#halward posts

[splinter-city]

W3R3 DDO1NG F1N3. WORK1NG ON SOM3 1NN3RW0RLD STUFF L4T3R. 4 FOUNT41N 1 TH1NK. - ♋ (BUT T3R3Z1)

COOL, inner world stuff is cool, we just bum around in the inner world basement tbh - halward

[transmandorianpavus]

[ID: Party banter from the Dragon Age wiki:

Cole: "Love isn't enough." Enough what? You didn't explain, Dorian.

Dorian: (Sighs.) I was rather hoping I had.

Cole: His face in the stands, watching as I pass the test. So proud there's tears in his eyes.

Cole: Anything to make him happy, anything.

Cole: Why isn't that true anymore?

Dorian: Cole, this... is not the sort of discussion for walking around. Please drop it. End ID]

not exactly revelatory information but i'm just now realizing the test mentioned here is probably the same as the tests to become an enchanter in the minrathous circle. which happened around 9:34 and would make him 23 at the time

[fancytrinkets]

Dorian reached into his pocket and found, to his great relief, that the key was still there — of course it was! — tucked safely alongside an unopened letter. The letter, addressed to him from the late Halward Pavus, was an item for another day. He'd read it eventually.

All he needed today was the key — a useful thing. To enter his father's townhouse, Dorian would have to cast a spell, disengaging a magical seal, after which point the key would turn and the door would open. The spell wasn't difficult to master, but the magic was obscure, and he wouldn't have figured it out on his own. Fortunately for Dorian, Aquinea had taught him this spell a month ago when he'd signed the transfer, agreeing to serve as executor of his father's Minrathous holdings.

"I can handle Qarinus myself," his mother had told him, "but I haven't the time or patience to comb through all your father's trinkets and receipts in the capitol. Deal with it for me and you can keep what you find."

A fair exchange.

Dorian didn't plan to keep any of it. Good riddance to old rubbish was his guiding principle as far as Halward Pavus's belongings were concerned. But a proper inventory would be required, and Dorian didn't plan to hire out the job — not when there could be sensitive documents to destroy or magical items to prevent from falling into dangerous, irresponsible hands. And so he arrived in Minrathous on a balmy afternoon with the key in his pocket and Lord Trevelyan trailing along behind him like a dazzled peasant who'd never seen a real city before.

Chapters: 3/3 Fandom: Dragon Age: Inquisition Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Male Inquisitor/Dorian Pavus, Dorian Pavus/Male Trevelyan Characters: Dorian Pavus, Trevelyan (Dragon Age), Male Trevelyan (Dragon Age), Halward Pavus, Aquinea Thalrassian Additional Tags: Halward Pavus' A+ Parenting, Blood Magic (Dragon Age), Blood and Injury, Estate Planning, Tevinter Imperium (Dragon Age), Minrathous (Dragon Age), Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition - Trespasser DLC, Mage Trevelyan (Dragon Age), Self-Harm Series: Part 12 of DAI: Knight-Enchanter Trevelyan (Part of a series, but can be read on its own.)

[huldrabitch]

Dorian is my favourite Da character but that doesn't mean I can't also fucking hate that they added homophobia at random to the DA universe in Inquisition

[high-dragon-bait]

Idk if you are still taking banter requests but Fenris and Dorian is such an interesting thought to me.

Dorian is two things that Fenris hates, a mage, and a Tevinter. Would make things very interesting is Fenris doesn't murder him on sight when they first meet.

I'm noticing. A pattern

The timeline for this one is post-Trespasser. In my head this takes place solidly at or around the time Dreadwolf will take place.

Assume there's some sort of deal in place here keeping hands from being thrown

____

Fenris: You’ve been staring at me.

Dorian: Oh, I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable. You just have a reputation for tearing out the hearts of my countrymen.

Fenris: For tearing out the hearts of magisters.

Dorian: Yes, so you will forgive my caution.

Fenris: I’ll forgive you for nothing.

Dorian: Then this may be a long partnership indeed.

____

Dorian: You are more... solid than I expected.

Fenris: What?

Dorian: “The Blue Wraith.” I thought you’d be more of a wraith. From the stories I’ve heard, you should also be about ten-feet-tall, and howling.

Fenris: And there is a point to telling me this?

Dorian: Just trying to chip away at the fortress of tension between us.

____

Dorian: I never met Danarius, but-

Fenris: You did.

Dorian: I... Pardon?

Fenris: Wedding of Asiah of House Braheus to Dante of House Osiander. 9:26. Danarius was a guest of honor. You sat with Magister Halward Pavus at the feast table, near the groom.

Dorian: You recognize me from that?

Fenris: I have all your faces seared into my memory as clearly as the markings on my flesh.

____

Dorian: You can’t honestly believe the indiscriminate slaughter of every magister in Tevinter is a proper solution, yes?

Fenris: You would call me indiscriminate while you’re still breathing?

Dorian: You’ve ended the lines of no less than three great houses. What do you think happens now? Where does all that liberated land go? Do you think it just stays there, filling with flowers and frolicking sheep?

Dorian (Cont): No. It goes not to the highest bidder, but the one who cries the loudest. That usually requires demons, and that usually requires death.

Fenris: You are within arm’s length, mage. 

Dorian: Do you think there will be any Imperium left once you’re finally done?

Fenris: No, I don’t.

____

Dorian: I’m not saying your anger is wrong, Fenris-

Fenris: Yes you are.

Dorian: I spent my life breaking under the weight of the Imperium. Choking on my family’s leash. I stayed awake so many nights dreaming of how I’d burn it all down. I understand more than you think.

Fenris: What was your leash made of?

Dorian: My father’s excuse for a legacy, most days.

Fenris: Danarius favored one of dragon-leather, paired with a fade-metal collar. He thought it a symbol of his status, using such fine materials to bind a slave.

Dorian: I... see I have misspoken.

____

Dorian: For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.

Fenris: You’re sorry?

Dorian: Danarius was a monster. Most of the houses knew it too. Something should have been done, but no, what happened to you was allowed to happen. You are owed more than an apology, but I am sorry.

Fenris: Ha!

Dorian: Fenris-?

Fenris: And with those words, the bonds fell off every slave in Tevinter.

Dorian: I’m not trying-

Fenris: I am free. Danarius is dead. Do not look at me and pretend you care.

____

Dorian: I do care.

Fenris: I don’t believe you.

Dorian: Is it so hard to believe I might honestly despise the same people you do?

Fenris: No. I’ve never met a magister content in the company of his own kind.

Dorian: So hating me is just an amusing pass time for you?

Fenris: It brings me no pleasure to hate you.

____

Fenris: These magisters you despise, what will you do with them?

Dorian: I’ll have their land and titles stripped. Their workers confiscated and sent to where they’re safe and respected.

Fenris: And remain slaves.

Dorian: No, the ones I can take in will be freed and paid for their work. Regardless, they will all be kept off the streets, kept warm, fed. Their lives will have purpose.

Fenris: A caged bird may know its purpose, that won’t blind it to the bars.

[justjasper]

WIP Name Game

Rules: reveal the titles of the documents in your wip folder and tag as many people as there are documents. let others ask questions about the ones that interest them and post snippets or explain the contents

My WIPs on my computer are pretty simply named, but @reasonablerodents knows the real fun is in my gdoc names when they're at beta/prep for posting stage!

A selection of WIPs:

moreid shovel talk

risk2

whiskeymouth4

wip bad body image morgan

wip cm b99 crossover

wip coupons

wip fake breakup

wip kitten fic

wip motorbike

wip ghostfic

wip reid hotel

chargers rescue pov

lovers traditions

km_vagina

km_food

halward kidnaps dorian

viv bday

minibang_bodyswap

Feel free to ask me about any of these! Think most writers I know have been tagged and I don't have enough to tag for all these, but also @spritehouse @slothpoe @junemermaid if you're so inclined.

[midnightprelude]

Underneath the Bough, Ch. 52

And with that, Underneath the Bough is completely posted!

Summary: Family. Legacy. Respect. Dorian bartered away his freedom and independence to purchase them when he’d resigned himself to walk the path his father had designed for him. His shackles chafed, even as he toed the line diligently, marrying a woman he loved but couldn’t be in love with, having a son he was mortified of disappointing- It was almost enough to build a life from, until disease rendered both his son and his marriage feeble. A visit from a mysterious doctor threatens to turn his household, his world, and his heart upside-down. NOTE: This is a Halward “wins” AU (in the Victorian era, where homosexuality is still outlawed in the UK), where Dorian is pressured into marrying, having a family, and continuing the Pavus legacy and the consequences of that choice. As such, one of the major themes is societal homophobia, so be aware before reading.

Fandom: Dragon Age Rating: Explicit Word Count: 270k Pairings: Dorian Pavus / Anders, Almila Pavus/Anders, Dorian Pavus/Almila Pavus Chapters: 52/52 Read More: From the top; Chapter 52

Excerpt below the cut!

When had he grown so bloody old ? Golden hair turned completely silver, wrinkled that crossed his forehead and branched from his eyes. 

So many damned buckles on his blazer. Anders cursed under his breath, fumbling with the steel catches, swathes of blue silk crossing his chest in a bewildering array of patterns. It was a beautiful suit, of course it was, just like its designer, but Dorian had always been more capable of pulling off flash than Anders and he felt a bit of a fool when he realized he’d misaligned the collar and had to begin all over again.

“Very nice.” Dorian rested his chin on Anders’ shoulder, smoothing his hands down his sides. “My general.”

“Would you mind helping me with these?” Anders quirked a brow. Amazing, how the sound of his voice could still summon butterflies after such a long time. “We’re going to be late if I’m left to my own devices.”

“We might well be late if you’re left to mine.” Whiskers against his neck, brushing beneath his jaw, but Dorian finished buckling the suit into place.

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Ideas #7: ITFOYL, but make it Dorian/Male Lavellan

Look, you all know I've an unhealthy obsession with time travel fics. I usually end up wanting to write three for any fandom I cross. And after reading some truly wonderful fics involving Dorian and Tevinter culture in general, I find myself wanting a time travel fix-it where it's Dorian that's sent back in time to fix things, preferably with a Dorian/Male Lavellan slant to things.

Imagine this:

In the original timeline, DA:I goes wildly AU just before the Arbor Wilds. Hand-wavy on the details, but whatever happens makes Corypheus the one who eventually carries on the years-long, world-destroying war so many fics assume Solas starts post-DA:I. This is crucial, as for all his foreknowledge, Dorian does not know Solas is the Dread Wolf. No one does.

Regardless of what exactly Corypheus does, after years of fighting Corypheus ends up killing the Inquisitor - maybe in battle, maybe because the Inquisitor is much weakened by the mark after bearing it for years, maybe assassination - and Dorian spends a number of years working with his former mentor to use their time travel magic to go back to the beginning to save everyone.

The Breech, having made all magic unstable, warps their casting so that instead of going back to the Conclave, Dorian is flung back into his 16-year-old body in the Minrathous Spire. Which is better but also worse, because a butterfly flap could make it so that the Blight doesn't end so quickly, or an Exalted March is called on Kirkwall, or Lavellan dies at the Conclave and someone else becomes Inquisitor and Dorian never has a chance to meet the love of his life.

So Dorian decides to game the system.

He still doesn't want to pretend to be someone he's not or live a life of luxurious despair, but he also doesn't really have interest in any of the men around him because 1) Dorian's mentally twice the age of everyone around him, 2) meaningless sex isn't doing it for him anymore after knowing the alternative, and 3) he really is quite gone on Lavellan, having turned back time for his sake. So he throws himself into his studies and on the face of things is exactly the son his parents wanted.

With all his experiences from his first life plus all his studies now, he finds himself becoming a Senior Enchanter by the age of 20...

...which is about the time that his father drops dead, allowing Dorian to become one of the youngest Magisters ever. (He never knows for sure, but he thinks his mother had Halward poisoned once her son was magically strong enough to represent the family, if only so she wouldn't have to deal with Halward herself anymore. He's never sure how to feel about this.)

And for several years it works out, with Dorian being a fairly liberal Magister who knows when to bite his tongue in public (because if he doesn't, they'll kill him and all this will be for naught), until someone reads the wrong thing into him buying large tracts of land along the border with the Free Marches, and they send him to be Ambassador to Nevarra - nominally an honor, but mostly to try to neutralize whatever threat they imagine him to be.

This ends up working out fairly well, because 1) there's only so much Dorian can bite his tongue with the Magisterium, 2) his Underground Railroad can mostly run without him now, funneling slaves into his borderlands estates from which they can slip out to any number of free cities and never be found, and 3) he gets to spend a lot of time researching with the best necromancers in Thedas.

But still the Blight comes. The Kirkwall Chantry is still destroyed. Corypheus still survives his seeming death at Hawke's hands. Dorian can do nothing to stop these things.

All of which leads to the main thrust of the fic: that is, Dorian walking into Haven a handful of days after the destruction of the Conclave and offering his services.

Everyone is naturally suspicious because Tevinter Magister, but they accept - maybe because he admits to the advisors at least that he's lived through this once before, maybe because he prevaricates that he's a Dreamer to explain his foreknowledge, maybe because Liliana figured out he's been playing the long game to reform Tevinter the way she wants to reform Orlais - and things go more in line with how we see them in the game. Mainly, the Arbor Wilds happens and they're able to defeat Corypheus fairly quickly this go around.

I really feel there should be more of this - Dorian still so in love with Male Lavellan, but feeling unable to make a move even after waiting 15+ years for him because 1) he has an unfair advantage already knowing everything that made Lavellan fall for him the first place and 2) he is an actual slave-owning Magister this go around, even if most the slaves that don't get funneled into the Underground Railroad are slaves on paper and paid workers in fact - and angst and general all the wonderful discussions about what it means to be a slave, or a god, or complicit even with the best of intentions in a broken system as in the brilliant In the face of your light by @noverturemusings, but my brain has come up with more backstory than actual plot, as it does.

Also, as much angst as I want there to be, there should be a background thread of everyone finding Dorian just a tad odd, as you'd probably expect from someone who has watched the love of their life die failing to prevent the end of the world and relived 15-odd years of their life trying to undo it. Amongst other things, he's entirely too unsurprised by things he should be surprised by (Skyhold, Corypheus, The Fade etc). He also has weird moments of utterly black depressive nihilism that are completely at odds with his normal DA:I personality that it's concerning in the hide the knives sort of way. It always passes, but, again, concerning.

And... that's really all I have. Maybe the specifics of how Dorian would fix things will come to me in time, but got rather hung up on how he might game the system leading up to that, as it were.

As always, feel free to adopt the bunny, but link me if you decide to do anything with it.

More Terrible Fic Ideas

[druidgroves]

callidora & dorian’s relationship is v important to me bc they’re the only people who really understand what the other is going through, but their families approach their situations very differently.

we already know how halward tried to “fix” dorian & all of the awful details that entails, but it went a bit differently for callidora. her mother, fortunata, is very much the type of woman who sees marriage as a way to get ahead, as a way to cement her place in the world, and marrying into the pavus family did so much for her. so when she finds romantic, yearning letters written between callidora and the daughter of another magister family, she panics. in tevinter there is no way that her daughter could rise above the rest like this, her future cannot be secured through marriage to a woman. she tries to explain this to callidora, but it boils down to fortunata having a “i liked women in my youth but i got over it and married your father” type conversation. she loves her daughter more than anything in the world but does not understand her.

then dorian goes off to study magic & callidora stays in qarinus & writes him frequently about how her mother is attempting to find suitors for her (she also laments that his engagement to livia heradanus is wasted on him).

then dorian goes to ferelden to fight demons and help close the giant hole in the sky & in doing so puts off his family’s demands that he marry. after halward goes to try & bring him back & fails, callidora has a brilliant idea. she manages to convince him that dorian will listen to her, his favorite cousin, and return home post-haste. after she reaches ferelden, however, she evades the guards that had been sent with her & shows up at skyhold like “surprise! i ran away too, let’s be pariahs together :)”

[splinter-city]

HELLO. KARKAT HERE WITH KANAYA AND TEREZI. WE ALL WANTED TO SAY HI SINCE YOU GUYS ARE HOMESTUCK FICTIVES LIKE US. I THINK. SO THIS IS THAT HELLO. HOW ARE YOYU? - ♋

SCAMPERS IN. Hello gang gang we are doing so good we're totally chilling and enjoying our summer, how are you guys? - Halward

[fancytrinkets]

writing patterns

Rules: List the first line of your last ten (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern.

Tagged: Not exactly, but @faejilly I'm doing this because of you and your encouragement for all of us to "PLEASE PLEASE DO IT AND BLAME ME" lol

A vampire spawn is a solitary creature. (Little Chapters, BG3, Astarion/Tav)

The knife feels like part of you. (The Ascent, BG3, Astarion/Tav)

Galen Trevelyan can't speak Tevene. (Bits and Pieces, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Trevelyan)

Carver hated the work — always slinking in the shadows, moving smuggled goods through a network of dubious contacts, never certain who might opt for shortchange or betrayal — but at least Athenril gave straightforward instructions. (no sunshine, Dragon Age II, Carver Hawke and Marian Hawke)

The Grand Lift of Dectus shakes the earth as its ancient gears unlock and begin to move. (Grace and monsters, Elden Ring)

With his tunic half-open, Trevelyan was attempting to tie his laces and button his buttons as he raced downstairs. (Dread, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Trevelyan)

Dorian reached into his pocket and found, to his great relief, that the key was still there — of course it was! — tucked safely alongside an unopened letter. (The Legacy, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Trevelyan)

Linnea pushed the tavern door open, hoping for a breath of fresh air. (Linnea, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Trevelyan)

On the night when everything shattered, Halward Pavus had been thinking of his son. (The Portrait, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Trevelyan)

The others say that, in time, you will lose. (Lord of Embers, Elden Ring)

Patterns I see are some short declarative openings, some in media res, and my love of descriptive sentences featuring an em dash. A pretty even mix of present tense and past tense. A recent trend of second person narration.

[high-dragon-bait]

I feel like I’ve been posting way too much fake banter lately but I have gotten three separate requests for Dorian/Fenris banter so I’m working on that. I had quite a bit done but scrapped it all cause it just wasn’t Vibing Right, but I did like this exchange. I don’t think I’ll be able to squeeze it into the new banter, so I’m posting it here (or if I do manage to shove it back in this is a preview...I guess?)

____

Dorian: I met Danarius once, you know-

Fenris: I know.

Dorian: Pardon?

Fenris: Wedding of Asiah of House Braheus to Dante of House Osiander. 9:26. Danarius was a guest of honor. You sat with Magister Halward Pavus at the feast table, near the groom.

Dorian: You... remember all of that?

Fenris: I have your faces seared into my mind as clearly as the markings on my flesh.

[ollifree]

30 OTP Questions - Darrell/Dorian

1. Who is the most affectionate?

Darrell is openly, Dorian is his equal privately.

2. Big spoon/Little spoon?

Darrell/Dorian

3. Most common argument?

Not an argument but a common source of conflict is Dorian’s emotions getting the better of him and turning up a situation to eleven when it could have been solved as a seven. Luckily Darrell’s had practice with Kendra to bring Dorian back down to a more reasonable level.

4. Favorite non-sexual activity?

Book club. Dorian will melt whenever someone plays with his hair. Complaining about your coworkers and rivals makes your enemies your husband’s enemies.

5. Who is most likely to carry the other?

Dorian had to be carried once during their time in the Inquisition because of a twisted ankle and he’s never lived down the shame of it no he doesn’t want to talk about how nice it was it wasn’t.

6. What is their favorite feature of their partner’s?

What’s not to love? Dorian has a mild fascination with Darrell’s scars, and if Darrell had to choose it’d be Dorian’s nose.

7. What’s the first thing that changes when they realize they have feelings for the other?

Darrell has to temper himself when he realizes the depth of his feelings, since he’s aware of Dorian’s past vis a vis his sexuality in a homophobic home. He gives Dorian the “I would prefer an emotional relationship as well” option when Dorian propositions him for sex, and it boggles Dorian both that that’s what Darrell’s angling for, as well as how upfront he is about it.

8. Nicknames? & if so, how did they originate?

Dorian uses Amatus while Darrell uses Love.

9. Who worries the most?

Dorian. Of course he’d go and get feelings for a front-line fighter. Oh, you’re involving yourself in Tevinter politics 0.5 seconds after getting here? Of course you are.

10. Who remembers what the other one always orders at a restaurant?

Darrell remembers Dorian’s. Dorian would remember Darrell’s, but Darrell likes trying different dishes.

11. Who tops?

Switch rights 👏👏

Where does power bottoming rank on the top/bottom scale asking for a Dorian.

12. Who initiates kisses?

Darrell

13. Who reaches for the other’s hand first?

Dorian

14. Who kisses the hardest?

Dorian

15. Who wakes up first?

Darrell

16. Who wants to stay in bed just a little longer?

Dorian sleeps longer, but he’s ready to get up once he does.

17. Who says I love you first?

This is a source of tension in their relationship early on. It’s a sore point for Dorian, which Darrell respects, but Dorian at some point he’s gotta say it so either you’ve gotta be okay with it or you’ve gotta be the one to breach that wall.

It’s probably Darrell.

18. Who leaves little notes in the other’s one lunch? (Bonus: what does it usually say?)

Darrell will leave encouraging ones or ones reminding Dorian to play nice with the people Dorian wouldn’t mind having set on fire.

19. Who tells their family/friends about their relationship first?

Darrell goes to Kendra, either face-to-face or in letters depending on the verse. If she’s part of the Inquisition she doesn’t outright bring it up but Dorian knows she knows. Sera’s the first of the Inquisition to suss it out and bring it up directly.

By the time Corypheus is defeated the entire Trevelyan family knows, and Dorian’s been invited to the Ostwick estate to meet them be inducted as a member of the famelyan.

20. What do their family/friends think of their relationship?

They’re super cute don’t tell Dorian he’ll get huffy.

Dorian takes one step into Ostwick and gets a new set of parents. Hayden’s going to make up for thirty plus years of Halward Pavus’ abuse if it kills him. Kendra and Dorian are the type of besties who will burn something down if left unattended. Their older sister Alex comes to Tevinter for post-Trespasser plot and she and Dorian can chat about a given subject until the sun goes down.

21. Who is more likely to start dancing with the other?

Darrell enjoys dancing and does whenever given the opportunity. He gives Dorian the space to initiate if they’re in public.

22. Who cooks more/who is better at cooking?

No one let Dorian near a kitchen please Skyhold’s still recovering and no one’s lived there for years.

Darrell loves to cook. He learned from his Mami and his curry is second only to hers. It’s far more economic to have a husband who cooks good Nevarran food than it is to travel whenever you get a hankering for biryani.

23. Who comes up with cheesy pick up lines?

Darrell

24. Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear during inappropriate times?

Dorian

25. Who needs more assurance?

Dorian

26. What would be their theme song?

Missing Piece by Vance Joy

27. Who would sing to their child back to sleep?

28. What do they do when they’re away from each other?

Each have their respective jobs within the Imperium: Dorian reforming the magisterium and Darrell serving as a diplomat for southern delegates. As far as hobbies go, they’re both avid readers and Darrell composes for the violin.

29. One headcanon about this OTP that breaks your heart

In Darrell’s worldstate as Inquisitor he keeps the Inquisition going post-Trespasser under Vivienne’s Divine Victoria. The Inquisition is heavily downsized and while it technically occupies Skyhold as its main base of operations, Darrell himself takes up residence in Val Royeaux to better assist the Divine. Dorian of course returns to Tevinter, and as such they’re long-distance pretty much until either Darrell retires or one of them dies. It’s mitigated slightly by Vivienne arranging surprise visits for the two of them outside of their scheduled trips.

30. One headcanon about this OTP that mends it

The Inquisition disbands in the multi protags worldstate, and Darrell and Dorian are both on the “Darrell’s moving to Tevinter” page. Not to mention everyone goes there for the post-Trespasser plot anyway. So multi protags worldstate best worldstate.

[tevinter-pariah]

okay so remember the Trans Dorian Boom? it was a fantastic time for my lovely trans brain that also never stops thinking about Dorian. Dorian being trans is fucking amazing, but since I'm transman and a lot of people were like transman Dorian (not enough Trans woman Dorian in my opinion or Enby Dorian. My solution to this is a giant transgenderifcation beam with multiple settings) because Dorian is a man in canon. well I couldn't stop thinking about Halward and his potentially shittiest grand plan ever. The problem never was that Dorian was into men, there's nothing wrong with that (personally I think Halward is also gay but that's an anon for another time) the problem was that Dorian refused to marry a woman, pretend they loved each other deeply, and raise a child to just restart the cycle. Dorian didn't want to fake love and frankly I think he's terrified of not being a better father even though that bar is a tripping hazard in hell. If Dorian is a gay trans man, then Halward will probably support him, like Maeveris's father did. I don't know if I spelled her name correctly but I need you to know I love her. There will be no need for blood magic. Dorian can have children and marry whoever he wants because there's a lot of cis men. So like a significant chunk of Halward's shitty parenting is gone. I'm talking almost healthy relationship and communication levels. Dorian might not even be in Inquisition because he has no reason to leave. But if he did leave, it wouldn't be because he had to escape potential lobotomy and Felix was here. I think he'd leave to support Felix and stop Alexius from tearing open reality, and there's a good chance he'll probably send his father letters. "Hey, Father, I got attacked by a dragon and the original darkspawn magister and Haven is under a mountain of snow, so I got a new address and scar" If Dorian romances Bull, I am positive Halward will have a heart attack.

Thank you so much Anon for your long and detailed ask ahhhh!! I’m always intrigued by people’s DA takes, and these were no different. I personally was not really around the DA fandom space for the Trans!Dorian boom, as I’ve been in and out of the space for the past five years and mainly kind of only stick to creators I love and trust for Dorian content because he is so so close to my heart.

I personally don’t know if I believe that Halward would support Dorian if he was a gay trans man just because it’s assuming that Dorian will fully comply to his father’s wishes about bearing children. While I know some trans men are fine with the thought of it, some people find it inherently dysphoric (like myself). It also kind of forces Schrödinger’s straight on gay trans people (where you’re dating a man and having kids so you’re gay, but society/family also sees your role as straight and doesn’t acknowledge your gender identity). Dorian, to me, doesn’t seem like someone who would want to be put in that position, based off what we see of him in canon.

This is also assuming that Halward, and

his exceedingly questionable parenting, would be fine accepting a trans child within larger Tevinter high society. It’s kind of unclear as of now if and how deep transphobia runs in Tevinter society and amongst classes, because whereas Maevaris does well for herself Krem is forced out into eventual exile due to falsifying medical records associated with being trans, showing its potentially a more layered class issue in a society steeped in traditional patriarchal notions. Halward is just so exceedingly worried about legacy, bloodlines, and familial reputation in society’s upper echelons that I would hazard he would see any departure from the “norm” as a problem worth fixing.

Maevaris is also one of the few female Magisters we are aware of, as the Magisterium is likely still heavily dominated by men by numbers and names in canon alone. I would argue because Tevinter high society is likely aware of her designated gender at birth, they might give her more credence because of that alone, than say they would an AFAB trans man. If people see her for the AMAB component of her trans identity, when combined with her family’s wealth and influence, it would likely not be so discursive as the reverse in a seemingly sexist society that might not be as accepting of AFAB trans masc heirs. This is, of course, still all conjecture based on my readings of lore and just historian™️ brain.

I do think that even if his father was accepting, it is likely he still would have left to assist Felix and eventually end up with the Inquisition in the end. Even if he didn’t end up working with Alexius after finding him at the rock bottom of his more rebellious youth as addiction, I believe they would have found one another in the Circle and worked in that same mentor-student fashion just because their research areas so closely intersect and that’s just kind of how academia works in that regard. Dorian’s timeline aside, Felix and Livia will both be attacked by Darkspawn to respectively slowly die and perish, leading Alexius’ descent into madness. From my surmising, Dorian sees Felix as a brother and Alexius as a father figure, so I doubt he would leave them behind especially when he himself has a very broken home and they were the closest thing to normality and stability.

I definitely can see where a lot of your thoughts are coming from, but still think it’s hard with what little we know of the Tevinter Imperium’s socio-political life to make a call either way. It’s why I’m so hype for DA4 as my entire niche in the fandom is being a slut for all things Tevinter (while also wishing to beat up and reform all things Tevinter. It needs so much help, Dear Maker) cause I think we’ll be able to just get so much more grounding to base and theorize with!! Thank you so much again for giving me so much to think about with your ask and sharing and feel free to always talk with me more.

[sparrowposting]

I think maybe it's best that I'm single and alone. Not even for the myriad of things wrong with me and normal relationship hangups (though both of those are factors too) but mostly because I fear becoming halward pavus. I fear being torn between perceived duty to faith and love of a child. Of warping and twisting that love until it resembles my parents, or worse, halward.

It is better this way.

[inquisitor-julia]

your blog is supposed to be "character positive" but are there any characters you don't like?

Outside of the obviously awful ones like Danarius, Howe, Vaughn (idk which way his name is spelled oops), or Dorian's dad?

To tell you the truth anon, no I legitimately do not have a single character that I hate or even have enough of a problem with to say I dislike them.

There's a reason that this is a character positive space and it's that I do not have the energy or inclination to go around spreading hate and being rude to people for liking specific characters. I realize some characters in da are EXTREMELY controversial within the fandom and that's fine everyone has opinions and experienced the game a different way. For my part I'm here to celebrate enjoying these games and the diverse cast of characters within!

This isn't to say I don't have Opinions™ or that I'm above being critical of characters because that isn't the case. These characters are flawed but that's what makes them all so interesting!! And I love them for their flaws and their potential to grow as characters!

And of course my personal experience with da stems from da:o getting me out of one of the worst depressive episodes of my life. Since then dragon age has been almost like a video game comfort food for me and I love all of the companions and advisors.

That being said I do of course recognize that some characters make people uncomfortable and that they do not wish to see them which is why I have a tag for every character so people can block tags if needed. I try to be as thorough as possible but if there's ever something you need me to tag don't hesitate to contact me about it and I will tag it in the future!

Maybe I'm putting my head in the sand about character hate in this fanbase but honestly anon, I have no desire to engage with it now or ever.

That got a little long but I hope that answered your question!

Thanks for the ask! :)