#zev was .. i think

[ruushes]

dancing lessons! have to pass the time at camp somehow 💃

#dragon age #dao #zevran arainai #alistair theirin #morrigan #leliana #ailill mahariel #my ocs #my art #this started w just the zev drawing. what happened #what happened was i had an idea for leli and then ofc i had to do the other two #it took me like two months to think of one for morrigan that felt remotely ic #i mean idk its remotely ic that she would dance in front of the others at all #but i wanted to draw her :)c #and unfortunately for her she cares him

[vigilskeep]

lots of people reacting with surprise to the “zevran is 25” post. to be clear iirc this is world of thedas canon so a) i would not expect it to be obvious to anyone who hasnt read WOT vol2 or obsessively googled things and b) i still consider WOT kind of wishy washy canon where like it’s basically fine if you made a different assumption and prefer that. that being said i think being 25 only adds to zevran’s character and that people would write more accurate zevrans if they kept that number in mind

#i think people see this impression zevran puts out of being you know worldly and experienced #and they often end up with a zev who is much more emotionally aware and especially self-aware than i find particularly believable #if zevran is the guy in the relationship who is really easily recognising emotional problems and leading his partner through solving them #hes probably not quite right #like you dont want to overshoot it on the other side and have zevran be #essentially babied by the wise warden who never gets anything wrong because they take their lines directly from a therapy textbook #which i also see but like. there’s a balance #i just think its worth remembering he’s the ‘you dont want the earring you dont get the earring very simple!!’ guy #and is 25 #i think that makes for more zevvy zevs

[merlinmerlot]

if i had a nickle for every time i became enamored with the deceptive rogue elf x uses-humor-as-a-coping-mechanism-for-his-self-loathing ship, i would have two nickles. which isn't a lot,

#bloodweave #zevistair #bg3 #da:o #art #honestly theyre not That similiar (astarion n zev r similar in backstory and goal motifs but personality wise theyre fairly different) #(and gale n alistair its just. vibes. they both make me laugh and theyre both kind of corny smile) #but i think the joke is funny. so #i'm just sooo nostaglic for da rn. #i could play the best written most interesting fantasy rpg on the planet and id still b going hm.... maybe i should replay dao

[kinloch-warden]

I keep thinking about this exchange.

I must've heard this line many times across my various play-troughs bc I love having Zev along but it never struck me until now that he might actually be lowkey threatening the mayor on the warden's behalf?

Because normally Zevran's pretty lighthearted when making snide comments, or has like a lighthearted tone. But the delivery on this one's downright cold! We didn't even recruit Zev that long ago when he said it but I guess he's taking his oath to protect the warden pretty seriously 🥺 I think he also says this line in regards to Murdock being weird about your warden being a woman, even if you aren't a mage.

But (at least to me) its like extra meaningful when your warden's a mage bc like. You've been told your whole life that the people outside the circle are scared of/ hate you, that you're in the circle for your own protection as well as to protect everyone else from you. So Murdock reacting as he does is really proving the templars right, more or less, but then its instantly contradicted by Zev sticking up for you! Like sure, some people will fear/ distrust you for your magic on sight, but not everyone. There are people out there who won't care at all. Who will see you as a person, not just a mage.

#dragon age #dragon age origins #zevran #zevran ariani #dao #also thinking about how Zev will really challenge a warden who tries to annul the circle 👀 #from what I've seen anyway since I don't think I coukd ever make myself take that route

[pinayelf]

I know fans joke abt how the warden is more competent than the inquisitor bc they did all that w/o much help but the funny thing abt amihan is she actually isn't

she was 20, angry and hated herself and the world, she ended up in the situation she was in bc she was...a petty snitch. she also hates being a grey warden and continues to hate being one through dai - she actually leaves but then decides to search for the cure

for most of the Blight, it was fuck up after fuck up. like I play it so that I have enough ppl to help me fight the archdemon, but in my personal headcanon, she pissed off a lot of potential help (whether it be Circle mages who overheard her saying she was "gonna annul this shit" out of anger, eamon's men who did NOT like her, bhelen who didn't really trust the fact that she knew nothing about politics), left a bad taste in people they came across and picked a fight with anora

which I think makes sense for a 20 year old ill-adjusted young woman who had to learn how to be more selfless. beating the archdemon was pure luck mixed with people just NOT WANTING the Blight to destroy ferelden and realizing joining the fight was the only way to stay alive

amihan does grow, but it's slow, she has to process trauma, understand she hurt people and ruined their lives and to actually experience what it's like being loved (both platonic and romantic)

I tend to not post so much abt how much amihan fucked up and almost let a Blight swallow ferelden bc I tend to feel anxious abt how ppl will receive it but I think it's important to her character and it's fun and interesting for me to play with it in this case

immy is 100% more competent than amihan, in spite of her own flaws, but I love both my messy and my scaredy cat girl all the same

#amihan amell #my first pt of dao was a mess tbh lmao and i messed up so much and amihan's canon is pretty similar #after i fucked up and left amalia possessed ive been thinking abt playing the rest of the game where i'll pick what amihan would actually do #regardless of whether or not thatll end up being a good thing in the long run lmao so watch this space #i also wanna talk abt her friendships w morrigan and zev #god i love morrigan to death but lmaoo i know them being so close they just enabled each other's bad habits #which i think why it was good that morrigan and amihan drifted after dao bc they needed to grow apart #its v important to me that they meet again #zev is extremely important to amihan learning how to be selfless #im sorry to zev tht he had to deal w amihan's bs during a blight 😭😭😭 #also there are companions and other characters that just straight up hate amihan and lol 😭 #anyway just rambling bc i love an incredibly flawed female character and thts what i wanna portray w amihan

[ploompkin]

New hyper-fixation go brrr

I love love LOVE Mel and Zev together with all my heart,, just a couple of exiles

Speaking of which I finally decided on how Melekh meets the Elturel tieflings: they're a wanderer themselves and bump into the group shortly after they're exiled from Elturel, back when their numbers were larger. They joined them with the intention of it being temporary, but they and Zevlor got along like a house on fire so they ended up sticking around, happy they finally found their people after being cast out of their druid cicle so long ago TvT

Just the lineart under the cut, 'cause I really liked how it looked uncoloured

#I'm not very good at complex shading but #I TRIED #in my head Zev is like 5'10 and Mel is around 5'8 #as for Melekh's personality... think raine from toh crossed with a tiny pinch of levi from aot (I know its a weird combo lol) #oc melekh #zevlor #zevlor bg3 #zevlor x oc #zevlor x tav #well not really tav but it's kiiiind of relevant? so I'm tagging it anyway #baldurs gate #bg3 #baldurs gate oc

[makerscockandballs]

The fugitives ending to DA2 is narratively so fucking good because you have Hawke who came from nothing, went to literal hell and back to build a life and a home in Kirkwall, gained power and status, lived and bled for Kirkwall and...

...then gives up everything they had for Anders, in a heartbeat. Returns to a life without a house, without status, riches. The oppression they were more or less protected from as Champion is back at their throat again, and now they even have an Anders-shaped target on their back.

And still, they give it all up. For Anders. For love.

#in a fucking heartbeat! they could have become viscount could have stayed in kirkwall but no. not without Anders. #that said i think it is a good thing for Hawke to leave Kirkwall. its actively bleeding them dry #demanding more than they can give and still they arent safe #outside of Kirkwall they can do much more good without restrictions and expectations #AND THEY DO!! liberate circles and everything. just wow. im #fuck man. just. my favourite ending of the games. yes even more than Warden runs off to meet Zev in antiva #handers #txt #dragon age

[nightmarist]

i could VERY well be overthinking this especially because MtG is not necessarily BG canon, but learning zevlor is officially UBR / blue, black, red in MtG makes me look at all his lines of dialogue with a new light, hes very strategic yes but also rather scheming i think. i get as a hellrider he probably Had to be for the sake of survival at any cost, but definitely some of his phrasing sounds "make them think its their idea" style of manipulation.

For reference: Zevlor, Elturel Exile

very cool.

after the above dialogue he says implicating kagha is initially the problem you can suggest HE "get rid of her" which causes these:

they seem so carefully phrased to:

not get his own hands dirty not put the tieflings in his command at risk you are an outsider to BOTH groups and thus the potential neutral third party to be blamed rather than him or the tieflings, especially good if you fail and/or die.

also, if you ask him to pay you he doesnt bat an eye, he just shrugs and says he'll scrape together what he can.

His mtg artwork seems to imply being controlled by the absolute, but he also has this quote when you try to tell him it's not his fault he was enthralled by the Absolute:

I'm always a fan of black in mtg used as a 'good' color when its so often interpreted as evil and i think Zevlor here is a cool example of it.

#zevlor #bg3 #mtg #GRANTED. his mtg artwork seems to imply being controlled by the absolute #BUT ALSO. he did say that it takes control of something that likely starts from within #NOT evil btw. do not misinterpret me #always a fan of black in mtg used as a 'good' color when its so often interpreted as evil and i think zev is a cool example of it #interesting implications because white is usually the 'community' color so i wonder if he instead views the tieflings #as an extension of himself or similar #although. his card i as i said i think implies the absolute's control so he could probably be just. nongreen regularly #which is HILARIOUS btw. #nongreen tiefling from hell: fuck druids #but again im overthinking silly mtg coloring #*clenching fist barely containing my excitement for color pie interpretations* #bg3 meta

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

fr though, every time i replay Origins i appreciate how much more often the pc is not only allowed to voice their opinions, but also have characters react to it. Like. There is more than one instance of a companions going "oh, i had not thought about it like that. thank you for telling me." Or things like being able to tell Zevran that his flirting makes you uncomfortable. Love that shit

#i'm ngl i did not pay too much attention to whether or not zev actually stopped being flirty #(cos i did not talk with him too much with noya in general) #but i think it is nice to have the option in any case #dao does not do this perfectly ofc and its not like the other games dont have this at all #but overall i always feel like it's a lot harder to get along with characters in the other games (especially inquisition) #if you do not agree with practically everything they say #lay rambles #dao #(btw tw to everyone who sent asks!! i Will get to them jfklsdjfld)

[vigilskeep]

who are you romancing in wotr I romanced Daersn at first because I’m obsessed with zev but they’re not the same so I’m curious

i’ve been heading loosely towards daeran myself! he’s a lot of fun and i enjoy his dynamic with my knight-commander

but i believe there is also a character i haven’t recruited yet who is available as a romance option too? so i am keeping my options open

#i did notice the zev similarities but theyre pretty superficial i think #except maybe the unhinged nature of their commentary #i knew from the start daeran and this lady (arueshalae?) were my options for mercy #i’m playing a female character and lann isn’t quite for me as a romance #galfrey didnt seem like shed have much content. and wenduag and i were tragically parted by her evil ways #harker goes crusading

[villainanders]

what ages do you guys truth for the companions btw (idk which ones have canon ages i forgor <3) sound off in the tags or replies or w/e

#4 ME.... i think like 20 y/o ali and maybe like 25/26 year old zev and leli. im controversial i think morrigan is like 27 #and just emotionally stunted. i think wynne is late 60s early 70s and canon genuinely make a math mistake. sten and oghren are prob both #in their 40s #for da2 as of act 1 i put anders somewhere in 29-31 age range. bela at maybe 27/28. fenris around 25/26 and seb around there too. #merrill maybe 24ish and varric and aveline both in their mid-late 30s #for inq josie in her late 20s dorian at about 30 and sera at like 19/20 and cole also around there. bull maybe late 30s #solas early 40s (or so he seems..) cass like 45/46. and i know blackwall is probably on the older side of his 40s but i put him on the #younger side bc he already has an insane age gap with my trev lmao #if i forgot anyone here obviously i don't care about them and you should probably send me hate mail

[girlmadeofclockwork]

I do find the, well maybe not historical revisionism, but perhaps profoundly misremembering and or just changes in tastes that has gone down when it comes to Zevran and dragon age: origins to be quite interesting, like now that he’s very openly being compared to the newest hotness of Astarion, people talk about him as if he is/was the most popular because people love broody elves (even though Zev is the farthest from broody in his demeanor, and which kinda go hand in hand with people comparing him to Fenris, which isn’t new mind mind you, but it was fucking rare I saw anyone make that comparison 9 years ago) but I was there mind you, I was there 8-9 years ago. I remember clearly Zevran being the least popular romance option in origins when it came to the fandom.

#dragon age #this isn’t a digg on anyone I like all three of them (Zev. Fenris and Astarion) #but like the only thing I’d say these three characters have in common is being elves and having a terrible and horribly abusive past #well Zevs is different because he had an fucking awful and still not distant child hood (both Fen and Astarion don’t recall theirs) #but I think what’s really the kicker is that despite all that Zev dosen’t really hate the world at large and Is still nice to people #like yes he lies and manipulates and definitely offers to sleep with the warden out of self perseverance to a degree #but like Zev cares so fucking much about other people that finding out he was tricked into killing Someone he loved #made him stright up suicidal #another interesting fandom shift is with how the fandom treats Blackwall (who I also adore he’s my canon romance for my inquisitor) #like he was also the least romanced character in inquisition and people were fucking nasty about him (and very ageist) #but these days he’s much more beloved and people can understand and see that his story is likely the most completed and interesting #our of the companions in that game #anyway I’ll stop my musings now I doubt anyone actually cares much about what I have to say about it

[shivunin]

WIP Wednesday

Thanks for the tag, @daggerbean! c:

I haven't had much time to write this week (given the circumstances), but luckily I have a handy pile of WIPs in various states of completion. This one covers the wedding scene at the beginning of Origins, the return to the alienage, and the Landsmeet, but it's a bit patchwork at the moment. This scene is set just after finding Shianni later in the game.

Sorry if I tagged you on the other blog already this week haha, my brain is goop. Tagging (no pressure): @demandthedoodles @dungeons-and-dragon-age @greypetrel @ndostairlyrium @vakarians-babe @star--nymph @zenstrike

CW: Panic attack, indirect references to the events of the Tabris origin

“The things that happened after your wedding,” Shianni said, her voice tight, “it was horrible.” Already, being back in the alienage was doing something to her. Wen was not the same girl who’d walked away from here. She could not duck her head and hope for the best as she had for the last ten years. She…also could not hate these people as she had when she’d left. Plenty of them were awful—had been awful to her family for as long as she could remember—but she could see the pained exhaustion in their faces now, too. They were all trapped here together and none of them could do a blighted thing about it. The closest they’d ever come to feeling powerful was kicking at her family when they could.  Arianwen didn’t want them all to die.  But this was—oh, this hurt her. Shianni’s eyes flicked to the left a second before Zevran spoke.  “A wedding?” he sounded like his old, amused self—which, she supposed, meant that he was very hurt. Curse it all. Curse this place and everything that'd happened here. “So there is a secretive side to you after all.”

Little insects crawled around inside of Arianwen’s skin. They carried with them the stench of the alcohol on Vaughan’s breath, the sharp scent of the hair oil Wen had been wearing that day, the heaviness of the dress on her body, the ringing in her ears when she’d woken in the arl of Denerim’s residence. Secretive—yes, she’d been carrying many tiny secrets inside of her. She’d thought she’d gotten rid of them, pawned and forgotten like the golden ring in Ostagar.  Zevran was waiting; she did not want him to wait. Wen looked over her shoulder at him and forced herself to meet his eyes.  “I was…betrothed,” she said, and his face didn’t change one whit. She’d have to explain herself later, when she wasn’t…when they weren’t… “It didn’t end well.” Shianni looked at her, but Wen couldn’t read her expression. It was too loud in her ears to make anything out, though she’d once known her cousin’s face better than her own. Everything around her seemed blurred, somehow, oil paint smeared by a careless finger. Zevran and his bright eyes and his kidskin voice were her present; this place, crooked and dark and foul-smelling, was her past. She didn’t like them meeting. If she’d been thinking, she would have left him at home and dragged Leliana and her pity along instead.  “No?” Zevran’s brows were arched, his mouth crooked with something that might be described as a smile. She wished she didn’t know him so well; she wished she couldn’t see the wound underneath the golden veneer.  Wen wanted to crawl out of her own body. No—she wanted Morrigan’s trick of shedding her own skin and taking another instead. She’d be a cat up the vhenadahl by now if she could, or a mouse lost to the roots.  “You left him at the altar, didn’t you?” Yes.  Yes, she had, in a way. She hadn’t been there for that, though. She’d been neither here nor there, really. She looked at Zevran, her lips parting and pursing again, and his smile faded to a sliver. Beside her, carefully, Shianni’s hand crept into hers. They’d stood like this a hundred times: in the market, when the other people would jostle them as they carried their purchases home; down the street to the gates when Shianni would leave for work; beside the pyre when Mother had been burned. Wen squeezed and Shianni squeezed back, her hands rough and cold but nonetheless comforting in their familiarity.  Tabris couldn’t read Zevran’s face, either. He wasn’t smiling. His eyes looked—she didn’t know. Would it be horrible if she was sick right now?  Yes. She should say something instead. Wen worked her jaw loose from its rictus and spoke.   “He died,” she said. 

#wip wednesday #arianwen tabris #shivunin scrivening #god i just!!!! think this scene is so interesting if you bring a LI to the alienage quest #this whole interaction is just buck wild. idk that wen would have explained this to zev otherwise (though she did tell morrigan) #but what a way to find out about it. i mean. damn. #immediately followed by 'oh yeah btw your dad has been taken by slavers'. like??? #what a shitty shitty set of things to happen in one day #long post

[biowho]

Oh god we’re a month away from when I said I’d host BioWare Blorbo Beatdown 2

#this time I think I’m gonna put a disclaimer on every poll reminding the voter what a blorbo is #They’re not the companion you romance!! I mean sometimes they are but!! they’re a little little guy!!! #I’m also gonna bracket them so they’re not random #I think…Garrus and Zevran go at in in round 1 #or! they’re excluded until the very end #(they won their respective games last year and zev won over garrus by like half a percent) #I still think Merrill shoulda won

[m-m-m-myysurana]

ZevWardenWeek 2023

A Cage We Share - Chapter 11.

So this isn't for any particular prompt, but all the ZevWarden goodness got me thinking about my old fic, and lo and behold a chapter appeared! It had been mostly written many moons ago so I finally got around to finishing it off.

Enjoy! <3

#Zevwarden week 2023 #Zevran x Surana #Zevran x f!warden #Angst #my writing #Neria and Zev #A Cage We Share #its been soo damn long since I've written about these two #it felt good #but I also think I need to kick the pacing of this story up a notch cause otherwise I'll get absolutely no where lmao

[nightmarist]

I want everyone in camp to kiss Zevlor.

Gale knows first hand what its like for a god to abandon you.

Shadowheart knows what its like to have your inner darkness pulled out and manipulated.

Wyll knows what its like to shoulder everyone else's safety and priorities over his own.

Lae'zel would understand the manipulations of higher powers but also know a great warrior's resolve.

Halsin knows what its like to be the leader and responsible for an entire group.

Astarion knows what manipulation into obedience is, and could appreciate genuine (if not sickly sweet) safety

Everyone should kiss Zevlor.

#i couldnt word it very well but i do think star's entire life being forced to obey #could slot into zev's as a hellrider who gave his entire life to obedience only to be betrayed #im sorry i have yet to recruit minth but i think she and zevlor could hatefuck as god-abandoned paladins so nasty #or maybe. minth being a female drow is used to being worshiped. zev as a sad goat man perfectly obedient. #i went into bg assuming id fall in love with star. and i did. but i did not anticipate falling in love with the old goat man.