#starsandscimitars

[fereldenunderdog]

♥☼♫✓

♥ - What does ‘love’ mean to them?

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” 

Love is about devotion, first and foremost. You always support those you love, whether they’re in the right or in the wrong, and if you can give them something that they need you do. Love is an open door, a home-cooked meal, a shoulder to cry on, and the sicest high-five whenever you’ve done something pretty damn sweet. 

As beautiful and wonderful as it is, love is also painful, and sometimes love isn’t enough of a reason to stay. It is very, very possible to hurt the ones you love just by being near them, and in cases like those sometimes it’s better to leave just to keep everyone safe. 

☼ - Something that/Someone who makes them happy.

Evangeline. Dogs in general tbh, especially puppies. His friends, especially when their company is enjoyed with good food and good times. A good book. Comfortable and extra-warm handmade quilts. First snow of winter. 

♫ - What kind of music do they enjoy?

Awful, filthy tavern songs. The kind that would make anyone’s ears feel hot just repeating them, but the moment the tavern starts belting them out they’re happy to join in. 

✓ - How do they react to praise?

Equal parts confusion and humour. Genuine praise is a pretty rare thing for Kaleb. Most of the nice things said about him - if they’re said at all - are done sarcastically or in jest, so he tends to respond in kind. He is, however, quite perplexed whenever somebody has something legitimately nice to say about him, especially to his face. 

[howeveryclever]

What's something that would make Nathaniel immediately like/respect someone else?

// Intelligence and a little bit of backbone. 

When you’re the eldest son of Arl Howe people generally don’t make a habit of correcting you or speaking out against you whenever your father is in earshot and given how much time Nathaniel spent in Amaranthine that was more often than not. 

Nathaniel learned to appreciate genuine criticism and intelligence while he was a little older and training with other soldiers. He really dislikes people who try and dress him down (especially in public) and he doesn’t put much stock in strict knowledge/facts, but he is quick to respect people who show that they can think, form an opinion, and don’t crumple when someone challenges them on it.  

[howeveryclever]

Is Nathaniel patriotic? Howe does he feel when he sees something blatantly Fereldan when he's abroad?

//  Nathaniel absolutelyloves his country very much in that typical Fereldan “this is my cold, muddyshit hole don’t you dare insult it” way haha. I think he does lose a lot of hisintense dislike and intolerance of other nations that he inherited from hisfather, but he will never not be proud of his country and what it stands for. Like his father, he isn’t afraid of criticizing the monarchy, though perhaps he’s a bit less hostile about it. 

Seeing anything blatantlyFereldan when he was in the Free Marches would have definitely made him prettyhomesick. Despite knowing that having extra training was necessary for him tosucceed when he took over the arling from his father he didn’t want to leaveFerelden. Being reminded of his home and the place he was meant to be wouldhave stung a little bit. 

[howeveryclever]

Your mission, should you choose to accept: answer a question about Nathaniel and then send a different question to someone else. My question for you: what's one thing that Nathaniel would absolutely love if he gave it a chance, but never will?

// I think I’ve spent months trying to think up something legitimate and serious to answer this and I got nothing. 

So I’m going to go with that Orlesian ham that tastes of despair. He would probably love it, the broody bugger, but he would never eat it in a million years because it’s Orlesian. 

[howeveryclever]

If Rendon would have asked Nathaniel to take part in the raid on the Cousland castle, would he have done it? If so, what, if anything, would it have done to him psychologically? Sorry if you've already answered this.

// Yes but without any great pleasure, I guess is theshort answer. (Discussions of character death below the cut)

 Had Nathaniel returnedto Ferelden at the time Rendon raided the Cousland castle his father would havebeen able to convince him to participate, but not because he thought it was apower grab.  When confronted about hisfather’s actions in Awakening Nathaniel says “Your family was going to sell usout to the Orlesians”, and if that was the lie he was fed then he would havehad no choice but to act. Rendon Howe had a rather intense hatred of Orlesians –as did most Fereldens who lived during the Orlesian occupancy – and he passedthat on to his son. Nathaniel certainly wouldn’t have been happy about it, but given a) how much he idolized Loghain as wellas Ferelden’s historic fight for freedom and b) how much he wanted his father’sapproval he would have gone through with Rendon’s plan. I can’t see him havingthe stomach to kill Oren, but he would have certainly shot down any of theCousland family’s soldiers.

The more he wasconvinced that the act was a necessity to prevent Orlais from getting a foothold in Ferelden again the steadier his hand would have been. It would havebeen considerably difficult for him to kill either Bryce or Eleanor Cousland,especially because they had been his father’s friends at one point, but as afollower of the Hero of the Dane’s methods he would have done it. Would he haveregretted it? Absolutely. There’s a huge difference between shooting animals orenemy soldiers and shooting a family that you grew up with. Doing somethingthis violent would have done a lot to harden Nathaniel’s heart and really makehim quite bitter. The Couslands were supposed to be proud nobles of Fereldenand for them to sell themselves out to foreigners? Inexcusable. Death was whatthey deserved.

If he never found outthe truth he would have spent the rest of his life very closed off to thepossibility of any relationships beyond alliances, and even then he wouldalways be waiting to be betrayed. I think he would have made an excellentgeneral in one of Loghain’s armies, to be honest, because he would have had theright mentality for making hard decisions for the (presumed) benefit ofFerelden. Would he have ever been happy? Probably not. I think he would have hada very miserable existence but wouldn’t have known it because he would assumehe had the life he was supposed to have.

If he found out whatRendon had done for the sake of more power?  Shit would have definitely got ugly. Nathaniel’svery strong sense of justice would demand that he make whatever amends he couldand then he would likely turn himself over to the current monarch of Fereldenfor judgement. I think he would be difficult to convince of the truth, sinceNathaniel is quite stubborn and doesn’t acknowledge what’s right before hiseyes when it comes to his family, but once he was convinced he would doeverything in his power to try and see justice served. Knowing that he aidedhis father in such a cowardly act would be near the top of things that wouldreally break him and if nobody found alternative ways for him to atone he wouldlikely atone with his own death.

[needsmorewine--archive-blog]

starsandscimitars liked for a starter

“What... is -that-?”

[thereluctantking-blog]

He has really soft brown eyes like a dog, but a cute dog, and he had a big silly nose that made me want to kiss it but he was very tall so it was hard for me to reach without standing on tiptoes. I liked the way he kissed me, because even though I had to reach he also had to bend too and it was very loving. And he was very good with his mouth. I liked that too.

Bad Fanfiction Meme - Accepting Forever

[thereluctantking-blog]

"Oh, Alistair!" Owen screamed loud enough for all of Skyhold to hear him as the king bent him backwards and kissed him as the wind blew in through his hair, as he smirked. "I love you." And then they kissed a long time and lived happily ever after the end.