#save me da2. save me. save m

[jawlipops]

bellaras dialogue after weisshaupt is pissing me tf off i hate that they boiled the entire worldbuilding potential of elven gods returning down to one scene of "what if people think we evil :("

[monabee-draws]

You know what would have made the Crow storyline better? If Governor Ivenci was right.

Have the traitor who sold out Treviso to the Antaam be Illario from the start, but have the Butcher's well-organised influence somehow continue even past Illario's incarceration/exile. Why? Because despite House Cantori and House De Riva (and arguably Dellamorte) buying into the whole 'liberation' narrative, the Antivan Crows are not freedom fighters. Have the Talons who stand outside of Teia and Viago's freedom fighting cause actively aid the Antaam - per Ivenci's offhand comment that they 'wouldn't be surprised if it was the Talons fighting again' that does Treviso in. Most of the Talons and their underlings probably don't even believe the whole 'ancient gods are also part of the problem' schtick because why would they? The qunari? A relatively known enemy whom most Thedosians only know as one unified conquering army. Ancient elven gods come back to end the world? Uh, yeah sure buddy. We still have to put food on the table on Sunday, and the rest of Antiva is not under occupation, actually, and devoting two entire houses to repelling an occupation which could arguably be exploited for monetary gains (a la, Zevran's contract in Ferelden) is a massive waste of resources. Considering all their general infighting and power grubbing, the Antaam presence in Treviso may in fact be a boon for those Crow houses outside of it. After all, if House Cantori and Dellamorte fall entirely, and the House De Riva Talon goes with them, more power to them.

I think this would help the Crow narrative in two ways:

One: The ruthless version of the organisation we come to know through DAO and DA2 (and most non-game lore sources) is maintained. They are an assassin's guild. Those at the top are very, very rich and powerful, and their underlings are mostly just scraping by. Politics and infighting are common. Even if a few might be swayed to a more altruistic cause, most remain loyal to the original tenets of the organisation (a juxtaposition similar to Zevran and his Crow friend Taliesen.) The writers can have their cake - a somewhat morally balanced faction from which the protagonist can still be proud to originate - and eat it too - maintaining the storied and well-trod history of brutality, neglect and coldness the Crows are known for.

Two: Illario's writing automatically improves. He's a very obvious villain character from the start, and Ivenci js essentially just a mirror of him who becomes so laughably maniacal at the end that neither can be taken seriously. Within the context of the Crows being divided on the Antaam issue, Illario choosing to side against Teia and Viago makes more logical sense. He's not just a stupid power grubbing villain. He's simply playing the game the way any self-respecting Crow would. Not only that, but his plan may still work even with Lucanis being back because he has genuine support from the remaining Houses, even if its the kind of support that will fizzle once Illario weakens his own position by killing Lucanis and Caterina, leaving the remaining houses to sweep him up in the power vacuum.

Illario being a more competent villain also deepens Lucanis' situation. In the side stories he has no interest in becoming First Talon, but his bleeding heart is also a mark against him. The Crows are ruthless and methodical, and Lucanis is emotional. Maybe Illario WOULD be a better First Talon (in this new version.) Perhaps it is not Lucanis who calls for Illario's freedom at the end of his quest/chooses incarceration over execution, but the other Talons. It always sat badly with me that none of the other Crows even suggests execution after the multiple betrayals Illario commits. Not even Teia or Viago. But perhaps they COULD, and what saves Illario is not Lucanis or Caterina's authority, but the quiet rumble of general dissent amongst the Crows. One that complicates Lucanis' transition into the new role of Talon, and which prompts him to maintain the older more ruthless ways largely out of appeasement. This also explains away the plothole that is the complete lack of discussion of Lucanis' future role as Talon, whether he intends to/how he would alter the abyssmal training system. He won't because he can't because the Dellamortes are on thin, thin ice.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Review of Dragon Age the Veilguard

First off, right off the bat, I’m putting out there I am foremost a story person. Give me a good story and I’m happy. Then it’s graphics, gameplay (by which I mean do I think it is very replayable), then combat.

So positives first for me:

Story: I love the story. It’s a little cliche and a bit silly but it’s so much fun. Besides it’s not like Dragon Age has ever not been a bit cliche. Secret bastard son of the king saving his homeland. Frosty witch with a secret sensitive side. Assassin who wants out. These were in the FIRST game. I very much enjoyed it and the lore we were given. I actually went ‘WHAT THE FUCK’ out loud multiple times and had a blast through the whole thing. I actually dropped my controller in shock during the final battles because of several moments.

I’ve seen complaints about the writing being ‘MCU’ but honestly I just recently replayed the first three, and this is the same to me. It’s actually better to me then Inquisition which I found so boring. No really, Inquisition was the weakest to me character and writing wise. It felt so flat but Veilguard brings back the spark that Origins and DA2 had. This sort of ‘we need to get people together and save the world despite the odds’ spark.

Characters: I love every single one of them and am already starting more playthroughs so I can ROMANCE THEM ALL. Some may not be your cup of tea but honestly a lot of the hate I notice tends to be the weird feminist ‘you have to be serious’ tone, the ‘I don’t like anything cheery’ type, transphobes or racists. The actual critical takes I find tend to veer on the usual bullshit of the writers in general. (Such as Taash apparently having to choose between two cultures and how their gender is handled. Which fair. I love their gender storyline but it isn’t the greatest story)

The characters are very dynamic and fun to get to know. I didn’t care about Harding in Inquisition but I love her here. It’s just so much fun.

Character Creator: This is honestly the best one I’ve seen yet. I know everyone loved BG3 and how they do it but Veilguard BLOWS it out of the water. Just so many options and things to do.

Plus as a side note you can choose to be nonbinary or trans and it has an affect. It is so cool. I loved my Rook talking about their gender.

Combat: Oh man this is weird for me but I love this combat. Let’s be real- tactical stuff in the past games were clunky and off. A lot of Origin purists say DAO was the best but who ACTUALLY used half the stuff? Like traps? Maybe a fair few but the majority didn’t. The whole series so far had been button mashing for me. Here? Nope! It’s a lot more complex for me and makes me actually think. I love it.

Puzzles: One person I saw said they were to simple. My response is that the early ones were but they sure ain’t later on. Took me forty minutes to figure out one. It’s awesome.

Gameplay: FUN! Just everything about it is so nice and I love it. It’s not annoying to do, it’s simple once you get used to it and honestly I like how the missions are set up. I do think it is very replayable as a whole.

The Ending: I FUCKING LOVE THE ENDING IT IS SO DAMN COOL. I dropped my controller during it, I gasped, I cheered (totally guessed one plot twist but DAMN did not expect the very end) and HOLY SHIT it was SO GOOD.

Now the negatives.

Story: There’s a lot of sanitization of the Crows. The Crows are canonly assassins who buy a lot of their recruits and brutally train them to become Crows. It is not nice unless maybe your family are Crows and you’re treated nicely. Even then, Lucanis canonly was beaten by his grandmother during training and other things.

Also, I did not like how my Rook Laidir suddenly talked about being a galley slave. It was confusing as that was never brought up before. If they’d included it in the description it would have been better. So I’m headcanoning something different for Andy Laidir. I think this is just an over sight, but it is off putting for me that it’s suddenly said once then vanishes.

There's also a few things with how story progression goes. It feels a bit to fast in some moments, and to slow in others. I think that they had to many ideas, but I'll talk about that in the factions section.

Characters: While I love their story line I think Taash could have done better if there was less ‘choose between being Rivaini or Qunari’. Like having a disconnect from your culture is understandable but I felt it was to… ‘you must conform or reject’. That’s not how it goes.

As well the discussion of gender was fairly Western specific which isn’t true across all cultures. It would have been interesting to explore it more and with Taash also wondering about the Qunari version of gender as why they don’t feel right.

I’m also semi kinda upset with how Davrin kept getting the same ‘intro’ scene to his quests a bit. Just him carving something. It was recycled to me and compared to the others… kinda felt off.

Also, while I love him, Lucanis' romance isn't my favourite. It's very slow burn and while nice, I felt that it was to much of a slow burn in the end, where it's just them kissing and a few words of love. I haven't been spoiled about the others too much, but he feels very lacklustre. But it might just be me there. I will defend it saying it isn't bad, but for me? Not my cup of tea.

I'm also disapointed with Isabela's cameo. While YES WE SEE HER, I do romance her with Hawke often and I can't believe any of my Hawkes who did (and lived) are't with her causing chaos. Plus for fuck sakes she gets some generic outfit but Morrigan gets a super special one? Really?

Combat: While I love it, I think they made the dragons to OP. It’s really hard to get close and fight them. Of course I am not a combat person so it may just be I’m bad at it. I do think some of the 'being shoved backward' moments could have been done better as well.

Gameplay: Okay so… I think the choice to have Varric narrate things wasn’t ‘bad’ but they really went to spoiler filled in some. Like dude, don’t SAY that?!? I don’t get to eagerly wait in suspense now, I know what’s going on. That’s not fun. Boo!

Also the animations for opening chests was annoying.

Factions: I feel this is another kinda let down. I truly believe the only four that mattered were Veil Jumpers, Shadow Dragons, Crows and Grey Wardens. Plus I felt again a lot of this is sanitized. The Crows are not a good organization. Sure they basically are the Antivan military but they’re assassins who buy their recruits half the time. Lords of Fortune are pirates and treasure hunters. They're not 'good' people.

This really ties into my thoughts on progression: we could have done away with the Lords and the Mourn Watch to focus only on the four factions and it would have been amazing. Probably would have had better pacing for the plot to. While it was so cool to see these places, in the end it would haven't taken away from the main plot by just not having them be around.

However- despite my negatives, and despite my issues?

This game is a solid 8.7/10. It was truly 9.5/10 for most of the game, but by the end, I did find that I was a bit dissatisfied with some things. However, the game is genuinely amazing. It's a call back to the original 'rag-tag bunch of losers go and save the day' and has elements of Mass Effect 2 I adore.

Solid game, if you loved Origins, DA2 and even some elements of Inquisition, go for it. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it sure as hell is mine.

[volkoss]

Author Self-Rec

Last week @solavelyan tagged me to do a fic author self-rec with 5 of my personal favourites, and since they tagged my sideblog, I'm also doing an All Dragon Age edition!

Leaning in very hard on the personal faves angle here, so featuring a lot of The Gallows because it still occupies a lot of my brain space despite my recent Johanna Hezenkoss posting (and my older fics which I still like but I'm not obsessed with). 1. Crescendo | Meresino | 20,298 words | Rated: M

Struggling to control his emotions and magic in the aftermath of his best friend's death, apprentice mage Orsino will need all the help he can get in order to survive his Harrowing. For the better or the worse, newly-minted templar knight Ser Meredith is the one assigned to his case. What could possibly go wrong?

My Meresino magnum opus, written for 2023 Dragon Age Big Bang! Canon compatible, with all the dramatic irony that entails. Crescendo was a prequel to a previously written fic, Precipice, which was based on the idea of Meredith and Orsino being exes and reconnecting when they were older. I'd never fleshed out a backstory I'd made up for a previous story in quite this way before, and it was a really fun and fulfilling experience! 2. the morning after | Cullen & Orsino | 2,143 words | Rated: T

“I dare say you’ll find nobody else willing to fill Knight-Commander Meredith’s shoes," Orsino said. Cullen exhaled heavily. “I know.” Yet, he appeared stricken all the same. “I don’t—I don’t fancy filling them myself, either.”

I'm still obsessed with the fact that despite both their lives being so tangled up in Meredith, Cullen and Orsino do not have any canonical interaction. I also continue to be obsessed with the fact that Cullen just kept... going through the motions post-DA2 until he was rescued by Cassandra Pentaghast. And as a known Orsino Enjoyer, I decided to explore what their dynamic would have been like if Orsino had survived The Last Straw! (Also has a sequel, paying it forward). 3. Compromise | Meresino; Cullen/Meredith | 1,950 words | Rated: M

Sometimes you can't save the woman you love. Sometimes all you can do is stop her.

I still continue to be obsessed with the fact that both Orsino and Cullen's lives are so tangled up with Meredith's: the undeniable eroticism of understanding oneself through the other edition. Yeah, that's it. That's the plot. I think the reason this one in particular lives in my head rent free still is though is that I still love the pacing and the parallels.

4. Guiding Light | Cullen/Meredith | 4,278 words | Rated: E

Cullen was young, weak, and as easy to manipulate as wet clay. But the knight-commander? Knight-Commander Meredith was strong and hard like steel.

Don't be deceived, this is 80% a Cullen Rutherford character study focused on his difficulty in adapting to life at the Gallows. The E rating primarily comes from Meredith Stannard's unconventional nightmare prevention protocol. That being said, do mind the tags!

5. a celebration of being alive | F!Cousland/Loghain | 2,697 words | Rated: E

Loghain thought Cousland deserved better than the attentions of a lecherous old man but she was the one who kept entering his tent.

And now for something completely different! This fic is nearly four years old now, and began my obsession with Dragon Age soul lore, so it continues to hold a special place in my heart. It's also so wild to be reminded of how many different branching pathways they were in Origins to the point where I sometimes get commenters praising me for lines I did not write, oops. (Loghain going No easy way out for me lives rent-free in my head for all time.) Tagging: @choccy-zefirka @gallows-into-oblivion @baejax-the-great @cassandra-pentughasst @rosella-writes and anybody else who might want to do this one!

[seaglassmelody]

I’m trying to turn my frustration with bad Veilguard takes into positivity. But man is it hard when I just wanna argue. But here’s an attempt.

Today I’m thinking about the romances and how they’re executed.

(Under the cut because this got way longer than I intended)

I’m going to couch this in the context of the fact that I am currently replaying the entire series. I just started Inquisition this weekend after playing DAO and DA2.

I cannot comment on the DAI romances because I’m still in Haven, but in my opinion the DAO and DA2 romances are incredibly heavy-handed. They often boil down to “I have trauma-dumped on you and you do not find me violently repulsive so I will shove my tongue down your throat now”.

ESPECIALLY Anders and Fenris. Zevran doesn’t even wait to trauma dump on you, though I understand the difference between having sex with him initially and building up the romance (after he’s trauma-dumped on you).

I’m not COMPLAINING about this fact- the games are shorter, older, and iterating on the roleplaying systems that get us to Veilguard. But you can see the age that these games have, and the change in cultural attitudes (honestly, the amount of “but I’m a man??” In the m/m romance with Zevran…)

Versus in Veilguard, I love that a lot of the “flirt” options come out as subtle, personal statements that aren’t coming on too strong and express a deeper interest in the person as an individual. It makes things build slower and more purposefully.

But I also love that there’s a range! Lace’s flirting is sweet and a little awkward. Davrin’s is more obvious but still more natural than Hawke and Fenris’s flat-out “you’re very hot” conversations. Lucanis’s flirting is very much rooted in showing him that you aren’t scared OF him but FOR him, which is important to him!

And the biggest thing- romance or not, I love that a lot of the companion quests are just “hey go to this place and hang out with me.” Rook actually gets to build friendships, see characters outside of crisis situations, and have some moments of peace in between saving the world. That breathing room between plot points is very valuable to me- it’s fertile ground for fanfic and character building! And you don’t have to find a way to cram it in between crises because the game shows you it exists.

I guess for some people this approach doesn’t work (I can’t really imagine why not, but maybe that’s the aroace talking) but for me it’s incredible. The team is a TEAM and the romances feel like actual adults navigating relationships.

For a more contentious point, I really cannot get on board with the idea that the romances are “lacking” compared to the older games. DAO is basically throwing gifts at companions, a romance confirming conversation, minimum one sex scene, and then some endgame dialogue. Even then, by the time I got to Zevran’s “uhoh I guess I love you” convo I did feel like it was earned. But you don’t get a lot of individual romance time and you REALLY gotta dig into those dialogue trees to get places. It’s not very natural-feeling.

Now DA2? It HAS to be nostalgia goggles. I LOVED Fenris’s romance when I first played the game (Fenris was the reason I started playing DA at all) and replaying it was honestly a letdown?? He’s so angry through the entire game It’s very difficult to make sense of why he would love Hawke so much if they’re a mage supporter. The scene where he leaves after they sleep together in Act 2 was sad, but it was impossible to react in the way I wanted (which was understanding sympathy, of course a personal relationship is overwhelming when you’re suddenly getting over amnesia!). Getting back together immediately after killing Danarius feels rushed.

At this point I’m just rambling but I can’t help but feel that people are using 10-15 years of fanfic and daydreams to fill in gaps for the older games and when they’ve only sat with 1 playthrough of Veilguard for 2 months and spent most of that time angry about it, I can’t help but feel they’re missing the beauty of the execution of natural-feeling adult relationships.

[fereldanwench]

started thinking about what worldstate i wanna create for my first run in veilguard because of course i have.

we can't import past saves and we won't be using the keep anymore, so I'm not sure how detailed we'll be able to get with it but I've got a few possibilities to play with:

the first and most likely is my mostly canon-compliant worldstate with these bbs:

lorelei cousland [rogue; double-wield] warden / queen of ferelden / li: king!alistair

daphne caron [rogue; double-wield] warden commander / ruler of vigil's keep / li: warden!bethany

ansley hawke [warrior; board & sword] champion of kirkwall / pirate / li: isabela

melisande trevelyan [rogue; archer] herald of andraste / inquisitor / li: cullen

rosalind hendry [mage; knight-enchanter] former chantry scholar / inquisition agent for leliana / li: blackwall

the second is my slightly less canon-compliant worldstate that i never brought into inquisition because i didn't want to have to choose between alistair and my favorite hawke in the fade lmao:

karina amell [mage; i do not remember her spec] warden-commander / li: warden!alistair

rhiannon hawke [force & elemental mage] champion of kirkwall / temp viscount of kirkwall / li: cullen or fenris*

*last summer i did replay da2 with an iteration of rhiannon that actually romanced fenris and i loved it and I've complicated shit for her, lmao. rhiannon x cullen were my goro x valerie of 2013-2014 and making her officially with someone else feels wrong bc i loved them together so much. but i just can't enjoy cullen anymore. so do i do i give rhiannon a boyfriend upgrade? do i make a whole 'nother hawke inspired by her? do i just let rhiannon x cullen and rhiannon x fenris exist in different AUs? i don't know!

and the third is kind of the opposite of the second one: a worldstate i made just for inquisition in the keep with some choices i had never made in the previous games. i don't even have the worldstate in the keep anymore so i don't remember everything but i think it was like this:

default f!mahariel [rogue; archer] no li / recruited loghain / made alistair marry anora

default m!hawke [mage] li: anders / sided with mages

keagan trevelyan [mage; knight-enchanter] herald of andraste / inquisitor / li: cullen (although i headcanoned a polycule with her, cullen, and josie)

one of my conundrums with all of these is, as i mentioned, i can't enjoy cullen anymore. he was obviously a big fave, i think his arc is fascinating especially in da2 and especially if you side with the templars and he has to contend with the shit he's done for meredith, and i enjoyed all the different shipping dynamics with all different kinds of ocs. but i can't separate him from his dipshit VA at this point. hearing his voice is just an instant NOPE for me now

i am 99% positive cullen will not be in veilguard for 2 reasons: 1) the writers said during inquisition that they were no longer trying to work in characters whose fates could be too varied depending on player choice and 2) that twitter shitstorm a few years seemed to guarantee ellis will never work with bioware again lmao

now i suppose there's a possibility that ellis could have recorded lines before that happened and somehow they would be able to be used despite all the changes that happened, but I'm trying to be an optimist here

nevertheless, all of the inquisitors i played were with him, and it sounds like we'll be able to engage with our inquisitors in some capacity in veilguard so do i even want to have a passing mention of cullen? idk. i mean, my disdain for his VA isn't so bad that this would ruin the game for me or anything, but i also feel like this is an opportunity to enjoy another character

between keagan and melisande, melisande was definitely my more developed OC, but i just loved playing as a knight-enchanter gameplay-wise so keagan is actually the only one of the two who did trespasser and jaws of hakkon. i never did the descent--the only DLC in all the games that i haven't played. I've been debating firing up my inquisitor!valerie game again to play that with her but i know the descent recommends a pretty high level and i can't remember how far i got in the story with her (I think i just reached skyhold that last time i played)

so anyway, i've got some decisions to make!

as for what i'm leaning towards playing in veilguard: at this point in time, i'm pretty sure my first rook will be a mage of some kind and lucanis sounds like he was made specifically for me lmao so odds are looking good that'll be my first ship

[faejilly]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💕

With the obvious caveat that I would assuredly pick five different fics tomorrow, here you go nonny, in no particular order, and attempting to NOT list just half a dozen Malec things just because they are my Hotel California fandom apparently... But I do have to have at least one for them! #BecauseMalec

out of some dreaming tree: Malec Fairy Tale Quest! A Forest That Eats "People" (and other Things)! Weird eldritch and magical lore!

This AU requires absolutely NO CANON KNOWLEDGE and I keep hoping some of the people who occasionally just read my fic for shits & giggles will try it even though they're not Shadowhunters people. But also more Shadowhunters people should also read it, I had such a great time writing it. 🤣

Vindication: M!Shepard/Jack. Did I mention I have a thing for fairy tales? AND ALSO JACK FROM MASS EFFECT? (I'm love her, your honors)

So it's almost more a series of post-game scenes than my usual prose story style (because Jack POV and that's how she wanted to tell it) and Jack's trying to learn the context of kids' stories, and take care of Shepard who is being kind of a dumb ass but mostly just, yk, trying to recover, and Miranda is Brilliant (even Jack is willing to admit it) and I am very fond of it.

souver'inan isala hamin (weary eyes need resting): DAI, Varric & a Dalish Inquisitor, friends vs family vs love... or something like that.

Having Varric be in your party again, having Hawke's shadow from the previous game spilling over your Inquisitor, was fascinating to me. (Especially as Varric & my Adelaide were family but not ever really friends, and family is a fraught sort of thing for a Tethras and a Hawke/Amell.) Romancing Blackwall and trying to be friends with Dorian, being Dalish and Inquisitor, it was just... prickly all the way through. (In a good way, imo.) My Inquisitor was also noticeably older than my Wardens or Hawkes had been, much more self-aware and dangerous in a way that the narrative of DAI seldom let me illustrate or articulate, and while I'm not sure how much of that is clear in the fic, I can still feel what it was like for Erana to despise the world she's going to save because she loves too many of the people in it to do anything else, and I enjoy wallowing in that sometimes.

Solace: DA2, Adelaide Hawke/Sebastian Vael, my darlings, my beloveds

While not the first thing I wrote for them, it was the story of their first meeting, and it meant a lot a lot a lot to me when I finally did manage to let it happen outside of my head. Also Sebastian recognizing the Adelaide/Bethany/Carver/Daryn joke made my day when I wrote it and still makes me smile.

Fine Feathers: Yuletide fic! Book!fic, which I don't do terribly often! M/F Regency Romance

An epilogue for The Quiet Gentleman which is, if you are unaware, a novel by The Lady Who Made Regency a Viable Modern Genre almost 100 years ago, which means it has a Very Specific Style and I was very pleased I managed to capture it. (Also it's both one of my favorites of Georgette Heyer's books but also one of the most frustrating, because the lead couple has like ONE HALF OF A SCENE TOGETHER so I wrote them together more and honestly now I like the original book better, which is some hellishly ridiculous hubris but I don't care.)

[butterflydm]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is almost upon us and one of my shallow-level thoughts is that I hope I vibe best with a lady love interest this time around, b/c my ‘canon’ LIs are: Zevran, Anders, & then Cullen, and that’s a lot of dudes in a row. I did romance Zevran as a male dwarven warrior, so it’s not all m/f pairings but still... a lot of dudes. OTOH, I wouldn’t really change anything because I do really like my canon line-up for how well the story flows for me.

Because my Aeducan ended up... heavily influencing and interacting with Anders in a way that really made a lot of Anders’ more radical choices in DA2 feel like they were lessons that my Warden had taught him about standing up for freedom and not running away from a fight. My Warden didn’t know a thing about mages or elves before he joined the Wardens and I played him as a bit of a naive noble at first when it came to any surface-related, so he learned his politics and opinions about the various issues of surface-world Thedas as he went, which meant that Zevran (love interest) and Morrigan (who he liked a lot as a friend and who he did the dark ritual with) influenced him heavily in his opinions on various issues. He really liked how Zevran could be pragmatic but also had a strong streak of compassion and he liked that it took time to get to know him.

And then when my Warden met Anders, Anders’ flippant-jokes-that-mask-pain routine reminded him a lot of his beloved Zevran, so my Warden was taking Anders out with him pretty much every time he left Amaranthine. He probably wouldn’t even blink at the whole Justice-inhabiting-Anders thing, honestly, because he liked Justice a lot, too, and he’d seen a spirit sharing a body with a human before with Wynne.

Then my Marian Hawke was a mage, and very into mage rights but was primarily a diplomatic Hawke so Anders could say the things that she might think about Templars and the Chantry but usually wouldn’t say. My canon Hawke actually tried very hard not to romance Anders, because he warned her off him! I took the approach that if a companion discouraged me, I wouldn’t push, so after that first flirt where he shows interest but then shuts down the idea of a relationship, she basically pined from afar until Anders made it clear in Act II that he still had feelings for her (yes, she was the kind of woman who responded well to ‘I would drown the world in blood to keep you safe’. I didn’t say she was particularly emotionally healthy, just diplomatic. She will be very happy on the run with Anders tbh -- for me, the key to the Anders romance is to think of it as fundamentally a poly romance, as Hawke really kinda needs to fall in love with both Anders and Justice in order for it not to feel like a tragedy at the end).

My canon Inky is a Lavellan archer and fell in love with Cullen over that lovely game of chess. She was a very very flirty character and I ended up needing to ‘break up’ with Blackwall in order to romance Cullen properly because I’d accidentally soft-locked BW when I got to Skyhold but before I’d decided who she had real feelings for. Like my Aeducan, she was a bit naive at the start, though for different reasons. She was just a really good person who wanted to think the best of everyone and tried her hardest to just make all her companions get along with each other too.

She flirted a bit with Solas at the beginning but saw him as too much of a teacher figure as time passed, so her crush faded and it was just friendship and respect after that for her. I really do hope that choosing ‘redeem’ over ‘kill’ in Trespasser has an impact in DAV because she definitely wants to save him from his own bad choices. She really admired him and discovering the truth about him... complicated that admiration but didn’t shatter it, because he did do so much to help the elven people in the past.

[kristoffs-corpse]

4 and 16 for the datv ask!

4. World State. My M!Amell is with Morrigan somewhere and they're in legitimate love. Alistair rules with Anora, Bhelen rules over the dwarves and the anvil of the void was destroyed. Zathrian ended the werewolf curse, the mages were saved from annulment, Arl Eamon was saved, and Loghain was spared and sent to the Wardens. Morrigan did have the Old God child with Amell, as well. In DA2, M!Hawke Mage was pro pro pro mage every single step of the way. Arishok returned to Par Vollen, all of Hawke's companions were saved, Hawke himself is a blood mage who dabbles in poking a bit too much in darker magicks. In Inquisition, M!Lavellan mage is in love with Dorian of House Pavus, and I love them both. Leliana was made Divine and mages were freed, Cassandra rebuilt the seekers, Bull is Tal Vashoth, Cole is more human, Sera is Red Jenny, Thom Rainier is being a good man, Vivienne is Vivienne, Empress Celene was reunited with Briala, who rule together. My Lavellan, desperate to preserve his own culture, drank from the Well of Sorrows. He also disbanded the Inquisition, but is still fervently pursuing Solas, he loves Solas as a trusted friend, a mentor and a scholar, but he is also very willing to kill baldy should he need to.

16. Crackpot Theory. I remember before Trespasser came out, after the Solas reveal, and Mythal talking constantly about the music etc etc. That I was like. Holy Shit. The Elven Gods are the Old Gods. They're the same. Ahhhh. Mythal always turning into a dragon, dragons being resistant to blight, etc. I'm CONVINCED that that's what's up. What has me more convinced and looking like Charlie in that one screenshot of It's Always Sunny, is the fact that 2 elven gods were on the other side of the veil from Solas, and there are two archdemons remaining, because 2 other elven gods. (It's been the hottest of minutes since I have double checked all my info, some might be inaccurate). But Flemeth being so sincere about the blight being the biggest threat to the world, and her being Mythal. I'm just so sure of myself.

[sweetmage]

SebastianxBethany -or- CarverxMerrill

Hi! Sorry for the late response! Well, late for me anyway, I guess it's still the same day😅

For Seb/Bethany... I don't actually ship this personally. I would try to answer the questions anyway for fun, but unfortunately I don't know Bethany very well/have never seen them together other than skimming their banters on the wiki so I don't think I can't add much😅No shame to them at all though, I have seen some of their banters and they definitely got some little thang going on!!! As for Merrill/Carver... I like them a lot 😌

when I started shipping it if I did: This was my first DA2 ship. I was sad when Carver left (and even sadder that he became a templar in my playthrough, like come on...), I wanted to see more of him and Merrill!!!!

my thoughts: I think they are very awkward and cute, love how flustered he gets around her. It's also really sweet to see the softer side of him.

What makes me happy about them: Same as above! Also height difference. They're also just very funny, I loved that she thought everything he said was an innuendo when he was being more wholesome than Hawke could ever hope to be when flirting with her. She also doesn't pick on him or antagonize him the way the other characters seem to!

What makes me sad about them: They get separated from each other no matter what (wardens, templars, or death), but I would imagine him becoming a templar in my playthrough kinda puts a huge wedge in things, I don't really see them coming back from that tbh 😅 Though perhaps there is something juicy in the heartbreak/betrayal of it ending in that way. And Warden Carver is a whole other can of worms...

things done in fanfic that annoys me: I have never read a fanfic about them. However, I do not like when any fic infantilizes Merrill or has a non-mage step in to save the day because she "doesn't know what she's doing" or whatever so I would dislike that here too.

things I look for in fanfic: I think I'd only prefer to read fluffy things about them, personally. Especially her worrying over a warden Carver, especially in a canon where one of her clanmates became the HoF so she'd have that personal experience to strengthen her concern for him. Not to mention the general issues with maintaining a relationship while being a warden, etc. I'd love to see them navigate that. I'm sure there's a million fics about that, I just don't read fics often so I'll have to look some other time😅

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I also ship Carver with an unnamed male warden I just mentioned offhand in a fic once and I ship Merrill with Isabela, my m!blood mage Hawke, sometimes with my dalish circle mage/blood mage El'la as a QPP. I also sometimes ship her in an OT3 with Tamlen (who survived) and my dalish warden Savil. I also love her having some sorta deep platonic thing going on with my canon Hawke and Anders post-canon. Same with her and Sebastian being deeply close besties. (Merrill is my favorite DA character so I think about her with everyone, she has such good chemistry with so many people)

My happily ever after for them: I think it might be asking a lot for them to ever have a normal, quiet life but I'd at least like them write to each other frequently and find times to meet whenever they can, even if only just to chat and steal a smooch for a few minutes as he's passing through.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: Carver as the little spoon is funny to me because he is so Large so I am kinda digging it. There is also something cute about the safety and security of being wrapped comfortably in her arms after many months away experiencing The Horrors. Not to mention post-nightmare too. He seems to take the whole Warden thing really well, but I can't imagine it isn't at least somewhat taxing.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: Just catching up and sharing funny anecdotes, exchanging gifts perhaps. When they live such different lives that don't allow for much normalcy I could imagine it might be nice just to relax and enjoy each other's company peacefully for a while 💗

[sinsbymanka]

this may be obvious, but break down Varric!

How dare you play to my VERY obvious obsession 😂 sorry this took FOREVER. 

Break the Character Down: Varric Tethras 

How I feel about this character

This is my video game husband. In fact, I think he may be my favorite character in any piece of media ever. He is deliciously complicated and self-aware while also being a complete dumbass and I think that’s very sexy. He tries very hard to connect with people, he is the definition of chaotic good, his morality is very muddy, and he’s got this tragic romantic past that I adore. 

All the people I ship romantically with this character

@hollyand-writes introduced me to the idea of a fandom bicycle. A fandom bicycle is a character you will let anyone ride. 

Varric is my fandom bicycle. 

There are REMARKABLY few people I won’t ship him with at all. Some things (such as Bianca and him) I only like if done in specific ways, but honestly I will pretty much devour any m/f Varric content (in general I prefer to stick to m/f and f/f personally but I absolutely support the m/m Varric shippers you guys go.) 

I started off shipping Varric with fHawke and I think I’ve probably read just about every fic in that tag published before 2018. They’ve got the wonderful best friends to lovers vibes, complete with mutual pining, idiots in love, slow burn, the whole schtick. The DA2 crew really works amazingly in modern AUs too and I love modern AUs so I’ve read a lot of them. 

I moved into Varric/fCadash because DAI let me make an absolutely beautiful Cadash and then wouldn’t let me touch the chest hair and I’m still mad about it. I think Varric/FCadash is probably my OTP now. There’s 90ish things in the tag and I’ve written 35 of them. I’ve heard when I get to 51% I’ve got a controlling interest and am queen of that ship. IMO, DAI is where Varric does a lot of��“growing up” so to speak and it’s the perfect time to let go of his past and start something new. 

My newest ship is Varric/Solas and I’m VERY into it because Varric is one the of the few people who appears to “win” his vague convoluted “I’m definitely not the dread wolf these are totally normal conversations to have” dialogue series with Solas. IMO this could mean that if ANYONE could talk Solas down, it may be Varric (and why NOT Varric?) 

I also like Varric in polycules because I don’t think he’s a man who really minds sharing that much (I mean. Bianca is married and they’re canonically unfaithful to each other with other people). 

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Cole - I’m sorry this is Varric’s son. he is SO good for him. I enjoy the way Varric watches out for him and takes care of him. Such big brother energy it is very sexy. 

Hawke - I LOVE a good platonic Varric and Hawke. God it’s SO good. best friendship ever. 

My unpopular opinion about this character

Varric is not a big cuddly teddy bear - he just wants you to think he is. Varric is ruthless and dangerous. There are MANY times where Varric shoots first, asks questions later, and it’s kind of merciless. He was raised in the Merchant’s Guild, which is very cutthroat, and has no qualms about illegal activity. 

I think Varric is very devoted to his friends and doesn’t want to see innocent people hurt. However. I think Varric would sacrifice innocent people to save his friends, and that’s an integral part of his character people forget. 

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

YOU ALL KNOW THIS THAT’S WHY YOU’RE ON THIS BLOG IT IS VERY MUCH MY BRAND. 

manka can have some chest hair pls bioware. 

I’ll still take these break the characters down asks! 

Who I’ve done:

Velanna

Bianca Davri

Maria Cadash

Varric Tethras

Sitting in my inbox:

Solas

[tealenko]

It's never enough...

When DAO came out:

Me: So about the cute templar in the circle tower...

Bioware: Nope

M: Not even when you save him later on?

B: Nope

When DA2 came out:

M: So about the cu...

B: Nope

M: But...

B: Nope

When DAI came out

M: So...

B: OKAY! HERE! HAVE IT! ALL TO YOURSELF! HAPPY NOW?!

M: Very much, thanks 😊

...

M; Sooo... about the sassy dwarf that follows you everywhere...

B: AAAAAAAARGRGGGYGASGDFJGAJGL.

[potatowitch]

morrigan, anders, dorian for the character impressions meme

HOO BOY HERE WE GO (under a cut because long)

(send me a character and I'll tell you my feelings on them!)

Morrigan

First impression: "I, a bisexual, have been presented with a hot mean goth girl. I have immediately developed feelings."

Impression now: I've got a lot of soft feelings for Morrigan, actually. She's often callous and ignorant (especially when it comes to the Dalish and the way she speaks about Circle mages) but she does have a soft heart, she's loyal to the people she cares for, and she grows a lot as a person when the Warden pursues a friendship with her.

Favorite moment: Her friendship with a female Warden, where she admits that she feels like they're sisters in the softest, most emotional voice, just breaks me every time.

Idea for a story: ajshdkajhsdjk okay this one is silly but. You know that glitch in Awakening that shows Anders as being in love with the Warden-Commander. And you know that glitch in Inquisition you sometimes get if you import a world state with a romanced Warden Alistair, but the game somehow thinks you've managed to romance both Alistair and Morrigan, so the HoF sends your Inquisitor a letter saying "take care of my boyfriend AND my girlfriend AND our son"? What if. Post Inquisition, the HoF fucks off into the middle of nowhere with her husband, her wife, her apostate boytoy, and their son? I think that would be funny. I think Morrigan having to deal with Anders trying to cuddle her every time she's shapeshifted into a cat would be absolute peak comedy.

Unpopular opinion: She didn't "betray" the Warden with the Dark Ritual? She gave them an out? I would say her "betrayal" was more towards Alistair in the case of a female HoF because Morrigan went to the HoF instead of him first, but she in no way betrays the Warden.

Favorite relationship: Romantically I'm very soft for F!Warden and Morrigan (M!Warden too, to some extent, but the whole Yearning she has with a F!Warden ... hoo boy), I do like the concept of Leliana and Morrigan too, I think it'd be interesting to explore.

Favorite headcanon: She never, ever learns to baby talk Kieran. She speaks to him in her normal manner from the second he is born, and she doesn't get why baby talking is even a thing. She also carries him on her back in animal form when he's small.

Anders

First impression: I actually played DA2 before Awakening, so my first impression of Anders was "cute feather mage is glowing blue?? what's up with that? oh he's got a CAT??"

Impression now: THE WAY I WOULD DIE FOR THIS MAN. I am. Obsessed. I have brainrot. It's terminal. I think about him like 80% of the time. I have a mug with his face on it that brings me joy to drink out of. I think he's so complex, he's kind and funny and resilient but he's also flawed in that he's petty and occasionally cruel and single-minded. I love how selfless he is, even before Justice (I have like. a whole rant on that, if you want it), I love his relationship with Justice both pre and post merge, I love to bully and whump him in my fics, I want to hold him and tell him it's going to be okay and he's doing his best, I have never wanted to rail a fictional man more in my life.

Favorite moment: If I must pick just one, the Chantry boom. It's very sexy. He throws his whole ass self into it, knowing there is no choice for him to make a stand, fully expecting to die for it and accepting that, willing to take all of the blame and the punishment if it means a chance it will save his people.

Idea for a story: I have many. Like a whole two page long google doc of fic ideas. One of them - he tries to teach Fenris how to write but he has illegible doctor handwriting and Fenris is like "are you fucking with me. Even I know this is a squiggle".

Unpopular opinion: He was right to blow up the Chantry. It was the only option he had left.

Favorite relationship: FENDERS. But also Anders is like the fandom bicycle to me, I love him with so many people romantically. Platonically, I really like exploring his friendship with the Warden-Commander, Hawke, Varric and Isabela.

Favorite headcanon: I ALSO HAVE MANY FAVORITES but I legitimately forget that him having whip scars on his back isn't actually canon bc he just like. automatically has them in my mind.

Dorian

First impression: I walked into Redcliffe's Chantry, he sassed me, and I liked him immediately.

Impression now: Dorian is, again, a very complex character and I really love that about him. I love that he has a lot of confidence in his appearance and magical abilities, but absolutely none in his actual worth as a person. I love how honest and open he is about being friends with the Inquisitor, I love how he doesn't mind if people argue with him and will actually admit when his mind has been changed, I love how damn smart he is (like. time magic?? his brain!!!) and I haven't personally romanced him but I do love how apprehensive he is about a relationship at first, but he loves the Inquisitor/Bull wholeheartedly.

Favorite moment: Either when he gives the Inquisitor the sending crystal to keep in contact, or there's this moment if you bring him to the Temple of Mythal and ask if he wants to drink from the Well of Sorrows and he says something along the lines of "a human mage from Tevinter, drinking this much elvhen history? No. I can't do that." That just really hit me as him recognizing his privilege, in a way?

Idea for a story: Dorian is swarmed by cats in his little reading nook, has to contend with the fact that it's Their Chair now, the Inquisitor keeps walking in to find him sat on the floor bc Mittens The Furious has taken the chair and will not stand for being moved.

Unpopular opinion: I detest when people slot him into the role of "sassy gay best friend". He's a lot more than that. He can be your Inquisitor's bestie for many other, much better reasons.

Favorite relationship: Love him with Bull, I think they bring out a lot of good qualities in each other, as well as challenging each other's beliefs. I think Dorian/Anders and Dorian/Fenris are both interesting ships too, and I love his friendship with Solas and Sera.

Favorite headcanon: He's allergic to basically everything, not just strip weed. Loves cats but they make him sneeze. Can only hang out in Skyhold's garden for a little bit bc flower pollen makes his eyes itch. He can counteract it a bit with magical antihistamines but overall his face tends to leak at a lot of things.

[elvesofnoldor]

kinda weird how hell-bent i am at making my canon warden a mage when mage origin in da:o is probably the weakest origin out of, what, all 6 of the origin stories for the warden? it’s so flavourless, there is very little that makes the mage character super emotionally engaging, and the mage warden is the most blank slated out of all the possible warden. Plus, since the very first game in the series most of the mage origin story is just the protagonist asking lore-related questions that they should already know the answers to. but idk it’s just so much more fun making a mage/magic based builds, i do not have time to read and digest shits like “cry of valour: cooldown decreases by 75% when you are staggered and your health regenerate 0.5 second faster on each critical hit (stacking)”, cause bro that’s the kind of shit i have to read when i choose which abilities to unlock for a warrior or rogue and that’s just too many numbers and math and not enough texts about setting people on fire. 

that being said, i have been feeling pretty lukewarm for my male!surana for a very long time. i didnt like my female!surana at all, and my m!surana is basically a projection of my desire to romance morrigan and have kieran with morrigan and also a projection of maglor (the one in my head aka a vast expansion on what tolkien has written on paper, which is pityingly little). Also, considering that my canon lavellan is already an elf dude and a mage, do i need another elf mage??? i think i met the quota for elf mages. listen, i made my surana a detailed backstory that has nothing to do with maglor in any capacity (and the flexibility of mage origin to adapt to any sort of backstory you might want for your mage warden is one of its few saving graces), but appearance and personality wise he’s just...he’s just so maglor (the one in my head). Also, i could just spent more time fleshing out maglor (in the fanfics i still haven’t written--partially because the chapter outlines kept changing) if this dragon age elf player character is just maglor 2.0. personally, i pick established canon characters over my ocs and anybody else’s ocs any day. plus, i want my original characters to be actually, you know, original. 

i’m seriously considering having a female mahariel as my canon warden right now. in my opinion city elf origin is THE best warden origin, hands down, but merrill’s presence as a npc and the explicit connection and introduction to the eluvian (which is important across all three games) in dalish elf origin makes me prefer the dalish origin more from time to time. i always want leliana to be my canon dao romance and i think just yesterday i had the idea for the right gal to romance her. someone who’s original enough and someone who’s satisfactory enough of a character that can make that wish come true. i can’t even play da:o right now but i already looked at rogue builds for da:o lol (the best build is dual wield assassin, coincidentally my favourite rogue build in dai). my “canon” da2 and dai protags are both mages, it’s time for a change. 

[disasterdrvid]

Masterpost of characters I'd like to see in DA4

What it says on the tin. Half speculative, half wishlist. Was going to post this around EA Play Live, but Bioware loves crushing my hopes and dreams so I'm kicking this out of my drafts. Under the cut bc this is loooooong.

Potential Companions (And Maybe Romances)

Starting squad will probably be Fenris, Vaea, Francesca, and Autumn. (Based on this post.) I'm curious about the worldstate variations for Fenris--especially a romanced Hawke getting left in the Fade and how he gets involved in the first place if Hawke gave him back to Danarius. I'm curious if Vaea and Francesca are are romance options but they're really enjoyable in the comics so I'm excited to see more of them.

Lucanis Dellamorte!!! I will never shut up about him and his storyline. We've been lacking Crow companions so I'm hoping they do him justice in-game. However, I'm worried Bioware might write him too similar to Zevran if he's a potential romance. While Zevran's romance is one of the best, I don't want Lucanis to have too many similarities just because of a shared background.

Neve Gallus! The Tevinter PI who stole my heart. I love her to death and want her desperately in-game. Let me be gal pals who solve crimes, Bioware!

Audric ❤ Imagine all the fun banter about architecture as well as being undead. Would definitely have a different feel from Justice or Cole. (Also fingers crossed skeleton from the concepts actually is Audric.)

Not to be a massive lesbian but the hot Qunari lady from the concept art! I'm hoping she's not one of the characters who got cut in development and, if she made it, she's not straight.

Strife my beloved ❤ Not sure if he'll just be encounterable or a full companion, but he was super enjoyable in Tevinter Nights and I desperately want his sass for DA4.

Tessa and Marius! I'm constantly oscillating between companion or just NPCs, but I'd love to see the magekilling duo fully voiced and animated. (Also if they do come back, Charter is an obvious add-on.)

Advisor Roles

Dorian! Based on his appearance in Deception (a small cameo where he guides the crew), I'd love for him to come back in a much more limited way to let everyone else shine.

Varric ❤ This man needs a break and based on the voiceover from the trailer, as well as his appearance in Knight Errant, I'd guess he'd serve more as a spymaster to our group.

Maevaris is one I'm constantly caught between advisor or companion. But I love her dearly and if she somehow doesn't end up in-game the Bioware writers have an invitation to catch these hands.

Controversial but the Inquisitor. Like how the Warden wasn't the DA2 protag and Hawke was the DAI protag, I don't want (or even believe) they'll be the protagonist this time around and that take neglects a lot of what was said in Trespasser. I think they'd be best served advising the new hero on how to navigate the bullshit of saving the world--especially Inquisitors who really fought against being the Herald. However, I do want them in on the crisis (not the midpoint, but that's another post) confrontation of Solas. Also: give me consequences for the Well, damn it!

General NPCs

Awakening Wardens!!!!! Sigrun, Velanna, and Nathaniel are some of my all-time favorite characters and it's been too long since we last saw them. (Oghren counts too, ig...) I also want Bioware to at least acknowledge Awakening's fucked up and retconned lore. Since we only just reached the point of the Warden disappearing, we can assume these guys are kicking around somewhere. With the theorized Warden civil war apparently brewing, and potential Weisshaupt concept art, I want to see them kicking ass and trying to save the Wardens from themselves--riding griffons all the while. Speaking of...

Valya, Reimas, and Caronel! We haven't heard from them since Last Flight, and I desperately want them to get some kind of acknowledgement for rediscovering griffons. If we do end up at Weisshaupt they'd better still be alive and making sure those griffon hatchlings are in good hands.

Merrill ❤ With everything going on with Solas, if Merrill doesn't get involved I'm suing. (And if she doesn't make jokes about Fenris adopting Vaea then what's the point!!!)

Isabela got featured in some concept art, so I'm hoping she makes an appearance--if not returning as a companion or captain of the ship base that some have theorized.

Warden Carver/Bethany. Again, the heavy emphasis on Wardes would be an ideal way of bringing them back.

Stroud, if survived. I can't think of anyone who chose him over Hawke, but if they did I can't see him not coming back in that circumstance.

Generally speaking, the Inquisition romances will probably all come back. The end of Trespasser shows them with the Inquisitor in that meeting so we can assume they'll have their LI's back. I've mentioned before that I only believe three or four will have expanded roles, and the rest will simply cameo. Obvious caveat to this is that Greg Smellis needs to be replaced so I can laugh that Cullen came back without him. (Bonus points if Anders' VA replaces him like he did for DA2.) This obviously doesn't apply to a Qun-aligned Bull. RIP.

Divine Victoria (all iterations). Since most people chose Leliana or Cassandra, that Trespasser cutscene hints at this even if they weren't elected Divine. But given the Inquisition--if still around--works for her, then we can assume all iterations of Victoria will come back in some capacity.

THE HERO OF FUCKING FERELDEN. With Gaider gone, I'm hoping the policy of keeping our original protagonist out of content went with him. ESPECIALLY because of that Warden civil war. (Also my Hero would never pass up the opportunity to have a griffon. C'mon, Bioware.)

HoF's romance. Again, I want Bioware to acknowledge the weird lore of Awakening. Alistair--even a king--apparently disappears according to the epilogue, so I want some kind of plot point with this. (Again: the Warden stuff seems to be an ideal way of bringing some back.) But all the other romances will probably feature (Leliana and Morrigan are two big ones), so fingers crossed. I don't think Zevran will be a companion like some theorize, but if the Crows are involved we know Zevran can't be far behind.

Hawke (if survived). Controversial, but I think a Hawke left in the Fade is probably dead. But if they weren't I'm hoping they'll feature--especially if Fenris is a companion, Varric is helping out, and Merrill and Isabela get involved.

Fucking Shale! Please, for the love of god, let Shale come back! (Imagine her meeting a Cadash Inquisitor lol)

Morrigan. (And by extension, Kieran.) Yeah, there's gonna be consequences for what happened last game. Yikes.

By that logic, and weirdly enough, Flemeth. We've seen her come back from a supposed death before, so I wouldn't be surprised if she pops up at some point. And if it's true that the Evanuris are our real Big Bads... 👀

Feynriel! We haven't seen him since Act 2, and most people have likely sent him to Tevinter to continue to hone his skills. I'd love to see him again and find out just how far he's come since Hawke saved him. I'm also interested if he's not aligned with Fen'Harel and how that will influence the use of his abilities. He's one I'd actually like to have as a companion, to be honest. But I'm putting him under general NPCs because I don't want to count on that hope.

Teia and Viago! They made a cameo in Deception, and I loved the tension between them in Eight Little Talons. Given the Crows' involvement as well as any potential consequences regarding Lucanis, I can't see them not coming back. (This speculation also then extends to the remaining Talons.)

Probably Sten. The high involvement of Qunari in Trespasser and later books/comics means we're likely to face down our old companion at some point. If the HoF does return, this could result in a fulfillment of Sten's promise to not look for them on the field.

[glacierbash]

dragon age for the fandom asks :)

 t h i r d  t i m e ‘ s  t h e  c h a r m

first time I did it on mobile, it crashed, and it didn’t save, the second I went to go hang out with my partner after i /thought/ I hit post but Apparently Didnt, so here goesssss

prefacing this with saying I played the games out of order, haven’t even managed to play da2 (haven’t been able to buy it yet :pensive:) so my opinions might not be informed as a more intense fan. Buut, still love the games and still have Opinions:tm:

First character I fell in love with: 110% Josephine. When I first saw her, I was like “If I can’t hold her hand this world will be unfixable and I will have no purpose in living anymore” and then I saw the flirt option when talking to her and lost my goddamn mind. It was so nice to see a story where there was just. No Tragedy (to an extent), no dying, it felt like I got to live out my sappy romantic dreams :’) she was my first romance in a DA (or bioware game in general) and she’ll always have a special place in my heart,,

Character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Honestly? Wynne lmao, I thought she would just be “nagging old lady” but she grew on me and to this day I still love her. Even when she was trying to keep me from doing the horizontal tango with Leliana smh /j

Character everyone loves that I don’t: Surprise Surprise, Cullen. When I first started playing Inquisition (since. again, out of order,) he was just slightly annoying to me, if a bit offputting. I didn’t wanna be around him that much, felt some of comments were. strange, so say the least, but then... Then, I played Origins. 

And I fucking hated him.

I can get why some people might like Cullen. I am not one of those people. After doing the circle quest and having to deal with his “kill all the mages” bullshit, I just... Look, I felt bad for him, but still. In my grand opinion, he shouldn’t have. Uh. Wanted to kill all the mages <3 he’s in my top 5 least favorite characters (and yes, I am aware of his addiction story, and while I still feel bad about that, I just... That doesn’t exactly “redeem” his prior actions, for lack of a better term).

Character I love that everyone else hates: I’m not sure if she gets a lot of hate, but Sera. Seeing a lesbian character who will get a happy ending made me really happy. Sure, you can... Dismiss her at any time, there’s almost no interactions that I can remember where you can be nice/understanding with her (even if the interaction gains approval) and sometimes her “my way or the highway” is really shitty (again, for lack of a better term) but still. I love her, I really do. One of my first times seeing an openly, quite unapologetic lesbian in games, and it’s still kinda important to me. I dunno. I was still trying to figure out who I was, I only recently really embraced “lesbian” as my own label, and I guess you could really attribute part of that to her. But, if she isn’t really hated, then disregard this. I’ve just seen some really nasty things people said about her.

Character I used to love but don’t anymore: Solas... And no, not because of his dreadwolf reveal. I enjoyed that! I like the thought of him as a villain! But, like... Lots of stuff started to wear on me, like... It’s been a while since I last played but he always felt quite condescending once I talked to him a bit more, just a bit “I’m superior to you haha.” I was playing a lavellan for this first playthrough, and... I dunno. I don’t hate him! I just don’t really love him. He’s worn on me, and not in a good way.

Character I would totally smooch: You want a list? Sera, Josephine, Leliana, and Qunari lady from the da4 trailer.

Character I want to be like: I don’t think I have a character I’d particularly wanna be like! If I had to choose, I’d pick Dagna, because I respect her dedication to. Learning. JDFKSD (can you tell I’m tired of doing this for the third time?)

Character I’d slap: Cullen <3 I would say Meredith too but even though I know she’s. uh. kinda fucking bad I’ll wait until I play DA2 to say so with Confidence

Pairing I love: Merribela, Leliana/Josephine, and really most pairing between pc/npc, save for a few exceptions, such as...

Pairing i hate: Cullen/Mage. Any mage. Mage Inquisitor. Mage Warden (hghg). Mage random character on the street you yoinked up. Just... No. Nope. Nuh-uh. Usually I’m very “do your own thing, idc if I don’t like it :)” but that’s like... Major nope. Ya know... Kill all the mages in the circle. (Plus, his feelings for a mage warden? When he’s in a position of power over her? :////////////) But! no hatred for anything else, really!

Thank you for the ask!