#OTP: Brambles and Roses

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7, 16, 23, 28 for Atreyan.

Thank you!! :D

7. Any family scandals? Does your character know about them?

Not going to lie, I’m not super familiar with the Cousland family canon? Aside from Bryce and Eleanor meeting during the war and Eleanor being a pirate, anyway! That might count when it’s time for the nobles to gather, even if the character creation menu claims that genders are equal in Ferelden. 🙄

Vanyla’s fate during the Blight could possibly count, though. In the universe where Trey was the Warden, Vanyla fled the castle through a different exit when she was unable to find her family, using her rogue training to survive. The twins met again in Denerim after Howe’s death, where he discovered that she had been training and saving up coin from odd jobs find Howe and kill him. Vanyla had gotten something of a reputation as a bow-wielding scoundrel who shows up to protect the needy during the year she spent on the lam; it’s a far cry from the spoiled brat only concerned with dresses and bossing people around that she used to be, and once everything is settled, her “brash and wild nature” is a a hot point of gossip for the nobility. That and her difficulty acclimatizing back into “normal” society.

16. What is the most romantic thing someone has done for them?

When he was involved with Nathaniel when they were teenagers, there was a night when Nate snuck into Trey’s room for the sole purpose of whisking him away on a midnight adventure in Highever, just like Trey’s favorite poets wrote about. If Bryce and Eleanor ever found out, they never commented on it.

With Anora, their second anniversary together surpassed that fond teenage memory. They both admitted to loving each other, but both preferred to express it in subtler ways. So it was a very pleasant surprise to find that she had prepared a spot of the castle gardens purely for them to have wine and dinner together that night, and even tried her hand at writing him a poem. It wasn’t a great one, but it’s still his most beloved one.

23. What do they want most in life?

Trey’s never been entirely sure of what he wants in life, even before the attack on the Couslands - I’m honestly pretty sure that prior to the attack, he’d have preferred to let Fergus and Vanyla bicker over who gets to rule Highever while he’s off living the life of a Lord Byron protagonist. Classy.

After the Blight’s over, though, what he wants is really just to find himself and feel okay again. Throwing himself into his new duties as the Prince-Consort helped to distract him, but it wasn’t enough to help with the depression and trauma. Only time and support from his loved ones were able to do that.

28. When left to their own devices, how would they spend a free day?

Not a single noble in sight that isn’t Anora, Vanyla, or Fergus, for one. (Or his daughter Virella, when she’s born later.) He’s taking a long, hot bath, and then he’s spending the rest of the day in either the libraries or out on the hillside with a book. There’s no political crisis, his work is all caught up, and nobody is trying to kill him. It’s very relaxing. 

[vanwssa]

TAG GAME.

Rules: tag nine (9) people you want to get to know better.

Three ships: I may have some (few) more I can’t come up with at the moment but Ethan and Vanessa from Penny Dreadful are, always and forever, my one(s) and only.

Last song: I can’t recall! Love in the Morning by Ennio Morricone, maybe?

Last movie: Stand By Me, dir. Rob Reiner (1986).

Currently reading: Everything and nothing. I should go on with Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse and On Chesil Beach (re-reading for the upcoming thesis) but it’s been quite difficult to focus on reading lately; also I’d like to start with The Bell Jar. And as early autumn has begun to kick in I’ve been feeling like re-reading Wuthering Heights. As you may already have guessed, I’m a lost cause.

Currently craving: Nothing in particular. Relaxation and quietness, as always.

I was tagged by darling @lorelai-x-gilmore. Thank you! I loved it - plus, it’s always so very nice to know there’s still someone out there including Ethanessa (or Vanethan) in their OTPs. I’m tagging @classicrebel, @brambled-rose, @bertiebott, @miseryblossom and @sadgaysupreme. Enjoy!

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❣️ 💘 💌 for Atreyan/Anora.

thank you!!

❣️ When did your OC first realise they were in love? How did they react to the realisation?

Trey’s a romantic who was attracted to Anora from the get-go, but didn’t realize that he truly loved her until about a year into their marriage. It was a very ordinary moment, too; they were simply working on their paperwork together, and Trey saw how Anora’s eyes were squinting in the fading candlelight to read the words on the page. When he offered to finish her work for her so she could get some rest, she simply shook her head and thanked him, but declined. A very subtle moment, but the one where he realized he had fallen in love with his queen.

💘 What do they love most about their partner(s)? What do their partner(s) love most about them?

For Trey, it’s how much Anora throws herself into everything she does. She’s noble, yes, and she carries herself as such, but there’s never any denying that whenever she does something, she doesn’t do it half-heartedly. He admires that trait and tries to emulate it as much as he can in their reign together, and even (affectionately) feels that it’s hard to keep up with her.

For Anora, I think it would be Trey’s intelligence. He’s an intimidating looking warrior whose appearance was altered by the ordeals at the Circle Tower, so people often expect him to be a brute - he’s definitely anything but. He studies as much as he can to be a good ruler for Ferelden, and often offers insight and a soothing word to situations that perhaps Anora may not have done on her own. And after Cailan, somebody who matches her in wit and knowledge is a refreshing change of pace.

💌 Write a love letter from your OC to their partner(s). BONUS: write a reply!

My queen,

I’m sure you’ll not be surprised to hear that the darkspawn remain as pleasant as ever. The situation in Amaranthine has certainly improved since the days of the Architect, and they are no longer the horde that threatened to swallow our world whole… but knowing that isn’t quite enough to make the smell of them anymore pleasant.

I eagerly await the day that I return to Denerim and your side, my heart. We all have our duty, and I wouldn’t dare shirk mine merely to make my return home swifter - yet the thought of you makes that a tempting idea indeed.

But you would surely frown upon such things, and the thought is less tempting than before!

How fares life at court? If you require anything of me, you have but to ask. Even if it’s just to complain about the comments that our friend in Redcliffe is prone to making. (Actually, especially if it’s about that.)

Yours as always,Prince-Consort of Ferelden, Atreyan Cousland

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Atreyan and Anora’s marriage starts out political, mixed with mutual attraction because they’re both hot. They see the other as someone who could help them rebuild the country and help fix what’s been broken during the Blight.

But I like to imagine that down the line, Ferelden’s Queen and King-Consort end up being disgustingly sweet and domestic together in their marriage. Come Awakening, Trey’s already very devoted to her and fixes withering, yellow-eyed glares to anyone who dares speak ill of the queen.

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also while I’m talking about Trey/Anora, I’m just. I love what they look like together?

Because Trey is a tall guy (6′0″, I think), and after that incident in the Circle Tower, has permanently white hair and yellow eyes. His specialty is Reaver abilities, and anyone familiar with the class knows that their skills aren’t exactly nice. His resting face usually looks pretty scowly and generally intimidating.

With him, you got the pretty Queen of Ferelden. Not very physically intimidating, and traditionally feminine with braided blonde hair and big blue eyes. She looks every bit the polite and affable lady.

And whenever they’re together, it’s clear that the scary Prince-Consort of Ferelden is just so very smitten with his wife, and can’t help but smirk whenever she shows everyone just who’s in charge of Ferelden. “That’s my wife!” and all that.

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Trey was, once upon a time, a daydreaming romantic son of Teyrn Cousland who enjoyed reading and writing poetry. He had an idealized view of life and the world, and was quite naive to just how harsh things could be, especially for elves and the poor. The attack changed everything for him, and Atreyan is a lot more brooding, quiet, and bitter at the state of things.

His marriage to Anora starts as a desire to help reform his country and to build a life again, but he was attracted to her from the minute he saw her at Howe's estate. It didn't take long for him to fall in love with her, and to slowly start to believe in happy endings again.

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*“Start of Something New” plays in distance*

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aaaaaaah I’m so Ready(TM) to get the Atreyan/Anora ship a-rollin’