Initial Notes:

• This is far from extensive/complete
• I have note yet played Aveyond IV, and I haven't replayed Ahriman's Prophecy in ten+ years, so my memories of that are fuzzy at best
• A lot of this is heavily influenced by my being kin with Lars (Av1) & Nikky (Av2). I greatly appreciate people being extra respectful of how I view things related to either of them, but I don't insist you agree with me. See "Kin Details" lists for both of them (once available)
• As with the vast majority of Aveyond fans (that I have encountered), I fully acknowledge that the writing generally ranges in degrees of terrible, & so take a "I recognize that Amaranth has made a decision, but given that it's a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it" view of certain key details

Major issues: official canon vs what I accept as canon:

• I go back and forth on how I view the events at the end of Aveyond I having actually happened. Obviously, for subsequent games to make sense, Rhen must become queen of Thais, but I have very serious issues with how this is said to happen. I don't have a definitive conclusion on how to balance important Aian history with not completely assassinating Rhen's character. I know what ending I prefer as a player (she goes to Shadwood with Lars, sans the final two lines), but I don't know how I think things actually happened from an in-world perspective.
  • Being kin with Lars complicates this, as I have definite memories of being in a romantic relationship with Rhen many years after the quest, but these are primarily emotional memories, with very little clear detail beyond how I felt & how she treated me. I don't know if we got married or not (& honestly don't really care). I don't know if Dameon has died by the time our romantic relationship starts, or if she never married him, or if it's some kind of polyamory and/or they have an open marriage, or what. I don't know if she was queen of Thais or Head Sword Singer at Shadwood.
  • My conflict over Aveyond I ending canon exists outside of any kin-related feelings, however. They're extra complication, but don't really change my overall thoughts on this, since I remember very few concrete details.
• Gavin/Ava never happened. It just didn't. He flirted with her, she turned him down repeatedly, and he either didn't get it or elected to ignore her obvious wishes, as is shown in the game. But they absolutely did not get married.
• Nicolas & Gavin were definitely in the party together.

On the "official" ending & other ending options of Aveyond I:

• The official ending (Rhen marries Dameon & becomes queen of Thais) is stupid. Let's just establish that right off.
  • It makes absolutely no sense for Rhen's character arc, and it completely ignores that Dameon literally just betrayed them all, Rhen included, to Ahriman.
  • Dameon does not have any character development whatsoever. A fairydust-to-the-face induced "change of heart" is not development. He is awful from his introduction to the final line(s) of the game. He was actively manipulative, especially toward Rhen, the entire game.
  • Literally the only way this makes sense is "Thais has a misogynistic law requiring Rhen to marry before she can become queen, and Rhen makes a snap decision and says she wants to marry Dameon rather than some random noble she's never met, in a "better the devil you know" kind of deal"
    • This is still awful, considering that Dameon was actively manipulating her emotions the entire time she's known him and has not shown the slightest signs of genuine remorse. This manipulation absolutely included taking advantage of her (slight) crush/attraction upon meeting him. That is a terrible basis for a relationship.
    • "Better the devil you know" can really only work if you actully do know said devil. Given that Dameon's betrayal & manipulation was very recently revealed (possibly earlier that same day, esp. if they're traveling via runes), and his "change of heart" was in no way motivated by his own character development (he doesn't have any!), and therefore not a genuine change, can it really be said that Rhen truly "knows" him? No.
• The "Rhen returns to Veldarah with Lars to become Head Sword Singer at Shadwood Academy" ending is good. And then the last line completely destroys it.
  • Seriously, unless you're in middle school, you do not end a story with "Or did they?" You just don't. That's not how you do an open ending.
    • A decent open-ended conclusion that leaves Rhen/Lars up to player interpretation would actually have been easier: just don't include those last two lines. Don't mention anything at all about them potentially getting married.
    • Yes, this is Aveyond, and Aveyond has a strong tendency toward endings revolving around a character ending up in a heterosexual marriage, no matter how shoehorned that marriage is. (Notable example: Mel/Lars VIII, who never even existed in the actual game.) This is awful, both from the standpoint of "ugh heteronormativity" and from a general character arc standpoint. This ending plays into the possibility of that, but doesn't actually commit.
    • Seriously, given their history, I fully understand not wanting to make a definitive "Rhen & Lars get married" statement. The solution to this is to just not mention it, and leave it up to the individual player's interpretation.
  • The last two lines aside, this is the ending that makes the most sense for Rhen, because she is doing exactly what she said she wanted to from (almost) the beginning: Return to Veldarah, become Head Sword Singer of Shadwood Academy, and use the influence of her position to fight slavery in the Eastern Empire. It is both emotionally satisfying & respectful to Rhen as a character.

On Gavin/Ava and Gavin & Nicolas both being in the party:

• Gavin/Ava is a horrible, terrible, no good ship. Personal feelings aside (which is difficult, since I'm kin with Nicolas), he demonstrates a fundamental lack of respect for her as a person. She is clearly not interested in his advances. He continues to make them. Ava deserves better.
  • As Nikky kin, I feel the same way. Ava deserves better than Gavin. He is awful. I am also awful. It works. Gavin/Ava wouldn't.
• Given that apart from the initial scene, the "keep both Nicolas and Gavin" goodie makes no significant changes that I can find/have heard of to the rest of the game, there's no good reason why them both being in the party can't be canon.
  • It actually makes canon more cohesive to have them both in the party, because otherwise there are two separate canons for Aveyond II: one if you pick Nicolas and another if you pick Gavin. There are games that can pull off having complex duel (or more) canons. The Aveyond games are not among them. They are simple games, and that is part of their charm. Pulling off multiple canons for the majority of the timeline in one of the games would require much more complexity in the writing. Aveyond doesn't do complexity. Let them be simple, it works, despite the flaws.