NOT because it's an "opposites attract" situation. I actually don't really think they're "opposites attract" all that much. They're fitting because FENRIS IS ALSO HILARIOUS.
Sometimes Fenris gets watered down to this "brooding grump" who doesn't want to be here, and his interactions with Hawke sound like every sentence out of their mouth winds up with him rolling his eyes. And while he probably does roll his eyes from time to time it ignores the fundamental fact that HE IS SO FUCKING FUNNY AS WELL.
Fenris does, and has always, cracked jokes and it's something way too many people ignore.
His dry humour is my favourite thing about him. Because it feels like a man who has finally be able to feel safe enough to actually crack jokes and find his sense of humour again. His interactions with Isabela, Aveline, Varric, and yes even Hawke, are filled with him being sarcastic or witty or even silly. SILLY! He's SO silly!
Him talking about Varric's beard falling to his chest because "all dwarves have them", so where's his? him coyly asking if Aveline will change patrols around his house with a smug "Eventually" when she says she knows he was going to ask. Him saying to Anders "I will happily sow your mouth shut" when they talk about Qunari customs in a sarcastic tone (tho how sarcastic he's really being is a matter for debate) him hilariously entertaining "fisting" because Isabela realised he'd make a great pickpocket.
And of course..."Hawke stepped in the poopy" line. THIS MAN IS SILLY AS FUCK.
And that moment during one of your first talks with him. You pick the purple hawke option and he just...smiles. no dialogue, no brooding comment, the camera just... pans to him smiling so genuinely I wonder if he didn't fall in love a little then.
Because he can't HELP but enjoy Hawke's humour. He can't help but smile. Can't help the awkward laugh he let's out when you first flirt with him, which was such a sharp contrast from the "I hate you all, I was a slave" first impression we get. And he can't help but joke in return.
He MATCHES Purple Hawke. And it feels like a secret little side story of a man who's known nothing but running, killing, and survival being able to just...exist in safety long enough he rekindles a personality he's not been allowed to show in a long time. When was the last time he had a group of friends to joke around with? The last time he met someone he trusted enough to just...smile and laugh with? Invite them over for wine to tell stories and be...happy?
Cause that's what he wants in the end. To be happy. Just for a little while. And in Kirkwall he got that.
i think it's interesting to not let Solas kill the ignorant mages (the ones who bound his Wisdom friend) in his DA:I personal quest!
they definitely enslaved a spirit, which is wrong, and Solas disapproves of sparing them, AND:
these are pathetic randos who have literally only ever been exposed to cultural messaging that says spirits are objects not people. they're annoying and they destroyed someone's life, but they are not evil. they were imprisoned for years, they were taught misinformation by their captors, and now they've escaped, they're vulnerable, they got scared of being killed by bandits, and they ignorantly stumbled their way into something they didn't understand by following a book's instructions.
none of that is an excuse and also, in an extremely on-the-nose fashion, being enslaved and forced to kill is what harmed Solas' friend. the Inquisitor doesn't know how directly this parallels Solas' story, but if Inky can come at the mercy choice intuitively, the choice to stop Solas is IMO a very good one, because (like Cole embodying Compassion for the Templar when choosing to make Cole "more spirit") it actively reinforces Solas' inner Wisdom self.
Inky doesn't have to intervene much at all to get Solas to stop btw, literally all it takes is an uneasy "Solas..." and he stops.
IMO, gently expressing uncertainty about his decision to outright kill them reminds Solas, hey, what if you don't have to kill them (which hurts you too, which you were forced to do, and that damaged you)? these people might be teachable. what if you, Wisdom, teach them to never do this again? what if they spread that message to the other oblivious mages they encounter, and many more people learn?
these mages literally cannot learn anything if they're dead. if spared, they're still not the best critical thinkers, but they state this was the first time they'd ever done a binding, and they seem genuinely shocked that they hurt someone by doing it. IMO, they seem unlikely to ever do it again. IIRC Inky can even threaten them in optional dialogue afterwards, and they swear (in a way that seemed earnest to me) that they've learned their lesson.
TL;DR, gently prompting Solas to slow down and consider what he's doing instead of slaughtering people who are cowering in front of him with their hands up, even though intervening makes Solas feel unhappy in the moment, is IMO a great way to reach out to his own bound Wisdom and say, 1) hey, I actually like your truest self, and 2) hey, sometimes people do terrible things... I'll stop them permanently if I have to, but I prefer to first try and see if they're willing to do better.
that's a pretty important message for Solas, for multiple reasons.
I have been wanting to write about this topic for a while, since I’ve seen a lot of criticisms about Solas being out-of-character. IMO all the Solas endings are brilliantly written, and here’s why:
Solas breaks in 3 different ways:
1: Breaks his wisdom (Becomes Pride)
2: Breaks his pride (Becomes Wisdom)
3: Breaks his leash/conviction (Becomes more human)
1: Breaks his wisdom:
Solas has always walked the line between pride and wisdom: unlike pure spirits, he is able to fluctuate between them - just like Mythal with benevolence and retribution. This makes him more “human” and complex: he even instructs Cole in how being a “demon” and being a “spirit” essentially comes down to a choice we make ourselves.
So Solas is clearly aware of his own failings (just look at his name), but his greatest flaw is not changing in accordance with his own awareness. Due to his wisdom, he knows he is prideful, so he constantly asserts that he is NOT a god: this is as much to make others not worship him as the dread wolf, AND as a mantra to himself to keep him from becoming another Elgar’nan.
However, the limelight is an intoxicating thing, and with him choosing to carry the cross as the dread wolf, he invites that prideful corruption into his heart. It is difficult to truly believe you are not more special than everyone else when everyone else keep telling you how you totally are. As a spirit made man, he is still in danger of becoming what others view him as: he mirrors how you treat him in inquisiton, and he took the name of fen’harel (probably uttered by Elgar’nan) as a badge of pride.
We are told he treats everyone as disposable pawns in order to reach his goals, and we also see the truth of this in his memories. Some people argue that this is out of character for him, since he cares deeply for the elven people and their freedom. I don’t think these things are mutually exclusive: he simply rationalizes everything in order to reach his goal of helping the elves: even if that means sacrificing people
The thing that is so chilling about his character is that he was never meant to lead - he never WANTED to lead either: Mythal was the judge, he her advisor. Without her caring heart to guide his brilliant mind, he becomes callous and makes decisions based only on how best to “win”. This is not to say he does not have a heart, but that he believes he has to set it aside for the greater good: which is exactly where his reasons for leading the rebellion/ tearing down the veil and his methods for doing so contradict each other
He ends up losing sight of his initial reasons because the war makes him so calloused. I believe he shuts down emotionally and can not feel anything but apathy towards everyone when he puts on the mask of the dread wolf - as seen in how he treats the inquisitor vs Rook.
By making so many decisions with such dire consequences and not letting himself feel the weight of that (it would break him) he becomes separated from the “pawns” he uses and stops thinking of them as people. The world becomes a chessboard and a game to him, and that is exactly how a god would think.
That is also the reason he becomes so angry at Rook for saying he views himself as a god: he is so afraid of becoming that conceited, but at this point, the thing keeping him sane and keeping the dam of his pride sealed is the mantra: “I am not a god”. He KNOWS the truth of that mantra, but as this point he doesn’t FEEL it, because he has denied himself to feel anything for anyone in order to be able to get rid of them if logic dictates it.
Through his wisdom he understands why it is detrimental to believe yourself a god, and because of this he is in denial of his own feelings on the matter: he acts like a god, feels like a god, yet knows that he would become what he hates most by acknowledging it - that’s why he uses the mantra: it’s his last effort to stay somewhat grounded.
This brings me to the “I AM A GOD” ending. This is where the dam breaks: he finally allows himself to fully embody his mask; his pride; his demonic side.
By losing to Rook and co through force he is forced to admit to himself that he sees Rook and the world as inferior - he is the only one who can make it right and they are all children, who do not understand him (they shunned understanding when they used brutish force) because compared to them he is a GOD. He accepts pride and abandons the wisdom of staying grounded with the people - the people abandoned him so he abandons the people. He becomes what he has feared most becoming (it is also interesting that his biggest fear is to be alone - and a god stands alone in their arrogance).
He is truly lost to his demonic aspect in this ending and the dark colours of the ending picture reflect this. It is not difficult to argue this is the most tragic ending.
2: Breaks his pride:
Most schadenfreude ending in terms of outsmarting Fen’harel: proving to the world AND to Solas he is not a god and that he is not immune to be outsmarted by a mortal
It breaks Solas’ ego to be outsmarted, since his cleverness is his pride. It sets him free from his pride as it was the proof he so desperately needed: the people inhabiting this world are capable of being his equal and besting him at his own game. He is not better than them, or better put: his cleverness is not infallible. You could argue that a romanced Lavellan/ friendly inquisitor has already proven to be his equal in terms of wisdom, but then again, he has never truly been their adversary.
There is a maddening clarity to him when he finally says “and I am a fool”. I find the break of his pride to be heartbreaking: even though we are told it is a demon version of wisdom, we have seen Solas balancing both aspects - and his name also reflects how big a part of him it is. You could argue he becomes less of a person in both the Pride and Wisdom ending, but more demon/spirit. It is a loss of human complexity and he finally returns to the Fade more alike himself before he took on physical form.
Perhaps it can be argued this ending is the best one from Solas’ P.o.V without a romanced Lavellan: after all, she was the only thing that could “steal his attention from the Fade” or in other words: the only reason he would consider willingly taking physical form without being asked to.
3. Breaks his leash:
The third one is more complex (so bear with me here), because accepting your mistakes and growing in order to not repeat them requires human complexity. A thing Solas has avoided his entire physical existence. He is stuck in regret, yet would repeat all his mistakes again given the chance.
His avoidance of humanity is best seen in the contradiction of his disregard for lives and his conviction of freedom for the elves. His nature compels him to stand against tyranny and enslavement - to be a champion of freedom of choice and thought. Yet as a leader and a strategist he refuses to acknowledge that people matter in more ways than being pawns. He will grieve them later, yes, but his love for a person will never waver his decision if he deems their sacrifice the best course of action in the war - he will not even ask their consent (as seen with the Disruption spirit in the Fade memories).
He does not acknowledge that people are an intrinsic part of war and their lives matter in that equation. He struggles with his mistakes and the lives lost but he can not stop to think he might be going about it all wrong, because I imagine he fears if he factors in the emotional weight of his choices, it would impede his end goal, or worse: break him into indecision.
The emotional weight of the war and the lives lost, his mistakes and his position as a leader - not an advisor, are so against his spirit nature that he suppresses these issues instead of dealing with them like a person. He becomes prideful because he shuts other options out. His way is the only way.
He sees everything fall apart: everything he does: disaster is sure to follow: The blight, trapping the elven gods, the murder of Mythal (x2) - yet he can not stop. He does not know how. He is desperate for a way out - a way out of regret and feeling the weight of his mistakes - he pushes on because that is his only option lest he truly faces what he has done and the pointlessness of it all. All the lives he has sacrificed need to mean something - that is what he sacrificed them for. How can he face that he killed them and not have an excuse for doing so?
In the last ending he is forced to talk about these things: the Inquisitor tells him he is forgiven if he just stops. Yet this is not enough - he has sacrificed Mythal (and in ways himself) to reach his goal and it can not have been in vain. Here Mythal jumps in and helps him carry the weight of it all by shouldering it beside him. He finally lets himself feel the weight of it all and it breaks his conviction. Mythal releases him from her service: the leash of service to not only Mythal, but to her dreams and visions for the elven people; the very reason he was made manifest in the physical world, and so their very long and increasingly painful relationship comes to an end. He gets closure. He allows himself to grow and so he sets out to undo his mistakes: to sit with them (the blight) and truly do the best he can to heal what can be healed. It is the most difficult ending - a true apology: he has to pull a Bharv.
It is also the ending which was foreshadowed if you chose to let Varric help Cole in inquisition. I might get into this more in another post, but essentially he becomes more human by dealing with his shit and growing. It is a warm thought that the best ending is the ending Varric helped make way for.
It wraps up the story nicely as well: he enters the Fade a human, just like he entered the physical world a spirit, underlining the complexity of his character arc.
This is also the only ending in which he can end up with Lavellan: I think it is poetic that she can only join him if he becomes more human, less spirit; a mix of both Wisdom and Pride. He has to accept his humanity and the weight of a human heart - metaphorically, he has to make the choice to finally enter the physical world and all of its complexities of his own volition: and there he finds her waiting.
This quickly grew out of hand so this is only covering the first scene lol. This is my attempt to organize my thoughts nearly line-by-line as I go through and analyze the relationship between Lucanis and Illario. These are my personal opinions and I'm open to discussion about any points I present here.
From the first time we are introduced to Illario from Lucanis's perspective, it is… almost derogatory? (dressed how an Antivan would think a Vint would dress). i thought you trusted him to handle this job at a party?
"it's a job" / "a party at a job" / "any excuse to primp" ← This back and forth feels natural between siblings (or those who have a sibling relationship) but with wider context feels… a little icky
Already, Illario is disparaging himself in relation to Lucanis ("Only 'the Great Lucanis Dellamorte' could refuse a summons from the First Talon") and even he says he's only here because Lucanis asked him to be. why bring him if you ostensibly don't trust him to handle the job? Lucanis's inner pov is different from how he speaks to and acts with Illario.
of course Illario is generally thick-skinned until it comes to Caterina. so are you. she's abused you both and treats Illario undoubtedly worse because he's not the favorite.
re: Caterina's abuse as listed. no food or water. beat them with her cane until their backs were scarred for 'letting their guard down' or 'fumbling footwork'. Lucanis says she "beat into him his commitment to his contracts" (re: veilguard banter where he didn't kill that 14 year old. lying? or proof of further favoritism?)
"For years, he'd hated her…" and then goes on to say that he'd learned that her cruelty was her way of ensuring their survival. Notably this isn't forgiveness but an acknowledgment of what she'd done and how it benefited them as assassins, which I would argue that it did. Child abuse is bad but I think she did prepare them both for the world they were being raised into as assassins.
"Beneath the bitterness in Illario's tone was something rotten." ← KEY LINE TO ME. Why point out how rotten it is unless he… already suspected Illario's resentment? Jealousy? He can identify the bitterness bc Caterina won't step aside, but also. ROTTEN.
"your time will come" / "will it?" ← Lucanis watching Illario watch him in the mirror. Really interesting moment because this is where Illario reminds him that Lucanis is the favorite. Lucanis goes on to say that he KNOWS this and has HEARD the rumors and still tries to assure Illario that his time would come.
"So, if she named you heir to House Dellamorte, you'd refuse?" ← really interesting thing to note here is that Illario is asking about being named as HEIR. Lucanis doesn't answer, they're interrupted, but "heir" doesn't hold the same weight as 'first talon".
they're not arguing who gets the role, they're arguing over who is even in line for it? so you mean to tell me that Caterina has been stringing them along like this… the whole time? Just name a fucking heir for fucks sake. the older one at least! if this was set up from childhood there would be way less room for jealousy and competition, or it would at least be clear WHO would be in line.. that being said I do believe she either did this on purpose. There's just no other excuse. Caterina what if you died the next day. they'd still have to fucking fight it out! (or maybe Lucanis would finally feel brave enough to absolve himself).
maybe that's it though? it's a test right? this whole fucking thing…. man.
"Illario's pretty-boy mask slipped as a coldness flooded his features." ← would have loved to see more of this in Veilguard. Regardless of whether you think Illario's writing is consistent between the books and the game, you're kidding yourself if you tell me he wasn't written operatically obvious in Veilguard. here there is more of a level of calculation and concealment? unless you want me to believe that his behavior was obvious to everyone except Lucanis… not discounting that reading of their relationship, just disagreeing with it personally.
Skipping ahead in to the fight scene, we see that Lucanis is living up to his name as the Mage-Killer as he pretty handily dispatches their assailant. Illario takes on more of the charmer role, tying up the mage—but then Lucanis immediately kills him. Why even let Illario do all of that work if you're just going to kill him?!
He even comments on it. "If I'd known you were just going to kill him, I wouldn't've put so much effort into the knots." ← Lucanis tells him after this to check his pockets and finds a note that does, admittedly, reveal the Venatori allegiance. That being said… you still could've killed him and got the same note. Unless it was just because he was a mage? But he was already dazed at that point. Why waste the time?! It's so maddening. This is the first of many instances where Lucanis sort of… bulldozes over Illario.
As Lucanis is removing the blade—"Careful, remember the tanner job? You ruined my best shirt." Kind of prissy behavior (Illario takes two steps back away from the blood), but when his cousin protests, Lucanis just… smirks and continues to extract the blade. If I'm reading this generously it could be simple sibling-esque banter, but Lucanis is not the sort to be readily endearing himself to Illario at any point.
Illario remarks that the Venatori's fanaticism re: nationalism and theology regarding the Black City isn't "worth it" (so he doesn't like the Venatori much either, mark that down?).
Lucanis says that it's because Illario isn't "a true believer—except when it comes to coin". My first thought is to think of Zara Renata's corpse conversation in Veilguard when she remarks that what Illario wanted, he wanted more than power, family, coin, etc etc.
So Lucanis's perception is that Illario is the sort of man who'd do anything for money (as the House of Crows is KNOWN TO DO, YOU KILL PEOPLE. FOR MONEY), and it matches up with his opinions previously established in regards to Illario's dress, motivations, mannerisms, etc. That Illario is… kind of a pretty-boy charmer who is only worried about coin and good clothes.
Hm. All bodes well on the Cain & Abel front.
RE: the true believer statement. Worth pointing out that the House of Crows was first established by Andrastian monks in the hills outside of Treviso; they assassinated a duke. Would love to have learned more as to whether there was more religious influences in the guild at any point.
Quotes are either paraphrased or taken directly from The Wigmaker Job, written by Courtney Woods.
I love how fashion changes overtime in the dragon age games, because it's very interesting to see how the different games interpret past designs, as well as how they evolve in the context of the lore.
WARNING: spoilers, because some of the images I use are screenshots of in-game events. DISCLAIMER: they are not (all) my screenshots, a lot of them are just off google.
anyway i just wanted to analyze tevinter fashion
Tevinter
(why Tevinter? I miss Dorian and Maevaris)
Origins
We see a lot of furs, spin-offs of Ferelden designs, and very traditional "wizard" robes for Tevinter mages in origins. Now, we don't see that last one with the woman's outfits, but I can't really find one that shows a man wearing them :/ So, we make do!
From what can be seen, Tevinter mirrors Ferelden fashion by embracing "perversions." Where Ferelden is more buttoned-up, so to speak, Tevinter fashion for women is sexualizing, exposing the breast, thighs and arms. This is probably intentional, meant to overdramatize the difference between the two countries.
Note: apostates robes also have this fur detailing.
DA2
Though we see less Tevinter characters in da2, we do get to see more than just magisters. Mainly with Fenris, Varania, and Orana.
What is interesting to me is that Tevinter fashion exemplifies slavery - Fenris' markings are on display, with his sleeves being impractical to display markings and the collar of his shirt open to show off the ones on his neck. As these are most likely the same clothes that he wore when Danarius owned him, it shows how magisters tote their property, especially the more expensive aspects. Conversy, with Orana, we see that her shirt actually comes up like a collar. While she's not wearing an actual one, it does denote her subjugation. Even Varania, who is supposedly free, wears clothes in this fashion, suggesting that even free citizens amongst the Tevinter Imperium are still considered to be in service of magisters.
We continue to see elements of origins too, as mages still wear robes, and we still have a sexualization of women. It makes sense that Orana's fashion doesn't do this, as she's depicted quite young in game and also magisters probably wouldn't want to be caught dressing their slaves as objects of desire (it's most likely frowned on in the tevinter imperium to desire a slave). But, we do see these elements in Varania's design, as she is free, and a tailor, which would mean her clothes would keep up to date with current fashion trends. Including exposed shoulders and a boob window. We do not see these elements reflected in men's fashion, suggesting a power-imbalance in Tevinter fashion.
Inquisition
Inquisiton actually has a rather dramatic leap from da2 and origins fashion. Which makes sense, given that a whole decade passes between the three games. Fashion does not stay stagnant (not that I'm an expert). What is interesting, is that we see mostly men from the Imperium! So, we can't really analyze how the women's fashion changes. But, we do see Calpernia in the Templar route, so, we can ascertain from her that at least battle-fashion has changed. She doesn't have the same boob or thigh exposure as previous women did. We also get to see magisters! Like several of them! And how diverse the fashion goes - yes, two are ventatori, so their fashion is a little more... eccentric, characterized with hoods, draconic elements, such as triangles placed like spines, and questionable facial hair.
We also see an actual magister, in the form of Dorian's father, repping robes that reflect the past designs.
Using Dorian as our point of comparison, we start to see variation in Tevinter fashion. No longer just magisters robes, Dorian wears a wrap that seems to mimic magister's robes, suggesting that fashion is modeled after them as they are the ones in power. The gloves also suggest this - with Dorian, his father and Calperian wearing them. Tevinter fashion seems to also include elements of utilitarianism, with belts that contain clips and storage pouches, accenting the waist. It is likely this is implying that being thin is idolized in Tevinter - or at least having a slim waist. Or maybe I'm just grasping at straws.
Interstingly, we see Andrastian elements in magister's robes, but not in the others! Similiar to how Venatori have draconic elements!
Veilguard
For the purposes of this, we are assuming that Shadowdragon fashion is in-line with Imperium fashion as they would have to blend in with the crowds to stay hidden.
We actually get quite the diverse array of fashion from Tevinter in veilguard - which I enjoy, because it would have been easy to just generate uniformity like they did for origins. There are so many elements that hint back to past fashion trends, but also many that are unique to the new era (as veilguard is 10 years post-trespasser). Robes are still in style, we see that with nearly everyone wearing some sort of long skirt that is still reminscent of magister outfits. But there are also some other elements, such as Maevaris bringing back the fur from origins (iconic), and the utilitarian belts on nearly every outfit. Belts are still prominent even when they're not being used to hold things too! I am loving the cohesive colour palettes of reds, blues and whites, which call back to past designs as many included such colours. We already knew designs were elaborate, from Dorian's relaxed outfit in Inquisiton, and Veilguard doesn't shy from this. While they're not all adorned in gold buckles and spandex, they do keep these elements in the Casual outfit for the Shadowdragons. Given how both are "casual" outfits that cling to the body, I'm curious if these are traditionally worn underneath their day wear. Perhaps to wick moisture away from the skin and keep them warm in the face of wind coming off the ocean. If we recall Neve's casual outfit...
This is worn underneath her regular clothes - or at least implied to be. So it is not a long shot to posit this theory. Especially given how that belt/suspenders looks to be something worn underneath another layer of clothing.
Dorian is our best look at a magister's uniform in relation to past magisters. Maevaris is also a magister, but we've never seen a woman magister before so there's no point of comparison for her. But she does have a cowl and the same wrap around her waist like origins designs. Dorian though, has the cowl, robes and even the same pointed facial hair. I have neglected to mention this, unfortunately, however there is a significant trend in goatees and moustaches for all Tevinter men throughout the series.
Honorable mention: Absolution
Most of this fashion is more reminscent of Inquisiton than Veilguard, which makes sense as it was created in the middle of the two. I'm not going to speak on it, as the fashion is more for ease of animators, rather than actually representative of Tevinter.
Honorable Mention 2: Corypehus and the Architect
We see many elements that give us direction in Tevinter's modern fashion. The squared shoulders with fur/feathers are found in origins, as well as veilguard, telling us how prominent influences of the old-Imperium are, especially with the rise of Venatori in Veilguard. They are both wearing robes, indicating that magisters wore robes even back in the day, and both have "belts" yet they seem to be more armour-focused rather than utilitarian. A unique detail is the architect being purple, a colour we haven't seen in Tevinter fashion, but does combine both blue and red. Corypheus is red, we are led to believe this is because of lyrium but given how prominent red is in Tevinter fashion, I would be inclined to believe his skirt was red prior to red lyrium.
Conclusion
Given that these games occur over two decades, fashion progresses logically and gives us an interesting look into the cultural influences of the Imperium. From ultitarian belts to the idolization of mages to the symbolisms of slavery in slave clothing. We can see that outfits are made of two parts: outer wear and casual wear, which are designed to come apart and be worn separately when in the comfort of one's home. Colours such as white, red and blue are dominant across the games, with gold being the "go to" accent metal. Additionally, Tevinter men have pointed facial hair, a trend that does not change across all the games, surprisingly.
To me, this is a logical progression in fashion, even if Veilguard and Inquisition feel like a bit too big of a jump without a middle point to act as a transitional comparison.
Emmrich and Johanna live in my fucking head rent-free and I will never be over them. There is no universe in which they have a happy ending. Nobody is doing it like them!!
I could talk forever about how I see them as parallels to Falon'Din and Dirthamen:
The oldest stories never even name them directly, referring to Falon’Din as “Dirthamen’s shadow,” and Dirthamen as “Falon’Din’s reflection.”
-- Codex Entry: Twins in Shadow
Johanna is everything Emmrich always wished he was- divorced from fear, bold enough to go where nobody else is willing to. He is jealous of her, in some ways living in her shadow. But Emmrich is also everything Johanna is not, and he reflects back to her all of her own shortcomings. He is outgoing, genuinely happy with his life lived, recognized as one of the most talented individuals amongst their Order.
"You are lost, and soon you will fade," the raven named Fear said to Dirthamen.
Emmrich, Friend to the Dead, a Fear of death rooted in not knowing what happens after, in fading into the unknown.
"Your brother has abandoned you. He no longer loves you," said the other, named Deceit.
Johanna, obsessed with knowledge, abandoned by the Order and by the only person she's ever cared about. Allowed to be twisted by ego and loneliness into Deceit.
'Divided. Cold. Two graves where there should be one.'
-- Short Story: The Flame Eternal
Two fragments of a whole that fly apart like magnets. Inject them directly into my veins for real
I think the thing in some fanfic, where Fenris reacts to healing magic with anger or rejection is incredibly baffling. Like, it makes no sense to me? If it was someone from southern Thedas who was scared of magic, then yes, that reaction makes perfect sense. In southern Thedas, fear of magic is, nine times out of ten, a fear of the unknown.
But Fenris is from Tevinter, it stands to reason that he probably knows a lot more about magic than the average person just from being around Danarius 24/7 (probably more than Fenris is comfortable with). He has no reason to reject healing magic because there is no way he doesn't know what it does, or hasn't had it used on him before (Danarius wouldn't want permanent damage to a valuable after all). He's also just very pragmatic, he doesn't have to like it but he'll do it without complaint, likely with gratitude for the healing. I mean, I know for a fact it's been pointed out before, but he has literal combat dialogue asking for healing.
Fenris isn't scared of magic because he doesn't understand it, he's scared of magic because he understands it. The knowledge sources the fear.
In the past, I've written much on the ways in which the Qun and the Qunari are an errant orientalist creation. Thankfully, I've received much in the way of understanding from parts of the fandom in my discussions on the Qun's inherent racist conception, especially as it touts the millennium old stereotypical depictions of Africa and Asia, more specifically West Asia and North Africa (what is often termed the 'Islamic world' or 'Middle East'). In other parts, I've been bombarded by some who insist that the Qunari, while perhaps initially inspired by some elements of the Islamic faith and history, are instead drawn upon by other theologies, philosophies, cultures, societies, and histories. Examples vary extensively, from Siddhartha Gautama [the Buddha] to the totalitarian governments of the 20th century [be it the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany]. Others may further suggest that no one society in Thedas is a one-to-one copy of its European counterpart, that Orlais takes heavy inspirations from both the numerous French states to the Holy Roman Empire, or that Ferelden itself is not simply just the Kingdom of England, but represents a broad depiction of the British Isles.
I will concede that the point that many societies and groups in Thedas share a blend of historical inspirations; at the same time, there lies a troubling and indicative reality that unlike say the blend of the Holy Roman Empire and France to form the Orlesian Empire, the Qunari are depicted in an entirely monolithic form. Although many Thedasian nations, kingdoms, and city-states are clearly inspired by a multitude (often European) of influences, the Qunari are never given the same complexity of diversity as the other racial groups in Thedas, including the elvhen and dwarven peoples. The closest are the Tal-Vashoth, but even they are explicitly acknowledged to not "truly" be Qunari with their disownment of the Qun. Such, the Qunari are utterly depicted as a monolith. I'd argue that the closest we ever see in terms of a complicated relationship with the Qun is ironically Shathann and Taash, though little discussion has been made in that inherent complicated relationship.
In doing so, however, I'd argue that this makes the fandom-claimed inspirations of the Qunari significantly worse. These historical groups and ideas in which the fandom has drawn in an effort to deny the Qun's inherent racist depiction of West Asian (and specifically Islam) are in all things - culturally, socially, ethnically, religiously, philosophically - distinct. There may exist some overlap, such as a share belief in Islam in say Saudi Arabia and Iran, but Iran is no more "Arab" than Saudi Arabia is "Iranian". Just as Japan is no more Chinese than China is Japanese. In reducing them to a forced similarity, real or otherwise, deprives these people of their humanity, for humanity are inherently diverse in almost all aspects. Although speaking over the distrust toward the Islamic sources of early Islam and the treatment of Muhammad as a complicated, human figure, Juan Cole's statement bares close example in which Asian and African societies in the Western perspective are marginalized, villainized, and exoticized.
One can also not rule out the long tradition of hostility toward Muḥammad in the Christian tradition has made this erasure palatable. [Cole, 2025]
Although discussing Prophet Muhammad, I'll argue that Cole's statement in adequate in my argument, as in there is a sort of cautionary fear in interacting with Asia and Africa on their own terms in Western perspectives. Ready examples can be found in the infantilization of Muslim woman, tying the very real oppression they suffer beneath a patriarchal and ultraconservative social framework and culture with the humiliating understanding that these women must be saved from the backward, barbaric Muslim men by the West and Islam. This is not to say that Muslim women have not, and continue to be, suppressed and horrifically abused, but rather that these inherent inequalities are complicated, multifactored, and goes beyond a simple traditionalistic view of Islam.
To return back to the Qun, by drawing these broad, and rather poorly constructed, examples, the fandom, and BioWare as well, maintain an orientalist perspective of these inspirations they claimed the Qun were drawn from. No matter how one seeks to imagine them, saved for a near completely reimagining of the Qun in a specific lens, the foundations of the Qun is one of utter, unadulterated Orientalism.
Such in that (and likely in other essays), I will attempt to construct the Qun. I will give thanks to specific individuals, @velnat004 and @omnipenne, who discussions either in DMs or in their relogged tags, have given me the confidence to approach the Qun with a more grounded perspective.
However, a matter must be made clear: my main focal of inspiration for this reimagined lore of the Qun is on West Asian history. Although often imagined in a set of clear-boxed "worlds", much of the Mediterranean and West Asian (alongside Central and South Asian) worlds were a fluxed exchange. Either done by trade, military expedition, or migratory practices, much can be written on the inherent diversity of the pre-modern world. Their reasonings are complicated, but the idea that Muhammad and his community were operating, as is often imagined in both the Western and Islamic mind, in an entirely independent section of the world, closed off from the goings and troubles of the north and south is ahistorical. If one only looks at the Qur'an, we will find a plethora of linguistic traditions and ideas bled into its Arabic terminology - like din being both from the Semetic dīn, which can mean judgement or debt, and from the Middle Persian dēn, which comes from the Avestan daena, or religion. By concentrated specifically on a West Asian heritage, I believe we allow the Qun to be more grounded in realism, while providing us the opportunity for a greater uniqueness and complexity that is otherwise lost by broadly placing disparate inspirations that are poorly fitted together outside being the European "Other".
In doing so, however, I am purposefully removing the attempts in which the fandom has strived to connect Buddhism, Confucianism, Marx-Leninism, Stalinism, and Nazism with the Qun. They are simply too far-ranged and inconsistently understood to make a coherent, realistic whole. Furthermore, I acknowledge my own intellectual shortcomings with the philosophical traditions and histories of Buddhism and Confucianism, and I wish not to utilize them in fear of misrepresenting their ideas and beliefs. Given that I am more learned in Mediterranean and West Asian history, much of my inspirations will be drawn from them, especially form early Islamic history. By laying a foundational point (the historical beginning of Islam), I believe we are able to expand and incorporate other socio-religious, ethnic, and cultural groups that existed before, during, and after the rise of the Arab caliphates.
This is not to say all of the established Qun lore will be discarded, but a vast majority will, or will be reimagined with this West Asian background in mind. As well as this, I will cite @omnipenne's desire that I too wished BioWare had taken.
"It would be far more interesting if the qun and Andrastrianism and the elven religion and the Stone were spawned from a common ancestor".
In my own rewrite of Dragon Age: Inquisition (shamelessly plugged) Eyes Sorrow-Blinded in Darkness Unbroken, I gravitate naturally to that idea, but will further establish it in these (potentially more) reimaginations of the Qun. Of course, our own world is immensely diverse and not all things stem from a common ancestor. However, given the clearly Islamic foundations of the Qun in the establishment of Dragon Age: Origins, I see no other way to go but to further dig into a Islamic (or rather Abrahamic/West Asian/Mediterranean) inspiration rather than pushing against it. Of course, my reimagination will not simply be Islam-replastered on the Qun. Instead, I draw heavily from it, alongside my own historical knowledge in the formulation of the Islamic tradition, and its greater connection to the West Asian and the Mediterranean world. By tying the Qun to these foundation, I seek to further connect it to Thedas. Begone will be the racist conception that, like all things, the barbarian Arabs, Persians, and Turks erupted in a stream of religious frenzy to spread their faith, that they were interlopers to the inheritance of both the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian traditions of Europe. Rather I succeed or not, I cannot say. Only that this is just my interpretation, my reimagination, in hopes to give both the Qun and the Islamic world that dignity, that voice, that humanity in which has consistently been denied by both BioWare and the Dragon Age fandom. Alongside this, I will draw attention to previous comments made by David Gaider in his tenure as Lead Writer of the series, in order to strengthen my arguments presented in my reimagining.
