#arishok — Public Fediverse posts

31 Days of Fictional Crushes Day 2 – Qunari: Arishok and Sten

Welcome to the second day! This time, there are more BioWare characters from another series, and it’s Dragon Age!

Three of my DA crushes are Qunari, but I decided to group them starting with the ones who follow the Qun.

Arishok

Nobody knows what his real name is, so we just call him the Arishok. He’s a character that’s easy for players to hate because if you choose to fight him at the end of Act II, he can be really tough. There are jokes on the Internet about the fight being mostly Hawke running away from him while their mabari goes after the Arishok.

I didn’t have to deal with this because I chose to give up Isabela to him, allowing the Qunari to leave. Anyway, I was totally crushing on the Arishok when I saw him, and even more when I saw some art and cinematics where he had longer hair.

All I know about him is that his title makes him a leader to the Qunari people who are now residing in Kirkwall. They cannot return to Par Vollen until they recover what was stolen from them. I do remember, however, first meeting him in the game and thinking he looked sexy, even if the graphics are obsolete.

Not only did I find him attractive, but I just loved how loyal he was to his people and the Qun, the sound of his voice was swoon-worthy, and he has beautiful, long hair while he wields two weapons in battle. I wish that my Hawke could have a fling with him in the game, but alas, the closest thing I got was talking with him any chance I got until I gained his respect and he started calling me, basalit-an.

I’ve had a few dreams and other fantasies about him. The first time I imagined myself singing Ignorance by Paramore while donned in Antaam Saar armour at The Hanged Man to impress him, while he just happened to walk in. Then, came the most well-known one that I think about is when I’m at a convention dressed like him and surrounded by other DA fans, I have nothing in common with, until I find my niche group. I also kissed him in this dream, which is funny now that I look back at it, because he doesn’t strike me as the romantic type!

If he has some songs, it would be Breathin’ by Ariana Grande, and he shares Xandria’s Queen of Hearts Reborn with my other two Qunari crushes, but I suppose he can have Where the Heart is Home.

There’s only one quote that stands

Filth stole from us. Not now, not the saar-qamek. Years ago. A simple act of greed has bound me! We are all denied Par Vollen until I alone recover what was lost under my command! That is why this elf and her shadows are unimportant. That is why I do not simply walk from this pustule of a city! Fixing your mess is NOT the demand of the Qun! AND YOU SHOULD ALL BE GRATEFUL!”

Sten

The hard-headed stoic warrior of the Beresaad finds himself joining the Grey Wardens when they discover him in Lothering during the Fifth Blight. Sten is not really his name, but a rank; however, everyone still calls him that anyway. He was also born without horns, and no one knows why. We don’t get to see much of the Qunari in Origins, so they were still a mystery at that time.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about him at first, but he was one of the companions at the beginning of the game who I thought would be my tank on the team, but he seemed to fall quickly. It was also hard to gain his approval at first, as he liked to keep to himself and didn’t speak much. A lot of times, he disapproved of the choices I made.

If that’s the case, then how did I fall for him? Well, over time, I was able to unveil his soft side as I became persistent in getting to know him. Eventually, he did start talking more and got along with my mabari, even calling them a true warrior after they had a growling contest (no, I’m not joking). Then, when I was having a conversation with him, he said he loves cookies, and I just thought that was so adorable that I imagined baking some for him. He also has an affinity for fine art. He did start calling me kadan once I was able to boost his approval. It all comes down to this: underneath the stone-cold warrior is a big softie!

I had one iconic dream about him once that involved a unique melody that I can still hum, but very faint. It’s a dream that doesn’t make a lot of sense, but there’s a romantic bit, and then I’m crying for him to save me from a powerful storm. Probably the only dream where I could recall original music from.

He does not have his own song yet, but I should really consider finding something for him. My favourite line from him is when he tries to recall what cookies are!

There is…strange food here. You have a thing, it doesn’t have a word in the Qunari tongue. Little baked things like bread but sweet and crumbly.

Then one time he even found cookies for a templar so we could get to the Circle!

Anyway, yep, that’s another day down. Stayed tuned for the next one tomorrow!

👽Emily

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