#and i don't know if i could like thedas if alistair isn't in it

[deusexlachina]

Antisocial DAO Finale: Branka oversells her product while Morrigan sleeps with an old man who tried to kill her because he is less repellent than me

Alistair is outraged that I made Loghain submit to the taint, because submitting yourself to the taint is an honour, and making it a punishment cheapens it. He tells me that Duncan would be rolling in his grave, which is probably true if his closest apprentice is saying we shouldn't make more Grey Wardens because it does matter where they come from and being a Grey Warden is an awesome privilege, pretty much the opposite of Duncan's party line.

But why should he complain? He's the king, and has a beautiful fiance who can help him rule but also doesn't have the power to overrule him, and he has the kind of authority to do incredibly childish stunts like refuse to help save the world because now the Grey Warden club isn't cool. I nod along, not realizing this is sarcasm.

By the way, Thedas is a world where people are routinely enslaved, massacred, poisoned, lobotomized, eaten, or turned into one of several flavours hideous monster. I myself, Warden Mahariel, have lost my ancestral home and even my makeshift camp was forcibly displaced by human riots, shortly before I was inducted into the Grey Wardens because the artifacts of my people have been neglected so long they are now poisonous and gave me a terminal illness. This was why my Keeper agreed to let me be inducted into the Wardens, but Duncan himself stressed that he inducted me solely because I am a good fighter, the sole criterion for induction. Just. Putting all that out there, your Highness.

With All My Armies in Denerim, we confidently march to Redcliffe castle to prepare for open war with the darkspawn instead of doing the same thing in Denerim, which has been our base of operations for a while now. As we arrive in Redcliffe, we find that it is being massacred because All Our Armies are in Denerim and Redcliffe basically exists to be attacked.

I save Redcliffe from being destroyed for the second time this month (I think? Time isn't clearly tracked in this game) and then gather All My Armies in Redcliffe instead of Denerim, where, literal hours later, Warden Riordan says the darkspawn are attacking Denerim instead of Redcliffe.

Could we not have...split the army? At any point? I have five divisions. And, really, Branka's giving me a Tide of Steel Men. Surely that would be more than a match for Every Darkspawn That Ever There Was.

But Riordan has even worse news. The Archdemon is here, which means one of us...will die! He seems to think it's a shocking twist, really, that a soldier going into a pitched battle could die. A single Warden needing to die is apparently a trade secret even after hundreds of them died. People must not know!

This is especially ironic because he's telling Loghain nobody would sign up to become a Grey Warden if they knew they would have to sacrifice themselves, whereas Loghain signed up to become a Grey Warden for exactly that reason. Unfortunately for him, I'm not going to let him.

Morrigan reveals her own dark secret: all this time, she wanted to get nasty with a Grey Warden. Honestly, she could've just asked, at any point before this. She didn't even need to mention it would save your life. Has she seen how horny Alistair is? The man took literally no convincing to marry Anora. Unfortunately, he's too busy sulking that I made Loghain submit to the taint, and I'm a woman, so Morrigan's only choice is Loghain.

Pitying Morrigan for the prospect of a night with Loghain - I mean, her face says it all - I let her know, hey, actually, I'm trans, so if you don't want to see what Loghain does in the bedroom I can spare you. But Morrigan insists, plugging her nostrils, that There Is No Other Option but Loghain. She sends me out of her room immediately to go recruit him. I try to Persuade Loghain that this is a good idea but fail.

Given the choice between sleeping with a libertarian and the certainty of an agonizing death, he prefers the latter. I tell him his crimes are too great for him not to spend the rest of his life atoning. And also, Morrigan said she'd leave my party if she didn't get the demonbaby, and frankly, my social ineptitude and poor life choices have cost me enough party members, including two of my best. Morrigan is the only other mage, and the only dedicated healer, since all my mana is locked up in Every Single Buff. Do you really want to do the Battle of Denerim without a healer?

After seeing how few health poultices I have left, Loghain Does The Deed with Morrigan. Instead of sacrificing his life (and, without Morrigan, all of ours), he is sacrificing his dignity. That's what he told me, anyway. I'm starting to think he just didn't want to seem too eager to hump Morrigan, the least smelly remaining woman. Look at this slut of a man.

His Signature Scowl is replaced by a look of intrigue. This is the warmest face this man can muster. Really. Look at those eyebrows. Normally, they're pointed down in fury, but they're really pointing up. Rawr.

Morrigan stretches her neck to blow out a candle, and I mean stretches.

With The Deed Done, we march for Denerim. I put Sten in command of guarding the city gates to cut off reinforcements, partly because he has formal experience as a commander but also because, with my remaining party, it was him, Oghren, or the dog.

Branka finally figured out how to actually make robots, which she didn't know when she sent hundreds of people to die claiming the Anvil. Unfortunately, after advertising a Tide Of Steel Men, she only had time to make four. I guess a Quartet of Steel Men is less imposing, and could be mistaken for a band.

Nonetheless, four is quite a few, as they are every bit as broken as they were in Caridin's boss fight, shrugging off massive amounts of damage, ignoring most crowd control, and stunlocking darkspawn left and right. Honestly, seeing these things in action makes Branka look more sensible, which is pretty impressive since the very first thing she did when claiming the Anvil was let out a long, diabolical laugh.

With my Tide of (4) Steel Men, we quickly reach the Archdemon without a scratch in any of my other armies. Unfortunately, I die horribly in the fight. This is easy to deal with if you have a Spirit Healer, which I don't because Morrigan used her other specialization to be an Arcane Warrior and I left Wynne to clean up the Circle because she'd have left anyway because I defiled her holiest prophetess' ashes a little bit. There's a lesson here about consequences that I'm too dead to learn. Being the only Grey Warden still alive and not having a temper tantrum, Loghain jumps on the Archdemon's head, stabbing it through the brain.

For some reason, that wasn't the killing blow. I realize I'm not actually dead and then charge at the Archdemon, eager to steal this moment of glory from Loghain, the fucker. (I don't know what First Enchanter Irving is looking at).

Having saved Ferelden, I ask Queen Anora to give the Dalish our land back. She magnanimously agrees, possibly because she personally witnessed me slaughtering Ser Cauthrien and all her guards. So she grants me nobody's favourite land in Dragon Age: The Hinterlands. Ostagar, too, which is crawling with darkspawn. You are no friend of mine, human lord.

I then receive a congratulation from the other monarch, Alistair, who has fought by my side until the single most important battle and has gotten to know me deeply. He greets me as warmly as anyone else does.

I Killed The Archdemon. Well Done.

[bluerose5]

On Alistair being King...

If I ever get around to my Warden Inquisitor fic (I'm actually trying to flesh out my ideas better before diving right in 😭), one thing I would love to explore more is Alistair as king, but beyond that, Alistair as both Grey Warden and king. If there's one pattern I'm recognizing with Bioware, it's that their scenarios are always so black-and-white, this-or-that... Which, yeah, I get it. From a development standpoint, it has to be difficult as fuck to have to take into account so many different outcomes and world states which often results in decisions like "hardened or softened character," "paragon or renegade," etc. to come across as a little lacking in a way. There oftentimes feels like a lack of middle ground; and if there is such an option available, rarely does it result in any groundbreaking rewards or consequences.

As for Alistair, there's always that note of finality in canon (game canon specifically) when one makes him king that he's no longer as involved in the narrative as a Grey Warden. That he's just stationed in Denerim, committed to his duties day in and day out. Sometimes, within fandom spaces even, this sentiment is echoed in posts about his future happiness. About which role he is more content in. Some people restrict themselves within the boxes that Bioware has painted and will fight tooth and nail over which is the "right" choice without entertaining the ideas beyond that.

To hell with that, I say. Why choose one role?

Because, y'all, Duncan said it best in canon. As a matter of fact, it was one of the first things he said.

And from the Deep Roads, the darkspawn drove at us again and again until finally we neared annihilation.

Until the Grey Wardens came.

Men and women from every race, warriors and mages, barbarians and kings... The Grey Wardens sacrificed everything to stem the tide of darkness. And prevailed.

Alistair isn't the first and, so long as there are Blights, will likely not be the last monarch of Thedas to be counted amongst the Grey Warden ranks. I personally don't know of many people in fandom who explore Alistair in a role of both King and Grey Warden, but I feel like it's a realistic approach to his character from what we know of the Wardens. From what I understand, most Wardens do their own thing anyways when there's not an imminent threat from the Blight requiring that they organize. Some travel in groups, but not all. So why shouldn't Alistair keep adventuring? Why shouldn't he still travel and fight among the Wardens while ruling? Communication to Denerim doesn't have to be a big issue, not when we now know that Thedas has cellphones "sending crystals" and that Alistair would definitely have limited access to Leliana's network of ravens, if not his own messengers.

That, and it would be a nice contrast to Cailan, in my opinion. While Alistair is the type to take to the battlefields like Cailan, it is done less so out of curiosity, fascination, and thoughts of glory. Alistair does it because he genuinely wants to be there. Would there be potential conflicts of interest if Alistair retains both positions among the Grey Wardens and royalty? Yes. Would he possibly be caught between listening to his Commander and those who would wish to influence him from Denerim? *eyes Arl Eamon and Bann Teagan* Yes. But you know what?

That's what makes it interesting! The potential of conflict there and the resolution thereof makes that part of Alistair's character interesting, not just giving him a barely there cameo in each sequel (especially King Alistair in Inquisition) for the sake of having it there.

Plus, while I know Alistair is young in Origins, I wish we could have gotten to see more of his growth as king between then and Inquisition. I feel like, out of all the current rulers in Thedas (before the Inquisitor and the next Divine is chosen), he had the most potential to make drastic change when he grew more certain in his position. Him not being raised to think and act like a monarch was what made him a more appealing choice for the throne to me, truth be told. It could have been one of his defining traits as king, in my opinion, thinking more on good versus bad rather than what is the more politically advantageous move.

Anyways, don't know where else to go with this thought at the moment. Just some food for thought.

[savingthrcw]

may be used as a test muse page / 'only writing them if requested' muses page because I'm not making them a set of links like for the others but I'd love to write them: Lily Tabris, Ellana Lavellan and Solona Amell

okay but also I just want to say that I have a few other Dragon Age ladies that I love with all my heart, one of them being the city elf warrior Lily Tabris whom I'd love to write again, who was ferocious and too blunt and considered letting Denerim's human side burn (okay Alistair can stay close to her but he's on thin ice) (absolutely jumped on Zevran but also didn't know wtf to do when he got romantic first) (keeps the ring of the elf she was supposed to marry who died trying to uselessly save her when she was easily slaying the entire palace, it's a reminder that human nobles who are in charge of alienages should all be ripped to pieces). Her entire backstory is filled with things that are common triggers in rp so yeah. Complicated because she doesn't skirt away from the topics, she literally told the King she had just met that she had murdered a noble who had all intentions of r*ping her and her friends (see the triggering part) and left him speechless, that's the kind of person she is. Also a bit racist against humans, given the situation, but if one proves himself to be kind, like Alistair, she will not extend that to him, so maybe racist isn't the right word, maybe it's... prejudiced against a race that enslaves hers, but open to the fact that some humans have nothing to do with it? Difficult to get along with if you don't like people who are that blunt, and also won't keep to herself her disagreement. DESPITE EVERYTHING she still tries to help people, tries to save Connor (sends Morrigan after asking her if she can do it), saves the mages in the Circle, pushes Alistair to be king so he can make a change, kills Loghain herself. Later she'd be fighting for Elves rights all over Thedas. Very quiet and pissed off Warden Commander because Zevran apparently was busy elsewhere and when left by herself she reverts to grumpy as hell. Got the entire team to help. Will show up in DA2 to check on Anders despite him not being an elf because she's loyal to people who have fought with her. Will show up in DAI because she was contacted by Alistair who told her about weird Callings for all Wardens and wanted to look into it. There since Haven. LILY HEADCANONS.

Ellana Lavellan, Inquisitor, would write her if I could remember ALL the specific events of Inquisition and if I had gotten to know all characters in other gameplays but she's my one and only inquisitor. If I ever do this will be her only introduction: absolutely made me think of Buffy when telling Corypheus to f*ck off and basically making a mountain of snow fall on them, flirted with Dorian so hard before finding out the truth and deciding he was her best friend (they can flirt anyway) so he gets privileges, doesn't mention for one second her clan and her grief when it gets wiped out so people are Concerned about what's up, romanced Cullen (step away from the Lyrium, buddy), all cute with him which goes from awkward flirting to jumping his bones, made Varric best friend number two, Solan was best friend number three and she wants to save him but if she can't she's going to kill him and also god does she feel betrayed, took Cole under her wing, sided with mages because she's a Dalish elf mage okay, she's still trying to figure out if Cassandra likes her,

Blackwall's betrayal also hurt her but... eh. Could've been worse. She feels they all did sh*t in their pasts. Which blatantly means she did sh*t she told no one about. She still doesn't know if Cassandra likes her (she does). Gets a little too along with Iron Bull. She absolutely did sh*t in her past. She hasn't told anyone about that yet. Was kept in a Dalish-version of prison for being a tremendous assh*le who stole and started fights and a problem child, got kicked out, was given another chance with the conclave because an aunt who has a soft spot for her punk niece decides to bring her and show her she can be more than a little criminal, but then what happens next changes her, and all the responsibilities put on her made her attitude shift very quickly into responsible leader. Basically your typical 'trying to be heroic and do the right thing with mild sarcasm and complaints' hero who turns out to have a crazy past they hardly ever mention. She couldn't bond with Vivienne because there really wasn't much time. She didn't bond with Sera because she's not very prank-y and she's an elf who takes offense to anyone who has anything to say about elves. She accidentally hardened Leliana??? she thought Leliana was already like that?? ELLANA HEADCANONS.

Solona Amell, babe, human mage, she was having the time of her life even in the circle, didn't listen to a word they said about not wanting mages to have strong bonds with each other, is basically a puppy in human form, loves everything. Impossibly strong for no reason except that I used mods to play with her so she's like the angel of death or something, shakes a hand and all the enemies go down. she's basically Sandal in that aspect, all innocence and death. I may actually write her as a bonus character if someone wants some ridiculousness /unrealistic death power. Only wasn't killed during the Harrowing (quickest Harrowing ever) because she had no reason to use her full power before so the Circle doesn't know. She is 10000% creepy, because you know someone who can extend a hand and knock out/kill all enemies around her (and not lose a wink of sleep over murder in general) should not be acting all cute and sweet. Doesn't judge anyone, finds them all so curious and funny. human may be a stretch. Can also be used as occasional companion if we have threads with one of my other Wardens. To avoid ending the war and plots immediately, she can't constantly use her kill-all power but only once every 12 hours. SOLONA HEADCANONS.

My baby Neria from this blog in her official outfit

Elyssa Cousland, not writing her because there is not enough writing material: doesn't want to be anybody's hero, spends nearly the entire time covered in blood, she's just trying to avenge her entire family, she doesn't hardens the characters but real talk, Alistair is the one who un-hardens her (she marries him and makes them king and queen). May have flirted with Leliana to keep herself from thinking of Alistair and then things got awkward. Very close to Morrigan for no reason whatsoever. Way too pretty.

[joiningthefandomeightyearslate]

Notes on my wip His Faith Sustains Him

One thing about His Faith Sustains Him which I'm writing that worries me is that it is an omegavrs fic, and people have ideas of what omegavrs fic means but that's not exactly what I'm writing.

I hold no judgement for "standard" omegavrs fics. They are fun, but oftentimes I feel like they can be more.

The fact is I wanted to do omegavrs au because it would put both a spin and a focus it the sexual abuse Cullen both had experienced first hand, and has undoubtedly seen being Knight Captain at the Gallows. I want to explore this in part because of how poorly Inquisition handled that subject.

I also have had fun with the idea of coming up with how different cultures in Thedas treat abo dynamics, and have even written codex entries about the different cultures.

For example how peasants and nobles treat omegas is very different. Peasant omegas have a lot more freedom, because there is work to do and worrying about who does what isn't as big of a deal as getting all the work done. Everyone is out on the farm for planting and harvesting. Couples run the store together.

Ferelden and the other decadence of the Alamarri tribes have the historical motieff of the Sheild Maiden a warrior omega usually androgynous so it is unknown if they are a male or female omega.

Orlais nobles have very strict roles for omegas, because an omega who is thought to be "loose" can put an inheritance to question. This has bled down in Orlaisian society and into the Chantry to the point it is becoming more and more the norm, and more and more extreme.

In Teventer an omega Altus or Magister can hold as much or more power as an alpha or beta. They are more concerned about magical power because you can be physically weighed down by pregnancy, but still be the deadliest person in the room. Not to mention they get advantages in negotiating marriages, because the importance of producing powerful heirs.

Only humans have a/b/o dynamics, and that's important too.

City elves have to learn how to read body language because they don't have the capacity to smell the pheramones humans give off. Not showing an alpha more deference than a beta companion can be life threatening in some cities.

The Dalish often don't know about humans having a/b/o dynamics unless they've had a lot of experience with humans.

Dwarfs generally get a free pass, and only know about it if they live around a lot of humans. Dwarven nobles consider the fertility of human omegas as a myth.

Qunari are the only race that can smell human pheramones, but unless they spend enough time around humans they don't have the context of what they smell.

Tamassrans who control the breeding programs in lands with human Viddathari consider omegas pivotal, and consider omegas converted to the Qun a boon. They have a vested interest in what makes them so fertile, because breeding those with the genes they want could be more controlled if they could better ensure fertility in all races.

Elf-bloodrd individuals are never alphas or omegas. They often smell a little "bland" for beta's as well. Some can smell human pheramones others are "scent blind", but even the ones that can are generally not very good at it. They do pass as human beta's though, if a little off. In this au Alistair is sent blind, while Michel de Chevin has a reduced ability to smell human pheramones.

[fergus-cousland]

I also think DA could be improved if Maric was the one who got to mysteriously die of mysterious illness for Reasons™ instead of Rowan but I also recognise that there would be no Alistair if this happened

[foxx-queen]

flemeth, elves and morrigan

so I love flemeth a lot, I find her super interesting as a character with complex motivations and i kind of feel like she fits the trickster archetype more than solas in some ways, and to me it's v fun to think about how she's essential to dragon age as a whole, since she has such a large role in both the history of thedas and the warden and hawkes fates. I actually started with da2 as it was a gift, and I spent the intro with zero idea about what was going on or whether id be able to get into it, when a dragon turned into a milf with a v nice voice, and I was hooked. probs should've realised I was gay then we love hindsight. that being said, there are a few things that have bothered me since she was revealed to be mythal, which come down to a. flemeth containing the spirit of an elven goddess when she human and b. her treatment of morrigan when she's supposed to be the goddess of motherhood. so I've been having some ideas about what could've been done differently and thought I'd share.

the elves :

to start, make flemeth an elf, or half elven. at first I wasn't sure if this would work considering that we're told she possesses the bodies of her daughters, except it seems like that not actually what she does, considering what she says in dai and the fact that we meet one of her other daughters, yavana, in the silent grove. in terms of flemeth's origin, we don't actually know what the truth is. all she ever confirms to the inquisitor when directly asked is that she was married, had a lover, her husband tricked her, killed her lover and imprisoned her, and that mythal came to her then. it's actually entirely possible for the writers to give her elven heritage because a. we've met characters who have one elven parent who don't have elven features (ie. alistair) and b. she's a shapeshifter and could be disguising her elven features so that the dreaded 'witch of the wilds' isn't associated with elves, which could easily cause problems for them. personally, I'd make her a servant from highever who rejected a noble man's advances, and in retaliation the noble had her lover killed and threw her in prison.

give her more ties to the dalish. again this is something I think the writers could still do, because we've had hints of her connection to the dalish already. we know the dalish have their own legends about her, and considering that asha'bellanar means the woman of many years it's not hard to imagine that some of them know more about her nature. merrill even says that she knows a little of the truth behind the name, so it's entirely possible to me that many of the keepers of the clans know more of the truth. in one of the novels (the stolen throne I think?) a dalish clan also takes marric and loghain to flemeth, which again shows us she does have dealings with them. but basically I want to see more of that connection. I want to hear about her helping the dalish, providing safe passage when they need it, sharing mythals knowledge over the centuries she's been interacting with them. stories about her have spread all over thedas, so she could easily have spent time with multiple clans. I would've loved it if mahariel recognized flemeth in dao. same vibes as seeing your teacher outside school when they look like they haven't done their laundry in a month.

give the city elves their own stories about her. this is partly why I'd make her an elven servant, and maybe make her lover elven, because I like the idea of her origin being similar to tabris. among the city elves, she's a legendary figure they whisper about, a woman who slaughtered those humans who wronged her and escaped into the wild. they say that if you can find flemeth, she'll shelter you from any humans who pursue you. I just like the idea of the dalish and the city elves having their own different stories about flemeth, connecting them to mythal and each other. as a side note, the symbol for the city elf origin, a vhenadahl tree, reminds me a lot of mythals vallaslin. the symbol for the dalish elf origin, a leafy mask, can also be found on a shield called mythals blessing.

most of the stories we've heard about her are from the chasind, or fereldan tales, so I think it's entirely possible for them to expand on the dalish stories about her and her connection to them. morrigan being the elven 'expert' in dai might not have been as tonedeaf if she also had elven heritage, or if she'd learned what she knew from the dalish (rather than stealing it) that flemeth interacted with, or if she wanted to share what she discovered with them, as flemeth did.

purely indulgent here, but if you play as lavellan and mess up during the save your clan war table missions, instead of them dying you get a letter from your keeper that asha'bellanar showed up to save them. actually this happened that's why lavellan never grieves during the game it's because their clan is fine. as the first to the keeper, lavellan also recognises flemeth when they meet her.

morrigan

flemeth and the elves / her connection to them could still be included by the writers but everything with morrigan is just you know. my thoughts

i'd make their relationship much better / closer. I wouldn't make flemeth a perfect mother or anything, and I think morrigan could still be mistrustful of people etc if she's learned she can only rely on herself and her mother. the story about the mirror could still be a thing, which again is because I wouldn't make it perfect, but morrigan didn't spend her entire childhood without affection / gifts / love etc. her personal quest wouldn't even need to change that much. you find the black grimoire in the circle tower and give it to her, and she freaks out when she reads it. since it seems like possessing morrigan isn't what flemeth intended, I can see flemeth having written things to mess with the templars who found it to entertain herself. finding this out is maybe even worse for morrigan here, because she does have a good relationship with flemeth and believed flemeth loved her, so the betrayal is worse.

get rid of that stuff about flemeth apparently seducing men and using them and then telling morrigan she expected the same of her. honestly of everything that stuff bothered me the most, and part of it is because it's in line with a lot of the stuff bioware does with female characters who have multiple partners. like the way they write aveline constantly slut shaming isabella in da2. it's the kind of story that would be told about the witches of the wilds to scare people etc but that isn't true. so yeah get rid of it.

I had more thoughts but these are the main ones. like I love flemeth and I can't imagine dragon age without her, but the revelation that she's mythal just put a few things in a different light. tdlr: I'd make flemeth and morrigans relationship much closer, and I'd show a lot more of flemeth's connection to the dalish. telling us that she's been amongst them for centuries and sharing what she knows over time without invalidating the culture they've created would also be nice because i hate the whole 'the dalish were wrong' narrative.

[shift-shaping]

Solas/Surana Party Banter round whatever

hello. here it is again, but different this time! SIGNIFICANTLY. there's way more and it's a little bit ~angst-y~. anyway, here's the previous version, and here's a preface to this post.

-

In case you aren't aware of what my girl's Whole Deal is, she was in love with Alistair during the Blight and he sacrificed himself, which Sucked Balls for her. She wandered around in the mountains for most of the past ten years, and now she's in the Inquisition because she doesn't know what else to do with her life.

content warnings: brief mention of colorism

Lots of banter under the cut

Solas: Surana. Now that you have joined the Inquisition, what title do you prefer to use?

Surana: What title do you use?

Solas: None. But you have earned many.

Surana: 'Warden,' I guess. I don't really care.

Solas: Not 'Hero of Ferelden?'

Surana: No. Surana is fine.

.

Solas: You dislike your title?

Surana: It is inaccurate. Alistair was the real hero, and he died fighting the archdemon --I only ever did what I had to do.

Solas: Hm.

.

Solas: You do not think yourself a hero?

Eirwen: *sighs* If a man is ordered to save a child from a burning building or else be killed himself, is he really a hero? No, he is not.

Eirwen: Had I not been made a Warden, I would have been killed or made Tranquil. I did not choose to do the right thing. I was forced to.

.

Surana: Why do you keep asking me so many questions, Solas?

Solas: You are an historical anomaly. An elven mage elevated to the status of legendary hero.

(If the Inquisitor is an elf, a mage, or both:

Eirwen: Well apparently it’s not that anomalous.

Solas: Even still.)

Solas: I have seen echoes of your victories in the Fade alongside reflections of your losses. You have overcome a great deal. Do not be so quick to dismiss your own story.

Surana: Your dreams are lying to you. That legacy is not mine to claim.

Solas: I will not try to convince you otherwise, but know this: whatever bitterness you feel towards your legacy, you will gain far more accepting it than you ever would fighting its tide.

Surana: This isn't really about me, is it?

Solas: It never is.

.

[After All New, Faded for Her]

Eirwen: I’m sorry about Wisdom, Solas.

Solas: I appreciate that. Thank you.

Eirwen: It must have had a wealth of knowledge. It is a shame to lose so much for so little.

Solas: There is a difference between wisdom and knowledge.

Eirwen: Right, yes. I remember a joke about that. Would you like to hear it?

Solas: Not particularly.

Eirwen: *clears her throat* Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing it does not belong in a fruit salad.

Solas: ...

Eirwen: Too soon, I suppose. Sorry.

.

Solas: Thank you, Surana.

Eirwen: I told you, Dorian and I aren’t fond of that particular vintage. And we thought you’d appreciate the earthy tones.

Solas: Thank you for that as well, I think, but that is not what I as referring to.

Eirwen: Oh?

Solas: Your joke. You… it was unexpected. But not bad at all.

Eirwen: Oh. Well, that’s about the least dirty joke I know. Want to hear one a drunken dwarf told me in the Deep Roads?

Solas: Another time, perhaps.

Eirwen: Ah, you wouldn’t like it anyway.

.

Solas: Surana. You said before that a man ordered to save a child from a burning building under threat of death would not be a hero.

Solas: I disagree.

Surana: Oh?

Solas: The man threatened with death may not see himself as particularly noble, but the child will always see him as their savior. Regardless of his motivations, he will always be a hero to the child he saved.

Surana: So no matter who or what made him do it, he is still a good person because another thinks him such?

Solas: I did not say that. 'Heroic' and 'good' are not necessarily the same.

.

Surana: So what is your point, then? That I should make people call me 'Hero' at Skyhold?

Solas: My point is that you should not feel guilty if they believe you to be someone you are not. You cannot control them, and attempts to the contrary will only serve to make you miserable.

Surana: Why do you care so much? Why does it matter to you how I feel about being called 'the Hero of Ferelden'?

Solas: It --doesn't. You are right, of course. And I meant no offense.

Surana: That's not-- I'm not offended, I'm curious. I want to know why it matters to you, a random wandering apostate, whether I call myself a hero or a bastard or a drunkard or nothing at all.

Solas: It is as I said: elven mages are rarely given the level of respect and admiration that you are. It is a shame you see no benefit in that.

Surana: Benefit? Like what, seeing my ears cut off in statues? My staff turned into a sword? My skin lightened in paintings and my relationships reduced to spectacle or seduction?

Surana: Maybe I am offended. I would love to be an anonymous apostate. I was, for a while, but I couldn't stop trying to live up to a version of me that doesn't exist, never has, and never will. The real hero is dead, and you have me instead.

Solas: You must let that be enough, Surana.

Surana: It isn't.

.

Surana: Solas, you have dreamt in all sorts of places, right?

Solas: Yes.

Surana: Have you ever --well, did you ever see the Battle of Denerim, in your dreams?

Solas: Not as you would remember it.

Surana: Of course not. But... I mean-- did you--

Solas: It is done, Surana. You cannot linger there.

Surana: How do I do that? How do I stop seeing it?

Solas: You do not. But instead of letting it weigh you down, let that pain be what pushes you forward. Focus on where you must be, and what you must do. You are needed here, now, exactly as you are, not as the person you were in Denerim. Whoever others think you are, you must go forward as who you know you are. If you lose sight of that, you are lost.

.

Surana: Solas, thank you.

Solas: For what?

Surana: You know full well what.

Solas: I try to help, when I can. The pain you carry is... familiar.

Surana: Familiar?

Solas: You feel guilt simply for being alive, as though self-flagellation will make you worthy of existence.

Surana: Self-flagellation? *dryly* You have a way with words, you know.

Solas: *just as dryly* You flatter me.

[If neither Solas nor Surana are romanced]

Surana: You deserve the flattery.

Solas: Is that a compliment, from the Hero of Ferelden herself?

Surana: I take it back. You're an ass and I hate you.

Solas: *chuckles*

.

[After Here Lies the Abyss]

Surana: I didn’t know you disliked the Wardens so much, Solas.

Solas: It was not worth mentioning.

Surana: Not until it became acceptable to criticize us, you mean.

Solas: What have the Wardens actually accomplished in terms of understanding the Blight? Do you honestly feel you understand it any better than you did before you became one?

Surana: Is that a serious question? Do I understand it better after witnessing its ravages than I did when I’d merely read about them in a book?

Solas: What did the Wardens teach you? What did you learn from them, about the Blight?

Surana: More than I will ever tell you.

Solas: *bitterly* Ah. Of course.

.

Surana: You have always been an apostate, have you not?

Solas: By your Chantry’s definition, I suppose.

Surana: My chantry? Am I the Divine now, too? *scoffs* Anyway, you have never spent time in a Circle.

Solas: No.

Surana: Then one thing I will tell you about the Wardens is this: there is no other path to freedom for many mages than to join them. You were not dragged from your home in chains because of what you are. You were not barred from dreaming, nor threatened with Tranquility when you failed to perform a difficult spell.

Solas: You should not have had to make that choice, Surana.

Surana: Yet I did, because it was the only one I had. And the Wardens are all the world has to counter the Blight. You can disagree from your tower in Skyhold or your hut in the woods or whatever, but we are working with what is available to us. Come up with a real solution and I will listen. But I’m uninterested in ignorant complaints from someone who was not there.

.

Surana: It’s not my Chantry.

Solas: Poor wording, on my part.

Surana: I don’t even like the Chantry.

Solas: Abelas. I meant no offense.

Surana: Yes, you did. Or you just don't care.

Solas: What would you have me say, Warden?

Surana: Nothing. Just be quiet.

.

Solas: Where was home to you, Surana? Before the Circle?

Surana: *sighs* An orphanage in Denerim’s alienage.

Solas: Really? Huh. In that case, I would have expected you to sound more like Sera.

(Sera, if present: What? You think all city elves sound the same?

Solas: You are from the same section of the same city. Why would you not have the same accent?)

Surana: I don’t sound like Sera because I was beaten in the Circle until I spoke 'properly.’ No offense to Sera, of course.

(Sera, if present: More reasons to be glad I’m not like you two.)

.

Solas: I am sorry, Surana. Living in the Circle must have been difficult, and I imagine being a Warden during the Blight was no easier.

Surana: *sighs* It’s alright. You couldn’t have known.

Solas: I should have tried. I have done you a disservice, and I hope you can forgive me.

Surana: Maybe. Possibly. Did you bring any of that wine with you?

Solas: Unfortunately not.

Surana: *playfully* Then, no.

Surana: …But please, call me Eirwen.

Solas: Eirwen. Ma nuvenin.

.

[After Surana hears Cole and Solas banter for the first time]

Surana: Oh! I think I got that one, it's --oh, wait. No, that can't be it.

Cole: You were close, though.

Solas: Nearly had it.

.

[If Eirwen is romanced by an elven Inquisitor]

Solas: *playfully* For all your talk of wanting anonymity, Eirwen, you seem incapable of avoiding spectacle.

Surana: Is this about the drunken bear? I already apologized for that.

Solas: No. You and the Inquisitor. Two of the most powerful elves in Thedas, together?

Surana: Jealous?

Solas: Not for the reason you think.

Inquisitor: How could we resist?

Surana: We are both very pretty.

OR

Inquisitor: One day we will be free of all of this. Together.

Solas: For your sakes, I hope you are right.

.

[If Solas is romanced and Eirwen's personal quest is completed]

Solas: You no longer consider yourself a Grey Warden, Eirwen?

Surana: Did the Inquisitor tell you that?

Solas: Yes. You threw your badge into the Abyss.

Surana: Bit dramatic, I suppose. I was having a moment.

Solas: Evidently.

.

Surana: It almost felt traitorous, honestly.

Solas: Why? You were forced to join the Grey Wardens, were you not?

Surana: They still saved my life.

Solas: And condemned you to an early death. They bought you time, nothing more.

Surana: But time is all any of us have, isn't it?

Solas: No. You have a name, and experience, and the influence to pull the strings behind the world.

Surana: Careful. You'll make the Inquisitor jealous.

Solas: I am not attempting to flatter you. I am only telling you what you must already know: that you are more than a Warden, and always have been.

.

Surana: Where will the two of you go, once this is over?

Inquisitor: (Somewhere quiet) A place where we can be left alone.

OR (Somewhere fun) Someplace with good wine.

OR (Home) North. Where my people are.

Solas: An appealing prospect, vhenan.

Inquisitor: What about you, Eirwen?

Surana, based on the Inquisitor's answer to the previous question: (Somewhere quiet) Somewhere without so many damn demons.

OR (Somewhere fun) I was thinking Rivain. I've heard the food is excellent.

OR (Home) The Deep Roads. Where my people are.

.

[If neither Solas nor Eirwen are romanced]

Solas: Have you ever learned any elven, Eirwen?

Surana: Unfortunately not. A few words here and there, a long time ago. It wasn’t exactly taught in the Circle.

Solas: Would you like to?

Surana: I –oh. I hadn’t –um.

Solas: *chuckles* You do not have to learn.

Surana: No! I would love to. From you, I assume?

Solas: I cannot imagine you were going to learn it from Sera.

Sera, if present: I prefer real words, thanks.

.

Solas: What elven words do you recall, from your alienage?

Surana: Ah… okay. Hahren, that’s like… elder, or leader. The tree in the middle was called the vhenadahl. Lethallan is like friend, or ally, or maybe even sister?

Solas: Do you know what vhenadahl means?

Surana: It must be something about a tree.

Solas: And where is it, in the alienage?

Surana: A central place, somewhere everyone could see it.

Solas: And what is another word for the middle of something that lovers might call each other?

Surana: …Heart?

Solas: So what do you think 'vhena’ means, if 'dahl' is tree?

Surana: Uh... heart?

Solas: Yes. But also 'home.' The vhenadahl was both the home of your people, and the heart of the alienage.

Sera, if present: Just call it what it is --a big stupid tree.

.

Surana, in elven: *haltingly, mumbling* [Her early leaf’s a flower… but] –shoot.

Solas, in elven: [But only so…?]

Surana: M- it starts with an ’m’…

Solas: Take your time.

Surana: Meh- malath?

Solas: *laughs*

Surana: Is that wrong? Shit, that must be wrong.

Solas: Not wrong, per say, but perhaps premature.

Surana: What? What did I say?

Solas: Do not concern yourself with it, lethallan.

Surana: …was it dirty?

Solas: No.

Surana: …then what was it?

Solas: Patience, Eirwen.

.

Surana: I found out what ‘ma lath’ means.

Solas: I would expect nothing less from such a gifted student.

Surana: Mhm. It’s –well. I’m glad I said it, but you were right. It was premature.

Solas: I agree. Though...

Surana: Though?

Solas: *chuckles* I think this is neither the time nor place.

Surana: What is, then?

Solas: When I have you alone, Eirwen.

Surana: *laughs awkwardly* Maker's breath...

.

Sera + Surana

(If Solas has begun "teaching Eirwen elven")

Sera: So… you and Droopy ears.

Surana: Why do you call him that?

Sera: Cause he’s all –I don’t know, sad or wha'ever.

Sera: Anyway. Teaching you 'the ways of the elves,’ is he?

Surana: It’s just not a very good nickname, frankly.

Sera: Well I don’t want to know what you call him.

Surana: Certainly not droopy.

Solas, if present: *snorts*

Sera: *laughs* Ew! Keep it to yourselves, then!

.

Solas: Eirwen, I–

Solas: I am sorry we had to cut our lessons short.

Surana: It’s… I understand. We… no, you were right.

Solas: Please, Eirwen.

Surana: Perhaps, in another life, another time, we could have–

Solas: You are a bright light in a dark world. You will always be important to me, for whatever that is worth.

.

Surana: Can I ask you a question, Solas?

Solas: Of course.

Surana: It's not about me, is it?

Solas: I--

Surana: It's about trying to fight the tide.

Solas: Eirwen...

Solas: I am so, so sorry.

Surana: Telanadas, hahren.

Solas: Ma nuvenin, vhenan.

[tealenko]

Ooh I want to hear more about your Dragon Age fics/head cannons!

Sure... I feel I don't talk about them enough lol... This will be long btw.

Ermmm, let's begin.

DAO: Alistair

- First videogame character I ever obsessed with

- Married to my Human - Rogue : Melissa Cousland

- King and Queen of Ferelden, of course

- I still cannot believed I forced this sweet cinnamon roll to have sex with his worst nightmare (upss)

Headcanons:

They always say "I love you" before going back to sleep

No matter how hard DA2 and DAI tries I DO NOT CARE!! This two are not separating no matter what -> they have so little time left together, I'm not going to send her away while he stays on Ferelden

She 100% cuts his hair... even when he is king

They won't have an heir, the crown will go back to Anora once he dies

Fics: Not many... I created a lot of stuff in my mind but I don't remember most of it... I know I did the wedding, but apart from that there isn't more I can talk about.

DA2: Sebastian (?)

The oficial LI in my universe is Sebastian, but this game is the only Bioware game where there isn't a romance that really catches my attention to obsession level.

I rotate between: Sebastian, Fenris and Isabella (But I'll focus on Sebastian here)

- Still mad I could not get into his pants

-Seriously Bioware... you take the 2 most beautiful men in this game and one is celibate and the other... well... the other will have the next game section all to himself.

- Married to my Warrior: Kyla Hawke

- Prince and princess of Starkhaven (duh...)

-You better bet I'm breaking his promise to the maker in order to make an heir (double duh!)

Headcanons:

He's the only thing keeping Hawke from doing crazy stuff

My Hawke goes back to him safe and sound after DAI

They love to read together

They hardly ever argue

At the beginning she's more passionate than him... that changes with time

Fics: None, as I said I quite liked it, but not enough to make me obsess.

DAI: Cullen [1][2][3]

- BEST. BIOWARE. ROMANCE. EVER. MADE (along with shenko of course)

-Thankyouthankyouuhtjanhkyoujjashdhflasdlifihals Bioware for finally giving me the chance of having A FREAKING NORMAL OFICIAL HUMAN ROMANCE THAT ENDS SO F~ING GOOD... give me just a second to calm down please.

- Married to my Human - Mage: Sybil Trevelyan

- No matter what happens in Thedas -> They'll always be happy... I'll make sure of it.

Headcanons:

They live in Ferelden after DAI

Have a daughter: Cassandra Rutherford (Cassie)

In DAI she always goes to give him a goodbye kiss before going on a mission and whenever she comes back (...and by she I mean me lol)

If they have the chance they are ALWAYS together... like always always...

Things they like to do together: read, take long walks, cook, play chess (of course), take care of the garden... you just have to think of things a cute married old couple would do XD

It was love at first sight for both of them (and I never do this... I prefer feelings developing little by little...)

Mage situation in my universe:

Cassandra as divine

Reform of the circles

Control over the mages but not imprisoned

Some sort of merit system -> the longer you work for the circle, if you don't have incident, if you do extra work, etc -> you earn more freedom

Sybil spends a few years only being able to see Cullen at weekends, until she finally gets to go home after work every day

Fics: Way too many, I love this man with all my heart since I set eyes on him in the Ferelden circle with my first warden mage (yeah... this obsession has been here for A WHILE lol)

My inquisitor origin story -> Never got much attention from her family (because she was a woman and they wanted a man to inherit the title) only close to his uncle. Her parents cut ties with her when her powers showed for the first time, they only wrote her once to the circle to tell her the uncle died and that she should stop bothering them with letters for him.

DAI (filling voids and that kind of stuff) -> Sybil developing a lovely friendship with Dorian and Varric / She falling hard for Cullen and terrified he'll never feel something for her because she's a mage / Dorian convincing her to confess her feelings, even though he doesn't know who are they talking about / her family trying to reconnect now that she's important and she sending them to hell / a lot of additional fluff to complement the canon / and a lot of additional angst in trespasser (I mean, they are 100% sure she isn't gonna make it) / a more elaborated wedding scene / her family disowning her for marrying Cullen (and she's like: I'm not even bothered by it)

Fave fic: Dorian, Varric and Vivienne finding out she's in love with Cullen -> omg I love this one lol, the 3 of them are at Vivienne's balcony and they get to see Sybil fight with herself and hesitating (going back and forwards until she finally enters into his tower) and they see the whole declaration, Jim's interruption and their first kiss from there (and of course, they bet about the possible outcome while they are it ehehehe)

They adapting to their new life together in Ferelden

She getting along with his siblings (Not a problem except for the younger sister, but they end up being good friends at the end)

Cullen getting in touch with Dorian and Varric to give her a surprise in a time she's feeling down

Cullen works just to fill the time he's alone (they're like super rich after everything my inquisitor stole in DAI lol)... so he works in construction for almost nothing, helping rebuild what the war destroyed

They end up presenting an initiative in Ferelden to build villages near the circle for mages and their families (I'm still working in this one)

The two of them building their forever house together (aw my heart)

Sybil finding out her uncle isn't dead and meeting him again after almost 20 years

She meeting my warden and (without even telling she's the herald of Andraste) fully going into "thank you for saving the love of my life during the blight" mode.

My warden finding out who she is and fully going into "thank you for saving the grey wardens" mode.

I'll stop here... for everyone's sake, but I could keep going lol