#ichablogging dai

wait Abelas calling Solas "one of our own" is literally him acknowledging Solas as an ancient elf??? he doesn't say that about Sera.

Dalish Inquisitor who is slowly making a home out of Haven, slowly feeling like this is a place they can set up some roots. One of the old Magisters of Tevinter takes this home away. As his people have done before. The Mages of Tevinter or the Templars who destroy any magic, and the Blight, destroying their home, like all of those destroyed their home in the past.

Dalish Inquisitor who feels at home in Skyhold. Who finally is putting down roots. "it's their fortress". Corypheus attacks again but this time it resists. It stands.

Dalish Inquisitor who walks all over Orlais and in Halamshiral where their people used to have roots. All of it belongs to pompous nobles now. This home can never be a home again.

Dalish Inquisitor who is asked to conform with the Chantry either by disbanding or by joining it: but either way, by giving up Skyhold.

There is never a home for the Dalish Inquisitor. Only the same people as ever stealing their home. They move from one place to the next, like their clan used to do when things became dangerous.

I decided to do both Ithena and Sao! but i'll put them on different posts.

First, Ithena!

Flower: Red Chrysanthemuns

representing deep love, admiration and passion, it represents her passionate spirit pretty well. Chrysanthemuns are also often associated with remembrance.

Weather: Light Rain

The sorrow that still waters the land, promising for a new tomorrow.

Colour: Deep Red

the color of passion, or even a bright colored fruit tempting you to eat it :).

Food: Cherry

A simple fruit, close to nature as she is, a promise of a summer day

Beverage: Red Wine

Intoxicating and rich in flavor.

Object: Book

She seeks knowledge and learning of history.

Place: The Emerald Graves

Mournfull, full of history, the proof they once stood there, the proof they fought for it.

Animal: White Wolf

A pack animal yet doomed to be a lone wolf. They mate for life.

I'll tag @sunlight-shunlight, @acquired-elfroot and @rexomi for their Lavellans?

And i'll doo another post (and other tags) for Sao o7

template:

"i hope your child will treat you the same way you do" says the abusive mother

"i will not be the mother you were to me" says the abused child

and we see Kieran, loving, caring, happy to be with his mother, not being the kind to say her death would be a release. Because he has no reason to think so. She wasn't the mother her mother was, so there was no reason for him to be the child she used to be.

Leliana: There’s a message, carved in the lid. “The Left Hand should lay down her burden.” She… she’s releasing me. The Divine has a long reach, but it is always her Left Hand that stretches out. A thousand lies. A thousand deaths. Her commands, but my conscience that bore the consequences.

PC: She apologized in the Fade. She said she failed you. This is what she meant. Leliana: All this time, Justinia carried the fear that she was using me, just like I’d been used in the past. But Marjolaine’s games were trifles. Justinia gambled with the fate of nations. She needed me. No one else could’ve done what I did. She knows that.

21 - General: Stop torturing yourself. PC: Then you have to let it go. Let her go. You don’t owe her anything anymore. Leliana hardened Leliana: This? Now? After everything you’ve said and done? Leliana (told to kill Butler in Haven): I hesitated with Butler, but you never did. You gave me confidence that killing him was the right answer. Leliana (PC said “sacrifices must be made” after reaching Skyhold): After Haven, we agreed that war requires sacrifices. “Whatever it takes,” you said. Leliana: And my poor, dear Natalie. I called her sister once, but I couldn’t risk leaving her alive. Don’t tell me to let it all go after all I’ve sacrificed to get here. Leliana: Justinia tried to save me, but all it’s done is made me realize I don’t need saving. There is work to be done. I’ll see you back at Skyhold.

And the next scene

PC: You’re dealing with the grand cleric a little harshly, don’t you think? Leliana: Harsh times call for harsh measures, Inquisitor. Leliana: You see, when I am ruthless, it gets us where we need to be. It’s something to be proud of. Why fix it? How funny that her regret is what finally puts my own to rest. I chose to become her Left Hard, knowing what it meant. It was my weakness that stopped me from fully committing to my task.

PC: You have a good heart. It’s not a weakness. Leliana: You are too kind, Inquisitor. Call it what it is.

Leliana: The Inquisition needs me, just as the Divine did, to do what no one else dares. Death and deception are my trade. It is what I am. Leliana: It is what I always will be.

I'm planning another post so i can't dive in much details about it but reading all of this after Veilguard is genuinely giving me an aneurysm.

Leliana's dynamic with Dorothea is, in my opinion, a parallelism to the early relationship between Solas and Mythal, before Solas decided to rebel against the Evanuris -- and the ruthlessness Solas embraced once Mythal died, like Leliana did when Dorothea died.

Reading exactly the things Leliana says when she embraces becoming Justinia's Tool, how she has to reflect on how "she came too far to give up now" (sounds familiar?), how she will do whatever it takes, how she will put innocents in harms' way to pressure her enemies (re the full scene of the second scene i linked).

One of my major point about DAI is that there's a thematic of struggling with identity, especially while reflecting on "what must be done" when you are in situations with very little others alternative (again, sounds familiar?)

But idk man after seeing DA4 doing only cities technically lived in and like, Rivain's beach i'm.... missing just how full of history DAI's maps were.

I can't answer for /all/ Lavellans of course since we'd all have our HCs, but for me...

She also was impulsive with her kiss, she didn't exactly plan it ahead, and it was even worse when Solas just returned it tenth fold.

So for my Ithena i think she woke up, and had a moment of blushing because "what a dream", and then she wakes up enough to realize, as a mage "wait that was the Fade. that was in the Fade. That was real and in the fade, HOLD ON." and she would hold her head, as red as her hair, thinking "oh shit what did i do but also no forget that HE WAS INTO IT oh creators he was SO into it" and she'd just be stewing in her room for at least 10/20mins trying to cool down while also freaking out a bit about it happening, her heart beating SO fast.

but eventually midway through her stewing she would have the biggest smile of all time creeping on her face because look. She may not be sure why she did that. And she's still freaked out it happened. But he kissed her back. He kissed her back with SO much passion too. And it was good. It was SO good. He's interested in her too!

Then she remembers how he pulled away and it adds 10mins to her walking around in her room thinking about "but why is he saying it isn't right. Is it because i'm his boss. how do i tell him it's okay and i see him as my equal." and she spends this time trying to compose herself to figure out how to confront him about the kiss.

... so yeah personally my coping (for me and for Ithena) is more walking around in a slightly demented headspace trying to sort it out and trying desperately to cool down, before trying to go back all smooth to Solas like "hey. so huh. I never experienced anything like that before. On a number of level.", trying so hard to be chill about it. and then he chuckles and she is like "yeah so i understand why i couldn't resist kissing him last night" and she has to concentrate on calming down since then Solas starts to freak out anyway.

so yeah it would be. a process.

like yes mr Bull how do you put on shirts. answer the bald man.

tho for transparency's sake i also gotta appreciate that Dorian asks that too but Bull is too busy flirting with him to answer.