#ThE DaLiSH hATe aLL NoT DALisH

[pinacoladamatata]

blink and you'll miss it moments around skyhold....

[detectiveneve]

"Epler says players will see early on (and as the narrative develops across Veilguard) that Solas sees much of himself in you, the player-controlled Rook, especially "the parts that maybe he doesn't like to face." As a result, there's an interesting push and pull between Solas and Rook. He says players can define the relationship between these two characters with their choices in dialogue." (here)

game-sanctioned parallels between antagonist and protagonist. oh I'm sure I'll be normal about this

[ayrennaranaaldmeri]

LEAVE DAVRIN ALONE

[rivilu]

While we all know about Hawke's character-assasination in inquisition, I personally remain.. preplexed? a morbid kind of impressed? with how that game also managed to butcher my Warden with only about 5 lines of dialogue referring to him and a letter.

[lindenmori]

someone: id love to see merrill and velanna in da4 again...

me: 💖💓🥺😍💚🤩

someone: ...on solas' side

me: 😐😔🥱😴

[fatesown]

Dhavi doesn't just let Solas remove her vallaslin. After the break-up, she approaches him and asks him to teach her the spell. He's hesitant due to the power required for it, but relents, warning her that she may need to take breaks between uses. After Trespasser, she returns to her clan, bare-faced but carrying evidence to support Solas's claims about the vallaslin's origins. Although she has some friends still in the clan, most see the Herald of Andraste and the Chantry's Inquisitor, lacking her vallaslin, and make several assumptions about her. They think it's Chantry magic that's removed her markings and that she's turned her back on the Dalish at best—come to take other elves at worst. In a meeting with Keeper Deshanna, Dhavi humbly and nervously explains everything—her relationship with Solas, the 'truth' of who he is, and the origins of vallaslin. When she's done, she asks permission to tell the rest of the clan about the markings and offer to remove them for anyone who wants (but not requiring anyone follow suit). Deshanna, after lengthy consideration and a thorough examination of Dhavi's "proof," allows this with three caveats. First, rather than have Dhavi tell the clan (when her standing amongst them is already in question), Deshanna tells them. She hopes, as a full-fledged Keeper that has not led them astray thus far, that the clan will be more open to hearing it. Second, she asks Dhavi to remove her vallaslin first, in front of everyone, so that the rest can see that she isn't suggesting anyone do anything that she wouldn't do herself. Third, she offers that, if anyone wants to leave the clan in the wake of this (and several do), she will negotiate safe travel and places in other nearby clans. Very few take Dhavi up on her offer. Several more opt to stay but keep their vallaslin for various reasons. Another handful do choose to leave the clan, with no hard feelings on Dhavi or Deshanna's end. Dhavi takes the "never again shall we submit" part of the Dalish Oath extremely seriously, and knows some others would too. Knowing the origins of the vallaslin, keeping it feels like it goes against that Oath. Similarly, she considers sharing the truth of the vallaslin of especial import given her future role as a Keeper; there's no point in Keeping lore if the lore isn't true.

[jkateel]

me, in this playthrough, surprised how swayed i am about Arl Eamon’s argument to make Alistair king

[dalishious]

About Davrin's little blurb on the official website for Dragon Age: The Veilguard...

"Though he was raised in a Dalish clan, he craved excitement and adventure. He'd rather make history than reflect on it."

There's actually a lot to unpack about these two sentences.

First off, placing the word "though" in front of being "raised in a Dalish clan", gives such a thing a negative connotation. The word "though" is used in a way that sounds like "despite", as in, somehow wanting excitement and adventure must go against being Dalish. This correlates with sentence that follows. "He'd rather make history than reflect on it." The word "rather" is yet again used to separate Davrin from his Dalish origin. All together, this promotional description of Davrin is insisting that he is "not like other Dalish".

Now, obviously the game is not out yet, so we do not have total confirmation on what the nature of Davrin's relationship to his culture is really like. But there is absolutely something to be said about promoting the character this way, regardless of however he actually turns out in game. There is absolutely something to be said about how, as @/the-eldritch-it-gay put in their tags here, why do writers feel the need to make fantasy minorities hate or distance themselves from their culture? As a selling point?

Maybe this is completely misleading bullshit, maybe it isn't. All we have to go by, is what BioWare chose to say here, and their past track record with elves:

Zevran may talk about his mother in a font way, but he still has the line, "Too many of our kind think we deserve pity simply because we have failed to defend ourselves."

Velanna is one of the two elves we've had who is overtly proud of her culture, yet she is treated like she is unreasonable and too angry because of it.

Merrill too, is proud of being an elf, and of being Dalish. The story punishes her left and right for this, treats her like a child, and in the end she is either ostracized from her clan or they end up dead because... she cared too much?

Fenris has pretty much zero engagement with elven cultures, and spends his time ridiculing Merrill for being proud of hers.

Solas complains about the Dalish from the start, and says plainly that he does not see himself as having anything in common with elves of current time. "Oh, you mean elves" he says, when the Inquisitor asks how he feels about his people; the thought does not even occur to him.

Sera is... Sera is a character who could have been a really interesting examination of overcoming internalized racism, if she was written by someone competent with the subject. Instead, she just cringes at everything "too elfy" through the entire main game, and only has a single line in Trespasser that hints that she may have a personal struggle going on. But it's still left unresolved.

That's a lot a lot of negativity. So of course seeing a suggestion that more is to come with Davrin has people wary and tired.

Let us also consider the fact that Davrin is overtly Black as well, and what that means. Acting as if one must disregard history in order to make it, as his description so claims, is bullshit. It sounds too much like promoting gentrification/assimilation in my opinion; the idea that you cannot keep your culture if you want to be successful.

I also think that it goes even deeper, on a meta level - I think that BioWare is afraid people will not be able to like or relate to Davrin, if he is "too ethnic". I think that BioWare is taking this Black character and instead of questioning how he can best represent marginalized fans - particularly Black fans - they are questioning how to make him more relatable to white fans. And the only answer to that is to, of course, make him seem like he is an exception to marginalization through separating him from his people.

I am still holding onto hope that Davrin will overall be an interesting, well-written character. And I sure as hell will still be defending him from the people who are already hating on him or ignoring him completely because of their racialized biases. But that does not exempt BioWare, and specifically his writer, John Dombrow, from any criticism. This is not about Davrin the character, this is about BioWare the company's handling of Davrin the character. And in that regard, they're not off to a great start with this.

[kirkwallsquad]

favorite da2 battle lines in no particular order

i'm listening to a compilation by danaduchy on youtube rn so

literally every fenris line bcs everyone else is YELLING and he's just speaking in his regular quiet-ish voice. king what are you saying i can't HEAR YOU

except for when hawke goes down. THEN he's loudly upset.

"hawke's down! time to panic!" (isabela)

"the tame elf is down" (varric - what the fuck omg don't call fenris that)

"your pet elf has fallen" (carver - WHAT THE FUCK OMG DON'T CALL FENRIS THAT)

"that moody mage is down" (aveline)

"ugh, can someone pick up fenris please?" (merrill)

"isabela's on the ground... appropriately" (aveline - HELLO?!?!?!?)

"merrill! oh, blood mages are so dramatic" (isabela)

"aveline has fallen?" (fenris - why is this a question babe)

"they got whatshisname, the mage" (varric - i continue to believe he doesn't know anders' name until act 3)

"the dwarf has dropped a few more feet" (sebastian)

"dear varric, please learn to parry. love, your innards" (varric)

"do you have something for this, because it hurts" (carver)

"even my teeth hurt" (anders)

"i've got so many bruises now they've got names and families" (merrill)

"ugh, i have dirt in my mouth" (sebastian)

"you're going to let me walk around injured?" (carver)

"being close to death is very bad for my morale" (isabela)

sebastian describes his wounds as "oozing" or "seeping" more than once

"i know dalish are meant to be close to the earth, but we don't mean literally" (merrill)

"i'm alright, who needs kidneys anyway" (isabela)

"hawke. varric. i think this is bad." (merrill)

"stop being you and fix me up" (carver - BABY. BABY BROTHER.)

"that really gets the blood flowing" but also "i will fight and pray for forgiveness later" but also "this is much more exciting than the chantry!" (sebastian - what is wrong with you <3)

"my face is not a shield!" (hawke)

"and they say drinking doesn't solve anything" (isabela)

"haawke i can't mooove" (sebastian)

"i'm too far away, what do you want me to do? shout at them?" (isabela)

"i'd have to fly to reach! of course, i've always wanted to learn to fly" (merrill - she's literally the funniest person ever)

"alas, no" (fenris)

"my faith is my armor! my cause is my shield!" (sebastian)

"if we kill them, we get their stuff!" (isabela)

"andraste's knees, it's like herding cats!" (isabela)

"AFRAID YET?!" (anders)

"RUN! WHILE YOU CAN!" (anders - he's so loud i love him)

"another one for me! how many have you gotten, hawke?" (varric)

"ah. a shame that you're going to die, no?" (fenris)

"you. me. and an audience. that's what this is all about!" (carver)

"may the creators have mercy on you! i certainly won't." (merrill)

"destructive forces of nature, coming up!" (anders)

"suck on a fireball!" (anders)

"NEVER TAUNT A MAGE!!!" (anders)

"a thrust, now a parry" (fenris)

"i'm gonna taunt you in elvish now! durgen'len! aravel! vallaslin!" (merrill)

"hello, i'm merrill, and i'll be your distraction." (merrill)

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHY MAGES ARE FEARED!!!" (anders)

"maker please forgive your children" followed immediately by "DID YOU SEE THAT SHOT" (sebastian)

"WANT TO SEE WHAT'S UNDER THESE ROBES?!?!?!" (anders)

"I'M RIGHT HERE! HIT ME!" (isabela)

"maker, the idiocy" (bethany)

"MAKER BLESS YOUR CHILDREN IN THEIR HOUR OF NEEEED" (sebastian)

"my weapon does nothing??" (fenris - he sounds so puzzled help)

"this is SO not working" (anders)

"if the pointy sticks don't work, try the other pointy sticks" (isabela)

"ah, dear. why doesn't anyone ever want to be nice to us?" (merrill)

"is there an end to the people who hate you?" (aveline)

"looks like we've got a few more puppies to kick" (isabela - HELLO?!?)

"take a step, kill, repeat repeat repeat" (carver)

"the hate you inspire is unfortunate" (fenris)

"another twenty steps, another batch of deaths" (anders)

"nobody seems to like you. do you get used to that?" (merrill - ouch. brutal hskfjhgksdjfhg)

"i can't take credit for all of this. hawke helped a little bit" (isabela)

[pavus]

What began as a personal project of mine has spiraled into something way bigger and way more intense than I anticipated, so I figured I might offer it up to the Dragon Age fandom at large in case there was any interest in participating!

So, here's my idea for #VEILGUARD30:

Starting on October 1st and going day-by-day until right before Veilguard's launch on the 31st, this little event will begin! Whether you're inspired to write Dragon Age fic before the game's release or interested in developing your Rook, you're more than welcome to participate! And don't feel pressured to post every single day if that day's prompt doesn't appeal to you — this is meant to be engaged with to inspire you rather than bully you into writing every single day in October.

I posted this early to give everyone a running start, if they intend to participate or fish for curiosity and interest otherwise!

All sixty prompts are written down beneath the cut.

GENERAL WRITING PROMPTS.

Joining. Armor. Vhenadahl. Deep Roads. Bards. Carta. Dragon. Sovereigns. Potions. Orlais. Harrowing. Romance. Andraste. Campfire. Vallaslin. Lowtown. Mabari. Close Call. Elfroot. Demon or Spirit. Qunari. Templar. Halamshiral. Blood Magic. The Inquisition. Darkspawn. Dalish. Red Lyrium. Dreadwolf. The Veilguard.

ROOK DEVELOPMENT PROMPTS.

Name. Age. Race. Background. Class / Spec. Gender. Sexuality. Parentage. Siblings. Early Childhood. Adolescence. First Love. First Hate. Favorites. Injuries / Scars. Distinguishing Features Voice Type. Vices. Virtues. Homeland. Height / Build. Hair / Eye color. Personality. Aspirations. Fears. Hobbies. Views on Magic. Views on Elves.. Views on the Veilguard. Views on Solas.

[bunabi]

feels like even with all of the major writers/head ppl who have left/been laid off (😒btw bioware unionize noww) theres still ppl left who have weird hate boners for the dalish specifically…thinking about that one thread that was like it’s not a dragon age game until you wipe out a dalish clan! 🤪 like. Um. Please think before you speak,

DA has such a ?? unique lore situation

I will never understand why they chose to pull from real world oppression so literally 😭 moreso than many many other games in the genre

Other games, they make socio-political parallels sure, but there's some allusion, some room to believe the similarities are coincidental

Dragon Age is like ok heres the mage underground railroad

I just, idk, I'm not a writer, I can't walk a mile in those Louboutins, but if you're going to copy paste the Trail of Tears into Thedas you kinda have a responsibility to be a little more even-handed about the Dalish

[obligatedart]

Super excited about Dragon Age Veilguard dropping this fall. One of my all-time favorite franchises 💖

Wanted to get back into the lore and back to my OCs and make some DAI inspired tarot cards. Decided that my old character Nan’Assan will be my first Rook. He’s a dalish spy master tasked by Solas to infiltrate the Inquisition - who accidentally fell in love with my Inquisitor for a brief time, before leaving both factions and disappearing for a few years. He starts out as a cynical and bitter guy who hates the Shemlen and longs for the elves to return to their former glory, but is persuaded over time to see the flaws in Solas’s vision, as he softens up to the people around him.

Fun facts:

Nan’Assan means “ Little Arrow” in the elven language.

Read up on the Language of Flowers for this piece and added Cyclamen and Willow for Resignation/Farewell and Sorrow respectively.

Willow in my language is “Pil” which coincidentally is the same word we use for “arrow”

[attractthecrows]

Valovera: starting fights

Orathari: relaxed 😌 unbothered 💅 in my lane 😚 thriving ✨️

[rivilu]

Final (re)designs for the BOYS (until I inevitably decide to change something superficial like Orion's vallaslin color or something again. Give it a week ghjgyhfjy)

[instantbee]

I had a friend ask if Solas knew what he was doing to Lavellan when he offered to take her Valaslin away. For context my Lavellan is a Mage. She’s her clan’s First, and I think that *significantly* alters the way the scene reads

In short, absolutely not. He did not know or consider the impact this could have on her.

I think he panicked, realizing he could not bring himself to confess everything to her he reached for the first thing he could think of. Because he was staring at her face when he did it, the Vallaslin was what he landed on. Because seeing someone he loves so much covered in (what are to him) slave markings dedicated to a horrifyingly abusive master is viscerally disturbing and makes him so sad.

Solas generally has a hard time understanding or grasping how things have changed, so he underestimated what the Valaslin could mean to a Dalish elf. And especially a Dalish First. Someone who is so wholly invested in rediscovering and preserving the history and values of her people. And he takes something that is viewed as a defiant reclamation of identity, and a refusal to assimilate to a dominant culture. He takes that and turns a thousand years of that tradition and meaning on its head and says “no, this thing you thought was defiance is emblematic only of subservience” it is a soul crushing revelation. Which was absolutely not his intention at the time

She accepts having her Valaslin taken in an emotionally fraught moment before she can really fully think about it. Emotions are incredibly high, and she makes a fast possibly rash decision because she trusts the person taking it. Because she’s come to love and respect him. She maybe regrets it afterwards. Possibly would have done so regardless of if he broke up with her immediately following it.

Is she still a Dalish First if she’s Valaslin-less? It’s a marking that she earned and she’s thrown it away. In some ways she no longer belongs to and with her people because of its loss.

And then on top of that he leaves her with no explanation beyond “I have distracted you from your duty.” Duty to what? To whom? To her people? She just abandoned a marker of that duty by giving up her Valaslin. Is that what he meant? Was it a test? Did she fail? Why did he take her there and tell her that only to leave her all alone. To take her from her people and then leave her entirely alone.

She’s now stranded amongst Andrastians and Chantry soldiers. A little Dalish girl with no Valaslin. Nothing there to differentiate her from the city born elf servants that actually run Skyhold except the clothing that the Chantry’s inquisition has *deigned* to give her.

She’s alone, she’s surrounded by a religion that hates and persecutes her people, she’s been stripped of everything recognizably Dalish about her and plastered in Andrastean clothing and symbolism and held up as a herald of a religion she doesn’t belong to. Is she even *her* anymore?

Or have all the rough edges of Elfness been shaved and sanded off her and made acceptable to the chantry and the humans? She’s been stripped of identity and cast in a role that will be discarded once she is no longer useful. Then her history will be rewritten, just as the first Elven Inquisitor was (thank you Jaws of Hakkon DLC for THAT) and nothing will remain of the Dalish Elf she was

And Solas helps with that. Facilitates that crisis of identity that was already brewing. He doesn’t mean to, but when has Solas’ intentions ever stopped him from fucking up?

[bladesmitten]

it is just so crazy how most solasfuckers and cullenwives hate sera and call her racist when solas condescends to a dalish inquisitor and the dalish in general, and i don't need to list all of cullen "mages aren't people" rutherford's war crimes to prove my point