).

If "Love injected” was the earthquake that shook Latvia AWAKE with her experimental masterpieces, then "Heartbeat” is the aftershock, providing the same avant garde novelty, but not as impactful with a lesser impact.

However, to recycle a phrase i’ve already used multiple times, a lesser Aminata is still fucking awesome. “Heartbeat” packs a massive emotional punch, being more aggressive and volatile than its predecessor, which... works out fine actually. Killer lines such as:

YOU’RE MY DESIRE AND MY PAIN BUT ALL THE BATTLES ARE IN VAIN YOU MEAN MORE THAN ANYTHING TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

need an emotionally intense delivery and Justs fucking GOES for it without any inhibitions for his own health and safety

and with every passing second

he gets more into the zone

right until the end, when he LOSES his voice and is reduced to panting an aspirated ”thank you”. 😍 If you’re going to sing about lost love, you’d better do it by also SCREAMING YOUR LUNGS OUT <3

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61. Hatari - “Hatrið mun sigra” Iceland 2019

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God I’ve been dreading this write-up. Not because of the Hatari stans (lol who is going to complain about getting ranked 61st out of 408), but can I do Hatari justice in print? Hatari weren’t as much as an entry as they were the fiery spirit of mischief, an existential manifestation of defiance, a gestalt of provocative resistance, all contained in the tiny package of two asshole hellraisers. Yes, assholes. You see, the one thing you NEED to understand before everything else is that Hatari’s poetic palestine shawl moment is one of grade A assholery. Pulling that at the last sec towards their hosts WAS a dick move and Hatari were fully aware of it. We MUST see this as a fact before we discuss anything else that is also Hatari-related.

However, that’s precisely the point? Provocation was the sensation that swept the icelandic nation and its idolization became Hatari’s vocation with dedication and its application in the humiliation and the vexation of the Israeli station in support of the Palestine civilization, leaving KAN in devastation after months of the rabid disorganization was a justification well worth the potential probation. In other words: GET REKT KAN SHIT HOSTS HOPE U GET BLACKLISTED LOLOL #Hatredwon 😈 😈.

ps: still getting the Israelis to cheer for them despite being OPENLY pro-palestine when will ur faves.

~My reasons~ for ranking Hatari lower post-show are less grounded in the politics (again, they were jerks but... that’s also the entire point of sending Hatari lmfao) and more determined by the actual live performance: I thought Klemens was underwhelming and his parts of “Hatrið mun sigra” were also the fave bits. 😭 On the flipside I thought Matthias was excellent (when he didn’t miss his cue) and I legit laugh out loud each time I see his hilarious OTT facial expressions.

What a justified use of guyliner <3 The act was yet again a diabolically brilliant clanging of chains, bashing of mallets, grinding of gears, steaming of punk, a satanic cirque du soleil come to rain justice and brimstone down on our hopeless souls. Hatari were the anti-heroes we needed and don’t deserve.

ps: i hope i will ever find someone who loves me as much as Klemens loves Teresa May.

Iceland’s chart looks much better than I thought it would, but the averages actually put them somewhere in the middle on average. Iceland are always hit-or-miss for me, much moreso in the 2010s than in any other decade and it’s largely down to them failing to pick the best available option because, you know, BadTastitis.

the next update... will be the FINAL one in this shade of green :o Yes, we are about to move on to the highest, upperest, bestest tier of Eurovision entries. The mind-blowingly amazing entries that are not off this fucking world. Find out who makes the cut and who doesn’t TOMORROW :o

#Eurovision #Eurovision Song Contest #Iceland #Latvia #Belarus #Finland #Germany #Hatari #Hatrid mun sigra #Justs Sirmais #Heartbeat #Litesound #We are the heroes #Softengine #Something better #Michael Schulte #You let me walk alone

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slothssassin · 6 years ago

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Dragon Age Questions

Tagged by @starsandskies, thank you! ♥

Tagging @briarfox13, @liaorban, @katajanokka, @tessa1972 and @nerdierholler.

1. Favorite game of the series? It’s really hard to decide. Whenever I play one of them, I really enjoy it and think it must be my favourite. If I could play only one forever though I’d probably choose Inquisition.

2. How did you discover Dragon Age? I played Mass Effect and was active in the fandom here. So I discovered that a lot of people who loved ME also played (and loved) DA. I already had Origins in my library, so I thought why not give it a try.

3. How many times you’ve played the games? Well, I started DAO once but never finished it. A few months later I started a second time and then played all three games. So DAO (almost) twice, the other ones one time.

4. Favorite race to play as? (Dalish) Elves all the way!

5. Favorite class? Both my Warden and my Hawke are Rogues, but technically I always played the Mages in the team. That’s why I decided that my Inquisitor would be a Mage too, and in the end it’s honestly my favourite class to play.

6. Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time. I mostly make the same decisions again.

7. Go-to adventuring group? DAO: Alistair, Wynne, third one changed, but mostly Sten or Morrigan DA2: Fenris, Anders, Varric DAI: Blackwall, Dorian, Varric, often also Cassandra

8. Which of your characters did you put the most thought into? I’d say my Inquisitor Sellia Lavellan.

9. Favorite romance? Well, Alistair x Warden is really sweet and adorable, but I’m also a big fan of Cullen x Inquisitor. I have to say I enjoyed the cutscenes between them the most.

10. Have you read any of the comics/books? Nope

11. If you read them, which was your favorite book? -

12. Favorite DLCs? Trespasser I think? Or Jaws of Hakkon cause I really liked the Frostback Mountains.

13. Things that annoy you? Uhhhh the combat?? Especially in DAO. I mean I love the games but the combat can get really hard, repetitive and annoying. I was glad my Warden was able to sneak cause I sneaked past a lot of enemies, especially in the Deep Roads. DA2 started with great combat but got boring around Act 2. Inquisition had the best combat for me.

14. Orlais or Ferelden? Ferelden.

15. Templars or Mages? Mages.

16. If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one? I only have one character in each game.

17. What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc.) Ashera’s mabari was called “Brutus”, Marlow’s “Atilla”, Sellia has a horse called “Shiral”.

18. Have you installed any mods? Yes quite a lot actually. Most are for the CC. But in DAO I also had the one to skip the Fade, a few to add more content with Alistair. Clothing mods too. I love mods a lot.

19. Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden? She didn’t mind. She was up for the adventure, though she didn’t know how dangerous it would be.

20. Hawke’s personality? Between blue and purple.

21. Did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition? No, they’re all unique.

22. If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change? Ashera lost her father as a child. He tried to save her from a bear. She’d always go back to help him.

Quite similar for Marlow, she’d like to go back to save Carver. And her mother later on.

Sellia would turn back time to go back to the Fade to try and save both Stroud and Hawke.

23. Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon? Yes, I headcanon that Alistair stayed a Grey Warden after the Blight, but Anora got assassinated. He was already married to Ashera at that point, but agreed to become the new King if he didn’t have to officially marry anyone else.

24. Are any of your character(s) based on someone? No.

25. Who did you leave in the Fade? I honestly hated that decision. And it was the reason why I made up the headcanon I mentioned earlier. I didn’t want to leave either Alistair or Hawke, so I chose Stroud but felt really bad about it. My Hawke didn’t feel like herself anymore, so I’m still thinking about leaving her instead, which means Alistair could stay a Warden.

26. Favorite mount? The Imperial Warmblood.

#hello it me #tagged

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braincoins · 6 years ago

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Fandom: Dragon Age: Origins/Awakening Summary: Alistair shows up at Vigil's Keep unsure as to whether this is his new home or his new duty post. He has a few surprises in store.

Rating: EXPLICIT

Tags: AU, Welcome Home Sex, in which the author indulges herself in fluff smut and politics, well not so much that last one yet, but this is a series so wait for it, Fluff, Smut, Flut, Grey Wardens, Warden Alistair, Dalish Warden, Queen Anora, Both Alistair and the Warden survived the Blight sooooo..., oral sex, vaginal sex, riding

Notes: Welcome to the first story of my Schism AU! Most of the fics will not be Explicit, but Alistair just got home after being away from his sweetie for a while. They need some alone time together (and I felt it sets up what comes after that very nicely). If you want to skip the sex, read until you get to "I've no intention of sending you anywhere yet" (or until you get uncomfortable) and then skip down to the break, where Alistair gets a rather rude awakening.

We're starting a few months after the end of Awakening, though everyone (except Justice) has chosen to stick around instead of scattering to the winds. Summary of this world setup: Anora is Queen, Alistair is still a Warden, he did the Dark Ritual, Female Dalish Warden who romanced Alistair, Loghain's dead (good riddance), ...and I think that's most of the important bits.

Oh, and my headcanon in regards to Elvish is that, during the time of the Dales, the elves "recreated" the language as best they could from what scraps they had (sort of like what's been done with modern Hebrew), and that it is this language that modern Dalish have preserved and learned. I raided the DA Wikia for Elvish words; translations are in the end notes, just in case. I wanted to show that my Dalish Warden's past is still important to her, given what goes on in this fic.

Warning: I have not played Inquisition, and I've only made it through Act 1 of DA 2 (though I know some spoilers for both of those games and some other material). THIS IS AN AU. I am picking and choosing and making everything else up. I know that's not gonna be everyone's cuppa. But if you stick around, I hope you enjoy this!

(5,972 Words - on Ao3)

SFW Teaser below the cut:

All through the meal it was the same: she introduced him to the new Grey Wardens – including Oghren, of all people! – and some of the soldiers who were dining with them. She slipped Sekh treats under the table and laughed at the jokes others told. Mostly she ate and smiled and treated him as she might’ve Leliana or Zevran or Wynne or even Sten. He supposed it was better than being nothing but another warden to her in public. She was a fine commander, a good warden, and while he didn’t doubt her feelings for him, he couldn’t help wishing things could be different for the two of them. He didn’t want to have to hide how he felt in front of others. As annoying as their traveling companions could be (and as embarrassing as it was to occasionally be overheard together), at least they had accepted that he loved her and she loved him. There was no pretense of being “just friends” or “just fellow Grey Wardens”.

After supper, she rose, nodded to the assembled, and apologized about work taking her away. She put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him before Garevel led her off. Alistair was left there, wondering what to do, when a servant appeared and asked if he’d like a bath before bed. Truth be told, sleep was just about all he wanted in the world right now, but he shrugged. “I suppose I should wash the dust of the road off before bed, shouldn’t I?” The servant nodded and said she’d return when the bath was ready for him.

Everyone else seemed ready for bed themselves and abandoned the table for their rooms. Oghren stuck around longer than anyone else, to drink more and catch up. The drunken dwarven pervert wasn’t exactly who Alistair would’ve wanted to spend time with just at the moment, but it was still nice to be around someone familiar. In typical Oghren fashion, he made some lewd comments about Alistair and the Commander “gettin’ back into the swing of things” but Alistair just pretended he didn’t understand and changed the subject. Tonight was going to be for sleeping, he assumed, and for sleeping alone. He hadn’t really expected much else to happen, but it would’ve been nice to have her next to him again. There was little point in whining about it though, and even less point in bringing that up with Oghren. When the servant came to lead him to his room and the promised bath, it was all he could do not to bolt from the dining hall.

The servant led him upstairs and to the end of a hall, where a large, well-appointed room was awaiting him. “Well, it’s… it’s better than the stables, isn’t it?” The servant didn’t seem to appreciate the joke. Honestly, Alistair was a little surprised to be given such luxury, even if the furnishings were sparse and simple. Vigil’s Keep had been well-upgraded and defended prior to the darkspawn battle, but it had still suffered a great deal and was still years out from being fully back on its feet, as it were. That he had a room this large and this nice was surely the result of a Certain Someone pulling strings for him, but he felt a little guilty, wondering what the others had to make do with.

The servant closed the doors behind her as she left him to his bath. He took the opportunity to look around as he got undressed. A large double bed, a stately armoire, worn but still warm rugs on the floor. The bath was surrounded by thick tapestries hanging from the ceiling, to help keep down the chill along with the fire in the hearth that crackled merrily. There was a desk and chair over by the window, books and papers stacked upon it near half-melted candles. His empty bags and packs had been left near the armoire; no doubt the servants had already put his things away for him. He slid into the warm water with a contented sigh. Sleep was going to be glorious, but right now, this bath was a blessing straight from the Maker Himself.

The provided soap smelled a bit musky, and he realized, holding it to his nose, that she’d smelled much the same in that brief moment he’d had her in his arms. Must be the same soap throughout the whole place. He wasn’t sure if this was a reflection on Vigil’s Keep’s rather shattered status at the moment or if it was merely her pragmatism. She was nothing if not practical, after all. But he accepted it as the closest he was likely to get to her for the moment (and also as the only soap to hand) and set to washing up so that he didn’t fall asleep in the tub.

He rinsed himself off and got out. As he toweled off, he padded around blowing out candles in preparation for sleep. He was just finishing up – drying in front of the hearth – when the door opened. His head shot up as he made sure he had the towel in front of him to protect his modesty; he assumed a servant was bringing… something? He couldn’t imagine what it would be.

But it wasn’t a servant. “Oh, good; I was hoping you’d take a bath first.” It was hard to see her in the dim light, but she sounded amused. “No offense, love, but after all that time on the road, you weren’t exactly at your freshest.” He heard the door shut.

#DA:O #DA:O-A #Dragon Age: Schism #Socks writes DA fic #LOOK IT'S NOT VOLTRON #There will be more VLD fic #You'll pry Shallura from my cold dead hands #but in the meantime here's another badass power couple

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hawkbucks · 3 years ago

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It’s my fanfic blog and I get to choose what fandom to do fic for.

DA:O, Julien Tabris/Zevran, sort of Alistair’s P.O.V. Let it be known that I would gladly die a thousand deaths for my Best Boy Ali. Many typos, probably.

“You and Zevran earlier--” Alistair leans against a tree; they’re far enough from the main camp that no one would be able to hear their conversation, especially considering the hushed tone that Alistair is speaking in-- “what was that all about?” Although he and Zevran do get along quite a bit better than they did before, he’s never been too... fond of his and Julien’s relationship. It just seems too convenient in his opinion. Zevran was originally sent to assassinate the both of them, after all. All Julien needs to do is turn his back for a second too long, sleep for a minute longer than he usually does... not that Alistair would actually voice these concerns of his out loud.

Well, actually. He did. Once. That got him a pissed-off Julien telling him to mind his own business. He can’t really help it though, can he? Julien has quickly grown to become one of his closest friends--being the only survivors of a terrible betrayal tends to build camaraderie. Add that to the fact that it’s painfully obvious that this is Julien’s first real relationship and you’ve got a good reason for Alistair’s “big brother instinct” to shift into overdrive, only made worse by the small scene they have caused a few hours before. Rapid whispers were exchanged, then Zevran left for his tent in a huff, shoulders tense, leaving Julien awkwardly standing there before joining Leliana in cutting up some vegetables for tonight’s stew.

Julien crosses his arms. “Zevran offered me his earring. I said no.”

If there’s one thing that Alistair likes about Julien, it’s his straightforwardness. No having to decipher any insufferably vague sentences or tying him down as he’s beating around the bush. “His... earring?” Alistair’s head tilts towards the side. “I didn’t know he actually took those off, honestly. Why’d you say no?” As far as he’s concerned, they’re both head over heels for each other. There’s seemingly no reason for Julien to have rejected anything coming from Zevran.

“I told him that I didn’t want it unless it meant something. I want commitment. I don’t want this to just be bodies warming each other because of the Blight, because there’s no one else available.” Julien gestures at Zevran’s tent, looking like a mere blob of cotton awash in yellow-orange light. Zevran hasn’t exited that tent since their little tiff. “I... like him, Alistair, but I don’t know if he likes me the same way. He got shifty when I asked him about it, then he took it away from me.” He looks away from Alistair at that point, gaze turning down onto his boots. “I know it’s partially my fault. I shouldn’t have tried to rush him like that. I know about his past relationships; commitment wasn’t exactly a prominent part in any of them.” He drags a single hand down the side of his face. “I’m an idiot.”

“Hey, you said it, not me,” Alistair chuckles. Then, after a moment’s silence, he sighs, shaking his head. “I think you guys’ll be fine. Just give Zevran some space. Maybe try not to mention the c-word next time you guys talk.” He reaches over to pat Julien’s shoulder. “He cares for you, you know. I doubt he can stay mad at you for long. You guys will bounce back from this.”

Julien manages a small smile at that.

Alistair can’t help but to watch as Julien and Zevran have yet another conversation by the bonfire in the middle of camp. He’s seated next to Leliana, the both of them playing a game of Diamondback.

“We’re five hands in and you haven’t even made a joke about how the Priestess card could poke an eye out with her crown,” Leliana comments. “It’s your turn, by the way.”

“The Priestess card could poke an eye out with her crown.” Alistair exposes a card of his own. “Sorry. I’m... distracted.”

“You’re watching them, you mean.” Leliana places down a Magician card to complete her Priestess play, winning the game. “You know, you’re usually better at this. But I suppose I can see the entertainment in watching our resident couple.”

Alistair’s cheeks flush and Leliana titters, hiding her mouth behind the tips of her fingers. “I mean--” he frowns and gathers up his cards-- “Julien’s my best friend. I want to watch out for him.”

Leliana hums as she takes Alistair’s cards and reshuffles the deck with the grace of a Bard. Her hands are a blur and, honestly, Alistair is starting to get a headache just looking at it. “You’re cute,” she teases before dealing the cards back out.

Alistair grumbles something, then he catches Julien drawing Zevran in for a kiss out of the corner of his eye. He fully turns away. He can give them some privacy in that respect, at least.

“I’m engaged.” Julien drops this bomb as he walks up to the simmering pot.

Alistair snorts his drink, eyes watering at the burn. “You’re-- shit-- fu-- you’re what?” he splutters. Is he hearing correctly? Did Morrigan slip something into his water? His porridge? Maybe the Taint’s caught up with him?

“Zevran offered me his earring again.” Julien ladles out some porridge into his own bowl, eyes squinting and hair still bedraggled, before sitting down next to Alistair. It’s dreadfully bland, something that Zevran has complained about time and time again, but they don’t have the luxury of spices when they’re constantly on the road trying to save the world. “It was a proposal. He was... trying to propose to me the first time, he just didn’t know how to say it.”

“Someone that has been through the stuff he has, I’m not surprised. I don’t imagine that he’s had plenty of experience in that area.” He’s overheard some of their conversations. Zevran’s prone to some flowery language, but all in all... he understands. Perhaps he judged Zevran--and by extension, his and Julien’s relationship--too harshly. That’s something to reflect on when he’s lying in his tent and trying to ignore the cicadas outside. “At least it worked out.”

“Yeah.”

They continue eating in relative silence. Alistair makes a mental note to pick up some pepper the next time they pass by a city no matter how expensive it might be.

“So...” Alistair sets his bowl down at his feet. “I can be the best man, right?”

“As if I would have anyone else.”

“Alistair.” Zevran pops up beside him.

Alistair is pleased to say that he didn’t scream. Much. Morrigan gives him a dirty look. “Maker!” He clutches the shirt that he was folding close to his chest. “Would it kill you to make a little noise? I could’ve had a heart attack!”

“Ah, but you didn’t!” Zevran gives him that shit-eating grin that he’s so used to seeing. “I came here to thank you, my friend. I was also going to ask you to be my best man, but it appears that I am too late as you have already offered to be so for Julien.”

“You were going to ask me to be your best man?”

Zevran waves a hand. “In case you did not know, all of the people I could have asked are dead. And, excuse me, but I doubt Oghren or our stoic friend Sten over there would be up for the task.”

Sten grunts in agreement.

“But, yes. You have grown to be a good friend, Alistair. It brings me great joy to be able to fight by your side. And, you know, if you ever want to join us...”

Zevran cackles out loud as Alistair buries his face in his shirt.

“This is Alistair,” Julien says, gesturing at Alistair. A female elf--Shianni--stands in front of them, her red hair kept bobbed with a couple of decorative ribbons tied around a handful of locks. “This is Morrigan--” Morrigan simply quirks her eyebrow up-- “and this is Zevran. My fiancé.”

“A pleasure to meet you.” Zevran bows. “I see beauty runs in the family.”

“Wow.” Shianni looks at Julien, both of her eyebrows raised. “You’re already engaged again?”

“Again?” Alistair blurts out. Zevran himself turns to Julien with a questioning look.

Julien shakes his head. “It’s a long story. Not one you would want to hear.”

Alistair is pretty sure he’s sweating buckets. After an arduous trial in the Alienage (during which they met Julien’s father, a lovely man who offered Alistair a cup of tea) and the rescue of Queen Anora, he’s watching as Julien duels Loghain--the entire reason they came to Denerim--for the throne of Ferelden.

Julien’s not going to be the one on it, no.

Alistair is. Julien’s fighting for him. His entire destiny rides on his friend’s blade.

“He’ll be fine,” Zevran says. “You are worrying too much.”

“Maybe you’re not worrying enough,” Alistair bites back.

“Nonsense. Julien’s a fine fighter. I taught him some tricks, and I’ve heard from him that his mother was no slouch either.” Zevran clasps his hands behind his back.

Alistair takes the time to scrutinize Zevran a bit: his back is ramrod straight, perspiration forming on his brow as the corners of his mouth are dragged down. He might not be saying it, but Alistair knows that Zevran is just as nervous as he is.

The sound of metal hitting stone reverberates around the entire room as Loghain collapses on the floor.

Julien’s eyes look extinguished of all light, a brand new gash on his cheek that’s more than likely going to scar. He picks up Loghain’s sword and tosses it at Alistair, who fumbles before catching it in his gloved hands.

“It’s your turn,” Julien says, “Your Majesty.”

Anora glares at Alistair, tears in her eyes, as he brings the sword down on Loghain’s neck.

King. It still seems wrong on Alistair’s lips. His words can’t wrap around the syllables just yet. He’s king. He got his revenge on Loghain. For Duncan. For all the other Wardens needlessly killed after that coward pulled out.

He watches, like he usually does. He watches as Julien takes Zevran’s hand into his own and kisses the palm, both of them illuminated by the moon.

A sudden longing makes itself known in Alistair’s chest. He’s not interested in them, per se, but rather what they have. Julien is his best friend, yes, and Leliana always listens to him whenever he needs her, but he doesn’t have anything like that. He doubts he ever will.

He’s covered in blood. There’s a darkspawn corpse at his feet. Even more are littered behind him. The air stinks of corruption and decay, questionable liquid flowing in between the cracks in the ground.

He thinks about what Morrigan told Julien before she ran off. About how a Warden must die in order to kill an Archdemon. There was a... ritual that she said she could perform to stop this from happening, but neither he nor Julien wanted to be a part of it. When the time comes, he’s more than willing to be the one who strikes the final blow.

This is a Grey Warden’s duty. In death, sacrifice, right? He knew what he was signing up for.

All of their breaths come ragged. After a simultaneous fight with two ogres and a particularly hardy Hurlock mage, they’re not in the best shape right now. Alistair winces as he rubs a poultice on one of his bruises, and Wynne is chugging lyrium potions like there’s no tomorrow--and there very much could be no tomorrow if they don’t succeed right here, right now.

“I love you,” Julien whispers to Zevran.

Alistair can’t help but to eavesdrop. They’re so bunched together after all, there’s no way he can avoid overhearing their conversation.

Zevran responds with a kiss.

Alistair turns away once more.

“Promise me you’ll protect Zevran,” Julien says--no, he demands. He’s bleeding from the temple. Another cut recently joined his face after a Genlock slashed his upper lip. The Archdemon is lying weakened behind them, body shuddering with each breath. There’s no way it’s going to get up anytime soon.

This is it.

“Julien--”

“Promise me.” There’s a wild glint in his eye. His grip on his dagger gets tighter, knuckles turning white.

“I can do it,” Alistair counters. “I’m a Grey Warden. It’s my duty.”

“We’re both Grey Wardens. It’s as much my duty as yours. Plus, you have a kingdom to run.”

“Does Zevran know?”

Julien flinches.

Zevran looks at the both of them as he’s helping Wynne up to her feet.

Alistair levels Julien with a look. “Let me do this. What could a better first act as king be besides stopping the Blight? I die, so what? Ferelden still has Anora.”

“You’re the one that wanted to be king, Alistair,” Julien shoots back. “I fought so you could become the damn king. I can’t let you do this. I’m sorry.”

Alistair’s hand reaches out to grab Julien’s wrist, but he’s a millisecond too late. He runs after the man, wide-eyed, but there’s only so fast he can go in his clunky, heavy armor.

“What is going--?” Zevran takes in Alistair’s panicked face as the man draws closer and his head immediately whips towards Julien, his breath catching in his throat. He starts to take off, Wynne standing in shock behind him, but he’s stopped by Alistair’s hand closing around his elbow.

“He wanted to do this, he wanted to do this,” Alistair says, sounding more like he’s reassuring himself than reassuring Zevran. “He told me he wanted to do this.”

“Alistair! Alistair! ” Zevran tries to rip himself away from the other man. Once he realizes he won’t be able to get out--stomping on Alistair’s foot would do nothing considering the armor and he’s not tall enough to be able to headbutt the man--he goes slack. “He is going to die, isn’t he?” he sounds uncharacteristically quiet. Despondent.

Alistair stays silent.

“Bastard.”

Julien regards them with one last look, one last I love you to Zevran. He raises his dagger--

Zevran reaches out.

--and swiftly brings it down on the Archdemon’s head.

Wynne gasps as a column of bright light immediately shoots up into the sky. Julien screams in pain, writhing, but unable to let go of the dagger.

Alistair feels Zevran’s body shaking.

He looks away.

Alistair lays down a few flowers near the statue. It’s been a couple of years. The statue of Julien--the Hero of Ferelden--has just been completed. Its bronze plaque shines in the morning sun as it stands proudly in the middle of Redcliffe.

Being king hasn’t been easy. He’s been dragged here and there and here and there and he’s never really had the patience for all of this politicking and cursory smiles. Still, he has a job to do and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t do it well.

“Fancy seeing you here,” a familiar voice says. They sit down on the base of the statue, swinging their legs. “Aren’t you supposed to be in the castle, Your Majesty?”

The corner of Alistair’s mouth quirks up. “Aren’t you supposed to be hunting down your fellow Crows, ser Arainai?”

“Ah-ah-ah.” Zevran points a taloned finger at him. “I am not a Crow anymore. Not since...” not since he threw himself into the assassination mission, fully expecting to die, not since he ended up making friends among the others, not since he and Julien got together, not since he finally told Julien he loved him, not since, not since, not since. “It has been a while.”

“I bet.” Alistair smiles at him. “But you’re... are you doing alright?” After Julien’s funeral, Zevran worked for the throne for a mere year before the Crows found him again and he was forced to leave. Alistar’s heard a couple of their master assassins have gone missing. Zevran’s doing, no doubt.

Zevran shrugs. “Some days are worse than most, but I do believe I can live with it. By the way, your sculptors got his nose wrong. The nose tip--” Zevran clicks his tongue-- “it was wider.”

Alistair laughs.

#I haven't done anything in so damn long.#I am aware that this is probably stilted and awkward and the pacing is fucked but lol can't get back Into The Groove if I don't do anything.

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angstymarshmallow · 7 years ago

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Yooo you like Dragon Age? Who are your fav characters? (In general and to date)

My dearest anon - yesss! Like? Love? Adore? I think adore covers it lol.

Ahh, my favourite characters: Anon you have open the floodgates of opinions. Be prepared for my very long ramble.

My problematic bean Anders (but I mostly enjoy pre-dragon 2 Anders - but enjoy the angsty kind of relationship he has with Hawke in DA 2). Other characters from Dragon Origin: Sten (he doesn’t try to be funny; he’s very up front about everything but I find his responses to the warden are often funny and kind of cute. He’s also pretty rational). Alistair (as a favourite and as an LI); he’s hilarious - genuinely a sweetheart that always tries to lighten the mood. He’s fiercely loyal and protective of people he cares about. (Also his banter with Morrigan is some of the best banter in the game and speaking of which) Morrigan (as a favourite and as an LI) she speaks her mind and doesn’t allow the foolish thoughts of others to sway her beliefs. She’s closed off until you get to know her. She’s worth getting to know.Zevran (as a favourite and as an LI). I have a soft spot for elves. Whether dalish or otherwise. He’s smooth, really smooth and upfront about wanting to please the warden romantically but look past his flirty side and there’s so much more to love about him.

It was so hard to choose because Leliana, Wynne and Anora are also pretty up there for me but I’m trying to keep this short.

Dragon Age 2:(This game’s problematic but moving on -)Anders. I mentioned him earlier but I wanted to still place him here. He’s a good friend if you more or less agree with most of his opinions about mages. He’s an angsty lover that ended up twisting my heart strings - especially towards the end of the game.Fenris (as an LI) Wow I love this man? No I have this really soft spot for most elves, and Fenris is no exception. His upbringing and background makes him really closed off in the beginning - and usually on my templar and rogue run they’ve gotten along quite well. His story is really heart wrenching. But as a mage though - oh boy. That man. Still he’s still my favourite LI in DA:2. I mean his voice? It’s like velvet?? And his lyrium markings…Isabela (as a favourite and an LI), she’s a pirate but has a heart of gold. Those two things put together makes it easy to fall in love with her - plus she’s so beautiful?? And her flirty options are A PLUS quality. She grows a lot in the span of this game, and her character development genuinely makes her more than worth it.Varric(as a favourite because he’ll never become an LI). I love Varric. Honestly, he’s charming - hilarious, and just generally fun to have in your party. He’s got some of the best dialogue (next to sarcastic hawke), and I know why he’s not an LI - I just will secretly keep longing for him in private.Dragon Age InquistionCullen Rutherford (as a favourite and an LI) this is dangerous because I could talk about this man for months and never get tired of it. He’s gorgeous ?? I’ve always wanted to romance him, even since DA:O - but what really appeals to me is his humility and his character development in the span of all three games. Playing as mage inquisitor earns you some extra dialogue with him - but I’m really proud I guess of how far he’s come. And his romance scenes touches me on such a deeper level? (i wanted to write fanfiction about him - that’s how obsessed I was).Sera (as a favourite) I feel like it’s so problematic to say I adore Sera because of how other people feel about her. Sera’s not afraid to have a good time, she doesn’t really believe in taking things seriously - and when she does it just means how important those said things are to begin with. I admire her spirit, even if the way she speaks is kind of jumbled she’s a freakin red jenny!Solas: (as a favourite and as an LI), wow did I say Sera was problematic because Solas. Solas takes the cake of problematic. If ever anyone’s looking for someone to tear their heart out and mount it - this is where that ends. But despite it all, he’s so fascinating. Down to the way he speaks, his mannerisms and ultimately who he is and the role he plays in this story.Cassandra (as a favourite and as an LI) wow Cassandra is just so great? She’s the right amount of tough - she doesn’t let her guard down easily, and she’s really driven by belief. She’s incredibly adorable to romance because she gets so flustered by her own feelings. Outside of that she’s just a good person to have on your side.Varric again because everything I’ve said about him still applies here. And we finally get to know the story of Bianca - honestly he deserves better.

The Iron bull, Crem, Dorian and Dagna are some other favourites of mine too.

Thanks for asking, and I’m sorry about the mini-essay. I just have a lot of feelings for these fictional characters.

#asks #dragon age #dragon age origins #dragon age 2 #dragon age inquisition #not choices #sorry about the candid essay #i just #yeah #i love 'em

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eggoreviews · 5 years ago

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My Top 25 Games Advent Day 11 - Dragon Age: Origins (#15)

“Let’s show them our hearts, and then show them theirs.”

Origins, the first in the incredible tactical RPG series Dragon Age, represents a time in Bioware’s life when they were at the top of their game. Origins is also a brilliantly weird example of how a game can age like cheese in some areas, but other aspects are still masterclasses in video game developing. In a way, Origins shaped my interest in gaming when I was younger and gave me a truly unforgettable experience. So below the cut, I’ll be reviewing this game ten years on, with the least amount of bias I can manage. No promises though.

My first experience with what I feel is one of the best fantasy RPG series ever made was watching my dad play it when it first released, which I probably definitely shouldn’t have been doing (I have an oddly overriding memory of my dad forcing me to put a cushion in front of my eyes when Morrigan got a lil nakey). But the reason I watched everytime he played was because of how easily invested I became in the story, the characters, the setting. And that only amplified once I got to play it myself. Everything was so well thought out and executed, for a game in 2009, this is literal perfection. But it’s not 2009 anymore. So how much of that still holds out?

As I just mentioned, the story, characters and overall world-building in this game is phenomenal. From start to end, Origins weaves an excellent story of the disgraced order of the Grey Wardens, who are tasked with besting the Darkspawn uprising, despite the world’s hatred of them due to the wrongful blame of the king’s death. Your own customisable character also has an interchangeable race and background, giving you a multitude of options for kicking off your adventure in plenty of unique ways, which all converge in you joining the fabled Grey Wardens before everything goes to shit. On your journey to unite a divided world in fighting with you and eventually taking on the Archdemon, you encounter a band of lovable, subtly developed and most importantly real characters that enhance the experience far beyond what I expected. I know everyone stans Dorian and Iron Bull these days, but honestly, nothing surpasses this original cast for me. Alistair, your fellow Grey Warden trainee (and in the end, rightful king of Ferelden) is an absolute blast of a character, seamlessly blending scathing humour that never fails to get a laugh whilst also being a deeply emotional and damaged character. Morrigan, the cynical, sarcastic witch who can turn into a bear, while a series mainstay at this point, I absolutely love her in this game in particular. Later on, Leliana, the Orlesian bard with a wicked sense of humour and a good heart, is still one of my absolute favourite video game characters, as well as the stoic Qunari Sten, the motherly mage Wynne, the golem who’s fed up of everyone’s shit: Shale, the heavily drunk/emotional dwarf Oghren and my favourite big ol gay cheeky rogue Zevran. There’s a cast here to rival the Fellowship of the Ring, and they really do come alive in their random conversations with each other and each of their growing individual relationships with your character. On top of this, each character and each race you convince to join your cause all have a genuine impact on how your final battle plays out, making your climactic encounter with the Archdemon all the more unforgettable. And the world of Ferelden itself from the Dwarven city of Orzammar to the forests of the Dalish Elves, are all vibrant, well-established settings and everything feels unique. The amazing thing about the world of Ferelden is that the developers acknowleged they didn’t have enough to fill an entire open world, so they didn’t make one. They didn’t waste the player’s time with pointless, empty space just to pretend that they’ve given you an open world, which is a lesson some developers today still need to learn: just because you’ve given your player an open space, your game can still be empty if you don’t fill it with life.

However, now I have to put my heavily tinted nostalgia goggles aside and acknowledge that one of my favourite fantasy games has, in fact, not aged brilliantly in some aspects. I still maintain that the characters, narrative content and world you explore are absolutely incredible, but coming back to this game ten years on didn’t yield great results in other areas. While the world itself doesn’t waste your time, random encounters with Darkspawn between areas become a little bit of a ballache after a while and were clearly intended as repetitive padding. And while I love the sheer scale of the amount of spells and abilities you can equip each character with, the combat as a whole feels properly, properly stunted these days. For a tactical RPG, it all just feels so janky and slow, but I maintain that this was great for the time it released. And because combat is one of the main gameplay elements, it makes playing through the game today a lot more wobbly than I remember.

So there you go, it’s clear that the series, as well as gaming as a whole, has come along leaps and bounds since Dragon Age’s first entry. In the years following, Inquisition has swept the series up from its drop in quality in Dragon Age II, yet again creating a memorable cast of characters and a great fantasy adventure, now updated with much better graphics and combat mechanics. But here’s the thing, I still high-key prefer Origins. No disrespect to Inquistion, I think it was great, but there’s just something about this fresh, original adventure that blew me away when I first played it and I never quite felt the same way about Inquisition or the characters it created. For every Dorian and Sera, there was also a Blackwall and a Solas, giving an unfortunate mix of great characters and not so great ones. Put on top of this a villain I literally gave zero shits about and the fact that they absolutely butchered my favourite character Leliana by making her lose all her charm and character in favour of yet another grumpy, stoic warrior person, Inquisition did not reach the same heights as the first entry, at least in my eyes. And I get the feeling that the impact this game left on me still informs a lot of my game choices today, as well as inadvertently some of my own creations. I really don’t think it’s a stretch to call this gaming’s Lord of the Rings.

Standout Moment Award: Predictably, the finale. The culmination of every party member, every army you’ve recruited along the way makes an ending that’s epic, satisfying and terrifying in equal measure.

Standout Character Award: Leliana. The strong yet playful, cheeky yet unwaveringly just bard quickly became my favourite character and this incarnation of her is still one of my faves to date.

Tomorrow: No. 14; A heartfelt coming-of-age story, with the minor addition of a murderous legion of elves.

#da #dao #dai #gaming #eggoreviews #best games advent #dragon age #dragon age origins #dragon age inquisition

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sky-scribbles · 7 years ago

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Got tagged for this by @aveline-the-dragon-slayer! Hey there - we haven’t talked yet but I love seeing your stuff on my dash. :D

So, the challenge is, place all Dragon Age companions in order from most to least trustworthy, including your OC’s.

I am gonna struggle with this... let’s give it a go. (Just so everyone knows, I love every single one of the DA companions, so if I rank them as less trustworthy it’s not a slight to them. Often their unpredictable/complex/flawed nature is why I love them. Plus, a lot of this is less reasoning and more gut feeling.)

DA:O

1. Dog

2. Runa Aeducan (girl is the Mum Friend and her origin has given her opinions about betrayal.)

3. Sophina Cousland (she’s big on honour)

4. Alistair (he’d only run out on me if I did a certain thing at the Landsmeet)

5. Zevran (only betrays you if he’s still a friendless death seeker. ‘nuff said.)

6. Firion Surana (there’s a slim chance of him throwing me under a bus so he can get his hands on extra books, but it’s unlikely, due to his crippling terror of letting people down)

7. Sten (yes, Qun makes him have skewed priorities, but I will never not be touched by his loyalty to the Warden after they earn his respect.)

8. Maddie Brosca (absolutely terrified of betrayal, no chance she’s gonna be doing it herself. Can’t trust her not to ‘borrow’ your stuff, act unpredictably or unthinkingly hurt your feelings, though.)

9. Oghren

10. Enaras Mahariel (poor ‘lil guy tries his best but might betray me if he thought it was the safest thing to do. He’s weird like that.)

11. Wynne (I feel I can’t really judge her without having read Asunder, apparently there are a lot of things I don’t know about her.)

12. Morrigan (I still love her)

DA2

1. Bethany Hawke

2. Dalton Hawke (might let me down through terrified inaction in his early days, but after his character development that guy would die before failing someone.)

3. Carver Hawke

4. Varric

5. Aveline (I feel like she drops the ball a few times as guard-captain, but would she tank all of Thedas to protect someone? Yes she would.)

6. Bryony Hawke (can be a bit unpredictable, still a Mum Friend)

7. Fenris

8. Merrill

8. Anders (yes I just put him joint eighth, and hear me out. Does he lie about That Thing? Yup. But - like Merrill, who prioritises her Eluvian and her people but is always honest about doing so - he is upfront about his priorities, he makes it clear what he thinks matters most. And when it comes down to it, he is a healer and also half Justice. I dunno, I just think if I were in a tough spot, I’d 100% be relieved to have him there unless helping me would hurt his cause somehow. *shrug* He was originally further down until I remembered he’s the one companion who won’t betray you in the Fade unless you betray Feynriel first by dealing with a demon, so he gets extra points for that. Though I guess it’s technically Justice doing that, so... OK, let’s do this again:

8. Anders and Justice.)

9. Isabela (I still adore her, she only ranks lower than Anders ‘cause I find her harder to predict, and that’s mostly my fault. Also: ‘I like big boats, I cannot lie.’ Oh, Isabela. XD)

10. Tanner Hawke (tends to make up his own rules, finds it hard to care about people outside his friends and family. Still a great guy, though.)

DAI

1. Cassandra

2. Cole

3. Talan Adaar (the guy has never told a lie in his entire life.)

4. Blackwall (Hear me out. I know he lies about... stuff... but his loyalty to the Inquisitor is always 100% real, and he’s so fiercely devoted. Honestly, if I were in danger, there’s no one in the Inquisition I’d rather have between me and it.)

5. Varric

6. Meraad Adaar (too scared to betray anyone, might be too terrified to help someone though.)

7. Dorian

8. Elera Lavellan (tends to prioritise her beloved elven lore and can startle people with the lengths she’ll go to for it, but would never go so far as to betray a friend for it.)

9. Cullen

10. Josephine (this is the woman who’ll smile and pour you tea while simultaneously destroying your reputation with a misplaced glove. She’s absolutely loyal to the Inquisition, but to a stranger, she’s often not what she seems. It’s why she’s so amazing.)

11. Leliana

12. Bull

13. Vivienne (I love her to death, but I know she’s going to go her own way.)

13. Sera (she’s unpredictable, and it’s why I love her.)

14. Solas. Obviously.

OK, that was... quite honestly one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Wow. Again: I would trust all of these guys, I love them, and any low rankings are given in extreme fondness. And this is, obviously, absolutely subjective, everyone reads characters differently.

Right, tags! Um... I guess I’ll go with @flaine1996, @itoshimu, and @rogue-healer, as long as they want to do it!

#this was hard #tags #dragon age #long post

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sneezingfetishftw · 7 years ago

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Hayfever and Darkspawn is Never a Good Combination

Finally got around to the snezfic that’s been brewing in my head for weeks lol. Think this might actually be my first snezfic lol. Fandom is dr//ag//on ag//e ori//gins.

The Warden dusted her hands off. “Another job well done,” she remarked with a smile.

“Yes, yes, another one for the Grey Wardens. I’m sure the darkspawn will be so disheartened the complete lack of morale will make the archdemon despair and simply go home,” Morrigan replied.

Alistair rolled his eyes. “Ignore her. I agree with you; I think we work well together.”

“Yes, let’s all hold hands and congratulate ourselves while the darkspawn continue marching. Won’t that just be marvelous?”

Leliana sighed. “Enough arguing all of you. We did well, but we must continue the fight against the darkspawn, no?”

“Right. So, where to next?” Alistair asked.

The Warden paused for a moment. “I was thinking of heading to the Brecilian Forest next. They are my people, after all.” Alistair grimaced slightly. “Something wrong with that, Alistair? I would think if you had a quarrel with the Dalish, you would have told me by now. Especially given our…”

“Entanglement? Fraternizing?”

Alistair’s eyes shot daggers at Morrigan. He would have shot real daggers, but correctly assumed the Warden would not approve of this. “Couldn't you crawl into a bush somewhere and die? That would be great, thanks.”

“My, my, we are defensive today, aren’t we?”

The Warden tried (and failed) to suppress a laugh. “Back to my original question though. It does seem unlikely that you suddenly now have a problem with the Dalish. So what exactly is the issue here then, if I might ask? Perhaps you are concerned about the forest itself?”

“Oh. Right. The… forest. With the… trees. And flowers.”

“Really?” Morrigan asked. “My, my, Alistair, you are so knowledgeable! The Chantry must be proud.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Alistair started to speak again, but Morrigan interrupted. “We have better things to do than stand around all day arguing with stupid cowards.”

“I’m not stupid!” Alistair protested. “And I’m not a coward!”

“Oh really then? If you’re not a coward, then I see no reason why you can’t accompany us to the forest.”

“Hold on, are you actually inviting me?”

“‘Tis a mortal sin not to be hospitable to one’s companions. Yes, I am inviting you. Unless you’re… scared?”

“I am not scared! It’s just…”

“Maker’s breath, you two, you’re giving me a headache. Can we please just get going?”

“Yes, Leliana,” the Warden said. “I think we best get a move on. Now then, Alistair, are you coming with us, or should I send for another companion? Oghren, perhaps? He’s a fine warrior.”

“Most days the man’s so drunk he can barely even hold a sword!”

“Fine. What about Sten?”

“I wouldn’t mind that, but last I saw he was still sulking about his missing sword. I don’t think you’ll get much out of him.”

“Zevran?”

“Absolutely not! I’ve seen the way he looks at you.” He frowned. “Not that I don’t trust you,” he added quickly. “It’s just that I don’t trust him.”

“This conversation has gone on long enough. You’re coming with me, Alistair, and I don’t want to hear any complaining.”

“But… but....”

“I think you’ll survive,” the Warden said, lightly patting his shoulder.

“Fine.” He sighed. “But don’t say I didn’t try to warn you,” he added under his breath.

***

An insignificant random encounter later, they were at the edge of the Brecilian Forest. Unfortunately, it seemed the elves had problems of their own. Alistair began tearing up.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to fall on sword in grief again, I do so hate the sound of your sobbing.”

“Duncan?” The Warden asked softly.

“Or are you just concerned about these elves?” Leliana offered. “I know personally I grieve for them deeply, even though I don’t know them.”

“None of those,” Alistair said, frustrated. “I’m just…” He sniffed, blinking back the tears that threatened to form. “Never mind,” he said. “You’ll figure out soon enough,” he mumbled.

“Into the forest, then,” the Warden said, eager to get a move on.

***

“So… many… trees…” Alistair said in what sounded like a mixture of awe and horror.

“On about the trees again? What is it with you and trees? Are you afraid tree men will swoop down on you now?” Morrigan sighed.

Alistair opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He remained frozen for a moment. Then his nose twitched, a sharp intake of air, and… “HAK’TCHOO!!!” It was loud enough to cause all his companions to jump back a little in shock. “That is what I’m afraid of,” he said pointedly.

Morrigan shook her head. “Surely ‘tis not that bad. You’re hardly going to die to the occasional sneeze,” she said disdainfully.

“Oh, and bless you,” Leliana added.

Alistair raised a finger in the universal “I’m not done yet” gesture. “I, ah... I, uh… heh-hh-HATschHU! Huh-AK’ShUE! Eh-eh-ugh… HECH’SHOO!” He continued on in this manner for quite some time. “Yeah, I’m not sure I’d call it occasional.”

“You don’t say!” Leliana noted, amused. “What was that, ten?”

Alistair shrugged. “I’m a little too distracted to keep count. Oh, and you may as well stop saying ‘bless you’. You’re going to get sick of it.” Leliana ignored his suggestion, making a point of blessing his next few sneezes. “Yeah, well there’s more where that came from.” After a few more sneezes, he somehow managed to bump into a tree, at which point a branch fell from it, promptly coating Alistair in a thick layer of pollen. Alistair stared, wide-eyed, for a moment. “Blast it! Excuse me for a moment while I… ehh… while I… uhh… become completely… EHCHSSH! ETCHH! Heh-heh-HATCHH! Completely useless.”

“As if you aren't already completely useless.” Normally Alastair would have responded to Morrigan’s insult, but he was otherwise occupied, a point which Leliana was making quite clear.”

“Bless you. No, I will not stop, it’s actually kind of fun! Besides, it helps me keep count.”

“You… uh… you’ve been… ugh-USHOO! You’ve been keeping count?” Alistair asked sheepishly, his cheeks flushing to match his red, raw, nose.

“Bless you. Twenty-three.”

“Ugh, alright then.” He rubbed at his nose furiously. His eyes snapped shut before he was even aware of what was happening. The pressure was building. It felt stronger this time. Faster. Demanding to be let out. Alistair groaned. He was sick of this. But he wasn’t the one in control anymore. All he could manage was to get a few words in before it exploded out of him. “Get ready to… eh… ah… huh… to up that number. Heh’huh’Hah’Hih-HEH’HSSSSSSHOO!” It sounded more like a snake than a sneeze at this point, with how long that release was drawn out. And the build-up too, for that matter. But the Warden knew it would not be polite to comment on such manners. Alistair was clearly embarrassed enough as it was. So the Warden simply watched in silence as Alistair’s sneezes became progressively less forceful and more exhausted. Strong, still, but more in a “I’ve given up so I’m just letting them all come at me and take over” sort of way than the… manliness? she had come to expect from him. The Warden shook her head. These observations were nonsensical, best to be ignored.

Morrigan, however, had no such qualms about commenting on Alistair’s condition. “Surely, you can not be serious?”

“Seriously, Morrigan? Of all the things to get mad at me about, you… you… Heh-CHOO!… ugh…” He sniffed, wriggling his still sensitive nose.

“No, Alistair, tis’ you who is sneezing, not I.”

“You know what I meant! You chose to complain about the one thing I have no control over!”

“Just the one?” Morrigan asked. Alistair was too busy sneezing to argue, though the Warden could have sworn she saw Alistair glaring in between fits. “But seriously, Warden, why would you bring him along if all the fool does is sneeze?”

“If any of you had actually let me speak,” Alistair started angrily before becoming seized in the throes of another sneezing fit.

“Could you be any louder? Honestly, it’s like you’re trying to get the darkspawn’s attention!” Morrigan complained.

“Bless you. Forty-seven. Be kind, Morrigan. It’s not his fault.”

Before Morrigan could reply, the Warden spoke. “Morrigan is being unnecessarily rude, but as much as I hate to say it, she is somewhat right. The darkspawn have sensed us.”

“Oh,” was all Alistair could muster before succumbing to more sneezes. The ensuing battle was somewhat more difficult, since one member was, well, incapacitated, and the Warden took it personally upon herself to protect him. “What if I sneeze on them? Do you think that would scare them away?” It did not. Despite the Warden’s best efforts, Alistair fell in battle, though somehow he was still conscious enough to sneeze.

“They’re dead, finally,” the Warden panted, exhausted.

“No thanks to this moron,” Morrigan remarked.

Alistair got up slowly. “Ugh, now I’ve got a splitting headache as well as… uh...Utschhoo... that.”

“Bless you. Sixty-two. Perhaps we should go back to camp for a while?”

“Yes, that’s probably the best course of action,” the Warden sighed.

“Sorry, everyone.”

“No need to apologize, Alistair. Feel better soon.” She planted a kiss on his nose, which prompted another few sneezes.

“Wow, thanks,” he said, the sarcasm dripping from his words almost as thick as the mucus from his nose.

“Is this better, love?” She asked, giving him a kiss on the lips.

Morrigan gagged. “‘Tis bad enough you do that when he is healthy, but now?”

“What? It’s not like he’s contagious. And besides, I had to put you in your place somehow for your rudeness. I know you hate seeing us kiss,” she said, smiling.

“You’re… using me?” Alistair asked, faking a dramatic gasp before sneezing again.

“Yes, but I thought you’d approve of the purpose,” she said, smirking at Morrigan.

“Well, hard to argue with that one. Anyway, let’s get to camp before my nose falls off or something.”

The Warden laughed. “I don’t think there’s much danger of that, but alright.”

#snezfic #scenario

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stillwinterair · 7 years ago

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Hi! I was just wondering what mods you decided to install for your Dragon Age Origins? I've never played it with mods before and honestly, have no idea what the best ones are.

Personally, I use the following:

More hairstyles (because a lot of Origins hairstyles are ugly and it’s nice to have more options)

Visible console (because for some reason the debug console is disabled by default, and once you enable it, there isn’t a font for it so it’s invisible)

Grey Wardens of Ferelden (because who doesn’t want the DA2 Warden gear?)

Dwarf proportion fix (because female dwarves look RIDICULOUS in the vanilla game, and this mod makes their arms a lot shorter to make them proportional with like, everyone else)

Skip the Fade (because when you’ve played it once, you never really need to play it again lol)

Extra dog slot (because it’s nice having your mabari around without using up a party slot; you can even summon and desummon him whenever you want)

Unique face textures for companions (because… okay, I’ll be honest, 90% of the reason I’m using this is just to make the game feel a little bit different, and it was nice to see a very minor companion redesign mod because usually they’re utter shit but these are nice and subtle and make the companions look ever so slightly more HD)

Practical Morrigan Robe (because it makes Morrigan look fucking AMAZING--I should note it doesn’t change her face though; pretty much all the preview images are using some other Morrigan redesign mod that I’m not a big fan of, but this mod ONLY changes her robes)

Three honorable mentions that I DON’T USE are Armor of the Devout, Armor of the Sten, and Complete Bi Overhaul. They all look great and I’ve heard amazing things about them, but ONE OF THEM completely and utterly broke my game and it took me a day and a half to fix it and it was a long and grueling process and I have no idea which one did it. I know it was PROBABLY the bi overhaul, but I installed all three of those at the same time so I honestly don’t know and I’m not willing to risk it lmao (and I’m not even sure if it’s directly a mod’s fault, it might just be that something in one of those three conflicted with another of the mods above and the whole thing kinda fell apart, who knows)

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here-comes-troubelyan · 7 years ago

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101 Dragon Age Questions

[by @madmagemaidmarian]

I did warn you I was going to answer these. Enjoy!

1. How did you get into Dragon Age?

It was definitely a friend. And it took a while; I remember a couple years ago he tried to give me a run-down of what it was about, and I got super lost and didn’t get into it for a few months after that lol. Then I think I picked up Origins on Steam one day when it was on sale/I was bored/procrastinating.

2. Have you finished all three games? Yep.

3. How long did it take you to finish the series? Uh, a few months? Less than a year, definitely. There was a bit of a gap between DA2 and DA:I because I had to upgrade my graphics card, lol.

4. What was your first Warden (gender/class/race/personality)? Male Dalish Rogue, quiet and cautious. Lived happily ever after with hubby Zevran after an extremely awkward encounter with Morrigan, lol.

5. What was your first Hawke like (gender/class/temperament)? Male Warrior purple as fuck. Sticky-sweet romance with Fenris. Gross.

6. First Inquisitor (gender/class/race/personality)? Female Dalish Mage. “Why can’t we all just get along??” Engaged in actual Disney-princess romance with my girl Josie.

7. Favorite DA:O backstory? I haven’t even played them all, yet! I haven’t played either dwarf origin or the human noble one. Of the ones I have played, I think I like Tabris best.

8. Preferred class overall? Mage, pew pew. I like playing with range and AOE shit because I’m bad at video games, lol.

9. Do you tend to play male or female characters most? Eeeeeeeh??? It really depends on my mood when I start up a new game, lol.

10. Share a pic of your favorite OC from any DA game. Maxwell, my sweet son!

I WILL PUT THE REST BEHIND A CUT BECAUSE I LOVE YOU 😘

I didn’t finish all of them, but I may come back and answer some later, when I’ve played through the games more recently 😊 11. Best Hawke quote? “Helping people and killing people are what I'm best at.”

12. Do you prefer DA:O, DA2, or DA:I most? Eh, DA:I, but only because it’s prettiest. 13. Favorite mission from DA:O? 14. Favorite DA:O party combo?

Leliana, Wynne, and Sten/Alistair.

15. Favorite DA:O companion overall?

Hmm. Close call between Zevran and Leliana. Also, Sten has grown on me the more I play through the game. And of course Shale.

16. DA:O: Did your Warden survive?

Yep. You wouldn’t know it from the look on his face when Morrigan was crawling towards him in that bed, though.

17. What did you name your Mabari? I think my first Mabari was called Boone, iirc. 18. Who did you choose to rule Ferelden?

Anora. I have a hard time making Alistair rule because he so doesn’t want to, and Anora is clearly more fit for the position.

19. Favorite mission from DA2? 20. Was everyone loyal at the end?

Yep.

21. Did Hawke side with the Mages or Templars?

Mages.

22. Favorite DA2 party combo?

Oh, I mix them up a lot. I don’t like having Fenris and Merrill in the same party, though, and I tend to avoid Anders and Aveline (I don’t have anything against Aveline, I just tend to pick Fenris over her most of the time). Carver, Merrill, and Bela is a great combo. 23. Did you give Fenris back to Danarius?

Fuck no.

24. Favorite main-story quest from DA:I?

Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, of course! 25. Favorite DA:I place?

Ooooh, tough. The Emerald Graves. 26. Did your Inquisitor choose the Mages or the Templars? Mages.

27. Which did you leave behind (Abyss)?

Ah, the first time I played I didn’t port in my world state, and ended up with what’s-his-name the random mustachioed Warden, so he stayed behind (easy choice). I’ve since left behind both of the others, though, and each is hella sad.

28. Inquisitor’s feelings on being the Herald of Andraste?

Ella was super Dalish, and was very uncomfortable with it. Max was super Andrastian, and was also very uncomfortable with it, though he was admittedly better at playing the role. Ana (my second dalish mage, lol) was super agnostic, and was very uncomfortable with it. And grumpy and ragey about it.

29. What are your feelings on the Chantry? My feelings on the Chantry directly mirror my real-life feelings on Christianity. The system has become corrupted beyond the intentions of the people who started it. I mean, WWAD, y’know what I mean.

30. What are your feelings on the Circle?

Extremely complicated. To be brief, I think the handling of mages needs to be divorced from the Chantry, or at least not monopolized by it. I think mages need more options, though I do not believe they can be allowed unconditional freedom, as much as that pains me to say. I think the Circles (or other such institutions) need to focus on education. I think the Harrowing is fucked up and unethical. I think that mages who fear their powers should have the option of seeking a safe place where they can feel protected. I think that Templars should continue to be trained, although lyrium is its own separate issue. This is probably the most complex socio-political issue in the whole game universe, and it would take a large, varied, dedicated committee a whole lot of time to figure out a better way to do things. (Incidentally, these complex feelings are what allow me to get along with Vivienne.)

31. DLC for the first 2 games: All of it, some of it, or none of it?

[Editing this question because we’ve got DA:I DLC, now.] Some? I never actually got around to playing Awakening, lol, I keep meaning to. And... I don’t remember the DLC for DA2. I probably played it, though; I have it all installed. I’ve played all of the DA:I DLC, and most enjoyed Jaws of Hakkon (don’t even get me started on Trespasser; I made a new question for that, lol).

32. Favorite DLC mission overall? The Ameridan arc in Jaws of Hakkon. 33. Favorite DA character overall?

Ugh. Decisions. Fuck. Hmm... oh, Varric. Easily Varric. Best bro.

34. Least favorite character?

Fuckin egg.

35. Who do you want to see return in the next game?

Dorian. I wanna go to Tevinter, damnit. And meet Mae! It’d be cool if Fenris had an opportunity to show up, too.

36. What kind of DLC do you hope for for DA:I? Feelings on Trespasser?

Opened up more cans than it needed to, tbh. Also, fuck Solas’s entire storyline. Just. Fuck it. I’m salty that it is most likely going to be the premise for the whole next game. What a fucking jackass.

37. Bloodmagic: yes or no?

It’s complicated? Like, clearly using people/their blood against their will is not cool. But like, Merrill’s blood magic? I don’t really have a problem with. Doesn’t strike me as much more risky than magic in general, re: demons and such. The stickiness of the issue revolves around consent. Also, can I just say, phylacteries? Hypocritical as fuck.

38. Funniest moment in the games? 39. Creepiest moment in the games?

All That Remains. Ffffffffffuck.

40. A moment/action you regret in-game? 41. Who did you romance in your first playthrough for each game?

Already answered, but Zevran, Fenris, Josephine.

42. Who do you wish you could romance that you can’t?

Fuckin Krem! And Scout Harding!!!

43. Favorite romance overall so far?

Nggggggaaah... Like. They are all great?? Cassandra is in the running, but tbh I haven’t finished her romance, yet, lol. But, like. Zevran.

44. One romance you just can’t stand/doesn’t make sense/etc?

Anders. That shit is unhealthy as fuck. Also fucking. Solas.

45. Which 3 DA characters would you want as your best friends?

Isabela, Varric, Bull. Since I’m limited to three. Unless I can make sets out of Merribela and Doribull, lol.

46. A character you’d love to drop in a volcano and forget about?

Boiled. Egg.

47. Best antagonist in the series? 48. Worst antagonist in the series? 49. Something you do in EVERY DA playthrough, no matter what?

Choose the Chargers.

50. Describe your perfect playthrough for any DA game. 51. Favorite Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor headcanons (any or all)? 52. Favorite non-Player Character headcanons? 53. That One Headcanon that hurts to think about? 54. Fluffiest headcanon ever? 55. Your non-Player Character OTPs?

Doribull, Merribela, Alistair/Morrigan for teh lolz

56. Your absolutely NOTP?

Fenders... *shudder*

57. Who would you date if you could (as you, not your OC)?

Krem. But he’d probably reject me, so I’d probably end up with Cullen.

58. Who has the best character arc overall? Honestly? I want to say Anders. But I feel like I kinda have to dig deep to get at it, which is a shame. It’s very subtle, and has everything to do with Justice/Vengeance. Also Leliana’s has potential. 59. Who was written really poorly?

Jean Valjean Blackwall

60. Who do you wish had been given more story?

Sandal.

61. Favorite NPC [not companions]?

Have I not answered this question, yet? Bodahn and Sandal (they are a set).

62. A character you think deserves more fan love?

Bodahn!

63. Best story moment? 64. Favorite achievement? 65. Any epic game play moments in any DA game? The Arishok. Hahahahaha. Run. 66. Something you hate about any/all of the games? Solas. Also most of the gameplay mechanics, especially in the first two games, lol, but it doesn’t bug me cuz that’s not why I play. 67. Best non-OC quote? 68. Have you cosplayed any DA characters?

No, but I’m in the process of making an Inquisitor cosplay!

69. Who would you cosplay if you could (no holds barred)?

Cassandra from DA2.

70. Did you read the comics?

No, but I want to.

71. Did you read the novels?

I’ve read Asunder and The Masked Empire.

72. Did you see Dawn of the Seeker?

Yes, and it was terrible, lol.

73. Favorite OST song(s)?

I’m Not Calling You A Liar (Florence and the Machine, DA2) 74. Do you take screenshots in any DA games?

Oh yes. Like a bajillion. Sadly, many died in the Great Sims Purge of 2016.

75. Do you edit images/gifs or make videos about DA?

No, but I dream about it, lol.

76. Have you ever made a DA Let’s Play?

No, but I totally would. And might.

77. What moment/memory still gives you chills/feels? A lot of them, honestly. But, like. All That Remains, lol. So bad. Also Fenris’s reunion with Varania. 78. What are you hoping for from DA4? Grey Wardens! 79. What are you worried about for DA4? That it will revolve around Solas. 80. Favorite fanmix? 81. Favorite fanfic? House of Ash and Salt by paperiuni 82. Favorite fanart/fanartist? 83. Favorite fan musician/music? 84. Favorite cosplay(er)? 85. Favorite Let’s Play? 86. Favorite DA-themed blog? 87. Do you create anything in the fandom (write, draw, craft, gif, etc)? I mean, I’m supposed to be writing a piece for the Adoribull Minibang, but... procrastinangst, looool (it’ll happen; have faith!). 88. Do you participate in or run a DA RP? 89. Are you on any DA forums, chats, reddit subs, etc? 90. Do you run an DA-themed blog/page/website?

I mean, this one, but I mostly made it so I could stop spamming my main blog with DA reblogs, lol.

91. Do you have any friends who love DA too?

Yep, a couple.

92. Did you get someone into DA? Almost, lol, but she got real annoyed at the gameplay in DA:O (totally fair). I might still see if she wants to give Inquisition a shot, though, since it’s more like what she’s used to. 93. Do you own any DA merchandise?

Yesss, my Dorian and Cassandra plushies! And a sweet Cassandra hoodie.

94. Have you ever made any DA-themed crafts (clothes, toys, etc)? Does the Ardent Blossom crown I made for my Dorian plushie count? 95. Which actors would you cast for a movie of your fav DA game? 96. Do you use game mods?

Yes, lol, and mods crashing my game are why I haven’t finished playing Cassandra’s romance, yet.

97. What’s your favorite DA mod?

I love the mod that adds your dog to your party in DA:O, and in DA:I the one that removes gathering animations is a lifesaver. Though I also really love Seasonal Palettes. And of course, various Skyhold pjs replacements, lol.

98. If you could be any non-Human DA species, which and why?

Probs a qunari so I could fuck shit up and be a dragon.

99. Where would you live (Fereldan, Orlais, Free Marches etc?)

Antiva, bitches!

100. Circle, Templar, Chantry, Guard, Seeker, Inquisition, or none?

No? lol

101. If you could meet your Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor, what would you say? Love yourself, babe.

#ask meme #about me #dragon age #whew

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