#DA:I OC Asks

[andrastes-strap-on]

It’s funny to imagine Inquisitor Lavellan as someone raised completely In The Forest with absolutely no knowledge of human life outside of their clan like

Cassandra: did you murder the Divine?

Inky: what’s a divine?

Vivienne: so, what are your opinions on Circles?

Inky: uh… they’re one of my favourite shapes

Josephine: inquisitor, I need you to look at these reports

Inky: *cannot read* they look lovely

A Horse:

Inky: that Mabari looks weird

Mother Giselle: Maker set his gaze upon you

Inky: *looking at Sera and Dorian* did he now?

[wanderingibon]

inquisitor lark, of clan lavellan

(they/them) very nervous fledgling hunter who was set to get their vallaslin but instead got the anchor and the unbearable weight of the world placed upon their unwilling shoulders! fun! (don't worry they're doing much better by veilguard, luckily- unlike my rook) 😭💙

[ghost-bard]

Im so bad at finishing games more than once but i need to finish my cadash playthrough of dai and remake my lavellan playthrough bc i dont remember almost any of my choices, all for the sake of veilguard

[daggerbeanart]

[owletbears]

she has never done anything wrong ever

[inquisitor-julia]

21, 24, 25, and 26 for all 3 canon protags!

21. what is their biggest regret? Elsanna Cousland: outside of the obvious being what happened to her family and having to leave her parents to die at Howe's hands I think her biggest regret is that Loghain was killed in front of his daughter. This isn't to say she didn't think Loghain had to be executed for all of his crimes, she does believe that it was the right course of action but she still regrets it. To Anora she'll always be just as much a monster as Howe was to her and that haunts her a little bit. (it is more nuanced than that but that's the gist of her regret)

Serafina Hawke: she has so many regrets, her story is full of them but I think her biggest one is her mother's fate because she really feels like she should have been able to do something to stop it. Most of her other regrets from what happened to Bethany to Corypheus getting free are things that were in part out of her control whether because of circumstance or lack of knowledge but she was actively looking into the murders when her mother was taken, she should have been faster or done better. In general she tries not to think on her regrets too much, she's been through a lot.

Nayeli Trevelyan: Her biggest regret during da:i is probably how she and her friends in the Circle fell apart as a group, she's not sure where most of them are now and they could have been lost in the mage/templar fighting for all she knows. Some were even lost at the conclave. She regrets fading away from those who weren't.

24. what languages can they speak?

Elsanna Cousland: I'd like to think she can speak multiple languages or at least has a grasp of them for diplomacy's sake. She'd try to pick up words and phrases in her travels to different places during the blight if she could. I imagine she knows some fairly unsavory dwarven phrases (thank you oghren). I think if she learned anything growing up it would have been a language that might be important for a port like Amaranthine. Highever is in charge of coastal areas after all. I think knowing a bit of a Marcher language or even a few antivan/rivaini phrases here and there wouldn't be outlandish for her. As queen she does *try* to pick up some Orlesian (again, for diplomacy's sake) and she hates every second of it.

Serafina Hawke: Monolingual, she does pick up the swears her friends use though.

Nayeli Trevelyan: also monolingual, she's tried to learn a few languages but she doesn't usually have the patience for it much as she would like to.

25. what did they plan for their life to look like before the events of the game happened?

Elsanna Cousland: She saw a future for herself with Ser Gilmore, they grew up together and had a budding romance neither had acted on yet when the game began. She would have been happy married to him I think, I have an AU where she is in fact. If he'd been recruited into the wardens she would have stubbornly refused to just never see him again. She'd have her duty and he'd have his but it wouldn't have stopped her. I don't think she'd ever truly want to lead the teyrnir, her brother could handle that but she'd still be an important figure in ferelden as tenacious as she is.

Serafina Hawke: Honestly wasn't sure what her life would look like, she was honestly fairly sure she'd get taken to the circle at some point so she didn't let herself dream too big. She'd have liked just a quiet life with her family in Lothering though.

Nayeli Trevelyan: Was sure she was going to spend her life wasting away in the circle but once mages started rebelling she started to dream big, she craved the freedom for her life to be something other than being trapped in a dusty tower. Obviously since she was at the conclave she didn't advocate for the violence between mages and templars but she did advocate for an end to the circles. So I suppose she got some of what she wanted in the end.

26. do they get a happy ending?

Elsanna Cousland: I don't feel like she will until the blight is cured. She's Queen, Warden Commander, married to the love of her life, and has avenged her family and saved Ferelden but....she could lose everything so soon with the looming threat of the calling. And she can't have any children until she's cured of the blight and she desperately wants to. So....yes and no for her, as happy as it could be but still not quite resolved in my opinion. I do headcanon that (no matter what BioWare does with the warden), the blight is cured down the line and Elsanna and Alistair have a daughter named Alessandra.

Serafina Hawke: I wouldn't say so, no. She's had to leave her home again, she's lost so much in kirkwall and then to lose her place there as well? That's hard to stomach. She does at least have Anders at her side even if they are very much on the run for probably the foreseeable future. They do have a daughter named Lorena though at this point in the timeline. (I randomized a daughter for them in sims once and the game gave me a mini female carver hawke so that has been added into my belief system that Lorena looks a lot like Carver.) Serafina did not get left in the Fade so she's out there doing...whatever it is Hawke is up to these days. I still say it's not the happiest of endings but she is happy enough if that makes sense.

Nayeli Trevelyan: Her ending so far has been happy. She's married to Cullen, she disbanded the Inquisition, and her job is (publicly) over but she'd never sit back and let someone else handle them mess her friend and mentor is trying to make of Thedas, at least not fully. She's far too restless and determined to save her friend for that. So yes i'd say she's gotten a happy ending....so far...

Thank you so much for the ask!!! <3

[literallybyronic]

when you wake up and realize the da subreddit has made your random inkypost the pinned inkyposting megathread and now everyone has to compete with this:

whoops 😅 no pressure guys

[makerscockandballs]

Here's Inquisitor Thelrael Lavellan! (Lots) more info under the cut:

23 but babyfaced. Above average height for an elf and lanky.

Artificer Archer, changed for the worse once he found out how to properly blow shit up with elemental mines. Effective to have in a fight, but needlessly destructive.

Wears lots of eyeliner but still can’t get the wing to look sharp

In a relationship with Dorian, close friends with Josephine, Krem and Iron Bull.

Slutty but without much success (prior to pulling Dorian)

Had a twin sister who died at the age of 10 from a venomous spider bite. They were supposed to get a Falon’Din and Dirthamen Vallaslin respectively, and he honored that connection to her. It’s also the reason he’s still terrified of spiders, but he will take that to his grave.

Was only sent to the Enclave because nobody else in his clan could go due to illness, death etc. Kind of like the last one to be picked in gym class, and now it’s everyone’s problem.

Really grew to like thick-soled boots and eventually, high heels. He just wants to be on eye-level with the humans & be obnoxious noticed while walking by.

Lets being Inquisitor get to his head, but at the same time doesn’t take the whole concept of the Inquisition seriously. It’s complicated.

His politics about choosing a side boil down to “My keeper & this cute tevinter guy I just met are mages and they’re cool. Also, I’m tired of being force-fed chantry stuff as a dalish elf. So screw the templars whatever the fuck they are!” <- guy who knows nothing about any of those factions

Has a penchant for cruelty towards some of his enemies, but it is an offputting gleeful cruelty. You never know beforehand if he will forgive instantly or give a fate worse than death to the person he’s judging. His moral compass is more of a moral Twister spinner wheel.

Smarter than he pretends to be, but very much not the brightest.

Spends lots of Inquisition money to support Dalish clans even outside of clan Lavellan & locate elven artefacts for them. On the other hand, he does not care much for history and lore by itself, preferring to see the elven pantheon as abstract concepts rather than person-like gods. He still enjoys the occasional story where they are personified, but only if it’s a funny one.

The only one who can get Solas to shut up by asking him questions. Due to not paying much attention to his Keeper’s tales, he has some outlandish ideas about history and lore. Some are so bad that Solas can’t bear even thinking about them and shuts down the conversation.

After Trespasser and disbanding the Inquisition, he went to his clan to recover. The craftswoman and keeper collaborated to design a bow for him. It was also a way to express gratitiude that he used his newfound power as Inquisitor to aid them, despite any past conflicts he had with the clan/Keeper. The bow and gesture mean a lot to him.

The prosthetic is enchanted ironbark. It wraps and unwraps like vines, moves along with him to stay tight yet comfortable and puts most of the force on his shoulder instead of the limb. In a way, you could call it a live plant.

After a few hours of wearing it, the enchantment starts to rub off in a way and feel tingly, later downright painful. At worst, it makes the insivible markings of the Anchor show up and hurt again. He needs to take breaks from wearing it, but often neglects that. Luckily Dorian knows one or two pain-reducing spells. All that causes him chronic pain, which he copes with through said spells and... more elemental mines. They’re therapeutic to him.

Outside of fights, he doesn’t wear a prosthetic most of the time. Dorian still has one custom-made for him with the newest tevene technology that even lets fingers move independently. Thelrael cherishes it a lot too, but his arm hurts too much most of the time (due to too many fights) so he rarely uses it.

He should be put in a blender on high

[dragonjadearts]

i started playing Dragon Age Inquisition recently

fun game but im so confused like 90% of the time lmao

———

click for better quality

if you like it, PLEASE REBLOG IT

[antivancastle]

For the Character Development game: #28 and #35!

hi! thank you so much for the ask! (i’m always happy to talk about my ocs, so feel free to ask more questions ✨)

you didn’t specify an oc, so i’m just going to answer for my canon warden, hawke and inquisitor

How quick or slow is your character to resort to physical violence in a confrontation?

starting off strong with this one:

I think Elena (Cousland) is pretty slow to resort to violence - in a metaphorical sense, she’s got great reflexes. But she’s been raised as a noble, which means she was taught diplomacy and manipulation - which means she’s very likely to try and talk her way out of a situation before starting a fight. That said in some situation she will 100% use violence, usually when dealing with people who will for sure hurt others if she lets them go, but she will try to talk to them before the fight in hope of gaining useful information.  Marian Hawke is pretty quick to resort to violence. I think she sizes up the situation very quickly and decides from the get go if she’s going to talk or fight. She won’t fight an innocent person, but if she’s in front of an enemy she’s not stopping to chat or bargain - they’re going down. She’s used to having to fight and she knows it will work.

This leaves Dante as the one in between. He’s not particularly quick to violence, but he’s not the best spoken person, and being a dalish elf, sometimes there wasn’t a choice. I think he’s inclined to try and talk his way out, but he knows that that’s not often possible. He won’t be loosing sleep after a fight that could have been avoided.

(bonus: Amatus Auri. For him, violence is only a last resort, unless it’s to help someone else - in that case he won’t hesitate.)

How does your character behave around people they like?

Elena changes completely. She’s like a whole other person. Because of her noble upbringing and the whole “you’re the only one who can stop the Blight” most of the time she’s playing a character, projecting calm and confidence. When she doesn’t have to do that she’s finally able to relax and just be. Sometimes she stops paying attention to her grammar. But the biggest change is that she’s prone to a lot of casual touching and affection, which was usual in her family (but only in private, not among the rest of the nobility). It comes natural to her.

Marian is the one that changes the least. She doesn’t really put on a show for people, she just lies sometimes, when it’s necessary, and that’s it. She’s also prone to a lot of casual affection, but she won’t only do it in private - she doesn’t care if people see. The biggest change is simply that she smiles more, because she’s happy to be there.

Once again Dante is the in-between. Mostly he relaxes when he’s with people he likes. He’s always tense and on guard, and when he doesn’t have to be the change is easy to see. He’s usually much less stand-offish with people he likes, unless he’s really tired. He’s prone to physical touch as well, (wait maybe that says something more about me that my characters) because it was common in his clan - but as the inquisitor he only shows affection through touch in private and with people he really likes.

[felassan]

Hii, I haven't been reading any Q&A posts to avoid spoilers, but a friend pointed out this may have been said in one and I thought I'd ask you. Is there anything about importing characters through saves?

And thank you so much for all the work you've been doing! Especially now that Twitter has been banned here in Brasil, you're a life saver

hello! ◕‿◕ thanku for the kind ask message, I'm sorry to hear about the Twitter situation of Brasil. 😔 if this refers to importing the Inquisitor and choices from DA:I, they talked about how they are approaching that in this article from June 2024. if this refers to sharing custom Rooks online and/or importing Rook's appearance to a new game from a previous one, in the recent Discord Q&A this was said:

KFM: "Will there be a way to save characters we make so we don’t have to start from scratch each time?" CB: "Heck yeah, you absolutely can. We, I mean, look, all of you playing Inquisition, you’re still sharing your OC and your characters ten years on. We know how much you love it, so yeah, yeah, absolutely. I do wanna have a, some caveats here though. So, it’s when you’re in the character creator, you can import the character appearance, it’s just gonna be the appearance data, from an existing save of yours. So when I say an existing save, just let me put a very fine point on it, that save has to be local to the machine. Remember, we’re an offline game, there’s no online character sharing built in. But for those of you that like, your OC, are very near and dear to your heart and every time you replay you like to have the same character, and you’ve spent hours and hours and hours working on it, yeah, you can import that."

[source: BioWare Discord server dev Q&A, August 30th]

If you avoided listening to the BioWare dev Q&A in the Discord the other day due to spoilers, but would like to hear the non-spoilery content of the session, Caitie of Ghil Dirthalen made a spoiler-free cut of the video you can watch that [here] at that link if you want. :)

hope this helps!

[transcript link] [Q&A recording link] <- spoiler warning for these links though!

[luphorics]

[da:i oc] the inquisitor if she girlbossed her way through it all...

i've missed my quizzy. and now that veilguard is coming, there was no way i couldn't bring her back from my trenches with a freshened up design!!

this is Ysenika, a Trevelyan mage who's interestingly, a bit of a spoiled brat. there's definitely a lot behind that haughty exterior though, but maker forbid a lady look elegant in the face of doom. (do not ask her why she wears heels on a treacherous journey. do not. you will only set yourself up for disaster.)

[thedragonagebigbang]

Bang Creator Interview: Tumblr: @vivispec | AO3: Vivispec

The Collaboration period has begun! In these quiet months before works are due, we want to foster a sense of excitement, camaraderie, and celebration among our participants. To that end, all participants were given the option of a formal interview by our mod, Dema, or an informal “ask-game” survey. We hope you enjoy getting to know our phenomenal creators as much as we have!

Top 10 Reasons You Should Actually Contact The Ex Whose Life You Ruined– Number 1 Will Shock You!

Vivi and Dema talk OCs, Whumptober, and how to write while driving

Dema: Good morning! It is I, Dema, here for our interview.

Vivi: Good morning!

Dema: Since this is a fandom event I'd like to start there! How long have you been involved in the Dragon Age fandom? What drew you to it?

Vivi: I've been into Dragon Age since Origins came out-- I actually have fanfic I wrote for it when I was 12 on my Grandmother's computer, it's very bad-- but I didn't actually start getting involved in the fandom until much more recently. I'm kind of a fandom lurker in general, and didn't start posting fanfic or really engaging in the fandom until about 2022.

As for what drew me to it, the series has held a special place in my heart for a very long time, but playing Inquisition for the first time in 2020 kinda broke my brain (affectionate). I went into a Solasmance blind and have never been the same since

Dema: Oh, I too have the Solasmance hooks in me, I understand. Does that make DA:O and DA:I roughly tied for your favorite? Or do you have a strong favorite?

Vivi: This question is honestly the bane of my existence, because I have so much trouble choosing. DA:O definitely has more nostalgia, but DA:I is the one I engage with and write about the most. I think, if I had to choose at gunpoint, I'd actually say DA:2 is my favorite, but that's by the thinnest and blurriest margin.

Dema: Haha, yes. It's a bit of a "choose your favorite child" question. I will not hold you at gunpoint.

Vivi: Much appreciated.

Dema: Is it Solas in particular that inspires you to write in the DA:I timeline the most?

Vivi: He's definitely a contributing factor, and what started me down that road, but I think my love for writing DA:I is mostly tied to my Inquisitor, actually. She's maybe one of my favorite OCs I've ever made.

Dema: DA is such a great sandbox for OCs. Tell me about your Inquisitor! What makes her a favorite?

Vivi: Her name is Viera'vun, a Dalish hunter. She's a pathfinder more than anything else, incredibly observant, and very down-to-earth once she's settled in as Herald. I love figuring out how a Dalish elf with no exposure to this world she's been suddenly thrust into would react, and how she would keep herself safe-- in Viera's case, she becomes really good at picking up on the little things and using them to her advantage, and standing her ground. One of my favorite things about her is actually the dynamic she has with her hunting partner, Iloniyn-- they're platonic soulmates, one of my favorite tropes to write, and having him there as her rock once he joins her at Skyhold definitely gives her stable footing as she tackles becoming the Inquisitor.

Dema: She sounds lovely, and I can see how those themes would provide a lot of creative inspiration! Dalish Inquisitors in particular have such an interesting dynamic. How do Viera'vun and Iloniyn navigate the religious affiliations of the Inquisition?

Vivi: Viera uses it to her advantage, as best that she can. She doesn't believe in it of course and isn't shy to say so, but when holding her tongue and letting others make their own assumptions would help her out, she's not opposed to begrudgingly doing so. I think the biggest thing is that she knows how, historically, elves have been treated by the Chantry, and that she likely won't be immune to being killed or erased by them. Still, as long as she's around and has power, she's going to use it for her and her people.

Dema: Oh, she sounds so savvy! I love her already. Since we've been discussing OCs, especially in the context of the Dragon Age universe, I'm curious how you go about creating them. For example, was Viera an in-game Inquisitor? Or did you make her specifically for writing with? And was she typical of your process?

Vivi: In general, my OCs start in-game. Even Iloniyn was originally an alt Inquisitor that I fell in love with, and wanted to use in writing! When I replay roleplaying games with some element of character creation, I tend to give my PCs a gimmick so they don't all play the same-- Iloniyn's whole shtick was he didn't want to be there and was very vocal about it, and one of my Warden's always chooses the lie option if it's available to her. Viera was my first playthrough of the game so she didn't have a gimmick. I let the game shape who she was as I played it and tweaked it in post, adding more backstory and personality once I knew the general arc of the story, and where she was going to end up. Then, I did what I do with all of my OCs to flesh them out: drop them into increasingly terrible situations to figure out how they tick! She got the worst of it, I did Whumptober the year I started writing her. 31 days of horror for that poor lady

Dema: Hey, the meat grinder tells us what they're made of!

Vivi: Exactly! You get it.

Dema: Were those mostly one-shots?

Vivi: Yes they were! 60k worth of one-shots. Most were about her, but she definitely wasn't the only one. I even dipped my toes into Ancient Elvhenan for that event, it was a lot of fun filling those prompts!

Dema: Oh wow, 60k in 31 days! So you are no stranger to writing a lot of words in a set timeframe.

Vivi: No stranger at all, though I don't think I have that sort of stamina any longer. Still not entirely sure how I did it. I've done three other Big Bangs since as well, finishing four pieces across them.

Dema: What keeps you coming back to Bangs?

Vivi: I wouldn't finish pieces otherwise. I'm a notorious WIP collector, so having incentive to finish my pieces is always nice. Plus, I love getting to work alongside artists, and see how they interpret what I write! Collaborations make it all feel so much more official.

Dema: Having only participated in Bangs as an artist, I'm so impressed and inspired by the dedication you have to the challenge. It's a big number!

Vivi: Aw thank you, on the opposite side of the event I'm always impressed by the artists and their illustrations! It's amazing what we both are able to do in the timeframe given, thank you for your service.

Dema: I love it! From the artist's perspective, it's an interesting way to engage with a fic as a prompt, and the inspiration comes from the story and the collaborative effort. As a writer, is there anything in particular you're drawing inspiration from as you develop your idea for a long fic like this? Without being too specific about this idea, of course.

Vivi: Honestly, ideas just kinda hit me during my morning commute, while I stare aimlessly at the road ahead of me. Because of that, I tend to record myself talking in the car, despite the fact that I probably look like I've lost it just a little bit. Just talking through my thoughts on where my OCs and the companion characters are or what they're doing during specific times generally gives me a lot to think and write about, but mostly I pull my inspiration from their interpersonal relationships. That is what this series is built off of, and what I love about it!

Dema: I think that is a brilliant strategy. In the last minutes, and just for fun: can you come up with a click-bait title for your fic? Without giving anything major away, of course.

Vivi: Top 10 Reasons You Should Actually Contact The Ex Whose Life You Ruined-- Number 1 Will Shock You!

Dema: HAHA, Perfect. Thank you so much for your time, Vivi!

Vivi: Thank you! This was a lot of fun.

[cassandrapentayaaaaas]

Hello. I have returned from the abyss.

Recently booted up the old DA:I disc and am quickly falling back into its strangle hold. If y’all know any currently-active Dragon Age blogs for me to check out, I would appreciate the recommendations.

OR, if you wanna shoot me a message or an ask to blab about your favs or OCs, I’d love that too.

[alpydk]

I may be getting obsessed with the OC's I'm packing into my ZhentWeave fic. Another way to put off writing. Design them in game...

----

Andora - Human Cleric of Ilmater and just the most innocent summer child.

Likes: flowers, vanilla, and helping people Dislikes: being cold, wearing dark colours, and spiders

Darnys - Half elf Zhent and featured briefly in Tattered Souls. Laid back, follows orders. (Also who I just finished DA:I with) Likes: A stiff drink, jewelry, her job Dislikes: being bored, Rugan, grunt work

Leonidas - Paladin of Tyr (Coming in chapter 4) - Good hearted, brave, a little naïve about the world. First day at the temple.

Likes: His girlfriend back in Baldur's Gate (Clarissa), bingo, thrill rides Dislikes: Injustice, asking for help, praise

---

Gods, they're all so sickeningly pretty. Need some normal people introduced.

[inquisitor-julia]

Hi!! OC ask for any or all of your OCs :)

What demon would your OC be the most susceptible to and how would the demon best tempt/manipulate them?

Hi! Thank you for the ask! I think tumblr maybe showed this to me a little late but I'm going to answer this for my most developed Inquisitor: Wren Lavellan and also add to it with a few things I've written in this vein before!

Wren is probably most susceptible to a fear demon which makes Adamant just oodles of fun for her. Because she actually encounters one in game and it attempts to manipulate her and her party I have a pretty good idea of what it might say to her or how it might try to get in her head so here are some things I've written on the topic on discord:

In the Fade at Adamant, what does her gravestone say?

Abandonment; Wren has always felt like a burden to her clan because of her physical frailty and when she was a child she was almost sent away to another clan because she was a mage, if not for the intervention of her older sister Lyris (who is also a mage and was previously first to the keeper before Wren) she would not have been able to stay with clan Lavellan. She's been afraid of people deserting her because she's not strong ever since. 

How do the fearlings appear to her in the fade? 

hmmm her deepest fear is abandonment or that she's a burden so her fears would probably be faceless elves with the voices of her loved ones calling her useless or telling her that if she didn't have her sister to hide behind she'd be nothing.

"Your family tried to get rid of you, they knew you were weak." "Scared little girl, what makes you think someone so frail can change anything." "Kindness to cover weakness, you are nothing but a facade to hide your fear." "He will abandon you, little bird, a burden discarded, unneeded, unwanted."

And these two are kind of related to the prompt so adding them as well!

If your OC was a spirit, what kind of spirit would they be? 

Wren would be some kind of spirit akin to "the matchmaker" that Solas talks about. A subtle and shy spirit that would steer people gently toward things that would bring them happiness, but not necessarily compassion like Cole. something closer to contentment than compassion.

What kind of (spirit)/demon would they turn into? 

hmm ok well I still think something like a spirit of contentment would be Wren but as for demon....if her spirit form is her guiding people to happiness i think her demon form would be something like...obsession with the happiness of others? like care-taking but smothering, don't leave me behind, clinging, cloying, suffocating. I think that's a kind of fear demon. It reflects her fear of abandonment and twists her good heart into something that could bring harm. Or at least that's my current thought. 

I definitely want to think about this prompt for some of my other OCs now though so I may post something about that soon

Thank you so much again for the ask!!! <3