elinor, going through the fallow mire while disturbing the undead living in the water: always nice to see some friends go skinny dipping with me uwu
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been debating some Cole romance options so here's my rough template for how I think it would start. Long rambly post incoming
Conditions for starting this: While you have flirtation options with Cole as soon as he's recruited (like any other romanceable npc), the romance quest can't be triggered until you do his personal quest that either renders him more spirit or more human. Neither path locks off the romance, but the tone of the romance will obviously be very different depending on that choice.
If you HAVE flirted with Cole before that personal quest, there are additional dialogue options the player can have with both Solas and Varric pertaining to how this might impact Cole's feelings for others. Varric believes turning him more human will open the door to greater depth of relationship, while Solas is mostly just offended he was asked the question and eventually tosses out that Cole's feelings will likely be as they ever were, for whatever that's worth. The player is then able to make the choice as normal. In the next conversation after dealing with the aftermath of the quest the player is given a last flirtation option to "lock" them onto Cole's romance
General Route Knowledge: Spirit or human, Cole remains an entity of compassion. He knows he likes you and wants to help you (wants to help you a *lot*, he's confused by the way you tend to become priority on his radar when entering a room), and he knows that before your choice he could feel a lot of romantic yearning and loneliness inside the Inquisitor. However, Cole doesn't always seem to know the thoughts he's reading until after he says them out loud and gets a response, so I basically think that he knows you want a romantic relationship.
He just hasn't grasped that you want it with *him*
Human Cole Route
You speak to Cole and he urges you, *Really* strongly, to go talk to Varric. The next time the player speaks with Varric it triggers a cutscene where he takes them for drinks, theoretically just to chat. Varric seems noticeably uncomfortable and keeps asking you questions about your romantic life, what type of person youre drawn to, and really really leading questions about your companions and advisors. The player can either indulge this or push back on it. Either way, by the end of the conversation Varric mutters something about not being cut out for this, apologizes to the player, and then leaves.
This happens again the next time you approach Cole, this conversation a lot shorter. Varric seems to be inquiring if the player is attracted to *him*[varric]. The player can shut him down completely or ask if that's even something he would be interesting, and Varric gets nervous and tries to bail again. The player follows him this time and finds him talking to Cole, refusing to go back in there while Cole is pleading with him to just keep asking questions. The player emerges to ask what they're doing and Cole seems visibly upset, insisting that he doesn't know how to help without knowing what they're thinking, he can't figure out the kind of person who they want and he *really* can't figure out the kind of person who deserves them. He tries to vanish only to realize he cant and runs off. Varric encourages the player to follow and they have a conversation in private where Cole confesses that he just wants to help them and the idea that they've been lonely has been eating away at him even when they *aren't* in the room. Which is new and confusing and upsetting to him. The player can either tell him to stop interfering with their love life (ending the romance quest) or tell him that he's been mixing their signals up and its him they want to be with. Cole seems startled, but not opposed, deciding that this is another part of the human experience he wants to try with you. You are officially in a relationship with him.
Spirit Route
After you lock in the romance, the next time you fast travel into Skyhold you'll be placed inside a cutscene where the player walks into the Inquisitor's bedroom. Standing there is.
a.the romanceable companion you have the highest approval with
or b. if you flirted with either of them, Cullen or Josephine (if you flirted with both of them the game chooses between them randomly)
They tell you that they've been hearing rumors that you're romantically interested in them and came to speak to you about it. If you don't meet the race/gender criteria for the character's romance questline (e.g, if you're a girl who has Dorian in this cutscene) then there's an additional layer where they're trying to let you down easy. The player is then given the chance to set the record straight and asks where they even got that information. They pause for a moment and all say some variation of "that's funny. i can't remember who told me...." before leaving with some degree of embarassment.
The player can then go to confront Cole about it. He says something cryptic about doing better next time and then whispers *forget* before vanishing, leaving the player to look a little lost before going about their day.
The next time you fast travel into Skyhold you're met by the romanceable companion you have the lowest approval with in your chambers. The dialogue is a little different depending on if they outright hate you or are just neutral, but mostly they're still like. really. like sure it takes all kinds but I never saw this coming from you- and the player's like hang on. this all seems a little fucking familiar
So they leave mid conversation to track down Cole, who they find sitting in the battlements above their room, clearly listening, and confront him. He's about to wipe their memory again when they tell him it didn't work, and they remember what happened. This throws him off because. That shouldn't happen. That shouldn't happen why do they remember? Are his powers failing, how is he getting this *this* wrong its helping thats what he's *for*?!?! The player makes the choice that locks them into a relationship or end it here in that they can either
-say they don't care why its happened, but this needs to stop. Cole reluctantly agrees to leave it alone and you're taken off the romance track for him
-The player suggests that maybe the reason they remember is Cole secretly doesn't *want* them to forget. He wants them to remember it not working out even with the person they're close with. That's also why he set you up with the person you have the least chance with this time. he's sabotaging himself and you because deep down Cole doesn't want you in a relationship with someone else, and in his core he knows you dont want that either. This leads to Cole feeling uncharacteristically frustrated for his spirit state. talking about how he can't get you out of his head. Its interfering with his work and whats worse is that he's more scared of it healing that it hurting like this. He doesn't want it to go away. What follows is essentially
Player: so help me help you. It won't go away, but it might make it easier to deal with. For both of us
Cole: ....It won't be like with a person. Is that a problem.
Player: No. I won't be like a spirit. Is that a problem for you?
Cole, softly:....no.
After this you're locked into a relationship with him.
Soooo thats basically what I have for an inciting incident. More to come, the little shit's given me brainrot.
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bitching about narrative design in bioware games part 2
to summarize part 1 quickly, i bitched a bit about how bioware wrote some characters and designed some parts of the narrative of baldurs gate 1 and 2. they killed the only black woman in the og bg games for a (supposedly) white man’s pain (minsc) and then offered a replacement in the form of a white woman (aerie).
while complaining about bg1 and 2 could stand all on its own, the reason i wanted to talk about those things in particular is to highlight the way bioware writes and designs characters and stories in their later titles, like mass effect, but especially dragon age. i do particularly pick on the writing of david gaider and lukas kristjanson and a little bit on patrick weekes, but this is not meant to be a personal jab at any of them or say anything about their character or beliefs.
overall i think a lot of the way bioware frames certain characters and manipulates the dialogue of certain characters is really more questionable than allowing for actual critical thought. the best examples of my issues with this are cullen, aveline, fenris, dorian and sera. also a special shout out for jacob from mass effect. you might notice that ive now named four characters that lukas kristjanson wrote for; minsc, aveline, sera, and jacob. that doesnt mean i dislike how he writes all of his characters: i actually really enjoy carver and joker, for example.
my issues with the way he wrote these characters directly relates to over-utilization of stereotypes, writing dialogue that sometimes sounds bizarrely out of character, and combine both of those with poor levels of representation in all of the bioware titles.
aveline, while a very enjoyable character (imho) says things that i think directly contrast how she actually thinks and feels in game. she makes many degrading and insulting comments directly at isabela (who was confirmed as a black woman by gaider) about her sexuality and i feel like its honestly really uncharacteristic of her, given how often she finds herself agreeing with a pro-mage hawke throughout the story and how strongly she feels about the real protection and care of people. this is an issue for multiple reasons:
1. isabela is only one of two black female companions in the dragon age franchise, and she does not even have black facial features (she looks pretty european to me, leaving vivienne as the only black woman in the series with black facial features). contrast that to 12 white female companions throughout dragon age including DLCS, and three white female temporary companions (not including merrill, as i already counted her).
2. isabela is expressive and open with her sexuality in a way only one other female character is, and morrigan isn’t even near to the degree that isabela is. also, isabela is bisexual, and the narrative plays hard against characters that are bisexual/pansexual and simultaneously considered slutty (they have one each game! zevran, isabela, iron bull).
3. isabela is a swashbuckler/rogue with a spotty history irt loyalty, again reinforcing stereotypes of characters that are bisexual or bipoc being untrustworthy or of dubious morality.
and none of this would have mattered if there were more black and bisexual/pansexual characters in the series. weekes’ comment about not wanting to make solas black and bisexual because he didnt want to fall into a stereotype? null and void if there were more black and/or bisexual characters in the franchise. representation matters.
i love fenris too! and you know what i hate? people writing GOTCHA dialogue that doesnt even fit a character just to push a devils advocate agenda.
the conversation in question is between fenris and anders in act 2.
fenris: there, your magic would be a mark of honor. apprenticed to the right magister, you would do well.
anders: so they all do those things?
fenris: just the ones who don’t complain about how powerless and persecuted they are.
“just the ones who dont complain about how powerless and persecuted they are” shut the fuck up. why would this come out of fenris’ mouth at all, ever? bruh gaider wrote his storyline, he knows this doesnt make sense. he has to. doesnt he???
and i feel like da2, but especially inquisition, does this a lot. they shove a lot of dialogue into the game that kinda gives you a GOTCHA sorta vibe, like they’re just tryin to snag the inquisitor on bs.
this happens with dorian in inquisition too. if you play a dalish elf inquisitor, theres an entire conversation with him about slavery in tevinter. while the game spends the entire narrative effectively shitting on a dalish inquisitor for being proud of their dalish culture and heritage, dorian is often praised by the narrative for being nationalistic and proud of tevinter’s culture and history. in the conversation, it feels more like dorian is talking at the inquisitor rather than having a thoughtful and engaging discussion about slavery and why his perspective on it might be different. i dont have screencaps off hand atm, but it’s right there in the game, if you have a copy, go play it.
in contrast, in dragon age origins, you can have a conversation with leliana with a dalish warden wherein she says some hurtful things about dalish elves, things that are typically associated with real life stereotypes about indigenous people, like them being “savage” “brutish” or “lazy”. and by the end of the conversation, no matter what you say or do, she apologizes. she says she was wrong to say those things, and she’s sorry, and she won’t do it again. that’s an effective dialogue about serious issues in a video game!!!! not whatever bullshit that dorian conversation was.
and last but not least: sera and jacob. sera is a great character, and yet, she is the only companion who you can actively dismiss / rudely ask her to leave the inquisition throughout the entire game and in every single conversation. the narrative frames this 20 year old (she is YOUNG!!!! who ISNT annoying sometimes when they’re young???) lesbian as an irritant, and most people walk away from inquisition disliking sera. consistently ppl shit on sera throughout the game, and the narrative itself likes to make her an enemy to the inquisitor, make it feel/seem wrong that she constantly questions authority, when so many other characters are shown in a positive light for doing and saying the exact same shit she does. this is part of a larger issue bioware has in general with writing elven women in dragon age (see also the framing of merrill in da2 and velanna in the expansion for origins, awakening).
do i even have to start on jacob? black man with a heart of gold and a deadbeat, creepy, abusive father? then he “cheats” on shepard in mass effect 3 and the narrative gives you the option to punch him? he didn’t even know if shepard was going to be released from custody!!! he knew the reapers were coming and he didn’t know if he would ever see her again!!!! of course some people will feel his actions were a betrayal, but its all ignorant of the circumstances he was in. its not no two years thought dead thing that everyone is okay with excusing (virmire romance), but it’s certainly fucking close.
tl;dr: i hate how bioware frames characters and designs narratives sometimes. if someone ever reads this that works at bioware: please hire more bipoc and queer designers.
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Revanelan & Her Companions
romance
Revanelan did not canonically romance anyone; although I am open to shipping her, there will be no ‘canon’ romance upon which I will fall back.
BLACKWALL
When Leliana informed Revan of a Grey Warden residing in the Hinterlands, she found herself unable to resist her own curiosity as to what had led so many others out of contact. She assisted him in the defense of his ‘conscripts’, then introduced herself as a member of the Inquisition, searching for the Grey Wardens or any clues as to where they had went. Blackwall’s offer to join up was a relief, and Revan quickly accepted. As time passed, she found herself enjoying Blackwall’s companionship and his strongly held beliefs in redemption, right and wrong, and the use of power for the greater good.
When the truth of Thom Rainer’s past emerged, however, she felt betrayed. Not only was the man she had looked upon as a good person, as a friend, in fact, a fraud, her feelings of companionship were suppressed, replaced with righteous fury along with hurt and confusion. When Cullen offered solutions that might put the false Grey Warden back in Inquisition hands, she bitterly agreed and, rather than using lies or manipulation to gain control of the man’s fate, requested that Josephine go through the right channels, utilizing the favor of the Orlesian Empire to have Thom Rainer released to their judgement.
When it came to judgement, Revan informed Thom that that, once Corypheus was defeated, he would be handed over to the Wardens to fulfill the fate the true Blackwall had wished for him.
CASSANDRA
Revan admires Cassandra quite a bit- as both a fellow warrior and a woman of conviction, she believes that Cassandra is a prime example of what the Chantry should be, even if she does not believe as they do.
When Cassandra made it clear that she intended to look into the disappearances of the Seekers, Revanelan showed no hesitation before agreeing to help. After confronting Lord Seeker Lucius and uncovering the damage he had done, Revan encouraged Cassandra to do what she believed was right, trusting whatever choice she made would be the one to create a better future.
COLE
When the man appeared unexpectedly at Haven’s doors, Revan was unsure what to think- his timing seemed such a coincidence, a possible trap… And yet they let him in, let him help as best he could. What was there to lose, with everything already on the line?
Cole remained a curiosity- something about him seemed so familiar, not because of who he was, but HOW. She allowed him to remain with the Inquisition, interested to see what she might learn from and about him. His desire to help people, albeit through more direct routes than her own, was something she could easily understand, and the fact that he seemed to do so simply only served to confuse her further.
Although it was clear he was some kind of spirit taken physical form, Revan was surprised to learn more and more of his history- the people he had met, the people he had killed- yet she could not bring herself to judge him harshly. When he expressed fear of being bound, Revan worked quickly to find the amulet Solas believed would help provide a sense of security. When it was acquired and failed to function, she was at a loss- he wasn’t spirit, wasn’t human; instead, he was somewhere in between, and still potentially vulnerable.
When they located the cause of Cole’s doubt, Revan was quick to stop him from doing anything rash- uncertain of what Cole needed to move forward, the only thing she could do was urge him to forgive as best he could… To recognize the struggle within the man, the truth of his being, and hope it was enough.
DORIAN
Revan’s first impression of Dorian was one of amusement, much like Varric, even as they fought against demons that emerged from a rift. If it hadn’t been for the pain afflicting her, she might have made more effort to speak with him amidst the battle; tried to learn just what the HELL was going on- but nevertheless, she closed the rift and learned what she could. As they traveled together, she found him to be an interesting companion, and one she hoped truly did encompass the possibilities of Tevinter beyond their flaws.
When Mother Giselle asked Revanelan to lie to Dorian, she refused- manipulating those she genuinely grew close to was not a habit she intended to develop. Instead, she informed Dorian of the request to meet and went with him, only to find his father present rather than the expected retainer.
Upon hearing the two argue, division clear between them, she could only restrain herself from speaking her mind and responding to what she heard. When Dorian wished to leave, she was more than willing, and the two departed without another word.
IRON BULL
When Cremisius arrived at Haven offering the support of a band of mercenaries, Revan was hesitant- although she was happy to utilize what assets she could, trust was a matter she took issue with. After traveling to the Storm Coast and meeting the Chargers, she agreed to hire them on, albeit with some reservations.
As time passed, Revanelan allowed some of her own barriers to fall, becoming familiar with the team and enjoying The Iron Bull’s company on a variety of tasks. When he requested her help on behalf of the Qun, she obliged, hoping to find an easy alliance… Instead, she found herself torn between the alliance or letting those she’d come to know die.
The decision of which to encourage was easy- and when they met up at the nearest camp, the Chargers’ drinks were paid for by Revan’s coin.
SERA
Meeting the odd elf woman was an experience she had not expected; the same remained true throughout her travels with Sera, consistently surprised by her companion’s audacious behavior and mischievous nature.Although she’s not sure what to make of Sera, Revan finds her incredibly amusing and a trustworthy friend- so long as she remains on the rogue’s good side. She doubts that will be difficult, however, given their similar goals in working towards making life easier for those treated as lesser.
Revan saw no problem in making a display of strength in Verchiel, a minor thing for the greater good- the possibility of whatever the Jennys might find was only a pleasant side benefit. When they encountered the mercenaries in Crestwood, Revan was surprised but took no issue in fighting back- until it was made clear that the Noble behind the attack was present, and far too prideful to admit to any wrongdoing.
Although the thought of using him entered her mind, her knowledge of nobility and blackmail more than capable of leashing the man, ultimately, she cared little for his life and allowed Sera to take revenge for the suffering he had caused.
SOLAS
The elven apostate was the most intriguing of Revan’s companions, oddly familiar in a way she simply could not place. Although she feared the Fade and the pain it caused her, she was interested in learning all she could from the man who seemed to know it all. Their belief in spirits was closely aligned, their ability to develop and grow beyond mere reflections a well-discussed topic between the two. When Solas requested help in freeing Wisdom, Revanelan’s agreement held no hesitation.
Well practiced and learned in the magic of bindings, Revan easily broke the hold the Kirkwall mages had, allowing Solas a brief moment to speak with the spirit before it dissipated into nothingness in the Fade once more… Well acquainted with the urge to exact revenge, Revan suppressed her own anger at what she judged as misuse of magic and stood idly by as Solas returned the favor gifted to Wisdom.
VARRIC
When they first met, Revanelan found herself amused by Varric’s sense of humor and ability to remain calm in such dire situations. Although she tried to hide the majority of her own problems, she couldn’t help warming up to the dwarf, even going so far as to defend him from Cassandra’s wrath in Skyhold- although she was still cautious about where his loyalties might lie should Hawke become a problem, she trusted that he had only the best of intentions.
When Bianca showed up with information on where Corypheus had been getting his Red Lyrium, Revan followed the trail with them, sealing access to the Thaig and learning that it was Bianca who had caused the leak…
Revan found herself incredibly angry at Bianca for her role in the red lyrium’s exposure, and while she was content to assure Varric that he held no responsibility, she does not consider the same of Bianca.
VIVIENNE
Well acquainted with the game of Orlais, Revan does not trust Vivienne, although she certainly finds her amiable company. Over time, she warms to the woman, although she continues to disagree with her views when they come up in discussion.
Even as she considers her a friend, Revan does not wholly open herself to Vivienne, retaining what secrets she can as their tenuous friendship goes on. When asked to retrieve a specific wyvern’s heart, she obliges, finding the Snowy Wyvern and slaying it in an attempt to assist.
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Character Profile
NAME: Ghilina Lavellan
NICKNAME: Ghili (Gill-lee)
AGE: 30 at start of Inquisition
SPECIES: Elf
GENDER: Female
ORIENTATION: Sapiosexual
INTERESTS, HOBBIES, PASTIMES: Ghilina's prowess with magic classifies her strongly as a Mage. Even so, she holds an interest in rogue talents and skills. Because of this, you will often find Ghilina at the end of the day venting frustrations of the day with every arrow loosed from her bow.
Ghilina also has creative interests, such as self expression through dance (think modern and lyrical meets ballet) and music. She cannot play an instrument to save her life, in fact many musicians go out of their way to keep their instruments from her reach. However, Ghilina does enjoy singing elven folk songs and lullabies to an audience of none.
SPECIALIZATION: Rift Mage. Ghilina always had an interest and fascination with the Fade and the spirits that swelled there ever since she was young. When that fascination came to light among members of her clan, they feared for her safety and sternly discouraged her interest. They told tales of demons masquerading as friendly spirits in the hopes of encouraging her to agree to possession. The normalized superstition and fear pressures Ghilina into agreeing to stifle any interest in the Fade she had. She had all but forgotten her fascination when she met Solas, who rekindled it anew. That fascination gave way to her study of Fade magic with the help of her trainer and Solas.
BODY TYPE: Lithe, willowy spoon (pear) shaped figure.
EYES: Icy blue
HAIR: Long, wavy, raven-black hair
SKIN: Fair, milky white
HEIGHT: 167 cm (5'6")
COMPANIONS: Cassandra and Blackwall have saved Ghilina's hide more times than she would care to count. Whether it be from a surprise flank attack, or a charging shield wielder. Thank goodness for her Fadestep ability.
Dorian quickly became Ghilina's closest friend within the Inquisition. She trusts him implicitly, and as such he often accompanies her outside Skyhold. Iron Bull also tends to accompany them, as Ghilina enjoys his company and unique yet unimposing views.
Varric she enjoys around for his stories and his wit, while Cole she enjoys to have around for the insights he offers and the swift knife in the dark that protects her from harm.
The only companions that typically remain at Skyhold, with the exception of extenuating circumstances, are Vivienne and Sera. Vivienne is enjoyable when she is discussing nobility scandals, etiquette, and fashion. However, Ghilina has found on more than one occasion Vivienne's very conservative views on Mage rights and the Chantry have been at odds with her more progressive ones.
For a similar reason, Sera tends to stay within the confines of Skyhold, terrorizing the nobility, due to her rather offensive and unapologetic views of elves and elven culture.
COLOURS: White, Lavender, Black
SMELLS: The wet earth after a fresh rain, lilacs, cedar
FRUITS: She loves the sweet tart of Rivaini peaches, and the spiced baked apples of Antiva. Strawberries grown in Fereldan's Hinterlands are also very sweet and juicy.
DRINKS: Not much of a drinker at all. Sometimes socially.
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: If there is anything that doesn't taste strongly of alcohol, or has a sweet taste to it, Ghilina will drink it on the off chance she decides to do so.
SMOKES: Not applicable.
BAD HABITS: biting her lip when thinking, strumming her fingers when waiting impatiently, and fidgeting with or picking at whatever is in her hands of she is nervous or anxious.
GOOD HABITS: proper hygiene maintenance, up early each morning, goes for a morning walk along the ramparts (greets the soldiers along the way), and mostly keeps a healthy diet.
What do they say about themselves?
Eyes blue and piercing like the frigid bite of a plunge into a frozen lake peered back at you from beneath long, dark lashes; a rather thick tome cradled in her lap. Those twin pools of winter made your heart thud inside your chest. You wondered, momentarily, if this was how the canary feels before a cat.
All around were shelves of musty tomes waiting to be read, their fading gilded titles illuminated in the dancing torchlight. Tomes with tattered spines lay stacked unevenly amidst scattered parchment upon a time-worn table at her side.
Her eyes closed, brow knotted as a frustrated sigh passed her bow-shaped lips. The tome in her lap slammed shut with an echoing thud before it was gingerly rested upon the table's surface beside her.
The simple white gown she donned complimented her lithe figure, glistening in the torchlight with her movements. Silk, perhaps? Her hands gripped the armrest edges as she leaned into her high-backed chair. A leg gracefully swept beneath the other until they rested askew, interwoven at the ankles with one another.
Her eyes met yours then, and not only did she meet your gaze, she held it there. Pinned. And as your heart continued to thrum in your chest, you realized then that this woman who was lovely yet appeared so frail, was in fact a spider sitting patiently upon her web. Never to be underestimated. Though she may be beautiful, she was equally as deadly. Only a fool would overlook such knowledge.
As you debated internally with yourself whether to feel awed or intimidated, her gaze lowered from yours to the floor before she spoke, "What I have to say of myself may no longer apply. The young Dalish woman I was before, the woman who stumbled out of a rift, she became who I am for a role she didn't ask for."
Her voice was soft and sad as her fingertips thoughtlessly touched the bare flesh of her cheek. But when she looked up at you, hand fallen away, she was beaming, "Though looking back, if I could never go back to who I was before, I believe I could make peace with that."
Smile still playing upon her lips, she picked up her book from the table and opened it to the page she had last left it.
So this was a post I found while browsing the tags on @honeypeabrain 's blog. It looked like fun and I could think of many on this side of Solavellan Hell who would enjoy this. So...
Tagging || @waterwhisp-rivergoblin @wayward-lavellan @modernagesomniari @dreamerlavellan @dreadwollf @calwyne @my-solavellan-hell @sopml @solaspls @riazures @river-goddess-sionann @lavellanpls @wepepe-draws @ar-lath-ma-vhenan
And anyone else who wants to participate. No pressure if you don't. If you have done this before, please disregard. If you don't want to be tagged, let me know.
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OMG, how quick
Because I think Varric would have some sympathy for him, even though Samson doesn’t want pity. It also seems to me that Samson’s past with mages (and Maddox) and his general attitude to Chantry could also win over a few people. There are some fics, when it turns out that in the Inquisition there are a few mages that Samson once saved. What do you think about this? Take your time: D (2)
If I can add something to these conversations about Samson - I have an AU in my head in which it is not Cullen or Samson who becomes the commander of the Inquisition, but Cassandra - which means that there is a free place for a person with a templar specialization in the team, if you know what I mean. Why not for a gentleman who knows both mages and templars very well? His personal quest could be about Maddox, and I personally prefer Samson’s average look from da2 over inq and what a mess he is.
Hey so first of all: thanks for the asks!
I apologize ahead of time if there are any glaring mistakes / incoherences in what follows x— as I said in my earlier reply, it’s been a long while since I played Inquisition, and my knowledge of the lore is probably very faulty by now. Even when I played the game, I had favorites among the companions… and others I didn’t take with me as often.
Also, I’ll be focusing on the main cast and ignoring the Jaws of Hakkon and Descent DLC, because I couldn’t be bothered to play them and am therefore in no position to run my mouth.
ANYWAY!
I think the people most susceptible to feel sympathy for Samson are the ones who have history with him, or a similar background… or just such a different take on reality that they can overlook his obvious Villainy™ lol
I agree with you, Varric would probably feel for the man, if only because they met in Kirkwall (bonus point if Hawke was left in the Fade and Samson can serve as a reminder to Varric). I think Blackwall and the Iron Bull could relate to him, both because military background and shitty deeds committed in the name of a greater cause (or just plain guilt, cough Blackwall cough). Cole, too, might be able to overlook Samson’s most problematic actions, because who better than Cole can understand Trying To Help And Doing Harm In The Process?
If we’re looking at this like a “from warm and cozy to cold shoulder” scale, I think Josephine would fall somewhere in the middle; she’s pragmatic enough to appreciate whatever Samson might bring to the Inquisition, should he choose to, but I don’t know that she’d feel much sympathy for him.
Even though they’re mages, I’m not sure Dorian and Solas would get along well with Samson. Solas would probably be curious about what Corypheus has been up to, but I think he’d have little sympathy / interest for the fate of the red templars. And I feel like Dorian and Samson really don’t have much in common at all so it would be a bit of a cultural clash.
Then I feel there are characters whose views and backgrounds conflict too strongly with Samson’s actions to allow for respect and friendship (at first). Sera would fall in this category, I think; whatever sympathy she could muster for the red templars’ fate, she would not forgive farming red lyrium out of people. Pro-Chantry characters like Cassandra and Leliana would obviously have A Lot Of Thoughts about Samson’s actions; so would Vivienne, because of her views on Circles and Templars.
The fun part of fandom’s what-ifs is connecting the dots canon ignore, though, and all these interpersonal « obstacles » could absolutely be overcome, in the hands of a good writer. Nudge, nudge.
As for the 2nd part of your ask - I’m 300% in favor of Samson redeeming himself by working to help the Inquisition; not because I like the Inquisition (there’s honestly so much to unpack about it) but because I care one hell of a lot about Samson and want him to have the best years he can have, and rotting in the inquisition’s dungeons is not gonna accomplish that. Being one of the Inquisitor’s companions sounds like a good option tbh. Although I have to politely disagree, not on him being a mess, but on his DA2 skin being overall better - whether his DA:I appearance Fits My Type™ or started it *hides pictures of sad, balding, middle-aged fictional men*… I dig it.
Sorry again for taking so long and thank you for dropping in with Samson feels 💜
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Meet Anani Lavellan
Age(at the beginning of DAI): 25
Sexuality: Gay
Background, basics: He was the clans golden boy, yet strangly enough, he just wanted to be in the shadows.
Throughout his whole life, he prefered to be left alone, yet somehow people seemed drawn to him. No matter how hard he tried to be a loner, he could never manged. His awkward yet graceful charm and his kind nature made others gravitate towards him. He's the kind of person to say awful jokes, yet can manage to make people laugh anyway. The kind to fall flat on his face from tripping over air, yet make it look more adorable than embarrassing. To nurse a wounded animal back to health, and cry at their pain. The kind who can talk his way out of any situation, using the silver tongue he's been gifted with. On top of all that, he's an intelligent and gifted mage(though that came with a lot of hard work and determination). He's the type of person who gets all the love and attention in the world, yet doesn't really want it.
Don't get it wrong, that isn't to say he didn't enjoy the popularity from time to time, it's just being around people too long drains him, and praise makes him feel weird.
Despite his need to be alone, he truly loves his clan and everyone in it, and would do anything and everything for them.
Hence why he agreed to go to the conclave. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but with his quick wit, charm, and intelligence, the Keeper thought it best if he went. If things were to go sour, she trusted him to be able to talk his way out of danger without violence. And if violence was needed, he was more than capable.
Background, parents: When he was a child, around four, his mother was taken by humans in the middle of the night. When everyone woke and realized her disappearance, his father gathered up a few friends, and left for the nearby village in a blind rage, determined to get her back. Nobody ever saw any of them again. The Keeper waited a day and a half, then had everyone pack up and leave in a hurry. They still avoid that area to this day.
Keeper Deshanna Istimaethoriel took Anani under her wing and raised him as her own after that.
Background, love life: He has had a few lovers, but nothing that ever lasted long, even if he wanted it to. With how often the clan moved, anyone he met outside of it was bound to get left behind eventually. It would mess him up sometimes, if he had met a guy who was truly special. Some people were harder to let go of than others. That never stopped him, though. The bonds and connections we make with people are what shape us, after all. Even if it didn't last long, it still meant something.
Fun facts,
Favorite food?: Apple Pie
Favorite drink?: Vanilla Tea
Favorite season?: Fall
Hot or cold weather?: Cold
Favorite place to be?: Nature in general, but especially the woods.
Sometimes, he'd spend weeks on his own just exploring, finding old ruins, climbing trees, watching and listening to wild animals, even feeding and befriending friendlier ones.
The forest is his comfort zone, away from the noise and troubles of the world, surrounded by things that are constant and easy to understand. It's the only place he could ever just stop and take a breath, the only place he could be alone.
Favorite hobbies/pastimes?: Reading, discussing books with Dorian/Varric/Cassandra, taking care of animals, walking in nature, gardening, alchemy, studying and discussing magic with Dorian/Solas, playing pranks with Sera
Favorite song?: "Once We Were"
Favorite animal?: Hallas
Any pets?: Used to have a halla, but considered her more a friend than a pet.
Siblings?: No biological ones, but he has a lot of friends in and out of the Inquisition he'd consider family, some sibling like.
Two people would come to mind instantly. Sera, the little sister he never wanted yet could never part with, and Athine, another member of clan Lavellan. Her mother died at child birth, and her father was one of the men sent to save Anani's mother, but he never returned. Despite being four years older than Anani, she was still young enough to need care. The Keeper took Athine as her own, too, and so they were raised like siblings. And just like siblings, they couldn't have been any different. They disagreed and bickered over everything, from complex things like mage freedom, to small things such as whether apple pie was better than cherry. But they loved each other none the less.
Relationship with parents?: Never really had one. They loved him, he knew that, but he was too young to really remember them. He only knows them from stories.
How does he act when in love?: Googly eyed. Giggly. Soft.
He turns into the biggest softy when he's in love, completely doting over the person *cough* Dorian *cough*.
While usually in relationships he's a "whatever happens, happens" person(an attitude he adopted from a life constantly on the move and leaving people behind), it's different with Dorian. This is the first time he's ever felt like if he let go of someone it would break him. Whether near or far, he knows he'd rather be with no one else. Dorian is the love of his life, his vhenan.
Religious?: In the beggining, yes, he followed the Elven Gods rather strongly. But after Tresspaser, he feels shaky about his faith. He feels wrong to follow people like that. They weren't even Gods, after all.
He still believes in them, how could he not after what he has seen? But he no longer follows them.
How does he react to praise?: Awkwardly. It makes him very uncomfortable.
But the longer he's Inquisitor, the more used to it he gets. He's never comfortable with it, but he gets better at taking it.
How does he react to criticism?: Depends on the person. If it's someone he trusts and respects, he listens and takes it into consideration.
If it's a stranger or someone he dislikes... He can get rather annoyed and/or aggressive.
Three positive words to describe his personality?: Humorous, Selfless, Considerate
Three negative words to describe his personality?: Blunt, Defensive, Impulsive
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unpopular opinion: how the majority of fandom handles solas breaking up with the lavellan 'quiz especially when they make other characters bash him for it, is pretty shit
very old unpopular opinion meme | not accepting | strongly agree
@hopewrought
the way a large part of the fandom handles the solas break-up is rly telling about some of the problems with the dragon age fandom and honestly fandom at large.
it happens with every character who breaks up with you, even temporarily. fenris sometimes gets hate for leaving hawke after they sleep together in act 2, even if his reasons for leaving are clearly triggered by the trauma of being a slave his whole life. he’s not allowed to have his own journey or problems if they inconvenience the player, even if that journey brings him back to hawke (presuming hawke doesn’t end up romancing someone else after that).
there are similarities with solas. he has priorities in his life greater than his feelings for lavellan, and he chose them over lavellan. this would be unacceptable for some people even if solas’s plans were benign in nature
the break-up itself is messy, but it was necessary. weekes confirmed that solas brought the inquisitor to crestwood to tell them he was fen’harel, lay everything on the table, and then he realised he couldn’t do it. ending it at that point was the right and mature option, even if it sucked and hurt both parties. breaking up sucks, especially when you know the other person has strong feelings for you, but if you can’t return those feelings for whatever reason. not to drag blackwall, bless him, but him just leaving a romanced inquisitor to go turn himself in and die was the wrong way to handle the situation.
any lavellan has a right to be devastated, to be angry, but the way i’ve seen that anger expressed in fanart/fanfic tips the scale from “valid ways to feel after a break-up” to “abusive ex-girlfriend who solas was lucky to get away from when he did”
hitting your ex for the crime of breaking up with you is abuse. that solas is read as a man doesn’t change that, and it’s a misogynist double standard to downplay female-on-male abuse. i’ve lost my humour about a lot of solas-related things (egg jokes) and i’ll admit that and let other ppl have their fun, but even joking about hitting solas for breaking up with you/lavellan is an unfunny and hurtful joke. and honestly, if i had ever seen this behaviour depicted as wrong or unhealthy, i could get behind it, but it’s always set up as lavellan getting back at someone who deserved it for breaking up with them. which i really want to emphasise, because the majority of these types of scenes play out before the end of inquisition.
the last trope you mentioned, bringing in other characters to bash him while lavellan is sad in the bg, isn’t usually quite as abusive, but it’s still a distortion of most of inquisition’s characters. the characters of inquisition are adults who suddenly turn into like a middle school clique when the solavellan break-up happens. all of them who comment don’t choose a side, probably because the majority of them are age 30+ (cole and sera being the exceptions) and are aware relationships don’t always work out.
dorian and cole seem to be the ones most often used as some kind of weapon to make solas feel worse. dorian may very well platonically love the inquisitor, but having him be more upset about solas hurting lavellan at a point where he knows solas plans to unravel the veil and put dorian’s whole world at risk? a world where dorian has a life, goals, and potentially even a committed relationship of his own? it’s bad and reeks of the “gay best friend” trope dorian is so often hit with, to put lavellan’s feelings above him own even when so much more is at stake.
as for cole, cole canonically is sympathetic to both lavellan and solas. he reaches out and tries to understand, and continues to defend solas even to the end of trespasser, literally being the only one to approve if you decide you want to save him. cole angrily confronting solas b/c he hurt lavellan isn’t ic for him because, again, he’s got a pretty good grasp on the complicated emotions at play here. depending on the inquisitor, he’s potentially closer with solas than them, and arguably solas is closer to cole than he is the inquisitor. cole certainly knows a lot more about him. depicting cole as suddenly callous as a way to punish solas is just bad writing that ignores characterisation to benefit the PC.
this got very long, but i expected it would, so tl;dr the bad ways ppl represent the aftermath of the solavellan relationship say more about them than solas or any other canon. and speaking as someone who has had to break up with people before, it’s honestly uncomfortable to see.
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unpop opinion: morrigan isnt that great akdjfslkdf (my warden doesnt like when shes mean to him), and another: out of all the mages in dai dorian really is the best one? like if your an andersmancer than you'll probably be a dorimancer bcs like... they're both really pro mage but for mage freedom? like viv is pro circle and solas is. solas but i just think dorian is one of the best mages, even just overall in dragon age ksksk
strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree
im personally a fan of morrigan after doing her personal quest, but there are some parts of her that really Frustrate me (especially when she gets mad at me for being nice to people gfjh)
strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree
dont get me wrong, i absolutely adore vivienne and dorian has his flaws, but (with bias due to me being a gay fuck) hes my favorite mage. as opposed to solas, i dont think viviennes a shitty person, she just has Not So Great Views Which Are Understandable In Her Position. solas is just an egg fucker who will die by my hands. i will have to disagree that dorians the best. imo hes tied for first with anders, merrill, and wynne. im bad at picking favorites
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Inquisitor as a Companion!
Tagged by @galadrieljones and @thevikingwoman Thank you!!! This was SO much fun! Also had to get a new screenshot of her :)
Inquisitor���s Name: Aura Lavellan
Race / Class / Specialisation: Dalish Elf/Mage/Healer
Gender Identity: Female
Varric’s Nickname for them: Sprout
Short bio: Aura is a healer and herbalist of Clan Lavellan. She grew up in The Free Marches, around the forested swamps along the Minanter. She came into her magic at the age of four and trained with her grandmother, Keeper Deshanna. She is very close to her grandmother and with her guidance, Aura grew up to handle her own magic with precision. Her magic is very connected to the natural world and she can charge all kinds of things with her emotional energy. When not tending to the sick or wounded, she would always wander the surrounding forests, gathering herbs and ingredients for her work. Aura is quiet and thoughtful but warms up quickly to people who show her kindness. She is highly sensitive, almost empathic, and a nurturer at heart.
Just before Inquisition, she would have been helping refugees affected by Mage Rebellion. She would have been working near and around Kirkwall and would have worked closely with Merrill. She was also responsible for convincing her Clan to welcome numerous Elven refugees into their camp. After the events of the Conclave, Deshanna asked her to find, help, and bring back any of the surviving Clan Lavellan spies. No one survived, and Aura got caught up helping the refugees in the Hinterlands.
What would their companion card look like? A take on the ace of wands. She would be holding onto her staff that is sprouting with new growth and little flower buds. Some of the leaves have been taken by the wind and are drifting toward a darkening horizon.
Recruitment mission: Find the Dalish Healer- The Herald will approach Varric in Haven and he would say something like “There is a…friend of a friend in the Hinterlands that wants in on the Inquisition, a Dalish girl that set up camp near the crossroads. She’s out there helping the wounded, maybe she could be of use. Adan could sure use the help.”
Aura would be found at a little camp just outside the crossroads tending to several sick/hurt people. She will be wary of anyone armed approaching, but will be excited to learn it is the Inquisition. The Herald can comment on her being a Dalish mage in the middle of a war zone, to which she will reply, “I can handle myself.” She’s eager to help, but there is the option to refuse or accept her. If accepted, she will make sure the people under her care are better before meeting the Herald in Haven.
Where they would be in Skyhold / Haven: In Haven, Aura would be found in the apothecary helping Adan. At Skyhold, she will be found in the gardens, often planting things.
Personal quests: Basically just of playable version of Protect Clan Lavellan.
Quest 1: A War Table mission where Aura will ask the inquisitor to help her look into some strange bandit attacks her clan has been experiencing. If the inquisitor does, they will find out that they were hired by the Duke of Wycome.
Quest 2: After the war table mission is complete, Aura will beg the inquisitor to come with her to help to protect her clan. If the inquisitor refuses, Aura will GREATLY disapprove. If the inquisitor agrees to go, they will confront the Duke of Wycome which ends in his death and basically saving the city from Red lyrium poison. Aura is reunited with the Keeper in a very personal moment where the Inquisitor gets to see just how close they are to each other. The rest of her clan expresses their approval, which is something Aura never experienced from them. The inquisitor gets a fancy new Dalish inspired staff (Its Aura’s grandmother’s and, I mean, should really go to Aura. Just sayin’.)
Quest 3: Not really a quest, just a follow up cutscene. If the inquisitor refused to help Aura they find out that her grandmother has died, along with the rest of her clan. She is distraught and says that she should have been there for her people. There is no chance for the inquisitor to romance her with this outcome.
If the inquisitor helped, Aura will tell them that her clan is doing well, along with the elves in Wycome. She will tell them how grateful she is for their help and their friendship.This is where the inquisitor can lock her romance! Commence happy smooches!
How to get their approval: Helping people will get you mega approval with Aura. Any dialogue option where the inquisitor is just nice to her? She was always a bit of a loner and will jump at the chance to have a friend. Also, commending her sensitivity! She needs the support! She will approve of allying with the mages or disbanding the Templars, allying with the Grey Wardens, forcing the Orlesians into a public truce, doing the rituals in temple. She will also approve of judgments the Inquisitor carries out if the prisoner’s life is spared.
How to get their disapproval: Dialogue options that berate her or are just plain mean. Killing people who could be saved. Indirectly killing her grandmother by brushing of her personal quest. She will generally disapprove of a power driven Inquisitor.
Are they romanceable? YES! Someone please love her! She gives soft, slow kisses in the gardens ;)
Can you have sex with them? Yis.
Are they open to polyamoury? No.
If they can be romanced and are not, will they begin a relationship / relationships with other character(s)? If so, who? If she nor Solas are romanced by the quizzy, she will fall for the pretty elven man. If Solas is romanced she will fall for the giant hunky beard man, Blackwall. If none of them are romanced, it would just depend on who got to who first in the party banter MWAHAHAHA.
Who are they friendly with? Solas, Cole, Blackwall, Sera, and and Dorian, Josie, Varric….and just EVERYONE.
Who do they dislike? No one! She wants to be friends with everyone.
Companion card changes: (use a text descrip. if you have no images)
Loyalty: A version of The Star: A giant star illuminates the night sky. She’s at the edge of a river, her staff in full bloom in one hand, rain falling from the other hand into the river. (I need to find someone doing tarot commissions!)
Romance: (if any) Same as loyalty. The love of a friend is just as powerful to her as the love of a, well, lover lol.
Side Missions: (eg: fetch / gather / kill quests) Help Aura find 5 rare herbs. Find various herbs across the map. Extra approval if she is in the party. Once completed, a new type of health potion can be equipped.
Opinions on mages / templars / how the world is going to shit? Very distrustful of the Chantry and Templars, mostly because she does not completely understand them. She does not hate them, and would not refuse to help either side. She just knows how magic was handled in her clan and is strongly against locking people away and treating them as less than, no matter who they are.
She is terrified of Corypheus and what his plans are, but wants to do whatever she can to makes sure they don’t happen. She’d rather be in the thick of the disaster, trying to help, than sitting by watching the world fall apart.
Something guaranteed to make them leave the party: An evil inquisitor. She would have a limit to how much she could disapprove before leaving. Like a combination of not doing her quest and killing the Sentinels would for sure push her over the edge. Wanna see an Aura cry giant, angry anime tears? Let her grandmother die or kill the sentinels.
Special Events:
Imprisoned at Redcliffe: How is your Inquisitor holding up in Redcliffe, being slowly infected with red lyrium over the course of a year?
Not very well. She would be near lost to madness, lying on the floor in a cell, murmuring to herself about being useless. She will think she has completely lost her mind when the Herald and Dorian approach and say she is just “seeing things again.” When told they are trying to fix things she will pick herself up and agree to help.
At the Winter Palace: Does your Inquisitor enjoy the party, any special events with them at the Palace? *In this AU ball gowns are a thing!* Aura would be tucked away in the guest garden, trying to stay away from the gawking Orlesians. She would be very nervous and uncomfortable at the beginning of the night, commenting: “These puffy sleeves are awful. I almost knocked over an antique vase! *nervous laugh*.”
However, after a few drinks she will actually start to enjoy herself. She’ll giggle and attempt to whisper “I took my shoes off.” To a romanced Inquisitor : *hiccups* “Can we dance later?!” Or if she is with Solas or Blackwall and they are in the party:
Inquisitor: “You’re blushing!”
Aura: “Am I?! *laughs* “Solas/Blackwall asked me to dance…”
In the Fade: Your Inquisitor’s reaction upon entering the Fade? Archdemon’s taunt, and Inquisitor’s response? Epitaph on their grave? Aura would be terrified initially. Anything she had experienced in the Fade prior to this would not compare. She does not handle the energy of that particular area of the fade well. It makes her feel nauseous. The Nightmare would probably say something like, “Silly girl, how could you possibly be of any help. You can’t even keep yourself together.” To which is would respond,“You don’t know me.” Her gravestone would read “Weakness”
Trespasser: What is your Inquisitor up to two years after Corypheus’ defeat? Any special events with them over the events of Trespasser? If romanced by the Inquisitor, she would stay by their side, helping anyway she could, especially with the worsening condition of the anchor. They can get married in Trespasser!
If Solas left her *sobs* she would have gone back to her clan for a while. She would make her way back to the Hinterlands, run her own little clinic, and help people there get back on their feet. She would still end up living alone in a little cottage there.
If she was with Blackwall, now Thom, they both would have gone back to the Free Marches together for a while. Thom makes his reconciliations, she reconnects with her clan. They have a small Dalish wedding <3. They would still come back to the Hinterlands and share her little cottage.. And you know…there’s the possibility she could end up his widow *sobbing intensifies*.
Tagging @ladylike-foxes @buttsonthebeach @dreadhobo
@mistressdreadwolf (only if you want) and anyone else who sees this! PLEASE TAG ME! This is such a fun meme and I LOVE reading them!
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Hey there! if requests are open; how would the companions + romances react to an inquisitor who was just. A normal person before all this? They weren't a warrior or mage or anything big, they were jsut a normal person. And they always worry about being good enough, training their butts off, and trying to save as many as they can, and still feeling like they're aren't good enough?
Cassandra: She has no problems with it other than she’s worried about their combative abilities. Otherwise, she likes it-- finds it refreshing to talk to someone normal. She feels worse than before about how she treated them at first, too; “Maker’s Breath, you must have been utterly terrified.” As long as they’re trying their hardest, she reassures them that they’re doing fine.
Blackwall: Once upon a time, he, too, was a “normal” person. “But look where that’s gotten us, eh? Not that I even compare to you.” He chuckles. “The Maker has a sense of humor, or at least, likes humble beginnings. You’re doing fine, alright? Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Iron Bull: “The fuck you are,” he scoffs when they call themselves normal, “you barged into a room full of demon-y blood magic shit because a woman was screaming and then stood your ground long enough to get that mark. There’s nothing normal about that.” He grins toothily. “And that’s what I like about you, Boss. Don’t sell yourself short.”
Sera: She loves that they were just a commoner, and is quick to reassure them that if they’re trying and don’t let what they have get to their head, then they’re doing good enough. “Don’t let those nobs get you down,” she reassures, “you’re fine the way you are, and you’re doing what you can. That’s all anyone should expect.”
Cole: He doesn’t understand the difference between “normal” and “not normal”-- they’re just people, complicated swathes of emotion, and it doesn’t really register with him other than he senses their self-doubt. He reassures them that everyone that matters feels nothing but warmth and fondness for them.
Varric: He firmly refutes the fact that they were totally normal, and shakes his head whenever they state so. “You, someone with no fighting skills or experience, still had the guts to run into a room that might have been full of Maker-knows-what to save a stranger. There’s nothing normal about that. Don’t sell yourself short.” He reassures them that they’re doing their best, which is all anyone can really do.
Vivienne: The minute they try to tell her that they’re normal, she scoffs. “Not anymore, Darling.” She encourages them to embrace their new title and role, actually admires that they come from humble beginnings. She’s thoroughly impressed with them for doing what they’ve done, and encourages them if they feel down-- “Greatness is one half determination and one half a learning process, Darling.”
Solas: Like Varric, he refutes the label of “normal” for the same reasons. He honestly had a low opinion of them and low expectations, but they surprise him, solidifying his view he shares with Varric. “If you were ‘normal’, then you would not be as wise and capable as you are.” he remarks. The Inquisitor may or may not ask what his perception of a “normal” person is.
Dorian: He teases them, gently, affectionately, but is first to tell off anyone who calls them common. If the Inquisitor calls themselves “normal”, he scoffs, loudly. “Don’t be ridiculous. If you ever were such a thing, you’re certainly not anymore. You’re doing well, and that’s all anyone could ever hope for-- normal or not. Besides, where’s the fun in sticking to the status quo? It’s much more fun to scandalize everyone.”
Josephine: That’s fine and dandy, but she needs to hire tutors-- they need to learn court etiquette and everything a leader needs to know, and fast. “I’m afraid it doesn’t matter how much you claim you were a normal person-- that’s no longer the case, if it ever was the case.”
Leliana: At first, she’s strongly suspicious, but once it becomes clear it’s not a ruse, she actually loves it. “I appreciate someone a bit more... humble than many of the people I have to work with.” She laughs. “Not that that’s the case anymore, is it? Don’t worry-- the Inquisition stands with you.”
Cullen: If they eschew having to stand on ceremony, he agrees quietly. He has the least reaction out of the group, but he will reassure them they’re doing fine. “You don’t need a title to do a good job.”
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Solas and Relationships (AKA: Why He Wouldn’t Have Sex With Spirits, And Who He Would Have Sex With)
So I’ve been getting a lot of asks about Solas having sex with spirits, and if he’s ever done it. A lot of people assume that it’s canon that he has had sexual relations with spirits because of this in-game banter (this is gonna be a ridiculously long post so buckle up):
Many people understandably take his lack of a straightforward answer as an admission, which I don’t entirely disagree with but, like Solas says, I do not think it’s so simple. Since this is a rp blog, a lot of the following will be my own personal headcanons for him, which may divert from canon, but I do have reasons for everything I believe about him and I will make a case for them.
Firstly, I do not think Solas has ever had a sexual or romantic relationship with a spirit ever at any point. I feel particularly strongly about this as I would argue spirits cannot give true consent, and as I feel that Solas is a very consent-centric character, he would respect this. Spirits are often single minded, they care about the trait that they reflect and embody and little more beyond that (think of the spirit of Command you run into in Old Crestwood). Spirits lack true and total autonomy, as they are willed by dreamers and the waking world to reflect back whatever they are given. Solas never debates this, what he does say about this is in response to the Herald saying “Spirits are bound by their nature. You said it yourself. They’re shaped by contact with real people.” To which he replies “Just as Leliana was shaped by contact with Divine Justinia, as those who serve the Inquisition are shaped by you. If I change your mind in this conversation, does that mean you’re no more real than a spirit?”
A good argument, and I agree with him, but the fact remains that spirits are so much bound to their nature that it affects their ability to act with 100% autonomy and free will, and thus it affects their ability to consent in either a romantic or sexual relationship. Of course even so, I agree with Solas that spirits are people too, even bound as they are to their nature. The ability to consent does not a person make.
Consent matters, as I’m sure we can all agree, even in nonsexual, romantic relationships. So, why do I say that I still think the above banter is some kind of admission? My personal headcanon is that he once fell in love with a Spirit of Purpose. Nothing ever came of it, because he never expressed it, because of the above rationale. But this would explain why spirits and relationships are such a complicated matter, as Solas claims they are (why a spirit of Purpose? Idk, just sounds good).
Now, who would he have sex with? Would he have sex at all? How does he identify in terms of sexual orientation?
Let me start off by saying that I headcanon him as bisexual (or perhaps biromantic/demiromantic). I know what you’re thinking “but it’s canon that he’s not!” Yes. True, but consider the following: Not only will I always jump at the chance to create more LGBTQA+ representation whenever possible, but I disagree with Bioware’s reason for not making him bisexual in the first place. Which they claim was in order to avoid making their “Villain” part of the LGBTQA+ community. Which, while understandable, I feel is misguided at best. As someone who identifies as both pansexual and transgender, I could write an essay over why I feel Bioware dropped the ball on this, but that would take too long and if you want to discuss that with me, let’s do it somewhere else, for the sake of not making this post any longer than it has to be. Suffice it to say, I feel Bioware made the wrong choice when they decided not to make Solas bisexual. With this is mind, my personal interpretation of his character is that he is bisexual. If you are of the mind that this is heterosexual erasure, and just as offensive as the notion of making Sera or Dorian straight, then kindly never speak to me because quite frankly I cannot believe we are still debating this, as a fandom.
Anyway…
I also appreciate headcanons that he is asexual biromatic. He does not have a sex scene in canon, and for the most part it is thought that it was intentionally left vague so that we can imagine whatever we’d like. Thus I choose to believe that while he is interested in sex (perhaps very interested) it is highly unlikely to happen during the Inquisition timeline since he’s very concerned about his idea of consensual sex. There’s dialogue in Trespasser that goes as follows:
Solas: What is the old Dalish curse? May the Dread Wolf Take you ..
Lavellan: And so he did…
Solas: I did not, I would not lay with you under false pretenses.
Of course, we can argue, as Lavellan does, that this rationale is complete and utter bullshit. One does not need to have sex to be taken, so to speak. It is not more right to pursue a deeply intimately romantic relationship under false pretenses than it is a sexual one. It is not worse, but it’s not right.
He very well could be asexual, or maybe grey-asexual and biromantic/demiromantic. There are a of different ways we could label him, I don’t wanna get too caught up in that. But inline with my personal interpretation, he either doesn’t have sex with Lavellan or it’s highly unlikely that he would, but that does not necessarily mean he isn’t interested.
Now we gotta talk about race gates.
Solas is racist and prejudice. There’s no getting around that. He’s prejudice toward Humans, and toward even other Elves, and bizarrely racist against Qunari and Dwarves. He calls Qunari savage beasts, kept in check only by the rigor of the Qun. He accuses Dwarves of being too practical, too logical, perhaps even unfeeling or uncreative in their disconnection from the Fade and magic. He calls Humans shortsighted, brutish, blind to beauty and trapped in a duality of black and white, with no room for grey areas. And of course he thinks the Dalish are narrow minded, and proud to the point of arrogance. There is dialogue on each of these during the Balcony Scenes with the various races, and to every race except the Elves, when you try to argue that Solas is wrong in his preconception of the people, he simply says something to the effect of “No. I am not.” but for and Elven inquisitor, if you argue that what he thought of the Dalish was wrong, he only says “That is it then, I suppose it must be.” He concedes that he may have been wrong.
Given his unwillingness to believe that any besides an Elf is capable of change from what he perceives in his racial stereotypes, and simply the intensity of his racism and prejudice, I would argue it highly unlikely, that Solas would ever be in a relationship with anyone that was not Elvhen. In particular, a human. I think his biggest problem, racially and culturally is with the Qun, but a tal vashoth who hated the Qun would likely have a better chance at getting with Solas than any human. And my reasoning for that is simple: Humans are the majority oppressors of Elves in current-day Thedas. Tevinter enslaves them, Orlais and Ferelden keep them as servants, and force them in alienage slums or to be nomadic and out of touch. Humans ordered the exalted march, and refused to allow Elves even the promised land Andraste gave to them. And while Solas claims not to see modern day Elves as his people (though he seems fickle about this and does call them his people, when it suits his conversation) he certainly shows empathy to their plight and blatant disapproval of how Humans treat them. We all know if there’s one thing Solas hates more than anything else, it’s slavery, and I think you would be hard pressed to get around his feelings toward Humans all being the same brutish oppressors.
If he did have sex or a romantic relationship it would be with a female, male, or nonbinary Elf, and I do not think it would particularly matter if they were a City Elf or Dalish. He has his prejudices against both groups, and just so happens to be more vocals about it with the Dalish.
Now for something a bit more personal to me: the topic of transgender Elves. How would Solas feel about a trans elf? Would knowing someone is trans effect his willingness to be in a romantic or sexual relationship?
The short answers are: He doesn’t really care what someone identifies as, and no, respectively. This is not a new concept. While he may be a cis man himself (or he may not be, quite frankly we do not, and cannot know) he is no stranger to nonbinary or transgender people. This is because being nonbinary or transgender is not a modern phenomenon. Surely they existed numerously enough in his time, and he has been alive long enough (and has had enough sex via my own headcanons) that he is most definitely both familiar and unperturbed by trans or nonbinary people. I believe despite his enormous racism, that prejudice does not carry to gender or sexual orientation. He would therefore always use whatever pronouns were asked of him, and speak with his usual amount of grace and sensitivity and delicacy about his partner’s gender. And I like to imagine, if it became sexual, he would be very doting about making sure they were comfortable with whatever he was doing.
As I stated at the beginning of this post, these are entirely my headcanons and personal interpretations of his character. You may feel free to disagree, but do not be rude about it. If you’d like to discuss or dispute anything I’ve said here, I would encourage you to come to my askbox and do so politely, off anon, so that we may converse privately and I will not have to flood everyone’s dash with discourse. Thanks for reading, and sorry this was so long.
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DATISHAN VHENARIS
Elf / Rogue / Alchemist (Elf / Mage / Force Mage)
Male
Varric’s nickname: Sneaky - because he’s so damn quiet all the time he keeps accidentally scaring the shit out of people by approaching them from behind. “We gotta put a bell on you, kid.”
Shan was raised in the Circle for as long as he could remember, and his gregarious, troublemaking personality made him popular with his peers and disliked by everyone else. His antics were harmless at first -- he was essentially the Ferris Bueller of his Ferelden Circle -- but gradually became more political over time until at seventeen he instigated a riot that resulted in two injured templars and a dead mage apprentice. He was made Tranquil rather than executed, and lived in the tower performing enchantments, making potions, and minding the stores until the rebellion, when he was abandoned by both mage and templar alike and left to fend for himself.
What would their companion card look like?: Shan in profile from the waist up, arms limply at his side, head tipped back, eyes wide, blank, and unseeing. A phantom hand is reaching down his mouth into his throat.
Recruitment mission: You will find him at the gates of Haven, asking to speak to the Herald of Andraste. If you agree to meet him, he tells you who he is, and that he’s been searching for purpose since he was abandoned during the mage rebellion. He will ask you if he can stay on to work for you, because he thinks the burgeoning Inquisition is where he can be the most useful.
Where they would be in Skyhold / Haven: In Haven, inside the Chantry. If you talk to him he says he likes to hear them sing the Chant because it is familiar. In Skyhold, he’s inside the mage/templar tower, though his exact position changes depending on how you upgrade it.
Personal quests
* Quest 1: You approach Shan and Vivienne talking; Vivienne mentions that there are Circle artifacts missing in the wake of the rebellion, and Shan says he knows who took them and provides you with locations. You go track them down. At every location you find the rebel mage who took it and can either convince them to give it up and let them go, or just kill them for it. Shan approves of acquiring the items either way, unless you cured his Tranquility in his final personal quest, in which case recovering the artifacts is Approves but killing the rebel mages to do so gets a Greatly Disapproves if he’s in the party.
* Quest 2: Shan is kidnapped by Venatori whilst he was out scouting for the Inquisition; they intend to use him to create another ocularum. You have to rescue him before they kill him. He can be killed during this quest in which case he obviously becomes permanently unavailable. You find him in the Hissing Wastes, and the quest goes into further detail about the shards and ocularum and how they’re made and why they’re important (i.e. why you’re doing these dumb collectathons.) It also goes into more detail about what happened to the majority of the Tranquil after the rebellion. This quest is unavailable if you did not trigger it before his final personal quest.
* Quest 3: After you complete Promise of Destruction, regardless of your approval level with Shan, a cutscene triggers with Cassandra, Solas, and Shan. Solas has found out that Tranquility is reversible and is understandably angry that nobody has done anything about it. He insists on reversing it for Shan.
Shan will indicate he does not wish to pursue the cure. He says that if he regained his emotions he would feel distress about things that have happened to him since the Rite, and that he does not wish to experience that. You can respect his wishes, in which case the Inquisitor will say that being Tranquil doesn’t mean he lacks free will and if he chooses to remain in this state that’s his right, or disregard them, saying that experiencing discomfort is part of life and he deserves justice for what was done to him against his will. Despite initially saying he doesn’t want it, Shan greatly approves of either option. Curing him is arguably the “correct”/”good” option -- if you do he tells you how happy he is that you ignored his desire to remain Tranquil, and that he wasn’t able to freely choose to be so -- but. Yanno.
If you decide to do it, you get a cutscene where Solas takes the Inquisitor (non-physically) into the Fade, regardless of whether the Inquisitor is a mage. You have a brief journey, and get the attention of a spirit of joy. You have to convince it to help you touch Shan’s mind and restore his connection to the Fade. It’s not hard, just dialogue options. Cue cutscene. Afterwards, Shan is distraught. Confused. Disoriented. Frightened. He’s unable to control his emotions and laughs until he cries hysterically. Much later he will approach you and thank you for helping him, saying that nobody has ever tried to help him before. He says it will be a painful adjustment, but he thinks he’ll heal.
If you decide not to do it, it skips to a cutscene where Shan approaches you on your way to your quarters. He thanks you for respecting his wishes and says that since he has been made Tranquil most people do not see him as a person and do not ask for his input on anything. He says it is kind of you to listen to his wishes, given how few of them he has anymore.
If you choose to reverse Shan’s tranquility his character does a complete 180. He becomes highly emotional but irrational and impulsive. His emotions are often inappropriate for the situation he is in. Any approval/disapproval he would have gained normally is doubled. His class changes to mage, his specialization from Alchemist to Force Mage, which is mostly field control abilities. All of his ability and attribute points are refunded so you can respec him as a mage.
How to get their approval: IHW/COTJ: Conscript the mages (approves), ally with the templars (approves). IHYSB: Save all the Haven townspeople (approves). HLTA: Ally with the Wardens (approves). WEWH: Celene rules alone (approves), all 3 forced to work together (greatly approves). WPHW: Skip the puzzles (approves), ally with the Sentinels (approves), Morrigan drinks from the Well (approves).
Shan generally approves of choices that are pragmatic and uphold the status quo. He very rarely greatly approves/disapproves of anything -- he has no strong opinions and few preferences -- and so building up his approval can be very challenging. However, he approves every time you fill a requisition, so his approval can be infinitely farmed, and most side quests that involve helping someone garner slight approval from him if he’s in the party.
How to get their disapproval: IHW/COTJ: Ally with the mages (disapproves), disband the templars (disapproves). HLTA: Exile the Wardens (disapproves). WEWH: Allow Celene to be assassinated (disapproves regardless of who you support as emperor afterwards). WPHW: Do the puzzles (disapproves), slay the Sentinels (disapproves), Inquisitor drinks from the well (disapproves).
Are they romanceable? No, you get several flirt options but he’s disinterested. He has no full romance. After his personal quest, if you never slept with him, you can continue to flirt with him but it goes nowhere - he says he’s flattered but he needs some time. In Trespasser, if you never slept with him, cured his Tranquility, and flirted with him but never romanced anyone else, if you flirt with him again he’ll express interest.
Can you have sex with them? Yes as Tranquil, but it’s pretty obviously framed as a Bad and Immoral thing to do. If you slept with him while he was Tranquil and later choose to reverse his tranquility, the next time you talk to him you get disapproval and he seems conflicted and upset.
Are they open to polyamoury? Yes, but every romanced companion gains some level of disapproval if you sleep with him. Iron Bull will straight up break up with you, he Strongly Implies that what you did was rape. If you reverse his Tranquility the option is unavailable.
If they can be romanced and are not, will they begin a relationship / relationships with other character(s)? If so, who?: No.
Who are they friendly with?: Sera. Surprisingly. She’s nice to him, you see a much softer side of her in their banter. You can trigger banter where she says awkwardly that she’s sorry that that happened to him. The Inquisitor can be like, I thought you didn’t like mages, and she’s like, no I don’t like /magic/, it’s not his frigging fault and it’s fucked up that they do that. Varric is also very nice to him, because Varric tends to pick up strays. He becomes close with Cole if you choose to reverse his Tranquility; Cole helps him talk out what he’s feeling. He becomes VERY close with Sera in that event as well. If you thought she was annoying on her own wait until she has a close friend egging her on.
Who do they dislike?: Solas, Dorian, Vivienne, Cassandra, in that he doesn’t dislike them so much as the former three are repulsed by him/pity him and the latter he is completely closed off towards. If you choose to reverse his tranquility his relationship with Solas changes, becoming very complicated and strained; Shan and Sera will often gang up on him. He has a very unique relationship with Vivienne, where his very presence makes her uncomfortable though she tries to hide it and clearly pities him rather than fears and loathes him like she does Cole. If you choose to cure him they have a lot of heated, spiteful banter, and he’s able to effectively call her out on her classism and economic privilege. He is very angry at Cassandra if you cure his tranquility and chews her out for the Seeker’s failure to do the ONE THING they were supposed to do -- CONTROL THE GOD DAMN TEMPLARS. He absolutely loathes her and everything she represents.
Companion card changes: (use a text descrip. if you have no images)
Loyalty: If you choose to reverse his Tranquility: he’s standing in a brightly-coloured field of golden blossoms, his cupped hands drinking from a waterfall, glowing and soft and at peace.
If you choose to have him stay Tranquil: he’s standing in a waist-deep pool of still water, hands out by his sides, eyes closed, face obscured.
Romance: (if any) N/A
Side Missions: (eg: fetch / gather / kill quests) His first personal quest is this, just designed to get easy approval with a character whose approval is otherwise hard to build up.
Opinions on mages / templars / how the world is going to shit? As Tranquil, Shan has very few opinions. He generally supports the templars because that’s what he’s been told to think; he’ll spout off a bunch of their party lines as if reading from a pamphlet. If the Inquisitor challenges his view on the templars he becomes confused and doesn’t know how to respond. If you reverse his tranquility his opinion veers sharply in the other direction. He is disgusted by them. He hates and fears them. He is angry, telling you that he thinks they should be disbanded and most of them tried for war crimes, and the Chantry is an institution of violent oppression. He views closing the Breach and stopping Corypheus as the most obvious priority and thus generally approves of any practical decisions the Inquisitor makes in pursuing that goal -- this results in some weird approval changes, like, he disapproves of you doing the puzzles (wasting time) but then approves of allying with the Sentinels (slaughtering potential allies is inefficient).
Something guaranteed to make them leave the party: His second companion quest can result in him dying permanently.
SPECIAL EVENTS:
Imprisoned at Redcliffe: How is your Inquisitor holding up in Redcliffe, being slowly infected with red lyrium over the course of a year?
He is standing repeating the Chant in a monotonous tone of voice. He is not imprisoned because there is no danger of him fighting back or attempting escape. He does not understand where he is or what is happening to him, and is even more placid than usual; he will follow the Inquisitor and Dorian regardless.
At the Winter Palace: Does your Inquisitor enjoy the party, any special events with them at the Palace?
As Tranquil he is standing in the main ballroom, very straight and stiff, next to Josephine. If you talk to him he will tell you that people keep assuming he is a servant despite his Inquisition uniform and kept giving him orders and then he’d get lost. Josephine finally figured out why he kept wandering off and wrangled him close to her so she could tell people to leave him alone. If you ask his opinion on the ball itself he will only say that it seems excessive and inefficient. He does not understand the Game.
If you’ve done his personal quest by that point he’s hanging out with Sera, making fun of various nobles, but there’s an edge of discomfort to his voice and dialogue. He’s paranoid that people are staring at him or that they somehow know there’s something wrong with him. He’s afraid of saying the wrong thing and hurting the Inquisitor’s reputation. He’ll tell you you look pretty/handsome even if you’ve never flirted with him.
In the Fade: Your Inquisitor’s reaction upon entering the Fade? Archdemon’s taunt, and Inquisitor’s response? Epitaph on their grave?
If you bring Shan to the Fade before the completion of his final personal quest, you will, briefly, see the restoration of his personality before his Tranquility. He has all of his emotions and personality back, and is disoriented and distraught, fearful of everything, hysterical. (It’s quite a party if you bring him, Cole, and Sera.) The Archdemon will taunt him about having to return to the physical world and the return to his broken nature, how he will lose this forever and never be whole again. He will beg the Inquisitor to leave him behind in response, saying he’d rather die there whole than live fractured. His epitaph is Living.
If you bring him after the completion of his personal quest, he’s nervous but very interested. He wonders if you might meet the spirit who helped heal him. The Archdemon taunts him by threatening to sever his connection to the Fade again, and he will angrily retort that he will kill himself before he ever goes back to the way he was, that he will never allow anyone to hurt him like that again. His epitaph is Silence.
Trespasser: What is your Inquisitor up to two years after Corypheus’ defeat? Any special events with them over the events of Trespasser?
If he was kept Tranquil you can find him standing in the courtyard. When you approach him you get a cutscene where random important people keep coming up to give him orders and he walks off to obey them. The Inquisitor finally puts a stop to this and tells him to tell the next person who tries to order him about that he’s already under orders to stay put until the Inquisitor tells him otherwise. He says thank you; Shan always appreciates it when the Inquisitor respects his personhood and doesn’t treat him like an automaton. When you talk to him further he reveals he went to Kirkwall with Varric where he works as his valet. He finds it acceptable and seems grateful to have purpose in his life, and says that Varric is kind to him and has been watching out for him. He’s also been paying him but Shan doesn’t know what to do with money. He tells you that he’s perfectly content, and the Inquisitor will tell him if he ever changes his mind about having his tranquility reversed he can always come to them for help.
If you cured his Tranquility he’s a Red Jenny. You’ll find him in the tavern drinking with Sera and a group of random NPCs and get a cutscene where he enthusiastically invites the Inquisitor to join them for a drinking contest, which you can win or lose. (And if you lose your character has a wobbly stumbling walk for a minute when you leave and it’s cute.) Later if you talk to him he tells you he’s been wandering Orlais causing trouble for important people, and reconnecting with his magic. He’s fascinated by how he seems totally unable to do enchantments anymore, though he’s kept up his alchemy (and will offer the Inquisitor a mystery potion they will politely decline). Recently he came into contact with a Dalish clan and is hesitantly trying to reconnect with his elven heritage as well. If the Inquisitor is a Dalish elf you can speak a phrase of Elvish to him (”and how is that going?”) and he’ll respond fumblingly in awkward, not quite grammatically correct Elvish (”I not good at speak Elven yet”).
If you never slept with him, never romanced anyone else, and flirted with him at least 2-3 times in the main game, you can flirt with him again and he will now be receptive to it, having had a chance to heal emotionally and reconnect with himself and his personhood. You can smooch him and he’ll say he might be interested in something if you’re willing to be patient with him.
No major special events, but he has different commentary depending on his state. If he’s no longer tranquil he will strongly urge the Inquisitor to try to help the dragon, and has dialogue where he’ll say the qunari are just as bad as the Chantry when it comes to how they treat their mages. If Vivienne is in the party she’ll protest that the qunari are way worse, but he will angrily tell her that unless she’s ever been mutilated she has no idea how bad it was for MOST mages in the Circle, and she should not assume her life of privileged exception was the norm.
Other Major Events: Any other major events that happen with them over the course of the main game?
Shan, like Varric, has a unique weapon that can be upgraded and customized; those are the only daggers he can equip. As Tranquil, he is a rogue and can equip his daggers or any bow. As a mage, he can equip his daggers or any staves.
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I i just, i was laughing so hard and idk why, what about dai companions reacting to like, ok, so lets say someone is about to burn a bunch of books that go against the faith or whatever and the inquisitor just casually walks up picks all the books up and leaves, no fucks given not a word said, just "fuck off mate ain't no reason to burn perfectly good books"
Context: The Inquisitor simply walks over to the would be bonfire and picks up a stack of books-- and moves them ten feet away. This process is continued until all the books are moved and an Inquisition flag is planted in the center of the pile.
Cassandra: Their nonchalance throws her at first, but once she sees what their plan is she keeps the book burners from achieving their goal. And if she sees even a single romance in the ‘burn’ pile she lights them on fire instead. Or at least thinks very strongly about it as she rescues the precious volumes.
Solas: Knowledge is vital to society, and any literature that defies the chantry is certainly even more useful. His magic makes the task easier, and he and the Inquisitor bond over the experience.
Varric: There better not be any of his books in there.But if there are any copies of Hard in Hightown 2 he lets the crestfallen book burners keep them. Not good for much else.
Sera: She’s a little disappointed about the lack of fiery mayhem, but if the Inquisitor wants to save the books then she’s willing to move one or two of them-- and help keep the anti-book crowd at bay.
Vivienne: Her disgust at the proposed book fire is plain, and she is content to help Solas with the magical migration-- while setting aside any valuable or interesting tomes for transport back to Skyhold. Such an oppurtunity cannot be wasted.
Dorian: He heartily agrees with the venture, but would be far more useful to the Inquisitor if he spent more time actually moving the books and less time trying to sort the books into piles based on genre. He leaves with at least four new titles in his pack for later.
Iron Bull: He can get behind the whole not burning literature train prettily easily, but if help is plentiful he is more than content to intimidate the thwarthed pyromaniacs.
Blackwall: He finds the whole process of burning books to be abhorrent, though he certainly wasn’t expecting the Inquisitor to just randomly walk up and start stealing books from a pile. Still he’s willing to guard that pile until the flag arrives.
Cole:
-- Mod Fereldone
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Inquisition Ask Meme
(Inquisitor ask meme)
That is not supposed to be tagged, but, hey, I’m gonna do this @snackcakewithshades, just see xD
I have currently 10 Inquisitors, but I’m gonna do only 4 of them because I don’t know for sure all of them and some are just boring xD
So I present you Rogue Axire Addar, Mage Ellanaé Lavellan, First Illia Lavellan and Mage Naminé Trevalyan. Here we go x)
This took WAY TOO MUCH TIME of my life I swear xD
1. Does your Inquisitor believe they are the Herald of Andraste?
Axire- She’s confused about it. She’s not very religious, but why not ? Who is she to tell what’s is what.
Ellanaé- She don’t think she’s the Herald, but she don’t care. She don’t believe in anything, and she kinda hate that people put her on a pedestal.
Illia- She’s really angry everytime someone call her Herald of Andraste. She believe strongly in the Creators and will almost fight everyone who will spit again on the religion of her people.
Naminé- She’s really religious and think that her survival is due to Andraste in person.
2. What is their first impression of their advisers?
Axire- She wasn’t really impressed by all thoses people, but the second she put her eyes on Josephine, nothing matter anymore, and she had to ask the to repeat a multiple time because she wasn’t paying attention. How a woman could be that beautiful she still wonder.
Ellanaé - She was a little scared but very excited to be part of that adventure, so she listen to them with great attention.
Illia- She was very on guard from all thoses shems. Even if her clan was open to exchanges with them, being alone in this organisation was a very hard experience. Her patience was putting on rude test, but they seems nice, so she listen to them.
Naminé- She was really amazed by all thoses great people, and as her education tell her, she was very polite with them. She found the Commander to be really intimidating, but she didn’t show it and listen to all their advices.
3. What is their first impression of their companions?
Would be too much to put every companion, so I choose the ones that mark the most my characters.
Axire- She was used to know different people from a lot of different places as a Tal-Vashoff, and was very pleased to see all thoses people joining the cause of the Inquisition. She was a bit curious about Iron Bull, but was never taking it bad his attitude toward her being a Tal-Vashoff. Instead, she drown him in questions about Sheheron and the Qun in general. But she learned later that he never trusted or like her at any moment.
Ellanaé- When she meet Varric, she though that the world was an amazing place and couldn’t stop asking him for stories about everything.
The first time she heard a joke from Iron Bull, she went directly into “I’m gonna bang that” mode.
She was very defensive against Solas for being mean to the Dalish. She may have always wanted to leave her clan, that doesn’t mean they didn’t have value in her heart.
Illia- When she meet Solas, she was so glad to see another elf in here with her. Then she discover he was full of knowledge and couldn’t keep herself to ask him about anything. He was the first one in this place that she trusted.
She was very afraid of Cassandra at first. She though she was a templar and that any wrong mouvement from her would sign her death. And that didn’t help that she call her Herald every change she get.
She was very curious about Cole and his link to the Fade, and was very happy to see that his goal in life was to help people. She though that he was just like him, and really loving having him near her as much as possible.
Naminé- When she was trapped in the Fade from the Envy demon, she almost cry when she saw Cole. She was so afraid to turning into an abomination and he appear like a miracle. When they were out, she swear to protect him with her life if needed.
She was really glad to finally meet Vivienne, and spend most of the day talking about the Circle and her mentor. She felt like she was the only person understanding her in the Inner circle.
She never agreed at any time with Solas. Everything she will say or he will say will finish in a dispute, and at the end she try to talk to him the less possible.
She felt really protected when she meet blackwall. He remind her of her father, and she trust him instantly.
4. Where does your Inquisitor spend most of their time in Haven? In Skyhold?
Axire- In Haven, she would spend all the day in Josephine’s office, telling her stories about her time with the Tal-Vashoff to impress her and listen to her laugh.
In Skyhold she would be almost every day in the tavern, spending her time with Iron Bull and the Chargers, to listen to their stories too.
Ellanaé- In Haven, she would be all day in the training field, looking at the soldiers doing their exercice and Commander Cullen shooting orders. She love to take care of the horses too, and of course ogle Iron Bull.
In Skyhold, when she wasn’t in the garden to take care of the plants, she would be in the court to meet new people as much as possible. And spending time with the horses.
Illia- In Haven, she spend the most of her time far from the camp, in the wild, meditating. Time away from all that noise and people was a pleasant moment, and would help her to recharge her patience.
In Skyhold, she would be all day in the library, talking with Dorian or watching Solas paint. When she was not, she would be at the war table, looking at what could possibly be done for the peace.
Naminé- In Haven, she would pray a lot in the Chantry or talk to Vivienne. She did some briefly appearance in the training field to talk to Commander Cullen, but that was all.
In Skyhold, she would stay in the peace of the garden or in the trone room with the nobles. She would drop from time to time in Cullen’s office to talk to him.
5. Does your Inquisitor recruit the mages or Templars? (did they conscript or ally with the mages / did the rebuild or dissolve the Templar order?)
Axire- Ally with the mages.
Ellanaé- Ally with the mages.
Illia- Ally with the mages.
Naminé- Rebuild the Templar
6. How does your character feel about becoming Inquisitor?
Axire- She knew it was coming, but was a little confused that they choosed a qunari as an Inquisitor.
Ellanaé- Scared, she wanted to refused it, but when she saw the crowd, she knew it was too late to turn back.
Illia- Scared, but she don’t show it. If she fail, everyone will say it’s because she’s either a mage or a elf. But she will prove them that she will success.
Naminé- Confidente. She knew that Andraste choosed her, so it was only logic that her destiny would make her Inquisitor.
7. How do the Inquisitor and Hawke get along?
Axire- Staying professional. They didn’t know each other, and never had the chance to do it.
Ellanaé- A little intimidated. That was a true hero, not a fraud like her. But as they starting to do jokes, she relax and ask him about his stories.
Illia- Staying professional, but she was really impressed by her. She would ask her a lot of advices and listen to her stories with Varric.
Naminé- She was dissapointed. She imagine an Great hero, and obviously it was just a woman. She begun to hate her more and more for the rebellion of the mages.
8. Who does your Inquisitor leave in charge of Orlais?
Axire- Celene
Ellanaé- Celena and Briala
Illia- Briala in the shadow of Gaspard
Naminé- Gaspard
9. Was your Inquisitor pleased or displeased about Morrigan joining the Inquisition?
Axire- Pleased. More people on her side
Ellanaé- Pleased.
Illia- Pleased. She was a powerfull witch and her knowledge could be usefull
Naminé- Displeased. Shereally don’t understand the apostates. Why would any live outside the Circle ?
10. What would the Nightmare demon have said to your Inquisitor to rattle them the most, if anything?
Axire- “No one will ever love a freak like you. You’re a monster, and even “your peoples” the qunaris will never accept you.”
Ellanaé- “When they will not need you anymore, they will put you into a Circle, and you will spend your life in a cage with shems that will hate you.”
Illia- “Everything you’ve done is for nothing. You will dissapoint your clan, your friends, your gods. You saved no one. Everybody will die, and it will be your fault.”
Naminé- “You can feel it, all the demons waiting to feast with your mind and your body. Tomorrow could be the day you become an abomination. Or the day atfer. But one day for sure.”
11. Who does your Inquisitor leave behind in the Fade?
Axire- Hawke. If someone could get out of the Fade, it’s her.
Ellanaé- Stroud. She could never let Hawke sacrifice himself and had to tell it to Varric.
Illia- Hawke. The Grey Wardens need a strong leader, and she respect too much Hawke to try to convince her to not stay.
Naminé- Hawke. If she want to die to save them, then she’s maybe not a bad person.
12. Does your Inquisitor exile the Grey Wardens or recruit them?
Axire- Recruit them. They need everyone to end the crisis.
Ellanaé- Recruit them. They were manipulated, they don’t deserve th exile.
Illia- Exile them. They are dangerous and making more hurt than help.
Naminé- Recruit them. Who will stop the next Blight if they’re not here anymore ?
13. Does your Inquisitor follow the Pilgrim’s Path in the Temple of Mythal or fight their way through?
Axire- Yes. If Morrigan say it, it must be important.
Ellanaé- Yes. It’s the Godess of her vallaslin after all
Illia- Yes. Respect to the Creators before anything.
Naminé- No. The Maker will not permit to do a heretic ritual for a fake god.
14. Who drank from the Well of Sorrows?
Axire- Morrigan. Why would she take something from the elves as a qunari ?
Ellanaé- Her. She don’t trust Morrigan with that much power.
Illia- Her. The knowledge of the People must live.
Naminé- Morrigan. It’s just magic water.
15. Who became the next Divine?
Axire- Cassandra
Ellanaé- Leliana murderer (stabby stab)
Illia- Leliana the Good (THE TRUE ONE !)
Naminé- Vivienne
16. What would your Inquisitor do once Corypheus was defeated?
Axire- Spend her days with Josephine in their home and trying to rebuild as much as she could the world.
Ellanaé- Going to hunt more Dragons with Iron Bull. Then sex with him. Then more hunt.
Illia- Trying to bring peace again, and helping the more she could Leliana with all the peace taskes. We will not have the Circle reborned.
Naminé- Rebuilding the Circle and returning to hers as soon as she could. She’s allowed to see Cullen from time to time, but the safety of the walls around her is what bring her at peace.
17. Does your Inquisitor spend time collecting shards?
Axire- A little
Ellanaé- Haha, nooope.
Illia- All of them. The Temple must have a lot of knowledge inside.
Naminé- Not touching this. Not. Touching. The. Skull-stick.
18. Does your Inquisitor spend time solving the astrarium puzzles?
Axire- When passing by.
Ellanaé- She prefer to kill the bad people and travel.
Illia- All of them. The stars are so marvelous and can learn us so much things.
Naminé- Pagan things. It’s beautiful, right, but not her thing.
19. Do they take the time to hunt the dragons in Thedas or no?
Axire- Yup, all of them. Her blood get so excited when she see or fight one of them.
Ellanaé- Some of them. Mostly with Iron Bull. ‘Cause the sex after is the best.
Illia- All of them, then study them, then talk about them with experts.
Naminé- She will not approach thoses giants beasts. Too dangerous. And what for ?
20. What’s their favorite location to travel to, if any?
Axire- The Hinterlands. Yup.
Ellanaé- L’Emprise du Lion. It’s nothing like home. and DRAGONS.
Illia- Arbor Wilds of the Emerald Graves. So much history of her People.
Naminé- Val royaux. She feel more at home than anywhere else.
21. What’s their least favorite location to travel to, if any?
Axire- The Fallow Mire
Ellanaé- The Emerald Graves. Too much like home.
Illia- The Exalted Plains
Naminé- The Fallow Mire or the Fade
22. Does your Inquisitor have a preferred mount? (horse, hart, dracolisk, etc.)
Axire- Dracolisk
Ellanaé- Hart
Illia- Hart
Naminé- Horse
23. What class specialization do they take, if any?
Axire- Assassin
Ellanaé- Wanted to go Necromancer, but everybody start looking weird at her. so Rift Mage instead.
Illia- Rift Mage
Naminé- Knight-Enchanter
24. If Varric was to give your Inquisitor a nickname, what would it be?
English is not my native language, bare with me.
Axire- Shadow or Sneaky. ‘Cause she’s a rogue, and she’s really not the most discrete person as a qunari.
Ellanaé- Pixie. She’s always light and love to laugh.
Illia- Frown or Nosey. Because she always seems to be angry at everything, when she just have a bad case of Bitch Resting Face. And she love asking questions.
Naminé- Dolly, ‘cause she have a really beautiful face and seems always like she going to broke if you touch her.
25. Does your Inquisitor have a preferred party to bring with them on adventures? (i.e Cassandra, Dorian, and Varric)
Axire- Sera, Dorian, Blackwall
Ellanaé- Dorian, Iron Bull, Sera
Illia- Solas, Cole, Cassandra
Naminé- Blackwall, Vivienne, Varric
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