#those are solas and sera w the other being cole

[aro-aizawa]

i love when you're just vibing w a new game and you have loose ideas of the characters and suddenly you're hit w a "oh man i have a new favourite don't i" bc uhhhh yeah

[dacompanionreactions]

Could you do the companions reactions to a motherly inquisitor? A inquisitor that is always taking care of them, healing their wounds, fixing their clothes and just acting like a mother to them.

Cassandra is perfectly capable of dressing her own wounds, thank you very much. She'll scowl and insist on doing it herself, but the Inquisitor is just as stubborn as she is. Cassandra will eventually give in and allow herself to be vulnerable. She's not used to being taken care of, not since Anthony died. He was her primary caretaker, always cleaning her scraped knees and mending the holes in her battle worn clothes, and never expecting anything in return. This? This is nice. It's comforting and familiar. Cassandra likes it when the Inquisitor looks after her despite her grumbling.

There isn't much Varric likes more than a night out with Hawke or a good meal, except maybe being looked after. He'd never admit it, of course. He's Varric Tethras, the trusty (or not so trusty) dwarf sidekick with a heart of gold, not "Mr Fussy". And yet, as the Inquisitor sits him down and applies a dressing to his wound, he can't help but allow himself to relax. He could definitely get used to this.

Solas believes it unwise to allow anyone but himself or an expert healer to take care of his wounds. As such, the Inquisitor finds other ways to look after him. Like mending the holes in his clothes. Sitting and observing his painting, because sometimes time is best spent in silence. Setting a bowl of sugar down beside his supposedly detested tea. And before long, Solas finds himself looking forward to their painting sessions... and finds it harder to shove down the guilt.

Dorian already has a mother, thank you. She did all the things a woman of Tevinter should do: feed her child and promptly ignore them, unless they do something worthy of note. Children are like plants - all they need is a little water and sunlight. Praise came easily to him, but nurturing? Tevene mothers don't bring you bread and olive oil when you feel homesick. Tevene mothers don't nurse your hangovers. Mothers don't pay attention to your interests, to your muses. Mothers don't speak to you in soothing tones, always encouraging, never lecturing. Right?

Sera grew up in Denerim. The woman she knew as a mother is the whole reason she hates cookies, and it's never about just cookies. So when the Inquisitor starts behaving like any loving mother should, it frightens her. Because at any point, it could all go tits up, and Sera will hate herself. Again. The disconnect to a culture that doesn't feel like hers is the loneliest feeling in the world, but the Inquisitor reminds her that the points of her ears, her history, her identity as an Elf, is not something to be ashamed of. When Sera finds herself enjoying a plate of cookies, she realises there was nothing to be afraid of.

Blackwall doesn't deserve their kindness. Murderers and cowards don't deserve people like the Inquisitor. He's stiff as a board when they encourage him to drink a healing poultice. He can feel their eyes on his back as he drives a chisel into wood, and he bides his time, waiting for their gaze to turn stabbing and accusatory. But it never happens. The Inquisitor continues to bring him bread and water. They dress his wounds. One day, he finds his weapons clean and sharp, like the first day he ever received them. Maybe he doesn't deserve their kindness, but Blackwall won't squander it.

Cole is a spirit. The real Cole may have had a mother once, but this Cole never did. It wasn't something that concerned him. His concerns lay with those in pain, with the wounded and the troubled, with those that needed his help. As such, he never considered that he needed looking after too. If everyone feels the way he does when the Inquisitor takes care of him, if everyone feels just as safe... well, there's no doubt that they're doing good work.

The Iron Bull is well over 7 feet tall, not even including the horns. Coupled with his strength, weaponry and mercenary company, it's hard to see someone like him being mothered. And he never complains. He's used to hearing aggressive bouts of affection from the Chargers, telling him things like, "Sit your ass down before you bleed out, or I'll knock you out myself. Chief." This? This is different. Nice. And from what he can tell, genuine. Bull is not a soft man, but that doesn't mean he can't appreciate soft things.

Vivienne is not used to such things. She feels as if the roles should be reversed at times, like it should be her job to look after the Inquisitor. Many describe Vivienne as ice cold and unfeeling and it does well to keep up such appearances, but she's only human. So when she's presented with hot tea on rainy days and finds her books arranged just how she likes them, Vivienne allows herself to smile and enjoy being looked after. She deserves good things, after all.

[solasan]

hi roslyn/solas is so good so if you don't mind: 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, and 26 (i'm sorry it's so many you can ignore this if it's annoying!) thank you!

omg it’s not annoying at all thank u sm for asking abt them !!!!!!!! 💖💖💖

6. what is their favorite feature of their partner’s?

roslyn rly loves solas’ smile. like, it’s small and relatively rare, and she’s constantly trying to bring it out, and she’s always so happy when she does. she’s also very taken w his eyes, bcos they’re beautiful and also where most of his emotions lie. solas is similarly taken w roslyn’s eyes, bcos they’re this pale purple colour that hes just like wowza over. he also rly rly loves her hair; he’s braided it once or twice, and the first time she sorta blinked like, how do u know how to do that, and he started joking abt not always being bald. he loves to hide his face in her hair too when they cuddle. big plus, 10/10, recommended by ancient elven god

9. who worries the most?

oh solas. solas was born to worry. roslyn is constantly gently pushing him to share those worries (which obviously…. doesnt happen) and also trying to pull him out of them. roslyn does worry a lot, but he rly does have her beat

13. who reaches for the other’s hand first?

hmmmm depends. i think roslyn, in the beginning, but by the end it’s definitely solas. he finds her very comforting, so her touch is always one he sort of subconsciously seeks out, and he likes playing w her fingers when they’re sitting together

16. who wants to stay in bed just a little longer?

solas solas solas. all he wants to do is dream. roslyn herself is very used to getting out of bed at the crack of dawn, no matter how much sleep she’s had, bcos as a servant she couldn’t exactly lay around all day, so it makes her laugh to see him so sleepy and grumpy. solas is always draping himself on top of her and trying to keep her in bed w him. he does tell her to come back to bed in elven more than once, and she never understands what it means

20. what do their family/friends think of their relationship?

almost everyone is confused by it tbh. i mean… shes not in touch w any of her family (apart from dorian can i get a hell yeah for distant family relations) but some of their friends kind of… dont rly get why they’re together. varric sees it, i think, from a narrator’s stand-point, and he’s definitely a secret romantic, so he likes it, altho less so after gwyddie dies and his friendship w roslyn falls apart. sera is always like ‘lol him? ros u could do so much better’ and dorian is sorta wittily befuddled and he takes the piss at times, but gently, bcos he loves roslyn. cassandra finds it romantic, bcos of course she does. cole is absolutely on board 10/10 ‘she makes him warm inside, gold and thick and sweet like honey’. viv thinks she’s throwing away her chances at connections lmAO which given her own relationship w solas isnt surprising. blackwall is supportive of his lil niece-sister-type figure, and generally likes solas, but there’s definitely some protectiveness there. bull gets it, i think, bcos he sees it through their eyes. josie approves whole-heartedly, and leliana’s like. secretly sort of amused abt it all

26. what would be their theme song?

again more just a song that fits them than a theme song, but either axel flovent’s lighthouse, or christina perri’s distance, bcos those lyrics. like??? please don’t stand so close to me, i’m having trouble breathing? oh my GOD

[theharellan]

dragon age positivity meme | accepting

i’m going to be answering these in one post for the sake of simplicity and cutting down ooc posts!

✾ your favourite da:o main quest | sent by @cuervocanto

my actual favourite quest is paragon of her kind, but i talked about why i love that one here. and yes, i don’t even rly mind the deep roads.

my second favourite is probably the landsmeet, especially taking into account that it has some sub-main quests that are grouped together under the umbrella of preparing for the landsmeet. such as resucing anora, breaking out of fort drakon, and solving the unrest in the alienage. i find returning to the alienage as tabris second to aeducan returning to orzammar, but it’s still very interesting coming back to a place where you grew up with no power, suddenly having power. and regardless of origin the worldbuilding is good, immediately the fact that you’re barred from the alienage upon initially entering denerim tells you a lot about the state of elves in ferelden. the choice at the end isn’t particularly difficult, “slavery is bad” isn’t a controversial opinion even in ferelden and so even the warden i created with the intention of being That Kind of Human couldn’t choose that option, BUT it does make for an emotional choice when playing tabris

as for rescuing anora and breaking out of drakon, i just love the humour in the quest. i never have my warden break out themselves just so i can have the companions bullshit their way in. my personal favourite combination is zevran and oghren, although i do enjoy morrigan-leliana and sten-dog, as well. i think my fave thing about oghren and zev tho is that iirc they’re one of the most successful combinations.

as for the landsmeet itself, it’s not particularly challenging, but i enjoy the variety of options you get and how it changes the game going forward. like, in every game anora is queen for me in some capacity, but beyond that i’ve had a bitter king alistair working with a warden who recruited loghain, loghain and the warden alone, etc. i enjoy the politicking and making an alliance with anora. it’s enjoyable even on replays.

❄ your favourite da:i personal quest | sent by @pentaghasted

my actual favourite personal quest is cole’s, which i talked about here. instead i’ll talk about iron bull’s b/c i’m glad they committed to what they started in trespasser and i also appreciate how the choice is set up. most of us save the chargers b/c the lot of them stole our hearts in the two scenes they were in, but unlike some other choices in the series choosing the sadder/arguably worse option doesn’t require you to be roleplaying as an evil bastard to choose it.

so like, most games i save the chargers, but my playthrough where i’m playing a practical trevelyan-- she goes with the qunari dreadnought. the chargers were assets, but a qunari alliance could have been more beneficial in the long term. heck, even my inquisitor who saves the chargers feels a lot of guilt about it-- because even if she didn’t know the people on the dreadnought, there were a whole lot of them, and her decision got them killed. she needed to show she cared for her own people first, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t matter.

which contrasts this personal quest for something like... say, fenris’s third one, which don’t get me wrong, is very emotional. but i cannot fathom why a hawke how kept fenris around for all that time and clearly spent time talking to him would just say “yeah you can take him” its just kinda over-the-top cruel. so i am glad when i can roleplay the alternate decisions i ordinarily wouldn’t make.

and i love seeing the quest’s differing effect on bull. he adjusts either way, but one puts him on a path where he’s going to be facing you, one way or another. and he pays the price for that.

♦ your favourite piece of lore | sent by @felandaristhorns & @sephirajo

i’ve answered this before the last time i reblogged this meme and answered the dalish mage lore from da:i and rivain just. as a whole. i’m going with the lore regarding elvhenan, though, b/c i think the games do a good job of subverting what we were told in da:o and da2 while also explaining how those misconceptions happened. i love going back to the previous games and seeing new angles to the lore and the places where they were building up to it. i love seeing the foreshadowing within inquisition itself.

and i just love how elvhenan is characterised, as a hyper-magic society where reality and dreams aren’t necessarily different things. and where feelings are just as physical as every other aspect of a person. it explains so much about the fade, spirits, solas, it makes even comments like merrill’s-- someone with a pretty nuanced view of spirits-- kind of sad. she calls the fade “another people’s land” not knowing that it was her land, and her people.

while i’m on that spirits in general make me sad. how perception screws with them, and how i think that just further isolates mages. for once i don’t think this is a plot by the chantry, i don’t think they’re lying about how they think spirits are, they’re just wrong to characterise them as they do. but at the same time i don’t think they’d disapprove of the effect is has on mages. it’s cutting them off from potential friendships, and not only that but friendships the templars would have 0 way of regulating given they could potential happen in dreams.

but i’m off-topic. the point is i find the worldbuilding surrounding elvhenan, to be some of bioware’s best. it makes sense, it’s nuanced and varied and doesn’t make elvhen characters wear one single hat. clearly it was a heavily flawed place, but it had a lot of merits and you can see why solas misses it or why cole, upon learning that the veil was never meant to be, feels validated by the idea that he was never wrong to want to be a part of both worlds.

♬ your favourite part of the da:i soundtrack | sent by @daggersandpoison

da:i has the best soundtrack in the series and i don’t think this is a controversial opinion. i do love inon sur’s work, and i was a little worried when i heard morris was composing inquisition b/c i found me3′s soundtrack to be overall a step down from me2′s (it lost a lot of what made the mass effect series unique). BUT with inquisition he managed to keep dragon age’s unique sound while also improving upon it. the inquisition theme gives me chills when i start up the game and even while i’m walking around in the field and a few chords play while i’m picking up my 100th elfroot.

but it’s always hard to choose my favourite. it’s honestly a tie between journey to skyhold and the dark solas theme. both of these give me specific solas feelings, the former b/c you have solas entrusting a lot of hope and faith in the inquisitor (it’s esp poignant if by that point you have a burgeoning friendship with him). and b/c it comes off one of the strongest moments in the dragon age series, aka the battle of haven and encounter w/ corypheus. also i love the dawn will come, fite me. and from my inquisitor’s perspective, esp my main inquisitor, thora, this is probably the first time she’s felt like she was worth all this herald talk. even if she doesn’t believe it, the song beginning with a soft, unsure sound and rising to a triumphant end when skyhold is unveiled encapsulates what i love about the inquisitor’s story and my inquisitor’s personal feelings.

dark solas theme i love b/c it conveys so much of the sadness and loneliness of his character. i would talk more about it b/c it makes me so sad i literally can’t listen to it unless i’m writing post-trespasser solas and even then it’s risky. it’s just a good track ok. and it caps off my favourite dlc.

ღ your favourite da:i banter | sent by @renaudtrevelyan

i talked about some banter i love here between bull and solas. i have to admit i have a hard time choosing my favourite in da:i b/c i just love so much of the banter in this game. i always tell myself not to choose solas banter, and i’m going to... choose one solas and one non-solas.

Solas: I do not understand you, Sera. You have no end goal for your organization. Sera: Nobles get rattled, and people get payback. I play in the middle. Solas: Why not go all the way? You see injustice, and you have organized a group to fight it. Don't you want to replace it with something better? Sera: What, just lop off the top? What's that do, except make a new top to frig it all up? Solas: I...forgive me. You are right. You are fine as you are. Sera: You hurt my head sometimes, Solas. Solas: Yes, I have been known to do that.

this banter is great to me (and all the banter leading up to it) b/c it informs so much about both of their characters. solas is trying to help sera, in this string of banter. he’s trying to give advice so that the red jennies could potentially become an organisation that does more than makes little people’s lives better with pranks or the occasional knife in someone’s back. it’s a conversation between two characters who are, in different ways, absolutely sick of the system and have different ways of dealing with it.

solas wants change. sweeping, societal change. sera isn’t sure change will help any, and would prefer the relative stability of a pre-breach world where she knows which way’s up. neither is wrong to deal with it the ways they are, and solas just has to look at the top he lopped off to see that, yes, they grow back just as bad. idk i just love solas and sera a lot and i love seeing what they have in common and how they handle their frustrations differently.

Sera: I don't get it. If you want to change, just change. Why this "fake Warden" rubbish? Blackwall: For one, people wanted me dead. Being someone else kept me breathing. Blackwall: And then, knowing that people thought I was good made it easier. Sera: (Laughs.) You needed them to think you could, so you could think you could! Sera: You're smart, but you're sort of stupid.

i’m picking another sera banter b/c i love her. i love sera b/c she’s smarter than ppl give her credit for, she cuts through why rainier did what he did the same way cole does. their relationship on the whole is very sweet and it was hard choosing one banter. but i appreciate her ability to both love and support thom while also calling him out on his bullshit. the two of them are good for each other and im so glad they’re friends. my only regret is i’ve never seen thom as sera’s best man in wedding art. or sera as blackwall’s for that matter. their friendship needs more love-- actually, sera just needs more love period.

☄ your favourite da:i codex entry | sent by @chantrysworn

i love this codex entry, describing wisdom (solas’s spirit friend):

When the summoning ritual was complete, the spirit appeared. Both spirits and demons have no gender as we understand it, but this one, much like the rare and dangerous desire demon, presented as female. Although its form was not threatening, the spirit carried itself with a confidence, an awareness, I suppose, that I have seen only in the most powerful of demons.

This spirit of wisdom was polite and courteous. It answered our questions about the Fade, even acknowledging the difficulty when we could not understand what it meant. There was none of the bargaining one normally associates with a summoned creature, save that the spirit sometimes asked us questions as well. Heras shared a mathematical formula he had recently proven, while Etrenne explained her study on magical themes in the Chant of Light, and young Rhys talked a little about his mother.

When we were finished, the spirit thanked us for the conversation and then vanished, although none of us had dismissed it. We soon discovered that the summoning ritual we had devised was critically flawed. The spirit had been under no compulsion to come or remain. All the time it had talked with us, it had stayed of its own volition. Heras was greatly concerned that such a powerful spirit remained free, and has updated the ritual to correct for the weakness in the binding enchantment. I understand his caution, but I also confess that I quite enjoyed the conversation. I am not certain the spirit would have talked so freely had it been shackled at the time.

—An excerpt from Spirits of the Spire by Senior Enchanter Francois

you can see so much of why they were friends in this codex. the politeness, answering and asking questions, no bargaining just a nice conversation where both parties learn things. and then you find out it never had to show up in the first place, it just wanted to-- and likely would not have been as accommodating had it not been free.

it’s great for informing us on a character we tragically don’t know all that well. and also? it’s incredibly sad when you think about what happens to it, it almost makes you wonder if the mages who ultimately bound and killed it would have had better luck simply asking for its protection. solas says something along those lines, but he also says it prefers remaining in the fade (interesting in itself, given that the chantry pushes the agenda that all spirits want beyond it. contradicted by multiple spirits we’ve met tbh, including cole, who actually quite likes the fade).

this codex is also interesting b/c it tells you some about what mages study and do with their time. and it goes back to what i mentioned previously, w/ chantry attitudes depriving spirits and mages of one another’s company.

anyway i love wisdom and it deserved better.

[ditzydiitsi]

1. If not for the Conclave, what would drive your character to join the Inquisition? alex has a later entrance, like cole or dorian—she offers her services as one of the higher up carta bosses for lyrium smuggling for the inquisition, since you’re going to need it for mages or templars either way 2. How would they meet the Inquisitor?  when deb caridin (yes, that caridin, but she was cast to the surface for other reasons) finds herself booked for an audience with a mob boss, she wasn’t really expecting... alex. sophisticated, feral alex. hair trailing on the floor and a ring on each finger, deb was probably quite taken aback. 3. What would some of their cutscenes look like? alex likes to hang out in implausible locations, so a lot of her cutscenes would require deb actually getting to her. in haven, that means finding alex climbing the frozen waterfall, or on some buildings accessible by ladder. in skyhold, it means finding her on the turrets, or hanging out in the garden with her plants. 4. What would their romance route look like? Would they be romanceable? not romanceable. 5. If they romanced someone as Inquisitor, would they still fall for that person as a companion? How would that play out? How would they react to that person being romanced by the “new” Inquisitor? deb is like 45 so i dont think shed go after sera and yes, alex would still date sera. theyre baby gays. smoochy smoochy 6. Write some of their party banter (in reaction to major events, scenery dialogue, or just shitting around. Askers can specify for which character/event, or leave it up to the writer). in a cave: Starting to get claustrophobic in here. in Val Royeaux: Do you think any of the nobles would scream if I just... rubbed mud all over my face? seeing a dragon: Holy shit?! Oh Stone. Oh, Maker, oh, Stone, that’s a motherfucking dragon. at the Winter Palace: Y’know... don’t tell anyone else, but this stuff? It’s alright with me. in the Fade (if already encountered a dragon): shit, can we go back to the dragon? Thanks. (if not encountered a dragon): *shivers* I’m really not supposed to be here, you know. 7. What would be on their tombstone in the fade (what is their greatest fear)? Forgetting 8. What kind of Inquisitor would drive them to leave the Inquisition/confront them about their actions (what gets their approval low? what does that scene look like)? an inquisitor that wasnt interested in making deals with shady criminals, for instance. or an inquisitor that only saw alex as a carta asset 9. Where in Skyhold would they be found? (e.g. Cole is in the tavern rafters, Leliana in the top of the tower, Varric in the throne room, etc.) see 3 10. If Inquisition operated like DA:O, what would their gift items be? What would their approval and disapproval Feast Day items be? gift items: plant cutting, toy rocking horse, bottle of champagne, carved gem feastday items: red lyrium stone, Pet Elfroot (player nameable; sits on the gazebo railing in the garden) 11. How would they grow as a person? How would they compare at the end of the Inquisition as a companion to who they were as the Inquisitor? at the beginning of inquisition she’s cold, feral, and more than a little hostile (a sane inquisitor would kick her out, but she can provide valuable resources, so). at the end of inquisition (her “personal quest” per se is to assassinate the head of the carta. she can then either be persuaded to take their place, or disband them), she’s either harnessing the full power of the carta for the inquisition with no pulling stops, or forming an elite scouting team to get the same effect 12. Do they believe the Herald of Andraste is really the Herald of Andraste? She knows they’re... special, but no. She is a follower of the stone, even though she thinks deep down that the stone has rejected her 13. If the Herald didn’t have them tag along to prep the trebuchets, what would they do during the battle for Haven? (bonus: would they join in on the impromptu Dawn Will Come choir practice in the camp?) she shows up once u get to skyhold actually so um we 14. What nickname does Varric give them? yall dont @ me but.... Pebbles. or prongs, cause of her daggers 15. Without the influence of their decisions for the Inquisition, which of the companions do they get along with? Which ones do they bicker with? gets along w dorian, bull, sera, varric, and, surprisingly, viv. only sometimes, though. doesnt get along w solas, cole, cass, or cullen. wary around leli. likes josie okay. blackwall shes neutral on. 16. What would the Fear Demon say to them in the Fade to try and discourage them? that no matter what she does, she’s already forgotten her mother’s voice, her family’s laugh, her home, and some day, she won’t even know that she’s forgotten 17. Where do they hang out in the Winter Palace? What’s their thoughts on the nobles/The Game? Alex hangs out in the garden, duh. She can be found talking with the servant that cultivates the roses, discussing the best ways to allow them to flourish (if inq passes without saying anything to her, snippets of their conversation can be heard). Alex LOVES the lavish life but hates The Game—it’s stupid petty bullshit and she just wants to drink champagne and wear heels without worrying about whether her neighbor is going to stab her. 18. What’s their reaction to a dragon showing up? alex voice: i- kdsfjhsdkfjhsdkjsfd?????? is h. is he like. gonna kill us 19. Once Corypheus is beaten, what do they do during the party? Do they stay with the Inquisition, or go somewhere else? What could the Inquisitor do to convince them to stay? She either wants to leave to lead the carta or her elite scouts, but the inquisitor can persuade her to stay and continue using her talents (and also through some money negotiations) 22. If you have another Inquisitor, how would those two get along, specifically? deb and alex are... at odds, at best. deb sees alex as a lost little sheep that just needs some nudging, and in some ways, she kind of is. alex sees deb as an overbearing mother that doesn’t know what she’s been through. theyre both right, and through some arguing and loyalty questing, they manage to come to some sort of truce.

[maiden-of-wolves]

OC’s as Inquisition Companions

Name: Ariel Grace

Race / Class / Specialization: Human / Archer, then must switch to daggers or sword/shield when her glasses break/are broken / Tempest (or Ranger, if we’re allowed to use other game’s specializations…)

Gender Identity: Female; she/her

Varric’s Nickname for them: Pixie

Short Bio: Having grown up with fantasy stories and playing games to escape her ever-mediocre life back home, she was very familiar with Dragon Age. Impressively so, by some people’s measure. Now, she’s here and she has no idea what to do about it. She finds that she has to relearn how to read and becomes ill often because she has not encountered the diseases of Thedas. Another curiosity is that she appears to either reflect or absorb magic, essentially making her immune to both offensive and defensive/restorative magic. She is able to expel it as well, but it often comes out as a different element than was used on her and is hard for her to control in the beginning.

What would their companion card look like?

<<Death Tarot>>

Recruitment Mission: It is an optional war table mission. It’s next to Haven on the map and is simply a notification from Solas about having gotten notice from scouts of an unusual rift. And that he needs to see them as soon as possible. If you choose to “Go to” you will go outside and towards the dungeons and Solas will come up dragging a bound Ariel with him.

Basically, she appears near Haven and is found by a scouting party before you decide to look for help from either the Mages or Templars. She’s taken to Haven’s dungeons and interrogated by Cassandra and Solas. Mostly Solas. He brings her to the Inquisitor to have them decide what to do with her, citing that she seems to have foreknowledge of the world, but he cannot place how she came there or even what she is. You will have the option to allow her to join the Inquisition or to kill her. If you don’t choose the mission, she will simply starve/freeze in the Haven dungeons.

Where would they be in Skyhold / Haven?

In Haven, she would be near the mines area you fall in while escaping or in the clinic, being treated.

In Skyhold she’d be in the library, with Varric in the hall, by the stables talking with the horses or with Dagna (if you recruit her) in the Underforge.

Quest 1: <<TBD>>

Quest 2: <<TBD>>

Quest 3: <<TBD>>

How to get their approval:

Help “the little guy” (aka people that are down on their luck and need help, beggars, slaves seeking freedom, etc.); Be curious, since she very much wants to know everything she can (if she doesn’t already know about it from the codex entries); Be snarky to nobles or those that are snarky with you; help/be nice to your fellow companions.

How to get their disapproval:

Protect nobility at the expense of those beneath them; turning a blind eye in exchange for gold; flirting with others if you are in a relationship (with her or anyone else); being abrasive when you could have saved people by being diplomatic/clever.

Are they romanceable?

Yes! By men and women, (race gated against dwarves and qunari - Sorry! T_T) but you will need to go VERY easy on the flirting for a while if you’re a lady. She’s not had a physical relationship with a woman before, but is open to the idea.

Can you have sex with them?

Only if you’re on friendly terms; none of this ‘rivalmance’ nonsense. If you’re on her blacklist, she’d rather stick some acid on your lips than kiss them.

Are they open to polyamoury?

Only if it’s talked through and everything is out in the open. She will be very upset for quite a while if you just randomly decide to add another person. And she will be VERY hesitant to join an already established relationship because she needs reassurance that she’s worthwhile.

If they can be romanced and are not will they begin a relationship / relationships with other characters? If so, who?

If Cullen isn’t being romanced, she’d probably start one with him. She’d be there for him during his lyrium withdrawal episodes and sing him back to sleep when he woke.

If Zevran was there and not romanced with the Warden, she’d go for him; same with Fenris not romanced by Hawke.

Who are they friendly with?

Varric is her best friend (except the Inquisitor, if they’re good to her).

The Iron Bull and she get along well; he’s curious about her and likes teasing her.

She likes reading those smutty novels with Cassandra and encourages her so she can “practice reading” ;P.

She and Cullen will be all but kindred spirits in temperament and will get along well; she invents a potion that tastes like lyrium to help his withdrawal (like a kind of placebo). She will also question him about his views on mages and remind him of how he used to talk about them. She wants him to really grow as a person, not just be forgiven for who is was and no follow-up made.

Dorian and Ariel have a kind of love-hate relationship, since he loves to tease her/play flirt and enjoys her easy-to-blush nature far too much. Still, she respects him for trying to change Tevinter and since she spends a lot of time in the library they’re near each other a lot. They often have discussions he has a hard time stomaching about his homeland (usually regarding slavery).

She respects Josephine but the Antivan is very confused by Ariel’s venomous reaction to nobility considering her background.

She also respects Leliana’s abilities but they argue over the Chantry and faith when either topic comes up.

She both likes and hates Cole. She appreciates that he helps people and often asks him to help her help people, but she hates when he reads her.

She likes Blackwall and they often discuss his past (after she reveals she knows) and she encourages him to just atone as Blackwall. She affectionately calls him “Dad” because he reminds her of her father and often gives her fatherly advice, especially about combat.

Who do they dislike?

She knows what Solas wants to do and she hates him for it. They often argue about it, as she’s trying desperately to change his mind. Still, he helps her manage her odd abilities and helps her deal with her odd relationship to the Fade.

Though in goal/opinion they are very similar, she dislikes Sera. She sees her as little more than a snotty brat with a vicious temper and a deplorable liking for “pranks”.

She dislikes Vivienne on principle, as she’s a noble in every aspect and enjoys that life. Eventually, she comes to respect her and it is somewhat mutual.

Cole’s reading:

“Thoughts… so much. Home. It’s not a game anymore. I can’t say it. What’s the point of knowing… if you can’t change it?”

Companion card changes

Loyalty:

<<Temperance Tarot>>

Romance:

<<TBD>>

Side Mission:

<<TBD>>

When nearing a hidden item:

“Looks like things have been disturbed here...”

When seeing a high dragon:

“Well, great! There’s death coming from every possible direction now.”

Or, if The Iron Bull is in the party:

“...No, Bull. I’m not dying today.”

Side quest reaction(s):

<<TBD>>

Low health:

“Some help would be nice!”

“I wonder...where I’ll go…”

The Inquisitor falls:

(If friendly/romanced) “NO! I won’t let you go!”

(If neutral) “Our Inquisitor needs us!”

(If low approval) “You can’t give up!”

Greeting(s) / Goodbye(s)

Low approval:

“What do you want now?”

“Yeah, you go have fun elsewhere. I’ve got actual work to do.”

Neutral approval:

“Do you need something?”

“Okay. Bye then.”

Friendly:

“Oh, hey! What’s up?”

“Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be around.”

Romanced:

“O-oh. Uhm… hi!” o///o

“Hope you can spare some time for me later. I’ve… really missed you.” >////>

Opinions on mages / templars / how the world is going to shit?

She’s very much against mages murdering people to retain their freedom, but she is equally against all the abuses that templars had heaped upon them to bring them to this point.

She thinks the rebel mages could be brought to heel and likes the idea of them creating the College of Enchanters, outside the Chantry’s influence, and wants all mages to be free but to be taught how to control their magic and punished appropriately when they do not.

She knows the Templars are useful, but doesn’t like them as an order controlled by the Chantry. She wants them to be disbanded and made into a separate type of guardsman everywhere so mages could live as normal people but still be brought to heel if they went all abomination or killed someone/manipulated them with magic.

She knows what created the breach so she has to keep her mouth shut about it and thus doesn’t like talking about it.

Something guaranteed to make them leave the party?

If you help slavers, take a bribe to turn a blind eye or kill innocents.

                                          Imprisoned at Redcliffe

How is your OC holding up in Redcliffe, being slowly infected with red lyrium over the course of a year?

She heaves this incredibly dramatic sigh when she sees the Inquisitor. Basically just says, “FUCKING FINALLY, GET ME OUT OF THIS CELL.” She’s not infected but it’s been trying for so long that she’s weak as all hell from it stealing her energy.

                                                      The Fade

How they react:

Awe and nervousness. She dreams of this place but the interactions are all different. She is normally protected by spirits, who found her first as she slowly mastered her ‘gift/curse’ and became visible to the other denizens. She may have several whisps following her about as you wander, as they recognized and found her, but they are scared and weakened in the Nightmare’s territory.

Their tombstone:

Being Nothing but a Burden

What fears look like:

Goliath Tigerfish

“Okay, this is fucked up. I know this is the Fade and the laws of normal existence don’t apply, but still! You need water to swim, not air!” ~points accusingly at an approaching nightmare~ “Stop snappin’ your jaws at me you assholes!”

What the Nightmare says:

“And here is the talk of the Fade. The anomaly. The stranger in a strange land.” ~deep, booming laughter~ “Your spirits cannot save you here, child. I have long wondered what kind of creature you would become were I to claim you…”

OR, if romanced:

“Ah, the anomaly. Do you truly know what will happen here? I will tell you, since you crave knowledge. Your beloved will die and I will throw you back to suffer. Wilt away in your guilt and despair. You will feed me and my brethren for years to come, wallowing in it until it is all you know… just like your father.”

Hawke or Warden:

She understand the reasons for both

There will be a minor approval drop for choosing the Warden (large if it is a romanced Alistair)

If Hawke romanced Fenris, there will be a major approval drop

If Hawke romanced anyone else or remained alone, there will be a minor approval drop

The Wardens - Exile or Allies?

Again, she understand the reasons for both. Only a minor approval drop for exile and minor approval boost for making them allies.

                                                     Halamshiral

Where they linger:

If she’s not romanced she’ll probably be near Cullen, engaging him in conversation in order to help keep the “suitors” at bay.

If she or Cullen is romanced she’ll be seeking shelter with Varric and tells you to hurry up so she can get the hell out of this viper’s nest.

Are they good at the Game?

She could be, if she wanted to be. She knows how she just hates using the skills she was brought up with as a child of an upper-middle class family back home.

What people say about them:

(if neither she nor Cullen were romanced)

“Why must that homely girl take up the Commander’s time? Doesn’t she realize her betters need to speak with him?”

(if the Inquisitor romanced her)

“The Inquisitor keeps such homely company… I can’t see why there are rumors about them. She is unremarkable and abrasive.”

“Who is that mouse beside Master Tethras? A fan of his work?”

Gaspard, Briala or Celene?

Briala and Celene together! Always. OTP. Major approval boost for this option.

She’ll give a minor approval boost for Briala blackmailling Gaspard or Celene ruling alone.

Will have a major approval drop for allowing Gaspard to rule alone.

                                                Temple of Mythal

Rituals or Hole?

Ritual. This is their place and you must respect it. Plus, she knows that you’ll get there before it’s too late even if you take the time and knows how to do the puzzle.

Agree with the Elves’ bargain?

YES. She hates having to kill anyone if there’s another way… unless they’re assholes. Abelas kind of is, but not enough to justify being killed. Plus, it’s easier to get where you’re going if you accept and she will be taking photos of the murals and stuff you find along the way for safekeeping/inspection later.

Morrigan or the Inquisitor for the Well?

She leaves it up to the Inquisitor if they’re not involved.

If romanced or if they are friends, she will tell the Inquisitor that they really don’t want to take it in and to let Morrigan do it. “It will be helpful… you just don’t want the burden. Trust me.”

                                                    Trespasser:

Depending on who she’s with, she’ll have done different things.

If she was romanced by the Inquisitor she’d be busy helping with the Inquisition. Creating new tools/helping advance medicine for non-mages as well as mages/trying to recreate basics from home like running water that anyone can install on their houses. She’d go with them to the Exalted Council if asked and will be able to tell them about what’s going on if they asked/wanted to know. She could also be told to stay behind and use her knowledge of the attending nobles to help Josephine.

If she wasn’t romanced by the Inquisitor and Cullen wasn’t romanced, she would be assisting him. She would have expanded her making of the placebo to give to all the Templars that wanted to be off of lyrium. She will likely have also worked with advancing medicine and providing basic improvements to people’s lives. Again, if asked, she would attend the Exalted Council. If not, Cullen will likely ask her to come just to help him retain his sanity. He will ask her to marry him there, as he would have the Inquisitor. She would happily find the Inquisitor to let them know and tell them they need to survive so they can all meet up again for a proper party and feast for the wedding when they get back to Ferelden.

If Zevran was around she’d help him in dealing with the Crows and set up a library where she takes in and “homeschools” recruits that he liberates from the Crows. She’s soon surrounded by children and is unable to attend the Exalted Council. Before she left the Inquisition she acquired a pair of sending crystals so that no matter where she was the Inquisitor could get a hold of her if necessary. She will advise them on what to do if they ask.

If Fenris was around, they’d travel about tracking down slavers and eventually attempt to lead a slave uprising in Tevinter. Since, by the end of her tale she’d be a powerful proper mage she could do reconnaissance in full view and not be thought much of. She would have given the Inquisitor one of a pair of sending crystals to keep in contact and would offer her knowledge if asked during the Exalted Council. In Tevinter, she tips off the right people and kills those that won’t help and then Fenris inspires slaves to rise. She’d meet Dorian on his way back and chuckle, saying, “time to put out the fires and start again. I did the easy part. The rest is up to you.” She’ll probably get hit for that.

I’ll probably add more at some point. Still can’t decide about her side quests... so that’ll have to wait.

[hurl-a-can]

 Tagged by the ever wonderful @enchantment1385​. Thank you, mate!

Rules(or guidances):

1. Post the rules

2. Answer the questions given to you by the tagger

3. Write 11 questions of your own

4. And tag 11 people.

1. What is your favorite fandom, and why? Just one? You gotta be kidding. OK, here’s the list. JRRT - it was the first one and I have never fallen out of love with the books - or the creativity they inspire.  And unto this day I have heated drunken debates about which son of Finwë was the best. (Fëanor - and don’t you dare imply otherwise! ;-)) Lexx - the show is quirky and weird AF and the fandom reflects that. Met some fantastic people there and while the fandom itself is kinda dead now (alive dead, but still) I’m still in touch with some of them. Dragon Age - I’m kinda lucky I guess because I never really experienced the shittier aspects of it, but so far being in this fandom has been an awesome ride. Doctor Who expanded universe + Big Finish - it’s kind of a niche thing. It’s also where DW gets REALLY interesting and the sole reason I stuck with DW even through 11th Doc’s latter seasons. You thought Dalek was good? Well, not gonna disagree but ... *puts on her hipster glasses* ...try Jubilee. And I especially love our little group of 8th Doctor fans. We shamelessly and defiantly love that silly 1996 movie, proudly bear all the emotional scars left by repeated listening to Scherzo and burst into tears whenever someone mentions Lucie bleedin’ Miller. Planescape: Torment - What can change the nature of a man?  Withnail & I - nothing like having whole conversations in movie quotes. And yes, I’ve done the W&I drinking game. I ended up getting lost at the lavatory. Never again. 2.  What’s your Pokemon team?  OK, never been in that fandom. So no bloody idea. I remember feeling sorry for the Rocket Team a lot throughout those few eps I saw, but I suspect that’s not what you were asking about...:-)  3. Favorite ‘Team’ in dragon age or mass effect? DAO - Zevran, Wynne, Shale. DA2 - Fenris, Varric, Merrill/Carver. DAI - Dorian, Blackwall, Varric/Cole/Sera/Solas. 4. Favorite non Bioware game? Planescape: Torment. It’s my favourite game, period. Not even Dragon Age can compete, though DA is one of the very few that even come close. Like...really close. Also Fallout2. And Prince of Qin. And Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines.

5. OTP? Zevran/Lennan. (Zevran & male Tabris in general.) Marwood/Withnail. (Not that I can see or truly believe any actual romance between them. But the mutual pining thing and the being husbands without even realizing it thing - yeah, yeah, yeah, so very yeah.) Das/Dorian. It’s a mess post-Trespasser, but I love them. Das/Faeron. I got really invested in that one. Other than that, I don’t have a whole lot of OTPs. I have fave pairings in most fandoms, but it’s always gonna depend on the story. For example, I’m very partial towards Bush/Hornblower - but give me a good Bush/Cotard fic (and those I’ve read tended to be really good) - and I’m ready to kick Hornblower overboard. 6. What is your Guilty pleasure? Chinese propaganda posters. Used to love the propaganda series, too, but I hardly ever watch anything these days. Chinese military & propaganda music. Well, military music in general. Love me some Russian Red Army songs or some mehter, too... Heard some really kick-ass tunes by Hezbollah music groups... (Needless to say, I decontextualize etremely well. It also goes without saying that you should just...stay away from the comments section on YT when it comes to these tunes.) Legalists. Shang Yang in particular. I disagree with almost every sentence in Shang Jun Shu, but boy do I love reading it. 7. A food you can’t get enough of? Liang pi. Vegetable&mushroom baozi. Bread (the proper kind). Sichuan food. Potato pancakes. White cabbage soup. Cinnamon anything. Chocolate ice-cream. Yunnan flower cakes. 8. What’s can you see right now? My guzheng, my legs under the blanket, a pile of body and hand warming pads, Xmas tree (yeah, I know...I’m not even ashamed), my desk...  9. Something I don’t know about you? When I was a little kid (3 to 5 or 6, I guess), I was mortally afraid of red flowers. Red tulips? Poppies? Wouldn’t get anywhere near them. 10. Mosted loved OC, why? But I love them all! I’ll make a...selection. Lennan, because - as any other 1st PT character - he shares many of my characteristics and convictions - but is a better person than I will ever be. Also because he’s tragic and tragedy is my thing. Das - most of the above. Less tragic, but still one big mess of an elf. I also totes have a pixel crush on him because he’s adorbs. Lynn - a dogvurtman from a bunch/series/whatever of stories I’m working on. (It’s all technically Vurt fanfiction, but it’s departed so far from the books in terms of tone and genre it hardly FEELS like it anymore.) He’s a middle-aged bloke with a booze&ciggy problem, highly creative, somewhat unorthodox, poses as a cinnamon roll but totally could kill you. He bites. Vee, a Roma shadow woman, Lynn’s mother/sister/lover/mentor figure. She’s the dogmother of the Brno ‘Bronx’ and you’d better not cross her. Tsarang-gü. A prince of an alliance of mountain warrior tribes in a fantasy story I’ve had planned out for ages - but haven’t really started writing yet. A tad boastful and cocky, but with a heart of gold.  11. What song is stuck in your head right now? This one:

OK, my questions: 1. When you get butterflies in your stomach - what colour are they? 2. If spiders could talk, what would their voices sound like? 3. How do you like your coffee/tea? 4. If you could learn any language instantly, which one would you choose? 5. If they made a DA/ME film or series about YOUR protagonist - which OC would you choose and who should play them? 6. What can change the nature of a man? (Or woman... Or person...) 7. What musical instrument do you play? What instrument would you like to learn? 8. Pick any aspect of your life or personality and choose a themesong for it.  9. Can you cook or bake? What’s your specialty? 10. Got any deadcrush? 11. What is your quirkiest hobby or interest?

And let me tag...... @enchantment1385 (I know you dunnit, but these Qs are different!), @keeperscompanionsdai, @ironbullsmissingeye, @nerdierholler, @youaremynewdream, @queen-of-the-crows, @gugle1980, @ama-tus, @lindsmorr, @bearly-tolerable, @tessa1972, @dinah-myles, @retro-sci-fi-songbird... And anyone else who may be interested! As usual, feel free to scroll past and ignore.

[dinoswrites]

director's cut meme: Little Arrow Ch 3 the part w/ Cassandra being hurt and Dorian losing his shit AND/OR the Solas/Lavellan conversation immediately after (from approx “Why did they come here?” to "He stares at her a moment longer, before turning and disappearing into the trees without a word.")

Thom is behind them all, someone slumped over his shoulders. He puts them on the ground—gently, but he’s so exhausted he nearly drops them, and then rolls them over onto their back.

It’s Cassandra. She’s… not moving.

If there’s any character to (almost) kill off to show how dire the situation is, it’s Cassandra. Like, she was always the last in my party to fall. Always. Bull? I was reviving his ass every 30 seconds. Blackwall? not as bad but still. Cassandra, though? I don’t think much could kill her, in game, once you got to higher levels.

Also, symbolically, she is the most interested in tales of romance out of anyone in the group. She’s the one who sighs wistfully, and reads Varric’s utter trash literature, and wants to be wooed with poetry and candlelight.

But more than that, she tough as balls.

Evie can hear her blood pounding in her ears, and nothing else. There’s a smear of blood on Cassandra’s cheek—dried, crusty. It almost looks like dirt, or mud. Evie just… stares at that. Instead of looking at the rest of Cassandra. Looking where her armour is caved in over her chest—

Poor Evie’s never actually seen any level of violence in her life, outside of some strangers kidnapping her. She is incredibly sheltered.

Cole kneels by Cassandra’s head. His own bowed over her, his hat hiding his face so Evie can’t see if he’s saying anything.

A glass bottle shatters as it hits a tree, and Evie snaps out of it.

“Fasta vass,” Dorian shouts, “I hated those bastards enough before they started copying Templars.”

unseeliequeens: k how, exactly, did ancient elves learn how to Smite playwithdinos: plot reasonsplaywithdinos:also they started eating lyrium i guess 

You don’t have to fill all your weird plot holes if you just have your main character not have a clue what’s happening, right?

Mamae gets Bull settled, and then tries to look at his leg. He waves her off, however, pointing towards Cassandra.

“Fuck,” Sera is saying. “Fuck—how did they get Cassandra?! She’s like—”

She gestures wildly in the air, as if that helps articulate her point.

Varric stands by Cole for a moment, and his face twists as he looks down at her. But he only shakes his head, and goes back to Thom. “The Iron Lady won’t be here until tomorrow,” he says, though Evie barely hears him. “You think Dorian’s…?”

Thom shakes his head. “I doubt it. Last time this happened, Lady Vivienne was out of it for hours. Cassandra’s got… well. Not that.”

“And my specialty isn’t exactly healing, let alone gaping chest wounds,” Dorian snaps. “Where the hell is that healer Hawke promised us?”

Yes, the healer that Hawke promised is Anders, who shows up fashionably late.

Evie glances over, and sees Solas standing a few feet to her left. He hasn’t noticed her yet—he’s just staring, his face twisted in confusion and grief. But Dorian’s words seem to startle him, and he squares his shoulders and walks, quickly, across the clearing.

He kneels beside Cassandra, and all conversation comes to an abrupt halt.

Everyone watches, and Evie holds her breath, until Cassandra’s head jerks, her lips part, and her eyes flutter open.

She blinks up at Solas, frowning, until he presses a hand to her forehead. He whispers something Evie can’t hear, and then Cassandra closes her eyes again. Just sleeping this time, it seems.

Solas stands, slowly. And then he steps around Cassandra, around the fire, all the while with every eye in camp trained on him, and stops before Bull.

Yeah. Solas.

It’s really easy to focus on his relationship with the Inquisitor, and how that influences his feelings on the whole end of the world thing.

But these people are his friends - and probably the first people who could be his friends for a long, long time. Before the whole reveal, he was just Solas to them. Weird guy, sure, likes the Fade a little too much, but he sets his own coattails on fire sometimes, and he and Dorian absolutely spend all night nerding it up about magic on multiple occasions. He and Cassandra have some thoughtful, profound conversations - he helps her through her crisis of Faith by telling her how special it was that she could have attracted such a spirit to her. That her belief is worth something. He distracts a Bull who is frightened to be without the Qun with a (brilliant) game of chess.

It would be so easy just to let them die. But it’s impossible just to let them die. They’re his friends, even though they’re enemies; he can no more watch Cassandra die than he could Lavellan.

He starts to kneel before Bull.

“Don’t touch him,” Dorian snarls.

Solas stops, half-kneeling on the ground. Evie can’t see his face, but his shoulders are straight as a board.

“If the wound is not seen to,” Solas says, his voice very flat, “it will fester.”

Dorian laughs, hard and bitter. “Ah yes, I’d forgotten how stupid you think we all are. Like infants running under your feet. Or insects, maybe, on the days we’re not lucky enough for you to consider us people.”

It was always going to be Sera or Dorian who spilled it in front of Evie. They both have hot tempers - Sera doesn’t like Solas a whole lot in the first place, but Dorian and Solas were friends. And Dorian is also hyperaware of the hypocrisy of Solas being like “you can’t feel bad about elvhenan and how long dead it is without doing something for the living slaves” and then toddling off to go blow up the world or something because of elvhenan collapsing. Like?????

Dorian doesn’t give two fucks about Solas being the Dread Wolf. If that was his only secret, he’d probably just think it was hilarious. Like, “Maker, I cannot believe it - no wonder you go around pretending you’re better than everyone else. This is - fuck, why does no one else think this is as funny as I do??? LOOK AT HIM, he’s literally dressed in RAGS, like a fairy tale creature that’s going to test us, and then make us filthy rich when we’re kind.”

It’s the whole... end of the world thing that gets to him. And the whole “not real people” thing. Because Dorian didn’t have a lot of friends before the Inquisition, either. He had precisely one, who died of the Blight. And he and Solas, for all their differences, are friends. And to learn that all of that meant nothing to Solas... that he’s not even a real person  in Solas’s eyes... that’s what stings. Not the elvhen god nonsense.

That’s when Bull notices Evie, standing at the edge of the woods. His eye goes wide, and he tries to nudge Dorian with his elbow.

“Dorian,” he hisses.

“No,” Dorian snaps. “No! I am sick to death of fighting for our lives, for the fate of a world full of perfectly good people who aren’t good enough for you and your lofty ideals, because you miss castles in the sky and—I don’t fucking know, upside down fountains or whatever bullshit you’ve decided is better than real, living, breathing people who just want to buy bread and make stupid babies and keep living. I am sick to death of coming here, to the one place where none of that is happening, and instead of getting to forget about it all I have to see your face, and be reminded of every person who I have lost and who I’m going to lose, at this rate, so don’t you pretend that you’re anything other than—”

“Katoh!”

Dorian’s mouth shuts so fast his teeth clack together. He turns to look at Bull, furious confusion all over his features.

“Amatus we literally only use that in the bedroom what the actual fuck.”

Bull only looks at Evie, an apologetic smile on his face that looks more like a grimace, right now.

Dorian follows his gaze—and then his face falls, all the fury draining from it the instant he sees her. And he just looks exhausted, all of a sudden. Not angry at all.

“Oh, that actual fuck.”

One by one, everyone in the camp turns and looks at Evie.

No one says anything. They all just… stare.

“Well,” Varric says, breaking the agonizing silence. “Shit.”

Evie inhales, Sera curses, Dorian looks at his feet, and Solas turns on his heel and leaves the clearing so fast that Evie thinks he uses magic.

Solas: Hm. I appear to be Feeling Things. I could, in fact, use this moment to address what I am feeling, and take the opportunity to sort out my shit and come to terms with my emotions, and maybe make a decision on this whole “end the world or not end the world” thing, and then maybe i could make peace with all the people I have harmed by my action and inaction.

Solas: .....

Solas: *fadesteps the fuck out of the situation*

OKAY PART 2

He whirls on her, then, his eyes dark. “Why did they come here?” he snarls—sounding like a cornered animal. “Where Evie can see? This place is supposed to be safe, she’s not supposed to know—”

She doesn’t rise to meet his anger. She just stands there and stares up at him, her arm crossed over her chest, fingers curling over the pin holding her sleeve in place on what remains of her left arm.

He stares back down at her, his face falling from rage to confusion. His features twist, and his demands hang in the air between them, heavy.

At length, Mamae only says, “There was nowhere else for them to go.”

You know, I’m not exactly sure how Dragon Age 4 will go, or how exactly Thedas is supposed to stop Solas from Wrecking All The Things. 

But a Romanced/Friendly Solas really wants to be stopped. Why doesn’t he just not do it then, you ask? Look he’s kind of a shithead, I say, and he still sees this world as a horrible mistake. It’s miserable - yes, people are sometimes happy, but they die. For no reason! And they hate magic, and they suffer, and there are Blights that will probably honestly do the job for him, if he lets them.

He doesn’t want to do it. But he has to.

So that’s where this conversation is coming from.

Solas opens and closes his mouth. He blinks, and his eyes search her face for something. “What… what do you mean?” he asks, his voice very quiet.

She shrugs. “This is it, Solas. We lost the pleasure house in Minrathous during the uprising—and I won’t say I’m displeased with the results, but that was our last sanctuary, other than here.”

He doesn’t move. He doesn’t say a thing—he just stares at her, his expression impossible to read.

“My forces are scattered,” she tells him, as if they’re talking about the weather. “I have some trusted allies converging here, but it’s a poultice on the wound at best. What few eluvians I control I can only afford to reveal to very few. So most are waiting for word of where they will go, but I have nowhere to send them to. They’re spread too thin to be of any use to anyone.”

“Impossible,” he says, desperately. “You still hold Adamant. You have allies in Nevarra—”

She laughs a little, bitterly. “Adamant is an excellent decoy, but it’s been sealed tight to prevent Darkspawn from clawing their way out of the abyss for nearly a decade. I’ve never held forces there, I just wanted you to think I did. And the nobility and their armies were suddenly less welcoming, once your people exposed my role in the slave revolts. They’re frightened I’ll do the same for their servants, and they’ll be cleaning their own chamberpots.”

He is very, very still. Like he is when he’s very upset, and he doesn’t want anyone to know.

This is the moment when Solas realises it’s actually in him. His... pipe dream of a bunch of mortals somehow outwitting him, stopping him from achieving his goals, so he can have honestly tried, but also saving him from becoming a monster, proving their own worth to what remains of his people, it’s all over.

His orb is complete. Her forces are scattered at best, her allies few and far between. Her greatest allies are wounded, demoralized. Gathered here, instead of out trying to stop him.

(Also, side note, if we have to choose between defeating Solas and freeing Tevinter slaves you can 100% bet I am still freeing slaves, Bioware I don’t care, burn the whole world just let us all be happy first)

“Why did you keep her?” he asks, his voice tight.

Mamae blinks, startled by the question. “What?”

“Evie.” Solas stares down at her—standing very close, but utterly unmoving. “You knew the truth. About—about everything. So why…?”

She shakes her head. “You’re asking me this now? After—five years?”

“Four and a half,” he corrects, very softly.

“Why?”

“Please,” is all he says, his voice wavering a little.

Solas has wanted to ask this question, but is too scared to. Maybe the answer is because Evie was meant to be leverage - maybe Lavellan only kept the baby because it might be the one thing to make Solas hesitate, when the time came. Because - this is it. This is the time for it. The time for Lavellan to look at him and say “you want your kid to die???” and he has to answer her.

But he’s also kid of terrified that the answer is just... Well. As follows.

Mamae exhales. She frowns up at him a moment longer, and then she smiles a little, sadly. She reaches up, and cups one side of his face with her hand.

“Solas,” she says, very softly, “Sometimes, I’m afraid you’ll never understand how I feel about you.”

He almost says something, but she shakes her head a little and he stops.

“Ar lath ma,” she tells him. “You, Solas. The man who makes friends with spirits, and teaches Evie to cast barriers, and chases her nightmares away. The man who painted, who stopped the Qunari invasion because he did not want us to suffer. The man who tells me the truth, even when it’s hard to hear. Who sought to ease my pain and save my life at great risk to himself, when he did not know me, or even think I was real. The man I’m going to save from his idiot self, and the things he doesn’t even want to do.”

She brushes a tear from his cheek with her thumb. He breathes in, sharply, as if he hadn’t even known he was crying.

Lavellan is absolutely, 200% not this confident. Like, at all.

She kind of... knows she’s lost??? Like she doesn’t know what she has left. She doesn’t know the next step. She’s gathering some allies, and figuring out what to do next, but... Barring Solas having some kind of epiphany on his own, she actually doesn’t have anything else to throw at him?

Though the whole “we had forest sex the last time we hung out” thing she’s counting as a win in her court. She knows that his walls are coming back down - and she wants to believe that she can still talk some sense into him, one way or the other.

He reaches up, and presses his hand against hers. He closes his eyes and leans into her touch, and they stand there, motionless, the air around them utterly still.

“Sometimes,” he says, so softly that Evie can hardly hear it, “I think of asking you to run away with me. To take Evie with us, and find some place where no one has heard of Fen’Harel, or the Inquisitor, and just…”

“Vhenan,” she says, when he goes too long without speaking, “I don’t think that place exists anymore.”

He lets out a small, broken breath.

Yeah, he’s waffling hardcore.

If he had actually asked her, instead of just admitting that he wants to, she would have said yes.

But he didn’t ask, did he?

“Solas—”

“The orb is complete.”

She freezes in place. “What?” she says, after an agonizing silence. “I don’t—when?”

“Nearly two months ago, now.”

Her hand is still on his cheek, his hand over hers. Neither of them moves.

This is poor Lavellan realizing that the reason he slept with her is because he was being grim and fatalistic again. 

At length, he opens his eyes. He just looks lost.

“I’ve been stalling,” he says, gently taking her hand away from his face. “Citing a need to ensure there will be no problems, when I use it. Telling anyone who asks that I need more time, that I need to be certain, after what happened to the last one.”

When he tries to pull his hand from hers, she tightens her grip. “Why?’ she asks.

“I…” He stares down at her. Evie watches as he leans in a little—and she in turn, as if they’re pulled to one another.

Lavellan (and also you thirsty, thirsty readers): 

He drops her hand, and takes a few steps back. “I will make certain no one was followed here tonight,” he says, stiff and formal again.

Everyone reading, probably:

“Solas—”

He’s already turning on his heel, and does not stop. “Go back to Evie,” he says. “She will be distressed. If you do not wish for me to return, I understand. I—”

“Solas,” she says again, pleading.

He stops.

She takes a shaken breath. “In the end,” she says slowly, “what happens to her? If she—will she—”

He turns and looks at her over his shoulder. He does not say anything, but his expression is grim, and something about his eyes looks… desperate.

So yeah, Solas believes that if he goes through with his plan, then Evie will die.

Not just Lavellan, or the people he loves - his blood relation to her does not save her. She dies, too.

Mamae closes her eyes. Her hand clenches into a fist.

“It’s almost her birthday,” she says. “She’d—she’d be miserable if you weren’t there.”

He stares at her a moment longer, before turning and disappearing into the trees without a word.

@unseeliequeens, beta and queen of my heart, asked me once what it would take for Lavellan to keep Solas from seeing Evie.

And the answer was basically, like, actual murder of someone they love.

Not just like, incidental, “everyone you know will die but all at once so it’s cool” murder. Which is looming on the horizon I guess.

And I guess it has to do more with my Lavellan’s backstory than any other reasoning I can give - her mother died when she was quite young, and her father got himself (and nearly her) killed in an ancient ruin when she was like 13 or something. She grew up without her parents; with an emotionally distant father, when he was around. He tried his best, but his heart just wasn’t in it after her mother died - she’s old enough now to have come to terms with that.

But... Emotionally Distant Parent? Solas is anything but. He loves Evie--he teaches her magic, and dotes on her, and watches her nightmares. Evie loves him, too. Evie is old enough now to wonder if Solas is her father - she’s old enough now to guess that there’s weird history between him and her mom. She hasn’t asked, but Lavellan knows she wants to.

She doesn’t have the heart to take Solas away from Evie. She can’t--never mind that being around Evie is obviously going to give him second thoughts on the whole end the world thing. She’s not going to punish Evie for Solas’s horrible mistakes. That’s more angst than she’s willing to kick up in this little family.