#as much as it's possible for Wardens to be happy anyway

[greypetrel]

Fun on the Battlefield 🦏⚔️🦊

Day 2 of OC Kiss Week, and 11 of Kiss Art February: it's still Alyra, but with @ndostairlyrium 's Ela on La Fraternité by Aimé-Jules Dalou.

Since this very incospicous, much innocent ask I kept thinking about it and nothing, I have details and blabbering under the cut.

On Alyra's POV: it would be possible, but it started rough, maybe a rivalmance. Or a very slowburn enemies to lovers. At the start she would have instantly labelled Elanor as "rich human girl who never had to work one day who romanticizes something that sucks and wants to play war". And it will take quite a while to change her mind. Good with the sword? Oh wow don't tell me you had teachers and you learnt from them? WOW, what a genius. She'll come to change her mind slowly, watching her work damn hard and putting an effort. It'll come to a begrudging respect to admiration for changing her situation and not settling for her privilege. Greater admiration when Ela will admit to her to want to step back from politics, not feeling good enough for it. That will gain her approval.

On the romance part: In a first moment picture Alyra trying to push her with Alistair. Not even hiding it. "You're both paladins you are both romantics, you should fuck.". *Alistair implodes* IF Ela will suggest an interest... Alyra will be very explicit on the poly thing. She wants an open couple, not a happy ever after, not a "You're mine and I'm yours" or be exclusives. She's been there done that, she doesn't want exclusivity. If Ela's up for it? Sure, go on, my tend or yours. Otherwise, she'll be happy in leaving her and Alistair on their own. Disapprove greatly Ela keeping Alistair a Warden. Insist on staying a Chancellor anyway and get into politics, no matter what.

And yes, it could work if it's long-distance I think. x"D

[agonydearest]

The partners aren't the problem here, it's the protagonists I created. They're all hot messes.

Esmareld Cousland is a knife-wielding little shit who can't take anything seriously

Alexander Hawke is hot-tempered asshole

Damon Trevelyan is trying in vain to keep Hawke and Cousland in line

Hal Laidir is taking advantage of the chaos to try and pickpocket everyone

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Is there a chance you can make the yan! dorm leaders (mostly Leona and Malleus) react to their darling who acts like Jinx from Arcane? if you don't know Arcane you can ignore this.

Jinx Reader | Yandere Twisted Wonderland

You are erratic, you’re creative, you’re always building something, and you always seem to be armed. Hanging from rafters or gargoyles, you fit right in with the colorful characters of Night Raven College. So it's no surprise that so many are enraptured by you. If they can survive you that is they’ll make sure no one else around you does:

Malleus Draconia

“You never cease to amaze me child of man!”

If you are not found conducting major renovations on Ramshackle, your spray paint your tag on different gargoyles of Night Raven

At first, he may not be too fond of this 

but when he finally gets to meet you 

He’s happy there’s a piece of you on the things he loves

He’s aware you're a bit of an outcast but it only means he gets more of your attention

Like with Silko, you establish intimacy without acknowledgment for personal space and he’s all about it

RIP to Sebek should he have anything to say

Luckily for Sebek, you’d sooner point a gun and threaten him than wait for Malleus to exact his own punishment

You scare most people away anyway

So whenever you have doubts or insecurities they come to him 

Malleus is sure to filter out anything that he doesn’t like

“Of course, your toys are appreciated by the student body. No one has died and the screams of joy echo throughout the entire college. Fear not, my love.”

His and your sense of fun and ‘what's okay’ is really skewed

It's so bad Lillia needs to be a father figure the both of you

But since Malleus is so….Malleus, he doesn’t always decide to listen to him

So it's quite possible you two will decide to bring wonderland to an end for funsies

“I’ve always wanted to give the world a taste of me!”

“And they will have it, my Love. Since I will it, your creations will be on everyone’s minds!”

Leona Kingscholar

“You’re such a wreck. I couldn’t call you an herbivore even if I tried.”

He’s mostly amused by your just bizarre nature

You probably first met because you jumped and continued to snuggle him

He’s also enamored with the way you so easily point your guns at the bigger guys in Savvannaclaw

From then on no one's going to question you

In fact, you're so unhinged the Savannaclaw students group around you like they do with Leona

And he couldn’t be happier

It's like you're the perfect accessory to his crimes

In the future, any scheme is proposed by you 

Because your like “If you want it I’ll get it for you”

He’s the one who has to reel you in

He starts having a problem though when people want to take you down a notch

Whether they trash your workshop or severely damage something big you’ve been working on

“T-they-! R-ruined it! It’s all destroyed!”

“I’m right here. I’m right here. You know me, I won’t let them get away with this.”

And he won’t 

while you’re curled up in the fetal position on his bed, he’s hunting down the poor fools who are going to be paralyzed by the time he’s done

“Y-you beat them up for me?”

“You’re my mate. It’s only natural I avenge you. Now stop crying and sleep.”

“Okay!”

Vil Schoenheit

“If only you put as much work into your inventions as you did your reputation.”

He can deal with radical personalities 

He works with Rook every day after all

But unlike his vice warden who is adamant about maintaining beauty 

you care more to build an invention that's going to ruin everyone else’s beauty

But he loves you still

Even when you have a hard time sitting still while he’s doing your makeup he loves you obsessively

“Darling, you left one of your gadgets in my suitcase!”

“Toss it this way!”

“I’m not. I know what your clicker toys do and I have a shoot today.”

He gains an uncanny knowledge of what all of your inventions do

And he gets just as good at dodging anything you throw at him

But of course, he’s not the only one under fire

Some fans eventually do find you despite your reclusive nature

And it's easy for them to threaten you indirectly through your inventive space

Vil will take control as he usually does

He’ll happily create an untraceable potion and invite the aggressors over to tea

And even when he makes them apologize he’s not giving them the real antidote

People from the outside will say he acts like your parent 

But he likes taking care of you

In fact, if you start trying to move on your own 

He tugs you back by your heartstrings

“Don’t you love me? Don’t you trust me, darling?!”

“Of course I do Vil! I just wanted to help pay the bills you know?”

“But Darling don’t you know I already pay for everything? Even all your inventions? Let’s not change that now, okay?”

Idia Shroud

“Oh? A fellow builder, huh? Maybe we can...have a bit of a wager. I’d love to see how you fare against me!”

You and him are two peas in a pod

Both of you are something of mad scientists

So you two are always inventing with one another

Normally in demented competition you both love to test your newest inventions with another

“Ah~(Y/n)-shi let’s make a bet!”

“First one to blow up is the winner?”

“And the loser has to be support?

“And the winner?”

“Hehe the winner…gets to make the loser reenact the actions from the R-18 doujin!”

“Awww poor ‘dia you’ll be so embarrassed when I have you reenact the maid scene!”

“Not as cute as you’ll be when I enact page 69.”

You two love wagers 

It’s Idia’s favorite game

To bet with you is the best

He could ask for nothing more

So its only natural he uses his newest inventions to torment whoever he was hearing through the bug he placed on you

He still gets shy but he can’t help but smile when you turn your attention toward him

“Mine! The winner of this game is me! You’re all mine!”

Azul Ashengrotto

“You truly are an enigma, (Y/n). I insist you join Octavinelle for the next year.”

He’s used to dealing with someone who is heavily swayed by mood

And he always has uses for your newest inventions

And since he’s always keeping you busy theres less of a chance you realize how much he shelters you

“Since you so willingly took up all of our commissions the least I could do was offer you this space.”

“Wow it has all the stuff I like in here! It looks so much like my room! How’d you know?”

“Lucky guess? I also made sure that I’d deliver your favorite meals at the correct hours of the day.”

“Yay!”

He’s merciless against those who seek to cut him out 

And he does whatever he has to to make sure they suffer for the crime of gaining your favor

he blushes when you're comfortable enough to sit on his lap 

he loves it all the more

And he promises to keep this as his special payment

All within the contract, you so easily signed 

He’s completely within his rights to do so

“As per our agreement, you can only build for me or concede and become mine.”

Riddle Rosehearts

“You have no rules or reason! Someone needs to whip you into shape and that will be me!”

He thinks your crazy

Which obviously means he has to take control

Forget about your love for explosives 

And forget about your habits with guns

“You’re royalty show some decorum!”

“Decorum? Forget that I’d rather be poor then!”

“Not possible. I won’t allow it.”

“Oh yeah? Than what do you say to my lovely Pow-Pow?”

“I say: “Off with your head!”

He’s intent on “fixing you” or at least encouraging a ‘better you’

And it's all because he’s grateful

When he was so used to keeping within the lines his mother had placed for him 

You made him happy with that spontaneity you just seemed to have

Now it was his turn

His turn to bring the order that you needed 

You needed him 

not anyone else

He’d sooner let your old habits return than let some plebian steal you away

“Fine I will let you use one of your…toys but I have a target for you. And if you do that successfully I can allow some lee way in your desserts.”

Kalim Al Asim

“Wow your exciting as always, (Y/n)!”

Leave it to you to be matched or even outdone by the prince’s optimism

He’s so enthusiastic about you

there's no reason you wouldn’t agree to date him

“I’m so excited! Now you can stay here forever with me!”

“Hehehe, Kalim I can’t wait either! Now I can show you all the cool gadgets I build and you can help me try them!”

“Yeah!” 

Even with the more violent results, he’s still cheering you on

Something that surprises many 

But should you try to expand your circle or become more adept at speaking to others

Something begins to snap

Slowly but surely the prince is making sure he’s your only close confidant

And at the end of the day, you’ll come to him for cuddles

Just as heplanned always wants

“Haha did you miss me today, (Y/n)? Because I missed you!”

[burning-academia-if]

hiii happy new year! just read your if and ughhh oh my goddddd I love them I love it all I love the characters and magic system and can’t wait for more!

anyways I would like to say. forgive me em for I have sinned. (aka going through all the nsft asks lmao) but I have an ask and it’s pretty much just fluff!

so in a situation where the MC and all the ROs have gotten closer, (but not necessarily romantically if you want) how would they react if the MC went to their dorm room late at night in pajamas and clutching a pillow to their chest and just asking soft and tired and pleading but trying not to impose if they can sleep the night with them?

feel free to explore the possible dynamics to the MC asking this of beck while rook is also in the room or vice versa, or both being asked at once, or just do each RO one on one if that’s easier and you’d prefer!

it can be romantic if you’d like but I’m just wondering how they’d react if MC got permission from them and cuddled up in their bed behind them with the RO’s back pulled to their chest and face in the crook of their neck seeking familiarity (but is there really such a closeness with rook though?) warmth (beck) sweet kindness (zoe who may go into older sibling mode after younger sibling has a nightmare lmao) etc etc.

and if the ROs say no for whatever reason how would they react to MC sleeping on the floor of the room/outside the door just to be close and feel a sense of safety?

anyways I apologise for such a long and varied ask but you can probably tell who my faves are lmao

again I love your if and the characters make me slightly unwell so thank you for writing it! take care of yourself in the meantime!

HELLO sorry this took so long to get to it's been hectic but I'm glad you enjoyed my IF (and the nsft posts LMAO) Also this question has chapter 3 vibes lol(if you got the chapter 2 bad end)!

Rook: If not at the romantic stage yet there's a bit of hesitance, a flash in his eyes you know well at this point (it's always there when you try to get a little too close) but you look forlorn and helpless standing in the doorway, that he can only let you in. He'll stay in the room with you if you ask, but he won't stay in the same bed as you, instead giving in to his late night habits, like a warden keeping watch of his charge. (Added Beck: If he happens to be there when you arrive the hesitance is gone, but he goes a little rigid instead, like he doesn't want Beck to see you like this, or anyone else, for that matter)

In the romantic stage, it's a quick acceptance, and an almost protective way about him. He lets you burrow as close to him as you want, listening to your breathing even until he lets himself drift off.

Beck: Romantic stage or not, he's quick on the upkeep and letting you crawl into his bed. He'd asked if you needed anything first, already getting you at least a glass of water. You don't have to talk about it, but he's there if you want to. The only real difference is if it's not the romantic stage yet, you'd have to ask him to stay in bed with you (but he would, curling under the covers next to you, talking about meaningless things to get your mind distracted and you've finally drifted off). (Added Rook: I don't think his reaction changes much, you might be Rook's 'best friend' but also, he gets the feeling there's a reason you asked him instead of Rook. After watching the two of you long enough, he can see the distance.)

Rhea: If not at the romantic stage, she's half asleep at the door, taking a second longer than normal to process what it is you've just asked of her. All the Rules flutter through her head, but one look at you and she doesn't really care. She guides you inside, quickly setting you up in her room and saying she'll take the couch. She wouldn't be comfortable sleeping in the same bed (not with the complicated feelings in her chest) but she promises she'll be just a call away if you need her.

In the romantic stage, she'll have a flash of hesitation before agreeing (depending on how deep into said stage the two of you are). She'll let you cuddle close to her, running a hand through your hair or up and down your back until the two of you softly drift off to sleep.

Zoe: If not at the romantic stage, they're a little stunned to see you at their doorstep, in the middle of the night, in pjs, with your stuff in tow. They think of all the ways their family would have Something to say in the morning, but they swallow it down and let you inside. At first they offer you the guest room, until you ask if you can stay with them. They freeze, trying to lodge the request into their skull. Every part of them screams no, the closeness would be overwhelming, but then they see the look in your eyes and relent easily. They lay next to you in bed, turned away but both your backs are pressed together. At some point, you finally drift off, but they end up awake the whole night. They might be used to their little sister climbing into their bed from time to time, but having you here is so unfamiliar, they can't really handle it.

In the romantic stage, it's much the same, although they'd be slightly less hesitant about letting you stay with them.

Lars: If not at the romantic stage, maybe he would kick you out, until he feels the flare of your emotions wash over him and he knows exactly what you're going to do. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and points at the couch. He has work to do and it's easier for the both of you if you just spend the night. He tells you where the spare blankets and pillows are if you need it (with a pointed look at what's already in your hands) and lets you figure it out yourself. You fall asleep to the sound of a keyboard typing away, or a pencil writing away on paper. When you wake up, he'd be gone, but there's a note there's breakfast in the microwave if you want any before you go.

In a romantic stage, he'll still have a Look on his face but he'll let you inside easy despite it. The two of you set up in his room, and he settles next to you with his work, hand absent-mindly brushing against your arm or hair, seeking you out now that you're here. He doesn't go to sleep, but you fall asleep next to him just the same.

???: Regardless of the stage, they'd welcome you with open arms, of course they would. Haven't they always been with you when you couldn't sleep? Haven't they let you talk to them about needless things, desperate to distract yourself from the face of reality and the slew of bad dreams? They stay with you easily, promising you that you're safe. No one knows this place they're in, and nothing could bring you harm here. The moment you lay your head down, sleep claims you instantly. It's the chill that wakes you, the tickle of long hair brushing against your face. They're asleep beside you, and you distantly realize they held your hand while you slept. At your movement, they wake, briefly. They insist its still early and to come back to bed, you need the rest. After the night that you had, you might think to agree, and they only squeeze your hand once before you both drift off again.

[black-flames-and-cherry-flowers]

No war AU (Daenerys x Robb endgame) Part 2

Part 1

Jon is the second son of Lyanna Baratheon, his surname is also Baratheon but nobody is sure who is the father, all the boy knows it's that uncle Stannis has a perpetual scowl in his face every single time he looks at him, for that reason, Jon decides in the future he will join the Night Watch, maybe if he does well enough everyone will forget he may or may be not a Baratheon.

Without war the Greyjoy's don't try to fight for their independence back, Theon is stuck with several older brothers that bully him a little bit since he is the youngest child, and a father that cares very little about him.

Growing up Robb is a little bit more reserved, since he doesn't have much friends of his age, that allows him to pay a little bit more attention on how his sisters behave around each other.

Tysha's incident still happens, but since Tyrion marriage was already arranged, Tywin it's even crueler to the poor girl to drive the point across, not only arranging her gang rape but burning the small cottage were she and Tyrion were so happy as well, his blood will end in the iron throne even it the media has to be Tyrion and he will not tolerate any defiance about that.

Lord and Lady Stark travel to King's Landing with Robb for king Rhaegar's coronation. Sansa's wails could be heard from Winter Town when she found that she wasn't going to accompany them.

The wardens of north, south, east and west, all the major houses and many minor from the area of King's Landing are gathered for King's Rhaegar coronation, he is dressed in black silk with the sigil of his house embroidered in crimson velvet on his back, of course he uses Aegon the Conqueror's crown. Rhaegar barely addresses Elia as his queen, only doing it when it's strictly necessary.

In between the act of the coronation and the feast, the now named widowed queen Rhaella, communicates her older son her wish to leave for Dragonstone with Daenerys, she desires a peaceful place to be, and to shelter her daughter as much as possible of the schemes that are always brewing in King's Landing. Rhaegar obligues for the moment but reminds his mother that eventually his sister will have to serve her house.

In the feast there is a table for the youngest ones it's were Robb and Daenerys meet for the first time, although it's quite unremarkable for then at the time. Robb is eager to finally be around boys of his age, and Daenerys is busy chatting with her niece and Margaery Tyrell, so their interaction doesn't go much more further away than their initial greeting. By the time music and dance starts, most of them are ushered to to bed anyway.

Neither of Tyrion or Cersei are too happy, the first one is more interested to drink his wight on wine than to take a look of his betrothed, and the second one is fuming since her father has shared his planning to marry her soon to either Willas Tyrell, Euron Greyjoy or Edmure Tully, and for someone a weird witch in the forest told she was going to be queen none of them seem like good enough options, although she hopes Euron it's just a threat of her father to make her behave as he pleases, and he isn't really thinking of doing that.

[luzial]

Happy DADWC!! FOR Solavellen how about from the sensory prompts Raindrops on eyelashes !

Thank you for the prompt! Here's some Veilguard Solavellan (heavy spoilers for Act 3/endgame).

@dadrunkwriting - Veilguard spoilers 787 words

The small group of Grey Wardens perched by the precipice parted when the Inquisitor stepped toward them. Perhaps it was out of respect, but she had learned that fear, pity, and distrust were all equally possible. Now, seeing what he had become, those who hunted monsters gave way for the woman who loved one.

Nevermind, she told herself as she looked out over the blighted city. Rain soaked through her leathers and down to her freezing skin. They had stopped here to regroup, to heal, to account for the lost and the dead. 

But he had not stopped. 

She had fallen to her knees when she first saw him towering over the city streets, wonderful and terrible in the distance. She was no fool - she had seen his paintings, caught him in the corner of her eye when her sleeping mind wandered the Fade. She knew the wolf was more than just a title. But to see it - oh, to see it!

Then, Dorian had rushed to her side and shoved a vial into her hand. Her old friend had given her too much credit, assuming exhaustion was the reason she knelt rather than the desperate, inescapable mix of terror and pride she felt as she watched him launch himself at the archdemon. She drank the lyrium potion anyway, tossed the vial to the ground, and sent a bolt of white-hot lightning directly into the skull of the Venatori who blocked their path. In the distance, the wolf howled, then locked its jaws around the dragon’s neck.

Now, her patience wore thin. She shivered against the cold, but not only that. To think that they stood here, anxiously making jokes to chase away their fears, when the battle raged on. 

He was dying. She was certain of it. She had spent enough time in the wild to recognize the sounds of a wounded animal. The yelps, the shrieks - all of it an involuntary cry for help.

But no matter how familiar she was with the sounds of death, nothing had prepared her to discover Solas’ voice buried within the wolf’s desperate keening.

It nearly took her to her knees again. 

In each howl she heard the words she had guarded so preciously these past years, fresh and  tender as they had been the first time. She heard the soft way he said her name, and the desperation when his sweet whispers of vhenan gave away more than they should. He had told her she changed everything. As she looked out on Dorian’s beloved city reduced to ash and disease, she knew he had been right.

A few blocks away, she heard something enormous slam into a tower. The ground trembled beneath her. She could only watch helplessly as bricks rained down on the streets and the wolf screamed in agony again. She put her hand over her mouth, nauseous from the smells and the fear.

How much longer can he last, she thought. How much longer must I wait?

She nearly cried out with relief when she heard Morrigan’s voice behind her.

“Rook’s team has gathered. They are preparing to make the final assault.”

She swallowed hard, choking down the terror that still gripped her heart, and willed herself to block out the wolf’s cries.

Just for a little, she told herself. Just for now. If he was to die, she would find a way to be at his side, no matter what. She would not allow him to leave this world alone. 

She was grateful, when she turned to face Morrigan, for the steady storm that still raged and for the raindrops that coated her eyelashes. Perhaps they would be enough to obscure the truth - if not from Morrigan, then at least from the others.

Despite their many disagreements over the years, Morrigan took one look at her face and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Take heart, Lady Inquisitor,” she said. “The old things of this world are harder to break than you might think. And I believe you have that in common.”

She nodded, grateful for the reminder even if it brought little comfort. Then she fell into step behind Morrigan.

Just like the old days, she thought. Forget yourself. Be only the title. The Inquisitor, after all, was someone who could face the death of the man she loved if it meant saving the world in the process. She had learned to lie from the best of them, after all. 

And as for her - the real her? As always, she would foolishly nurture the delicate hope that perhaps fate would grant her one final chance to speak to the only person who had known her as herself before he was stolen away again.

[wishforhome]

happy friday and welcome to dadwc!! (: a prompt for whatever combination of the wardencrow polycule suits you: ❛ hard to sit here and be close to you, and not kiss you. ❜

Viago/Rook - Veilguard as usual. I guess this is an outtake from Wings of Change.

@dadrunkwriting

hard to sit here and be close to you, and not kiss you

As a Warden, Rook avoided the medics as much as possible. In ten years, she attended maybe two of her annual physicals without needing to be compelled with the threat of latrine duty. It isn’t that she hates needles, or healers, or anything of that sort. She just doesn’t like the attention, being poked and prodded and examined. (There is maybe something there, something about watching the way they’d inspected slaves in Vyrantium, pulling at their lips to see their teeth, watching and knowing it could be her. She does not look at this idea too closely.) And besides, she knows enough healing magic to get by on her own.

 And yet this routine has become familiar: here she sits, perched on a stool in the small laboratory in the back of the apartment Viago shares with Teia, watching him as he prepares the materials for another blood draw.

He is always asking for more blood, too cautious to keep a sample on hand for more than a few hours. She tries to tease him about it – Vi, seriously, you could open a blood bank at this point – but his fingers tighten on the glass vial in his hand and he looks pained, so she lets it drop.

Viago is tense today – more tightly wound than usual. He’s been like this lately, more distant, harder to pin down. Caution in public is one thing, but even alone, he’s kept a careful distance. Rook frowns from beneath the fringe of her bangs, watching him as he leans over his desk, consulting his notes for what feels like the fifteenth time.

“Vi,” she says.

He looks up at her with an expression that is somewhere between inquisitive and annoyed.

“You’re doing that thing again,” she says. The thing where he overthinks a procedure that they’ve done together what must be a dozen times by now. “Just come over here and get it over with.”

It is something she never thought she’d do – pester a man to take her blood. To analyze her. Examine her.

He huffs a sigh and then presses his fingers to the bridge of his nose. He gets that furrow in his brow that Teia always teases him about.

She parts her thighs when he steps closer to her. It is one of the few intimacies he allows them, the way he comes to stand between her legs when he takes her blood. They both know what he’s doing, getting that close. She does not comment on it, or he will stop. He stands between her knees, and she stretches out her left arm for him.

The routine is familiar. He ties the strap around her bicep, taps the vein. She waits for the perfect moment, when he is most focused, his eyes sharp as he peers at the the thin skin in the ditch of her elbow, rubbing a thumb over that spot to bring up the vein.

“This is very difficult for me, you know,” she tells him.

“You don’t like tests, I remember.” He spares her a quick glance. “I am sorry we have to do this so often.”

“No, not that,” she says. “It’s just hard to sit here, and be close to you, and not kiss you.”

His fingers tighten on her arm, the way they always do when she says something flirtatious during their moments together in his lab. He really should be used to it by now, she thinks, as she watches the blush rise in his cheeks.

“Rook, please,” he says, a note of warning in his voice. He sounds serious. Perhaps that was too far, today, when he is already so unsettled. There is a thin line with him, that she is always navigating, and it shifts so often with his moods.  She wants to touch his elbow, to make some reassuring gesture to calm him, but she knows it would not help.

She offers him a change of subject instead, making her tone curious. “What are you testing for today, anyway?” It’s funny, really, how the simple question helps drain the tension from his shoulders. Give him something to explain, and he relaxes.

He lifts the slender needle from the table. His hands move deliberately, without the slightest tremor, as he pierces her vein. He begins to talk about baseline resistances and toxin cross-reactivity, and Rook doesn’t know what most of it means, but she loves the lilt of his accent and the way his fingertips brush the inside of her arm as he works.

[herotome]

Devlog #125

Hi-ho, Wudge here! Gosh! I missed last week's update.

Happy holidays from Herotome!!

I haven't drawn anything this year-- oh but hmm, I could do a quick edit, here -

Tadah! For anyone who hasn't already seen it, we got those 50 reblogs to make Warden shirtless! A pure version without the christmas lights went up yesterday, just scroll down my blog a bit or check out the #ro: warden hashtag.

I'm pleased with how much mileage I'm already getting from this picture, ha.

Anyway.

Seems like I'm gonna be focused on writing new scenes and drawing expressions for a while. They're some of the more tedious tasks for me, so I'll certainly be looking for every opportunity to do other things on the side - like coding.

Today I've decided that the LI sprites should have their eyebrows on a separate layer from the rest of their face, to offer me the greatest amount of variety in creating new expressions - and I've come up with a naming system for it, too!

I'm looking forward to implementing this. Eyebrow shapes have much, much less variety compared to mouth shapes, so I might even finish drawing every possible eyebrow for every LI sometime soon. I've already gotten a strong start with Warden and Mia's eyebrows.

Speaking of, I did turn in more expressions over on Ko-Fi!

Tadah!! Thank you again to everyone who has donated so far!

I'm realizing that in the set dedicated to Dia, Warden and Mia have the same mouth shape on the upper right side... A fascinating subconscious decision on my part.

Outside of art, I did write... once. Er, it went pretty okay. I'm usually the biggest hater of my first drafts.

I think my goal is gonna be to show off the abilities of all the characters as equally as I can; Warden and Jade have had their time to shine (during the job fair and flying MC home, respectively), and I think MC, Griffin, and Mia are gonna be queued up next.

I'll put the rest under a cut for potential spoilers and further rambling - as always, if you don't see the cut, make sure to check out my blog directly!

I have a good idea of what I wanna do with Griffin (it may or may not involve obliterating your rent debt, and I may or may not have written about that in the first-draft-I-don't-hate).

I've been thinking that this scene would involve a change of clothes btw, and did some fashion concepts for Griffin that I also don't hate;

I'm not super sure what I'm gonna do for Mia's eventual ~special show-off scene~, but I'm sure it will come to me.

For MC, I want to show off her relationship with the city, and showcase how qualified she is for the job in a low-key way. I recently discussed with a friend how Men in Black is a huge source of inspiration for me... Y'all know the scene where Will Smith has his interview and did things differently from all the other candidates?? I kinda wanna capture that vibe...!

And ah... I think that's about it, Herotome-wise.

Wudge-wise, honesty hour - I've had ssssome mild health concerns this year.

I don't want to go into detail; I want to say it's been like... nothing life threatening, thankfully, but a lot of small physical inconveniences that pile up and make it harder to concentrate.

I did rest a lot last week so no worries. <3 It's just that parts of my body have been weird and annoying, and I think it's helpful to acknowledge that the flesh prison can be a weird and annoying place. But I value it! And I'm doing my best to take care of it. Health comes first, etc, etc.

With this new year, I hope you guys take care of yourselves as best as you can, too. The person who's most qualified to take care of you is you!!!

Stay safe and keep warm,

Wudge.

[veilkeeper]

Here to give you one last big update on my Origins playthru and to say I finished the base game!!! (If that seemed fast it kinda was, I legit have not been able to put the game down in between my work shifts this week it was just that good.) But anyways! As far as the big stuff goes:

I had Emyr kill Loghain in the Landsmeet duel. For as much as I as the player can understand the logic of "recruiting someone strong to the wardens when you need as many hands as possible to help defead this archdemon" and might have gone that way, my warden Emyr was way past the point of forgiving him. If it hadn't been for the Alienage slaver issue, he'd have Maybe considered it. But the Alienage was his home as a child and his parents were still there, so that was the final straw for him. (That and the fact that he and Alistair were finally on really good terms and there's no way he was going to fuck that up in the final hour.)

We put Anora on the throne! I Do like what I've heard of king Alistair route, but I both didn't harden him (had no idea I Could even do that til way later lol) and Emyr wouldn't have ever forced that on Alistair to begin with. Not the kind of thing he'd be up to doing. I do feel bad for killing her dad in front of her after all that but y'know. Shit happens sometimes.

Lost my mind learning about the dark ritual with Morrigan tbh, was not expecting that even tho I should have knowing her lol. Emyr did do it with her, he was never gonna ask anyone else to do so and after all the hard work he'd rather not die if he can avoid it tbh! (I do wish the game gave you an option to yknow discuss it with your romance partner if they aren't Morrigan but alas that's what personal canon is for.) I didn't bring her along for the final fight tho after all that (prioritized the combat group I knew wouldnt die the entire way for me lol) and she was Not happy with Emyr. I'm so sorry girl I promise we'll make it up to you later.

Not related to choices, but I Did get a hilarious bug in the endgame of getting Alistair's romance bark whenever I switched to him in combat and it had me fuckin laughing cause I was like "did something happen while I wasn't watching that you want to tell me??"

Overall, Origins is going right besides FFXIV for one of the best games I've ever played, and I do not ever give that rating lightly considering how much XIV also means to me. Definitely one I'll be replaying in the future and will never stop thinking about ~

killing loghain with your own (proverbial) bare hands is a TIME HONOURED TRADITION!! i am personally a loghain fan but yeah *looks at the alienage* he did do that, it's true.

hardening in origins works really different. with leliana its pretty obvious when and how you do it, but for alistair it's a LOT subtler so i don't blame you for not being able to do it your first try. ftr, you CAN put an unhardened alistair on the throne (i do it with ren for character reasons), he's just a lot more reluctant and certain options aren't available.

ah the dark ritual. a cause for much controversy and one of my personal favourite plot points. the whole "man i wish we could talk about this with our LI" thing is something i've explored in fic/hc before because it is such a MAJOR oversight, but you know. the limitations of games.

alistair's big stupid crush on his bff continues to be real in my brain always, and now the game bugs are agreeing with me. amen.

i'm so glad you liked it!! origins is one of those games, in my experience, where you either fall right off it immediately or it alters your brain chemistry so thoroughly that you won't ever be the same. now onto awakenings, the ACTUAL best part of origins.

[heelycular-manslaughter]

I've been working on a ttrpg inspired by Hades and Kill 6 Billion Demons, modifying my Lumen game, Luminous Vein. It's definitely still early in the process, and I have so many projects that this one is a bit on the backburner, in part because I hate figuring out random generation and it'd feel more right to have a more official vibe to it with art & stuff. Anyway I do however think some of it is cool as hell so I put out a poll asking people what they'd like to hear about; you guys chose my problematic trans rep, who I dont have much to say about that I didn't already put in its description, so I'll just put it in full:

Hollow, Goddess of Rot

It/its, she/her, they/them

Feared among mortals to its elation, Hollow is a heavy shadow of positivity in the pantheon of gods. It loves trying to find new ways to disgust and horrify mortals, sometimes going so far as to create minor planes to trap them in and play with them. It, however, is not a real threat to anyone; her domain only ever affects those that have already died.

While plenty of wildlife loves her, human cults are rare to form, but those that do are often social outcasts, finding beauty in not just the way rot provides new life, but to death on its own merit.

Hollow is the shambling corpse of the first dead god, born in the abyss that could not be filled by anyone else. Its skin is grey and thin, tearing at the joints; its eyes have long been forgotten by physical existence; its form is too old and rotted to make out what the dead god once looked like. There's a gaping hole in the center of her neck, leaving its voice whispy, almost pained. They have a series of spindly, metal legs modeled by Eralth, the God of Craft, to support their slowly withering divine legs. Smaller beings of rot reside in the fungi and holes growing around their flesh. Hollow is extremely proud of the body they claimed, and, even as the gods respond to her presence with discomforted silence at best, they will all admit that she shows more joy than the first dead god ever did, or most other gods in the pantheon, for that matter.

Hollow loves dead things and is, therefore, happy to help runners escape hell so they can fulfill their full potential as dead things. She only shows confusion when asked for clarification.

Core Mechanic: Rot

When enemies inflicted with rot die, their bodies will remain to fight alongside you, becoming undead. Undead have the same actions made on the GM turn, but directed at enemies, and their health is based on how much rot you inflicted on them.

Boons of Hollow:

Rotting Wounds: Your weapon attacks inflict 1 rot

Trail of Death: Inflict 3 rot when you move away from an enemy

Decay: When you kill an enemy with an attack requiring 2 actions, they are given 1 rot

Spores: Your cast inflicts 2 rot to all enemies in Close range of the target.

Contagion: All undead attacks inflict 1 rot.

Self-Actualization: You can choose to target actions or casts on yourself, dealing harm but giving you any included rot effects as well.

Angry Dead: All undead deal +1 harm

Slough: Living targets inflicted with rot will take +1 harm.

Probably should've guessed the website with all the freak transgenders would vote for the freak transgender, now everything after her is gonna be a letdown. This is my best girl and also literally me so if anyone is mean to her I'll kill yo u

I'm not entirely sure how many possible boons I want the gods to have, Hades has a massive swathe of them but it turns out that can be kinda hard. I might add more mechanics to the core combat system to play with, the big issue I'll have to deal with is the randomness and the fact that the upgrades aren't weapon specific

Congrats! You read this far! or scrolled down and clicked words! You are now granted voting rights on what I should bring up next. if you want

[invinciblerodent]

I know this is a hardish question bc probably depends on game factors, but as it is rn you the brain sauce

Do you think Emmerich notices right away that Tristan isn’t alive in the same sense as pm everyone else? Or is he like quicker than others to notice? I assume Tristan isn’t quick to explain the full truth of his… condition.

(Sorry if I seem obsessed, bc I kinda am. I blame my adhd for the hyperfixation. Love the whole idea! )

Oh absolutely no worries babe lol, I'm just happy that you find the big fellow interesting! ❤️❤️

Have a song I've been listening to a lot over the past few days and have kinda started associating it with him-

(this, as well as "Ghost" by the same guy, very Tristan-coded to me, only this one also has that soft, deep-voiced crooning in "Orlesian" in the middle there that's. Very A+.)

I honestly feel a bit more "free" headcanoning and rambling on about this guy and this story than about anyone else, specifically because the base idea is kind of on the sillier side? Like, I feel fairly confident ~~hazarding a guess~~ that there's not going to be a subplot in the actual game about the main character needing to hide that actually, they're kind of, sort of a zombie, lol.

So while I'm intentionally keeping my girls vague (beyond "very autistic bisexual elf rights activist", "viking pirate lesbian(?) dwarf", and "tiny dommy mommy"), I'm like, fairly sure that I was gonna need to do extensive rewrites and annotations to the game to make this one work anyway, so I'm not super concerned if I end up needing to "retcon" something I think about now.

What I was thinking so far is that Tristan, as of the beginning, could count on one hand the number of people he's told about his "condition" over the past two decades, and of those people, he's not sure if there's even one still left alive. (Maybe a fellow Warden healer, someone who's patched him up enough times to catch on that something is fishy? Maybe the longest and most serious relationship of his adult life that ended tragically one way or another? I'll have to brainstorm that one)

So as a Grey Warden, Tristan spends a lot of his life traveling alone (which suits him just fine), and quite often, the preternatural survivability and even the unusually thick blood can be reasoned away with "it's a Warden thing, don't worry about it, we're all like this". Most people will believe it, and aren't very quick to jump to conclusions that shouldn't be possible.

Except maybe those who are intimately familiar with death, spirits, and the undead. And are, yknow, actual professors of the occult.

So I think it's not exactly a closely guarded secret, but one Tristan wouldn't reveal unless absolutely necessary- and for as long as possible, none of the companions would know, but Emmrich would absolutely suss him out on his own.

Regardless of whether there's been any light flirting before then, I like to kind of imagine there being a singular moment --perhaps after a hit taken too close, maybe in defense of him, when the odd, stale, almost slightly mildewy scent of Tristan's blood hits Emmrich's nose the first time-- when their eyes meet, and there's this Moment of mutual recognition. This "oh shit, I know what you are."- "oh shit, he knows what I am.".

I of course don't know, like, the particulars of his character, but from his tone in the blurbs and the short stories, I assume that if pulled aside afterwards and asked sincerely, Emmrich would be willing to keep it a secret- and that he would immediately feel intense scholarly interest.

I mean, Tristan is an anomaly: by all means, he should not exist. The undead of Thedas are created via possession, and his body has not been possessed by any spirit, and isn't being controlled by anything. He seems whole, hale, and himself (not a darkspawn, either), he breathes, eats, sleeps, heals and bleeds pretty much as normal, and the things that aren't quite normal, are still not outside of the realm of possibility: many completely normal people breathe and blink slower than average, many people prefer their meat on the rarer side, many people have troubles falling and staying asleep. Nothing about him on its own is indicative of anything strange, and yet he is intelligent undead! Just the fact that he can speak in a way that is convincingly human is incredible!

I want to believe that Emmrich (like many of us are about our blorbos) would immediately kind of be like "I want to study you under a microscope." (paraphrased ofc) (Is he the playful kind? Would he jokingly paint studying Tristan as repayment for his silence? Who knows! It's fun either way!)

And at first, Tristan would be hesitant (it's awkward, to be under such scrutiny, and to have his whole Situation upended and dissected like that, especially by someone he probably already considers somewhat intimidating, in a handsome, charming sort of way), but even if it's not suggested, he'd consider it repayment for keeping it a secret, and agree. And if I can make it work, I'd really enjoy for there to be an opportunity for a moment between the two of them that has Emmrich kind of like... "I have been around enough bodies, both dead and alive, naked and clothed, to not be affected by anything corporeal. I know flesh well, I know what lies under it, and my interest in this particular body is purely clinical, scholarly, and in no way romantic or sexual. This dimly lit office/surgery is not in any way romantic, nor does any sight of his body arouse anything in me. .......... oh, his nipples are pierced. That's not a good thing for me."

("oh, strong muscles shifting enticingly under inked skin." "oh, the big man is large in every way." etc.)

Something something hearing an otherwise abnormally sluggish heart suddenly beat faster at a touch, something something intense examination of all bodily reactions making them both feel both flayed and more naked than it should be possible, intense eye contact, oh in this kind of light his eyes do look reddish and eerie but I can't look away, and from there on I think it can kinda progress however it's going to progress in the game.

I am havign SUCH a normal time of it, man!!!!!!!

[ryuichirou]

Replies

About the RookVil drawing from yesterday, a comic from ko-fi and some other stuff.

Anonymous asked:

Hey sorry if you've answered this before but what drawing program do you use? I've been trying to find if you've been asked that before but the search feature is not the greatest.

No worries, Anon! It’s been a while since I answered that anyway.

I draw in Photoshop CS6 that Katsu helped me to pirate years and years ago. I also have ClipStudio, but I haven’t used it properly yet.

Anonymous asked:

In regards to your latest kofi picture, what accident is this and was Azul the cause of it? Also, is going to punish Idia for this? When Ortho is better, couldn’t he just blast Azul’s and the Tweel’s asses to kingdom come? Sorry for so many questions 😓

To be completely honest, Anon, the story isn’t very concrete and specific. There are some possible elements of what happened in my head, but until/if we come up with a proper scenario, I would like to keep it vague!

Here is what I can say for certain: after being separated from Idia for quite a long time, Azul is going to kind of take care of him, as in “it’s okay, you’ve suffered enough” kind of way; but Idia is smart enough to know that this is just Azul trying to make Idia rely on him again, so he could shut the cage door and trap him once and for all. Azul is also very good at victimblaming, manipulating and gaslighting + has will-power that Idia doesn’t always have, so even if Idia knows that Azul’s kindness isn’t genuine (Azul never forgets those who betray him), he is powerless to change anything at this point. He just wants him and Ortho to be safe, and Ortho wants it too. So even though Ortho technically could blast Azul and the Tweels’ asses, Azul is perfectly aware of this risk, so he uses a different approach on Ortho. After all, Ortho is a smart boy + he and Azul have the same goal: they want Idia to be happy, right? It’s easier to do it while working together instead of fighting!

Anyways, Azul scary and powerful, and at this point in the story he has a lot of useful connections including STYX and probably even Idia’s parents. A lot more strings to manipulate the events in a way that would portray him as a forgiving and loving saint, but still ensure that Idia never leaves him again.

And after this position is secured, then he might start punishing Idia. But in a way that is very subtle to everyone around them, but painfully obvious for Idia.

Anonymous asked:

Man, feral Rook really does just hit different doesn't he? That latest art was just so juicy and savory that it made my mouth water. Just wanna chew on it for a bit like a nice steak.

Thank you so much, Anon! Please feel free to enjoy on it, and enjoy your meal <3

Feral Rook is a delight to draw, I like how unapologetic and animalistic he could be drawn despite being a human.

Anonymous asked:

And this must be part three of their first time together.

I told you I can’t stop imagining their first time lol

eh-nonnie-mouse asked:

How quickly do you think Vil became House warden after getting caught by roommates for the (insert number of times previously) time? Rook on the other hand...he looks like he just wants everyone to see Vils beauty. Or maybe this kind of beauty is only saved for him?

Vil is a man of patience: as far as I know, he only became a housewarden during his 3rd year. I have no idea how he managed to survive for two years (including their honeymoon phase!) with roommates… maybe the previous housewarden was kind enough to make these two roommates during their second year??

I’m sure Rook doesn’t mind people looking, but at the same time, he really might express how the beauty that only he gets to see is special… but it would be so greedy of him to not let other people see Vil like this!

Rook is actually quite good at being stealthy, but I guess he doesn’t always want to be…

Anonymous asked:

Ohhh.... but imagine if the ones that walked in on Rook and Vil were Floyd and Epel.

What sort of drama would that be?

Or maybe they'd just see it as an excuse to do whatever they want at that point.

Well… since it’s Rook and Vil’s first year, Floyd and Epel aren’t currently there, but if they were to walk on them now (when RookVil are third years), Vil would probably be rather annoyed or even angry than embarrassed. He’ll just scold and punish both of them lol And then he might ask them about why they were even there, in his dorm, breaking into his room.

Rook wouldn’t care either way, he’d probably heard their steps way before they actually walked in on them...

In terms of the younger ones’ reaction though, I feel like whatever they’re going to see, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise for Floyd – it’s like not even a secret. It would be funny if Epel got surprised though, imagine living by their side for a year and having no idea this is happening?

Anonymous asked:

Do you have a yuu?

Nope! Not really interested in that.

Anonymous asked:

Just want to say that Code Geass was the first and only anime yo make me cry. Lelouch’s death killed me more than it did him.

Very understandable, Anon. Code Geass is really very, very good and has a lot of heart-wrenching moments.

[lyriumghosting]

Man. So, my Rook de Riva (Theneras/Neras) was created b/c I adore all the Crow npcs and wanted to wring every bit of faction-exclusive dialogue out of them that I possible could wanted to explore what kind of character the child of my HoF and Zevran might be, especially if I also had to think of some reason for that character to be away from his family all the way up north where Veilguard takes place. I'm very Crowpilled so I knew I wanted Neras to have joined up willingly (and it ended up working so well for his lore), and all in all I've been super happy with all the Crow stuff I've gotten from the game and come up with myself.

What's been a bit unexpected is how much of a blast I've been having with the Warden/HoF connection in his backstory. The thing about Neras is he's a liar, but he mainly lies by omission or implication (he's unfortunately similar to Solas in that regard and it would piss him off hugely if anyone ever pointed that out to him). He's told almost no one who his parents are (Viago knows, but even he didn't find out right away) and he really likes to keep it that way (for their safety and his own). All throughout the game I keep hitting bits that make me go "ooooooh Neras would know shit about this b/c of [HoF]. Fuck. He can't/won't say anything though, will he?" and it's been fascinating seeing how that's changed how I've felt about certain moments, especially with Davrin.

Spoilers under the cut!

The biggest example is, probably unsurprisingly, post-Weisshaupt. That mission in general was a doozy for Neras, but it's the point where his relationship with the team and Davrin specifically started to shift. Davrin has his big conflicted feelings about what it means to be a Warden who failed to die after doing the One Thing a Warden has trained and prepared to do their whole career. Meanwhile Theneras is standing there thinking "my parent who I love and idolize more than anyone in this world also killed an archdemon and lived. I don't know exactly how they did it but regardless the fact you're not the only one would probably be comforting to you, but I can't tell you that." and Woof. Neras was already having guilt issues re: Neve and the dragon attack on Minrathous, but this is where I think the straw starts to break the camel's back. Why can't he tell Davrin? (He's scared, he's unpractised at sharing truths about himself, removing one card will topple his entire carefully constructed tower of lies, he's really scared)

He should probably do it anyways.

[lasatfat]

hello and welcome to DADWC!! I am making heart eyes at your city elf mage, so how about Eireann Surana + A letter with a broken seal; the wax is stamped with a familiar symbol

happy writing!

-inquisimer

dragon age artefacts | @dadrunkwriting

Fun fact: this is the first DADWC prompt I ever got! It kind of ballooned a little bit. I hope you enjoy it.

Don't Look Back Into the Sun

In the newer quarter of Redcliffe, there’s a statue to commemorate the end of the Fifth Blight; a great griffon crouched upon a slab of black stone, held aloft by the twisted forms of scores of darkspawn half-crushed underneath. A bronze plaque is set into the stone, bearing the inscription, ‘the Hero of Ferelden.’

It’s flattering, Eireann supposes. It’s very…grim. More importantly, however, it’s a good landmark to schedule a meeting. She has new orders from the First Warden; there’s a scroll of paper in her hand, sealed with the image of a griffon she had split apart when she opened it.

She’d come back east because of the rumours of another ancient darkspawn, and the promise of new answers. Now, Corypheus is dead, and she learned nothing from him. A disappointment, but a journey she is endlessly glad she made. She’d reunited with Cullen, she’d met Kali, she’d seen Morrigan and Kieran again unexpectedly. She even has some new leads: Merrill Sabrae really had taken the Blight from a mirror, and Dorian’s medicines had extended the life of his friend Felix by years. New promises, new possibilities…and new potential for that same crushing disappointment. She’s so tired of it all, but she doesn’t have the luxury of stopping. Not if she wants to live past fifty.

“Warden Surana?”

Eireann turns. A certain bird is coming home to roost.

She had recruited Thom Rainier and kept him from a hangman’s noose: partly because the real Warden Blackwall thought him worthy – and he is, the perfect example of what a Grey Warden should be – but mostly for the sake of his family. His lover, Sigyn, and her daughter, Camile, are with him now. Looking at them now, it’s amazing to see how they’ve all changed. Thom’s head and face were shaved bare by his jailors, but he’s grown back a thick covering of salt-and-pepper hair. The way he carries himself is lighter, as if the mask of Warden Blackwall was a physical weight, now lifted. Sigyn is calmer, braver, more at peace. She bears the scars of her past with more confidence. Little Camile has changed the most, naturally. She was five when Eireann met her: painfully shy, at first, but curious in the way all young children are, and highly insightful. She too has grown in confidence, but she has grown physically, as well. She just turned seven last week.

She can’t truly understand what may lie ahead for the man she considers a father.

“Hello,” Eireann greets them, cordially. She bends slightly at the waist to address the child. “How are you, Camile?”

Not long ago, she would have hidden behind her mother’s leg instead of answering. Today, she smiles, politely, and says, “I’m okay. Thank you.”

“You asked to meet here,” Thom says.

She smiles. “I did. Thank you for coming.” None of them have good memories of this place.

“May I ask why?” he responds. The look on his face tells her that he already knows.

“I have new orders from the First Warden,” she replies, anyway. The scroll is supposed to be for her eyes only, but she hands it to him. “They want Alistair and I to escort you to Vigil’s Keep, for the Joining ritual.”

It’s strange. In the eleven years she has been a Warden, she has done surprisingly little recruiting. The people she’d taken from prisons were either shocked or relieved; to those already sick with the Blight, she may as well have been Andraste herself. This stoic, quiet despair is new.

“It’s alright,” Sigyn says, as much to herself as to the others. “We knew we’d have to go, at some point. We can collect our things…”

“This…this says you won’t be housed at the keep.” Thom manages to maintain composure as he says it, though Eireann doesn’t know quite how.

Sigyn lifts her head to glare. She is often quick to anger, though slow to act on it, if only because the threat of her rage is often enough to diffuse a situation. Somehow, even at her most nervous, she carried an exigent air of power.

“You said we’d be able to stay together,” she says.

“I thought you would be,” Eireann admits. “We were.”

That had been a bitter realisation. Farah had been allowed to stay with her parents. Their family was an exception, and now, she has to ask herself why. The innocent answer is that Farah had nowhere else to go, but she has a sneaking suspicion that, as the child of two Wardens, she was something for them to investigate.

She shakes herself. She didn’t come here today to stew over how the Wardens treat her. She came here to be a better kind of Warden.

“Walk with me.”

Eireann leads the three up the hill, towards the village gate. Autumn is fast approaching, heralded by the browning leaves and the slight chill that comes on the breeze. The late afternoon sunlight bathes the houses below in gold, and glimmers off the waters of Lake Calenhad, bright enough to leave bruise-coloured stains on her vision. If she hadn’t lived through the Fifth Blight, she would believe it had never touched the Hinterlands. There are places in the Anderfels where the dead still don’t rot, and yet here, the grass grows and the flowers bloom and the trees sprout fresh leaves every spring. They really had saved so much of this place.

By the time they reach the gate, the full weight of what is about to happen has fallen on Camile’s tiny shoulders. She clings to her mother’s leg, seeking reassurance that neither of her parents can honestly provide. Eireann could, and will, but not here. She needed witnesses, and she needs to be out of their earshot for the next part of the plan to work. If she’s ever asked, she can say she at least tried to do this properly. About fifty feet on, the path splits off towards Witchwood, and it’s at this junction that she stops to face her entourage.

“What are you doing?” Sigyn asks, incensed.

“Well, the way I see it, Thom can do one of two things,” she replies, casually. She meets his bewildered eyes. “You can come with me to Vigil’s Keep, do the Joining, and maybe get seconded to Skyhold, if I can pull the right strings. And that’s not a small ‘if.’”

“Or?”

“Or, you can hit me.”

He blinks. “What?”

“You can hit me, and then escape,” she repeats. “For goodness’ sake, make it look good.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Thom blurts. His entire face has turned the colour of raw rhubarb. “You’re the Hero of Ferelden. I can’t hit you!”

“I can,” says Sigyn, and her fist collides with Eireann’s mouth.

Her lip splits open on her teeth. The pain is sharp and stinging, and it blinds her for a moment. She doesn’t even realise she’s fallen until the other side of her face strikes the cobblestone, cheekbone first. “Fuck!” she yells, more out of surprise than anything else.

Camile screams, she thinks, and Thom definitely swears. “Sigyn! What did you do?”

Eireann wants to tell him not to worry – it was part of the plan, after all, she was just expecting more warning – but her mouth is full of blood and her lip is starting to swell. She waves her arm frantically. Go, idiot!

“Come on! The guards are coming!” Eireann manages to look up in time to see Sigyn grab Camile’s hand and run off towards Witchwood. Thom hesitates for a moment longer, torn between following his family and tending to Eireann’s face, which is no doubt turning some rather fetching shades of black and purple. She points, and he finally makes a run for it. He catches up to his girls, and scoops Camile up in his arms so she won’t lag behind.

“Miss!” The guards have reached her, it seems. One of them follows the escapees, and the other, a young man with a faceful of acne, is examining her busted lip. Maker, they’re letting baby children guard their towns now. “Are you alright?” he asks.

Eireann manages to half-smile without it hurting too much. “Very good, all things considered.”

“But your face…?”

“Even the face.”

~~

So, Thom Rainier goes on the run again. The Fereldan Wardens search for him, of course, though if Warden-Commander Eireann Surana doesn’t want them to find him, it’s unlikely that they will. At least, not officially. And if Eireann receives the occasional letter, or a series of gradually improving drawings, or dried flowers from the Hinterlands…well, that’s one secret she is more than happy to keep.

[curiousstrawberry]

Some under the cut veilguard thoughts and spoilers

Beware since I'm not that far in the story (i think) but done ton of side quests

Idk how I feel about the Inquisitor showing up. Like it's no surprise I don't enjoy inquisitor as a character but this whole meeting has very much a vibe of this could've been an email...

Seriously like here's statue, south is fucked btw but i'm handling it somehow lmao gl

Anyway i hope they show up again (preferably to die for solas tbh... I always thought they'll die cmonn don't let me down)

It's the first quest line i actually dislike actually. Gives whole lot of telling and now showing dai vibe we could literally do without. (What was said w inquisitor Harding or Varric could say, literally no reason to go out of your way to meet inquisitor)

Idk how to feel about the whole solas mythal thing tbh. Like i do not think that's something new at all just hmm yeah I guess (have to digest all that)

Im getting they are giving him more layers and everything and i get it i get it. It's just hmmm curious where this leads

All older character that make cameo literally feel like in marvel movies. Like wink wink nudge nudge see what we did there?? Which tbh i don't mind? Just don't think too hard about it

Also to be absolutely clear the less we know about what's going on in south the better because then we can headcanon shit ya know? Nothing contradicts itself really and everyone is happy until proven wrong (Hawke and Warden are killing darkspawn while making out sloppy style as we speak)

Also so i don't just vaguely complain i really love the choice between saving the two cities from dragons. The way it's so abrupt and all. AMAZING especially if you play either as crow or shadow dragon absolutely delicious angst

I also want Taash to marry me (me, not Rook, they gonna marry Davrin.. already co-parenting griffon with him so yeah!)

God it's so delicious when everyone is like poor Neve how bad she must feel after what happened to her city while Kalais (Rook) is there like crying and self doubt (no shade on Neve at all btw! She's fucking amazing and I love she gets to be pissed at Rook)

Overall i really like characterization of everyone in main group and how they feel together. Like it's honestly lot more like group who's saving world but becoming very close friends vibes and it really works!

They could've killed Varric. Or idk made him more incapacitated or leave. Because he literally serves zero purpose there. I love Varric a lot like A LOT but like he's just literally there just for fanservice. If they killed him in first mission it would've worked better (i would definitely be pissed but if he dies now it'll just feel cheap but guess then Solas would hardly remain redeemable in writers eyes... Tho would make things definitely more interesting with possible redemption)

[sketchy-saram]

Okay! Day 1, Introduce your HoF! I wish I had more time--maybe I'll reblog this with some art later, if I can. But my Canon HoF is Bronwyn Aeducan! She is a fierce warrior whose first love is battle, and she'd rather solve her problems by beheading them, if possible. She and Gorim were together romantically, but honestly probably more from proximity and being companions in arms than being compatible.

She was extremely proud and determined to prove herself as a commander. She never wanted the throne--she probably would have been happy killing Darkspawn till she died, if her brother hadn't betrayed her. The sight of her coming out of the tunnels, covered in gore, feral and absolutely alight with murdering, must have been something for Duncan and the other Wardens to behold, when she found them.

She took to the whole thing like a fish to water. Especially when Alistair acquiesced to her leadership--after all, that was basically the role she had been preparing for her whole life. Fit like a pair of Dalish gloves. At first, she didn't know quite what to make of so many mages and humans and whatnot, but she gradually grew to enjoy the freedom from strict Dwarven caste expectations that had never let her relationship with Gorim be anything more. She actually made friends, which she had never had, since as an Aeducan everyone was either trying to kill or manipulate her. She definitely related to Alistair a lot on that level. (Her best friends were Shale and Sten, but she also had a soft spot for Wynne and Alistair.) She was genuinely pleased to see Gorim alive in Denerim, and happy he had found someone. It never even occurred to her to be jealous. (Although she was baffled that he could give up fighting to be a merchant of all things, LOL)

She helped Harrowmont ABSOLUTELY out of spite, and took so much satisfaction out of murdering her piece of shit brother. At least, she thought she would. It all made her feel pretty hollow. She swore to never go back to Orzammar after they finished there--it was dead to her, like she'd been to it.

After all the worries about being knifed in the back, then, it was so surprising when she found herself so charmed by Zevran; an Elf sent to kill her....who didn't even do a good job of it. He flummoxed her, confused her, and even affronted her, just on a technical level. It took her a looooooong time to believe any of his flattery. But his affability, his easy-going nature even in the face of everything he had suffered, and his hedonism eventually wormed their way under her skin. The first time she took him to bed, she told herself it was just scratching an itch for both of them, and that she would fight better after getting it out of her system.

Well, let's just say Zev was more than enthusiastic to take pointers in other areas than just fighting, and apparently the itch was a rash, because it kept happening. Bronwyn's worst nightmare was the hot few seconds after Taliesen offered to take Zev back to the Crows. She was already preparing to be betrayed again... one that, she was shocked to find, would have been more obvious, and yet about as brutal as losing her whole life had been. And then he turned them down, and she knew she'd keep that silly Elf twink safe forever.

(Now they are the Thedas couple that hang out in the bar and entice hotties into an unforgettable threesome 😉 When she isn't busy keeping order or killing more Darkspawn, anyway.)

She wasn't about to let either of them die if there was something as simple as sex to save them, so she bullied Alistair into sleeping with Morrigan for the ritual. Sooooo they all lived happily ever after. (She let Anora rule, because honestly, she was better suited. Bronwyn would know.) And for me personally, if anyone could find a way to beat the Calling, it would be Bronwyn. So I'm sure she has ❤️