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crossdressingdeath · 1 year

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The lack of origin for the Inquisitor is a crime. And the fact they made the Conclave a menu screen was so disappointing. The Warden's story is impacted by how their origin played out (like a Mahariel does not want to leave their clan but Brosca happily goes with Duncan). We know Hawke's backstory and what brought them to Kirkwall. The Inquisitor? Complete blank slate. And unless you headcanon a lot during the playthrough, they remain such for the remainder of the game.

I mean, we are given a huge amount of freedom with the Warden, which to be fair would be really hard to do with Quiz what with Bioware having to pay four separate VAs to voice each and every line; the Warden not being voiced allows for a lot more varied dialogue than is feasible when you have VA salaries to take into account. Whether or not they want to be a Warden or not, whether they want to be a hero or not, whether they want to leave their home or not, you can take every Warden in any direction you want! Their origin will colour the events of the story, but ultimately it's the player who decides whether they're happy, furious, miserable, or what about the situation. Hawke is considerably more set, I mean they can only have three personalities, and their backstory is pretty well fleshed out in canon (which might be part of why I like them the least of the protagonists). But Quiz really is completely blank. Even the dialogue options are usually pretty bland! You're not allowed to be more than mildly quirky at most! One thing I do like about DAI is that that blankness does create a huge amount of room for headcanoning and writing your own story for your character (I love Alaris just so damn much, Blorbo from my imagined better version of DAI), but if you'd rather enjoy your character in the game you'd better like 'blandly nice and diplomatic', 'blandly funny and sarcastic', or 'blandly blunt and aggressive', because that's all you're getting!

And poor Quiz really does get shafted by Bioware's determination to paint the Chantry and Templars as heroes, since it leaves them cut off from the important characterization point of the Warden and Hawke that is "mages or Templars"; either Quiz is a good little Chantry pet (which... gets uncomfortable fast if you play a non-human and/or a mage), or they can at most make a few vague comments about how maybe the Templars aren't perfect and maybe mages aren't pure evil that they'll drop the second they face pushback from one of Bioware's special favourites. It leaves them feeling either hollow and spineless or just not very nice. And a side effect of the lack of any real in-game personality leaves them often feeling vaguely resigned to the situation at best even if you play them as cool with the Herald of Andraste/Inquisitor stuff, which just leaves the whole situation at best only slightly uncomfortable since Quiz never seems to actually choose to take part in the Inquisition (and of course if they try to choose not to take part they're forced into it by the in-universe characters around them and the game never addresses that again, which continues to be just so bad, the fact that Duncan will force the Warden to join up whatever they say, do or want is an important part of his character but Cassandra will all but openly say she'll give you to the Chantry for execution if you refuse and then the rest of the game just goes "Aw she's a big softie really :)" about it, come on).

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #asks #anon

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bluebeetle · 1 year

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i was originally going to play my hawke in da2 as blue-purple (diplomatic-funny) but im leaning towards purple-red now (funny-aggressive) since i really like a lot of the aggressive options (that arent just being mean to your friends) since i usually get to pull a knife on shitty people like the bit with danzig “i’d make a bad slave, i talk to much and i do this *pulls knife on him*” mwah.

someone (cant remember who, maybe anders) made a comment about hawke being a softie under a “hardened exterior” so i think ill go for that.

my warden was kind of violent but would talk her way out of scenerios more if she could and was Good and Righteous but Pragmatic and not afraid to lie or talk her way out of stuff (tho she had a few things that would sit her off, but she hated to admit she enjoyed fighting) and didnt care about money

while im thinking my hawke def does care more about money, way more ok with death and murder (and kind of has a fascination with death) and taking the violent way of things esp since he had a very different upbringing than a dalish elf since he’s a poor apostate mage and all. but he’s not violent for the sake of cruelty, he just has a lot of anger over injustices (esp towards mages, but elves and slavery too, plus more mundane stuff like family issues since carvers kind of a dick at times and the only other two mages in his family are dead now), which is also why he gravitates towards anders and his plight for mages even while anders annoys the hell outta everyone else ghfhghf

but there is a softer side to him, and he can be kind if it calls for it, it just depends on the person (children and his friends especially)

#txt #dragon age

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tozettastone · 2 years

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who are your da game protags / what are they like?

Oh I like to replay with different protagonists...

I admit my origins characters became kind of a wash? I didn't find the role-playing aspect of that game very compelling. But one of them at least: I had an Elissa Cousland with a two handed sword because there was some specific voice that didn't occur for the other backgrounds...? and I liked listening to her scream when the darkspawn popped out. She killed Cauthrien directly getting out of the estate (this was the hardest fight for me in the game because I had poor AOE but I like to think Elissa is just an ambulatory battering ram), and bullied Alistair into performing the rite with Morrigan. She came thiiiis close to not recruiting Nathaniel due to how his dad organised the murder of her whole family.

I'll put in a read more here to save your dash.

I did do a friendly/diplomatic/painfully earnest Hawke, though, because purple Hawke is very smug. It can be harder to raise points with some characters (Varric. It's Varric.) but also you don't have to put up with purple Hawke so. Pros and cons. I like to think of Marian as a hurt and resigned idealist who, unfortunately for her, feels very deeply. Romanced Isabela, and in my personal and permanent headcanon ran away with her to the sea. Kirkwall was a place where she was "trying to steer a sinking ship," but that really doesn't change the impact of the city on her! Being pirate scum is a hard life, too, but it's on a smaller scale, and Isabela makes, like, 89% of all difficult choices. Marian gets to switch her brain off and just do what she's told most of the time, nowadays. (I suspect this annoys Isabela, who is very interested in freedom and self-determination, but if nothing else it pays dividends when the ship gets attacked and Hawke is, like, right there, going from 0 to 100 on the murder scale in 0.2 seconds. And maybe Hawke will recover some, in a few years.)

I think this characterisation also makes sense with how protective Varric is over her in DA2 and DA:I. No, you can't talk to Marian. She's busy. Retired. Busy. Retired and busy!

DA:I... I have replayed DA:I with a lot of different characters, because it isn't the same six maps on repeat until i lose my mind, so this is ironically harder to answer. Initially, though, I went with playing a kossith/qunari and got sad when The Iron Bull was still way bigger. Why you gotta do me dirty like that, Bioware? Do you think players pick this race so they can NOT be the biggest character in every room? ;—;

But I liked playing a big horned bastard who turned out to be a mage instead of the more obvious big character-big sword dynamic. Unexpected. Also, should have gotten you a +2 on beating assailants with your staff or something. C'mon, she's like 8 feet tall, you know she hits like a freight train.

The first playthrough, I did a Sera romance! and while the duel in the Josie romance is also excellent, I basically have to roll a male character to avoid tripping and falling into a Sera romance now RIP. If I could write her voice (I cannot) I'd write Sera fic, she's so cute and, like... grating in interesting ways? And deceptively complex? The criminology grad urge to dissect her.

#ask #anon #dragon age #long post

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nessacousland · 3 years

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Amber Hawke

“Everyone has a story they tell themselves to justify bad decisions and it never matters.“

#dragon age #Amber Hawke #another mood painting #true to the nature of the games it's based on I did this in a day #while the one of my warden took me weeks #consistent art style?#wouldn't know it #it's a lot messier but i guess that fits hawke #she's the most emotionally messed up of my protags #basically just on a downward spiral to self-loathing #poor diplomatic mage hawke #Hawke #dragon age 2 #f!Hawke #so basically i just change the features of iconic hawke a little and add a ponytail #so that her look in the prologue is basically just what varric thinks would be cooler rather than a completely different person #da2 #my art

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something-pithy · 3 years

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Chapter thirteen of from the lowest slaves to the highest kings is up! An excerpt: There were those who would say that the Warden Commander’s current circumstances were her own doing. That if she hadn’t set such a poor example for the Wardens she led, she would not find herself as she was now, accompanying the Hawke siblings on a secret diplomatic mission to try to prevent Sebastian Vael from invading this mess of a city., who is incredibly talented and thorough and communicative an absolute o. Please enjoy!

The company Raina had been keeping over the last near-decade had taught her a number of florid, contextually appropriate words she might have chosen to share with those who said such things.

And truly, that she was even in this godsforsaken city made no sense. Certainly she had friends in Kirkwall, but she’d never shown this level of devotion to anything but her own hair, and her hair had a far better track record in its treatment of both mages and elves than did Kirkwall. For this week's posts, I'm featuring this gorgeous-ass portrait of Raina Surana and Cullen that pretty perfectly depicts an entire mood between these two! :D It's a commission from @ladylike-foxes, who is incredibly talented and thorough and communicative an absolute joy to work with! Please enjoy!

#dragon age #cullen rutherford #cullen x warden #dragon age fic #female surana #slow burn #star crossed #mages vs templars #post blight #hero of ferelden #raina surana #dragon age origins #dragon age inquisition #dragon age art #banter #dragon age 2 #da2 #complete fic

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tiadres · 3 years

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30 Day Dragon Age OC Challenge

15. Choices

Tia’s choices in the main quests of Origins, Awakening and Witch Hunt:

🌹 Supported the mages and did not allow the Rite of Annulment 🌹 Helped Redcliffe prepare and fight 🌹 Saved Connor by sending Jowan to defeat the demon in the Fade, with the help of Circle mages 🌹 Did not defile the Urn of the Sacred Ashes 🌹 Brokered peace between the elves and the werewolves 🌹 Defeated Branka 🌹 Supported Bhelen to become the King Orzammar 🌹 Supported Alistair to become the King of Ferelden, Loghain executed by Alistair 🌹 Accepted Morrigan’s offer 🌹 Dealt the killing blow the Archdemon, survived the battle 🗡 Protected both Vigil’s Keep and the city of Amaranthine 🗡 Killed the Architect 🔮 Did not go trough the Eluvian, and did not attempt to stop or harm Morrigan either

I think a lot of these decisions are very understandable in the light of what I have already told about Tia during this challenge: she wants to support her fellow mages and protect civilians, she is an Andrastian even if her views differ from the Chantry’s teachings, she always seeks diplomatic solutions... Her hardest decisions out of these were the question of who should be the ruler of Orzammar, who should rule Ferelden and whether to take Morrigan’s offer. The Orzammar situation was challenging because to Tia it felt like having to choose between two bad options: Bhelen was the late king’s son but there were concerning rumors about him, Harrowmont was the late king’s close friend and advisor but he didn’t seem completely clean either. It was a though choice but she ended up supporting Bhelen and feeling kind of dirty for it, but later she was somewhat content upon seeing the progressive changes Bhelen did in Orzammar, such as making it more open to the outside world and making things better for those who had been at the bottom of the caste system. Tia had not enjoyed having been forced to make big political decisions (especially since officially Grey Wardens are supposed to be neutral), but she soon had to do so again in Denerim. She ended up supporting her love Alistair because she thought he could grow to be a great king and while he was initially reluctant he seemed to get used to the idea and even want it as the Landsmeet went on. After being selected Tia convinced him that he could still keep her around as mistress, so all seemed pretty good on that front. Later Tia has wondered if she should have supported Anora instead because even though Ali did become a great king, it is also a huge responsibility and a stressful position for him. Maybe he would have been happier as a Grey Warden, and then him and Tia could also spend more time together. Also Anora would have surely made an amazing queen. So overall this is the decision Tia has probably regretted or questioned the most afterwards.

As a player I must confess that this is a choice that was heavily influenced by my own meta knowledge of what would happen later: if Ali was a Grey Warden, I would have been forced to choose between him and Hawke in DAI, and I simply didn’t want either to die. So instead I arranged for Ali to be king so I got to sacrifice poor Stroud instead. So while I try to roleplay and go with decisions that make the most sense for my character, this is the one exception. On the other hand it does create an interesting personal conflict for Tia: should she have chosen otherwise? Would it have been better for everyone if Anora had become the ruler instead of Ali?

I already touched Tia’s mixed feelings concerning Morrigan’s offer in the previous prompt, focusing on the feeling of having cheated the fate even though at the same time Tia was of course happy that both she and Ali could live. Adding to what was said previously, Tia didn’t like the idea of Morrigan having sex with her boyfriend and wondered if she herself had broken a line by persuading Alistair to go along with this plan. Tia does not know what exactly happened during that ritual; a part of her does not want to know and the part that would have wanted to be there to see didn’t get what she wanted because Morrigan didn’t allow audience (or “extra participants”). Tia and Ali agreed to never talk about that night because both of them just wanted to shrug the memory off. What was done was done and Tia got what she wanted so she does not exactly regret having made that decision, but she does feel dirty about it for multiple reasons. So if the Alistair vs Anora-decision is the one Tia questioned the most afterwards, the deal with the witch is one that was hardest and most complicated emotionally.

Want to do the challenge as well? Here are the prompts

#30dayDAchallenge #da #dao #dragon age #Tiadres Amell

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beelzebard · 3 years

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My ask from @a-drama-addict got sent to the fucking shadow realm but he asked for 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 21, and 41! Thank you btw!!

1. How did you get into Dragon Age?

I had gotten into it from playing the Dragon Age RPG, which is probably the most unusual introduction to the series. A few months later I bought Inquisition and loved it, so I bought Origins and 2 not long after finishing it.

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

My first warden was a Tabris. He was a rogue, and very passionate in his emotions. Killed a lot of people just cause they pissed him off. He got with Zevran, because in this house we love Zevran.

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

My first Hawke was a mage, and he was very diplomatic. He was too nice for his own good. He got with Anders, mainly because I didnt realize how easily Anders can fall in love with you.

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

My first Inquisitor was a Lavellan and a mage. He was also pretty nice to people except when people tried to talk Andraste to him. He got with Solas because I saw how much he loved talking about the Fade and installed a mod so I could romance the "history nerd". I still think about how I theorized he was an ancient elf in my first playthrough and my poor friend who got me into it had to sit there and not say anything to me.

8. Preferred class overall?

Rogues. Mages are a close second but I just really like to stab things.

21. Did Hawke side with the Mages or Templars?

Atlas sided with the mages. They're a mage, and they like their freedom, so of course they want other mages to have it.

41. Who did you romance in your first playthrough for each game?

I romanced Zevran in Origins. Yeah he tried to kill me but I love his vibes. Also his voice made me go 👀

Anders was my first in DA2. It was mainly on accident that I started it, but his passion was definitely intriguing. He's not my go-to romance anymore but I will never get over "I will drown you in blood to keep us safe."

Then there was Solas in Inquisition 🤡. I saw that bald elf start rambling about the Fade and modded my game to get with him. I see him more as a mentor than a potential partner these days but that romance is like the damn Hotel California.

#never answering asks on mobile again #tried to save it as a draft and it fucking disappeared #dragon age #asks #oc asks

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tsuraiwrites · 4 years

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Fic: An (Un)Civil Debate

@kyogre-blue prompted: ' ....Dragon Age. Something to the tune of "fuck the Chantry"’

set sometime during the 2nd act of DA2

“Fuck the Chantry!”

A silence descends over the room in the wake of Hawke’s shout. Varric places his cards facedown on the table, ready to heave Bianca over his shoulder at a moment’s notice, because Hawke’s tone is nearly violent.

This outburst has been coming for a long time, and damn it but Varric wasn’t paying attention to the remark that broke the drake’s back, too busy fending off Isabela’s attempts to peek at his cards.

Sebastian sputters, “W-what-”

Hawke growls at the stunned man, standing up to lean over the table in Sebastian’s direction. Merrill, seated beside Hawke, takes Hawke’s daggers from the back of his chair and puts them on her other side, just out of his reach.

“Fuck. The. Chantry,” he enunciates, just as angrily as he had the first time, but not nearly as loud.

Varric’s just glad they decided to play Wicked Grace in Hawke’s mansion instead of the Hanged Man; this definitely isn’t suitable for listening ears.

Hawke tries to play his cards close to the chest, always speaking around his true feelings on the Chantry, mages, the aristocracy, and the various soirees his mother drags him to that any idiot could tell Hawke hates. That is, Hawke tries, but Varric long-ago noticed the way his shoulders tense anytime someone so much as brushes against those topics.

Sebastian opens his mouth, likely to protest, but Hawke cuts him off again.

“I’ve tried to be diplomatic about this, but I can’t listen to another word about the ‘will of the Maker’ and the good the Chantry does.”

Hawke’s voice has crept to a lower register, but it no longer looks as if he’s readying to spring across the table to strangle Sebastian. Varric moves his hand away from Bianca, suddenly itching for quill and ink. He settles for memorizing the conversation as best he can.

“The Chantry has giant golden statues and marble tiles while people starve in the Alienage, Darktown, in broad fucking daylight in Lowtown. The Chantry is the reason my family had to flee our home in the night, three times. The Chantry is the reason my sister is locked in the Gallows with the likes of Ser Alrik, under threat of Tranquility at any time! And that’s naming just a few of their sins.” The last word is almost wry. Hawke pauses and sucks in a breath, leaning his closed fists on the table.

He hasn’t broken eye contact with Sebastian the whole rant.

Varric meets Merrill’s wide eyes when he glances around, but Fenris and Anders are both focused on the interplay between their friends. Isabela leans elbows on the table, chin her hands and obviously enjoying herself.

“Tell me I’m wrong,” Hawke dares him.

“Hawke,” Aveline starts, probably to try to defuse the situation, but Sebastian is quick to respond, his shock melting into bafflement. The accusation has obviously unbalanced him; this is the first time he’s been the subject of Hawke’s anger.

“Ser Alrik was an anomaly-”

“Now you’re just repeating Elthina! ‘The right of Tranquility saves lives!’” Hawke practically spits, his face flushing. “I find it interesting that’s the first thing you argued. Not going to tell me it’s the Maker’s will that the poor are dying in the streets? That the Chantry can’t use a portion of their shitload of gold to actually spread that Maker’s love to the ones who need it the most?”

“The Chantry does a great deal of charitable work for widows and children. I know you’ve seen this, Hawke,” Sebastian tries, tone conciliatory.

Varric winces when Hawke scoffs. “Fat lot of good that charity did for my family when we were eking it out in Lowtown. The Chantry sisters still won’t look a refugee in the eye unless they come with tithes in hand. The only public clinic in the entire city is Anders’ and Darktown is crawling with homeless orphans. I haven’t seen much of that charity.”

“...No institution is perfect. The sisters do what they can with what they have, but they can’t be everywhere. I don’t understand, you’ve never been this vocal about your issues with the Chantry-”

This time it isn’t Hawke that cuts Sebastian off, but Anders.

“Just because he doesn’t say anything doesn’t mean he agrees with the Chantry propaganda you spout all day!”

“Neither of them were talking to you, mage,” Fenris interjects, his gaze bouncing between Hawke and Sebastian.

The Chantry brother, apparently thinking Hawke can be reasoned with, starts to speak again.

Isabela blows a raspberry, loud enough it cuts through the growing tension like one of her knives. “As much fun as I’d have watching you dig yourself a deeper grave, Sebastian,” she gestures at the small pile of coins in the center, “we do have a game of cards I was winning – I’d like to get back to emptying your pockets.”

Sebastian’s jaw clenches, but he relaxes again an instant later, with a calm expression Varric can see right through. He obviously wants to say more – though whether platitudes or arguments Varric can’t tell.

“Very well,” he says. “I am willing to drop the subject.”

For now, is largely implied.

Hawke finally straightens, turning to walk away from the table for a few paces before he spins on his heel and marches right back. Dog doesn’t so much as twitch when Hawke steps inches away from where the mabari drools on the rug.

“Fine,” Hawke says, finally sitting down with a huff. He picks up the cards he dropped and stares at them, not quite calm but no longer blazing with anger.

Awkward silence only hovers in the air for only a few moments.

“Well, that was interesting!” Merrill chirps, leaning toward Isabela. “I can’t remember, is it better to have two angels and three knights, or two knights and three angels?”

Most of the table groans and folds.

edited 10/9/2020

#fic #dragon age #fuck the chantry #this was a fun challenge #thanks for the prompt!#not beta read #dragon age 2 #male hawke #sebastian vael #varric tethras

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mayahabee · 4 years

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Secret Palentine here! Tell me about your OCs! What are they like? What are their pet peeves? Who did they romance and why? 😍 Tell me all about them!!

Hello, Secret Palentine! Tis a good question, my friend! I have quite a number of OCs (Inquisition having the most lol) but I’m just talk about OCs from completed playthroughs! Bee warned that my OCs are pretty basic lol

DAO

Nura Surana - Arcane Warrior/Bloodmage/Battlemage. She’s pretty laid back and always give witty remarks on almost everything. Doesn’t do things without good reasons, she has to think about it a lot before she decides it’s for the best. She doesn’t really remember much about her early years but she has been content being a Circle mage. Romanced Alistair (remains a Warden) because they’ve been stuck together from early on, friends to lovers you could say. I haven’t thought of any pet peeves for her tbh XD

Aeran Bartholomew Cousland - My smart-but-kinda-dumb-in-a-way blond dual-wield warrior boi (I forgot his other specializations). He mostly just goes with the flow and he jumps head first before thinking LOL. He doesn’t say no when women throw themselves at him, including Morrigan. That being said, he romanced Morrigan. They don’t always agree with each other but they were infatuated with each other and eventually they really do love each other. He left with Morrigan and raised Kieran together ahuehuehue. Pet peeves? He doesn’t like being told no lol.

DA2

So far I only have one Hawke, which is Maya Hawke. Force Mage. She’s technically my self-insert as a human character, hence the name lol. Diplomatic with a bit of spicy sarcasm at times and respects her companions. Maya was planned to be a happy Hawke and she was supposed to friendmance Fenris as a mage but I messed up the approval. So she moved to Anders (his friendship was already super high and they are both mages) and it all went down south, turning into an angst romance lol. She killed Anders (feelsbadman) at the end. I really need to think of pet peeves for her too lol.

DAI

Irira Lavellan-Rutherford - Knight Enchanter. My first DA OC (yes I played DAI first lol) and she’s another self-insert alongside Maya and Nura. She’s just like Nura in a way. XD She tries to be as diplomatic as she can, despite hating politics. She prefers to not take sides in an argument but when it has to be, she has to think about it real hard. As seen by her surname (don’t judge, I just love combining surnames), she romanced Cullen and is happily married to him. Cullenmance is my kind of romance. XD I played DAI because of Cullen. Her pet peeve is being disturbed in her nap or sleep. She looooves her naps and sleeps.

Saryn Lavellan - Rift Mage. My poor Solasmancer. I made her as I was playing my Cullenmance playthrough because I just had to romance Solas even though I knew what was going to happen lol. She represent the other parts of me that are the opposite of Irira or things that I wish I have within me. I got the name Saryn from my favourite frame in Warframe of the same name and her colour scheme is based of that frame too. She’s stoic, super introverted, straight forward and doesn’t question much but she had a personality shift after Solas broke up with her and she became a lot more direct and angrier XD. She still loves him though. Haven’t decided her pet peeves yet LOL.

Sorry for the wall of text. This took a while to type LOL

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wyvernscales · 5 years

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25 Dragon Age Questions

YI was tagged by @lelibela and I’m tagging @veridium-bye @swoleas @zeesqueere @faderifter @sunwarden @minaethiels @norroendyrd @amatusheart nd @arlessaofamaranthine (Don’t feel pressured! I understand if you don’t want to <3)

01) Favourite game of the series?

I always prefer the first game/song/book/whatever that I am exposed to, so I have to go with DAI.

02) How did you discover Dragon Age?

I was in a GameStop and asked an employee for some suggestions. After I said I liked Assassin’s Creed, he recommended DAI

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

Too Many. I’ve played through DA2 once, DAO twice, and DAI five times though. I’ve started wayyy more than that though.

04) Favourite race to play as?

I gotta say that I like my Qunari babes.

05) Favourite class?

I’m quite fond of rogues, bows and daggers alike. DAO archery was horrific, so I really liked dual wielding warrior. If I’m playing as a Qunari, I have to be a mage. I don’t know why that is, but I just can’t play them as a warrior or rogue.

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

I make different choices each game because I want to experience all that the game has to offer. Siding with the werewolves in DAO made me feel like a shit, so that’s the only one I refuse to make.

07) Go-to adventuring group?

DAO: Zevran, Morrigan, Alistair/Shale

DA2: Isabela, Aveline, Anders/Merrill

DAI: Vivienne, Blackwall, Sera. Such bicker, much fun.

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

Brielle. I plan on doing more work on my canon pcs though

09) Favourite romance?

Zevran, Sera, Josie, Blackwall

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

No, but I want to. I know a little about their plots and would like to learn more

11) If you read them, which was your favourite book?

I am most interested in reading Knight Errant, The Masked Empire, and The Silent Grove

12) Favourite DLCs?

Awakening, Jaws of Hakkon, and Trespasser

13) Things that annoy you.

Mostly the fandom. Solavellans, Fenris Stans, and Cullenmancers can get a bit much. Not to say that Anders and Mage supporters can’t get wild too; people really go Off(C) on Cullen and those that like him. I like a hefty dose of discourse and analysis, but there’s zero (0) need to threaten others for disagreeing. There’s a lot of the plot that irritates me, like Hawke not being able to support Anders in DAI, Sebastian threatening to invade Kirkwall if you support Anders, the whole “fuck or die” thing that happens for the Dark Ritual (and the coercion is uncomfy), Anders approving of giving Fenris to slavers, blaming the Elves for the Exalted March, whitewashing like every poc character (I fear what Bioware will do to poor Dorian), Solas, the fact that you can boot Sera out at any time, etc. etc.

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

Even though I hate a lot of the Nation, I have to go with Orlais. Something about the masks and aesthetics of the place just work for me.

15) Templars or mages?

Mages

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

I have three worldstates. All the characters in one worldstate exist in one universe, but each worldstate is separate. I do have a few companion ocs that are present in all of the worldstates however.

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

Talani just named the mabari “Dog” because of course she did, and Cian named the mabari Max.

18) Have you installed any mods?

I played on xbox for the most part, but I’ve abused my laptop into running the games with mods. I think I broke it because of that.

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

(I don’t know how many are familiar with the Brosca origin) Talani never pictured herself becoming a Warden, but comparing her previous life to the potential one made the decision for her. She’s always one for logic and practicality.

20) Hawke’s personality?

Cian is diplomatic

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

Sometimes. I always make sure to dye the armor and pick aesthetically pleasing upgrades

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

Talani Brosca: Been able to protect Rica better. She’s done many things she regrets while on the surface, but that’s the biggest one.

Cian Hawke: He regrets every mistake he’s ever made. He’s a master of catastrophizing, so he makes everything way bigger than it actually is. Picking one thing would be impossible for him, but Bethany’s death hit him the hardest.

Brielle Lavellan: Prevent the accident that took her leg. While she has come to terms with it by Trespasser, she knows that her life could have been a lot easier without the disability.

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

I rarely diverge from canon, but there are a few things that I’ve adjusted. The HoF is alive, but the Hero of Amaranthine is Elias Lavellan, Elara Lavellan is the Dalish Advisor for the Inqisition, and a few minor things.

24) Who did you leave in the Fade?

Cian Hawke. There’s some bad blood between Brielle and Hawke from before the Inquisition, and she feels that he should pay. If you’re curious about it, you can find more info on Brielle’s character page. Just go my blog, click on Inquisitors, and click on “page” by Brielle’s nam

25) Favourite mount?

I’m quite fond of the Oath Bound Steed and Dracolisks

#junk speaks #tag game

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crossdressingdeath · 1 year

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This might be a bit out of thin air, but - can you please tell us about your Marquis of Serault?

OH BOY CAN I

Okay okay okay! Augustin de Serault! He is... in way over his head. This was never supposed to be his role; he's the younger sibling and was raised accordingly. But his sister's no longer in the running (still haven't figured out why, but she's not), so when their mother died... well, there he was. The marquis of Serault, fancy that. This is a very stressful job.

He is a good marquis, though. He loves his people and his home, and he strives to do his best for them! It helps that he's an excellent diplomat; his sister didn't exactly excel in dealing with people, so he's always kind of expected to serve his home in a diplomatic capacity. He's trying to convince himself that this is basically the same as what he always expected he'd end up doing. But this isn't something he ever wanted for himself; Augustin's always preferred the library to the great hall, and he likes his privacy far more than any really good marquis would. He's well-loved, though, even if he is always incredibly stressed. Which is impressive, for a secret apostate who set up his marquisate as a haven for escaped mages (hey, if they manage to reach Serault alive they're clearly in enough control of themselves that they're not a danger).

...Oh yeah, he's also a mage. He's really glad that the jokes about his ancestry are mostly limited to wisecracks about him supposedly having a tail, because there are much worse things about his heritage that his people could be picking up on. This is one of many reasons why he's actually pretty relieved that the Chantry is staying Over There and showing zero interest in Serault, and the main reason why he's so worried about Justinia suddenly feeling the need to stop by right before her fancy conference. When you're a marquis whose magic has been hidden from the Chantry since he was a child in a way that was only possible because the Chantry wanted nothing to do with Serault, you get a bit antsy when the Chantry suddenly wants something to do with Serault! And then the Inquisition shows up and starts asking questions, and poor Augustin is constantly painfully aware that if he gets caught out as a mage in charge of an Orlesian marquisate that offers shelter to runaway Circle mages in the middle of the mage rebellion he would almost certainly be brutally killed and Serault razed as an example even without the whole "Were you involved in the Divine's death" situation. Essentially, my man is having a time and deserves better. Fortunately he does eventually get to meet Alaris, which ultimately leads to meeting Hawke and Tahel, which basically ends up with Serault getting some very powerful allies who would not be happy with her marquis getting murdered by the Chantry.

#dragon age the last court #augustin de serault #asks #thornfield13713

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seigephoenix · 5 years

Text

DA OC Questions

Garrett Hawke, Alissa Hawke (formerly Trevelyan) and Serena Tabris. My Champion, Inquisitor, and Warden.

1. What would your Warden generally think of your Hawke and your inquisitor?

Hawke faced some situations that had no right answer. I have no opinion either way about what he did. He's manned up and lived with the consequences of that decision, so how can I say anything bad? Could he have done things better? Probably. Hell, I could have too. Live with the consequences is my motto.

As for the Inquisitor, poor girl. She got tossed into a situation that she clearly didn't want. Did the best she could and kept Thedas from destroying itself. Was surprised to find out she was married to Hawke. It certainly explained some of her decisions. I may or may not make a trip to help her with the Dread Wolf problem.

2. What would your Hawke generally think of your warden and your Inquisitor?

Well, the woman saved an entire country. My home country. The fact she could kick my ass is kinda hot. In all seriousness? Tabris commands respect not by her words but by her deeds. I hope she finds what she needs. She deserves it.

As for the Inquisitor, well… I married her. That should answer the question right? Right?

3. What would your Inquisitor generally think of your warden and your Hawke?

I have nothing but respect for the Warden. She rose up from nothing and saved a country. She helped prevent a civil war and united the country behind her to defeat an Archdemon. I do hope she finds whatever it is she's seeking.

Well, I did marry the man. While I may not have agreed with all his decisions, he doesn't run from the consequences of them. He holds the weight on his shoulders a little too much sometimes.

4. What would they think about each other’s love interests (if they romanced someone of course)

Hawke - What do I think of Zevran? Scary guy but anyone could see how he feels about the Warden.

Trevelyan - From the little bit of communicating I've done with him, he is a respectable man. Yes, I know he's a Crow. He could've backstabbed the Inquisition at any moment but he did not. That counts for a lot in my book.

Tabris - I believe they are well suited to one another. Zevran told me about them and the letter from Trevelyan was personal. Contacting me personally instead of having a secretary do it, it counts. I hope they and their twins find happiness.

5. Is your inquisitor jealous that both the warden and Hawke have a mabari hound?

Hawke - I used to have a Mabari. Baron likes Alissa more than me.

Trevelyan - He's not jealous about that at all.

Tabris - *keeps the laughter in check*

6. What would they think of each other’s combat skills/techniques?

Trevelyan - I'm told no one is more deadly with their blades than the Warden. I'm inclined to believe them. I mean, she learned from a master assassin. Garrett has always been a terror on the battlefield with his sword.

Hawke - I have little doubt to the Warden's prowess in battle. I have no inclination to see it in person thanks. Alissa was one of the most impressive archers I've had the pleasure of knowing, but don't think her losing her arm has stopped her. She's merely bugged Cassandra into teaching her how to use a sword and shield now.

Tabris - Zevran's told me how strong Hawke is in battle. Leliana informed me that Trevelyan hasn't let her injury keep her off the battlefield. That kind of mettle isn't something to be faked. Perhaps I might send her a sword as a gift one of these days.

7. Are all your protagonists the same combat class? And what specializations did they take?

Trevelyan - I was a rogue specializing in archery. I prefer the Artificer subclass. Though without my left arm, *grumbles about wolves*, I have to shift over. I'm learning how to use a shield and a sword now.

Hawke - I prefer two handed swords. Reaver is my specialty.

Tabris - Rogue as well. I prefer blades and Assassin was what fit with me. Leliana tried to teach me the way of being a Bard… It didn't end well.

8.What would your inquisitor and warden think of what happened in Kirkwall? Would they have supported Hawke’s decisions?

Trevelyan - I was there. Sadly, I don't think Garrett had any other choice. The City forced a mantle of responsibility on him that he never wanted. He did the best he could, given what he had. I supported him in whatever decisions he made.

Tabris - I've had my back to the wall. It's hard to weigh consequences there. While I may have made a few choices differently, overall Hawke did what he could.

9. Would your warden or Hawke have actually accepted the role of inquisitor if Cassandra had located them as she’d planned to? Would they have been a good leader for the Inquisition?

Trevelyan - when he stops laughing Garrett will get back to you.

Tabris - No. I've done my part in saving the world and I've had my own mission. Though given what we know now? I may just have to make a comeback and give them a hand. Dread Wolf indeed. I'm not the type to be a figurehead much as people have tried.

10. Do your protagonists share the same opinions on the Chantry?

All - I like the way Leliana runs it.

11. Do your protagonists share the same opinions on mages rights?

Trevelyan - I see both sides of the argument having lived through the mage and templar war. While blood magic and corruption do exist in the Circles, I don't see it so black and white. Mages do not deserve to be condemned because of ‘maybes’. Maybe they'll become an abomination, maybe they'll practice blood magic. I do believe they should govern themselves in conjunction with the Chantry. A partnership instead of one ruling over the other.

Hawke - You've been around Dorian too long.

Trevelyan - You can just shush Mr I Helped My Mage Friend Blow Up The Kirkwall Chantry.

Hawke - Fair point.

Tabris - I saw the horrors of blood magic but surprisingly I agree with Trevelyan there. Condemning mages, children, to a lifetime of subjugation based on maybes is ridiculous. There needs to be a balance but I don't possess the temperament nor inclination to figure it out.

12. Do your protagonists share the same opinions on blood magic?

All - Yes.

13. Do your protagonists share the same opinions on The Game?

Trevelyan - I know how to play it, I am abysmal at it. I dislike the dancing around whatever point you are trying to make.

Hawke - She once told a Compte to go fuck himself. I thought it was clever. *shrugs* As for me? I can't play it and have no desire too.

Tabris - I am impressed. But no, I dislike the Game. Say what you mean to say or get out of my face.

14. If they’d been in each other’s places would they have made the same or different choices? And who would they have romanced, if anyone?

Trevelyan - Ah… No. I'll stick to my own timeline thanks.

Hawke - What she said.

Tabris - Quite frankly I agree. It's difficult to say if I'd have made the same choices they did. Or if they'd have made the same in my boots. We are far too different to know how we'd react. So, I'll stick to my own.

15. Would your protagonists have the same character alignment?

All - Yep.

16. Would your protagonists have the same Hogwarts house?

Trevelyan - Ravenclaw.

Tabris - Slytherin

Hawke - Hufflepuff (though he hates it)

17. If Origins and Inquisition had the 3 personalities (Diplomatic, Sarcastic, Aggressive) which would your warden and inquisitor have predominately been? And what one did your Hawke have?

Tabris - Aggressive

Trevelyan - Sarcastic

Hawke - Combination Diplomatic and Sarcastic

18. What is the biggest similarity between your protagonists?

They are all driven by family and found family.

19. What is the biggest difference between your protagonists?

Their backgrounds.

20. Who handles responsibility the best? And who handles it the worst?

Tabris handles responsibility the best. She just takes care of it and moves on.

Trevelyan the worst.

Hawke - She actually tried to run away when she first came to Haven.

21. Do they share any of the same hobbies?

No. They all have different hobbies.

Hawke - Can sew.

Trevelyan - is a painter

Tabris - is excellent at wood carving

22. Would you ever ship any of them together?

Well… *waves at Hawke and Trevelyan* Those two definitely. Not Tabris with any of them though.

Tabris - Thank you.

23. How old were each of your protagonists at the start of their respective games? Do you think their age affected the choices they made? Looking back would they have done any major action differently?

Tabris - roughly 23 at the start of Origins

Hawke - 24 at the beginning of DA2

Alissa - 31 at the start of Inquisition

24. How do each of your protagonists handle loss?

Tabris - tends to close off from everyone but Zevran. He is the only one allowed to see her upset.

Hawke - Bottles it up. He's gotten better at it but has his moments.

Trevelyan - she lashes out. Verbally, not physically. So she tends to isolate herself so she doesn't accidentally hurt someone's feelings because she's upset.

25. What is/was their relationship with their family like?

Tabris - she was close to her family until the Joining. Though she still keeps in touch with Shiani, things have changed and it's a cordial relationship. But no longer close.

Hawke - he's still close to Bethany. And is wrapped around his childrens’ fingers.

Trevelyan - is only close to her middle brother and twin sister. The rest of the family disowned her for having children out of wedlock.

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

Hawke and Trevelyan marry and have twins. A boy and a girl.

Tabris doesn't marry Zevran but they remain together for the rest of their lives. No children because of the taint but they're okay with that. They wind up adopting a couple of orphaned city elves later on down the line.

27. What would their fears on the graves in the fade during Here Lies The Abyss be?

Trevelyan - losing her children

Hawke - loss of family

Tabris - the void

28. What is their favourite location within their own game and what would be their favourite in each others?

Trevelyan - I loved the Emerald Graves. Except the giants and red lyrium mines. If I was in Ferelden it would likely be the Brecilian Forest. I do like the outdoors.

Hawke - The Hanged Man for me. I enjoyed Skyhold while I was there.

Tabris - Denerim. Denerim was home. I've heard great things about the Hanged Man though.

29. How do they each feel about the Deep Roads?

All - We don't want to talk about it.

Trevelyan - I'd rather go through the Hinterlands again.

30. Out of your Warden, Hawke, and Inquisitor, who is your favorite?

I can't decide. I love them all. Tabris was my first DA character. Alissa Trevelyan was the one I developed the most. And Hawke is Hawke.

#dragon age origins #dragon age 2 #dragon age inquisition #oc: alissa trevelyan #oc: garrett hawke #oc: serena tabris #i love them

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autopotion · 5 years

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im replaying da2 to romance merrill (i started over as a warrior bcuz its impossible to play as a butch mage since the game puts you in all those dresses -__-) and im playing aggressive hawke.... but just enough so that shes short tempered in conversations and ruthless to her enemies but awkwardly sweet to her friends. choosing the mostly aggressive options and then switching to diplomatic here and there leads to “why the fuck do you want me to help you with your problems. oh wait hes killing women/children/elves/mages? of course ill help you you poor person ): ill rip their throat out with my teeth.” avery hawke is a character who is extremely scary on the outside but as gooey as a melted marshmallow on the inside

#dragon age blogging #this is a continuation of my dwarf noble from da2 delmaria aeducan who romanced zevran and sacrificed herself

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wolf-in-a-suit · 6 years

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Beginning of a really bad joke

Show/Game: Dragon Age 2 (Orsino, Meredith and Hawke)

Summary: Become a Knight Commander! It will be fun, they said! One thing is sure: Caught between Meredith’s paranoia and Orsino’s oppression complex, Garret Hawke couldn’t complain about his job ever being boring. Why is there this much screaming involved though?

The main form of amusement being a Templar in Kirkwall stemmed from placing bets on who would lose it first: The first Enchanter, who thought having to use the bathroom a little farther down the way was a sign of oppression, or Knight Commander Meredith to whom a birthday candle was proof of a deadly conspiracy festering under the mages - simply trying to congratulate old George to his fifty’s birthday. The matches between the pair usually began low and seething, but soon started to reach their boiling point, accompanied by insults flying through the air. It was amusing unless... you had the ill fortune to be dragged right into the midst of the heated 'discussion' - that was the only thing the pair could agree on before the most holy: The screaming bloody murder and startled younglings, waking in a cold sweat years later, were all result of a throughout and constructive debate.

So when most of the recruits perched on the doors, or if they truly felt like defying fate, stole glances into the corridor, Hawke was the poor soul dragged into the current of abuse. 'Become Knight Captain Hawke, it's gonna be a real step upward! Sure, thanks Aveline.' Setting foot into the corridor with a groan, he dragged himself to the epicenter shaking the gallows. Hawke rather believed the job would bring him several steps down: Six feet to be precise, but who was counting.

After a short nod to both his superior and the graying elf he interrupted a colorful description of where Meredith could stick her 'supposed blood mages':

"As fun as this debate has been... for all of us. Don't you two think it would be better to save some of that passion-" 'for tonight', Hawke had to bite his tongue "-for discussing it with the grand cleric?" Two sets of eyes, moss green and icy blue, but neither less burning, snapped to him. Meredith huffed a stubborn look crossing her proud features. "There is nothing to discuss! There isn’t going to be a midwinter celebration, in the circle and that's final!" She turned and marched back into her office, the wooden door groaned under her abuse. The first Enchanter however wasn't deterred by closed doors. "You keep us like animals! You treat a Mabari with more respect, are we not people deserving of a little respite!?"

The Knight Captain tried his hardest to sound sympathetic. "I understand that you mages want to celebrate... but drinking? Is that really a good idea given..." "The fact that we could get carried away, and fall victim to demonic temptation?" A gray eyebrow rose in superiority. 'Careful now Hawke, this asks for diplomatic finesse!' "Well..." he paused "...yes.!?" -Nailed it!

The Enchanter's eyes were lightning. "Templars!" He spat. "How nice it must be, to judge right from wrong, without anyone, lest yourself questioning your judgment!"

Boom. The next door clashed right into Hawkes face. Who had the brilliant idea of having both offices right opposite each other, anyway? Scarred fists yearned to show their appreciation.

Ever since the former Fereldan refugee had been appointed Knight Captain, by the grand cleric herself, this was the common routine and was followed religiously in the gallows. Meredith wasn't happy that some Fereldan was sent for reinforcement, deeming it an insult of her leadership qualities. Orsino had been... not as welcoming. Since the first day Hawke had introduced himself- or tried to- sharp green stares followed him like he was the illegitimate lovechild of the Knight Commander and Satan himself.

Garret almost prided himself with having caught the ire of both of these forces of nature, not an easy feat. "What, the Commander won’t even allow us some snow wine!?" A murmur went through the Templars. "We're not some freaks of nature like them!", "Yes we are no danger and have earned some celebration, have we not?" The Knight Captain stood with hands raised, trying his best to form a soothing voice: „Knight Commanders orders. Deal with it!" -The maker must have messed up, while wiring his brain to mouth connection. 'Great, even more pissed off people, just what I needed.' The death glares from the recruits- all highly respectful of course- followed Hawke through the whole drill.

Though he had to agree, not being allowed to drink snow wine to celebrate the day, was indeed harsh. These recruits worked day and night to protect innocent civilians from mages. Abominations lurking behind every set of eyes, each smile a possible harbinger of corruption, festering like an old wound. He had seen enough of the abyss that was magic to last several lifetimes.

The rest of training was spent in silence, just few daring to grumble over the clanking of swords and shields. After all the Knight Captain with his black, wild mane and broad physic commanded respect, even bar the scars littering brown arms up to his shoulders.

So the peaceful days of screaming echoing from the stone walls resumed, until the midwinter celebration rolled around. A deep chill seeped through Kirkwall fading all color and leaving glittering ice crystals in grass and trees. Garrets breath bore small clouds dispersing under his brisk step down the courtyard. None of the Templars or mages was happy spending the day cooped up in the gallows, but honestly he could care less. It had been years since he had someone to spend this day with, so he was grateful for any reason to ignore it.

Setting foot into the compound he was astonished to see Meredith and Orsino conversing like to sane adults. A midwinter miracle!

Hawkes grin fell however, being witness to the worst possible incident:

A young mage bearing supplies rounded the corner and just having caught sight of the broad obstacle he was about to knock over- namely Hawke- began to lose his balance and crashed to the ground. Hidden under the roles and books a bottle of clear snow wine clashed to the ground and burst into a thousand pieces. Garret would never forget the expression of terror on the nineteen-year-old. Had this been a Templar: Well, boys will be boys right? But for a mage showing such an open act of defiance! Meredith's nose flared, each of her steps was deliberate while advancing on the young mage. Armor clinking with each stride. The second in command just crossed his arms and looked everywhere but at the terrified boy. 'Better to learn discipline now than becoming a freakin' time bomb!'

Knight Commander Meredith Stannard was an imposing and fear inspiring woman while hollering, but the real terror was unleashed when her voice was low, full of conviction and a threatening undertone that cut steel. "You dare defy orders? Putting yourself and everyone around you at risk-" Orsino a new pleading element mixing in his tone, tried to salvage something, anything! "Now, Commander surely you can-" "Silence!" It could as well have been a lion’s growl. "I should make you tranquil for this!" The deep brown teary orbs of the... kid met Hawkes. So hard to believe that they could house a serial killer, but yet...

Meredith bend on grabbing the boy was stopped by Garret Hawkes massive body stepping between them. He sighed. "Guess I'm busted then."

Blue eyes narrowed: "What exactly are you talking about?" Her second in command stood at attention, a very weird image, given the fact that he usually could be found slouching in an undignified position.

"Commander, I gave this boy orders to smuggle some wine into the barracks... you know for a small celebration with the recruits tonight." Her eyes were slits, while the first Enchanter behind her was fighting the utter astonishment crawling onto his delicate features. "Is that so?" The boy couldn't meet the Templars inquisitive glare but nodded none the less. "Yes, messere." A meekly whisper against an oncoming storm.

And with that the personified wrath faced Garret - 'oh joy'.

Until the evening Hawke was occupied with the most degrading works.

'I kinda envisioned the life of a Templar a tack more glorious.' Shot through the man’s head while scrubbing what felt like the thousandth toilet that day. "Messere." A small mage girl stood behind him, visibly torn between amusement and fear. "You're to bring this to the First Enchanter." Before Garret could complain she added "First Enchanter orders, messere." Grumbling he snatched the surprisingly heavy books from her arms. "Now I'm also degraded to being Orsinos fetching boy. What's next tying their shoes?"

He entered the messy office without knocking- a courtesy reserved for Templars- letters, books and scrolls were lying everywhere without any visible order. Orsino back turned, gazed through the window into the drifting snow outside. Not even the heavy impact of the books, hitting his desk startled the elf.

On Garrets way outside, the pensive voice of the mage stopped him in his tracks. "I wonder: What could bring a Templar to lie for a mage? Any insight on that matter?" Here he turned, one eyebrow cocked almost... mockingly. The Knight Captain huffed not meeting his eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

The delicate eyebrow climbed even higher and then plunged back. "Is that so? Now given your lapse of memory, I am sure you will also forget this."

When his whole body turned around Garret saw that he held two glasses in each hand. The annoying man passed one to him, not accepting a no and silently toasted him taking a sip. No choice but to follow, Hawke took a not as elegant gulp and tasted: Snow crystals glittering in the first warm sun of winter, reflecting small beads of light. Snow wine! When both men’s eyes met, a haughty expression crossed Orsinos face. "Take it as a gesture of thanks, as well as... apology."

Garret inhaled some of the wine and started spluttering only managing a most eloquent: "Huh?"

Orsino raised himself to his full height, to Hawkes annoyance, looking down on him. "Knight Captain, I am afraid I judged you too fast. I assure you from now on I will be more careful while drawing conclusions." After a long pause he received a single nod from the Templar.

Two people standing together at midwinter, sharing a drink: Templar and mage. 'Sounds like the beginning of a really bad joke.' The first grin since a long time stole itself on Garret Hawke’s face.

#dragon age imagine #orsino imagine #meredith imagine #hawke imagine #dragon age 2 #first enchanter orsino #meredith stannard #hawke #hawke x orsino #male hawke #templar hawke

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demoiselledefortune · 6 years

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Dragon Age Inquisition final play-through session!

So finished Trespasser

Overall that's a pretty amazing ending. I'm not sure if it's as interesting if you're not playing a Lavellan/romancing Solas; but it's densely packed with lores and things that'd make a replay (I mean I was spoiled enough to view Solas with hefty dose of suspicion from the start, and I did know he was an immortal of some kind from the beginning; and then got more spoilers as I progressed in the game -- but I expect there's still a whole lot of things to catch better now that I have full context). Trespasser is very well structured and paced overall, between the interludes in the gorgeous gardens of the Winter Palace (although I wish we had better to do in there that those silly and rather frustrating quests), and coursing through the Eluvian (which in itself is great, still allows a few fun sidequests; and lots of great lore drops). The political mess of a situation is a pretty logical follow up from the rest of Inquisition, and that the main choice in the end is deciding the future of the fate of the Inquisition in the political landscape is something I appreciate. I'd have liked if the end choices weren't quite as binary, but I guess that's simpler and ok, it's not like we have that many options. The Viddasala makes a decent minor villain; and of course the whole thing turns the whole Inquisition as an awesome set up to Solas as the kind top tier antagonist that I would put asides to my favourite video game villains. And hey, we even get a dragon fight! Except for once, we had an option of not killing her, which I took because I like getting an option not kill stuff (even though I of course slaughtered eagerly all 10 optional dragons the game provided before -- :3) which resulted in a pretty Hawk-esque fight by which I mean I ended up with all three of my companions down while I was running around trying to figure out how to manage to release the creature; which made for a very fun epic experience in a way that I seldom got from big boss fights in Inquisition apart from that. (I did solo fights due to companion death with Hawk on the first two dragon battles of DA2. Which ended up as good prep for the Arishok fight :3) The end game mechanic of your Mark running out of control, forcing you to release it at close interval was also a pretty great gameplay experience to make the last battles interesting and convey viscerally how dire this shit on your body is becoming... and almost makes up for how shitty the focus mechanics were overall. That we don't get a third round of discussions with the Companions before the last time in the Eluvians was a bit disappointing though. I guess they kinda ran out of material to discussion. It's also a bit odd that they drop us off at the very end to be solo before meeting Solas without a last framing discussion. The way they did banter spots to trigger though was great. (and a huge improvement on the way banter worked in Inquisition). In term of roleplay my character was the most shaken by the reveal of the Evanuris as False Gods. I always saw her as someone with a huge mystical bend, although not necessarily something that affected her choices a whole lot (besides, say, the Well of Mythal) and someone who values genuineness a lot so that reveal turning out around false premises hit hard; and trying to rebuild a sense of identity and view of the world out of that is going to take her time. She's not even the sort of Dalish who is the most focused on the past (obviously it's important, because it's one of the baseline thing that the Dalish care about; but it's not her main focus compared to trying to work with people, building consensus and exchanging viewpoint. My Lavellan is a diplomat and a community organizer at heart.) The reveal from Solas in contrast was less shattering. She'd figure out that Solas had to be involved somehow with the Fen'Harel organization (from the Vallaslin bit, especially) but expecting him to actually be Fen'Harel was a bit too huge a leap to make on her own... yet something that fell into place when it came and the feeling of catharsis of finally knowing what the fuck was up with him stronger than the feeling of betrayal. In the end I think she had a sense that nothing he could turn out to be would surprise her. She was saddened, bitterly disappointed, horrified; but she never felt like the person she'd fallen in love with wasn't the person in front of her, and she's not giving up on him. She kept the Inquisition as the Divine's guard, of course she did. As I said after Solas left she was sure something bad was coming, and knowing more about exactly what that something bad was only cemented that. And of course, the Inquisition is what she has left, in term of something built up. She has too much emotionally invested in it to discard it when the foundation of her world believes are shaken this way. As far as the other characters go: - Vivienne wasn't the person my character ever got along the best with; and while the epilogue frames her as a big pain in the ass, I think Ireya actually approves of it... what she held the most against Vivienne was always that instead of building herself up as a leader by gathering support from like-minded mages, she'd tried to grasp it parasitically from others in power, and it seems she finally started to do otherwise. Perhaps it's not so bad either for the future of the mages for there to exist multiple competing models... (well it also could result in disaster but what can you do) - I don't have much to say about Blackwall, he was one of my least favourite character and probably mostly for shallow reasons (I never got over that he's such an unattractive character for a romanceable option). His story is interesting yet unsatisfying in term of story integration. My character does have a higher opinion of him than I do and she was happy to see him fulfilling his purpose in the Wardens under his true identity in a way that made him feel better. - Ireya never felt very close to Cullen, but she always respected and relied on him a lot; and is happy to see him continue to work in the Inquisition as well as continuing to work on helping out Templars. - In a way my character and Varric are very similar people (in term of being caretaker at heart) that nonetheless never properly connect (they work on a very different register and of course Varric's feeling of awe at the Herald even though he works at it is a barrier). Still a good friend. I do love seeing him becoming the Viscount of Kirkwall (and annoying poor Bran) which I'm sure will make him happier (he was so depressed during Inquisition). - She always kept a little bit wary and careful with Cole while still valuing him a whole lot, except towards the end, he ended up being the only source of input on Solas' outlook and she's going to miss that. She hopes he will be able to help, somehow. - Iron Bull always impressed me with his emotional intelligence and savviness. He was never someone to underestimate and also someone who brings a lot of things to a group which Ireya valued a lot. Keeping the Chargers alive is a very rewarding choice in term of what that means for Bull's outlook (as well as the Chargers themselves being around) even though I expect you'd only see the difference at the very ending. My character also ended up very invested in his relationship with Dorian, and delighted to see what it brings to the both of them. - It was a joy to realise that Sera has grown up a lot, and reacts with much more tact and sensitivity (in contrast to how she was right after the Temple of Mythal/Vallaslin removal in the main game) when my character felt very shaken about the Evanuris reveal; as well as touched to see they continued being very good friends with the offer of getting into the Friends of Jenny. Keep on being awesome, Sera! - My character started being a bit in awe of Lelianna (she was something of a Fifth Blight stories fangirl XD) but also distrusting her emotional turmoil. She feels very proud of having helped her find an emotional peace once more, and in that context her becoming the Divine is something she's glad of. - While she was sometimes infuriating, Cassandra was always someone whose honesty and willingness to criticise herself earned great respect from Ireya. She was also very fun to tease and someone to bond over being sappy sappy romantic. A very good friend, and I'm glad she's rebuilding the Seekers into something better. - Dorian wears his heart on his sleeve and was a great friend. His ending gives my character great hope for the future. - Josephine was probably Ireya's best friend in the Inquisition or at least the one she felt was the most of the same wavelength, and she's glad to see her fulfil her ambition for her family; but sad to see her go far away. I also really liked Josephine's outburst towards the end of Trespasser, I don't agree with all the points she makes in term of having doubts about the kind of organisation the Inquisition is becoming, yet having some kind of doubts about it is warranted and to have Josephine work her role as moral centre by being worried about it worked very well for me. Overall Inquisition is a bit... too spread out with a lot of things; but still a very entertaining experience as a game!

#dragon age inquisition #dai #dem plays da

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