Cassandra is one of my favorite characters. And my favorite romance. I'm not just going to let this fanclub die yet. Maybe if my attempts to breathe some life into this sub fail I'll give up. But I'll give it the good old college try.

Title

I write these for someone, and figure it would be greedy to not share:

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5416727

After months of being persuaded to play inquisition, I finally caved in and decided to play another bioware game. I had dealt with the postgame depression for quite some while after ME3, and didn't want to get involved in another bioware game for that reason. But I started playing thinking what the hell, I probably won't get that attached to any of the characters.

That is, until I met Cassandra. Now, I'm not talking about when you actually literally meet her for the first time, but when you really start seeing the woman behind that rough exterior. I was initially planning on romancing josephine, but I was quickly persuaded otherwise.

Catching her reading Varric's book, her taking you away to a private place to discuss all the flirting you've done, reading her poetry... I loved every second of her romantic and funny interactions.

And then I finished the game. I got some very sweet "happy to be with the man I love" lines, I didn't lose her to the chantry (Leliana became Divine in my game), and I was excited to finish up side quests and be greeted with "the sight of you warms the heart" every time I returned to skyhold.

That is, until all I got from her was "hello, inquisitor" and no option to get some alone time.

I feel sort of betrayed and heartbroken by the developers. Would it have been that hard to add one or two lines of dialogue for her (and the other companions) for after beating the main quest? I can't see any reason narrative-wise that she would suddenly become emotionless toward you, especially if she doesn't become the next Divine. At least keep what she usually says to her lover? I'm finding myself reverting to an older save to hinder the heartbreak, but I'm still at a bit of a loss.

How did everyone else cope?

Seriously, this is like, my fourth or fifth time through the game, and I just... can't... help it. She's magnetic. I TRIED talking to Josephine, really I did, but the woman is BORING. Cassandra has so much going on, she's got personality, she's INTERESTING. FFS, all Josephine has going on is a family that drives her crazy. LIKE THAT ISN'T EVERYONE ON THE PLANET.

I just don't understand how people can romance anyone else. Cassandra's just... IT.

The first time around, Cassandra and I didn't exactly get off on the right foot. I boldly stated that I don't believe in the Maker, knowing it would probably piss her off. After that, I never really considered her an option as a love interest, even if we did become fast friends later on. Maybe because in real life, I find super-religious girls to be a big turn-off. So yeah, I just ended up with Josephine.

Now I'm on my fourth playthrough, and I decided she deserved a second chance. Dear sweet Andraste, I am completely blown away by how much better Cassandra's romantic plot is than Josephine or really anyone else. I mean sure, the duel in Josephine's romance was kinda cool, Iron Bull is great in general, and it's nice to see Sera show more dimensions than "cockney ignoramus". But not once did I really believe the my Inquisitor was in love with any of them.

But with Cassandra, the entire sequence with the gifts and the courting made me actually emotionally invested in the whole thing. It's funny, when I went to present my gifts to her, I felt nervous. As if there was a real chance this would not work and she would reject me, but I wanted to go for it anyway. That feeling hasn't happened to me since high school. I'm fully aware of how silly and/or pathetic that sounds, but that is just how genuine the experience felt to me.

So even though my "headcanon" Inky is a devout partner to Josephine, I now consider myself a Cassandramancer. Because there is no question that she's the best romance option in Dragon Age Inquisition. Consider me a new subscriber!

Meet Mattrim, a Devout but slightly broody Chantry boy with a quick temper and a good sense of humor. Used to be a troublemaker in the Templar Order but was forced out due to mischief. He's become less prankster-y and more cynical with age. I made him specifically for Cassandra. I like to think that Cass' optimism will rub off on him a bit and she'll bring out his more lighthearted nature.

"Most romantic candles in Orlais" my ass.

I would read Swords and Shields in a heartbeat, but I cringe at having to sift through a bunch of Dithering Lady in Frilly Dress Thinks Stalking is Cute to find it.

Any recommendations? What would Cassandra ship?

I love that DA has these amazing female characters, really fleshed out and interesting. Cass is one of my faves since she was the first one I had contact with as a companion. So I sketched out a really quick portrait of her. People on /r/dragonage suggested sharing this here as well so here I am.

http://i.imgur.com/hNb3qGC.jpg