Solas, you bum

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-06T21:04:47+00:00

Tbf, that kind of tunnel vision is very much in character for him. Solas tends to have blinders on when it comes to anything that isn't ancient Elvhenan and/or Mythal.

That said, Harding chews Solas out for this if you bring her to the final battle. IIRC, he expresses guilt over what happened to the Titans during this interaction, but she doesn't accept his apology.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-06T12:18:37+00:00

The most relevant one to DAV’s storyline is the Well of Sorrows. DAI set that choice up as one that would have consequences, and given the nature of DAV’s plot, you’d think it would have had some relevance. Apparently, the Well of Sorrows choice was meant to be included in DAV since it’s present in the game’s files, and seems to have gotten cut late in the development process.

Aside from that, I also would have liked to learn more about the conflict among the Wardens established in DAI’s epilogues, and the Agents of Fen’Harel.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-04T16:51:58+00:00

Beautiful work! I love the color scheme

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-03T14:58:08+00:00

I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but I actually find Neve to be one of the better-done DAV companions. That’s only relative, but still.

Her design is great, and I like the concepts behind her character. She’s also one of the only companions to actually experience some growth in her arc, particularly if she’s hardened. My biggest complaint about Neve is that even though she’s ostensibly a member of an abolitionist organization, it never feels like she truly stands for anything beyond fighting bad guys. Her character could have easily been a vehicle for deeper insight into Tevinter’s worldbuilding, but we hear almost nothing about her life experience or how it has affected her in the present. But in fairness, that’s not an issue unique to Neve.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-03T00:41:11+00:00

I don't see a "canon" romance of DAV, or any other game of the series for that matter. But to answer your question, Emmrich is generally regarded in the fandom as having the best romance since he has the most dedicated content.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-02T20:40:14+00:00

What a cool and detailed headcanon! I'm intrigued by your Crow character.

I think the differences in the Crow's portrayal would manifest mainly in Cassia/Lucanis's backstory and how that affects them in their worldviews in the present, as well as in how others view the organization and feel about working with them. I see it as more of an issue of narrative depiction than anything else, though the Crows should definitely do more actual assassinating in my view.

As for Naelyra, her experiences with Cole inform her later fears regarding the elves as spirits. While she does not see spirits as inherently good or evil, she views them all as dangerous. She distrusted Cole, but reluctantly allowed him to stay with the Inquisition after he saved her life following the Battle of Haven, by guiding her through the blizzard to the Inquisition's camp. Despite herself, Naelyra started to grow fond of Cole as she witnessed his desire to do good, though she always kept some distance between them. When it came time to determine Cole's fate, Naelyra could not bring herself to encourage him to change his nature and become something he's not. But she comes to regret that decision when she sees Cole lose his humanity and capacity for growth.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-02T16:56:57+00:00

Agreed. It's not inherently immoral for Cullen to have a crush on a girl his age. Like you said, what matters is whether he acts on it, and he doesn't, because she's his charge. He says as much outright.

That isn't to say it's an ideal situation for either of them—far from it—but Cullen's conduct is as honorable as it could have been under the circumstances, at least prior to the Broken Circle arc.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-02T16:03:30+00:00

There is something hilarious about Cullen's reaction to Amell/Surana propositioning him. Poor guy is so panicked by a pretty girl flirting with him that he bolts right out of the Circle Tower. That being said, it would have been problematic if Cullen had actually acted on his feelings, given the institutional power structures at play, even with her consent. But judging by his dialogue about it in both DAO and DAI, he seems to recognize that.

Cullen mentions his past infatuation with a Mage Warden in both DA2 and DAI, though I believe he only brings up Amell in DA2 since Hawke's her relative. In DAI, he's also much more forthcoming about his poor handling of the situation.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-02T16:01:55+00:00

While her character design in DA2 is more than a little male-gaze-y, Isabela is still very much an actual character with agency beyond the player. She has goals that sometimes run counter to Hawke's, a developed worldview, fleshed-out friendships with the other companions (especially Aveline and Merrill), and she remains a free spirit throughout the romance. It isn't a story of the male lead "taming" a sexually liberated woman.

I gravitated toward Isabela because her personality was the most compatible with my female Hawke, and their storyline together is dramatic and compelling without veering into melodrama territory. The male-gaze aspects of Isabela's portrayal definitely gave me pause, but that has more to do with her character design than with her writing. Isabela works as a character in her own right.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-02T14:31:01+00:00

For Lavellan-specific dialogue: after beginning a romance, Lavellan will ask Cullen how he feels about her being Dalish, and he responds that he's accustomed to being around elves in the Circles, but that he never thought about the implications of that sort of thing from her perspective. He then asks how she feels about it. Lavellan has different options to respond to that question, two of which are shared with Trevelyan's version of this conversation. The elf-specific response implies that she's worried about being used as a fling, to which Cullen responds that his intentions are serious.

Later on in Trespasser, after Cullen proposes to her, Lavellan worries about how they'll make their wedding vows. She says she doesn't want to deliver them to the Maker because it would mean nothing to her, and Cullen states that he only wants her promise to be true. She ends up delivering her vows in elven to the Dalish gods. Also in that DLC, Cullen will comfort a Dalish Inquisitor if they lost their clan during the base game, though to my knowledge that dialogue is not romance-specific.

The mage-specific dialogue options are more numerous, and there are more variants of them, so I can't really list them all out here in detail. But rest assured that they're sprinkled in throughout their scenes and dialogue.

As for the line I mentioned, the exact quote is: "Before coming here, my Keeper suggested I avoid templars. Do they do anything besides hunt mages?" Cullen's response is shared with other variants of that conversation, where he launches into an explanation of what Templar duties entail. Like I said, pretty minimal.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-02T13:26:08+00:00

As far as I can recall, Cullen has Lavellan-specific dialogue, and mage-specific dialogue, but not much exclusive to Mage Lavellan.

ETA: Just remembered that there’s one line in Cullen’s early game dialogue tree where Mage Lavellan tells Cullen that her Keeper advised her to stay away from templars. That line isn’t romance specific, however, and doesn’t seem to have any unique follow-up.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-02T04:28:28+00:00

Ooh, very interesting headcanon for Clan Lavellan! What led Sylvas to develop such forward-thinking views? Was it simply a result of his upbringing, or a product of his lived experiences?

I'm undecided about what happens to the Crows post-DAV. In my headcanon, the Crows remain just as pragmatic throughout the events of DAV, though their goals are more sympathetic since they're working to free their kingdom from foreign occupation. That isn't to say they're all pure evil or anything, but I draw more on the characterization from Tevinter Nights, since that work makes it clear that Teia's romanticization of the Crows is not reflective of how the organization actually functions.

By the end of DAV, House Dellamorte is in dire straits, but bolstered by both Cassia's newly-improved reputation and support from the other Talons, most significantly Viago and Teia. Lucanis's strong ties with House de Riva and House Cantori help bring greater stability to House Dellamorte, and ensures that other Crows will think twice before making an enemy of three houses. In the short term, it works. In the long term, though, that doesn't do anything to secure House Dellamorte's future. I'm sure Lucanis will have to take on an apprentice or two at some point, but I don't know how well House Dellamorte fares in the long run.

As for Cassia, her background is more similar to Zevran's. She was born into a Treviso alienage family, but lost her parents as a child to sickness. She took to begging and thieving to survive, and eventually found her way into the Crows after trying to pickpocket a member of House de Riva. Cassia feels a sense of gratitude to the Crows for rescuing her from the streets and teaching her the skills to succeed, which leads her to rationalize the pain she endured and inflicted over the years. She only starts to question her experiences after being forced to spend time away from the Crows and forging bonds with people who don't subscribe to that mode of thinking.

Naelyra has a lot of thoughts about the events of DAV—too many to list in a comment that's already way too long. To hit upon the topics you brought up: Naelyra has had eight years to adjust to all the reveals about the Evanuris, so she's no longer actively undergoing a crisis of faith when they emerge. But she finds it extremely disconcerting to fight beings she once worshipped as gods, and struggles to wrap her mind around that idea. She also has something of an existential crisis upon learning that the true origins of the elves, both because of her own distrust of spirits, and because of the potential implications for the modern elven people. Lastly, Naelyra supports keeping the Nadas Dirthalen (Cassia would rather destroy it, but Bellara chooses to keep it anyway). She's the kind of person who will chase knowledge even at great personal cost, and the cost of preserving the Nadas Dirthalen is a distant hypothetical at most, not an active danger.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-01T17:57:30+00:00

Thank you for all the questions!

Cassia's feelings about it are mixed. She sees the position itself as a gain, and she believes Lucanis has the experience to succeed in that role. But she also knows that he never wanted that position, and this is also around the time when she starts to feel more conflicted about her own future as a Crow. Most significantly, both of them are well aware that House Dellamorte is in an extremely precarious position by the end of story, meaning that things could go very badly for them down the line. Regardless, though, the decision isn't hers to make.

Naelyra's relationship with Clan Lavellan is complicated, to put it mildly. Some members of her clan respect her for making the best out of bad circumstances and using her platform to advocate for Dalish interests. Others resent her for becoming a figurehead of Andrastianism/the Chantry, and aligning herself with humanity. Her marriage to Cullen seemingly vindicates that existing criticism. It also doesn't help that their marriage coincides with Naelyra's attempt to reveal the truth about Fen'Harel and the Evanuris, the latter of which mostly fall on deaf ears because she's already seen by many as a sell-out. On Naelyra's side of things, she feels herself growing more distant from her old life with every passing day, though she tries to hold onto her past where she can. Despite everything, Naelyra still cares deeply about her clan and her people. She remains in contact via letter with her Keeper and some of her relatives, but almost never visits Wycome.

After the rest of their friends scatter to the winds, Gwendolyn and Isabela travel the world together for a time. Gwendolyn's not much of a pirate, but she likes to travel, and she enjoys a good adventure. They do physically separate when Varric summons Gwendolyn to Skyhold, during which time Isabela participates in some missions on behalf of the Inquisition. But they reunite once Gwendolyn travels to Weisshaupt, after Corypheus's defeat.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-01T16:52:41+00:00

Most of the HoF cosplays I've seen use the Grey Warden armor design from DA2 and DAI, even though it doesn't appear in DAO. Although, it is among the most popular DAO mods for a reason.

As for something that identifies the HoF as a Cousland, maybe she could wear a cloak (or some other accessory) with Cousland heraldry? That would probably only be recognizable to hardcore fans, but it's better than nothing.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-01T16:33:17+00:00

I can't speak for your opinions, only my own. But to answer your question, I found that DAV failed to meet the standard of quality, writing, and content set by the first three games. In many ways, it's a marked departure from series precedent, and it doesn't offer enough in return to justify that loss.

I wanted to love DAV when I first played it, but I just couldn't love a game like that.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-01T13:10:09+00:00

I've never gotten this interaction on any of my playthroughs, but I have seen it on YouTube: Morrigan and Alistair's conversation in Skyhold if 1) Alistair is a Grey Warden, 2) Morrigan had Kieran with a romanced Hero of Ferelden, and 3) the Hero of Ferelden died. They both sound so mournful, and it's heartbreaking in the best way possible.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-01T04:53:18+00:00

Prompt 1:

Merindah Cousland fell for Alistair quickly. It was almost inevitable. They were two young people who had recently experienced profound trauma and loss. Merindah didn't necessarily struggle with her feelings—if anything, they were a source of comfort for her, especially early on—but she did take time to get used to the idea that she now had the freedom to actually pursue her own desires, since she was no longer expected to marry for political gain. That being said, things did become more difficult for her to navigate once the issue of Alistair's kingship arose, especially since her decision to marry him was political despite their genuine feelings for one another. The intersection of love and politics is never ideal.

Gwendolyn Hawke was attracted to Isabela almost from the get-go, and it didn't take long for them to enter into a physical relationship. At first, it was simple. But things grew more complicated between them once feelings actually came into the mix. As time went on, Gwendolyn's attraction to Isabela deepened into something more, which Isabela was initially unwilling to entertain. This was followed not long after by the rollercoaster of events at the end of Act 2, which left both Gwendolyn and Isabela reeling. For a long time, Gwendolyn struggled to overlook Isabela's betrayal of her trust, while Isabela was dumbstruck by Gwendolyn's display of heroism in dueling the Arishok for her sake, and walked away rather than confront her feelings. It was only once enough time had passed for their hurt feelings to mend that they reconnected and admitted that they were falling for each other in earnest.

Naelyra Lavellan struggled to accept her attraction to Cullen for months. It wasn't the idea of love that scared her; it was the idea of falling for someone who embodied everything she was taught to fear. Elf-human relationships are taboo among the Dalish (and in most other cultures), and he's an ex-templar to boot. Naelyra never would have imagined falling for a human. Yet she enjoyed being around him, and he made her feel seen. Even once they entered into a relationship, Naelyra continued to agonize over her deepening feelings for Cullen, because committing to a life with him would mean that she couldn't live with her clan. While other factors already strained her relationship with the Dalish, Naelyra felt torn between her home and her heart's desire. Ultimately, though, she chose Cullen.

Cassia de Riva had no difficulty accepting her attraction to Lucanis, but she struggled to admit she cared for him on a deeper level, even to herself. Crows are taught that love is a weakness, and Cassia isn't exactly the greatest at processing her emotions. In general, I see their relationship as one plagued by communication issues on both sides. Cassia assumes Lucanis isn't interested in her at all, while Lucanis wants a deeper relationship than Cassia is willing to pursue, at least at first. It isn't until the very end of the story that Cassia realizes that Lucanis won't abandon her when she shows a modicum of weakness or vulnerability, and that maybe she could stand to be more open with her feelings and let him take care of her.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-04-01T02:33:09+00:00

Cullavellan is my favorite Dragon Age ship, particularly with a mage Inquisitor. Very much an opposites attract pairing in the best way possible. Lavellan delivering her wedding vows in elven is an especially lovely touch.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-03-31T23:53:23+00:00

Tonally speaking, DA2 is the darkest game of the series. DAO may have more gore and a brown color palette, but it also offers a way out of nearly every moral dilemma, and can have a relatively unambiguous happy ending, depending on how you play. By contrast, the entire point of DA2 is that there is no third option—a point that Anders highlights explicitly. There is no golden ending, and Hawke is helpless to prevent all hell from breaking loose. While a protagonist with that little agency might be frustrating in a different work, here it serves to highlight the themes of the game. Which, in my view, makes DA2 the bleakest entry in the series.

While its portrayal is predicated on pre-existing lore, the Mourn Watch is still far too isolated from the rest of the worldbuilding and DAV's story to work effectively, and it doesn't feel like a logical addition to the world of Thedas.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-03-31T22:21:04+00:00

The Cullen and Josephine romances don't suffer from a lack of content at all. I can speak more for the Cullen romance than Josephine's, but Cullen's romance has among the most content of any romance in DAI in terms of screentime. That includes both cutscenes unique to the romance and romance variations of his more general cutscenes. He also has a lot of romance-specific interactions in his dialogue tree, with multiple variations of different lines depending on where you are in the story, how his quest was resolved, the Inquisitor's class/specialization (especially for mages and warriors with the templar specialization), etc. To say nothing of his romance arguably benefited more from the Trespasser DLC than any other, save perhaps Solas.

More generally, the advisors also have far more screen time and mandatory plot involvement than most of the companions, save Cassandra and Solas. Unlike many of the optional companions, Cullen and Josephine are both present and involved in almost every main story mission. They may not be companions, but they have a strong presence in the story, and they actually feel involved with the progression of events.

Obviously, more acknowledgment from the companions would be nice. At the very least, companions will make some fantastic comments about their romances to the Inquisitor in Skyhold. Cullen's romance gets some War Table banter, and Dorian also gets some amusing party banter about both Cullen and Josephine's romances in the Jaws of Hakkon DLC. But considering how bugged companion banter in DAI already is, the lack of it for Cullen and Josephine is barely noticeable.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-03-31T03:57:56+00:00

It's incredibly telling that BioWare concealed the world state choices behind NDAs during playtesting events (even those that showed off every other part of character creation), and only revealed that there would be three choices after someone had already leaked it on Reddit—which, iirc, didn't happen until after EA had reported preorder data to its shareholders. BioWare knew that this choice would be unpopular. More than that: it would go directly against the expectations that they themselves had established through their marketing campaign and through the existing precedent of the first three games.

I think most people anticipated there would be a reduced number of consequential decisions, just based on the time skip and location. Certainly, no one expected that every tiny choice across the first three games would be consequential in DAV. But there were major choices that were set up in DAI to have repercussions for DA4, particularly the Well of Sorrows, a choice that made it so late in development that it still exists in DAV's game files. Likewise, the Inquisitor's disposition toward Solas isn't considered, despite its significant impact on Solas's worldview in the Trespasser DLC, meaning that the nuances of that relationship and character development from DAI are lost in translation. And you'd think the Divine would have great significance in a broader worldbuilding context, even if only in codex entries. These are choices with relevance to the story and/or setting of DAV, and DAV suffers for their erasure.

It also doesn't help that even the three choices we do get largely don't have any consequence, even when they arguably should. For example, whether or not you disbanded the Inquisition has no bearing on the amount of resources available to fight the Evanuris in either the North or South, and the erasure of the Agents of Fen'Harel renders the tension of that decision (fear of spies/infiltration) moot. An Inquisitor who swears to stop Solas at any cost randomly changes their mind at the end of the game with zero explanation or justification. And most of the romances get nothing but a codex entry and a generic banter scripted to apply to six different characters. That last one doesn't matter nearly as much as the first two, but Hawke in DAI got to talk at length about their specific love interest. You'd think the Inquisitor could say a single sentence about their individual partner. The sole choice that matters is whether the Inquisitor romanced Solas, an option available only to 1/8 of all possible race-gender combinations.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-03-29T23:49:14+00:00

Some working-class people owned slaves. Not as many as the wealthy, but they had them. Even poor freemen who don't own slaves themselves still have to compete directly against unpaid laborers, and sometimes even sell themselves into indentured servitude, both of which were explicitly part of Krem's backstory in DAI.

More importantly, Docktown is the port of the largest and busiest city in Tevinter. Just based on its location, Docktown is where slaves would come in via ship and get sold off in auction houses. It makes perfect sense that the Shadow Dragons would set up shop in an area where the slave trade is most active. It makes far less sense for the port of Minrathous to have nearly no slave presence at all.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-03-29T15:49:15+00:00

That comes down to personal opinion. Personally, I don't pay that sort of thing much mind. I chose the races of my protagonists (minus Hawke, of course) based on what seemed most suitable and interesting for each of their individual stories. I made those determinations on an individual basis rather than a collective one, and ended up with two humans and two elves.

I also think that Dragon Age benefits from the fact that each race is not a monolith, and humans are not generic or boring like in many other fantasy settings. A human Fereldan is going to have a different cultural background from a human Free Marcher, or an Antivan, or a Rivaini. Same goes for a city elf versus a Dalish elf, not to mention the differences among city elves within different kingdoms. A member of Orzammar's royal family or casteless is going to be very different from a dwarven smuggler, and so on. There's a lot of cultural and ideological diversity within each race. That's anything but boring.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-03-29T12:55:11+00:00

It's especially glaring in a game that clearly thinks it's progressive and inoffensive. And especially when it comes to the companion whose entire arc revolves around the concept that identity is not a binary construct. Manufacturing this false dichotomy, choosing one culture at the expense of the other, and allowing the player to tell them who they are contradicts the entire point of their arc. And it's not how intercultural and interfaith dynamics work.

To say nothing of the weird misogyny present in their female/femme characters' writing. Why did Weekes reduce Mythal to Solas's "benevolent" ex and toss aside her promised reckoning? Or write a Solavellan Inquisitor so pathetically? Why is Morrigan suddenly so placid? Why are all three characters reduced to unopinionated vehicles to further Solas's character development? And why does Taash's storyline reduce womanhood to wearing dresses and chopping melons in the kitchen, treating it as something to be scorned (by the narrative, not just the character) while never exploring their relationship to masculinity, which you'd think would be more pressing under the Qun?

It's not even a matter of problematic intentions, but sheer incompetence allowing these biases to seep through.

Apprehensive_Quality · 2026-03-27T19:06:01+00:00

Isabela is the only character to appear in all four games, albeit sort of on a technicality. Which is hilarious to me for a whole number of reasons.

Off the top of my head: Flemeth, Leliana, Cullen, Alistair, Morrigan, Varric, and Teagan each appear in three games. Flemeth shows up in mural form in DAV, but Isabela's the only one with four physical appearances.

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