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janehaster · 1 month

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Solas is not the Dread Wolf

Since Trespasser, everyone is departing from the assumption that Solas is the Ancient Elven God known as Fen'Harel. What everyone should be asking, though, is: where's the evidence?

Solas claims a lot of things when we meet him again in Trespasser. He also claimed he was a harmless apostate that used to live in a secluded village during our first dialogue interaction with him. Throughout the game, he makes tons of statements which later prove to be false or misleading. And when confronted with the possibility that he's not who he claims to be, you earn disapproval from him.

(Remember the dialogue after the Wicked Eyes quest, in the rotunda at Skyhold, where he disapproves if you hint at how odd it is that he misses court intrigue if he'd never been in a court before?)

Now, Solas made several wild claims to the Inquisitor about his identity. However, we know for a fact that he is a mitomaniac (the habit of lying, of fabricating untrue stories to manipulate people's perceptions, either about the subject in order to cast them in a favourable light or to alter their perception of reality and facts), a tendency closely associated with narcissists, psychopaths and megalomaniacs. This is highly relevant to DA4 because, if he indeed isn't who he claims to be, then he is more dangerous than we realize.

Let's assume Solas isn't Fen'Harel. Instead, he was a mage living in the times of Arlathan. We can attribute his knowledge of the Evanuris to him living or working closely to and with them. Maybe he was a servant? An escape slave, freed by Fen'Harel? And in the process, he may have met Mythal and became her follower, even a close ally. That would explain why she calls him "old friend".

Solas, being simply an ordinary servant of the Evanuris, knows everything about where their power truly comes from. He knew about in uthenera, the sleep of "immortality", and so managed to wake up thousands of years into the future. He knew about the Elven orbs - the Foci - and the power they held to allow passage into the Fade from the waking world.

What he (likely) did not know is how to use some of these powers correctly. Hence, his failure in expecting Corypheus to die after unlocking the orb. In fact, the orb likely belonged to another Evanuris and he was stealing it, with Fen'Harel's followers being none the wiser.

There were other failures that Solas confesses, such as the fact that a great portion of Arlathan, located in the Fade, was destroyed after creating the Veil. Not only that, but every life form literally became Tranquil due to his actions. As he himself states, he made everything worse in the hopes of saving the world from the Evanuris. This is very telling, because if any of this is true, then it means he is incapable of foreseeing the consequences of his manipulation of magic, and he isn't such a great magic wielder as the legendary Elven God he claims to be. Or worse, he claimed to have performed these magical feats by himself when it was in fact the historical Fen'Harel who performed them.

And worst of all: if Solas isn't Fen'Harel, then he's no more than a power-hungry mage going after the powers of the Evanuris to storm the Black City and claim true godhood. That would explain why he states: "as the world burns in the raw chaos"...he doesn't really care about the consequences of his actions, not even to the Elven people, who he might be deceiving in order to get them to work for him, so long as he can control what could very well be the Heart of Thedas, the source of all life and magic and effectively become "The Maker", reshaping reality as he sees fit.

...

As usual, this is just speculation on my part. However, Solas' magical blunders and his complete lack of power after waking up from in uthenera are highly suspicious. Couple that with him being a mitomaniac and the fact that the real Dread Wolf seems to be a spirit from the Fade guarding the Black City, rather than an Elven mage and you have the perfect combination of factors for suspecting that Solas might be in fact a CHARLATAN. For all we know, the real Fen'Harel might even be trapped with the rest of the Evanuris. Until the Veil is lifted and they are freed, we won't know.

#dragon age #dragon age theory #solas dragon age #dragon age 4 #solas #arlathan #theory #dragon age lore #dragon age speculation

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slavicafire · 8 months

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Dear Żmija, I have just finished Inquisition that my dear friend that got me into DA is very fond of, and I just couldn’t explain to her why… it just doesn’t right with me. I loved Trespasser and ESPECIALLY the Solas romance but making Inquisitor a Mary Sue and overall focusing on her role in Thedas too much (as well as Corypheus being the villain… bleh) just felt like such a waste. What are your thoughts on the game? Because I remember you calling it „catholic”. (i’ll welcome a rant. Also hope you are well!)

ah. I have cast them away but alas, here come all my dragon age brain worms, happily returning to the fold like dozens upon dozens of prodigal sons.

quick foreword: i always play as humans, and i always play as warriors - I have played dai as a mage just once. so, in theory, I should be the one type of player the game caters to the most, lore-wise. alas.

inquisition is absolutely the weakest link in the da games - and it takes, for the lack of a more polite word, a giant shit on the lore and atmosphere set up by origins and expanded/played with by II.

and don't get me wrong, the first two games blundered and made a lot of mistakes, contained a lot of inconsistencies, contradicted their own set up plenty of times - but the expectation was (very much so) that inquisition would not only avoid fucking up in the same way but also! would fix some of those mistakes. add both proper gravitas to the story of the world - and allow for the return of the fascinating, genre-appropriate - again, for the lack of a more polite word - whimsy. it was supposed to be more comprehensive, more complex, more creative. heavy, again, yet funny. meaningful.

instead, inquisition made sure to make everyone bland, rather catholic and centrist in their convictions and beliefs - which, in a setting so fueled by the absolute injustice enacted on entire subgroups of people, simply means it made most characters bland conservatives, on the in-universe axis regarding chantry, mages, circles, elves, slavery, dwarves, the qun, and basically anything else you can think of. even characters who are supposed to be Hardcore Believers in whatever it is their convictions are end up being kind of undecided or confused about it all - see sera (love her as i might) or cassandra (no comment), or even bull when talking about the qun (which we are supposed to approach from a more liberal perspective now, diminishing its actual depth). don't even get me started on cullen, wannabe war criminal creep, who had a chance to become something interesting at the end of da II and then instead got wattpadded into the game as your trusty sidekick to prank instead of, you know, asking about how fucked up places starting with k get when he's there.

and then the game doesn't allow you to actually take a stance yourself - it just lets you choose the tone of expressing the one or two stances picked for you. you can't actually play as a meaningful character with proper agency - you must play as someone whose goal is to uphold the andrastian approach (not even faith, but approach), enjoy being the head of a giant religious militia, subdue mages at least partially, yield to accepting the apparent non-issue the grey warden order becomes, and then also give even less of a shit about elves and slavery than the previous games did.

I believe the only way to actually play the inquisitor without megatons of meta roleplaying in your head is to be kind of an evil cunt - and I don't mean choosing the asshole options in dialogue and missions, I simply mean accepting the fact that no matter what you do or what you say, you can't do or say anything all that meaningful. or good. nothing revolutionary, for sure.

the companions and advisors won't mind too much either way, after all.

#well that IS a rant. sorry #thank you for asking I could write for days about this #I won't... but I could #all this bile within me oft demands to be witnessed #dai

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daitranscripts · 2 months

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What Pride had Wrought Pt. 9

Giving Chase

What Pride had Wrought Masterpost Previous: Temple of Mythal

The PC enters the next room and is greeted by an explosion. Samson/Calpernia stands nearby.

Samson: Hold them off! Calpernia: Don’t let them pass!

They leap into the hole they created in the temple floor, leaving the party to fight red templars/Venatori.

PC: Come on. We might catch them

The party approaches the tunnel, but Morrigan stops them and gestures towards a nearby door.

Morrigan: Hold! A moment. While they rush ahead, this leads to our true destination. We should walk the petitioner’s path, as before.

Party Comments:

Cole: People are dying outside while we stand here. If we use the tunnel, more of our soldiers can flee.

Iron Bull: You forget that army fighting for us out there? Longer we play around, the more Inquisition soldiers die. There’s a hole–jump in.

Vivienne: Lady Morrigan was wrong about Corypheus seeking an eluvian. Do we trust her now? While we dally with “rituals,” Inquisition soldiers die outside these walls. Down is swifter.

Cassandra: An army fights and dies for us. The longer we tarry, the more soldiers we lose outside. Let’s jump down and be done with this place.

Blackwall: You’ve an army dying out there, Inquisitor. We’re wasting time fiddling with this magic. If jumping down will get us out faster, we should do it.

Sera: Right. Slow down. Give the baddies a chance. That’s fair and dumb! If we’re going in, let’s get in. Jump already.

Varric: We’d have to figure it out first, right? While Inquisition soldiers die in the forest? The faster we get out of here, the more people go home.

Solas: In this case, I must agree with the witch. This is ancient ground, deserving of our respect.

Dorian: Just a thought: maybe rushing through this place like a mad bull isn’t the best plan?

Morrigan (Solas or Dorian in party): You see the urgency. We cannot find the Well of Sorrows unprepared. Morrigan (neither Solas or Dorian in party): Performing these rituals may mean the difference between reaching the Well before Corypheus’s minions and not at all!

Dialogue options:

General: Are you certain? [1]

General: You want the Well, don’t you? [2]

General: We’re here to stop Corypheus. [3]

1 - General: Are you certain? PC: We don’t know what’s behind those doors. They might have a reason for going another way. Morrigan: Had they the option, they would have proceeded. That must lead to their goal. PC: Their goal? Or yours? [4]

2 - General: You want the Well, don’t you? PC: You’re very eager to reach our destination. Morrigan: Are we not all eager to stop Corypheus from achieving his mad plan. PC: It sounds like what you want is that well. [4]

3 - General: We’re here to stop Corypheus. PC: We don’t need to reach the Well first if we stop them before they find it. Morrigan: Reach the Well before they do, and their plan is ended! PC: And your plan? [4]

4 - Scene continues.

Morrigan: There is… a danger to the natural order. Legends walked Thedas once, things of might and wonder. Their passing has left us all the lesser. Corypheus would squander the ancient power of the Well. I would have it restored.

Dialogue options:

General: You’re a romantic? [5]

General: You know nothing about it! [7]

General: Why should I trust you? [8]

5 - General: You’re a romantic? PC: I wasn’t expecting your answer to be so… romantic. Morrigan: Trust me. Your surprise is matched only by my own. [8]

6 - General: You know nothing about it! PC: You barely know what the Well of Sorrows is, but you want to restore it? Morrigan: Yes! Is Thedas so full of wonders that we should leave them to die one by one? [8]

7 - General: Why should I trust you? PC: I should take your word that this is altruism and not hunger for power? Morrigan: Ah, yes. Far easier to believe the Witch of the Wilds full of greed. [8]

8 - Scene continues:

Morrigan: Mankind blunders through the world, crushing what it does not understand: elves, dragons, magic… the list is endless. We must stem the tide or be left with nothing more than the mundane. This I know to be true. I read more in the first chamber than I revealed. It said a great boon is given to those who use the Well of Sorrows… but at a terrible price.

9 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: What’s this boon and price? [10]

General: Why not tell me this earlier? [11]

General: Of course there’s a price. [12]

General: Do you want the Well yourself? [13]

10 - Investigate: What’s this boon and price? PC: What exactly did that altar say about the Well of Sorrows? Morrigan: Like most elven writing, it was insufferably vague. The term I deciphered was “halam’shivanas”—“the sweet sacrifice of duty.” It implies the loss of something personal for duty’s sake. Yet for those who served at this temple, a worthwhile trade. [back to 9]

11 - General: Why not tell me this earlier? PC: Did you not trust me enough to tell me about this price when you read it? Morrigan: I hoped to find more information. If I intended to cheat you, I would have feigned ignorance entirely. [14]

12 - General: Of course there’s a price. PC: What sort of curse should we brace ourselves for if we use the Well? Morrigan: ‘Twould be easier by far to advise you of a curse. This price is not so well defined. [14]

13 - General: Do you want the Well yourself? PC: Is your real goal the power inside this Well? Morrigan: Yes, if that is the only way to preserve it! [14]

14 - Scene continues.

Morrigan: My priority is your cause, but if the opportunity arises to save this Well, I am willing to pay the cost.

PC: And gain what?

Morrigan: That is what we must discover. The rituals may point the way.

Next: The Ancient Crypts Next: Hall of Shrines

#dragon age inquisition #dai transcripts #dragon age #dragon age transcripts #dragon age dialogue #dai #long post #what pride had wrought #wphw

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itshaejinju · 3 years

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Random Dragon Age Musings #4

Dorian and and the Inquisitor staying up late at night reading over cups of coffee or tea. As the night progresses they sit opposite to side by side to leaning against each other falling asleep as the sun starts to rise. Lelilana often spots them or Helisma and covers them in blankets. Sometimes the books range from the Fade, Necromancy, Dragons and the comical blunders throughout the history of Thedas.

#dragon age inquisition #dai #dorian pavus #inquisitor #headcanons #my writings #dragon age #dragon age dorian #fluffy

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puddygeeks · 4 years

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Dusk Till Dawn - Dragon Age Inquisition - Cullen/Inquisitor

Masterlist

Rating: Suitable for all

A/N: This is actually my first ever piece of writing from the perspective of an existing character, especially a male so cut me some slack whilst I experiment with this new venture. I also do not tend to write in the 3rd person, so this piece has been a learning curve for me. However, I felt hugely inspired to write a fluffy piece about my fluffy boy, so enjoy! Let me know if you’d like to see more DA based content from me in future.

Summary: Commander Cullen struggles to maintain a professional, working relationship with the Inquisition’s fearless leader. As the realisation dawns on him that his thoughts linger on her, he begins to question whether the feeling is mutual.

Fandom: Dragon Age

Pairing: Cullen Rutherford/Lavellan

My writing is entirely fuelled by coffee! If you enjoy my work, feel free to donate toward my caffeine dependency: will work for coffee

Warnings: Perhaps some mild spoilers?

Standing across the war table, hand placed comfortably on the hilt of his sword, Commander Cullen focused on remaining professional.

Their fearless leader assigned missions and plotted political manoeuvres that would shape the very fabric of all the Kingdoms in Thedas. Despite being plucked from relative obscurity, she rose to this responsibility as if made for it and led the rapidly growing Inquisition with grace and wisdom.

Without warning, her large, almond shaped eyes met his and he felt his very spirit stir at the subtle connection between them. Buried in the deep hue of her eyes, he could always sense some hidden power that was disguised by her petite frame and seemingly harmless appearance.

He felt himself fidget on the spot, an involuntary movement that had escaped his carefully controlled facade and he noticed a slight smile lurking in the corners of her mouth.

There was a hint of playfulness in the way that she viewed him, he thought, before she swept from the chamber, leaving it notably colder by her absence. Surely he must have been mistaken. She was an icon, a force of nature in the crumbling world and would never view him as anything more than her lieutenant.

“My, my. Are you blushing, Commander?”

Leliana’s sickly sweet voice drifted from his side, tainting the drafty space with her sly implications.

It was not the first time that suggestions of this nature had been made about him, but each time caused him to bristle with embarrassment in a manner that was entirely more revealing than intended. He made a sound that almost resembled a scoff at the absurdity of her statement, but it strangely combined with an awkward splutter that filled the bard’s usually pale face with a smug satisfaction.

“I do believe you may be correct, Leliana. Our dearest Commander certainly does seem rather flustered. Why, I could not possibly suggest a cause for such a reaction.” Josephine taunted, her words coated in a barely concealed enthusiasm as she studied him over the top of her papers.

Cullen cleared his throat in a joyless bid to regain some composure, as his colleagues gazed past him at each other with mischief gleaming in their eyes.

“Surely you both have other matters to attend to? Nobles to pamper, or spies to train?” He countered, a poignant lack of authority in his voice, as the women crossed their arms and met his suggestions with a blatant disdain.

The Inquisitor inspired courage and determination in the recruits, each viewing her as a symbol of hope and light in the darkness. For Cullen, however, she was a constant distraction and a trigger for his most regretful, tense behaviours.

As time passed, he found that he was able to recognise traits within her that others were blind to. He was stunned by the depth of her kindness towards him. Regardless of the shame that he felt when presenting his issues with addiction for her judgement, he was always met with understanding and compassion. These were new experiences for Cullen and the emotions that they provoked in him were completely unexplored territory.

On the battlements of Skyhold, he embarked on his regular stroll to examine and assess their sustainability, when an unfamiliar sight caused him to pause in his tracks. Standing by the edge, staring out into the mountains with an intense expression was the Inquisitor, clearly deeply lost in thought.

She didn’t seem to notice Cullen’s arrival, as her gloved hands gripped onto the stone wall and he recognised that the usual strength that radiated from her was absent. In what she believed to be a solitary moment, her defences were lowered and she had allowed herself an opportunity to be vulnerable.

Cullen felt awkward witnessing this, feeling the familiar sensation of invading upon a sacred space as he’d often experienced throughout his youth in the Chantry.

“Are you going to stand and stare all day, or would you prefer to join me, Commander?”

His stomach churned as her words cut through the tense silence and she turned to glance at him over her shoulder with a gentle smile. He blanched at her casual offer, feeling pressure compressing his chest and she returned to her pondering, blissfully unaware of the nerves that her presence summoned in him.

“I apologise, my lady. It was not my intention to intrude, nor to stare.” He managed to force the words out through the block in his throat, but as they left his mouth, he acknowledged the deeply ingrained formality in the way that he addressed her. She smiled fondly at nothing in particular.

There was a stifling atmosphere as he realised that there was not another soul in sight and inwardly, he scolded himself for not recognising the absence of guards earlier. He knew that they had likely already shifted their positions out of respect, to allow her a moment of peace and he felt embarrassed at his perceived social blunder.

“You’re not intruding. You don’t need to tiptoe around me, you know. I don’t bite.” She commented idly and Cullen tightened his grip on his sword in stress.

The instances of flirtatious remarks were mounting, an overpowering suggestion in his already cluttered mind and each new addition increased his difficulty in denying their presence. They were an ever present force, haunting him at all hours of the day with their desire to be acknowledged. He pushed it away, desperately pleading with his heart to allow him to remain focused and appropriate. The Inquisitor regarded him with an amused disbelief, as he remained at his cautious distance.

“Do you ever simply stop patrolling, or working, and allow yourself a few moments of peace? Our surroundings are idyllic. It’s wasteful not to appreciate them.” She urged, gesturing for him to join her and, unable to deny her request for a second time, he reluctantly marched over to her side with his legs feeling as heavy as led.

The view from the battlements was breath-taking, but it was difficult to fully realise it’s wonder beside the simple splendour of her beauty. She sighed wistfully, the pleasant sound causing a flutter in his stomach and he relished the circumstances that allowed him to witness her in a more relaxed state than he’d ever been entrusted with in the past.

Surrounded by snowy mountains and without the usual bustle of demands pressing against them, the silence was no longer tense and Cullen allowed his shoulders to gradually lower into a comfortable slouch.

“We filled this empty shell with purpose and belief.” She began, breaking the silence in a sour manner.

“The halls are bustling with people determined to bring change to our world and the courtyard has become a home to the faithful. Undeterred by all theories to the contrary, we’ve proven it possible to unite mages and templars against a common enemy, under a single, inclusive banner that fights for the freedom of all.” She detailed, as she listed achievements that should have filled her voice with pride, but instead the words rang hollow and her tone remained lacklustre.

Cullen was unnerved by her raw, unenthusiastic demeanour that existed in stark contrast to the invigorating personality that she displayed in the company of her comrades.

“And yet, at the head of this mighty cause is a single elf. Inquisitor Lavellan. Despite all of the titles, followers and respect, I am still merely a Dalish with a strange light imbued in my palm. My value is awarded as a result of missing memories that humans have interpreted as a symbol of divine intervention. Tell me, Commander Cullen, what certainty can you possess that I am worthy of such duty?” Lavellan turned to face him, her eyes alight with a storm of emotions that blazed from the inside and he was lost under the intensity of her doubt.

Words failed him as he floundered in search of an answer that could provide her with the peace that she so desperately desired.

In his heart, he knew that his belief in her was greater than any other within this fortress, or indeed all Thedas itself. He knew that if he allowed himself to be honest, he could list all of the admirable qualities that he had long admired about the awe-worthy being before him.

Regretfully, his terror of unveiling the depth of his devotion prevented him from granting her with honesty. Instead, he beheld her with a barely concealed state of adoration and she sighed in disappointment.

“I’m sorry. I’ve posed a question that you couldn’t possibly answer. I suppose I should know better than to burden others with my own insecurities.” She excused, turning her face from him with an unsatisfied void in her eyes that would remain with him for as long as he lived.

The cool, crisp air tore through the gaps in their defences, carrying the loose sections of her silver hair out behind her like wings and only exaggerated her appearance to him as some kind of ethereal being.

As his gaze explored her features, he noticed that her nose and cheeks glowed in a delicate shade of pink that spread to the tips of her gracefully pointed ears and he wondered how long she had been standing here, allowing her exposed skin to grow cold. He ached to lighten her burden, to remove the knot that formed between her brows as she battled the responsibilities that threatened to crush her beneath their weight and against his better judgement, his answer began to flow freely from his lips.

“In all of my years as a templar, I have followed leaders of many different titles. Each of them possessed their own approach, their own qualities that influenced their choices and shaped their time in power.” He recounted, uncertain of the confessions that might escape his lips as he spoke without restraint.

“Never have I known any other to rise from the ashes as you have, nor for the people to elect them with such fervent belief. They follow you with unshakable faith, as do I, not because of your origins, your race or your rumoured holiness. They follow because of your decisions, because you lead with a grace and wisdom that comes from deep within and is unique to your formidable soul.”

“You are the Inquisitor not because of the anchor that you wield, but because there is no other who could fulfil this duty as you have. You are indisputably, unfathomably, exceptionally more than ‘merely a Dalish’, Lady Lavellen.” He spoke with conviction and with every shred of reasoning, he observed her becoming increasingly humbled by his confession.

Of course, Cullen knew her name, but he wouldn’t dare to address her by it, believing that it disrespected her journey and consequent struggles to earn the title which she now held. Her eyes grew wide and it was clear that she was shocked by the passion of his words, whilst he waited in a terror ridden state, fearing that he had absolutely revealed too much.

“It is incomprehensible to me that you are capable of such earnest insight into others, whilst believing yourself to be scarcely more than a failed ex-templar.” She surveyed him with a sympathetic, yet frustrated expression and as often would occur in her company, Cullen found himself lost for words.

When under her gaze, he felt unworthy of the praise that she often bestowed upon him and could not fathom her unwavering faith in him. Even when he had suggested that Cassandra replace him, Lavellan refused to allow him to relinquish his position and insisted that he could defeat his demons to abstain from the use of lyrium once and for all. There was no doubt in his mind that she made him a better person, but in spite of all his improvement, he still could not even begin to imagine himself as deserving of her fondness.

Lavellan turned from the wall to face him fully, closing the distance between them until she was nearer than he’d ever had cause to be. In such proximity, he could smell the natural scent of flowers and herbs on her skin, admired the sun that glinted in her eyes and his face flushed with a heat that exposed his exhilaration.

For longer than he could ever truly admit, he had laid awake at night, imagining what a privilege it would be to touch her, but he would never be so bold as to attempt such a sin. Involuntarily, he gulped as she pouted her plump lips thoughtfully and his heart pounded with such intensity that he felt concerned that it could cease to function at any given moment.

She leaned forward at a painfully gradual pace and had to shift her balance onto her toes in order to reach him. With ice tinted lips, she placed a single delicate kiss on his cheek, contrasting sharply with the burning of his skin.

Instead of immediately moving away she lingered there, her breath tickling his neck as her mouth brushed his ear.

“Your faith extinguishes my fear, unlike any other.” She whispered, her words burning into Cullen’s mind like a brand from an iron that could never be compromised.

All of his senses seemed to be intensified, as he committed every minute detail to memory for fear that this experience may not occur more than once. When she leaned back into his field of vision, her features glowed with fondness and he simply gawped at her in amazement.

“You put my heart at ease, Cullen. Thank you.” She admitted with a relaxed sigh and without a further word, or any indication that she would explain the meaning behind this statement, she parted from him.

As Lavellan’s delicate steps echoed down the stone staircase, Cullen remained rooted to the spot, obsessively analysing the conversation and wondering if he’d perhaps misunderstood. Perhaps the mountain of comments in his mind that he’d long considered to be indulgent, self-delusion had accumulated into something more significant than he’d ever dared to imagine.

#dragon age #Inquisition #dragon age inquisition #dragon age inquistor #lavellan #inquisitor lavellan #bioware #cullen #cullen rutherford #commander cullen #fanfiction #fanfic #dragon age fanfiction #cullen fanfiction #cullen rutherford fanfiction #inquisition fanfiction #cullen x lavellan #cullen x inquisitor #bioware fanfiction

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thessalian · 3 years

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Thess vs More Missing Pieces

Back to Thedas, and doing my usual “I need to preserve some sense of immediacy here” thing by leaving Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts until basically the last minute. Which means that I spend a lot of time still thinking that Blackwall is ... well, Blackwall. And so does everybody else.

I’ve been bringing Cole out a bit more lately too - I tend not to if only because he’s a little squishy, but sometimes when I’m overlevelled for an area, I like to bring him along because what he says is interesting. So I’m blundering around the Exalted Plains with Blackwall as my tank, Solas as my mage (because I’m helping out the Dalish clan and I figure having an elf around is helpful) and Cole as my alternate damage dealer. And while I’m looking for the bit of shiny in Halin’sulahn after a detour to investigate those glyphs... Cole starts chant-singing one of those singularly creepy ‘children’s songs’ at which Thedas excels. And Blackwall basically loses his shit. “How do you know that song?” “It just came to me. I thought it was something everyone knew. ...The children knew it.”

I’m never sure whether or not to admire this game. Right now, this is only gut-punching me because I’ve played this game before. I know Blackwall’s history. I know why he flipped his shit. But this is the first time I’ve had this particular bit come up, ever. It’s another missing piece that you only find if you pick the right party configuration and happen to trip over whatever random mechanic for party banter you get. And even if you get it, unless you manage to get it immediately before the Blackwall reveal, what are the odds that you’re going to remember that when it’s lost in wandering through all manner of open world faffery?

I miss Origins. I miss being able to know exactly how to trigger party banter, so you don’t miss too much. I get that it’s replayability and all that, but it just feels frustrating that there’s stuff that might never, ever come up just because of how huge the world is and how easy it is to get lost in.

I still like it to degrees, mind. But I hyperfocus on it a lot just because I know it could be better, I want it to be better, and I pick it apart for the places it could be better so that even if I can’t totally recode the game, I can at least adapt my playstyle to make it as close to the experience I want as I can get.

Just ... not everything has to be open world. I miss the immediacy of a smaller map and a distinct shortage of fetch quests. Open worlds dilute the good moments. Why doesn’t that seem to register with game companies anymore?

#Thess plays video games

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notyourparadigm · 3 years

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I understand the nuances of Dorian's life in Dragon Age, my big fear is that Bioware will piggy back off of something pre-established as a "OH see! Lore building!" as a way to hand wave away queer romances that just are. I've been playing the mass effect remaster and there's big backlash on not bringing back cut queer content. The excuse is always something about not wanting to hurt sales and upset parents and it sucks. I'm worried that they'll use pre-established stories that are real and genuine, and use it as an excuse to avoid substantial queer content.

I really, really don't see them doing that, honestly. Dragon Age (and Mass Effect) are both rated M. I've never seen BioWare once claim they have avoided content out of fear of "upsetting parents", because it's not a game they're marketing to children in the first place. In fact— every single entry of Dragon Age, they've been adding to the significance of queer characters, and giving them more agency in the narrative at large.

In DAO, they had (to my knowledge; I've not been in the fandom since ye olde days) some of the first queer representation in gaming I could even think of— and genuine romance, too, not just a gag or off-screen reference of queer people. Now, could you marry Alistair and become King of Ferelden as a m!Cousland? No. Was the subject of sexuality / same sex couples in Thedas really addressed aside from "sometimes they fuck"? No. It was still very bare-bones. But still way more than most games I know at the time.

In DA2, they said "fuck it, everyone's bi", in a way that both took steps forward (no default heterosexuality for characters) as well as steps back in that by just having everyone being bi, there was less of actual queer stories being told as much vs sort of a blanket "playersexual" narrative you'll see people sometimes site (as well as with some massive nasty bi erasure in removing Anders' lines regarding Karl for fHawke, which I won't defend lmao). But it was so nice to go into a game knowing that the character I ended up liking the most I could romance without fear of them being straight-locked.

In DAI, I think they recognized that this was not the ideal form of representation, as we had the first instances of characters being homosexual-locked, as well as dialogues and narratives specifically addressing the characters as such, as well as the first game I've ever played with a canonical transgender character not played for laughs. Now, was everything done perfect? No, not really. I've never played Sera's romance all the way through but seeing videos of her personal quests really... make me think I probably never will. RIP. And the fact that Krem was voiced by a cis woman still makes me :\ pretty hard.

But you know what I see the most with BioWare? They're trying with their representation. Dorian's narrative hit home with me in ways I've never felt in a video game before. Seeing Krem being defended by the Chargers if the Inquisitor makes ignorant remarks about his identity made me smile and feel seen for the first time in gaming. Having the boldness to gay/lesbian-lock characters in a world where heteronormativity is rampant in most of their target market shows signs to me that they're trying to take strides to do more, and better each time— regardless of what's profitable or marketable.

So to be honest, anon— I am not worried about DA4 shying away from queer content, if the trends from the games thus far are anything to go by. BioWare has been attempting to push the envelope and tell more genuine and full-dimensional stories with each entry, and while they might fail and blunder along the way (and be decried online endlessly for it) what matters most to me is that they're trying.

No piece of media is free of flaws, and no doubt we will continue to tell the writers where their writing and representation is problematic. And hopefully, they will continue to listen and try to rectify those issues. But the fact that they're still doing their damned hardest to try even after being chewed out by fandom places (for not getting the representation right) and conservative gamers (for daring to put the "queer agenda" in their game) gives me hope that they are going to continue to try.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I haven’t played any Mass Effect games so I can’t put proper input in on that aspect of things lol. But when it comes to most remasters, I can’t say I’m surprised that they don’t put back in cut content, not because it’s controversial— but because it’s extra time, effort, and thus money. New voice lines, play testing new / variants on quests, etc etc. I doubt the choice to not put in cut queer content was anything other than based on money. If it was free/cheap to do, I don’t see why they wouldn’t slap it on there and market “ALL NEW!! Previously Unseen Content!” for EZ marketing. If BioWare was truly afraid of pissing off people for promoting LGBT content— I think that ship has already sailed with their library of other games with visible queer content.

#anon #ask #BioWare positive #?#lol I don't know if that's accurate #god knows I have my own fair share of issues with BioWare #but for all the shit and wrong they've done they've still been doing more than most other companies #and clearly the intent of their fuck ups are not malicious but usually done out of honest mistakes or sheer ignorance #which isn't an excuse ofc #but they're trying and I can't shit on them for that when many other triple A devs aren't doing the same

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blarrghe · 4 years

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tagged by @midnightprelude :D tagging some new pals @pip-n-flinx and @rpgwarrior4824 Thanks so much for the tag! This gives me the perfect opportunity to post this paragraph I’m quite proud of (it’s way more than six sentences tho lol), as well as this wip of a sketch to go with it (which I am less proud of, but felt compelled to draw because I made myself sad). Dorian having some caring Taren thoughts will be in the next chapter of SWNR, and knowing me I’ll probably never finish the sketch...

And now he knew too much, cared too much. Take his clothing -- not only had warm woollen sweaters and sturdy, many-pocketed jackets begun to seem inviting, but the more uncoordinated blunders now caused soft spots to bruise up over his once baleful heart. Tonight, Taren was wearing that vest - the unrepentantly busy one, all covered in its wild and weaving embroidery - pretty, even artful, but altogether distracting and in poor contrast with the pattern knit into the wool shirt beneath it. It was shapeless too, sort of ill fitting and entirely too well worn. Bits of embroidery thread poked out, fraying at the edges, and in some spots sections of the pattern were lost altogether. There were a few tears about it too, and not tasteful rips, but the sort of damage that made the thing seem more than simply well worn; it was frankly worn to death. It had also been his mother’s. The first time Dorian had poked fun at it, Taren had revealed that fact without any special signification, and it had seemed silly. The leader of the Inquisition, commanding his forces about Thedas while draped in his mother's dilapidated old vest - there was a reason Cullen wore that great cape. Now, he knew too much, cared too much, to laugh. Now he knew exactly what that meant, for the displaced elf to have something of his past, of his parents'. It meant he had held on to the thing since childhood, dragging it through the Free Marches; snagging it on coastal rocks and baking it in campfire heat and hazy summer sun. There were old rips in the fabric that had been sewn up, uneven patchwork over one of the sleeves, and places where the embroidery was newer. Undone and mended, probably countless times. He couldn't laugh at it anymore, had even begun stopping Vivienne when she went in with a knowing glance or pointed cough. Now it didn't strike him as funny when the Inquisitor dressed in haphazard avalanches of flannel shirts and wool knits and many pocketed jackets - he had seen him do it, throwing on clothes in a distracted hurry, reading a letter in one hand while practicing staff movements with the other (layers he would later leave scattered about the place; a sweater over a chair in the rotunda, a jacket on a bench in the garden, and so on as the sun grew in the sky). And it didn't strike him as funny that Taren had been wearing the same tattered vest every day since his return to Skyhold.

#dragon age #da:i #my writing #my fic #taren lavellan #baby taren is my favourite thing to draw look at that sad boi #swnr?#wip game #six sentence sunday #my art #dragon age fanfic #I can't draw feets help

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hopewrought · 4 years

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Verses cheat sheet

since I have so many verses and AUs I figure it could help interaction wise if I do a quick run-down for each one that’s a little more summarized than my verses page (which badly needs some revision) and who knows maybe it'll spark some plotting ideas!

DA verses:

Main: Follows the plot of DA2 essentially; with Bethany becoming a Grey Warden. Main divergences are she does return to Kirkwall every so often (without Hawke's knowledge unless plotted) and learns spirit healing from @fractalmind‘s Anders.

Kirkwall verse: Bethany stays behind from the deep roads expedition and is able to evade capture by templars via getting a job and paying people off (aka is present for the full events of all acts).

Chargers: Bethany is left behind from the expo and runs away from Kirkwall, ending up joining Bull's Chargers. Plotted with @afirmbelieverinnopantsfridays and also encompasses events of DAI where she's also available as a companion.

Inquisition companion verse: Exactly what it says on the tin, Bethany is available for recruitment as part of the inner circle and by default will be a Grey Warden. She ran away after learning of Clarel’s demon summoning plan, and seeks the Inquisitor’s aid in dealing with what has happened to her Order.

Inquisitor verse: In this verse when Bethany goes on the run, she follows some other Wardens (controlled by Corypheus) to the Conclave. She blunders in on Corypheus’ ritual and obtains the anchor, eventually being named Inquisitor.

Divine verse: Bethany is proposed as a candidate to lead the chantry by an allied Inquisitor and is successfully elected, leading to heavy reform and sweeping change.

Non-DA verses:

Modern: Based around general ‘modern Thedas’ concepts which assumes magic still exists because we love that urban fantasy vibe. Bethany chooses to become a veterinarian, secretly using her magical gifts to assist her ‘patients’. In her youth she was a child model, encouraged by Leandra to seek stardom but chose a quiet life instead; though she kept up her music lessons and is a talented musician with a popular Youtube channel where she does piano covers of rock songs.

Devil May Cry: Bethany is a demon hunter and a member of the Grey Wardens hunters guild. Like DA verses she has inherited her father’s magic; though she pretends that the source of her power is her staff and claims it to be a devil arm. Alt: Private, plotting only sub-verse where she’s Nero’s mother mainly written with @exxxceed and @cantusgratia!

DMC reboot: She is able to manipulate limbo, lost her family in demon attacks a bizarre string of murders, went into the medical field (specifically neuroscience) to help people and is the one who first discovers the effect the drink Virility has. Reaching out to the Order with this information, she is recruitable at a price.

Castlevania: Netflixvania-based, Bethany is tried as a witch after accidentally using her magic in public view. Her command of fire means she does not burn on the pyre and instead the villagers set fire to their own town when it spreads out of control. She escapes in the chaos once her ropes burn through and meets Alucard @necuraat, starting a new life.

FFXV: Here she is a member of the Kingsglaive after her family’s home at Saxham Outpost is destroyed in a daemon attack. Bethany is a powerful mage glaive and fights against the traitors during the fall of Insomnia, later becoming a hunter. Available for plotting as a quest giver or temporary companion for the bro squad.

FFVII: Bethany is recruited into the Turks by Tseng @xiinzhan and prior to this had underwent an experimental procedure known as Project MAGE, designed to create a magical artillery counterpart to the more physically conditioned SOLDIER.

Mass Effect: All I got is she’s a really strong biotic lmao (someone help me plot this?)

Resident Evil: Pending aaaaaaaaaa She’s in the BSAA and recruited by Moira @armedwithaflashlight.

Hell’s Island: A clusterfuck group verse from @hellsisland loosely based on RE:REV2.

#( gonna prune some verses from lack of use and also maybe add a mk one )#`☆▐▒░ | ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ sʜɪᴛᴘᴏsᴛs ɪɴ ᴀ ᴛʀᴇɴᴄʜ ᴄᴏᴀᴛ |「ooc」#( reference )#( verse info )

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anneapocalypse · 11 months

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Honestly something that really affected my view of Varric (and again, I say this with great love for the character) was playing my Terrible Hawke, Emilia, who ends the game an absolute anti-mage fanatic who believes that magic is a curse and it was a blessing that the Maker called Bethany back to His side before she could fall to demons. She is a Hawke who is mainly diplomatic, well-spoken, respected, and absolutely unhinged in her views on magic. She is the Viscount of Kirkwall, and by the time she comes to the Inquisition she's also taken Chantry vows and become an actual templar (after having practiced the discipline off the books for years). She singlehanded kept Kirkwall under Chantry control after Meredith's death. She slaughtered every mage to a one, even the ones who surrendered.

She's Varric's best friend. And he's just as starry-eyed about her in Inquisition as he is about any other Hawke. I love what a deeply unsettling side of Varric that is to see.

She's the best. She's a hero. She saved his city.

#varric critical #though again i love this about his character #varric at the end of the day is pro-kirkwall far more than he is either pro-mage or pro-templar. that's my read on him #blunders of thedas #dragon age stuff #emilia hawke #world state: noble hearts

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dgcatanisiri · 4 years

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The Wardens, Clarel in particular, but really all of them, are idiots. While I understand what fear and desperation can do, it’s still sheer stupidity to trust a Tevinter magister suggesting blood magic to control demons. Not a word of that is intelligent. And by “just following orders,” ALL the Wardens are complicit.

Worse, I’d have accepted the First Warden making a power grab, wanting to prove the Wardens as somethi other than a “relic” of a bygone age - that’s the understandable perspective most Thedas has, since before the Fifth Blight, it had been centuries since the last Blight, AND the Fifth Blight was the briefest. To Thedas at large, unaware of the what and why of the Wardens, that underplays their significance. So with the Breach, the ground level Wardens want to take charge and be the heroes, putting them at odds with the Inquisition.

Right there, they at least are not condemning themselves to following an idiot. It’s the First Warden playing on loyalty to the Order.

I get the feeling BioWare may have planned that initially, then got cold feet at the idea of making the Wardens, the heroes of the first game in the franchise, active antagonists, trying to softball it with the idea that they weren’t wholly in their right minds, but it’s replacing conflicted heroism with blundering stupidity.

#dg plays dragon age

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mocharoll · 4 years

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Dragon Age: Inquisition character alignments

Cassandra Pentaghast: Neutral Good

-I do nothing that is not worth doing with all my heart.

-One day, they may write about me as a traitor, a madwoman, a fool. And they may be right.

-The Circle of Magi has its place, but needs reform. Let the mages govern themselves, with our help. Let the templars stand not as the jailors of mages, but as protectors of the innocent. We must be vigilant, but we must also be compassionate to all peoples of Thedas, human or no. (...) If we are to spread the Maker's word across the world, we must do so with open hearts and open hands.(...)That is what I would change.

Varric Tethras: True Neutral (barely missing Neutral Good)

-To be honest with you, she’s just a better spymaster. The truly great ones can keep their distance. They don’t get attached to their people. Me, I always wind up babysitting my informants and worrying about their families. We’re in better hands with her.

-(If it was that bad, why did you stay? Cassandra said you were free to go.) I like to think I’m as selfish and irresponsible as the next guy, but this… Thousands of people died on that mountain. I was almost one of them. And now there’s a hole in the sky. Even I can’t walk away and just leave that to sort itself out.

-Heroes are everywhere. I've seen that. But a hole in the sky? That's beyond heroes. We're going to need a miracle.

-(You knew where Hawke was all along!) You’re damned right I did!

-You know what I think? If Hawke had been at the temple, s/he'd be dead too. You people have done enough to her/him.

Vivienne de Fer: Lawful Evil

- The Divine must set the example for all Thedas. She must seem to be the embodiment of the Maker to the faithful. She needs the authority of the Maker and the charisma of Andraste.

-I never worry, darling. A leash can be pulled from either end.

-Your failing-- among many-- is that you presume I desire approval. Power does not require that I be "liked.”

-Act first and teach them to fear us.

The Iron Bull: Lawful Neutral (Slides towards True Neutral if Tal-Vashoth)

-Dragons are the embodiment of raw power. But it's all uncontrolled, savage... So they need to be destroyed. Taming the wild. Order out of chaos.

-It's like being a block of stone with a sculptor working on you. One day, the last of the crap gets knocked off, and you can see your real shape, what you're supposed to be.

-My people don't pick leaders from the strongest, or the smartest, or even the most talented. We pick the ones willing to make the hard decisions... and live with the consequences.

Sera: Chaotic Good

-Someone little always hates someone big. And unless you don't eat, sleep, or piss, you're never far from someone little.

-Bad things should happen to bad people. We find someone not so bad, maybe he’ll end up not so dead.

-Watch out, yeah? The hole in the sky didn't start their war. Stupid people did that.

-Blah, blah, blah! Obey me! Arrow in my face!

Dorian Pavus: True Neutral

-In the south you have alienages, slums both human and elven. The desperate have no way out. Back home, a poor man can sell himself. As a slave he can have a position of respect, comfort, and could even support a family. Some slaves are treated poorly it's true, but do you honestly think inescapable poverty is better?

-If I truly believed my homeland was beyond all hope, I wouldn't miss it so much.

-Living a lie... it festers inside you, like poison. You have to fight for what's in your heart.

-I'm here to set things right. Also? To look dashing. That part's less difficult.

Solas: True Neutral

-Sometimes to achieve the world one desires, one must take regrettable measures.

-War breeds fear. Fear breeds a desire for simplicity. Good and evil. Right or wrong. Chains of command.

-One moment, I see heroic Grey Wardens lighting the fire and a power-mad villain sneering as he lets King Cailan fall. The next, I see an army overwhelmed and a veteran commander refusing to let more soldiers die in a lost cause.

Blackwall: Neutral Good (During Inquisition)

-“You are who you choose to follow.” Someone told me that once. Took me years to understand what he meant.

-At the heart of it, all a Warden is, is a promise. To protect others... even at the cost of your own life.

-(What can one Grey Warden do?) "Save the fucking world if pressed.

Cole: Neutral Good

-It is dangerous when too many men in the same armor think they're right.

-It doesn't matter that they won't remember me. What matters is I helped.

-(What of Magister Erimond? Do you sense a secret pain in him?) No. Erimond is an asshole.

Leliana: Neutral Good (if unhardened), True Neutral (if hardened)

The Chantry has committed many injustices. If we're going to change it, why not change the whole thing?

I've known mages. Some of them were better people than me. And yet I'm free and they're not. It's not right.

No one is without worth. Whoever you are, whatever your mistakes, you are loved. Unconditionally.

Josephine: Neutral Good

- We face a dark time, Your Grace. Divine Justinia would not want her passing to divide us. She would, in fact, trust us to forge new alliances to the benefit of all, no matter how strange they might seem.

-(I can only imagine the bloodshed if it escalates further.) I’m afraid history holds many examples of what will happen if it does.

-But it was such a waste, Inquisitor! When I took of his mask I knew him. We’d attended parties together. If I’d stopped to reason, if I’d used my voice instead of scuffling like a common thug...

Cullen Rutherford: Neutral Good (even more so if kept off of Lyrium. Lawful Good if he takes Lyrium)

-The templars should have restored order, but red lyrium had driven Knight-Commander Meredith mad. She threatened to kill Kirkwall’s Champion, turned on her own men. I’m not sure how far she would have gone. Too far.

-(Why did you join the Order?) I could think of no better calling than to protect those in need.

-(I doubt the Commander believes there’s anything worthy left in me.) You’re not wrong. But you served something greater than yourself once. Perhaps you can be made to remember that.

-Shouldn’t they be arguing over who’s going to become Divine?

Morrigan: True Neutral

-No son of mine would be raised in a marsh, bereft of contact with the outside world. His future will be difficult enough without my adding to his burden.

-The magic of old must be preserved. No matter how feared.

-What I fear, what all should fear, is not that Corypheus believes he can succeed; ‘tis that he actually may.

-Mankind blunders through the world, crushing what it does not understand; elves, dragons, magic...the list is endless. We must stem the tide, or be left with nothing more than the mundane. This I know to be true.

Corypheus: Neutral Evil

Know me. Know what you have pretended to be. Exalt the Elder One. The will that is Corypheus. You will kneel.

-I have gathered the will to return under no name but my own, to champion withered Tevinter and correct this Blighted world. Beg that I succeed, for I have seen the throne of the gods, and it was empty.

The Nightmare: Chaotic Evil

The Divine: It is the Nightmare you forget upon waking. It feeds off memories of fear and darkness, growing fat upon the terror.

-Are you afraid, Cole? I can help you forget. Just like you help other people. We're so very much alike, you and I.

Cole: No.

-You think that pain will make you stronger? What fool filled your mind with such drivel? The only one who grows stronger from your fear is me.

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #cassandra pentaghast #cullen rutherford #solas #leliana #dorian pavus #varric tethras #iron bull #cole #josephine montilyet #morrigan #vivienne #blackwall #sera

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baejax-the-great · 5 years

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Thanks for the tag, @fibrochemist =D

Author Name: ViscariaFields

Fandoms You Write For: Dragon Age and Mass Effect

Where You Post: AO3. Back in the day when I was a baby fanfic writer, I posted on FFN.

Most Popular One-Shot: How are we defining popularity? Love (FenHawke) has gotten more hits, but Priority Mission: The Wedding (Shakarian) has gotten more kudos and bookmarks (also I personally like it more, hah).

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: Quantum Veil Theory, a Lavellan x Physics fic (okay fine it’s Solavellan). It’s a reincarnation modern AU in academia, hitting three tropes I effing love.

Favorite Story You Wrote: Priority Mission: The Wedding. It was my first foray back into writing fanfic after like 15 years, and I still think it was my best work.

Story You Were Nervous to Post: All of them, but probably Cada Monte un Altar because it feels a little more personal (also why I’ve been hesitating to update it, whoops)

How Do You Choose Your Titles: Priority Mission felt obvious, for Quantum Veil Theory I wanted a physics pun but couldn’t come up with anything, Cada Monte un Altar is from a poem that I felt fit the ship, most of the FenHawke stuff came from a prompt list, so that was easy enough. I think titles are the hardest part.

Do You Outline: Not as much as I should. My outline for QVT went out the fucking window.

How many of your stories are…

Complete: if we are counting one-shots... around 11?

In-Progress: Well, QVT and WOE are ongoing (WOE only has two more chapters... and I wrote the last chapter... so it’s just the one.... come on, me). And then there’s Cada Monte, which I plan on writing slow af. And then I have a one-shot WIP that was a prompt for QVT.

Coming Soon: @wardsarefunctioning just encouraged me to write a fake-dating Solavellan fic (although it’s actually going to be fake married) so I’ve been plotting that out in my mind.

Do You Accept Prompts: Absolutely! Both for canon universe or my modern AUs. I’ve posted some prompt lists, but I also take others (for example, I was given a prompt specifically for one of Lara’s past lives).

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write: Same fake-dating fic I just mentioned. Okay, summaries are almost as difficult as titles, but here’s what I got: Ileana Lavellan has been traveling solo for years, documenting the fauna of Thedas. A tall, strange man blunders into her work space, scaring away a bird she had been trying to document for days. Foul weather drives her to spend the night in the nearest alienage. When all the rooms at the inn are taken, however, it seems that same stranger is her only hope to avoid both the weather and the unrest in the city. (will it be smutty? No idea. Will it ever have a title? No!)

Tag Three Fanfic Authors to Answer These Questions As Well:

@wardsarefunctioning @rhunae @joufancyhuh

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veridium · 5 years

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March was a wonderful month for commissions. For one, I got to write again for this lovely pairing, Inquisitor Jodianna Lavellan and Ambassador Montilyet. Thank you so much to @brancadoodles for the commission!

CW: N/A

Rated: PG

One did not wander outside of the Skyhold fortress if they were the faint of heart. They did so with an understanding that they would be met by three principle things: first, a great deal of snow. Secondly, a great deal of cold. Last, but not least: a great deal of unsettled and unmarked traveling, likely on foot.

So, indeed, wandering the woodlands was not for the faint of heart. However, Inquisitor Lavellan and the Inquisition’s Chief Diplomat were both women for whom the phrase “faint of heart” did not apply. Though, for Ambassador Montilyet, “healthily skeptical” would.

“My love, are you absolutely certain this is a good expenditure of our time?” Josephine walks by herself, but she is not alone. Her lover, the Herald, is busy in the greenery lining the narrowing trail that is growing increasingly covered in thicket. Her voice cuts clear throughout the wintery stillness.

“Agh! No! I mean--yesAGH!” is all she hears coming from elsewhere. Perhaps east? A bit north of her?

She comes to a standstill just as the path lets off onto what looks like a break in the tree canopy. They must be several miles down from the mountainside, in the valley the main road to the Fortress cuts through on its way across the range. More trees, more flora and fauna to witness -- and deeper snow. As always, though, Josephine comes prepared with thick boots and a heavy, warm, royal blue hooded cape to go over her outerwear. For as much as this excursion has been a mystery of her lover’s conjuring, the day out in the fresh air is a welcome break.

The cold, dry air makes her eyes water and her cheeks go numb. But the intention is what mattered.

“Josephine!” she hears after a couple more minutes, and she looks from side to side.

“Yes, my love? Where are you?”

“Over here! I think I found a place!”

“A place? For what, exactly?”

“You’ll see! Wait...I-I see you! Turn to your left!”

She does as she is recommended, and turns to her left. Just as she is about to press onward in the requested direction, though, Jodianna’s voice corrects her navigation.

“No, the other left!”

Josephine’s chin lifts. The other left? What could possibly be another ‘left’ besides the one...oh. Goodness. She smirks as her hands hold onto her cape fabric. “My love, you meant your left, did you not?”

“Er...yes! Perhaps!”

“Okay, then my right.”

“It’s okay I--GAH!” Jodianna appears out of the tree line just ahead, indeed coming from Josephine’s right side. She falls when her boot gets snagged by a tree root covered in snow. Josephine turns and flinches at the sound of a cracking branch.

Jodianna is resourceful though, in her particular style of grace. She hooks an arm onto a low-hanging and thin tree limb, saving herself from falling flat on her face. Once frightened for her, Josephine presses the top of her softly gloved fingers to her mouth and quells a laugh. She makes clumsiness look so captivating.

“Mi amor,” she hums before hiking through the knee-deep snow separating them, “are you alright?”

“Oh? Me? Yeah, I meant to do that. For...posterity’s sake,” Jodianna huffs, landing on her feet and coming closer. She’s dressed without a cape, and that’s probably for the better. Weaving through the wild is hardly the occasion for having pomp in attire. On Josephine, though, there is always some measure of it, and it rarely is out of place.

“I found the spot,” Jodianna affirms, hands going to her hips, “come with me. I promise, it’s worth your while.” Her smile is keen, inquisitive -- pun perhaps intended.

Josephine smiles, and can’t help but go along with it.

“Okay, but just know I have couriers landing at Skyhold within the hour. I must not be gone long,” she warns, but with a cheeriness. It would be no erroneous hindrance if she was missing from her desk for a bit longer than she should. Just this once.

Jodianna takes her hand, and they break off from the barely-there path. Hiking between old, aged trees, and with Jodianna’s assistance over a fallen one, they come to a small, rounded clearing in the forest. Just secluded enough, but open for a certain mage to have necessary space for whatever antics she has planned. Josephine is unaccustomed to rugged practices but being an Advisor to the Inquisition -- one who had to endure the trek from Haven’s ruins to Skyhold -- has seasoned her more than she ever expected. Still, her experiences pale in comparison to Jodianna’s, and it leaves the Inquisitor looking rather marvelous in this light.

Once there, they stand smack-dab in the middle of the clearing. Josephine’s lungs are recuperating air lost from the robust journey there, but her spirits remained uplifted. Jodianna, meanwhile, releases her hand and steps jovially away from her, her arms going out at her sides.

“Do you even know where we are, currently?” Josephine asks, but has a hunch as to the answer already, which is confirmed by the way Jodianna’s brow becomes uneven and her shoulders hunch up towards her ears. No, but it is of no concern.

“No, not exactly, but!” Jodianna then plants her feet confidently in the snow, shoulder-width apart in a wide stance. “I do know that this is the perfect spot.”

“Perfect for…” Josephine grins, clutching at the opposite rims of her cape, and pulling them over the front of her body.

“For a trick!” she replies simply, humbly even. Alas, nothing is ever rarely as simple as a ‘trick’ with Jodianna. A happy accident, an extraordinary feat, a beautiful disaster -- but not quaint. It is one of the best parts of her, and the most easily beloved. A side of her that makes it rather effortless to forget that the majority of Thedas understands her as an unapproachable world power.

“Alright,” the Inquisitor says as she cracks her knuckles. “Time to show you what being in the woods in the depth of winter can be good for!” She went to stretching her arms, too, swinging them jovially at her sides. Her energy and her high spirits are so contagious. Josephine looked over either side of her shoulder, though nothing about their surroundings would suggest they had an audience. Well, that is, except for the hand full of Leliana’s scouts that were surely following them to ensure safety.

“Might I ask what the parameters are for this?” she inquires, more out of curious jest than legitimate concern.

Jodianna smirks and digs the balls of her feet deeper into the ground beneath her. She has a sly look on her face, the kind she gets before she enchants, and...well, other activities that spur her imagination.

“I am going…” she said, a pause of slight suspense, “to make it snow.”

At first, the statement is...interesting. In the obvious sense, of course.

“...Snow?” Josephine confirms, her face skewing to the right. “Is that not….well, isn’t it...ahem,” she clears her throat, not wanting to deflate the exuberance of the outing. The place was covered with snow and frost, it was the middle of the season. In the Frostbacks, no less.

Jodianna doesn’t miss a beat, though, to be sure. “No, no, I mean, I’m going to make it snow my way,” she clarifies. It is a matter of fact thing. Even though the Ambassador is still unsure what she means, they have come all this way, and it is pleasurable to be in her company regardless. What could humoring her harm?

Well...actually, maybe that isn’t not the most plain hypothetical question to ask, given Jodianna’s tenure thus far and its unorthodox qualities.

“I am going to show you what magic can do. What cool magic can do, anyhow,” Jodi says as she takes off her winter gloves. The gloves are, quite literally, coming off.

“Oh?” Josephine quips, but nothing more.

“Yes! Pun intended…”

Josephine snorts, a chuckle under her breath. She will keep her gloves on, but the commitment to the endeavor is admirable. As Jodianna prepares to execute her plan, Josephine takes a step back to give her some more room. She is otherwise quiet, ready to witness whatever it is that’s on the wings.

“Now, I’m going to have you do something…”

Oh, alright, well, do more than witness.

“What is it you need of me?” Josephine asks, confused as to what she, a non-magically talented person, could do to participate in enchanting.

“I need you to throw a snowball at me,” Jodianna shifts her weight from hip to hip, as if she is readying herself for enemy fire. “A big one, if you please. Nothing that will fall apart mid-air!”

A snowball? What is spectacular about a snowball? Goodness, when was the last time she even made a snowball? It had to have been during a family retreat and towards Yvette’s face. But, she cooperates, scanning the snow before her feet and -- however hesitantly -- reaches down and begins collecting snow between her two palms. Jodianna is smiling, a contagious and bright expression only she can provide.

“There!” she directs, hands clapping together once, “that is the perfect size!”

Josephine evaluates the fruits of her albeit short-lived labor: a snowball patted together, larger than the size of her two fists combined. As she rises from her crouched position, she holds it like a bowl of something to eat rather than a projectile.

“And you wish me to just...throw it...at you?” she holds it gently. It could break apart as easily as she pressed it all together.

“Yes! Aim for my head!”

“Your head?!”

Jodianna bursts into laughter, hands softly hugging her stomach. “Yes, my head! Come on, I know you can do it!”

The whole thing seems rather needlessly hostile. Josephine’s eyes dance from her lover standing across the clearing, and the now weapon in her hands. It is a curious desire to wish a snowball to be thrown at your face, but, there is ideally supposed to be magic involved. Magic that will hopefully intervene before Josephine must both blame Jodianna for her demand and apologize for the blunder.

“All...alright…” she shrugs one of her shoulders, a cleverness to her tone despite being a bit of a fish out of water. How did her brothers throw their ball out in the fields again? Their throws went far, if she can recall. She will need it in order to have her one shot make it across the near half-dozen yards between her and the Inquisitor.

“Are you sure, my love?” she asks, but deep down the contagious playfulness is starting to settle in.

“Yes!” Jodianna chuckles some more, holding her hands out in a welcoming shape with her palms tilted towards the Ambassador. “I promise!”

“Alright…” Josephine sighs a bit, and with a sharp inhale she primes all her strength in her arm and goes for it. Her eyes shut for a brief second mid-throw, and when they open, to her fortunate surprise the snowball is still flying. Traveling high, in fact. Higher than she might have planned.

The arch of the throw seems to work perfectly fine for Jodianna, though. She scoots back a bit, nearly tripping in the unforgiving rigidity of the snow, but she is resolute.

She dust-claps her palms against each other once, and light breaks forth from them. Her eyes don’t exactly get...brighter, but fuller with the colors already contained in them. In a flash she reaches out and sends beams of golden, almost copper-hued light towards the humble snowball. It all goes by so fast that there is hardly time for a full breath. Upon impact, the snow bursts into thousands of tiny pieces of ice. Deflected, so it seems.

Jodianna is not done, however. As the remains of the snow first fly up and then down around them, a few fluid hand motions continue the current of warm light emanating from her hands. It is a beautiful sight, truly, to see her conducting such incandescent power. It seems as though the light is both collected and spread throughout the air, first as rays and then as an aura enveloping the air above their heads. The pale blue sky becomes further washed in contrast to it all: a new kind of sunlight, almost.

The pieces of snow melt, and where it is expected they should disappear, they start to shine. Like glass first, and then jewels -- crystalline, brilliant traces reflecting everything around them.

Jodianna allows them to fall just a hair longer, closer until they are around their heads and faces, and then she snaps her fingers. The snapping seems to be more of a clever facade for what she actually does, but it makes her appear all the more cooly capable. She always has a flare for those sort of things.

Her ‘trick’ makes them all freeze, in unnatural stasis above and around them.

“Hah! It worked!” Jodianna’s rejoicing cuts through the ethereal wonderment of the scene as Josephine steps forward. She turns in her step, around so as to take it all in. It is stunning, indescribable, unlike anything she’s seen depicted in artwork -- and that is saying something, giving her experiences.

“Jodianna, this is…” she is slightly breathless towards the end, “they are splendid!” It seems like such an underwhelming word to use. But, in a rare show, Josephine cannot immediately find the proper rhetoric to deploy.

Jodianna’s smile is broad and open-mouthed, almost like she had just ran onto the scene, her hot breath escaping from between her teeth and into the crisp atmosphere. She, too, comes forward, helping to enclose the gap between them.

“You can touch them, you know. That is what I intended. Go ahead!” she directs, before picking a couple for herself. She collects them in the middle of her hand like small, fragile pebbles. Josephine’s mouth opens for her to speak, to inquire with more questions, but her hands speak for her: finding and selecting a couple right in front of her face.

They are cold, like ice, but not slippery. They hold their shape and do not immediately melt at her touch. If you were to place them in the enamel of some decorative accessory, or jewelry casing, you would swear they were precious stones. Not one holds the same shape as the next one; they are all unique, uneven but not broken.

She holds her treasure close to her chest as Jodianna approaches, an extra kick in her step from pride.

“See?!” she says, “I promised it would be cool, did I not?”

Josephine giggles low and matches her gaze with her own. “You did. Both literally and figuratively, you have delivered on the notion of ‘cool,’ my darling.”

Jodianna further basks in her glory, pressing and playing with the pieces in her hand. She bites her lip and watches them roll in her touch, before hopping onto the balls of her feet.

“Well! Look!” she says, coming closer, “they are not just for being pretty.”

Josephine eyes her, the side of her mouth upturning. While she watches, Jodianna’s hands go to the rim of her hood, and she gently pushes it back off her head of the neat twists and braids of her hair. Jodianna comes around behind her as if she were to place a necklace around her neck. Instead, though, she begins placing the pieces she collects from the surrounding air and placing them in Josephine’s hair. No sharp pins, no clips, and no heavy metals like what she is used to. Careful, loving presses into her braids. Jodianna’s fingers then push gently in the tucked space between her bun and her head; the placements feel so strategic Josephine wishes there could be a mirror to see it.

Jodianna’s focused while she tends to her decorating, her tongue sticking out the side of her pursed lips. Everything has to be just right, evidently. When it is all said and done she comes back around, placing a hand on Josephine’s shoulder.

“There,” she says with contentment, “now it is not only pretty, but purposed.”

It is Josephine’s turn to blush, for even though she can’t see a thing of what Jodi’s accomplished, she trusts it is worth the wait.

“Will it melt before I get a chance to see it?”

“No, not if I can help it. Though, I wouldn’t stand next to the fireplace for long,” Jodi teases, her hand falling from her. It is not a welcome break; Josephine sends her own hand to the side of Jodianna’s face, having her own ideas.

“Smile,” she asks with a warm, endearing tone. Jodianna’s eyes go wide and round at first, caught off guard by the sudden shift into indulgent affection. Josephine stops and smiles back in a persuasive, demonstrative way. “Come now, smile!”

“Okay, okay!” Jodianna loosens up her shoulders. She closes her eyes to take a breath, recollecting her nerves. At last, she smiles, and the world goes still.

Josephine places one of the ice pieces on her thumb, and then with a swiftness she presses it against the subtle, shallow dimple on the corner of Jodianna’s mouth. The touch of heat in her cheeks is palpable even to just the touch of her fingertip. The ice sticks, fitting almost perfectly.

She pulls her hand away, beaming some more. “Do not move! It may fall.”

Jodianna’s brows lift and she freezes as if she’s quite literally stuck in place. Her eyes open, but that is all she allows to move. It is rather adorable how dedicated she is to her happiness, even in the smallest of requests.

A half minute of stifled giggling, and Josephine places a hand on the opposite cheek. Jodianna flinches, her eyes narrowing.

“Josie,” she says out the corner of her mouth, “you’re not making this easy on me.”

The Ambassador laughs, her head tilting back slightly. “Apologies, my love, I cannot help it. Allow me to free you from this commitment.” She leans on her toes and into her, her lips going to the same soft indentation. With a devoted kiss and the surge in heat under Jodi’s face, the ice melts -- a spell broken like in a romantic, and perhaps slightly corny, romance story.

Jodianna sends her arms around her waist, under her cape as she pulls her in close. A kiss on the cheek won’t suffice on its own. Josephine’s lips do not travel far nor long before they collide with Jodianna’s own. On her forehead and cheeks there begins to be small bursts of cold like rain, as the enchantment is resolved in favor of Jodi’s focus on her. A personal kiss in a shallow fall of rain just for them, that is ended as quick as it begins. Josephine can only hope that the ones remaining in her hair have survived, but knowing Jodi, that is a doubt she need not have.

It could not have been more than an hour they were gone. Beyond the tree line and the paths both known and unknown, there were plenty of other ways to take up their time -- and who they were. But, In the woods, lost, and surrounded by that which shines under a sunless sky, endearment yet survives. Josephine, just barely, allows herself to believe it is all there is.

#kofi commissions #fic commissions #commissions #mutuals!!#my writing #f!inquisitor x josephine montilyet #f!lavellan x josephine montilyet #fluff #femslash

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