#i only ended up with 2 wardens. 1 hawke. 1 inquisitor

[castor-redd]

I can’t decide if I want my Rook’s canon to be sending Neve or Bellara to deal with the wards. I hate missing the final romance scene and the interactions with romanced Neve following the Isle of the Gods (my warden really needed her support), but I also want the juicy drama that comes with Neve getting yoinked and blighted. My Rook spent the entire game fretting over her friends getting blighted. She also did her damndest — and failed miserably — to dodge love. So to potentially lose Neve to the blight… That’s some good angst.

[ohnoitstbskyen]

Oh no. Sir I believe I'm going to need you to explain that Dragon Age 2 opinion, that is a BLAZING hot take

I really don't think it is. Although of course all of this is personal opinion, not some sort of divine proclamation on high about which video games people are allowed to prefer, so take please it in the spirit it is offered.

Origins is a worldbuilding walking tour as much about explaining its own in-universe lore and fantasy history as it is about either its characters or the actual story that is happening in the game. It's a cool world! With some great lore! But also it is built entirely around Generic Fantasy Plot Structure #1 and never particularly seems interested in innovating, or surprising the player. On top of which, a lot of its setting and lore is pretty weakly sketched and doesn't really get developed into something either visually or narratively compelling until it gets built out in later games.

And while Inquisition has some genuinely fantastic characters, everything else about the game suffers very badly from the plague of BioWare Magic™, i.e. the production was an absolute mess up until the last minute when five hundred extremely overworked and underpaid creative geniuses somehow managed to wring a functional experience out of the trainwreck. It was made with fucking Frostbite of all things, jesus christ, it's holding together with spit and duct tape.

Now, Dragon Age 2 shares a bunch of the problems of Origins and Inquisition. It too bears the hallmarks of "our executives couldn't plan a healthy game production cycle if their lives depended on it" with a lot of unfinished content, half-assed sidequests and a truly frustrating over-reliance on a combat system that isn't half as engaging to use as it needed to be.

But Dragon Age 2 also has something neither of its siblings could ever even hope to match: an actual compelling protagonist.

Like, listen, I know people adore their headcanons about their Wardens and Inquisitors, and it has made for some truly amazing fanworks, but Hawke is literally the only actual character out of all of them. Hawke has conflicts, problems, needs and drives that actually inform and push the story forward, they have a family and a history and a reason to give a sh** about the central conflict of the narrative.

In Origins and Inquisition both, your character becomes the main character of the story entirely because of fate and random chance. You are the Chosen One and you are the only one who can Save The World because you're the last of the super special elite fantasy Hero Squad, or because you got some green magic stuck in your hand by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Because the character is a complete blank slate onto which the player is expected to project themselves, random chance and circumstance are the only tools the plot can use to position them as main characters. There is no character to drive them to it.

In Dragon Age 2, Hawke becomes the champion because they're trying to build a new life for their family in Kirkwall, and end up embroiled in the chaos and politics that befall the city as a natural consequence of living in it and dealing with the conditions of it. Hawke and their family's needs and wants drive their actions, and push them to engage in endeavors that influence the course of history. They have agency (in the conceit of the narrative, at least) over how their life turns out, they make choices that have consequences, rather than being dictated into the position of Main Character by a literal looming apocalypse that permits no other course of action.

And I'm not about to sit here and claim that Dragon Age 2's story is perfect or that every character is a masterpiece or that every plotline is amazing. No, there's plenty of scuff and jank and things that have aged poorly and unresolved plot threads and all the rest of it.

And I am definitely not forgetting the godsdamned DLC where BioWare threw it all overboard by inventing a Special Bloodline Plot where oops it turns out Hawke actually IS a special chosen one specially chosen by a special fate to have a special role in Saving The World because they're special because of fate and destiny and blah blah, I still think that was phenomenally stupid (especially when Corypheus wasn't even Hawke's goddamn main villain to deal with what was any of this supposed to add to their character ffs BioWare)

But even with all its problems, the simple fact that Hawke is a character you can give a shit about independent of your own projection as a player - the fact that Hawke isn't just an empty bland blank slate with no personality, no traits, no wants or needs or drives - that has made Dragon Age 2 infinitely more memorable to me than either Origins and Inquisition. I think about it to this day. I think about Hawke to this day. I care about what happens to the character in a way that I just simply could never bring myself to do with either my Wardens or my Inquisitors.

[tossawary]

I mentioned before that I think DA2 is perhaps the most appealing to me for a Time Travel AU. This is in part because Hawke as a protagonist doesn't have to worry about an impending apocalypse in the same way that the Warden and the Inquisitor do, so there's arguably more space for slow-moving character work, and I think it would be fun to explore Hawke's relationship to Kirkwall.

You can take Inquisition-era Hawke, sacrifice them in the Fade, and then handwavy magic happens there that sends Hawke back for a Time Travel Redo. (If it's irrelevant to the rest of the story, let's skip going into depth on the time travel method! It does not matter!) If you want to avoid time paradox concerns, given that time magic actually exists in this series, this can actually be a Dimension Travel AU as well, sending a Garrett Hawke back in time to another dimension where there's a Marian Hawke instead or something. Two Hawkes!

I prefer sending a mage Garrett Hawke "back" into this alternate dimension because he is absolutely going to look like his own father, Malcolm, to the young Hawke family trying to escape Lothering. And that's some delicious angst.

Another reason that I think Hawke in particular would be interesting is that I think it would be interesting to have a time-traveler (dimension-traveler) be upfront about what had happened to them. A tired Garrett Hawke reveals at least the basics of the "future" to his friends and family (all of whom are strangers to him and it hurts) because he wants to keep them safe, and then the butterfly effects of canon divergence ripple out from there.

There are so many time travel fics where the protagonist confides in no one or only does so very late in the story. There are often reasons for this. 1) They will not be believed. 2) They are surrounded by enemies. 3) They are focused on changing a very specific event and do not want things to change before that. 3.5) They are unwilling to share their knowledge and give up some measure of control over the future. (These control issues are often in-character!)

Sometimes, I am persuaded by these reasons and find them compelling and sympathetic. Sometimes, I find the protagonist's insistence on doing everything alone frustrating and even cruel.

I think that if Hawke had the chance to do a Time Travel Redo, it would be incredibly cruel if they did not at least TRY to share some of their knowledge with their companions. I don't think Hawke's companions would believe them immediately, of course, but they live in a world with strange magic. If Hawke was willing to be calm and vulnerable, they could at least give their future friends some potential leads in their individual quests (being open about the fact that this world may be different to their own).

Like, let's look at Fenris. Fenris would not trust some strange mage talking about fucking time magic, of course. But after knowing each other for a month or so, Hawke might be able to approach Fenris and say, "Hey, I have a really weird story to tell you." And then Hawke could share what they know about Fenris' past according to their own world, so that Fenris can maybe look into that and prepare himself. Because keeping that information away from Fenris is a dick move! Fenris deserves to be able to decide what to believe, what to investigate, and what to do for himself.

I also don't think I could suspend my disbelief if Hawke let Anders and Justice just... play out again over the course of years. I think most Hawkes wouldn't be able to resist confronting Anders in some way! Even Hawkes who end up saying, "I'm going to personally murder Meredith this time." Is a mage-friendly Hawke just going to let characters like Karl Thekla be made Tranquil and be killed again?

Do Merrill and Isabella and Varric and Aveline not deserve to try and avert some of the tragedies in their own lives?

Like, it is totally reasonable for Hawke to be focused purely on their own family or the companions they like, rather than try to save every person in the city. I think it's more than fine if there are tragedies a protagonist just doesn't care about averting. Hawke is not even going to remember everything.

And it is VERY normal for people not to want to give up some measure of control over their lives, especially someone as traumatized as Hawke. I do often find it realistic that a lot of time traveling characters in fanfiction are kind of "control freaks" who don't want to be vulnerable, even if it's "safe" to be. I'm imagining that this future-sharing from Hawke would stem in large part from 1) exhaustion, 2) loneliness, and 3) Hawke being used to celebrity, due to the "Tale of the Champion", and somewhat blasé by this point about all the fucking shit they've been through.

And I think that spilling everything (or even just the basics) would not necessarily go well for a Hawke. I think Varric would take even limited information about Bartrand's future very badly. As strangers to Hawke, I think all of the companions would be upset and disbelieving. (I'm currently imagining a mage Garrett Hawke who previously romanced Merrill, so that he and Past!Fenris were barely friends, because Fenris didn't like this mage Hawke hanging out with a blood mage and Hawke kind of thought Fenris might turn him in to the Templars someday. Past!Fenris was more Isabella's and Varric's friend.) I think these new companions might go on to make some BIG mistakes trying to avoid the future that Hawke has described, as much as they might avert tragedy.

I also imagine that Hawke's relationship with this new Hawke family might be very strange and awkward, even if both Carver and Bethany live. Garrett looks like Malcolm and everyone thinks it's weird; Leandra is probably the happiest and most practical about it, but Garrett can't forget how his own mother died horribly and also blamed him for his own Bethany's death. Neither Garrett nor Marian know what to do about each other; Marian doesn't like some new person waltzing in and taking control of situations. Garrett unconsciously treats this Carver as older and Carver loves it, but Marian doesn't like it. Bethany likes having a mage sibling, but Garrett is awkward because he's used to Bethany being the Hawke family's perfect dead sister. And Leandra's shitty brother is not fucking helping any of this!!! And what's that about Leandra maybe getting murdered by a serial killer in the future???

By saying all of this, I mean to make clear that I really don't think "communicating" would immediately fix every problem for a perfect "Time Travel Fix-It". I do think it would fix SOME problems. Emotional conversations and immediate canon divergence also appeals to me because I like reading those things.

What I mean to make clear is that I think it would be fun to write something that explores autonomy, authority, agency, and control. There are many issues in the world that stem from people unwilling to give up control of a situation for a variety of reasons, and other issues that stem from people believing they have the authority to dictate other people's lives.

What right would a new Garrett Hawke have to withhold information and try to manipulate all of their strangers' lives? Especially from people like Anders and Fenris, whose stories are so deeply concerned with freedom of choice? To conceal backstory information from someone with amnesia, like Fenris, is a choice, and I think it's a cruel one, even if Fenris might not like what he hears and might react badly. Can Garrett Hawke really claim that he "knows best"? What if he doesn't know what's going on with this version of the world? What do you do when freedom means standing back and allowing some of the people you like and love to make "bad" choices?

Some time travel fics seem to me to be incredibly lonely. The protagonist trusts in no one. The other characters can be written as predictably following a timeline to the point of being shallow caricatures of people. It's just not to my taste.

It could be nice to explore Hawke finding new sides of companions that they missed in their previous "run" (which was very much not perfect and full of strife). It could be nice to explore an exhausted Champion learning to trust in other people and have them step up to help solve these shifting problems. DA games are so much about making choices for everyone around you: on behalf of your companions, on behalf of entire kingdoms, on behalf of the entire world. It might be fun to explore an exhausted older Hawke giving up some control and being pleasantly surprised on some fronts as paths diverge.

[explodingchantry]

OK I found the source and, genuinely, what the fuck?

Varric is apparently an important character within veilguard but we don't get to express whether the inquisitor left his best friend to die in the fade?

The wardens are a big part of veilguard but we don't get to express what the inquisitor did with the southern wardens?

MORRIGAN is apparently an important character in veilguard and we don't get to express whether 1. We had her have Kieran and 2. If she drank from the well or not?? You know this important decision that was meant to impact the rest of the drinker's life, and was meant even more vital when inquisition revealed Flemerh was Mythal? I literally just replayed that quest and they genuinely make a huge point out of this decision being life altering. But it's not, is it, if both characters who could've drank show up in the next game but the effects of the well aren't present.

"northern thedas is a blank slate" is such a weird take. What happens in ferelden and orlais (and the free marchés if we bring da2 into it too) absolutely matters to the rest of thedas. These things ricochet upwards. You literally choose who leads orlais, one of (if not The) most powerful and influencial nations in all of thedas. You get to choose the fucking DIVINE. Yeah sure that might not matter in Tevinter, but it matters everywhere else?? The rest of northern thedas follows the chantry even if they might not be as horny for it as the south????

And that's only speaking of inquisition choices. I already made a post somewhere about how very few of the decision input on the keep mattered in dai and how filling the keep often felt pretty pointless because of that. But at least the gender of the hof and who they romanced came up, and the leader of ferelden came up however briefly and flawed.

Honestly dragon age was never actually good at bringing up and taking into account old choices. Da2 had a good excuse for it (set in a completely different country whilst the choices the hof made were central to ferelden only, and hawke being just Some Guy who wouldn't get involved in a lot of influencial stuff the hof had a hand in. And even THEN there's plenty of background dialogue about ferelden that does mention it.) Dai does have a lot of nods to a few things; the ruler of ferelden shows up in in hushed whispers, or if you kept Alistair/recruited loghain they show up for here lies the abyss and might even have a discussion with Morrigan with whom they had a CHILD with. If hof romanced leliana she mentions them quite a bit. Morrigan can show up with the full ass child she can have in Dao and that's probably one of the biggest differences the choices you made make. Some other decisions from Dao are referenced; like who rules Orzammar. And as for da2 it's very true that a lot of the decisions made are much harder to reference due to being more interpersonal, so it does make sense to an extent that the decisions are referenced there through simple dialogue (though that dialogue is flawed as hell.) If it doesn't like some of your past choices it'll retcon it, like if you killed leliana in Dao. Or like, for example, just a random example, you got one of the Dao endings where Cullen goes mad, kills mages and runs away. Never mentioned again that one. Weird.

Bioware loves to give you big influencial choices to make you feel important only to turn around the next game and kind of shrug their shoulders as they do the bare minimum with them. And now, don't get me wrong - some of these choices are really hard to integrate. We basically can never go back to Orzammar because its king changes everything. It's too much to take into account and would change what quests and storylines the player experiences.

But then don't fucking write it that way to begin with lol. At least with Dao you can give the benefit of the doubt with things being meant to be part of a single story - but by da2 they knew dragon age was a franchise and inquisition was written and made with the knowledge there would be another game afterwards. They could actually plan things out and figure out if maybe a choice you could make would require too many resources to implement in the next game, and thus just not actually give you the choice in inquisition. Because the divine, for example, makes a HUGE difference. I fully get that it would be extremely difficult to take all three choices into account - reference them but make them not so integral that the story of the game can only happen if one of those was made.

But then don't make us fucking able to choose who the divine is. I'd rather not have as many influencial choices in a game, but have them referenced and have them matter, than... This.

Who you romance. Whether you disbanded the inquisition. And what you think of Solas. Nothing from Dao, nothing from da2, and only this from dai. That's a fucking joke. It's a joke. A spit in the face.

Many of the fans will have replayed the series in anticipation for veilguard, carefully crafted their choices to be their main world state. Especially with the nice little sales you've had during veilguard's promotional period. And now, only now, after they will have done all of that, you spit in their faces and say that none of what they did in the past games mattered. So why should I finish my inquisition replay? Why should I care?

Meanwhile, plenty of events from the books and comics will not only be referenced but be integral for the story. Fuck you for playing the main games, you're stupid for thinking they mattered. Obviously the static stories of our external media is more important. Totally respectful of the fanbase to do that.

[flowersforthemachines]

i want to hear about the divorce trifecta so bad it hurts

CAUGHT SOMEONE IN MY TRAP “ψ (✿｀∇´) ψ “ψ (✿｀∇´) ψ “ψ (✿｀∇´) ψ “ψ (✿｀∇´) ψ “ψ (✿｀∇´) ψ “ψ (✿｀∇´) ψ “ψ (✿｀∇´) ψ

An important note about the divorce trifecta is that it's only a trifecta (Hawke, Inquisitor, Rook) because I don't really have a lot of wardens with clear personalities and backstories. There is only, like, one and she's in a happy monogamous relationship that ends with her dying while slaying the archdemon. Otherwise it probably would've been a divorce quartet. Something for the future me to think about.

The rest is under the cut for length! This is quite lengthy, but in my defence: you asked.

So, divorce #1 is the Handers divorce.

An important preface is that I love Anders and he could've blown up all chantries in Thedas and still remain my pookie.

However, my latest Hawke is not me and holds more moderate views. They are on friendmance, and she will try to help the mage cause whenever possible, but she still cares the most about upholding stability in the city because it's her home. And it may be a shitty home, but she loves it, and she wants to keep it together even as the city mercilessly continue to fall apart in front of her.

Then Anders offers the final nail in the coffin of her attempts at maintainig the peace. This isn't also just a Handers worldstate, it's a Hawkelycule worldstate (Hawke's dating all LIs except Sebastian), so Anders displaced all people she loves i one fell swoop - she cares about them all so deeply, and couldn't provide safety and stability for a single one of them (I posted my Hawkelycule chart on bsky btw. would love to get back to those freaks one day)

But the explosion itself is not actually the biggest reason behind the rift between them. A much, much bigger betrayal is that Anders never trusted her enough to ask for her help - because maybe then, she would have helped him. He never gave her a chance to.

And the biggest betrayal of all in her eyes is that he concocted a plan that implied him dying in the end, and dying by her hand. He expected her to do it, and she can't reconcile with the fact that the man she loves thought she would hurt him, was ready to put her through killing him.

I headcanon that she would tell him to just fuck off after the Chantry explosion, spent the entire time before reaching the Gallows agonising if he was alright, and then jump-hugged him crying when she saw he was safe because she just can't figure out how she's supposed to feel about him now.

She is mad at him, mad at herself for being mad at him (because she understands why he did what he did), and he feels similar, knowing that what he did was right, and that it also took away one of Hawke's favourite things in the world.

They spend the entire time between DA2 and DAI in that state of indecision until Hawke leaves to meet up with Varric. She decides that after she's back from whatever happens, they will talk, and she will tell him that she actually loves more than she regrets what happened to Kirkwall, and that - if he wants - they can try again.

Then she dies at Adamant, they never talk, and Anders spends the rest of his life thinking that Hawke never forgave him (✿｀∀´)Ψ

Divorce #2 is the Solavellansera divorce.

(Solas and Sera are both dating the Inquisitor at the same time. but NOT each other I don't ship Solas and Sera I'm not a freak. at least not that kinf of a freak)

This is admittedly a much more half-baked concept, but it tickles my brain and is very dear to me. Mostly because of how bad the things could get between the three of them.

Solas and Sera are on the opposite ends of the spectrum of what an Elven inquisitor can want in a relationship, and that's the part that I find the most interesting. Sera can provide an outlet for being just a person (not the Inquisitor, not even an elf TM - just one of the "people people"), and Solas can help nurture a connection with the ancient Elven history that the modern Dalish elves lack. I'm not sure if anyone sees the vision, but I do, because I'm really into poly relationships where partners significantly contrast each other and cater to different needs.

The divorce would occur post-temple of Mythal. As much as Lavellan is accepting of Sera's views, there are lines she will not cross, and Sera's disregard for the Elven gods is beyond it. She can't compromise on that, and she won't. Even if it breaks her heart.

Then, you know what happens with Solas. One thing I'm undecided on is whether the Solas divorce should happen before the Sera divorce, or after. If the Crestwood scene happens before, there's delicious angst of Lavellan filliping out at Sera specifically because of that recent experience that's already greatly shaking her understanding of her faith. If the Crestwood scene happens after, there is the angst of Lavellan first making a choice to end things with someone, and then someone making that choice for her. And those same gods that she broke up with Sera over being slavers, and who else knows what.

But, regardless of the order. Can you imagine what it must be like to love two people, and then lose them both in such short time? To have two lovers, and then none? There's something about that. To me.

Sera and Lavellan also have extremely delicious post-divorce dialogue in Trespasser which I'm attaching here because that was like half the inspiration behind the whole thing.

(source. "And maybe that’s good? To be stupidly true, even if it ends things?" is still tearing at my heart to this day)

Divorce #3 is Rookanis divorce

I don't really know what to say here. I feel like I've been yapping about it too much lately anyway?

She loves him, he loves her, but duty comes first, things don't work out etc. Davrin could have fixed them (or, well, Ghilasara wouldn't require that much fixing if he was alive anyway), but you know. It's a cruel world as long as I'm in charge!

Something like that!

[kinghomebody]

Dragon Age： The Veilguard ｜ Release Date Trailer

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Release Trailer did a lot for me in different ways and I have a lot of questions and theories.

1.) Lets talk about how there are stark similarities between Inquisition and The Veilgaurd.

The protagonist is found again in the Fade, this time it looks more grey than green and they do not inherit a mark. it also looks like Rook and The Inquisitor share the same physical position that they found within the fade at the start of their stories: Lower than someone thought to be much more important than them :Inquisitor the Divine, Rook, Solas.

With Rook you see more of what's happening within the fade and the statues of the Elven Patheon which what looks like a split amongst them. Three on the left near Rook and four on the right near Solas. Does this symbolize something? We know that the Evanuris did not always get along but does the positioning of the statues foreshadow that more of the elven gods side with him in wiping out everything and bringing back the days where everything is ruled by magic?

2.) The trailer did a wonderful job sprinkling nostalgia here and there and I have a few observed opinions.

The model they used for this Rook makes me think of two things of Dragon Age. Duncan and people from Rivain who have similar skin tones. Rook, in this trailer wears armor that on the shirt collar has wings. Apart from the Antivan Crows the only other faction you could think of that could be represented with wings are the Grey Wardens because of the griffins.

It’s also good to hear Morrigan’s voice again and see her also reminding me of Origins and Inquisition. For me I let her drink from the Well of Sorrows so she might either be completely under the control of Flemeth or have mastered it’s power. Of course Varric and Scout Harding who are still with the Inquisition will be with us. If we align with the Antivan Crows will we see Zevran?

There is an elf that looks like they have been captured by tentacles and you cannot see their left arm. Is that the Inquisitor? Or the Hero of Ferelden? I only speculate this because the Grey Wardens are center stage again and besides Hawke, if you allowed him to go with them for a time, The Hero of Ferelden who is on a quest to defeat the calling could have gotten themselves trapped somehow.

Titan lore will be most likely explored through Lace Harding seeing as she can freeze enemies similar to Solas and Sandal. Her body and eyes glow however it starts to change. In my opinion it might be because she is channeling magic directly through her body and dwarves are supposedly not suppose to have the ability to do magic. Sandal always uses a rune and Solas is an elf.

> In Sandal’s case we know that Bodan found him far in the Deep Roads and being exposed to lyrium for too long could have done something to him to wear he won’t get the negative symptoms of overusing it.

> In Lace’s case, she has no idea what’s going on, her body is changing, we know that when Dagna is face deep in a rune she feels “mountain- tall” and around all her people and they think as one and since we know the Ancient Elven Patheon fought the Titans at one point and separated them from their hearts that the dwarves might have lost their magic in a way – this is something I’m still working out from the Trespasser DLC. Harding might need to find the heart of a Titan if she want’s to survive with her new magic abilities or she might even become one – this is another theory. Also, her being able to create a stone wall. Does that mean the dwarven people could build cities with their bare hands. The “connection” with the “Stone” doesn’t sound too far off when you think about it.

Solas fighting the old gods in his Dreadwolf form was amazing to see. It’s interesting to visually see the difference in size between him and those he his up against even being as powerful as he is. With this and the darkspawn looking blighted along with the dragons that you see at the end of the trailer, there might as well be two blights at once, the veil being destroyed, the elven gods reeking havoc and (personally I didn’t see this but there's no way it won’t be brought up) maybe the Qunari invasion – unless it was settled before the events of The Veilgaurd. From combat finishers looking to be back, Griffins, Morrigan and Varric and everything literally being validated and lore accurate I’m very happy with this trailer.

[sage-nebula]

Found this Dragon Age Protagonists Questions post and decided to fill it out for my own Dragon Age OCs from each game. The original post only includes the protagonists from the first three games (since Veilguard wasn't out yet), but I'm going to include my Rook as well since I love her. I also may rewrite the questions a bit, either to condense them or otherwise add in Rook. (And some questions will be skipped, also, either because I can't or don't want to answer them.)

So without further ado . . .

The Cast:

- Warden Lyra Mahariel

- Briar Hawke

- Inquisitor Lucia Trevelyan

- Thalia "Rook" Mercar

1.) What would your protagonists all think of each other?

Lyra: "I like Hawke. She's funny, and not afraid to do what has to be done. Trevelyan is weak, and as annoying as humans come. Thalia's fine, but it's a shame she didn't get to grow up among the Dalish."

Briar: "Good on Lyra for saving Ferelden, and it's fine that she's grumpy; I'm used to that from Fenris. Lucia is all right, I suppose; though anyone that close to the chantry can't be all that trustworthy, can they? I really like Thalia; she reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger. Hope that naivete doesn't come to bite her, though."

Lucia: "The Hero of Ferelden is, well . . . a hero. She managed to save Ferelden and not die killing an archdemon somehow. She's amazing. Hawke is . . . Varric's friend. His best friend. But she's kind of shady, don't you think? And Thalia . . . I thought she understood. I thought we were the same, but she didn't even try to talk Solas down in the end . . . I don't know that I've ever felt so betrayed."

Thalia: "Lyra could stand to relax a little. Scowling that much can't be good for her face. Briar's the best; she gets it, you know? She knows exactly what it is to be in these fuck-ass situations. And Lucia . . . I can't believe she'd still think Solas could've been talked down, after all that. After what he did to Varric. What is wrong with her?"

2.) What do they think about each other's love interests?

Lyra: "Isabella is fun, and not afraid to get her hands dirty. She gets a pass from me. Josephine is a human bureaucrat; she cannot and should not be trusted. Davrin is Dalish, he has griffons, he is devastatingly attractive -- where was he during the fifth Blight? Could we rewind the clock so I could trade Alistair's ungrateful ass for him? 'Going down a dark path' -- that ritual saved both our lives and you agreed, you twit."

Briar: "Zevran's a riot; Isabella has good taste in friends. Josephine seems nice enough, and I like her well enough for that, but it's never a bad idea to be careful of what you say around someone like her. Davrin's a bit gruff around the edges, but again, I'm used to that from Fenris and a bit of Anders. His griffon's a cutie, too."

Lucia: "Zevran is an assassin; one of the Crows. I don't feel comfortable around him. Isabella also makes me uncomfortable, though for a different reason; I've never met anyone who talks so dirty like that, and in public! And to me . . . and how gorgeous she is . . . oh Maker, I can feel my face on fire just thinking about her . . . Davrin is a good man. Brave and honorable. He would have been an asset to the Inquisition."

Thalia: "Zevran is funny! But is what he said about the Crows and what they do to children true? I need to have a chat with Lucanis after speaking with Zevran. The Lords of Fortune couldn't be more lucky with a leader than they are with Isabella; she's a riot like Zevran is. Josephine is warm and kind; I think anyone would feel comfortable in a presence like hers."

3.) Are your Inquisitor and Rook jealous of the Warden's and Hawke's mabari hounds?

Lucia: "No. Mabari are fine from a distance, but they're rather loud, and Skyhold has enough animals as it is."

Thalia: "You have no idea. There's no such thing as too many animals. Still a bit miffed we couldn't bring Assan's siblings back to the Lighthouse."

4.) Combat classes and specializations?

Three rogues and a mage, and the specializations are as follows:

Lyra learned to be both an assassin from Zevran, and a bard from Leliana. Her focus was on ending fights as quickly as possible, by any means necessary. She used both her bow and blades as needed.

Briar focused only on blades, and went for both assassin and shadow. Her focus was being the one to do the hitting, fast and hard, rather than being hit.

Lucia was only ever an archer, and went for the artificer specialization, preferring to lay traps to hinder her enemies and give her more time to shoot them.

Thalia, as a Shadow Dragon, specialized as an Evoker, focusing on entropy and ice magic. She has a staff, but is equally skilled with an orb and spellblade.

5.) What do the others think of what happened in Kirkwall? Would they have supported Hawke's decisions?

Lyra: "Kirkwall is a cesspit and everyone in power there should be gutted like fish. Anders was right to do what he did and I only wish I had been there to help. Hawke should have helped more than she did."

Lucia: "Kirkwall is tragic, but that doesn't mean acts of terrorism are all right. I don't believe in capital punishment if it could be avoided, but Anders should have been arrested."

Thalia: "Where are Kirkwall's Shadow Dragons? The people should rise up and form their own Shadow Dragons there, to root out the corruption and make a difference. I don't think anyone should blame Anders for what he did; it's the least those in power there should have expected."

6.) Would the others have accepted the role of Inquisitor?

Lyra: "Fuck no."

Briar: "No."

Thalia: "If I had to, but would they seriously ask me? Me? You're really telling me there's no one else?"

7.) Do they share the same opinions on the Chantry?

Lyra: "The chantry is a joke, and so is their Maker."

Briar: "If there is one thing living in Kirkwall taught me, it's that the Chantry can't be trusted."

Lucia: "The chantry wants what's best for everyone. Even if there are a few bad apples, the whole chantry shouldn't be stroked by that same brush."

Thalia: "I don't care about the chantry, honestly."

8.) Do they share the same opinions on mage rights?

Lyra: "Everyone should be free, regardless of their birth. If the mages want assistance killing their oppressors, they need only ask."

Briar: "My father and little sister were apostates, and so are two good friends of mine. What do you think?"

Lucia: "Kirkwall's Circle was bad, but that was the exception to the rule, wasn't it? I don't think mages are all bad or dangerous, and Circles should be healthy and safe places. I think both things can be true."

Thalia: "It's hard to imagine mages not having rights. Couldn't they just set someone on fire if they felt they were disrespected? Seems to happen often enough in Tevinter. And honestly, good for them if the alternative is being made slave, locked away in some 'circle' or whatever they call them down south. Seriously, what is up with that?"

9.) Do they share the same opinions on blood magic?

Lyra: "If you're using it to enslave someone, fuck off. Otherwise, I don't care so long as elves or halla aren't your sacrifices."

Briar: "Merrill is the only valid blood mage."

Lucia: "Blood magic is evil."

Thalia: "Blood magic is the magic of the enemy. The mages among the Shadow Dragons do not have need of it, and do not use it."

10.) Do they have the same opinion on The Game?

Lyra: "'The Game' is literally too stupid for me to care about."

Briar: "Seems like a lot of petty bullshit those in power do to avoid having to do any actual work for the people."

Lucia: "It's fascinating, and takes great skill. Josie's ability to navigate it is enchanting."

Thalia: "They can play if they want, but if they start playing to make people suffer, that's when the Shadows come to call."

11.) Who would they have romanced from the other's choices?

Lyra: Fenris from Kirkwall, Leliana* from Skyhold, and Davrin from the Lighthouse.

Briar: Zevran from Ferelden, Iron Bull from Skyhold, and Neve from the Lighthouse.

Lucia: Leliana from Ferelden, Merrill** from Kirkwall, and Bellara from the Lighthouse.

Thalia: Alistair from Ferelden, Isabela from Kirkwall, Sera from Skyhold.

*Leliana is not normally a romance option in DAI, but would be for Lyra since they have prior history. They weren't compatible in DAO, but they are now.

**Lucia would be able to grow past her anti-blood magic biases if she got to know Merrill.

12.) If Origins and Inquisition had the three personalities (blue/diplomatic, purple/sarcastic, and red/aggressive), which ones would they have? And what did your Hawke and Rook have?

Lyra: Red/Aggressive

Briar: Purple/Sarcastic

Lucia: Blue/Diplomatic

Thalia: Purple/Sarcastic

13.) What is the biggest similarity between your protagonists?

None of them asked for this ("this" being their quest).

14.) Who handles responsibility the best? Who handles it the worst?

The worst is probably Lyra, because she doesn't want it and will fight against it every step of the way. It's rotten work, especially to her and especially if it's the fate of the world. She'll do it, but Mythal alive.

The best is Lucia, who although she didn't ask to be made leader of the Inquisition, ended up happy there and handling it very well.

15.) Do they share any of the same hobbies?

Lyra and Briar both like to steal. Lucia and Thalia can both play musical instruments (piano for Lucia, violin for Thalia).

16.) How old were they at the start of their journeys? Looking back, would they make any major choices differently?

Lyra: 23, and she would have never gone on that treasure expedition with Tamlen if she knew it would end up with her blighted and forced to become a Grey Warden. Other than that, no.

Briar: 17 when leaving Ferelden, and she wishes she had not taken Bethany with her on the Deep Roads expedition with Varric and Bartrand. (Keep in mind she doesn't know this would have ended up with Bethany arrested by Templars.)

Lucia: 24, and no, she thinks she did everything as correctly as she could.

Thalia: 27, and she wishes she would have convinced Varric to not try to talk Solas down, or that she could have warned Varric somehow that Solas would hurt him, or something.

17.) How do each of your protagonists handle loss?

Lyra: Vengeance.

Briar: Heavy drinking.

Lucia: Lots of crying, and prayers to the Maker.

Thalia: Distractions, lots of distractions.

18.) What is / was their relationship like with their family?

Lyra: Her parents died when she was too young to remember them, but she considered her whole clan to be her family. She loves them dearly still, and misses them strongly.

Briar: Loved her father dearly, and had a great relationship with him. Loved her mother, but had a much more complicated relationship with her, since Leandra never loved her as much as she loved the twins, and it showed. Loved her younger siblings, though found it harder to get on with Carver due to his resentment toward her having their father's favor. Had a very strong relationship with Bethany, though, until Bethany blamed Briar for pushing her into the arms of the Grey Wardens after she was blighted.

Lucia: Had a wonderful childhood. Wasn't the heir and so was allowed much more freedom to do as she wanted (hence taking up archery), but became the pride and joy of the family after she became Inquisitor.

Thalia: Has a complicated relationship with her parents. They love her as their only child, and she does love them, but although they felt themselves very progressive for adopting an elven child and not treating her as a servant or slave, they also didn't correct people out in public who made that assumption, and their "it doesn't matter what they think" attitude didn't make Thalia feel better about it. They got her books and scrolls on elven history, but made sure to tell her that the Dalish gods weren't real anyway and that they were just nice fairy tales; only the Maker was real. (Joke was on them, Thalia didn't believe in any of them.) They were upset any time Thalia "acted out" in trying to discover her own personality. They wouldn't join her in learning elvish, etc. She left home at seventeen and joined the Shadow Dragons shortly after, and though she feels guilty for how that must have hurt her parents, she still has not gone back.

19.) Do any of your protagonists marry and/or have children?

Lyra: No, though she and Zevran do stay committed to each other for many years.

Briar: Also no; her relationship with Isabela is on-again, off-again.

Lucia: Yes; she and Josephine get married (and it does not take ten years to do so) and adopt three children.

Thalia: Yes; she and Neve elope, though they don't have children. Instead, they are the DINK aunts who bring the gift reckoning on their friends' kids.

20.) What would their fears on the graves in Here Lies the Abyss be?

Lyra: Being bound in slavery.

Briar: Bethany dying because of her.

Lucia: Being the one who actually doomed the world.

Thalia: Getting her team killed with her faulty leadership.

21.) How do they each feel about the Deep Roads?

Lyra: "Why are we always in the gods-damned fucking Deep Roads?"

Briar: "Fuck the Deep Roads."

Lucia: "The Deep Roads are frightening . . ."

Thalia: "The Deep Roads are both interesting and exciting."

[invinciblerodent]

and now that I'm on my "musing about Dragon Age" bullshit once more, now that that stuff is all swirling in my mind again, I'm once again conflicted on who to have as my canon Origins romance!!!!

because.... if I go with Leliana, first of all I fucking love her and it works with the character I have going for that game wonderfully, I'm 3/3 on the "be gay do crime" aspect (Leliana with fAeducan, Anders with mHawke, Dorian with mTrevelyan), AND I really like the thought of the Warden-Commander just casually being married to the Divine, which is overall also just better for Thedas anyway.

BUT!!!!! on the other hand, if I go with Alistair, then if I do end up with Davrin as my canon boo in Veilguard, I can be 3/4 on romancing the tragic Grey Warden dudes, plus the whole "romanced Alistair remains a Grey Warden and barely escapes the Fade by the skin of his teeth only to stare the Calling between the eyes only a few years later" can make for some absolutely bloody delicious drama, AND!!!!!! then my otherwise underdeveloped Hawke can turn into this giant piece of connective tissue, this sinewy throughline of gristle across all the games???

Like...... Hawke's sacrifice saves Alistair, but hurts Anders, completing that circle around games 1 and 2. Then, the "Ten years -- a hundred years from now -- someone like me will love someone like you, and there will be no Templars to tear them apart." line that set up my Dorian romance beautifully, can trail from 2 and 3 all the way into Veilguard- in which the Inquisitor can either mirror Hawke in his fate and complete another circle, OR subvert the parallel by surviving, and complete Anders' prophecy!!! Plus, if I make my Rook reminiscent of my Warden in some little ways, those two can then act as another pair of mirror images, and both love Grey Wardens with full knowledge of the tragedy they carry!!!!!!

I just. Grrraahhh!!!! Too much about Hawke was set for my to get SUPER invested into them as a character, but I get so hyped about them existing sort of a ghost that connects everything.

I'm so fucking hyped about Hawke having known Alistair, who, because he survived the Fade and left for Weisshaupt, then knows Davrin, and Anders and Dorian being mirror images of one another in that latter got all that had slipped through the former's fingers, and is anyone even still reading this because I'm just vomiting words out of myself at this point, I'm so bloody excited

[savages-weapons]

I keep seeing arguments like "not having to play the first three games will bring more new players" for EA choice of not having a way to indicate major previous world choice in their new Dragon Age game and "but it would be too hard to have all those choice taken into account after 10 years" and I just wanna say: 1) you never had to play previous game to start a dragon age game before? default world setting have always been a thing if you had not play the previous ones? plenty of people started with da2 or inquisition the fact that the options of importing your previous choice is gone will not bring anymore people than for the previous games. But it might lose some.

2) they managed to do that fine for three games, years ago so why is it impossible for a fourth? I do not see how a decade made it harder to do. No one wanted all the choice they ever made with every characters to be taken into account: just the main ones. The way they did with the tapestry would have been fine. It was not an impossible task: it's just easier to be lazy when you screwed up the development so much you have to speedrun making the game. If you only have the world default world state, then no need to make different quest for players with different past games, no multiples characters swapping in some quest depending on who lived or died and what choice you made with them, no different dialogues to create, no political differences in how some are treated (like mages depending on which Divine rose to power in Inquisition or elves depending on who rules in Orlais). But those things are what make a world feels more real, that what gave so much re-playability to the previous games.

On a personal note: I expect more for rpg than the illusion of choice, which is what more and more games give you... Sure you get different dialogue options, different romances, and can play a few different races. If you lucky a few different endings and look you can play good or evil, but you'all gonna get the same main story and side quests coz we cant be bothered to add all those different paths to our stories anymore. And Im not taking the "it's too much work" from a company with as much money and talents as EA: they're not an overwhelmed indie team.

I get that capitalism means people will be underpaid, overworked and this game had a different name and story plan just a few year ago so of course it was gonna be a mess. It has very clearly been in development hell for a while and reworked so much it's probably unrecognizable from what it once was. Probably took lot of work from some passionate people and lot of bad call and cuts from asshole in power. Just because all of that is a thing and because we love and miss the series doesn't mean they're owe success or money, especially with a game that somehow feels rushed? (yes despite 10 years) A sad fact of creative work is that people can work for years on something with passion and true desire to do something good and the final product can still be bad, just because of bad management and executive decisions.

At this point i'd take them pushing it back another five years if it meant they kept the tradition that your main choice, the one supposed to have major impact on the world (who was the warden, Hawke & their respective lovers, who is king in Ferelden, who rules in Orlais, who is the new religious leader of a whole ass continent for the last decade and what it the new situation for mage depending on them ruling the Chantry?) were taken into account over just who my inquisitor romanced and if they wanna kill or save Solas. Saying because it's in a different regions none of those things matter is absurd, politics doesn't work like that: da2 is set in Kirkwall, a completely different region and the event of the previous game of course had impact on that region too. World event aren't stopped at frontiers. Who the Divine is in particular, has an impact on the entire continent and even on enemy nations. It's that impactful of a choice both societal and political, if you want your world to have any depths.

That none of this is taken into account int his game means, no references to any of it in the new game, or it they are references well they wont match a lot of people previous games. They will feel basic and bland. Previous characters brought back in this one will feel emptier and more generic because none of them will mention things specific to any of the characters they were supposedly close to for years - be it Varric about Hawke and the inquisitor or Morrigan about their warden (especially if you romanced her as the warden in one of your playthrought rip I guess).

It just makes it more hollow as a whole and yeah I get why they did it. It is easier that way. But Im also not giving them money for this game either. Sure if it get on sale big time in a few years why not but I dont personally see the point in playing in a default world.

Plenty are just excited to meet new characters and have new romance and I'm not saying you can't be by the way. People dont want the same things out of game and that is fine, I care more for worldbuilding than romance options myself - love a romance but impact over time of players choice was for me more of a core mechanic than being able to romance any companions. People who don't want to play this game as it is or feel disappointed and like they wont enjoy the game as much aren't just unreasonable hater either. The choice you made having impact over time in the world was a core mechanic of this series for three games, and removing it kills a part of the appeal of the series. None of that justify abusing or insulting on any sides of the argument but being able to critic a game doesn't mean you hate it: it often comes out of love for it.

[thotinshield]

often when i think about dragon age 2 i think about how the narrative is so good, and it hits you hard from the very beginning. in a lot of rpgs, you can usually change the outcome of something by choosing different options. when i first played da2 i thought i had done something wrong in the beginning, when bethany was killed. i tried to go back and fix it only to discover i couldn't.

that sort of sets the tone, i think. hawke tries so so hard to protect their family, only for it to *not* matter. no matter what they do, their intentions, none of it ends up mattering. they cant save bethany. they cant save carver. they cant save their mother.

what happens to leandra towards the end of act 2, the seeds of that, start in act 1. there is nothing you can do. and i know some people might not like it, but i find it to be a *fantastic* storytelling element. it sort of reminds you that hawke is a person. theyre not in the same position as the warden or even the inquisitor, they're just a person who has been trying to survive.

i saw someone say one of the ways they play hawke is supportive of the mages up until the end of act 2, after leandra is killed, that being *their* last straw and man, it does make for compelling storytelling.

i cannot image how tired hawke is by the end of the dragon age 2. no wonder they run away. no wonder varric lies about where they are. "you people have done enough to them"

[persephoneggsy]

For Hildegarde: Blackwall 2, Cole 2, and Varric 1!

Blackwall 2: What did they choose to do with him and how did they feel about their choice? Were they guilty about leaving him in cell, if they choose to do so?

Hildegarde was really conflicted about what to do - she'd been completely blindsided by the Thom Rainier reveal. On one hand, he made his desire clear: he wanted to pay for what he'd done, and he wanted to be left in that cell. But on the other, Blackwall was her friend. He was a grounding presence among the bigger personalities in Hilde's inner circle, and he'd never done wrong by her before.

In the end, she had him brought to Skyhold for judgement and decided to give him to the Wardens once Corypheus was dealt with. It seemed like the... well, nicest isn't the word she would use, but it felt right to leave the final judgement up to the Wardens. It's certainly better than leaving a friend to rot in prison.

Cole 2: What did your Inquisitor think of Cole’s ability to see into people’s thoughts? 

She was extremely unnerved by it and probably tried to avoid him as much as possible in the beginning. Hell, the only reason she allowed him to join the Inquisition is because he helped her at Therinfal Redoubt (if she had gone to the mages and never met Cole before Haven, she would not have trusted him, at all).

It's not until she speaks with Solas more about spirits and has him... mediate some of their conversations that she slowly comes to accept Cole's quirks. Once she gets over it, she finds Cole rather endearing.

And for his part, I think Cole knows how it unsettles her and tries to not blurt out every thought he hears... just the ones he thinks she needs to hear.

Varric 1: Was your Inquisitor’s relationship with Varric like that of Varric’s relationship with Hawke? Was it better? Worse?

Oh, it's miles better. That's not saying a lot because Varric pretty much burned his bridges with Marian, but still. Though I don't know if it's good, exactly... Varric is naturally very amiable and charming, so Hilde was more relaxed around him than other members of the Inquisition, but as time went on, she started growing a little wary of him.

She thought his nickname for her, "Bunny" (because of her white hair and timid nature), was meant to be mocking. She didn't bring it up because at that point she was still terrified of confrontation, so he just kept calling her that.

Doesn't help that she was also terrified he'd write a book about her - and that was before Hawke showed up and told her how much of the Tale of the Champion was utter bullshit that he just made up.

But I do think Hilde eventually gains the confidence to talk to him about these issues. He's a little taken aback, but between learning from his past mistakes with Hawke and genuinely liking Hildegarde, he does clear some stuff up. Still calls her Bunny (she knows it's affectionate now), but more often than not just uses 'Hilde'. And he agrees to let her be a 'consultant' on the book so it doesn't fall prone to the same pitfalls as Tale of the Champion.

In the end, they're much closer for it.

[brennacedria]

First one from general, 1 and 2 for Warden?l, 6 for Hawke, 12 for Inquisitor, and 17 for Rook :)

Ah! It took a week, but I got this one done! Everything's under the cut, because it obviously got LONG.

GENERAL

Do you have a favorite worldstate to play in? If so, what about it makes it your favorite? Almost everything I play is in the worldstate based around my canon Warden, Elissa Margaret Cousland. That includes her, a Queen Cousland Warden Commander; Ria Hawke, a purple, mage-loving rogue; Vrania Amell, a non-Warden apostate/former maleficar turned Inquisition agent; Mika Trevelyan, Inquisitor; Kaela Mercar, Rook; and Sofia de Riva, a non-Rook little sister to Viago, who functions as his liaison to the Lighthouse. The one unifying band around all of these girls is a fierce pro-mage, pro-freedom stance in pretty much all ways.

WARDEN

How did the first few days after Ostagar feel like? Numb. For all practical purposes, Elissa was numb from the moment she left Highever. In a sick way, she was grateful for the new senses she'd gained from the Joining, because they gave her something to focus on other than everything that happened--the attack, the Joining itself, and the betrayal. She doesn't break down for the first time until meeting Leandra in Lothering, when Leandra recognizes her as Eleanor's child.

How does the Warden feel about the Deep Roads? The Fade? The Deep Roads initially overwhelm her, as the call of the archdemon is so much stronger there than above ground. It's intoxicating in a way, and when they first witness the archdemon at Bownammar she's so drunk on it that she tries to attack then and there, and has to be stopped before she jumped over the edge of the chasm. The Fade… was literally a nightmare. She never had any experience with it outside of the one time in during the Blight, so breaking that hold is the only time she's familiar with it.

HAWKE

How does your Hawke deal with losing Leandra? Not well. In both Ria's canon and her alt versions, she closes herself off in ways, at least for a while. In canon, she continues to work but stops coming out socially for a while. Because they can see her and see how she seems to be, no one worries more than would be usual and they give her space to heal. For her alternate, though… that's the version of her where Bethany died in the Deep Roads, and once Leandra's gone Ria thinks she has NOTHING. She's the last Hawke. She shuts herself away entirely. Years before, when Bethany died, Elthina sent Sebastian to keep up with Leandra during the mourning period. Later, when Leandra passes and Sebastian has already gotten close to Hawke, he takes it on himself to do the same for Ria. She's so bad off that he ends up moving into a guest room to be nearby at all times, and stays there until well enough after the Arishok fight that people started to talk.

INQUISITOR

How does your Inquisitor feel about Blackwall’s reveal? Mika knows nothing of the Wardens, and had no reason to doubt him until everything came to light. She… wasn't HURT by the reveal, in that she didn't have an attachment to him or his story… but she did believe him, so there was still a feeling of betrayal in a professional sense. She ended up sentencing him to the Wardens, because everyone told her that was a thing she had the authority to do, and accepted him back on the condition that he turn himself in to the Order after the ordeal with Corypheus was over.

ROOK

If Rook could switch factions, which one would they join? What would their reason be? Kaela will probably eventually end up working with the Crows in one way or another, probably some sort of administrative thing. Maybe she'll become liaison from House Dellamorte to the other talons the same way Sofia already functions as Viago's liaison.

[nerdlydelicious]

1. I started with Dragon Age Origins. Played the Dwarf Noble as my first origin and got the SHIT scared out of my arachnophobic self when I received a very sudden and unwelcome revelation that there were going to be giant spiders in this game.

2. Probably Origins. All three games have something I love about them, but the story for Origins is the best written one so far, in my opinion. Though I would not at all be upset if Veilguard took the top spot when it comes out.

3. I play Warrior most of the time. My canon Warden, Hawke, and Inquisitor are all warriors, and my Rook will most likely follow the trend.

4. The Arch Demon was slain by a Dwarf Warden, who shockingly did not in fact die killing it. And if that had anything to do with him boning his hot witch wife the night before the big battle, then he ain’t saying.

Hawke was a pro mage warrior that fought to protect the circle when Meredith went sailing off the deep end. After the mage rebellion kicked off in full he and Merrill went into hiding together until he was forced to leave her too.

My Inquisitor is a Qunari Warrior who sided with the mages in the rebellion, despite later training to be a Templar after the attack on Haven. He fell in love with Josephine, and disbanded the Inquisition in Trespasser like his predecessor did before him ages past. He wants to stop Solas’s plan without killing him, regarding the Dread Wolf not just as a friend, but as a brother. Leliana took the throne of the Divine.

5. I usually take my time and build a character that I like the look of. The only exception is Hawke, whose base design I loved.

6. I’ve got my first Rook pretty well fleshed out. City Elf, Grey Warden, Warrior. He was a slave in Tevinter that was freed by a Grey Warden that took pity on him and ‘recruited’ him (read: abused the Warden’s right of conscription) and brought him to Weisshaupt. He didn’t force Rook to undergo the Joining, he just wanted to give Rook a chance at a free life. Rook joined of his own volition. Because of his time as a slave Rook has an innate distrust of mages and magic in general.

Which is gonna make romancing Neve or Belara very interesting.

7. I really want to see Dorian, Iron Bull, and Fenris again. As far as we know they’re all in Tevinter, so I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

8. I’m interested in learning more about the Mortalitasi, but I also really want to see what’s happened with the Grey Wardens since the events of Inquisition.

9. I’m thinking of pursuing Neve first, since my Rook is going to initially distrust magic and mages.

10. I really hope we get to explore Minrathous, but Weisshaupt is a very close second.

11. Greater impact of player choices on the world with a lot of divergence in the story depending on our choices, good or bad.

12. I can’t really think of a good answer for this one. Maybe, uh… a bad story? I dunno XD

13. Having a Keep like system baked into the game instead of having to go to a separate website, link your account, and pray the site doesn’t crash.

14. I don’t like the party size being reduced from 4 to 3, and not being able to directly control your party members.

15. No unpopular opinions as of yet, but who knows.

16. I know you probably meant for DAV specifically, but: Josephine totally has a thing for Qunari. If you play as a Qunari she comments on your size (giggity) when you first meet her, and if you romance Iron Bull the advisors walk in on you and Bull, and she asks ‘who wouldn’t be curious?’ Josie 100% likes em tall and horny (again: giggity).

17. I love lore and speculation. I feel it adds to the base game and story if we can take known info and extrapolate on it further.

18. Art and memes, for sure. Can’t wait to see what people come up with.

19. I’m going to try and beat the three previous games before Veilguard releases, as well as take in as much extra content as I can.

20.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard HYPE Q&A

What was the first Dragon Age game you played?

Which Dragon Age game is your favorite so far?

Do you usually play as a warrior, mage, or rogue? Which class are you planning to try first this time around? Which subclass?

What does your worldstate look like going into DAV?

Do you typically use a preset character and name or spend hours in the character creator coming up with a custom one?

Do you have your Rook(s) planned out to any degree? If so, would you share some details or ideas you have?

Which character from the previous games or other media are you most hoping will make an appearance in DAV?

What faction are you most excited to learn more about?

Which romance, if any, do you plan to pursue first?

Which location are you most excited/hoping to explore in-game?

What's one thing you'd really like to see in this next game?

What's one thing you're hoping we DON'T see in this next game?

What's one thing you've seen confirmed so far that you're a fan of?

What's one thing you've seen confirmed so far that you're NOT a fan of?

Do you have any unpopular opinions about DAV so far?

What's one crack theory you subscribe to (yours or someone else's)?

Are you interested in all the lore and speculation or do you focus more on the games and stories themselves?

Which aspect of fandom are you most looking forward to? (e.g. reading/writing fic, the bounty of gorgeous art, getting to know new people, etc.)

Are you planning to replay any of the previous games, watch Dragon Age: Absolution, or read any of the books/comics/short stories, or are there other games you want to play in the meantime?

Post a picture or gif that conveys your current level of excitement for Dragon Age: The Veilguard!

[madameoni]

Your Worship, Lord Inquisitor Elaar Lavellan

I have this idea that maybe one day I'll expand on a fic:

After finding out Ameridan's fate, Elaar is positively distressed, his worse fear made a reality. He was already concerned about how he still run into people that didn't know the Inquisitor was an elf, let alone an elven mage. He doesn't like being elevated as a Chantry figure, but sure he hates even more that they choose to hide who he is.

So, Vivenne takes to herself to ensure that the Inquisitor feels a little better by commissioning pretty much every reputable painter available to make portraits of the Inquisitor that highlight both his heritage and status. After all, everybody -and the nobility in particular- owes the Inquisitor their lives, and several are more than happy to add a illustrious rendition of the handsome elf to their galleries to get the favour of both the Inquisition and the Divine herself. Having a portrait of the Inquisitor becomes a sign of direct support to Divine Victoria (Leliana).

Elaar finds the attention very awkward, but appreciates the effort. Of course after a lot of convincing, they get Cassandra into a fancy armour to get one portrait of them together. Somehow a lower quality copy of the painting ends up as a cover for a terrible (fantastical) romance novel.

I tried to mix the Inquisition symbols with the Dalish ones, and also a little ring with the Nevarran heraldry as a call to Cassandra. I had so much fun with him!! Plus, who doesn't love that damn crown?

I have 3 more paintings royal style with my DA characters lol 2 with the Warden and 1 with Hawke. Plus I have that ice-texture-nightmare of Elaar to finish. Yes, lately I only get energy to paint if its DA related.

[sage-nebula]

I decided to spend this afternoon remaking my previous Dragon Age OCs in the Veilguard character creator (though of course I'd already made my Inquisitor in the Inquisitor section of the main CC in my latest playthrough). These are the OCs for my primary world state, even though we don't really have a world state anymore, lol.

Dragon Age OCs (Origins -> Veilguard) under the cut!

Warden Lyra Mahariel

Age: 23 (Origins); 44 (Veilguard) Sexuality: Bisexual Animal Companion: Pan the Mabari Best Friend(s): Alistair Theirin & Morrigan Romantic Partner: Zevran Arainai Present Status: In the Fade trying to save Alistair Bio: Raised as an orphan in the Sabrae Clan after the deaths of her parents at the hands of humans (and city elves, but she blames the humans more), Lyra always took her heritage and clan responsibilities extremely seriously. She was trained in the Way of the Three Trees, and so her vallaslin represents Andruil, goddess of the hunt.

She was unwillingly recruited into the Grey Wardens after suffering blight from a broken eluvian. At the time, she was tempted to just let herself die, but ultimately decided that despite her destiny being chosen for her, she would do whatever she could to change it. This led to her convincing Alistair to undergo the dark ritual with Morrigan to save both their lives, because by that point she'd come to care about him as a close friend despite their rocky start.

She fell in love with Morrigan, though Morrigan did not return those feelings. She also developed feelings for Zevran, even though their relationship began as just letting off stress through sex.

She abandons Vigil's Keep once things settle down to try to find a way to end the Calling, because she hates the idea that her death will be decided for her. She abandons that quest only when she hears that 1.) Alistair was shit-talking her for "going down a dark path" over the dark ritual that saved his life, and 2.) he got stuck in the Fade. She decided to rescue him so that she could tear him a new one (and also because she cares, but she's too mad to say that at present).

Briar Hawke, Champion of Kirkwall

Age: 34 (end of II); 45 (Veilguard) Sexuality: Lesbian Animal Companion: Patches the Mabari Best Friend: Varric Tethras Romantic Partner: Isabela Present Status: On a "sisters trip" with her younger sister, who absolutely knows this is an excuse to keep her away from the Sixth Blight

Bio: The oldest Hawke sister, Briar was born without magic — but unlike her younger brother Carver, she never let this stop her from living her best life. (Which, in Ferelden, meant learning how to pick locks, street fighting, and other such delinquent nonsense her mother didn't approve of.) Despite her criminal activities and her mother's disapproval, Briar always loved her family deeply and felt exceptionally protective over her younger siblings.

In Kirkwall, she quickly joined with smugglers to get enough coin for her family to survive. She joined Varric Tethras on his Deep Roads expedition for the same reason, taking her little sister Bethany with her because she could never say no to Bethany's puppy eyes. She made the decision for Bethany to become a Grey Warden to survive, something Bethany took a long time to forgive her for. This broke Briar's heart almost as badly as Carver's death did.

Throughout her Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad years in Kirkwall, she was named Champion after dueling an arishok to save her on-again, off-again girlfriend; she found herself in the center of a mage-templer conflict on the side of the mages; she lost her mother and ended up killing(?) Knight-Commander Meredith in battle. All this, and all she ever wanted to do was have some good drinks, laughs, and games of Wicked Grace.

She and Isabela are currently amicably "off" as Briar puts her focus on protecting Bethany from the Sixth Blight. Briar is focusing especially hard on that, since it helps keep her from falling into grief over the death of her best friend.

Inquisitor Lucia Trevelyan

Age: 24 (Inquisition); 34 (Veilguard) Sexuality: Lesbian Animal Companion: Cloudia the Horse Best Friend: Dorian Pavus Romantic Partner: Josephine Montilyet Present Status: Leading a defense of southern Ferelden despite not being a Warden because she feels guilty about Solas

Bio: As the youngest child of House Trevelyan, Lucia was awarded a lot of freedom growing up. It was expected she would have a role in the Chantry, which she was perfectly fine with (as a devout believer in the Maker), but she was allowed to study archery and horseback riding in her spare time as well, of which she had an abundance. She was sent to the conclave as a formality; House Trevelyan had to have representation, and she was the only one of her siblings with nothing else going on. That she ended up with the anchor and so-named the Herald of Andraste? Her own family was gobsmacked, though her parents preened and her siblings malded; Lucia believed it only because she had no other explanation, and her faith in the Maker and Andraste was absolute.

Lucia was, is, and will always be a pacifist. Each choice she made during the Inquisition was to grant mercy if at all possible. This brought her into numerous conflicts, but she held fast to her principles and earned the love of one of her advisors, Josephine Montilyet, as a result. So far, Josephine has been Lucia's first and only love; they end up married with multiple adopted children.

Despite handing the Inquisition over to the Chantry (since Leliana is the new Divine, and was one of Lucia's advisors; Lucia trusts her implicitly), Lucia still takes it upon herself to bear responsibility where she can. She ends up leading the defense of southern Thedas during the Sixth Blight because she feels partly responsible for it, since it was Solas' ritual which cast the Blight upon the world. Despite Solas doing this (and cutting off her hand, and being the reason for the conclave explosion in the first place, and—), Lucia's pacifism and respect for the past friendship (which she refuses to believe was all a lie) pushes her to want to save him, rather than kill him, and she tries to convince everyone to see things how she does. She succeeded in convincing Varric, and now can no longer look Briar Hawke in the eye.

Thalia "Rook" Mercar

Age: 28 Sexuality: Pansexual Animal Companion: Lady Meowmers the Tortie Cat (the Shadow Dragons have been taking care of her during Thalia's exile) Best Friend(s): Neve Gallus, Davrin, Assan, and Manfred Romantic Partner: Neve Gallus Present Status: Trying to kill a couple (trio?) of gods

Bio: Thalia was found on the battlefield as a young babe of barely two years of age by Legatus Charon Mercar of the Tevinter military. Though she was only a baby, her magic had already begun to manifest; she was subconsciously creating a shield around her, protecting her from the chaos of battle. And though she was an elf, Charon felt that her being a mage canceled her being an elf, and so brought her home to raise her as a daughter with his wife. Both of them were human, but they were mages, too. They knew they could teach her what she needed to know.

Thalia's parents loved her, but despite Charon's feelings that her being a mage canceled out her being an elf, her elven lineage still caused complications. In public, people assumed she was a servant; her parents, not wanting to rock the boat, rarely if ever outwardly corrected anyone. They told her that it didn't matter, that they knew the truth; but they left her home more and more often as she grew older, and Thalia was not stupid. She knew why.

She didn't go to a school with other students, being an elf, but was instead taught by her parents and private tutors. They oversaw the Tevinter equivalent of her Harrowing when she was only 15. She passed, and her parents were proud, but the celebration was behind closed doors.

Thalia was happy to be a city elf, and had no desire to run off to join the Dalish. But she was curious about her culture, something her parents tried to discourage. "It doesn't matter that you're an elf," they'd say, while keeping her home. "The only language you need apart from common is Tevene." So it was behind their backs that Thalia acquired elven things from passing merchants, and that she learned the elven language. Just because she wasn't Dalish didn't mean she couldn't be an elf, she felt, regardless of how embarrassed her parents seemed by it.

The discord between Thalia and her parents hit a breaking point shortly after Thalia turned eighteen. Thalia knew her parents loved her, and she loved them; but their refusal to stand up against slavery in Tevinter despite expressed disapproval of it at home — and their refusal to stand up for her, even, their own daughter — led to her running away to do something about it herself. It was while she was on a reckless attempt to free slaves that she ran into members of the Shadow Dragons, who saw this eighteen-year-old upstart and thought, "Yeah, she should be one of us, before she gets herself killed."

Thalia has not spoken to her parents in ten years. She misses them, but feels they wouldn't want to hear from her after their last interaction was a fight before she ran away. On the contrary, her parents do regret what led up to her leaving, and wish they had an opportunity to try to make things right.

[writingthedas]

ok I'm putting this under a cut bcs this is gonna be long. some of these worldstates are newer and need more fleshing out but I love them all.

worldstate 1: Belladonna Amell, Easter Hawke, Niara Lavellan

ok so this is my 'main' worldstate

Belladonna is probably my favourite of all my heroes of thedas. shes a blood mage, she's 16, she's got a god sized ego, she's aroace. she's got it all. she heard about Anders blowing up the chantry and that he was possessed by a spirit and thought, "huh. i can do that" and let herself get possessed by a spirit of wisdom who'd been visiting her in her dreams since she was little. his name is Wisely. they're platonic life partners. she's also related to one of my other wardens, as well as my friends warden (as in they are all siblings)

Easter is technically Belladonna's 2nd cousin but is at least 8 years older than her. Easter is a blue/purple mix leaning more towards purple as the game progressed. her life is a nightmare, Bethany dies before they get to kirkwall, Carver dies in the deep roads, then her mother gets killed. also she romances Fenris so there's the whole breakup that she also has to deal with.

Niara is my Solasmance inquisitor bcs I love pain. she's a fighter bcs I love that solas canonically likes buff women. and she's a templar for angst reasons. she was originally born into slavery in tevinter but her mother grabbed her and ran when she was about 7 and left her with clan lavellan. her mother ended up in orlais and they reunite post trespasser.

worldstare 2: Eden Amell, Tola Kader, Jeannie Hawke, Celene Trevelyan

Eden is probably my most tragic warden. she's Belladonna's older sister, they look nothing alike. she's a bleeding heart. I designed her to be representative of the warm, protective, healing aspect of fire. she romances Alistair, and doesnt let morrigan do the dark ritual with him. she never even tells him it was an option, bcs she knows he'd ignore his own discomfort to save them both. she died killing the archdemon. she was only 19.

Tola comes from a carta family and has done everything she can to escape them, going so far as to join the grey wardens. she's the warden commander for awakening since Eden is. y'know. dead. I know it's not canon but she ends up in a relationship woth Nathaniel bcs I say so.

Jeannie is 1 of 2 blue hawkes I have. she's a lesbian and romances Isabela. Carver becomes a templar in her timeline which has extra sting behind it bcs she has some intense templar related trauma. I like to think her and Isabela are living happily sailing the waking sea post inquisition. they deserve it.

Celene is another lesbian, and she romances Josephine. she's actually a half elf, her Orlesian mother having had an affair with one of her family's servants and being married off to Lord Trevelyan before she started to show she was pregnant. Celenes step father was kind enough to give her his surname and raise him like she was his own. she ends up meeting her father after Josephine finds out who he is for her, and he comes to work for the Inquisition as a groundskeeper in skyhold. he later comes with them to Antiva post trespasser. also when I named her i forgot the empress of orlais was named Celene, which is why her mother ended up being orlesian

worldstare 3: Jelsi Brosca, Malcolm Hawke JR, Sumeyye Adaar

Jelsi Brosca i love you. Trans woman, bisexual, in love with Morrigan but gets rejected and romances no one. she fathered Kieran though. she's a dual weilding rogue, and until coming to the surface didn't know how to read or write.

Malcolm jr is my second blue hawke. a gay trans man who romances Fenris. he's desperately trying his best and do good in a world that does nothing to help him and always seems out to get him. Bethany becomes a warden, his biggest regret is bringing her with them to the deep roads.

Sumeyye is a no nonsense mage who fights on the front lines alongside bull as a knight enchanter. she romances blackwall. she lives her small human boyfriend that she can pick up without trying too hard. and he lives that she can pick him up so easily.

worldstate 4: Jon Cousland, Amelia Hawke. Efe Adaar

Jon is another one of my characters whos a soft bleeding heart. he wants so bad to be what's expected of a warden, to make his parents proud. he becomes king by marrying Anora. their marriage starts of purely political but Jon eventually starts falling in love with her, and they start a courtship despite already being married. it's very cheesy and romantic.

Amelia is one of my red hawkes. I think red hawle is severely underappreciated. she's a dual weilding rogue who romances Merrill. its very much a 'touch her and I'll kill you' kind of relationship. neither of her siblings survive past act 1 unfortunately.

Efe is Sumeyye's younger brother, he's taller than her and has no horns. he's Bi and romances Cassandra. i don't have too much fleshed out for him yet.

worldstate 5: Arenil Surana, Valentine Hawke, Esric Lavellan

Arenil is actually the first warden i made, now revamped and renewed. she has a twin brother named Lion (leon) who uses crutches to get around. she's a hopeless romantic who believes in soul mates and romances Leliana. she's also albino

Valentine ehehehe. a mage who's doomed to repeat the mistakes of a father she wants nothing to be like. she's got his personality, his eyes, his magic. she turns to blood magic like he did. shes red, romances Isabela and Carver becomes a warden.

Esric is another one I don't have super fleshed out yet. he's twins with Esmae and is the more chaotic, spontaneous of the 2. he's a trans man who romances Dorian.

worldstate 6: Oriel Mahariel, Holly Hawke, Esmae Lavellan

Oriel was in love with Tamlen, but never knew if his feelings were reciprocated until he had to put him down. she romances Morrigan, and follows her through the Eluvian. also they're genderfluid and use any pronouns.

Holly is the definition of disaster bisexual. everyone's hot and she doesn't know what to do about it. she's purple. romances Merrill and Bethany becomes a circle mage.

Esmae is the third inquisitor I still need to work details out for. she's Esrics twin sister and is the more careful and calculated of the 2. she's a trans woman and romances Cullen

worldstate 7: Eloril Tabris, Theodore Hawke, Von Cadash

Eloril is one of my favourites. she's a lesbian who didn't want to marry Nelaros, and hates that he died for her. she's angry, aggressive, straightforward, and sometimes downright mean. she romances leliana. is some canon divergence, after the blight she's given the title of Arl of Denerim, and after finding a cure for the blight, she takes up her position. she's nicknamed The Wolf of Denerim.

You know how Anders says that he'd drown the world in blood for Hawke or something like that. yeah, Theodore thought that was the most romantic thing he'd ever said. Theodore is my third red Hawke. he's bad with people but tries his best for Anders.

I created Von bcs I saw like. no Cadash romances for Bull and thought that was a crime. Von is another carta dwarf who wants nothing to do with his family, and uses the Inquisition to put some distance between himself and them.

worldstate 8: Adelaide Cousland, Fiona Hawke, Fane Lavellan

Adelaide has a lot of Lioness imagery in her Pinterest board, and i live that for her. she romances Alistair. honestly she doesn't have a lot of drama surrounding her.

Fiona wants to be your typical knight in shining armor for Anders, but cant take things seriously long enough to do so.

Fane is my little weirdo. thousand yard walleye stare, necromancer obsessed with death, sera romancing weirdo.

AU 1: Minerva Bywater

OK MINERVA. There's a lot about her, but basically she was a harrowed mage in the Ostwick circle. when the circles began uprising, some of the templars in her circle got scared and grabbed a bunch of mages and made them tranquil, Minerva was one of them. she, alongside others, was brought up at the conclave to prove the templars abuse. this caused a huge argument and justinia called for a break which is when corypheus arrived.

being sent into the Fade + exposed to that amount of raw magic undid the Rite of tranquility. Minerva's an emotional mess for a lot of the story, but with some help from Cole she relearns how to control her emotions. she's a spirit healer and basically refuses to use offensive spells.

she ends up in a relationship with Krem. and after trespasser becomes a member of the chargers. her and krem get married on a battlefield very Elizabeth Swan and Will Turner style, with Bull officiating.

AU 2: Inquisitor Belladonna

she's back, baby!! this AU came to me one night and ive been obsessed with it since. Basically, Belladonna attends to conclave to see what's up, disguised of course. when the wardens show up with Corypheus Bella's darkspawn senses go nuts so she goes to investigate. and then the explosion happens.

the most drama here is how her companions react to finding out she's possessed. like, her and Vivienne BARELY get along, they'll gossip over wine, but that's it.

also poor Cullen (not really) has to deal with the girl he had a crush on 10 years ago now being his boss.

I love hearing about people's specific world state dramas in the tags. Whenever you reblog a post from me and expand upon your wardens, hawkes, and inquisitors and their fucked up lives, know that im sitting here like "wow I love that please tell me more"