#sight seeing in Thedas

[pandorazlost]

A bit of sight seeing in Thedas.

[vigilskeep]

i bet with certain f!aeducans you could make the entire dao party have beef with gorim saelac to a degree you couldn’t even imagine

[martyrmarked]

sidri works incredibly hard to care for anyone that comes under the inquisition's protection, actively using the inquisition's influence and power to garner resources. she'll lose sleep by staying up too late to personally write letters to merchants requesting to open trade through once treacherous routes, she'll carve out time to meet with any middling noble at skyhold willing to help fill the inquisition's coffers.

she feels personally responsible for those looking to the inquisition, and following all of the death and chaos at haven, makes it her personal mission to do everything she can in her own right to help those unable to help themselves. she thinks often of the envy demon at therinfal and reminds herself that all of the power she's accumulating can be twisted and made rotten regardless of her desire to do good with it and, subsequently, she's content to have it diminished for what she considers to be a far greater cause.

[notebooks-and-laptops]

The thing that still gets me is. Look. Culture wise. Lore wise. Why are ANY of the factions who side with the elven Gods actually siding with them. Obviously the darkspawn are controlled by Ghilan'nain so that's fine but:

The Venatori; largely upper class Tevinter mages, are working with the ELVEN gods???? The elves they believe are so beneath them that they quite literally form a slave class? And they're just willing to be subservient to them without any pushback whatsoever???

The Qunari; strong philosophical/religious philosophy which does not incorporate God-like figures. Culturally very against the idea of chaos (which Ghilan'nain and the blight very much symbolise). From what I can see, the Antam left the Qun because they believed that it wasn't following it's own principles well enough; are they really going to randomly start following gods from some bas religion. FURTHER these gods are powerful mages. Qunari historically are very against powerful mages. I mean, there's a whole DLC about how they decide Solas is a huge threat on sight and needs to be eliminated immediately.

And THEN you have the fact that these two factions, the ANTAM WHO ARE INVADING TEVINTER AND ACTIVELY MAKING SLAVES OUT OF TEVINTER CITIZENS AND DESTROYING THE MINDS OF TEVINTER MAGES are going to just be fine with working with THE TEVINTER IMPERALISTS WHO BELIEVE THAT TEVINTER SHOULD RULE ALL THEDAS AND THAT MAGES ARE GREAT.

Surely these two groups should be the MOST diametrically opposed to working with one another because even if they can wipe out everyone else together, for either to achieve their stated aims the other HAS to cease to exist.

It would be interesting if they were sorta going at this like...the way that the Soviet Union and the US worked together in WWII but then it erupted into a cold war once their mutual enemy was defeated. Or if the gods were hiding the fact they were working with both of them. But that doesn't seem to be the case.

It's just. It's a wild choice. It's basically 'evil people work with evil people no matter what' which is categorically just not how things work.

[skelebellie]

i like to imagine mourn watch rook as someone generally pretty good natured. major purple rook vibes and knows when it’s time to lend a helping hand. you have to be in order to work with nevarra’s grieving families. sure, they might get a bit frustrated/angry at the usual inequalities of thedas, but nothing out of the ordinary.

and then the team gets to weisshaupt, and you can see their brows furrow as they argue with the first warden. thinking about all the lives lost because this bald egg of a man (foreshadowing) can’t temper his pride. the anger almost invisible until it breaks like a thin string and their jaw clenches. their patience vanishing into thin air.

“you know what, i tried.”

before they knock out the first warden into next week, evka giving them control over the situation. and rook moves like a well oiled machine. not a stumble in sight as they start planning counter maneuvers.

and all of a sudden the team remembers that the jovial funny bone guy has been fighting hordes of undead and necromatic uprisings in the darkness of nevarra. digging their way out of bone and decomposing tissue just to see the listless green flames of the mourn watch.

[isaidyoulookshitty]

idk it is so upsetting to me that veilguard is the first dragon age game i won't be replaying. when i was 15 i played origins so many times (almost a dozen) it is one of the only games i have ever 100% finished. da2 was the same! and while i didn't make it through as many playthroughs of inquisition i put hundreds of hours into it and made an effort to get to the bottom of everything the game threw at me. until veilguard, i had bought every available dragon age dlc for all games, tried to play almost every route given in the story choices, and spent hours reading through codex entries to soak up as much lore as i could.

veilguard has rendered all of that completely null.

it feels almost spiteful at this point that this new frakenspliced bioware cared so little to honor the bones and meat of the first three games. 15 years i have spent loving and cherishing (and criticizing) this franchise and now i feel like a fucking idiot for it. my grey warden? canonically awol and never addressed again. hawke? irrelevant and, for some players, potentially stuck in the fade forever. inquisitor? stripped of any complexity or depth i had given her in favor of the most syrupy, out of character fairytale true love's kiss ending with a man that shattered her worldview and broke her heart. how do you take 10 years to craft an ending this dissatisfying and thoughtless?

and the world i spent a decade and a half fighting for, shaping with player choices, and calling home? gone. "overwhelmed by the blight." literally scorched earth for the next game to build on with whatever the writers pull out of their ass to make players forget all about the original dragon age. it's tragic! disrespectful to longtime fans at best, at worst it feels intentional and like i am being made the butt of a joke told by writers who in the promotional material sound like they could not even be assed to play the games they're attempting to draw from. veilguard is just a product to be sold, not a story worthy of The Dragon Age Setting.

and i haven't even touched on all my gripes with the game's writing, the sanitization of any canon conflict that could be uncomfortable or difficult to address, the stale and cutesy therapyspeak and lessons in basic morality that are baked into every in-game interaction (most of which are shallow and all the same anyways) compared to the dialogue trees from the other 3 games. it is so frustrating to see that the devs chose to cave to a decade of vitriolic fandom politics in favor of addressing the kettle they wrote themselves into.

instead of hand-waving racism toward elves, the panic over qunari, the isolation of the dwarves, the corruption of the chantry, the abuse in the circles of magi, and slavery in tevinter, we should have been given the chance to confront all of it. to put a real end to it. we will never get to do that now. in fact, in their failure to follow through, bioware has only succeeded in exacerbating all of these issues. they have made the elves, which they have openly ADMITTED were "inspired" by Jewish and indigenous peoples, their mouthpiece for white guilt and shame passed down from one's ancestors (while also gutting elves' religion, culture, history, social differences, etc. i could go on). they PERPETUATE the same stereotypes of barbarity, violence, and warmongering imposed on the qunari by the rest of thedas by continuing to make them an opposing enemy force with the exception being a couple of friends they have neatly packaged for us. the unsatisfying conclusion to the mage-templar schism in inquisition is inconsequential. who the player chose to HEAD THE SOUTHERN CHANTRY as divine is deliberately made irrelevant. the dwarves are still isolated and ignorant of their origins save for harding (assuming she doesn't end up killed) and a single closed-off group. and the slaves in tevinter (again, mostly elves)? conveniently kept out of sight and conversation when we finally get to minrathous. everything that happened to fenris to make him the character he is, arguably the most impactful and sympathetic out of all the da2 companions, is not even addressed, much less tackled. all of it is swept under the rug.

i wanted dragon age: dreadwolf. i wanted a solid conclusion to a story almost 20 years in the making. a dragon age reboot might even have been a great idea somewhere down the line, but this was not the game to do it with. it was supposed to be a sequel and they couldn't even get that right. did i enjoy parts of it? of course! i finished it! but i won't be doing it again. the game clearly intends you to, considering a significant portion is locked away by decisions players are forced to make pretty early on, but i can't make myself do it. it makes me way too sad.

i could go on about how i, a queer and nonbinary adult fan, thought their handling of gender and LGBTQIA+ identities was heavy-handed, infantilizing, and felt so out of place within the setting it makes easy fodder for the "woke=broke" crowd that wouldn't have been receptive to queer rep anyway, but that would need to be another post in itself. not to mention the romance! unfortunate that i chose to romance lucanis not knowing his is now notorious for a lack of content, meaningful dialogue, pacing, and actual development. i won't even get to see the other romances in comparison because, as i have said, i will not be replaying.

[droodlebug]

wouldnt it have been so much more interesting if the blight was borne from the dying bodies of the titans and attacked the elven gods that killed them. a natural twisting force not unlike a system of mushrooms as the last, unwilling creation of beings that shaped the earth seeping out as they decay. creating the blight, a rot that doesnt fully destroy but changes people and things. the blight coming knto contact with the souls of the old gods, the dragons, and them becoming something new, something able to direct everything else affected by the product of dead titans.

wouldnt that have felt like a much fuller world. wouldnt it have been a cool thing. if we had a war between the elvem gods and the titans. the elven gods having taken form, unknowingly hurting the titans in the process. the titans retaliate, trying to blot out and fix the new pain. the elves are dying, and if not dying becoming terribly injured and experiencing pain they never knew as spirits. they dont know what else to do but to fight back. to do the same. try to fix the new pain. they kill the titans in the process. they dont speak each others language. they each see the other as unjustly hurting them.

the elves not used to physical being. only having known spirits, seeing the dwarves and thinking they are just a tool made by the titans. not Knowing they are people, not having the experience to know, much in the way people in modern thedas assume spirits arent people. not realizing the depth of their actions for years, not until the blight leaks from the titans bodies enough to see the light of day. not realizing the full personhood of dwarves until they take up arms to push back that blight. only then realizing the mistake and feeling the regret.

maybe this is where solas' part in this leads to a rebellion. he begins to blame the elven gods, other than himself and mythal, for being short sighted, for urging him to make a body he didnt want and fight a war he had no interest in, for the gods not knowing everything in their full depth before following through with destruction. and then solas follows down that same path. raging a war, spreading lies he has convinced himself of, that hes made to justify his actions against the gods. they didnt enslave other elves, but solas is convinced everyone was as unwilling as he was whether or not that was the truth. they hurt him, so he must make the pain go away. at any cost. and he divides the fade to make them go away, not knowing the consequences of that action. history repeating ad infinum.

but idk maybe im just better at worldbuilding and making compelling history where nobody is Just Evil than bioware is <3

[felassan]

EA site update:

"The Dread Wolf Rises Dragon Age Day 2023 Happy DA Day to our friends across Thedas!"

"[Mark] Dragon Age has always been a franchise about characters. Characters to fall in love with or to learn to loath. Those characters need a place in which to live, to fight, and to love—a place that shapes them and the events they find themselves swept up in. Today we explore the place they call home that forms the stage for everything that you do: Thedas. Corinne and the Dragon Age: Dreadwolf team have created a game that celebrates the rich and varied past of the franchise while crafting new experiences and stories. It has been incredible to come back to BioWare and see all of the progress they’ve made, and I’m excited for some of that world to be shared with all of you today. [Corinne] Thank you, Mark! I fondly remember playing each entry in the Dragon Age franchise, being completely immersed and enamored in the world you all had built. It amazes me to be here now, working alongside you and the team, to bring new stories and characters (not to mention a few returning characters) to all of the fans of the franchise. Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is the product of hard work and love. We know how much this world means to all of you, how these experiences stay with you. We want to get it right, so we’ve taken our time. We're so excited to join in this celebration of all things Dragon Age and the incredible fandom that surrounds it. Within the dev team, we’ve been eagerly awaiting Dragon Age Day as the enthusiasm, stories, charity, and artwork you share motivates us to be our best and create new experiences for all of you. To celebrate DA Day, we’re sharing a look at a few of the in-game locations you’ll explore on this new adventure (and perhaps a little more for those who listen closely). The stage is set. The Dread Wolf is ready to make his move. Oh, and one last thing before I go… In summer 2024, we’ll be fully revealing Dragon Age: Dreadwolf to you! We honestly can’t wait. See you all in Thedas, — Corinne Busche, Game Director & Mark Darrah, Sr Production Advisor"

"You’ve visited the lands of Thedas thrice before in our games and many more times in comics, books, art, and short stories. This time, you’ll be venturing to places unseen and returning to places from long ago. To celebrate Dragon Age Day, we wanted to show you some of those sights. [link to new trailer] We stand on the precipice of change. This is a world brimming with stories and characters waiting to meet you. The fate of this world teeters on the edge of a knife. In past games, you only got to see a slice of the world. In Origins, it was Ferelden—a land ravaged by war and Dark Spawn. In II, it was Kirkwall and its locales—festering with corruption and a dark underworld. And in Inquisition, you ventured across much of Orlais—facing down political intrigue as often as combat."

"This time, however, much more of Thedas is yours to see. The desolate, beautiful badlands of the Anderfels with curtains of distant mountainous spires. The twisting canals and gleaming towers of Antiva, where Crows may lurk in any shadow. The turquoise seas of Rivain with its rushes of greenery and hardy sea-faring people. And of course, there’s more."

"We felt this was best for the tale we wanted to tell this time and we hope you enjoy it as much as we have! It’s allowed us to create many more locations than past games, including both some you’ve longed to go to…and some you’ve never heard of before!"

"To help capture the wonders of Thedas, we partnered with three wonderful artists from our exceptionally talented community and gave them an early look at what you’ve now seen. We’ve always been so fortunate to have such an incredibly skilled community of artists, and getting to work with these three was a true joy! We asked each of them to create a vista of one of the three regions in the video based on their interpretation of it in their own unique styles. Please enjoy their wonderful work, and be sure to send them some love when you check out their personal channels for more of their art!" [link to art]

"Turning our focus to your closest kitchen, if you’re looking for a fun gift this holiday season or want to try some Thedosian dishes yourself, we’ve got you covered with Dragon Age: The Official Cookbook: Tastes of Thedas from our partners, Insight Editions! This project was lovingly crafted by the author, Jessie Hasset, as well as members of our team who have an affinity for the kitchen and a love of cuisine."

"The cookbook features recipes suited to all skill levels, but we know that jumping in may be a daunting task for some. To help you out, we’ve partnered with MisoHungrie, a wonderful YouTuber who specializes in cooking, with a particular knack for video game and entertainment-related dishes. If you’re looking for a place to start on your culinary journey, check out his video and follow along. And be sure to let us know what you think of these Thedosian delights! In addition to this, there are two giveaways you should keep an eye out for! For the first, our friends over at Insight Editions are giving away five copies of the cookbook on their social channels, so be sure to check them out. And it doesn’t end there. For those of you who decide to try your hand at making a culinary delight from the book (including one of the ones we’ve released separately), be sure to follow our own Dragon Age social channels for the second giveaway. Keep an eye out for the opportunity to submit your creation for a chance to win a BioWare Gear Store package, including the brand-new Morrigan romance bundle! Details on that giveaway will be posted next week."

"As we mentioned earlier this year, we’ve partnered with Dark Horse to create a digital package of all their comics for Dragon Age and Mass Effect on Humble Bundle. Visit the Humble Bundle page to find out how our partners are working to support Child’s Play, an organization that seeks to make the lives of children in hospitals more comfortable through the enjoyment of games. There’s no better time than the holidays to bring a smile to someone’s face. BioWare is also supporting a few local charities this month that focus on helping the most vulnerable in our communities via food banks. This includes the Edmonton Food Bank, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, Les Banques alimentaires au Québec, and the Central Texas Food Bank. All of them provide food to thousands of people each month and rely on kindhearted donations and volunteers. If you’re wanting to give back this holiday season, please consider supporting Child’s Play or donating to your local food banks. Many communities also accept non-monetary donations of canned, dried, and packaged goods, clothing, and other useful supplies. However you choose to support those in need, know that every bit helps and can make a big difference in someone’s life, whether they’re in your community or around the world."

"An insult that he took as a badge of pride. An insult to inspire hope in his friends and fear in his enemies. That is what Fen’Harel, the Dread Wolf, truly is. Not a man who sees himself as evil, but someone who believes he’s fighting for a good cause and is willing to get his hands dirty. This long-awaited chapter of Dragon Age is fast approaching—the time close at hand. We’ll see you next summer with answers to your questions, including ones you have yet to ask. With that will come our full reveal including new trailers, gameplay, and—of course—the long-awaited release date. The Dread Wolf will rise once more and we’ll have much more to share with you as we approach Summer 2024. Please keep an eye on our social channels for all the latest information on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf’s reveal and beyond. Know this, though: The Dread Wolf has not been idle these past years. His reach is far, and soon his plans will come to fruition—a cataclysmic rejoining of magic and realms hundreds of years in the making. Will you be able to stop him? We hope so. Always believing in you,             — The Dragon Age Team"

[source and full post]

[skiitter]

Ellana looked for Solas everywhere, in every shadow and alleyway of Thedas, at every ephemeral border of her dreams. She hunted him through time, through the annals of her own ancestral history, down through the last long decade of her too short life. She searched for even the echo of his presence in places too old and too broken to be named. And in every corner, through every door, across every dusty room, she found nothing. He was a ghost of a memory, something she stole and kept pressed to the edge of her ribs, just painful enough to remind her it happened.

As the years and the emptiness of her life shuffled on, Ellana's loneliness blossomed outward, consuming the gentler parts of her, until all that was left was bitter and ugly, the refuse of all her wasted hope. And so, for the sake of what life she had life, she set aside that aching desire, and refocused her grim determination on solving problems that he created. If Solas would not have her now, just as he did not keep her then, then so be it. He broke her heart, but she would not let him break the world.

She never expected to see him again, not in this life anyway, and most certainly not in the face of a stranger, in a tavern far, far away.

"This," Morrigan said, "is Rook."

Afterwards, her hand shook for want of something to cling too. The wolf statue she'd given to Thedas's newest champion was all she'd brought on her journey, and so it was to her own miserable shock she was forced to clutch.

"So, what did you think of her?" Morrigan asked upon their return to the south.

'I hate her' was the very first thought in her head, but Ellana pushed it aside for something appropriate, something fair. "She's so young."

Morrigan nodded. "Tis true, she is. But so was the Warden Amell, so was Varric's beloved Hawke," she paused. "So were you."

Ellana felt every second of her 36 years hit her all at once and she failed to keep the grimace from her face. "She's not Dalish, despite her name. I was expecting her to be more..." She could hear the word 'elfy' in Sera's voice as clear as day. "It must drive him mad."

"Oh, I'm sure many things about her do. She's quite obstinate, I'm told." Dorian stepped through the Eluvian after them, brushing imaginary fade-dust from his tailored robes. "Harding says she reminds her of you, all spitfire and stubborness."

It wounded like nothing had in a decade. It was a feeling so far removed from her repertoire of emotions, she didn't dare name it until safely alone in a room, far from prying eyes and clever sight.

Jealousy.

It's so base, so sincere in its immaturity, Ellana smiled despite the revelation. Jealousy, now, at the end of the world. How small it felt before the onslaught of things sure to come, how useless. But it was felt all the same. What a ruin the last decade had made of her pride, the irony of which she was unable to ignore. It would be better, she knew, if she did not love him. It would be easier, she knew, if she hated him. And yet.

And yet.

"El, darling, I've brought you some very expensive and fancy wine that you will pretend to enjoy and I--" Dorian trailed off at the sight of her hunched over in bed, sobbing quietly into her hands. "Oh, Ellana." He did not ask, no one ever did anymore. Instead, he sat down and drew her to him.

"It's not fair," she said into the crook of his neck. "It's not bloody fair."

"Love never is."

"It should be me, sifting through his fractured thoughts, demanding answers and receiving none. A decade of my life, Dorian. A decade. And it's just some--some girl instead." Ellana scoffed in disgust at her own fallible heart. "Her people, they live in his--his home--they--they are sat among his things. They--" She scrubbed at her face, pulling away. "I am so sick of missing him, of wanting answers to a question I asked years ago."

"I know."

"Does this make me foolish? All these years, and I'm still so heartbroken. I'm responsible for the safety of a thousand people and one man, one stupid and prideful man, has weakened me so utterly I cannot help but hate what I've become." Ellana looked at him. "I hate that I hate her. I hate that she was able to succeed where I failed."

"She's only where she's at because of Varric--"

"I spent years thinking of ways to make him stop, for just moment, to just listen to me. And now, she's got him trapped. Trapped and unable to run and I cannot even demand an audience after all this--this searching. He's just as unreachable to me now as he's ever been."

Dorian was at a loss for words, as nearly everyone was when presented with the ugly wound of her heartache. She did not begrudge him such things, nor did she push away his attempts to comfort. Instead, she cried for a while more, just for the posterity of feeling.

"Sorry," she scrubbed at her face after some time. "It's been a long day."

"It's been a long decade," he said gently. "Would you like some company or is this a 'wallow in your own loneliness' sort of evening?"

In response, she grabbed the bottle from him and took a heavy swig. It was impressively dry, like all Tevinter wine. With a grimace, she handed it back. "Company, definitely."

Several cups and not enough food later, the two of them sat before the small fireplace, having lapsed into companionable silence. He had just finished telling her of his recent run in with Vivienne and at the mention of their old friend, her thoughts were inevitably cast back in time to the Dread Wolf.

"I can see him in her," she said softly. "I see Solas in her expression, in the way she carries herself. It's...it's agonizing."

Dorian reached out and took her hand.

"She's so young and the weight of the entire world is on her shoulders. I know that feeling, I know how hard it is going to get," Ellana sighed. "I cannot begrudge her for things wholly out of her control."

"It is okay to hate her, even if it is only a little bit," he replied. "I won't tell."

"I know." She gave him a sad smile. "Maybe at the end of this, on the other side of all this carnage, I can ask her to tell him that I..." There was no word to properly encapsulate the sumtotal of everything she felt for Solas. "That I miss him, even now. And that if he ever wanted to talk, I will always be here to listen."

"He doesn't deserve your heart, Ellana, he never has."

"I know, but it's his anyway."

[multifandomfix]

They Walk In On You Changing (Harry Potter Preference)

Barty Crouch Jr: Barty would freeze for a moment, his lips curling into a smirk as he takes in the scene. “Well, well, what do we have here,” he’d drawl, licking his lips. He wouldn’t be embarrassed, instead reveling in making you feel flustered. He might linger a bit longer than is polite, before leaving with a wink.

Bellatrix LeStrange: Bellatrix wouldn’t be flustered at all at her intrusion on you, in fact, she’d laugh maniacally. “Oh, darling, don’t stop on my account,” she’d say with a grin. There’s a wild glint in her eyes as she looks you over. She’d probably only leave once she feels she’s gotten a real good look and committed the view to memory.

Draco Malfoy: Draco would immediately flush a deep shade of red, stammering apologies as he turns his back. “I—I didn’t see anything, I swear,” he’d blurt out, trying to keep his cool but failing miserably. He’d be mortified at the situation because of the embarrassment it may have caused you. Though you’d likely catch him stealing glances at you in the future, remembering the incident and giving away that he had seen something.

Lucius Malfoy: Lucius would maintain a cool composure, as if the sight doesn’t faze him in the least. He might raise an eyebrow in mild interest, but he’d quickly avert his eyes and advise you, “Perhaps next time you should ensure the door is locked.” There’s a note of superiority in his voice, and he’d leave as though nothing had happened, though with a hint of amusement on his lips.

Minerva McGonagall: Professor McGonagall would be horrified at her lack of decorum. She’d immediately avert her gaze, sternly apologizing while turning to leave. “My deepest apologies,” she’d say in a clipped tone, flustered but maintaining her usual formality. She’d be more embarrassed than you, and would likely be extra formal with you for a while afterward.

Molly Weasley: Molly would immediately cover her eyes with her hands and let out a mortified gasp. “Oh dear! I’m so sorry, love!” she’d exclaim, clearly more distressed by the situation than you are. She’d rush out of the room, mumbling apologies, and probably fuss over you later, asking if you’re alright or need anything, still embarrassed by what happened.

Narcissa Malfoy: Narcissa’s reaction would be swift and graceful. She’d quickly turn away and politely say, “Forgive me, I should have knocked.” She would be calm and composed, making you feel like the whole thing was an unfortunate but trivial matter. She’d leave you with your dignity intact, ensuring there’s no awkwardness between you later.

Rita Skeeter: Rita would be intrigued more than anything else. Her eyes would widen in interest, and she’d quickly take in every detail. “Well, this is quite the sight,” she’d say with a sly grin, already crafting a scandalous headline in her mind. She’d linger a bit too long for comfort, leaving with a smug expression and a vivid picture of you in her mind.

Severus Snape: Snape would freeze in place, his expression shifting from surprise to mild discomfort. His usual sharp demeanor softens, and though he keeps his face impassive, there’s a flicker of awkwardness in his eyes. “My apologies,” he would say in a low, measured tone, quickly turning away and closing the door behind him. He’d make a mental note to avoid eye contact for a while afterward, clearly unsettled but determined to act like it never happened.

Sybill Trelawney: Trelawney would gasp dramatically and flutter her hands in distress. “Oh dear, the fates did not forewarn me of this encounter,” she’d exclaim, looking genuinely flustered. She’d apologize profusely, making strange references to “mystical energies” that led her to walk in at that moment. She’d be more awkward than you, and would not forgive herself for her intrusion for some time.

For Anon

Forever Tag: @baubeautyandthegeek, @ghostsunderstoodmysoul, @immyowndefender, @valencethefriendlychangeling, @crimsonwidow666, @rebelbossheart, @thedailyspiritualist, @orangeisnttheonlyfruit, @woman-simp, @aperol-with-izzy, @leonoralessoem, @ellepossum69, @lakita-fisher, @trexsuit, @analuw, @luvlesavyy, @malfoyfeed, @aliciabrower, @sparrowspixie, @imaginationismyworldlypleasure, @og-kxsh-420

[lucrezianoin]

All Bellara and Davrin Dalish banter transcribed

I wrote a summary of all of Davrin's Dalish info from banter that is hard to get in game, hopefully I did not miss any. The video of Bellara and Davrin banters is here.

This is the transcription:

Bellara: Do you ever go back and see your clan, Davrin? Davrin: Not since I left the forest. Bellara: So you don't see family or friends? Davrin: No. Been a long time. Bellara: Does that bother you? Davrin: I'm the one who left. That's on me. Bellara: You must miss them. Davrin: It comes and goes. Different part of my life.

Bellara: So you're a Warden now. But you're also Dalish, right? Or at least, you were? Davrin: I'll always be Dalish. That'll never change. The sight of an aravel still brings back memories. Bellara: Good ones? Davrin: Some. Racing them through the forest as fast as the wind would take us. Bellara: I loved doing that. Davrin: And breaking my arm when our aravel sailed off a ridge. Bellara: I loved that too. Good times.

Bellara: Do you ever regret leaving your clan, Davrin? Davrin: I don't regret the life I've lived, joining the Wardens. The things I've seen and done. Bellara: There's a "but" in there. Davrin: But… sometimes I wish I could've done both. Bellara: Not much room for that. Davrin: No, you're part of the clan, giving yourself over to it, or you're not. I made my choice.

Davrin: The thing about being Dalish - I needed to see the rest of the world to understand why the Dalish part of it was special. Bellara: In what way? Davrin: I didn't appreciate my life at the time. How could I? A clan sticks to itself and you stick to the clan. Davrin: Not much room for seeing what's outside it. Bellara: Right. I get that.

Bellara: When I was little. Very little, I mean. We'd pass through towns and villages. I always wondered: What's that like? To settle down. To stop moving all the time. Davrin: Right? Have a house to call your own. Shop at the market instead of foraging for food. Davrin: Make friends with outsiders. Bellara: But you got that chance. You did it. How was it? Davrin: It was… different.

Bellara: So how different was life outside your clan? Davrin: I started to see what I took for granted. I missed the food. Bellara: They didn't have any where you went? Davrin: Dalish food. You don't appreciate halla milk 'til you don't have any. Butter too. Nothing like it in Thedas. Bellara: What about the people? Davrin: I missed the sense of a common purpose. A clan acting as one. Everywhere else, people were in it for themselves. Davrin: It's a reason I joined the Grey Wardens. Guess I needed that purpose again. The shared fight.

Bellara: I can't even read some of these books. I wonder what they say? Davrin: Do we really want to know? Bellara: Sure, the world can always use more knowledge about - Davrin: No, I mean you and I. Do the Dalish need any more rocks in our history being turned over? Bellara: Feels like we're a little late on that one.

[momofantas]

Rooftop Follies

Taash/Rook | NSFW | 1855 words | AO3 Link

Kione ran her hands down the feathers that covered the front of her new jacket… and hardly any of her body. The jacket opened to reveal nothing underneath, just her bare chest and a few necklaces. Lucanis had said it was trendy among the Crows but Kione had never seen anyone in Treviso wearing anything like it.

But the openness felt like freedom and she would never fight against that feeling. In fact, as a Shadow Dragon, it was something she had always fought for.

With a sigh, she pushed open the door of the small room she had changed in and stepped back into the Antivan Sanctum where the rest of her party waited. Lucanis seemed to puff up like a proud father at the sight of the Shadow Dragon in the Crows’ finest (in fact, she was sure she had seen the same smile on Davrin’s face during a training session with Assan).

“It suits you well. Are you sure you don’t wish to join the Crows? We could always use another axe-weilder,” he said lightly. Kione smirked and shook her head in response before looking to her other companion.

Taash’s arms were crossed as they looked her up and down. Their face was almost unreadable, but Kione had known them well enough to see how they just barely bit the inside of their lower lip and the hint of hunger behind their eyes.

Their opinion was the only one that mattered to Kione, but she wouldn’t admit it.

“Looks good,” they finally said with a nod as they dropped their arms. “Not as good as Lords’ armor, but it looks like it’s easier to fight in than the other vashedan you’ve found in Thedas.”

Kione couldn’t help the small snort that escaped her. While Taash wasn’t the most delicate, they were always right. Other armor had been constricting for an axe user and at least in this leather-and-feather design, she would have good mobility.

The three began to discuss where to head next when Viago approached the group with “important things” for Crows’ ears only, leading to the exit of him and Lucanis.

That left Taash and Kione to themselves.

“So what do y–”

“Let’s go for a walk,” Taash said, almost a little too quickly. Their hand just barely moved in the direction of Kione’s, but they walked ahead before their hands could touch. The two walked out to one of the balconies that the Crows often frequented and Kione was prepared to hop onto one of the ziplines.

Instead, Taash turned and led her to a quiet corner of the balcony where no visible peering eyes could see. The Qunari motioned for their elf companion to stand by the railing. “Face me.”

Kione obeyed, leaning back against the railing to relax while her mind raced with confusion. She hadn’t seen Taash like this, but something about the situation was making her heart race.

Suddenly one of their large hands was beneath her jacket and caressing her breast. Her eyes widened in shock and she opened her mouth to say something but was quickly silenced by Taash’s large tongue rubbing against hers. A weak moan escaped her as she felt a calloused thumb gently run over her nipple, causing it to go erect.

After what felt like ages Taash pulled back to reveal their chin slick with spit from their rough and hurried kiss. They pulled their hand away from her breast, ensuring that she was partially bared to the world with no feathers to protect her modesty.

“So… I take it you like the new outfit?” Kione said breathlessly. She moved a hand to readjust her jacket but was stopped by a gentle touch.

“You look really hot.”

The bluntness always brought a smile to her face and she couldn’t help the airy laugh that escaped her. It brought a smirk to Taash’s face as their free hand moved to the first of many belts that held her pants tight to her waist.

“I know you like it when I say that,” they teased before leaning in to take a deep breath next to her neck, pulse racing beneath her skin. “You can’t hide it from me.”

She felt her cheeks burn red as Taash pressed their lips gently against their neck and gasped as that gentle kiss turned into gentle nips along the lines of her tattoo. Both of their hands had moved to undo her belts and soon one was dipping beneath her small clothes and fingers were pressing against her pelvis on their way down between her legs.

Kione’s mind began to race–where they really going to do it out here? They were up above street-level but there was still a chance of a Crow watching from any direction. No one was visible from where they were, but by the Maker there was always a set of eyes around in Antiva.

“W-Wait,” she fumbled, her hand reaching down to grasp at Taash’s wrist in a weak attempt to stop them. She knew that they could smell her arousal and there was no chance of stopping their intimacy that day, but perhaps she could convince them to postpone until later.

“Scared?” They murmured against her skin. Suddenly they were turning her around to face the city, the wind caressing against her face and bare breast. Their chest was pressed against her back as their hands traveled down her front, one returning to her chest and the other to her pants.

“Someone will see–”

“Not like this… All they’re going to see is a tall Qunari hugging their favorite Elf. And if they see more, I’ll beat it out of them.” Taash’s voice was soft and reassuring, different than what they used on the battlefield. There was no rage, just gentle excitement and tenderness.

A thick calloused finger softly pressed between Kione’s legs and she knew that she wasn’t going to convince Taash to wait.

“Besides,” the Qunari said, lips moving up to the edge of her ear, “I need to make sure that I fuck you in this outfit before anyone else gets to see you in it.”

Kione bit down on her lip in an attempt to silence the moan that refused to be stuck in her throat as she felt that finger move inside of her body, spreading her like no one had spread her before. It was still embarrassing to admit that Taash was her first, but so far they hadn’t spoken a word about it. It helped that they took control in every situation, making sure that Kione was completely satisfied (or at least a shuddering, whimpering mess).

“Still so tight… Are you sure you’re okay?” Taash said, breath right against her ear as she continued to nibble and kiss the sensitive skin.

“Y-Yes… I just… need more time,” Kione replied weakly, stammering as she tried to remind her body to relax and accept her partner.

They were patient and held their finger still to give her time to get used to the sensation while their other hand pushed the feathery jacket back to completely bare her chest to the wind. The air wasn’t too cold for being so high up, but her skin still reacted with goosebumps and her nipples hardened almost immediately. Their hand moved to gently flick and pull on her erect nipples as their mouth dropped back to her neck.

“Ready?” They growled as they nudged their way to her shoulder.

Kione took a deep breath and nodded. “Ye– Mngh!”

Suddenly their teeth were in her shoulder, sharp enough to break the skin if they truly wanted to. Their finger was joined by a second and Kione felt her knees go weak. If they hadn’t been holding her up she would have fallen to the floor as an orgasm ripped through her muscled body.

“Taash…” She said weakly as her head rolled to rest on theirs. A growl ripped through Taash’s mouth and reverberated on her shoulder as the smell of her climax reached their nose.

Their hold on her chest roughened as they pulled her nipples further and faster, nails dragging across her skin. Their two fingers inside of her began to thrust in and out, slowly at first to help her accommodate before spreading themselves out as far as they could inside her small body. Each movement made her shudder and shake, warmth building at the base of her spine as her partner fucked her. It was so hard to keep herself quiet to the point that Taash had to move their hand from their chest and place their fingers inside her mouth. Drool was running down her chin as her tongue was played with, and the embarrassment was so much that she felt like she was going to fall over dead before she was able to cum again.

Their bite had finally released, leaving a dark red mark around one of her old scars and a bit of one of her tattoos. Kione could tell that they were tempted to leave a similar mark on her neck, but with the new armor it would be far too visible. Instead they nipped at her ear to push her closer ot the edge.

“Taarala… Taarala, I know you want to cum… I want to taste you,” they growled as their thrusting fingers began to lose their gentle pace. “Cum for me.”

As if Kione’s body had been trained for it, all the warmth that had been growing at the base of her spine and stomach overflowed and released. It covered Taash’s hand and flowed out around her small clothes and down against the leather of her new pants. Her head was spinning as she found herself hanging desperately to the balcony ledge, though Taash would never let her fall. Her face was flushed, her hair stuck to her forehead with sweat, and her tongue followed their fingers out of her mouth.

She looked an absolute mess but Taash would have said she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

They slowly pulled their hand out of her pants and licked at their fingers, but patiently waited for their partner to recover. The hand that had been in her mouth rested on her stomach to hold her steady as Taash kept an eye out for any onlookers.

Finally, after a few minutes, Kione was able to stand on her own and assess the damage.

“I think this will be the most uncomfortable walk I’ve ever had.”

“Why?”

“Wet. Leather. Pants.”

Taash laughed as they helped redo the buckles of her belts and rearrange her jacket. They paused a moment, eyeing the bite mark they had left on her shoulder before covering it.

“I’ll just carry you, then.”

Without a pause they pulled Kione up into their arms as if she was a princess. They smirked down at her as she floundered in their hold.

“This is more embarrassing than what we just did!” She protested, though they both knew she wasn’t trying too hard. Warrior versus warrior, one could have easily escaped the other’s hold if they wanted to.

[rook-apologist]

I want you to try and picture this: A city under siege in southern Thedas during the events of Veilguard. Hordes of Darkspawn laying waste to everything in sight as a besieged group of soldiers are all that stand between them and a scared gathering of refugees. Hope faded long ago as these defenders silently vow to take as many of the blighted fuckers down with them so long as it gives the refugees time to escape. As they brace for the oncoming horde, a cacophony of trumpets erupts from behind a nearby hill. The first thing they see are the raised banners sporting a familiar symbol that once brought peace to Thedas years ago. And then they hear the singing as the sun rises over the hill. And they know that hope has returned.

[fleshwerks]

yeeeeah, what monster would sacrifice like 10 mercenaries boat. fully manned and carrying around 200 people, and a shit ton of gunpowder and the cannon technology to use it and use it well. for an alliance of necessity with thedas' single most technologically advanced nation that's even giving the Tevene magocracy pause.

sure, we later learned that they were gonna betray you anyway, or at least one qunari faction was. but when the sky's split open, sure. save 10 randos who couldn't even get their job done properly, and fuck those 100 other souls, their war boat and all that firepower and someone in the north who can coordinate keeping tevene cultists in check where your southern ass can't reach.

it could'we worked if the inquisitor had the option to investigate beforehand, why the hell is a fully manned, large, explosive qunari ship, just one ship pulling up without a lighter escort fleet at the shore of a sea that they KNOW is infested with lighter, faster Venatori ships manned with fireball-slinging war mages (they're literally in Ferelden BECAUSE that massive, unwieldy oarship is chasing a troublesome, light Venatori smuggling ship lol, you're never gonna catch it with that behemoth of a dreadnought that evidently operates solely with oarsmen, no sail or mast in sight). That why does this massive and easily explodable gunship even pulling up at the shore when it should be sitting well out of the shore's reach while the qunari disembark in boats, allowing the ship to remain mobile and protected by its small support fleet that didn't apparently exist.

You could've done some real spy shit there, use Bull to truly suss out what the hell is going on with that house on oars showing up unprotected at a hostile shore. Instead you get an 'uhh idk, [bull disapproves the inquisitor being suspicious]' from him while his incompetent crew misses a spot check and now three (or was it four lel) fire mages lazily saunter down the shore without a worry in the world, fling three fireballs and the dreadnought while it sits there like a useless lump of kindling.

You could have had so much fun with that investigation, because for a people like the Qunari nation, the whole situation could've been set up as a win-win. They win the alliance, see what the Inquisition is made of, and secure their errant Southern spy's loyalty, or they figure out that the Inquisition is not reliable as an ally, is a threat to the Qunari ambitions (because it won't even sacrifice 10 mercs for a major alliance), and Iron Bull is outed as, if not a traitor, then at least a burned and useless asset. There really wasn't a situation there where the Qunari would lose, and it would've been wildly satisfying to try and figure out both before and after the loyalty quest that the Qunari tried to play you, and you can finally say it with satisfaction: 'and screw you and your 🛥 ⛴, we ain't regretting nuthin, we know what you're about.' Because on the surface, qunari and inquisition goals align at that point, and an alliance against Tevinter, where much of the ongoing threat originates, is very useful for the inquisition, especially since it means that out of two potential enemies, one enemy can at least be brought over to your side temporarily and be sicced on the other enemy.

But naw. It all boiled down to 'oop, can't have my mercenaries do what they were hired to do lol, because that'd be sad. Not like they didn't know what they were getting into when they became, idk, mercenaries?

[thelearnedsoldiertoo]

6, 13 and 18 for the rook questions!

6. Which character are they platonically close with?

Definitely Bellara. She sees a fellow Dalish woman and Elvish history nerd and goes 'oh okay we're besties now'. She also loves her energy and the fact she doesn't judge her emotional outbursts as much as some of the others.

13. What are their thoughts on killing? Is it a necessary evil or do they enjoy it?

Siwan hates killing. She never took a life at all before her sister rescued her in Inquisition, when she was almost thirty! She's an idealist at heart who wishes the world could be made a better place without anyone getting hurt, but she's been through the wringer enough that she knows that isn't really possible anymore, and that if she wants a better world she's going to have to fight for it--and that means people are going to die.

18. What would your Rook be doing if they weren't recruited by Varric?

Freeing slaves in Minrathous in between trying to find Solas to beat his egg-looking ass for pumping and dumping her sister. It took Hara practically begging her in the Swan to agree to not beat the shit out of Solas on sight and let her try to redeem him. Ultimately probably for the best, but Siwan fuckin' hates that dude, she'd have hunted him across Thedas for free.

Also have the Rook in question, by @theoasiswinds!

Thanks for the questions! ^w^

[angelsndragons]

so i've heard some people arguing against saving minrathous because 'well it just gets blighted at the endgame anyway' like besties let me tell you something -

endgame minrathous is blighted with what remains of ghilly's blight, not the blight at full strength. it doesn't have her creative/regenerative power because she's dead. we see this with the taken companion whose blight is removed after we defeat elgar'nan, the one thing keeping that blight stable and viable.

we see that the only things left are the tendrils, which are gonna need some hacking, slashing, and burning to remove but overall minrathous gets off light here.

especially since it's mostly high town/rich areas that get blighted in the endgame where the poor districts are blighted earlier. just saying, they'll make blight removal a priority there.

which brings me to my other point: 'oh they have a big fuck off laser, they'll be fine' besties did you forget all the demons you had to kill at the dock town level in the prologue??? no fuck off laser in sight

did you also forget that said fuck off laser is powered by the national government?

ya know, the government that's failing people because of the backstabbing, infighting, corruption, and literal assassination of rivals? the people spending their time destroying the lucerni party instead of doing literally anything useful??

yeah, you know that thing, the thing the venatori actively coups and takes over during the attack? the people with the fuck off laser were too busy dealing with the people using the dragon attack as cover for their literal coup. neve tells you this is what is going on.

aka big fuck off laser is off the board and the game tells you this.

'oh but it doesn't seem as bad-' you're handing the military and magical might of the one country capable of fighting the antaam (which it is currently doing, i might add) over to the antaam's allies and the gods which began the whole blood magic mess.

if edgar and ghilly were any kinds of smart, the tevinter+antaam alliances plus their blight should have overrun the continent in weeks. these are highly trained militaries with tech and power the rest of thedas cannot match (nevarra, you're the ones who give them a shot).

sure a lot of venatori are killed by the end of the game. but not all of them. and certainly not their families who automatically claim their seats upon said deaths. and there's no mechanism to keep them out. that's part of the problem!

that's why mae wants to go public with all the shit recovered from lenos- because while it's a long shot, that's the way you throw the venatori and their supporting family members out of the magisterium for good.

if you save treviso, you are dooming minrathous and tevinter to another two, three generations minimum of magisterium backstabbing, infighting, and assassinations while the people go unserved. dorian might be able to hold things together while he's alive, what's going to happen when he dies? when the only system of change that's ever worked is assassination, blackmail, and mutual destruction?