#Dorian voice: I'm not a very nice man ;)

[heliomanteia]

Remember how Dorian went 'I'm not a very nice man' to the Inquisitor pre romance lock and then proceeded to be the nicest man in post-Inquisition timeline of Dragon Age

[ceph-the-ghost-writer]

Character Voice Tag

Tagged by @thatndginger!

Rules: Rewrite the line of dialogue from the person who tagged you into the voice of your OC’s! (You can include a short beat of action to help establish character if you want.) Pass on the tag with a new line of dialogue.

The prompt given to me: "Am I a joke to you?"

Isaac: "Laugh all you want, but I'm serious. And right."

Renato: "I'm a man of many talents, but comedy isn't one of them. So, when you're done looking like an idiot--I assume it'll take a while--come talk to me."

Dorian: "Laughing at someone isn't very nice, you know? I bet you wouldn't like it if the tables were turned." They beamed with the confidence of someone with an ace up their peacoat's sleeve. "Bet you wouldn't like it at all."

Kinslayer: The waves of menace rolling out of them leeched the warmth from the room, dimmed the glow from the lights, and stole the smirks right off of every face. Kinslayer didn't need to say anything.

Elfy: She brought up a hand for a single-finger salute.

Oleander: She tightened her fist. "Quit smirking or I'll give you a punchline you'll never forget, nerd."

If you want to play, your new line is: "I like you."

Tagging @autumnalwalker @vacantgodling @space-writes @captain-kraken @izzyspussy @angsty-prompt-hole @mjjune @worldstogetlostin @kaylinalexanderbooks @sunset-a-story @touloserlautrec

[wifeblade]

veilguard thoughts / first impressions

First of all: My rook

Was really pretty.

I'm going to briefly summarize my opinion of the game and then just talk about my playthrough.

It's clear that solas is the writer's pet; basically the writing became 80% better and more enjoyable anytime he was even remotely involved. Luckily for us, he's very involved in the main plot and ending. Unluckily for us, he's not involved with the companions.

I deeply missed character depth/development and world depth/development in this game. I feel like we kinda got the crust of a piece of toast but not the filling.

Really genuinely impressed how despite bioware apparently changing direction drastically mid-development and laying all their writers off, this game manages to not be bad. Not great but not actually bad. I think that's a win for everyone and I'm not surprised the devs are proud/satisfied w the game as it is

I played a grey warden dwarf rook, and that was a lucky decision, because grey warden is one of apparently like three? backgrounds that really become relevant to the plot. There were also a metric tonne of GW specific dialogue options which I looveeee. I played Rias (that her) very stereotypical GW character which was really well supported by the game. Rias Thorne you will always be famous to me

Anyway so I totally fell for the varric thing and for Solas' big twist I was not expecting it at all TOOOO THHEEEE POINTTTT I wasn't paying attention in the big twist cutscene because I was like haha funny trick Elgar'nan I dont trust your silly images magic man (sob). I actually had to reload the save and watch it again to pay attention for real (and also just to comprehend it because it was a REALLY good twist). But yeah F to me for not realizing that varric wasn't real omg. I thought the weird you-are-my-dad thing that was happening with him was odd but it really makes sense with the twist.

Anyway For the treviso vs. minthaous choice I chose to defend treviso. I felt like this choice was forced at first but I really liked how it played out afterwards and I honestly wish we were forced to choose between more factions & there were more BIG CHOICESSS heheheeeee What I did not anticipate was that the choice would actually just completely obliterate the shadow dragons. I was back there multiple times trying to see if they had any sort of shop or characters left and nope they are just completely gone. This did mean I couldn't interact with their faction (sad) but it makes sense as you can't be around if you are dead. I was expecting a bit more, like I was hoping for a followup quest to follow up on what exactly happened to the dragons and where they were, but it was cool. It was such a surprise to see mae and dorian still at the end lol. I like that Neve took it really personally but wish it could have been developed more.

For my next playthru im gonna torch treviso instead and Ill be super sad about it because lucanis is kind of my little kitten man. Part of the reason I defended treviso in the first place is that lucanis has enough to deal with

I decided to romance Bellara because she's pretty and also I felt like her voice actress was doing a good job despite there not being a lot of character animation. The romance was. not very good. I genuinely thought they were doing a QPR thing because all they were doing was standing around talking about being in a relationship lol. It seems like from a cursory glance it's the same for most of the other romances, so that's a bit sad.

Managed to get Davrin super killed in the last mission (oops) but it seems like someone has to die in this choice, which I love, but we're definitely trying to kill someone else next time. (Again I really lucked out by creating a rook that makes the two people who can die very significant. These two were her besties). I almost wish the final decisions had been less obvious so I could have accidentally killed even more people *grinchface* but it is what it is. And it's nice that Neve/Bellara get to live.

Shoutouts to my favorite bitches:

Bellara - totally under-served by her questline (cyrian should have started out not dead!!!! My strongest opinion!!!!) she still managed to be incredibly lifegiving in terms of banter and reactions.

Emmerich ESPECIALLY as a skeleton. I started taking so many pictures of him as a lich. I really really dig it. He was pretty dope before also. I like that he's a full adult with a job

Davrin - besides being automatically my rook's bestie due to GW shenanigans, heroic / paladin type characters are my catnip. Somehow we managed to have a pet guy who's not completely overshadowed by his pet!! His questline was extremely dumb because the villain is a cameo from a tie-in book in a true #dragonagewriting move LOL

Lucanis - the kitten thing really got to me. I feel like it's also easy to see the potential for how his family relationships COULD have been developed and it's pretty likable. I loved that you can't kill illario (though i was looking forward to seeing what happens if you save him, which I will likely not be allowed to without saving treviso. rip)

Thats it!! Also I forgave solas at the end because I was deliberatly running a solavellan state because I knew the writers had to do something about that and I wanted to see it. Next time I'm going decieve/trick ending which is. a little sad because now I LIKE THE GUY UGH

[kdinjenzen]

kdin I know you're like chetney's #1 fan and also like laudna, but what are your thoughts on the rest of the bells hells + dorian?

Chetney is 100% my fav, and as much as I wanna say "BECAUSE HE'S A WEREWOLF", it was actually waaaaay before that when I was like "yeah, no, he's the fav for me."

I haven't seen the one-shot where he was originally introduced, so Campaign 3 was the first time I was introduced to him.

Travis just gets SO into it with Chet that it's way too fun to watch. Especially as a fellow voice actor, seeing Travis just maintain Chet's energy throughout the entire session - dropping it the least frequently of the cast - really is just something really fun to experience.

Plus Chet is just... he's a little WEIRDO but he's also super honest.

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME! I COULD BE ARMED TO THE TEETH!" "...are you armed to the teeth?" "Yes!"

First of all, hilarious and also like he's RIGHT they just kinda blindly trusted him for no reason and he's like "bruh, you guys gotta be more careful"

And also FORESHADOWING! He IS armed to the teeth... LITERALLY!

And then when his werewolf form gets revealed to the rest of the party he just:

I won't lie. There are some things that I haven't told you yet, but I'm trusting you more, and I have selfish desires. There are people that need to die, and things that need to be righted, but that's down the road.

MAN, THAT FUCKS ME UP IN A LOTTA WAYS AND I LOVE IT.

And don't even get me STARTED on when Dorian asked if Chet had friends and he replied "I do now..."

These, the constant screaming of "BALLS!", and much more are why Chet has maintained being my fav since I first was introduced to him.

THAT SAID!

Laudna and FCG were my original two favs, and we are currently up to episode 36 (paused right at the ROLL FOR INITIATIVE part before bed last night) and I am ALL KINDS of not okay about SO MUCH.

As time has gone on, I got pretty attached to them all and my "order of favorites" has shifted around.

Chet is still #1 with Laudna being #2.

Orym (accompanied by the many heartfelt moments of his portrayal by Liam) have brought him up to tie with Laudna in the #2 slot.

FCG used to be my #3, but I feel like Fearne has swapped with him. So FCG is #4 and Fearne is #3.

Imogen is #5 on my list and is a great constant for the group. The thing I really appreciate about her, especially as someone who has followed Laura's career since I was a kid and took my very first VO class EVER with her when I was 14, is the fact that she's playing really close to her natural voice for this character which - honestly - I don't hear much in a lot of the stuff Laura is cast for. It's really nice!

I feel bad saying Ashton is my #6 on the list, he's a fun character, he's got a lot of stuff going on and he's super interesting and I love his agency but he's just not a character type I tend to enjoy much. That said, I appreciate him a lot.

Additional Temporary Party Members (That I've Met) Time!:

I MISS DORIAN SO MUCH HE WAS SO GREAT!!! I love that Orym and him are keeping in touch using the stones because those little messages give me LIFE!

And I really really REALLY loved Erika Ishii as Yu/Dusk. Like Erika RULES and they are legit one of my favorite people ever and I'm blessed to have been able to chat with them as many times as I have and their energy IN GENERAL is so fucking RAD and gets me hype - so Yu/Dusk will remain a favorite forever for these reasons and many many more.

[astrowhump]

Ash & Dorian #3: Dinner Time

TW: force feeding, burning, broken nose, humiliation, dehumanization, mentioned memory loss, creepy whumper

[previous chapter]

It’s been days. His arms cry out to be stretched and both his legs have lost all sensation. How he’s chained to the wall is barely painful, but simply tiring. The rumbling of his stomach reminds him of how deprived of food he is.

The only way he can tell how much time has passed is by counting every time the smell of cooking food leaks into the room and classical music plays in the house behind the locked door in a ritual-like manner; That’s how he knows it’s dinner time now. So far, 8 dinner-times have passed, but no dinner for him, he’s being starved like snails in a fancy restaurant.

'Is that what it is? am I being detoxified to be eaten at a later time? Is my captor...a cannibal? It wouldn’t make sense to have me lose weight if I'm going to be ‘food’ though—'

The metal door opens with a creak; unusual. The music sounds much clearer now. Dorian is by the door, standing tall to his terrifying height. He isn’t in a suit unlike the last few times he’s seen him. Tonight he wears black wide-leg trousers and a white stretchy t-shirt; The same loafers as the last time, or something very similar, Ash couldn’t tell the difference if he tried. His hair looks damp, like he just got out of the shower; the sweet smell of shampoo that accompanies him is a pleasant change.

They haven’t exchanged a word since that tantrum he threw; he only saw Dorian the next morning when he came to install shields on that tiny window, dooming his prisoner to complete darkness.

Finally, he walks in with a bowl of steaming soup…or stew? Ash can’t quite make it out from that distance. The smell is divine. It’s well-seasoned and it looks mouthwateringly delicious.

As much as he hates to admit it, he would do anything for that soup right now. His empty stomach growls as soon as the smell hits his nostrils.

“You must be hungry.”

“…You think?” His voice comes out weaker than he intended to, but that’s to be expected when you haven’t spoken for days.

“Teaching you manners is gonna be a long journey.” he sighs, but it's not like he didn't already know that when he picked this one to be his new plaything.

Ash opens his mouth to spit a bitter response, like a bratty teenager, but instead, he whines as his stomach rumbles again and decides to keep his hateful comments to himself for now. All that matters at this moment in time is food. The lack of energy has made him constantly exhausted, he’s lost a considerable amount of weight since he came here due to his body breaking down its own fat and muscle tissue to make up for the malnourishment.

His captor sets the bowl of soup in front of the chained-up boy.

“Eat up then.”

He looks at the steaming orange liquid, it’s too hot, and there’s not even a spoon in sight. Even if there was, how the fuck is he supposed to eat with his hands tied behind his back.

He looks up at the taller man, but he doesn’t seem to get the hint.

“Well, won’t you uncuff my hands…please?” He says spitefully, playing it nice for the sake of the black-hole forming inside his stomach.

“You don’t need your hands to eat, pet.”

Ash cringes at the sound of that pet name.

“Of course I do, how in hell could I-“ his expression turns vexed as realization dawns on him “…you expect me to put my head in the bowl like some kind of fucking animal!”

“That is what you are, my dear, and soon you’ll get used it.” he says calmly as he crouches down in front of the boy to observe his eyes closely.

“Ha! Dream on, bastard-”

“Your choice.” In an instant, the bowl is snatched from the ground and the dark-haired man is back on his feet, walking towards the exit.

Ash didn’t expect him to give up so soon. What if I die this way? What if that psychopath keeps mehere until all that’s left is a skeleton? I bet he wouldn't even notice I'm dead until my body starts to smell.'

He decides that ego is of no use to a dying man, besides, he craves that food too much.

“W- wait” he shouts, a bit louder than he expected. The man stops, but doesn’t turn around.

“Fine! I want that soup, I…I’ll eat it, w- without my hands…if I have to.” he says as shame burns his face flushed.

There’s a long tormenting silence before another word is exchanged.

“Too late for that.” He starts moving away again.

“No! Wait…Master!”

That word rings in Dorian’s head like music to his ears. That is exactly how he wants his pet to be, desperate and respectful. And if he has to play rough all the time to achieve that, he will. He turns on his heels. The fair-haired boy’s eyes light up with hope.

“Open your mouth.”

He looks back in confusion, but hesitantly does as he’s told.

Dorian walks over to the boy, until he’s standing right above his slim body and tilts the porcelain bowl. Hot soup pours into the pet’s mouth with no prior warning.

Ash shrieks and pulls his face away from the stream of flaming hot liquid, panting rapidly to cool his burning mouth. This is even worse than not feeding him, at least he could feel his mouth then. As if on cue, his stomach grumbles and it feels like he’s been punched in the gut.

“Either you eat this right now, or I’ll come visit you in another week to see if you’ve changed your mind.”

They both know that isn’t just an empty threat. Ash feels his tastebuds numbing and the tender tissue of his mouth burning. At last, he decides to open his mouth once again and get it over with.

Pouring the last portion of the soup takes only about half a minute in reality, but to the gradually burning throat of the boy seems more like half an hour. As much as he tries to keep his head still, his body twitches and dodges the agonizing waterfall of food, but he can’t control the natural reflexes of his body. As a result, the tomato soup gets all over his lips and chin, burning every inch of skin it touches until it trickles down his jaw onto the tiles.

Dorian smiles at how the boy gulps down what he’s given, not even taking a second to breathe in between, while his surface tissues are being destroyed. It’s fascinating what deprivation of primal needs does to a human.

Ash starts gasping for air the second that bowl is empty, not only to breathe, but most importantly, to cool off his inflamed insides. He can feel the exact path that scorching liquid took, all the way down to his stomach, and it burns like hellfire.

He wheezes, for as long as he can keep it up, until he cools down just enough to look up and find his captor’s amused expression and that smug fucking smile plastered over that disgusting face.

“I don’t appreciate your ungrateful attitude, pet.” He finally breaks the silence.

“You set my insides on fire!” He hisses with a hurting throat.

“I didn’t force you into anything, dear…Trust me, I could have, if I wanted to…no,I simply gave you a choice, and you happened to pick the smarter option.” He shrugs.

Ash frowns and stares at him like an angry hound. He knows Dorian is indeed right, but he would never admit it.

“I see you’ve spilled some of that precious food. I expected you to be more careful with it, more grateful…after a week of not having any-“

“…eight.” the smaller voice whispers, cutting the other man off mid-sentence.

“What was that?”

“Eight days. It’s been eight days.”

“Oh pardon my ignorance. After eight days, you must’ve learned that every drop counts.”

He slides his right foot forward, pointing at the spillage on the floor with the tip of his shoe, and some drops on the black leather of his shoes.

“Clean it up.”

Ash looks up at him, perplexed…he understands what that order meant, he just doesn’t get how that stupid fucker thinks he would ever do that.

“Sure!” He says mockingly.

Dorian does not like that tone.

He doesn’t even realize when the standing figure squats down next to him, but the next thing he feels is atrocious blinding pain in his face as it’s slammed onto the ground. He hears his nose crack, along with his voice, as he grunts and then screams, his head is lifted up and pushed towards the ground a second time and this time blood oozes out of him, both his nose and mouth are bleeding now. He keeps screaming, sobbing, and stars shoot up in his vision, the only thing he can’t do is move, not even as much as the restraints allow him. His brain feels numb and it hurts, like all the headaches he had experienced in his entire life are coming at him at the same time.

“No-“ he groans as he feels the grip on his hair tighten again, preparing to send him face-first into the tiles one more painful time.

“Hn-no…”

The next blow doesn’t come, but the grip stays where it is, signaling that it’s still not over.

“P- Please“ he chokes out in between sobs.

“Clean it up.” Dorian repeats, in that exact same tone as the last time.

This time, however, his pet lowers his head and starts licking up every drop he spots on the ground, reluctantly, but it’s much less painful than having his nose broken, Dorian assumes.

Satisfied with the result, his fingers let up and he stands above him again.

“This too.” He draws the stained shoe forward.

Ash doesn’t look up at him, but Dorian knows his cheeks are flashing red.

He hesitates for a moment. A thick drop of blood drips down his nose, which must remind him of the other option in play, because in less than a second his mouth is on his master’s shoe, licking away all that he spilled, even less reluctant and disgusted than he was when cleaning the floor.

He feels humiliated, to say the fucking least. He doesn’t want to think about the state he’s in, but Dorian’s occasional prideful chuckles don’t give him a chance at that. He raises and tilts his loafer to give the pet better access; well, truth is, he wants to watch his pitiful face as he’s humbled.

What has Ash become, kneeling at another man’s feet and licking his shoes clean? Degraded down to an animal - less than, even. His blood boils in his guts, he wants to cry for his own misery, but he doesn’t want to demean himself even further to this psychopath.

Is it worth it though? Wouldn’t it be easier to just submit? Physically, probably; but he could never live with himself if he stopped fighting, if he stopped trying and just accepted his doomed fate.

He pulls himself up with the help of the chains connecting his hands to the wall and sits on his knees, waiting to be left alone now that he’s fed and tormented. He couldn’t - wouldn’t - stand another moment with that guy, he’ll puke all over his fresh-smelling outfit.

“Attaboy.” He sounds patronizing. It makes Ash sick to his stomach.

“I knew you were smart the second I laid eyes on you at that convention.”

“Wh- what convention?” He sounds surprised.

“The NY law convention a few months ago. You spoke so elegantly there. In fact, that’s when I decided I had to have you.”

“Y- you- you fuck- who are you?“ he wants to punch that gut-wrenching smirk off his face, but all he can do is pull at the restraints and make himself look more dismal, if that was even possible.

“We actually had a short encounter a while ago, but I doubt you remember any of it.”

Ash’s puzzled expression further confirms his point.

“You’ll understand soon enough.”

Dorian doesn’t wait to explain any longer; he grabs the bowl and leaves as his prisoner sits there stunned, trying to make sense of everything, with a dizzy head and a bleeding nose.

[thethirdromana]

Do you have any thoughts on Dorian's protestation that he's not responsible for the vices of his peers, vis à vis the ongoing question of how responsible Lord Henry is for Dorian's *all that* ?

I started writing a nice short answer to this, then it turns out that in fact I have many thoughts, all a bit disconnected from each other. Sorry about that.

So TPODG is all about layers upon layers of influence. Dorian's influence on his peers is one of those layers; so is Lord Henry's influence on Dorian; so is the influence of the "poisonous" yellow book on Dorian; and above all of that, there's Wilde's influence on his readers and artists' influence on their audience in general, which the preface primes us to start thinking about.

Dorian's influence on his peers One thing I've just spotted is that Dorian disclaims his responsibility when it comes to corrupting men ("what is that to me?") but hedges when it comes to corrupting women ("You go too far"). Maybe that's because he is more responsible - I think the implication of chapter 12 is that Dorian had consensual affairs with Lady Gwendolen and Lord Gloucester's wife, but it's ambiguous.

There's a whole bundle of things that are probably too much to get into here: the fuzzy line for Victorians between being the victim of sexual assault vs being a willing and eager participant in an affair; Victorian feelings on female agency in general; and whether you could show a respectable noblewoman willingly committing adultery in a Victorian novel without being condemned for obscenity (see reactions to Jude the Obscure, for instance). I'm not sure which of these things were the greatest influence behind the choice of vices that Wilde implies.

Lord Henry's influence on Dorian Basil is the moral voice of the novel, and Basil thinks Dorian's influence is his own fault. But equally, Basil has heard all the same things from Lord Henry as Dorian has, and even quotes Henry in Chapter 12 ("I remember Harry saying once that every man who turned himself into an amateur curate for the moment always began by saying that, and then proceeded to break his word") but Basil remains a good man. So the very existence of Basil is an argument against the idea that Dorian is responsible for his friends' vices, or that Lord Henry is responsible for Dorian's.

The yellow book's influence on Dorian The book has a poisonous influence on Dorian... but Dorian "never sought to free himself from it". He is corrupted, but only because he lets himself be corrupted. He has agency that he declines to use. He could read something different! The novel concedes the point that what you read influences your choices, but not that this exonerates Dorian. (And interestingly, it's always the fault of the book, as if it were an independent actor, not the fault of the writer).

Wilde's influence on his readers The collected reviews and letters about TPODG, including Wilde's defence, are a fun read (nb spoilers for the ending):

(Wilde's replies are, above all, spectacularly snobbish. I'm less surprised that they hated him after reading them.)

It includes the critics who managed to miss the point spectacularly:

The "moral," so far as we can collect it, is that man's chief end is to develop his nature to the fullest by "always searching for new sensations," that when the soul gets sick the way to cure it is to deny the senses nothing, for "nothing," says one of Mr. Wilde's characters, Lord Henry Wotton, "can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul."

I mean. Guys. How much do you have to not get it to think that Lord Henry is a character we're supposed to agree with??

There's a three-way argument about the influence of the novel, where the options are:

It has no influence beyond what you bring to the table; it's art for art's own sake; there is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Wilde makes that argument in his letters, though I always feel like there's an undercurrent of irony there.

It has a negative moral influence; it's corrupting and should have been censored. This is the view of the Scots Observer, among others: "Mr. Oscar Wilde has again been writing stuff that were better unwritten."

It has a positive moral influence; its moral is good. The Speaker thought so: "[Wilde] might fairly have insisted on the particular proposition—that the teaching of the book is conspicuously right in morality. If we have correctly interpreted the book's motive—and we are at a loss to conceive what other can be devised—this position is unassailable."

I think TPODG exists more to have this argument than to win it. No matter what your view, the different layers of influence in the novel give you something to argue with. I enjoy that a lot, and I suspect Wilde did too.

[invinciblerodent]

Hello!! I am so in love with the Veilguard companions already and I am 👀 very curious about your own opinions. Do you have an idea of what companion you would want to romance with your first character? Did you have a character that really stood out to you as a character you want to get to know better?

For Inquisition my immediate favourite character was Dorian for many a reason, but with Veilguard I'm less sure - from appearances alone I'm a little in love with Davrin and Bellara but I honestly find them all really interesting.

Oooh, bless your little SOUL for giving me a reason to rant!! Thank you for asking, I am blowing you many, many kisses and offering many an apology for the unfiltered thoughtstream below, lol.

As much as I've been yearning for a romanceable dwarf companion for a literal decade and a half, and as delighted as I am to see Harding most likely fill that niche (fingers, toes, and all crossable appendages crossed), I can't deny that I'm just.... immediately drawn to Davrin, to a degree I absolutely did not expect. Which is honestly not like me at all, but there is just something about the introduction, his voice, and the fact that he is (or seems to be) a genuine Grey Warden, from Weisshaupt (who probably knows the Warden-Commander!!!!), that just struck such a chord with me.

I've always loved the sheer dramatics of the Wardens: that sense that a happy ending is pretty much impossible for them, them being duty-bound and required to throw their lives at the threat in the event of a Blight regardless of their personal feelings, the constant ticking of the clock from the moment of their Joining that's counting down to their tragic deaths, the undercurrent of doom that they inherently carry just by being who they are, them being both the sickness and the cure at the same time, it just.... I love it.

Even if in the game there will be an opportunity to cure him of the Taint (which I'm guessing might happen, since it's been kind of a thread that's been following the story since Origins, and it sounds like a fitting story arc to give to the one Warden character guaranteed to show up), I think without knowing anything else, that already makes for a nice, solid base for a story, even a romance. And, him being described as a bold and charming monster hunter on top of that, that's just really, really appealing to me. He's got kind of a slight Wyll Ravengard, but there are a number of characters that fit that description that I really like (my partner's first thought was Xenk Yendar from Honor Among Thieves)- AND he's gonna share a voice actor with Javik from ME3, so I'm like, sold immediately. Like, listen to this man speak. Come on now.

...... This, of course, could be overwritten in a second- my immediate first impression is that the character I have planned (only in the vaguest of terms) might very reasonably fall for someone like that, but it's almost equally likely that any one of them will just bat their eyelashes at my girl, and she'll (I'll. lbr, I'll.) be a lost woman, lol.

There's honestly not a character in this lineup that I can't see myself getting very interested in. Davrin is a definite standout (god I hope we'll get to call him Dav), but Bellara is is kind of giving me a similar feeling as Peebee did when Andromeda was revealed, so I'm very curious as to how that'll work out (she's SO CUTE??? and described as a ROMANTIC????? HELLO??????), and Taash's vibe, I really like so far- especially her name. Like, I'm sure it's derived from "ataashi" (yknow, qunlat for dragon) and means something like "Glory" or "Greatness", but I'm very curious to see how she and these "Lords of Fortune" will play into the overall plot. I only vaguely recall them being mentioned in the netflix show (Absolution) which I've only seen once when it was released, so I'm flying totally blind on them, lol.

But also, a Mortalitasi companion is inherently just really cool, especially considering how little we know about Nevarra, Neve is the POV character in Streets of Minrathous (from Tevinter Nights) which I'll HAVE to reread but remember also being cool (upon a quick googling that's not the one Dorian shows up in, I got excited because I could have sworn and thought she'd know him then), and Lucanis is in The Wigmaker Job (same book) which I'll ALSO have to reread but ALSO remember being one of the stories I liked most in that book, and just.....

Head in my hands, they all sound so fun, every last one of them. I'm reading The Missing (the comic, I think the only one I've not read yet) in another tab literally right now, and I'm like bouncing in my seat over the buddy-cop back-and-forth between Harding and Varric. I don't remember being this giddy about a game release.... literally ever. The only comparable event was Andromeda for me (I didn't have time to be excited about Inquisition, I was still oblivious and playing DA2 for the first time when it came out), but even though I love both, deep in my heart of heats I'm so much more of a Dragon Age girlie than I am a Mass Effect fan.

..... For my Rook, I decided I think sometime around 2017-2018 or thereabouts that her name is going to be Verbena (like the plant, Ver for short), and I think she's going to be human warrior, or the closest thing to it, depending on how classes are gonna work- because as much as dwarves are my favorite, and as much as I think the trade relationships with dwarves that Tevinter have could play really interestingly into the story, I've learned my lesson from playing a Cadash, and I'm gonna go with a standard height race for my first run. (I don't wanna miss the action the first time around because of a slightly off camera angle and a misplaced table leg, lol.)

I've only thought of Ver in the vaguest of terms, no backstory, just vibes and associations (primarily based on the name), and kind of a voice, but I don't wanna plan too far ahead or too specifically on anything, I'm just very excited to just explore things as they come! ❤️❤️❤️

[coronerandundersheriff]

Another new chapter of "Afterlife":

A night full of shadows

Memories.

Expectations. 

Tears. 

Dreams. 

Wishes. 

Confusions. 

Hopes.

Support.

Loneliness can hurt terribly. The body increasingly cramps and sensations leave a dull feeling. 

The bottom line was that there were pluses, yet something was very wrong. 

So much time had passed, seeped into the soft soil of life, delicious seconds never to return. 

He moaned with pleasure, this dream had it all. Just before the climax, he awoke because he was shivering. He was not only shivering, he was freezing cold. 

It was gloomy around him. Still quite dazed from sleep and the erotic dream, he simply didn't know where he was for a moment.

Then suddenly he heard a voice, it sounded as if through absorbent cotton, only gradually the words penetrated clearly to his eardrums. 

"Sabah alkhayr habibi."

Dorian whirled around. He still saw nothing, but he felt a body beside him.

A pleasantly warm body. 

A hairy and soft body. 

A distinctively scented male body.

Suddenly someone switched on a small bedside lamp.

Did a small hysterical scream escape Dorian or was it the raging headache playing tricks on his imagination?

This was not the person he had thought of in his dreams just a short time ago.

And then again, "Sabah alkhayr habibi."

This time directly to his face. 

"How are you, Dorian?" 

Although Dorian's head was about to burst, he literally jumped out of bed. 

He abruptly became aware that he was standing in the room stark naked.

He quickly grabbed the pillow and pressed it in front of his exposed manhood. 

"Habibi? Are you okay? You seem confused. I'll give you a glass of water."

The young man in the bed, lifted the covers aside and slowly got out. Dorian saw that he, too, was completely naked. 

Adel reached next to his bedside table and lifted a water bottle from a backpack, with it he went to a small table where a water glass stood and poured some.

The young man took the half-full glass and walked over to Pavus in the half-light of the bedside lamp. With a mild smile he handed over the drink.

"No, thank you. Adel? What are you doing here? Or what am I doing here? Damn..." Dorian's teeth ground, he was so cold.

"Why don't you drink something first? It's the alcohol showing its after-effects." 

Dorian reached for the water and drank it down in one go.

"Thank you very much. But Adel... what happened? Gosh... I totally blacked out and I'm sure my brain will explode if I make one wrong move." Moaned Dorian. 

Adel sat down on the edge of the bed and looked up at Dorian kindly.

"We had a little fun last night and..." That was as far as he got.

"Fun!? We had fun? WE??" Dorian's heart raced, his pulse throbbed in his throat, his head vibrated with pain.

He dropped the pillow and ran to the window of the small room. With a little twist, the window was open and icy night air poured into the little mountain cabin room.

In and out! Dorian took a deep breath. The icy air didn't do his lungs much good, but his head cleared up. After a few minutes, he closed the window and turned to his colleague. 

"We had fun, Adel...I was hack full! I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry." Dorian rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers. 

"But I am not! You're a nice guy, Dorian. You're charming and a really great person. It's nice that we're more than colleagues now. Habibi." Adel smiled gently.

"Oh heavens..." Dorian frowned, trying to control himself and concentrate. 

"It's all right, Dorian. Come on, you're not master of your senses yet. Let's get some sleep first, we can talk more tomorrow. We're on vacation and quite honestly, I'm starting to get cold as fuck!" 

Adel was so nice and his laugh so charming. The younger man nimbly scrambled from the edge of the bed back to his side and covered himself. Then he tapped Dorian's spot a few times and beckoned him to join him.

And it didn't help. Dorian remembered by now that the cabin was overcrowded because of a sudden storm, unexpected guests rolling in, all asking for a place to camp for the night. 

So people who knew each other were grouped together, and Dr. Sharif and Dr. Pavus were the only men from the doctors' team who wanted to spend a few days' vacation here.

But Dorian would never have thought in his life that this would happen here. Yes, he knew about the homosexuality of his colleague. Although he had Arab roots, he had his coming out surprisingly early. Adel was a genuine open man, a true nerd at work, but always friendly and bubbly with colleagues. His competence in the team was convincing and people liked him. Well, some people he met in the course of his work did not get along with Sharif's open manner. Behind his back, people talked about him: an Arab (he was a second-generation Canadian by birth), a Muslim (religion meant much less to him than his beloved science), a doctor (he had worked hard for it), a gay man (yeah, so what?!) Dorian honored him as an absolutely reliable colleague and a smart head in the team, he was grateful for his hard work on the project "Beyond the mirage". He honored him as a human being, he thought he was great. But Dorian had no interest in a relationship or an affair, and Adel showed no physical interest in Pavus either. Dorian still had not come out of the closet, but had told Sharif at some point. It changed nothing at all in their cooperation. 

So what happened last night? Adel did not drink. Dorian, on the other hand, could vaguely remember drinking like a maniac. Up here in the snow and ice, without the stress of work, torrents of memories suddenly fell upon Dorian. Then there was this invasion of climbers asking for shelter. All this confusion, the voices, the inner loneliness that suddenly fell upon Pavus. He sought comfort in a few bottles of wine and harder things. At first a few of his colleagues drank with him, also some of the climbers, but soon it was too much for them. But Dorian's heart was still so empty, it really hurt him. He literally tried to fill it up. 

David. 

Hadn't he been talking to him, laughing with him, just a short time ago? Cassandra was now living with him with her little son, it seemed to be going very well for all three of them, David loved children so much and Cassandra was a heart of a person. 

Dorian was grateful, he knew his David was in good hands. 

His David.

Pavus liked this man so much. All the years of separation did not diminish one ounce of affection for this country bumpkin, as Maevaris used to dub him. Dorian was still in love with Trevelyan. Only he still could not say it. 

And now this!

Dorian had apparently had fun with another man. Oh Lord in heaven! Okay okay, Dorian often had fun with himself, thinking about David and afterwards he felt better. Years of separation was one point, sexual abstinence was another! Pavus didn't count masturbation as cheating, especially when he was thinking about his beloved far away. But what happened last night was definitely... wait a minute! There was no term for adultery without being married! 

Oh heck! And David had still told him then that he wanted to marry him. 

Everything was destroyed! 

Destroyed for good!

Dorian would not be able to return! Or would he?

If he had been able to resist Iva's advances after their reunion, he now succumbed to the old suffering of drinking and the closeness of the warm, yet strange body of his colleague. 

Oh Lord in heaven, what had he done....

Dorian found his clothes neatly folded on a chair and dressed in a breeze in the semi-darkness of the chamber.

"Sorry Adel, but I have to get out of here!" And he went outside. 

Adel shook his head, lay down and turned off the light.

Dorian stood in the sparsely lit entryway of the cabin. He would just go upstairs to the lounge area and sit on one of the couches and think, he wouldn't disturb anyone there. So he quietly went upstairs and sat on the couch. It was chilly, despite the fact that the fireplace was burning. He was cold, but he did not care. 

What was going to happen now? How could he live with it? Dorian just didn't want to imagine what it would be like if David broke with him for good!

Suddenly Dorian remembered the package that David had given him when he left. He remembered the strange words David had told him then. To open it only if he might want to return... MIGHT.... 

Maybe David didn't mean to return to Texas or the United States, but himself? 

To return to David...

And Dorian pondered and pondered and slowly fell asleep over it.

Suddenly his cell phone buzzed in his pocket, this woke him up.

"Dorian? Sorry to bother you in the middle of the night, but I don't know what else to do..." With a shaky voice and suppressed sobs, Cassandra contacted him.

It was early in the morning, here and in Texas.

"What's the matter, you seem troubled, my dear?" 

"David, it's David. He's in intensive care. A heart attack. Oh God Dorian, what if..." Cassandra was at a loss for words. 

"What, Cassandra? What happened?" Dorian had jumped up from the couch and was literally screaming into the cell phone. 

"I don't know what to do. Dorian, I..." Cassandra started to cry.

"I'll be on the next flight. Don't worry, I'll be with you soon. Take care of you and Chris. You hear me, Cassandra? Stay calm, we'll make it together, okay?" 

"Okay." Came the quiet, tearful reply from the other end. 

Suddenly a door banged open, one of the climbers ran up to Pavus and started to get loud, "First drinking until you can't stand it and then scribbling around out here! Are you stupid?"

Dorian usually either kept his mouth shut and knew how to counter or apologized charmingly and respectfully, but today he didn't care. He didn't dignify the guest with a glance, ran back to his room and packed as fast as he could.

He had to go back!

No matter what had happened.

Cassandra and Chris needed him.

And he needed to see David again. 

He still had so much to tell him.

And Dorian began to hate himself for his vanity, his selfishness, his drive to strive for unimportant goals. 

For what did he become a doctor, if he now lost the dearest thing in life?

[thatonesongyouretryingtoremember]

DBD episode rewatch: EP 3!!!

yadayada, autofill, no proofreading we die like Maxine

I never realized that last ep was the first time Crystal learned about the rules of who can see dead people

WAIT EDWIN SAID IT WAS DANGEROUS okay watching these recaps IS helpful bc CK literally *knew* Edwin would be in danger in the town and therefore forced to comply with him, and pressured to get it over with quickly. Fuck him.

MONTY

these ghosts have a lot of issues

I bet that foot is one of Angie's crumbs

Dorian Gray

tbh for a while I thought that since the image thing is "low magic" then it must have been the wraith who cursed the tape. at sind point I abandoned that but I don't remember why...

I really think Charles likes Crystal for reals bc until this episode she had not shown interest in him and has in fact declined his advances, so when he says "your case is still our favorite" it that voice, it isn't as if he thinks she 'needs' a man, like his people-pleaser self would have given up days ago were he not the one interested. Nobody here is really giving him pressure or advice regarding Crystal like they do in some media depicting a certain comphet boy, and even if they were, Charles has thus far given no indication that his flirting is part of his fucked up mediation tactic coping mechanism. I don't really see the reasoning behind denying his feelings for Crystal even if she isn't the only one, but I do see him all smiley around her. IDK that's just where I'm at for the moment but feel free to correct me in the askbox, and I might write something more articulate later if I feels like it.

Where do I recognize the actor of this ghost woman Susan???

If Susan inherented the house, either the wife owned it or the husband had no living family. I bet these girls didn't have any grandparents whose house they could hide out at, only the aunt.

do we ever see Susan move on?

she must have saved those coins to get herself something nice. she never got to spend it the way she intended.

OH. he feels better after exploding. he had to get it all out. OH

Also, tangibility rule loredrop!! I wonder if they can touch water to wash ask the shit out. presumably so, as his ghostly body appears to retain moisture based on the contents of his skull.

Crystal is trying a very straightforward approach to clearing the air.

she assumes he'd be 'fun'. like that is a pretty specific word. Like. she's put thought into that.

WHY DOES HE SAY THAT LIKE AN INVITATION

Edwin doesn't want to provide third party "conjecture", as in a baseless opinion. He won't weigh in until he's *been involved* with one of them(Charles). haha okay I'm done. But he definitely IS giving an opinion, so he was lying.

Of course you're going Niko, you're cool as hell

I want to know her top three favorite public buildings to visit

I like that she compulsively grabs the colormatched coat

Does he even register the jealousy comment? All I see is his tounge in his teeth and the collar pop. We know it's red, man.

was that a howl??

she is so DONE with that joke

where'd all that wind go whenever the other two leave the library?

So Jenny "documentaries" Green is all of a sudden weirded out and scared when it's her own town.

I like that his woman outfit matches his usual outfit

HYSTERIA mention number TWO!

and she fires right back with calling him gay. I mean, she's right.

Has Niko had a crush who lined someone else before, it is she talking about her gay manga?

Die Edwin think that Niko means Crystal instead of Charles? DOES SHE MEAN THAT!?

I mean if Edwin thinks she's talking about Crystal, no wonder he was so confused. they argue a lot.

Niko is so off-task but Edwin is watching the desk LMAO

"look what happens when you get married" you're so right Maxine. Cleaning up must be so difficult.

Maxine is so frickin cute

of COURSE this is when they introduce her. Nobody just "snaps" there's always a pattern. anyways, I'm not sure what the point of this comment is lol..

Investigators are baffled. gossipers are inventing *reasons* for him to snap. the truth practically buries itself.

"It's bad for my health"

why is esther so willing to give info??

I like how Jenny cocks her head. she is LISTENING. she's curious

NO WIND. Well, no wind at the Butcher's either. weird.

MONTY. I may be aroace but I would have kissed him right then /jk

he's so fucking adorable

I wonder if the coma thing is actually true. Like up till now I have assumed that Monty's proximity to Esther counted as a 'supernatural experience' that allowed him to see ghosts, or that he could because he isn't human. But what if Esther rehabilitated him after hitting him with her car (we already know how badly she drives) because she loves birds, and that's when she took him in as a familiar? Anyways, mother issue angst writers, eat up.

I love the little hand thing he does when he counts the cats

Niko wants him to get laid so fucking badly.

she said "he could fix him"

I think she wants Monty to explain what being with a ghost is like. /half joking

bro tf you mean "enjoys ghosts"? enjoys then how? where?

Also, being a man of science and not believing astrology is so fucking funny if you're a literal ghost who knows that he'll and the grim reaper are real. for all you know some girl is making cute little star patterns to magically control you.

the LEAN

"I have a strict reputation" of being an asshole? you're supposed to be the guy who makes clients matter, what's wrong with your boyfriend knowing you can be nice?

I fuckin love the Notary <2 I'm a whore for specificity.

those handmaidens just fuckin stand there, don't they. what is their job, exactly?? Also, working in an office building on the same assignment as my sister sounds like hell, why would they agree to that.

there's something to be said about nobody knowing what to do for decades, then the pros show up with less than a 12 hr deadline.

Edwin. listen to him.

why have the people across the street not move out after hearing that fucking song every day??

they are all wearing jackets. inside their own house.

I think the glare of the glasses helps disguise the direction Brandon is looking, but it also makes the wife(who's name I forget) eyes look whited out lmao.

the older sister guarding the younger one is soo

the younger one reminds me of Prim Everdeen. also carrying that rabbit thing at age like, thirteen, is so real.

nice use of closure, showing us the bloody stuffed bunny.

the way the girls sit still before it happens

why does the music work but the TV is static?

Has Charles said that 'sit there and watch' line twice? hold on lemme rewind (get it? like a tape?)

nvm he said a different thing the first time.

Edwin tries to stop Crystal from leaving??

Did nobody see Crystal go in earlier? no Ring camera?

Tell him Crystal. your trauma is valid!

the Prim girl asks her mom to be the one to talk to Brandon

aw that stressed and scared girl

slightly different angle, you can see his eyes this time.

is the axe fake? are those lights fake? do non-psycics see the lights turn on??

her Tounge&Tails shirt!!

They are NOT shy about the gender themes in this episode!

ofc he knows The Shining as a movie.

wait the clock got left in the house and it still works but not in a ghost way like the rest of the house, but rather tells the real time? is that what's going on??

side note: I love the aesthetic choice of not showing us the mother's death sound, but giving us four seconds of her face after dying but before falling

And during the thunder, there's a weird color filter. interesting.

I'm sure y'all don't need me to explain Charles' face

why the nose wipe?

oh wait the living (well) room has symmetrical decorations

Her heart necklace kind of reminds me of the Light of Heart (I've got Thoughts on that artifact too, but those are for later)

I love all the color choices and lighting stuff in this episode!!

fish eye shots??

Ed's at the head of the table, a seat that, according to my family members, traditionally belongs to the chef. Then again, he may just as well be at the opposite end, I don't know what the difference is.

sorry for the out of order notes, I have been going back and forth a little bit.

LITTY AND KINGHAM!! the real brotp!

why did she SHUFFLE like that??

HER HAIR? Y'ALL DID THAT!

wait who told those two about the house?

it must be so hard for them, being stuck in the dark. not being able to make choices. No, YOU'RE making it about Monty.

This house is so nice wtf?? I bet their attic is furnished.

Are those degrees on the wall?

I wonder what is the significance of only Crystal hearing the Wraith? What makes her different than those two?

A PINK BOOK WITH IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Hope must be the older one because she mentís graduating high school in her diary. if that is her room, that means her mom's nightstand held the acceptance letter. Her mom was protecting her. She even played dumb when her husband was holding an axe. holy fuck I will cry

eggshell line! important because parallels!

honestly they get Charles' relationship with his dad so close to comic canon in this series, even with all the changes.

ooh it's 11:11 irl rn!! make a wish!

someone better than me at face expressions explain what's going on before Brandon shoots himself bc he is unreadable to me.

it's all about control with him. they can't leave him because he wants to control them.

MUSIC

Is Litty wearing ballet flats??

you didn't "almost die". these two freaks damn near killed you! why did Niko never confront them about that??

what is she grabbing from the kitchen?

circle thingy again.

wait I just saw the butterfly thingy over her closet, a symbol of transformation. Also, she has a lot of striped clothing. especially blue and horizontal.

is she growing grass in a pot?? WAIT THERE'S A NIGHTLIGHT UNDER THAT TABLE aww

what is that weird skinny door?

that is an odd place for a toaster

why does the sprites' dead flower look healthier now?? it's DEAD

wait he says Bye back even though she left aww. and look at Litty's little facceee. They actualy miss her. I'm sad for them even though they are so mean :(((

doing all of what by yourself? manipulating Niko somehow? Also these two have Issues and are taking out their anger on eachother the moment any third party leaves the room. they're so siblings.

Edwin SOUNDS like he means 'what's ur deal bruh', but listen to his voice when he says "you're not yourself at all" he is worried for Charles :((

Do you think Charles ever thought about doing that to his own father?

getting yourself stuck in the loop doesn't change the result. reacting to the cycle can't break it. what the fuck. holy crap. this show is kinda heavy.

this room makes no sense. what is that random glass door? which wall could that possibly be on??

and now Crystal brings up the cat king cagey-ness. or maybe she just had an ingrained mistrust in people. fuck, I'm sad now.

yayy for getting back in track!

doesn't Charles still have the bag??

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A POCKET UNIVERSE TO GET STUCK IN A LOOP?? OR A DOORWAY TO ONE?

do you think the wife knew about the secret room?

most unrealistic part of this show is that the recording that creates the loop still works. the VCR or the tape should have broken after the first time it went round.

WE could lose Charles. DAMN STRAIGHT EDDIE! W E. U S. he is learning to be a team player.

that's a weirdass lamp behind Edwin

why does it Look Like That

I love how Crystal and Edwin both said "damn it" when they realized it was David. They're so in sync.

what happy thoughts do y'all think she was thinking?

David's dialogue is so fucking funny.

Also I love that Crystal has just a little but very obvious 21st century-specific vocabulary. things like body count to mean sex not killings, and fuckboy. it adds to the fact that these characters are all from different times, different cultures and have to figure out how to communicate to eachother.

OH there's another hint here about Crystal's old personality. David thinks that he being noble is boring and that she used to be fun aka like him. actually, that kinda reminds me about what Shelby said in a later episode.

Go off, Edwin!

If Brandon was moving that bigass thing every time he went in, his wife HAD to know.

wait do any of y'all SEE the actual cameras?? DID THE POLICE EVER SEE THEM!? even if they never find the room, this cameras are physical evidence of what happened. they are "confounded" that he "suddenly" did something awful? no, they didn't care to look into it! fuck them, the deaths themselves weren't witch-related so any human had the ability to find this cameras, but nobody fucking looked.

Brandon looks like he is running away from Charles.

aww Edwinnn

aww Niko

AWW CHARLES

so if she already knew to get that lid as soon as she stood up, she must have already looked it up beforehand. That's cool of her.

So I originally thought that "the sitting duck" referred to the dead duck Jenny was selling in the window, but maybe it refers to Charles not interfering with the whole thing.

some ppl are sweeping the sidewalk :) how nice

what exactly IS the "die and go seek" maneuver?

no curb, but the cement planters protect the sidewalk from cars parking onto it. Both of those things probably make the sidewalk pretty well wheelchair accessible now I think about it. no searching for curb cuts, no going into the road Brevard if an obscured pathway!

though personally, I'd like to see some benches. maybe not here, as they'd get in the way of the sidewalk, but walking that far always hurts my feet.

Crystal totally checks out Monty XD

what are those posters on the tree? and that cardboard in the alley?

EDWIN'S FUCKIGN EXPRESSION

"I was polite, wasn't I?" "Yeah, you did good" <- ESSAY MATERIAL

phone number=reach him whenever Esther wants?

guys what does it mean when Venus is in the fifth house? I googled it once and every result was drastically different!

hey I'm thinking about the green outfit rn. if the green doesn't actualy mean emotional stability, does it mean fear? like, Niko was afraid of the house, then she was afraid of losing her friends. Mick wanted the red glass bc he was afraid of being stuck as a man.

wait the fakey shake shack sells booze?

who gives a shit what the cat king thinks

what is Esther even doing?

like she sounds so fucking surprised. if your little spy is there already why do you need to double spy on the spy?

funky perspective

SYMMETRY

WINDOW!?

WHY THE FUCK IS THERE A WINDOW

what are those doors? why are there elevators in there??

[missautumn]

"Well I can't wait for him to appear. I'll be waiting, Karloff" She said in a sing-song danger voice to the air, hoping the cat would show up soon, then at Dorian's offering to lend her his cat Raina awed, taking her hands to her heart. "Oh, man, that's so nice! Honestly, it'd be really nice. I swear I'm a trustworthy person. Okay, I gotta show you my furry son, too." Raina grabbed her phone and opened the photo gallery, she didn't have to scroll too much to find the latest pics with her white furry son, both playing in her parents' garden and then showed it to Dorian. "This is Artemis." She smiled. "We thought he was a she when we adopted him and went for that name, I have a crazy obsession with mythology." Raina shared. "And well, it was dumb to change his name after that long. It'd be fun to have a play date for him and Karloff of he likes friends. Artemis loves it."

She bit her lip as Dorian kindly repeated she could stay as long as the storm lasted, his point of a broken window was also pretty logical, and although she felt a bit intrusive, the young woman finally nodded with a smile. "Alright, alright. I'll try not to feel too guilty about taking too much of your time and your house, you're very very kind, Dorian. But you'll get some dunkin tomorrow as a thank you, you've been warned." She snickered. "Oh, I can cook something, too, to feel helpful. I make a mean pasta dish." Raina offered. "If you like pasta, that is, otherwise I can musk up something else, too. Oh, I'm vegetarian, I can still cook meat but I wouldn't know if the seasonings right." She rambled.

Then she strolled around the place, not trying to be curious but because she wasn't one to stay still for too long and watched Dorian get some candles on trying not to get in his way. Shadows cast all over the walls as he moved around and the girl turned off her phone flashlight once there was light. "It's beautiful, isn't it? I mean, storms are dangerous and all but there's something... mystic about the sound and the light inside." She thought out loud. "Anyway, you've been living here for long? I think I saw you here by the time I moved, right?" Raina asked, keeping the conversation going.

A smile spread across Dorian's face when she mentioned having dreams of just the little snippet he'd graciously provided her, liking how excited she genuinely seemed to be about his writing. He had the thought that maybe he could have her peer review some of his chapters - get feedback from an actual fan of the series to see what she thinks of the story he was building upon. He couldn't imagine by her reaction that she would likely say no and it was another excuse for the author to see and talk to his neighbor more."Hey, no pressure felt at all." he said with an amused chuckle, raising his hands up as he tried to diffuse any worry she might have.

"Yeah, he can be a little shy at first with new people but he warms up quickly and before you know it he'll probably be over here sniffing at your clothes or head butt you for pets." Dorian noted about his cat, whose personality and temperament wasn't all too far off from his owners. As she spoke about her own cat, Dorian smiled warmly. He'd always enjoyed felines and found comfort in likewise people. "Well sorry to hear that he doesn't get to live with you. If you ever get lonely for some cat cuddles, let me know and I'd be happy to lend you Karloff for a bit. Especially when I'm trying to work and he's laying across my keyboard demanding attention." His laugh flowed along with the raging storm outside, taking another drink from his cup.

The sound of thunder crackling in the sky outside had Dorian attention pulled away for a moment, glancing up as he noticed the lights flicker for a few moments. His brows knit together just as the light shut off completely, shrouding the pair in almost complete darkness save for the light that illuminated from his laptop screen. "Yeah, seems like it's quite a storm out there. Might want to hunker down while you wait. It might take the smith longer than expected." He said, his voice holding concern. As she mentioned breaking a window to her house, Dorian turned to her frowning. "Then you'll have an open window all night during this raging storm - sounds like it could be dangerous. You're honestly welcome to stay here as long as you need to. I've got some candles and flashlights and no plans for the evening." He offered with a small smile, already rising from his spot on the couch to grab a lighter and get to work. | @missautumn

[sulky-valkyrie]

I'm in your inbox making self indulgent dadwc requests 😎.

What about [[ Dorian ]] and Unapologetic Bloodmage Hawke? 👀👀👀 That boy has no idea what to do with *sass*.

Um .... oops I wrote a bit of angst too and I hope you don't mind Jos having a cameo as well for @dadrunkwriting ~~~

Cullen was berating Dorian over cheating at chess.  Again.  The mage sipped his wine and made a "get on with it" gesture at him before surrendering the pieces he'd plucked off the board when one of Sister Nightingale's messengers had stopped by.

"Really, why do you keep doing this?"  the Commander demanded.

He smiled.  "Because it is too delightful to watch you get riled up by something so trivial."  He leaned back.  "Your face gets all red and -"  a very attractive man walked past them up to the ramparts.  Very attractive.  "Cullen, who is that?"

The former-Templar turned to look, then spun back around, going pale.  Paler.  "Oh, Maker . . ." he muttered to himself.

"Well?" Dorian prompted.  "Who is he?"

"The Champion of Kirkwall," he groaned, hiding his face.  "And a blood mage."

"Fascinating."  Dorian stood up, deliberately knocking the board over.  "Hm, my mistake," he said, without an ounce of remorse.  "Guess we'll call this a draw."  

"What?  You were losing!"

"Prove it," he called over his shoulder as he followed after the infamous Garrett Hawke.   Varric’s book hadn’t mentioned how nice his ass was.  It had, however, mentioned that he didn't mind the company of men.

With a quick glance at his reflection in one of the windows to confirm his kohl wasn't smudged, and that his hair and mustache were tidy, he rushed up through one of the steeper back stairs.

At the top, he took a deep breath, cast a quick spell to cool himself off after the unexpected jog, then swung the door open, sauntering out just in time to bump into the Champion, almost fall over, and get caught by a dashing gentleman.

Well, that was what he'd intended.

What actually happened was he burst out, bumped into the other man, then before he could even pretend to falter backwards, he was spun around, arm twisted behind his back, and pressed into the wall with a blade at his throat.  Then "this is the sloppiest assassination attempt I've had in years," was hissed into his ear.

In for a silver, in for a sovereign.  "Oh?"  He wiggled his hips suggestively.  Tried to, at least; the armlock and the knife made it less a wiggle and more of a shiver.  "What's my punishment?"

There was a long pause.  "You're the Tevinter mage who likes men."  The grip on his arm didn't relax, but the blade vanished.

"Am I already so well-known?  Which of those descriptions comes up-" he attempted a shimmy "-more often?"

That got the other mage to let go entirely, pushing away from him.   "It was about fifty-fifty in Varric’s letters - letter."

"Letters? Plural?"  Dorian tsked as he turned around to face him.  "Seems our dwarven friend has been lying.  And to someone called the Inquisitor?"  He wagged a finger at him.  "Naughty, naughty."

The Champion slapped his hand away.  "I didn't ask him to."

"Still," he mused.  "Such a naughty little apostate, aren't you?  Perhaps you're the one that needs the punishment, not me."

Hawke cocked his head at him appraisingly.  Like he was undressing him with his eyes.  Maker, Dorian certainly hoped that was what was happening, because the only other explanation for the hunger he saw in that expression was that the other man was thinking about actually having him for dinner.

"What did you have in mind, Ser Pavus?"  His voice was low.  And interested.

Dorian smiled coyly.  "Why don't we discuss it over a bottle of wine in my -"

"Inquisitor Josferrin Lavellen, let me present to you Garrett Hawke, Champion of Kirkwall,"  Varric said, interrupting him as he came around the corner.

Hawke spun around, and his mouth fell open when he took in the elf coming into view.  He coughed, glared at the dwarf, who simply shrugged and grinned, then swallowed noisily as a faint pink hue crawled up his throat.  "I - yes.  That's me.  Hawke.  Garrett."  

Jos smirked and held his hand out like a bloody Orlesian noblewoman.  "Charmed, I'm sure."

Dorian sighed.  No way in Thedas could he compete with the Jos, for a number of reasons.  He went down to the tavern to get well and truly sauced with the Chargers.

[thewayshedreamed]

Dani!!!! Omg congrats for your followers milestone, I'm so proud of you!!! It's delightful to see you get the recognition 👏you👏deserve👏

If i may, could you write something for Manorian or Elorcan with the prompt “i can’t hide the way i feel about you anymore.” ? Feel free to do whatever you want with it 😅 and it's fine if you don't vibe with it 🥰

Thank you so much, my love! I appreciate the kindness more than you know 🥺💕

I went with Manorian for this one, so I hope that's okay! I haven't fulfilled a prompt for them yet, and I liked this one for them! Hope you enjoy!!

[Slightly nsfw, strong language, matures themes.]

931 words.

—

It wasn't rare that Manon reached out for a nightcap with Dorian. Usually, she was already a little tipsy and eager to cash in on their current arrangement by the time she texted or called.

They had met in class a couple of semesters back, and after running into each other on a night out, they had decided to keep doing so. Casually. Urgently. Often.

There was no talk of exclusivity, but Dorian hadn't slept with anyone else since they started. It wasn't that the opportunity hadn't presented itself. That happened quite regularly, in fact. He had a suspicion that most of the women and men who shamelessly propositioned him did't have the same preference for his particular tastes.

Manon always met his rough edges with her own, and their chemistry had only grown the more they bared those edges to each other. The intensity he threw at her never made her timid. She rose to meet him where he was, even daring to push him a little further at times.

Being understood had his walls come down without his realization. Manon made him feel seen, understood, and the desire to seek out anyone else had been snuffed out for quite some time. There hadn't been a side of himself, an intensity he'd shown, that made Manon balk. The fact that their desires were wholly compatible made him feel like his chest was tightening any time he thought too long on it.

That was the problem. He wasn't supposed to feel anything at all.

He'd been having a drink with Chaol at a bar in downtown Rifthold when Manon's text flashed across his screen. He'd finished his off, paid for the both of them, and said his goodbyes to his friend before calling her. After only a couple of rings, she picked up.

"Hi, princeling."

Her voice was velvet, and it send goosebumps over his skin. That didn't stop him from rolling his eyes at the nickname.

"Since you texted me, I assume you're trying to get into trouble." He paused at a crosswalk, glancing at the walk signal while he listened to her low rumble of a laugh.

"Something like that. Or maybe trouble loves company."

His breath hitched, and he chastised his brain for searching for a hidden meaning. Was she telling him she'd grown to love his company? And if so, how drunk was she? More likely than that, it was shallow play on words unworthy of much analysis. Dorian rolled his shoulders at the disappointment.

"I guess that makes two of us, then," he purred, walking briskly across the street to his car. "I'm on my way."

—

They lay on their backs, panting after wreaking havoc on each surface in pursuit of Manon's bedroom. Dorian wondered what kind of feat it would be to locate all of their discarded clothing, but ultimately decided that was a problem for later. He rolled his head to the side to find Manon's amber eyes fixed on him already, a satisfied smile across her face.

Dorian slid his fingers down her arm until he gripped her hand and brought it to lay on his stomach. His thumb rubbed soft circles over the redness around her wrists, soothing the delicate skin.

"No need to fuss, princeling. I'm a big girl," she teased, her voice raspy.

Dorian rolled his eyes. "I'm being nice. Don't ruin it."

Manon chuckled again, raising her free arm over her head and closing her eyes. He shamelessly allowed his eyes to take in her form, to map the delicate curves of her body in a way that allowed for more thorough worship the next time. Dorian was a goal-oriented man; always aiming to improve.

"You're staring."

How she knew it with her eyes closed was lost on him, but he didn't deny it. "Are you complaining, witchling?"

To his surprise, she rolled toward him, laying her head on his chest and tossing a leg over his. Manon wasn't usually one to initiate cuddling, but since he wasn't stupid, he helped her get situated. Her contented sigh was a punch to the stomach.

Very rarely did they sleep over, and when they did, it was purely due to exhaustion. In those cases, they slipped out quietly before the other awoke the next day to keep things simple. They had to keep certain lines in the sand, thus the rules.

Dorian raised a shaky hand to cup her bicep and wrapped his other arm around her back. Manon's sleepy voice gave him pause, but she made no moves to create any distance. "If you tell anyone we cuddled, I'll gut you."

He laughed, squeezing her in apology in the event he jostled her too much. "I wouldn't dare. Your secret is safe with me. I have my own to keep, so I get it."

Manon huffed a laugh through her nose and pressed her cheek against him in thanks. "What's yours?" Her words were heavy and slurred, as if she was barely hanging on to consciousness.

Her body started to twitch, and Dorian knew sleep would claim her soon. He swallowed thickly. Manon didn't press him to hurry, but he felt the urgency anyway.

"I can't hide the way I feel about you anymore," he whispered. That admission hadn't been on his agenda tonight, or in this lifetime, but he hadn't anticipated that she would ever ask.

Her body twitched against him again, and he realized the evenness of her breathing.

"Manon?"

Nothing, only her soft breaths dancing across his chest. Dorian pressed a kiss to her hair.

"Night, witchling."

[halflingbadass]

I wrote a short little thing based on this post by @acentrics

Vague hints of Orym/Dorian

Orym jumps when his radio goes off, dropping his bo staff with a clatter. He'd been going through some kata to try and shake off the nightmare from last night and he definitely hadn't expected his radio to go off. He really hadn't expected to hear a sexy voice come through the speaker.

"Tower 528 come in, Tower 528 come in please? Hello? Is anyone there?"

Orym scrambles towards the radio, managing to nimbly avoid tripping over his bo staff as he grabs for the handset.

"This is Tower 528, uh who's this?"

"Oh! Right! Uh this is Tower 311? I'm -- hmm I think 15 klicks from your position? If you look North you should be able to see my tower?"

Orym grabs his binoculars and shifts himself so he's looking North, smiling when he sees a man waving at him from through the windows of a tower that looks very similar to his.

"I'm Dorian. Dorian Storm." The man says. "I know we're not supposed to give our real names but I refuse to say 'Tower 311' or 'Tower 528' every time we talk."

"Oh is this going to be a regular thing?" Orym asks, unsure if his teasing will come through the radio.

"I certainly hope so! A whole summer with just myself? Sounds like a nightmare." Dorian says with a chuckle that sounds more than a little tinny through the radio.

"I'm Orym. It's nice to meet you Dorian."

"You too."

[queenerdloser]

more spoilers behind the cut, i met my future husband

lucanis: rolls up to the scene actively murdering venatori with cool wings and a sexy accent

me: god im so predictable. these motherfuckers know EXACTLY how to get me. what the fuck.

it's like they designed a character specifically for me to romance lmao. like. they knew my zevran-fenris-dorian loving ass would be IMMEDIATELY behind this grumpy, deep-voiced assassin man if he showed up killing people

i kind of like spite lol. very curious to see where that storyline goes.

harding: hears voices and says stuff she doesn't remember saying

me: YOURE IN DANGER GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

very cool to see more of the crows but WHERE is my BOY (zevran) :(((((((

getting evil vibes off of lucanis' cousin??? maybe im just too used to twists of nice guys turning out to be evil lol

SOLAS WITH HAIR????

crossroads is very cool!!!!! i like that this world still feels expansive but it's organized in such a way that i'm not getting the anxious vibes i sometimes got with dai.

still hate the combat lol. i keep running out of mana in like two seconds. i keep running out of potions. let me have more than three potions at a time pleaseeeeee. (i think the crow one lets you do this? man i shouldve been a crow as was my initial instinct.)

i changed my boys hair and gave him freckles and now i'd die for him. finally tweaked his appearance enough im totally happy with him. gonna give this tiny blonde twink everything he wants.

getting real vibes of foil narratives w/rook and solas. not sure how i feel about that yet tbh.

love the idea of rook as this wildcard. very hawke vibes.

neve is so hot. i won't romance her with this rook but she's definitely like. next. maybe after davrin.

honestly theyre all hot. what the fuck.

i dont really like that you cant like search for objects around you? i hate having to pay close attention to my surroundings to make sure i get everything... i liked dai's way of searching nearby for things even if it got annoying when it highlighted ladders and shit.

very cool fade lore.

i'm so ready to meet my other companions!!!!

also kind of enjoying the combo moves you can do with your companions? it DOES make them feel more integrated into the gameplay without having to do multiplayer.

harding's new powers are so cool... but once again SHE'S DEFINITELY IN DANGER.

also i AM playing veilguard and i made a wee pocket sized lad of a man for my first rook and i love him and his boyband hair. spoilers & reactions below the cut.

my first rook is a lord of fortune mage w/the plan to romance lucanis. he's very snarky and i love him.

i'm glad they made the call to go back to the like. da2 style of dialogue.

me so far every time rook talks to solas: get his ass!!!!!!

that said, i feel like they're making solas like rook too quick. what the fuck. it took my inquisitor like YEARS to build a rapport with this motherfucker.

i hate the combat lol. maybe i'll enjoy it more when i get used to it but there's too many moving pieces to keep track of for me. my favorite combat is where i can just like mash one button and easily kill everything in my path, i don't want to be strategic and have to micromanage everything. also what is this three potions bullshit. even dai gave you 10. and i have to like find them in random pots????? what the fuck????

very fun to sprint and jump. makes me feel zoom.

why do the elves just accept that their gods are back and evil? like. it feels like they accept it WAY too quickly lol.

dialogue so far is uh. very cheesy. a lot of "we're all great so let's work together!" stuff that is like. fine. but cheesy.

i'd die for lace harding. she looks so cute in this game.

when solas stabbed varric i SCREAMED. i was like. do NOT kill my boy in the first fifteen minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm still only like a couple of hours in but varric was being suspiciously sick in the cutscenes so i have feeling he is going to die :((((

me: where is my BOYFRIEND (lucanis) and my FUTURE BOYFRIEND (davrin)

i love neve but i have a feeling we are going to butt heads a lot lol. i'm playing my rook as the reckless, confident type with a saving person thing that feels true to what we know about his backstory and he's already disagreed with neve several times. whoops.

i love the little marker showing me exactly where to go. hell yeah, hold my hand with this bullshit. kind of glad they dumped the open world of dai and got us back on rails.... tho that may change as i get further in the game???

when i say i spent HOURS in the character creator.... like i love it but it honestly felt like TOO much tbh. esp. when i had to do it for rook and then immediately again for my inquisitor too.

i ended up going lord of fortune background almost entirely bc i liked their casual look the best but i think i'll definitely try to play most of the backgrounds. they're so fun! i was THIS close to doing shadow dragons.

honestly minrathous is really cool???? all the locations so far have been great, love the lighthouse. (v. funny 2 me that we get all of these cool locations thanks to solas. man knows how to find a cool spot and name it i guess.)

the updated blight is VERY creepy. also those new darkspawn??? i gasped.

i do like that they're playing solas as this like. enemy who is begrudgingly allied due to worse enemies. but i'm so curious how they'll play it when the inquisitor gets involved. i'm doing my kai lavellan inky who DEFINITELY is going to try to stop solas at all costs... uh oh lol.

i know people were salty about not getting to integrate a lot of dai choices but tbh i'm fine with it. i'm more happy we got to include our inquisitor tbh.

morrigan showing up looking younger than she did in da:o.... um okay lol. also i kind of hate that she's considered an expert on elven history yet again. stop that.

im going to say again i hate the combat bc i really do hate it. praying it grows on me as i get more used to it bc otherwise i'm enjoying the game a lot.

[tuuliivanovas]

Dorian has ✨feelings✨ about Imogen and the music takes over.

Disclaimer: This is my first cr fic and it's kinda hard for me to find a character's voice when the material is improved and still developing. And if I misremember things from exu and the eps just let it add to the story :p

Dorian felt light, not in the normal way he felt light due to the nature of his person, but light in the way that he is pleasantly drunk and playing a tune on his lyre. He let Bertrand wander off into the night and more of his companions were making their way to bed.

For the first time since the business back in Tal'dorei things are beginning to look up. Well, he did get the shit kicked out of him by his new employer in the most nonsensical interview process ever and he did get stabbed by an old man that he now thinks is worth the trouble. It was all worth it. It was worth it to get to Drusar and find these new strange allies.

Dorian plays so prettily and he lets his mind wander. A new song coming to his mind. A song made of soft laughs and purple hair. A song of a sweet sweet drawl. His fingers come to an abrupt halt.

"Oh shit!" He whispers.

The drink must have affected his wits because there should be no way Imogen should be taking the form of his muse. No way...right? She was very sweet and caring. A little reserved compared to her counterpart. He got a shiver thinking about Laudna. She may be nice but he's still getting used to all of that.

No, Miss Imogen doesn't like crowds and can speak in your head and can cast dancing lights and doesn't need his sword.

That line of thinking made his face warm. Imogen is also bold. The way she pulled him in. She even pulled her shirt open! He couldn't not think about how nice it was to hold her as they floated down from the balcony. She apologized for pulling him in. There was no need. He hadn't lied when he said it was like drama club, but drama club didn't make his heart flutter the way she did.

"Oh, a theater kid."

Imogen said the words with a laugh and a bite of her lip. He could have just floated away right there. It was so easy to "yes, and..." her performance. He's a natural performer. She is surprisingly one too.

Dorian let his head fall into his hands. There is just so much to know about her. His inebriated mind is swimming with all the what-ifs--and he shouldn't since it's been a mere few days, but Dorian was a romantic at heart.

His fingers resume their tune. A tune of swirling purple clouds and bright lighting.

"I do think I'm in a little danger," Dorian says with a smile.

[nochiquinn]

exandria unlimited: kymal: part one: 🐩

crown keepers minus their one brain cell let's goooo

IT IS BEGIN

oh no she cute

"we're at the same table, nerds!" it's going to be CHAOS

"he's been THROUGH IT"

Dwarven Nincompoop

aw, no more comfy matt

chinhands at this opening

cyrus, your dumbshit brother

where errebody go

I had to step away but I come back to gilmore plans

"a little smarter" "ehnnn"

"I said a LITTLE"

FRENS

purple!

aimee ur eyelashes

"chosen family" cries

I Love opal's new art

opal using her vestige to steal

"it's a lot of women yelling"

oh god she literally has a shoulder angel and shoulder devil except she already wasn't listening to the shoulder angel

I WAS JOKING ABOUT USING THE VESTIGE TO STEAL

I fucking love opal

I've had this headcanon of dariax trying to keep opal safe or at least not actively throwing herself into volcanos but I knew that was wishful thinking

"he's got the luck of the idiots"

drags dariax away from the table by the collar

"act natural" oh god

SHE

matt

I love her

oh someone has worked hospitality

"pure brewer's yeast"

"I'm leaving! I'm already done!"

"I like bread." jester?

"I eat it." fcg?

"you got a problem?" "yeah!" "you wanna take this outside?" "no!"

"remember when I said keep a low fuCKING PROFILE"

oh no dorian is the braincell

I Love Her

coin? coin in play? EXPLAIN

oh dislike

erica use the barbie voice USE THE BARBIE VOICE

erica this is extremely specific

"I'm not supposed to be out of my room"

this whole casino is gonna light the FUCK up

"I'm Detecting It"

that's actually extremely cool??

taking out her frustration on pickpockets

cat the rabbit

CABBIT

"did you just nope me"

dariax. DARIAX.

dorian

cackles loudly

glitchy circlet

opAL

"I'm so glad I called you guys"

you are not immune to pretty fire lady

nice save aabria

"it's canon"

oh. oh no.

"a grandma? wearing grandma clothes?"

oh NO

well well well if it isn't the consequences of their own actions

friendly reminder that opal is nineteen, MAYBE twenty years old

ah yes, the Aladdin Gambit

ngl when they said bromance was I was expecting some hitachiin shit

I can't see matt's face but his forehead just went on a journey

oh now he's just dead

her WHAT

Morrighan please explain me your deal

okay which one of them heard "we need one million dollars" and suggested gamblnever mind it was opal

opal

I accept this retcon

why did the subs just say MATT [JENGA]

Traditional Rogue Attire

Functional Feathers

dariax

"you'd never expect a poodle from a bunny"

"you're on thin ice" "why?!" "because it's funny"

it's because you're you, cyrus

no direct victims

......is dariax still being tracked

HEIST DADDY

"hack down the door" this is hilarious bc I've been playing persona 5 strikers

....akechi, yusuke, and futaba playing dungeons and dragons

(akechi, yusuke, futaba, symmetra, and she-ra)

"I don't like that we have a problem" "I like it"

my dariax/dorian/orym headcanon is that dariax sees that dorian is upset at leaving orym behind and blames cyrus

(and he should)

Evil Check

matt: I'm canonically an idiot

where's the art, I need it

they got him a PRESENT

....they stole him a PRESENT

"is this a dead man's mandolin" "no! no - he's not - is he?" "eh."

I love them

oh nO THEY DON'T KNOW

I FORGOT THEY DON'T KNOW

...how did you roll 10 on 2d4

"he's good at what he's good at!!"

"DO YOU KNOW DENI$E?!" ".....we gotta go"

"no we don't! :D"

"I'm gonna pretend your dad is my dad and he told me that" "that would be very sad indeed for both of us"

BEADS OF LOVE

matt missed it and I'm sad

TED 2

I came back to dariax ghosting his ex

"I can do a kill"

MAP

DOOR

sex pestedal

this is the little camera drone from watch_dogs

orym where are you, we need the braincell

this doofus

"my first instinct is to protect dariax" gay

"are you gonna kill us?!" "maybe I will! maybe I wanna go home early tonight!"

if dorian dies I riot

what in the magnus archives

we found the poodle!

exCUSE ME

MAGICAL GIRL BLESS

"it all certainly looks like stone. then you notice....it LOOKS like stone"

CYRUS

this room is getting uncomfortably full

excuse

exCUSE

yeah yeah fuck yeah

I forgot how much I like aabria's spider queen voice

oh no ted 2

MATT

BOOGER METEOR

"are you DONE NOW"

I love him

matt still managing to give erica the hdywttd

he did a baton pass!!

giving mr. tumnus a concussion

what in the eluvian

"wait you found gin?"

STEAL THE SKYBAR

fuck an airship, FLYING BAR

Death Dwarf

"he stole words from our faces!"

"I don't wanna wait a week, can we just come back tomorrow?"

I'm using this precedent for every awful matthew mercer cliffhanger from now on

like coming home from your cool aunt's house "but AABRIA let us come back the next day!"

Don't Do A Murder, Do A Poodle

I'm waiting for a stinger

aw, no stinger :(