#OOF this was pain to write

[azul-marie]

— a touching of souls.

their kisses with you. fem. reader. suggestive. feat. bi-han, kuai, tomas, syzoth.

bi-han —

steady and sure, grabbing at your waist, wrapping a hand around your throat to keep you still as he indulges himself in your lips. although he is not the most affectionate man, bi-han has an exceptional fondness for kisses. perhaps it’s the breathless sounds you make, or the soft gasps in between his tongue — perhaps it is simply that he prefers you at his mercy, a pretty little thing caged beneath or within strong arms. typically at night, when the moon is high and all is silent, he allows himself to calm, to open before you and allow you to initiate. bi-han tends to lose himself in these moments all too easily, an annoyance at his expense. most times, without even trying, simple kisses from you lead to sleepless nights and sore bodies.

kuai liang —

ardent, unrestrained, grasping at hips and breasts and hair, unable to keep what little space remains between the two of you from heating up — figuratively, literally. his lin kuei ways may have taught him restraint, focus, but kuai’s hotheaded tendencies always get the best of him when it comes to you, only for you. his kisses trail like fire all across your body, his teeth leaving scorches in their wake, a tongue like that of flames licking at tender flesh until you melt like caramel in his hands. kuai is unrelentingly keen on smothering you with every bit of adoration he has; his lips alone are more than capable of proving it. you are a goddess worthy of worship, and he a devotee all too willing to bow down and serve, evermore shall his love burn for you.

tomas —

soft like daytime mist, cupping apples of cheeks, the tremble of fingers when his lips touch yours. he has little experience with romancing women, much less the gift of their kisses; you are his beginning, his end. it is precisely why tomas pecks, rather than lose himself to your lips, for a bashful nature keeps what eager will he has in check. his boyish charm only adds to the endearment, and often he finds you to be the one most content in initiating them. it’s a strange comfort, that you still pursue him despite his meeker approach to affection and love. assuring him that he is wanted sends his self-confidence soaring, and gradually does he ease into the idea of receiving and giving kisses on a more constant basis — privately, of course.

syzoth —

quick and light, flurries of kisses, all about your pretty face, your petalsoft lips, sometimes at those sensitive sweet spots across your décolletage if he’s feeling cheekier than usual. syzoth, fairly new to the concept of kissing with warm, wet mouths, tongue and teeth and all, hadn’t expected warm-blood affection to be so pleasant. he is cautious of physicality, having grown to live without its softer aspects for years prior to you, but kisses are easy, innocent enough to practice. you have made it this way for him, precious as you are. he kisses you hello, goodbye, as luck before either one of you leaves for calling duties, and simply when he feels like it, even if friends are around to witness and tease. he doesn’t mind them, as long as you don’t.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

You ever think about how in spite of knowing their exact locations, the game never gives any indication that templar Carver has reported his mage sibling, Merril (a blood mage) or Anders (an abomination) to his superiors?

I do think about that a lot, even though I tend to ignore the Templar Carver route because I know Warden Carver to be true in my heart and soul... but I totally get the appeal of Templar Carver within DA2's narrative, y'know?

It's so fascinating, really. I've never played a run with Templar Carver, I just can't bring myself to do it, so I know I'm missing out on smaller details of it. From what I do know, this drives me crazy in the best way possible.

Deciding whether to bring him or not to the Deep Roads is such an important choice, not only because it affects his fate, but how it affects his relationship to Hawke. He tells you that he wants to go, he makes it very clear that it's important to him that he goes, too... and Hawke can just leave him behind and it hurts him. I don't think that registers enough with some people just because of how Carver is, like it doesn't matter what Hawke's motivations are [staying behind for his safety, not wanting to bring him, thinking someone should stay with Leandra, etc] it still hurts him because it tells him that Hawke doesn't need him, and Carver wants to be needed.

And yes, there are other contributing factors to why he joins the templars, but it doesn't matter what your relationship is to him, it doesn't change the fact that he doesn't turn Hawke or his companions in.

Sure, the meta reason is it's a video game and you're playing the main character. You're never in any actual danger of being captured by templars, and you're not going to lose your companions to them that easy.

But if we look at it through the narrative and Carver's character, that's when it gets interesting. You can max out his rivalry and be an utter asshole to him [there's a point where you can call him a brat and mock him for being stuck in your shadow, like Hawke can be real cruel about it] but it doesn't matter, you're still his sibling. He even makes a remark about how you might not know what that means [referring to leaving him behind] but he does. He refuses to kill Hawke in the end when Meredith makes the order, too.

Which can I just point out that Hawke has the option to let Bethany die in the end if she's with the circle and they side with the templars? Just saying, Carver NEVER does that no matter what, but Hawke has the option to betray Bethany like that and it's fucked and interesting and it makes me want to eat my chair-

As for Merrill and Anders, I think he knows that if he turns either of them in, then the chances of Hawke being brought in as well skyrocket. They're all friends, they're in the same group... bring one in, and you'll probably get the other two.

I also think Carver just genuinely likes Merrill. Yes, I'm a Carver/Merrill shipper, so I have a bias, but even if you remove anything romantic from their dynamic I believe that's true. Of all the companions, Merrill is the only one who doesn't make fun of him, or find him annoying, in party banters. He never snaps back at her, like he's never defensive with her, he's just a little awkward and nice.

Like, HE'S SO NICE TO HER! He tries to find common ground with her! She asks him about "swording" and he's taken aback by her saying he's good at it, but you KNOW that if someone like Anders asked him the same question, he's be all, "shut up, you're stupid, stop talking to me >:["

Think back to that banter Carver can have with Aveline post-act 1 where they're talking about how the guard wasn't the right place for him [hard disagree with you there, Aveline] and Carver says he was a bit of a tit, wasn't he.... and every companion will agree except Merrill. She doesn't say anything, whereas other companions like Anders will be like "ugh maker YES" and if you have a purple Hawke, they'll go on to other ways Carver was a tit like?? I think Carver and Merrill got along and he doesn't want to turn her in because she was nice to him! And she's a blood mage! He knows what will happen to her if the templars get ahold of her! He doesn't want to see her made tranquil or killed!

At that point, he's witnessed what bad blood mages can do, assuming you've brought him along for those quests, but even so. He knows Merrill isn't like that and he likes her, so of course he's not going to turn her in despite that being his literal duty.

Then there's Anders who Carver doesn't like. If you're in a romance with him, Carver will tell him that's why he doesn't turn him in but c'mon Carver, you know that's not the only reason. My theory is Carver may not like Anders and he knows the man's got a spirit of justice inside of him... but Anders also runs a free clinic. If he's ever taken in by templars, then so many people [including a LOT of Fereldan refugees] will be without free health care and will suffer for it. I think in Carver's eyes, Anders might be irritating but he doesn't more good than harm. Carver knows first hand how shitty refugees and poorer people are treated in Kirkwall. Anders' clinic is the one place they can go for help and actually get it, and he's not going to be the one to take that away because the templars say "magic bad."

So yeah, I'm not as informed about the Templar Carver route, but I do think about how if I did do that route, he wouldn't betray Hawke or their companions no matter what and what that says about him.

[trensu]

do you think you'll put "Stasis in darkness" on AO3 eventually?

see, when the idea first came to me, I hadn't really planned on doing anything with it because I wasn't sure if I could make it work. there's a level of gravitas in the relationship between a god and their devoted servant that I didn't think would translate well to steddie because, let's be real, those boys are goofy dorks. but the idea wouldn't leave me alone so I typed up the original post in an attempt to work it out of my system and move on.

(the post kind of blew up, which I was not expecting at all!! like, not even a little bit! i post all sorts of rough little ideas for my own amusement and I've been able to do that without drawing much attention until that point.)

Anyway, I wouldn't have done much with it but @acowardinmordor left some comments/tags/what have you that helped me nail down the setting in my head which really opened the door for me to explore how the story could progress. (apologies, strife, I'm not sure I ever properly thanked you for that burst of inspiration, so please accept this shoutout as an expression of gratitude). And the amazing @ent-is-indecisive allowed me to rant about it which really helped flesh out the story. Seriously, there are elements and lore coming up that would not have existed if it weren't for ent. (and thank you once again ent for the ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL fanart you made for the reveal scene, I'm still overcome with joy whenever I think about it!).

Once it got to that point, I knew I wanted it to be a self-contained story and I was afraid that if I did a multi-chapter fic I'd lose the thread and never make it to the ending I want the fic to have. (no, the end scene hasn't been written yet but I KNOW what it's going to be and I hope everyone will love it as much as i do). So I promised myself that I was not going to post it on ao3 until the whole thing was written out completely.

However, I occasionally need a confidence/motivation boost so I've been posting consecutive parts of the rough draft here. you have no idea how much the people who reblogged with tags or left comments have helped me fight off the discouragement my brain likes to bog me down with; off the top of my head, @godsweakestboy , @redfreckledwolf, @fuctacles , @spectrum-spectre , and @lawrencebshoggoth have given me lovely, enthusiastic words of encouragement. and they're only the ones I can think of at this moment. there's so many other people who've done this, so if you've ever left me nice tags or comments, please know that I've read every single one of them repeatedly whenever I need to get over a slump. I'm so grateful for all of you!

Anyway, all this is to say yes! It is going to be posted as a oneshot on ao3 once I've finished writing it. <3

[nabaath-areng]

As children, twin brothers Jinn and Tchigri would always run away from home to embark on their so called 'expeditions' to ancient Turali ruins. Now in their adult years, they travel together as experienced archeologists, seeking to continue their mission over at distant shores. Years spent on the field using pickaxes and sledgehammers have served to help them develop new and refined techniques with their chosen tools, setting them apart from traditional miners who primarily hunt for ore. Whether it be ancient artifacts or hidden fossils, any remnants of the past are unearthed with utmost care and precision. It is not profit that drives the twins. Indeed, they merely possess an insatiable curiousity for all which came before them. To them, there's just something so very special about those who walked before not being all that different to those who now walk after. Every ruin tells them that same story; that people have always laughed, wept and bonded over the same things, then as they do now. Jinn and Tchigri hopes to compile all their findings into literature one day. Not for the sake of established scholars, but rather to introduce everyday people to the wonder of history and archeology, and thereby encouraging them to be curious about the world around them... and the stories that lie in wait, if you just know what to look for.

First attempt at writing for the so called 'background characters' (ie characters that aren't necessarily created to be fully fledged or detailed, but rather are just made for fun for me to play around with different designs and lore ideas without feeling like I have to commit wholly). I actually made their designs and gave them their names back in 2021 (and even drew them), but I just couldn't decide what their homeland should be and so they've kinda circled around aimlessly in my brain ever since then. Only now did it finally click when I realized how fitting Tural would be! Really helped them 'make sense' for me, which meant screenshot time!

[shepards-folly]

It wasn’t even really your fault. I don’t know why I can’t let go of it.

You’re allowed to be mad at me! You know that right?

You’re allowed to be hurt, Fin…

[bloodandrunes]

Could you do the Ro's reaction to the mc dying to protect them? I'm feeling a bit angsty today.

Sorry this took so long, anon. Answer beneath the cut.

When you die, so do the last vestiges of Aariz’s humanity. He cradles your body as he desperately puts pressure on your wound. The wound that would have been his, had you not dove in front of him. That should have been his.

“Hang on,” he says, panic clawing at his throat, “Tamys will be here soon. You’ll be fine.” Your breathing is shallow and your chest rises weakly, and anger and terror and disbelief fill him. “Stay with me,” he repeats, snarling, pleading.

Your grip on his hand slackens. He blinks, nudges you, presses his face into your neck, feeling almost like a child again. Memories of that day flash across his mind and he sobs. When your body goes cold, he throws his head back and legs out a blood-curdling howl, too savage and broken to be human.

Dalia is consumed by helplessness as she tries to stop the bleeding. You smile at her through bloodied teeth, eyelids fluttering, and she grits her teeth and tries to reassure you.

"You're going to be fine," she says, smoothing down your hair. "Help will come soon." Even as she makes that promise, she knows it is a lie. A bitter self-loathing scorches through her as your breath rattles in your chest. It should have been her, she thinks feverishly, she can't lose anyone else. If the gods were good, if they had any mercy, you would not have thrown yourself in front of that blade for her.

Suddenly, she notices that your smile as dropped. You aren't breathing. "No." The words come out as a gasp, a prayer. "No, please."

The gods do not hear her pleas. You still in her arms. And as Dalia feels the warmth leave your body, she shatters into a thousand tiny pieces.

Shock numbs Adys' reaction. He doesn't understand, at first, why there is red spreading throughout your chest, why you are gurgling on what looks like your own blood, or why there is a dead man standing a distance away.

Then you begin to fall, and he's going to be sick.

He tries to catch you, but with his bad leg, it's a lost cause. The two of you go tumbling to the floor. You let out a choked, pained noise, and he cups your face in his hands. The bile rises in his throat, and he barely manages to turn his head away from you before he vomits. He hasn't fought in a long time, but he knows what a wound like yours means. You won't be surviving this.

He wants to scream, wants to bare his teeth and burn this damnable world down around him, but instead he presses a kiss to your forehead and tries to sooth you. "There, there," he murmurs, blinking away his tears with a shaky smile, "be still, love. It's alright."

He holds you until the end, and when you're gone, he finally lets the tears fall.

Ralys is in a place somewhere beyond rage. Her assailant has been apprehended, but she couldn't give half a damn about that. Instead, her attention fixed on you. You, with you body weak from blood loss, your grip on her hand weak. Her father's best physicians work to help you, their faces pinched.

"There isn't much we can do for them, Your Highness," one of them says.

The cold look Ralys sends him cuts him to the bone. "You will save them," she replies too-calmly, gripping your hand tighter, "or I will have your head."

He pales and hastens to do as he's told. Ralys presses her lips to the back of your knuckles. "All will be well," she promises, meaning it. "You will not die here."

Your smile tells her that you do not believe her, and she grits her teeth and repeats her words. Distantly, she thinks that she will kill your murderer for this. No, not just that. She will make him beg for death.

The palace is haunted by the blood curdling screams he lets out after you die.

Idar's knuckles are stained with blood and mangled flesh. He slams his fist into his assassin's face again and again, his vision bleeding red. The man is long dead. His face caved in on itself within minutes. Still, Idar keeps on, something primal and vicious and all-consuming burning through him. Desperation, too. If he keeps punching, he doesn't have to turn his attention away from getting you justice. Doesn't have to see your twisted, lifeless body on the floor--

In the background, he can hear someone calling to him. "Idar," Fal is screaming, "Idar, that's enough!"

Hands grip at his shoulders and yank him off. He howls, claws at the person who's dare to touch him, and meets Fal's concerned eyes. "Idar," his best friend says, eyes soft and pitying, "the man is dead. This won't bring back your lover."

Idar swallows hard. Looks down at his hands and his shirt and the man who dared you to take you from him. His eyes slide to your corpse.

Then the dam breaks and he's falling into Fal's waiting arms.

Zara's vision is blurry with tears. She curls into your arms, burying her face in the crook of your neck. Your skin is cold to the touch, the floor around the two of you sticky with blood. If she were to look into your eyes, she would be met with blank emptiness.

She knows this, and yet she cannot bear to leave you.

She needs to eat something, to drink, or at least call for help, and yet she cannot bring herself to get up. "I will soon," she promises herself. The lie leaves a bitter taste on her tongue. She burrows further into your hold.

She is tired. So tired. Her eyelids begin to droop. Maybe, she thinks, when she opens her eyes, this will all be some horrible dream. She will wake, and you will be lying beside her, mouth curved into a smile, skin warm, and eyes bright with life.

Yes, she thinks, that's it. This is just a terrible nightmare.

They find her like that, intertwined with your corpse.

Against her better judgement, Arassa almost hates you for your sacrifice. "Why would you do that?" she demands, voice straining against the lump in her throat.

You wheeze against her as she leads you to the bed, struggling to support your wait. "Had... to... save you," you gasp, and part of her wants to slap you.

How dare you die on her. How dare you bring light to her life, only to leave her to live with the guilt that you died for her. Do you not understand that she will live with this guilt, this grief, for the rest of her life? It will seep into her skin and burrow into her bones until mourning you is the only thing she knows how to feel. Until it consumes her and there is nothing left.

"That isn't fair," she chokes out, pressing her forehead to yours. A sob tears from her throat and she hugs you tightly. "I never wanted you to die for me. I would never have asked you to."

She waits for your response for one second. Then two. Then three.

When no reply comes, she slowly raises her head, only to meet lifeless eyes.

And then she screams and dies with you, if not in body then in soul.

[siempre-bucky]

"they won't find out." "they find out everything."

Jake and Bradley, winners of their respective Hunger Games, forged a love after their games. And after the revolution, they learn to heal and love in a world that won't exploit them.

- The Hunger Games hangster au @mothdruid and I will never write

[saiyanandproud]

“Hey, Mari—“ Gamma 2 fumbled to correct himself before he let that diminutive slip out; he was already anticipating a cold reception, better not push his luck any further. “—ko.”

“Your new pal, that ‘Atlas’ guy… “ This conversation was already proving even harder than he’d been imagining. All he could think of doing was just blurting it out, but that probably wasn’t going to work. He stood there, hands on his hips, trying and failing to look calm.

That lasted for about a second before he was throwing his hands everywhere, emphatically gesturing.

“He’s OBVIOUSLY a supervillain! He’s got it written all over him- the way he looks, the way he talks, and I’m pretty sure Gamma 1 told me about an old robot just like him that used to go around blowing up power plants like— how long ago did he say he was made?? He could be the same exact guy!!”

He was right expecting a cold welcome; Mari-ko's eyebrows furrowed as soon as Jiro -- no, Gamma 2 approached her. She folded her arms and stared at him, a cold, mute invitation to speak, and maybe she'd listen.

And listening she did and -- oh boy -- before she could even understand what he was speaking about, Gamma 2 began flailing, yelling, gesticulating incoherently while talking about... Nonsense. At least, that was what it sounded like to Mariko's ears. Utter, complete, idiotic nonsense.

She inhaled sharply, arms tightening against her chest as she waiting for Gamma 2 to be done speaking. When he was, her tone was stern and cold. Eerily similar to Hit's tone when he was tired of her tantrums.

"You know, of all the things you might have hidden from me, I never thought shallowness would be one of those. Clearly, I was wrong."

She unfolded her arms and they fell stiff by her side. She lifted her chin, frown deepening.

"I can't believe you're saying all of these horrible things about Atlas just because of what he looks like. I thought you were better than this. But maybe, I was expecting too much from you once again."

There, a sour smile curved her lips ever so slightly. A quick snort, a mock of a laugh, escaped her nose.

"Or maybe-- You know what? I think you're jealous," she said. "What, you were hoping to be my favourite android around? You're missing me gushing about you, being all head-over-heels about whatever you claimed to be and do? You're missing the attention?" And there, her smile stiffened in a bitter grimace.

"Well, let me tell you something: I'm tired of people realising the miss me once it's too late," she said. "You, Takuma, my parents-- Everyone does this to me, all the time! And this is exactly why I like hanging out with Atlas: he knows very well how it feels, being given for granted."

"In fact, I'll tell you more-- he also knows how it feels being constantly told what to do, and how irritating, unfair, enraging it gets!" She went on, voice raising as she clasped her hands in tight fists. "Because that's what I am to you all, am I right? Someone -- no, something that people expect to stay put, to never do anything, to always act according to their expectations and never take any initiative on her own, because god-- what a nuisance would I be if I ever wished to do something with my damn life while I'm stuck here with you all!"

"Atlas is the only one who hasn't treated me like an issue, a ticking bomb, or an idiot who can't take care of herself. And I don't care if your damn hero complex needs to convince me of his bad intentions just so you can feel useful around me once again, so I can make you feel amazing and heroic once more. This is just your problem! Not mine!" She concluded, her breath short. "... Not anymore at least."

And with that, she diverted her eyes from Gamma 2 and walked away, fists still clenched and a thick knot in her throat. She thought she'd feel better after venting out all of that on him. Oddly, whatever had weighted on her chest so far, it only felt as if it had just double in its size.

[grinchwrapsupreme]

I am once again thinking about this scene

[another-punk-trans-woman]

This nightmare is never gonna end

It's not an admission of defeat

It's not a plea for help

It's not even a complaint.

It's a promise.

This nightmare will not end.

-P

[goldkirk]

Yikes

I'm going through old files trying to consolidate things and guess what I've started finding? Old work from high school religous-culture-wars training.

Examples:

tw for homophobia and mentions of abortion and religion

Prompt: Think forward to your life as a college student. Imagine an encounter with Americanism on campus. Describe it and how you can deal with it. This is one of the things I struggle most to recognize. I’ve grown up, very luckily, in a family where loyalty to the Church teachings has always been held above loyalty to worldly authority (etc.—morality above government, y’know?). So in regards to the major moral issues like abortion and homosexual acts, I don’t have trouble recognizing the Americanism when people say religion has no right to interfere with law/society at large/the government, etc. But a lot of times it’s not that blatant, and since I’ve been bombarded with ���SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE!” since I was little, it’s often really difficult for me to notice. I’ll work on that in college, for sure. It’ll be a good habit in general to look at everything I hear more critically, too, not just for Americanism.

Yikes.

[cups hands around mouth] THEY WERE LYING TO YOU!!!! THE COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED WITH SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE ON PURPOSE, IT'S A FEATURE NOT A BUG

tw for racist statements, victim blaming, discussion of communism, and BLM bashing

PROMPT: Describe a time you have personally observed Marxism in action. It’s everywhere, isn’t it? It’s pervasive in all western society now, as hard as our cultures fought in the last century to eradicate it. It just shifted, slinked off to the shadows to find new and more insidious ways of invading. It crept into discussions, education, homes. Any group of people that felt angry, unfairly treated, still angry over past wrongs…it wormed its way in and planted seeds in those hearts until now it’s everywhere. Even without realizing it, we, as a culture, employ the same philosophy that we claim to hate. We accept it now. Many even cling to it. It’s in the Occupy Movements, the Mike Brown (and assorted others) protests, the demand for more government encroachment, the societal entitlement, the political games, the first grade classrooms. It’s everywhere. PROMPT: Think forward to your life as a college student. Imagine an encounter with Marxism on campus. Describe it and how you would deal with it. Maybe it will be a student or professor spewing the ideology (though I doubt it in my case, I won’t be taking many—if any—classes where it would come up as a topic), or—more likely—it’ll be a pervasive undercurrent in a lot of peoples’ reasonings, opinions, and beliefs. I’ll have to always be looking out for it (just like the other “isms”, especially Americanism) and recognize when it’s rearing its head. Honestly, the best rebuttal to Marxism is usually just plain old common sense, and if you actually start thinking about it hard, it’s not difficult to get back to a healthier perspecive on the issues.

YIKES. Yikes on trikes.

Ah yes, modernism, the greatest of heresies:

tw for homophobia and moral judgements

PROMPT: Describe a time you have personally observed Modernism in action. Every :) single :) debate :) involving Church teaching :) and gay marriage :) ever :) Also divorce :) and sex outside of marriage :) and basically :) EVERY :) SINGLE :) MORAL/THEOLOGICAL TOPIC :) THAT CAN POSSIBLY :) BE :) DEBATED :)

YIKES :) YIKES :) YIKES :)

[cookies-over-yonder]

dudeeee thats so fucking sick omg i love that so much!!!!! youre so smart thats so good!!!

thank you!!!! :D!!!! i'm excited about this fic i really like it so far it's hella cute and super angsty haeoaheoaheiar snippet:

[loudmole]

Yes, I am finally able to write my lovely body horror again 🙏

[boras-unhingedwriting]

((Online!! I'm looking at playlists of characters and am considering a writing/art challenge for March -- idk i'm in the mood to write and draw but idk where to go from here lmao))

[linddzz]

If you gave me just the pitch of an adult cartoon reboot of the Scooby gang, with Velma as the main protagonist, with hints of Velma/Daphne, with those character designs standing in a line I would be SO hype. On paper that is my entire shit. And yet. And YET...

[lorelune]

debating on whether to open commissions or work OT this week bc oof :((