#also feeling some Pavellan coming on soon

[pepperpottes]

spent the entire last two days at work thinking about Emmrook every waking second and then as soon as I clock out… poof! the writing motivation is gone.

[thereluctantinquisitor]

Author Interview

Thank you for the tag @dafan7711! I will tag @frenchy-and-the-sea, @lavellanlove, @leothelionsaysgrrrr, @captainsaku, @rufinagertrude and anyone else who wants to give it a go!

Name Most folks just call me a variation of my username or Kay

Fandoms At the moment? Mostly D&D, maybe Baldur’s Gate, and... uh... that’s probably about it. I’ll occasionally post something Bioware (DA or ME) related, but I wouldn’t say I am active in that fandom anymore.

Where you post Here for random/fandom stuff. @stonebreakerseries for original content. I am also HERE on Goodreads, if you want some rambling book reviews. And I guess I have some older stuff up on AO3 but please don’t judge me for it lol

Most popular oneshot I have no idea tbh. Probably something Pavellan related? 

Most popular multichapter I’m actually not sure - I haven’t posted much multichapter stuff

Actual worst part of writing Gosh, probably the crippling self-doubt.

Favorite story you wrote I’m honestly not sure. Maybe the first part of the Witcher AU, where Varlen was the Witcher and Hanin was, inexplicably, the bard? That was quite fun!

Story you were nervous to post Any of my original stuff tbh

How you choose your titles Either “That One Poignant Line That Just Happened While I Was Writing” or an obnoxious pun. There is very little in-between lol

Complete works I don’t knoww (why did I even do this meme lol I’m hopeless)

Incomplete works Most of the stuff I write are stand alone situations, so I guess there probably aren’t many incomplete things out there (maybe... 4 or 5?)

Do you outline? Fanfics, no. Original fiction, yes.

Coming soon ideas, maybe? Wouldn’t that be nice? I’m currently working on a companion/side-project(?) related to Stonebreaker (in that it occurs in the same world/setting, just separate to the main series). It’s, weirdly, far more ambitious than Stonebreaker when it comes to worldbuilding, but by also being less constrained, I can go more wild with things. I’ve decided to make it more of a ‘work it out as I go’ project rather than a meticulously planned one.

Ask me anything I genuinely have no idea what this is supposed to mean or how I am supposed to answer it lol, sorry.

Best writing traits Probably characterisation/character voice. That’s always tended to be my strong-suit. I can also, occasionally, pull some half-decent prose out of my ass.

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write Probably the new project. It’s a lot lower stakes (mentally/emotionally) for me, so I feel like I can take a few more risks/be a bit more playful with it. I’m excited to play around with the new characters too.

Spicy Tangential Opinion About writing? Hmmm. Genres, maybe? I’ve always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with them, and now that I’m having to actively catalogue books into a genre/genres, it is often a surprisingly difficult and subjective process. I think the boundaries between them are blurring more and more as writers are finding new niches to explore. At times, particularly for newer writers, they can also be treated as limiting factors rather than suggestions/loose guidelines, which is a shame. As with all things creative - know the rules so you can effectively break them.

[juliafied]

Fanfiction Asks

I was tagged by @a-shakespearean-in-paris! Thank you :) 

Name: Julia (my username isn’t very original, lol)

Top 5 Fandoms Written: 

Dragon Age! I’ve written for all three games, but some Origins stuff that’s very old has been lost to the ether

I have an ancient Skyrim fic kicking around on my ff.net account, but that’s the only other fandom I’ve ever written for lol

Top 5 Fandoms You Want To Write For/More: 

I have a Witcher fanfic idea kicking around in my head (it’s pinned on a sticky note to my corkboard), but I haven’t thought too much about it. I do love the world and would love to do some writing for it, once I finsh reading the last book (I’ve got around 100 pages left).

Elder Scrolls could be fun to mess around with a bit more, especially as I’ve gotten into ESO recently.

I’d LOVE to write some Assassin’s Creed Ezio-era fanfic. There are so many fascinating holes that Ubisoft has left to fill (mostly unintentionally, I think) and I just love him as a character.

Stories You Wish More People Knew About: Honestly, I’m glad to have any level of engagement for my stories, they’re all just fun to write, so anyone who gets a bit of fun out of it along with me makes me really happy :) that being said, my main-ish longfic, The Lone Wolf’s Call, would be my pick for this, although the more I read in the fandom the more I realize a Fenris-POV, post-canon, epic-length, slow to update fic which is full of angst and has no meaningful shipping is uhh... not everyone’s cup of tea haha! All I can say is that I’m rather proud of where the plot is going and I’m having a great time worldbuilding so if anyone is interested in that I’ll be glad for the click :) 

Ship(s) Written The Most: Fenris x F!Hawke. Nothing else even comes close, there’s no contest. I just love the romance so much. I write a bit of Pavellan, Solavellan, and Bethistair occasionally, but FenHawke is really my main one.

Character(s) Written The Most: Fenris for sure. I love writing from his perspective and how he interacts with the world, his takes on him, his humour. After that, it’s my OC Felissa Hawke, but I think (?) I write her less than I do Fenris.

How Many OCs Do You Have: Felissa Hawke is my most developed one, the one that I write the most, who romanced Fenris and is a purple (dumbass) Hawke. After that, I have Aeneris Lavellan, who romanced Solas, but I haven’t written a whole lot of her. I also have a whole lot of relatively well-characterized OCs from TLWC: Agents of Fen’Harel like Aronhala’an, Ladarawen, Taralen, Seri... the innkeep that he becomes friend with, Maresi... I really like coming up with non-POV OCs, more than coming up with POV OCs, I guess!

How Many Series Do You Have: The Lone Wolf’s Call is one, which has a companion fic, Taking Root, and then I have a series for all my DADWC prompts. Who knows, though, maybe someday I’ll develop Love All into a Badminton AU Cinematic Universe.

What Do You Do With Fics You’re No Longer Interested In?: They just... chill un-updated, haha. I try to remember that when writing becomes a chore, it defeats the purpose for me, which is stress relief and escapism (put your hand up if your writing productivity has gone way up during the pandemic for this very reason...). So I don’t mind just leaving them for awhile until I feel like writing again.

Coming Soon: Love All chapter 3. I’m almost done it and I like to post as soon as it’s out of my brain. TLWC chapter 9 is about halfway-ish done, and it’s already a monster (7k words) so I might just split it up where it feels logical into two chapters and make it 9 & 10.

Line From A WIP: "Later, after Hawke has showered and gotten ready for bed, she’s embarrassed to admit how many times she rolls over in bed to check her phone on her bedside table before finally falling asleep.” You can guess who she’s waiting for a text from. LOL

Do You Accept Prompts?: Yes! Anytime, but especially most Fridays for DADWC. My prompt list is here, if anyone is interested.

How Do You Feel About Kudos?: Big fan!! Thank you to anyone who’s ever given kudos on any of my little stories, it makes me very happy!! 

Do You Read Fic As Well?: Quite a lot, yes! For awhile it was the only thing I was reading. Trying to get back into published fiction as of late as well, but the majority of what I read on a day-to-day basis is fic, haha.

tagging forth (but only if you want to!): @luzial, @nug-juggler, @noire-pandora, @in-arlathan, @midnightprelude!! 

[blarrghe]

Some Kind of Fic Organization Post

Been meaning to make sense of my collection of writings for a bit. It turns out I’ve written a ton of fic in the short time I’ve been here, and this way it is all a bit more organized. I really like writing DA stuff and am also always in the market for more DA fic pals, so if you feel like reading any of my stuff uhhhhh here it is! my AO3 Origins Stuff Lonely Survivors rated: NSFW/E Pairing: Zevran x Alistair x Female Cousland Wordcount: 8367 (4/4 chapters - complete)  Summary: A short fluffy thing about overcoming trauma and learning to love. Describes the growth of the relationship between Violet Cousland, Alistair, and Zevran. Told in parts from all three perspectives, as each deals with figuring out how to love and survive. If you like stories about characters learning that they deserve love, this is the story for you. Read it on AO3

Warden Stories Rated: G Pairing: F!Cousland x Alistiar x Zevran, F!Brosca x Zevran, F!Surana x Alistair Wordcount: 5894 (3/3 chapters - complete) Summary: Exactly what it sounds like. Brief summaries of my three canon-ish Origins games, with a bit of backstory stuff for my Wardens. Two happy endings, one sad. Read it on AO3 ~~Tumblr Miscellany~~ Short stuff done for various writing prompts. This is a kissing book.

Leather Gloves - Zevran x F!Brosca I Don’t Care if the World Knows My Name - Zevran x F!Brosca Tell Me Again - done for the lovely @saraheliza95 ‘s OC Neria, who makes art that is so so pretty go look at her art. Neria Surana x Zevran Coming Out Chats - a series of dumb posts about my wardens coming out.  Kali Brosca, Violet Cousland, Talani Surana Dragon Age 2 Apparently I am sorely lacking in DA2 stuff and I’ll have to work on that, but I did fill a writing prompt that one time.

Watch Me - F!Hawke x Fenris Dragon Age: Inquisition

Shall We Not Revenge? Rated: NSFW/E - specifically, chapters 6, 10 and 15. Pairing: M!Lavellan x Dorian, likely some others eventually. Word Count: 94959 (lol) (25/??????) Summary: The longfic that will not leave me alone! The reason I started writing fanfic at all! Features my Inquisitor Taren Lavellan, my companion OC Leila, and (soon!) @serphena​ ‘s OC Theo Lavellan. A mostly true-to-canon retelling of Inquisition, but with an added companion OC. Very much about the relationships in the in-betweens, but with a fair bit of action too. Lots of character backstory. Not so much plot? what plot! as the relationships are the plot. Leila escapes slavery at the hands of a disgraced Tevinter magister to join the Inquisition, and some of her past comes back to haunt her. Taren Lavellan reckons with his role as Inquisitor, and falls head-over-heels in love while he’s at it. The fight to stop Corypheus changes everyone, scars everyone, but it also brings them together. Angst then fluff then angst then more angst then fluff, and so on. Join me on my emotional rollercoaster daydream. Read it on AO3

Lavellan Bros Rated: G Pairing: none it is about being bros Word Count: 8053 on AO3 (4 works) and some writing prompts on the tumblog. Summary: Started out as excitement over having a floofy hair bro in @serphena​ ‘s Theo Lavellan and somehow spiralled into this. Theo Lavellan is gorgeous and cool and all hers, I just love him a lot. Em’s art is great and you should go look at it. Lavellan Bros stories happen in either my Inquisition universe (see above) or in hers. Either way, their backstories overlap. Theo and Taren grew up in the same clan, with Taren acting as an older brother figure. Some stories are about Clan Lavellan backstory stuff and others feature these two dorks being bros during Inquisition. Lavellan Bros AO3 Lavellan Bros tag ~~Tumblr Miscellany~~ Writing prompts and other small fluffs. A Simple Fantasy - Fits in the SWNR universe somewhere. Pavellan fluff. A Letter  - teeny tiny Pavellan writing prompt fill that I just like a lot. He Braids His Hair Without A Mirror - another teeny tiny pavellan fluff for somewhere in the SWNR timeline, but with Varric. You Never Cared  - random shot at a Solavellan thing for an angsty prompt. Spoilers! The Gift is Love - Very adorable kiss prompt for @princessofthebirds​ ‘s very adorable inquisitor. As Long as You’re Safe - Theo Lavellan daydreams about kissing Cassandra, for a prompt. I Trust You With My Life - also a stupidly adorable kiss prompt, for @lesbianarcana​ ‘s Nyssa, from their own excellent fic(s) and comic, their art is seriously amazing. Don’t Look at Me Like I’m a Hero - another prompt ft. some Other Peple’s OCs, for @midnightprelude‘s badass inquisitor. Ft. Theo Lavellan as well. Part of my “let all the elves be friends” agenda ;) That One Headcanon Post that People Seem to Like - If you couldn’t tell, I love me some Found Family. Accurately describes Taren Lavellan, is apparently relatable. Ok so that’s me, all in one place. Big shout out to anyone who has ever read any of my stuff and an especially big shout out to those people who let me write about their OCs! Hoping to make some more fic friends out here, and I am always taking prompts!

[pelle-lavellan-a]

Parting Words - Pavellan Drabble

Pelle had been lingering in the garden for hours now. He stared blankly into the walls of stonework walls examining every groove, every line, every crack in the walls hiding corridor after corridor of the castle. He found himself at a loss, he should have been happy, he knew that. 

They had won, Corypheus was dead, Thedas was safe--for now at least. There had been concerns that had risen such as the sudden disappearance of Solas, but that was not the cause for Pelle’s stagnant state. It sounded terrible to say the least but Solas was the least on his mind at the moment. 

He had been happy earlier, celebrating with the others, it was all very joyous as it should have been. Then a dreadful thought struck him, a thought so dreadful to him that it had sucked the joy from him like a leech. When he really thought about it, perhaps he never wanted this day to come. It meant he had to have a conversation that he wished he could put off forever. 

The conversation was one Pelle knew he wasn’t going to like, there was no conceivable reason he should. Perhaps that was why the man in question had yet to approach him on it, or perhaps he felt it was too soon to mention it. The topic had been brought up but one time between them only to be cast aside for the day that it mattered. 

And now that day had come. 

Pelle expected to be searched for eventually. Sure his sense of presence was almost as bad as Cole’s at times, but that did not mean that the Inquisitor would go unmissed at a time like this. Pelle simply couldn’t bring himself to linger amongst the happy while his mood deteriorated, he would have felt like a killjoy. The last thing he needed were people fussing over his mental state, asking him questions. Questions he did not wish to answer. 

“Get sick of the fun?” Asked a familiar voice from the shadows of the late night garden. 

A halfhearted smirk played at Pelle’s lips. He did quite detest social gatherings didn’t he? That was obvious by the way he often kept close to the wall and spoke only when spoken to. He often his behind a cup of wine and hoped no one would feel compelled to strike up small talk. 

“I just needed some air.” Pelle replied his voice low. 

“Did you need air or did you need a silent place to let your self destructive thoughts flourish?” 

Now the grin could not hide. Pelle did not know why he’d even smiled at the remark. Was it because it was true? Did the truth really hurt so bad that his only defense against the pain being thrown at him so casually to smile in the face of it all. 

“You’re awful confrontational for someone who looks like they’ve just witnessed a wolf devour the small life of a poor rabbit.” Pelle remarked. 

Perhaps his company had forgotten that elves could see relatively well in the dark. They could sound as tough and forward as they wanted but the look on their face communicated to Pelle the concern they felt for him. 

“And you’re awful bitter for someone who just saved the world from spiraling into chaos.” 

“Ah yes but to what end Dorian?” Pelle retaliated quickly. 

To this Dorian only sighed. “I know what you’re thinking about Pelledir. I worried you might rush ahead to less favorable part of all of this.” 

Pelle scoffed. “I learned from the best.” 

A silence fell between the two of them. It was true that Pelle had grown a little more cynical the longer he lingered in the Inquisition. Not that he was a ray of pure sunshine before leaving home but he was undoubtedly happier--about as happy as he was capable. 

To be fair he was more innocent then. He was brilliant, but he was naive, blind, and far more short sighted than he could have ever imagined. When he and Dorian had first kissed one another all Pelle could think of was that kiss. It devoured his thoughts, enchanted his entire being. He’d never experienced any like it nor the things that followed it. He should have prepared himself for the possibility that such a thing could end. All good things did and what he and Dorian had was far more than good. It was perfect.  

“I told you I would like to talk about--this...more. Did I not?” Dorian reminded the Inquisitor his tone starting to lose it’s boundless charm. Even Dorian knew that when Pelle had allowed himself to spiral into ill thought that he ought to keep his quick remarks to himself. 

“And we did.” Pelle acknowledged. “You told me you wanted to return home, change things you said. And I completely understand. Remember?” 

Dorian shook his head. “Pelledir--” Dorian had started to speak before Pelle cut him off. 

“Please don’t make this hard.” Pelle begged him in a hushed whisper. 

Dorian’s gaze lowered to the ground. He would be lying if he said he didn’t empathize with Pelle’s feelings. He too had been in a way dreading the day that the promise they’d make those months ago might come to pass. He’d spent several sleepless nights trying to perish the thought of how Pelle might feel once it came time for him to return home. He’d spent even more of those nights watching Pelle sleep and wondering how he would fare without him around. While he knew Pelle had once lived without him and gotten by just fine, it was different to get by on your own once you’d known what is was to love someone. While Dorian knew and surely hoped that Pelle knew as well that this was not the end of them, he had known he would have to console Pelle when the time came. 

He was also very aware that Pelle would push him away believing wholeheartedly he was doing them both a favor. 

The Altus stared at Pelle who’d averted his gaze in a pathetic attempt to seem above the siutation. He wondered did Pelle know that when he looked away like this it only made his vulnerability that much more prominent. His eyes were like the legs of his heart desperately trying to flee the situation. Only know his heart’s legs were broken. 

“Listen, we may be apart physically. That does not mean that I intend to severe everything we’ve built.” Dorian tried to assure him. 

Pelle shook his head. “I know Dorian.” He spoke softly. “You know I can’t follow you, and you know that you cannot predict what might happen when you return. You don’t know long you’ll be gone, and you know that things blow with a particular wind that you will remain gone...and time and space do things Dorian-- time especially.” 

“What are you getting at?” Asked Dorian. 

“I am getting at the fact that what we have, it’s never intended to end. That is why people get married, that is why they bond with one another, it is why companionship even exists. And all of these things have but one thing in common, they are all wonderful and perfect things that at some point must end. And what takes them? Distance, Time, War, Death? Should you leave and find you cannot return, in ten years will your convictions remain the same or will I just be someone you used to love?” 

The look on Dorian’s face had told Pelle that he’d said too much. His mind was a rather destructive force, much more than he had ever been capable of. He could see it in Dorian’s eyes that he’d hurt the Altus’ feelings somewhere behind that composure. He felt terrible t even doubt the way he did, but brains did that sometimes. He’d never been anyone of any importance to keep anyone around for extended periods of time in the past. Not that he believed Dorian would seek for closer companionship in Tevinter--still he couldn’t contain his impulse to ponder over the possibility of their unavoidable end. Whether it ended within two years or within fifty, one day it would. 

Pelle shook his head slowly. “Don’t answer that--I’m sorry.” He apologized. Maker he couldn’t even look Dorian in the eye after spouting something so venomous and hurtful. “If I were more honest, I would tell you I want you to make it difficult, though I would positively hate myself for it once you’d gone.” He confessed. 

The confession had earned him a request granted. Pelle hadn’t even given it a second thought when Dorian turned Pelle’s head to face him before planting a soft kiss to his lips. 

“Pelledir, I meant it when I told you I loved you.” was the first Dorian said once they’re lips parted. 

Typically, Pelle wouldn’t think nothing of something like that. But he knew Dorian. He knew that while Dorian could be cocky, narcissistic at times, and was certainly overflowing with sarcasm, he never said anything he did not mean. He was an honest man and while sometimes his honesty came off as arrogant and self indulged, Pelle appreciated it. It felt good to know that you weren’t being lied to even when it was unpleasant. Because when it was pleasant--there was no room for doubt. 

There was that broken smile again, come back to play a second time. Pelle had no words to argue, there was no need. Instead he simply allowed his previous statement of wishes for this to be a difficult parting take flight. He replied to the confession not with words but with another kiss, slower and more passionate this time. Pelle never got sick of the warmth that Dorian’s lips brought him, nor the way that Dorian’s strong arms around tugging him into a web of affection seemed perish any baggage that was weighing on his heart for a time.  

Once their lips had brushed against one another’s Pelle knew he was all too defenseless to even use common sense. He’d foolishly asked Dorian to disregard the fact that all of this would feel rather depressing once they were apart, and now he found himself caught in a trance that made his heart pound briskly against his lover’s chest. 

Slowly and rather reluctantly, Pelle broke the kiss between them his breath reduced to a soft pant. He stole a gaze at Dorian’s eyes, curious as to how the Altus had reacted or even felt about being suddenly kissed deeply like that. It was--easy to expect for Dorian to be used to the sort of thing, so the slight surprise Pelle found instead was almost unsettling. 

Pelle had been bottling up the dread he felt about this moment for days, weeks even. He often told others it was no good to do so and still he did it himself. he-wasn’t thinking clearly when he returned the affection, if he had to explain himself he would say that he’d simply finally exploded from all of the emotions he’d been tying down. 

“I--” He thought to try and explain, but knowing Dorian he was sure that the Altus had all but read him like an open book by now. He was after all wearing his heart on his sleeve like it was a fashion statement. How could he really even hope to hide a thing from Dorian when he was so blatantly transparent at the moment? No, he gave that thought up quickly. 

“I--suppose we’ve talked about it more...in a way.” He remarked faintly. “I suppose there weren’t too many helpful words exchanged and neither of us have any idea what we’re doing or what to expect but--this--this is fine..” And now he was babbling.

A soft chuckle was the response Pelle received to his discombobulated ramblings paired with a loving hand cupping his face just before fondly caressing his cheek. 

“The nonsense you speak.” Dorian whispered.