#they honored the idea that solas wanted to be stopped

[thebookworm0001]

I think solas’s body language in his atonement ending is just. good lord that man is tired of making world-altering decisions that hurt people.

you hand him the dagger after telling him that what he’s doing won’t do what he wants it to and the way he’s only barely holding it

It’s balanced on the tips of his fingers and once he holds it more firmly, it’s still such a loose grip and he’s tapping the blade in a way where you can see him considering what rook is saying

And then after he’s freed of mythal’s bonds - he looks back at the tears in the world and his eyes clear and there is no hesitation in how he draws that blade across his palm. He sees a way forward that doesn’t require him to doom thousands more to death and wastes no time choosing that other, better way.

He’s never wanted to do this. He’s never wanted the blood of yet another world on his hands. And the moment he’s free to find a better way, the only blood he spills is his own

[pinacoladamatata]

transcribing some codex letters.... Spoilers, obviously.

all the letters i've found from Felassan (not counting the ones that actually save in the codex, these are the ones found around the crossroads.) bc i want the text easy to copy for reasons

An Unknown Artifact

What are the Crossroads doing? "The spirits of the Crossroads do as they must, Felassan. As do we all." Thank you, Solas. That's incredibly useful. Really helps your old friend pull together a rebellion against the Evanuris. -Felassan

The Blighted Tree

This is a holy place. The tree draws strength from the earth, just as the first elves did. Some younger elves grow trees in the cities to honor their ancestors. Roots have a tendency to dig down and gnarl up, then twist around things they aren't supposed to, though. Hoping that metaphor doesn't stick. -Felassan

The Cathedral of roots

When we first started, this was a safe place for spirits who joined our cause to find peace from the stress of battle. Now… I don't know. Not a lot of spirits use it any longer. Have they grown stronger, or has the fight against the Evanuris made demons of us all? -Felassan

Mirrors upon Mirrors

This place is amazing. June's normal eluvians function with twinned lyrium fragments. One always leads to another. Solas somehow talked the crossroads into making Fade-eluvians that override them. His own network to run our rebellion. Provided you ignore all the old stories about holding mirror up to mirrors and getting caught in the infinite reflections. -Felassan

A refuge for Mythal

Solas always thought Mythal would join us eventually, that she was better than the rest of the Evanuris. He made this place so she'd be comfortable here once she joined the rebellion. Now it's too late. Solas has sealed this place off out of grief. He won't let me in. I'm sorry, my friend. There was something left for the war to take from you after all. -Felassan

Calm before the storm

I come here sometimes when I need to be myself. Not Solas's friend Felassan. Not the slow arrow of the rebellion. Just me. He hasn't been right since what happened with Mythal. He's planning something with the dagger. And if it were a good idea, he'd have told me. Damn it, Solas. I'm with you as long as we're protecting the innocent from the powerful, but you make it hard sometimes. -Felassan

The Empty Forest

This place used to be full of spirits who flocked to Solas's cause. When his ritual went wrong- when everything went wrong- he vanished, and the spirits stopped coming. Where are you, my friend? You stopped the Evanuris, but broke the world. Please tell me you didn't leave me to fix all this alone. -Felassan

[thefadecodex]

Our first real exposure actually beings with the Grand Oak tree in DAO! (Thank you @meganooooooooooooooo for pointing this out!)

Players began to notice a distinct cadence in Solas's speech during interactions in DAI. Notably, when he recounts moments from the Fade, his voice occasionally takes on a rhythm and tone reminiscent of a hymn or chant, evoking the cadence of "Hallelujah," specifically the K.D. Lang cover.

(note: @the-northern-continent does a great breakdown of the Hallelujah cadence vs iambic pentameter in this post. And @liaragaming does a good breakdown of Solas speaking in that cadence in this post.)

This has led The Fade Codex to theorize that this cadence reflects a dialect used by spirits—an ancient, rhythmic way of communication that blends emotion and intent through a deliberate structure. The 6/8 musical framework of the K.D. Lang Hallelujah cover. This framework prioritizes reflective pacing, 1-2-3 / 4-5-6 measures, and allows secondary stresses to create an emotional cadence.

This concept is further explored in Dragon Age: The Veilguard through various encounters with spirits. Below are examples that demonstrate this rhythmic, almost lyrical, pattern in their speech:

The Anxious Spirit (A Spirit of Comfort) - Arlathan Forest

"Trapped. Can't get out. It hurts. It's dark. Please. They didn't know what to do. They didn't want to die."

TRAPPED. CAN'T get OUT. It HURTS. It's DARK. PLEASE. They DIDN'T know what to DO. They DIDN'T want to DIE.

"Stop the thoughts. Stop the fears. Quiet, please. Make it quiet."

STOP the THOUGHTS. STOP the FEARS. QUI-et, PLEASE. MAKE it QUI-et.

Eulogy (Originally a Spirit of Compassion) - Minrathous

"Something larger stirs. Calling the desperate. I cannot see what."

SOME-thing LARG-er STIRS. CALL-ing the DES-per-ATE. I CAN-not SEE what.

"Know the hope you bring Dock Town thwarts it. And may you continue."

KNOW the HOPE you BRING. DOCK TOWN THWARTS it. AND may YOU con-TIN-ue.

"As you found their names, I felt them whisper through the Fade."

As YOU found their NAMES, I FELT them WHIS-per THROUGH the FADE.

"My own name changed. I am now Eulogy."

My OWN name CHANGED. I AM now EU-lo-GY.

Hope Unyielding - Hossberg Wetlands

"Light glimmers the surface. Flowers break through snow. Hope unexpected. I am such."

LIGHT glim-MERS the SUR-face. FLOW-ers BREAK through SNOW. HOPE un-EXPECT-ed. I AM SUCH.

"No. But nor was I forever."

NO. But NOR was I for-EV-er.

Pluck - Hall of Valor

"What foul-hearted spirit tugs at the corners of your lips to turn them down so?"

What FOUL-heart-ed SPIR-it tugs at the COR-ners of your LIPS to TURN them DOWN so?

"Greetings, Mourn Watcher. You are a long ways from Nevarra."

GREET-ings, MOURN Watch-er. YOU are a LONG ways from Ne-VAR-ra.

Emmrich (to Pluck)

"Hail to you, child of Valor. As voice of our lightless shores, I pray your blade may never sunder."

HAIL to YOU, child of VAL-or. As VOICE of our LIGHT-less SHORES, I PRAY your BLADE may NEV-er SUN-der.

Pluck

"You honor me. Few remember the old ways."

You HON-or ME. Few re-MEM-ber the OLD WAYS.

The phrase "the old ways," as used by Pluck, is believed to reference this rhythmic, cadenced speech. It’s a pattern steeped in intent, echoing the emotional resonance of the Fade itself.

Grand Oak - West Brecilian Forest

(image source)

What manner of beast be thee that comes before this elder tree?

What MAN-ner of BEAST be THEE that COMES be-FORE this EL-der TREE?

Ahhhh, yes, I remember thy kind. So brief of life and all but blind to the peril you cause, the lives you take, such chaos is down within thy wake.

AHHH, yes, I re-MEM-ber THY kind. SO brief of LIFE and ALL but BLIND. To the PER-il you CAUSE, the LIVES you TAKE. Such CHA-os is DOWN with-IN thy WAKE.

This dialect may serve as both a form of communication and an expression of a spirit's essence, allowing them to convey ideas, emotions, and purpose in a way that transcends mere words.

This theory deepens our understanding of how spirits interact with mortals and each other, highlighting the unique and poetic nature of their existence.

[bleummie]

Up and Adder

Okay, so the brainworms had a thought, and Viago is just such a good character. Plus, this letter made me cackle when I read it in-game. I love him and Teia together, but couldn’t stop thinking about this idea. Both Rook and Bishop (Rook’s twin) are Elven with the Crow background! Can’t decide if I want to write more on this or not yet!

_________________________________________

Rook was a little shocked by the fact she’d found a letter adorned with the seal of the Antivan crows upon waking, tapping her fingers on the teacup clutched in her hand. With a raised eyebrow and a look of recognition, Lucanis fell into step behind her, halting just short enough to feel the body heat radiating off her back. 

He clutched his coffee cup tighter, giving Rook a sympathetic look. His nose scrunched at the smell of her tea, but he made no effort to move away as he tried to read the letter over her shoulder. 

Upon first inspection, there was a note in a different handwriting from the rest, scrawled messily in the top margin. 

“Rook, if you don’t mind getting this letter to your sister, that would be appreciated. I found this crumpled up beside the waste bin in 

Vi’s office and thought it was too good not to send.

-Teia”

Rook snorted in amusement at that, before sipping on her tea some more, earning her a disgusted noise from Lucanis. She shot him a playful glare before continuing to read the letter. 

The date reads six months ago- six months into Rook and Bishop’s not-so-subtle leave of absence from the Crows. While Rook remained pissed at Bishop for impulsive ‘plan’ that led to the rescue gone wrong that got them sent away from home with Varric, she couldn’t deny that what they did was worth it. 

With a sigh at the memory (and her sisters impulsive antics), she continues reading the letter. 

“Idiot: 

I hope you're reading this. If the trail really has led you to Tevinter, it'll be harder to get messages through. The Antaam in Antiva are prickly about anything to do with our neighboring kingdom. Back home, things have cooled, but they are not forgotten. Killing all those Antaam may have felt righteous in the moment, but the Talons are still complaining that your actions ruined weeks of setting up a larger, more effective strike. 

I am one of the Talons still complaining. Consider this trip with Varric a contract. Crows don't fail contracts, especially Crows from House de Riva who may need to improve their judgment. But there is more at stake than honor. Whatever this "Solas" is up to needs to be stopped. I've seen enough of his handiwork to know that.

Don't get careless out there. Don't fail. And don't get yourself killed, or I will come after you in the Fade myself.

-Viago”

Rook couldn’t stop the chuckle that tore from her throat at the passive aggressive unsent letter addressed to her sister. She turned to Lucanis to show him the letter as well, watching his face closely as it contorted into an amused smirk. 

“Something juicy?” Neve asks as she saunters over to the kitchen table with her own cup of coffee. 

“Just a funny letter addressed to my sister.” Rook replies, holding out the letter with a small chuckle. With a raised eyebrow, Neve takes it, scanning over the note amusedly. 

“This Viago seems awfully concerned.” Neve chuckles with a knowing smirk. 

“That’s seriously what you took from that?” Lucanis asks incredulously with a shake of his head. 

“Bishop’s always had a way of getting under Viago’s skin. It’s quite entertaining actually. But Teia’s always ranted about how whenever Bishop isn’t there he gets more pissy than usual. I’m not sure that’s possible though, considering when she is there, she drives him up the wall.” Rook admits. 

As if on cue, looking absolutely disheveled, Bishop sauntered into the dining hall, very obviously having just woken up. Mindlessly, the elf shuffles over to the coffee, and dispenses some for herself, stretching in the process. Alert, her eyes dart over to the group gathered around the table. 

“What’s this?” Bishop points to the letter in Rook’s hand. 

With a slight chuckle, and poorly contained laughter from the rest of the group, Bishop takes the letter suspiciously. 

As she reads the first couple lines of Viago’s scrawl, Bishop lets out a loud cackle, which only becomes louder as she reads the rest of the note. 

“Yikes.” Is the only response from the elf as she carefully folds the letter, giving away the fact that her defiant and unbothered attitude she presented wasn’t exactly the truth. Gingerly, she tucks the letter into her pants pocket and finishes adding cream and sugar to her coffee. This earns a couple raised eyebrows and a knowing look from Neve, but Bishop ignores it for now, as she walks off with her coffee. 

“How long have your sister and him been involved?” Neve asks pointedly. 

Rook raises an eyebrow curiously, and Lucanis stifles a chuckle. “They aren’t? What?” 

“You sure? Wasn’t he the one that immediately went on a rant directed at your sister when we went to inquire about hiring Lucanis? Which, I’ll remind you, was pretty much the second your sister set foot out of the eluvian at the Diamond.” Neve says with a chuckle. 

“Yeah. He was. But that’s just how they always are.” Rook replies

“I remember that. They bickered like an old married couple.” Harding interjects, obviously having listened in to the earlier discussion. This causes a raised eyebrow from Lucanis. 

“Your sister back talks the Talon of house de Riva, and gets away with it? Seriously, that’s-“ He asks. 

“Yeah, but she’s also one of the only people dumb enough to do so.” Rook interrupts. 

“I think he’s fond of her. And I’ve only got one interaction and this letter to base it off of.” Neve adds with a smirk. 

“But him and Teia-“ 

“Are together for a week before splitting for months on end. Then repeating the process.”  Lucanis adds thoughtfully, as if he’s piecing together the possibility of Viago feeling something for Rook’s somehow more chaotic twin. 

“Next time you see the two of them, just watch.” Neve says as she pats her now mortified friend on the shoulder. 

Lucanis gives Rook a sympathetic smile before placing a kiss to the top of her head, and squeezing her shoulder. 

“Not you too, Lucanis. Please tell me Neve is completely off base with this guess.” In response, Lucanis only quietly presses another kiss to her hair, not answering Rook directly. Rook grumbles, now reanalyzing every single moment she’s ever seen with the Talon of their house and Bishop. 

Rook grimaces at the thought of having to investigate further, but supposes there is no harm in paying closer attention next time they seem to all have business in Treviso. 

Right?

[lavender-tea-fling]

VIBRATING EXCITEDLY BC @sunny374940 THE LEGEND TAGGED ME FOR WIP SATURDAY

Let’s see, I think the only thing that’s fit for human eyes is “I’ll be home with you” (though I started a post-final battle scene where Rook leaves a party thrown in his honor to keep an overnight vigil in the morgue and Emmrich brings snacks) so I have a treat for yall: a soft moment before shenanigans <3.

It’s times like this that make Rook ALMOST miss having Solas in his head, just to torment the bastard. He never heard the end of the “Rook, please stop having sex dreams about your Gentleman Necromancer, it is MOST inappropriate” complaints from the ancient mage. Now that they live together full time, there hasn’t been a single moment when Rook isn’t thinking about him somehow. It would have driven that cocky asshole nuts to hear the sort of ideas he’s been having lately about new ways to make Emmrich come undone.

God, Rook loves that man. He can’t wait to marry him.

Speaking of.

Some time after breakfast (and other more… strenuous activities), a loud rhythmic knock pulls Rook from his blissful revere.

“Emmrich, were you expecting anyone?” Rook murmurs, not wishing to break the magic of the moment. He leans back against the headboard, casually running calloused fingers through his lover’s greying hair.

“I don’t believe so. Later, yes, but…” Emmrich blinks up at him for a moment, then grabs his pocket watch from the bedside table. “Goodness gracious, is it noon already?” All too soon, Emmrich disentangles himself from Rook’s hands and begins to frantically dress. “Get dressed, dearest. Some of our old friends wished to stop by today.”

Rook raises an eyebrow. “Is this a… new development? I thought I’d have you for the day.”

Emmrich leans over to kiss his forehead. “Needs must, I’m afraid. I had promised a colleague of mine a response to a recent inquiry before long, but fear not! I will see you this evening. Meanwhile, I took the liberty to invite Neve and Bellara to keep you company in the meantime, if that’s alright?”

“Neve and Bellara?” Rook sits up immediately. The aftermath of the elven gods had been difficult on everyone, but between the Nadas Darthalan and the damage to Minrathous, the two women haven’t had a moment to themselves in nearly fourteen months. “How on earth did you manage to find a moment where they weren’t getting swamped with work?”

“I have my ways.” Emmrich smiles mischievously. “I’ll get the door while you finish getting ready.”

With a wink, the door creaks shut behind him.

Tagging @piipaw @tinygamertris @woundedsoul12 @the-font-bandit and whoever else wants in!

[buttsonthebeach]

The World Was Wide Enough Chapter 4 is here!

(...I did the chapter number wrong on Tumblr last time but then decided I WASN'T wrong because the first chapter is a prologue so... there.) The World Was Wide Enough contains both my retelling of Veilguard from Ellana's POV, as well as now several chapters of Ellana and Solas slowly healing, confronting Solas's past, and figuring out how they can come back together after everything they've been through while in the Fade prison. We're back to Solas's POV this chapter, to face what he did to the Titans. Preview below the cut!

“I went as far as I could go in the forest,” she said. “Then I started to see eyes. Titans’ eyes.”

Solas didn’t feel fear at her words. Instead he felt distant from himself. Like he was watching something from far away. A sin so ancient, with so many others piled on top of it, that he had forgotten its true weight. A long, deep wound that had simply scarred over, with no care or attention to the knotted tissue beneath the surface.

“They didn’t try to harm me,” Ellana added. “But I didn’t try to go further than that. It seemed like they were there for you.”

He remembered drifting through vast green spaces, watching the Titans, watching the dwarves who served them quietly, admiring their union of purpose, delighting in the song of the lyrium whenever he could hear it.

“You are right of course. They are not here for you.”

He tried to move his feet, to head in the direction of the forest, but they wouldn’t move.

“Solas?”

“I do not believe I am ready to face them,” he said finally, and then he felt something. Shame, a familiar tide, washing over him.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Being here is enough.”

Ellana went to one of the shelves and began examining the books he’d summoned, and eventually Solas stopped being rooted to where he stood. He picked up his charcoal and paper and began sketching ideas. No regrets, this time. Places and people he wanted to honor and remember.

They stayed like that for two days, keeping to their new home, puttering around the forest and the library, sleeping under the stars. He began to get used to sleeping beside her again, even if it was in separate bedrolls still. It was a familiar and unthinkable luxury, having her there.

Then on the third day, the Titans’ eyes began appearing in the parts of the forest even closer to their new home. Still, unblinking, silent. Waiting.

[hoboblaidd]

( not sending this on anon HEHE. you want dark ritual consequences? here they are :3 )

It occurs to me that in crafting your precious dagger so long ago, you doomed me, Solas — you doomed us all. You knew what would happen if you severed the titans from their dreams. You knew I walked in their dreams as their friend, didn't you? No doubt that Mythal told you as much, and you're clever enough to have suspected as much even if she didn't. Yes, no doubt you think that there was no other way - but tell me: did you even bother to ask me directly? To consult with me first, before forging such a weapon? All of this is by her design, make no mistake, down to my very being here. You condemn me for all that came after — and you're right, even if your actions necessitated my own. As for my misdeeds? I make no excuses any longer, and nor should you. Choices have consequences, and only now does it occur to me how dearly I've paid dearly for your treachery, time and time again.

The knowledge used to create that dagger… it came from somewhere, didn't it? Only now do I recall those conversations we had. Innocent queries regarding the use of lyrium in weapons, I thought. You wanted to know out of pure academic curiosity, you said — and I was only too happy to indulge you. So delighted was I by your cleverness and your apparent interest in my craft, that I had no notion that I was being used. Used, like my eluvians. My vir eluvelin. My ideas. My face. My very essence. If not by Elgar'nan, then by Mythal, or by you. But I suppose that I must applaud such shrewdness, even if it has brought only ruin.

You looked me in the eye once and said you believed in the freedom of all living things. You condemned us for taking that freedom away from others, yet you took ours — twice. You buried me to the very depths of your regret in the earth — and in so doing, tortured an innocent creature for the crime of being a willing protector of my person. The part of me you couldn't bury, you simply locked away. Hah! The so-called gods of the People, as mad and blighted as marsh rats! We deserved no less, I think. But the fact remains: the wolf has become that which he most passionately hates and hunts. How very, very bitter.

Knowing that a part of me survives must gall you terribly. You would see our places swapped, wouldn't you? You think I belong in this new prison with the others, don't you? Indeed, how I dare I make an effort to redeem myself and stop Elgar'nan's madness. For the People. For what he did to me. For what he did to Sylaise. For what he did to Mythal. To this world. To all of us. For what he is still doing, and will certainly do again if we don't stop him. So I've come here to tell you what you once told me, because you were once a far better listener than I: you can stop these mad schemes at any time, Solas. There is a better way. If we tried, we could find it together. But I wonder: do you even care? Your thirst for vengeance now shames the sun.

As for the one who now carries me? You are more alike than you care to realize. Mythal and Urthemiel... I saw them inside you right away. More powerful materials used to achieve your craft, perhaps? It seems you've begun to think as I once did. You, who despised me for using others to perfect and achieve my craft. You, who despised my brothers and sisters for doing the same, but it seems that you are no better in the end! Indeed, I think Fen'Harel has earned his place at our side, and as he so wisely observed long ago: it's hardly a badge of honor. May you wear it well, Solas, and may you learn, as I have.

ask meme | go for the throat - criticize/negate solas' relationships

“Had Mythal desired your input, she would surely have asked it. As it stands, she trusted me to carry out her will.

“Your words are harsh, Clever June, but do not strike as true as you might wish in your arrogance. The greatest joy I have taken from your existence was when I believed you as dead as your dear Sylaise.”

[warpedlegacy]

15 Lines of Dialogue - Theresa Trevelyan

Thanks for the tag @theluckywizard! Tagging @inquisimer, @demawrites, and @varric-tethras-editor.

Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well!

Theresa can be a tough nut to crack for people. She's very guarded at first, and is plagued by resting bitch face and a piercing stare, so comes off as aloof or cold to most. But beneath that, she's passionate, righteous, generous, and protective. She's a mage who hated the captivity of the Circles, and is determined to use her power as Inquisitor to put an end to them once and for all. To create a future where mages are free, and without fear. She will always throw herself head-first into the fray, whether it's on the battlefield or at the Orlesian Court. Her greatest fear is losing who she is to this legend being made of her.

“Storms do not discriminate, Alexius,” I answered. “You would have done well to remember that when you agreed to unleash one upon Thedas in the service of a would-be god.”

“I do not traipse, Commander.”

“Should I expect such gossip to start taking up room on our agenda with regularity? Because if so, I shall have to make accommodations to allow for the extra time.”

"I can’t recall the last time I was allowed to just… be. Maybe I never was. I don’t think I even know how."

“I don’t have the right temperament for healing.” 

“I have no idea what [Solas is] capable of anymore. I was a fool to believe I ever knew him. He hides his true face too well. We have that in common.” ... “I thought I could use that to protect myself from him. I warded my corner of the Fade using memories of us. Hoping the guilt would keep him away. It was the height of hubris. Something else we share.”

"Stop trying to mythologise it. There’s no grand purpose in this. No rhyme or reason. My pain is not simply a means to an end. It happened. To me. It's not divine. In fact, it's perfectly banal. His hatred… your faith… the fanatics who idolise me… it all comes from the same place.”

“I know I don’t really have a say in how the Inquisition moves forward, but I want to make it absolutely clear now that I will not participate in anything I find objectionable. And I won’t allow you to ignore me anymore. You don’t have to listen to my opinions, but you will at least hear them.”

“Safe?” I laughed at the absurdity. “We were never safe in the Circles. You’re forgetting I was raised in one. I could tell you stories of Templars that would make your blood run cold!”

“You took everything from me!” I screamed at them. “My life! My dignity! My home! I can’t love because of you! I can’t trust because of you! I have nothing left! It’s not fair! I hate you! I hate you! I wish I could have killed the lot of you! I wish I had caused the explosion! Then at least I would have had my revenge!”

“Yes, I am quite the rebellious bookworm,” I announced with all the weight of an oath of honor. “My reach is great. Fear my power.”

“Corypheus tore open the Veil in the name of faith. Templars slaughtered mages because faith drove them to fear us rather than protect us. I am not asking you to follow me out of faith. I’m not ‘chosen’. I have chosen. Chosen to stand between the flame and the world it seeks to consume. The Inquisition will - and must - fight for all of us. With all the power granted to me, and only for as long as you see fit that I should keep it, I give my word that I will be the shield that protects those most in need of it. And I vow to place my faith in all of you, who have helped uplift me. I will never cease working to be worthy of this honor.”

“We have been many things to each other. We’ve pushed and pulled each other, reshaped each other in ways I’m still discovering. Falling in love with you was like gravity. It was never an overt decision, it simply happened. But for love to last, it can’t be an excuse. Love is… a verb. A deliberate and conscious choice. And so I choose to love you. And I will choose it, over and over, because we have shaped a beautiful home in each other. You are the home I choose, Cullen.”

“Well, in that case, welcome to the Inquisition. I hear we’re a dour lot. Perhaps you can help liven things up.”

“I haven’t yielded yet,” she fires back. “Which means I haven’t lost.” 

[selchwife]

incohate 3am consideration about the emet solas distinction

i think about this a lot lately bc its crazy to me that for all their similarities i have totally different responses to them. veilguard spoiliops

emet was alive doing evil deeds the whole time. solas was not. it gave emet the time to develop his weird dissociative coping mechanisms, and sunk cost fallacy is a huge part of why he keeps barreling down the worst possible path beyond just Duty and Obligation and Ideological Commitment. there is a very real part of him that wants to stop, but he feels this part of him is a betrayal of what is moral and just. this is the part of him that engineers suicide by wol as a way to escape the trap he's stuck himself in.

solas by contrast Feels Bad in a way that comes across as very abstract, if not...self-serving, almost. i feel like when he talks about how bad he feels that his stupid rejoining Veil Nonsense is going to kill a bunch of people, there's some loophole in his brain that thinks that being kind of performatively sad about it balances out the moral scales. i havent gotten to this bit in veilguard yet but apparently he used to be a spirit of wisdom and got turned into pride (hence his name, i saw a theory about this ages ago and i love that it was true). i think that kind of fundamentally confirms a lot of what ive worried was an uncharitable read of his character; he's self-absorbed and self-aggrandizing and too full of certitude because it's in his nature as a corrupted spirit. like yes of course. i wasnt just being a bitch for finding it grating they did it on purpose the signs are all there

anyway i think like. in more ways than i had initially thought they are also similar. they both have a kind of self-serving way of dealing with their emotions and a certain selfishness to them, and of course emet-selch is a deeply prideful person. it's just that emet also has a deeper layer of intense complicated self-loathing that i think is more humanizing and solas is patting his own ass all the way down.

i also do kind of sympathize with emet's grief and reasoning more. he's more concerned with bringing dead people and a way of life back and honoring his duty to them than he is with the vague idea of better magic. not that either of them are right, but it's easier to look at the massive swathe of corpses in emet's wake he's left for the sake of His Dead People and feel an understanding because Everybody Has Dead People, I Miss Mine Too. i could give a fuck that they got rid of ancient bluetooth when they burned the library of alexandria or whatever. massively oversimplifying but still.

it's also like...we see the worlds both of them lost. emet's was kind of a rotten nightmare for those who were unable to meet its standards, but on a superficial level a paradise, and one can understand his attachment to it as someone who fit in well and was deeply respected. also he is not responsible for what happened to end that society. the ancient world in da was like. hi welcome to slavery. just slavery forever. unbelievable constant slavery and empire. and solas was like, i think i hate slavery world, i think i will do something drastic about slavery world, and now he's sad because in liberating the masses he lost out on ancient bluetooth. and now things suck in a different way but still.

and all that is not to say emet is morally better. emet is an infinitely worse person than solas if you're looking at raw facts. it's more about which of them i feel more sympathetic for on a personal level and which one of them grates me less. i think like.

to sum it up i guess, i feel like emet has a more genuine, vulnerable interior that he's running damage control about all the time. that's a very real thing and i find it easy to connect to. solas. well actually veilguard genuinely distills this to its bare essence lol bc hrding talks about how he always seemed lonely and i think rook is like "hard not to be when you hold yourself above everybody else." i think solas kind of "likes" being miserable because it's part of an image of solas he's selling himself, like, this hard-up heroic figure making impossible choices and Nobody Understands and blah blah blah. emet is not really doing that. i think he gestures at it but ultimately his main reaction to the distress and alienation his own actions create in his life is to make more guys about it. and also try to gnaw his own leg off like an animal in a trap. and fuck a guy half his age. what i'm saying is that i think his suffering is a lot more genuine

and related to that, the thing is both of them could stop at any time. but i think emet's complicating factors (sunk cost fallacy, explicit duty, genuine belief in saving lives/reviving the dead) still make more sense than solas' (.....ok well you guys are alive and your way of life i guess has some merit but i have to still the veil Because everything is different thoughhh). maybe im misremembering solas' exact reaction here but that was the impression i got at the end of trespasser and it was very like, "Bro you are doing this to yourself at every turn stop acting like there's a gun to your head about it." emet doing it to himself is like, "oh honey. you are doing this to yourself :("

[icharchivist]

arg something unexpected just ate away all my evening and i am not going back to my game this late

so, Screenshot times

Veilguard Spoilers

:( the irony is that here Lucanis cannot help but put himself in CYRIAN's place instead of Bellara. he sees himself as the sibling who came back wrong, twisted. So much so he apologizes for comparing himself because no doubt Cyrian is better than him, actually

but the irony is really that Lucanis and Bellara should be able to relate to one another - and they probably do, even if they don't realize it.

Both of them were separated from an (almost) sibling, who "always kept them safe and out of trouble", who "would always clean after my mess", and both suffered a lot from this separation. yet in some way they stayed alive because they held on to said sibling (Lucanis was spiteful and wanted revenge and it's how he survived, but he also wanted his family back. Bellara was in shamble after her brother's "death" but it's thinking about him that pushed her to keep going)

And finally they're able to reunite with their family only to realize they were betrayed to the core of who they were, against everything they stood for. Lucanis and Illario were bond by their common family tragedy, and Bellara and Cyrian by their curiosity, but Lucanis and Bellara tried to honor this, while both Illario and Cyrian betrayed them out of that reason.

Now their siblings are taking away the things they love (Illario kidnapping Caterina and faking her death, and trying to keep Lucanis away from the others Crows by calling him a demon, and Cyrian by turning Bellara's friends into demons, leading to their death)

and will be an even greater danger if they're not being stopped (Illario pledging himself to the Venatori, who are the Evanuris' militia, and Cyrian pledging himself to Anaris, a Forgotten One -- ironically, therefore, putting them on the sides of a two-sided long forgotten war while Lucanis and Bellara fight in the middle, for the people) (Like Solas did as he "walked as a peer both with the [Evanuris] and the Forgotten Ones, before tricking both of them", extending again the idea of the Companions extending on Solas)

While also basically giving the people they love away to the Gods they had sworn to battle (Illario giving the Crows away to the Venatori, Cyrian giving the Veil Jumpers away to Anaris)

and both of them have the same conflict of, where does that leave them? Their sibling was all they had left, it was everything for them, their fuel to move on, the one thing they held on to. And both now have to deal with what the betrayal entails.

at least where the difference happen is that the Crows are used to betrayal and the Dellamorte especially already experienced betrayal so deeply that there's a sense of fated doom to it. Like Lucanis can swallow it much more easily because the title of First Talon did cause people to betray each other. Just because he hoped Illario would be different doesn't mean there's no precedent.

but for Bellara everything is just so new because she never expect this betrayal from someone she loves.

I hope that once both affairs are settled they may see how much in common they actually have and will be able to relate to one another and see this pain.

I also think it's interesting that it's the storyline for the two people who nurture the crew and feed them. Both of them take this nurturing role of watching over everyone's needs, and they're the two who have to live with the big family betrayal.

I also think this level of "extremely intimate betrayal" may also be a parallelism to how Solas felt betrayed that after everything he sacrificed for Mythal, she still became a tyrant with the Evanuris, even if it was for nobler reasons, and that in the end she opposed to everything he did to fix it.

The same way Illario, Cyrian and Mythal started to hurt people in order to hold on to the promise of better days. The promise of power that corrupt that Solas was talking about in a cutscene earlier. And where does that leave the people affected by it.

Solas killed Mythal at the end. In my playthrough at least, Lucanis showed Illario Mercy. I hope Bellara's ending will be closer to Lucanis' than Solas'.

[theladypirate]

alright then let me hit you with this: which dragon age oc would do the best in a farming sim?

Either my Warden Mahariel (romanced Morrigan, chose to complete the ritual, desperately wants to have people stop asking him to make political decisions, taught Kieran how to cook bc gods knows Morrigan can't) or (ex) Inquisitor Adaar (romanced Sera, two handed warrior, befriended Solas bc she thought he was an interesting little weirdo, wishes people would stop calling her by titles she didn't try to get)

Mahariel is a chill dude who likes botany and alchemy and cooking and dislikes cold weather and sour foods. He would love living in a nice little farm and growing his little plants and raising his kiddo with his hot tsundere goth wife and occasionally killing monsters.

Adaar has no idea what to do with plants and can and would kill a cactus on accident. But she loves animals so she would be okay on a farm raising her odd animals and befriending the weirdos in town and unintentionally making women swoon by lifting logs when cleaning her farm up

Honorable mention to Mona Hawke (purple, romanced Isabela, mage, liked living in Lothering actually, really wanted to learn more about farming but ended up having to flee to Kirkwall, and now shes a pirate with her hot pirate gf so like. Maybe that's for the best.

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Ideas #7: ITFOYL, but make it Dorian/Male Lavellan

Look, you all know I've an unhealthy obsession with time travel fics. I usually end up wanting to write three for any fandom I cross. And after reading some truly wonderful fics involving Dorian and Tevinter culture in general, I find myself wanting a time travel fix-it where it's Dorian that's sent back in time to fix things, preferably with a Dorian/Male Lavellan slant to things.

aka The Magister Who Loved Me fic

Imagine this:

In the original timeline, DA:I goes wildly AU just before the Arbor Wilds. Hand-wavy on the details, but whatever happens makes Corypheus the one who eventually carries on the years-long, world-destroying war so many fics assume Solas starts post-DA:I. This is crucial, as for all his foreknowledge, Dorian does not know Solas is the Dread Wolf. No one does.

Regardless of what exactly Corypheus does, after years of fighting Corypheus ends up killing the Inquisitor - maybe in battle, maybe because the Inquisitor is much weakened by the mark after bearing it for years, maybe assassination - and Dorian spends a number of years working with his former mentor to use their time travel magic to go back to the beginning to save everyone.

The Breech, having made all magic unstable, warps their casting so that instead of going back to the Conclave, Dorian is flung back into his 16-year-old body in the Minrathous Spire. Which is better but also worse, because a butterfly flap could make it so that the Blight doesn't end so quickly, or an Exalted March is called on Kirkwall, or Lavellan dies at the Conclave and someone else becomes Inquisitor and Dorian never has a chance to meet the love of his life.

So Dorian decides to game the system.

He still doesn't want to pretend to be someone he's not or live a life of luxurious despair, but he also doesn't really have interest in any of the men around him because 1) Dorian's mentally twice the age of everyone around him, 2) meaningless sex isn't doing it for him anymore after knowing the alternative, and 3) he really is quite gone on Lavellan, having turned back time for his sake. So he throws himself into his studies and on the face of things is exactly the son his parents wanted.

With all his experiences from his first life plus all his studies now, he finds himself becoming a Senior Enchanter by the age of 20...

...which is about the time that his father drops dead, allowing Dorian to become one of the youngest Magisters ever. (He never knows for sure, but he thinks his mother had Halward poisoned once her son was magically strong enough to represent the family, if only so she wouldn't have to deal with Halward herself anymore. He's never sure how to feel about this.)

And for several years it works out, with Dorian being a fairly liberal Magister who knows when to bite his tongue in public (because if he doesn't, they'll kill him and all this will be for naught), until someone reads the wrong thing into him buying large tracts of land along the border with the Free Marches, and they send him to be Ambassador to Nevarra - nominally an honor, but mostly to try to neutralize whatever threat they imagine him to be.

This ends up working out fairly well, because 1) there's only so much Dorian can bite his tongue with the Magisterium, 2) his Underground Railroad can mostly run without him now, funneling slaves into his borderlands estates from which they can slip out to any number of free cities and never be found, and 3) he gets to spend a lot of time researching with the best necromancers in Thedas.

But still the Blight comes. The Kirkwall Chantry is still destroyed. Corypheus still survives his seeming death at Hawke's hands. Dorian can do nothing to stop these things.

All of which leads to the main thrust of the fic: that is, Dorian walking into Haven a handful of days after the destruction of the Conclave and offering his services.

Everyone is naturally suspicious because Tevinter Magister, but they accept - maybe because he admits to the advisors at least that he's lived through this once before, maybe because he prevaricates that he's a Dreamer to explain his foreknowledge, maybe because Liliana figured out he's been playing the long game to reform Tevinter the way she wants to reform Orlais - and things go more in line with how we see them in the game. Mainly, the Arbor Wilds happens and they're able to defeat Corypheus fairly quickly this go around.

I really feel there should be more of this - Dorian still so in love with Male Lavellan, but feeling unable to make a move even after waiting 15+ years for him because 1) he has an unfair advantage already knowing everything that made Lavellan fall for him the first place and 2) he is an actual slave-owning Magister this go around, even if most the slaves that don't get funneled into the Underground Railroad are slaves on paper and paid workers in fact - and angst and general all the wonderful discussions about what it means to be a slave, or a god, or complicit even with the best of intentions in a broken system as in the brilliant In the face of your light by @noverturemusings, but my brain has come up with more backstory than actual plot, as it does.

Also, as much angst as I want there to be, there should be a background thread of everyone finding Dorian just a tad odd, as you'd probably expect from someone who has watched the love of their life die failing to prevent the end of the world and relived 15-odd years of their life trying to undo it. Amongst other things, he's entirely too unsurprised by things he should be surprised by (Skyhold, Corypheus, The Fade etc). He also has weird moments of utterly black depressive nihilism that are completely at odds with his normal DA:I personality that it's concerning in the hide the knives sort of way. It always passes, but, again, concerning.

And... that's really all I have. Maybe the specifics of how Dorian would fix things will come to me in time, but got rather hung up on how he might game the system leading up to that, as it were.

As always, feel free to adopt the bunny, but link me if you decide to do anything with it.

More Terrible Fic Ideas

[someonepleasegivemechocklate]

A clusterfuck of a Star Wars AU where Leia is raised on Naboo

So, I've always had this world in my mind where Anakin never turned evil and I always had a world in which Leia was raised by Sola Naberrie (Padmé's older sister) alongside her cousins Pooja and Ryoo. SO, I decided - best of both worlds and my mind created this shit show.

So Luke still went to the Lars, obliviously and he was raised by them but Leia went to Sola. Which made no sense for me - even if I'm the one who made this AU in the first place - because Palpatine wasn't dumb he would connect the dots that Leia Naberrie was Padmé and Anakin's child if he knew that Padmé Amidala and Padmé Naberrie were the same people.

So I decided that in my AU Padmé was a very common old name on Naboo (like their version of Mary) so no one knew that Senator Padmé Amidala/Queen Amidala was also a girl who came from modest origins (Padmé's parents and sister were pretty normal from what I can tell) and they assumed that the former Queen chose the name Padmé when she became a Senator and that it wasn't her real name (I imagine the handmaidens kept this rumor going around cause it protected Padmé Naberrie's identity better). So basically, we have a Hannah Montanna situation going. Just put some face paint.

(This means that it was Dormé's body at Senator Amidala's funeral and Padmé was buried wherever Naberries are buried and they say she died in childbirth while Padmé Amidala died pregnant. Imagine how Dormé died yourself if you want to cause I quite frankly have no clue.)

So, now, Leia Naberrie is being raised by her Aunt Sola and Uncle Darred (or just Aunt Sola for people who prefer the AroAce thing they did last minute) alongside her cousins Ryoo and Pooja.

But I wanted her to be a politician, rebel, and Princess so - I sort of lost control of this whole thing.

Leia Naberrie went into politics into a young age despite her aunt's reservations but the woman had watched her own mother try and fail to do the same with Padmé when she was younger and couldn't stop her own two daughters either so yeah.

The handmaidens who survived (Sabé, Rabé, Saché, Yané, Elitraé, Morteé) effectively became a part of the Rebel Alliance and Sabé especially looked out for little Leia knowing that with her mother's ambitions and her father's temperament she would only be a little troublemaker. This led to Leia joining the Alliance at age 14. No one could stop her and they didn't try if they knew what was good for them.

Meanwhile, talking about her life on Naboo she supported her friend Sosha Soruna for Queen in the elections (Sosha supported the Alliance knowing about it from Leia), and when Soruna won, she created a position for Leia in her Council that would effectively give her an in to spy into the Empire as she would follow Palpatine's lapdog Senator from Naboo (when he dies, Pooja will be the Senator) it's basically like Vice-President but it has another title: Princess.

So Princess Leia Amidala of Naboo (they assume she took the name to honor the deceased Senator and Queen, Leia did it to honor her mother) is a goddamn badass.

(Also there's a thing where they say that the "Rebellion was born on Naboo" cause Padmé started it and the rebels of Naboo and a lot of others call her the "Mother of the Rebellion.")

Now, about what Leia's knows of her parents:

She knows her mother was Queen Amidala and is told to never tell anyone (she doesn't even tell Sosha, not even anyone in the rebellion).

She doesn't know anything of her father because Sola lies and says that Padmé chose to have no husband or partner, you know, cause she doesn't want the young lady to get even more dangerous ideas.

(Anakin turning or not turning evil here is up to you, I just thought it would be super cool to have both of my AU's mashed up)

BUT when she's 15, Princess Leia (Soruna was elected when they were 13 out here) already a great leader in the Rebellion who can kick some ass because of the Handmaiden training which rivals even the Empire's training regiment, meets fellow rebel Torrent who many call Captain for some reason even though that's not his official rank.

Leia, for some reason *cough* the Force *cough* is curious about him. She gets talking to him and learns that he's a clone trooper and he was one of the few who didn't answer to Order 66. Torrent for some reason likes talking to this reckless Princess who reminds him eerily of another great General he once knew. She later learns that his real name is Rex.

(She also learns that he doesn't talk to anyone but Fulcrum about his past.)

She also meets Fulcrum, who is surprise surprise, Ahsoka Tano who tells her she is strong with the force. That's a whole 'nother thing with Ahsoka training Leia and getting her a lightsaber and a lot of fifty different things. Then she turns 17 and Ahsoka tells her about two people who Leia reminds her of: her Jedi Master, Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padmé Amidala.

(Ahsoka knows she's their child, she's got the force for fuck's sake it's just dramatics of the Disaster Lineage)

You can see where this is going, Leia certainly can, it became painfully obvious when she heard about the fact that there were some rumors that Knight Skywalker was having an affair with Senator Amidala.

She feels Betrayed by Aunt Sola and they have a shouting match. Leia leaves the life of Leia Naberrie behind full-time. She beats Palpatine's old lapdog and becomes Senator of Naboo at 18 while secretly trying to become a Jedi Knight like her father. She assumes this is all the secrets they kept from her. She is, of course, and is proven so when she meets Luke Skywalker at the age of 19.

Where this is in the Star Wars timelines?

Well, I'm gonna be honest I have no clue. Let's just decide that the Empire's the Empire and the twins destroy the Emperor. There's a Darth Vader redemption arc if the Empire takes Princess Leia as a prisoner just because they realize that she's Padmé Amidala's daughter and a rebel and Palpatine realizes that she's Anakin's daughter and he wants her trained as his apprentice because with a political mind like hers and looking at how strong she is she would be a force to reckon with (notice the pun he he he).

But the way I do it, I go far far away from the OG trilogy (Which is weird cause it's my favorite one out of all of the three of them):

Leia and Luke meet at 19. Obi-Wan will train him for longer, like since he was 16 because I just decided I will do a similar AU for Luke. There are no big changes, Luke grew up just the way he did in the OG trilogy with Owen and Beru except now Ben was secretly training him and telling him about his father who was a Jedi and he was 19 when Obi-Wan told him he had a sister too. All he knows about his mother is that: He has her spirit, apparently, and her heart. She was incredibly kind and brave and loved him very much. And lastly, she started the Rebellion which Ben tells him an hour before his death so that's not a lot to go on.

(There's a thing that everywhere but on Tatooine Anakin Skywalker is super famous and that baffles Luke a lot.)

Anyway, I just want soft one-shots about Rex and Ahsoka talking fondly about Anakin to Leia and Ob-Wan to Luke. And Sabé is basically Leia's version of Ben.

I'm just gonna add Bad Batch and Rebels characters down here later. Till then, this is it.

Also if you pick the Anakin-didn't-turn-evil option then Mace Windu lives. And briefly trains Leia.

and a little thing which inspired my idea of the anakin-doesn't-turn-evil-but-dies idea

[this-is-my-jaam]

Cultural Representation in Fantasy and the Dalish pt 2.

2) Cultural bias and stereotyping in pop media

I think that everyone knows already how Westernized fantasy is as a genre already. The most popular aesthetic is a whimsical version of medieval Europe. The protagonists are usually nobility of a very Tudor English variety or some plucky small town Anglo-Saxon coded peasant with a good and honorable soul. I can think of dozens of Fantasy stories with that set-up and design. 

The cottagecore aesthetic is cute and I do like it very much, but the problem I find with this setup typically comes when the villains of the stories are introduced. Because more often than not, the villains are coded as people of color.

This isn’t Fantasy exclusive, but fantasy tropes are notoriously white coded and very often contain racist undertones, but I’ll get to that later. For now, I want to talk about how these tropes are made in the first place and how the media shapes general beliefs on cultures that they are otherwise unfamiliar with.

As I mentioned in the last post, the Dalish are based on the Romani, the Jewish, and the Native American people. 

I think that if most people were to Imagine what the Native American people are like, they would picture something out of an Old Western, some tragic drama, or Pocahontas. There are fewer depictions of Romani people, but all of the ones that I have seen are either tarot reading mystics or Esmerelda. I like Esmerelda, don’t get me wrong, but that movie is not at all accurate about Romani culture and refer to them by a slur for the whole movie. (btw the term g*psy is a misnomer given to the Roma by Europeans who mistook them for Egyptian when they first came to Europe).

None of those are really accurate to the Roma or any Native American culture from any point in history. The problem is that popular media shapes popular perception of the world and of things that we otherwise don’t understand. When movies about Cowboys vs. Native Americans were popular, those movies depicted the Native people as A) the villains B) through a lens of stereotypes and racism. When movies include Roma culture in them, it’s usually just to do some mystical mumbo jumbo and tarot readings that are not faithful to any actual practices of the Roma people.

The ‘mystification’ of the practices of people of color is also a huge bone of contention for me in pop culture and in Dragon Age. The ‘magical POC’ trope is used very often in a lot of movies in a lot of genres to provide answers, quests, and other bullshit to the white protagonists with no actual basis in the beliefs or practices of the ethnic group being used by the writers for plot progression. That or just as a gag bc ‘haha strange cultural difference isn’t that weird.’ In Dragon Age we get that pretty often with the Dalish as the player character, especially as Hawke. I love sarcastic Hawke, but sarcastic Hawke needs to stop being a dick when talking to the Dalish about their practices and culture. 

So as time went on, the stereotypes surrounding Roma culture and Indigenous culture became the common belief of what the Roma and Indigenous people actually were, which is not correct even a little. The movements for better representation in Hollywood only really gained traction in the 2010s, so people didn’t really bother putting a whole lot of effort into research and realism until then. Prior to, we ended up with nothing but negative stereotypes misrepresenting entire ethnic groups that Hollywood didn’t care to correct because there was already a successful framework for making money off of this preconceived idea of what the culture was like.

And after stories about Indigenous people evolved to no longer framing them as villains, Hollywood still fucked it up by presenting them as victims in need of a White Savior. Which brings me back to one of my biggest issues with Dragon Age and how it writes the Dalish and the Elves.

Solas reads as a White Savior to me. I like Solas, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t deny the very bad qualities that he has that just remind me of lots of old arguments from white colonizers who supported ‘Manifest Destiny’ and ‘civilizing the Native population.’ 

Take this poem from Rudyard Kipling, titled ‘The White Man’s Burden,”

Take up the White Man's burden—    Send forth the best ye breed— Go bind your sons to exile    To serve your captives' need; To wait in heavy harness    On fluttered folk and wild— Your new-caught, sullen peoples,    Half devil and half child. Take up the White Man's burden—    In patience to abide, To veil the threat of terror    And check the show of pride; By open speech and simple,    An hundred times made plain. To seek another's profit,    And work another's gain. Take up the White Man's burden—    The savage wars of peace— Fill full the mouth of Famine    And bid the sickness cease; And when your goal is nearest    The end for others sought, Watch Sloth and heathen Folly    Bring all your hopes to nought. Take up the White Man's burden—    No tawdry rule of kings, But toil of serf and sweeper—    The tale of common things. The ports ye shall not enter,    The roads ye shall not tread, Go make them with your living,    And mark them with your dead! Take up the White Man's burden—    And reap his old reward: The blame of those ye better,    The hate of those ye guard— The cry of hosts ye humour    (Ah, slowly!) toward the light:— "Why brought ye us from bondage,    Our loved Egyptian night?" Take up the White Man's burden—    Ye dare not stoop to less Nor call too loud on Freedom    To cloak your weariness; By all ye cry or whisper,    By all ye leave or do, The silent, sullen peoples    Shall weigh your Gods and you. Take up the White Man's burden—    Have done with childish days— The lightly proffered laurel,    The easy, ungrudged praise. Comes now, to search your manhood    Through all the thankless years, Cold-edged with dear-bought wisdom,    The judgment of your peers!

The poem was written about the US acquisition of the Philippines from Spain after the Spanish American War in the late 1800s. America was debating whether or not to colonize the Philippines because of how far away it was. Also because the military had been aiding the Filipino freedom fighters against the Spanish and had promised them freedom when the war was won. 

Spoiler alert, they did not give the Philippines freedom.

But Kipling’s poem is claiming that it is the ‘White Man’s Burden’ to conquer the nations of ‘uncivilized’ people (of color) even if they are hated by the native people of that land. This burden was for the greater good, because the White Man could then civilize the savage ways of those people, and they would be better off for it. 

It’s a load of absolute fucking horseshit and I refuse to read or watch the Jungle book because of it, but the point is that Solas’ mission to return the Elven people to their former greatness reads very ‘White Man’s Burden’ energy to me. 

Solas considers his mission to be his burden because he is responsible for the downfall of Arlathan and destruction of the old elven people. He even tells your Inquisitor (if you romanced and are a Lavellan) not to come with him if you ask because he does not want you to see what he would become. He is willing to take on the role of the villain, hated by the rest of the world, for the greater good of restoring the elves to their former glory. 

That’s all fine and dandy except that by that he also intends to erase the modern Dalish culture and return to the culture and society of Arlathan (minus slavery). And that right there is where the Burden of duty becomes the White Man’s Burden of duty to me.

He repeatedly talks about how he hates the Dalish culture and how their lifestyle is inaccurate to what real elven culture was like in the days of Arlathan. Reminder, he compares the Dalish culture to children playing dress up. The implications that the poc coded lifestyle of the Dalish is inferior to that of the original culture really rubs me the wrong way. Especially because the original society in the days of Arlathan is a much more fantasy traditional, white-coded high elven society. So Solas treating his mission to restore Arlathan as restoring the Dalish and elven culture to what he thinks it should be really just does not sit right for me. And it bothers me that the epilogue has a lot of Dalish people just going along with it because they already have a culture, why would they just let Solas erase all of that because they were different in the past? Like yeah, they want to return to the glory of Arlathan and to stop being mistreated by humans, but I’m pretty sure they don’t want to just toss their entire way of life out the window what the fuck.

Its a very ongoing problem in fantasy fiction that the non-white coded, non-human cultures are either a joke to not be taken seriously, incomprehensible mysticism to solve the hero’s problem, or just straight up bad guys. And after the Trespasser DLC, the Dalish manage to somehow wind up in all three categories. Weeeeeeeeeee are you having fun yet?

to be cont. in part 3

[theheraldsrest]

“Inner circle receiving/giving gifts”

‘Tis the season, you know? -Cabot

Cullen

 He’s that type of person who has been with a group for a long time, but still doesn’t know what to get anyone. His main gift to people are sturdy and powerful weapons. Receiving a gift, he’s quite humble about it and accepts it, unless it’s from Sera. His favorite gift, though, would have to be receiving a weapon made just for him, a new cloak, or even a box of baked goods from home. If romanced, he’d either still get them a weapon but with etching on it saying “Andraste’s Blessed” or he would get them something so simple, yet so meaningful such as a piece of necklace with a small chess piece tied to it. He's such a mess if you get him anything, keeping it with him or putting it somewhere he can see at all times.

Josephine

 She tries to get everyone such fine gifts: cloaks, clothes, candies, and cakes. She tries to make the gifts perfect for everyone. When receiving a gift, she absolutely adores it, complimenting details and designs, thanking her friend over and over again. Her favorite gifts are new parchment, quills, ink, a new writing stand, and the little cakes from that one shop, oh dear she really should write a ‘thank you’ note to them- If romanced, her gift is all she can talk about for the rest of the day, or if she can’t talk about it, admiring it. She also gets her love their own signet ring and tickets to the opera, "since you loved it so much last time!"

Leliana

Oh she knows EXACTLY what everyone wants, you can bet on it. She knows what everyone is getting and for who and if there is something in particular they want. Even if it’s impossible to get, she finds a way, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t add her own little touch to it, a simple Inquisition emblem for each of her closest allies and friends or even a feather tied to it. Get this woman shoes. Honeyed wine is also a plus. Hums in delight with each gift, thanking everyone, including Cole as she opens a box with a nug in it. 

Vivienne

She does what she believes is a service to the inquisition by giving everyone an outfit that actually looks presentable. If not an outfit, at least a specifically made piece of jewelry for everyone. Get her anything exquisite and she’ll be pleased. Of course, you get her something so simple as a tome of magic, she’ll be delighted and gushing over it.  

Varric

Most of his gifts are jokes. Bull gets a shirt the size of his man boob upper peck, Solas gets a paper smiley face, Cassandra gets ANOTHER fully edited chapter of Swords & Shields, etc. It’s people’s expressions that are the best gift he could receive, he says. If you wanted to get him a gift, look no further than giving him a joke right back. Seriously though, he does appreciate those, along with some new improvements for Bianca, a new coat, or even new boots. He’s a simple man with simple needs.

Cole

Four words: Get. This. Boy. Puzzles. Really, anything is fascinating, but puzzles just seem to keep his attention, to a point where he’ll have other people do it but listen to how they solve it. As for giving gifts, it’s...questionable. Varric is wondering why his son his boy Cole gave him a candy wrapper until he explains that he heard Varric say he needed help ‘wrapping up’ his story and Dorian is trying to contain his laughter when he connects the dots between him having said that he was quite ‘cheesy’ to the cheese Cole left him. 

Solas

Sweet and simple, a small charm that he made to keep people safe. Everyone (including Sera, Dorian, and Vivienne) has a special one made specifically for them, some for magic, some for strength, and some for protection. Politely declines most gifts as he didn’t really request anything, but for some he does keep, such as books from Josephine and a new staff from the Inquisitor. He might have not asked for anything but it doesn’t mean he didn’t want anything. Painting supplies and some old artifacts are enough to have this old man grinning from ear to ear. Especially given to him by his Vhenan, he would be so joyous over such little things and a little surprised over how well his love knows him. You have no idea where he kinds an old ancient piece of elven jewelry that he gives to you as a gift, but he’s very excited to explain to you it’s value and the history behind it.

Cassandra

Someone help her, please. She doesn’t know what to get anyone or what anyone likes. In the end, she settles on just getting everyone war horns. Some appreciate the thought, some are never able to find them after receiving them, and others have theirs taken away immediately because they won’t stop blowing them at midnight cough SERA cough. For gifts, if you want to make this woman happy, just get her some new armor or even a better fitting sword. Romancing her, she actually tries to find something meaningful for you, such as a shield with your emblem on it, sturdier than any you’ve ever used even if you don’t use a shield. You have also come to learn that if you want to steal this woman’s heart, just get her romance novels and poetry.

Iron Bull

Ale. Beer. Alcohol. That’s his gift to everyone. There’s nothing more to say, he just gets every alcohol and then challenges them to a drinking contest. He’s happy to receive armor, weapons, potions as gifts, you know the usual stuff, other than the shirt Varric gives him. Romanced, whatever you give him, he holds it in high honor. A dagger? He’ll use it for everything. A new eye patch? He wears it all the time, barely ever wearing his old one. Armor made from dragon scales? Everyone is surprised to see him trying to keep it clean. As for giving, you have two options. One, he gives you his old eyepatch along with a dragon’s horn, saying he “has his eye on you.” Your other gift is rope, to which he hints at making you his gift later.

Dorian

He’s never really had many people other than his family that he could give gifts to, nor did he want to give gifts that said “I’m doing this because I have to.” So he went with gifts that said “I tolerate you” such as rings that he enchanted himself to help them in battles to come. He would never admit it, but it did bring him some joy to get gifts that weren’t just clothes and jewelry like he usually got. Instead, he took it in stride with everything he received, even the box that had an angry buzzing emitting from it from Sera, her only response being “Throw it downstairs when Egg is being annoying.” If in a romance, he frets over what to get you. Nothing too gaudy but also nothing too simple, he wants you to know that he cares but not make it overwhelming. He finally settled on giving you his family amulet. He jokes about you returning it in disdain but is actually really pleased when you keep it. That said, he’s only very excited when he finds out that you got him several books of rarity that delve deeper into magical studies.

Sera

Those who accept her gifts take it with caution. Most of the time it’s harmless jokes, others it’s close to almost getting hurt The bees, they’re everywhere. You don’t even have to look far for a present for her. Hell, send her a bucket and she’ll think it’s the best thing in the world before filling it and placing it over a door. In a relationship, it’s still all jokes. She gets you a crude model of Corypheus’s head with a dumb expression or her own artistic rendition of her naked body. Anything you get her that is meant to be sentimental rather than joking, she’s all “Pfft, you’re such a lovey-dovey person. You’re gonna make me puke, Inky!” When in reality, she loves it and keeps it on her at all times.

Blackwall (Thom Rainer)

You bet your ass that he made little wooden carvings for everyone. Leliana receives a raven, Solas receives a halla, etc. He doesn’t deny any gits, but does mention quite a few times how he really doesn’t need anything. Doesn’t stop people from getting him new Grey Warden armor or even some weapons. When romanced, he makes sure to add even more detail to the carving he makes for you, little things that only you and he can recognize, such as how he drew a little griffon on the bottom or how he painted it your favorite color. You can see the twinkle in his eye when he sees that you got him some new wood carving tools and/or his own personnel Grey Warden emblem.

[championofsanghelios]

Personal AU Story - “You.”

|”YOU.”| PERSONAL AU STORY LINK/PRINCE SIDON (This was written by me, remember...expect typos and errors.) ... "I...wanted you to have something." Sidon says, suddenly arising to his feet as a couple of the Kings aides come into the throne room. Dorephan had left a few moments before, so their presence was rather unexpected. "...a gift of sorts."

Link can't stop the sigh that escapes him when he turns to see one of the aides had a blade to the Prince, who inspects it for a moment. "...you really need to stop giving me things."

"I know." Sidon smirks as he looks over the blades scabbard, nodding a silent thank you to the aides who move over to either side of the throne room entrance. He turns on the spot and holds it in his hands. "But this one was crafted before you enforced that particular request upon me."

Any reluctance to accept the gift vanishes from the Inheritor the moment he sees the blade. Beautifully crafted to someone his size and engraved with a mixture of Hylian and Zoran designs.

"Okay..." he says to himself, letting you a breathy laugh, his right hand coming up and resting gently on the scabbard. "Perhaps I'll make an exception just this once."

"I thought you might." Sidon beams, letting him take it from him. He watches as Link's metallic left hand grasps the grip and pulls the blade slowly from the scabbard. "It's taken Ledo a good year or two to perfect the designs I gave him."

"You designed this?" Link asks, holding the blade up. It was extremely light in his hand, though most blades were for him. After a certain amount of time it became less about weight and more about balance. The Guard was the most impressive part, a large sapphire stone in the middle of it, almost transparent and as blue as the white sea on a clear day. "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you think so." Sidon nods his head, before breaking into a quiet laugh. "Ledo now owes me 50 rupees."

"Trust you to make a bet over this." Link shakes his head, before slotting the Sword back into it's scabbard. "Thank you...truly. This wasn't necessary, but I can't complain either."

"I wanted to give you something you can call your own." Sidon says. "You once told me you had an interest in Zoran weaponry. What better gift than a blade of your own?"

"You always know how to spoil me, don't you?" Link reaches up with his right hand and bops him on the dark red patch of scales at the base of his head-fin, between his eyes.

...

"...what's this?" Zelda asks suddenly, out of the comfortable silence. "A new blade?"

"Oh that?" Link lowers his arm, the interface above it flickering away. "Yeah. Sidon gave it me...he said it was a gift. For what I don't know."

"It's beautiful." she smiles as she picks it up from. "Custom made too..."

"It's the right size for me." Link comments, standing up and pacing over to her. "And as light as a feather."

He takes it carefully from her and pulls the blade from the scabbard. As he comments on the designs around the grip and the guard, her eyes track to the large sapphire in the center of it. It was expertly cut, and almost totally transparent.

"...my goodness." she breathes. "Is that a Royal Sapphire in the guard?"

"What?" Link glances her way, cut-off mid ramble. "I don't know. I'm not an expert on gemstones. The only ones that have any meaning to me are the currency types."

"Tell me, Link." Zelda tilts her head, realization starting to dawn on her. "Where did Sidon gift you this blade? Were you in private?"

"No." Link shakes his head. "We were just finishing up with that business to do with Tarrey Town, and the King had just left-"

"Were there any officials present?"

"Apart from Sidon himself?" Link asks, eyes narrowing as he recalls the scene. "A couple of the Kings staff...that's about it..."

He shrugs. "Why do you ask?"

"..." Zelda stares at him, her eyes widening slightly.

"What?" he tilts his head this time. "What is it?"

"...look at the stone again." she instructs, pointing to the sapphire. "Do you know what that is?"

"It's a ...Royal Sapphire." Link guesses. "Is that what you called it?"

"Exactly." she nods. "And why are they called Royal Sapphires, Link?"

"Because they are mined and cut especially for the Royal Family, I'd presume." the Inheritor raises an eyebrow. "Unless they stole them off of your ancestors."

"And what are sapphires commonly used as in the Zoran Royal Court?" Zelda asks next. She watches him think for a second. "Come on, I know Sidon has told you about the traditions at some point. He's anything but subtle."

"I think it had something to do with courting?" Link hums thoughtfully. "But that makes no sense considering we're already-"

He cuts himself off a little too late. "...um...forget you heard that."

"Royal Sapphires are brought out on the occasion that a member of the Royal Family wishes to marry." Zelda explains, watching as the realization transfers from her to him in the space of a few words. "A Prince or Princess will usually gift their chosen partners the Sapphire, often incorporating it into something, such as a set of armor, or a piece of jewelry..."

She sighs, gesturing to the blade in his hands. "Or in this case...a blade, the perfect size and weight for the person meant to wield it."

"..." Link stares at the blade, namely the Sapphire within its hilt. For the first time since meeting Avos he was transfixed, unable to take his eyes off of it.

"Whatever is going on between you two..." he snaps out of his daze as Zelda places a hand on his left shoulder. "I think it's much deeper than you first thought."

...

"...that's the last time I ever trust you to take the night-watch with me." Bazz laughs, following Sidon through the palace barracks hallways out onto the plaza. "I've already got problems with my sleep cycles."

"Well you did invite me in." Sidon shrugs, smiling tiredly. "And Tarquin was sharing his mothers vintage. How could I say no to any of that?"

"Any excuse to get wasted, huh?" Bazz reaches over and knocks his left arm. "I should have known it was about the booze."

"I'm not allowed to get as hammered at banquets and official engagements as I do with you boys." Sidon muses. "It's an excuse for me to let my hair down."

"You don't have hair." Bazz laughs again. "You're a guppy, not a Hylian."

"I wish I was a Hylian." Sidon mumbles under his breath. "Would make certain activities much less complicated."

"Speaking of Hylians." Bazz's hand hits him, much more gently this time, on his arm. Prompting him to look up, only to see Link standing there, staring at him. "Oh...what are you doing here?"

Link doesn't say anything. Instead he raises his left hand, revealing the Sapphire from the blade he'd been gifted. Bazz let's out a shallow gasp as he sees it.

"...where in all of Solae did you get that from?" he asks, only to realize it a little too late, and turn his attention to the Prince. "No way..."

"You didn't tell me about the Sapphires." Link says, slowly pacing closer to them. "...about the marriage part."

"I assume you already knew." Sidon's smile had disappeared. "And it was only a matter of time before you realized it and came back."

"Me." Link states, his other hand coming up to his chest-plate, tapping it.

"You." Sidon nods.

"Why?" Link asks suddenly.

"Why else?" Sidon shrugs again.

"I had no idea that you-" Link huffs a sigh, lowering his gaze. "I wasn't aware that you thought anything of this...of our-"

"-I think everything of it." Sidon states as the Inheritor stops in front of him. "Every waking second of my existence is driven by the love you have shown me, and the adoration I feel for you."

He slowly lowers himself onto one knee, and reaches out to take a hold of his right hand. "Against all the odds, and all the trials that this world has thrown our way. I have found myself unable to let go of you...When you quite literally fell into my world a few years ago, Link...you became my world."

He sighs. "I don't know what compelled me to have such faith in you. But I was not proven wrong. When you freed us from the grips of Vah Rutah and slayed the blight that took my sister from me...that faith was sealed, with all of the love and admiration that I feel for you now. You are my world, Link...and it would be the honor of my life, if you were to let me be yours."

Link suddenly looks up at him. "Why would you assume that you aren't?"

"I don't assume anything." Sidon replies, shaking his head slowly. "I just...wanted to hear to you say it."

Without any more words, he reaches up to the Inheritor's shoulder and closes the distance between them, sealing it all with a kiss on the mouth.

"Holy shit..." a voice suddenly startles them both out of the moment. They both come to the realization that Bazz had just witnessed the whole scene play out. "And so ends 3 years of speculation and gossiping."

Link cracks up, whilst Sidon just stares at his old friend, eyes wide.

"I can't tell you how awesome it makes me feel to be the one to break this to everyone." he says, beaming. "Oh I can see Lord Muzu's face already."

And with that, Sidon breaks too, letting out a loud bark of laughter.

...