#varric anon

[tethrras]

iirc they never gave an Exact timeline on when he and bianca met/got together but in dai when the inky asks how long they've been together he says 15 years, so that would mean when he was 26!! which is interesting bc there's a break between his work from 9:23 dragon to 9:33 dragon 🔎so unless there are books we don't know about he stopped writing three years before we know he and bianca started a relationship and then did not write again until hard in hightown after he met hawke .

and YES that was me 😭 like the fact that his greatest fear is that he became his parents . is so . like it's about the loyalty to orzammar and tradition which he has rejected totally (bc it rejected them first cough) (the same way he gets so mad about anders and bartrand after their perceived betrayals) but it's also about his dad being a cheat who held nothing sacred and his mother burying her head in the sand to deal with her grief at what she's lost . i want to study him under a microscope !!!! there are so many layers to everything about him !!!!

literally vomited in my mouth when i remembered he is still "with" bianca or in love with her in canon i gaslit myself into not believing that to be true. ACTUALLY THROWING UPPP I HATE HER I AHTE HER I HATE HER. altho this is truly insane bc it makes me realize that varric and bianca were literally together for like. No amount of time lmao esp bc we can assume she didn't leave him for her husband or whatever Right before act 1 started... they could've been together for like 3-4 years max. OK SO ONCE AGAIN I CONDEMN THE DRAGON AGE DEVS FOR NOT MAKING HIM ROMANCEABLE

but anyway yes this is literally driving me insane ur so right and smart. i feel like u might enjoy the super long post i just rbed about varric.... if u read it pls share ur thoughts and if u agree/disagree i'm so curious

[catebees]

I'd love to see Varric in your style 🥺 he's my biggest comfort character to be ngl c:

Peepaw don't do anything rash you're not as agile as you were once

[mohntilyet]

*not sure if he's actually a companion but he is in the promo poster and seemingly part of the cast so...

[dragonagetakes]

i want to add onto the varric/hawke asker and say that in inquisition, Varric clearly has at least *some* regret for the spotlight he put on Hawke. Yeah, it was great fun telling wild and thrilling stories for some time, but when it became dangerous to his friend, who he cares about… anyways, there’s a line that he says (mumbles) to Cassandra about already putting Hawke through enough, and that’s why he didn’t tell her where he was.

I think they’re incredibly fascinating and I would love to put them in a queer-platonic sort of relationship. They intrigue me.

-🐭

.

[thatrandombystander]

I read a da2 fanfic that implied Varric paid the pickpocket. I mean coming to someone's rescue unprompted would make them see you in a more positive light than just walking up and trying to sell the idea of teaming up

(In reference to this post)

Yeah for real Varric and Hawke's meeting was so perfect to make him seem cool and friendly, that the only two options I'll accept are either him lying to Cassandra or he orchestrated the whole event

[brekkie-e]

Hey so, while I can agree that varric is nice, not all of us want to fuck him? Some of us, while it's gut wrenching, do actually love the solas romance.

The post was a joke.

Though. This one’s hard to let slide. You see, I have a crippling case of what is in these here parts referred to as lesbianism. So to tell you the truth, dear. I don’t want to fuck either of them. But I apologize for making a post that was not catered specifically to you.

I don’t even think I implied that I, myself, would romance him were he an option. Simply that it would be one of the most popular ones if it were available to players.

That being said, the fun of these games is to make characters and tell their story. So, personally, I rarely pick my character’s romance based off whom I myself would personally be dtf for.

I stand by my statement though. If Varric could fuck, we wouldn’t be in this situation. We wouldn’t be in a lot of situations. Maybe BioWare wouldn’t be an on fire dumpster.

[crossdressingdeath]

I hope later varric realizes how much of his foot he ate when he told quiz it's hard to see them as a person, and the only reason he can't apologize and explain himself to quiz is bc they're too busy 🤧

I really can't get over how that line comes from Varric, of all people. Varric whose main role in the story is knowing the previous Important Hero of the age and who talks a lot about how being a hero has taken enough from his best friend. But then, I guess you could say that part of Varric's character is that no matter how much he cares for people a part of him is always looking at them as fodder for his stories, and him seeing Quiz as an icon instead of a person could be part of that? There is sort of a weird feel to him making Hawke and Quiz the protagonists of his heroic tales about the events of DA2 and DAI respectively, especially if you play one or both of them as being an unwilling hero and miserable in their role. Like, "Is he keeping quiet about that because it's personal and the world doesn't deserve to know about it, or because it gets in the way of a good story if the hero openly, explicitly does not want to be there?" is a question that can definitely be asked about Varric and it's something that neither of his appearances thus far have really gotten into. He loves his friends, but his most famous book comes from treating his best friend's life as plot fodder, and there's no evidence that he ever... y'know, asked? Hawke and Quiz before he turned what depending on player choices may have been the worst periods of their lives into bestsellers? (Do they get a cut of the royalties at least?) And some things Varric comes out with are like... as an example, Varric pushing a romanced Bull for details about what Quiz is like in the bedroom is kind of fun especially with how Bull shuts him down immediately, but it's also... y'know, incredibly invasive. There's a lot to get into with a character whose most notable actions mostly involve turning our heroes' lives into books whether they like it or not and I wish Varric's DAI quest was about that instead of his shitty sort of girlfriend.

But yeah, it's really awful that in his friendship cutscene of all places Varric says that he struggles to see Quiz as a person. I mean, DAI is very much a story about Quiz's personhood being stripped from them! They're the Herald of Andraste, they're the Inquisitor, they're a religious figurehead, they're the hero to all the good little Andrastians, they are not allowed to just exist as a person. Especially if you're playing a non-human or a mage, but even non-mage Trevelyan has a huge number of expectations placed on them. Like... in DAO you have to save Ferelden, in DA2 you have to save Kirkwall (again, and again, and again, and- you get the idea), but it's really only in DAI where you are expected to be a specific person, even if you absolutely physically can't be because you are not a human non-mage noble! So Quiz is already in a situation where everything they are as a person is being denied in favour of this image the world has of the perfect Andrastian Inquisitor, and their inner circle are basically the only people who ever treat them as a person in their own right instead of just "the Herald of Andraste" (and even then only sometimes; for every time a member of the inner circle shows concern for Quiz's wellbeing, one of them comes out with something like "you're not allowed to believe Mythal is real because you're the Herald of Andraste"). And now one of said inner circle, one of the people Quiz is closest to in the whole of the Inquisition, is looking them in the eye and telling them he struggles to see them as a person. It's a horrible, horrible thing to think about someone who you claim to care about! It's an even more horrible thing to say! Varric looks someone he supposedly sees as a dear friend in the eye and tells them he forgets that they're a person and absolutely nothing comes of that! Like, that should've had a pretty serious impact on their relationship????? But nope, nothing, Quiz doesn't even respond to it. Like... I get that it's different situations, but it really does remind me of Solas's refusal to recognize the current people of Thedas as people. Except with Solas his failure to recognize others as people is a central part of his character and him being pushed to realize he was wrong via Quiz's friendship/love and being terrified of the fact that if Quiz is real that means everyone is real and bringing down the Veil will cause another apocalypse on top of the one he's trying to undo is one of the most fascinating things about him; with Varric it's just Quiz specifically he doesn't see as "a real person", and it's a throwaway line that the story does nothing with. If nothing else I would've liked to see more done with that parallel.

And yeah, I really would've liked a sequence where Varric realizes just how far he shoved his foot down his throat by telling Quiz, someone whose story revolves heavily on being treated like they're not a person (even if it's in the quote-unquote "positive" way of "You're more than just a person") that despite being one of their closest friends in the organization he also struggles to see them as anything more than just the "Herald of Andraste" and... actually apologizes for it. But it doesn't happen! Very sad.

[stargroved]

Bianca is superior to whatever trash Gortash has.

"Oh, absolutely. The firepower, the quick-firing... Bianca is superior in the field, for sure, but the fabricated arbalest... just looks so cool." Amalthea then shrugged. "Plus, it's Gortash's. I just want to take his things and generally get on his nerves."

[wetcatspellcaster]

what are ur thoughts on the companions on da2? and fave romance option? ((also hope ur having a nice day!!!))

hey lovely!

unfortunately my feelings on the DA2 characters are mixed. I think they are good characters who are very underwritten, due to the nature of the game they are in/its rushed timeline etc. DA2 is the game I've played least but read the most fanfic for - I think that pretty accurately summarises my opinions on the cast! I like seeing those characters when they are fully fleshed out and their contradictions given room to breathe rather than just abruptly revealed and left feeling jarring, and when the 7yr time frame of the game feels real like it does in fic :)

As for romances... none of the DA2 romances are it for me!! Which is really sad!! My favourite is Isabela. I also enjoyed Fenris (classic me-branded choice of romancing him as a mage) but to me it felt again, underwritten - the idea of having such a fire line as "what has magic touched that it doesn't spoil?" but then not having that revisited at a later point is such a shame.

I was also fully ready to romance Anders in my first playthrough based on how much I loved him in Awakening, but the (justifiable) change in his character also meant it didn't hit for me, bc I'd created a purple Hawke who didn't really match the intensity of his DA2 energy. I have never written fic about them but the thing I have the most thoughts/feelings about is what could've been if my purple!Hawke and Anders had met earlier in his own character arc - there's a big 'what if' there and that's the only 'missed chance' romance I kind of get ill over.

anyway, my favourite romance options are Aveline and Varric, bioware just doesn't agree with me on that :')

[silver-horse]

^^ “friendship/rivalry point allocation should not be taken at full value of who characters are, but rather sometimes simply added for the sake of game mechanical benefits and consequences of choices” 

a very good point

also interesting that Anders constantly gives approval for the kind and moral and helpful choices during both Awakening and DA2. If you keep him in the party constantly and you never do anything shitty, you will literally never lose friendship points with him. I don’t know if there is another character like that.

But people cherry-pick that 1 single instance where he gives friendship points for an evil choice as some sort of proof that he is bad. With this logic all the above listed characters would be hated ( many fan favourite characters in DAO as well. If friendship points is anything to go by then Morrigan is irredeemable and I say that as someone who really likes her).

And even in this one instance if you don’t do the evil thing, you won’t gain rivalry with Anders, so my point stands that you can always do the most moral thing and you will never lose friendship points with Anders. That’s not the case for the other companions.

(Oh and other characters also give mild disapproval if we turn down their flirting, even if they are politely turned down. For example Zevran. It’s actually kinda realistic, people in the real world also don’t feel warm and fuzzy when they experience rejection. That doesn’t mean he “took it as an insult” this is again just an approval thing. Of course the developers thought it’s logical to not gain friendship when you turn someone down. However the actual dialogue is polite when they are rejected. They accept it immediately and don’t throw a hissy fit like real men often do.)

why is Anders like. so liked in the fandom. I don't get it he's voiced support for tevinter slavery and is just. downright cruel to fenris about everything. and if you try to not flirt with him and say you aren't interested just after apologizing for his friend being made tranquil he takes it as an insult

Some of the main reasons I like Anders:

His multifaceted advocacy for equal rights for mages, including going as far as risking his life to help mages escape the Gallows and get out of Kirkwall

He himself has gone through a lot of trauma in the Circles, including but not limited to an entire year of solitary confinement, and yet he gave up the only protection he had from them (the Grey Wardens) because he couldn’t stand him having freedoms that other mages didn’t

He does nothing in half measure, and is so full of passion for the people and things he cares about—and this isn’t just special with Hawke, lest we forget he travelled all the way to Kirkwall in the first place because of Karl, and even before that lest we forget the very reason he merged with Justice was to help his friend

Speaking of Justice, I really like how much his personality and Justice’s personality in Awakening blend together in his character in DA:2; it truly is a matter of showing what is told in the way you can pick pieces of both characters as they were separately now merged together, and I find that to be a really interesting and unique piece of character progression that not only builds him as a person, but adds to and reflects the worldbuilding with how magic and spirits work

He’s super open with affection in his romance, and just like Merrill, declares his love for Hawke without hesitation

When he’s not with Hawke, he’s providing free health care for Kirkwall citizens and refugees that the rest of the city openly shuns and attacks, and in return they protect and love him; he is at the same time showing people mages aren’t scary, but people just like them just by doing what he does

As a “Zillennial” I can’t help but like and relate to his nihilistic sense of humour

And to respond to your points:

“He's voiced support for Tevinter slavery”

...Where? Show me where in the game that Anders says slavery in Tevinter is okay actually.

If you are only referring to the allocation of friendship points if Hawke is an evil motherfucker who gives Fenris back to Danarius, then I would like to counter this with the fact that the friendship/rivalry point allocation for all the companions is messed up at times. And in fact in regards to that specific scenario, they should all openly attack Hawke for doing such, in my opinion. Leliana and Wynne attack the Warden for poisoning the Sacred Ashes, but apparently no one even tries to stop Hawke selling Fenris back into slavery? Really, Gaider?

Anyway, some other examples of the friendship/rivalry point allocation being really morally messed up and/or OOC:

Fenris gains +10 friendship if Hawke threatens to expose Thrask having had a mage daughter unless Thrask pays them, and +10 rivalry for promising to keep Thrask’s secret

Aveline gains +10 rivalry for attacking Varian the slaver

Merrill gains +5 friendship for accepting Torpor’s bargain to possess Feynriel, and +5 rivalry for killing Torpor

Aveline gains +10 friendship for turning Keran over to Meredith, and +10 rivalry for letting him go

Aveline gains +10 friendship for allowing Isabela to negotiate with Castillon the slaver, and +5 rivalry for killing him

Varric gains +5 friendship for allowing Isabela to negotiate with Castillon the slaver, and +5 rivalry for killing him

So lets look at that last point as a similar example to Anders’ friendship/rivalry change during the quest Alone. Varric and Aveline gain friendship points for letting a slaver go free, and rivalry points for killing him. Are you going to say Varric and Aveline support slavery too, then? Or are you going to acknowledge that friendship/rivalry point allocation should not be taken at full value of who characters are, but rather sometimes simply added for the sake of game mechanical benefits and consequences of choices, and don’t make sense?

“He’s downright cruel to Fenris about everything”

Yeah. They’re rude to each other. They have a hostile relationship and it’s not good, but the way you’re phrasing this is as if it’s only a one-way street. Fenris is also rude to Anders about everything.

This isn’t to say that either negates the other, but that they are on the same level of antagonism. It’s not just Anders bullying Fenris, or just Fenris bullying Anders. They are both at fault.

“If you try to not flirt with him and say you aren't interested just after apologizing for his friend being made tranquil he takes it as an insult”

I do agree that the dialogue here is messy.

I would like to point out though, that it is entirely possible to get through it without flirting and without him trying to initiate anything. I know because I literally just did it with my new playthrough I started.

Anyway, this blog loves and supports Anders. ✌

[varrics-chesthair]

Ur sexy. Sexier than Varric will ever be. Sexyman you should be in these polls so i can vote for you

[tethrras]

straight-up i could analyze varric and the dasher's men being the only book he wrote with a dwarven hero forever. like he literally wrote himself out of the narrative after that . because it was too close to home? too blatantly him wearing his heart on his sleeve? did bartrand ever call him on it, if he even READ the damn book? did bianca during a fight? or is it because he stopped thinking he could be the hero? because he CHOSE to sink into the background because that way he can avoid vulnerability and failure and rejection and conflict??? 🧐✍ which also ties to how his character arc in inquisition (and his relationship with hawke) is about him growing as a person and becoming someone who will take action after purposefully avoiding the weight of responsibility . hence veilguard and him becoming viscount 🧐✍thank u for listening to my unhinged varric tedtalks

DON'T EVEN I DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT LIKE. WHAT EVERYONE ELSE THOUGHT ABOUT HIM WRITING. do we know when he and bianca first got together btw and what books it might've tied into.......... i'm sure you do you smart talented genius whomst im kissing on the lips....

[theheraldsrest]

Hey! I really really love your blog! If I may request, during downtime, how would the members of the inner circle react to find the Inquisitor drawing/sketching them?

“Companions react to Inquisitor drawing/sketching them”

After our *cough* little thing with Bull, let’s have some fluff, shall we? Thank you anon for the ask!

-Lord Lex

Cullen

“You did this? It’s certainly…it’s…how did you even…it’s amazing.”

-So surprised, no words. It makes him feel a little special that you’d choose to sketch him but also very embarrassed. In return, he tries drawing you. Might not be as good and there are a few rough sketches that were thrown in the fire, but he wanted to return the favor. 

Josephine

“Oh! Look at the detail and the softness! I wouldn’t have even thought it was me from how stunning it is!”

-Absolutely gushing over it. Josey’s always had a fascination for the arts and to be the subject of the piece from someone close to her? Adores it, even asks to keep it. She has it tucked away in one of her favorite books. Will always compliment your art even when talking to dignitaries.

Leliana

“I commend you on your artistic talent. Though, I’d ask you not to sketch me. Perhaps one of the ravens would make better practice?”

-Like Josephine, Leliana has an eye for art. She loves looking at the little details in your sketches and finds it a surprise that her face is amongst the papers. As much as she appreciates it, she’d rather her face remain a secret. She is your spy master, after all. Though, if she becomes Divine, she keeps the sketch as one of her favorite pieces of her. 

Vivienne

“Darling, as much as I’d like to say you're wasting your talents by leading the Inquisition instead of honing your skills, you are equally talented in both. Most usually fail to make me look this stunning.”

-It might not show on her face or in her words but she loves it. Several times people have been commissioned to paint her yet none come even close to your level of detail. More points if it’s of her smiling or laughing, the lines on her face as well as the wrinkle around her eyes gives her a sense of…normalcy. If she becomes Divine, she commissions you to do her portrait, no one else.

Varric

“You drew me? I think that’s gotta be one of the scariest pieces of your art I’ve ever seen! When you're done, can I keep it?”

-Though it doesn’t sound like it, he brags about it constantly. Even when he’s making fun of his slightly crooked nose or how his eyes might seem smaller than other dwarves, he’s complimenting the skill you put into the very minute details of his face. Varric will try to pay you for it even if you refuse, later trying to commission a drawing of Hawke when they come around.

Cole

“Oh, it’s me! Not really, but it’s Cole. But you’re trying to draw me…I can still remember his face, then.”

-He’ll stare at it for hours, his shoulders down. It’s been sometime since he’d been able to see his own face, forgetting that he even had a face. To see you draw that face, the real Cole, just from looking at him makes him happy. Will ask to look at it every now and then, just to make sure it’s still the same.

Solas

“I must say, you are quite talented and steady with your hands. It does allow others to see how the artist sees. You certainly make me seem…at peace.”

-From one artist to another, he gives you high compliments with very few complaints. It is unusual to see him drawn in such a way since he’s so used to seeing only the mosaics. He meant to get rid of it when he left the Inquisition, but just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Cassandra

“Inquisitor, though your craft is very beautiful and I admire how you can make these pieces, I must ask you not to sketch me.”

-Don’t get her wrong, she loves seeing your sketches but it’s mostly out of formality (and somewhat embarrassment) that she asks not to be your subject. If she becomes Divine, it’s one of the only pieces she prefers over the paintings. Though she does ask you, if you have the time, to draw something for her. When you give her a perfect picture of her brother and her, it’s one of the few times she truly hugs you.

The Iron Bull

“Holy shit. I’m alright when it comes to sketching, but you make it look pretty damn easy while so complicated! You even got my scars and the detail on my patch! Damn, boss!”

-Bull is used to doing quick sketches, usually of small details to make sure he could track someone or to remember something easier. Never had he really seen himself drawn so picture perfect that it completely baffles him. He looks at all the details with a smile on his face.

Dorian

“I can’t believe you managed to get my good side! In all honesty, though, this is remarkable. And not just because it’s me.”

-He had studied some art pieces before and never really found any he liked, but he has now found one of his favorite artists. Constantly asks if you’ve done any new pieces just so he can look at the heart that goes into them. Ask if you could teach him to sketch as such so that he can add better drawings to his research notes.

Sera

“What the fuck! That’s me! How the fuck! How did you do this! You even got my eyes to be lined up! How the hell did you do that?!”

-We all know Sera’s drawing style. She keeps saying the same things over and over again because she’s at a loss for words. Except for cuss words. Along with the rooftop hangouts, she insists that you two just draw together sometimes. Some of the goofiest drawings come from these times, especially one of a cartoonish Coryshit falling from a very detailed tower.

A little speech bubble near it says “Oh shit, I shat myself!”

Blackwall

“I…I’m honored to be one of your subjects. Not to blow my own horn, but this looks stunning. You really are something special, hm?”

-Blackwall has done a lot of sketching himself and finds your art a breath of fresh air. Other than looking at bits and pieces of his reflection, he usually tries to avoid seeing himself. So when he sees your drawing of him, he almost doesn’t recognize himself. You both trade sketches of each other just for fun and even sketch together.

[apostaterevolutionary]

The source that showed "all" the choices you import into DATV was made in bad faith. You can see in the source that there are more tabs and therefore options than what the poster wanted people to think

I REALLY hope you’re right anon, but I got the info from the IGN article where they interviewed Epler, which he also posted about on bluesky, so there’s no reason to think it’s incorrect at this stage

And like. I get not including a lot of choices. I’m sure whether you gave the prisoner at Ostagar food isn’t relevant lmao. But like. If true, Varric must literally never mention Hawke given even their gender can’t even be selected, let alone whether they got left in the fade or not. And that second decision apparently didn’t affect Varric as much as Inquisition implied, if he’s the same person either way. And it also means rook never gets to know Varric well enough for him to mention a big part of his life, that being his time in Kirkwall. Which sounds like such a shallow and disappointing relationship, something I would expect bioware to do better than. Same with Morrigan and her potential entire child or romance with the warden or the warden’s potential death, as a friend or lover especially. I don’t think those are small decisions

I do hope there’s like. Something they’re not saying. Why they would present it like this if so, I can’t fathom, because of course people are getting upset. But maybe there are more choices. I really hope so. I personally am waiting until it actually comes out either way before deciding to buy, but the hope that was slowly building in me has really dwindled now. It just sounds so shallow and that’s what really bothers me

[princehendir]

Dragon Age Inquisition companions react to you asking them to match their freak 💕💕💕

(for anon ☺️)

Varric:

Cole:

Blackwall:

[haverdoodles]

AAAA I JUST LOVE THE WAY YOU DRAW VARRIC AND OMG YOUR HAWKE ITS SO BEAUTIFUL 🥺💜💜💜

Oh that reminds me that watching your Varric x Hawke art, it reminded me of an audio that is basically saying: "I have no regrets in meeting you, friend, should the day ever come, that we are not together, you will continue to shine like gold, in my memories"

Anyway love your art!! Im glad tumblr recommend your blog for me too see your beautiful work!! :D

🐢 anon

hello,

wow this destroyed me! how beautiful :") isn't it wondrous how meaningful connections lead to such lovely sayings? i'm honoured that my art brought that to your mind. thank you for being here and for enjoying my work, it means the world to me!

i hope you have a lovely day!