Heads, Hearts, and Headcanons in Dragon Age Origins

OGHREN: Let's show them our hearts, and then show them theirs.

One of the greatest things about RPGs is how personal they feel, and of course that's by design. They're role-player games by definition, after all, and the best of them, like those in the Dragon Age series, allow us to immerse ourselves in their world, creating characters, atmospheres, relationships, and more. We feel like we're there; we feel like we're them. And that's fantastic.

If you read this blog, you already know I'm a headcanoning fool, and I know from my fellowships with many of you out there that I'm not unique in this! As with the greatest fiction, I love the feeling that I can transport myself and feel like I'm somewhere else while I play—that wonderful sense of escape the moment that opening music starts up, whether it's Inon Zur's haunting and delicate melody, or Trevor Morris's more somber, thoughtful overture. And right away, just from those first few music notes, I'm the Warden, I'm Hawke, I'm the Inquisitor, I have fabulous mage powers, I'm surrounded by a found family of cool, interesting companions, and (of course) I'm instantly attractive, fascinating, and talented. What's not to love?

So let's talk headcanons, and all those little things you find yourself thinking and imagining that add texture to your Dragon Age world as you play. Each of us has our favorites—so here are some of mine!

I'll start with Origins in this post, but I'll be looking at each game to follow, in separate posts, too. I was going to do all of them in one post, but—incredibly!—I am actually not going to put them all in one giant post for once. (I KNOW! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME??)

But onward.

Imagining Origins

I have some odd little headcanons when it comes to Origins. 

First off, when it comes to the effects of drinking from that cup for the Joining, I always felt like it was, a little bit... personal. I felt like, when your Warden undergoes the Joining, that they not only get that connection to the Archdemon that we hear about, but that the Archdemon also gets that connection to you. I mean, personally. That the Archdemon sees you in those nightmares, knows you, and you are now on a very short list. 

That's the reason—to me—for that piercing moment during the Joining when the Archdemon looks right at you. Because it does. It sees you. It hates you. You, personally, among the others on that very short list. And it is going to get you. That's pretty damn terrifying.

I also headcanon that there's a LOT of guilt to Duncan over the Joining, or there should be, because he's pretty morally damn shady there on a number of levels. It's a situation where the Wardens are actively suppressing the actual danger of the ceremony, because (understandably) if it were common knowledge that the Joining was lethal, even fewer would volunteer than already do (although they also conscript people, but that's a discussion for another day). So instead, we get that heartbreaking ceremony where people like Daveth don't survive the sip, or where Ser Jory says, "Um, WHAT JUST HAPPENED? And... er... what are the odds again?!" and then gets skewered to preserve the secret, etc.

And to be fair to poor Jory (who gets a lot of flack from the fandom), I don't think he's a coward. I think there's a world of difference between volunteering for a straight-up fight with a sword against an enemy —and volunteering for a service that also involves undergoing a secret mystical ceremony in which your odds of survival have been hidden from you for PR reasons until now. I always feel sorry for him, and for Daveth, and for poor Mhairi in Awakenings (I adored her), another who simply doesn't survive the sip... and countless others. 

Want a different take on the Grey Wardens? Play a conscripted Cousland—it's an interesting and more complex point of view to play a protagonist who didn't volunteer for this or choose it in any way (although the Circle Mage origin is basically a "do this or die" situation as well). Suddenly, Duncan and even Alistair are a little darker around the edges.

I do appreciate that Duncan is all quietly regretful and nobly sad about Jory and everything, but let's face it, once you get past the hotness and Shakespearean magnificence of Duncan and his beard and voice and general hotness (wait, I said that already), he's still maybe not walking on the side of the angels, here. I just think, knowing  if he's the good man he presents himself to be (or seems to want to be, if we want to talk semantics), that he's probably suffered his share of guilt-stricken sleepless nights. 

(In which case, CALL ME, DUNCAN! Wait, oops, did I say that out loud? Never mind...)

Messages in Roses...

And then there are the companions who become our Warden's family. I definitely headcanon that we see the last vestiges of innocence for both Alistair and Leliana in Origins, and I find that especially moving in hindsight. Leliana might be an experienced bard in DAO, but there's still enough innocence and belief to her that a simple rose can inspire her to an odyssey that will change all of Thedas. And for Alistair, a different rose may inspire his feelings of first love.

It's especially fun for me to think about Alistair's internal journey in Origins too, because he's such a contradiction—someone we really see finish growing up. The Alistair as the story begins is an innocent young man who still has a lot of the boy to him—he's sweetly unsure of relationships and is still full of awe and wonder about a lot of the world. 

But while Alistair is wide-eyed and naive in some ways, he's a contradiction in others. He's lighthearted and funny, true, but there's real sadness underneath—this is a guy who was hated and resented by his stepmother and sent out to sleep with the hounds. 

I'm always affected by the idea that, even in the Blight, part of Alistair is living the dream for much of Origins. At last he's free to be the hero he dreamed of being in all those cold nights, and he's finally free to travel like the heroes he imagined, and stand right alongside his adored father figure Duncan. Being a Warden is all Alistair has ever wanted, and when I think about this, and about the lonely little boy he must have been, it's no wonder that he falls so hard for a female Warden, or bonds so quickly with his companions. I also get a kick out of how quickly Alistair bonds with Wynne as the instant adoptive Mom he probably always wanted but never had, so I headcanon some homely moments at camp like Wynne teaching Alistair how to wash his own socks, or the basics of camp cooking, and more.

I also think about Leliana here... she's someone whose faith is so deep and profound that I have no doubt she's talking to the Maker on the regular in those quiet evenings when she's alone and thinking about her path.

The Quieter Moments at Camp

I always love going back to camp in Origins, and it's where I have the most fun imagining the relationships playing out as our companions evolve through the story.

First off, after seeing his expression during Leliana's song at camp, I absolutely think Sten's tent is always somewhat near Leliana's, simply because he is starved for things like music and art and softness, and he loves to sit and listen to her play or sing, even if he won't admit that out loud. I think the DAO party trails a constant stream of rescued cats and kittens that Sten feeds, pets, and plays with at camp (gruffly, of course, and loudly claiming he is "training" them), and that Alistair is a sucker for Barkspawn—I think he'd always have a fondness for them, so my headcanon is that Alistair would give Barkspawn lots of treats and playtime, while Sten watched disapprovingly, worrying loudly about Barkspawn being "spoiled"—but then of course he'd sternly lecture Barkspawn about all of this later on... and then give him treats.

I also like to imagine that Morrigan's little witchy separate campsite moves closer and closer and closer to the main campsite night after night as they travel, so that eventually it's right there next to leliana's, while she's still loudly protesting that she doesn't really like any of these people, and 'tis laughable that they'd ever accuse her of such madness.

I also privately believe that Oghren is more upset about Branka than he appears to be, and that there may have been some quiet tears in the late nights over at his side of the campsite. This is also why I think he's so constantly drunk, as well—as a way to manage his grief.

Shipping Origins

Romantically, do I have ships? Oh, yes, so many ships. Starting with the fact (and yes, this will shock those of you who read this blog regularly) that Sten means "kadan" in the romantic sense when he uses the word for his Warden. It doesn't help me that not only does he do this, and it's enormously affecting on that front, but Sten also has that ridiculously beautiful voice (thank you Mark Hildreth), which makes it even more swoonworthy.

Interesting side note: I've written a fanfic about this (yes, be afraid, be very afraid), but I will note that while I think Sten loves the Warden (and vice versa), for me there's even a headcanon reason why he's not a romanceable choice in-game. There's a reason he doesn't speak. It's hopeless. This isn't a situation for happy endings. Sten will leave after all of this and go back to Seheron (or Par Vollen). 

I've written about this before, but Sten is an interesting character to me precisely because he is a series of contradictions. He falls in love with the wide world outside of Seheron in DAO, and falls in love with its kittens and cookies and art and new cultures... but he is not a convert. He still sees these things from the point of view of the future conqueror. So he will not stay here. He will go back home. And even if he loves the Warden—he's still leaving if he survives. Unlike Bull, I believe nothing can sway Sten from belief in the Qun.

But on to happier ships. Most importantly, when it comes to my internal headcanons, if Zevran does not hook up with the Warden? I think Zevran totally hooks up with Wynne instead. This is a headcanon for me on the same level of belief as Adoribull. It's real for me, and it makes me profoundly happy. Nobody talks that much about somebody's bosom without being actively interested in seeing and touching said bosom. And I think they'd be good for each other. She'd drop some of that overly prim exterior (methinks the lady protests too much), and he'd have an emotional relationship that went beyond political expedience, work, or momentary pleasure.

The other little sort-of romance happening in Origins for me is Shale and her feelings for Sten. Now, this isn't exactly headcanon since it's something that we actually see via the banter dialogue (and it is funny, charming, and oh-my-God so subtly heartbreaking), but that dialogue leads to some headcanons for me, too. We know from those banters that Shale and Sten evolve their friendship to "kadan" levels of comradely affection, and we also know that Shale slips up at a later moment to reveal that she actually has feelings for Sten that not only seem to be romantic, but genuinely physical and sexual.

The fact that she feels these things almost 1200 years after her transformation, with her spirit confined to a hulking body made of stone, is really sad to me, especially because it seems to me that Shale doesn't seem to feel anything on a sensory level, to the point that she casually references being "whittled down" during her time in Honnleaf, for instance. She's truly a prisoner of stone. Since a sensual life is denied to Shale as part of the tragedy of being a golem, the revelation that she does in fact desire Sten physically is even sadder to me.

Which means that I headcanon that there are plenty of nights at camp where Shale contemplates the stars, unsleeping, listening to the small noises of the sleepers around her, and feels ancient and separate... and very, specifically, lonely. Although she will of course never admit it.

(Note: for some reason, the Dragon Age Wiki on Shale is currently referring to her as "it," and I'm very confused by whoever made this change, since Shale openly identifies as female in her dialogue. Or is she now considered nonbinary? In which case, shouldn't her pronouns be "they"? Sound off if you know!)

The Witch and the Bard

So many ships, so little time!

Let's see... yet again, there's the obvious fact that, as with Sten, the game won't let me romance someone I want to romance (Morrigan with a female Warden), which means I immediately ship that, and I always will. I'm still sad about that female Warden/Morrigan romance not being possible, because I do think (as with Cass in DAI) we're given glimpses of an interest in our heroine that goes beyond friendship, at least in moments. And I think there would be something soft and charming to it, and it would illuminate Morrigan in ways that a more stereotypical heterosexual romance (where she seems more focused on dominance and gamesmanship) does not.

Beyond that, I also ship Leliana and Morrigan a little in Origins. They're both so prickly with each other, and Morrigan is so completely over the top in her venom if they're rivals for the Warden that I feel like there's more than simple envy there. Especially since Morrigan relentlessly implies that Leliana is  inexperienced and frigid, and I'm sorry, it seems to me like Morrigan is forgetting that Leliana is a bard, and by her own accounts a skilled one in every sense of the word. She slyly talks about assassinating a mark after taking them as a lover, so Leliana even in Origins is certainly not the blushing nun Morrigan rather hilariously insists she must be. 

But beyond this, I do feel like there's real interest there as well, a spark between the two women. Leliana talks openly about Morrigan's beauty, and wants to take her shopping! I mean, I admit that this isn't exactly "go on a date with me," but come on, shopping with Leliana could totally be a date. Besides, we're in my mind, anything goes.

Meanwhile, while we're talking about ships here, let's face it, there's enough open snark, bickering and banter between Morrigan and Alistair that they're practically begging to be a rom-com and are inches away from realizing that all their arguing was actually just love in disguise. In some other universe, they realize their mutual attraction, throw themselves at each other, have surprisingly good sex for about two weeks, then break up, to both of their mutual relief.

Now none of us has to see the movie! You're welcome.

Schmooples, Barkspawn, and a Dash of Pounce

Meanwhile, I also headcanon that Barkspawn takes a little while to get used to Schmooples, but eventually plays with him, that Oghren is constantly secretly plotting to eat Schmooples, and that Schmooples has to sleep in Leliana's tent with her, curled up at the foot of her bedroll, so that Oghren won't make bacon out of him. Even if/when Leliana hooks up with anyone else in the party.

I also think Sten would have played with Schmooples secretly (since he's a softie about animals), and we already know he talked to Barkspawn, so of course he played with him as well (which I've already detailed earlier here too). My favorite mental image is of Sten getting Barkspawn to practice fetching in all these sort of gruesome scenarios, like, Barkspawn brings him a skull and he's all, "You are a good and honorable creature. I will boop the nose." 

Still, as far as animal headcanons, my favorite one in all of Dragon Age, however, has to be the mental image of sweet, brave little Ser Pouncealot leaping at the faces of Anders's enemies in Awakenings. Because in my head, he's basically riding around in Anders's backpack, and in battle, he crouches on Anders's shoulder, then jumps right out at people. Mrreowrr! Attack!

Goddesses and Archdemons

I adore Flemeth as a character, although even three games in, I'm not sure if I trust her, so I love every single scene we get with her, and especially listening to the gorgeous combination of violin-meets-rusty-gate that is Kate Mulgrew's fabulous voice. And I especially love her subtle amusement at our complete befuddlement at the greater events of Thedas. I mean, here's our young Warden, who depending on the chosen origin story is varying levels of traumatized, scared, tired, and new to all these great matters, talking to what we will later realize is basically an ancient queen and demigoddess. 

Flemeth sees all of Thedas as a chessboard and, for good or ill, is moving those pieces. Meanwhile, we're just trying to get through all this with a little nightmare-free sleep and a clear idea of the next 24 hours, and most of the time, we're failing at both. Flemeth's operating at a whole other level, and so, it turns out, is Morrigan. Morrigan may hate her mother, but she, too, still seems to serve that larger picture, because even if we kill her mother in her dragon form, she will still show up in the end to offer the Dark Ritual.

When it comes to Flemeth and Morrigan, it's interesting that Flemeth sends Morrigan off as her Official Swamp Witch Representative of sorts, even while knowing (it's pretty clear) that Morrigan will not only betray and attempt to supplant her, but that on some level Flemeth deserves that betrayal. Seriously, listen to the stories Morrigan tells about her childhood. Flemeth was a truly horrific mother, and Morrigan's tearful gratitude over the beautiful little mirror as the first actual freely given gift in her life will always enrage me.

So it's interesting for me to headcanon that Flemeth expects Morrigan's betrayal and may have even orchestrated it as a necessary next step. And whether or not we try to kill Flemeth on Morrigan's behalf (which I pretty much don't do anymore, because the fight's a tough one, and it's much more interesting to talk to Flemeth instead), I always imagine that afterward, when we leave, she goes back into that lonely little hut, and maybe she finally allows herself to realize what she did to her daughter. Flemeth may be ancient and cold, but yes, I think there are tears.

I don't love Anora, meanwhile, although I think she's an interesting character, but her instant pragmatism and willingness to betray us if we rescue her always makes me laugh. There's not even a break in the action, she's just, "Nope! They are not my rescuers, and I am not a part of this in any way!"

Nevertheless, when I imagine the Landsmeet, if Loghain is executed, from the Origins gore that instantly sprays across her face as her father dies, I definitely headcanon that poor Anora went off afterward, had the appropriate breakdown, and thereafter lost most of her taste for statecraft. Or, in an alternate universe, it's fun to imagine the moment sending Anora into a cinematic-level revenge spiral.

Meanwhile, the final battle with Urthemiel is sort of comical for me in some ways, because I spend the entire thing divided between my attacks on the Archdemon and spamming heals to protect my adorable Hot Young Teagan from harm. (I used to protect First Enchanter Irving too, but after Dragon Age II and what Kinloch Hold (keep in mind, reputed to be one of the "kinder" holds) put Anders through, honestly, Irving can fuck right off.)

Aftermaths

Depending on how that last battle goes, I have a number of minor headcanons. We get some sketchy details on life after the events of Origins, and of course most of those are presented as rumors (a very smart choice, once the game became part of a series).

If the Dark Ritual is refused and the Warden dies, like most of us I usually imagine the lives of their Companions afterward—not just the obvious sadness of the romanced Companions who have lost their love, but the effects of that loss on the lives of the others, too. There's some incredible fan art out there that explores some of these, and one of my favorites, by Remington-Zero, involves Zevran talking with the Warden, for instance, and it turns out he's making the latest visit to their gravestone.

Of course, we can also end Origins not just with the loss of our hero and avatar, but with the potential loss of so many of our friends—with the loss of Alistair or Sten as companions, with the deaths of Sten, Leliana, Wynne, Zevran, Shale, or poor Barkspawn (NEVER HAPPENING! Don't "at" me!), and in every case that loss is potential fuel for imagined grief.

We do know some of the fates of our friends who survive, and see many of them again in later game story chapters. Among those we don't hear much about... among the aftermath stories I imagine with Origins is the idea that Shale goes and finds the secret to unlocking her dwarven female form again, and while I don't think she goes and romances Sten and finds true love or anything, I do like to think that she meets up with him again in some far-off time and place, probably after he's Arishok, and that he smiles when he realizes who she is, and hugs her. (Yes, I headcanon that Sten hugs people, albeit grudgingly, and that he gives great hugs, although no, probably not quite at The Iron Bull-level of hug greatness).

As far as Barkspawn, after I saved him (since I always save him) I imagine that he had a long, long life, and that even as a Grey Warden canine, he was old but still alive at the time of Inquisition's events. I also absolutely know, with certainty, that after all the adventures of Origins are done, that when he returned to Par Vollen, Sten carried a rescued cat in his satchel... as well as a recipe for cookies.

What are your favorite Origins headcanons? Please share them in the comments!

Dragon Age Playlists (for Dragon Age Inquisition Characters)

Like most of us, I'm a sucker for music. And I was recently sharing Solas Spotify playlists with my friend and fellow Dragon Age Day founder T, and it made me want to do one for ALL the Companions!

So here we are—just for fun, I created playlists for all of our Dragon Age Inquisition Companions, below, plus (of course) Leliana, Cullen and Josie. 

Songs and Characters

My criteria for these was pretty loose, more about mood and gut reactions. In terms of what the songs mean for the characters, some of my choices are about the dark choices we might make, and what happens then (cough, Bull). 

Others are about when everything goes absolutely right. Some songs are about the delights of that character's romance, while others are about how that romance may unfortunately be delicious agony.

Some of the music I pick here is from the POV of the character, while a lot may also be from the POV of the romanced or friended Inquisitor. So again, it's just meant to evoke moods and moments.

One thing I deliberately didn't do—I didn't go back and look at that BioWare playlist blog post from years back. I remember that I loved it, but I didn't want to be an echo chamber, so I just did my own stuff here.

You will hear the occasional show tune. Or the occasional film composition. Or something just plain weird. Sorry/not sorry! There are also some very NSFW selections on some lists—especially Bull's—so you may want to browse and listen privately first in those cases.

Thanks for checking these out, and I'll look forward to your thoughts! What did I miss that was so bloody obvious you can't believe it? What songs mean the most to you when it comes to certain characters?

Share your own, and let's have some fun!

Solas

A playlist for everyone's most loved/hated hobo apostate and occasional elven god.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0S29zEcrBLw0vwEupWcLui?si=b16eeff0144b4a84

Selections here include songs from: PHILDEL, Hadestown, Stars, SYML, Imogen Heap, Jeff Buckley, Laurie Anderson, Murray Gold, Great Big Sea, Papa Roach, James Vincent McMorrow, Greg Laswell, Fleurie, Kristin Hersh, Dido, and lots more.

Hidden gems you may not be familiar with? I'd pick "We Raise Our Cups," which I love in this context for its sense of regret and myth, and the quietly apocalyptic "Keep Breathing," which feels SO "Drop-the-Veil-like" to me ("People are dying, I close my blinds...") "Leave Like That," and "Wasteland, Baby!" I tried to go for a combination of snapshots here, not just "Oh my God you left me," although that is of course REALLY EASY TO DO HERE (darn it, Solas). Since Solas actually does have a sly sense of humor, I also wanted to have a little fun occasionally, so there are some dashes of humor, like "You're Welcome," which, come on. That's perfect.

Bull

A playlist for the Ben-Hassrath in everyone's life. Please listen responsibly and don't forget your safe words...

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3IiArzC7v4uG3A6Mn5VQgB?si=0814c9d02ee84dd5

Selections here include songs from: Digital Daggers, Nancy Sinatra, RIELL, Freedy Johnston, Seether, Sia, Nouvelle Vague, Solomon Burke, Suzanne Vega, Jaymes Young, The Decemberists, Carly Simon, Daniel Lanois, Frou Frou, Leonard Cohen, and many more.

My picks for hidden gems here would include "Bad Reputation" (the song sounds like an anthem to love but it's also about damage and despair—"been breaking down, do you want me now, do you want me now?"), "The Bagman's Gambit" ("they'll never catch me now," goes the refrain, but we know everyone gets caught in the end), Daniel Lanois's gorgeous, epically romantic "The Messenger," "Master and Servant" (cough), and "Your Love Could Start a War." Is there a subtext in this playlist? Beyond the obvious nods to sexy times, it's basically that Bull is a lying liar whose lies are alternatively cheerful, methodical, or chilling, a stone-hearted spy depending on your choices, and, well, traumatized. He's also trapped for a lot of Inquisition—somebody who's stuck in a political machine it's hard to get out of, so I wanted to push that here. He's also a sweetheart to either Dorian or a romanced Inky despite the rough edges, so you get that here too.

Cullen

A Dragon Age playlist for handsome templars and those who love them. (Wait, that wasn't flirting, was it?!)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2iIFnCP61Fv4LjjAeeX2yk?si=2d4c65edbf6e4dbb

Selections here include songs from: Mumford & Sons, Elliott Smith, Fleurie, Ingrid Michaelson, Cranberries, Blues Saraceno, The Tragically Hip, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Hank Thompson, Jump, Little Children, Philip Glass, Florence + the Machine, and more.

Some potential hidden gems would include "Dogs of War," "On Every Street," "All the King's Horses" and "Anthem, Pt. 2." I really enjoyed putting this one together and tried to include everything from the PTSD, to his addiction issues, to finding true love, to occasional dashes of humor ("Don't Flirt with Me"). There's a little more movie soundtrack stuff on Cullen's than on some of the others, and I loved "Little Lion Man" to kick it off.

Dorian

A playlist for a certain handsome Tevinter mage who may or may not be in love, but who is always devastatingly charming.

Selections include songs from: The Dandy Warhols, Queen, Rufus Wainwright, Jem, George Michael, Peter Gabriel, The Decemberists, Agnes Obel, Adam Lambert, Prince, Indigo Girls, The National, MIKA, and more.

Potential hidden gems here for me would include "The Last High" (the progression of the narrator's arrogance is quietly hilarious as the song goes along), "The Wanting Comes in Waves" (yes, I am a huge Decemberists fan, and this one is probably my all-time favorite), "Dorian," "Exile Vilify," and Mika's beautiful "Any Other World." My goal with this one was to balance Dorian's intelligence and vanity with his hidden pain, yearning, kindness, and sweetness.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3CVmmDCKCZrZhFWMNkxRJD?si=5ce1a31f892d401c

Blackwall

A playlist for lonely guilt-soaked Grey Warden warriors and bearded icons (THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE).

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3JrfzGjkzpusWZWFmqdnkq?si=7037b245557c486e

Selections include songs from: Johnny Cash, Lenka, Regina Spektor, Aimee Mann, Belle & Sebastian, The Struts, Justin Timberlake, Sheryl Crow, Rihanna, Guster, Jonathan Coulton, Radiohead, Iron & Wine, and more. 

My picks for some hidden gems here would include Johnny Cash's terrific cover of Sting's "I Hung My Head," "Forgive Me Friend," "Samson," "Could Have Been Me," and "The Trapeze Swinger." Blackwall's list was one of the easier ones because of his palpable sense of regret and unworthiness (hey, there are thousands of songs out there about how much people hate themselves), but I also tried to incorporate some moments of purity, courage, redemption, and happiness.

Cole

A playlist for sweet spirit boys and real boys alike that will lift your spirits even if it doesn't lift your feet.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6k1ZiQTL2WnLg5HO3mWXJm?si=a5e6b1130e384b60

Selections include songs from: The Muppets, The White Stripes, Simple Plan, John Williams, Bright Eyes, Patrick Doyle, The Police, Art Garfunkel, Gary Jules, Ben Harper, Nick Drake, Marc Cohn, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Peter Allen, Max Richter, and more.

Some of my personal picks for hidden or less-known gems here would include "Bright Eyes," "The Wind," "Compassion," "Everything Old is New Again," "Lullaby for Cain," and "On the Nature of Daylight." I hopefully walked the line here between innocence and sweetness and Cole's bigger sense of knowing -- I was trying for his sense of the cosmic. I definitely didn't want to infantilize Cole, but he is sometimes paradoxically truly a kid, and I did want to include those dashes of childlike wonder at humanity's quirks.

Cassandra

A playlist for the secret warrior princess in all of us (with a dash of SWORDS AND SHIELDS).

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6wtIIliS0DfXKwJ8pnyM8y?si=de19a51bfe544de1

Selections include songs from: Christina Aguilera, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Thomas Bergerson, Royal Wood, Alana Davis, Pat Benatar, Dire Straits, Nelly Furtado, Sheryl Crow, Chaka Khan, The Lumineers, Halsey, Joan Osborne, and more.

Some less-known gems here might include "Sand and Water" (a gorgeous examination of grief, and one I wanted to evoke both Cass's brother and her loss of Regalyan), "Kingdom Fall," "Disgusted" (oof!),  "Juliet," "Graveyard," and Joan Osborne's joyous anthem "Righteous Love." Basically, I just wanted to salute a kickass woman with hearts on her armor and in her soul.

Sera

Shite! A playlist for Red Jennies, kickass girl archers and their girlfriends. BEES!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6NBBuHBLdW0DvxKHLlT3bj?si=74ab16e5fb4b4ea3

Selections include songs from: The Jesus and Mary Chain,  Kesha, Sinead O'Connor, The Chicks, Halestorm, Carly Rae Jepsen, Maria Isabel, Indigo Girls, No Doubt, Portishead, David Newman, Tracy Chapman, Ani DiFranco, Duffy, and more.

Some hidden gems here might include "Mayhem," "Eat the Rich," "Suzanne," "Broken Arrow," "Syrup & Honey," and "The Dresses Song." I had so much fun with Sera's list, although I wish there were more songs about bees, dammit. 

Varric

Well, shit. A playlist for the dwarves and dreamers,  as well as those still hung up on all the wrong people...

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6H8Mrmtbo6h6d174EZToKc?si=75a8da5eefed46c1

Selections include songs from: David Crosby, Tegan and Sara, Elvis Costello, Travis, the Robert Elovsson Quartet, Big Little Lions, Lyle Lovett, Beck, Sting, Tom Waits, the Weepies, and many more.

Some lesser-known inclusions here are "Hero" (one of my absolute favorite songs lifelong), "She's Already Made Up Her Mind," "This is Hell," "Stories," and "Happy Ending." Obviously the ghost of Bianca is all over this playlist (poor Varric), but it was really fun to explore—I love "I Know I Know I Know" in that context, as well as "Happy Ending," not to mention "Innocent When You Dream," which for me is perfect for Varric's intelligence and warmth.

Vivienne

A wicked little playlist for the most fabulous mage you'll ever meet, darlings.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4YoWLIAwSXKMBYkITUIkgz?si=4eab6fa977e44412

Selections include songs from: Beyonce, Billie Eilish, Lorde, Scarlett Johansson, Hamilton, Valerie Broussard, The Joy Formidable, Meredith Brooks, Cliff Richard, One Two, RHODES, Matt Corby, WandaVision, and many more.

Stuff you may not have heard before could include "A Little Wicked," Scarlett Johansson's wonderful, slinky "Trust in Me," "The Silent Treatment," "The Red Shoes" (I'm a sucker for fairytales), and "Your Soul." Viv's not bad, she's just drawn that way.

Leliana

A playlist for Thedas's scariest spymistress, curated by Baron Von Plucky.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4imTBQHZod2TTzZbHv19tE?si=50e548a3104e4e6e

Selections include songs from: Tori Amos, Trent Reznor, Wings, Blondie, Loreena McKennitt, Nena, The Cure, Sarah McLachlan, Ariana Grande, Echo & the Bunnymen, Massive Attack, JADE MOSS, and many more.

Some fun less-known stuff here includes "Nun with a Motherf*&*ing Gun," "Dante's Prayer," "All My Heroes," and "The Maker Makes." The combination of stone-cold killer and true believer in Leliana's list (with a dash of girl power) is really fascinating to listen to.

Josephine

A playlist for the world's sweetest bard. Some of her dolls act out these songs when she plays them.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Pu66tULbRsbq2W7zQNq4K?si=d11550c175584f86

Selections include songs from: Brandi Carlile, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, the Monkees, Sarah McLachlan, Ivy, Rickie Lee Jones, Ed Sheeran, Peter Cetera, Wicked, Sara Bareilles, Shakira, the Bangles, and many more.

Hidden gems here might include "All Will Be Well," "Josephine," "Mermaid Song," "I Was Brought to My Senses," and "The Lucky One." I felt sort of hijacked on this one because I had to keep putting in Disney songs, and that's all there was to it. They had to be here. Josie's a Disney Princess at heart!

Chatting with the Weekeses, Part 3: Romances, Life in Thedas, and Talkative Felines

Hello, all!

Karin Weekes (right), and my inadvertent third
 interview participant, Smokey Weekes (left). Who
I can attest has a very fine, melodious mew.

Apologies for the delay, but finally—disgracefully late—I've moved forward with a further installment of my in-depth conversation with Patrick Weekes and Karin Weekes, originally a part of our celebrations of Dragon Age Day 2019, from last December, thanks to them (and the BioWare team) providing us with an incredible amount of time and access.

As you know, I interviewed the dynamic duo just before Dragon Age Day 2019 (and it was everything I hoped it could be). You can read Part 1 here, or Part 2 here.

A New World

But goodness, has the world changed since I posted that last interview, or what?! I mean, pandemics. Face masks. Social isolation. Scary economies. So much is crazy (Hey, where's Loghain?! Or surely Corypants is behind this?!). 

I mean, I'd probably be looking for a Breach in the sky... If I could see the sky right now.

Sigh. Or, hey, let's go with a Cassandra-noise.

So, oof.

Here There Be Dragons

What a terrifying and strange world we're finding ourselves in. And it is sadly not fictional and all too real. They're certainly times that require fortitude, courage, and also, for me, essential trust in science, medicine, and fact. It's been challenging for me, especially as someone who already navigates the world at an anxiety level of 11 (fellow anxiety sufferers, I know you feel my pain!). 

But also, I believe, these times require faith in less tangible things, too—like magic, joy, and imagination (and faith or belief, if those are part of your life). Those things are soul-sustenance when times are tough. Art feeds us, makes the walls of our quarantines disappear, brings us infinite horizons, and helps us to escape grief and fear, too. I'm grateful that so many stories, books, shows, and games do that for me—Dragon Age, first and foremost.

Which brings me back to this interview, a privilege that gave me the chance to talk to two of my favorite artists in the Dragon Age world, who are also openly really good, kind people who have remained accessible to the fandom despite the occasional toxicity and backlash that comes with that openness and transparency.

Emerging from the Deep Roads

So, this interview gave me so much joy—both at the time, of course, just before Dragon Age Day (I was euphoric for a week, seriously)... but even more again, recently, returning to that conversation in a changed world after over three months in which I'd been dealing with a lot of life and work turmoil. It was a lovely surprise to return to this conversation only to realize that it was exactly what I needed right now—a lovely, supportive talk with two very smart, talented and creative artists who helped to build one of the fictional worlds I love more than anything in the world—and it was also a welcome escape in this time of strangeness and uncertainty. 

I just hope that it provides you with a similar escape in these crazy times.

So onward, intrepid Companions! Part 3 follows below... and it was just as much fun as it sounds. There will be one final (extra-fabulous) piece to follow this one, a lightning-round on Patrick and Karin's responses to an assortment of silly questions from me (and you won't want to miss it—it's so much fun).

Here we go...

Karin and Patrick deftly taking the spotlight away from the Inky (Varric
looks ambivalent...)

Patrick, I know from legend and lore that David Gaider was actually the one who suggested that Solas be romanceable... is that right? 

PATRICK: So... Dave denies this... 

Laughter.

PATRICK: But Dave also has an interesting memory that many people—not just me—have compared to a goldfish. Because yes, then David will blame me for the romance when I distinctly recall him saying—

Here's what happened. I said, "Okay, other people are putting in flirts for their characters. What should I do with that?" 

And he went, "Sure! Put in a flirt or two. Or do a little romance!" And I went, "Uh, okay!" and put in... something... 

And then the group at large went, "Well, that's not enough—if you're putting in that, you need to have more of a real romance!" 

KARIN: I just have to say, in Dave's defense, Patrick does not do 'a little' when it comes to anything. That gauntlet has been laid down.

PATRICK (teasing): Hey, when you let the Fey into your house... you make decisions...

KARIN: I'm just saying!

PATRICK: So... perhaps... if Dave didn't understand what he was doing by saying, "Sure, you can have a little romance," then Dave learned a valuable lesson.

KARIN (laughing): It was a definite learning moment, wasn't it?

Patrick, have you been surprised at the intense reactions of fans? Of course, I'm also speaking here for Solasmancers and inhabitants of Solavellan Hell... but were you surprised at the level of emotion that people have invested in Solas as a character and romance? 

PATRICK: I was. I think it's very easy for all writers, or rather, it was easy for me... to forget that every romance is some player's first romance. Because at the time, once Dave agreed that Solas was going to be a full-ish romance... 

KARIN (laughing): Or, um, reluctantly accepted...

PATRICK: Then, you know, the question became, "What flavor is it?" because we wanted to make sure the romances have different flavors... so Bull was a little bit more "50 Shades of Bull," and Josephine was very consciously, you know, romancing a Disney princess... 

Right.

Their cat (whom Karin later informs me is Smokey) meows again loudly. The cat is not only revealed to be insanely cute, but also, obviously gives itself away here as a Josie romance fan.

PATRICK: Josie's is very cute, very sweet, very wholesome. But on Solas, I said, "Well, I kind of want to do—I want to do star-crossed lovers. I want to do that combined with, like... Okay, so, Phantom of the Opera is not my favorite musical, but I do kind of get the whole, "We mustn't!" "We must!" thing...

Er... Yeah, I'm a sucker for it.

PATRICK: There's that kind of tragic 'emotions worn on the sleeve' nature to it. So I said, "Okay, I'm just gonna do something like that." And I went off and wrote it, and... kind of when I wrote it, I went, "I'm gonna make it fairly clear that pretty much every time you take a step forward with Solas, he's going to tell you—"

"We shouldn't!"

I basically say it at the same time as Patrick, which is awesome. Laughter from all of us.

PATRICK (dramatically): "We shouldn't do this! We mustn't! The consequences will be horrible! It can only lead to pain!"

You say that like it's a bad thing.

(More laughter)

PATRICK: But so... in my mind, if you say yes anyway, then yeah, you're going to take that next step to... 

Pain! A world of pain!

PATRICK (laughing): But see, again, in my mind, at the time, I was thinking that I was being pretty straightforward about that. I'm thinking, well, I think that the people who get that, who take that option to move forward, are going to be the ones who absolutely wanted the 'star-crossed lovers'/Phantom of the Opera-style 'Rose and the Doctor'-style romance. 

Here, honestly, I admit it, I make another 'oof' sound, as if I'm Cassandra Pentaghast at a really heartbreaking moment of Swords & Shields. I was a pretty big Phantom fan (flaws and all) in college, and once took a Greyhound bus 24 hours from Tallahassee, Florida to NYC to see it on Broadway the year it opened—but I'm an even bigger Rose and Ten shipper, so this is all catnip to me in the best, most embarrassing way. And so much fun.

Karin and Patrick laugh (but kindly) at my mortification.

PATRICK: And so... like I said, it's very easy for ME from the perspective of "person who knows how everything is going to go," to have that perspective as the person who wrote it in their thirties, having seen Phantom of the Opera, and Rose and the Doctor, and every other tragic, star-crossed, age difference-type of romance that "can't possibly be, but is nevertheless..."

Smokey Weekes meows again, insistently.

PATRICK: But having done all that, and having forgotten that playing this game, like I said, for many, this was their first-time encounter with that kind of a romance...

Yeah, but also, I still think it caught even more people unaware who may have been experienced gamers or more jaded, too. Like, I think for a lot of us, we just thought we could change him, dammit!

Laughter.

Wait, wait, not change him, seriously—I should clarify. I never wanted to change Solas, just his goals. Meaning, rather—just... to persuade him away from this one specific goal that's tearing him apart.

Allegra Clark (Voice actress for Josephine),
adorably demonstrating Josie's immortal
leg-pop to celebrate Dragon Age Day.
Photo courtesy of Allegra Clark.

PATRICK: Yeah. So yes, it was a surprise to me, the reaction and emotion of many responses. Like I said, we do the best we can, and we see what sticks and what doesn't... and what people really, really emotionally engage with... and what resonates with folks. 

And well, I was pleasantly surprised that people were that taken with it, you know... And that meant a lot to me because for one thing, it's a very mental romance as opposed to a physical one.

Yes. And if people react that strongly, you did something right. I mean, that's the whole point. That the players felt something.

PATRICK (chuckling): Not something good, but something right.

Well, you know, just speaking for myself, I mean, I went back and played every single choice in the breakup scene just to make sure I wasn't missing something. I was just going, "Wait a minute! Obviously I'm doing this wrong!" 

And then I shut the game down and called my best friend about the fact that I had now reached the lowest point of my life—that even my digital boyfriends were dumping me, so, you know, not that I'm blaming you or anything, but... 

Karin and Patrick laugh, and I contemplate my life choices.

I got over it eventually! (No, I didn't...) Although, yeah, I'm staring into the middle distance even as I say this... 

Karin and Patrick are still laughing, which is the best thing ever right now.

PATRICK: Um...

Oh, Solas, stop looking at me like that. STAHP.

But really—it's so much fun. And I really just do love how big, emotional and operatic it is, and how, you know... Trevor Morris was NOT HELPFUL. Because then we get to "Trespasser," and our little hearts are all stomped as it is, and that music comes up and it's just over. I mean, ouch. 

KARIN: Trevor is really, really good at what he does.

He really is.

I mentally return (with an effort) from my tearful "Trespasser" "Lost Elf Theme" reveries.

Meanwhile... speaking of which, I did want to ask you both—as closely involved as you both have been, especially in Inquisition, are you able to kind of distance yourselves enough to enjoy the game as a game? And if so, are there things that even you will not allow yourself as a player to ever do in the game?

KARIN: It gets hard, because like Patrick was talking about earlier, once the dialogue writing and other writing and all of that is done... then the writers sort of move into play testing mode, because they're the ones who will know if something is broken, if something isn't firing the way it should, if something isn't working the way it's supposed to work... 

So we have these charts we put together of who's doing what kind of playthrough, and which choices... so, for instance, for one playthrough I'll be going, "I will do the female Qunari Inquisitor..."

What a shock!

PATRICK (laughing): No kidding.

KARIN: So I'll be like, "Okay, so I'll romance this person, kill that person, and then do this or do that..." So, for me, that is the time when I try to do the things that I don't want to do in my "IRL" playthrough... 

PATRICK: The home one...

KARIN: Yeah.

PATRICK: Yeah, it's funny because I can still enjoy playing Inquisition at home, and hitting, like, a moment and going, "Oh, I'm not sure I've heard that before!" or, on the other hand, "Oh, I remember that line! Man, Sylvia (Fekekutuky) had so much fun writing that line!" And oh, God, I love—I love Sera's random lines. 

But I'd say that... a difference is that, like Karin said, when we have to do these playthroughs, we have to do playthroughs that involve making these choices we would never have made...

Smokey, the Weekes kitty, speaks loudly again. As it does.

... and eventually, in those playthroughs as writers, we'd get into a kind of gallows humor situation about it, we get into what out of context would sound very, very harsh—as if we hate the characters or don't care about them—but it's because we're in this mode where we're testing, and...

KARIN: Honestly, you just kind of have to play yourself at that point. You've been so emotionally engaged that you have to pull yourself out of it, to not get totally overwhelmed...

PATRICK: I had a playthrough—one of my last playthroughs before the game came out, and before my "for reals" home playthrough—was, I called her the "Assquisitor," and I was just making every loathsome choice just to make sure stuff worked, and I did find a few bugs. So it was worth it. 

And it was funny, because the writers were laughing with me 95% of the time, and I'd be like, "Yep! Got the Chargers killed! And now there's nobody for Bull to care about but ME!" 

He laughs. It's a pretty good Evil Villain laugh. Meanwhile, I make an involuntary 'ow' noise.

PATRICK: But one thing... I remember that Brianne (Battye), who sat fairly close to me in the writer pit, was laughing along with me on all this stuff, and then the one day, I was, like, "Yeah, Cullen seemed pretty grumpy, but it's okay, I got him back on the sauce..." and Brianne just went, very coldly... "Wow." 

Laughter from all.

PATRICK: Like, there it was. That was the "too far for Brianne" moment.

KARIN: Everyone has those moments. 

And what's great is that they're all different. Like, we have a pretty wide spectrum of people here. And one of the most interesting things I've learned from that is that we all have this inherent "the way I play games is the way games should be played" mindset—then realizing how many different kinds of people and preferences there are, and that, yes, there are people who would super-enjoy this or that playthrough, and who would do that. Or who, you know, might do it for funsies, and it's good if it works... 

And we do run a pretty wide spectrum of people who enjoy, you know, various choices that I would personally find distasteful, because, like, my personal preferences would be different.... I've already talked about my love of axes and things, but I am also a giant sucker who wants to save everyone and have everyone be a big happy paragon by the end.

I'm a Paragon baseline. It's so hard for me to do anything else...

PATRICK: And I think most of us are... which is why those series of playthroughs sometimes became such a 'dark humor' time for the writers' pit.

KARIN: Yeah. And—and yet—not always necessarily though. Sure, it makes us play a lot of choices that are different than you would or I would...

PATRICK: That's true...

KARIN: As with my "Courtney Woods, we haven't talked about it" approaches (and who is, by the way, partially responsible for making the Nug King happen)... 

Oh, that's genius! I love the Nug King so much.

KARIN: So... yeah.

I just can't throw anybody out. That's my thing, because I'm such a big fan of the 'found family' aspect. I can't throw Sera out. I can't make Cole leave...

KARIN: Nope.

Or anyone, honestly. I can't do it. I can't send Dorian away.

KARIN: No, those are tough.

Meanwhile, I wanted to ask you about inclusivity, because it's such a huge and amazingly wonderful thing throughout Dragon Age. From Day One, you guys have been consistently inclusive, from gay, bi, ace, to trans characters, Bull's BDSM romance in Inquisition, which was so respectfully handled... so many others... 

I was wondering, moving forward, is there a chance, whether it's in written form on the page, or um, I'm not speaking in terms of any potential development in game form in the future, I mean... (coughs)

They humor me but of course, do not answer.

But just in a general sense, is there a chance that we might experience trans, nonbinary or even poly romances in the future?

PATRICK: Um...

KARIN (brightly, laughing): There's always a chance!

PATRICK: I would say that, to answer in parts...  for things like trans, nonbinary and—I'd also throw out ace—

Yes, of course...

PATRICK: Each of those is specifically just a question of, "Is there a writer on the team who is passionate about tackling this issue? And to the point where they are prepared to be—not a leader in the sense that they get to tell everyone what to do—but a leader in the sense of, they're going to be the one who goes to other departments and says, "Okay, this character is ace, here's what that means in this cutscene...?" Those are the big questions.

Yeah.

PATRICK: Or "Okay, this character is trans, here's how we have to handle their VO casting..." 

Right.

PATRICK: So, it's a question of... yes, we would absolutely support that. But also knowing, each time we take steps forward, that is almost always driven by, like I said—a writer who is prepared to make that one of the things that they spend a lot of extra effort on, because it is something that the company has not done before.

You know, at this point, I would say—a new romance is—while still something that takes us extra time, and still something we look at carefully to make sure that we are avoiding specifically harmful tropes—

The Weekes's kitty meows again. It evidently has opinions about the Dragon Age writing team and romances and is obviously, like me, in favor of as many as possible.

PATRICK (mock-sternly): Hi, 'The Cat'... (to me) Yes, that's our cat Smokey on the microphone...

We all laugh. Within a few minutes, Patrick e-mails me the picture of Smokey snuggling on Karin's shoulder.

PATRICK: But, um, at this point, you know, that is something that we just assume we're going to do. That if one of our games has romances in it, it's going to have gay romances in it...  

Right. In the best way.

KARIN: Gay and bi romances... 

PATRICK: Right. Now, in talking about the trans and nonbinary content, that's something where someone would have to be ready to help the company take those steps. 

Karin sneezes politely.

KARIN: Sorry, I didn't realize that was going to be so loud.

I laugh, because, seriously, it's the politest, smallest sneeze ever. Meanwhile, as someone still struggling with the [regular old] flu, I've sneezed and coughed my way through this entire interview like Typhoid Mary...

PATRICK: Now, the last one—

KARIN: Wait, I want to jump in a little more here, too. Because a lot of this does change. I mean, we are very lucky to work where we work because at BioWare, we have a history from way back before Patrick and I even started working there of an environment that supported that kind of exploration. And so that has remained consistent throughout the time—what, fifteen years?

PATRICK: Yep, fifteen years in March.

KARIN: And so you have to have that kind of buy-in from the people who are providing the money, who are allowing you to make this game. Important when it's sort of expected that we will work together to keep being more inclusive.

And it is sometimes smaller steps. And so, you know, we'll try this—we'll try, first, a bi romance, then we'll do a gay romance. Then we'll do a couple of gay romances, and it builds and builds. And there's a lot of responsibility in that...

Krem is one of the best characters in Dragon Age, and I suspect that
many, many people would romance him next game if given the chance.

So, for instance, working on a Krem romance or a trans romance... none of the writers are trans. And so that comes with a responsibility of doing it right. 

And that's the good thing about that environment of inclusivity—that you want to represent characters in the right way, and it involves great care. And understanding that even if you do have friends or fellow staff members who are trans, their experiences won't be universal—the experiences of everyone. Understanding this, it will still be challenging and frustrating to make a character that is going to be satisfyingly representative of people. 

And so unfortunately, at this point, it does require some extra work. So we'll do our best to put in the extra work and then like Patrick said, the gay romance—the first time the gay romance happened, it was "Oh my God, it's a gay romance!" but now it's just expected.

Mmhmm.

KARIN: So it's one of those little steps to open the doors and keep things moving, and making sure that we don't rest on those laurels and keep moving forward.

PATRICK: The one that we are hesitant on is poly. 

Because of the game mechanics, right?

PATRICK and KARIN: Yes.

KARIN: Yep. We've been talking about that for years.

PATRICK: It's not a moral stance, it's not prudishness—it is purely that our romances as they stand are a giant spiderweb of pain that inevitably creates more story-based bugs than any other part of our stories. 

Laughter from everyone. I think even Smokey the Cat laughs.

PATRICK: So, we already have issues like, "Hey, I romanced this person, but I'm getting romanced dialogue from this other person. Or, "Hey, I'm at stage two of this romance that should lock off stage one of this other romance..." I mean, I've told stories about my experiences as a player in Dragon Age Origins, getting Leliana to a point where she was— 

I chuckle because I already know where this is going.

PATRICK: Um, well, actually it was really sad, because first I got Leliana to soulmates—accidentally getting her approval level too high, too fast—passing the romance threshold...

Right... Been there.

PATRICK: So I couldn't romance her. And then I found out that the only legal way for me to start romancing her was to 'neg' her—for instance, saying that being a bard was being a spy and dishonest—that kind of thing, whatever would get the approval lower—to the point where it would get me back down into the dialogue tree where I could start a romance...?

This is so wrong, right?

KARIN: I know!

PATRICK: Yeah, I mean, I was going... "Aw, no, I have to trash talk her?" 

And then I gave Alistair a rose... like a BUDDY... and then Alistair was like, "Hey, thanks, this means a whole lot to me..." and then I walked over to Leliana, who opens with (Orlesian accent) "You are in love weeth Aleestair!"

(Laughter)

PATRICK: And I was like... "Nooooo... noooo... uh-uh..." and my dialogue options were "It's complicated," "I love both of you," "Why do I have to choose?" and meanwhile I'm just looking for the one that says, "Hey, babe, hold on—let me just go break this off. I'll be back in TWO MINUTES..." 

That happened to me with Zevran. And I was like, "I just gotta run across the campsite — I'll be right back, swear!"

PATRICK: So. A poly romance is a romance that, just from a technical standpoint is one that we are hesitant on, because of that kind of stuff. But if we can figure out a way to do that respectfully—without killing ourselves on the fractal spiderweb of scripting pain—that's absolutely something that would be on the table. It's just that that's the only one that we look at and go... "That's not a question of how well could we write this, but of, rather...

Of, "How does that work mechanically?"

PATRICK: Yeah. Of, "Can we make this work in a game that isn't a dating sim?"

(Me, silently and mentally: Dragon Age is TOTALLY a dating sim...)

PATRICK: So, yeah. Trying to make the romances work in the context of a game that is, in theory, mostly about saving the world and having adventures, so... a poly romance would be, just, so big from a scripting standpoint—at least, if handled the way we've handled all of our other romances—

KARIN: I was going to say—and doing it right. Because we could do it, sure, and maybe it would sort of be hasty and weird, and—not—just by nature, not really keep up with it...

PATRICK: Oh, yeah, we could—sure, we could half-ass it, but we probably wouldn't want to do that.

KARIN: Yeah. That would suck.

Right. That makes sense to me. 

And hey—speaking of the different romances, I always assumed that Josie was an ace romance. So I always thought you'd already done the ace romance... 

PATRICK: Well, I think Sylvia Feketekuty, if I remember—I'd have to ask Sylvia to be certain—but if I'm remembering right, she wanted that to be a romance where that interpretation was absolutely valid. And if you wanted to headcanon it, that it had been an intimate romance, then cool... but if you wanted it to be an ace romance, also cool.

KARIN: Yep. And yay! So I'm glad that worked for you.

Yeah, and it's the most adorable thing ever, I mean, come on... it's Josie.

KARIN: Yeah, that was one of my favorite parts of Inquisition... I edited Sylvia's Josephine stuff, and it was just so much fun working on that. 

Well, and the entire duel is just so delightful and funny. And every time, I just love Josie's surprised reaction to the Inky's declaration that they love her, when she's like, "You do?!" She's just so shocked that the Inky loves her that much.

PATRICK: It's that, and her leg going up at the end.

The leg-pop!

(Laughter)

Last year, when Allegra Clarke was taking part in Dragon Age Day, she actually signed a leg-pop photo for charity... 

KARIN: So good!

It was really just as ridiculously adorable as you would think it was.

So I wanted to ask you... moving on, of your work across Dragon Age... what was your favorite moment of failure? Something that didn't work out for you, but that you valued for the experience? 

KARIN: I don't think anyone has ever asked me that. That's a great question.

Thank you!

PATRICK: It's very difficult because I've failed so, so rarely...

Karin laughs.

PATRICK: Wow.

KARIN: I'm sorry—I mean, yes, absolutely.

PATRICK:  Where have I completely fallen flat? Um... I think for me—I would... 

KARIN: Well, first off, hopefully a lot of the big ones don't actually make it into the game... 

PATRICK: Yeah, oh, yeah—sorry...  

KARIN: We call each other out on stuff a LOT.

PATRICK: I was trying to go with stuff that shipped. If we're gonna go with first drafts, where people pulled us back from the brink of disaster, I've got a NUMBER of stories... 

Like?

PATRICK: Like, one of the things that I think might be most instructive, is to talk about the fact that people might give me a compliment where they say, "I could never write Solas, you did such an amazing job," and they're comparing my version of Solas that shipped, to their first draft of something. Which is unfair to themselves.

I don't think I've told it often enough, but the story of my first draft of Solas—the one that got peer-reviewed by all the writers—was that Solas answers every single question with, er, this one thing. 

For example—"Hey, Solas, what do you think about cheese?" Solas: "Oh, the ancient elves LOVED cheese... and specifically, Ghilan'nain preferred more of a gouda... and Andruil liked a nice brie," etc.

And then, like, every time, the Inky would ask next, "Um, Solas, you seem to know a lot about the ancient elves...?" 

And Solas would look shocked and go, "WHAAAAT?"

Laughter from everyone.

PATRICK (still as Solas): "What? What?! Who said anything about ancient elves?! Oh, no, no, no!"

And it was the most shoehorned, all-he-cares-about-is-ancient-elves thing. And then it was more of the same. He'd talk about ancient elves all the time, but anything you'd actually ask him about ancient elves, he'd just say, "What?! Don't be silly!" 

He didn't have the hook of the Fade at that point.

Right.

PATRICK: It took that initial draft to realize, "Well, I guess he probably needs a hook beyond, 'I can't talk to you about ancient elves, which I'm still going to talk to you about all the time.'" 

And so then this meant getting into, "Okay, look, we're gonna make him a Fade Nerd. He's gonna be—at least, until you reach the end of the game, the guy who lucid-dreams, who explores the Fade, can talk about all of the history stuff with that as his plausible deniability. So—that thing he talks about? Instead now it was, "Oh, no, I saw that in the Fade!"

I love that that's his answer for everything. Just in hindsight, that whole, "Oh, yeah, (cough), I saw it in the Fade!"

PATRICK: So that was one example for me. And the Fade aspect—that may have been Jennifer Hepler's suggestion, actually... her suggestion was definitely, "He needs a hook beyond "I can't talk to you about ancient elves..." She was also actually one of eight people probably saying that around the table.

But I do think Jennifer was the one who suggested, "Hey, maybe the Fade..." and I went, "Oh, yeah, yeah—he can talk about the Fade!" Because—in the final version of him that ships in Inquisition, he does care about the Fade. He thinks it's neat; he thinks it's cool. He is absolutely the person who would look into the vast reaches of space and see something that's impossible and go, "That's amazing! Let's get closer and look at it!" 

And so... for me, that was the failure that led to a success.

That's wonderful (and that's also very Doctorish of him). And I like how it ended up because you give us this character who has perhaps the widest view of history that it's possible to imagine, and yet he's still limited and trapped, to a degree, by his own imagination... his whole mission and point of view is so confined and set in stone. 

That's really great to hear. Karin, what about you?

KARIN: So mine are going to be more boring things, because it's more—just, a lot of my work is, you know—the processes and the behind-the-scenes stuff. 

So mine are going to be along the lines of, "Wow, doing this kind of content at this particular time didn't work very well and caused this kind of kerfuffle and stress downstream, so we'll need to do some streamlining..." 

I'm trying to think of anything particular. First, there are always the typos that I let slip... (she chuckles) and then, globally, there are things that I don't think are abject failures, but which are things we try, and then go, "Aw, okay, let's see how we can make that better," like with the Hinterlands, or...

PATRICK: Yeah, like, the Hinterlands... 

I love the Hinterlands. I'm gonna admit that. And like most of us players, I spent a lot of time there!

PATRICK: Or, there are so many times that I remember when insisting that a line couldn't get cut any shorter than it already is, and then the line shifts, and I look at it and go, "Yeah, that could've been cut..."

(Laughter)

I mean, we may not have needed that line at all—much less, the full line... but those are—I mean, I don't even count those as failures, so much as... "I hope I can do better next time..."

KARIN: Yeah, exactly.

So, Patrick... How much time does Solas spend on Netflix... and do he and Cole ever actually watch something together? Or... they've just both already seen everything?

PATRICK (as if this explains everything): Well, they've journeyed deep into the Fade...

I make a frustrated noise, kind of an oof. Cassandra would not be happy with this. Patrick and Karin laugh.

Dammit. Okay, I knew it. I knew I was a goner on that one...

Laughter.

[Squeaks judgmentally]

Moving on (ahem), was there potential that the Nug King would judge us and find us wanting?

KARIN: So that—I worked with Courtney (Woods) on that, and (hesitates) I—I don't think so. I think it was mostly, one of those that happened when people were, um, a little tired, and yeah, due to my memory, I can definitely ask Courtney to correct me on this if I'm not—but I think it was more the fact that he was judging you, period. 

And curiously, in any event—so that it didn't necessarily matter if you failed or not. He was just so unimpressed with you altogether... 

I love it so much. It's kind of wrong how much I love it.

KARIN: It's great. And yeah, we were having entirely too much fun... and that was one of those where we went, "Okay, if we're having this much fun, then hopefully somebody else in the game will enjoy this as much as we are!"

Oh, definitely, they were!

KARIN: Because there's that side where we then have to get everyone else to jump in, and then get art—yes!—and then...

It's wonderful.

I have to bring up something from Trespasser that many of us are still recovering from (I can already tell Patrick is cringing at the prospect of yet another Solas question, so I'm enjoying the moment...), which is...

What happened to my poor beautiful Teagan from Origins? I mean, I can't even... not just outside, but inside!

More general laughter.

KARIN: Um... 

Look. I saved him in Origins every single time. I want you to know, I spent that final battle against the Archdemon in DAO less worried about the fate of the universe than in frantically healing Hot Young Teagan's little butt the entire time... and then... we get to Trespasser... and... it was all for naught. I mean, something happened to that man... 

PATRICK: Well, he went through... a difficult rebuilding period.

(Laughter)

PATRICK: I would say that this time after the war has been different for him than the time during the war...

It was Isolde!

PATRICK: One of my favorites was someone saying, "He looks worse than Loghain, and Loghain is Blighted!" Let's face it... tough but fair.

Yes it is. It's harsh but true... (cries silently)

MEANWHILE... if you could live anywhere in Thedas, where would you live?

PATRICK: I would live in Rivain. Because Rivain is not as hung up on magic, because they have seers who let themselves get possessed... they also have a relatively peaceful relationship with the Qun. And they're kind of a melting pot and multicultural... they're a place where a lot of different cultures come together. And also? Beachfront property.

KARIN: I was just gonna say... if you need further justification, they get to say, "I want to live on the beach."

I'm a sucker for the Storm Coast. With maybe a summer condo in Val Royeaux. How about you, Karin?

KARIN: I was hoping you'd have the option to winter in Rivain...

PATRICK: Cool.

KARIN: ...and I'd hopefully summer somewhere else. Because I grew up in the mountains, so I want to be, like, "I don't want to be in the super-Arctic types of mountains, but somewhere that would be..."

PATRICK: Like, Avvar-like mountains?

KARIN: Kinda?!

PATRICK: Okay.

That's a nice area, actually. (Speaking as someone who would live forever at Skyhold...)

KARIN: Okay, then yeah, let's say that.

PATRICK: So we could do springs and summers in the Frostback Mountains.

KARIN: Perfect. 

And then I was gonna ask, because I always think this is really fun to imagine. So, if you ended up, that you're BEAMED INTO THEDAS as yourself—and the Breach is open, the Conclave is toast, what would be your fate? What would you end up doing?

KARIN: You know, we've actually talked about this...

Knowing that makes me so happy.

PATRICK: I don't know... My initial reaction is to treat this like "What would you do in the zombie apocalypse?" Which is, "Well, I would die on the third day, because they don't have acid reflux medication or inhalers," BUT... since there's magic and stuff...

KARIN: And magic asthma inhalers!

PATRICK (laughing): I mean, am I the Inquisitor, or am I joining the fight or...?

You can be anything you want. You can be the Inquisitor. You can be the person who dies in hour three, you can, you know, be the Divine... it's all good. Anything goes.

KARIN: There's a space between who I would think I would be and who I would like to be or who I would probably be.

Patrick chuckles.

PATRICK: Although I would love to... Yeah, I don't see myself as having the necessary heroic attributes to be the Inquisitor, but, um...

KARIN: I just want to note that as per our earlier conversation, I would be running around whapping people with a really big axe...

Which would be, of course, amazing.

KARIN: And establishing myself as the biggest, most awesome badass ever!

Perfect casting! (Also—why don't I have these fantasies? It's not fair. I'm always, like, the cleric with the Holy Hand Grenade... or the person everyone wants in their party in case bears show up. Oh, and of course, I'm definitely the slow person the bear catches first...).

PATRICK: Still, hmmm... I can see myself joining Charter on Leliana's spy network, maybe?

Oh, that would be fun.

PATRICK: I actually feel like doing the scouting, the actual going around, bringing back information people are using for War Table decisions—it would be fascinating. And that was a part of Inquisition that I really thought was cool, and interesting—part of which is, because of writing Bull, I ended up having to do a little bit of research on espionage and and how all of that stuff works...

That makes sense. Also, I am a total War Table nerd (I would play an entire Thedas War Table DLC). So you'd be your own version of the Ben-Hassrath?

PATRICK (laughs): I mean, not realistically, maybe, but just to figure out which flavor of 'unrealistic' I was doing, right? And I really—I could see doing that. Just going around, traveling, and just bringing back information.

KARIN: Meanwhile, I would honestly be in the USO version of the Inquisition...

That would be so perfect! Especially you being a singer, too!

KARIN: Where I would just be, like perking up the troops and working at a pub or something, and trying to keep everybody fed, and entertained, and feeling like there's something good.

And, like, also, possibly using that as a front for whatever Patrick's doing, or whatever kind of underground moving of information is required. Maybe not actually doing all of that but providing a space where those people are safe.

That's lovely. I'd probably be writing Cabot's biography and helping Josie with PR (cough) propaganda, and, y'know, trying not to die, I think basically.

And of course, gazing adoringly at basically everyone—all of our companions, of course, so... 

Laughter.

KARIN: Oh, please, I would not be cool enough to hang out with any of them.

Oh, please! Karin, you would be singing, drinking, and slinging an ax. Come on! You'd be a Charger in 15.1 seconds tops.

PATRICK: I want to note that joining the intelligence agency means that I'd get to have time at least looking at Leliana...

KARIN just chuckles.

Well, yeah, which is time well spent. She's amazing. She's scary, but she's amazing. I also love her character design across the trilogy. She's stunning in Inquisition (as in Origins) but it's a harder exterior.

PATRICK: Oh, yes.

KARIN: In the game, I always know when she walks by, just from the involuntary shiver.

This! I always headcanon that if there's a chill, my Inky looks up and goes, "Oh, hi, Leliana!" I mean, I love her so much, but she. Is. Terrifying.

KARIN: Yes! Like, okay, byeeee!

Our beautiful, enigmatic, and terrifying spymaster. Her journey from sweet
bard and believer to cold assassin is for me one of the most
heartbreaking in the trilogy.

This. Yeah. But talk about an underrated character, though. Her arc across the trilogy is so good, I think. I mean, we go from this sweetheart with deep faith, who has a dark side, obviously—to the ruthless, hidden person she becomes in Inquisition who is, I think, just so interesting. 

PATRICK: Yeah, Sheryl (Chee) did an amazing job with her, and again, like I said, asking a question each time, in Origins, Sheryl was going—she wanted to challenge herself with, "Okay look, so many times in fantasy games, we make it so that all of the heroes are atheistic or agnostic—and that anyone who believes in the deity or the fantasy world is either insane, or an evil zealot, or something like that... So, is it possible to make someone who is grounded, positive, lovable—but also, a believer in a fantasy game?" 

And that was the task she set for herself. And it worked for me.

Oh, it's gorgeous. Leliana's arc is absolutely one of the richest across the game trilogy or any series.

PATRICK: And then posing herself the challenging question of, "What do I want to say now?" 

See, one of the best things is that Sheryl works within the boundaries of the game, and she'll say, "Okay, well, within the boundaries of the game, the Divine has just died, she was important to Leliana—I want to put Leliana through a crisis of faith. I want to see what that's like. I want to see what happens when you are this incredibly devout person who has actually done a lot of dark stuff in the name of a cause she really believed in, and now she's questioning all of that, questioning that faith. What does that mean?" 

And, like you said—I just think that's a fascinating character arc—and not one that we get to see very often.

Leliana's faith is absolute, as anyone knows who's played
"In Hushed Whispers" in Inquisition.

No. And it's one of the reasons why I'm always telling everyone to choose "In Hushed Whispers" and to support the mages at least once, just because—it's all about Leliana there. All about that final two or three minutes.

Because Leliana, after a year of torture, is unbroken. Her belief is whole, unshaken and shining even when she's been physically destroyed, even when she faces death. It's really all there. That faith is who she is. 

That quest and those final scenes changed my view of her forever, and in the best way. Just the shock for me that, "Wow, there wasn't a moment of hesitation. She really meant all of it!" Her faith was just absolute. It gave her this extra richness for me. She was willing to kill, but just as willing to die. We don't see that very often in that way, and it was beautifully, done, I thought.

KARIN: It really was.

PATRICK: Well, yeah. And that's a great reaction, I can pass that on to Sheryl...

Please do! She did exquisite work with Leliana.

So that's part 3 of 4 of my neverending interview with Patrick and Karin Weekes! Thank you for bearing with me, and I hope you enjoyed it... I'll have the rest posted within the next week (no, really). 

Meanwhile, please stay safe out there, and hope this cheered and inspired you as much as it did me. I'll see you in the Fade!