#hallapan lavellan

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And on to the Inquisitors!

RULES: post a 24-hour poll containing two truths and one lie about your oc. have your followers try to guess which is the lie.

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Questions for the worldstate you're first going to bring into The Veilguard, all 3 protags: 6- attitude towards the Qun? 11- what are their religious beliefs, if any?

Once again, thank you thank you thank you for taking my bait so that I can talk about religion in Thedas 💚

6) What is their attitude about the Qun?

Of the three of them, Daren has far and away the best opinion of the Qun, in part because of his high opinion of Sten, but mostly because he is a person that would do very very well under it. He likes structure, he likes clearly defined goals, he likes puzzles but he also really really likes answers, and the certainty and clarity of purpose that the Qun provides would be very comforting to him. It is a thing that he and Sten talk about at length, but there's never any question about him converting: it's clearly theoretical. A thought experiment.

Gil is less visceral about it than, for example, Heulwen but she is terrified of the Qun and the Qunari presence in Kirkwall only solidified her opinion. The Ketojan quest in particular is a personal source of horror: the idea of gladly walking to your death when there is a chance to survive because you don't believe life without your chains is worth living ... that hits her hard. The mutual respect she builds with the Arishok is one thing, but the only Qunari she really feels able to have a conversation with is Maraas, the tal-vashoth.

Hallapan never thought about the Qunari, really, until she met Bull and since he's her reference point she had some neutral positive feelings at first. But when she accepted his personal quest and he started acting ... a little cagey, she realized that his feelings about where he came from weren't actually as simple as he let on. After his quest they have a LOT to talk about and she basically decides that the Qun is ... fine, but the Triumvirate can go fuck themselves with rusty pokers.

11) What are their religious beliefs, if any.

Daren and Gil are both Andrastian, though he is a bit more traditionally devout then she is. He takes things like filial piety, oaths, and sanctity very seriously while Gil is willing to be (a little) more sacrilegious and will hand wave things more than he does. Daren definitely debated theology with Anders way more than she did even though he didn't know him nearly as long.

Hallapan, though, is definitely the most religious of them and by a pretty wide margin: she reveres the elven gods and Mythal in particular. People tend to assume that she's just generally irreverent because of her abrasive and slightly crass personality, but nothing could be further from the truth. She doubles down on her Dalish-ness throughout Inquisition and basically all of the reveals about the gods hit her like a gut punch. Post-Tresspasser and leading up to Veilguard, that devotion has crystalized into a single goal: find the gods and make them pay.

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18 and 19 for the Dragon Age questions?

18) What is the biggest similarity between your protagonists?

Ooh, I'd say ... probably their tenacity and moral conviction. I am a very stubborn person and it definitely comes out in various degrees for all my characters. Gil is the least confrontational of them (definitely the conflict avoidant version of a blue Hawke), but even she is a crusader underneath her people-pleasing smile. The actual things they are fighting for and reasons why might vary, but they are all either defenders or preservers of various kinds.

19) What is the biggest difference between your protagonists? 

When you look at their actual ethics and in game choices, things start to diverge. Daren and Gil are the most similar, both moderate reformers who want to improve social conditions but are afraid to rock the boat, while Hallapan is openly critical of ... basically everything ... and Magnus is notably conservative (ESPECIALLY about mages). Daren and Gil are (unsurprisingly) favorable to the Wardens while the others are openly suspicious/hostile. Daren and Mags have a ruthlessness behind their decisions that Gil and Hallapan just can't condone. Hallapan and Gil are are both "pro-mage" but have WILDLY different opinions about what that means. Honestly, I think the biggest thing they would actually argue about, if you put all four of them in a room, is blood magic. Because they have four pretty different stances that are [see prior point] all very strongly held.

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What would they think about each other’s love interests (if they romanced someone of course)

Would your warden or Hawke have actually accepted the role of inquisitor if Cassandra had located them as she’d planned to? Would they have been a good leader for the Inquisition?

What is the biggest similarity between your protagonists?

4) What would they think about each other’s love interests (if they romanced someone of course) 

For the most part, I think that all of my OCs and their LI's would get on well in a group! Individually:

Daren would lay eyes on Merrill and immediately die for her (tiny autistic elf mage is like ... his personal catnip), he'd love Harding (a nice refreshing chat with a sensible Ferelden at last), and he and Bull have ... a lot in common. Like ... a lot. (*cough cough*). He is also the most extroverted and conversant of the group by a pretty wide margin TBH. Very big "friend who wants to meet everyone's boyfriend" energy.

Gil and Zevran did meet, as did Gil and Leliana, and she liked them both though in a polite friend-of-a-friend kind of way. She meets Harding briefly in Skyhold and REALLY likes her, but Bull makes her ... very uncomfortable. However, if she stuck around long enough to get to know more than his mask, she would really enjoy his company.

Hallapan thinks that Leliana is nice, but weird ... honestly she might have tried to rekindle something between her and Daren, if either had been interested, just to give her something to obsess over aside from the Chantry. If she ever met Zevran, the world might literally explode, because they would be instant besties and probably banging within 6 hours. She would think that Merrill was freaky at first, but the second she started talking about Lost Knowledge, Hallapan's eyes would go just as wide as Merrill's and they would be off and RUNNING. Canonically she does know Harding, loves her, loves how Magnus turns into a doe-eyed sap everytime he sees her, number 1 shipper.

Magnus would find Zevran incredibly off-putting from the word go: he's a very direct person, but if he could antagonize his way past Zev's deflection tactics, they could get to a place of mutual respect. Zevran would also be the only person who would say to his face that he wants to bang the Commander so bad it makes him look stupid(er) and honestly, he needs to hear it. He already believes that Leliana is legitimately insane, though ... easy to talk to, but Merrill he would be genuinely afraid of. With Bull he is openly antagonistic and suspicious of him until after Demands of the Qun (his one and only moment of insight was seeing through Bull's shit from Day 1) especially because he sees how Hallapan looks at him. Big "hurt her and I'll bury you or die trying" energy which ... honestly ... Bull respects the fuck out of.

5) Would your warden or Hawke have actually accepted the role of inquisitor if Cassandra had located them as she’d planned to? Would they have been a good leader for the Inquisition? 

So, my Wardenquisitor AU says that Daren would do a decent job over all (though the greater powers of Thedas might disagree because he makes a decent number of allies, but pisses off a lot of traditional power holders at the same time). If it was King-Consort Daren, he absolutely would not have accepted for the same reason that canonically (to me) Cassandra didn't ask: too much unilateral authority. Balancing being a Warden and a monarch is hard enough and he would never take a position that would jeopardize his Queen and country. Gil ... might have accepted if Cass and Leliana had been able to find her, because she is crushingly guilty about Anders and feels a (Carver would say, pathological) need to help people who no one else is looking out for. A chance to try and fix what she viewed as her greatest failures ... yeah, she'd have tried ... and it would have crushed her. Shouldering Kirkwall was suicidal enough, but holding up the sky ... ?

18) What is the biggest similarity between your protagonists?

Answering this one on another ask (bc this one is already huge jfc)

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Missing her ... my own OC

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I saw this post and just had to remake it with my Inquisitors because it's a perfect summary of their dynamic

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From the Pride OC asks!

3) How did your oc discover themself? Did something cause them to question, or did they always know?

for ALL OF THEM (please? 😁)

*cracks knuckles* Okay ... let's do this!

Daren: answered here (everyone else is under the cut)

Gil: She was my late bloomer. Going back to the mention about Gil and demisexuality, she probably has the closest parallel to my own journey. When she was growing up, she definitely thought she was asexual because she had -100% interest in boys and 0 interest in girls. She has that intense Eldest Daughter Syndrome that most Hawkes tend to carry and that + her discomfort with male attention made it easier to just ignore anything that had to do with her own sexuality because it make her feel complicated messy things. She was an incredibly awkward and apologetic teenager, but when she's older (around 19/20) her feelings for other women started to really develop. She doesn't fully blossom though until she gets to Kirkwall, cuts off all her hair, and starts hanging out with a bunch of disaster bisexuals

Hallapan: She figured out she was a girl at a pretty young age (I'd say about 7 or 8), because I headcanon that's also when the gender roles in her clan would have started hitting. That's also about the same time that her magic manifested and I feel like those two things kind of run parallel in her mind ... the idea of suddenly becoming something else, something rare but a little strange. Clan Lavellan wasn't actually her birth clan, and when a few more mages manifested when she was a young teen, she was sent to them. It was a two edged sword - she was upset that she had to go, but also excited bc it meant that she could go train as a Keeper in another clan where they never knew her as a little boy. It was a fresh start and helped her anxiety about puberty and social transition a ton.

Magnus: Oh Maggie ... my dear angry macho bisexual. Out of all my characters he is the one who struggles the most with his internalized homophobia and toxic masculinity. I headcanon that the further north you go, the more rigid things like gender and sexuality tend to be. In his case, Magnus was from a small town in the free Marches with a very strict father who joined the army the second he had the chance and stayed there for over a decade. Those two things gave him a kind of skewed view of masculinity and male-attraction. He's honestly something of a frat boy, so his own feelings for other men were a thing he could explain away through, like, the rituals of male-bonding. Definitely a guy who would say, "Of course I've fucked dudes. I was in the army wasn't I?" Meanwhile, Daren and Donnie would be staring at him like "......... bro." It takes until he's about 30 to get really comfortable with his own queerness (he has such a huge crush on Cullen, it's insane) and honestly his friendship with Dorian is so healing. Just finally having another queer male friend to talk to, and one with such a different but equally repressive upbringing ... yeah ... I think they're real neat.

Brosca: The female Brosca origin is so goddamn Gender to me! Unlike the canon, Brosca is actually older than Rica (about 33) and experienced a ton on gendered violence, starting from their mother. She grew up under a constant tirade of "Everything would have been better if you were a boy, you useless failure" (her father was merchant class). After Rica's father leaves for the surface and their mother falls into depressive alcoholism, Brosca is the one who has to shoulder everything - she becomes the breadwinner the only way she can (breaking heads for Beraht) and does everything she can to protect Rica (usually by making herself the wall or the target). Orzammar being so aggressively heteronormative forces her to carve out a sexless space for herself in order to survive. She's not a woman like her sister (pretty, painted, artistic, kept) and she's not a man like Leske (desperate, letcherous, envious, possesive). She's a knife and if you touch her for ANY reason, you're going to get cut. Going to the surface changes her life in so many ways, but I think one of the most powerful is hearing gender-neutral Ser for the first time. She never truly unpacks her own feelings about sex and gender, because she doesn't have the reason or language to do so, but even though she continues to use she/her for the rest of her life as a convenience, she really grows to think of her own gender as Warden. And that finally feels right.

Eyas: Eyas is a very reserved and introspective person, so I feel like he figured out that he was both gay and aromantic in his mid-teens. It was always a kind of perfunctory thing: clans are very interconnected groups and as a result, I don't think things like nudity, sexual interest, or gender really ... matter as much? Because everything is so interpersonal. When he leaves the clan, however, he doesn't handle it very well. He becomes even more withdrawn, and the only person who he even slightly warms up to is Zevran. Unfortunately, Zev interprets this change in behavior as romantic interest, and when he offers sex to Eyas, he panics. It takes a long, complicated, and shockingly emotional (for him) conversation until he finally admits how badly he's hurting, how little he wants sex, and how afraid he is of losing the closest thing he has to a clan brother because he can't feel the same desire. Zevran is absolutely understanding and helps him talk through his feelings about sex and romance (generally) and specifically (pining for Alistair), and gives him reassurance that what he feels is natural and understandable. They become even closer after that - a literal lifeline for Eyas in many ways - with a tinge of that homoerotic non-tension that really good queer friends always have. His actual "awakening" doesn't happen until Awakening (if he makes it that far) ... the second he lays eyes on Nathaniel Howe.

Donnie: The only character I've ever made who Gets The Goddamn Therapy and Support They Deserve! Aside from the background radiation of "Mild Homophobia and Sexism That Permeates Military Life Even In The Future" he doesn't have any hangups about his sexual orientation. I think, like most bisexual nerds, his awakening was Star Wars (which might be two centuries old, but he will defend with his dying breath). Like Daren, he gets a kick out of people assuming he's straight but he's never shy about mentioning ex-boyfriends. He's primarily attracted to women and a lot of the bros-to-lovers arc he has with Kaidan revolves around them both talking about hot women over beer and then dropping a quick reference to hot men ... no homo tho ... haha ... unless.

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Tagged by @galfrey to make some OCs in this piccrew so here are the Heroes of Thedas: Daren, Gil, Hallapan, my conceptual protag for DA4. All I know is that he is a Qunari rogue and he's going to kiss Maeveris (whether she's romancable or not!!)

I'll tag @mango-mage @effelants @rosella-writes @wedgie-of-destiny @joycrispy @samfoxheartwrites and whoever else wants to do it!

(Not limited to Dragon Age OCs either - show me your DnD characters, original novel characters, I wanna see em!)

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Hallapan Lavellan rolling up through the Eluvian in her sentinel armor

sees Fen'Harel

Lup: ... well now one of us is going to have to change.

Solas: Give me the fucking arm.

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OC Tag Game

Thanks to @mxanigel for the tag! I’m tagging @mango-mage and @gayassdbz ... I wanna hear about your babies @_@

favorite oc - It’s Daren, no question and no surprise!

newest oc - Solona Amell is the most recent “canonized” character (with a save file and everything), but she’s been around as a side character for years, so I’ll say Donnie Shepard.

oldest oc - depending how you count it, either Eyas Mahariel or Magnus "not Trevelyan”. Mags was my original Inquisitor and a proto-Daren in a lot of ways, and Eyas was my very first attempt at playing any DA game (way back in 2015 ish) but I never ever finished the origin.

meanest oc - Mmmm, gotta be Brosca. She’s good, not nice (as opposed to Solona, who is nice but terrible).

softest oc - easy, Gil Hawke!

most aloof/standoffish oc - Eyas, definitely.

dumbest (affectionate) oc - Magnus! He is *notably* dumber than both Daren and Donnie ... which is not easy.

smartest oc - Solona, and by a *wide* margin.

horniest oc - oOOOOOh ... my first instinct was Daren, but I think I have to give it to Hallapan Lavellan.

oc you'd bang - Gil ... with her kind, hazel eyes and big strong mage arms 🥺👉👈

oc you'd be best friends with irl - Daren and Hallapan!

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Please tell me something about Hallapan Lavellan that makes your brain go BRRRRRRR.

OOOOOOH ... Okay this one might be long and kinda rambly but I think the thing that makes my brain light up like a Christmas tree about her is her relationship with religion. Her Dalish identity is very Jewish in my mind: in the way that it impacts her relationship with the shemlen around her, but also the way the othering by humans defines her. She was always devoted (both to the gods and her clan's ways) but it really intensifies as Inquisition goes along, ESPECIALLY after meeting Ameridan. Because no matter how often everyone says Andraste she'll make them say it looking her in the eyes. The legacy of the Dales on her face.

And then the Well happens. And she meets Mythal.

And she's PISSED.

Because how dare she. How DARE she have survived! Hallapan offered prayers everyday to dead or distant gods knowing they would never answer. But if Mythal was alive this whole time -

Why did she never come when they called?

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re: DA height headcanons, I so desperately want to get art of my Main Three but the problem is if I don't put at least one companion in there they will all look normal sized in comparison. In fact, all three of them are so Freakishly Tall™️ that it's something people are compelled to comment on.

The double irony is that if all three of them met, they'd gesture at the other two and say "see, I told you I'm not THAT tall!" No self-awareness or reflection. Effervescent.

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OC Questions: Hallapan Lavellan: 35. Do they believe in fate or do they believe they are in charge of their own destiny?

Ah, Hallapan... my beloved existential crisis girl. If anyone is trapped in their narrative, it's her! She doesn't believe in fate/being chosen and after meeting Ameridan she doubles down on that because she REFUSES to believe that there's nothing she can do to not end up like him. With the reveals in Trespasser, she sees all of Solas' half-truths and warnings about legacy as a cruel joke on her ... and something of a relief. Because it turns out it wasn't some cosmic force manipulating her life ... it was THAT BOILED EGG IN THE ROTUNDA

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4, 16, 21 for the da meme

4) What is their attitude towards Andrastianism?

I touched on this with the religious beliefs answer, but I literally always want to talk about religion, so thank you. For Gil, it is a background radiation. It's just part of her world and she doesn't question it. While the structure of the chantry (and especially the Circles) bothers her, it also doesn't cause any massive crisis of faith. For Hallapan, the Chantry is an open threat and any and all offers of friendship come with a history (and probable future) of violence. It's why she doesn't back Leliana for Divine: she says a Chantry where all are welcomed and Lup hears a Chantry that no one can escape. She doesn't have a problem with Andrastians ... as long as they keep it far far away from her: learning about Ameridan was devastating to her personally. Daren's an interesting case of someone who is very personally devout, but is also live and let live about other people's traditions. His friendship with Velanna is literally so special to me. He's also vocally critical (with his friends) of the Chantry itself as a means of amassing and wielding power/wealth more than serving the Maker or living out Andraste's teachings. So for example, championing mage freedom is a natural extension of his Andrastianism, not a contradiction.

16) Do they get sentimental about their weapons or armour?

Daren, very much so. In game, I equip the Cousland sword and shield during the siege and they do not come off for the rest of the game. I also headcanon that he sold his own armor after the Joining as a final sign that his old life was behind him. (It was a set of veridium plate and he didn't get 1/10 what it was worth.)

Gil, not really. She's too practical and although she eventually retrieves and cherishes Malcolm's robe and staff, she never uses them. Her staff and "robes" are all picked to be as unassuming as possible: for half the time she lives in Kirkwall everyone outside of her friends and family is working on the assumption that Hawke is a melee fighter who uses a glaive.

For Hallapan, sort of. She isn't particularly attached to her weapons or armor, but the second I saw her in the Dalish starting armor, I was obsessed. The fact that she ends the game in the Sentinel armor is also ... very important to me.

21) What is their biggest regret?

Ooooooh.

So during the Blight, Daren's biggest regret is not staying to defend his parents to the end: he's passively suicidal for a decent portion of the game because of it. Afterwards, the in game choice he regrets the most is crowning Harrowmont. It's the decision he's least able to justify in retrospect and believes that he simply didn't have enough patience, information, or time to choose better. Gil's is definitely not being able to save her mom: enough said. Hallapan's personal philosophy doesn't leave a lot of room for guilt or regret (one of many things she butts heads with Solas over), so I almost said she didn't have one. Then I remembered Cole. She regrets making him a spirit, and depending on what we learn in DA4, she might come to regret drinking from the Well, too.

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Coming to the great and terrible realization that my two Inquisitors' tarot cards are the Lovers and the Devil respectively ... :))))

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hallapan: What superpower would you choose for them and what would they choose for themselves? how do they feel about their newfound power with the anchor?

Shape-shifting, but not for gender reasons just because she deserves to turn into a swarm of bees and I feel *cheated*!! She's very druid-coded to me and the fact that there's no option for her to just ... turn into a bear or a halla is Miles-phobic. Then again, she definitely would not use this power "responsibly" so ... probably for the best.

I feel like she'd choose flight for herself. A lot of her story is wrapped up in Freedom vs Legacy/Heritage and the idea of being able to get physically above or away from it would be really appealing. She's also one of my Inquisitors who never uses ladders so if she could do a Superhero Landing™️ everywhere she went, she absolutely would.

She's very possessive about the anchor, especially once Solas tells her it's elvhen in origin. They don't get along at all ... but sometimes the armor will slip when they get caught up talking about magical theory and accidentally reveal something tender and earnest to the other. The anchor turning on her was actually the bigger betrayal than Solas' whole reveal