#Mercar x Ashur

[kanis-things]

these 'names' sound wrong

[proffbon]

In my game's canon it starts looking like all of Ashur's relationship are filled to the brim with divorce energy. 😭

[escapismlover]

datv au where the game was loved as it should have been and lex aulos from the lamplighter sang a song about the viper and tarquin (or rook) (or both) tease him endlessly about it in ambient dialogue at the safe house

[crowinkwriting]

Need a scene where Rook and Tarquin are arguing and yelling at each other cause no one wants to be honest about what they feel. Ashur quietly sitting in the background. After Rook storms out Ashur just tells Tarquin “you could have handled that better”, setting Tarquin off again.

[missingnozw]

WIP Wednesday

AAAH!! So excited!! Thank you so much for thinking of me @becausedragonage and @pixiedurango!! I'm late (yesterday I couldn’t post it because I had a 24-hour shift at work and didn’t have access to my WIPs), but even if it’s not wednesday, I’m posting it anyway!!

I started working on this a few weeks ago. The idea came from a collab I'm working on with @alystrin03, and… I just wanted to explore things a bit more. Specifically, Mel and Ashur’s relationship!! This would be the first of a series of one-shots I have planned :)

Hope you like it and... more under the cut!!

______________________________________________________________

In Tevinter, nights like this were rare. The sky was clear, allowing the dim light of the waning moon—or the even fainter glow of Satina—to bathe everything in an almost ethereal sheen, making the stars shine brighter than usual. It was unusual for this time of year, even more so in Minrathous, where rain seemed like an inescapable fate for those who were lucky—or unlucky—enough to live there.

Still, Melara wasn’t about to waste the opportunity. On nights like this, she liked to climb up to a rooftop, put some distance between herself and the world, and spend hours studying the sky and its constellations: Eluvia, Fenrir, Solium… she knew them all. Her mother used to tell her about them when she was just a child, and after the worst had happened, she had kept sneaking out of the orphanage at night to watch the stars, just as she used to do with her.

She took a sip from the wine bottle resting beside her, popping a couple of almonds into her mouth—just a small snack to keep her going for the hours she planned to stay there. Lazily, she lay on her back, stretching without noticing the presence that had been watching her from across the rooftop for some time now. Acting on impulse, the man silently made his way closer from the side. She only became aware of him when he was just a few steps away, forcing her to prop herself up on her elbows as she recognized him.

"Ashur."

He kept walking toward her, his slow, deliberate steps carrying a certain predatory air—one she might have found unsettling if she didn’t know him better. His voice was deep when he finally spoke, his expression obscured by the shadow of his hat and the veil covering the lower half of his face.

"If I were an enemy, you'd be dead"

The woman let out a soft laugh, sitting up with her knees bent and nodding in acknowledgment.

"I was counting on a certain mage to be doing his usual patrol���"

He chuckled, sitting beside her, and for a few minutes, neither of them spoke. It was odd, really, how she never felt the need to fill the silence when he was around. She enjoyed those moments when she didn’t have to make the active effort of being—when she could simply exist. And Ashur never asked anything more of her. She could tell he felt comfortable in her presence as well, and over the past few months, she had noticed how he sought her out more and more. Even if it was just to sit in silence—to be.

And yet…

"You do know only an idiot wears a hat when there’s no light to shield from, right?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have a nice day!!! Mwah!!

[thebisexualmandalorian]

Cael whoops from where they’re sitting up on the table, grinning with eyes alight.  The celebratory mood of the holidays has only added to the celebratory mood of the defeat of the Blight and the mad gods and their dragons, and they’re right there at the center of it all.   They start up a line Tarquin distinctly recognizes as part of the Chant from the times his father had dragged him to services.  Ashur picks up after the first, both of them shouting more than singing, enthusiasm making up for the fact that they’re too drunk to carry a tune.

"All sins are forgiven! All crimes pardoned!

Let no soul harbor guilt!

Let no soul hunger for justice!

By the Maker's will I decree

Harmony in all things.

Let Balance be restored

And the world given eternal life."

The rest of the hideout takes up the song, repeating it in a cacophony of noise.  Magister Pavus cocks his head from beside Tarquin, and smiles in between sips of wine.  “That is what we were fighting for, isn’t it?” he asks, and Tarquin raises a brow.

“For the Divine to be shitfaced on cheap wine for everyone’s entertainment?”

“Always so cynical, you really should take a rest sometime,” Pavus says, “No, you know what I mean.  Freedom, justice, all that sort of thing.”

He does.  He’s spent so long fighting for it in the shadows that he still hasn’t quite accepted that it’s real.  They still have a lot of work; kaffas, they have so much work to do, but they won’t be fighting to the death for it against the Magisterium and every mabari-shit slaver from here to the South to get it done.  

Tarquin has never put much stock in hope, or faith, or the future; he’s known for being ruthlessly practical, or - Pavus might be right - cynical, but tonight?  He might be willing to put that down for a little while and believe.  He catches Ashur’s eyes and starts to sing along, grinning as he lets himself celebrate, just for tonight.  Why not?  The blighted gods are dead, the Venatori are scattered, the Magisterium is in chaos… it’s a good night to celebrate their wins, and maybe, just maybe, the future as well.

[mrsdellamorte]

Codex Day 2: A letter from Rook to someone in their faction.

Thea was a former Shadow Dragon four years before the events of Veilguard. During her time with them she might have been romantically involved with a certain Shadow Dragon who is also the Divine. Their romance lived in the dark due to their titles and ended when Thea was betrayed by another SD. She was gravely injured, lucky to be alive even and yet Ashur had to make the difficult call to dismiss her and send her home. But it’s how she found Amalia, changing her life for the better.

This letter is written a year after all of that. ✨

A Letter From the Desk of Senior Enchanter Althea Mercar:

The letter is neatly written on fine orange parchment, with the scent of honey in the fold.

Ash

Viper,

Thank you for your letter. I was surprised to receive it.

I’m doing as well as I can. I’ve been spending some time back at The College, it feels good to be back. To be useful again.

The healers here say that it will be some time before I regain any normal feeling in my abdomen. The worst is being cold, the pain flares up all over again. The wounds were deep and we both know magic can only do so much. I just thought I would be further along by now.

Thank you for sending the serials, I actually didn’t think I’d miss them.

As for your question about the Shadow Dragons, honestly, I do not care to know how they’re doing. If they are still saving those who need it, then that’s all that matters. Although please tell Lorelei I said hello. I miss her.

What I do care about however, is how you are doing. I’m glad you’re well. I think about y l hope you’re staying safe.

The little one is great, thank you for asking. She’s almost walking if you can believe it. She loves watching the butterflies in the garden and playing in the ocean.

Her name is Amalia, by the way.

Maybe one day you can meet her.

Yours

Till next time,

Althea

[rainbowpilaf]

Commissioned art I got from Yatoliaz via Fiverr. Also find them on Bluesky under the same name. My Rook (Dammond) with the Viper. A world apart and a history known only between the two of them. This (ex) couple is full of so much angst, I love them.

[mythalsknickers]

happy DADWC! for Rook/Viper, from the exes to lovers prompts: “i miss us. is that weird to say?”

Title: Words Left Unsaid Pairing: Athras Mercar x Viper Rating: T Warnings: Pining and Angst Word Count: 223 Author's Note: Athras Mercar tends to bounce between He/ Them pronouns regularly, they are trans gender non conforming. They have had top surgery. Is this canon, IDK at this point come back later it might be.

A Year from Home

In that year many things had changed. Ashur's heart had healed some, honestly Athras was a bit jealous of that. In the year in the south no one had caught his eyes, but the swords that made up his inner walls were razor sharp.

Now he sat tailing someone with Ashur of all people. It made sense and it didn't to Athras to see him tail someone. The rain pelted them for more than a few hours, it tasted like lyrium today. Something he had missed oddly enough. His eyes landed on Ashur for a moment. They had talked since he got back but he couldn't pull the swords out to say what he wanted. Not truly, once the target moved they were up and moving.

This time it was into a bar, tucked in the corner. Buskers played something, and he sipped his coffee trying to warm up..."I miss us..is that weird" he paused downing a bit more of his coffee "It feels weird." He curled into his chair, letting his world close in. A hand touched his, and their eyes met for a moment, things they both wanted to say. "I miss us to." it was all he could say, and it was enough. It wouldn't have been a year ago, but now it was.

[xhollowfaerie]

The Viper & His Fangs

a/n: I've had the worst Viper x Rook brainworms lately inspired by @trash-nerd and @kindlyfeline so I ended up writing a lot of my SD Rook's backstory with him. This is the first of a bunch of these so if you enjoy, there is more!!

tags: Viper x Rook, Shadow Dragon former slave elf Rook, tw for mentions of abuse, blood, ptsd, Viper training Rook, fluff, hurt/comfort

-

“That’s more than enough, Kore. You did good.”

Ash had a lot of experience interacting with survivors, he knew the many ways people coped; how they reacted, how their behaviour could shape itself as a defense mechanism.

He could tell that Kore’s was something awful. His heart tore itself to shreds as he watched the blood drip from her nose and mouth. She bared her bleeding teeth at him, snarling as she got up from the floor. She was so frail, covered in fiery streaks of lightning; he could swear they glowed purple at times, whenever she got really angry - like she was right now. She tightened the blood-stained wrappings around her arms, returning to the stance he had just taught her, guard up, form perfect, despite shaking with exhaustion. The bags under her eyes were such a deep plum, the shade itself worsening the hollows of her cheeks. Her appearance painted such a painful picture, it was becoming increasingly difficult to steady his own emotions.

“Again.”

There was a fury in her voice - not at himself, he knew, but towards her own weakness; that wasn’t what he perceived it as. Ashur thought Kore was one of, if not the strongest person he’d ever met. She had a beautiful flair for rebellion - the embers of a spitfire burning bright inside her heart. Unfortunately, that also led her to be reckless - and her tortured upbringing amplified it by a thousand.

“Kore-” “A.gain.”

He regretted the half-baked swing he took at her almost immediately - she was barely well enough to stand, let alone react in time, tripping over her own legs trying to block. Her arms desperately attempted to hold onto the formless air around her as she fell with a loud thud, soundlessly arching in pain. He immediately rushed to her side, but she hissed and held a hand out to stop him.

“Again.” “No-” 

Kore got up in his face, barely scrambling to her feet as she wiped some blood from her nose. She remembered herself, kneeling helplessly, overtaken with pain and drowning in her own tears. Weak. Vulnerable. Her voice echoed her abuser’s, screaming angrily at Viper.

“AGAIN!”

“How about we take a break first, then we can-” “NO!”

Viper couldn’t help clicking his tongue in frustration; there was no conceivable way he was going to lunge at her again, not in that state-

She cut his thoughts off by launching at him instead. Her attacks were feral, sloppy - it was incredibly easy to dodge her and grab onto her wrists, twisting them behind her back as he secured her in place as she struggled in his grip.

“Kore. Please. That’s enough.”

Kore managed to jump high enough to bash her head into his chin, sending a reverberating wave of pain throughout his teeth and skull; his hold lessened, choking out a “wait-” before she elbowed him in the stomach. His abdomen - hardened from years of training - took the hit head-on with little to no effect, Kore’s eyes widening as he held her again, whipping them around to back her against a wall, one arm on each side of her, towering above. 

That look she’d never seen in his eyes before sent a shiver down her spine. They sat like that in silence, Ashur painfully watching her hazy eye blink as the room undoubtedly spun around her; after he was sure she’d calmed down, he gripped a piece of his cloak in between his teeth, using his hands to tear a sizable chunk off and softly asked for permission before dabbing the drops of scarlet away from her face. A deep wave of resentment seeped through his bones; intimidating her? - he wanted to punch himself in the stomach. 

He may still have a lot to learn about being gentle.

“You’re doing amazing. You’re getting better. But you can’t keep improving if you don’t rest, Kori’athdhea.”

Contrary to Ashur’s impression, the elf felt surprisingly… safe? as he hung over her. She didn’t know what that word meant just yet; all Kore knew was that his shadow over her figure offered her comfort; like he was shielding her from the world. She finally permitted her eyes to slide to a close, dropping her head against his chest with an exhausted murmur. Her survival instincts finally lessened their grip on her throat. “Viper. Too nice.”

He let out a small sigh as he let her rest against his chest, grinning as the blood off his teeth showed itself through the gap of his lips.

“You can rest now. We’ll pick up where we left off tomorrow” his low voice persuaded, despite him having no plans of training her again for at least a week, not until her body gained some semblance of strength first.

She fell asleep like that, standing, slumped over him, breathing so softly he hastily placed two fingers to her jugular to check her pulse in horror before exhaling with relief.

He noticed the torn fabric of his cape interwoven between her fingers, held to her chest when he softly picked her up, taking her to her bed. Ashur called a healer to check on her, leaning back against a wall with his arms crossed over his chest, watching over her. When they were done, he pulled a blanket over her as gingerly as possible, watching the elf sleep peacefully with a feeling he refused to name.

“You’re so much stronger than you know, Kore.”

He blew the lamp out with one swift exhale before occupying the chair by her bed, making himself decently comfortable and pushing his hat over his eyes. - Months later.

SMACK.

The staff rattled as it hit the hard floor, rolling away from Kore's body. She didn't whimper; didn't groan in pain, didn't flinch. Her laboured breathing was so subdued out of a long-trained fear of being perceived, she was barely making any noise, barely providing any evidence of her beating heart.

She turned on her back, blinking towards Viper's concern hovering over her. “Kore - we can stop. I don't want to push you. Are you hurt? Here.”

His gloved hand stuck out for her to grab onto.

Her eyes narrowed towards her staff. Too far.

Before Viper's lungs could fill with the breath he was taking in, Kore's body coiled upwards, parting her legs; with a hefty push from her arms, she launched herself upwards, wrapping her legs around his neck. She tightened her grip around him and jerked him forward with all of her strength, muscles trembling from overexertion. Viper was tall, well-built, heavy. He was also caught off guard enough to go tumbling, groaning as he hit the ground. 

As the adrenaline wore off, her eyes widened in shock. She wanted to unwrap her legs and back away, rushing to apologize - but Viper let out a laugh and tentatively tapped her thighs, asking her to lessen their grip just enough for him to breathe as he let out a strained chuckle. “Oh, you're getting good. Attagirl.”

Her whole face flushed, crawling backward as she untangled herself from him, offering a hand to help him up, muscles tense. He could always do what she just did. The threat never came. Instead, he took her hand in his, but barely put any weight on her as he got himself up, dusting off his outfit.

“I'm sorry” Kore mumbled shyly. “Don't know. Why I did that. Never want to. Hurt Viper.”

Viper shook his head, reaching to place a very gentle hand on her shoulder with a small wink. “Because I taught you well, if I do say so myself. And because you're the best damn Dragon I've ever met.”

A small, green bud of happiness glanced up at him, her other eye always closed, as if the scar running from beneath her eyebrow to the top of her cheek held it locked. Or maybe it was her shame.

“You didn’t hurt me, promise. Don’t worry.” “Viper also! Didn’t hurt me.” “We’re two tough Dragons, huh?”

She let out the smallest giggle, and he felt his heart punch a hole through his stomach.

“Viper. And Kore. Two tough Dragons!”

He picked up her staff and handed it to her, fingers brushing for just a moment. She tensed up and bashfully held it close to her, looking away.

“We save. Minrathous. Shine bright.”

“In aeternum, Kore. We will save Minrathous.”

She left him with a little bow, heading for the washrooms. Viper threw himself down onto a wooden chair, leaning his head back against the brick wall, as if the impact would somehow snap him out of whatever daydream he was in. He tried to shake the feeling of her thighs around him, of the sound of her voice. Of all the moments they shared. The guilt that weighed on him, crushing his ribs more and more with every passing day his burning love for her reared its head, gnawing at him worse than any archdemon Thedas had ever faced.

“Vehendis, Ashur. Get a grip…” 

[proffbon]

Your ex-boyfriend 🤝 Your current boyfriend Roasting the shit out of your Batman act

[escapismlover]

allegedly ambient dialogue or a specific option reveals that ashur is sh rook s ex. allegedly did anyone actually experienced that. was it allegedly a rumor started by someone and we all ran with it as canon. or did anyone allegedly actually got it and can confirm it. allegedly.

[crowinkwriting]

Need Ashur, Rook, and Tarquin to be the chaotic throuple they were meant to be.

[missingnozw]

Chapter 3 is UP!!! I really really wish I could post chapter 4 now (with its little, small, insignificant argument with Ashur...), but for now, I have to stick to the schedule...  It just takes me sooo long to write everything...

Well, if anyone reads it, thank you and hope you like it!!!

[thebisexualmandalorian]

Fandom: Dragon Age: The Veilguard (Video Game) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ashur | The Viper/Rook/Tarquin Characters: Ashur | The Viper, Tarquin (Dragon Age), Rook (Dragon Age) Additional Tags: Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Fictional Religion & Theology, Imperial Divine Ashur | The Viper, Prayer Cards Series: Part 6 of heaven is here if you want it

Summary: Ashur finds a Chant card and remembers the moment it represents.

[mslanna]

What's In A Name?

Read the whole fic on AO3

Rook retruns to Minrathous and feeling they considered dead and buried spring back to life. If only it was that easy. But Ashur kept his own secrets.

Ashur.

The name hit Rook like a lumber cart and the easy with which Neve threw it at them stopped them in their tracks.

So the Viper had a name. Not that Rook had doubted it, but in all their years working with the Shadow Dragons they had never learnt it. Years they had spent carefully working their way closer to the magnetic figure with the mesmerising voice.

Not an easy task. The Viper was one of the leaders of the Shadow Dragons and Rook – even before the compromising incident they had been but a small cog in the organisation. It hadn't stopped Rook. And over the years, they had gotten closer until they were an automatic choice for his bigger endeavours.

Ashur.

Rook remembered listening to him during the briefings, concentrating as much in getting everything as not getting lost in his voice. The quest to abolish slavery in Tevinter was not an easy one. Or something they'd see happen in their life time. Yet both of them had worked on that untiringly.

A farce, really, that what got Rook cast out from the Dragons was freeing slaves. Had it been a rash decision? Maybe. But it had been the right one, regardless of whether the Viper might approve of it.

He had not. The Viper had sent them off with Varric without a second thought. The cause was more important than a few people. Rook took a deep breath and realised they had made their way into the streets. Rain drizzled down, caressing their face and for a moment, Rook tilted it back, eyes closed.

...

Read the whole thing here. No account? No problem. hmu for an invite