#i know that hawke is only related to like the human mage warden? or something but

[citrinie]

Yesss. Blackwall is everything. He’s honestly so well written. Hope you enjoy. I wanted to romance him with a Dalish elf too at some point. I know everyone loves him with Cadash, but his romance animations only work well for Lavellan and Trevelyan so I doubt I’ll ever give it a go. Anyways, please tell me all about your canon playthrough. All your major game decisions. Who you romanced etc.

totally agree with you on that! Blackwall's character is very nicely written which makes him unique to me 🥺 i feel like we have so many sad grey wardens, but it will never be enough lol so far i have only played as lavellan and trevelyan. now in my head the inquisitor is an elf bc i have mostly only played as female lavellan 🧝‍♀️

you asked nonnie, so under the cut is just a “small essay” of my canon playthrough 😅 i could talk abt DA for infinity and never get tired of it, so i did get a little carried away but here you go!

my inquisitor:

my canon playthrough for DAI is a female dalish mage inquisitor. her name is Ithil. she is a raven-haired, pale-skinned elf with purple eyes. she has a very intimidating aura to her and is very standoffish. i found it very fitting for her to have the dark voice option even though her frame is tall and skinny hehe. most recent pic of Ithil, where im doing a rogue playthrough to justify siding with the templars 😃 i hate that decision so far lol

major DAI decisions:

for the major decisions im starting chronologically. i obviously sided with the mages bc Ithil is canonically a mage and i just love mages lol

then its the choice of who to leave in the Fade. this was for me the most gut-wrenching decision bc it stood between Alistair and Hawke 😭 like how could bioware do me like that? i spent a good solid 30 minutes contemplating what to do and ultimately ending up leaving Hawke in the Fade. reasons being that i could never leave Alistair and him being the first DA character i fell in love with, would just be heartbreaking. also someone needed to lead the grey wardens, so why not him? i felt so very sad for Varric. poor Fenris, who i romanced Hawke with, he probably hates Ithil and lashed out at anything close to him 😫 but i try to remember what Flemeth said to Hawke that she may one day find herself facing the abyss and “do not hesitate to leap”, and considering the quest name is Here Lies the Abyss 🥲

when it comes to the fate of the grey wardens, i saved them bc i felt that there were more benefits to being allied with them rather than getting rid of them. grey wardens were a huge part of the first game considering you played as one. 

as for who i had be the ruler of Orlais, i kept Celene in power. she and Briala also got back together. Gaspard was never an option to me so that was yet another easy big decision. i realize now how much female power i have in my DA canon playthrough lol

choosing who would be the next divine was a hard decision. there were pros and cons for both Cassandra and Leliana. i know Vivianne is an option too but she just hates my inquisitor lol. i ended up choosing Leliana tho bc of her standing with the mages and her view of progressive change in Thedas. she also has a huge interest in politics and is well-informed abt almost everything bc of her spies. i definitely think that choosing Leliana will cause chaos bc of all the changes, but im here for it hehe

those are all the major DAI decisions i can think of are important, but lmk if you want to know anything else ;)

romance & companions:

as for romance options, i had Ithil romance Cullen bc i have loved Curly since DAO hehe in my canon DA Cullen had relations with my warden who is a female human mage named Solona. i always think of them when you ask Cullen if he has anyone, and he says something like “not in Kirkwall”. which to me insinuates that he had someone when he was in Ferelden, before going to Kirkwall, but nothing serious as Solona got with Alistair another blond-haired dude with puppy-dog energy lol i love Cullen’s character a lot tho bc you get to see the various things he has gone through in all three games. so all the pain and suffering he is going through in DAI makes a lot of sense, bc of all the trauma he has experienced and the withdrawals he has from lyrium as he essentially is a drug addict. so i love the ending where Ithil and Cullen gets a dog, gets married, the inquisition is disbanded, they move to some place quiet and still help others in their own ways like the good ppl they are ❤️

lastly talking abt Ithil’s chemistry with the gang. the ppl she felt close to were Iron Bull, Solas, Cassandra and Dorian. she loves hanging out with the Bull and the chargers, drinking at the tavern and listening to various stories from everybody. Solas and Ithil have a platonic connection probably bc of their elven background, but also i feel like she learnt a lot from him abt spirits and the Fade. so we are feeling a little bit betrayed and bitter by the fact that Solas was behind everything that happend 😅 all the help for ppl in solavellan hell.  Cassandra and Ithil butt heads quite a bit, but playing Ithil as a rogue made me think that they would be really good sparing friends. and i think Ithil gets Cassandra out of her comfort zone in a good way :) as for her friendship with Dorian, they are both necromancer mages and i see them exchanging a lot of knowledge. i also think Dorian loves pimping Ithil up with dresses and jewellery, for her to show Cullen ;) she is also very close to Josephine who teaches her a lot abt diplomacy, as Ithil do not always have the best social antennas and can be quite blunt in situations where she should not be lol

the only romance options i have finished a whole playthrough of is with Bull and Cullen. so doing a Blackwall romance now, then i want to do a Solas romance just to have done it lol. loved both Bull and Cullen’s romances, they are quite different to each other but that is what i loved abt them hehe. Bull’s romance was so funny and kinky ;) Cullen’s romance was like cute and vanilla with a sprinkle of trauma ✨ in the end Cullen is the canon romance option in my little DA world 😊

[majkatten]

hawke and cousland visiting skyhold to fuck advisors and bully cullen :^) also they got haircuts

[bretongirlwrites]

OH tell us more abt the dragon age oc... does she fit into a particular game/play a particular role? was she a circle mage or a dalish keeper's apprentice or something else? does she adhere to any religion? does she romance anyone?

aurora is a human circle mage and she follows the origins and awakening questlines, she's one of two warden ocs i have (the other is arcadia cousland and she is severely underdeveloped). aurora was originally going to romance leliana but idk i'm kind of thinking i might rather she be aroace (which would also be the same as julianne. heh)

because she's canonically related to my hawke (mirabel) i decided that at some point those two get to meet in kirkwall. and aurora gets to see anders again, because she knows him from the tower and also vigil's keep, but those two have a testy sort of relationship (because aurora at the tower was kind of a goody two-shoes, and despite what happened with jowan and anders she never really lost her sense that the circle is really the best solution and it shouldn't be torn down so much as simply adapted and improved on)

i have no idea about religious ideas because despite having first played this game about a year ago now, i still am not well versed in it. but now i've really got into it so i'll get there

but i've been having so much fun writing aurora (1) at the tower as a teenager, being exactly like the protagonist of an enid blyton boarding-school story; (2) as a warden, trying to keep morale high in the party, because despite her not being fully optimistic, she thinks it's the only way they'll succeed; and (3) interacting and clashing with mirabel and anders

[artimidas]

ALRIGHT 4,5,6, 12, 34, 49, 43!

4. What was your first Warden (gender/class/race/personality)?

Male Elf Mage, a Spirit Healer; not much to say about personality as back in the day my first characters were always self inserts and I did not really roleplay, just did what felt right. Especially given the fact I was 13 not knowing what Dragon Age wiki is and ended up accidentally failing to save the circle mages because I did not know how :( 

5. What was your first Hawke like (gender/class/temperament)?

Male Mage! a Force Mage; somewhere between Diplomatic and Humorous. Similar situation as above

6. First Inquisitor (gender/class/race/personality)?

Im gonna be boring and say Human Male Mage, a Knight Enchanter. My first Inquisitor was still in my young days when I did not really create “characters” with themes and backstories so again just did what I would do in his shoes.

12. Do you prefer DA:O, DA2, or DA:I most?

Hmm.. Inquisition - bigger scale story, lots of customization, QUNARI INQUISITOR, beautiful places, quite defined and interesting companions. However I would love to enhance it with the magic abilities from previous games and combat from DA2, which just felt smooth and right. (also blood magic, necromancy does not cut it.. just because the eyes of the church are on me does not mean I cant cut my palm ffs). Also! DA2 had everybody BI! I NEED THAT - OR MORE QUALITY GAY OPTIONS IN GENERAL. 

34. Least favorite character?

Sebastian? The only feeling I have when thinking about him is... boredom and dullness. Closely followed by Carver.. he was the brother I never wish I had. Come think of it it was many many years since I played DA2 properly, maybe I would think otherwise these days.

43. Favorite romance overall so far?

A tie between Morrigan and Dorian. 

I romanced Morrigan back when I thought I was straight and I felt the romance was very rewarding and interesting, Witch Hunt was a cherry on top. I enjoy her character and voice actress very much still (now from a yas queen perspective) and was disappointed she was not a party member in Inquisition.

Dorian because he is hot, has shit to say and is a Tevinter Mage. Hello? he is power couple realness. Trespasser ending of the romance was just wonderful, I live. I hope in DA4 he will tell the player some good stories about Inquisitors dick and how they are in a fully functional long distance relationship and will marry when this shit is over (did not care about the whole being gay in Tevinter rich families is a stigma because breeding.. that was felt like a bullshit writing choice trying to make some real world relatable content I did not ask for just give me fantasy gays without homophobic world building)

49. Something you do in EVERY DA playthrough, no matter what?

I play a homo mage, I cheat and mod my game, I support mage and non-human rights, I preserve everything supernatural - lest we will “be left with nothing more than the mundane” and I spend too much effort and nerve on coordinating the party aesthetic.

Thanks a lot for these I had a blast!

[purgatoryandme]

Fade-touched. With no magic of her own, the Fade still dictates Hawke’s every move. It forces her to become a better escape artist near-daily - a runner from the moment her feet could first stay steady under her wobbling legs. Fade-touched. Fade-held. Fade-crushed. Her mother thinks the Fade is something they can run from. Maybe she’s right. Maybe if it were just the Fade, Hawke could tip it a crooked grin, do some fancy footwork, and then put it behind her like so many towns and Templars. From the moment she laid eyes on her twin siblings, though, and then again from her sixteenth year onward (a weight at her back briefly lifted, hefted into her arms like the twins so many years ago - begging to be spun, slashing through ozone and salt), Hawke knows there are some things that can never be escaped. Fade-touched. Fate-marked. She was always going to be a story.                                              ____________________ Fade-touched and fate-marked. Sixteen years old with a long sword strapped to her back (freshly cleaned and swaddled in oilcloth), Hawke contemplates that which cannot be escaped. On the long walk home she laughs bitterly over the irony of it all. A life spent on the run, perfecting the skill until it was second nature, and she can’t escape this one thing. She doesn’t even want to. She doesn’t know what she would be without it. (A person, perhaps) (Certainly not a story)                                             ____________________ Varric hears about her long before he sees her. Of course, that’s usually how his introductions go. His ears are open long before his eyes. None of his informants are terribly good with paints or charcoal, you see (useless bastards - he should get them to practice portraiture so he’s never caught so thoroughly off-guard again). The Amell siblings did not enter Kirkwall quietly. There was a lot of kicking and screaming and wailing. Business as usual, really. Most people didn’t enter Kirkwall willingly, and those that did were usually desperate enough for the usual theatrics to apply anyway. Still, the Amells made a splash. Disgraced (by an affair with an apostate no less) ex-nobles returning to an estate that’s been gambled away by a drunk?Juicy. Well, juicy to thieves. Until they proved to be dirt-poor Ferelden refugees barely worth whatever fee Arenthel was paid to get them into the city. Then, THEN, one of the siblings turned out to BE the fee Arenthel was paid. Just the one. Intriguing, but Varric can think of a lot of reasons Arenthel would pay for a pretty face - dark hair and blue eyes. Probably not the boy, too brawny and sour to be good at collecting information. The girl could be useful - her walking stick wasn’t fooling anyone, but those delicate features sure could. He’d overlooked the third Amell child entirely. A rookie mistake, really, her chosen last name notwithstanding. He let himself look (well, let his informants look) without really seeing. And when you were just looking...well. Hawke didn’t look like much. Or rather she didn’t look much like her siblings, who stood out in the way that you’d expect any purchase to in this city. In the way you’d expect a dirty secret to. It hadn’t occurred to anyone not in the know that Hawke was related to any of them. For all intents and purposes, coming from nobility as the Amells did, Hawke seemed to be a bodyguard (just like the red-haired guardswomen). She wasn’t the product of careful Kirkwall breeding. She didn’t even look Ferelden. Hawke’s nose seems certain to be her namesake. Prominent and high-bridged, hooked in a way that was unusual for people of her colouring (and, if Varric is being honest, the kind of thing that would prevent her from ever having a career at the Rose. Or, he’ll think later with ink and paper in hand, from ever being forgotten). Her skin is dark enough to look Rivaini, which, coupled with the russet-dark of her hair and her build (broad shoulders and hips, thick thighs, tall enough that his neck ached), is almost enough to make him forget the distinctly Ferelden nature of that nose. What makes him remember, what forces him to see the slightest family resemblance in the siblings he’s spying on, are her eyes frosty pale and narrow, or seemingly narrowed by thick heavy lashes, in the way only human eyes ever were (elves were always wide and guileless. Dwarves never seemed so...pointy. Qunari didn’t count - he didn’t look them in the eyes. Couldn’t at his height). Sharp, like ice chips, and made sharper against the warm tones of her skin. Wraith-like. Later, he’ll realize her eyes aren’t the same glowing Amell blue as the twins or her mother. Instead, they’re a shade of green so pale it’s nearly grey. He’ll only realize this when Carver makes it clear they consider her no sister of theirs, however, and he’ll wonder how he missed it over a week at her side. He’ll wonder that often about Hawke - how he missed things. How he missed her. 

She’s a stunner, that’s for sure. Just not in an entirely good way. She cuts an intimidating figure, larger than life somehow, with features so bold that Varric can practically hear the nobles waxing poetic about her ugliness for years to come. Choppy dark hair and mismatched armour over dense muscle just make her seem more boyish and boorish, adding another layer to the tableau. Adding another layer to the distance between her and her picture-perfect siblings.

She’s certainly something - maybe something he hadn’t learned the words for yet (something that will send him, drunk and careening, to his library time and again. Paging cover to cover through poetic epics for a hero that had even a fraction of the something he wanted to describe). Not at all what he expected from the whisperings or from keeping tabs on the mage Amell in case the Templars ruined something interesting before it got to be INTERESTING. He’d expected a catlike rogue or some Feredelen beauty. Something for the history books, you know? Tawdry and bawdy and fitting to the tales he’d later spin in the Hanged Man for drunks and gentry alike. Varric’s forgotten that first impression a thousand times over and reread it on an old ledger just as many times. Hawke has a way of doing that to him. Making him forget the past, replacing it with their present (visceral like a knife to the gut. Which he’s experienced with her. More than once). Hawke also has a way of being underestimated at first glance. Maybe that’s why Bartrand refuses her and the little cutpurse thought he could get clever. Varric puts on a show with Bianca. Hawke is alone - no siblings in sight. She’d only volunteered herself for the expedition. It’s jarring to suddenly have the woman he’s been watching for hours watch him back. Even as she makes quips with the best of them, Varric can’t help but feel like she’s waiting for a blow. Hawke’s guarded in the way a kicked dog is. Unpredictable in the same sense. It makes Varric nervous, but also makes it impossible to walk away. He wants this one on the expedition. He thinks she’ll make it worth his while (just like Arenthel earned her money four times over with just one of a set of three. She passed up on an apostate beauty who knew healing magic. Hawke was definitely someone he’d take a bet on). She does. Creators, she does and then some, wrenching Varric and Anders, the Grey Warden she’d blackmailed and cajoled into accompanying them, through the Deep Roads with an animal glint in her eyes that increases with every day spent in the dark. She jokes with them often, but it isn’t until the near-endless battling with Darkspawn drains even her to the ends of her reserves that she begins to tell them stories to keep their long march going.  “My father was an apostate.”  She tells them, not meeting their eyes, likely anticipating and disliking their knowledge of this fact (Anders, through his willingness to come along at all. Varric because he was Varric - no stone unturned),  “He was never contained in the Circle. To hear him tell it, he was never escaping anything. He moved because he felt like it. Because there was a great plan that he was following, and if it lead him away from the Templars? So be it.”  Garrett Hawke was a man who did not exist, at least according to every record Varric had scoured (and he had, he believed, scoured them all). Varric had thought, up until this point, that the name was simply an alias. He still thought that, but now...  Well, he had to wonder. Hawke’s sibling had never been caged. Perhaps her father flew free, too?  Anders certainly seemed to think so (the animal glint in Hawke’s eyes was fever-bright in his own, near-glowing against the dirt and Darkspawn blood smeared on his skin).  “Freedom isn’t free.”  Hawke says, a sardonic little twist to her lips causing her teeth to flash in the torchlight as she glances at Anders,  “He paid for it in destiny and a dragon was the shopkeep.”  Varric would laugh at the frustrated befuddlement on the mage’s face if it wasn’t echoed on his own.  “My father made this blade.” Another day, another story. The long sword on Hawke’s back stayed wrapped, no matter the fight to be had, twin daggers finding themselves home in her hands and her enemies throats. It was only exposed in moments like these - where she carefully oiled it as they made camp. “We forged it together, but the materials were things he had for years. It was mine to carry the moment it was finished. I’d never heard my mother so angry with him.” “Were you just a pipsqueak?” Varric asks, struggling to imagine her as something so small and soft as a child,  “Not quite as tall as your sword was high?”  Her eyes crinkle, or at least he thinks they do (torchlight stopped being an option in the morning, and Anders’ mage light was a dim and eerie substitute).  “I was thirteen.”  She tells him, lifting a hand to indicate how tall she’d stood then (about his height, he was chagrined to see),  “Beth had just come into her magic. Father took me on a hunt the moment he realized, deep enough into the Wilds that nobody stood a chance of finding us. We came back with a blade, no meat to speak of, and to a little girl who had half-incinerated our cottage. My being a child bore no mind in her anger.”  She snickered, despite the flicker of something Varric felt at the image she’d painted (a child standing apart from their siblings, pushed there by a parent declaring their favourite, widening the chasm with the gift of a weapon handmade and crafted in a moment no other family had witnessed - an intimacy impossible to intrude on and rendered in steel),  “Carver also flew into a bitter tantrum about wanting a sword shortly afterwards. Both her angels were little hellions for years after that hunt.”  Despite knowing they were being baited, Varric still asked the question that had taken root in his mind; “What made them stop? I’m certain it wasn’t from maturing - the very idea would probably bring your brother to tears.” Hawke’s calloused hands caressed the edge of the blade, skin just barely splitting (a cut so thin blood didn’t even bead. Or at least, that’s how the mage light made it appear). Her face was carefully blank no matter how Varric strained his eyes as she replied,  “They realized what it was for.” 

                                            ____________________ Varric tucked Hawke’s stories away for later contemplation. He embedded them into the skin of his arms with quill and ink, determined to remember their exact wording, on the night (or day or midmorning or whatever passed for time under the blasted Darkspawn damned ground) when Anders finally allows Justice out to play, emitting enough light and power that they can struggle their way to the surface, and Hawke mutters something about the Fade that has the spirit’s pupilless eyes settle on and see her. There’s something there.  A story.  He pieces it together in fits and starts. Junior, Carver Amell (who doesn’t deserve to go by that name, not with the sharp distaste he displays whenever Hawke calls him Carver like he’s asked), trails after them post-expedition and post-Bethany (sweeter than her brother, her bitterness reminiscent of dark chocolate instead of stale beer and regret) entering the Circle. Hawke doesn’t turn him away - Varric suspects she can’t after her sister turned her back on her protection and willingly joined the one thing their family had run from for years - and so Varric has a source of information.  He’s somewhat loathe to use it, though. He doesn’t love the way Junior wields his words. They’re such clumsy weapons - he’s liable to hurt himself just as badly as he intends to hurt Hawke. 

Still. Still - Varric is shameless in his pursuit of a story. He’s done more disgusting things (though sometimes...sometimes Hawke looks at him, ice-chip eyes warmed by firelight and wine and Wicked Grace, and her mouth twists a little. That same sardonic grin he’d seen underground when she told them freedom isn’t free. And he doesn’t like that look sitting on her face, not when it’s turned his way).  And it’s worth it. It repulses him to think it, but all those little bits of information he’s hoarded are worth it. Because their party is chased down by Tevinter thugs in a set-up orchestrated by a magic-hating elf tattooed in lyrium who can physically reach into a person’s chest to crush their heart, and the most fascinating thing to happen was little brother’s subsequent freak out.  “Chase him off!”  He hissed into Varric’s ear, bent double to do so and no doubt rendering himself a comical image (red-faced under Fenris’ cool scrutiny and Hawke’s stiff-backed refusal to turn to him).  “He can literally tear my heart from my chest. Forgive me if I’m not inclined to chase him off my lawn.”  Varric hissed back, half-hysterical as Fenris’ gaze drifted between them.  “You’ll have bigger things to worry about if he sticks around!”  Junior fired back, shaking Varric by the shoulders and gesturing at Fenris’ bristling armour and weapons.  “Hawke’s ‘I murder dragons and also really big spiders’ sized sword is almost the same size as his. While you’re all busy seeing which is the bigger thing to worry about, I’ll just run off to High Town in a set of heels where you lot will never think to look for me.”  Varric mutters, much more careful than little brother (the littlest, with his petty attitude - a little dog barking at some junkyard Mabari) to keep his voice down, though Fenris’ lips twitched anyway.  “Don’t talk about it like that.”  Junior snarled viciously,  “Her using it near him is exactly what I’m worried about. I don’t know what it will do.”  Now Fenris’ shoulders were drawing up, impossibly spiky pauldrons growing dangerously close to his ears as his gaze flitted over to Hawke, who sighed unhappily.  “I’m not going to stab you, Fenris. Not even in a fun way.”  She said, sliding her daggers back into their sheaths and rolling out her neck with a crooked grin (one that didn’t reach her eyes and sent another stab of dislike rolling through Varric towards her bratty little brother that rose in sharp competition with his curiousity).  “Is it enchanted?”  Fenris asked, gravelly voice walking a knifes’ edge between interest and distaste that mirrored Varric’s own thoughts too well for comfort (he was pretty sure Fenris was crazier than a nug on lyrium - the comparison wasn’t flattering).  “I’m pretty enchanted with it.”  Hawke replied, sweeping the oilcloth bundle off her back and resting her weight on the pommel, driving the tip of the blade against the cobblestones below,  “Most people find gifts enchanting, though.”  A not at all smooth or subtle evasion, though Varric had to admire the way she’d managed to imply that if it was enchanted, it certainly wasn’t her who had done it. Fenris had cottoned on to the same idea, but Carver looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel.  “Your...brother certainly seems to think there is something I would find distasteful about it. I doubt he’s worried about my wellbeing.”  The humour in Fenris’ voice didn’t quite cover his unease, but it did reflect a desire to please. Varric was certain the elf meant to stick around if he could  now that he was certain Hawke was no mage. “Distasteful?” Hawke laughs, leaning more heavily on the blade and flicking her gaze to Carver on time to see his wince,  “No, he only applies that word to our kinship. He thinks you’ll turn out to be a thief.”  Fenris’ jaw set and Varric’s heart quickened in response. Carver’s fingers practically crushed his shoulder.  “Of a blade?” Fenris asked, taking a menacing step forward.  Hawke chuckled again, though her knuckles had gone white where they wrapped around an exposed silvery green pommel.  “No,” She shook her head, sardonic twist of the lips in place as she tutted, “Of a life.”  Offence coloured Fenris’ sharp retort of,  “Yours?” Making it blunt and threatening as he drew even closer.  “Not mine.”  She shrugs,  "One that can’t be stolen, bought and sold. It’s a pointless fear related to those.”  She taps a single finger against Fenris’ exposed throat, directly over a silvery green line, before leaning back and hefting her blade back to its resting place between her shoulders. Carver abruptly lunged forward, fingers still buried in Varric’s tunic (dragging him a stumbling step towards Hawke despite his dwarven weight. Quite the feat for little brother).  “Don’t let her touch you!”  He snapped at the elf,  “Or she’ll kill you, too!”  Turning on her heel, Hawke's face disappeared from view. She began to stride away, heading off to the Hanged Man most likely, without a single glance back. Instead she called out over her shoulder: “Maybe my poison touch doesn’t affect dwarves, because Varric’s not dead yet, Carver. I think you might actually beat me to that particular punch.” Needless to say, the elf followed. Varric did, too, unable to walk away when his last sight of her was her back.  Junior didn’t.                                               ____________________ “She’ll kill you, too.”  Words meant something to Varric. Even the ones spilled from an imbecile’s lips (one who had realized Varric was not his friend, unfortunately. He couldn’t mourn the loss much, though something in his chest felt slightly out of place when Hawke cast a look about the Hanged Man on Wicked Grace nights and sighed at the utter lack of her brother’s presence. He’d come crawling back eventually, as unable to ignore her and she was him).  “Too.”  Meant something. It meant something in the context of that damnable blade, that sardonic twist of Hawke’s lips that meant she was telling a story, the one that meant honesty and a certain resignation (an animal glint in her eyes in the dark, a cornered animal that always knew the tunnel had an end, that always knew it was going to fight to its bloody last).  “What made them stop?” “They realized what it was for.”  “She’ll kill you, too!” Not enchanted, but enchanting. Apostate-forged in the Wilds by a man who bought his freedom for the price of destiny from a dragon. The answer was obvious. Somehow, though, Varric couldn’t quite put pen to paper. Couldn’t write down a new observation in one of dozens of journals dedicated to Hawke, the only way to keep track of all that made her her before she talked her way into making him forget.   Sighing, Varric pushed his unbound hair back from his face. Slipped his glasses from his nose. Pressed his forehead to the page as he closed his eyes.  He was shameless for a good story. Ruthless in its pursuit. He wanted - no, needed - answers.  And yet.  He could wait for this one. For another sardonic twist of the lips. For more crumbs that Hawke would drop at his feet, knowing he would pick them up, finding their reassembly as inevitable as her brother’s dislike and her mother’s silence (living in a manor Hawke had purchased with children Hawke had been bought and sold for).  Pressing his face ever further into the paper, Varric groaned in horror.  He didn’t want to be another inevitability in Hawke’s life.  He wanted to be a choice.                                      

[blarfkey]

A ⭐ for you (I'm curious about Thick as Thieves, in particular!) Have a lovely day/night!

So I don’t have a particular section of the story for Thick as Thieves that I am compelled to talk about that already published and I can’t give spoilers, so . . .

I am going to give a Ted Talk on Why A Dwarf Love Interest For Solas is Amazing and Wonderful and Should Have Been Canon

So when I first played DA:I, I was a dwarf because I love dwarves. I was also a dwarf warden and kind of pissed that I was stuck as a human in DA2, even though I love Hawke.

And I was immediately drawn to Solas, as we all are probably, and he wouldn’t romance me. What bullshit. What UTTER bullshit. Actually, if you’re a dwarf, your love interests are super limited compared to the other races which is also utter bullshit.

So for many years I grumbled about it before I started writing Thick as Thieves and as I wrote this fic, I realized that a dwarf inquisitor has this . . .neutrality with Solas, for lack of a better word, that I don’t think the other races have, or have as much of.

Look, we all know that Solas did not join the Inquisition to make friends. In fact, any personal connection he has with any other member is pretty much made against his will and/or better judgement. He thinks it’s part of the deception, he thinks it’s temporary, until he’s hit in the face with the ferocity and sincerity of his own feelings and by then it’s too late to back out. He does this with Cassandra, with Iron Bull, with Cole, with Varric, and even with Dorian.

But even as he is unwillingly pulled into relationships by the sheer depth of his loneliness, he still keeps his distance. He still has walls put in place. The only time we see the walls come down is with Lavellan and then he breaks up with her immediately afterward.

Of course, the real reason for these walls is because he’s Fen’Harel, bent on their destruction. But Solas uses all kinds of excuses with the Inquisitor and the other characters to keep his distance.  (Cole might be the one exception because he is also the only one who knows who Solas really is)

For a human Inquisitor, he has the fact that human and elf relations have been absolute garbage for the last 1000 years. Human Inquisitors have a lot of ingrained prejudice to get over when it comes to elves, even if they don’t think they are particularly racist. It’s ingrained in their culture and religion. The Chantry has also taught humans to hate and fear magic so Solas gets a double whammy of being both and elf and a mage and that’s even more reason to be cautious with a human.

Solas also doesn’t like the Qun and he has his own fucked up prejudices when it comes to Qunari and how much he doesn’t trust them. Secretly, I think he’s rather afraid of them and that they remind him too much of the Evanuris. And he can’t let that go even when the Inquisitor is Tal Vashoth.

We’ve all seen Solas’s clownery with the Dalish Inquisitor. This is where the “hah’ren” Solas comes into play. I think he plays up the older, wiser mentor more with an elf inquisitor because that’s also a way to keep formality between them, to remind himself of their differences despite being of the same race. Lavellan is the only canonical romance so she’s the closest he’s come in canon to closing his distance. Even so, that moment is rife with culture clash and Solas Knowing Better About Your Own Traditions Than You Do, so there is still that wall.

Mage Inquisitors also have the same problem of Solas pulling the whole wise mentor thing because he knows so much more about magic than you. And no matter how skillful you are, you will never match him in a gazillion years. And on top of that, a mage Inquisitor is supposed to be the First for their Keeper, which widens the culture clash gap mentioned earlier. Not only are you Dalish, but you are the heir to the Keeper of Dalish Culture, so you’re even more aggressively Dalish than a hunter. Solas definitely keeps his distance from that.

But with dwarves, and with Shay in particular I guess, he doesn’t have the same opportunities to push you away. Dwarves and Elves don’t have a long complicated history of war and slavery. I mean, we don’t know what went down between them before Arlathan fell, but in the centuries since then, they’ve been fairly neutral.

The Inquisitor is a surface dwarf, and even though some dwarves -- like Varric -- are Andrastian, it’s not the default religion for surface dwarves. A dwarf inquisitor has not been socialized by the Chantry to hate elves. Even though they could definitely pick up on that prejudice by just living in the world around them, it’s also possible that they have grown up free of a lot of the influence of the Chantry.

Dwarves cannot do magic and they don’t dream at all. Some are noticeably freaked out by magic because of this, but it’s also not something that is socialized into them by religion. It’s a fear they can develop because they don’t understand it. But not all dwarves would have it and so not all of them view mages with the same kind of prejudice that is ingrained in most human societies. 

So what does Solas have to put distance between him and a dwarf? He can’t be their mentor because they’re not elven or magical. He can’t use the excuse of a bad history or lack of trust because it’s possible to have a dwarf inquisitor free of ingrained prejudice against both elves and mages. Their culture as a whole is not something he violently disapproves of, like the Qun, so he can’t use that.

Solas has nothing. He has no reason besides the fact that Dwarves can’t interact with the Fade and he loves the Fade to really push them away -- but the dwarf inquisitor can in fact interact with the Fade. So that’s out.

There is a noticeable difference in the balcony conversation with a dwarf than all the other races. Of course, Solas still puts his foot in his mouth and has his own prejudices. But it’s so mild compared to being called a literal savage or a brute. The best he’s got is that dwarves are practical and they don’t dream. It’s so less problematic than the others.

This was really fun to play with when I created Shay because on top of all that, Shay is also aggressively friendly. Once Solas is hit with the full force of her determination to befriend and understand him, he has nothing in his arsenal to protect himself from it. It is open season for him.

It’s something that I wish I could have seen in-game because Solas has very few excuses to hide behind with dwarf and I think that greatly impacts his romance with one. It forces him to be more honest about his own feelings and it gives him a lot of conflict because it’s harder to give them up when he as no distance to cling to after the fact.

We were robbed, that’s all I’m saying.

[lcgacyofages]

Hello, this is a multimuse RP blog for the Dragon Age franchise. I go by JB and I’m over 25 years old. This blog is filled with mature content, from violence to sexual situations and I would advise to follow at your own risk. I do try to tag things but sometimes it slips and Dragon Age is a mature game series.

Undercut is a list of muses by media as well as cut into primary, secondary, and request only. I have a female Mahariel rogue for my Warden, a Female warrior for my Hawke, and a male Lavellan mage for my Inquisitor. I also have a variety of companion and NPC muses as well. I am still working on setting up google docs and a few profiles yet.

Interest Tracker located here

Dragon Age: Origins

Primary

Eliana Mahariel - A bit spunky and mischievous, Eliana is headstrong and doesn’t take kindly to being talked down to. Naturally curious and friendly, though, she does try to do the right thing. Sometimes that right thing is revenge against Loghain.

Secondary

Arik Tabris - Companion non-HOF Tabris, who was recruited three months before the events of the game. He’s known as being severe and ruthless and not entirely diplomatic.

Zoria Amell - Amell Non-HOF Companion, where she leaves with the warden during Broken Circle after being put in isolation and the chaos enabling her sister, Aurora, to free her in order to protect both of them. Her phylactery was destroyed, she finds out, so she flees instead of returning to the Circle.

Request Only

Dimetrea Brosca - Brosca Non-HOF Companion. Instead of getting into the end of the Brosca origin, Dimetrea decides to leave and go to the surface for a better life and becomes a mercenary. She employs herself to the warden when she meets the group after dealing with a band of darkspawn.

Lir Cousland - The middle child of the Couslands (typically). He went off with Fergus to the Battle of Ostagar. The youngest Cousland managed to barely escape and was able to tell him of the betrayal at home before succumbing to their wounds. Lir managed to survive Ostagar and vowed revenge on Howe.

Dragon Age 2

Primary

Atena Hawke - Leans a bit towards red at times, Atena is a former soldier in Cailan’s army. Highly protective of those she’s close to, she wants to avoid confrontation but often her own patience and protectiveness makes that difficult. She sides with the mages.

Secondary

Dazbo Amell -  The older brother of Zoria and Aurora. Dazbo was at Kinloch Hold, helping his older brother, Sorin, with his plan of faking a study on magical families and how to curb it but actually plotting to get all of the Amell siblings out. When Uldred revolted, Dazbo managed to escape without his siblings after destroying his phylacter his templar handler had, and fled to Kirkwall. As far as any else is concerned, he was killed at Kinloch.

Request Only

Alric Hawke - A what if twin for my Hawke. He plays as her impulse control, often the more cautious of the siblings. He has a good heart, but being a mage, he knows he has to step lightly. He decides to be an instructor to the apostates of Kirkwall, in secret, feeling that is the best way to avoid abominations.

Katarina Anhalt - A templar transferred to Kirkwall who meets Hawke in Act 2. Transferred to Kirkwall to try to toughen her, she’s sympathetic and compassionate, having become a templar in an effort to protect people, mage and non-mage alike. She wants to follow her duties but she has questions about how things are run in Kirkwall.

Sasha Fitz - an elf blooded human raised by his elven mother in the alienage. His father is a Kirkwall nobleman and his mother’s former employer. Sasha has a strong contempt for the rich and well-to-do of Kirkwall, to the point he works as a thief known as The Hooded Figure (Hood for short). He steals from the elite and redistributes the wealth to the less fortunate.

Selena Porter - An Orlesian apostate mage who operates as a smuggler of a variety of finery to Kirkwall. She works independently and sometimes with other groups. She’s skilled at seeming to know when and were guards are going to be, in order to get her shipments in safely.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Primary

Rajmahel Lavellan - A young elf sent to spy on the Conclave, due to his decent relations with humans and strong social skills, he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, or was it the right place at the right time? Far from home, his daughter, his family, Rajmahel now takes on the task of saving the world from what threatens it.

Secondary

Arik Tabris  - by the time of Inquisition, the Hero of Ferelden has gone seeking a cure for the Taint. Arik has stepped in as Commander for Ferelden. If the Inquisitor does not exile the wardens, Arik becomes a companion/advisor.

Aurora Amell - Aurora is the youngest of the Amells, having been at Kinloch with her sister. A gifted healer, Aurora worked as an assistant to Wynne before the Mage Rebellion. She joined the cause and was at Haven but not the Conclave. She joined the Inquisition to get justice for the friends she lost at the Conclave and works as a main healer.

Idrilla Lavellan - at the request of her brother, Rajmahel, Idrilla brought his daughter to Skyhold shortly after they found it. She works as Rajmahel’s most trusted agent, often times handling the more brutal jobs. She’s also knowledgeable in the arcane and has abilities gained from finding an artifact as a youth, which she utilizes in helping her brother.

Seigfried Trevelyan - The older brother of Maxwell Trevelyan, a templar who died at the Conclave (base setting). Seigfried was also meant to be there, at his father’s orders, but he was held up in Haven due to a personal matter. Angered at the death of his brother, Seigfried joined the Inquisition to get justice for his brother. His past military experience is useful in training the new recruits.

Request Only

Hildegard Cadash - Hildegard is the aunt by marriage of the Cadash killed at the Conclave. Hearing of their death, the major figure of the Carta decided to offer her contacts and skills to the Inquisition. Because no one messes with her family and gets away with it.

Inatar Adaar - Younger sister of the Adaar killed at the Conclave (base). She also works with the Valo-Kas but decided she would join the Inquisition to get revenge. She’s known to be brash and hot-headed, not the type to hold back. Twin to Shamut Adaar.

Sergio di Vasco - A former Antivan crow who decided instead of fulfilling a contract on the Herald’s life, he would warn them instead. Tired of being a pawn and wanting to make something of himself, he joins the Inquisition. He knows the Crows won’t take lightly to this and is always looking over his shoulder.

Shalelan Amalasis - A Dalish warrior from the Amalasis clan in Antiva. Shalelan is sent as an envoy to a Dalish Inquisitor, to work with the Inquisition and hopefully sway for some help with Clan Amalasis’ feud with the merchant princes of Antiva.

Shamut Adaar - a qunari mage, younger brother of the Adaar killed at the Conclave. He learned his magic from a tal-vashoth apostate and works with the Valo-Kas like his siblings. He goes with his sister to find out who killed their sibling.

Other - May be able to fit in with game timelines in some verses

Request only

Antoinette de Ghislain - formerly an Orlesian bard, Antoinette ended up marrying into the de Ghislain family with an arrangement with Laurent de Ghislain. After having two children, an heir and a spare, the couple don’t spend much time with each other and Antoinette decided to earn an income for herself by writing erotic fiction about the heroes of Thedas, a hot topic among the Orlesian nobles.

Emrys Moysten - A Fereldan mage and Isolationist, Emrys formerly worked with the Inquisition but once the threat of Corypheus was past, left to see about setting up a mage commune away from others who would be a hinderance and in danger from the magic. He finds himself in Tevinter and realizing the danger is not yet passed.

Etienne de Rousseau - a former Senior Enchanter for the White Spire. The legitimized bastard son of Maquis de Rousseau and his mage lover, Etienne has had some ease being a mage. Yet he joined the Mage Rebellion after the events of Asunder and knowing things were too far gone. He was sent by Fiona as the negotiator to the Conclave, where he was killed. He does have AU where he functions as an advisor in the Inquisition.

Falon’Din - the Evanuris and God of Death and Fortune. Vain and ambitious, Falon’Din has always sought for his own personal gain and power, often putting him at odds with Elgar’Nan. When the Breach occurred, Falon’Din managed to find his way out through a rift, but by cruel fate, vallaslin appeared on his face and worked as a seal, containing a fair amount of his powers. He now seeks to undo the seal so he can gain control of the world while the other Evanuris are locked away.

Fenvir - the what if child of Idrilla Lavellan and Solas. Fenvir is a gifted dreamer and mage, but often finds himself feeling as if he doesn’t fit much of anywhere. Deciding he needs to stop his father and persuade him to find a different path, at 18 years, Fenvir leaves home to find a better solution and a way to convince his father to stop his plans.

Mathras Myriani - A former priest and soothsayer of Mythal’s temple. Mathras, in his youth, made the mistake of trying to advise Falon’Din during one of his visits and was blinded by the enraged Evanuris. After the fall of Elvhenan, Mathras did what he could for a time to help the elves left with their destroyed world. Yet he soon found himself falling into Utherena. He was guarded for a time but was forgotten when the Imperium conquered. He awoke in 9:30 due to the stirrings in the Fade.

Vincentius Titus - the former apprentice of Magister Aurelian Titus, he is now magister in after his death. He was born to a Soporati family but abandoned them in his ambitions. He is a blood mage and feels the Chantry holds back the Imperium and desires to return to the old ways, but with better social movement for mages, no matter the class they were born into while non-mages have little rights.

[padme4000writes]

Fictober 3.“Now? Now you listen to me?” Rating: T

Pairing: Alistair x GN!Reader

Fandom: Dragon Age Origins

Wordcount: 1,644

Rating: T

Tal-vashoth mage reader.

Summary: You were always told to hide you are, to wear a hat to hide your horns. You understood why but hoped that the one person you cared for would accept you. On the eve of Battle you wonder if you'll ever see him again.

I know the line is used at the end, that is actually what I started with but then decided to write the before. As I just felt like it was a very Morrigan thing to say.

You were different, that much was clear from the get go. But you had learnt from those who raised you to hide your differences. So when the Grey Wardens recruited you, you felt like maybe that could be the start of letting people see you for you. Yet they still asked you to hide the things that defined who you were.

You might scare the locals or worse cause them to become hostile. That's what they always told you. You understood that, but you had to do it even in camp just in case you also had to hide that side of your life. 

You should be proud of who you are, yet everyone made you feel otherwise. That was until he joined up. He would look at the oddly shaped hat, and wonder what made you like it so much. When in truth it was there to hide the things you use to love. 

Then it happened, they appeared. The human of higher birth. The eyes you so adored looked elsewhere. No longer did your odd hat and odd personality hold his interest, or maybe it was just his nice personality wanting to help this newcomer. Or the simple fact he was ordered to guide them.

But you still couldn’t help but think that this pretty noble had caught his attention beyond that. So you watched sullenly as they got closer, as he laughed. Cursing the day you ever listened to anyone for telling you to hold back, telling you not to show who you really are. It was a miracle you never got caught by Templars and then you began to fall for an ex Templar. 

And still they told you to hide, even though with being a Grey Warden they had no standing to take you in as an Apostate. Though the truth of the fact was that being a mage was not their main concern. The main concern had always been and always be what you hid under the hat. 

And later the helm that hid the truth by showing the truth as part of the armours aesthetics. 

You knew that not everyone liked your kind, or what they represented. You had seen how the elves were treated and still are treated. Whenever anyone saw the points of your ears they just assumed the hat was to try and hide them, and that you were tall for an elf. Little did they know you were and are a Tal-Vashoth. Something they did not like due to looking like those under the Qun. 

A sigh left your lips as you continued to check the weapons for the upcoming battle. Later at night, he approached you first telling you of his day. His Ventures in the Korcari Wilds and his meeting with a Witch of the Wilds. When he came to the final piece of information, likely the main reason for him coming to talk to you. “Can you believe it? They don’t want me on the front lines.”

A raised eyebrow was all the answer you gave him, you had your theories on why that was the case. A certain blond king with similar features being the big key point in your theory. There were too many similarities for them not to be related in some form or another. 

“Well?”

Another raised eyebrow, “Well, what?”

“Can you believe it?”

You nod a small smile lighting up your face, “Yes I can, and I’m pretty sure you know deep down the reasoning.” It was a test, one he failed when he froze and his eyes widened. You shook your head, “Your secret is safe with me, friend. But it would take a fool not to notice the similarities when seeing you both in such close quarters.” You stand, towering over the man who held your heart without any knowledge of the fact. You placed a hand on his shoulder, “But I did not know completely if my theory was true until now.”

“Oh.”

His embarrassment was endearing, “Promise me something?” When he said nothing you continued, “Don’t ever play Wicked Grace, you will fail miserably.” From the sag of his shoulders you realise he had likely thought you were going to say something much more serious. 

You begin to walk away when his hand on your arm stops you, “Thank you.” He clears his throat before saying, “Look after yourself tomorrow and don’t hold back.” Instead he was being the serious one.

Then it was him who walked away, not you. You watched as his figure faded into the night. A heavy weight settling in your stomach, the thought that this may be the last time you lay eyes on him weighing on you heavily as you go prepare for the morning.

Don’t hold back. Did he know?

Then morning came. Then they came. 

Your eyes drifted towards the tower you knew he would be going to, hoping it would instill some strength. Then you turned towards the oncoming storm, letting your hat fly off. The metal of your horns glinting in the morning light as you twirl your staff as if you were dancing, slamming it into ground. Watching as your magic takes effect. 

You would fight till the end if it meant he would get more time in the tower to light the beacon. The fight was getting horrendous, two others you had befriended were getting surrounded so you lit their foes up in flames after casting a shield for them. Rushing to them, "Hawkes, are you okay?"

They both nodded, looking at the grim sights around them. You would live this day and while the Battle was lost, the war against this blight was yet to happen.

When you reached Lothering you helped the Hawkes prepare to leave but when they'd leave you would not follow.

You were back to wearing disguises, helping anyone you could while you waited in hopes he had survived. A few days had passed and there he was. You just stood off to the side of the Qunari Sten when you spotted him. He was with the noble and a witch of the wilds by the looks of it. Maybe the one he had told you about? 

The Qunari made you uncomfortable, he had you pegged in minutes of you trying to talk to  him. Which just made you even more uncomfortable. In fact he was still glaring at you. That being the only reason they looked in your direction. 

Before you or anyone could do anything you had a human practically leap at you, wrapping you in their arms.

Due to being taller you rested your head on top of theirs. Heart wrenching at the heartbreaking sounds he was making at finding someone he cared about alive and well.

You hugged him back, never wanting to let go. You saw the mages face of disgust and glared when she opened her mouth to likely say something snarky going by the look on her face. Surprisingly she stopped, raising an eyebrow at your protectiveness.

But then she turned to the noble, who then exclaimed, "They're a what?"

Now he pulled away looking at them then you. A sigh left your lips. Glancing at the Qunari behind them half expecting it was him who told the witch of the wilds. 

"It was me not your Qunari friend who told me what you are."

It was your turn to raise an eyebrow. "He is no friend of mine. He follows the Qun and would see my kind used or dead." He had made that abundantly clear. Labelling you Saarebas. You knew what the Qun did to mages. No thank you.

"Tal-vashoth? Interesting." You glanced at her again. "I am Morrigan and you are?"

"Not amused." You hear a snort from beside you and look at him. Expecting disgust or even hatred. None of it. He was smiling at you and then frowned in concern.

"You knew?" The noble had apparently worked out what you couldn't. "Well, Alistair?"

It was his turn to look a tad sour. "Of course I knew, I didn't tell you as it wasn't my place. That and judging by your reaction it was a good choice."

He was getting defensive for you. He knew and was defending you. This man had no idea what he was doing to your heart. 

The noble sighs, "I do not mind what they are Alistair but a heads up would have been preferable." They nod to you, "I expect you'll be joining us?"

You couldn't help but notice the pleading look in his eyes. He thought you wouldn't? You had a job to do as a Grey Warden. A duty you didn't take lightly. 

You also vowed to keep him safe. "I would not leave your side." You told him while looking him directly in the eyes. Ignoring the sound of disgust from Morrigan. Smiling when you noticed his cheeks flush.

He glanced at the others who were now talking to the Sten. Then he looked at you arm raising and his hand going to the back of his neck in what you assumed was a nervous mannerism. His cheeks flushing once more as he looked at you, "And I you."

The Tal-vashoth Grey Warden mage and the human Grey Warden ex Templar.

It was then you heard Morrigan shout at the Mabari, "Now? Now you listen to me!" You smiled thinking you were going to quite like being around all these people. Frowning at the Sten. Well almost everyone. 

A hand taking yours made the frown fall from your face as a smile was sent your way from the one person you cared for most. Yes all that had led  you here was worth it. And maybe just maybe this would be the start of accepting who you are and letting others accept it too.

[a-shakespearean-in-paris]

Dragon Age Question Meme

thanks for the tag @bitchesofostwick! too fun not to do! :)

tagging @solverne-02  @bearly-tolerable @aurianavaloria @laraslandlockedblues @ladymdc @galadrieljones @thevikingwoman @idrelle-miocovani 

01) favorite game of the series? I think Origins is the best in terms of gaming while 2 has the best story.I’m most attached to Inquisition and Origins equally when you boil down to it, I played both a lot and both were huge comforts.

02) how did you discover Dragon Age? All the way in 2009 the game came out to glowing reviews and my interest piqued. During Valentines day 2010 my dad got me a game stop gift card and I bought it. (my parents rock lol.) anyway I played it but it went horribly, I missed leliana and sten in lothering...accidentally killed Irving so sided with the templars...zev betrayed me...it was a mess. It wasn’t until a third play through that I began to love the game.

03) how many times you’ve played the games? Origins: gosh I’ve gotten to the end at least 5 times, but made a lot of characters. 2: probably 3 times with a female hawke and once with a male (for some reason that’s the only game I’ve played as a male as to the end...he romanced merrill.) Inquisition: once again, at least 5.

04) favorite race to play as? Just so happens to turn out my favorite backstories and origins are the human ones, though I tried to make elves. I just couldn’t come up with a character I gravitated toward.

05) favorite class? Story wise: mage, fun to play as and personal enjoyment: rogue.

06) do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time? Make the same decisions because it feels weird if I don’t, lol. Especially with romances...I get so loyal I can’t romance anyone else. I do though sometimes change up classes for variety.

07) go-to adventuring group? I tend to shuffle a lot, but my most common groups are in DAO: Alistair, Leliana/Zev and Morrigan/Wynne but I love them all and tend to shuffle. DA2: Fenris, Anders, Varric and in DAI: Sera, Vivienne, Cassandra (though again I do a lot of shuffling for variety.)

08) which of your characters did you put the most thought into? Lydia Trevelyan, no question. I wanted to write her story and romance, so I did. :3 

09) favorite romance? DAO: Alistair, DA2: Fenris. DAI and overall: Cullen. 

10) have you read any of the comics/books? Nope.

11) if you read them, which was your favorite book? honestly I have no plans to read any *sorry.*

12) favorite DLCs? Hmmm...The Stone Prisoner in Origins, and Jaws of Hakkon! Of course Tresspasser too.

13) things that annoy you. Most are fandom related...not going to lie. But in game I wish Inquisition had more ambient music as you explored, and that missions actually meant something to the war effort other than racking in points. I wish Cullen’s trauma at the winter palace was treated more thoughtfully, and I hate, hate, hate how the inquisitor has to kneel down and loot because it takes FOREVER. I also wish DA2 had a longer development cycle because the game could have been so much more.

Oh I also wish vital story info wasn’t in books/DLCs.

14) Orlais or Ferelden? Aesthetically I like elements of Orlais, I have to pick Ferelden though.

15) templars or mages? Much like bitchesofostwick, all my OCs have, when the games pit one against the other, sided with the mages, but I think the chantry is so bad both groups need reform. (Circles need to function like schools rather than prisons, templars need to know magical defense but serve as protectors and move away from the chantry.) 

That being said Lydia is actually kind of pro templar, more than one may think anyway...in the sense that she thinks they can do better.

16) if you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?In Origins I played through different origins for variety, but I can’t make multiple characters for one game, lol. I find making OCs so fun but time consuming and I love doting all the attention to select few, lol.

17) what did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc) Miranda Cousland’s mabari is Hal after a prince in a book. Rhine Hawke? honestly never given much thought, lol. Probably something simple like Spot (Carver would point out constantly he has no spots and she would say something witty back, ha.) Lydia’s horse is named Pepper. Her and cullen’s mabari is named Cleo.

18) have you installed any mods? i bought inquisition on PC just to use mods and I havent figured it out yet, lol.

19) did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden? NO! In fact she resented it big time because she saw her duty as taking revenge, and Duncan basically gave her a death sentence in her eye. Eventually she kind of succumbs to her duty but if she had things her way, she would never have become a warden. 

20) hawke’s personality? she started off a good purple/blue. In Inquisition she became red.

21) did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition? No but maybe I should, lol.

22) if your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?  Miranda would make sure Howe never did what he did. Rhine would stop Meredith sooner. Lydia would make sure (SPOILER) her ex boyfriend Asher never became a red templar.

23) do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?Miranda meets Lydia at Skyhold and is the Warden contact. there’s a big party at skyhold and lydia makes an epic speech. this is a big one: Rhine loves Fenris, but he leaves like he always does, and she knows Anders loves her to death so she gets with him. Ultimately though they have a mutual break up, and she goes back to fenris a month later. (they’re endgame) this makes her feel extra responsible for the chantry explosion. (She approves of sending the message...just not that way lol.)

24) are any of your character(s) based on someone? Well Lydia is the most like me, but the more time I have spent with her the less I find us identical. I made Mira/Rhine as different as I could, but none are really based on anyone. Maybe parts of Lydia are based on Lauren Bacall/Vivien Leigh, more old hollywood ladies <3 

25) who did you leave in the Fade? In game always Stroud. Or sometimes Hawke. In my story it’s Hawke :( sorry all i thrived on the drama.

26) favorite mount? the war nug!

[fluxanddragons]

Recently got round to playing and completing Dragon Age 2. I went into this knowing nothing about the game and almost instantly loved Anders. (I played the introduction a few times to get a feel for the mechanics and the classes)

So there I was a Snarky rogue helping Anders in any way I could I felt sorry for him and empathised with the whole getting possessed to help others thing. It was an opportunity to actually save lives. (He also is a cat person, which is nice)

Maybe because of films, games, and History I took Templar's to be bad people, So killing them seemed like the right thing to do. Add that to Bethany and Anders talking about the circle and the Templar's the more I sided with them. Ser Thrask and Emeric helped make them seem human and not just Over Zealous Bastards. This Eventually lead me to play as someone who believed that the circle wasn’t inherently bad just very flawed and, wherever possible, I would try to compromise.

And Even as more and more instances of Blood Magic occurred I felt that the mages felt they needed to resort to the forbidden schools just to be free. During an Act of Mercy I sided with the mages but only distracted the Templar. Even as the acts of blood magic got worse I didn’t falter in my resolve. I kept going middle ground all the way.

Then I was in the Quest all that remains and after finding out Leandra was missing I actually got scared. (As mentioned previously I started some characters to get used to each class and pick a favourite in that time so I played Birthright for each class. This meant I felt that I had a connection with her) As we followed the blood trails I had the same tone as Hawke, Utter Terror. But Even as I completed All That Remains I was almost in tears I actually stopped to collect myself. But this was the act of one man. A pathetic man focused on his past. I didn’t let it taint my view of magic.

Of course there were comforting scenes from Anders and Aveline and a less comforting but accurate portrayal of grief by Gamlen. Which helped and I continued the game.

Then Act 3 came around and boy was it difficult there was the Blood magic, Working for Meredith, The Mood Whiplash with the Emile just trying to have fun then the poverty stricken woman just trying to feed children and the power hungry Elf. In fact All of ACT 3 felt like an emotional roller-coaster there was hardly time to stop it just seemed to be a non-stop punch-down by emotions.

The there was Anders Quest Justice. I was feeling hopeful. Anders had seemed like had come down to Earth and become more rational especially when he said he wanted to separate from Justice. So I happily helped collect ingredients and was curious what he needed from the Chantry, Though I thought he was collecting something special from Elthina’s office. I loved his new coat being a fan of Black myself. Then there’s the scene with Anders and Varric, I thought it odd but in hindsight it was obvious why he was doing it’s just he seemed so content and happy with our romance and while disgruntled I would never have thought Suicidal. What makes this heart-breaking is have experienced what Anders was doing with Varric myself and have been in the same emotional state, sans spirit, myself. So the fact I missed it completely is...just...I don’t know.

And of course the Climax the heated  argument between Orisino and Meredith made me think I would need to start being a diplomat for them that Elthina maybe able to help. And then Anders started monologing to everyone and starts glowing and Then the Earthshaking explosion, The Complete and utter portrayal and the hands of the man I Love it shook me to my core. I felt my stomach sink the realisation of what I had helped him do it was crushing. Then the killing of all mages whilst Anders just sat there.

And despite this I couldn’t kill him. I know what he did was wrong But I couldn’t do it. I lost my Father before the Game My Brother to an Ogre My Sister to the Grey Wardens and my mother to Magic I couldn’t lose Anders too I couldn’t.

This Game was by far the best/worst game I have ever played.

The only reason it is the worst is how emotional taxing it was, with no information or foreknowledge and romancing a terrorist It caused a minor existential crisis I lost my own Identity when I spared Anders. Everything he did was wrong and for almost the right reasons. It hurt and I felt betrayed and lost.

On the other hand this game was amazing in every sense. The Romance the Gradual build to each climax, Especially the last one. It felt natural Growing tensions between Everyone and the Qunari and Mages and Templar. The fact that we couldn’t save Leandra or stop civil war was a well executed change to the invulnerable hero who Always Saves The Day It made Hawke Human, The emotions of the characters The Grief they show. Even Male Hawke gets scared and sad. The scene with Leandra dying was well written and believable the numbness shown by Hawke at the Estate was very relatable. When someone you care about dies the world feels wrong as if you’re living someone else’s life you’re floating in void. I feel Bioware created a good sense that, that was what Hawke felt. And No compromises was hard, having to pick a side, a lesser of two evils where both end up killing everyone. Like choosing between six rotten apples or half a dozen apples full of worms and maggots.

TL:DR “Dammit Anders”

[happywitch416]

Dragon Age Questions

I was tagged by @joufancyhuh thank you! This was fun! I’m gonna tag @kaleidoscopegirl @thesecondseal @rhetoricalrogue @lechatrouge673 @bugsieplusone @sasabelle-a and anyone else! Everyone else!

01) favorite game of the series?

DA2, hands down. I played DAI first and don’t get me wrong it’s a pretty game and a good game, but I love Hawke’s story. Someone who tries so hard and it’s never enough. I relate.

02) how did you discover Dragon Age?

I got a free copy of Inquisition with a new xbox, and honestly, hubs is the one who was oh it has dragons, Erin will like that! I wonder if he ever regrets that decision.

03) how many times you’ve played the games?

Origins- completely through 3 times? My dalish Elf who i didn’t even name her own name. Oops. Then my Arwen Tabris who smooches Zev and I actually have sorta fleshed out. I also have a Cousland and a dwarf that I never finished. I suffer from The Joining is Stupid syndrome.

DA2- I replay this constantly. I love Rose whether I am playing her as a mage or a rogue. I have played through with Selene twice maybe? I like all the choices! And how the choices change things! And well, Varric.

DAI- I’ve played through each race, as female, probably half a dozen times a piece. I really like being a Qunari lady, me and Sera swoon together. And it’s very different from other fantasy races I’ve played. And I love Val Cadash with her giant warhammer. The Iron Bull loves her too. Lol

04) favorite race to play as?

In all honesty? Elf. Elf me. Unless I’m playing Rose. Rose could never be an elf. So. But playing as a dwarf IS SO FUN and honestly far more relatable than playing a human.

05) favorite class?

For Origins and DA2, I prefer rogue. That being said, I hate playing rogue in DAI, so I mage it all the way.

06) do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time.

Depends on why I’m playing. For fun? I don’t care. For story plots? I keep it consistent unless I want to know how an action changes things (Hawke in the Fade :c). I do have playthroughs specifically for certain world sets too. Like World Asshole is basically thumbing the line of are my heroes even heroes anymore? Or just shiny monsters.

07) go-to adventuring group?

Origins- Zevran, Morrigan, Shale/Oghren.

Awakening- Valenna, Anders, Oghren.

DA2- Anders/Merrill, Isabella, Varric always. Rogues can tank if they try hard enough.

DAI- Varric, The Iron Bull, Viv or Dorian.

08) which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

Rose Hawke. Her past, present, and future is planned and mostly written. I adore her. She is how and why I discovered the how and why people write fanfic. And make headcanons. And Pinterest boards.

09) favorite romance?

VARRIC TETHRAS YOU COWARDS.

But in Origins, it’s Zevran. All day every day. I love me a character of questionable morals with a heart of gold. So complex, so murdery, so cute.

10) have you read any of the comics/books?

I think maybe I own them all? The books are a bit dry. But I love the comics. Superb art work, pretty good story telling. I read them mostly for lore reasons but they stay because they are good.

11) if you read them, which was your favorite book?

Until We Sleep

12) favorite DLCs?

Mark of the Assassin is just pure madness and Tallis makes me heart eye emoji. But The Descent and Jaws of Hakkon are my favorites. The music! The scenery! The stories!

13) things that annoy you?

I cannot romance Varric ever.

DAI’s gender and race locked romances. Some I get, Dorian and Sera because hi, representation matters. . But why can Cullen only romance elf/human ladies? Why on earth is Cass straight? The Iron Bull is only one who isn’t locked out of one thing or another and I love that. I love Bull. But like I feel we went meh good enough or something with the others. Especially after the everybody bangs everybody of DA2. Which was that trying to do a good or lazy writing? Dunno.

Fandom ruins a lot of things for me. I don’t want to take part in convos beyond my circle. Yikes.

Alistair. I get it, it’s tragic but ugh. I’m just too old for him. Same actually for Cullen, and for the above reason, Fandom. Yikes.

The Samson/Cullen thing they tried to replicate with Leliana and Calpurnia. It only worked for the boyos cause they are two sides of a coin. Unless Leliana is secretly a mage? Maybe she IS the ravens.

Consistent Canon doesn’t go here. They don’t even know who that is.

Why do you whitewash your own characters?

THE GODS DAMNED HINTERLANDS

I don’t want to kill the dragons. Let me recruit them.

Where the fuck is my Mabari: Inquisition Addition

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

KIRKWALL. Ferelden is quaint and Orlais is just gross. But has lots of shiny so it does rank higher than Ferelden.

15) Templars or Mages?

Mages, mostly because I want to dismantle the Chantry and continue the tradition of blowing it up. It’s bad. Templars just don’t have enough walking explosives for that.

16) if you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

I slap them all in the same verse if they are fleshed out in anyway. Rose Hawke and Val Cadash are best buds, business partners, and occasional bed warmers. Arwen Tabris is hiding from them at this point, she took that Warden Commander title and noped the fuck off around the world with Zev. She doesn’t want their drama too.

17) what did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

I name the Mabari Hero. Let’s be honest, that mabari is the true hero of the first two games.

18) have you installed any mods?

I only started modding a few months ago and haven’t modded any of these yet.

19) did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden?

Arwen- Nope. But she really wanted to live, with that much blood on her hands it was join or hang.

20) Hawke’s personality?

She’ll help but she’s tired.

21) did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition?

If by matching you mean I dyed everything but the plaid weave of shame black then yes. Plaidweave is for liars.

22) if your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

Arwen Tabris would kill Vaughan and his ilk at the wedding, not letting them take Shianni or the others.

23) do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

Rose Hawke is a rogue and a mage. Arwen Tabris is not getting married at the start of Origins. Val Cadash is still a respected member of the Carta while also being Inquisitor. Rose and Varric live happily ever after.

24) are any of your character(s) based on someone?

Rose is the one that has the most of me in her. The rest are just who they are.

26) favorite mount?

Dracolisks. Because the cowards make me kill dragons. Cowards!

[sisterlelianas]

all lady companions from da games (except for Leliana 'cause that's obvious) for the ask meme ;)

hehe i love u DAOmorriganlooks: somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY - morrigan in dao wasn’t really my thing cause she was almost like… ancient looking bc the game is old and i couldn’t find good mods for her but da: i morrigan? oofdo i relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me - i can relate to how aloof she is. i am friendly to most people but if i don’t personally know them or dislike them then i won’t hide my disapproval jsjsj also i relate to her mommy issues even though i don’t have them myself and i uh don’t want someone to kill my mother!!!would i date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady girlfriend | neither | i don’t know - i really like morrigan but if i met her during her dao phase then we would certainly not be friends. like i said, i am, generally speaking, a friendly person and do not enjoy rudeness!! if i found myself around a group of people i had to socialize with then i would do my best to make friends/allies/connections BUT if i met her during her late 30s then i’d def date her. she’s more grounded and kind even so we LOVE character development 

(the rest is under the cut bc it’s long)–> give me a character (video games) in my ask and I’ll ratethem!

wynnelooks: somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY - to be fair, this isn’t wynne’s fault. bioware made her look like an 80 year old woman when she was only 47… do i relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me - if i lived in the dragon age universe i wouldn’t be as tame as her regarding mage issues AND i wouldn’t be pro-templar. HOWEVER, the fact that she joined the warden even when she knew she was living on borrowed time is extremely brave and a noble act, which i can relate to. also, i’d probably be the mom friend in the group as well sjsjsjsjwould i date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady girlfriend | neither | i don’t know - overall i like her as a character and i think i’d look up to her given the situation that she’s in. i’d take her advice and life lessons to heart as well so yeah, we’d be friends!shalelooks: somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY - i love my rock gfdo i relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me - i, too, hate pigeonswould i date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady girlfriend | neither | i don’t know - go big or go home, ladsDA2isabelalooks: somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY - …. yes… that’s all i have to say… just. yes.do i relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me - not to sound cheesy but i’m definitely not too comfortable with the thought of someone having romantic feelings towards me/actually caring about me jsjsj but you didn’t hear that from me!!would i date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady girlfriend | neither | i don’t know - i would be best friends w her and would only be in a relationship if she wanted to settle down, if she wouldn’t want that then we’d just stay friends (im saying this bc in da: i a romanced hawke apparently says they don’t know where she is or something? i may be mistaken but i hate that idea)!merrilllooks: somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY - i’m sorry, merrill stans, but that’s all i can give you. she looks/sounds like a young teen to me which makes me a little uncomfortable jsjsjsdo i relate to this character on a personal level?:no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me - i like merrill as a character but there’s also a lot that she did that i did not agree with, during her personal quests, i mean, so… no would i date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady girlfriend | neither | i don’t know - i’d be her mom friend and i’d punch anyone just to keep her safe and unharmed, but no, i wouldn’t date her because of what i said above!!avelinelooks: somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY - ARMS… SHE COULD BENCH PRESS ME AND I LOVE THATdo i relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me - um, first of all the way she treats isabela makes me uncomfortable and i’d never speak to another woman like that… i guess the only way i can possibly relate to her is bc she cares for her friends and i can respect that but other than that i’m proud to say HARD PASSwould i date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady girlfriend | neither | i don’t know - this is hard bc i’d def tap that at least onCE in my lifetime but like. as isabela’s best friend? NO JSJSJSJS i wouldn’t be her friend bc she sounds like she would bully ppl at school and slut shame every girl who was different than her rip also she said shemlen is an elvhen slur for human,,,, a SLUR… OK bethanylooks: somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY - bethany is like… an angel but she could like also get it you know? she’s so beautiful we love a mage queendo i relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me - besides leliana, viv and josie she is probably like one of the only da ladies that i can actually be like “oh…. that’s me”. i hate conflicts and i prefer to be kind to people whenever possible and i also care about my family a lot. also, if i was a dragon age character i’d be pro-mage and anti-templar as wellwould i date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady girlfriend | neither | i don’t know - what can i say.. she has my heart but like in a soft way and i would love to take care of her i really would.. we’d be unstoppable togetherDAIcassandralooks: somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY - dark eyes… sharp jawline.. good eyebrows…good cheekbones and muscles? yesdo i relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me - i don’t think i do? the only thing that we have in common is that we’re both romantics but other than that, no, nothingwould i date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady girlfriend | neither | i don’t know - oh we would become best friends alright, and also.. since i am a giver she would DEFINITELY be perfect for me. i’d court her to hell and back and then we’d get married, the apocalypse has been delayed and solas needs to sit tf downseralooks: somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY - i feel like this is mean but i prefer to look at sera in dragon age fanart..  she’s not ugly or unattractive, she’s beautiful and i love my daughter but she’s just not really my type, you get me?do i relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me: i am grounded, i make no rash decisions and i always try to be one step ahead which is… Not what sera does sjsjsjs i like her as a character but she is too chaotic, also, i really do not relate to how disconnected she is from her people, sowould i date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady girlfriend | neither | i don’t know - like i said above, sera is too chaotic for me. i love how silly she is but i don’t really like childishness in a relationship and while i know she loves the inquisitor, no matter how horribly written that romance was, all the fooling around would really turn me off jsjsjs but yeah as friends we would hit it off right away even if we disagreed on some topics viviennelooks: somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY - no you don’t understand, vivienne is LITERALLY what i would want in someone… she’s got it ALLdo i relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me: vivienne is at a disadvantage with the court for being a mage. the tables could turn at any moment if she was not be able to get things under control and, even though i am not a mage jsjsjs, as a closeted lesbian who is trying to become a politician, i can see where she’s coming from and i can understand why she does what she does and says what she says. “a leash can be pulled from either end”… i’ll never forget thatwould i date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady girlfriend | neither | i don’t know - we would spoil each other rotten and everyone would WISH THEY HAD WHAT WE HAVE… THAT’S IT. also, as i’ve said before.. we are similar, personality wise, so i think we would really hit it off and understand each other and communicate rather easily.. so yeah my marriage has been scheduled 

[kosmonauttihai]

Carver wants so badly to impress the other hugesword-wielding warrior in the party. He keeps going at it from the exactly wrong angles, though.

Fenris’s disconnection from any elven community or culture bothers him more than he wants to admit, and having a human point it out doesn’t help (on the other hand Varric, being both a non-human and not very in touch with his own group’s culture, ends up being someone Fenris can relate to on that, which I also think is the reason that in canon Varric is apparently the only one of Hawke’s companions who ever gets to call Fenris “Elf” like it’s his name). The lyrium markings are a bundle of trauma and make for a delicate topic to try to bond over. Both Carver and Merrill bring them up as something that makes him similar to them, which to him is presumptuous and belittling of his experiences—Carver and his friends getting tattoos together and Merrill having earned a mark of adulthood of her people that she takes pride in are pretty positive associations. Fenris gets his share of moments of being an asshole and acting like he’s the only person in the world with problems, but even when uncalled-for it’s mostly out of being very unused to his problems being anything but belittled.

Interestingly his reaction to Isabela also comparing his markings to tattoos, also in Act1, is more welcoming. He’s still snarky about it, but he doesn’t seem to take offense, and even makes a joke by the end of the conversation. It helps that she doesn’t treat it as something they have in common, the markings just remind her of tattoos on sailors she’s met. Isabela also actually does have experiences similar to his, which Fenris probably doesn’t know in great detail, but maybe he can tell. I think she can tell about him. Part of Isabela’s carefree-seeming way of approaching even difficult topics is her shield of presenting herself as more shallow than she is, because invested means vulnerable. I think a lot of her banter with Fenris is, under the flirting and inappropriate jokes, also probing how far she can go with laughing about something Fenris has probably cried about and if he’s there yet to laugh, too, because she’s found it helps her. Sometimes it works for him, too, sometimes it doesn’t.

Carver’s interactions with the other companions are sad in their own right, even when his awkwardness is amusing. To begin with, they’re not so much his friends as his older sibling’s. Carver isn’t really getting to have a life of his own at the moment and most of the world treats him as just an extension of Hawke. He’s only 19 years old, but has already fought in a war, in which all of those friends he got tattoos with likely died. All we hear about Ostagar in DA2 is that it was a battle and it was lost, but it wasn’t pretty, my Warden was there and can attest. Mage!Hawke wasn’t, by the way, so (at least in canon, where on a playthrough where he makes it out of Ferelden alive, Carver is the only non-mage sibling) no one in his family really does understand his trauma. There’s Aveline, but, well, they have their own complications.

And Merrill’s life isn’t as sunny and trouble-free as Fenris thinks, either, and she feels very alone without her clan, and seems to have been a bit ostracized even among them. Out of those her age she was close with Tamlen and Mahariel at least, but she’s lost them both to the Blight. She wants to befriend the other elf in the group, and especially if she was there during Fenris’s recruitment she knows he’s been through a lot and sympathizes. Fenris wants nothing to do with her, though, and to him her loneliness seems of her own making, so the sympathy is one-sided, and rejected as pity besides.

Act1, A.K.A. everyone has all their walls up and it’s both frustrating and fascinating to watch.

[anderfels]

Uh oh, uh oh, looks like I’ve done Inq-as-a-Companion stuff. 

I’ve taken the general template from here. If you end up doing this too, please tag me because I love all of your Inquisitors. This is also uncomplete, I’m just posting it now... because... reasons... I’ll be filling out the rest later and also will be coming up with extras. 

I also have no knowledge on tarot or anything related to tarot so the image descriptions are just going to be image descriptions of what I think would fit, there is no tarot equivalent lol. I tried searching up meanings but all that gave me was confusion and I’d rather not throw out what I think might be compatible with tarot but it turns out to be Terribly Wrong. So, yeah. No tarot meanings, just pretty images (or what I think would be a pretty image). 

All of this is subject to be changed because I think something can be good one day and then look at it the next day and decide that it’s Cringe. 

Name: Davhalla Athdheani, but his friends sometimes call him “Dav” (”Dahv”) for short, a.k.a Yet Another Generic Pretty Boy Elf (As If The Dragon Age Fandom Doesn’t Have Enough Of Them Already) Race: Elf (of the Dalish variety)  Class: Rogue   Specialization: Ranger (I know this is from DA:O, but I don’t think the other specializations in DA:I fit him that well, lol. He can choose to summon a dog, elk, or a bear. Each summon lasts until they die. Throw in a passive or something where hawks will sometimes swoop down and do 300% weapon damage to an enemy. Fail miserably at attempting to adapt the Ranger specialization into something more modern.)  Varric’s Nickname For Them: Icing, due to the fact that he likes sweet rolls. More specifically, he licks the icing off of them. Yeah. Please don’t let him into the kitchen. 

...This might just be a placeholder. It depends on if I can think of something better (probably not). He also finds it incredibly embarrassing whenever Varric calls him this. He just thinks that the icing is sweet and tasty and he didn’t know Varric was standing there and he should probably be quiet now, shouldn’t he?  Short Bio: I’ll fill this in later once I can come up with something that isn’t complete nonsense.  

Companion Card: Him and a halla, facing the left. They’re in a verdant forest, the canopy preventing most sunlight except for a few golden rays, outlined with white, from peeking through. There’s a river flowing in front of them, and Davhalla has his hand on the back of the halla’s neck as it drinks. His head is facing away from the viewer, looking deeper into the forest. There’s a bow slung across his back along with a quiver containing a few arrows. It would look peaceful if not for the fact that his free hand is clenched into a fist.  If Loyal (All Personal Quests Completed): He’s shown picking up a flower, outlined in white, in a lush garden, kneeling on the ground. He’s wearing his default armor, while his bow and quiver lie on the ground next to him. This time, the viewer can see his profile. The flower’s petals rest underneath his nose, barely touching his upper lip as he takes in its fragrance. His eyes are closed. He seems serene.  If Romanced: He’s shown with his back to the viewer, pointing to the rising sun on the horizon, thin, golden lines emanating from it and spreading across the sky. He appears to be standing on a cliff, one foot resting on a rock. He doesn’t have on his bow or quiver, and a small, white flower is seen on the side of his head, looking like the one in his loyalty card. He is shown holding someone’s hand, but the only thing visible is their armored arm. 

Recruitment Mission: After meeting with the Chantry in Val Royeaux and going to a camp in the Hinterlands for the first time, an Inquisition messenger comes up to the Herald and talks about a Dalish elf who seemed very insistent that they meet them. If asked why the elf isn’t there, the messenger says that they left around half an hour before the Herald arrived, claiming that they needed to hunt their food for today but they said that they would be around the southeast, near that “weird... cult... people...” a.k.a near Winterwatch Tower. 

He is found a bit to the northeast of Winterwatch, near where you would find the cabin key for the Conscientious Objector sidequest. When approached, you find that he’s being attacked by outlaws. He’ll ask--well, yell at--the Herald for some help. He’s clearly outnumbered. 

After defeating the outlaws, he will dust off his armor and greet the Herald. If the Herald is also Dalish, he greets them with “Andaran atish’an,” and proclaim his surprise that they’re Dalish, as he wouldn’t have expected humans to follow an elf. The Herald can ask if he’s really never heard that they’re Dalish before, and he’ll sheepishly say that he assumed that it was a rumor made up to discredit the Inquisition. If they’re not, then he greets them with a simple “Hello,” and says that he’s pleased to finally meet them, along with thanking them profusely for getting him out of that situation. 

He’ll explain that he left his clan--but leave out the part where it was against his mother’s wishes--in order to join the Inquisition. If asked what he could bring the Inquisition, he’ll say that his clan, Athdheani, is well-established with some other clans and that the fledgling Inquisition could use all the help they could get, right? The Dalish have powerful mages, unparalleled trackers and navigators, people who have been using a bow, a sword, a dagger ever since they could hold one, healers who know of methods that others have forgotten, they’re the only people who can forge ironbark, etc. If it’s a Dalish Herald asking him this question, a line is added before in which he says, “I’m sure you know what we could provide, Herald, but just in case...” A Dalish Herald can also remark about how they could have heard of Davhalla’s clan before--their Keeper was pretty fussy at the last Arlathven. 

Davhalla laughs. “They can be like that.” 

If accepted into the Inquisition, Davhalla will thank the Herald with a polite bow and tell them that he’ll send word to the clans that he knows--you can notice that he never says he’ll get into contact with his own clan. The updated quest text will read Davhalla has joined the Inquisition. You now have the strength of the Dalish behind you. 

If denied, Davhalla will still politely bow to the Herald and say that he supposes they know best. “I pray that Mythal guides your path and Andruil allows your weapons to strike true,” he says before leaving the game permanently. The updated quest text will read Davhalla has returned to his own clan--and got quite the talking to by his Keeper.

Location in Haven: He can be found at the edge of the frozen lake, near Cassandra. He’ll be sitting, but if the Herald engages him in conversation, he’ll stand up.  Location in Skyhold: (before repairs) He can be found next to the main gate, leaning against the wall. (after repairs) He can be found in the gardens, to the left of the herb pots.  Location in the Winter Palace: In the gardens, next to the fountain.

Personal Quests: ...I’ll do this later.  Romance Quest: See above. 

How To Get His Approval: Like most other companions, simply being nice and doing everything you can to help innocents and civilians will gain his approval. He appreciates it when asked about his culture and his clan--in a respectful manner, of course. There is no approval gain for a Dalish elf for asking about his clan and their customs, but there is a Sʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs gain for non-Dalish Heralds/Inquisitors. He also approves of being respectful towards mages, other elves, and recruiting others for the cause. 

More approval can be earned in the field by helping the Dalish clan in the Exalted Plains. Each completed quest for them grants a Sʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs. 

Recruiting Loranil into the Inquisition grants an Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs (does not have to be in the party). 

Helping the refugees in the Hinterlands grants a Sʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs each time as well. 

Recruiting Vale’s Irregulars grants an Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs (does not have to be in the party). 

Completing the “Flowers for Senna” sidequest in the Hinterlands grants Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs. 

If Davhalla is in the party and the Inquisitor (as the dialogue option is only available in Skyhold once he relocates to the gardens) has triggered the dialogue where he talks about pressing flowers for his best friend and his sister, the Inquisitor can find Gorgeous Flowers throughout Thedas. Most are in the Emerald Graves, while places like the Hissing Wastes and Emprise du Lion have none. If a Gorgeous Flower is found (the mini-map pings when near one), it grants an Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs. He thanks the Inquisitor in either Common or Elvish--it’s random which language he uses. 

How To Get His Disapproval: Again, like most other companions, he disapproves of a rude, malevolent Herald/Inquisitor. He dislikes it if the Herald/Inquisitor dismisses Dalish beliefs (doubly so if it’s a fellow Dalish) or if they ask why he can’t worship the Maker as well (available for a faithful, Andrastian Herald/Inquisitor only). Disapproval can also be earned by siding with the Templars (unless they disband them), allowing the Grey Wardens to stay, and by executing prisoners. 

More disapproval can be earned in the field by opening the graves in Var Bellanaris or opening Unadin Grotto. Each grants a Sʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs. 

Killing the nugs in the Flooded Caves in Crestwood grants a Sʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs.  

Killing a halla with him in the party and not “looting” it grants a Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs the first time it is done. (They can continue around the map, but if they zone out/fast travel without "looting” the halla corpse, that’s when the Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs pops up.)

Bringing him along to the Winter Palace hits the Inquisitor with a Sʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs the first time they speak with him. 

Approval/Disapproval Gains From Major Events:

Giving the mages an alliance: Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Conscripting the mages: Gʀᴇᴀᴛʟʏ Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs  

Giving the Templars an alliance: Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Convince Templars to disband: Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs

Say that “an elf will stand for us all” during the ceremony after In Your Heart Shall Burn: Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Say that you’re doing it “because it’s right”: Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Say that “Corypheus must be stopped”: Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Say that you will “lead them to vengeance”: Sʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Say that you will do it “for [my] own power”: Gʀᴇᴀᴛʟʏ Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs

Have Wardens join Inquisition: Gʀᴇᴀᴛʟʏ Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Exile the Wardens: Gʀᴇᴀᴛʟʏ Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs

Publicly expose the Grand Duchess: Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Turn the Grand Duchess over to the guards: Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Allow Celene to be assassinated: Gʀᴇᴀᴛʟʏ Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Reconcile Celene and Briala: Gʀᴇᴀᴛʟʏ Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Force all three to work together: Sʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Make Gaspard emperor: Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Make Gaspard puppet for Briala: Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs

Skipping Elven rituals: Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Completing Elven rituals (doesn’t have to be in party): Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Ally with Sentinels: Gʀᴇᴀᴛʟʏ Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Reject alliance with Sentinels: Gʀᴇᴀᴛʟʏ Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs Drink from Well of Sorrows: Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs OR Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs if the Inquisitor is in a romance with him. Let Morrigan drink from Well of Sorrows: Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs OR Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs if Inquisitor is in romance with him. 

Romanceable?: Yes, by any gender and any race.  If Not Romanced, Does He Start A Relationship With Another Inquisition Member?: No, but if asked about his opinions on companions, he will sometimes comment that he finds Cassandra’s scar to be attractive. He will also comment on Blackwall’s beard. 

Who Are They Friendly With?: He’s quite friendly with Cole and Josephine, saying that he considers the both of them the closest friends he has in the Inquisition (if the Inquisitor has completed all of his personal quests and his approval is 75+, he adds on “including you, of course!”). He starts off distrusting Dorian, but ends up warming up to him through party banter (this also changes what he says about Dorian when asked). Like Dorian, he is also distrusting of Iron Bull at first. If the Inquisitor saves the Chargers, he warms up to Iron Bull, but if the Inquisitor saves the dreadnought, he continues to distrust him. 

Who Do They Dislike?: He tries his best to get along with everyone, but he does butt heads with Solas on occasion due to some differing opinions in regards to *gestures vaguely at Dalish stuff*. This can be heard through party banter. He dislikes Sera at first also due to differing opinions--but he does deserve any pushback he gets as he keeps poking at her for not believing in the Elven gods and “trying to distance herself from her heritage” as he claims. He does manage to stop pestering her about it and apologizes, saying that he never meant to make her upset. The Herald/Inquisitor also has the chance to interject and tell him to knock it off, after which he will acquiesce. After Blackwall is found out to not really have been Blackwall, he expresses contempt at what he has done. He only starts liking Blackwall again after a series of banter.  Opinions On Mages/Templars/The Whole World Going To Shit: He says that society could learn a thing or two from how the Dalish treat their mages (ignoring what Minaeve said lol). He won’t deny that there is danger, but that Templars aren’t an answer. He says that mages should have the choice between being free or studying in a Circle. He’ll even offer up the information that his mother and his best friend are both mages and they’re two of the best people he’s ever known. 

On the topic of Templars, he finds them to be corrupt and beyond salvation. If the Inquisitor points out that he’s never had a first-hand experience with Templars, he’ll respond that he may not have, but he’s heard the stories from those who have suffered at their hands. A human mage Herald/Inquisitor can say that they’ve never had troubles with Templars before and he’ll simply huff, saying that even if the Inquisitor never had a problem, there are others who have. He’ll also say that there are probably good Templars out there, but they didn’t exactly stop the bad ones, did they? 

The Herald/Inquisitor can mention that Cullen used to be a Templar. Davhalla simply replies that he knows. After a second of silence, he asks the Herald/Inquisitor if they expected him to say anything else. 

Yeah. He’s kind of got a black and white view of the whole thing with just the slightest shades of grey in there. 

But what he wants more than anything is to close the hole in the sky. I think that’s an opinion that everyone can agree on. 

Something Guaranteed To Make Him Leave The Party: As with most companions, getting his approval below -30 will cause his “crisis” cutscene. It requires the Inquisitor to actually talk to him for it to trigger so, honestly, they could keep him at the lowest approval possible and still keep him as long as they don’t actually talk to him lmao. 

He criticizes the way that the Inquisitor has been handling things, saying that perhaps their ideals do not match and he would not be suited to continue travelling with them. Any major events that the Inquisitor has done that grants disapproval will be mentioned during the cutscene (e.g. “You reined the mages in with fear knowing well that they were taken advantage of. (if Inquisitor is a non-mage) Would you enjoy being constantly scrutinized and kept under lock and key? / (if Inquisitor is a mage) I cannot believe that you would turn on your own so easily,” if the mages were conscripted.) 

If the Inquisitor says that they’ll change, he Gʀᴇᴀᴛʟʏ Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs and will stay, but if his approval goes back under -30, he will leave and not give the Inquisitor a chance to convince him otherwise. The Inquisitor can also tell him to leave as they didn’t have much use for him anyway, to which he will reply, “(If Inquisitor is Dalish) Fen'Harel ma ghilana. / (If Inquisitor is not Dalish) Farewell, Inquisitor. I will wish you luck. You will need it.” There’s also a... politer? option in which the Inquisitor tells him he can leave if it bothers him, to which he will bow his head and leave in silence. 

(Do you think Solas’ ears tingle if Davhalla says the Fen’Harel line? Idk it’s hilarious to me thinking about how he’s like. Argued with Fen’Harel before.) 

I also had another idea but honestly it felt like... a nightmare from a logical standpoint but I also liked it but I also had no idea how to implement it lmaoooo.

Special Events:

Imprisoned at Redcliffe: 

He can be found in the same cell that Sera would occupy--if Sera is in the party, then he occupies the same cell that Cassandra would occupy. If Cassandra and Sera are in the party, he occupies the same cell that Iron Bull would occupy. When found, he’s sitting cross-legged, facing the wall, praying to the Pantheon. When talked to, he expresses disbelief that the Herald is alive, saying that he thought Falon’din had guided them to the afterlife a long time ago. When Dorian explains that they were simply sent to the future, he looks both relieved and bitter. Relieved because that means this could all be avoided... but the Herald and Dorian didn’t have to live what they’ve been through. “Reverse this. Please.” He says after a moment’s pause, looking hopefully at the Herald and Dorian. “What they have done... it was monstrous. You cannot let this happen.”  If he is the first companion to be saved, he informs the duo that Alexius was simply a puppet for the Elder One. “He assassinated the Orlesian Empress. He brought with him an army of demons. No one could stand against them. Elgar’nan knows we could not, hard as we may have tried.” He looks at the Herald. “It was... hard, without you. We had no time to mourn, but I prayed that you found peace.” If he is the second companion to be saved, he tells the Inquisitor that the guards have been talking about how Alexius never leaves the throne room--not even to eat. “He would have starved to death if not for his servants.”

The Party at the Winter Palace: 

Oh, boy. As said before, the Inquisitor is hit with a Sʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ Dɪsᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs the second they talk to him. He’s not enjoying himself at all, saying that he’s been mistaken for a servant thrice despite him wearing the uniform of the Inquisition.  If he is romanced, he’ll say that he’s glad the Inquisitor is around, though. “It gives me peace knowing that you are close.” He will also tell the Inquisitor to be careful, saying that it feels like they are being observed like a hawk watches their prey. He’ll also whisper something about being uncomfortable with how much scrutiny they are under. This happens regardless of romance.   A romanced Inquisitor can ask him if he would like to dance, but he declines, saying that he does not want the Inquisitor’s reputation to take a hit for dancing with an elf. If the Inquisitor is also an elf, he’ll say that the court can barely take one elf, what more with two?  His disapproval can be offset by asking him if he wants something to eat. Embarrassed, he will say that he saw some sweet rolls on a table somewhere and that they looked rather enticing. You get a Sʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs just for asking and a full Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs if you actually do it.  While exploring the Palace, Davhalla will express his desire to keep a halla statue for himself. 

In The Fade:

I’ll think of his reaction to actually being in the Fade later lol. His gravestone reads “Loneliness.”  The demon taunts him about how everyone he loves is going to leave him sooner or later, and nothing he can do will stop that. He responds with a small huff. 

Greetings:

Cold/Hostile (-30 to -5):

“I assume this is important.”

“May I be of assistance?” (said in a crisp tone)

“What is it you require?” (said in a crisp tone)

“I am surprised to see you here.” 

 He will bid the Inquisitor farewell with “Indeed.” 

Neutral (-4 to 34): 

“Hello.”

“Am I needed?” 

“I am listening.” 

He will bid the Inquisitor farewell with “Goodbye.” 

Warm (35 to 74):

“May I be of assistance?” (said in a warmer, excited tone) 

“What is it you require?” (said in a warmer, excited tone) 

“I am here to help.” 

He will bid the Inquisitor farewell with “See you soon” or “As you were.” 

Friendly (75 to 125):

He will also use his “warm” greetings, but is more likely to say these:

“On dhea’him.”/”Good afternoon.”

“At your service.” 

“Whatever you need, my friend.” 

He will bid the Inquisitor farewell with “See you soon” or “I hope we talk again” or “I will be here.” 

Romanced:

“Ma vhenan.” (My heart.)

“Ma lath.” (My love.)

“What do you wish of me?”

He will bid the Inquisitor farewell with his “friendly” greetings or “Dareth shiral” or “Come back soon, ma vhenan.” 

I’ll come back to this later. Or never. It depends. I’ll probably... revise the recruitment quest too or something. I’m not a game developer so naturally... not the best ksdjfgkfdslajf

[celestialarcadia]

Dear Chocolatier

This ended up kind of long. I really hope this doesn’t come across as too picky! While I’ve included prompts and general rambling, I can’t predict everything that I’d be interested in--so as long as your idea doesn’t fall under my DNWs, I’ll be happy to read whatever you come up with! This is mostly geared towards fic, since I’m not very good at talking about art, but I’d also be ecstatic about art fills. Full letter under the cut. (Note that I missed nominations, so I was limited to whatever was in the tagset; not all of my favorite relationships in these works are represented.)

What you need to know about me is that most, if not all, of my favorite pairings include some element of opposites attract. I’m not sure that’s the right phrase to use, since it’s often not literal opposites that attract me to a pairing. What I love is when characters have some sort of large difference(s) between them that is impossible to ignore, requires there to be communication between the members of the pairing, and (this is the big one!!) all the members of the relationship love each other in part because of the differences between them as well as recognizing the similarities they have. It’s a bit hard to explain in words, but I hope that helps. To use examples from the pairings I’ve requested: human/elf, human/alien, alien/different alien, human/robot AI, mage/warrior, warrior/diplomat, witch/fairy, angel/demon...I let out a dreamy sigh just typing those out, which should explain how much I love this trope lmao.

I want happy endings. There’s a place for tragedies, but I need to be in a very specific mood to gain satisfaction from them, and right now in my life I can’t really appreciate them much. I generally prefer a “happily ever after”, but “happy for now” is also acceptable (and is more appropriate for several of the pairings on this list). While I enjoy fluff, I’d also be happy with something more dramatic as long as it ultimately has a HEA/HFN. I’ve enjoyed hurt/comfort, but I usually prefer them to be heavy on the comfort.

Regarding smut: I’m fine with or without it. I’m asexual and porn does nothing for me sexually, but I can enjoy erotica, even PWPs, as an exploration of intimacy between characters. (Not necessarily even romantic intimacy--I’ve enjoyed smut about friends with benefits.) Stuff I enjoy in smut: blindfolds; body worship; bondage; cunnilingus; edging; facesitting; femdom/malesub; gentle domination; intercrural; mirror sex; multiple orgasms; mutual masturbation; pegging; praise kink; service topping; vibrators; wax play. And if the scene goes into BDSM territory, aftercare!

However! I am also a very, very big fan of non-sexual intimacy. Kissing, hugging, cuddling, spooning, literal sleeping together, massages, holding hands, words of affirmation...I could go on and on. Love it all. If you headcanon a character in a requested pairing as asexual, go for it!

Special shoutout to characters bathing together (preferably in a very large bathtub or similar body of water). It can easily lead to sex, and I don’t mind if it does, but I almost prefer if it doesn’t cross that line.

General DNW: 24/7 D/s, A/B/O, abuse between characters in requested pairings, ageplay, amnesia, ass to mouth, BDSM society AU, bestiality, bloodplay in settings without magical healing, breathplay, cancer, canon bi character portrayed as straight or gay, canon gay character portrayed as straight or bi, cheating/infidelity by character in a requested pairing, crossovers, daddy/mommy kink, death of a character's parent(s) as a major plot element (references to canon parent death OK but try not to linger too long on it), describing genitals of any kind as "weeping", dub-con, eating disorders, enemas, explicit underage, fake relationship, feederism, fisting, guro, hatesex, humiliation kink, incest, inflation, kidfic (canon kids OK but I'd rather not have a fic centering around them), lactation kink, love triangles, maledom/femsub, necrophilia, nipple clamps, permanent death of a character in a requested pairing, petplay, plots centered around prejudice or -isms, pregnancy, rape/non-con, rape roleplay/consensual non-consent, reader insert, rimming, scat, school-related AU, self-harm, sex in public places, soulmates AU, sounding, spanking, vore, watersports/omorashi, zombies

Some of these fandoms/pairings have more written about them than others. Please don’t take that as an indication that I’ll be disappointed if you pick a pairing or fandom I’ve written less about here--I really will be happy with any of these pairings!

Cinderella Phenomenon

(Psst...this is a free game...consider playing it?)

Delora/Parfait: I didn’t consider this pairing until I saw it in the tagset and now I 100% ship it. Love me a goth witch and pastel fairy couple. I’d like to see them negotiating around the drastically different perceptions of witches and fairies in Angielle. Or maybe something a bit fluffy, like sharing a stolen moment away from the Marchen, or just taking a break from the trials of everyday life.

Pairing-specific DNW: Work set during/after Rumpel’s, Waltz’s, or Fritz’s routes

Lucette Riella Britton/Karma: While I enjoyed the game as a whole, I think Karma’s route was my favorite. For all his eccentricities, Karma recognizes Lucette’s terrible upbringing and how it affected her before the other characters do, and the fact that he’s a prince means that you can get up to some really nice royal intrigue and politics with this pairing. (Also, I wonder--does Karma continue to wear dresses after his curse is broken, just for the fun of it?)

Pairing-specific DNW: Explicit smut (fade-to-black is fine)

Dragon Age

Fandom-specific DNW: Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor sides with templars, rivalmances for DA2 LIs, Cullen as major character

Alistair/Male Surana: Oh, Alistair, my first DA love. Even though he never actually became a templar, he was still trained as one, and I think that could cause some issues in a relationship with a mage. And being an elf mage? Whew. Even though I don’t want something where Alistair becomes king, I’m fine with something where they discuss the possibility of Alistair becoming king, as long as they ultimately decide not to put him on the throne. You could also do something set after DAO/Awakening, where both are active Wardens--maybe they’ve been separated for a few months for Warden-y reasons and they’ve just reunited?

Pairing-specific DNW: Alistair as king, Loghain recruited into Wardens

Fenris/Hawke: Any gender Hawke is fine (I just have m!Fenhawke tagged because it was in the tagset). My Hawke is female, but feel free to write male or nb Hawke; my Hawke is also a mage, because I like the idea of them falling in love despite the tension that causes between them--but if you’d rather write a warrior/rogue Hawke, that’s also good. (If you want to include specific details about my Hawke: she’s named Samantha, specializes in healing, and is mostly purple/joking with a blue/diplomatic streak. I headcanon her as asexual even if it can’t really be replicated in the game. But I’ll be fine with whatever Hawke you choose to write.)

Zevran Arainai/Warden: Like with Fenris, I’m not picky about which genre or origin you pick and only put in the tags in the set for matching purposes. My Zev-romancing Warden is a f!Brosca, but if you prefer another gender/origin, do whatever you want. These two are my favorite enemies-to-lovers pairing, in part because Zevran never had any hard feelings for the Warden in the first place. (And the Warden telling Nathaniel “Some of my best friends have attempted to kill me” during Awakening gains a whole new level of hilarity with romanced Zev.) Zev comes across as a devil-may-care flirt, but he turns out to be a respectful lover if you actually put the effort to get to know him beyond surface level. (Also, that cool-ass Crow armor from the World of Thedas artbook. A+)

Female Lavellan/Josephine Montilyet: Josie! (｡♥‿♥｡) And I romance her with a f!Lavellan, so it’s a nice coincidence that this was in the tagset lol. I’ll be good with just about anything you come up with for this pairing. Josephine is one of the few non-Dalish characters who at least tries to be respectful of Lavellan’s Dalish heritage, even if she is a bit clumsy about it sometimes. My Lavellan is a lesbian mage named Ilena if you’re interested in including those details, but I’ll be happy with any f!Lavellan.

Josephine Montilyet/Cassandra Pentaghast: Fun fact--I ship this because of a bondage fic I read lmao. They have a very interesting dynamic--a warrior who kills on a regular basis (even if for a good cause); a diplomat who has renounced violence. I won’t be picky about anything for this pairing, either.

Good Omens

Fandom-specific DNW: Reverse AU (I don’t mind these but I’m not interested in receiving one), Aziraphale falling, smut involving Crowley’s snake form, work set before Crowley’s fall, strict top/bottom dynamics

Note: I’ve read the book and watched the series. I’m fine with stuff set in either canon (hence why I requested both). If you want to combine elements from both, that’s cool too.

Aziraphale/Crowley: My most recent love. I have lots and lots of feelings (at least a billion) about these two. Enough that I have a goddamn LIST.

I’m fine with any combination of genders/presentations/efforts/pronouns for these two. I headcanon Aziraphale as being agender with he/him pronouns and Crowley as genderfluid, but again, anything works. Lately I’ve adored fics and art of butch female-presenting Aziraphale, too.

Chubby Aziraphale!! I love!! So much!! Dovetails very well with my interest in body worship (sexual or otherwise). Crowley loves his soft angel!! So much!! And! So much cuddling potential!! (More serious note: I’m not a huge fan of stuff where Aziraphale is extremely self-conscious about his body. Surely he’d miracle himself a different shape if he hated it so much? And he’s been around for millennia, so he’s witnessed beauty standards change drastically over time. It makes more sense in human AUs, but it’s still something I tolerate more than enjoy.)

I’m a big fan of “Aziraphale and Crowley through history” stuff. Pick a time period you like and go wild. Personally, I have a huge soft spot for the 1920s--Crowley would look amazing in a flapper dress. (Realistic or Hollywood-style, take your pick.) (I know that according to the TV script they didn’t see each other between the fight at St James and the church scene, but...bah. Flapper Crowley!!) Some great opportunities for mutual pining, or if you want to write an AU where they got together before the Notpocalypse, go for it.

I have a big soft spot for stuff where Crowley is in his snake form (no smut, please--if the story turns that way I want him in his human form for sex)

I will never ever get tired of “first love confession” or “first kiss” stories for these two because I am a romantic sap who just wants them to be happy (they’ve spent so long not being able to be close to each other! they deserve it!!)

Outsider POVs: “random normal person weirded out by bizarre relationship between fussy bookseller and his goth husband” is one of my favorite fandom tropes

Praise kink! I mentioned this in my general smut likes but it bears repeating here. The major fanon is Crowley having a praise kink, which is wonderful and valid (tfw your crush calls you nice and it turns you on so much you try to play it cool by shoving him against a wall). I’ve seen some stuff recently with Aziraphale having a praise kink and now that’s an idea. (He’s spent so long just wanting to be good for Heaven! Even though Heaven’s standard for what’s good is kind of terrible and they hate him anyway so he’d never be good enough for them! But Crowley knows that Aziraphale is good and he’s more than willing to tell him every little thing he loves about him! aaaaaaaa) Regardless of who has the kink, I think they’d be a bit embarrassed at first at having it found out (Crowley: “Being turned on by compliments? C’mon, that’s not me” [it’s totally him]/Aziraphale: “It’s...a bit selfish, isn’t it?” [but since when has that stopped him]), but the other would be more than willing to indulge. (And while Aziraphale is naturally suited to provide praise, given how good he is with words, I think Crowley could grow into the role too, in his own way.)

Heart of the Woods

Tara Bryck/Morgan Fischer, Abigail Dalsing/Madison Raines: I put these two together because they’re so intertwined in the original game, but if you want to focus on one pairing over the other, that’s great! Something that really interests me would be seeing how Morgan and especially Abby would react to the...idiosyncrasies of modern-day America. Also, Abby being introduced to the internet could be hilarious. (Also also, Morgan getting to live her best butch life, and Tara being her slightly overly enthusiastic cheerleader.) On a more serious note, how does Maddie move on after leaving Taranormal?

Lake of Voices

(Psst...this is also a free game...consider playing it too?)

Kikka/Margret: I’m less interested in fluff for this pairing thanks to how dark the original material is, but I’d still rather not have something totally grim. Margret’s route isn’t truly romantic, not really, but considering the short period of time the game takes place during, that’s not surprising--so I’d like to see how their relationship progresses after the events of the game.

Mass Effect Trilogy

Fandom-specific DNW: Sabotaging the genophage cure; Control/Synthesis/Refusal endings; synthetics dying in Destroy ending (yes I know this is canon, no I don’t care; please don’t do post-ME3 if you aren’t willing to work around this); dead Wrex; no peace between geth and quarians (for ME3)

Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian: While Shakarian isn’t my favorite ME pairing, I do still love it. No Shepard without Vakarian, after all. They work so well as a battle couple and have such great chemistry. My Garrus-romancing Shepard is a Paragade Vanguard named Elliott, Earthborn/War Hero if you want those details.

Female Shepard & Mordin Solus: Death DNW doesn’t apply to this one; hit me with all the feels over Mordin’s death (I don’t like what you have to do for him to survive). Or avoid the issue by doing something set during ME2. Alien Sex Ed is always a classic trope, or something more serious regarding Mordin’s past as an STG operative or his work with the genophage.

Grunt & Female Shepard: Shepard is very proud of her strong krogan vat bby.

Kolyat Krios & Female Shepard: With or without Shep/Thane (”YOU’RE NOT MY REAL MOM”), either works. If there’s romance, how does Kolyat react to his missing dad showing up with a human girlfriend? Does Shepard try to become a part of Kolyat’s life or does she try to stay out of it? There’s less reason for Shepard to get involved if there’s no Thanemance, but I think there’s still opportunity there, since Kolyat and Thane keep in contact after the loyalty mission is completed.

Pairing-specific DNW: Thane dying

Thane Krios/Female Shepard: My favorite ME pairing! At least until BW fucked it up in ME3. (I still kind of haven’t forgiven them.) They have a very mature relationship, I think--both of them a bit weary--and they find solace in each other, at least until the inevitable. I would prefer a fic set during ME2, or in the time period between the end of ME2 and Shepard being detained before ME3. If you want to make something set during ME3, I’d like to see him receive treatment (not necessarily a cure, though I won’t complain if you go that route, but preferably something more realistic than “oh I took a pill and now I’m all better!” or similar) for Kepral’s. I also don’t like the defeatist “well, I guess I’m just gonna lay down and die now” attitude he has when you meet him at Huerta in ME3; it clashes so much with his entire ME2 arc, which has him realize that he does still have things to live for (his son, for one, and Shepard if you romance him). If you’re interested in details about my Shepard: her name is Diana; she’s a Paragon Infiltrator, Colonist/War Hero.

Pairing-specific DNW: Excessive focus on his illness (I know it’s a big part of his character, and I don’t expect people to avoid it entirely, but I don’t enjoy stuff that’s centered totally around it); Irikah bashing or trying to portray her as unimportant

Nyreen Kandros/Aria T’Loak: (STILL SCREAMING ABOUT BADASS TURIAN LADY) I want to see something from when these two were still together, or a fix-it where Nyreen doesn’t die and she and Aria enter a (possibly uneasy) truce. Less concerned about happiness for this one as long as neither of them dies; I’m fine if it ends up that their relationship just doesn’t work out.

EDI/Samantha Traynor: Geeky lesbian with a robot kink + sexy fembot = ooh la la. On a serious note, how would a human/AI relationship work? There’s a lot of possibilities here.

Stardew Valley

Fandom-specific DNW: Player siding with Joja-Mart

Abigail/Female Player, Elliott/Player, Leah/Female Player, Maru/Female Player: I’m putting these together not because I think they’re interchangeable (they’re not), but because what I want is basically the same for each of them--slice-of-life about the farmer and their partner (either dating or married...or dating then married; no kids please), with emphasis on how the partner’s personality and lifestyle meshes, or doesn’t mesh, with the player’s farm life. Maybe there’s conflicts that have to be resolved, compromises that have to be made. (But I do want them to eventually work it out and be happy together.) If you pick Elliott/Player, I’m fine with whatever gender farmer you want.

Sweet Fuse: At Your Side

Inafune Saki/Meoshi Kouta: One thing I enjoyed about Meoshi’s route is how he doesn’t have to give up games entirely in order to deserve love and improve as a person, he just develops a healthier relationship with gaming. I like the idea of Kouta participating in a fighting game tournament with Saki cheering him on...or maybe he taught her how to play and she’s a competitor too now? DUN DUN DUN. (but it’s all in good fun)

Pairing-specific DNW: Explicit smut (fade-to-black is fine)

Original Work

Dethroned and Dishonored Queen/Lone Loyal Female Knight

Lady Locked in a Tower/Lady Who Turns Into a Hawk

Female Werewolf Hunter/Her Boyfriend Who Gets Turned Into a Werewolf

Female Tall Muscular Badass/Female Short Chubby Nerd

Hiker/Sporty Girl Who Sprained Her Ankle Miles from Nowhere

Grumpy Lonely Sorceress/Female Courtesan She Hires for a Ritual

Female Witch/Female Werewolf

Female Witch/Female Demon She Accidentally Summons

Female Knight/Female Bath Attendant with a Crush

Female Gamer/Female Bookworm

Female Court Painter/Impatient Princess Sitting for a Painting

Female Armorsmith/Female Warrior Who Needs Frequent Repairs

Female Adventurer Lost in the Snow/Female Fire Spirit

Male Speakeasy Bartender/Male Speakeasy Piano Player

Librarian/Her Monster-Hunting Wife Who Keeps Dragging Her Into Wacky Supernatural Adventures

Sensible Royal Guardswoman/Arrogant but Skilled Court Sorceress

Dark Mage/Light Mage

Beleaguered Playwright/Actress Cursed to Ruin Any Show She’s In

Female Vampire/Female Vampire Hunter

Victorian Lady/Victorian Lady

GO WILD. Just don’t hit my DNWs. For the pairings that don’t specify the genders of both members, I’d prefer f/f works.

[orodrethsgeek]

If you don't mind, can I ask about your ot4? Im curious what first drew Mahanon and Lahariel to Liriel and Solas, as well as each other!And now that they know each other, what's something they respect/appreciate about them?

-shows up several months late without even a Starbucks to show for it- hey I hear it’s your birthday? Happy birthday!

First of all, I’m so sorry this took me forever! XD second of all, let’s finally get to it. I’ll hit these up in chronological order.

Mahanon and lahariel were the first of the ot4 to meet—lahariel was originally a member of Clan Sabrae, and the only one (besides Merrill… and the missing Warden Lyna/Linarel) to survive the events of DA2. Members of Clan Lavellan who had been sent to negotiate a trade of halla to their sister clan found him alone in the wreckage of the Sabrae camp and brought him back to Lavellan.

So the lahariel mahanon first met was completely hollowed out by grief and guilt. He was a warrior of Sabrae, the warleader’s heir apparent, and he had failed his duty. And sometime between when the attack happened and when the Lavellan Dalish found him, he’d fixated on rogue mages as being responsible (as both Hawke and Merrill are mages in this worldstate). He was hit hard with PTSD and compensating by being an arrogant, entitled ass. All in all, not exactly the most fun person to be around.

Mahanon was drawn to him out of pity, at first. Lahariel made few friends in Lavellan, and mahanon is the sort of person who hates to see anyone alone not out of choice but because no one wants to spend time with them. Part of lahariel’s trauma manifested as nightmares, so he hardly ever slept in the aravels and tents (to avoid waking anyone up), choosing instead to sit up around the embers of the night’s fires. Mahanon took to joining him there and prattling away to fill the silence, often falling asleep on lahariel’s shoulder in the early morning hours. And slowly over the course of those late night talks, mahanon started seeing a different side of lahariel—someone who revered the Dalish warriors of old, who had always tried to hold himself to those standards of courage and honor; someone who was cocky, yes, but with the skill to match his ego (which made losing his Clan all the worse); someone who had travelled across more of Thedas, met more people, and was generally better educated than mahanon, and more scholarly than his warrior persona would lead strangers and even acquaintances to believe. Mahanon is a great lover of stories and that quieter lahariel, the one who showed through the gaps of his bad attitude armor, could have been any number of tragic heroes brought to life.

As for lahariel, he was drawn to mahanon’s kindness and persistence. It was hard to be ugly or angry at mahanon—he’d shrug off nastiness, and sometimes even laugh and tell little self-effacing jokes in response, taking the bite out of anything lahariel could have said to him. Whenever he did get upset, his response was to be unyieldingly polite, which shamed lahariel more effectively than a fight ever could have. He was never more than a competent hunter at best, but he always did his best, even though his love of animals made him particularly unsuited for the task. He wasn’t flashy, he wasn’t amazingly talented, but he wasn’t easily deterred, and that was a sort of strength lahariel was drawn to. Lahariel fell for him fairly quickly, to be honest, much sooner than mahanon fell for him.

Liriel was the next member of the ot4 to come along. She was another orphan Lavellan adopted, and both boys were drawn to her for vastly different reasons. They first encountered her shape-shifted into the form of a mabari. Mahanon left portions of his rations out for her to steal at night; lahariel would sit up and talk to the mabari about his clan and ferelden at night. And then it was revealed that the mabari was actually a mage girl.

Mahanon was drawn to her strength and her wildness; where others saw a half-human girl who didn’t know when to keep her opinions to herself, mahanon saw someone who had survived the unimaginable and held on to a fundamental freeness of spirit that embodied what he felt it meant to be Dalish. (Liriel is “never again shall we submit” personified.)

Lahariel was initially drawn to her out of paranoia. She was everything he was most afraid of—a rogue, half human mage (bad) who quickly earned Keeper Deshanna’s trust (worse). Unable to get his new keeper to take this threat seriously and desperate not to lose his new clan, lahariel took it upon himself to keep an eye on Liriel—setting off a lot of liriels trauma in the process. (These two were not good for each other in the beginning.) they butted heads a lot in those early days, but lahariel at least felt a spark of chemistry there. They argued pretty much whenever they saw each other, but in a weird, definitely unhealthy way they did give each other an outlet for their argumentative streaks. By the time Keeper Deshanna named her First, lahariel had come to see Liriel as a member of the clan—misguided and endlessly frustrating, sure, but clan nonetheless.

As for solas—mahanon was drawn to him right from the start; there’s an indefinable magnetism between them no matter the verse. In this one, mahanon was drawn to Solas’ storytelling abilities and his wisdom; it took very little time for mahanon to adopt him as a pseudo-keeper during their time in the inquisition, when mahanon was feeling more and more uncertain as time went on.

Lahariel on the other hand… I suppose you could say he was “drawn” to solas out of jealousy and later suspicion? I think it’s safe to say those two came together latest as a couple, and it didn’t happen until years and years and years down the line. But initially, during inquisition, he was jealous of the bond solas and mahanon forged virtually overnight, and suspicious of his motives/story (possibly this was related to his jealousy, though in his defense inquisitor!lahariel was also suspicious of solas early on).

(Later, when lahariel and solas first started… warming up to each other, it was bloody-minded “I will have the last metaphorical word or I will die” stubbornness and a general sense of oneupmanship that drew them to each other. Oops. The feelings came later, lol.)

(Lahariel projects a very, ah… “bro” persona and likes to think of himself as someone who can do sex without feelings, no strings attached. He is wrong and he now has three spouses to prove it.)

As for something they respect/appreciate about their partners….

Mahanon appreciates lahariel’s steadiness—beneath the cocksure attitude, lahariel is quite grounded. He has a whole new appreciation for liriel’s determination and wildness, but he also appreciates her confidence, especially the confidence she places in him. And he appreciates the way Solas has learned and adapted over the years, how he’s owned up to his mistakes and grown from them.

Lahariel appreciates mahanon’s capacity for leadership, something he never saw in mahanon when they first met. He appreciates Liriel’s forgiveness—it takes time, but lahariel does come to realize how terribly his mage paranoia affected her, and the fact that she forgives and loves him blows her away. And he appreciates Solas’ quietness—they’re both introverts, and lahariel appreciates that they can just chill together.

Anyway, sorry again that this took so long -I am fail- and I hope this is what you were looking for? Also happy birthday! And @robotslenderman can let me know if I’ve forgotten anything, lol