#alistair last legacy

[vigilskeep]

grey wardens being unnaturally synchronised in combat is soooo good

[athena-xox]

Here is my tentative timeline with all the webisodes in chronological order.

Within series canon at least I think it’s right, I’m going to have to watch it in order to make sure there’s nothing out of place.

The next step is adding the books + diaries which I think will mean shuffling around the order.

You might be thinking that that won’t work because the books conflict and are a different timeline. But there’s a perfectly good explanation for that … I just haven’t thought of it yet.

If anyone’s planning on doing a rewatch perchance use this playlist that I made. If you notice anything wrong please lmk. For the specials I just put one trailer and that means to switch to Netflix or if you don’t have Netflix to use this link.

Anyways without further ado hers my timeline + justification

First week:

A take of two tales

Maddie in chief

Apples princess practice

Here comes Cupid

Catching Raven

This is all the first week of school. The reason I put apples princess practice at the start is because it should take place before here comes Cupid, because Hunter has a bit of a crush on Apple. And then Maddie in chief should go before then bc in apples princess practice, Apple acts as if she is study body president. And catching raven just makes sense at the start of the year.

Stark mad raven

true reflections

briars study party

the shoe must go on

The cat who cried wolf

cedar wood would love to lie

I put stark mad raven and true reflections a bit later because Apple says last week in stark mad raven and tbh true reflections makes sense to be a little bit later so I decided to keep them together. Briars study party I also put a bit later, we know it’s at the start of the school year because blondie says but I think that it makes sense in the second week. The others are just in release order

Legacy day

The day after ever after

Replacing raven

Blondies just right

Rebels got talent

Mirrornet down

Class confusion

From legacy day - blondies just right, it’s release order and makes sense to be the direct aftermath of legacy day. Rebels got talent imo has to take place earlier on in the year, I’ll explain why later. Class confusion would be around mid November for a start of new term.

True hearts day

Cupid comes clean … kinda

The beautiful truth

Once upon a table

Poppy the roybel

O’hairs split ends

Kittys curious tale

Lizzie hearts fairytale first date

Lizzie shuffles the deck

Duchess’s swan lake

Cerise’s picnic panic

This is mostly just release order. Kittys curious tale has to take place after poppy the roybel since poppy is referenced to. And kittys curious tale has to be before Lizzie shuffles the deck because kitty is playing on the Royal croquet team. I assume because she pranked Lizzie, Lizzie kicked her out onto the rebel team.

Thronecoming

And the thronecoming queen is…

Best feather forwards

Ginger in the BREADhouse

Just release order, and it makes sense

Spring unsprung

Ashlynn’s fairytale frolic

Save me darling

The forest festival

Apples birthday bake off

Save me darling canonically takes place in April and it should be before wtw. Apples birthday webisode is moved to her because it should take place in may

Way to wonderland

A big bad secret

Rosabella and the BEASTS

In my mind apples birthday is Saturday/Sunday and wtw is the Monday after. A big bad secret is moved so that it happens before Ramona’s first appearance. And Rosabella’s episode canonically takes place in may

Dragon games

Moonlight mystery

Wish list

A tale of two parties

Piping hot beats

There’s no business like snow business

Epic winter

Release order and there’s no business like snow business moved to be before epic winter

The legacy orchard

Canonically takes place in September and the start of a new school year. We know this is the next school year because bunny and Alistair are there

What’s in the cards for courtly jester?

It comes out with all the chapter 3 webisodes in which a majority of them take place in the following school year. I think it makes sense that she’s allowed to go to school at the start of the next year and the webisode takes place during courtly second/third week

Sugar coated

Because the yearbook plot from legacy day orchard is mentioned we know it takes place after. And the canon month is October

Meeshell comes out her her shell

The talent show is mentioned and we know it’s a year after rebels got talent because it’s the same talent show except in rebels got talent Maddie is MC and in Meeshell comes out of her shell, Maddie has an act.

Croquet-tastrophe

Canonically takes place in November. Is 100% this school year because of the yearbook plot

Fairest on ice

Yearbook plot we know it takes place in this year. Canonically January

Heart struck

Takes place in February and the first day of spring … yeah I’m not sure why spring starts in February

Bunny and Alistair forever

Takes place in March. Because apparently spring starts in February spring unsprung could have taken place in February and this webisode taking place shortly after. Imo it’s makes more sense to take place the following year.

Beanstalk bravado

Because Meeshell is seen in it, I think it makes sense for it to take place the following year. I think around April/may makes sense, just because there aren’t really any other webisodes from March - June

Tri-castle-on

Canonically takes place in June, the end of the school year. And again… the yearbook plot.

If you notice anything wrong please lmk. Keep in mind this is a first draft.

If you use my playlist and want to keep an eye out for mistakes: if you see Hunter and Ashlynn together publicly it means it’s after true hearts day, if you see poppy in the school it means it’s after poppy the roybel, if you see bunny or Alistair it means it’s after spring unsprung, if you see Ramona … well thar could mean a lot of things, if you see Meeshell that means it’s either right before Meeshell comes out her shell or right after.

So if anything’s out of place feel free to dm or reblog/reply to this post. Also if there’s anything else that confirms or denies the timeline that I missed.

Edit: also if you see Meeshell in a webisode besides hers or beanstalk bravado please lmk. Or Ramona somewhere other than big bad dexter, moonlight mystery, dragon games or epic winter 🙏

(Ps also thank you to @roybelmirrorcast for their timeline on TikTok that really helped me place the larger specials/webisodes)

Now I’m going to work on adding the books 😭😭

[lauri-rosehearts]

Its been a while since I’ve actually sat down to discuss EAH lore or anything EAH related in general. I got a good amount of promps but right now I wanted to focus on one that was submitted to me by @birdbombs714 regarding my thoughts on Alistair and Lizzie’s relationship

Thank you so much for this idea! And happy birthday! (Edit: Where I live it’s already almost 1am so in my time zone, it’s technically the day after as I’m posting this so I’m a bit late. I’m so Sorry. I meant to post this sooner 😭) Thought I’d dedicate this one to you as a little gift if you will! Hope you enjoy :)

Something I find really interesting regarding Alistair and Lizzie in general is the fact that they’re one of very few “future villain and hero” duos that dont seem to have any sort of tense relationship. On the contrary, all the wonderlandians seem to have been good friends from a very young age. But as the characters destined to be the next Alice and the next Queen of Hearts, its very refreshing seeing these two just being friends with no real hard feelings towards each other. Like it honestly makes me wonder what kind of relationship their moms had.

You know I love going into the parents lore when it can provide an expansion on the children’s lore so lets talk about Alice and the Queen of Hearts real quick, both in the context of EAH and in the Alice in wonderland story. In the context of EAH, I don’t think they were ever super close friends like Alistair and Lizzie, but I do think they had a good deal of respect for each other even before committing to their stories. There never seems to be any implication that Lizzie’s mom hated Alistairs mom, which I actually find quite fitting given their characterization in the original story. What’s interesting about their dynamic in the original Alice in wonderland story is the fact that their dynamic isn’t really influenced by something personal like a good amount of fairytale hero and villain duos (for example: Snow White and the Evil Queen). Instead, it’s influenced by the fact that Alice finds herself in a place where all rules and logic work differently, hence why she runs into so many weird and frustrating misunderstandings with the characters. The Queen of Hearts is a temperamental tyrant whose bad side is very easy to get on given the amount of people she executes for petty reasons. Alice just so happens to especially gets on her bad side for the simple reason that Alice doesn’t know how to navigate the logic of the world shes in, and as a result she accidentally does and says things that go against the logic and customs of wonderland and as a result, especially piss off the Queen.

With that said, lets talk about how this translates over to Lizzie and Alistair. I’ve talked about this in the past, but I wholeheartedly subscribe to the theory that the reason Alistair’s last name is “Wonderland” instead of “Liddel” like Alice in the original story, is because during the Evil Queen’s takeover, Alice probably either disappeared or died (this is also potentially supported by the fact that we see all of the wonderlandians’ parents at some point with the exception of Alice), and so, Alistair was sort of co-parented and raised by all the other wonderlandians parents in Wonderland. And so, they renamed him from “Alistair Liddel” to “Alistair Wonderland” as a sort of tribute to both his mother and the world. We know Alistair canonically grew up in Wonderland unlike his mother, so he’s used to the logic and customs of the place despite the narrative of his story’s legacy saying otherwise. He quite literally grew up around Lizzie and the others and I actually attribute this to Lizzies relationship to her destiny. We know from her bio information that while she wants to follow her destiny, Lizzie wants to be a less villainous, kinder Queen of Hearts than her mom, and even then it’s implied her mom wasn’t actually that bad and became a lot more temperamental as a result of the wonderland curse (hence why I also think in the context of EAH, Alice and the Queen of Hearts didn’t dislike each other that much. ). Because Alistair and her were raised right alongside the other wonderlandians, Lizzie has no reason to dislike Alistair the way the Queen of Hearts does to Alice in the original story. On the contrary, she considers him one of her closest friends. Obviously, she probably has other reasons, but her friendship with Alistair is probably one reason she wants to be more lenient in her future reign.

That analysis aside, I definitely think they’re just friends, nothing romantic. I know some people ship them but I personally prefer Lizzie with Maddie and Kitty over anything. Also this is a 100% on the writers but when compared to Lizzie, Kitty, and Maddie, Alistair and especially Bunny’s characterization suffers pretty greatly, I feel. Mainly because most of their individual screentime is dedicated to their romantic feelings for each other, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but the way their relationship is portrayed frustrates me so much so I don’t really pay much attention to it. As a result though, it makes shipping Alistair with anyone else in his friend group also really hard, because when compared to someone like Lizzie who has a lot of development, he doesn’t feel as fleshed out, yknow. This isn’t Alistair slander, its just my personal view. When thinking of the 5 wonderlandians as a group, I think of them as a sort of found family more than anything. And as far as romantic shipping goes, I mainly focus on Lizzie, Kitty, and Maddie as a sort of poly relationship. But anything is valid as long as its not illegal, obviously.

I apologize if this feels really unorganized and convoluted but I had a lot of thoughts and I was trying my best to fit them in this post in a way that felt correlated 😭. But anyway, I don’t talk about Lizzie that often even though shes my favorite wonderland and overall right up there in my top 5 favorite characters in Ever After High so this enabled me to talk about her a pretty good bunch ❤️

[inquisimer]

mer's arlathan eXchange works

Creators for the 2024 @arlathanxchange have been revealed and I'm excited to share the pieces I wrote! I was absolutely inspired by the wealth of amazing prompts and had a lot of fun creating all of these.

Check out the entire collection here for more amazing works! Thank you to everyone who created lovely gifts for me💜

a sky full of stars - gift for @about2dance | Rated G, Alistair/Female Surana, 2512 words

what has been forgotten - treat for @kiastirling-fanfic | Rated G, Avexis & Cassandra Pentaghast, 2523 words

show me your thorns - treat for @amarmeme & @kiastirling-fanfic | Rated T, Alistair/Avexis, 2059 words

what time does with us - treat for @kiastirling-fanfic | Rated T, Fiona & Female Surana, 1672 words

gatekeeper of an endless war - treat for the collection | Rated T, Garahel (Solo), 1145 words

I still use velvet gloves - treat for the collection | Rated T, Alistair & Female Surana, 3324 words

summaries and more below the cut!⬇️

a sky full of stars - gift for @about2dance

Rated G | Alistair/Female Surana | 2512 words | No Archive Warnings Summary: On their way to Haven, Alistair and An'da share a moment under the stars. An'da is about2dance's OC and she has SO many layers!! It was an absolute joy to dig into her lore and craft this bit of fluff for her and Alistair. Dorks in Love, my beloved😌

what has been forgotten - treat for @kiastirling-fanfic

Rated G | Avexis & Cassandra Pentaghast | 2523 words | No Archive Warnings Summary: Cassandra seeks an alternative means for the Inquisition to fight the red lyrium dragon. Kia rolled in with SO MANY good Avexis prompts and this one snatched me up right away, I just had to write the Dawn of the Seeker reunion that we never got.

show me your thorns - treat for @amarmeme & @kiastirling-fanfic

Rated T | Alistair/Avexis | 2059 words | No Archive Warnings Summary: Over a cup of tea, Avexis confronts Alistair about his intentions—and finds common ground she wasn't expecting. The Alistair/Avexis ship was another genius idea of Kia's and it was so fun to play in that sandbox! And to see other people there as well :3 I loved the idea of Avexis getting to have some of the first crush/love emotions she lost to Tranquility, and in the process found a link between post-Tranquility Avexis and formerly-Drunk Alistair that just clicked.

what time does with us - treat for @kiastirling-fanfic

Rated T | Fiona & Female Surana | 1672 words | No Archive Warnings Summary: At Leliana's behest, Surana makes a detour through Skyhold before heading West in her search to cure the Calling. Two elven Circle mages-turned-Wardens, one who was somehow Cured of the Blight and the other in search of a Cure? Yeah, this was just another pairing too juicy to pass up. They're so similar!! And Fiona is right there, and Leliana definitely can contact Surana, and you can see how I ended up here. I haven't thought much about Surana as a Warden, since my Surana is not, so this was a fun one to dive into!

gatekeeper of an endless war - treat for the collection

Rated T | Garahel (Solo) | 1145 words | Major Character Death Summary: The Wardens sent him and Isseya to the Anderfels. Garahel would not forget. Even though this didn't quite fit anyone's specific requests, I've been all up in my Last Flight feels since reading the novel a couple months ago and couldn't resist. Garahel, the city elf Warden hero, his legacy of lifting up and protecting the lowest in society lost to a history that didn't want to remember his ears. I broke my own heart a bit exploring how his knowledge of that legacy might have worn him down by the end ;-; (also check out the quote that I used to title this fic because DAMN if it isn't Grey Wardens to a T, especially elven and/or mage wardens)

I still use velvet gloves - treat for the collection

Rated T | Alistair & Female Surana | 3324 words | No Archive Warnings Summary: The Landsmeet wounded Alistair and Catrin Surana in ways only time can heal. This piece was inspired by some of the prompts in this year's exchange, and even though it ended up not quite fitting anyone's requests specifically, I'm still quite please with it! An exploration of the broken friendship between King Alistair & Warden Commander Surana after she spares Loghain, and how they come back together over the years. Not gonna lie, I did not have a Warden Surana OC before I dove into this fic but. uh. now I do 😂 it was a lot of fun to look at this friendship dynamic from a more turbulent angle!

DAFF Tag List: @warpedlegacy | @rakshadow | @rosella-writes | @effelants | @bluewren

@breninarthur | @ar-lath-ma-cully | @dreadfutures | @theluckywizard | @nirikeehan

@oxygenforthewicked | @exalted-dawn-drabbles | @melisusthewee | @blarrghe | @agentkatie

@delicatefade | @leggywillow | @plisuu

[charliemwrites]

I realized that I never did give Pocket's description & background. oops

He's 5'8" with short dark brown hair, light brown eyes, lopsided smile from a break that was never set right. a lean muscular build. Japanese/Korean from America.

Was a runaway from an abusive family & was homeless for most of his teens. He learned to be streetsmart, lightfingered, & morally flexible. He was caught at 17 after years of petty theft & given the choice between the military or prison.

He joined the Marines & became The Problem Child. The Marines made him deadly as he devoured everything thrown at him & he eventually joined the Raiders where he was given the name Pocket.

His performance & teamwork were exemplary & he was well-liked by his peers. However numerous incidents with his superiors had him passed around to different units. His last & final transfer came after a suspected friendly fire incident that left his CO hospitalized. (said CO had his own long list of complaints but an even longer family legacy in the military) Considering it led him to Daddy's Specgru Unit, Pocket would gladly (allegedly) shoot the bastard again.

On a lighter note, if he was on the team with the former141reader, he would've offered to poison Simon & Price. repeatedly.

Pocket: *hand slipping into one of his stashes* Poison?

Reader: no Pocket

Pocket: a little poison?

Reader: you'll get in trouble

Pocket: *sullen silence*

Reader: you'll get Daddy in trouble

Pocket: *explosive sigh* FIIIINE

Also Pocket's not super into Having the sexytimes, but he Is into watching. Much more into petting & cuddling & being squished. He probably needs a weighted blanket.

He and Nikto can snuggle up together then, while the others get up to spicy business 😏

But I just had a vivid image of Captain Daddy scooping him up and putting him into air jail for bastard behavior. He can get down when Alistair is done with whoever he’s talking to.

[sasha199]

Legacy: Part 1 - The Crown and the Archer

Alistair x Warden no smut in this one only kissing.

This is the first part of my Dragon Age Origins fic. It takes place about 4 months after the battle with the Arch Demon, both my Warden, Marissa Cousland, and Alistair survived the fight. Afterwards, he stayed in Denerim to rule as king, while Marissa returned to Highever as the Hero of Ferelden. They did not part on good terms.

“Your Majesty.”

The only outward sign of anxiety was her death grip on the quill she held, still poised in the act of a signature. Lady Marissa Cousland, the Teyrna of Highever and Hero of Ferelden was the epitome of calm. She maintained a flawlessly deferential tone, despite her surprise. And was she ever surprised. There had been no word of his travel, not a whisper of his impending arrival. It made her suspicious and nervous. It smelled like a spy.

“My lady?” Katerina, her best lady’s maid, stood before her, head bowed and cheeks pink with shame. Marissa felt the hot inevitable anger swirling in her belly, but she softened her expression when she looked at Rina. She let her lips turn upward and her tone take on a gentle edge.

“Not to worry, my darling,” Rina met her eye then, relief flooding her delicate vulpine features, “I will get to the bottom of this.”

“Of course you will, my Lady.” She gave a slight bob of a bow and, glancing at the visitor standing to her left added, “shall I send tea up for you and-“

“Coffee, please. With cream and sugar. Thank you.” Marissa put her arms on either side of her chair to lift herself up to standing position, and froze. The dress she’d selected for herself this morning was an older one, it hugged her in places that would make her situation too obvious. She casually adjusted herself in her chair, better to remain seated and hidden behind her desk, for now.

Rina gave a deep bow to their guest before she departed, closing the door quietly behind herself.

“You remembered.” His voice, the tenderness of it, she still heard it every night before she slept, it made goose pimples snake up her arms. But she retained her composure, brushed a wayward auburn curl back over her shoulder, and met his brown eyed gaze, unflinching. That gaze was hard, not harsh, but stern, commanding. It was similar to her own, though her eyes were a sparkling blue-green. She had mastered that look at the age of nine, to see it on Alistair was almost unnerving. But he was a king now, and kings were used to having their way, she must remember that.

“How could I forget? T’was you who helped me to develop a taste for it. Though I have never been able to bring myself to drink it black.” Her voice was pleasant, conversational, a bit cool. Perfect. Her belly roiled righteously. “Forgive me for not receiving you properly, your majesty, but I’m sure you are aware that the fault for my inability to do so rests entirely at your royal feet.”

“I would apologize profusely, my Lady,” There was not a hint a deference in that tone, in fact it took on a jovial lilt as he continued, “but I seem to remember you about as well as you remember me. The last thing I wanted to give you was time to prepare for my arrival.”

Marissa said nothing, his admission stung. He couldn’t know about… could he? Maker take his eyes, there must be a spy among her people.

He was studying her face, was he pleased by what he saw there? She could not tell. His eyes trailed down to the rest of her, and he stepped closer, his boots echoing on the wooden floors. “Will you not rise and greet an old friend properly, m’lady? Surely I’m to be granted this act of courtesy at least?”

Was he smiling? She was going to murder him. All that work to put him on that throne only to have to strangle him here and now. Such a waste.

“I am quite comfortable where I am, thank you.” Marissa set the quill aside and crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. It was comfortable, large and leather, worn with use. Her father’s chair. This small quiet room was where Bryce Cousland had preferred to do the drudgery required of the Teyrn of Highever. It was in the belly of the castle, without even a window to distract him. Everyone had known to not disturb him when he had been at work in here.

The coffee arrived, it was not Rina who brought it but a man named, Hylan. He had been in her family’s service since her father’s time, and had the worn warm look of hardy Ferelden folk. His hay colored hair and beard had long gone to grey, but his back was straight and he carried himself as if these walls were his own. In a way they were. There had been many new hires since Marissa’s return, but Hylan had been one of the few survivors of Arle Howe’s assault. Marissa was glad to see him, he would know to be discreet. Indeed, he did not bat an eye at seeing her seated behind her desk while the king of Ferelden stood before her like a petitioner. He brought her a coffee mug without hesitation after serving Alistair, and promptly left the room with a perfect bow, as was proper.

Alistair noticed none of this of course, so many of the quiet subtleties of noble life were lost on him, but he was not a dull man. And only a fool underestimated him. He did not seat himself after Hylan’s departure, nor did he touch the steaming mug set on the side table for him. His eyes never left Marissa.

Marissa sipped her drink demurely, and again met that gaze unwavering. He was getting impatient, she could feel it in the air, like humidity.

“Tell me,” Marissa began, if she let him lead the conversation he’d get to the point too soon, “who on my staff would dare conspire with you to hide your impending arrival?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He took another step towards her, Marissa fought the urge to hunch forward. It was a large desk, he couldn’t see anything. “I needed to move as swiftly and as quietly as possible. The entire nation will know that I’m here soon enough.” He seemed put out by that, and she sympathized a bit for him. Just a bit. He’d lost a lot of freedom as a king, the thought touched her…it had been so important to him to be able to come as go as he pleased. As a Grey Warden they’d…no she would not think about that, she would keep her mind on the matter at hand.

“Indeed,” she replied continuing to contemplate the severity of the situation. She was alone in her study with the king of Ferelden. Perhaps he had the right of it. There would be no time for games, not once word got out of his visit to Highever. Best to think of it as already known throughout the castle and country-side. Gossip always spread like wildfire, especially of a young and eligible king who was anxious to marry. Soon all of Highever would be whispering of his arrival, and Alistair knew...somehow he bloody knew about her condition. But she had to stall, had to find a way to table this conversation, at least until Tegan arrived. He would be here in another day or two…

“Marissa.” Alistair’s tone was suddenly soft, full of feeling. It caught her off guard. She opened her mouth, but he continued before she could reply. “Stand up. Please.” Oh he would not be deterred.

She said nothing for a moment or two, trying to get her heart rate under control. “Is that a command?” She finally managed through gritted teeth.

“Does it need to be?” He reached for her, as if to take her hand, but she pulled back instinctively. Pain flickered across his face. “Rise, Lady Cousland.”

When she still did not move his expression changed and he made as if to dart around the desk. “Alright!” Marissa snapped, slamming her fist in the desk in frustration. And she stood.

The dress she had chosen that morning was an older style, something her mother had designed for her surely, before Marissa had been conscripted. Snug around her breasts and belted at the waist with a long a-line skirt. A perfectly suitable dress for the Tyrna of Highever, a bit simple but then she had planned to spend her day steeped in paperwork, not receiving the king. However, as Alistair looked at her she knew it was not the dress he was observing. There was no hiding the soft swell along her lower belly, she had belted the dress higher in the waist to be more comfortable, but the skirt hugged her curves, it did not hide them.

“Happy?” She crossed her arms again and turned squarely to face him. The anger was plain on her face, no point disguising it now.

He said nothing. He was staring at her, with the most ridiculously reverent look she’d ever seen.

She sighed, almost deflating with the intensity of it. “Alistair, you must understand I didn’t-”

“No.” He interrupted her, “you don’t understand.” And then he was holding her face, his lips inches from hers. He still smelled the same. “This is everything, Marissa.”

“Everything?” She tried to step back but she was pinned between her chair and the desk. He stroked her cheek, she ignored it. “You spoke of…of your duty.”

“Yes.” His eyes were lidded, his lips parted. She could feel his warm breath on her face, he was watching her mouth as if hypnotized.

“You put that above me, above us. I-I knew you’d be a good king, that you would do what was right-“

He kissed her cheek softly.

“Y-you threw me away with both hands…Alistair.”

“I know,” he whispered and she shuddered as he took her earlobe between his lips.

“I c-can’t just forgive you for that…” she could feel heat gathering between her legs…his hands traced slow lazy circles up her back…it had been a long time…so long since…

“You don’t have to,” he murmured into her neck, leaving a trail of warm languid kisses along her jaw, “you can make me pay for the rest of my life.” His mouth found hers in a soft tentative kiss. “As my wife.”

“Wha-?!” But the word was swallowed under his coaxing lips as their mouths crashed together. The taste of him…Marissa’s mind flashed back to the very first time their lips touched. In camp, almost two years ago, he’d been so nervous, she remembered him trembling. She’d loved it. Marissa found herself melting into him, Maker how she’d missed this. She gripped his lapels and pulled him closer. He hummed with pleasure, deepening the kiss, muttering her name over and over. She could feel her heart pounding all throughout her body, it was so familiar, and yet part of her couldn’t believe it was happening.

She felt his large hands curl up into her hair, gently pulling her body closer. Her breast pressed against him and she whimpered reflexively. He pulled away slightly, nuzzling her cheek, “Did I hurt you?” His voice was low, almost a whisper and full of concern.

She smiled against his mouth, and shook her head slightly, “I-It’s nothing.” This could not get out of hand, she reminded herself. She could feel her mind searching, fighting to come up for air. She must resist, for herself and for her child.

As she began to pull away Alistair tightened his grip on her, he knew her too well. “No, not yet, please,” he moaned, kissing her so fiercely she was dipped back against the desk, “just a bit more.”

A throaty laugh bubbled up as she placed a flat palm against his chest. She gave a gentle push, and he reluctantly stepped back from her, after sneaking in one more kiss, of course.

There was a youthful look to his face now, an openness she had not expected to ever see again. She hated to crush it.

“Alistair,” she began, breathlessly, “I cannot-“

“No. No. Don’t. Do not do this, Marissa.” His tone was commanding, she arched a brow quizzically, before schooling her face to a more empathetic expression.

“I will always love you, Alistair.”

He took a deep breath. And then another. Marissa was having trouble reading him. He held her hand in both of his and brought his lips to her palm. She watched in silence, her mouth pursed. When he pulled her hand away and opened his eyes, she saw she was facing the king again.

He let her go and went to seat himself on the opposite side of the large squat desk. He took a sip from the coffee mug still sitting on the side table, and gestured for her to be seated as well. She did, smoothing her skirts. She had no idea how the rest of her looked but she assumed she appeared as ruffled as she felt.

He waited until she was settled before speaking. “What is this about, Marissa. You have something larger at play here. What happened between us...after the Landsmeet.” He winced, as if the memories were painful to recollect. “I left you in tears. You begged me to reconsider, you insisted it was not the end. I do not bring this up to hurt you...but it does not make sense. I am offering you a future with me. You would not dismiss that purely out of spite…” he paused, assessing her reaction, “would you?”

Only fools underestimated this man.

“I was broken.” Marissa’s blue-green eyes were clear, but she could weep at just the memory of it. And she had, often. “I did want you back.”

She had hoped he would never figure it out, that he would take her pain at face value and not question her motives. Alistair approached her directly after the Landsmeet and had crushed her heart in front of their entire party. He’d said that he’d needed a wife that was not tainted, someone who would live to see their children grow up. Someone who was not her. Zevran and Wynne had tried to comfort her. But she had been inconsolable. No one could help her because she had done this to herself.

“So why? Why will you not marry me now?”

Marissa hesitated. Part of her did want to tell him the truth, the whole truth, about why she had decided to make him king. She felt that the Alistair she had saved Ferelden with, who she had risked life and limb with, who she had fallen so deeply, wholeheartedly in love with, deserved that. But was this man, this king, who sat before her, him? He had kissed her in the way Alistair had.

But she didn’t know. She couldn’t risk it.

“Your majesty, I will not lie to you. I cannot say that there is not some part of me that deeply desires to be with you, always. At least for the amount of time that I have left, until the calling comes…” she did dread that, and she could not help but rest a hand on her belly protectively. Alistair’s hands clenched reflexively. “But it cannot be so. What is done cannot be undone, our paths take us towards separate destinies now and your duty to produce an heir with a woman who will live to raise them has not changed.”

“My lady,” Alistair leaned forward, his hands clasped his voice raspy, he was so terrible at holding his composure. It was adorable. “I implore you to reconsider. May we speak further? Tonight?”

Marissa allowed herself a playful smile, “Do you mean to seduce me, your majesty?”

“Yes.”

She felt her face drop. He was serious.

“I will do what I must. This is my child.”

“Excuse you, my child.”

“I will see you tonight.”

“I have made plans this evening, unfortunately.”

“Then unmake them.” Alistair stood, “You will be spending your evening with me.”

[flowersonpebbles]

Thursday Week 2: Legacies 10. Friendship

@elfroot-and-laurels

TW: angst, character death, a lot of emotions

word count: 1 925

Jowan – A scribbled note found in the Circle tower of Ferelden, where an apostate had stayed and slept – paper covered with smeared blood and tears, discovered 9:30 Dragon whilst cleaning the tower after the horrific happenings. “I am afraid for what will happen today… Dallas I know will trust me, will help me… but I feel awful for having to lie to him and Lilly. But he will forgive me if he is to ever learn the truth, maybe not immediately, but eventually… I hope… I cherish our friendship too much to not work for his forgiveness…”

Alistair – An official letter, written with careful handwriting but there are stains looking akin to tear drops here and there, discovered in Vigil’s Keep 9:38 Dragon. “Respected Hero of Ferelden, Warden-Commander, I hope this letter finds you well. I also hope you can forgive me for being such a selfish man many years ago… I let grief color my judgement. But I think I am happy, trying my best to make a difference where I can, with influence to actually achieve it sometimes. And I owe it to you. Anora and I even grew to love each other… it is very bitter sweet sometimes, albeit. But we fill in each other where one lacks skill, it is… fulfilling. I know the Inquisition is in search of you, for what I do not know but I am cautious for you, I can only hope this letter reaches you in time, or that you’re already gone from where they can find you. Kindest regards, King Alistair Theirin.”

Morrigan – A neatly written first page in an otherwise empty journal not accidentally left behind in a worn, familiar backpack, discovered after killing the archdemon, “My dear friend, as we had discussed, I am gone now. But I hope your thirst for knowledge like my own can be documented in this journal I leave for you… I cannot thank you enough for the journey and our friendship. It will all stay precious to me.”

Lamb – A worn blanket left behind in an inn’s room, smelling strongly of embriums and lotuses for the friend who stood beside him til the end and who should now protect his soulmate in his stead, 9:49 Dragon.

Leliana – A book well loved and filled to the brim with songs, poems and stories, all written with utmost care. A last page entry of it though – end of 9:31 Dragon: “We finally part ways. I am saddened to do so but he wishes to venture far and I have a new duty. Something to help the world even further. Our memories together will always be dear to my heart, I was lucky to have met such an amazing person who let me help!”

Sten – Orders written in qunlat, page neatly folded and writing perfect, signed by the Arishok found in 9:44 Dragon. “The Warden-Commander of Ferelden, infamous Hero of Ferelden, should not be harmed in any manner if he is to be found among places to be conquered. If he wishes to protect any dwellers in a location, rather fall back. Highly dangerous – do not engage. Inform me immediately if he comes into play.”

Wynne – A journal entry in well keep book, the last page having tear and blood drops upon it, but is later ripped out and sent to Vigil’s keep, the entry was on 9:39 Dragon, “I feel weary, I think my time is nearing. I think fondly of our journey together, your questions always so odd to me. But I’ve grown to question more and more things myself, all thanks to you, Dallas. I am not sure if I’ll have the pleasure to see you again but I wish you well. I hope and Zevran have found happiness by each other’s sides.”

Zevran – A letter sent in desperation, hurried writing with inked smudgings indicating tear drops, sent and received 9:49 Dragon, “Dearest Leliana, or should I address you as Divine Victoria now? My dearest, I beg with utmost urgency aid in searching for our friend, Dallas. You see, he left in the middle of the night, Lamb is still with me. But even he is struggling to find our Dallas… I was hoping maybe you could help with that… I must speak plainly. He holds my heart; my very soul and I do not wish for him to perish alone. I owe him more than that. Yours kindly, Zevran Arainai.”

Oghren – A solemn journal entry in an old journal, dated 9:35 Dragon, “Little Dallas is grown and running around, belching like his pa. He even got red hair like me and the Warden-Commander! Felsi ain’t looking too great lately, got me worried. But I myself haven’t slept great, maybe that’s why she looks so tired all the time? Damned darkspawn… never thought a dwarf could have nightmares. Yet here we are. Hoping to report back to Dallas when he gets back so I could maybe ask for some help. He’s a smart cookie, after all.”

Loghain – A letter written in haste even though the neatness is tried to be kept, sent 9:41 Dragon after the Grey Wardens were welcomed by the Inquisition, “Warden-Commander Dallas, I am unsure where to send this to. I entrust our old ally, Leliana to send it to you along with all the other letters I have been meaning to send but I did not know where to reach you. She might know where – or when she does learn where they’ll be sent. We have broken free of Corypheus for the most part. We are aiding the Inquisition in rebuilding what we can to help atone for what has transpired… I know well how trying to help in exaggeration can be too extreme… I hope only to be of a soothing hand to their shame. Yours faithfully, Loghain Mac-Tir”

Bethany – A panicked last journal entry in a beloved diary of Bethany Hawke, 9:30 Dragon, “I worry for my siblings. They left to fight against the darkspawn, to help the King in the battle… Emikka will look after Carver though. I fear still… and I have a bad feeling for what has yet to come for us all… I know Emikka will help us through it all though. Wait, is that her I’m hearing outside? Did the win already?” ink is then spilled on the rest of the blank page, also ruining other mages, obviously the book had been shut whilst ink was still wet.

Carver – A letter sent in response to his sister’s request to be sent away, 9:41 Dragon, “Emikka, I left Ferelden as you requested. I just think it unfair that you let Loghain stay back and I’m made to leave. But I have safely arrived in Antiva City… Sister, you need to see it. Its bloody gorgeous and I think I could’ve even taken Merril on a date here. Please stay safe, I’m not sure why you even trust this Inquisition. But I do trust you. Write back soon, you better stay alive too. You still have your piece of the jade, yeah? Keep it close. I have a bad feeling… Nug has also been restless lately, he misses you. Your brother, Carver.”

Nug – 9:39 Dragon a well-loved stuffed tug toy was given to a brother to look after his sister’s mabari until the three of them can reunite again.

Aveline – 9:38 Dragon a letter was sent with a copper coin with marigolds on it, “I hope this finds you well, Hawke. I know you’re on the run, I know you’re trying to help people who need it. I just wanted you to know that Leandra is born. And I hope… now more than ever, the world she grows up in will see her be free of demons and a tower for her whole life. I will keep our city safe until you can return. Remember we miss you. And Hawke? Thank you. Aveline.”

Varric – 9:41 Dragon six different letters were sent out after the siege of Adamant Fortress written with great dread, grief and many tear stains and ink smudges. “Little Hawke, your sister was glad to have gotten your response before we left to siege Adamant Fortress… She only started writing a response but I’m still sending it with my letter. I think it only right you have it… I’m so sorry… It was all my fault. I should have never asked her for help… She… she stayed back in the Fade to let others escape… to let others live. Loghain also sends his deepest regrets to you, Junior. Varric” “Aveline, what I’m about to tell you… tell Gamlen for me too, if you could so kindly. Hawke was left behind on a mission to let others survive that were… necessary in her eyes. I wish I was there… I wish I could’ve stopped her… It’s a big mess, I’m so sorry… Send my regards to Donnic and Leandra, my regrets to Gamlen. Varric Tethras.” “Fenris, Emikka died on a mission. I don’t even know if you’ll be able to read this, hopefully you get someone who can read it to you then. I was such an idiot… I’m so sorry… Your friend, Varric” “Daisy, I’m telling you this with great caution. Hawke was left behind in the Fade to let others get out alive. Don’t go doing something stupid though, you hear me? She would want us all to go on living. Who knows, hopefully she can get out on her own… that’s possible, right…?” “Rivaini, I’m running out words, at least the ale is stopping the tears. Hawke… Hawke stayed back for others to live… I’m… it was my fault for asking her for help… Varric” “Blondie, by Andraste… you and Daisy, I don’t even wanna tell either of you but… Hawke was left behind in the fade… It hurts so much… it was my fault... again… how can we even begin to fix this, Blondie…?”

Fenris – A shakily written letter sent 9:41 Dragon, a few drops of blood at the corner. “Do not trust this new thing trying to recruit you. Listen to Varric and do not go where I cannot follow, Emikka. The jade piece I have will miss yours. Your love, Fenris”

Merril – A letter covered in scribbles, runes with elfroot leaves attached was sent on 9:39 Dragon, “Hawke, I hope this fighting ends soon. The elves following me grow weary. The Templars grow more aggressive. I fear our fates, but I do not know what to do other than hide in forests I know well, it is much more defensible. But it grows too cold for them… I hope you and Anders are fairing better than we are. Merril.”

Isabella – A letter written neatly with a pretty blue feather attached to it, sent 9:41 Dragon, “Hey, beautiful. Heard some kind of Inquisition has you roped in? Varric said he needed your help, right? Just behave yourself and come back with some shiny trinkets of theirs, alright? My jade has been missing yours too. Stay safe, pretty. Much love, Isabella”

Anders – A crumpled piece of paper with singes at the edges and a torn edge was sent 9:40 Dragon, “Hawke, I know we split up to try and get the Templars off my back, and the other apostates. But I fear for what is yet to come. I will die for our freedom. But not everyone wants to, I know that now… Have I doomed us all, or was it going to happen without me nether the less? Stay safe, old friend. Anders.”

[baelonthebrave]

ppl who argue for making alistair king bc he’s ’the last of the theirin bloodline’ simply do not understand how much I hate maric. I love alistair but I would choke that boy out with my own hands if it meant there was a chance maric’s legacy fading into nothingness would give him psychic damage in the andrastian afterlife

[every-character-ever-poll]

WEEK FOUR LINEUP

Some minor changes this week, we have officially retired the SEE RESULTS option on the polls, down to five options. I probably won't be adding any new options unless there's a very good reason or high demand, so I'm sorry to the people who have asked for a "I know them and I love them with all my heart, positive cannot contain the love I have for them" option. With that being said, here is this week's lineup!

Mimi - Your Imaginary Friend

Tsubasa Arihara - Cinderella Nine

Tablet - Commodity Clash

Fox Alistair - RWBY

Alan B'Stard - The New Statesman

Sportacus - LazyTown

Tougou Mimori - Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero & Washio Sumi is a Hero

Rottytops - Shantae

Naomasa Tsukauchi - Boku no Hero Academia

Hagumi Hanamoto - Honey and Clover

Bellringer - Toontown Corporate Clash

Tarlach - Mabinogi

Ata Ibusuki - Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu Happy Kiss

J - Heat Guy J

Mami Tomoe - Madoka Magica

Rocket Raccoon - Marvel Cinematic Universe

Princess Elle - Hirogaru Sky Precure

Phèdre nó Delaunay - Kushiel's Legacy series

Rex Mohs - Scott the Woz

Eileen Roberts - Regular Show

Waluigi - Super Mario

Rick - Denpa Men

Great Sage - Miitopia

Sidon - Legend of Zelda

John F. Kennedy - Clone High

Greg Heffley - Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Martin - Wii Sports

Yellow Face - Battle for Dream Island

Eraser - Battle for Dream Island

9-Volt - WarioWare

Luigi - Super Mario

Milo Murphy - Milo Murphy's Law

Rigby - Regular Show

Holidog - Holiday World

Jerry Attricks - Scott the Woz

Jeb Jab - Scott the Woz

Peter Griffin - Family Guy

Baljeet Tjinder - Phineas and Ferb

Gary - Regular Show

Skelly - I Spy Spooky Mansion

Max Schnell - Cars 2

Charley - Incredibox

10th Doctor - Doctor Who

Mii Brawler - Super Smash Bros

Miles Morales - Into and Across the Spiderverse

Party Phil - Wii Party

Lego Joker - Lego Batman

Knife - Inanimate Insanity

Fusk and Vorte - Hitmen for Destiny

Chaika Trabant - Hitsugi no Chaika

Jesse Pinkman - Breaking Bad

Agent - Penguinronpa

Squelch - Denpa Men

Muscle Man - Regular Show

Fuuta Kajiyama - MILGRAM

Jonathan Phaedrus / Prof - The Reckoners

David Charleston - The Reckoners

Spensa - Skyward

M-Bot - Skyward

Chet Starfinder - Skyward

Sirius Gibson - Witch’s Heart

Guy Montag - Fahrenheit 451

Zachary Zatara - DC Comics

Kento - Payday 2

The Shapeshifter - The Odd Squad

Akane Kurashiki - Zero Escape Trilogy

Letitia "Letty" Price - Babel

The Last Son of Alcatraz - The Monument Mythos

Lily - Duolingo

Ohio - The United States of America

Myne - Ascendance of a Bookworm

Rani - Disney Fairies

Agrael/Raelag - Heroes of Might and Magic

Donna - RErideD: Tokigoe no Derrida

Kasane Teto - Vocaloid

Martin the Warrior - Redwall

Colombo - Colombo

Sonny Wortzik - Dog Day Afternoon

Butch Cassidy - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid

Blondie - The Good The Bad and The Ugly

Prior Walter - Angels in America

Dark - Nowhere

Reona West - PriPara

Shax Lied - Mairimashita! Iruma-Kun

Villager - Minecraft

Wahanly Shume - Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar

Qifrey - Witch Hat Atelier

Marvin - In Trousers

Mr. Bungee - A New Brain

Mayor Mingus - Dialtown

KAITO - Vocaloid

Almond - Postknight 2

Serial Designation V - Murder Drones

Flint - Postknight 2

Magnolia - Postknight 2

Nobara Kugisaki - Jujutsu Kaisen

Snufkin - The Moomins

Ikabod Kee - The Upturned

The Professor - Hailey's On It!

Chimumu - Waccha PriMagi

Mia Taylor - Love Live

[vigilskeep]

Do you think the victory of the HOF and crew will change Grey Warden strategic doctrine somewhat? The idea of 'oh shit we can nip it right in the bud if we go hard immediately' seems a lot more pleasant than letting half the continent burn down over the course of a few decades

it’s super hard to say. i mean, for one thing it’s impossible to know what thedas will look like by the time another blight comes around. for another, i think the reactions amongst the order to what the warden did, especially if the warden did the dark ritual, are going to be super mixed. fiona talks about how ostracized she was for “cheating death”. not to mention how the warden abandoned extremely fundamental and necessary rules of the order to get things done.

the wardens aren’t politically neutral because they just don’t feel like getting involved! there’s a reason! now, judging by awakening and the last flight, weisshaupt is cautiously taking advantage of that example, because it suits the first warden’s interests. but to me, that’s even scarier. the blackwall debacle with the inquisition using the treaties is bad enough; a grey warden holding lands and title and harbouring the apostate who would go on to destroy the kirkwall chantry is bad enough; a potential grey warden ruling king who gives sanctuary to mages is bad enough. if that boundary gets pushed any further, there’s reason to be really worried for the grey wardens. they can literally get exiled from orlais in inquisition, right? remember how the last time they were exiled from a country for getting politically involved, it meant there was a mere handful to deal with the blight, starting the entire conflict of dao? if the first warden pushes his luck in the anderfels and they lose weisshaupt, or lose their welcome elsewhere for fear of similar takeovers... if divine victoria can be anywhere from the HOF’s lover, associating them indelibly with her world-changing reforms, to someone who truly thought a grey warden conspiracy was involved with the start of the mage rebellion... if ferelden with its tight connections to the HOF and alistair comes into conflict with the rest of thedas (gaspard can literally canonically be on the throne of orlais)... they’re in a really dangerous position right now if anything goes south, and arguably, the warden and alistair kicked it off with what they were willing to do to stop the fifth blight before it properly started. and beyond the danger that in itself poses to the wardens, my point is there’s going to be many sections of the order whose very last thought is “yeah let’s do more of that”

during a theoretical sixth blight, i can definitely see some parts of the order desperate to match the hero of ferelden’s achievements. and i can also see risks like that getting a lot of people killed. in the opening of the last flight, the royal family of antiva refuse to abandon antiva city as the darkspawn approach, destroying the last hope of organising an evacuation and throwing away their citizens’ lives. the HOF had an exceptional chance and was exceptional enough to succeed in it. maybe that example will save the world from centuries of suffering a second time; maybe it will destroy the grey wardens at the very moment they’re next most needed; maybe by then any grey wardens left will be quicker to join the side of the darkspawn than associate themselves further with the HOF’s legacy. only time will tell!

[athena-xox]

Hi! I've been wanting to send asks for a while but couldn't think of a good question until recently.

I have three questions (or perhaps I should say headers).

One: How's your rewrite progressing? At what stages is cannon altered? Are there going to be concepts/characters ignored entirely?

Two: I've seen your (humorous) plea for long/multi chapter eah fics what are some of the favorite's you've read already? Any chance you have an idea of your own outside the rewrite? long or short (chances are yes, for literally anyone in this fandom but it bears asking).

Three: What fairytale(s) would you

A: Like to repeat

B: Could functionally thwart if you had to live through it.

C: Die in, or flee the land to avoid at all cost's.

Omg love the questions. I will admit I’m a bit to brain dead to fully comprehend all the questions so if I answer I different question that what you intended feel free to correct me.

With that being said, the first chapter of my rewrite is done and basically fully edited I believe it’s around 6000/7000 words. Chapter two hadn’t been edited but it’s kinda a weird one so it doesn’t really need to be edited and it’s only around 2000 words.

Chapter 3 I’ve written a bit of it and it’s also a short and I have a layout for it. And chapter 4 is going to be on the longer side probably 6000-10000 words. But after those are done and edited hopefully I’ll publish the fic!!

So that’s the progress, for what parts of canon are being altered, I think a lot of characterization. Bunny, Alistair, Crystal, Milton Grimm, Snow White & EQ are all characters who were either portrayed as good or morally grey that I’m going to make evil (whoops spoilers) and then also kitty isn’t really going to have a redemption arc like she did in spring unsprung, she’s just going to continue to chaotically be herself.

And then just every plotline / character will just be slightly more mature and in depth. And it depends on how you see canon because the rewrite is going to be a mix the tv series + the books which vary a bit on canon. And then obviously a lot more queer representation.

I wouldn’t necessarily say that the epic winter arc is being disgraced but it’s going througu many changes. I’ll probably get ride of the whole through the woods concept because it doesn’t really add anything to the plot (although I am adding a musical that doesn’t really do anything for the plot except allow be to geek (theatre kid) out and give us some cute dizzie moments).

I really want to include her but I don’t think there’s going to be any room for Bella sister. Other things from canon that I’m not including is darise, Meeshell being a horrible singer, DARABELLA, Maddie having visions, the snow king, cupids crush on dexter, the revealer rays, probably lots more but I can’t think of them.

Onto the next question I definitely have some fic recs. I’ll probably make a separate post for it but my top 2 are rewrite ignite restart and a legacy of brambles and thorns.

I think the reason why I’m actually commuting to the rewrite is because it’s really the only eah fic I want to write since I plan to hopefully cover all the characters and ships I like. In my past fandoms I’ve had like 20 different fics I wanted to write but I never got a around to all or them.

Oh wait actually I guess I have one idea but I doubt I’ll ever write it since I want to focus on the rewrite. But during my transition stage from the mlb fandom to the eah I was thinking about an au. Either the eah characters with miraculous’s in the real world or mlb characters at ever after. 

Okay and for the last questions im assuming you’re asking which fairytales I’d like to 1. Be a part of 2. Don’t want to be a part of and I could stop it 3. Would have to run away from ?

1. When I was little I had the yearbook thing that had you create your own eah character and I always wanted to be a princess so I made myself goose girl

2. Definitely wouldn’t want to be like Jack in the beanstalk so I just wouldn’t take the beans

3. Sleeping beauty was my fav when I was younger so I definitely wouldn’t want to have Faybelles destiny. Or be an ugly sister, that would kill my self esteem (no wonder Bella and Brutta ran away)

For the last 3 questions I wasn’t sure if you were asking all abt me or if any were for my rewrite.

Anyways tysm for the ask !!

[asexxxualerotica]

Asexxxual Erotica's Open RPs

Below is a list of the RPs that I have posted and opened for interaction, in reverse-chronological order—from most recent to most aged. They are perpetually open, so you are free to respond to any as you wish, but older ones are less likely to be returned.

Bunny Bathtime featuring Rumi Usagiyama from My Hero Academia

The Mystery of Staying Cool featuring Mabel Pines from Gravity Falls

Desperate Times featuring Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars

Shrike’s Spooktober Surprise featuring Shrike Zirconia-Branwen (OC Muse)

Jaerik’s Halloween Special featuring Jaerik Aldraeyds (OC Muse)

Ice Cream on the Beach featuring Neo from RWBY

A Freak on the Streets featuring Rias Gremory from High School DxD

Keyleth’s Hellish Fate featuring Keyleth from Critical Role

Paranormal Activities featuring Maddie Fenton from Danny Phantom

Beating the Heat featuring Tsunade Senju from Naruto

A Brush With Temptation featuring Rogue/Anna-Marie from X-Men

Wrong Door featuring Neo from RWBY

Hidden in the Mist featuring Wisp Whiteshadow (D&D OC)

Gothicc Sounds to Study To featuring Rachel Roth/Raven from DC Comics

A Delicious Distraction featuring Jaerik Aldraeyds (D&D OC)

Punching Bag featuring Ikumi Midoriya (fem!Izuku) from My Hero Academia

The Art of Seduction featuring Samus Aran from Metroid

All That Glitters featuring Galatea the Golden-Scaled (D&D OC)

A Heavenly Respite featuring Aphrodite from Hades

Seeing Double featuring Shrike Zirconia-Branwen (RWBY OC)

The Bad-Witch’s Bikini Bod featuring Cinder Fall from RWBY

A Schnee-cret Agenda featuring Weiss Schnee from RWBY

A Champion’s Rights featuring Cynthia from Pokémon

A Fork in the River featuring Lara Croft from Tomb Raider

Bound and Sold featuring Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars

A Spring Break featuring Fearne Calloway from Critical Role

Free Ride to Nimbasa featuring Hilda from Pokémon

Critical Fail featuring Jaerik Aldraeyds (D&D OC)

Be Careful What You Wish For featuring Princess Jasmine from Disney

Extra Credit in Herbology featuring Mirabel Garlick from Hogwarts Legacy

Trouble in Paradise featuring Rio Morales from Spider-Verse

Caught in Her Own Web featuring Gwen Stacy/Spider-Gwen from Marvel

Where No One Can Hear You Scream featuring Rachel Roth/Raven from DC Comics

Bound to Serve featuring Rey Palpatine from Star Wars

Dragon Slaying featuring dragon!RWBY from RWBY

A Possible Switch-Up featuring Ann Possible from Kim Possible

Quarterly Reviews featuring office!Neo from RWBY

Going in Blind featuring Toph Beifong from Avatar: The Last Airbender

All Bets Off featuring Rachel Roth/Raven from DC Comics

A Taste of Blueberries featuring Natsuhaze Shirosaki from Bleach

A Restful Resort featuring Katara of Avatar: The Last Airbender

Booty Dysmorphia Distraction featuring Helen Parr/Elastigirl of The Incredibles

Operation Rich Bitch featuring Pacifica Northwest of Gravity Falls

A Late-Night Stroll featuring Pyra of the Xenoblade Series

What Bad Girls Deserve featuring Cherrybomb Alistair (RWBY OC)

[legoinspire]

The Last Raven Knight

In the depths of an ancient forest, cloaked in the shadows of towering trees, rode the last Raven Knight. His name was Sir Alistair, a solitary figure. Clad in beautiful heavy armor, he possessed the ability to communicate with the ravens that nested within the woodland.

For centuries, the Raven Knights had served as the protectors of the forest, defenders of its harmony and balance. But as the years passed, their numbers dwindled, until only Sir Alistair remained, a lone sentinel carrying the weight of his order's legacy.

[wainwrightjakobshammerlock]

this flopped on reddit so i hope y'all like it more

So, hi. It's been a very long while since I've talked about my OC Vault Hunters here, and, well... things have changed. And I'm better at wording things.

Here's my... well, I wouldn't say propositions, more like full blown concepts for the entire BL4 VH team.

Basics

First thing: there's 8 classes, and not 4. The Watcher did say we'd need as many as we can get.

In my head, 6 of them are base-game, and the last two are DLC. Coincidentally, the last two are mechanically unusual classes compared to the rest of the team (and even to the rest of the Vault Hunters across games), and happen to essentially be multiple people in one playable character - to keep the gender balance, you see: the team already consisted of two dudes, two dudettes and two buddies before I realized I wanted to add more, so the last two are "multiples".

Second thing: I am a lore guy, so I know barely anything about game balance... but I do know some things about game design, and I do in fact have played these games (wow!), so I'd like to think I know what I want to see in these games... BUT I can't escape bias, and I love the way TPS skilltrees were designed, so if you don't like skilltrees encouraging you HEAVILY to use a very specific weapon type, this is probably not the post for you.

Third thing: This is going to be long, but I tried to make it as readable as possible.

Fourth thing: I will be using the BL3 multiple action skill/augment system here, since I like it a lot.

With that out of the way, let's actually get into it.

Lazarus as the Prodigy

Once an urchin scrambling for zir life in the alleyways, now adopted child and protege of the most notorious powercouple in the galaxy (Alistair Hammerlock and Wainwright Jakobs, if it wasn't obvious by zir Jakobs-style attire). Also, ze likes bugs.

Key Words: Sniper, "Soft" Melee, Non-Elemental, Bleed/Stun

Action Skill: Sheer Focus - essentially, an activated gun boosting ability similar to Fade Away, but instead of automatic criticals, it grants Laz the ability to focus shots for a duration. Focusing - or rather, charging - takes a bit of time, but when focused to the maximum, it can do insane damage. The catch is that the "Focus Bonus", even when charged to the max, will be divided by both the pellet count of the weapon and the burst-fire count if it has one, meaning you are heavily encouraged to use those good ol' semi-autos.

And let's not even talk about what happens when you use a fully automatic...

Gimmick: Swappable melee overrides. Each tree has one "starter" override, and additional ones are unlocked the further you go down the tree.

Sheer Focus has a long cooldown and pretty much just exists to boost damage - the overrides are where the real utility is, and are usually available more often. It's sort of like a secondary action skill that you don't really sacrifice a button for.

Do you want to reflect enemy fire with a single stroke of a rapier? Do you want to throw gunpowder in their face and watch them explode when you shoot them? Or maybe take out a banjo and smack them on the head? Lazarus can do all of that.

Additionally, Laz has two other somewhat unique things that aren't unique to specific skill trees:

something called Deadeye Skills, which trigger on crit (or crit-kill, if it's a Deadeye Kill Skill) and are grouped up in a manner similar to Fl4k's Hunter Skills.

great usage of bleed and stun status. Bleed is the same as it was in TPS, a non-elemental damage over time effect. Stun disables the enemy, preventing them from moving or attacking - for obvious reasons, badasses and bosses cannot be stunned and will simply take a bit more damage if they would be stunned by an attack.

Skill Trees: You're in luck here, because I actually made a full detailed skill tree for the Prodigy already. Read it here if you like walls of text.

If you don't, here's a summary:

Green Tree: Legacy - Critical hits. Loads of Deadeye Skills. Major bonuses to Sheer Focus. Not much to say here.

Red Tree: Tradition - Gun damage, heavily favoring non-elemental weapons. Get those FAT one-shots, as the slogan says.

Blue Tree: The New Path - Melee focus. Staying on the move, weaving melee strikes between gunshots, and the bleed/stun status effects I mentioned above. Maybe it's not fair, but who really cares when you can make your enemies into but a fine red mist.

Bartholomew as the Butler

An old model of Jakobs brand butlerbot, deactivated many years ago and only recently turned back on by an unknown variable. Took up vault hunting as a means of... venting his frustrations, so to speak.

Key Words: Berserker, "Hard" Melee, Support, Health Management

Gimmick: Everyone else has a skill-related gimmick, so Bartholomew's gimmick is not having one. Let me know if you can think of one for him.

Action Skills:

Gearshift - fully heals the player and reloads all weapons. Grants a movement and weapon swap speed buff for a short time afterwards

All Out Attack - a large dash with a punch at the end. Has multiple charges. Can be cast multiple times on the same enemy or chained to others.

Overclock - large damage and fire rate buff at the cost of constantly taking damage.

Skill Trees:

Green Tree: Servitude (Gearshift) - A very strange twist on a support tree. Servitude has an entire swathe of team support skills, all of which activate on (mostly) controllable actions such as reloading a gun or reviving an ally. The thing is, upon these buffs activating, Bart takes health damage.

Red Tree: Rage (All Out Attack) - Melee damage, with a focus on increasing melee speed, taking/healing/ignoring damage, not having a shield and mashing that V button into oblivion.

Blue Tree: Restraint (Overclock) - Remember Nisha's Order? This is basically that, to 11. Upon losing a percentage of health, Bartholomew will gain a Restraint stack. Stacks give a variety of buffs, and can even be spent for certain triggered abilities.

Scylla as the Siren

A member of Junpai-7's pirate royalty, disgraced from her home when she became a Phasesight siren. For many decades, she's been wandering the galaxy as a hermit wizard of sorts, and now in her old age she returns to find the Vault, in hopes of preventing some sort of war that she foresaw.

Key Words: Siren, Shock Damage, Crowd Control, Mobility~~, Discount Spellshot~~

Gimmick: Can equip two action skills at once at the cost of sacrificing her grenade slot. Unlike Zane, she has no real way to use grenades, because who needs them when you can electrocute your enemies to death with your bare hands?

Her skill trees also contain (sometimes radically different) variants of the tree's main skill just like Amara, so you can really customize your setup.

Action Skills:

Phasemancy - mind controls an enemy, making them fight for you for a reasonably long duration. Also makes them invincible, though they die instantly when the effect ends. Badasses and bosses can't be mancied, for obvious reasons.

Phasestasis - spawns a large dimensional field, slowing down everything in its radius for a medium duration and causing shock status. Can be re-cast in a different place as long as it's active, but you can't spam-move it.

Phasebolt - a simple shock damage projectile that is precise and deals high damage. Multiple charges.

Skill Trees:

Green Tree: Clairvoyance (Phasemancy) - Mind and some battlefield control, with a bit of sniping for brainy flavor - but rather than using sniping for damage, you'll be using it for utility. Tons of status effect bonuses. Stealing enemy shields and staying ahead of the battle's speed by manipulating it.

Red Tree: Storm Terror (Phasestasis) - Mobility, with a little twist. Rewards not just moving fast, but also staying airborne, jumping, sliding and whatnot. Double jump. Sprinting and shooting. Amp shots for free.

Blue Tree: Wizardry (Phasebolt) - Action skill damage spam, and rewards for doing so. The main deal of this tree is Flow stacks, gained upon using action skills. At base, they don't do much aside from bonus Shock damage - the deal is, you can spend them for other things. Electromagnetic flight, ignoring FFYL and various techniques too strong for those not versed in the arcane arts.

Samuel as the ~~Problem~~ Primordial

Before the incident, he was just a normal Tediore employee working in R&D. Now, he is a vessel of the Vault Monster Uyrru, a locust-like ancient horror. He seeks the Vault both for his "other self", and to figure out what the f/ck is going on.

Key Words: Wildcard, Radiation Damage & Status, Survivability/DR, Ammo Economy, Armor

Gimmick: In a manner similar to Moze, Sam has only one Action Skill, which at base does almost nothing aside from disabling all means of attack. But when you equip Mutations onto it, that's when it gets interesting.

Action Skills: Transform - turns Samuel into his Vault Monster-ish form. As said above, at base it only gives some damage reduction. But when considering Mutations, one can turn Samuel into a:

pestilent master of disease, spawning hordes of bugs from his body.

miniature black hole, hovering over the battlefield and emitting huge waves of radiation.

feral creature, slashing at the enemy with humongous claws.

variety of other things.

Transform does have augments too, but they are not specific to a certain Mutation.

Skill Trees: I have a full skill tree for him as well... but it's still a heavy work in progress, so I won't be sharing it here just yet. Here's the summary:

Green Tree: Resourcefulness - Ammo/grenade stuff. Unlike Moze's tree, this one actually somewhat encourages reloading. Instead of gaining ammo in your mag, Samuel simply picks up more ammo from pickups or even gains back a bit of a weapon's mag when he reloads. Sometimes you need to make most of what you get instead of summoning it out of thin air.

Red Tree: Eldritch Potential - Radiation damage and utility tree, with a bit of splash. Curiously enough it encourages Samuel to get statused, and keep rad status on enemies. Power at a price. But you do get immunity to Radiation!

Blue Tree: Perseverance - Survivability tree. Not that special, aside from the fact it tends to give DR instead of the usual health/shield capacity like most survivability trees. Tends to be more effective the closer to death you are. Also, allows you to gain armor, because it'd be funny to have a VH with three health bars.

Val as the Fanatic

Former member of the CoV, Valor was given the role of Saint of Sparks and Honor. Even after the Calypsos fell, they try to find spiritual guidance and enlightenment in the Vaults. Half blind, has taken a vow of silence and speaks through a floating drone which follows nearby and relays messages through neural uplink.

Key Words: Splash Damage, Support, Healing~~, BIG DAMAGE ALL THE TIME FOREVER~~

Gimmick: Has the option to equip two grenades at once, which synergizes extremely well with their skills, as many of them activate on grenade thrown.

Action Skills:

Battle Prayer - somewhat minor team gun stat buff, but lingers for a reasonably long time.

Dodge Roll - exactly what it sounds like, gives i-frames. Does not trigger "action skill start" effects, not that Val has any of those in their skill tree.

Deep Pockets - forsakes an Action Skill entirely for the ability to equip two grenade mods.

Skill Trees:

Green Tree: Spirit (Battle Prayer) - A variety of team-wide support skills that reward the team for actually sticking together and helping one another. Buffs Val themselves too, of course. Has a few health restoring abilities as well.

Red Tree: Faith (Dodge Roll) - Insane fire rate! Mag sizes that would make Moze weep! Melee damage! All for the low low price of your enemies' lives and all of your accuracy! Vault-Gods, take the wheel!

Blue Tree: Piety (Deep Pockets) - Splash damage, especially grenades. Mostly focused on radius and spamming rather than the splash damage itself being big. Insert Holy Hand Grenade reference here.

Alkimia as the Trooper

A mysterious, brooding woman who defected from an elite, secretive cyborg division of the Maliwan army upon being ordered to kill civillians. Is a poet-philosopher with an unusually calm demeanor for her line of work.

Key Words: Corporate Soldier, Elemental Damage, Status Effects and Interactions, Versatility, Gadgets/Utility, Mild RNG

Gimmick: May swap the element of her Action Skill, similar to Amara. Defaults to Corrosive, but can be changed to Cryo or Incendiary with enough skill point investment.

Action Skills:

Asclepios - a hovering drone shaped a bit like a snake which flies at enemies and attacks them with its elemental beam.

Reaction Globule - Alkimia throws a big ball of elemental sludge that bounces around and deals damage.

Traversal - dashes/teleports Alkimia forward like a Maliwan Flash trooper, dealing action skill damage to anything in her path. May ragdoll weaker enemies at the endpoint.

Skill Trees: I am also working on Alkimia's skill tree. Trying to figure out something really neat. Here's what I got so far.

Green Tree: Catalyst (Asclepios) - Elemental damage and status effects, with a small twist. Instead of just applying status, you want to combine status effects and react them with one another. Burn them with corrosive damage, electrolyze their skin, or abuse the laws of thermodynamics to combine Cryo and Incendiary.

Red Tree: Evolution (Reaction Globule) - General damage, with some Claptrap-esque randomness. The joke is that evolution is an organism trying to gain advantage in an unfavorable environment, and in this case the organism is the player. You better own a variety of guns. That's the price of experimental tech.

Blue Tree: Adaptability (Traversal) - Utility and some survivability (mostly elemental focused). Almost all of the passive bonuses in this tree change either with Alkimia's Action Skill Element, or with the conditions present on the battlefield.

Kat & Dawg as the Partners in Crime

A one-for-two Vault Hunter deal, Katherine and her tink wife Desmond have been sharpening their teeth (and blades) on heists big and small for ages, with Kat being the brawn and Dawg the mastermind of their operation. However, when they caught wind of the Vault, they immediately embarked on their biggest heist ever, the one that might just set them up for life.

Key Words: Pet Class, Inventory Management, Incendiary Damage, Stuns, Mild RNG

Gimmick: As said above, these two are a package deal, do not separate. While the player controls Kat, Dawg just piggybacks on top of her, occasionally commenting on combat or story beats.

The real deal is when these two enter combat. Kat may deploy Dawg with the action skill button, and the latter will stay deployed until she dies or is picked up. If she dies, she respawns back on Kat's back ready to be deployed again, somewhat similar to Fl4k's pets.

While Dawg is on the field, Kat can use her own action skill. (If Dawg dies, she can't, until Dawg is redeployed anew!) She has three, just like most others, but which one she equips also determines what kind of weapon Dawg will be wielding in combat.

Action Skills:

Trust Throw - summons Dawg back to Kat, then she immediately throws her back into the battlefield with a damage boost for a short time. Enemies hit ~~by THE TINK CANNONBALL~~ are stunned. Also heals Dawg back to full, because.... the power of love, or something.

Whirl 'Em - Kat gets out her trusty scrap-axe and spins it in a manner similar to the Brrzerker from Wonderlands, but with incendiary damage instead.

Mystery Bag - Kat takes out Dawg and her's bag of loot, and checks it for anything useful. The pool of what she can find is around 20ish different items with various small beneficial effects: free grenades that are thrown immediately, health hypos or even ancient Eridian doohickeys.

Skill Trees:

Green Tree: Battle Bond - Buffs the living daylights out of Dawg, and makes it more rewarding + easier to coordinate your movements with her. Pretend you're playing co-op in solo!

Red Tree: Destruction of Property - General damage, mostly in incendiary form. Rewards hard hitting weapons and attacks, maybe with a melee strike in there or two. A few kill skills for good measure.

Blue Tree: Larceny - Damage buffs and other benefits... dependent on picking up loot, eridium and cash. Gives a new meaning to the word "shloot". Additionally, a few "underhanded tactics" such as lowering vendor prices and increasing backpack space (to fuel a damage buff scaling off the fullness of your backpack). Think Timothy's Free Enterprise, but even weirder.

The Triad

Actually a trinity of Guardians inhabiting a nanobot swarm body, a corporate experiment at controlling these ancient constructs gone wrong. It tries its best to get along, and find itself in this strange world.

Key Words: Stances, Jack-of-All-Trades

Gimmick: In lieu of an action skill, the Triad switches between its three constituents - Supplicant (highly loyal to the Eridians, to the point of fanaticism), Seeker (neutral, but also the most sapient) and Sorcerer (Vault Monster cultist, corrupted by their influence eons ago) - in a way similar to stances in other games.

The switch itself does nothing, unless a certain skill is specced into that provides a short burst of beneficial effect when it occurs. However, a lot of the Triad's skills have different effects, elements or drawbacks depending on its current stance.

Action Skills: Spirit Switch - see above for details.

Skill Trees:

Green Tree: Supplicant - Focuses on team support, usually at the cost of damage. Can still reliably solo, however, thanks to having crowd control options.

Red Tree: Sorcerer - Focuses on pure damage, usually at the cost of survivability. Has elements of health management, as no price is too great for dark power.

Blue Tree: Seeker - Focuses on survivability and utility. Fairly scrappy, can manage ammo and identify enemy weaknesses.

Closing Words

I hope you all enjoyed this little creation of mine. I'm not... really sure what else to say here besides I love this series, and I love making things for it even more.

If you're curious what these Vault Hunters might look like, I drew all of them a while back.

Thank you for reading, and if you have any feedback regarding these concepts, or maybe your own fanmade Vault Hunters, feel free to comment.

[lorriiraine]

A small masterlist about my work and overview of my blog c: Here you can find any link. My Screenshots, my social media, my fanfictions, rules of using my work and stuff, simply anything at one point c: ♡

Created: 02/06/24 Last Update: 06/26/24

Lorraine Juniper Jones

Lorraine Juniper Jones

Hufflepuff student, transfered from america for her fifth year. In Ilvermorny she was a Budgewudgie. Her biggest dream is to become a famous potion master and healer.

Alistair Perseus Cushing

Slytherin student, one year over Lorraine. He´s the son of two dark wizards and has two brothers and one sister. He´s the Cousin 3rd grade of Ominis Gaunt and also a heir of Salazar Slytherin. He loves firewhiskey and long walks through the forbidden forest. Hes more of a loner but somehow he let Lorraine into his life. She made him to a better human being and made it able to cut his ties to his family.

Fanfiction:

Cursed Passion - Wattpad and AO3

Hogwarts Legacy Fanfiction, Sebastian Sallow x female!MC/Lorraine Jones Warnings: dark thoughts, language, smut, adult content Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/344814162-cursed-passion-in-the-shadow-of-destiny AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52384264/chapters/132517006

White Sand - Wattpad

Modern AU, Sebastian Sallow x MC (Y/N POV)

Warning: fear of flying, trauma, language, adult content https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/362395645-white-sand

Screenshots:

Sonstig:

Depth of Field Mod

Depth Photoshooting

In the Greenhouse

In the Greenhous pt2

Sebastian x Lorraine

Night date pt2

Rewrite the stars

Our dark side

Stay with me

SebRaine

Sebastian Sallow

Sebastian in Vanilla Uniform

Sebastian Sallow in "Cursed Passion"

🪴Sebastian Sallow🪴

Barman Sebastian pt1 🍻

Sebastian Sallow - Nightsky

Lorraine Jones

Lorraine Jones - Watching out

Lorraine, 3rd January Week

Flower Crown

Alistair Cushing

Alistair Cushing

Alistair Cushing - Snowy Evening

In the Undercroft

Alistair and Poppy

Artworks:

Keep this a secret

coming soon...

My social Media. I´m on TikTok, Tumblr (obviously), Twitter/X, Instagram, Youtube and Pinterest c:

On this Link you can also find every single Link:

You can also find a Google doc there with (mostly) all mods I am using and their links / creator c: it’s an all time wip so adding new mods will take me some time 🥰

All in All I´m not against using my Screenshots. BUT I want you to ask me first. And please accept my decissions. This is related to: - AI Song Covers

Reposting

Reposting of my screenshots is allowed as long as you mention me / tag me.

Masterlist dividers were wonderfully made by @cafekitsune ♡ Visit them and leave a follow. They make wonderful dividers and work! ♡♡

[sasha199]

Legacy: Part 3 - The Crown and the Archer

Art by RanmaCMH on deviant art.

Alistair x Female Warden still no smut, thank you for your patience. It is coming up, I promise!

This is my Dragon Age Origins fic that takes place about 4 months after the battle with the Arch Demon, both my warden Marissa Cousland, and Alistair survived the fight. Afterwards, he stayed in Denerim to rule as king, while Marissa returned to Highever as the Hero of Ferelden. They did not part on good terms.

“A hunt?”

“Yes. His majesty has declared it for this afternoon.”

“Well if ‘his majesty’ has declared it.” Marissa handed her documents off to Katerina, as she entered her chambers. The conversation with Alistair that morning had worn her out emotionally, but she would not object to a hunt. It would be a welcome break before the endless slew of meetings she had scheduled tomorrow. Her elder brother Fergus would be coming home, she had not seen him in two weeks and it would be pleasant to speak with him.

Marissa found a mid day meal waiting in her sitting room, but one sniff had her turning away in disgust. Nothing seemed to appeal to her anymore, her midwife claimed the food aversions would not last, but Marissa was impatient for them to be over.

“Rina, would you request that Mistress Rediger send up some buttered bread and honey.”

“And tea?”

“No thank you.” Marissa felt her stomach churn at the thought.

“Well watered wine then. And I’ll prepare your leathers."

Marissa frowned, she hadn’t worn her hunting gear since before she’d been conscripted, she hoped it still fit. “Wonderful, thank you Rina.”

About an hour later Marissa made her way towards the wooded area behind the castle. The sun was peaking through a thin veil of clouds, it was perfect weather for a hunt. She’d been torn between her Whitewood Bow and Falon'Din's Reach but she ended up going with the latter. The elegantly curved long bow was of elven make, it's dark wood worn perfectly smooth through years of use. Pity she’d gotten rid of her ironbark short bow, it would’ve been a good back up in the case she snapped a string.

As Marissa entered the wood, she immediately noticed the silence. She’d thought a hunt with the king would entail an entire entourage of attendants. Rina had certainly given the impression that this was a formal hunt. A small clearing opened up ahead, in the center of which, sat Sam. He bounded up opening his massive maw into a panting doggy-smile.

“Hey sweet boy,” Marissa scratched the top of his giant shaggy head, white fur fell in clumps, “seen anyone else around?”

He let out a throaty “Gruff” in response, his sweeping tail carving wide arcs in the air. He immediately took on the “point” pose, one paw half lifted and his snout aiming for whatever lay beyond the few first shrubs. Marissa headed in that direction, Sam stayed behind plopping himself down in a patch of sunshine. It was just as well, the Mabari was trained for war not stalking deer.

She was careful to take her time as she headed deeper into the wood. making as little sound as possible. Before long she heard the rushing of a stream, and she knew she was near Hiccupole Creek. Every step she took triggered memories, the trees here had been her castles, kingdoms and soldiers in the games she’s played with her brothers. She knew which thickets gave the best shelter for go-and-seek games and where every game trail lead. She felt that if she turned quickly enough she’d see Patrick or Robyn dart out around the next bend, laughing and hollering that she’d been found…

Since coming home she’d thought about making time to revisit this place…it was nice to see that despite all that had happened in the world, it looked untouched. It would be wonderful to bring her child here, soon.

The forest opened up suddenly to a rocky wash, and she saw Alistair was waiting for her. He was kneeling with his back to her, his golden hair glinting in the sunshine as he gazed up at the cliffs on the far bank. The water slowed here, filling several clear pools before picking up speed as the creek ran south. The steady rush of the creek echoed off the steep gorge, occasionally broken by the splash of a fish or a bird call.

She watched him for a time. He was dressed in blue leather armor, and was armed with an ironbark short bow. He also carried a sword, and a…a shield. She bit back a gasp when she saw it. The kite shield was obviously worn with use but well cared for. It reflected the light back at her as Alistair stood, and the Cousland heraldry was pristine across its proud face of Grey Iron.

She’d given him that shield back in Ostagar. Before they’d entered the Wilds to search for vials of dark spawn blood. That shield, and the Cousland family sword, were all that she’d managed to salvage from her family’s armory on the night of her conscription.

In her shock she must’ve made a sound, because Alistair turned around. He didn’t see her right away but his eyes scoured the wood around her, and he looked so bloody hopeful that Marissa’s heart gave a great pang. She stepped out of the trees, hands exposed, as she revealed herself.

His face broke into an easy smile at the sight of her. “My lady.”

“You still have it.”

He looked confused for a moment, he seemed caught up in the sight of her, then realization dawned and his eyes softened. He slung the shield from around his shoulder “Of course I do.”

“How long were you watching me?” He asked as she approached.

She didn’t look up from the shield, her gloved fingers traced the familiar scar marks reverently. “Almost as long as I’d wanted to. Apparently my skills are not what they were.”

“Still a wood nymph at heart.”

Marissa looked up at him, “Why do you still have this? I haven’t seen it since Redcliff. If I recall correctly, Eamon bestowed a knightly shield upon you.”

“If I recall correctly, he gifted that to you, as thanks for saving his family.”

“You know I can’t use a shield.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Both.”

He smiled, glancing down at her fingers now outlining the Cousland heraldry. “I always meant to return it…but it’s the only thing….” he trailed off shrugging. “I won’t pretend it means nothing to me, I did bring it with the purpose of returning it to you. It should stay in the family.” He glanced down at her belly, “Especially now you have someone to pass it on to.”

Marissa chuckled, “Oh, she won’t be able to use it either.”

“And why not?”

“She’ll be an archer. Can’t be holding a bulky shield when you’re busy taking down prey from the shadows.”

“And what if the warrior life suits her better?”

“Then I’ll be very VERY disappointed in her.”

He laughed again. “Well I’ll be awfully proud. It takes a lot of guts to defy you.”

Marissa smiled, “You always managed to find the courage.”

“There’s a reason I slept with this shield almost every night in camp. I hoped the spirits of your ancestors would protect me from your wrath.”

She swung to him playfully, he jumped back laughing.

She leapt at him, “Still bruise easily?”

He caught her wrist and used her momentum to pull her towards him. She yelped as he wrapped her in a tight embrace, the shield clanging onto the ground. His arms enveloped her and she couldn’t help smiling into his shoulder. He felt a bit softer than she remembered but he was still strong as ever. She nuzzled into his chest and wrapped her arms around his broad back, breathing in the rugged scent of his leathers.

“Didn’t we come here to hunt?” She asked after a moment.

He leaned his head down to whisper, “Yes.” She could hear the mirth in his voice, that teasing inflection that used to make her blood rush and her heart skip. His eyes were sparkling with warm mischief, this close she could see the flecks of gold that ringed his pupils. He’d nicked himself shaving, just below his ear. Impulsively she puckered her lips and gently pressed her mouth to the small cut.

He made a surprised (delighted?) sound and turned his head, nuzzling her with his nose. His calloused hand touched her cheek and smoothed a curl behind her ear.

She sensed she should pull away, leave it here…but his warm hands, his hitching breath…standing in the sunshine with the soothing sounds of the creek and the forest swirling around them...

Abruptly he released her. He bent down to pick up the fallen shield and slid it back over his shoulder. “Shall we?”

Marissa pursed her lips, his tone was suspiciously casual. Why did she feel...bereft?

Clearing her throat she knelt to string her bow, and followed him along the creek and deeper into the forest.

***

The buck was at least a four pointer. He grazed peacefully in the dappled light. His tail was lowered, he believed he had nothing to fear. Marissa had been tracking him for well over four hours. She and Alistair had split up a while back to corner him in case he bolted, and she had had to back track along another game trail when the wind shifted.

She had not a thought to spare for Alistair as she positioned herself with her back to a small sapling. She focused on her breathing, slow and even, and drew fletching to cheek on an inhale in one smooth motion. Her arm quivered with tension and her bowstring dug painfully into the joint of her hand. Find the shot, there between the ribs. She released the string on her exhale and at that moment the world flipped. There was a biting snap and the air was knocked from her lungs as she hit the ground, landing on her side. The arrow flew off into the trees and Marissa curled reflexively around her belly.

She lay there panting, breathing in the smell of earth and leaves. The shock from the fall reverberated through her body, leaving her senseless. A minute passed until the blood pounding in her ears began to recede, she became aware of rocks and roots digging into her ribs. She slowly began to move, testing her wrists and knees, there was pain but no broken bones. She rolled onto her back and placed a hand gingerly on her belly. Nothing seemed amiss, scrapes and bruises. She could breathe normally. She looked around to see the sapling she’d been leaning on had snapped. What a foolish error, she chuckled to herself as she got to her feet. A stinging pain in her leg let her know the sapling had cut a gash into her thigh. Thank the Maker it was not deep. She pressed the lips of the wound together and splashed some water over it from her skin. Her palms were a mess, she pulled off her damaged gloves and rinsed those too. There were leaves in her hair, but nothing to be done about that without a mirror.

She knew the buck was gone, but she limped towards where he had been cautiously. Her arrow has completely missed, not even a trace of blood on the ground. At least the creature wasn’t wounded and fated to die a slow death.

“Marissa.”

She about leapt up and out of her skin as Alistair revealed himself. His face took on a look of concern as he got closer, “What happened?” He examined her torn gloves and scraped palms.

“It was nothing, just a fall.”

“A fall?!” His eyes grew wide, raking over her form, “We need to get you back to the castle.”

“Alistair, I’m fine!”

“You’re bleeding.”

She looked down, the wound on her leg was trickling blood.

“Well, yes…” she had to concede that. She sighed, what was she going to argue about anyway? She had fallen, she was hurt and the sun was almost set now. “Very well. Let’s make our way back, just don’t fuss-“

Before she had even finished speaking he had slung his bow along his back and scooped her up into his arms. She scrambled to cling to his him as he moved through the forest with quick, confident strides.

“This is unnecessary…” she muttered into his neck. She was not an invalid and after everything they had been through together he should know she could handle a small fall.

He halted and kissed her. It was quick and fierce and made her toes curl inside her ugly Ferelden boots. He adjusted his grip on her, their lips came apart with a soft pop, and then he was off again. Marissa rested her head against his chest, she suddenly felt very worn out. Alistair deftly weaved through the trees, as if he too was intimately familiar with these woods. She could hear is heart pounding, the sound was steady and comforting.

She felt a pang of disappointment at the thought of returning to the castle empty handed, the buck had been so beautiful and she’d been looking forward to surprising her people with a venison feast. But the thrill of a hunt was in the chase and she had found her joy. Getting lost in the woods of her childhood, becoming a shadow to be feared and outwitted, turning herself into a deadly predator, she’d missed it so much. Since the Blight had ended Marissa had been consumed with being the Hero of Ferelden, the Teyrna of Highever… and King Alistair’s former love. Soon now she would be a mother too. Another title she’d have to find a way to wear. For the first time in months this hunt had allowed her to be just herself. Marissa Cousland. When had that last happened? Before her conscription?

She came awake with a start as Alistair’s gait changed, the soft turf of the forest turning into the rocky gravel of Hiccupole Creek. Marissa shook herself and insisted she could walk (limp) from here. He set her gently on her feet.

A look of anguish flashed over his face. “Would you prefer that we returned separately?”

Marissa pursed her lips, it was easy to forget how clever Alistair was, even in their early days after Ostagar he’d hidden his wits behind a facade of humor. She must be careful. “I would prefer it, yes. But you won’t allow that, will you?”

“No.” His face was stern, though his voice was neutral, it was an odd contrast as he the delicately took her hands in his. She suppressed the urge to tear them away and give him a good hard shove. How cute he’d look flat on his back with the wind knocked out of him.

“I know that look. You’re visualizing my slow and gruesome death aren't you?” He sounded utterly at ease. Frustratingly so. “I intend to marry you, Marissa, and bed you and love you for the rest of my days.”

Marissa allowed her mouth to curve up into a smile, she relished the flicker of fear that entered his eyes. “Alistair,” she made her voice silky, suggestive, “this is all so unnecessary. You have done your duty. You came here, you’ve made your offer. I refused. There is nothing to feel guilty about, you’re free to return to Denerim with a clear conscience. Find a younger girl, a maiden with good hips and you’ll have your heir.”

“I don’t think so,” he said tightening his grip, drawing her closer, his hand sliding sinuously up her arm, “I believe I have everything I’ve ever wanted right here.” Marissa felt her chest tighten as if the air around him had suddenly become intoxicating.

“Tonight, we will be together.” His voice was low, she could barley hear him over the sounds of the creek, but he sounded resolute.

Marissa caught her lower lip between her teeth. She hated herself for the heat that pooled between her legs…A shiver of desire coursed through her as memories bubbled up unbidden from the dark depths of her mind…his hands, his mouth, the sweet taste of his skin on her tongue.

Darkness had well and truly settled around them, only a faint blue strip of light remained on the horizon, but the moon was bright and there was starlight in his dark eyes. His lips descended gently on hers, spreading fire throughout her body, slowly Marissa opened her mouth, and her fingers crept up into the soft short hairs at the nape of his neck. His response was immediate and Marissa sagged against him as he sighed her name, deepening the kiss hungrily. He pulled her more tightly against him, his hands winding down her back and finding purchase on her hips. She gasped as he cupped her backside and the swell of his arousal pressed against her. “Can you feel what you do to me?” He whispered.

Marissa moaned in acquiescence, barely aware of her surroundings anymore.

“Only you can do this to me, Marissa.” He murmured huskily. “Only you. I will have no one else.”

It ought to be illegal for a man to have this much charm, she thought. Perhaps she was in more trouble than she'd initially realized.