You're the Leliana expert so I'm gonna ask, on my new Origins run where I intend to romance Leliana what origin should I go for?
My last run was a Brosca who flirted around but then didn't romance anyone cause it felt wrong for her so I really wanna kiss my darling bisexual french lady this time
My dream of inspiring someone to romance Leliana has finally come true. I am locked and loaded. Under the cut because I'm insane. Sorry. Not sorry. I love Leliwarden.
So my go to, very bias, is Tabris. I love Tabris. My Tabris/Lelitab is old enough to be in high school. I have many thoughts for them. Firstly, you see Lelitab more often is because (if you're unaware) Leliana meets Adaia in Leliana's Song. Now, LS is a bit dubiously canon as it doesn't match up location wise (Denerim vs Orlais per her DAO account) and is weird timeline wise (Leliana cites about two/three years staying in Lothering, which would make Tabris have to be late teens/early twenties or however old you hc them to be BUT the Tabris origin itself says Adaia died when they were much younger. There's even a line how Cyrion doesn't talk about her much, and Tabris wants to know what she was like. BUT ANYWAY). But ALSO, LS is framed more as a parable, rather than a memory, likely due to the timeline/canon issues lol. However I think most fans handwave or just edit to make it work, or just outright ignore the issues to keep the emotional storybeats. I have a much more angsty/negative spin towards the whole thing, but I've seen many others be positive and have their Tabris just be happy she was able to meet their mom. (And if you're in deep like me, Adaia has a line about Leliana being a light in a dark place" and Leliana's line to a romanced Warden about them being a light. I even have a little post about it here and shared below.
Symbolism and parallels babey!!!!!!!
For Tabris also (also by extension Mahariel and Surana) you have the conversation where she is just wildly inappropriately racist towards you. BUT she approves of you calling her out AND apologies after! I think it's a really solid character moment between her and an elven!warden, like Tabris/Surana get a line about not being a "prize winning animal", which is a great callback for Tabris specifically.
For Mahariel, you have a classic (has to exist in your head bc you can't rp this out) possible (one-sided) enemies-to-lovers because Dalish elf vs Chantry sister and build from there. But like with the other elven!wardens, Leliana speaks highly of following your own beliefs and what is "in your heart", which I think is a very nice sentiment coming from her in regards to faith. She also loves stories and would love hearing about them from Mahariel!
(I also think for Mahariel and Tabris, and other origins on how you play, a nice little parallel with Tamlen, Nelaros, and Nesiara and a lost love of some kind with Marjolaine.)
And I just really enjoy that she tries to stand up for elves generally, I think that could really endear an elven!warden to her. She approves of being kind, which in turn is being kind towards elves. So overall having a positive human to befriend.
I'll use Surana as a segue into also talking about Amell too. So my BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG big big energy for them (as well as also Brosca/Aeducan) is this post I made here and shared below.
For Surana/Amell, you have a person that has either never been outside or if they have, very, very rarely and likely has few memories of a life before the Circle. You also have (to me something I see neglected a lot) the religious aspect of it. The whole "magic is a sin, and you are sinful, something to be controlled lest you poison the minds of man and harm them. It's not your fault, but we're not sorry for what we have to do, and pity you for it." belief within the Chantry is something a mage!warden would of grown up with, but here you have this kindly Chantry sister telling you stories and pointing out the stars and calling your magic (and you) a gift from the Maker-- you're not a curse, you're something good. And she means it. Really solid stuff here.
For Surana, you also have any additional elven bits and pieces unique to them, and the intersection of "mage and elf" for character flavoring. For Amell you get the fun of whatever you want to do with the Hawke family (especially because Leliana knew them).
NOW for dwarven!wardens, you still have the very interesting angle of her stories and loving travel (something Brosca/Aeducan would of never been able to do) you also have a complete opposite spectrum with religion as well, it's very unlikely Brosca would know much of it, Aeducan could to a degree for the lyrium trade or otherwise royal duties, but actual practices? Not so much. I think you could (in your head again because you can't rp it) have that as a starting point for a dwarven!warden to learn something about the surface world (also wouldn't be as weird to them about "The Maker talking to you" but I think they would struggle with whatever a "vision in my dreams" is lol). Also of course, surfacer stories!
For Brosca specifically, in a similar vein to mage!wardens and elven!wardens, you have the "I love you for you" flavoring. Unlike them, though, Brosca is considered nothing by their society, not even an animal or sin, nothing (there's a particularly haunting line from the Shaperate telling a Brosca he can only acknowledge them as a warden, nothing else). I think the value Leliana puts on her partner is very good for Brosca.
For Aeducan you have the big huge parallel of the sheer betrayal and growing up in a society that cultivates and thrives on it. Much like Leliana with Marjolaine, Aeducan was betrayed (or fell into a trap), and lost everything, no family, no home, no status, nothing but the armor you had on your back when you were forced into exile. Unlike Leliana, who had time to come to terms with it for a few years, for Aeducan it was very recent. A lot of fun can be had with how you handle both Bhelen AND Marjolaine for this. (also kinda in love with reclaimed title Aeducan spoiling Leliana......)
For Cousland, I'll admit I'm a bit more shaky just because it's my least favorite origin, but it's no less viable and good as a Leliwarden worldstate!!! Similar to Aeducan, you can have the concurrent dealings of grief over losing your home and loved ones due to a betrayal out of completely selfish reasons, but in contrast, Cousland is gunning for Howe day one and Aeducan likely never thought they would of dealt with Bhelen again, even to get revenge given it was directly exile.
I think you can also have the "after you got your revenge, now what do you live for" flavoring for Cousland because, well, what do you live for now? Warden duties? Rebuilding Highever? Trying to pick up the pieces of your shattered life? Then, it's a good thing Leliana is right there by your side to help you, because she had to do the same not too long ago too.
There's also just generally some fun ideas you can think of for any origins with living family and friends. Like Tabris bringing home a human woman to their dad and cousins or Leliana being literal actual in-laws with the royal family of Orzammar if you put Bhelen on the throne or the Literal Actual Hawke Family.
I was going to also go into "how fun is it in later material" like Leliana's involvement with Celene/Halamshiral, the whole left hand thing, dolling out Justinia's message about a possible Exalted March on the mages of Kirkwall, Being Divine Maybe, but this is already super long and I hope uh, actually answers your question msdkdskf
