#Anders is thinking about trashy romance novels

[trans-ruffboi]

you've heard of MotA damsel kink Anders. now get ready for Gamlen's Greatest Treasure damsel kink Anders

[imjusthereforbatfam]

Okay, I saw that you like Dragon Age too, and I gotta know, who do you think Jason would romance???

Oh ho ho~💕

My dear Duke (Kansas??), you have come to the wrong right place.

Gonna put a Keep Reading cut here because I know myself and I know I'm gonna go crazy with this BUT LET'S GO!!!!!!

Canonically, we've seen that Jason is generally attracted to intelligent, independent women who can (and would) kick his ass. The people he's attracted to also tend to compliment his sarcastic sense of humor — whether that's being sarcastic themselves or just responding to it with the right sort of beat.

So I think for the first game it's pretty safe to say he'd romance the HECK out of Morrigan. However, I also think he'd be a little charmed by Alistair, too, and would do a second playthrough as female Warden just to see what that's like. (I think sweet Alistair's total swooning devotion might be a little hard for Jason to take at times, but it's such a pure love I think he'd ultimately enjoy it.)

For DA2, it gets a little trickier.

My initial thought is Isabella, for the same reasons as above. Also because I think he'd really enjoy her "I do what I want when I want, with whom I want" attitude. The man drinks his Respect Women Juice all day every day. But I can also see him really connecting with Anders and Fenris, too.

I don't know if he'd actually be able to complete a romance with Anders though, because I feel like he might eventually get a little too uncomfortable with the parallels between the two of them — becoming a nearly completely different person thanks to a traumatic event (Anders: hosting Justice/Vengence vs Jason: murdered & coming back), being literally overtaken by blind rage (Vengence vs pit rage), the willingness to "go too far" and the backlash that follows, etc. I think this is especially true if he's already completed the game before and knows he's eventually going to have to judge Anders's life for his crimes. Idk I just feel like it might overwhelm him?

I think he'd immediately be intrigued by Mr. Ripped-a-dude's-heart-out-of-his-chest-with-my-bare-hand and I do think he'd enjoy brooding and being pissy/dramatic with Fenris, but I'm also not sure he'd finish out that romance either. Namely because Jason tends to be The Dramatic Broody One and him being with another Dramatic Brooder feels like it might eventually... idk I don't want to say it'll fizzle out, but I do think he would have more long-term investments with someone a little more grounded/lighter than him. Also when Fenris leaves him in Act II?? idk if he would get over that... Maybe but idk

For inquisition... dear god, I have no clue.

I feel like he'd wish he could romance Vivianne because she just oozes confidence, intelligence, and a sense of being in control of her destiny in a way that I think he'd really be attracted to. But alas.

Maybe Cassandra because she definitely has the "I can and will kick your ass" vibes and is a tank of a woman. I feel like Jason has a weird relationship with faith though, so her constant Maker talk might not be great. But at the same time, he really likes loyalty so maybe he'd be inspired by her devotion 🤷 When he finds out she likes reading trashy romance novels I think he'll initially scoff but find it endearing.

I don't know if Dorian is usually his type as far as men go – I see Jason liking guys who are a little more laid back – but I can see him really enjoying his sense of humor and loving the fact that he's a bookworm and researcher so he'd being willing to try it out. Ultimately, I think he would really enjoy romancing Dorian because the man's a total nerdy sweetheart under all that dramatic sass like Jason and Jason would like the feeling of being the one Dorian trusts to fully let his guard down with.

hmm... yeah. Actually, now that I think about it some more, I feel like once he romances Dorian for that first time he'll become Jason's go-to L.I. for Inquisition.

Anyway! What are your thoughts? Agreements? Disagreements?

I'm curious to know! 🥰🥰🥰

[midnightswaltz]

25 + 30 + 38 + 39 + 42 + 47 for mallory hawke and/or teresa shepard? :D

I find this particularly wonderful because Mal and Reese are the characters I think are the most well adjusted of my ocs, which may not mean a whole lot

25 What are somethings they find difficult to do? Or say?

Reese finds self care difficult. It's not so much her forgetting meals or sleep, but she always feels like every kind of trouble is her responsibility to deal with and if she can't she takes it very personally. So she tends to work herself into the ground.

Mal finds it difficult to show her darker side. All her friends recognize her dark sense of humor and sarcasm, but it's hard for her to show her grief or anger.

30 Do they dwell better in chaotic situations or more linear situations?

Chaotic, both of them do their best work and are happiest in cheerful chaos. There's just something about chaos that thrills them both.

38 How does your character unwind after a long day?

Reese does one of two things. When she still had one, she played guitar. Like soft classical guitar. Other times she meditates. She'd never call it meditation, but she puts her work aside and stares at the wall just focusing on breathing until she feels like it's time for bed.

Mal plays with Scout (her mabari) until they both sort of pass out in front of the fire. Often times she gets Anders involved and he's never sure how she's convinced him to get on the floor and let Scout jump on him.

39 What's your character's guilty pleasure?

I'm not a big believer in any pleasure being "guilty", but

Reese loves old black and white movies

and Mal hides "trashy" romance novels. Varric started Swords and Shields to tease her.

42 Does your character celebrate their birthday? If not, why?

Reese does and doesn't. Her family was never one to not celebrate anything any chance they got, and they were always good with the parties. As an adult she likes to at least get some acknowledgement of it but she's also in a situation where it's the last thing on her list to worry about.

Mal doesn't celebrate anymore. After they left Ferelden there were just so many other things to worry about and by the time she got breathing room in Kirkwall birthdays were just reminders of who wasn't there anymore.

47 What is your character's reaction when someone does something nice for them?

Depending on how nice, Reese says thank you and possibly hugs them.

Mal gets confused and embarrassed. She's the one who's supposed to be taking care of other people. She'll stammer a thank you and 'you really didn't need to' and tries to disappear at the first opportunity.

[timesorceror]

Day 17 (January 23rd) - Anders and Sadness

Anders has a lot of angst, so use that for this day.  Be it vent posting about how sad his story is, or an angsty fic, sadness and eventual happiness are the themes for this day.

For @justhanderspositive‘s challenge: [HERE].

Again with the interesting places... lots of talk about faith and such amidst the sadness, but it gets better in the end. Also, Fang of the Dragonlord is a fantastic title for a trashy DA romance novel. I want one so I can dog-ear it like Karl. :P

Usually when Fenris came by the clinic, it was busy.

Patients would be milling about, coming and going as they pleased in a steady stream. He didn't often lend a hand (around so many strange and unusual people, he felt naked and uncomfortable without his gauntlets, which were also not very conducive to tending to the wounded) but when Hayden wasn't available and Lirene's assistant hadn't arrived for the day, sometimes Fenris would swallow his fear and take them off to help Anders wrap bandages and administer potions to the sick and injured.

Today was different, though. Today the lanterns were unlit, and the doors unlocked, but closed.

Fenris hadn't seen Anders leave that morning nor for the entire day in fact, and it concerned him. So he entered the clinic silently, taking a moment to remove his gauntlets and set them on a table so Anders would know he was here.

And speaking of the clinic, none of the inner lanterns were lit either but for one in the center which allowed Fenris enough light to see in the near darkness of the late hour. This also helped him spot the soft glow of candlelight from around the corner of one of the two doors that Anders now only used for storage, since he wasn't living here anymore. Fenris called out softly as he approached the light.

"Anders? It's getting late. I was wondering if... if you might come... home."

Fenris turned the corner and found Anders kneeling with the red meditation pillow that he'd once said had belonged to his mother, surrounded by a small shrine of candles and a single framed sketch of a man that Fenris recognized, though only by Anders' descriptions of him and not because he'd ever seen the man himself.

The man's hair was gently spiked, and shaded a light salt-and-pepper grey. The jaw was square, but soft, obscured by a mustache and beard that was neatly trimmed on the sides, but left the middle to run free like his hair. The eyes, even in a sketch rendering, sparkled like starlight, and there were laugh lines and little wrinkles that signified that the artist had known this person so intimately that they'd memorized them. The man was smiling, too. Open and inviting, this was a man who loved people.

And he'd loved Anders once, if Fenris' knowledge of the man was correct. At least as much as Anders had loved him, if not more.

Anders startled a little at his approach, looking back with wide eyes, and it was then that Fenris noticed how Anders shivered with little sobs as tears ran in a silent, steady stream down his face.

"...Fenris?" Anders coughed softly, clearing his throat. "What are you doing here?"

Fenris knelt next to him. There were a few other pillows that were scattered about, though it was difficult to tell if they'd been brought here for Anders to sleep on, what with how little Fenris knew about Andrastian meditation customs. (Or rather, any Andrastian customs at all, save for what little he knew about their beliefs and worldviews.)

"You didn't come home for dinner," Fenris whispered. He wasn't sure why; perhaps it was because of the atmosphere. Despite not looking much like a Chantry chapel, the little storage room certainly had the air of one with the lit candles, the scattered pillows, and the little statue of Andraste that was about as long as his forearm sitting on a small, low table next to the framed sketch of the man.

"I was concerned, so I came looking," Fenris finished. Then he glanced around the room, curious about their surroundings. "What is all this, exactly?" Fenris gestured to the room, momentarily having forgotten Anders' tears in his curiosity.

Anders sighed softly.

"Well, after I stopped living here, I initially decided to turn this little nook into a storage room, which, obviously I did. But then I started hearing a few people lament how they wished they could worship in the Chantry chapel without being looked down upon by the nobles... and I asked Sebastian what I might be able to do about it."

Fenris glanced sharply at Anders. "You asked Sebastian about something to do with the Chantry?" he asked incredulously. Anders sniffed, wiping at his eyes with a handkerchief as he coughed in a short burst of laughter.

"Shocking, I know. But I remembered that my mother used to have a place in the home where I grew up where we could worship during the harsh Ferelden winters and we couldn't go outside to make the journey into town to attend Chantry services. Sebastian was actually quite well-mannered about the affair, and even helped me set it up."

Anders gestured to the pillows that were similar to the one he knelt upon. "These were going to be burned, he told me, so he decided to, ah... repurpose them and give them a good home." He shrugged, glancing up at the small yet delicately carved statue of Andraste.

"And people come here to pray?"

Anders nodded. "To pray, to meditate. To simply enjoy whatever peace and quiet one can find in a clinic. But... yes. People do use it. Often. Sometimes I have to move the statue out into the clinic on more significant days when certain prayers are more widely observed."

"But today is not one of those days," Fenris prompted.

Anders sighed, and he closed his eyes to try to stop a few more tears from falling. They still trickled out, and Fenris suddenly wished he were better at giving physical comfort like the kind Anders gave to him and so many others.

"Not to anyone but me, no," Anders lamented softly.

"Is today... the anniversary of his death?"

Anders looked up at Fenris curiously as another two tears trickled down and fell to the ground, seemingly without Anders noticing them.

"How...?"

Fenris leaned over and pressed a quick kiss on Anders' cheek, briefly tasting the salt of his tears. "You speak of him more often than you think. I may not have met the man, but I like to think that I know him well enough from your descriptions of him. So... is this what you've been doing all day?"

Fenris was aware that he couldn't seem to keep the concern from his face, a fact that Anders hadn't missed either until he leaned over and repaid him in kind, pressing a kiss of his own against Fenris' cheek, stubble brushing enticingly against his skin.

"Praying, yes. But not all day. I took in a few patients when I felt up to it, and Justice made sure I ate something. I didn't really feel like it, but I think it helped, a little."

"...and does it help anything? This... praying."

Anders sniffed once, and wiped at his eyes with the handkerchief again.

"Sometimes, it does. At least, it helps ease the ache in my heart. And if you're asking about what the Chantry teaches about prayers for the dead, some are supposed to ease the passing of the person's soul into the arms of the Maker; others ask for intercession on the behalf of Andraste to save the souls of sinners who might not have been as faithful to the Maker as they should've been... in order to keep them from being consumed by demons.

"...and if you're asking if that works? I don't know. But, considering that the Chantry also teaches that a mage's very existence is a sin... well. Then I certainly hope it does. Even if those prayers are coming from another mage."

Anders' tears had ceased now, and the candles around them were burning quite low indeed.

"I don't know much about... all this," Fenris told him quietly, gesturing to the candles, the pillows, and the statue, "but I... I'd like to think that as well. That your Karl is at the side of the Maker, especially if the alternative is being consumed by demons. From what you've told me of him, he seems like the sort of person who deserved better than his lot in life."

Anders chuckled softly. "Mmm. What are you trying to say, love?"

Fenris simply offered him a smile in return. "A person like that doesn't keep a person like you around if they don't see value in them. Perhaps... your prayers are worth more than you think they are." Fenris leaned against Anders and gently pressed his face against Anders' shoulder.

"But that would make the Chantry wrong then, about mages being a sin in the eyes of the Maker," Anders said lightly. Fenris chuffed derisively.

"The Chantry was founded by people, was it not? And people are prejudiced, imperfect beings. Again, I don't know much about being an Andrastian, or being a person of faith in general, but perhaps they got a few things wrong when they first wrote the Chant."

"Or they're simply interpreting things wrong. The Chant never actually says that we're a sin in the eyes of the Maker. Only the Chantry does."

"Well, there you have it," Fenris said, pulling away. "Now, would you like to come home? You don't have to eat anything, but there's still some druffalo and potato soup left if you want some." Anders hummed contentedly and sighed. "Actually, druffalo soup sounds really good. Help me clean up a bit?"

Fenris helped Anders blow out the candles and rearrange the pillows and they left shortly after. The two men arrived home, and Fenris served them both a bowl of the promised soup that only required just a touch more heat from one of Anders' clever little spells.

They sat down across from each other at the table they usually used for Diamondback nights, but because they were tired and it was close, they didn't bother with anything else. Partway through eating, Anders reached over and took Fenris' hand, linking their fingers together while staring at Fenris as though he held the sun and the moon in his eyes. Though, considering how Anders portrayed Karl in his sketch, perhaps that might not be so far from the truth.

"Yes?" Fenris prompted when Anders didn't say anything.

"Um... thank you. For earlier. I'm glad you cared enough to come find me when I was late."

"It was nothing, Anders. I promise." Fenris let himself squeeze Anders' hand gently, feeling the warmth of it in his very core, though the gesture might hardly be considered significant to some. "I... you are worth it, you know," Fenris confessed.

"Worth what?" Anders asked, perplexed.

"Everything. I don't know how else to put it, and I suspect that neither did your Karl, if what I feel for you is anything close to what he did. Once, I quite agreed with the Chantry's teachings about you and all that you represent... but I find that I can't any longer. At least not where you are concerned."

Anders' eyes filled with tears again, though Fenris suspected they were tears of a different sort, this time. "Oh, Fen..." he breathed, and Fenris clasped his other hand and pulled him as close as they could be with the table between them, their foreheads brushing together.

"I'm sorry I worried you," Anders whispered. Fenris just hummed in response.

"Weren't you listening, mage? You're worth worrying over. Your Karl must have thought as much, to love you so."

"Yes, he must have," Anders agreed.

"Could you tell me more about him?" Fenris requested. "Something embarrassing about him, perhaps? Or maybe he had a favorite place to kiss you that I don't know about?" Anders laughed darkly. "Well, I know for a fact that the two of you share a favorite place to kiss me... and it's not my lips, I assure you."

Fenris grinned.

"But I think I've got a really good embarrassing story about him that's worthy of a tale Isabela might tell... have you heard of a book called Fang of the Dragonlord?"

"No, I don't think I have. Do tell..."

Anders returned Fenris' grin with one of his own. "Well, it's this really trashy Nevarran romance novel, like the sort that Varric is rubbish at writing..."

Fenris leaned back and relaxed. This was most certainly going to be worth it, he thought.

Though he had to wonder... if Karl's favorite place to kiss Anders was against the inside of his palms... or someplace else. He had a feeling that he and Karl shared many such favorite places, and later, he wanted to rediscover them all... after he listened to Anders' story, of course. After all, he was worth the wait.