#putting my Tabris at the end feels so weird

[waluigisgaybf]

THIS TOOK ME A HOT SEC, and I totally feel like I somehow cheated because theres 3 sets of siblings so there doesnt appear to be much variety 😳😳😳 heres the picrew!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH @numbaoneflaya for tagging meeeee- Literally the only person I can think of rn tag is @the-rxven-king????

Alphonse Overa | Avie Overa

Meiji Redgrave | Beatrice Redgrave

Nigel Maevrie | Reid Maevrie

Miris Tabris | Cassian Surana

(Rip cause Bea is only 10 but I couldnt make her look younger, and extra rip for me purposly giving Meiji fun anime hair so no option looked right)

[musicismymoirail]

Ohhh fellow dragon age player???

Tell me more about your protags 👀👀👀

Oh, yes! :D It feels like I've been playing it forever at this point. But, okay! I do have sideblog for my da bullshit here but I haven't chatted about my protags in ages, so let's go! Apologies for the length ahead of time. ^^;;;

The Wardens: Left to Right.

Suibhne Tabris, the pragmatic & polite rogue whose always up to teach folks the old alienage proverb of 'no child of Adaia Tabris makes empty threats'. Push him if you dare. He's my technically canon warden and the leader of Origins ragtag group. Mainly because he's very stoic and chill. Mhm. He was left at the Chantry as an infant before the Tabris family adopted him. He loves his family dearly, and took Adaia's death very hard. Like he didn't speak for years after and people feel like he ended up as very muted version of his chaotic child self. But grief can change you, and that's okay. He romances Zevran (utterly smitten~), Morrigan is basically his sister, is the one that does the Dark Ritual, and he'd love to meet his son but respects Morrigan's wishes to keep away. He's just a chill sweetheart who will murder a whole castle of nobles to save his loved ones~. I love him. c: <3

Nari Aeducan, the iconoclastic & favored former princess of House Aeducan. Oh, Bhelen. You can keep the throne but you will never feel safe within the walls of Orzammar again. <3 Nari is... my newest Warden, and not super fleshed yet. She lost her eye in her childhood during a training match, and asked Daddy Dearest to get her a lyrium prosthetic eye. Because it neat. In my canon, she misses out on meeting Duncan and gets to roam around the Deep Roads until the Origins group finally stumbles over her like two months later? She's a survivor~~~ She also enjoys sweetly terrorizing her baby back-stabbing brother. <3 No idea who she'd romance, honestly? Probably no one. Her mind is just set on causing chaos in Orzammar. Bless her.

Raniel Surana, the tempestuous and diligent mage that lasted like four days outside of the circle before she turned to blood magic. To be fair, she was dying at the time & Mouse is cool. Raniel was my very first Warden~~~ Sooo. Her and Tabris both met Duncan before going to Ostagar, and she's both enthralled and terrified and so bitter at Jowan, so she's just bouncing in every direction. During the first fight, the orge atop the Tower bites off her arm and Rani, not wanting to die with her new friends, asks Mouse for help. She's Super Bitter and Pissed for most of the story, as losing your home and arm will do to someone. No one really questions the weird white mouse that travels on her shoulder. But Leliana and the others sloooooooowly bring back her old romantic self. Stories and stars do the soul so much good. She ends up as the Teryna of Gwaren, is a happy little blood mage and since Leliana is my canon Divine, is basically married to the highest religious figure in Southern Thedas. Go Raniel~~~~

I never got as attached to my Hawke as my Wardens or Inquisitor (weird as DA2 is my favorite game so far), buuuuuuut this is my current one.

Revelry Hawke, the stepford-smiling put-upon third parent of the Highly Dysfunctional Hawke family. All they wanted in life was to keep their family together and safe, and they Failed! Constantly! Carver died in Lothering! Bethany died in the Deep Roads! Leandra died in Kirkwall! And Revelry blames themself fully. :'D They're technically a rouge, but personal headcanon is they have magic too but just for Entropy spells and this goes unnoticed by all until the Arishok stabs them in Act Two. Losing one's family does have a way of letting you let go of a lot of things, does it~~? Forever sides with the mages, I do imagine they got offered the Viscountship post-game (because it's dumb that's Templar-locked) but Revelry stepped down after like five days. They're known as the Five-Day Viscount now. And they, idk, probably ended up in a polycule with everyone accidently. That seems like a very Revelry thing to do. o:

Do I have a favorite protag of the lot? Yes, it's Mir. :D

Mir'uvenan Ruoho Lavellan, aka Mir, aka Miracles, my beloved and endlessly chaotic Inquisitor. Left his clan because of his toxic and deeply codependent relationship with his twin brother, Mir is basically a shattered mosaic of trauma, impulse and passion. He doesn't know why he's here, he wants to burn the Chantry to the ground and steal its foundation to boot, and people are! Praising him?!? Him? Why! Whhhhhhhy!?! He's not a leader! TToTT!! Except, that's all the gaslighting talking. Mir is stupidly clever and intelligent, endlessly caring and absolutely has no issues telling off Ancient Tevinter Gods and their Fake Archdemons. He lost all his fucks when he got the Anchor, so fuck it. He'll do his best because he's kinda stuck here anyways. TT____TT

(And Bull's like 'this is why you're the Inquisitor, Kadan~~')

Mir's an absolute little nerd who adores mixing his own alchemical concoctions because smashing highly volatile flasks against his skin is just Heaven~~~ He ends up losing his hearing Quite A Bit because of all the explosions, but whatcha gonna do~? Dagna and Rocky teached him Dwarven Sign Language to help. He likes hanging around Dagna to learn magic in the non-magic way too because It's Fascinating! o: <333

Mhm. Romances Bull but it's pretty open. Sera is his BFF, and Dorian a close second. Never gets comfortable being the Herald or the Inquisitor, doubly so after the Jaws of Hakkon, triply so after Trespasser. He disbands it, and is happier for it just being a Red Jenny with Sera and just finally enjoying life at long last with a good support system of friends and connections. I always play the game as Mir slowly working through his miserable self-worth and healing through all the trauma his brother put him through, so I like him ending the game having more neutral-positive outlook. He is actually Not The Worst, and ain't that nice? c:

(He's still gonna punch Solas in the face if they meet again tho. Because friends don't let friends destroy worlds, and he already proved people are just as worthwhile now as long ago.)

And if anyone actually read through all of that, thank you and bless you for reading about my silly little protags I've put Far Too Much Thought into over the years! ;;v;; <3

Also, enjoy a silly comic of Mir buying 57 hand puppets. <3

[elfcollector]

Can you tell us about some of your Wardens? The different Hero of Fereldan's are so interesting and I'd love to hear about yours!

(also was/is Johana in a romance with divine Justinia or Leliana as divine?)

i have SO many wardens so i almost don't know where to start! i'll start with alia because i adore her and she's my canon warden so that seems fair!

alia tabris is pretty canon divergent; she's a hedge mage, for one! rather than giving her up to a circle when the magic came, alia's mother insisted on hiding the magic and keeping her in the alienage; not really free, but certainly closer than she'd have been in a circle. very bethany and mage!hawke.

anyway, alia is only nineteen when the game begins, and hasn't really trained her magic much; she keeps it hidden even through the kidnapping up until she finds shianni and vaughn, at which point she's so furious — and also trying to repress her magic so violently — that it slips out and she freezes him, and then shatters him into tiny little pieces. she takes the blame for everything with the hope that that will avoid a purge, and even once she joins the party her sense of her own magic is weird. she ends up finding that, while she learns to be decently proficient with a staff, she prefers channeling magic through her body — there are lots of uses! gather a great deal of force magic in your fist and then release it all at once when you punch something and you can knock down walls with relative ease. launch yourself across the battlefield with a combination of force magic and barrier magic around your legs. channel entropy magic through a dagger in another's gut...the options are limitless!

there's an element of like...how do i put it. for most of my characters, across series, becoming A Hero is a net negative; it inflicts a lot of additional trauma without enough gain to offset it. like, all my hawkes, almost all my inkies ( dove is the exception ), many of my wardens...they hate being The Champion/The Inquisitor/The Warden. but for alia, becoming a warden was the first time she got to eat enough, was free to explore her magic, had real, close bonds — the first time she was really allowed to act as young as she is. she seems very childish at times because this is the first time she's been allowed to be a child. not that there's no pain associated with becoming The Warden, but it brought her more good than harm. she's happy to be the warden, for all she might wince from being called a hero.

that being said, while she's great at leading a small group, she finds that she struggles immensely at being warden commander — she doesn't feel like she's good at it. and while she's not as bad as she THINKS she is, the fact remains that she's not great, either. origins is a lot of positive character development for her, but all the dlc she mostly undergoes negative development due to feeling like she just. keeps. failing others. this motivates her fleeing the wardens a little earlier than most of my other wardens, do — that and a desire to see zevran again, of course.

as for johana — she's leliana's beloved! she remains with leliana even once leli becomes divine victoria; spends a lot of time being annoying about how her "naughty priest" fantasies are all coming true. they never actually officially marry ( there's just so rarely time ) but at some point they just took to calling each other wife/my wife/etc and it stuck.

leliana is such a revelation for jo; she experienced a lot of comments from her family and others about being attracted to women, and her parents desperately trying to hook her up with a man takes on a particularly gross energy when johana is an out and out lesbian, and given how misogynistic howe is i can't imagine he didn't have opinions on the warrior woman also being gay. she's internalized that while few people will outright disallow her from loving women, that there is something inherently less holy / Right about attraction to women. not that this results in any hiding; jo leans hard into being The Problem Child, enjoys the relative freedom that comes with, and decides that if attraction to women is wrong then she'll just Be Wrong and not try to "fix" herself. but still, it's hard to carry that. and here comes leliana, bi supreme, who is at once the most holy woman she knows and who is also flirting with her and outright about being attracted to women.

it blows johana's mind, and leliana and johana's frankly bonkers devotion and loyalty towards her drives a lot of johana's actions. she makes a lot of Good Moral Choices ( as opposed to utilitarian morally questionable ones ) because leliana's there to remind her that she's capable of being merciful and moral and kind.

killing howe sort of breaks her brain, though, the catharsis is so intense ( she even promises to do things to his family that will make what he did to hers look like a mercy; she doesn't go through with it, but only because the companions don't let her ). and that's followed by very bad torture drakon; and she undergoes very rapid negative development about it all. gets bloodthirsty. she clears out ALL OF DRAKON ( including non - combatants like the sister in the chapel ) on her own, literally seeking out fights she didn't have to face, despite having no real reason to because she's desperate to take her power back, to feel powerful, TO HURT THE ONES THAT HURT HER. who hurt ser gilmore and mother mallol, poor fuckers... after that, she gets more erratic, more likely to kill everybody and quicker to violence, especially with anyone connected to howe or loghain. it's leliana ( and zevran, her bestie ) who soothe and help her re - regulate and re - center. by awakening, she's at least settled enough that she doesn't outright kill nathaniel, but it's a close thing.

[the-dragon-folk]

Super Loose Dragon age Origin OC breakdown sheet

My computer's been dead (and still kind of is) for a month after... the milk incident, so I've only had the opportunity to play through Partha, and I do want to re-run her since she was my first playthrough. All of these come with a grain of salt and a lot of opportunity to be changed Warden Partha Aeducan: True to the Dwarf Noble Origin, kings Alistair, Romances Morrigain (bi rights), and does the dark ritual. The Leader. The World's most cringefail trans girl boss princess <3. She's an incredibly strong and fierce warrior, a real shit brickhouse as far as dwarves go, but also really mentally not doing well, and she expends a lot of energy not confronting this. She's remarkably successful, it's just that she's guessing the entire time and a lot of her choices go against her own, or her friends' wishes, in the name of the "Greater Good," but what that means to her is really unclear. She is so desperate to protect everyone and save Ferelden because she knows its right, but she doubts every choice she makes and so many "good" choices cause a lot more pain. She begins her journey feeling unloved, put-upon and lost and ends her journey feeling unloved, put-upon, and lost <3. She's also batshit a little and spends a lot of time doing really risky shit in a half-hearted attempt to chase death in a very Zevran-esque way aha. She comes out of the Blight an extremely weird unsettling person, and I do spend a lot of time jumping the shark with her. She drinks that weird bottle at Solider's Peak and does The Golems of Amgarrak stuff, if that explains anything. She's a ball of knots and hard to explain quickly. Mingrin: Partha's dog. Really cool guy and good boy.

Warden Judpha: Dwarf Commoner, not Brosca, thruple with Zevran and Killian. Grew up in Dust Town and was the guardian to his niece from a young age and broke when she was murdered. He's effectively ripped apart in Ostagar, and this leaves him short an arm and a leg. His Ostagar trauma makes him entirely unwilling to face the Dark Spawn. Jud start off pretty coarse - particularly with Partha, who he bitterly refers to as "Peace-Keeper" - and he softens up over time. He learns to read and write and becomes the sort of book-keeper of the group.

Warden Killian Tabris: True to the Elf Commoner Origin, thruple with Zevran and Judpha. Killian's a little less developed than the other two, but she's also pretty prickly. She dislikes Partha and Alistair because of their highborn status. She tends to lead a secondary party. I think her story is about her growing from jaded and act-first-questions-later to a more tempered and empathetic leader, as she's left to be Commander of the Grey after Partha disappears. I think Jud and Zevran allow her to soften up and relax a bit. I think she'll probably parallel Partha in a lot of ways. She joins at the same time as Alistair. Warden (Unnamed so far) Mahariel: Likely true to Elf Dalish origin. He'll likely spend a lot of time on the side lines. He joins at the same time as Partha and, when he finds himself entirely alone at Ostagar, goes "why would i die for a bunch of people who don't give two shits about me when I can go home and help my clan??" and immediately high tails it. He comes back up when the wardens come to the Dalish and find him. He gets turned into a werewolf and at the end of it he probably choses to stay and help prepare the Clans for the Dark spawn. He isn't meant to come across as a coward, but just as someone who, rightfully, is more concerned with the immediate future of his loved ones rather than a more abstract Series of Misadventures to Maybe? Save the World. Not to mention, he's alone right off the bat and has no context on how to be a warden.

Warden Surana and Warden Cousland (also both unnammed): Both mostly true to Human Noble & Elf Circle. They're more of a MacGuffin. They're both slightly older wardens than Alistair & Killian. Warden Surana and Cousland survived Ostagar (Likely alongside Killian and Judpha) and immediately went into action. They presume the old treaties are lost with Alistair and decide to go to Soldier's Peak to try and find some sort of hope. When Civil War pressures get real, Cousland makes a plan to use his Nobility status to wed Anora and reign some things back into place. This is what sends Partha on the path to wedding Alistair to Anora. When The Party get to Soldier's Peak, Cousland has been killed and likely so has Warden Surana.

Ameira Surana: Sister to Warden Surana and another Circle Elf. Romances Alistair. She is a prodigious young mage who spent much of her life in her sister's shadow. This allowed her to get away with what she wanted in peace. I forget which exactly was the specific character issue that sent her down her path, but after her sister and Jowan bounce, she does become a practicing Blood mage. she keeps this under wraps for a while and eventually saves Judpha's life with it, so he doesn't say anything about it. She joins the party with Wynne to help the Wardens and eventually falls in love with Alistair, and it's really sweet and smooth up until Partha and Eamon make moves to wed Anora and Alistair. Alistair breaks up with Ameira to try and spare her from everything that is going on. Ameira, devastated by the last 2 years' shenanigans' like every one else, does eventually fireball-blood magic the shit out of Partha and Anora and Judpha is like "hm yeah i guess i should've said something sooner."

[heniareth]

4 & 7 Astala Tabris, Ilanlas Mahariel, and Marelas Lavellan

Oho!!! These are some good, juicy ones!! Here goes:

4. write a book with, read a book to, hit with a book

I would very definitely write a book with Marelas. As the First of clan Lavellan, the man is a scholar and firmly believes in the power of shared knowledge. He's got great work ethic and likes to dive deep into issues of his interest, which are mainly magic and histry. That's where he'll lose me; unlike him, I'm no expert in Thedosian history, nor elvhen history, nor magical theory and practice. But we could put together some neat side project for him where we try to bring a basic vist of magical theory to the average Thedosian to diminish the stigma against mages. I'd mostly act as a sounding board, putting my own ignorance to good use by making sure the text is entertaining and understandable to the reader. I think Marelas would love to get Sera on board for this, but I don't think he'd be able to. Or, maybe I can get Marelasinto writing novels. Y'know, as a relaxing hobby. He'd come back utterly at odds with the whole thing because the story got sad and suddenly it's not relaxing at all anymore! I think it's unlikely he'd get that far, tho. He's a busy man and would prefer to spend his free time otherwise.

I'll read a book to Ilanlas. He likes having something to listen to while he whittles away at his little figures and man, he's starved for positive interactions with people, so let's give him that. I really don't know what to read though. Something like fantasy might be the easiest thing, although it would be weird for him to see elves regarded so differently if I read, say, the Lord of the Rings. I kinda want to introduce him to all my childhood classics, Astrid Lindgren especially. I think he would enjoy her stories even though they would obviously be intended for younger people. And I kinda want to try the Percy Jackson series for him, although there'd be a lot of reference to greek mythology that'd fly right over his head (and a lot of modern stuff I'd have to explain, but most of it wouldn't be terribly plot relevant). Or I might try something entirely new; I have the feeling that the stories I like don't deal with the kind of emotions and problems he deals with on the regular

And I'm... yeah. I want to share a book with Astala too. Alas, hers is the lot to get hit by a book. Softly. Bonked more than hit. It'd be a paperback and done all as a nice joke and then she'd get to bonk me back. And maybe then I can read to her as well, yes? I think she'd like The Hobbit, or Howl's Moving Castle, and I think she'd enjoy it if I did character voices

7. go to a wedding with, go to a party with, go to a museum with

This one. This one is complicated XD XD XD

I'll take Astala to the wedding. She'd have a blast. She'd get to meet friends of mine and/or family, which she'll be delighted by, she'd love the food, love the armosphere, love the dancing and be all eyes at what our weddings look like. I am counting on the hope that all of that will be enough to keep away bad memories of her own almost wedding. If not, well... I'll be there to help.

I'm taking Marelas partying. Poor man. I would have liked to take Astala, but she's too much of a party animal for me when given the chance. The good thing is that Marelas and I have similar dispositions when it comes to parties: they can be fun when there are friends of yours, dancing can be nice, drinks are to be enjoyed in moderation if at all, and we'll go to sleep at a reasonable hour. I think I could get him to dance a bit. I can definitely get him to dance if we can bring Dorian along. We'd end up in a corner of the room talking best we could over the music, head out for fresh air periodically and then head home. It would be nice! And I can count on him to not get past a little tipsy.

And I'm taking Ilanlas to a museum. This might not seem up his alley that much, but. We'll go to one of those very interactive ones, where you can pull levers and look how sediment shifts with the water and stuff like that. It would be something about natural sciences, maybe evolutionary theory, dinosaurs and stuff. God, he'd love dinosaurs. Maybe Stone Age. "This is what life must have been like for us before June taught us our crafts," he says. I think he'd enjoy himself XD XD XD

Thanks for the ask!! These have definitely surprised me in my choices; not at all what I would've expected, which is always cool. Hope you're having a lovely day!!

(Asks come from this ask game)

[5lazarus]

The Domestics

Alistair runs into an older elven woman on the battlements, watching the children play in the Skyhold courtyard below. They get to talking: isn't it nice that the mages get to keep their children now? Then, in the course of the conversation, Alistair figures it out. Alistair says, “I always wondered. What my life would’ve been like, if she could’ve kept me. I always kinda knew she didn’t have a choice. King’s bastards are the king’s, not whoever carried them. If she were a servant and if I’d end up in the kitchens or, better yet, the dairy. I really like cheese. But if she were a mage, I guess we never had any of that. Unless she ran away.” Read on Archive of Our Own here.

It’s snowing at Skyhold, which delays Alistair’s plans by a day. Anora cuts him loose, locking herself in the ambassador’s heated room with her furs, and he wishes he could change into less fine clothes and join the children in their snowball fight, or wander into the kitchens and see if he can sweet-talk the cook into giving him something hot and sweet to drink. He’s king, so he could ask for all the chocolate in Seheron, and doubtless the Inquisition would try to give it to him.

He walks the battlements so less people will see him and watches the battle in the courtyard below. The Inquisitor’s children seem to have made common cause with the servants’ kids against the visiting nobility; honestly it’s just a relief to see that it isn’t human against elf. Alistair, a tad self-conscious, touches his right ear. An older elf is watching them, smiling. Alistair wonders if she’s the mother of one of them below.

“Which one’s yours?” Alistair asks.

The woman says, “I’m only watching them for the Inquisitor. I’m their guard.” She’s got short black hair, threaded with silver, but her eyes are lively enough. She’s wearing green robes with a bit of Dalish-looking embroidery at the ends of her sleeves. She’s got an Orlesian accent, too. He didn’t know the Inquisition was working with elves from Orlais, didn’t Anora tell him to keep an eye out for Ambassador Briala’s livery?

“Oh.” He shouldn’t feel awkward, but he blushes anyway. He stares at the woman’s feet, toes poking out of those foot wraps, and wonders how on earth she’s not freezing. Alistair’s got a coat of heavy wool, trimmed in fur.

The woman notices he’s staring and says, matter-of-fact, “My circulatory system is different than yours. We conserve heat more efficiently than your people. Besides, I’m a mage. It’s easy to keep warm.”

That has him a bit miffed. Of course he knows elves are biologically different than humans; they can still breed, though. He’s evidence of that. He doesn’t feel the cold as intensely as the others at court, and he knows why. The servants at the palace can tell, even if he passes, for the most part. Eamon and Tegan talk all the time about how much he looks like his father, how much he looks like Cailan, but he’s seen enough portraits of them both to know how he differs.

Alistair says, again, “Oh. Cool. I’m half, you know.” It’s not that he’s discouraged from talking about it, but it’s never been something to advertise. Those with eyes to see it don’t need to be told, but right Alistair feels like he needs to justify himself, with the way she’s looking at him. Skyhold has had him wrong-footed; Leliana has been distant and he is finding it harder and harder to slip away from the King. Anora tells him that’s part of adulthood. He’s not so sure.

The woman says, “I know.”

Alistair folds his arms. “Really? Because I didn’t. What’s your name, by the way?”

The elf smiles sadly. “Fiona. I used to travel with the Grey Wardens, when I was young.”

Alistair says, “Really? The Grey Wardens don’t really let people leave. Unless, you know, you point out that yet another civil war is going to break out if they don’t let you put your ass back on the throne. What was your excuse?”

Fiona says, “I had a baby. It’s hard to keep a nursery going in the Deep Roads. The darkspawn get jealous.”

“Oh. Can’t be having that, they’re crabby enough as it is. Though I heard of a Warden who brought his cat into the Deep Roads too, scratched out the eyes of a hurlock apparently. You’re lucky, most of us can’t have kids. I can’t. Probably.” He thinks about his own natural daughter with Tabris and blushes at the lie, rubbing at the back of his head. It’s for her own good and the good of the realm he hasn’t brought her to court. It’s not an excuse, it’s a reason, and Morrigan has the spare heir anyway, if Anora can’t figure something out.

Fiona says, “I suppose it’s luck. The Circle took him away from me, and gave him back to his father.” She sounds wistful. “But under the Inquisition, the mages keep their children. It’s a different world now. There’s no going back.”

He thinks to himself, I’m not so sure—the disastrous plans for the Hinterlands, the riots in Denerim, the failure of the embassy in the Brecilian forest. He thought after the Blight, with this new alliance between elves, dwarves, and men, there would be no going back. Anora tells him it’s a struggle for the future and that reform doesn’t come in a day, perhaps not even their lifetime: sometimes they need to settle for establishing the groundwork for the next person to rule, like Maric did for them. But of course, Anora’s never had her cousin kidnapped and brutalized, or her father sold into slavery. That sort of perspective changes things.

Alistair says, “Really?” He scratches his head. “I look at things in Ferelden and wonder how things can stay so stagnant, and then you look at Orlais and how they’re eating themselves alive. And Orzammar, of course, which is basically a living fossil. People don’t like change. They’d prefer for things to stay the same, or even go back to how they were a generation ago.” He is surprised at the bitterness in his voice.

Fiona cocks her head and looks at him curiously. She says, “You’re too young to be talking like that. You must understand it comes in seasons—we flourish in spring and reap our harvest in summer, and then prepare for and suffer through the conservative reaction in winter. Sometimes it’s a harsh winter, and many do not survive. But then there is always the spring. You lived in Ferelden, you should know—from the Night Elves who freed your people from the Orlesian occupation to Clan Alerion securing the boundaries of the Hinterlands now, things have changed. You just need to…riot every so often, to make sure no one gets complacent.” She grins.

It’s nice to talk politics with someone who doesn’t know who he is, who thinks he’s just another wealthy Ferelden currying favor with the Inquisition, not a king staring down the religious cult that just carved itself a city-state at the border of his realm. Below the children are yelling. A couple of them are using magic to freeze the snowballs, and they’re having a fierce debate, interspersed with throwing said ice balls, on whether that’s fair.

Alistair says, “Then I hope you’re right. I hope the mages and the Inquisition’s made enough of a, er, spring, to shake things up. It’s good for these kids to stay with their families, I hated what the Circle did. I didn’t know my mother, growing up. Would’ve avoided a lot of angst if I’d gotten to meet her.” He thinks about Morrigan and her awful mom, and then Goldanna flashes through his mind. Ashamed, he pushes the thought away. “Or maybe it would’ve made it worse! Hard to say, I certainly don’t know!” He smiles at the woman brightly.

Fiona says, “It might have made it worse, since she was an elf. Your life would’ve looked very different, even in Ferelden.”

His heart stops. Surely she doesn’t know who he is. That could be awkward, considering what he’s been saying. Anora will be furious that he’s gone off and talked politics with another random person again. He can’t help it, he gets bored easily, and the courtiers and advisors only tell him what they think he should want to hear.

“How do you know I’m Ferelden?” Alistair asks suspiciously.

“You’re wearing the badge on your fur coat. And, of course, your accent. Unless I am mistaken?”

“No, no,” Alistair says. “But yeah. Sorry. I don’t know much about her. Don’t know if she’s still alive. Just that she was an elf. Always assumed she was a serving woman or something, if my father was anything like C-Caleb.”

Fiona says, “Sometimes it’s better not to think about it, how we came into the world. I never met my parents either.” She leans against the balustrade and shakes her head at the kids fighting in the courtyard below. They’ve devolved into outright brawling, but that weird Warden the Inquisitor keeps around her has waded into the fray, bellowing orders. “It’s good to see them playing again. They never had enough time to play.”

“When were you a Warden?” Alistair asks. “You know, my dad travelled with the Wardens too. But they didn’t make him join up—guess that’s why I’m here, ha-ha.” He wants to ask her if she ever met him, because they might have overlapped. It’s hard to tell with elves sometimes though, they age more slowly, but she looks like she’s in her late forties, a bit careworn. Then he decides he really doesn’t want the conversation to get weird, because he is a king and his father was a king, and it’s rare that someone speaks to him normally now—treats him like the lovable idiot he knows he is, not the history-breaking king.

Fiona says, “Oh, give or take thirty years or so. I try not to count the years, at my age. My people live a long time if left unmolested, but I have a knack for running into trouble.”

Alistair laughs. “Oh, me too! I don’t even mean to do it, I’ve just never learned to keep my mouth shut.” To Teagan and Anora’s chagrin, he thinks ruefully. “I was given to the Templars as a boy, before I managed to get the Wardens to take me, and Maker! The Mother despaired of me. Called me most the accidental heretic she’d ever known. Really the Wardens taking me saved my life, Maker knows what they would’ve done to me if I kept poking at them like I was.”

Fiona pauses, trying to suppress a laugh, and then says, “At least you’ve never started a war.”

Alistair laughs heartily at that. Then he realizes what she’s said. “Wait, what? You started a war?”

Fiona says, “You…you didn’t know?”

Alistair says, “Is there something I should know?”

Fiona steps away, smoothing her expression away. “Many things.” Anxiously she peers down into the courtyard, smoothing her sleeves over her hands. The two factions of Skyhold children have joined forces and are attacking Blackwall with snow, but another one of the Inquisitor’s companions has joined the fray—a cackling elvhen girl, and then Alistair sees that from the balcony of the inn there’s a mustachioed mage swatting snowballs away from his friend.

Alistair says, “You never asked me my name.”

Fiona glances at him and then turns away. “I didn’t need to. You look very much like your father. Though I suppose you must know that.”

Alistair opens his mouth and then closes it. He says, voice hoarse, “Did you ever—“ He stumbles over his words, and clears his throat. “Did you ever find out what happened to your baby? When the Circle took him away.”

Fiona hesitates. The silence between them is filled with the children laughing below, the mage grandiosely chanting what are clearly made-up words, and the old Warden dramatically pretending to be overwhelmed by the volley of snow. The elven girl is swearing revenge, right now. It looks the children are trying to steal the “body” and make a pyre out of snow.

Alistair says, “I always wondered. What my life would’ve been like, if she could’ve kept me. I always kinda knew she didn’t have a choice. King’s bastards are the king’s, not whoever carried them. If she were a servant and if I’d end up in the kitchens or, better yet, the dairy. I really like cheese. But if she were a mage, I guess we never had any of that. Unless she ran away.”

Fiona covers her face with her hands.

Alistair continues, “Then, yeah, being apostates suck. Believe me. I met a girl who lived in a swamp. But I think we could’ve made it work. Like since I pass, and I’m not magic—at least I don’t think so, but I think I’d know by now? I’m like, thirty-five. Or something. I could’ve gone to the villages and traded for food. And I would’ve known more about who I am. Than just Maric’s bastard. Who’s just a story, anyway. That’s how kings like that end up. Just stories.”

His mother is weeping now.

He says, “I have no idea how you started that war you said you did. But I think I know what I’m supposed to know.” He takes a step closer, and she doesn’t move. He says, helplessly now, “I think I have your eyes.”

Fiona leans against the balustrade, back to the courtyard below. She’s not crying now, but she’s not making any sound. Alistair is afraid to go closer. Her hands press into her face like a mask, restraining a scream. He thinks if he touches her, all that tension will explode. He gets overwhelmed like that too. Can you inherit that sort of thing? He has to wonder, does the way one expresses pain get passed down in the blood?

He waits for her to speak. A door behind them creaks open, footsteps scuffle to a stop, then retreat. The door shuts. The mage has come down into the courtyard now and is chanting what appears to be Nevarran over the pile of snow that is Blackwall’s pyre. The elven girl is leading the children in mourning—but then the mage flourishes, and the snow glows purple, then scarlet, then green as he sparks. Blackwall throws the snow off and roars. The children cheer.

Fiona breathes heavily, drawing herself out of wherever she retreated. She swipes at her face with her sleeves. She says, “Forgive me. It was better that you didn’t know. You couldn’t have become—you deserved—Maric needed—what are you going to do, I told the Divine to go fuck herself, you can’t have a mother who told the Divine—“

Alistair says, impressed, “You told the Divine to go fuck herself? I am your son, I knew it had to come from somewhere! This is your fault!” He gestures at himself, and Fiona manages a laugh.

“An exaggeration,” she says. “I merely said the Divine should fuck herself, right before we voted to dissolve the Circles and separate from the Chantry. I’d hoped to tell her that at the Conclave, which is why they sent Orsino rather than myself.” Her mouth twists into a rueful smile. “Perhaps the only time running off my mouth and losing my temper has saved my life.”

Alistair says, “Well, the Divine was kind of an ass. Somebody had to say it.” He laughs. “Oh, this is wonderful. My mother, the rebel mage.” He’s genuinely delighted, this is much cooler than anything he came up with as a boy. “This is so cool. Anora’s going to be so annoyed when I tell her. Not like she can complain, her dad betrayed the realm and got all the Wardens killed, so really on the scale of shitty in-laws, I win.” He pauses: he isn’t sure he conveyed what he wanted to by that. Fiona is just staring at him. “But seriously, I don’t know who you are. Besides, obviously, my mother.”

Fiona says, disbelief in her voice, “I’m the Grand Enchanter."

Alistair says, “Oh Maker, I should’ve recognized the belt, shouldn’t I?”

[eurekq]

>be me >today i will make a height chart for my da protags and their love interests >okay maybe ill make it an outfit and color reference too >well i dont want it to be too boring to look at >draw this

so here we are with all my sweet little ladies and their lis :]!!! from left to right: cassie cousland, marian hawke and anders, aoife lavellan and cullen, rhiannon tabris and alistair, cecelia hawke and fenris, melly cadash and sera

LOTS of extra stuff under the cut!!!

lovely da protag templates are from marian churchland!

dear sweet cassie, partaker in the forbidden non-romantic alistair marriage that the game never knows how to acknowledge. very much the definition of gaslight gatekeep girlboss. and by that i mean a genuinely bad person in the sense that she tends to toy with peoples feelings. had an extremely public affair with anders during the events of awakening. It takes a good 5 years for her and alistairs marriage to be anything even approaching functional. extremely savvy, ambitious, and charismatic; a great politician and an extremely effective ruler. morrigan is her closest friend in the world (yes i know i never had her in my party. thats because im bad at video games and needed a healer.) and they’re like sisters.

my default hawke. 6′2, buff as shit, slept her way through half of her friends before finally settling with anders. she’s a blood mage and her first use of blood magic was during a particularly nasty fight where she got speared through the stomach. she carves herself up for mana; anders puts her back together. does things in anger and impulse and then regrets them (see: giving isabela to the arishok, never reconciling with carver after leandras death). mean if you dont know her, intensely protective if you do, but takes betrayal extremely poorly. constantly taking action, even if it doesn’t turn out very well; she is physically incapable of being a bystander. her and anders are my fave da couple ever... ask me about my post da2 hcs <3 theyre happy and have a daughter named bethany :] she punched cullen in the mouth at the end of da2 so hard that it left that scar.

literally is there anything like your first dai playthrough being an elf. aoife is... remarkably well realized in my brain for a character who’s life began as my friend chanting “goth elf! goth elf! goth elf!” over my shoulder while i was in character creator. very affable and friendly, but extremely politically adept with a capability for subterfuge that even she isn’t fully comfortable with. huge history buff. solas was like a big brother to her and her faith was extremely important to her so trespasser was crushing. very curious, especially about magic; definitely learned some blood magic from hawke after hearing dorian and solas talk about it. dorian is her closest platonic friend, but cullen is her rock. as in he is literally so normal compared to everything else that happens to her and she loves him for it. also her and hawke are friends and a scenario that lives rent free in my mind is them hanging out while anders and cullen attempt to kill each other in increasingly looney toons-esque ways in the background. she turned out remarkably pretty for an inquisitor... look at her

....and that’s it for my canon timeline. onto the secondary timeline!

DEAR SWEET RHIANNON. 4′8 powerhouse with a sword longer than she is tall. i first played rhiannon with a friend who was very new to rpgs and she picked all of the mean dialogue options because she thought they were funny, which led to me discovering that alistair reacts oddly and kind of hilariously well to being made fun of by a female warden pre-duncan dying. rhiannon is fun in that she literally gives no shits about conflict avoidance; if you start something with her, she’ll see it through. disliked alistair on principle and poked fun at him when they first met, but after the events at ostagar bonded to him extremely strongly. very close to him pretty much at the exclusion of all her other companions. extremely strong willed, laughs loud and smiles wide, no real concept of subterfuge except for when she’s hiding her own pain, generally goes in the path of least resistance if it gets to her goal faster. #1 arl eamon hater. she looks pretty different when i draw her compared to how she looked ingame but this screenshot of her doing the like. dead deer tinder profile pic pose is extremely powerful

cecelia is the truest tragic hawke that i’ve played (rip cecelia. you had the misfortune to exist in the warden alistair timeline). lost carver, lost bethany in the deep roads, lost her mother, believes that fenris has left her. act 2; a real rough ride for cecelia. aside from all the tragedy, she’s tough as nails, direct, and extremely blunt. very cautious in combat, even more so since she lost both carver and bethany. plans upon plans upon plans and prefers to strike unseen and unheard from the shadows. DEEPLY in love with fenris, best friends with isabela and merrill. aware of anders affection for her and keeps some distance for both their sakes; after the chantry explosion she helps him fake his own death on the condition that she never sees him again. when terrible things are not constantly happening she has a very dry wit, part of the reason her and fenris get along so well. too many bad things happen to her for someone with such nice thighs and such a stylish cape. her save file had some weird bugs with companion like.... staring???? in weird directions???

the absolute energy here. she also turned out very pretty in inquisition.

melly is easily my most powerful da oc. not in terms of in-universe power (although sword and board reaver is like. unkillable.) but in the sense that she is a catholic (read: andrastian) mid-40′s widowed mobster milf. she’s very close to cassandra and vivienne and consults them for advice before she goes to her actual advisors. even she was surprised by her relationship with sera; she finds sera’s unique sense of humor very charming and really likes pulling silly pranks with her as a reprieve from her everyday life. when she’s not with sera, she tends to be very pragmatic and logical when making decisions for the inquisition and has a very defined sense of purpose. she takes her role as both as the inquisitor and the herald of andraste very seriously. she’s very warm and soothing to be around during off hours and random inquisition members will often drift towards her for life advice. first draft of her and sera in this drawing had sera wearing this

[lavalampelfchild]

Lava’s Art Masterpost

Hey, all!  Welcome to my art masterpost!  I have no idea if this is a thing that is done typically for art, but oh well, I like organizing things, so here we are!  What you’ll find here is mostly Dragon Age, with a few non-DA pieces in there, and there’s a range of styles I like to use, depending on my mood.  But a lot of what you’ll see will most likely combine lineart with some other form of coloring/shading.

Feel free to browse at your leisure, and I hope anyone who stumbles upon this enjoys what they find! :D And thank you to anyone who sees this and likes, or reblogs, or even just stops by to peruse a bit!  

All that said, away we go!

Digital Portraits:

1. Portrait of Nameless Woman, 2020 - This one is just an experiment with a watercolor brush that I did.  It’s not anatomically perfect, but I enjoyed playing around with shading.

2. Sketch of Aja Amell, 2020 - This one is basically sketch practice with my Amell~  Not really the most expressive pictures, but it’s a start toward drawing her more expressively.  Full disclosure: Aja is one of those OCs of mine that I have had trouble with deciding on a definitive appearance for several pictures, and I really want to work on upping my level of consistency when drawing her.

3. Long-Haired Fenris, 2020 - Exactly what it sounds like; this was for practice drawing Fenris’s features (I love how distinct they are), but with long hair because I am weak for it.  This one was a fun piece to shade, and mixing the stylized lineart that I normally use with a greyscale shading spectrum was really enjoyable.

4. Portrait of Ilorin Lavellan, 2016 - This is an oldie.  Basically practicing expressions, and it is technically a WIP, but I’m still very happy with how the shading turned out, especially because this is actually (aside from the unfinished hair) one of the more minimal pieces I’ve done in terms of lineart  It’s still there, and it still shapes the flow of the picture in some ways, but it also ends up flowing with the shading instead of standing out next to it, which I like.  (Both styles are good, though, and I love seeing other artists try both too.)

5. Old Portrait of Aja Amell, 2016 - Much older picture I did of Aja; she... honestly looks very little like the newer one, I think, and that consistency is something I’m still working on, but this one was the first picture of Aja with that particular hairstyle I drew.  What I like about this picture is how young she looks; it fits with her image as a fresh and sheltered Circle mage who’s only about 20 years old at the time of DAO.

6. Old Portrait of Trilyn, 2016 - They very first piece of art I posted to tumblr~ It’s not exactly how I envision Trilyn anymore, but it was still very fun to draw, and helped me get a feel for drawing him in the future. 

Dynamic Movement Pictures/”Moment’s in Time”:

1. Tabris in Arl’s Estate, 2020 - TW: blood.  I am super proud of this one.  My ultimate goal is to draw all of my Warden DAO OCs, and I could not believe I’ve never drawn my Tabris, and so here she is.  This was, in large part, practicing expressions because I absolutely love art that depicts characters in motion, or capturing some kind of expression.

2. Velyn in the Rain, 2017 - This one was actually based on some art that I saw in a Teen Wolf fic!  It was an experiment with a more expressive style (and one of the first pieces I did without lineart left in the finished version) and it was a huge step out of my comfort zone.  But overall, I am extremely happy with how it turned out.

3. Jem Nocking an Arrow, 2016 - And here is the lineart version.  This was entirely an excuse to draw my DAI baby, Jem, and to do a cool archer pose because archers are my fav, and I love characters in motion.

4. Solas Teaching Trilyn Fade Magic, 2016 - This one was a painterly picture that was also (like the Velyn picture) something which I tried to keep lineart out of.  Overall, I am proud of a lot of parts of the pic, but I think I would definitely go back over it and change a few things now if I had the patience.

5. Trilyn Closeup WIP, 2016 - TW: injury, blood, mention of abuse in the author’s note.  A lot of early pictures I have are of my OC, Trilyn, and this is one of my absolute favorites.  His entire upper body is technically in the picture, but I hadn’t finished rendering it yet, so this was what I posted.  And it was an experiment with a cross-hatching style with the pencil tool for some texture, with air brush shading and a blurring tool.  It’s a style I had fun playing around with!

6. Trilyn Blood Ritual, 2016 - TW: blood, injury (the slight cut used to supply the ritual with blood).  This one was definitely a sort of “captured moment” from a backstory I gave Trilyn, and I think what I was really going for was an atmospheric piece that could fit with any potential fic I wanted to write for Trilyn.  And then it ended up being practice for extreme lighting/shading techniques, and drawing the blood and the gross mass of demon ichor (or whatever the heck that is) turned out to be highlights of making the piece for me.

Art + Text:

1. Freedom and Control, 2020 - TW: scars, but very difficult to see.  This one was ambitious for me!  It started originally just as Solas and my Tal-Vashoth OC, Saara, facing each other, because I love the dynamic I’ve built for them in my head, but then it turned into an attempt at a tarot-esque background, and just sorta grew from there... Overall, I’m happy with how it turned out, especially with how Solas and Saara themselves turned out.  The version you can actually see a larger view is here.  

2. Marianna and Delia Codex and Art, Pt. 1, 2020 - I love writing my own codex entries, first off, and I love combining art with text to create a (hopefully) seamless work.  This work was an attempt to flesh out these OCs of mine with both art (because unique facial structures are hard for me to get down, but so important regardless) and text (because writing~).  I think it turned out well overall, but there are elements of the portraits that I might at some point touch up a bit.

3. Marianna and Delia Codex and Art, Pt. 2, 2020 - Part 2, with what I refer to as a “DAI Outfit Change” because I have always loved seeing fans show their own OCs as they look in DAO, DA2, and then finally DAI.  So I absolutely wanted to jump on that bandwagon myself.  The skin tones are a little off (and I’m sorry about that!) because I was playing with the watercolor brush at that point, and it dilutes the colors I use.  Still working to figure that out, but I was very happy with the overall lineart and structures of the faces.

4. Alistair/Aja Amell Picture with a Blurb, 2017 - Ooooold, old, old, old, OLD!  I still love the art, and I’m soooo happy with how the interaction between Alistair and Aja turned out (drawing kisses is extremely difficult for me; I always end up creating a distorted weird lip-creature, instead of realistically puckered lips...).  I’m not as happy with the blurb that went with it?  At that point, I was still very much figuring out my own DAO worldstate, and the characterization for everyone, so, eh.  Take it with a grain of salt!

Unfinished Costume Designs:

1. Ancient Elvhen Armor with Dwarven Influence, 2018 - People who do costume design work are amazing and mystical beings, and I wish I could do what they do.  This was an attempt at merging the Keeper robes from DAI with a more dwarven armor aesthetic, solely because I created an ancient elvhen character, Ceda, who was taken in by the Cad’halash dwarves mentioned in the Witch Hunt dlc, and I wanted this character to have a mix of the elven style of armor and the dwarven style.  I’m overall decently happy with it, but there’s still that persistent level of self-criticism present.

2. Herald of Andraste Outfit WIP, 2016 - This was a very old picture, not one I showed around a lot, but the idea for this was entirely born of my intense interest in how fashion and outfit designs could be used to create a symbolic image for the Herald of Andraste.  In general, I love the combination of ceremonial armor with long and flowing cloth, so that was what I went for here.  I’m still actually very proud of how this came out, and headcanon something similar for my Herald in my canon DAI worldstate.

Pencil Sketches:

1. Quick Saara Sketch, 2019 - TW: saarebas mouth scars.  Exactly what it says; very quick sketch of Saara I did in a small notebook I carry around with me.  This was basically a test for myself to see if I could manage to draw Saara with the features and facial structure I envisioned for her without needing to use a lot of references.

2. Mass Effect Character Sketch; Jesse, 2018 - Similar reason for drawing this one as the above Saara sketch!  With these characters, I love sometimes the way they can turn out with the specific character creator used for them, and when I draw them, I enjoy trying to create a definitive look for them using what I get from the CC, and my own knowledge of Hooman Faces.

3. Saara Sketch, 2017 - TW: saarebas mouth scars.  A more detailed sketch of Saara than the one above, and one I definitely put more time into overall.  It’s currently the profile picture I’m using for ao3, and is the definitive go-to reference picture I use whenever imagining Saara in a fic, or for other Saara pics I make.  I am extremely proud of this picture, and feel like I should work in graphite more often.  It’s such fun, and the texture is so nice to look at.

4. Sketch of Nameless Alamarri Woman, 2017 - This was a sketch I did of what I envisioned some Alamarri tribes to look like; I used artistic depictions of Gaul tribes and hairstyles for inspiration, and have used this as a go-to reference for my version of Alamarri tribes.  Nothing super notable about this one, but I really liked the way the shape of her face turned out.

Events and Gifts:

1. Another Scar, 2020 - TW: blood, injuries, gore.  The most recent piece of art on the list, and a gift for @cartadwarfwithaheartofgold; featuring sisterly love between Rica and fem!Brosca, which was her requested prompt.  This was a tough piece for me because of the difficulty with the lighting I dealt with.  For some reason, that one particular element of it gave me so much trouble.  Overall, I’m very happy with how it turned out, though, especially the skin tones of the sisters; Brosca I always sort of like as having this greyish, more gaunt look to her, while Rica I like seeing with a darker, richer, and warmer tone to her.  

2. A Very Cousland Christmas!, 2019 - This was for a holiday exchange for a server, and I drew a friend’s Cousland (Elissa, the girl on the left) with my Cousland (Gazza, the girl on the right).  I love kid-fic, and I love kid-art, and so I decided... baby Cousland art!  Drawing kid proportions was the toughest part, I recall, and I thiiiink it turned out well, and I’m still quite proud of it overall.  Elissa’s design came entirely from my friend, but I added the holly~

3. Exchange Gift with Dis Brosca and Mabari, 2018 - This was an exchange gift for @fanfoolishness, using her lovely Dis Brosca, and was my first real attempt at backgrounds... I struggled with the coherence of the foreground and background a bit, but I’m still very proud of how it turned out, especially with the colors I had to work with.  What I also really enjoyed working with was the lighting and the expression on Dis’s face.  Backlit subjects are always fun to play around with!

4. Inktober Picture, “Deep”, 2017 - TW: scars, injury, mentions of abuse in the author’s note/attached dialogue snippets.  This was for an Inktober prompt (the only one I’ve ever done, sadly... because I am bad with deadlines...), and again features Trilyn.  Trilyn’s backstory has him a former slave in Tevinter, and a lot of the early works I do for him are sort of deep-dives into his life there.  It’s all meant to be an exploration of the things he endures, and then those moments when he overcomes it all and takes back his own autonomy and self.  This art is definitely provocative, and I can understand if not everyone likes it, but to me, I just wanted to show just what he faces (without glorifying it) before showing the moment of his own triumph.

5. Christmas Holiday Picture with my Brosca and a Friend’s Amell, 2017 - This was a piece of art drawn first by a friend of mine, @nanahuatli~  She drew the Amell, the background, the mistletoe, etc.  All I did was add my Brosca to the mix to finish the image.  It was a lot of fun to do, 1) because it was fun trying to match her style so that the picture looked cohesive, 2) because I love doing collabs with friends, and 3) because it was just such a fun thing to imagine my surly short Brosca, looking at this weird plant/fungus/thing dangling over some puckering human!  It was an absolute joy to do this collab with her!  

6. OC Kiss Week Pic of Jem and Saara, 2017 - TW: saarebas mouth scars.  A spur-of-the-moment thing meant to demonstrate just what kind of dynamic my OC, Jem, has with my other OC, Saara (both of whom are members of Leliana’s network in DAI).  This was a very quick picture (deadlines...) and was mostly just to have fun drawing these two characters interacting, and to see if I could make them look like themselves.  I think I did a decent job with it overall, especially with Jem’s kissy-face!  (Again... drawing kisses are the bane of my existence, although hands and feet take a close second.)

[glacierbash]

ok, now i gotta ask you about some characters. how about leliana and/or junia?

Aha... Nuns /j But starting with Lelianaaaaa

(under a read more because it got LONG specifically my points on Junia because holy fuck she makes me go feral I could talk about her for AGES oh my god)

How I feel about this character: Oh she's definitely one of, if not my favorite character. Though I played inquisition first and didn't have as much of a chance to get invested in her with my first playthrough (though I abandonded it because I messed up lots of stuff-) after I played again, she became one of my favorites in Inquisition. I adored the way she was open about supporting the mages, and after playing through origins, it really solidified my feelings about her. I played through Origins romancing her (because i am a stupid lesbian) and honestly, the way you were able to educate her about elven issues (i forget if it was dalish or not, and I haven't done a Surana playthrough yet) and the fact that she was receptive was mwah. Plus, her voice is amazing and I could fall asleep to it :') I Care Her

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Any ocs really! Surprisingly, I don't put too much thought into ships with DA, but really I like most!

My non-romantic OTP for this character: of course josephine and Leliana, I adore how they get along and just. Good Friends. I also have a new Tabris in mind who would probably romance Zevran, and while I don't have *much* in the way of ideas, I think they'd get along dfjdffd

My unpopular opinion about this character: Oh, I don't know what opinions about Leliana *are* unpopular. I try to stay away from the DA fandom, save for little bits here and there. I don't think I particularly *have* any? I mean, I do go for hardening in origins, softening in inquisition, but that's just me.

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: Yeah, being able to marry the warden (if possible) and telling Cullen off. There are just... *so* many situations where I wish she would, but specifically about mage issues.

And now for Junia,,, How I feel about this character: DFHSDFJGMGAOUGH.... GOD I love her with all my heart there are not enough words for me to describe how much i love this stupid little battle nun oh my god, her barks make me sob, her design is Cool, and god even just in game there have been so many times where she's saved my ass MWAH i love her. Her backstory just makes me cry, and everytime i'm like "i'm feeling too good i need to be knocked down a notch" i go read her barks and sob UGH. God I love her so much I almost always have her on a party like. If not for her healing it's because seeing her makes me go :]]]

All the people I ship romantically with this character: PARA... PLAGUE DOCTOR... THEY CAN HOLD HANDS. AS A TREAT. PERHAPS EVEN.. KISS.. I don't even know why I ended up loving this one so much i was just like. doing the first dungeon with the usual suspects and I just went "wow :)" and started thinking about them and BOOM they're in love now sorry <3 besides that, I also enjoy her with Boudica, Damian, THOUGH I do like Audrey/Para/Junia. They all have two hands. It works out. A circle, you see.

My non romantic OTP for this character: Oughhhh this is a weird one, but her and Audrey. At least with the way I like to write the characters, Audrey being able to help Junia just loosen up and realize "hey we're all gonna fucking die here at least have a bit of fun you Idiot" and Junia helping Audrey uhh ya know not be such an ass. My other weird little thing is Baldwin and Junia, as I just. I really don't have a reason why, other than I feel they might get along and Junia would probably enjoy being friends with somebody she can. I dunno. Rely on. I could go more into that but ijust like them getting along

My unpopular opinion about this character: hngngng I might have several? 1: I don't. really enjoy her with Reynauld, but *honestly* that's because I don't like Reynauld too much as a character? He's interesting, don't get me wrong, but I'm not super invested in him and I really just kinda... pass him by. And of course that's weird bc I'm fine with her and Damian, but I just feel that relationship would have a bit more. I really don't know. Substance? It's just not my cup of tea. And also I don't LOOOVE the "oh haha horny nun" jokes, like. Of course they're fine to make! And of course, being the game it is, characters will most likely be reduced down to a character trait or two, but it's just. Tired? Worn out? There's more to her than the fact that just that. But also, I make those jokes too! Just feel like that shouldn't be her entire personality. Make the jokes you wanna make and maybe i'm just too sensitive, idk! there's just a bit more to her than Horny:tm:

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: * shakes tin can * lore? Spare lore please? I don't want to have to comb her barks for just a smidge of understanding I want to KNOW what happened to her please just spare the loreee,, and also I WISH we could've had specific in character conversationsss like. I wanna hear her and paracelsus interact! God, I wanna see her and /Audrey/ interact, please redhook come on im begging you i just want them to talk even if they don't get along it won't do anything enemies to friends (to lovers) come here i'll s rank their relationshiips i'll d

[ramblinganthropologist]

Writober 2020 - 13 (Lost)

Summary: Sometimes, you get out of your comfort zone and need a friend to help guide you back. Sometimes, that friend is your fellow Grey Warden who is way more used to your discomfort zone than you’ll ever be. That’s ok, you can always return the favor later.

---

Fuck, he hated nature. He hated it so much.

“Stick close to me, Stumps.”

Miris could feel his heart pounding against his breastplate as he took a cautious step. A twig crunched under his booted foot as he advanced. He was supposed to be heading back to camp, but that had been... Maker, he didn't even know anymore. With the sun setting and the leaves of the trees overhead obscuring his view, he had no idea what time of day it could've been. For all he knew, he could've been wandering all night.

All he was supposed to be doing was getting some water, and the dry bucket hanging from his hand was proof enough of how well that had gone.

“Do you smell anyone, boy?”

The mabari sniffed in his deep way, and let out his short bark that meant no. Miris' stomach dropped to his shoes as he glanced around at what he assumed was a clearing. Honestly, it was hard to tell – with the lack of light and so many trees in the way, he didn't know what was clearing and what was forest anymore. It all looked green, and as the day turned to night, dark.

Once it was dark he was screwed. He'd always been bad at seeing at night.

His hand found his dog's collar. There was a part there he could hold onto so Stumpy could guide him. Alistair had insisted on it, citing the dog needed a way to guide him. He had laughed at it then... but he wasn't laughing now. He might even thank the bastard if he got out of this alive.

“Just... try to find them for me. They can't be too far.”

Wherever camp was, it was too far out of hearing or smell for him to pick up. Besides, as the night critters emerged their noises muddled everything up. Unfamiliar sounds of animals springing to life kept blocking out the sounds of his own footsteps, of his own heartbeat. It was like they were mocking him as they pranced around the forest in the dark.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as Stumpy led him around a fallen log. Had he been on his own, he would've found it boot first and probably broken his foot.  Here... it was just embarrassing. He could sort of make out the details a little when he got close.

Shit, he hated being away from Denerim. At least back home he knew the alienage like the back of his hand. He could even do it in the dark, though he often didn't. Puddles from sudden rains or piss were hard to tell from a distance, and he hated stepping in both.

“This fucking sucks.” He sighed, closing his sole 'good' eye. The bad one was all white now, it didn't do anything other than scare kids. “I'm going to die out here and the kid's going to laugh when he finds my corpse.”

Stumpy barked to cheer him up – he could feel his dog vibrate as he wagged his tail. That put a brief smile on Miris' face as he used his free hand to pat him on the head. He got a wet lick for his troubles – kinda gross, but it helped.

“Thanks, Stumps. Least I got you. Anyway you could sniff the way back to camp?”

The dog started sniffing around, going in a circle from the feel of things. Around the second circle, even Miris could figure it out. He groaned as he sat down on the log they had found, head spinning as he tried to get his bearings. His bucket landed next to him, still dry as a bone.

“Yep, I'm totally going to die here.”

As if to confirm that, the bushes shook and rattled. Stumpy broke free, growling. Miris could imagine his hackles raising as he did, and that gave him time to grab for his maul. Whatever was coming to eat him, they would find him a troublesome meal. Maybe he would knock a tooth or two out in the process.

“Tabris, the fuck you doing at our old camp?”

An accented voice caused Miris to drop his guard. Light footsteps, followed by the steady pads of a mabari, came up to him. He smelled leather, and the weird shit the kid put in his hair to keep it out of his way. Unless he had died and this was him being led to wherever people went after, he was pretty sure he was being rescued.

But did it need to be by Cahel fucking Mahariel? He was never going to live this one down, the kid practically was a tree!

“Clearly, I got fucking lost trying to find the stream.” No sense beating around the bush. “No wonder Stumpy was leading me in a circle, he was smelling everyone.”

To his credit, the ranger didn't laugh. Instead, he tossed something to Stumpy – probably the same thing he was always feeding his mabari Tamlen. It smelled like dried meat, but of what kind Miris wasn't sure. Probably something weird, the kid was Dalish after all.

“Yeah, that makes sense. He was doing what you wanted, just... not quite how you wanted I guess.”

No shit. Miris was still bracing for the laughter that was no doubt to come from Cahel. After all, the forest was kind of his territory, what with being Dalish and all. He probably knew every fucking tree there and what it was good for. The only thing Miris knew was that the trees he kept sleeping against were fucking hard. That was really all he needed to know.

“Alright, get it the fuck over with so we can get back to camp.”

Cahel still didn't laugh as he straightened up. “What, it's dark out and you're night blind. That sucks ass.”

From the sound of crunching leaves, he turned. “Come on, camp's this way. Would it be easier to follow the sound of my footsteps or my voice?”

Miris fell into quick step behind him, Stumpy at his side as Tamlen raced ahead. He could start to hear the noises coming from the Grey Warden camp – somebody was stirring against the sides of the iron pot, there was conversation. He could smell dinner, and that made his stomach roar like nothing else. All the while, Cahel's mindless conversation gave him something to focus on.

“Thanks.”

He wasn't sure why he said it once they were both back.

Thanks to the firelight, he could watch as Cahel's shadow shrugged. “Same thing I'd do for anyone in my clan. Now, let's get down to dinner before Alistair burns the damn thing again.”

Nobody mentioned the water, though the sloshing he had heard when they had entered camp was proof enough as to why. Still, Miris for the first time was glad the little squirt wasn't a total prick. Maybe he wasn't half bad.

Maybe. He had still put a lizard in his bedroll a week ago...

---

“Fuck...”

What was it about big buildings that made everything look absolutely the fucking same?

Cahel's neck was aching from craning it so much. He had to – the buildings just kept fucking going, as if they were trying to touch the sky and block out the sun. Knowing the humans who had built Denerim, that seemed as likely as he trundled along, Tamlen at his side.

He was supposed to be finding a shop whose keeper might have a hint as to their next lead. But how did anyone know what any of these buildings were? And how long had it been since he had last seen his friends? Even keeping track of time here was fucking impossible...

His head was killing him from the noise. There was just so much of it – wagons rustling, that idiot who kept screaming out the news, and just... the people. How many fucking people lived in the capital city, and could they all go back to where they lived? Just making his way through the crowd was giving him bruises, and that was with practice.

And of course, the pickpockets. Miris had warned him about those, but they really were a brazen lot. Naturally, he didn't keep anything where anyone could reach, but it was rather disconcerting to feel someone's hand in his pocket. The last two had walked off with broken hands and a severe snarl from his dog. A third might not be so lucky if his mood improved.

“Fuck, I give up.”

Cahel sighed as he took a seat on an open bench, head spinning as he rested it in his hands. His cloak was up, so nobody was whispering about the redhead elf that Loghain wanted dead. Instead, he was just the very confused, very lost Dalish elf who wanted to get the fuck out of Denerim as soon as possible. It was just... too much for him.

Tamlen lay at his feet, both as a comfort and as a warning for anyone who might try to bother him. It gave the ranger time to try to collect his bearings. Of course, it didn't really help. He was in a square, there was a dirty looking fountain, merchants were giving him a headache, and the buildings were so tall that they were creating shadows. Normally that would have helped him find his way around, but they kept crossing and bisecting that he had wound up down a dead-end alley when he had tried that method.

And then he'd had to run out because... well red lights mean something everywhere.

“I don't know how they do it! It all looks the same to me, Tam!” He looked down at his dog, petting the top of his large head. “Shit, do you even remember how to get back to the erl's place?”

Tamlen responded by cocking his head and making a confused sort of noise that caused Cahel to groan as he leaned back on the bench, only remembering at the last second to keep his hood over his face. At least he didn't have vallaslin to cover – Cherche wasn't so lucky.

Thus, he was the idiot out on the street, trying to chase down a lead that was quickly becoming not worth the effort.

“I'm going to wind up starving to death in alley or getting trampled by a crowd.” He sighed. “Or, I don't know, do they let horses in the city? There's probably fucking rules about that and I'd be the only idiot in Denerim to ever get trampled by a horse.”

What a way to go, especially since he had practically grown up in the halla pen.

Cahel sighed again as he opened his eyes to the city stretched out before him. At least his abject misery hadn't drawn a crowd – too many people minding their own fucking business, thankfully – of curious onlookers to see someone who definitely didn't belong there. If he knew how to get out of the city, he would've been gone.

But he wasn't... so he was there on a bench.

“I wonder if I could just... walk up to someone and ask if they know where the fuck this place is.”

“Uh, yeah. It's the bookstore at the corner of the lower merchant's district. Weren't you paying attention, Mahariel?”

A deep voice drew Cahel's attention to behind him. He craned his neck, spotting a familiar elf and dog somehow not looking out of place in the slightest. His heart skipped a beat as he hopped off the bench, relief coursing through his veins.

Tabris had found him!

…

Shit, Tabris had found him.

He felt his face color as he walked over to the reaver's side. “It... all looks the same to me. The merchants give me a headache and I can't focus long enough to read the signs.”

“Those signs are pretty fucking weathered anyway, these bastards are all too cheap to replace them.” Miris glared as someone got into his personal space – hand was out, definite pickpocket. “Come on, before you get wedged down a dark alley or something.”

Cahel was glad to fall in step behind him, especially since Miris seemed to just know how to walk through the city. In a way, it reminded him of a stream, only it was full of people and it wasn't like a stream at all, it was just a headache he never wanted to visit again. But the other elf managed it like it was no big deal.

It probably was no big deal to him, this was his area of expertise.

“You were a few blocks off, it's the one that should have the sign of an open book in the front window.” He gestured, and indeed – there was a shop there, just like he had mentioned. Honestly, Cahel was amazed he had missed it. “So, come on. I'm fucking hungry and we were waiting to eat until you got back with the info.”

His cheeks still colored as he entered behind his guide, their dogs following suit.”Thanks...”

Miris looked back at him, his good eye focused, the bad eye filmed over. A moment passed, and then he was back to walking up to the front counter in a sort of shuffle-step he employed in unfamiliar inside surroundings. Something about the sound and distance?

“Same thing I'd do for anyone new to the city who got their ass lost. Besides, I owed you one.”

Then he faced the shopkeeper. “Now, speaking of owing us one... I believe you have something that belongs to my friend here.”

And this was the part where Cahel came in. The ranger nodded as he took his spot besides Miris at the counter, already ready to begin questioning the shopkeeper. Hopefully when all this was over, they'd have the info they needed.

And... maybe when this was over... he'd slip Cherche some coin to buy Miris an ale for him. For some reason the damn city wouldn't let him buy any on his own...

[musingmycelium]

god okay i info dumped on discord bc thats just who i am as a person so i’m cross posting it here in case anyone else is curious about my canon world state. under a read more bc its, uh, maybe a bit of a monster.

i've got a dummy complex worldstate for no reason other than i like to make things difficult for the sake of a good story i guess. for origins my canon warden is an apostate, ellanis tabris who in an 'accident' had his leg crushed and it never recovered, causing it to have stunted growth. he uses a cane to get around and his disability helped hide him in the denerim alienage since apostacy is probably one of if not the most dangerous crime for an elf.

he's only one of three, though. his best friends growing up are noure surana and attie nehrios. noure gets taken to the circle when they're 17 (and ellanis and attie are 15) and comes into play a bit later, while attie is a seamstress and budding red jenny.

as far as origins itself goes ellanis' canon route is deep roads - dalish - haven - redcliff - circle - redcliff. fairly standard stuff up until haven/broken circle tbh. in haven during the guardian's first trial instead of shianni ellanis sees noure (whom the alienage presumed dead when arrested bc it wasn't, ah, a clean arrest) as the ghosty thing and during broken circle ellanis finds noure again and 'conscripts' them into the wardens. really he just takes them with him and destroys their phylactery so they won't be followed. (noure's phylactery is stored in kinloch instead of the spire after their fourth escape attempt since it gave them too much of a head start to make the templars wait to get it) theres a lot of Feelings surrounding connor but other than that ellanis doesn't super change things there either. he does, however, not have any idea about the dr. which is the biggest break i have from canon in dao with the exception of my inclusion of More City Elves. instead of morrigan going to ellanis she, as his best friend, knows he'll refuse to do it and instead goes straight to alistair. morrigan actually never tells ellanis anything about the ritual, ever.

during unrest in the alienage ellanis meets up with attie again, who is already working to clear the slavers out herself, and she falls head over heels for morrigan pretty quickly. fast enough that when morrigan sets out on her 'nobody follow me' thing attie does anyways bc thats just who attie is as a person. and besides she can't stay in denerim now that she's maybe or not killed a nobleman for what happened during the wedding.

and now its awakening time 

ellanis meets up with anders for the first time and through him learns a bit more about noure's time in the circle. (noure and anders and karl were lovers for roughly three years before shit hit the fan hard) and fuck canon here because ellanis doesn't have time for this. plus the architect is interesting and yah maybe insane but he's in the place for a little madness. ellanis lets him live and strikes a bargain with him, they share research and any ferelden wardens who prefer to answer their calling not by fighting darkspawn but by potentially furthering the cure are welcomed by the architect. but after awakening ellanis leaves vigils keep in nate's hands and goes on 'offical leave' to work on his own cure..... and to live in antiva with zevran...... lkjkjlkjkjkj

noure, after broken circle and during awakening, goes to nevarra via orlais. it takes them a couple of months to settle but noure finds viuus (yes that viuus) who takes them on as an apprentice of sorts bc he's also in a bit of a jam. it works, sorta, noure learns more spirit based magic and reconnects with a part of themselves the circle tried to beat out of them. it only lasts for about two years, though, because templars find them, one a recent transfer from kinloch and noure isn't exactly a forgettable face. so!

well, its around the same time that anders leaves the wardens for good. and ellanis puts anders in touch with noure. they decide to meet in kirkwall, because rumor has it that's where karl is and thats gonna be the place they need to go first.

attie though, she's just hanging out with morrigan and stirring the pot in orlais as a jenny. she also works with the mage underground and defo either knows or works with briala as a kind of agent. her story is more foggy tho bc i haven't read Super much of TME or played some of witch hunt

da2 comes in and i've Recently, like as of last week i think, decided to swap my canon hawkes. william is now my canon hawke instead of the twins. he's an apostate who's magic is mostly clairvoyancy and a shepherd.. or he was until the blight. bethany dies during the escape and its only the Beginning of the sad times for william.

with his pretty suble magic william makes for a Superb smuggler, and lands the gig with bartrand quickly. he Also, gets a bit of a crush on varric while they're still going around raising money. he takes carver, varric, and isabela with him to the deep roads thinking that keeping his brother close will be safer. and, well, it isn't.

act ii is a bunch of horse shit anyways but william tries to keep out of things until isabela is directly threatened by it and only then steps in seriously. for the most part all of the things which go down with petrice are done with noure and anders. they don't like the qunari being in town either but they, at least, can use the situation to weaken the chantry and by extension the circle. even if its only a bit. during act iii the two of them build up the mage underground and start preparing to take direct action against the circle. william is, still uncertain but he doesn't stop them. his magic has never been a large danger to himself, it's suble enough and under control enough that he's never really had to fear templars. he feared them for his fathers sake, for bethany's sake, but not his own. not really. and well, we know how da2 ends but i hate the retcon of 'hundres of casualties' bithc! where! so no, only the grand cleric and a handful of upper level chantry people where inside when it went up and they deserved it.

ellanis is working on the blight cure during this time and makes it far enough that he and zev are surprised by twins (two girls named adaia and killian) but otherwise ellanis is mostly chillin in antiva

while attie is now definitely working closely with briala both as a jenny and as an agent

and we’re up to dai with my canon quizzy - da'ean lavellan, the clan storykeeper (next in line after his father) who only attends the conclave because idrilla was going to first and they didn't want to loose the clan first. i've got... way more canon deviance in dai than anywhere else bc dai Suxxs but its way too long but basically! 

da'ean romances both dorian and the iron bull bc im poly and i said so, idrilla comes to skyhold as magical advisor and she works where morrigan does in the game (tho morrigan still shows up she's not an offical position as much, which suits her and attie just fine). linayel, da'ean's nas'falon (qp) arrives with her and he slots in as an archery trainer. 

plus, ellanis is the warden contact instead of the many (some really wild??) canon contacts. leliana tries to contact him to be quizzy but he's travelling and misses it, and when noure contacts him on william's behalf and mentions corypheus (ellanis knows about legacy bc william brought noure and anders along) ellanis puts some pieces together and comes to skyhold. he'd already been working to figure out the weird calling (it is and yet isn't the same as the blight he remembered) so he's already a bit aware of the situation. william doesn't stick around for long, basically just long enough to get confirmation ellanis is on his way. even tho he misses varric this isn't his place

adamant goes down wicked different bc ellanis is the fucking HOF. by this time he's developed his magic enough he can pretty much take down all of the wardens within a good 300 foot range just nearly instantly. (a combination of his blight cure research and his natural entropic aligned magic hohohoho) so he makes it to clarel Fast. instead of falling into the fade ellanis (anyone else remember just fucking punching rifts closed in awakening? lol) works with da'ean to open up the rift in the main courtyard and suck the nightmare into the real world. and then he fuckin annhilates it bc he can

WEWH is also different but this time its bc of attie (and morrigan's different now too bc she's been dragged into things by her wife) briala's at the palace yeah, but now she's also got attie waiting in the wings. instead of getting stuck in place by the quizzy attie is able to manuever things to implicate gaspard and celene alone (mostly bc i hate the blackmail on briala it just doesn't vibe well with her character to me). so instead of the shitty options of 'gaspard rules with briala shadowing him' or 'celene and briala end up back together' its 'celene gets put in place by briala and now briala calls the shots'

idrilla romances solas, and as a dreamer she's sure something is fishy but can't figure out what exactly. (until trespasser that is, when she figures it out at the murals) but she provides a good foil to his asshatry and as offical magical advisor steers the inquisition with morrigan's info about the arbor wilds. she knows the rituals and the magic bc she's first and they make it through far faster than in canon, making a quick alliance with the sentinals and beating samson well before the canon battle area. 

(linayel romances cass but their story is still quiet and vague as of yet but linayel mostly remains in skyhold to help train and strategize)

then da'ean kicks corypshits ass soundly becase that fight Sucks Ass.

[normal-goatboy]

A Wedding

Pairing: Halsa Tabris/Alistair Summary: It's all over - supposedly. Warden Tabris and Alistair adjust to being heroes, or whatever it is you call them.

Read it on Ao3

For a moment, she thinks she’s dead, that it’s over. She’s blind from the flash, red staining the backs of her eyelids, dust clogging her airways. Senseless until she blinks and coughs and feels the stone reeling beneath her. She reaches for her hammer before she can think and finds its handle.

He must have done what she asked, against all odds. Before the tower and the sickly green sky come back into focus, all she can see is his familiar face creased with hurt and disgust, a fever dream.

“If one of us is to die, it should be me,” she’d said, and he’d said, “Right. Because of all my responsibilities.”

A muddy voice in the roar says, “Oh, thank the Maker.” A pair of brown boots rushes towards her, and Zevran drops to his knees and says, “I thought you’d gone off the edge.”

She follows his gaze, rotating her head on the stone to the ledge just beside her. Gingerly, she sits up and looks over. A few bodies on the ground, too far away to tell if they’re people or darkspawn.

“That would’ve been funny,” she murmurs. She stumbles to her feet and takes stock of her limbs. Her neck hurts, one knee refuses to take any weight. Zevran offers an arm, and she leans on him; he is covered in blood, but seems relatively uninjured.

“I found her,” Zevran announces. Wynne crouches over Alistair, a shimmer of magic surrounding them, and he darkens when he sees her. But still, they’re both alive. There must have been some feeling left in him.

“Are you hurt?” Wynne asks, looking her over.

It started that day, that one evil day in Denerim. The day she saw the alienage was blocked off, and Alistair dragged her away because she was making a scene. He wanted to make another stop, and her head was elsewhere, looking at them like through a dirty window, Alistair and...that woman. The one he’d been with in the Fade.

“I’ll live,” she says to Wynne. “Are you-?” she gestures at Alistair, sitting on the ground.

“I’m fine,” he replies. He won’t be nasty to her in front of the others; at least he gives her that.

It was creepy, his sister and all her children. Halsa watched them unsettled, half expecting them to turn into demons like before. She said something she regretted saying afterward, standing on the side of the road. “She’s just trying to get by, Al. She’s got no reason to care about you.”

He’d only wanted some comfort, and she’d had none to give. He took it well; he only said, “You’re right, of course,” and she was. But something was different after that.

Something was already different, not in the way she expected. The ring she’d kept, its weight gone from her pocket. She let him put it on her, tried to make it his.

Down below, the survivors are gathering. Cheering and hugging, drinking, weeping. They mob Alistair when he reaches them. He gives them his best smile, puts hands on shoulders, kneels down and talks to children. A few days ago, she told him he’d be a good king, and he’d said, “Go fuck yourself, Halsa.” He thought she was making fun of him.

She wasn’t. She looked at him in the Chantry at Redcliffe while he spoke with the Revered Mother, holding the ring Halsa’d given him from her pocket, and thought he looks like a prince. Like from a storybook. He smiled at her in her borrowed dress and her mother’s boots and said, “You look beautiful. Have you got your hammer in there somewhere?”  

He looked at her like a princess. She stood on her toes to kiss him, his hands on either side of her face.

He was wrong about her. A traitor, betrayer, a liar, she is. She went behind his back, let them convince her. “Alistair’s wishes are simply not possible,” Eamon said. He said, “You should consider the harm that could come to those most vulnerable,” and “Think of a ruler sympathetic to your people’s plight.” And she’d stood there helpless, out of her element.  An idiot, jerked this way and that. At least Morrigan held up her end.

She calls Onion, who pouts, upset with her for leaving him on the ground. She is going home, burning collapsed buildings rolling by at the edge of her vision. Someone calls after her, but she’s too far away to turn back. There’s a crowd at the gate, a tangled red head bouncing through. Shianni scrambles towards her, shouting her name. Halsa hobbles on her bad knee, bracing for the impact, and she’s crushed in her arms, held.  

“We made it, we did it,” she shouts into the top of her head. Halsa sways, burying her face. Her knee is ready to give out, and Shianni is talking still. “...were so many of them, Maker I never saw-” Soris arrives behind her with a bandage wrapped around his face, “-but we fought back, like you said. I can’t believe-”

“Pup, you’re smushing her,” Soris peels them apart and pulls an arm around his shoulders. They stagger to her house, to her pa, who puts arms out to hold her up next. She laughs, thinking of them passing her around like an especially heavy baby, and then breaks into a sob on his chest.

They don’t ask questions. They probably don’t know how. Funny how she can’t explain anything that’s happened to her to anyone who wasn’t there. Funny how quickly it all goes back to ordinary, like having a dream that lasts lifetimes just to forget it before breakfast. The house looks the same as the day she left, except dustier. It’s weird sleeping in a bed; she moves to the floor after a while. For once her head is relatively quiet. No old gods screaming in her ears at the moment.

The knocks on the door start before the sun is up. Everyone wants to talk to her. Their kitchen is laden with dishes, more food than the three of them could possibly eat. Mrs. Grayling from two doors down, who once called her a rotten potato, brings them a quilt. Halsa settles on the steps outside the house, crippled for the moment, her knee throbbing swollen.

There’s a lot to be done, and no one is coming to help, not here. Except there are humans about, she notices, suspicious. There’s a man helping sift through the wreckage of a burned house, and women herding stray children, and - Oghren. And Zevran, who sees her and waves.

“You can’t be rid of us that easily,” he says as they approach.

“How did you even get in here?” she asks.

“Ask your boyfriend,” Oghren says.

He sent people to help. The King of Ferelden, a man of the people, is touring the city today.

They stay, to her surprise. She thought Zevran would be long gone by now, but instead he helps Soris and Pa patch the roof. The kids are scared of Oghren until he makes faces at them and lets them climb on him. Leliana shows up after a while, and talks to Shianni for a long time. Wynne insists on healing Halsa’s knee.

It’s late in the afternoon, long after her arse has gone numb from waiting on the step, before he appears. He’s by himself, a hood pulled up over his head. He’s just Alistair right now.

“I think I’ve finally managed to shake my uncle,” he says, and the step creaks with their combined weight.

“He probably thinks you ran for the hills,”

“Don’t think I haven’t thought about it.”

She glances at him from the corner of her eye. He looks as tired as she feels. “Thank you,” she says, “for sending people. For thinking of us.”

He shrugs. “For better or worse, Halsa, I am nearly always thinking of you.”

That hurts, a splash of acid. “I warned you about that, didn’t I?” she says.

“I do vaguely remember that.”

“I didn’t mean for it to turn out like this,” she says. “I knew I’d be shit as a wife.”

He sputters, a weak laugh, “I’d like to say you weren’t, but…” A pause while he shifts forward to lean on his thighs. “Well, how did you expect it to turn out?”

“I’dunno,” she says to her knees, “I didn’t think about it.”

“Halsa, you - you understand I’m stuck with this, right? For - I don’t know - til the moment I die? You really didn’t-”

“Alright,” she cuts him off. She can’t take another of these conversations. “I thought about it. And I thought about you, and me, and I thought one thing, then I thought another thing, and in the end, I thought it was for the best.”

She clears her throat and looks up at him. He’s not looking at her, or anything really. There’s a deep scratch on his cheek she didn’t notice before, and she wants to put her hand in the space next to it, to put both hands on his face and turn it towards hers like a child. She owes him an explanation, but when she opens her mouth only shit comes out.

“Look,” she starts again, “I know you don’t want it, but being rich and powerful and owning shit: that’s good. People want it. You know? I do too, but I can’t have it. But you can. And you don’t want it because you’re good and you don’t want to hurt people, but that’s why you should get it. Because someone’s gonna get it anyway.”

She holds his gaze, searching for understanding. “You’re right, I suppose,” he says slowly. “But what happened to ‘fuck all them?’”

That’s what she said when he told her. He’d said what they wanted him to do, and she’d said, “Fuck all them. Fuck their throne. I want you,” and she’d given him the ring.

Now she sighs shaky, and says, “I don’t think it works that way. I can’t just ignore them. I have people to protect.”

“And I wasn’t one of them?”

“It’s not my fault who your father was,” she bristles, a wounded animal. “And I did. Like it or not, you’ll still be safe. You don’t know what it’s like here.”

He looks at her, and she knows she needs to tell him the story, the one she’s been avoiding. Nothing makes sense without it. Before, she told him she was conscripted after she killed a guy. Now she digs the guy up and puts the flesh back on his bones. She says out loud what he did, and what she did, and the scourge she feared would come down on all of them because of it.

He listens with a hand obscuring the lower half of his face. When she’s done, he says, muffled, “Maker. I thought it must be bad, but-”

“I should have told you,” she says.

“You should have,” he says, “but you had your reasons.” He shakes his head. “They really do that? Just come in and start killing people?”

“If they think they can get away with it.”

They sit for a moment in silence. Pa and Soris keep glancing at them from down the way, but she doesn’t care. She scoots closer to him, and feels his arm move around her.

“I thought it was the right thing,” she says into his shoulder. “I didn’t want to.”

“I believe you.” He pulls her closer, tucks her head under his chin. “You’ve been honest with me, even when - well, even when you didn’t have to be.”

He’s talking about Morrigan, the decision that will surely come back to haunt them. The last in a series of bad deals, of compromises.

“I’m sorry about that too,” she says. “I keep fucking things up by staying alive, don’t I?”

“No, come on,” he says. “The Wardens will need you, and anyway you can’t just leave me alone now.”

That’s a funny way to put it. Like as long as they’re both still living, they’re together. “How long do you have?” she asks.

“Before what, they marry me off?”

“I meant before your handler finds you, but both I guess.”

“Oh, Teagan’s been planning. It’ll happen soon.” That sucks the air from her, even after everything else. There’s nothing she can do now. “He was arguing with some advisor or aide or something when I left,” he continues, “I’m sure he’s noticed I’m gone by now.”

They’re running out of time. “Do you want to meet my family?” she says, surprising herself.

She introduces him only as Alistair, but they know already. Soris and Shianni exchange amused glances; they’ll never let her hear the end of this.

A year ago and a half ago, no one could have told her about this. The King of Ferelden walking into the alienage and shaking her father’s hand, and telling him she’s the fiercest person he’s ever met. The letter she would get a week or so later addressed to “Warden Commander Tabris” with a map of the arling she’d been awarded. p.s. Owning things and having power - would you like to try it?  None of it would have made sense. She’s still not sure it makes sense.

“Will you come to my wedding?” he asks as she walks him out.

She almost says no, she’s already made quite an enemy of his bride, but he’s asking like it’s a favor. “You want me to?”

“Yes.” He embraces her at the gate, kisses her forehead and says, “I’d like to see my wife there.”

[hurl-a-can]

 Tagged by the ever wonderful @enchantment1385​. Thank you, mate!

Rules(or guidances):

1. Post the rules

2. Answer the questions given to you by the tagger

3. Write 11 questions of your own

4. And tag 11 people.

1. What is your favorite fandom, and why? Just one? You gotta be kidding. OK, here’s the list. JRRT - it was the first one and I have never fallen out of love with the books - or the creativity they inspire.  And unto this day I have heated drunken debates about which son of Finwë was the best. (Fëanor - and don’t you dare imply otherwise! ;-)) Lexx - the show is quirky and weird AF and the fandom reflects that. Met some fantastic people there and while the fandom itself is kinda dead now (alive dead, but still) I’m still in touch with some of them. Dragon Age - I’m kinda lucky I guess because I never really experienced the shittier aspects of it, but so far being in this fandom has been an awesome ride. Doctor Who expanded universe + Big Finish - it’s kind of a niche thing. It’s also where DW gets REALLY interesting and the sole reason I stuck with DW even through 11th Doc’s latter seasons. You thought Dalek was good? Well, not gonna disagree but ... *puts on her hipster glasses* ...try Jubilee. And I especially love our little group of 8th Doctor fans. We shamelessly and defiantly love that silly 1996 movie, proudly bear all the emotional scars left by repeated listening to Scherzo and burst into tears whenever someone mentions Lucie bleedin’ Miller. Planescape: Torment - What can change the nature of a man?  Withnail & I - nothing like having whole conversations in movie quotes. And yes, I’ve done the W&I drinking game. I ended up getting lost at the lavatory. Never again. 2.  What’s your Pokemon team?  OK, never been in that fandom. So no bloody idea. I remember feeling sorry for the Rocket Team a lot throughout those few eps I saw, but I suspect that’s not what you were asking about...:-)  3. Favorite ‘Team’ in dragon age or mass effect? DAO - Zevran, Wynne, Shale. DA2 - Fenris, Varric, Merrill/Carver. DAI - Dorian, Blackwall, Varric/Cole/Sera/Solas. 4. Favorite non Bioware game? Planescape: Torment. It’s my favourite game, period. Not even Dragon Age can compete, though DA is one of the very few that even come close. Like...really close. Also Fallout2. And Prince of Qin. And Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines.

5. OTP? Zevran/Lennan. (Zevran & male Tabris in general.) Marwood/Withnail. (Not that I can see or truly believe any actual romance between them. But the mutual pining thing and the being husbands without even realizing it thing - yeah, yeah, yeah, so very yeah.) Das/Dorian. It’s a mess post-Trespasser, but I love them. Das/Faeron. I got really invested in that one. Other than that, I don’t have a whole lot of OTPs. I have fave pairings in most fandoms, but it’s always gonna depend on the story. For example, I’m very partial towards Bush/Hornblower - but give me a good Bush/Cotard fic (and those I’ve read tended to be really good) - and I’m ready to kick Hornblower overboard. 6. What is your Guilty pleasure? Chinese propaganda posters. Used to love the propaganda series, too, but I hardly ever watch anything these days. Chinese military & propaganda music. Well, military music in general. Love me some Russian Red Army songs or some mehter, too... Heard some really kick-ass tunes by Hezbollah music groups... (Needless to say, I decontextualize etremely well. It also goes without saying that you should just...stay away from the comments section on YT when it comes to these tunes.) Legalists. Shang Yang in particular. I disagree with almost every sentence in Shang Jun Shu, but boy do I love reading it. 7. A food you can’t get enough of? Liang pi. Vegetable&mushroom baozi. Bread (the proper kind). Sichuan food. Potato pancakes. White cabbage soup. Cinnamon anything. Chocolate ice-cream. Yunnan flower cakes. 8. What’s can you see right now? My guzheng, my legs under the blanket, a pile of body and hand warming pads, Xmas tree (yeah, I know...I’m not even ashamed), my desk...  9. Something I don’t know about you? When I was a little kid (3 to 5 or 6, I guess), I was mortally afraid of red flowers. Red tulips? Poppies? Wouldn’t get anywhere near them. 10. Mosted loved OC, why? But I love them all! I’ll make a...selection. Lennan, because - as any other 1st PT character - he shares many of my characteristics and convictions - but is a better person than I will ever be. Also because he’s tragic and tragedy is my thing. Das - most of the above. Less tragic, but still one big mess of an elf. I also totes have a pixel crush on him because he’s adorbs. Lynn - a dogvurtman from a bunch/series/whatever of stories I’m working on. (It’s all technically Vurt fanfiction, but it’s departed so far from the books in terms of tone and genre it hardly FEELS like it anymore.) He’s a middle-aged bloke with a booze&ciggy problem, highly creative, somewhat unorthodox, poses as a cinnamon roll but totally could kill you. He bites. Vee, a Roma shadow woman, Lynn’s mother/sister/lover/mentor figure. She’s the dogmother of the Brno ‘Bronx’ and you’d better not cross her. Tsarang-gü. A prince of an alliance of mountain warrior tribes in a fantasy story I’ve had planned out for ages - but haven’t really started writing yet. A tad boastful and cocky, but with a heart of gold.  11. What song is stuck in your head right now? This one:

OK, my questions: 1. When you get butterflies in your stomach - what colour are they? 2. If spiders could talk, what would their voices sound like? 3. How do you like your coffee/tea? 4. If you could learn any language instantly, which one would you choose? 5. If they made a DA/ME film or series about YOUR protagonist - which OC would you choose and who should play them? 6. What can change the nature of a man? (Or woman... Or person...) 7. What musical instrument do you play? What instrument would you like to learn? 8. Pick any aspect of your life or personality and choose a themesong for it.  9. Can you cook or bake? What’s your specialty? 10. Got any deadcrush? 11. What is your quirkiest hobby or interest?

And let me tag...... @enchantment1385 (I know you dunnit, but these Qs are different!), @keeperscompanionsdai, @ironbullsmissingeye, @nerdierholler, @youaremynewdream, @queen-of-the-crows, @gugle1980, @ama-tus, @lindsmorr, @bearly-tolerable, @tessa1972, @dinah-myles, @retro-sci-fi-songbird... And anyone else who may be interested! As usual, feel free to scroll past and ignore.

[tumblunni]

HEYO! oh man now my friend helped me get all inspired again for working on my Cathedral Tower Defense game so WOO lets have another long post of miscellaneous ideasies for storyness! may not be very coherant tho cos i am super tired and ill! but happy!! THANKS SUMMON-DAZE FOR BEING MY ULTRA BESTIE

* Okay now I am super sure that I’m gonna let you choose the gender of the protagonist! And I wanna keep it so that their name is Amity either way, cos that’s kinda stuck in my mind. Surname Amity, player gets to decide the first name, but people will still be calling you Amity a lot at first cos you start off all awkward and formal with everybody. You’re a newcomer to this cathedral town and nobody knows whether to trust you, from their perspective you’re this dangerous person theyre forced to accept just because they need you to help protect them, whether you’re good or bad. They’re all worried what price they might have to pay for this, trying to figure out how to minimize the damage if you turn on them... and its not like they’re bad people for being untrustworthy, they’re just scared people huddling in a church and trying to keep their families safe at any cost. So try and prove your worth to them, and help them learn to protect themselves too, and make this ramshackle settlement into a real home! ....anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, gender selection is a good! And it could be relatively easy to impliment too, cos of the situation. Doesnt even necessarily have to be a menu or anything, it could just be like sir amity/lady amity/master amity. Cos you’re this paladin knighto, itd make sense for them to ask for your title. And it could just be like a shot of protagonist’s badass silhouette in the gateway of the cathedral and then you get the dialogue choice to pick your identity, and its all Super Cool~!

* It also actually gives me more of an idea of what i could do for their design, like I dunno maybe they have some sort of face-concealing helm or headdress or something. I was just thinking of them being dressed like a generic nun or princess but maybe emphasize more on the knight aspect instead of the holy part? So like anyway, maybe they have a very all-concealing outfit and that could be the framing of the first scene instead, its like *pulls off the mask and you’re into the character selection screen* Orrrrrr maybe there doesnt need to be any magical setup for a gender selection and it can just be a menu before the first scene starts XD Or maybe you have a cool face-concealing helmet thing anyway, like all three gender options just have a different one, lol

* More random magical names i got via the cool name generator site summon-daze linked to me! Dunno if I’ll actually use any of these but im writing them down here so i dont forget. Berebath, Betnia, Amurziz, Jetre, Miemahl, Semdach, Batxahl, Sidefarch, Botolohn, Vausach, Thammoch, Droibhal, Lekonach, Zeidhal, Tieloch, Rabrohm, Maesur, Smoiroch, Baelbuhr, Axoth, Jige, Chushou, Hukru, Nejeget, Roucu,  Jinah, Aujus, Yekoth, Nugresah, Israfel, Jabriel, Tabris, Douma

* Also I’m remembering Jade Cocoon and how I liked that the different ‘families’ of monsters shared naming traits. Like how all those weird snake/slug cutiepies that i loved best were nushab, rashab, etc etc. And tamatoch and somethingtoch and so on. I think there was at least one where the modifier was a prefix too? I dunno why i’m talking about this, but there you go. I just think if i wanna do full original made up names for demon species then i wanna make em stuff that just... feels like that. I dont actually wanna make like five different elements of each one tho, i wanna have only one per element and then they have like two different higher level finalized forms. Like, the human characters can have two job classes each and the demons can have two specializations within an element. That helps me think about how to limit it down to four or five elements, if we can combine common fantasy elements together! And yeah I was thinking it’d be cool if the demon ‘job classes’ could have their own evolving appearances and new names!

* Thoughts for the ol elemental groupings! The only one I really have finalized is grass + poison = same thing. Florin, why u always the character that gets developed faster than everyone else XD And I’m thinking giving them their own made up names would make it easier! Like how in SMT you have spells being stuff like ‘media’ and ‘agi’ instead of cure and fire. But here (hopefully) it’d be easier to memorize cos its just the element names that’re fantasy words, and the attacks themselves would be a little more self explanatory. i just think it’d work cos like... the idea i had of rock and fire being one single demon type, you could just call that magma. But i mean, what can you call plant + poison? Except.. like.. plant. Cos poison is reasonably often a grass type skill anyway. And i mean, game creators dont often worry about making sense, what with how ‘grass’ is the common element name when thats just one plant in a million. I cant stop thinking about that now I’ve noticed it! I legit thought grass was a synonym for plant when i was a kid, i learned to read from pokemon yellow... ANYWAY IM GETTING OFFTOPIC AGAIN The other idea I had for groupings was fire + non-elemental together? I was just thinking like... aura. Non elemental/physical attack as a ‘magic’ could be fighting spirit! And thematically speaking it tends to be shown as fire effects in anime, i guess XD But then i couldnt put fire with rock and that means I’d have to redesign malachi again. his design ended up looking more firey than rocky :P Another idea is maybe darkness + non-elemental together? like, interpret non-elemental as ‘void’. Or light and dark could be together actually, that could be an interesting way to do it, instead of having them opposing. Like maybe the elements could be colours! Grey element, able to specialize into white or black but neither is any sort of ‘good and evil’. And then the rest could be like green or like.. instead of red maybe fire could be bronze and thats why it has rock skills too? or man, maybe rock and metal could be one element and fire could be grouped with something else. And would water and ice be too ordinary and boring? do they already kinda count as one element? should I throw in something else? GAHHHHHHH

* Ideas for the multiple religious groups aligned with each element! I’m thinking I want one of them to interpret the setting’s absent god as two deities. like, every perspective on this deity is a wildly different character, this one is just even more so! they’d see malahat (tentative name) as two people, but kinda more like a shared soul that can manifest as either a male or female form. But there’d be ambiguity and debates in the mythos over whether this is actually a genderfluid god, or if its ‘twins who were cursed to never exist at the same time’, or various other variations on the story. I wanna make it like real life, where even within (for example) catholocism, there’s different sects and different translations of the same text. And where there’s predjudice against minority groups and people like to twist their faith to ‘justify’ it, even when parts of the original tale could easily justify treating those people with kindness too. So there’d be some followers of the twins religion who are very openminded to LGBTQ people, and historically anyone trans was able to hold a unique position as a priest, being treated as someone blessed by god. But like in norse mythology, this wasnt necessarily a sign that society was 100% okay with LGBTQ people. Its kinda depressing to read about how trans women and gay men were considered the only people able to become a specific kind of witches, but also how you kinda HAD to take this one safety net in society to stop people from making you an outcast. It was like ‘make them fear me so they dont fuckin kill me’. You had to become a medicine person and at least claim to believe in these magic powers, you had to be blessed by the gods to prove you were like.. one of the good ones. Otherwise its like youre saying the gods made a mistake when they made you, or youre choosing to be a deviant against nature. i can only imagine how terrifying it must have been if you believed in that religion and had to like.. be forced to go against it and leave society, or be forced to lie about being chosen by a god for a higher purpose, while believing that any moment you might get struck down for lying. And then I read in other history books about how the concept of homosexuality was far different in that old society too, how male-on-male sex was accepted at sea as long as you were the dominant one and you were forcing something unwanted onto a lesser shipmate as punishment. Like ugh, rape being more socially accepted than consensual LGBTQ relationships! I guess the only solace is that we can never be 100% sure how much of historians’s theories are correct and what might have changed in retellings of history, but honestly I can believe the past is this fucked up when the present is already fucked up in different ways. BUT ANYWAY I wanna explore those themes in my story maybe. And I wanna do more research into the subject to make sure I’m doing it justice, even though its a very sad subject that might be quite stressful. Maaaaan, I remember how I used to obsess about researching norse myth as a kid, it was one of my first Special Interests and I really wanted to see all the different reinterpretations of Loki and write my own fanfic/adaptation/vaguely inspired original story about What If He Stayed A Good Guy. Man I had soooo much sympathy for the poor sod. I mean it depends on the retelling whether he was always evil or whether he was like a comedic neutral ally to the gods who just abruptly becomes evil and gets killed off without remorse in the final story. And gahhh he’s like the biggest LGBTQ bastion in the whole mythos, and how can I not feel sympathetic?? When we get all these stories about him being a literal genderfluid shapeshifter and giving birth to half of his children and just like seriously its like The Story Of the One Trans Man In Homophobic Transphobic Valhalla and he was probably meant to seem Bad and Funny and whatever but im gonna sit here and grumpily cling onto the idea that he was deliberately written as trans, or that if these gods actually do exist out there somewhere then Loki would support me. *pout* I just have a lot of good memories of how this was like the first sign of me realizing my own gender, back when I first learned about Loki in school and then devoured every damn history book about the dude. And got in a million internet pissing matches about how innacurate the marvel version was XD Also it sucks that we like to believe that modern times are always 100% more enlightened in every way, yet its modern adaptations that always censor out the bits about him shifting gender identities and getting pregnant once. ... man this has gone offtopic too much, im really tired but seriously its funny how teenage bunni had NO CLUE they were nonbinary, no clue why they got so obsessed researching gender-defying mythological figures and historians who created gender neutral pronouns in the 1800s. i was so supernaturally oblivious, holy shit...

[niceness-before-knives]

get to know my character: 01, 05, 11 for Suibhne; 21, 31, 40 for Arlette; and 43, 46, 48 for Mir.

Thank you so much for all the questions! ;;v;; They were all great and I had a blast with them!!

01. What does your character’s name mean? Did you pick it for the symbolism, or did you just like the way it sounded? 

Suibhne means well-going in Gaelic (says behindthename). This is actually the name of my Cousland but I ended up reusing it for my Tabris because I couldn't find either S(vowel)-name I liked better than Suibhne. /shrugs I thought it worked pretty okay with his cousins’ names too, so yeah. It was picked just for aesthetics reasons! And because I enjoyed that way it sounds too.

05. Are they sexually confident or more of the shy type? 

Ah, Suibhne is asexual actually!  Sexual attraction and him aren’t really the best of friends, hah. I’ll still tuck him into the more quiet confident side though because he isn’t sex-repulsed. He was okay with Zevran's advances and took them with ease because sex isn't a bother to him. It's just not something that’ll come up when left to his own devices.

11. What is something that would make your character fly into a rage?

Okay, so. I'm really weird about words sometimes. Case in point, rage is not a word I associate with Tabris because it's a hot anger kind-of word and he’s not a hot anger kid. Rage is for lashing out, and Tabris doesn’t lash out at people. He gets revenge.

And the easiest way to do this is to hurt someone in his family. If someone does hurt one of them (either of his cousins, his dad plus Zevran, Morrigan and now Kieran), it's a promise they'll die a slow and painful death as soon as Tabris can make it happen since he doesn't have much and his family is the dearest thing he can imagine. So, yeah. Don’t hurt anyone in his family. No one wants to incur Tabris’ cold wrath.

21. What is one of your character’s biggest fears? How would they react when dealing with this fear?

Failure! Or, like failing her family. Arlette lived for her family, especially Bethany and Carver and it was always her biggest fear that she wouldn’t be strong enough to protect them, that she’d lose them one way or another.

And that’s exactly what happened! :D Malcolm died and she didn’t want to live Lothering because Carver wasn’t there with them. They left too late and Bethany died, and Arlette will always blame herself for that. In response to it, she tried so hard to keep Carver close and safe that he ended up having to join the Grey Wardens or die at the end of Act One. Which again, she blames herself for immensely. 

Neither had to leave her, but because she failed, they left her. It honestly haunts her more than she ever admits to people. She reacts by trying to compartmentalize all that pain and regret, and just try to move on. She actually tries very hard not to fill the void left by them because she’ll fail again and it’ll hurt and no thanks. But you know, the Kirkwall crew is more endearing than she would’ve guessed at first. And she trades one set of siblings in for another and does her best to keep them all safe and happy.

And in return, they try to do their best for Arlette too.

31. Would your character be the kind capable of killing? Would they enjoy killing or only use it when necessary or, perhaps, refuse to kill no matter what?

Yup! Arlette is more than okay with killing! It's not her favorite course of action because death is messy and people tend to ask questions but she rarely feels a sense of regret over the lives she takes too. She grew up in a family of apostates, so life or death was a really real consequence in her mind's eye. She'll never have a problem killing if it's done in order to protect those she loves. They will always matter more than the soul she killed, always.

40. Does your OC have any guilty pleasures they enjoy? Hobbies, past times, music, etc that they wouldn’t want known by others?

Honestly, for the vast majority of her life, any hobby, past time or pleasure Arlette took apart of she didn't want any one to know. She took to being the step-in caregiver of the family to an absurd degree and doing anything that wasn't for Bethany & Carver seriously made her feel like the worst person on the planet. Of course, that is a ridiculous thought but Arl always felt it very hard. She tried being the best caregiver she could for the twins (and Leandra on her bad days), and that sadly, to her, meant suppressing a lot (a lot!) of her own desires.

Moving to Kirkwall especially post-Act One was kind-of a weird experience for her because it's the first time she's honestly free from those thoughts. I mean, they still exist and exist hard but there's nothing that cements them into reality like before. Bethany is gone. Carver is gone. Her mother has a new life she seems to enjoy and Arlette is like ??? with all this new free time. 

She takes up cooking for fun (and teaching others to cook too like Sandal) and reading (especially light-hearted romantic fantasies and smutty things because she's always like those books the best~). But, she shares these things with her friends all the time. She needs connections too much to hide them when most of her family has left her in some way or another. Bonding moments are good!

43. Does your character have a switch that changes aspects of their personality whether they are around friends, family, etc. Is there someone who gets to see their true self?

Yes? Mir has two weirdly different personality sets he uses. One is his “Inquisition” personality. It’s a bit of an over-exaggeration of his real self: more loud, sarcastic, playful and carefree. He acts all on impulse and falls into a nasty habit of not thinking anything through. This isn’t closer to his self per se, but it’s the one he likes better and feels more at ease in. It’s like a comfortable worn-in sweater.

The other is a more subdued version of his real self and it tends to pop up around the Dalish. Growing up, he hid in Mahre's shadow a lot and ended up being a lot more quiet and standoffish as a personal safety measure. He didn’t like letting people close to him, so he put up his defenses as high as they could go. A few people got in there and here, but it was rare. Even during the Inquisition, he still switches back over it too when he’s around other Dalish clans. I’m sure people assume it’s a Dalish thing, but it is definitely ‘my twin is an abusive asshole and I have a hard time disconnecting sometimes at first’ thing.

As for his 'true' self, eh. What Mir considers his true self he does not like letting people see it. It has all his negativity and twisted emotions in it and no one needs to see that, iho! But it still happens. Sometimes he lets people in to see it (Dorian, Thuril, Iseult & Asa) because he at least trusts them all enough not to hurt him with what they’ll see. Sometimes people just lucked out on his bad days and stumbled over it (Vivienne, Varric, Souvelani) and sometimes the Fade casts you into a nightmare hellscape made up of your worst traits and fears for everyone (namely Blackwall, Sera, Bull) to see! :D

Seriously. Fuck the Fade.That shit was the worst.

46. What is some random affectionate thing that your character always does to their lover?

He just touches them, a lot? o: Mir is very tactile person and needs to touch things for his peace of mind be it walls, tables, sleeves, rings, fabric, something just needs to occupy his hand space and it definitely doesn’t stop around his lovers.

He loves giving out simple touches, brushing back bits of hair, reaching out to hold their hand or tracing patterns over their skin as he talks up a storm next to them. Like kid has a lot of trouble communicating his romantic feelings verbally, so he resorts to trying to physically communicate them instead. With every touch, he just wants to say, ‘I'm here. I like you. I hope that's okay.’

48. Is there anything in particular that would ignite your character’s jealousy? Or does your character not get envious?

Mhm. For all his own internal insecurity and odd trust problems, Mir's not really a jealous person. He knows what it's like being restricted in a relationship, be it for love or friendship, and it would hurt his soul if he ever inflicted that on someone he liked. That being said, he’s a territorial fuck though especially once boundaries have been established in a relationship. Other people crossing them will definitely spark him to be like 'excuse me, hold up', unintentional or not.

Bull's loyalty mission definitely a sparked a bit of that too. If he was reasonable sure Bull still enjoyed the Qun out of love for it, the whole Gatt and Hissrad tango wouldn't have bothered him much. But, he felt otherwise and oh god, did it ever bother him something fierce hence why taking 'his name is Iron Bull' option feels so good and in-character for Mir. It’s his lovely claim that ‘no, you are wrong and don’t talk to my friend like that’.

He still apologizes later to Bull though because making claims like that on people is still really shitty to him and it’s not really one of his fave personality flaws, if he’s being honest with himself. :l :l :l