nonagesimus

[nonagesimus]

They’ve got good cop/bad cop energy.

[nonagesimus]

i am the #1 hater of "dev confirms connor is teagan's son"

i hate it with the fire of a thousand suns and i don't have to consider it ever when discussing DA:O thanks

[nonagesimus]

OC KISS WEEK '25

was inspired by my friends to try to do a oc kiss week challenge & am doing multiple of my rooks with theirs ✨

first up out of order bc I wanna post this now is:

phaedra/jesse for caught or more-so interrupted @classicleechaos

Phaedra wakes to silence and for a brief moment wonders if they are dead, they reach their hand down to their side feeling slightly damp bandages. They move to sit up hoping to assess the damage now they are awake and out of danger when a strong hand pushing them back down by their shoulder. 

“Look like you already pulled some stitches in you sleep, if you pull anymore I will be very cross with you.” Phaedra meets Jesses eyes, happy to see they made it out of that ambush alive. 

“How are the others?”

“They’re fine, a lot better than you are,” Jesse quickly removes the old bandages assessing the damage to the stitches, “Don’t even try using your magic on this,” after they have assessed the damage they pour some alcohol onto the wound and clean up their stitches. Jesse when satisfied wraps the wound in fresh bandages before turning to leave. 

“Thank you, Jesse.” Reaching out Phaedra wraps their hand around their’s giving it a weak squeeze. 

“It was nothing, you’d do the same for me” Jesse softly smiles, eyes holding hers, as they bring their joined hands up to press a soft kiss to back of Phaedra’s hand, “Just try not to do it again.”

Phaedra still holding their hangs gives a tug -weak given their current state- that Jesse (probably more to humor them) obliges in leaning down close enough they can feel each other’s breath ghost over each other. Phaedra places a kiss on the corner of their mouth feeling the hint of their lips lightly chapped from the wind. 

“I promise.” 

Jesse smiles down at her before taking hers face in their free hand -their calluses rough against their skin- before bringing their lips together it is soft and affirming conveying their feeling of relief of joy; they made it though. Phaedra tries to lean up into the kiss needing to be closer, only for Jesse to pull back and level her with an unimpressed look. 

“Don’t get too excited,” pressing a quick chaste kiss against Phaedra’s pout, “I’m not risking you pulling another stitch” 

“Just one more, so-“

“So you?”

“Know it’s real, that we both made it out.” Jesse smiles and leans down but before their lips meet, the door slams open. 

“Jesse you in here? We could use some help-” Davrin takes one look at them before a teasing smile adorns his face, “never mind it seems like you’ve got your hands full here.”

[nonagesimus]

OCKiss Week '25 Day One

I have never participated in something like this before but I have some wonderful DA fandom friends with such pretty OCs that they were willing to let me write about mine kissing, so I couldn't pass up the chance!

Day one: Kata de Riva/Beata de Riva, who belongs to @hightowerqueen

Prompt: Caught

Note: Kata uses they/them and she/her equally, so I switched between the two pronoun sets throughout the piece to incorporate that aspect of them into the fic. So if you see me call Kata she in one sentence, and then they in the next, that is on purpose lol

Warnings: canon typical violence, nothing horribly graphic

Kata swung her massive hammer at the legs of the guard barreling toward her, his body hitting the wall with a sickening thwack before he crumpled to the ground. She didn’t bother checking if he was alive, knowing he wouldn’t be able to follow them even if he was. She ducked the swing from another guard before pushing him away with the handle of her weapon, the crash of metal on metal echoing in the room as he blocked her next swing.  “I thought you said this was gonna be a quick and quiet job, Bea!” “You can file your complaints with Viago later!”

A beam of crackling magic shot past Kata, sending the guard she was fighting flying back, unmoving on the ground. Kata swung her hammer behind her, feeling the runes on it activate when they met the ones on the harness built into her armor, snapping the heavy weapon into place to hover just behind her back. A clever device the mages of House de Riva had concocted to allow their warriors to carry heavy weapons in a way that it wouldn’t slow them down. She rushed over towards her fellow de Riva Crow, nodding towards the door behind her as Kata walked briskly towards it.

“Let’s get out of here before more show up.”

Bea’s brow furrowed, eyes quickly taking in the room littered with the body of guards behind them, giving a sharp nod as she followed close after the tall Qunari. They hurried down the halls of the estate they had broken into as quietly as possible, until Kata heard the sound of many boots hurrying their way, coming from the stairs in front of them alongside the clanking of heavy metal armor. 

“Vashedan!” 

Kata scanned the hallway they were in, running over to the nearest door, throwing a thanks up to whatever god or gods that might be out there that it was unlocked. It opened to a small room they seemed to be using for storage, mostly filled with various crates, a slight musty smell and dust hanging in the air.

“In here, quick!”

“Are you serious, Kata? Let’s just fight them!”

“And draw even more of them in our direction?”

Bea huffed, knowing the warrior was right, and quickly slipped into the room. Kata followed her in, closing the door quietly behind them before pulling her hammer off her back and wedging it up under the handle, hoping if any of the guards did try and open the door it would give the illusion of it being locked and they’d move on.

Kata turned around and her breath caught for a moment in their chest. Neither her or Beata were small, their two muscular builds taking up pretty much all the available space in the small room, which left very little room left between them. Their chests almost brushed with every rapid inhale from both their mouths, Bea so close Kata could feel the heat of each of the mage’s breaths fan across her skin. Silver eyes met sea green ones as the two took each other in within the cramped quarters. Bea’s eyebrow rose just the slightest bit, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips at the ridiculousness of their situation. Kata felt a flush rising up her chest onto her cheeks as she bashfully glanced away, still trying to catch her breath in the stuffy room. 

There was no denying Beata was pretty, her intense gaze and unruly tousled waves catching Kata’s eye more than once when they’d crossed paths around House de Riva. But as much as inter-house fraternization might be frowned upon in the Crows, Viago hated in-house fraternization just as much and discouraged it from all those under him. It is an unnecessary distraction, and only ever leads to weakness and heartbreak. Kata heard the grumpy Talon’s voice echo in her head. It didn’t stop it from happening, but most of House de Riva knew to keep feelings out of it; it was all just for fun and keeping tensions low. Nothing between Kata and Bea had ever amounted to more than a flirty verbal exchange here and there though, or a brush of hands over a shoulder or rib cage in passing. 

Kata was pulled from her musings suddenly when she realized the sound of the footsteps were nearly upon them, mentally cursing herself for getting distracted. Then a hand came up and caressed the white and purple wing spanning Kata’s cheek as it turned them back towards the other Crow, the question on their lips dying as they felt Bea pull them down, the mage’s lips pressing flush to Kata’s own as the qunari’s eyes went widen before fluttering closed, returning the kiss. Kata’s hands rose and cupped Bea’s head, her fingers tangling in her dark waves. Bea’s other hand slid across Kata’s bare hip, her fingers trailing over the feather tattoo there as their skin broke out in goosebumps in the wake of her touch. 

Kata heard the sounds of the guards out in the hallway, their voices muffled as they tried to figure out where they may have disappeared to. The fear of possibly getting caught in this position sent a hot spike up her spine that she decided to file away for later, their attention fully on the mage in front of her as their lips continue to explore each other. Kata took a step forward, pressing Bea back into the wall next to them, feeling the heat of all their curves pressed flush together. They both pulled away at the sound of the guards moving towards the direction the two Crows had run in from. They both held their breath, frozen as the sound of the group moving away got fainter. Finally when it was quiet, Kata looked down at the human in front of them, their bodies still pressed together, a quizzical look on their face as Bea smirked up at her.

“You were breathing too loud, you were gonna get us caught”

Kata gave a huff of laughter at the excuse, pulling the mage back in for one more gentle kiss before untangling herself from their embrace and grabbing her hammer once more. 

“Riiiiight. You know, you don’t need an excuse to kiss me, Bea. You could have just asked.”

Bea winked at them as she spun her dagger out of its sheath on her hip. 

“Yeah but this way is more fun. Come on, let’s get back before Viago bursts a blood vessel because both his guard dogs were gone too long” 

Kata rolled her eyes but smiled as she slipped the door open, the two Crows making a fast exit down the stairs and out the estate, their hands brushing together every so often as they made their way back towards the de Riva estate in quiet companionship.

[nonagesimus]

OC KISS WEEK '25

decided to do a ficlet each day of my rook kissing one of my friends' rooks for this! ✨

day 1 - beata de riva/rose mercar, desperate @nonagesimus

They don't make it to Minrathous on time. It doesn't matter how fast Bea and her squad run; the damage is already done by the time they get there.

They'd split the team in half, sending people to each city. She remembers Rose's grip on her sleeve, the harsh line of her mouth, the skin of her lips paling under the pressure of the words neither of them could find the courage to speak.

I wish I could go with you. But my home is in danger, too. Identical thoughts. The same feeling of a heart being torn in half.

The dragon in Treviso was chased off. The one in Minrathous wasn't, it's obvious. Bodies litter the streets, and people swarm in a frenzied rush to escape.

Thick black smoke clogs Bea's airways, the wreckage of the attack a waking nightmare around her. There's only one thing she can think of, only one face she's looking for as they tear through the crowds of terrified Dock Town citizens like bats out of hell;

Rose.

Nausea rolls through her in waves, the sick bite of bile rising her up throat. Where is she? Maker please, let her be safe. I know it's selfish, but I'm begging you. I can't lose her.

Bea looks for Rose's russet curls, hope and despair both twisting her heart until it feels like it might stop. She looks for the scar that matches her own, the sparkling hazel eyes. She looks for them desperately in every face, dead or alive, that they pass as they barrel through town.

She's almost ready to give up, the price of saving her own city hanging heavy over her.

Until...

Maker's breath, there she is.

Rose is standing just a ways away, biting off the end of a bandage she's just wrapped someone's injury with. Her face is smear with soot, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead from effort. Her chest heaves with each breath, exhausted.

She's never looked more beautiful.

Bea doesn't even think; just breaks into a full run, and before either of them can blink, she's launched herself at Rose in a blur.

The kiss is like a lifeline.

Their teeth clash. They both taste like ash and blood. It's rushed and frantic, tongues sliding past open lips with an insatiable hunger. The roaring in Bea's ears dulls, now, because she's here, she's safe, i'm never letting go of her again.

She snakes a hand through Rose's curls, flexing her fingers around the strands. It feel like being consumed, eaten alive.

It's perfect.

[nonagesimus]

i’m gonna be feral for the entirety of oc kiss week just so the dash is aware

[nonagesimus]

sucks so bad when a character you love is heavily infantilized. that is a grown man he knows what a cigarette is. intimately

[nonagesimus]

okay i may have turned it into a fake cover

[nonagesimus]

OC Kiss Week Day 1 - Desperate

another ficlet for day one with my Shadow Dragon Rose Mercar, and @willofthewolf's Rowan Mercar.

-

“So, things could be going worse.”

Rose glanced over to where Rowan had pressed themself up against the same wall as her for cover. It surrounded a garden at the edge of the plaza that was usually bordering on idyllic, somewhere Rose liked to sit if she needed to think something through, or eat lunch when she just wanted nice afternoon. Somewhere the pair of them met sometimes. Rose liked associating it with that, with good things, but right at that moment it felt like the entire city was screaming on the other side.

“How d’you reckon?” she asked, trying not to sound completely exhausted.

“Well,” Rowan’s fingers were plucking absently at their bowstring, familiar little sparks dancing off it with each movement, “The dragon could be completely immune to fire.”

Rose muffled a snort, flipped her spellblade back and forth in her hand. The Shadow Dragons were doing their best, but it felt like the ground was about to crumble out from beneath her. She did her best work up close, but even if they managed to force the dragon to the ground; it was a still a dragon.

Not even counting those boils on its front legs. Whatever it had been spewing out of its mouth—A few darkspawn in the catacombs weren’t going to be the last of their problems, Rose thought.

If they survived to see any more.

There was an echoing screech as the beast swooped overhead, the wind from its wings buffeting down, but it was swooping to the east. Not good for the east side of the city, but it gave the two of them some time to catch their breath properly. Rose looked over at Rowan, who’d also slumped down a little against the wall. She shifted closer to them, enough to press their shoulders together.

“Well,” Rowan said. “A blaze of glory isn’t a bad way to go out.” They wrapped their arm around Rose’s shoulder to pull her even further into them.

“How about this,” Rose countered, twisting to face them, “If we make it out of this, we take an actual vacation?”

“You’ll never follow through,” Rowan teased, but there was a vicious edge to their grin that Rose loved.

She reached up her free hand, traced the tattoo down the side of Rowan’s face, and said, “So, you’ll just have to stay alive and make me.”

Rowan’s arm tightened around her shoulders, pulled her into a firm kiss. Rose cupped her cheek, and kissed back, half of her screaming that if it was their final kiss she’d better make it count, half that there was no way in all the hells she was letting it be their last. Wind rushed over them again and they broke apart, looking up to see the dragon swooping back over them.

“Alright,” Rowan said, meeting her eyes again, “So, that’s a deal?”

“I don’t break my word,” Rose said.

“Then let’s go figure out how to get that fucker to land.”

[nonagesimus]

OC Kiss Week Day 1 - Desperate

Starting off OC Kiss Week with my De Riva, Ayden, and @marvelous-goose's OC Jasper Thorne

-

The aftermath of a fight was always the worst part.

Ayden was shaking with the adrenaline of it but there was nowhere to put it anymore. Fighting darkspawn always made their skin crawl, it felt like the more time they spent around the blight the more sensitive they were to it. Like they could taste it around the boils massed on the ground, around the bigger ogres. And they’d all known, going in, that is was going to be a bad night. The horde encroaching Lavendel, the ragged group of villagers in the middle of the perimeter the Wardens had kept. Ayden was used to fighting, but not in a battle like this. Multiple fronts, swords and shields, it was nothing like any of the contracts they’d ever been on.

Even the occupation wasn’t anything like it.

Everything had been in extremes since the Antaam.

Magic, and Blight, and the Fade, and dragons, and darkspawn, and cleaning mud off their boots from a dozen places they never thought they’d ever visit.

A week beforehand, desperate for some kind of break, they’d dragged Jasper to the rooftop roads in Treviso. Stolen a bottle of wine from the stash Viago kept for his visits to the Diamond, gone up to their favourite spot to look over the canals from. Ayden had mostly been in Treviso when Viago and Teia were at their most involved, but they’d learned to love it along the way. And Jasper was always so generous with the things he loved; Ayden might not be used to sharing, but they’d wanted to try all the same.

Besides there was something kind of wonderful in the way Jasper’s eyes got bright when they used the ziplines, the way he seemed to relax when they talked him into doing something risky.

And it was high above the canals when Jasper, pink-cheeked and smiling, had taken a swig from the bottle they were sharing and said, “Anyone would think you’re trying to romance me.”

And they’d shot back, “If it’s romantic does that mean you’ll let me kiss you?”

But the thought of that only had them whirling around, scanning the battlefield. The two of them had started off fighting near each other, but things never went like they planned. Mages needed to spread out, cover more bases. Too many horns going off at once; Jasper had gone to cover the caves, Ayden had headed out to the battlements. But the fighting was over, people were checking bodies, dragging darkspawn corpses into piles to burn them, drifting towards medics to get their wounds treated, or towards the buildings to get new orders. All of Ayden’s nerves were jangling and they couldn’t see him.

“Where’s Jasper?” they asked, though after all the shouting in the fight it came out as a croak. They got a couple of glances from Wardens walking past but no answer. Had the look on their faces been pitying or just exhausted? The jangling nerves were starting to seem more like alarm bells. They swallowed, frantically trying to soothe the sandpaper-feeling in their throat, and tried again, “Anyone seen Jasper?”

There was a more desperate scream building in their throat before they heard a familiar voice call, “Over here.”

They turned so fast they nearly slipped in the mud, saw Jasper and Emmy leaning on each other as they walked back from the caves. Ayden ignored the way their legs were screaming, pushed themselves into a jog to meet them.

“You’re both ok?” they asked, feeling like they were vibrating with the effort of holding back, not sure if the twins were hurt or just exhausted, they didn’t want to make anything worse.

Jasper said, “We’re both fine,” in a soft voice, at the same time as Emmy snorted and said, “Calm down, sparky, he’s all yours,” and stepped aside.

Ayden burst into motion, genuinely might’ve lost control and fade-stepped into the space right in front of Jasper, reached up to cup his face and yanked it down to their own. Jasper’s hands grasped at their elbows, then one shifted to the side of their face and his other arm wrapped around their waist. His thumb slid along their cheekbone, and his mouth was gentle, and despite everything, Ayden felt themselves slowly start to relax.

[nonagesimus]

some of you think ‘nuanced’ only means ‘morally grey’ and I’m here to tell you that actually straight up good characters can still be nuanced and unapologetically evil characters can still be nuanced. the character doesn’t have to be an anti hero or morally dubious to have depth. they don’t even have to feel sorry about their crimes to have depth.

[nonagesimus]

the butch/femme scene of 1990s san francisco by chloe sherman

[nonagesimus]

where the FUCK did all the froyo places go...

[nonagesimus]

[nonagesimus]

[nonagesimus]

It's that famous Grey Warden charm.

[nonagesimus]

Anyway shirtless Fenris.

(no one check the correctness of the tats pls and thank you)