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Jul. 31st, 2022 11:20 pmA shiny buffet of brand new games available to me and of course I fall into Dragon Age: Inquisition for the nteenth time :'D Whatcha gonna do.
No idea whether this urge will actually carry me through an entire playthrough, but at minimum it's fun to splash about in the early days before the Inquisitor was a Big Damn BioWare Hero.
( not that this is lewen's favourite period )
No idea whether this urge will actually carry me through an entire playthrough, but at minimum it's fun to splash about in the early days before the Inquisitor was a Big Damn BioWare Hero.
( not that this is lewen's favourite period )
(no subject)
Feb. 19th, 2017 06:33 pmLewen regarded Solas as a respected elder and field advisor of sorts; a magical and historical counterpart to Cass, who he would consult more for tactics and human matters. He also genuinely liked the man! Found him prickly and aloof, yes, but (for all that Solas would probably hate to hear it) Lewen had attended at least one Arlathvhen as official First and seen his fair share of pretentious Keepers who were dead convinced they alone had unlocked the lost secrets of Arlathan, so the grumpy scholar schtick was an amusing familiarity and he enjoyed their debates. At the same time it became very clear that for every bit of information Solas imparted there were two more things he was keeping under his cloak, and his eventual disappearance was a disappointment but not exactly a surprise.
( spoilers below )
( spoilers below )
(no subject)
Feb. 14th, 2016 06:30 pmI can finally take Trespasser off my blacklist! Went through it at max speed so a more measured replay is in order, but at least I know how the dang story ends now.
Some of the major elements of the DLC rubbed me wrong, but I liked enough of the details that it was still a lot of fun.
( Read more... )
Some of the major elements of the DLC rubbed me wrong, but I liked enough of the details that it was still a lot of fun.
( Read more... )
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Apr. 7th, 2015 06:40 pmThe Dalish clan in the Exalted Plains ends up being really important to Lewen, partly because they’re a comforting reminder of home but mostly because they always greet him as though he belongs there. All through the story, he quietly, privately fears losing himself in small increments to human influences; exchanging lethallin for Lord Inquisitor, putting aside his own tongue in order to gain fluency in another’s argot, living behind stone walls and sleeping in a four-poster bed and eating food prepared in a closed kitchen. (Skyhold belonged to the ancient elves, but Lewen isn’t ancient elven – he is Dalish, and that is a conversation he and Solas needed to have and probably didn’t.)
He would never have considered himself malleable, yet moments of concession keep slipping under his guard, wrapped in the cloak of necessity. He orders his soldiers according to a human hierarchy. He uses human phrasings in letters that will be stamped with an Inquisition seal. He might have hated damn near every single blasted second of the ball, but he still allowed them to teach him the steps and dress him up in the outfit and parade him past the sneers because it had to be done – and all the while he fears that other Dalish wouldn’t agree that there was such a need. Or, worse: that they would see a betrayal and be right. His clan was not, on the whole, derisive towards city elves but he knows how the rhetoric goes and it would greatly hurt him to be accused of losing touch with his people when he’s already struggling with his physical severance from them.
So it matters enormously that this clan – none of whom share any connection with him save their racial heritage – welcomes him without suspicion, calls him da’len, and generally treats him as they would had he still been padding along at Deshanna’s side. Though they express reservations towards the Inquisition, they are in spite of his place within it, not because of it. They’re even impressed enough by the Inquisition’s acceptance of a Dalish voice so high in their ranks to eventually trust him with the care of a clan member, which is about as solid assurance as he could ask for that he is still regarded as one of their own.
I like to think that towards the end of their stay with the clan, after Lewen has explained some of how a Dalish First has come to end up as Herald of the shems’ religious icon, Keeper Hawen invites him to participate in a small ceremony – not in the role of an apprentice, but as a fellow Keeper. It’s entirely symbolic, but it’s a symbol of great meaning to Lewen, who has come to realise that there will be no returning to his former position. Even if all goes well, even if the Inquisition were to step down as a power afterwards, his future is just too uncertain for his clan to put their hierarchy on indefinite hold. He will always be Lavellan, but he is no longer their First and will never be their Keeper, and so being granted this one small moment to give a final acknowledgement to his entire life’s work…it’s an act of understanding and compassion from the elder, and a moment of much-needed closure for Lewen.
He would never have considered himself malleable, yet moments of concession keep slipping under his guard, wrapped in the cloak of necessity. He orders his soldiers according to a human hierarchy. He uses human phrasings in letters that will be stamped with an Inquisition seal. He might have hated damn near every single blasted second of the ball, but he still allowed them to teach him the steps and dress him up in the outfit and parade him past the sneers because it had to be done – and all the while he fears that other Dalish wouldn’t agree that there was such a need. Or, worse: that they would see a betrayal and be right. His clan was not, on the whole, derisive towards city elves but he knows how the rhetoric goes and it would greatly hurt him to be accused of losing touch with his people when he’s already struggling with his physical severance from them.
So it matters enormously that this clan – none of whom share any connection with him save their racial heritage – welcomes him without suspicion, calls him da’len, and generally treats him as they would had he still been padding along at Deshanna’s side. Though they express reservations towards the Inquisition, they are in spite of his place within it, not because of it. They’re even impressed enough by the Inquisition’s acceptance of a Dalish voice so high in their ranks to eventually trust him with the care of a clan member, which is about as solid assurance as he could ask for that he is still regarded as one of their own.
I like to think that towards the end of their stay with the clan, after Lewen has explained some of how a Dalish First has come to end up as Herald of the shems’ religious icon, Keeper Hawen invites him to participate in a small ceremony – not in the role of an apprentice, but as a fellow Keeper. It’s entirely symbolic, but it’s a symbol of great meaning to Lewen, who has come to realise that there will be no returning to his former position. Even if all goes well, even if the Inquisition were to step down as a power afterwards, his future is just too uncertain for his clan to put their hierarchy on indefinite hold. He will always be Lavellan, but he is no longer their First and will never be their Keeper, and so being granted this one small moment to give a final acknowledgement to his entire life’s work…it’s an act of understanding and compassion from the elder, and a moment of much-needed closure for Lewen.
(no subject)
Apr. 1st, 2015 06:38 pmOn the one hand Dorian’s romance side-quest kind of bothers me because it involves disregarding his wishes on a personal matter, which sits even more awkwardly when his companion side-quest can already have you deceiving and pressuring him about his family relations for his ‘own good’.
On the other hand, it is…nonetheless an amusingly / painfully good example of the sort of issues he and Lewen would need to navigate in their relationship. Like, theirs is a happy, successful, respectful partnership for the most part – they’re very much friends first, and they have a lot of things in common as young idealistic mages who take considerable pride in their positions. They come from rather different backgrounds, though, and they’re a study in contrasts on a few other matters, and things like Lewen’s compulsive problem-solving can be a bit contentious.
( Read more... )
On the other hand, it is…nonetheless an amusingly / painfully good example of the sort of issues he and Lewen would need to navigate in their relationship. Like, theirs is a happy, successful, respectful partnership for the most part – they’re very much friends first, and they have a lot of things in common as young idealistic mages who take considerable pride in their positions. They come from rather different backgrounds, though, and they’re a study in contrasts on a few other matters, and things like Lewen’s compulsive problem-solving can be a bit contentious.
( Read more... )
(no subject)
Mar. 20th, 2015 06:44 pmA great big dump of Lewen/Dorian nonsense! It was supposed to be just a quick thing but I ended up adding to it over the space of about a week and a half…turns out I will never actually stop trying to formalise my posts.
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( Read more... )
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Mar. 17th, 2015 06:49 pmHowever the elves of the past arranged themselves, Lewen has little respect for modern monarchies and empires; choosing leaders by blood instead of aptitude makes no sense, and the mere concept of treason appals him. (Making speaking against your rule an offense punishable by death? That has nothing to do with what’s good for the people and everything to do with stoking the fires of your own power.) His controlling streak is therefore less about wanting everything to go his way and more about being one of the worst delegators in Thedas.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
(no subject)
Mar. 6th, 2015 06:21 pmThings that keep Lewen going during the long, cold walk from Haven:
• The possibility they will send scouts back and make the demoralising discovery that their almighty herald survived the dragon, the tall scary man-creature, and the town-destroying avalanche only to faceplant into the snow half a mile from safety because he didn’t think to maybe throw a sweater on in the process.
• The even worse possibility that they won’t find his sad frozen corpse, and will instead declare him an Andrastian martyr who clearly ascended to the Maker’s side after facilitating the escape of His chosen flock.
• Wolves.
• The possibility they will send scouts back and make the demoralising discovery that their almighty herald survived the dragon, the tall scary man-creature, and the town-destroying avalanche only to faceplant into the snow half a mile from safety because he didn’t think to maybe throw a sweater on in the process.
• The even worse possibility that they won’t find his sad frozen corpse, and will instead declare him an Andrastian martyr who clearly ascended to the Maker’s side after facilitating the escape of His chosen flock.
• Wolves.
(no subject)
Mar. 5th, 2015 06:18 pmAs much as the entire Conclave debacle is an unpleasant shock, Lewen doesn’t really struggle with being dropped into the role of decision-maker. Once he realises there are loyal Andrastian Chantryfolk genuinely willing to listen to and even heed the advice of an elven apostate – two in fact, counting Solas – he’s quick to shed his wariness and start making calls. The Inquisition begins as a collection of right (and left) hands, but Lewen is a right hand that was trained to become the head, and rolling up his sleeves to wade into the thick of it comes much more easily to him than does sitting passively on the sidelines.
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his fair share of troubles, though, and most of them have to do with being decision-maker for the Inquisition.
( Read more... )
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his fair share of troubles, though, and most of them have to do with being decision-maker for the Inquisition.
( Read more... )
(no subject)
Mar. 1st, 2015 06:10 pmLewen: Well, half the humans treat me like trash and the other half keep throwing this herald thing in my face no matter my objections, but at least there are some elves around to speak wi-
Solas: Ah yes, the Dalish, so certain of the truths they’ve picked out for themselves.
Sera: Eugh, you’re not too much of an elfy elf, are you?
Minaeve: Fuck you guys, you left me to die!
Lewen: [sulks on top of a roof for like two hours]
Solas: Ah yes, the Dalish, so certain of the truths they’ve picked out for themselves.
Sera: Eugh, you’re not too much of an elfy elf, are you?
Minaeve: Fuck you guys, you left me to die!
Lewen: [sulks on top of a roof for like two hours]
(no subject)
Feb. 27th, 2015 05:45 pmFormally presenting Lewen, child of the Dalish Free Marches and First to the Keeper of Clan Lavellan. The alliteration was not intentional.
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