Their names are anger and courage.

Project Hail Mary // Incorrect quotes 3/?

Bonus:

Token Commission for @trashwithvariety on Tumblr of her mournwatcher Rook Francesca 💀💚

I had so much fun replicating and studying Veilguard's UI style here <3

I have opened slots for DATV Portraits!

[KO-FI]

🔥 Dorian Pavus

It’s entirely possible to headcanon Dorian as asexual while keeping him completely in character and not reinforcing homophobic stereotypes.

To be clear, I don’t personally headcanon Dorian as asexual, but I do ship him with my asexual character Oliver Pentaghast, after his Tranquility is cured. And after the abuse and accusations of homophobia I’ve seen my asexual mutuals endure from certain members of the Dragon Age fandom, I feel compelled to defend this headcanon out of sheer spite.

So with no further ado, here’s a summary of why I believe the ace Dorian headcanon is feasible and not homophobic:

If the Inquisitor says he wants a relationship that’s “more than just fun,” Dorian says, “Where I come from, anything between two men…it’s about pleasure. It’s accepted, but taken no further. You learn not to hope for more. You’d be foolish to.” This seems to imply that Dorian not only wants “more” with the Inquisitor, but also hoped for “more” in previous relationships, before he learned the hard way that such hope only led to disappointment.

From there, it isn’t a stretch to interpret Dorian’s sensual/flirtatious approach to relationships and his history of casual sex as a necessary byproduct of navigating expectations within Tevinter’s gay community. In other words, Dorian learned to engage and interact with other men in a sexual way, and to expect physical pleasure to be the sole focus of any relationship with a man (because that was the only way he could have a relationship with a man at all) even though what he truly wanted wasn’t physical pleasure but emotional intimacy.

With this interpretation, one could easily headcanon Dorian as an asexual gay man without breaking character or rewriting his canonical backstory.

Just a few more quick notes while I’m on the subject:

Being gay and being asexual aren’t mutually exclusive.

Being asexual and having/enjoying sex aren’t mutually exclusive.

Having/enjoying sex isn’t a prerequisite for being gay.

Asexuality isn’t homophobic.

Aromanticism isn’t homophobic.

Aro/ace exclusionism is toxic and reductionist.

Dorian Pavus isn’t a real person. Aro/ace people subjected to hate and abuse because some folks don’t like their headcanons are real people.

Writing essays on tumblr about why ace Dorian headcanons are problematic doesn’t make you a champion of social justice.

🔥 Dragon Age

I don’t want the Inquisitor to be the protagonist in DA4.

I actually do think Trespasser was a natural end to the Inquisitor’s story – at least as a protagonist. I’d love to see an Inquisitor cameo in DA4 as an advisor, participating in the story from a distance. But the Inquisitor is too famous and too easy for Solas to track. Someone else is going to have to do the dirty work and take up the mantle of the new protagonist.

And there’s something to be said for the fact that every Dragon Age game up to this point has had a different protagonist. I can’t find it now, but I remember reading an interview with one of the creative leads (either David Gaider or Patrick Weekes) where they talked about the notion that unlike the Mass Effect trilogy, which told the story of Shepard, Dragon Age tells the story of Thedas. The central focus is the world and how it evolves throughout the “Dragon Age,” rather than a particular character.

Also, there is zero chance of the Inquisitor being the DA4 protagonist if DA4 ever even happens so there’s really no point in holding onto that hope.