#dalish rant

[greypetrel]

14 for Aisling and Cullen, 22 for whomever 💗

Hello! 💜

Thanks for the prompts! I’ll post this and Number 22 later on with a tag,

Arbor Wilds? Arbor Wilds.

Finally introducing George the Red Templar! He glitched out in the middle of the Temple of Mythal when I played the quest. So you see I had to include him. He decided the war was stupid, yielded and retired in the Temple. Grew on the elves like moss. Strawberry flavoured moss because his specialty is strawberry daiquiri he prepares for everyone around.

Oh, also: I really like the mission buuuut I have opinions. For once, I retcon that the map isn’t available anymore. So imagine that Aisling just… Pestered Morrigan enough that she opened the Eluvians again and got her and her party back to the Temple (the mirror didn’t break). Quarrelled HARD with Cassandra for that one line she says about the Temple being build out of Superstition. Quarrelled with Cullen as well because he didn’t have a ready answer for her and she -and everyone- took it as “I agree with Cassandra”.

If you want some soundtrack for VIBES…

Tis the prompt list

Casual touch to elbow/shoulder/hand while telling a story

The Temple of Mythal was peaceful in its quiet sacrality. And yet, while Chantries tended to inspire a sense of repentance, put you against your sins to face them, this was… Welcoming, in a sense. In the same way that Skyhold was even if in a much bigger scale.

The works to repair the damages that the Red Templars did were going on steadily, or as steadily as the few people that had come there with the Inquisitor allowed. The elves were a quiet presence, not hostile anymore and easier with the foreigners as days goes by and they all showed they were there in good intentions and willing to help for help’s sake, growing curious about them even. The situation was relaxed, if one didn’t think they were all on borrowed time and mere days away from being forced to go out and march back to Skyhold with the big bunch of the army, it almost looked like a holiday.

The day after the battle, the Inquisitor, Radha and Solas were joined in the Temple by Dorian -of course, it didn’t surprise anyone to see the Tevinter pack his things and just… March inside the Temple as if camping in ruins was his favourite thing in the world. The Iron Bull, weirdly enough, followed suit a couple of days later, with Dalish and Grim, leaving the rest of the Chargers to Krem -who was in and out himself. And Cole, of course. Cullen too had followed, after a week, delegating the rest of the work as the important allies scattered, tentatively and expecting to be kicked out of it in less than five minutes by a still angry Aisling.

But… She hadn’t kick him out. He sought her out, talked to her, explained himself. They got on a truce, and promised each other to work out on things, since none of them was ok in just… Pretending like nothing happened. It wouldn’t have been fair, for none of them. It was something, even if Aisling said she needed some space. Maybe being not that cheerful and upbeat all the time, always smiling, laughing and prodding him to talk was really more of her than not the other way around. She was acting normal, just… Less prone to just have it always his ways, and testing shily limits and boundaries. Using magic more, for once, even if she always looked at him when she started, if he was around, to instinctively checking he was ok before going on with her spells. He always nodded and smiled at her, spurring her on to raise some stones with magic -it was extremely useful, it would have taken him, Bull and Grim the whole afternoon to clear that pile of rubble she removed in one minute. It still didn’t feel fully all right, still left him with some sort of uneasiness, but… It was her. He trusted she wouldn’t have hurt him and just… Endured it. Got further away when it became too much. Told her it wasn’t her fault, but his in very clear terms, and that she shouldn’t stop.

They were, in substance, working things out for real, out of the honeymoon phase and out of Aisling sweeping her doubts and problems under the carpet and making things easier for him… And Cullen not noticing that she was doing all the work.

They sat together at dinner, lunches she was often in some secluded corner trying to decipher inscriptions or slip in a half crumbled room, or tagging Abelas here and there and asking him questions (it was fun to watch, the ancient elf treating her with patience, like an old dog with an unruly puppy). He spotted her, once, high up on a wall, sitting there while she ate, a leg dwindling down. How she got up there scared him to no limits, the idea of her falling scared him even more… But, this was important to her, and if she found some ancient carvings up there, he trusted her to be on her best behaviour. At least it wasn’t a galloping horse.

Things were going fine.

It was evening, dinner had ended and everyone was slowly retiring to their tends, some still dwindling around the fire in the petitioner’s room that the elves had allowed them to camp into. There were rooms designed to house guests, but the mattresses were long gone, some had no roof anymore, and so they treated the central room like a small camp, around the firepit in the middle.

He bid Dorian good night, pretending not to see how he followed the Qunari in his tend. As everyone around was pretending not to see ever since he came there. And he believed, even before.

The night was peaceful and balmy, the stars twinkled in the sky outside the big windows, between impossibly small and delicate twisted columns and the canopy of trees, swaying gently in the breeze. It reminded Cullen of other summer evenings, back in his childhood, when there was still peace and life was simple. Maybe life could be simple again. Take a war away, just leave this. Working, no planning, see a thing that needs to be repaired, do it. Eat when you’re hungry, sleep when you’re tired, enjoy the simple things. Joke with friends, have friends to call such outside work. Simple problems, solvable ones, without the constant knowledge of having the world on your shoulders.

He was happy of the Inquisition, happy of what they were doing. But-

“A penny for your thoughts?”

Came a familiar, dear voice to bring him out of his reverie. He opened eyes he had apparently closed, and smiled at Aisling, standing over him with a couple of mugs in her hands. Fancy mugs with two tiny paper umbrellas balancing on the lid. He smiled, scuttling a little to make her space against the wall he was propped against, right below the window, and patting the floor beside him. She didn’t need words to understand, and just handled him the drinks, before sitting down at his side, sighing in contentment as she stretched her legs before her and her back, arching it like a cat and stretching her arms up.

“Tired?”

“A little sore. You?”

“Same.”

“How’s your ankle?”

“It’s fine, thank you. Solas patched it up for good, see?” She demonstrated, lifting the leg and rolling her foot around the ankle easily, one side before and the other lately. It cracked minutely tho, making her grimace.

“Easy, tiger. Don’t hurt yourself more.”

“It’s fine… Nothing some alcohol can’t help, anyway.”

“Glutton.”

“You love it.”

She bantered back, instinctively, and froze. They had reassured each other that love was still on the plate, of course, but… No other words have come on that, and surely none in joking terms. Just a promise to work it out and put more effort into coming to compromises, and… They got back to slowly and tentatively dancing around the other, both careful not to overstep in the other’s boundaries. But, as much as it was evident Aisling was thinking she just did, lowering her gaze and frowning, this really wasn’t it.

“Yes, I do.” Cullen reassured her, placing a hand on hers, closed on her thigh, as with the other he handled her one of the mugs, careful not to shake it so much that the umbrella would have fallen.

She looked back up, smiling shily at him, cheeks turning pinker. “Me too.”

They clinked the mugs together and took a sip at the same time. It was… Sweet. Tasting strongly like strawberries and lemon before the heat of the liquor came. Needless to say, it was too sweet for Cullen, and made Aisling’s eyes shine in delight, the way she always lit up when she ate something good. Usually, cakes or desserts.

“Too sweet for you?” She asked.

“A little, yes. But not bad.”

“Well, someone will finish it if you don’t want it all, don’t worry…” She sipped another time, sighing. “Aaaaw, it’s just like eating cake!”

“I think George listened to you, yesterday.” He chuckled observing the other Templar near the firepit, sitting and chatting as it was the most normal thing in the world with a puzzled Solas, another couple of ancient elves that looked at the human with curiosity, and a Radha that was having allegedly too much fun from the situation, looking at the exchange around her.

Nobody paid much mind to the redness of his eyes or how pronounced were his eyebags, or the fact that his hands trembled. Cullen frowned, recognising all too well the signs of what was to come. He didn’t know if Red Lyrium was anything different, but…

“He’s gonna be all right. They’ll take care of him.” Aisling placed a hand on his elbow, squeezing reassuringly, before raising her voice. “Hey, George!”

She called, and the Templar perked up, turning towards her with interest. The Inquisitor raised her mug, in greeting.

“It’s delicious! Best one yet!” She complimented him, cheerfully and with a big smile on her face.

“Thank you, milady!” He thanked her, brighting up instantly.

The man sure was enthusiast and adapting to the new environment quickly. So quickly that the elves were all taken aback. So taken aback that they just… Vibed with him. Accepted his cocktails and his food. Assigned him the one closed room that was in good conditions, when he asked them politely if he could stay there.

Done with that, every group took back to their own, Solas complaining affectionately that it was not the best one yet, Lavellan just liked stuff that rotted your teeth instantly, and the conversation took back, leaving Aisling and Cullen back to their own corner, sipping slowly and enjoying the silence.

Except, Cullen for once didn’t want silence. The last days has been instructive and full of new informations… And made him realise that he knew next to nothing about Elves and Dalish beliefs. Sure, she told him of Ghilan’nain when he asked about her tattoos, spoke to him about her role in her clan and introduced him briefly to the Creators. But…

“Can you tell me about Mythal?” He asked her, slouching a little on the wall and getting more comfortable, one leg propped up, bent at the knee, and the other feet crossing the opposite ankle.

She turned to look at him, mildly surprised.

“Really?”

“Sure. We’re in her Temple, with her priests, and I realised I know little about her.”

“Morrigan’s the priest now, technically. But… Ok. What do you want to know?”

She asked, turning towards him and slouching down more herself.

“You told me she was the Mother goddess, of love and judgement.”

“Mh. And the sea.”

“The sea?”

“Yes.” She smiled, making herself comfortable before starting to speak.

She told him of Elgar’nan defeating his father the Sun for destroying what his mother, the Earth had created. But, without the Sun, nothing green could grow back, and no matter how hard the God tried, how complex his spell grew and how much power he spun into them: no root could stick, no leaf could grow in a world full of darkness, and the land was thus left barren and void. The Earth cried so much that her tears filled oceans, and then, when all hope seemed lost, from the sea walked out Mythal. She alone could reach Elgar’nan and calm his rage, placing her hand on his brow-

“- like this.” Aisling placed a hand on Cullen’s brow, palm cooled by the drink, touch delicate. He bent his head forward, planting a stray kiss on her wrist just because it was there and he could, and he had missed her. She giggled, ruffling his hair some, and lowering the hand, resting it on his shoulder, casually. She left it there, as she continued.

Humbled and finally free of his rage, regretting what he had done, Elgar’nan travelled to the place he had imprisoned the Sun, and spoke to him. When the Sun, equally remorseful for the destruction he brought, promised he would not have burned forests again, he was freed and allowed to his course in the sky. Elgar’nan and Mythal, thus, put their best efforts in recreating what the Sun had destroyed, filling the world with all things green and luscious, helped by the Sun and the Earth. And the world grew and thrived. That same night, when the Sun was asleep, Mythal collected the glowing earth around her bed and shaped it in a sphere, which she hung in the sky to illuminate the night.

“The moon?”

“The moon, yes.” Aisling sighed, bending her head over her hand on his shoulder. “And ever since that day, people came to ask Mythal for judgement, which she delivers like a mother, just and loving and compassionate. But terrible in her ire. And her children, which she had with Elgar’nan, helped them in shaping the world as we know it today.”

The fire crackled, and the breeze seemed to rustle the leaves above something more, as if the world was answering to what was being told. Cullen saw her using magic by now, weaving lightning and thunder with pin-point precision -she saved him a couple of time but ten days ago with that, and she was terrible and beautiful, one of the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. But, there was magic in her words, apparently, or it was the Temple around responding to her words. With more knowledge that it wasn’t just a story, it was a theogony and something that people believed in, it almost looked like…

He leaned his head on hers, closing his eyes and resting his hand on her thigh, leaning against his.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Mh? Not wild and savage?”

“No. Not at all, it’s… A world born out of love and forgiveness. It’s… Soothing.”

“What would the old Chantry Mother say, you rascal! Expressing appreciation for old heathen tales.”

She giggled, mocking him with affection as she nuzzled even closer than she already was, leaving her mug on the ground to come and hug his arm, sighing in contentment as she did so. He planted a kiss on her head.

“Oh, she would have a stroke seeing me, no doubt.”

“Would she.”

“Definitely. Sprawled on the floor of an elvhen Temple, legs all over, very unproperly sitting and with an Apostate perched on my shoulder?”

“Very compromising. Pesky heathen witches dragging good chantry boys on the road to perdition!”

“Wait until she knows you’re also the Inquisitor. We’re in deep trouble, you see.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll save you.”

“I’m sure you’ll do.”

“ìI will zap her butt. Maybe turn her into a toad, who knows. We’ll live here drinking fancy cocktails that taste like cake.”

“You’ll go annoy Abelas, I’ll stay helping George fishing. We’ll tell each other what did we learn in the evening. Yes.”

“I don’t annoy him!”

“I heard him sighing five times, today.”

“It’s not-”

“-before breakfast.”

He chuckled, turning to kiss the top of her head as she huffed in a mock protest -he knew she was pouting even without looking. And then he snaked his arm away from her to circle her shoulders and bring her close. She shifted, following his movement, collecting her legs and tucking herself in his side, hugging his waist. He let the moment past, considering and caressing the idea more seriously than was needed. He knew it was a joke, but the more he thought about it… The more he realised that yes. It wouldn’t be half bed, if he could allow, for one minute, to think past duty, past the work and obligations. It felt even more illicit than considering Mythal’s tale and thinking that it wouldn’t be half bad believing that the world was created out of an act of forgiveness.

Aisling sighed deeply, her weight on his shoulder becoming slowly heavier the closer she got to sleep. He stayed there, drawing circles on her arm with his thumb, absent-mindedly, the overly sweet alcoholics, the last days of relaxation and easy, direct work after a real victory, one with no sacrifices involved, all of this emboldening him and coating his ideas in hopes.

“I think I’d really like that, you know?” He whispered, softly as it was a secret. He didn’t trust himself to stay with that little, one wish. But maybe, he could trust her with it.

“Mmmh.” She mumbled, half asleep.

He didn’t know if it was a question or an affirmative, if she heard it or not. He didn’t express the thought any further. Not now, not right away. One day. One day when duty didn’t call them back, when they would have been tired of politics and of fighting windmills. One day he would have told her. But for now, he just stayed awake, cosy and warm and with his favourite person in his arm, just existing and considering the idea that maybe even him could wish for something. That maybe the world could indeed have been created by one single act of forgiveness.

[kapfranos]

i’m on the DA Wiki Discord and good fucking lord there are some folks with Bad Takes™ on there

[brekkie-e]

Finally in Trespasser, been working on a completionist playthrough all year, and asfgheoeuroru

The sheer extent of how uninvested and unbothered my dalish inquisitor sounds reading these murals that say her gods were fake and were in fact just elven magisters.

Idk just feels like she should sound a little less "Huh this is interesting! Did you guys see this?? The Evanuris were totally fake. I believe this no questions asked. I mean it's blatant propaganda for a deity I've been told to mistrust my entire life, but wow historical discovery is so cool!"

And a little more:

With a dash of:

And maybe a smidge of:

I mean, I'm not saying that there arent a lot of ways to roleplay your dalish losing their faith. But I think the baseline reaction being about as invested as a human who found a neat book on elven lore is an odd choice.

[infernalfae]

something that will always piss me off about da:i is that you can play as a dalish elf and have andrastianism forced upon your character by pretty much every npc but choose time and again to basically say "no im dalish that is not my religion stop it" and try to embrace dalish culture and religion and stand up for that and then when your character is finally given a chance to really directly learn about elves of the past the game just turns around and goes "so you know those elven gods you worship? well they werent Really gods but actually just really powerful and influential elves who owned slaves and also those tattoos that are culturally significant to you? theyre actually how those elves marked their slaves so its not a good thing to have :/" like wtf?? seriously? and then andrastianism of course is just kind of left alone and never torn apart like that. like okay. thats bullshit.

[heniareth]

About the War Table mission Bestow Mourning Halla.

What the fuck is this?

Hawen's clan wants to give the village of Red Crossing a halla as a sign of mourning for the tragedy that was Red Crossing (elf and human fall in love, elf goes to be with human and become Andrastian, elf's sister's just lost a sibling (to the same humans I think?), doesn't know what brother is doing, wants to drag him back home, goes to village, kills his beloved bc she ran towards her screaming, villagers get up in arms, elves and humans kill each other. This kickstarts the Exalted March on the Dales. I'm not convinced by this either).

So, Keeper Hawen gets told about this, decides to gift the village of Red Crossing a halla (super important for the Dalish!) as a show of good faith but knows that the humans might not want to take it bc prejudices. Your options as Inquisitor to mediate are:

Twist the noble who controls Red Crossing into accepting this, but "it will end two marriages and lead to at least one duel". Twist!!! The noble!!! Into accepting??

Spread rumors so that the villagers of Red Crossing believe, I'm not making this up, that they're guarding a trophy that honors their victory over the Dalish

And, last option, and I quote: "If it's this important, we can march the blasted halla in with some troops to guard it."

Why. Are those. Your options??????? Hawen is offering a show of good faith. He's putting one foot forward. He's being NICE!!! His people lost the war and their kingdom and their way of life, have been harrassed by humans for centuries. He hears this story of the two star-crossed lovers, says hey, maybe my ancestors made a mistake, let's make reparations although it will be hard, and your options to help are a gigantic F You and a JOKE

I am angry!!! The writers had the opportunity to tell the story of a town that, blame here or there, lost people to hostilities between elves and shem, and they threw it into the dirt and stepped on it. Force the humans to accept or trick them. No "thank you". No "hey, maybe our ancestors did something wrong too". No growth, no peace, not even begrudging acceptance that hey, these people did something nice to us although they didn't have to and they probably had good reason not to. A halla. And it gets disrespected in such a way. What kind of storytelling is this?????

[bloodycyrano]

What got you into dragon age? Tell me about your Hero of Fereldon. I want to hear about your grey warden. I know they all have "set backstories", but I personally like to add small details and add a little spice.

Tell me about their personality. Who did you romance? Or did you make like an OC to be perfect for them? Is there drama? Tell me the drama, I want to hear it. Nobody I know plays Dragon Age, and nobody wants to hear my rants.

Personally, I always play a Dalish elf. Because I'm native, it just kinda feels right for me. Like I can relate to the elves a lot. Even like, the city elves are essentially just put on reservations. I want to try a Dwarven playthrough, but it's really really hard for me to stray from routine. I've been a Dalish rogue main since I was 7, and Dragon age was the first game I was allowed to pick from the family video myself.

I know I usually post bg3 stuff, but the realms of Thedas are and always will be my first love, I can't break from my roots.

[ohnoitshappening]

We should have had a dalish mage origin and a human commoner origin....

And an apostate origin...

And a Cousland/Tabris with magic hidden from the templars by their family origi- *gets dragged away while ranting about my origins delusions*

[broodwolf221]

Wondered if you wanted to rant a bit about Merrill x Solas? Honestly never thought of the pairing before and I would like to hear your thoughts if you wanted? You'd don't think they'd argue?

oh! hi anon! yes i would love to rant about these two :')

it's a relatively new idea for me, too, and i do think they'd argue at first - solas is soooo condescending about the dalish and that would really bother merrill. but at the same time, she's a bit of a pariah within clan sabrae and would imo understand better the mixed feelings ppl could have about the dalish. not to say she'd roll over and accept his insults, but she'd consider his pov more than others might before arguing it, and i think that consideration would throw him off his stride a bit

and nicely, her use of blood magic would be a total non-issue, which i think would be kinda an amazing experience for her? to have another mage, another elf, even a non-dalish, accept her type of magic without blinking an eye or saying she's doomed to be possessed or whatever would be comforting. she doesn't need anyone's approval and has gone for a long time without it, but to get it, at least on that front? yeah, it'd be a pleasant surprise

and solas' disdain for the dalish tapers off when he realizes a dalish inky is willing to listen to his pov. he still holds them in some contempt but he's no longer as hostile about it, so i think if they could get past that initial rocky stage, and i imagine they could, then they'd find a lot to be interested in with each other.

merrill is extraordinarily powerful. within canon her immense skill is kinda undermined by the other character's perception of her, including the perception of her own keeper, but the truth is that merrill restored a blighted eluvian from a single shard. if solas learned about that? he'd be hella impressed and would question her all about it, but in an interested, engaged way rather than a condescending one. and i think she'd open up a lot when she realizes she can have a Mage Friend who is non-judgmental about her methods

imo a relationship btwn them would be something she pursues, bc he's still hung up on everything, same as he is with a dalish inky. and i honestly don't even think merrill would be upset that he's fen'harel? upset that he didn't tell her, yes, but not upset that he's the trickster/deceiver/etc. - she's very dalish, but like i said earlier, she's also somewhat removed from the dalish, a pariah amongst her own people who's had to forge her own path in many ways. and living among the city elves for so long would have broadened her perspectives on what it meant to be an elf. she wouldn't have painted him as a villain immediately or rejected him out of hand, but she would press him for the truth, bc just like him she wants to learn everything

nerds in love, frankly, is their dynamic in my head :')

[ziracona]

Yo! I saw the long post about Vivienne and you mentioned your own take and headcanons on Solas and I was hoping you could rant about them please?

Sure man.

If I remember the post right, in it I was talking about canon Solas vs how I would have done him, so that’s what I’ll answer. Apologies if I’m misremembering.

When I played DAI, I had known some spoilers, but mostly without any detail. IE I knew he was Fen’Harel, and there’s some confrontation at the end with him because of it. I knew Flemeth was Mythal. I knew he had set elves free from the other elven gods who practiced slavery. That was about it.

I (wrongly) assumed they were on opposite sides, which honestly would have been funny as hell to watch since neither wants to be publicly outed.

Until Trespasser put his characterization through a wood chipper (and their established canon), he was pretty consistent, and I’d have kept him that way. He claims in Trespasser that he didn’t even see other people as people because of how short lived they are, and he’s got no interest in improving the existing world because he’s going to magic nuke it for restoration (why??? Love that even the devs didn’t know by the end of tresspasser lmao and had to say ‘uhm good question. Next?’). His character in-game before then is explicitly super different and contrary to that. Like, he sure gave a shit about me delivering flowers for a widower and human mage rights for someone who doesn’t see them as people at the time. 🤔

Anyway. My hcs would be how I saw him pre-tresspasser, and how I thought things would go. I wouldn’t have retconned the elven gods being gods (one it’s super racist).

I loved the idea of how he seems. I played all the games back to back in order, and you get these fragments. The wolf statues outside Dalish camps because he’s not exactly welcome in, but he’s honored. He’s seen as a traitor and a trickster because he trapped the gods. But you know there’s more there. You get the Fang of Fen’Harel as a weapon in my origin. And you hear about the war of dales, and how it’s said the warriors fighting for their last homes were each accompanied by a wolf.

You’ve got these thousands of years of history. Of a people group who used to live forever, and lost it to humanity. Who then humans did settler colonialism apartheid to, and stole from, and killed, and enslaved, and tried to erase the culture and history and territory and lives of. And they’ve been fighting. They fought to stay, they fought to keep their reservations in the war of the dales, and the roaming tribes still fight now.

And you’ve got Fen’Harel. You’ve got Solas, who has been alive for so long. Who fought for his people against the other gods, to set them free, from slavery. Who chose mortals over his own. And he did it. He did the impossible and shut out the sky. He saved everyone. By himself. Him alone.

And because of it, elves were conquered by humans. They die faster, they were sold, they were murdered. Decimated.

And he for all his fighting, takes in myth the fall as a traitor to the good gods. No one knows the truth.

And he’s alone now, but he’s still fighting for them. He’s the wolf beside every warrior, dying again and again, but even a god on the battlefield isn’t enough, and they lose, again.

They are beaten back, again. Even their shitty ‘gifted’ lands from their conquerors are whittled at. They paint the sign of their enslavement to other gods on their face, not knowing the past, and he’s the bad guy in stories.

By the time you reach DAI, you’ve got someone who has been utterly alone, fighting in the trenches, for centuries. He says he doesn’t fit in with the Dalish, which makes no sense for a ‘canon’ ‘I was awake 2 years and decided to nuke the world was the only way’ Solas, but makes 100% sense for an old god who is living in the wreckage, again and again, of all his good intentions. There is no one like him. And his suggestions for things to try get him shut out of communities.

It’s someone very desperate, with almost nothing left to lose, and all out of hope. He’s tried the ‘better’ way 1000 times.

And it never matters. It never changes anything, it never saves anyone, it never even changes how he is remembered.

He gave everything and obliterated his species, the gods, for a people he still failed, after everything, to save. And yet he’s still trying.

You get the events of DAI, and this incredibly lonely person, who kind of knows from before day 1 what he’s going to have to do. And this group that all manages to include each other, despite their hatreds and pasts, except him. Notably, Varric /only/ leaves Solas out of the party event. Only him. The only people who spend any time with him are Cole, who knows, and determinately, the Inquisitor, who doesn’t. Assuming you play a good inquisitor, and you’re nice to him, he gets one person. Same species, or enemy species, or if a Qunari like mine, a species that could not be more different. But still. One person, willing to listen and shift blame away from the elves, who are demonized for everything. To support mages, imprisoned from birth. Who is trying to make the world good, and young enough to believe it can be done. And he gets a friend, for this brief time. For the first time in more than a thousand years.

He cares, and he’s smart. He routinely likes being nice to the little people. He also likes smart plans, and he’s extremely self confident. He wears a great mask, too. He really does. Easily one of the funniest times all game was watching that slip twice after the ball because he had such a fantastic time he forgot he was pretending to be some rando and beefed it three times in a row in convo.

And the world gets a little better, if you play your cards right, thanks to Anders and the mage rebellion, and Brialla, and the Inquisitor. To a lot of things.

But the world hasn’t changed for elves. The world doesn’t change in a day, and no power in history has ever stopped oppressing a minority only because they asked nicely and protested in peace. So to him, the Inquisition is a vacation almost. Or a last meal. It’s being good and alive and liked, and having at least a tiny community of two or three, for an instant.

I think that makes dying harder.

You see in the fade that being alone is what he’s afraid of, and how can it not be? He’s been abandoned by justice and the world and his kind and his people. He has been abandoned by everything. He has nothing.

But that’s never stopped him before. I think he’s a very ‘Freedom or death.’ And if I was making it, I’d have just done a Code Geass again I mean 1–they’ve ripped it off twice already, and 2–if it slaps it slaps. They’re under-utilized plot setups anyway. There’s no way the elves will get their freedom and land back peacefully from the Chantry, and humans in general. He’s got thousands of years of heartbreak and concrete proof. So he’ll do what he’s always done. Play the villain. It doesn’t matter if the result is worth it. Save his people, no matter the cost, and be remembered forever as the bad guy. Go as hard as he can, as far as he can, and as alone as he can. Seize power, and take over. Decimate human lands and places of power, so his can take back what is theirs. Not with the help of elves, but with the artifacts he’s found, with the fade, with himself. Be intentionally so awful the elves team up with the rest of Thedas to fight him, which will help their reputation when this is over. Give them a common enemy, while destroying the system that couldn’t be changed, until it /cannot/ come back. Destroy what the humans have built until it /can’t/ go back to the way it was, with them as conquerors, and let everyone hate him for how far he’s willing to go, and how many he’s willing to kill on the way. And once he’s got enough to have truly changed things, let them hunt him down together and kill the dread wolf to sate their hate and usher in a new era of peace, heroes, where it’s the elves who have the most left to rebuild from. The systems of military might and political power of all those who tormented the elves are burned and salted to the ground. And everyone has been forced to work together.

It makes him refusing even an elven inquisitor’s help make sense. You can’t come, when the plan is to play the villain, and die it. You’re the only person he had.

Which would leave an inquisitor who knows Solas, in the awful position of helping him, and that choice being used as evidence of the evilness of their species by everyone (if they aren’t human), as well as evidence against all the good causes they’ve supported or been able to establish; or, fight him, knowing he’s being the villain so no one else has to, and let him die alone, knowing it’s his biggest fear, after a lifetime of giving everything he’s got and being remembered as a monster.

[brackenfrond]

So. Wondering about how Carver, in my BG3 playthrough, would feel about the companions and some NPCs and I took psychic damage. Naturally I have to share this.

Warning: spoilers for both DA2 and BG3

Because Lae'zel is forthright and an excellent fighter and he trusts that she'll watch his back and suddenly he remembers Aveline, always there to plant herself like a tree, to yell and snarl. Who he met single handedly fending off a swarm of darkspawn to protect the person she loved wholeheartedly.

Because Shadowheart is so devout, so fairhful in her goddess until she is asked to do the unthinkable and she can't. And he is so proud and for a second he sees Merril, of all people, clinging to her Dalish heritage, her religion. He heard about the elven gods being fake, and could see Merril's anguish in Shadowheart's stunned silence in the aftermath.

Because sometimes when he's half asleep he sees a flash of white hair and nearly hisses out an annoyed 'Fenris', until he remembers. Astarion is dissimilar to him in personality (Isabela, his mind screams. His personality is all Isabela) but everything else is too similar. Not just the white hair - the breaking of chains, the anger at his former captor, and the feeling of sudden emptiness when the job is done.

Because Gale grates on him purely because he is so much like Anders. Clever and quick, casting spells with efficiency and rambles about his interests in a way that reminds Carver of rants about mage equality. Sometimes he closes his eyes and sees a brught explosion and is too scared to examine that closely, wondering if he'll see the Chantry or his new mage friend at the epicentre.

Because Wyll is harder to place, but his prince charming demeanour brings to mind Sebastian, for as short a time as Carver really knew him. Because even with horns curling from his skull, from whatever hellish curse Mixora put on him, Wyll is good. And kind. And full of a desire to help people. And Carver can't examine that too hard, because it makes him think of Bethy, and someone else has already stolen her face.

Because Karlach is the hardest. She's boisterous and loud, bright smiles that can turn into pure, unbridled rage at injustice. Who when she can touch again asks him for a hug, and pats his shoulder and calls him 'soldier' and she is his sister. And Hawke is dead. Hawke walked into the Fade at Adamant and never came out and Karlach does not deserve to be compared to the woman who Carver still sort of hates while grieving her. Because Hawke was his sister and he loved her, but even after she was gone he was just 'her brother'.

Because the guardian, because The Emperor, had the gall to steal his twins face and he hates hates hates it for it. But he still cries when he thinks about the early dreams, of how he had called her name. Voice trembling, shaky, feeling like a five year old again. And she didn't know the name. Or it didn't know the name. It hurts Carver to think about it, and more than just in how to refer to the early dream visitor.

Because he sees the Tiefling refugees and is immediately transported back to Kirkwall, to being rejected over and over for being a refugee, and launches himself into helping them. He sees Isabela in Mol's cunning, argues with Rolan and finds himself warming to him as time goes by, his devotion to his younger siblings admirable. He snatches Arabella away from Kagha and had to be physically held back from attacking her because she's a child. The refugees echo him, in a way, and he mourns when her reaches Last Light and find out that soem are dead, others maybe good as.

Aylin and Isobel hurt. Because Aylin and Isobel make him think of brave, strong, powerful Hawke and small but no less terrifying Isabela, and that fucking hurts.

He punches Lorroakan in the face when he meets him. He feels vicious vindication when Aylin breaks his spine.

He hugs Shadowheart when all she has been put through comes to light, digs his hands into moonlight silver hair and prentends he doesn't feel her tremble.

He gives a soldier's salute to Lae'zel when she leaves to free her people, pride bubbling in his chest when she grins viciously in response, returning the salute.

He's proud of Gale for turning away from absolute power, from godhood, to make a name for himself away from gods who have only ever hurt him.

He stands at Astarion's side when he faces Cazador, snarling and ready to assist. He leads him away by the hand after everything, after he turns away ascendancy, and promises to find a way to let him walk in the sun after the tadpole is dealt with.

He hugs Wyll before he leaves for the hells, manages not to cry when he hugs him back.

He only avoids hugging Karlach because she is burning hot, hut vows to give her the biggest hug ever when he sees her again, because she deserves it.

He is welcomed at Sorcerous Sundries by the new master of Ramazoth's Tower and his two younger siblings, and nearly collapses into Rolan's arms. But he's smiling.

These are his people now. He'll see Mol grow to become a terrifying crime boss, and he'll hear Alfira sing her songs, hear her talk about Lakrissa, and he'll eventually meet Morena Dekarios and the famous Tara. He'll always mourn what he's lost.

But here. Far away from lands he knows, he finds a new family, a new home, and Carver Hawke gets a happy ending.

After all, he has always deserved that.

[theharlotofferelden]

Do you think BioWare's writers will finally put a stop to the real-life-racist lore in Dreadwolf

Hesitant to reply to this bc I find DA fandom discourse unpredictable and volatile, but I'm gonna assume this was asked in good faith & that it's regarding the tags I left on a post recently (this one, I believe). Full answer will be put under the cut, but in short: no, I don't think they'll be fixing it anytime soon.

Seeing as this apears to be in response into my tags regarding a DA fan harassing Patrick Weekes about Qunari lore, I need to be clear upfront that I do think there's a lot wrong with how the qunari were written. It's been a couple years since I've read media analysis on the subject, but it's to my understanding that the issues with the Qunari directly correlates to them being Muslim coded. They're very rarely presented in a positive light, and a lot of the attitudes around them (both in world and IRL) are Islamaphobic.

There's a couple reasons why I don't think they'll fix it, but I think my main reason is that, historically speaking, they haven't been good with responding to this kind of criticism from fans. Granted Gaider was a huge source of that, so maybe this isn't entirely applicable to Patrick or any other writer on the team. But I'm also extremely leery of Patrick because of how The Masked Empire was written (and how that story relates to DAI).

I keep deleting and rewriting this because I could honestly rant about how much I hate The Masked Empire all day. But to stay on topic: I did not like how the Dalish were written because it was 2-dimensional and reflective of deeper racial biases seeing as how the Dalish are Native American coded. This extends to the writing in DAI as Solas (who was written by Patrick) views the Dalish as up their own asses and also "incorrect" about their belief system.

It's been about 10 years since DAI came out though, so maybe Patrick and the rest of the writing team have become more self aware and informed since then. But even as unlikely as that is, it just seems unlikely to me they would ever revise their lore just because so much of their job is just writing the story and dialogue while building the actual game. And seeing as how Gaider has indicated that there's upper management at BioWare that resents its writing staff, I'd wager that the only thing they would focus on in the upcoming game is just getting the bulk of the writing out.

One thing that was brought up 10 years ago was that BioWare should at least bring on consultants to advise on their work, which is something I agree with and feels possible considering the Sweet Baby Inc controversy from a couple months ago. That situation aside, from what I gather about a company like SB, all they do is advise on the writing; they have no direct control over changes to the story. Meaning if BioWare were to use a company like them, they would still get final say in what gets put into the game. I'm not sure if that would solve all of the problems with the writing seeing as how the writers still have final say in what gets included in the game, but I think it would be a good step to take with regards to a lot of issues in their writing.

[blarrghe]

Happy Friday!! "Characters who bite their lips and blush when they catch another character glancing at their lips (and the ache of want that throbs in that other character on seeing them blush)" for a pairing of your choice??? Have fun!!! 💙

Hello! This ask has been sitting in my inbox for months. I never seem to be able to find the time for prompt writing or @dadrunkwriting but I recently decided to start a series of canonical prompt-fills on AO3 to try to organize my tumblr fics and some of my more canonical writing somewhere, and this inspired me to get to it haha. So this is now also on AO3 in a collection of what will be semi-conencted canon-universe fics that mostly spawned from prompts ^_^

Also, what a prompt! Big fan of the yearning.

--

The Inquisitor was flirting with him. 

Granted, Dorian had started it, as he was wont to do. What could he say? He met a beautiful man in the midst of a sudden groundbreaking trip through his life’s work and straight into the apocalypse, and he couldn’t help but soften the blows with a wink or two. 

But then they’d gotten out of that, and here Dorian was in Skyhold's chilly courtyard, standing next to him. He had given his service to the southern Chantry’s war effort against a monstrous ancient Magister, followed the Dalish elf up a mountain, watched him achieve so many miracles it was beginning to seem almost mundane. He had watched him become the Inquisitor, sworn his loyalty to all that meant. 

Taren Lavellan didn’t feel like the Inquisitor up close. He felt like just a man, cast into the mess and floundering like the rest of them. He felt like a colleague, a fellow in arms, a friend. But he wasn’t just those things. He was the world’s best chance, in the best hands. He was chosen, or fated, or something. He was the Inquisitor. 

And the Inquisitor was flirting with him. 

The Inquisitor was the kind of fascination that had to be locked away. A flirtation that had to remain aloof. An impossibility, even just for a fun row in the sheets. An impossibility in a lot of ways.

He laughed when Dorian made some quip about his research frustrations, offered to let him rant all about it. He smiled as he leaned against the stone wall surrounding the garden to settle in and listen. 

Leaned in. 

Listened. 

Dorian felt Taren's hand brush against his own, felt the strange draw of the mark's magic at his fingertips, felt his own breath falter. He cleared his throat, made another joke, watched him laugh. 

Watched his eyes, bright when they met his own. 

Taren’s eyes flicked to Dorian’s lips, he tilted his head back, gave his autumn red hair a shake in the breeze, bit his lip, and smiled. 

A step back. Dorian needed to — needed to stop enabling this, needed to stop setting himself up for the challenge of finding him and making him laugh, needed to stop setting himself up for the challenge of pulling away. He needed to take a step back. 

“Well,” he said, dragging his own eyes away from Taren’s smile, “I suppose I ought to get back to it. And I’m sure someone’s bound to need you.” 

“Oh.”

Taren blushed. The Inquisitor. The Inquisitor blushed, and the power in being the cause of it rushed with unconscionable satisfaction to all of Dorian's worst thoughts. A dull ache tensed through his core.

“Yes," Taren said slowly, openly disappointed, "I suppose.” 

“Inquisitor,” Dorian replied, formal, dismissive, leaving. Stepping back. 

“Dorian.” 

“Though" — Don't — "You always know where to find me,” Dorian tacked on, low, inviting. He felt his leering smirk stretch across his lips, and looked at Taren's again.  

That was not a step back.

“Of course,” the Inquisitor brightened. “Save me a seat.” 

Dorian landed a nod, resisted a wink, and took the door off the courtyard to the dim halls inside. He let out a long breath, steadied himself, and did not head up to the library. 

[howlingwolf23]

Thought of a very bad day for Cullen or Cassandra, depending on how it happens. If it's all at once, Cassandra. If it's through the day, Cullen.

Starting off, Sera is just Bone apple teeth -ing it up. Just fucking up all the words and doesn't notice.

Varric joins in by either Shakespeare-ing it up and making up new words or, since he is a writer, using words he knows they don't know.

Cole accidentally adds to it by saying his very well meaning but often cryptic and sometimes creepy things.

The Iron Bull and Dorian join in on purpose by using their homeland speech mixed in with Common.

Josephine and Leliana using Orlesian words and phrases. Josephine also using Antivan.

Solas or Lavellan joins in with confusing talks about the fade and using untranslatable Dalish words.

If it's Cullen, last enters Dagna. Cullen is like "praise the maker someone who just speaks Common." Dagna then gives an hour long rant report about artificing and rune works some of the soldiers are requesting.

If it's Cassandra, similar talk but her tendency to go off on tangents is the problem.

[v-arbellanaris]

Hey I saw your Sera ask earlier and I def agree with what you said, I can definitely understand why Sera does what she does and why she feels a certain way. What frustrates me is that of the two elven companions we get in DAI, they're both so incredibly dismissive of the Dalish, with Sera's issues and Solas' smug "oooo the Dalish are so silly for daring to try to reclaim their heritage im so much smarter than them lol" and like comparing that to irl indigenous groups trying to reclaim their heritage after centuries of colonization, and having the Dalish be relentlessly mocked for trying to do the same without a shred of nuance is just such bad writing. Actually all of the companions dumb throwaway lines about how the Dalish are "Just as bad" drive me up the fucking wall. Also there's no way to gently challenge Sera on her beliefs, its either "I agree completely with you" OR "youre crazy and make no sense" like I'm all for maladjusted characters but let me help them and actually watch them grow and change for the better!! Anyways sorry to rant, you don't have to respond if you're not up to it, but Sera had such potential but her bad writing and other examples of bad writing for the Dalish overall just irritates me lol.

no i absolutely agree but i feel like these are two separate issues when it comes to sera. there's a faction of fandom who find her annoying - which is fine, but instead of just... saying that... i suppose to dodge accusations of lesbophobia or something? people often criticise her writing for flaws that it doesn't actually have.

some flaws her writing does have (not an exhaustive list):

lack of alternative perspectives. as you mentioned, both the elven characters in the party care little about or for the struggles of dalish elves or city elves (sera generally focuses on class and ignores the intersection between class and race entirely).

inability to respectfully engage and challenge her ideas, without calling her insane/crazy/or otherwise being ableist

her reduction of characters' gender to their genitalia/transphobia

lack of clarity for her character's background, motives and arc (which as i've said, i think is the direct result of sera being white in-game; her character point of internalised racism would be easy dots to connect if she was a person of colour).

antiblackness - specifically towards vivienne.

but then there's other criticisms which just don't really seem like writing flaws to me. sera's story, her reactions, are all fairly accurate representations - in my experience - of dealing with internalised racism. within the frame of the narrative, city elves and dalish elves are oppressed by humans in different ways; sera's dislike or rejection of dalish culture and religion is reflective of her internalised racism, not racism. sera is also an elf; the history of arlathan and the dales belong as much to dalish elves as they do to city elves. sera dunking on the elves is upsetting, sure, but it's not comparable to human characters doing the same - sera is a city elf directly as a result of orlesian colonisation, which led to the creation of the alienages in the first place. this is her culture, her history, and the fact she's slamming it so hard is a symptom of her internalised racism.

and there's further criticisms still that are applicable to multiple characters in the story because it's the result of dai's shitty writing, which isn't limited to sera. but some people act as if it is, ignoring entirely their male favs who do the same thing. idk! i think some people who find sera annoying should & can just say that - i also think she's immature, which can be grating to deal with - because some of the logic offered for not liking her seem to miss the point of her character entirely.

[bryants-things]

So I’ve been thinking about the ancient elves and the Dalish. And how apparently there is nothing left of the elves. Of course a lot was destroyed by the Humans but still such a big influential society just don’t disappear into thin air. The ruins scattered across Thedas are proof of just that.

Language and culture evolve such is the way things. So even with the elves being oppressed it’s very unlikely that their language and culture is completely gone.

It’s more likely that the information we have access to throughout the lore and codexes are seen through mostly human eyes. With exception of characters who have reason to know more aka Solas, Morrigan, Ablas and Fellasan to mention a few. And such the information regarding the elves is at best incomplete.

It makes sense that the Dalsih know a great deal more about their culture than humans an even Solas believe. After all he has (in game) not actually spent a lot of time with the Dalish only seen whatever remains spirits have picked up in the Fade.

And if we apply this theory to the games, one could imagine that Lavellan in particular would posses a good deal more knowledge than he (my Lavellan is male) lets on.

Something as simple as the glyphs in the exhalted plains. Lavellan get short burst of information from lighting them up. (This of course is probably true regarding every inquisitor no matter the race) but if we go on the in game information veilfire is elven magic. And so one would think one would need an elven mage to access them which I presume would be Solas with other races.

Although from a pure lore standpoint Solas claims he’s never seen veilfire only heard of it. Of course he could be lying but bear with me on a in game lore rant. Solas lived in a world where the Fade and Thedas was one. So the need for veil fire would be non existent. My guess is that the Dalish might use veil fire to write secret messages such as the way to Dirthramen’s temple or the location on an arthlahaven. And that the veil fire we find in the crossroads during Trespasser is purposely placed there by Solas to get Lavellan to follow the trail. Just a thought.

Another hint at this that I find interesting is the boy in the Exhalted plains that run away from his clan to impress the keeper. He found the location to Elandrias talisman but could not break the seal on his own and tries to summon a demon. How would he find the way without any information? Rumors might be a start but he would need something, say that there is a written account of Elandrias legend which would make sense. And that this is written in common tounge is unlikely. Why would the elves write down something so precious so a human could find it. No it would have been written in elven.

And there is more in the temple of Mythal Lavellan (going head cannon here) recognizes the language as ancient elven. He can’t translate but he does understand it’s elven. Which makes no sense unless he would know both how to read and write modern eleven and probably some ancient elven.

I’m Norwegian and interested in languages but I can tell you I would not be able to read Viking runes but because I’lve learned a little at school and through my own curiosity I can recognize that a text is indead written in Viking runes and not let’s say Latin or Celtic just for comparison. This would not be possible without pré knowledge. And I dare say that if you play a mage you are the keepers apprentice which mean he is very likely to have been thought a good deal of eleven even the ancient one. But he will say the same as a rouge. Which mean that at least the Lavellan clan know how to read and write elven and have been thought enough that they can recognize a language that is millennia old. I assure you the Norwegian I read and write now is nothing like what the Vikings used.

And from a pure evolutionary point of view. Language and culture evolve continuously and societies will have accounts a big one like Elvenan would have lots and no not all of it would be hidden in the crossroads or lost with Arlathan.

One does not stop speaking. So the elves that built Hamshiral, the emerald knights and last noble houses of Arlathan would have kept using their language.

If one think about it, speaking a language that no human in Thedas understand would have been an advantage they would have used.

When the dales fell the only elves who would benefit from not speaking elven would be the city elves.

And those who speak also write, messages, letters, lists and so on. Interesting fact there is a mosque in Istanbul that has a Viking rune carved in it. We’re talking 800 years ago some Viking dickhead with a knife carved Erik is awesome into a temple wall. So yeah. People leave traces. Not that I think the elves went around and carved dicks into chantry walls, but the plausibility is there.

The arrow stuck in the roof at Skyhold(just above the garden go check) has elven carved into it. Now someone at Skyhold would have translated that, highly likely someone went to Lavellan and asked.

Again people like marking there territory so to speak, the elves that fled the dales probably had quivers full of arrows saying things like “fendis shems”, or bags of herbs or food marked so one didn’t accidentally eat Raveshine which from what I understand is poisonous.

And they would have had beautifully carved weapons, cutlery, jewellery, books and other nick nacks. One does bring the most precious things.

Clothes as well, tack for their Halla. All of these things have as much impact on a culture as oral stories and legends.

The Dalish work to preserve what was, Bioware have chosen to focus on religion and how it evolves over time. But from a historical perspective religion is only a small part of what make our a culture. And a culture as powerful as the elven one are no small matter to erase.

So it makes no sense at all that all the Dalish are left with is a warped religion, useless tools and simple phrases.

But in a world like Thedas where the elves are hated and feared it makes more sense to hide.

The Dalish keep their cards close to their chest. What would make sense is that they speak elven amongst themselves and common tongue when needed. Coming from a minority language myself there are benefits to doing it that way.

And what we hear in the games might be as simple as that some words are difficult to use in any other language than elven.

In Norwegian “hæ” is a very oral way of saying “what” it’s so stuck in my speech pattern that even when I speak English I end up saying hæ. But I have lived on the British îles for such a long time I say Sorry instead of “unnskyld” And “au” which roughly translates to “ouch”.

Such is the way when one deal with several lanauges on a daily basis. I have a Belgian friend that grew up in Dublin and she can figure out using “pradon” and “great craig” in the same sentence.

I’m a handweaver I work on a loom that has not changed it’s design for 500 years or so. The loom itself is 10-15 years old, things that work move on. And things one always need like clothes, bowls and tools. A hammer might be made of steel instead to iron but it’s still a hammer.

My point is the Dalish elves have learned to adapt to stay alive, but when no one is looking they speak the same words sing the same songs and cook with the same things the elves of Arlathan did.

Right game rant done

[vangold]

Finally more Dragon Age for this Inktober, Yaya! :D

Welp, that one's a bit late again, however, I'm honestly glad I took my time here, since.....heh, boi I actually nailed this one XD

Decided to simple plant the PC's of the P&PRPG Inquisition I'm playing with my folks at the war table and simple let them do their thing. Took some inspiration from this gorgeous piece of artwork and simply sprincled some bits of the game's wartable-room into the background. Sou yeah, I think I couldn't present these 4 dorks better in a nutshell than I did here XDDD

Tho let me introduce from left to right:

On the left we have our party's mage Farel. Former Dalish and now apostate (and if I remember right actually the youngest of the party), just as usual facepalming in the background about the attics of his companions.

Sharles here in the middle you probably have seen before (my PC ^__^). Proud Fereldan Rogue from Redcliffe, as usual blubbering random bs. Not sure if he's ranting bout how Orlais sucks, how Dorian is hot or just giving random silly comments about the current topic.

Next to him we have Dolph, our Inquisitor. Snakeoil-Conm- sorry - "totally not shady Merchant" from Orzammar. As usual reconsidering his life choices and wondering how Sharles keeps coming up with this crap XD

And last but not least we have our muscle on two little feet, Borzag. Surface dwarf, Mercenary and master in bitchslapping people with axe and shield, tho currently busy slapping the table while howling in laughter, probably still audible on the other side of Skyhold.

And with that I FINALLY finally now managed to give these four a worthy and proper group picture.

Currently we are approaching the end of our campaign, but I will deeply enjoy these guys while the story still lasts. Feels like we played this campaign for ages, it's an absolute joy tho to revisit Inquisition's plot with that alternative story line ^__^