#araniel lavellan

[jkateel]

*clenches fist* she’s so pretty 😩

[jkateel]

Here’s one of my many WIPs, tentatively titled “Bullfight.” It’s set during Inquisition, in Haven, where Lavellan (named Araniel) and Iron Bull have a mock battle.

For how large and wide he was, when Bull launched himself forward, his speed came as a surprise. He crossed half the distance between them before Araniel could even react. Solas saw her startled expression before she swung her staff forward to unleash a fireball. It only bounced harmlessly off Bull’s gauntlet when he lifted his arm, and did not slow him in the slightest.

There was no time for a second attack. He was on her before she even had a chance.

She threw herself back when he swung his sword down at her at an angle. It wasn’t far enough as Bull easily twisted his arms to take an upwards swing that she dodged by mere inches. A horizontal swing made her bend backwards to avoid it, and that left her vulnerable. Bull swung his blade back up and then thrust it down with such force that her barrier splintered apart with a loud pop. It shattered and dissolved in a sprinkling of lights.

The crowd gasped in unison.

“Ha! Point for me!” Bull yelled as Araniel stumbled back, needing several steps before she caught her balance again. He didn’t pursue, giving her time to put some distance between them and get her barrier up once more. Solas could see her brow come together in thought as she circled the field, spinning her staff idly. Whatever her thoughts were, Solas could only guess.

When she cast her barrier again, Bull swung his sword up and grinned. “Ready for round two, boss?”

Araniel gritted her teeth, and nodded. “Ready,” she declared.

And she was: Before Bull could move, she fired off her attacks. Fireballs hurled out from the swings of her staff, rocketing across the field straight toward him.

Bull dodged the first one; let his enchantment take the second. The third fireball, larger than the other two, was unleashed when she spun around and used the momentum to hurl it from her staff. There, Bull raised his sword and swung to meet it.

He hit it straight on, sending the fireball flying out toward the lake and into the water.

The crowd gasped again; even Solas was impressed. Bull and Araniel both looked out toward the lake, as if each were surprised he managed it.

“Did you see that?!” Bull crowed, turning to the Chargers and pointing. The band cheered for him.

“Go, Chief, go!”

“And people call my stories unrealistic,” Varric muttered from next to Solas.

Yay, it’s WIP Wednesday Thursday again! Come and show me what you’re working on !

I know most of you are here for DA, but please feel free to share no matter the subject !

rb + add below!

Hope you’re having a great 2025, so far! 🎉🎊

[jkateel]

ehhhhhhh?

[jkateel]

trying my hand at sketching my inquisitor and ooof

what are lips. what are eyes.

it feels like baby’s first drawing

[jkateel]

I’m back to being obsessed with her.

[jkateel]

continuing my habit of writing 600 plus words on random thoughts that come to me… how did the Inquisitor and Morrigan become friends? thinking about it, it was probably after they faced Mythal/Flemeth.

tiny little snippet from that, where my elven inquisitor has a lot more to say about all that bullshit

“We called to her. We prayed to her,” she whispered, clenching her eyes shut, tears hot on her face. “My people fought and died for our right to worship her. I sat, and bled, for days, for the privilege to wear her. And she’s, she’s— a shem.”

Her mark fed off her growing rage, sparks of ice-cold magic smattering on the ground like embers from a fire. “She wears the form of those who have destroyed my people twice. Ones who would not hesitate to erase us from this earth even to this day. I know not what I ask? she says. I only ask for her to have a care.”

“It seems we are both bereft of such mothers.” Morrigan murmured.

“Then Fen’harel take her with the others,” Araniel cursed.

[jkateel]

"How would you stop them?"

"However I had to."

[jkateel]

she’s so pretty 😭

also she’s like ‘what is this shem nonsense’ throughout this entire scene

[jkateel]

more little writing snippets for my lavellan, really rough drafty here

based off this dialogue

Varric: So, here we are, elf, cleaning up another human mess.

Solas: What would the Inquisition do without our stabilizing influence, Master Tethras?

Varric: I assume they'd just start burning things.

Solas: That does sound like most humans I know.

Cassandra: If you gentlemen are quite finished?

Varric: Now, now, don't get touchy. We're just here to lend you simple humans our help.

Solas: Before you cause everything to explode.

Varric: Again.

after this dialogue

Araniel laughed. Her shoulders shook with it, light and soft.

“You know how to laugh?”

That cut her off, and she looked over at Varric.

“And here I was thinking you were a serious one,” he said with a calculating look.

“I—“ she started and then frowned. “Considering the situation I’ve found myself in, I have had little to laugh about.”

“You could laugh at the irony?” he suggested.

Araniel’s smile was fast, like a flick of a swallow’s wings. “Yes, I suppose.”

Now that she had his attention, he sped up so he could walk alongside her. “Hey, are the rumors true that when you first woke up you tried to escape and took down two guards and a Templar while doing so?”

Araniel glanced toward Cassandra, who rolled her eyes and increased her pace further up the hill.

She turned back and smirked. “Yes.”

“Surprised you didn’t make it out.”

“I—“ she lifted her marked hand, which flared its green light. “My magic was stronger. I was not expecting it and it caught me off-guard. I think the mark feeds it.”

“Hmm, don’t tell that to that elf, he’ll want to study it more.”

She glanced over at Solas, who looked curious.

“If that is the case, you seem to have learned to channel your magic and the mark well,” he said.

“I think he just paid you a compliment,” Varric muttered in amazement.

Later

“You’ll get used to it, kid. A roof over your head, humans, the smell. Give it time.”

“You speak from experience?” she asked.

“My friend, Daisy,” Varric muttered. “She was like you. Had to leave her clan; had to make a home in Kirkwall. Took her a bit getting used to the city, but she got the hang of it.”

“A heavy price.”

“The important things usually are.”

She reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. “I hope you get to go home soon, Varric.”

“Me too, kid. And same to you.”

[jkateel]

Thank you, mods.

(And the 10 years later look.)

[jkateel]

why yes, I did write roughly 600 words for an idea that came to me while walking my dog this morning, one of a series of stories about my lavellan that are only in my head at the moment, why do you ask tentatively titled "the one where lavellan needs some money."

15 Cloudreach, 9:45 Dragon, Kirkwall

“You want a job?”

Araniel felt her cheek twitch with a smile. “A bit of an oversimplification, but yes?”

“And why, pray tell, would you want one of those for?” Varric asked, sitting forward and clunking his mug against the table. “I would have thought any assets you received from the Inquisition would have paid you enough so you could live in that estate in the Dales for life. And isn’t Nightingale using the Chantry to fund the you-know-what against you-know-who?”

“Yes, but that is just it,” Araniel countered. “I could live comfortably. Yet I find myself with a staff, seneschals, guards, my own burgeoning spy network.”

“A good spy is expensive,” Varric agreed, lifting his mug to drink.

“Not to mention, Vivenne insists I throw at least three to four soirees a year,” Araniel continued before she hesitated, twisting around her mead glass with her hand. “Beyond that, I have… Plans.”

“Plans,” Varric repeated, his eyes narrowing. “Against—?”

“No.” Araniel shook her head. At best, she could say they were Solas-adjacent, but they were truly all her own. “These plans are more of a… personal project. Which I’ve come to understand, now that Josephine no longer just hands me a stipend, will require a large amount of funds.”

“Ruffles did make everything easier,” Varric hummed, setting his mug back on the table. He interlocked his fingers in front of his chest, brow furrowing in thought. “Well, I may not be the best person to ask. I usually give away my money as fast as I earn it. Or so my accountant constantly reminds me.” 

Araniel smiled. She couldn’t help but be reminded of the time she had helped Varric wrap gifts for Wintersend, most of which were toys for the children of many in his spy network. It was odd to think back on how simple some days at Skyhold had been.

Varric snapped his fingers then, and pointed at her. “You know who you need to speak with? Hawke.”

Araniel lifted her eyebrows. “Hawke has returned?” 

Varric nodded. “We’ve been keeping it quiet, for obvious reasons. Some of the nobles in this city still haven’t forgiven him for the whole ‘Blondie’ thing, and I unfortunately need their money for the reconstruction efforts. But he’s smart about his coin. He’ll have ideas.”

“It would be a pleasure to see him again,” Araniel said, smiling. “Would you arrange a meeting?”

“No time like the present. Unless you have somewhere to be?” 

When Araniel shook her head, Varric pushed himself from his seat, the chair scraping against the Hanged Man’s wooden floor. “It’s a good thing you dressed down for the occasion, Inquisitor. We’ll need to take the back way to his estate.”

“The back way?” Araniel lifted one eyebrow high as she stood to follow him. “My guards are not going to like this, are they.”

“Gotta earn their keep somehow,” Varric said with a smirk.

~*~

Hawke spun an orb of light between his fingers from where he was sitting in his chair in front of his fireplace. “Have you considered finding a long lost map to the Deep Roads that leads you to an ancient thaig full of untold riches?”

“The thaig where you found the red lyrium?” Araniel asked from her spot on the settee opposite of him, where she glanced at Varric next to her. The dwarf softly groaned and rubbed at his temples.

“That’s the one.” Hawke grinned.

“Then no.”

“Well damn, this will be pretty boring then.” Hawke sat up, the ball of light vanishing as he did. “How do you feel about investments?”

[stg-solus]

Many faces of Araniel, whom I love

[stg-solus]

New album cover 

[stg-solus]

Araniel: the best way to make friends with them is to flatter them endlessly

Or: awkward baby doesn’t know how to make friends without coming on too strong. Is not even embarrassed 

[stg-solus]

THERE HE IS!!!! THERE HE IS!!!!! 

[stg-solus]

It's funny because even tho Araniel in that screenshot with Dorian looks short anyway he's probably even shorter.... he's probably like 5'3"... Definitely my smol-est oc