#at least anders and justice are marked down as the same guy

[vigilskeep]

one thing you can always count in from a dragon age book is whitewashing on page 1

[ramblinganthropologist]

Inkjournal Day 21 - Ya Heard?

Summary: Varric heard one thing, Isabela saw another, and Merrill’s got a different story all together. Just who has the true story of Moses and Avery’s love lives, and who’s mistaken? Will they find it out before it’s time to play cards, or will the answers be lost to the ages.

---

“It's your move, Isabela.”

“I've got my eye on you, Varric, so don't try anything.”

Nothing was more interesting than playing Wicked Grace with a cheater, especially when the other party was one too. Perhaps they could have considered it a test of their hand-eye coordination as they continued to sub cards in and out of their hands from various places.

It wasn't the money they were playing for – it was pride.

Varric, of course, was always one of the more obvious cheaters. “Why, I'm horrified you would even think I would try to cheat.”

“Right, and that card hanging out of your vest just wanted to check out your chest hair.” Isabela chuckled as she leaned back in her seat, casually making a grab for one of the cards she kept in her boot. “You're losing your touch.”

A sudden slamming of the door to the Hanged Man made both of them lose their focus – and some of their ill-gotten cards for that matter – as they turned to look to the source of the sound. Merrill's face was beet red as she picked her way across the dirty room towards their table, not even stopping to take a seat next to her very favorite pirate.

What had gotten her so excited?

Isabela was the one who guided her into a chair, feeling that the elf was like a thousand coiled springs wound too tightly. “Kitten, what's the matter? You look like you saw a ghost.”

Well, maybe not a ghost. Merill was smiling, and her eyes were shining. Either there had been a particularly cute puppy on her way over or someone had massacred a Templar. There were only a few things that got her like that.

She was still bouncing on her heels as she waited for the right moment. “You won't believe it, but guess who I saw kissing Fenris on the way over! They looked so cute!”

Varric chuckled as he took the chance to shuffle the deck, adding in a few cards as he did. “So, the big guy finally took his act public? They've been doing a lot of sneaking around lately.”

Isabela stopped him though, cocking her eyebrow as she did. “Varric, what are you talking about? I saw Fenris making out with Avery last week.”

…

What?

Both rogues gave each other a rather long stare, eyebrows heading towards their individual hairlines. Their rigged card game was forgotten for the moment in favor of what was becoming a tale of juicy hidden affairs among their close friends.

That beat Wicked Grace any day.

“You had to have been seeing things. Avery was practically eye-fucking Blondie when we were at the Wounded Coast three days ago.” The dwarf had almost suggested they get a room once he had seen it. They were just that bad.

If he was lucky, it was annoying the crap out of Justice. The damn spirit could use the kind of loosening up that the warrior could provide.

Isabela snorted in response. “Now I know you're seeing things, Varric. I caught Moses and Anders in the clinic two weeks ago. They were rather into each other if you get my drift.”

Things were getting more confusing by the second as the details rolled in. While relationships forming and breaking up could definitely happen, it didn't seem likely that it would happen so quickly. Nor, for that matter, did they think anyone who was interested in one party could  find themselves attracted to the other.

After all, Fenris and Anders seemed like rather far ends of the spectrum of attraction.

Merrill was the one who broke the tie as she cocked her head in confusion. “You saw Moses and Anders? That's strange, because I know I saw him with Fenris just a few minutes ago. They looked pretty cozy together, actually.”

She paused, frowning. “Though, now that you mention it, I think I did see Avery hug him once. It didn't look like a friendly thing either.”

Well, now things were just getting complicated. The small party exchanged some rather wild looks as they tried to put their data together into something that resembled sense. However, any option they could think of just made them even more confused, even as they knew they could trust their eyes.

Just what the hell was going on?

Varric was the one who spoke first as he nudged the cards away. “Maybe we should ask them.”

“What, who they're fucking?” Isabela snorted into her drink. “I can't see that going over well. Can you imagine it? 'Hey, Hawke, who's sharing your bed with you tonight because we've all got different stories and would like to know what's what.'”

“Well, tonight it's Fenris, but I can't see why you need to know that.”

A new voice drew their attention. Standing close to their table with a mug in their hand was one fourth of the confusing equation. Avery looked none too convinced by the goings on as she squeezed into the table, perching on the edge of her seat like she might need to run.

Given the conversation, it might not have been too bad of an idea.

Now that they had their subject in front of them, Isabela and Varric found themselves at a loss for words. Either though none of them were the type to be embarrassed by bedroom antics, there was something strange about asking about the secret love lives of their close friends, especially when... well they didn't want to suggest cheating, but it seemed pretty obvious.

Luckily, they had a third member.

“Avery, Varric says he's sure you're interested in Anders, but Isabela and I think it's Fenris.” Merrill's sweet voice was asking some very not sweet things. “Do you mind telling us which one is right?”

Honestly, no one in the party knew what to expect. The warrior had been surprisingly tight lipped about who she kept in her bed ever since they had known her. There was never so much of a hint of it until they had seen it with their own eyes, and even now they were starting to doubt it.

Just what the hell was going on?

It took Avery a few moments to answer, mostly because she had paused to take a sizable gulp of her drink. A real tension fell over the small group as they waited for her to speak, almost as if she was the Divine pronouncing the new age. Who would it be? Anders, Fenris? Or maybe neither, if the week wore on. Only she could tell the truth.

“Both.”

It was such a simple word, but none of them could really process it at first. All they could do was stare, eyes wide, towards the small woman. Varric's jaw even dropped a little, while Isabela had to stifle a surprised chuckle.

Well, they weren't expecting that.

Merrill, once again, broke the silence. “Both?”

“I'm seeing both Fenris and Anders, yes.” She paused, then added, “At different times, obviously. Maker's ass, I would not want to stick the two of them in a bed together. They appreciate me separately.”

And then Avery took another sip of her drink, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world to be seeing two very different men at the same time. Whether that put into question her taste or her sanity, none of the small group was quite certain.

Maybe a little jealous, but definitely confused.

However, that only solved one half of the equation. A larger portion that normally wore robes and a fair amount of makeup was still hanging up in the air, unsolved and waiting for some answers. And of course, since it was Moses, there was no way those answers were going to come from him. Luckily, they had his official spokesperson right in front of them.

Of course, the question required delicacy. There was the chance Avery didn't know what her brother was getting up to behind her back. The last thing anyone wanted was to see a woman scorned going after her cheating brother, especially given their unique strengths. Kirkwall wouldn't remain standing if blood mage met reaver in open combat, at least not in its semi-habitable state. This needed finesse.

Instead, it got Isabela.

“So uh... what about Moses?” She nudged the elf-blooded woman in the side gently. “Do you know who's sharing his bed lately?”

“Besides Dog?” Avery's eyebrow cocked. “If you want to ask him who he's fucking, he's right there you know.”

Color drained from everyone's face as Varric stole a glance over his shoulder. They had a fifth member at their table now, one they surprisingly hadn't seen despite his massive size and presence. Moses was sitting there, working on his own mug of the Hanged Man's finest.

For a big guy, he could be pretty quiet.

Since everyone was stunned, it was the warrior who turned to her brother. “You might as well let them know. Maker knows they're just going to keep hounding us until they solve it.”

“Don't see what the big deal is.” He put his mug down. “Obviously, both of them.”

If any of the party had been paying attention, they would've seen brief, yet identical, grins slide across both of the Hawkes' faces. They did see the brief fist bump, however, which did somewhat ruin the effect.

However, it was worth it to see their faces.

“Oh, so you're both dating Fenris and Anders.” Merrill's tone was as light as ever. “Sounds a little confusing, but you two probably do just fine.”

“We've got a system.” Avery finished her drink, still grinning. “Now, are we going to play Wicked Grace with Varric's loaded deck this time, or is it Isabela's with the marked cards? I'm feeling pretty lucky today.”

And just like that, things were back to as normal as they were going to get. After all, both rogues had their lack of honor in cards to defend. Still, they now had a new piece of information about their friends tucked away behind what else they knew.

How the two managed to wrangle both, only the Maker knew.

[steampoweredstrawberry]

Is it too much to ask you all those questions?

*Rubs hands together*

1. Your first OC ever?

I probably had OCs as a kid. Probably a Sailor Moon one or a Harry Potter OC (Most likely had a Harry Potter OC. The only one I can name for certain though was a witch named Caroline with an affinity for fire magic.

2. Do you have a personal favourite among your OCs?

Right now? Claudia Hawke. I love talking about her and drawing her and writing her. Plus, she has a super cute boyfriend who I also love talking about and drawing.

3. Have you ever adopted a character or gotten a character from someone else?

Lol. Yeah. I have a few of @mikagesshoku‘s OCs now. The first was an ancient vampire named Mark (not his real name, but what he goes by in modern times). She liked how I wrote him and characterized him, so he became my son. Her Hawke, Quentin, is also now my Hawke (and Claudia’s big brother). She also prefers how I write her Mahariel.

4. A character you rarely talk about?

Of my DA OCs? Aeducan and Brosca. Nothing against dwarves, I just haven’t fleshed them out very well.

5. If you could make only one of your OCs popular/known, who would it be?

Claudia Hawke. Her being popular and people wanting me to write/draw her would come with the ulterior motive of getting to write/draw Anders.

6. Two OCs of yours that look alike despite not being related?

Claudia Hawke and Elira Bassat. Elira’s a bit taller and her hair is straight, but they’re both sassy, dual-wielding red heads. My old RP buddy actually confused one of my first drawings of Claudia for Elira (Claudia’s since had some cosmetic changes to make them look more different).

7. Are your OCs part of any story or stories?

Yes! I write for Claudia a lot.

You can find her here, here, and here. (Note: All of these contain graphic depictions of sex, so read at your own risk)

8. Do you RP as any of your OCs? If you do, introduce one of your RP OCs here!

Elira Bassat was my OC that I RPed the longest as, but don’t anymore. She’s a sassy, dual-wielding red head, she’s nb, but generally prefers she/her or them/they pronouns (occasionally he/him). She’s also a big fan of vigilante justice.

9. Would you ever be willing to give any of your OCs to someone else?

Hypothetically, yes. I couldn’t name which one, but if their new parent was going to treat them well, I would.

10. Introduce an OC with a complicated design?

I generally try to keep them toned down or believable in appearance. But, there’s Rhyann Tabris, my tiny elf baby with snow-white hair (I say the quickening still effects elves and it made her hair go white as a child). She’s got a billion freckles and carries around a big sword.

11. Is there any OC of yours you could describe as a "sunshine"?

So, an optimist? I don’t know if I have any of those with my DA OCs. Probably Solona Amell. She’s the most likely to keep her chin up and try to cheer up the others.

12. Name an OC that isn't yours but who you like a lot

I absolutely love @kirkwallgirl‘s Jay Hawke and @misterwiggums‘s Mads Hawke. They’re both super cute and love the mage!

13. Do you have any troublemaker OCs?

Claudia Hawke. She’s best friends with Isabela. They get into lots of trouble.

14. Introduce an OC with a tragic backstory

I think of my DA OCs, I think Rhyann Tabris has a very tragic backstory. I relate to it on a personal level, which was why I chose her (they’ve all got super sad backstories, hers just resonates with me).

15. Do you like to talk about your OCs with other people?

YES! Oh my God, if you guys want to ask me about my OCs, please do! I’d love to hear about all of yours, too!

16. Which one of your OCs would be the best at biology (school subject)?

Solona Amell. She’s a healer.

17. Any OC OTPs?

With other OCs? I don’t know. Neria Surana and Solona Amell (as part of a polymance with Jowan, but he’s not my OC). With non OC characters, Claudia Hawke x Anders and Rhyann Tabris x Alistair Theirin.

18. Any OC crackships?

I don’t have any with just OCs. With OC x canon, I’m planning on writing a Claudia Hawke/Karl Thekla/Anders bi polymance in the future. Not really a crack ship (though I guess it is if you HC Karl as being gay; I’m in the he’s bi/pan camp), but I never thought I’d be pairing Claudia up with Karl before the idea struck me.

19. Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why)

Rhyann Tabris means a lot to me because she was my first OC in a Dragon Age game, my first playthrough, and her origin really resonated with me.

20. Do any of your OCs sing? If they sing, care to share more details (headcanon voice, what kind of songs they like etc)?

Originally, Elira Bassat was a singer and she was supposed to sound a bit like Sara Taylor/Chibi from The Birthday Massacre, but I scrapped that.

Claudia Hawke enjoys singing, but she isn’t particularly good. I imagine she sings a little bit of everything, though I like the idea of her dramatically singing along to Helena by My Chemical Romance.

21. Your most artistic OC

Probably Elira Bassat. She isn’t an artist, but she’s pretty damn good at costume makeup.

22. Is there any OC of yours people tend to mischaracterize? If yes, how?

I don’t think anyone mischaracterizes them.

23. Introduce OC that has changed from your first idea concerning what the character would be like?

Sophie Cousland. I was originally going to romance Alistair with her, but I was too attached to Rhyann x Alistair, so Sophie became Aro/Ace.

24. If you could meet one OC of yours, who would it be and why?

Claudia Hawke, because she’d bring Anders with her.

25. The OC that resembles you the most (same hobby, height, shared like/dislike for something etc?)

Elira Bassat shared my build, height, and hair color at the time (I’m no longer a red head). But, I’ve given Rhyann Tabris a lot of my facial features.

26. Have you ever had to change your OC's design or something else about them against your will?

I’ve renamed OCs in the past. Can’t think of any off the top of my head, though.

27. Any OCs that were inspired by a certain song?

Like, did I base them off a song? I don’t think I have any OCs like that.

28. Your most dangerous OC?

Claudia Hawke or Rhyann Tabris.

29. Which one of your OCs would go investigate an abandoned house at night without telling anyone they're going?

Probably Solona Amell. She wouldn’t want to trouble anyone with her curiosity. Claudia would go too, but half of Kirkwall would know she was going.

30. Which one of your OCs would most likely have a secret stuffed animal collection?

Rhyann Tabris. In a modern AU, she probably saves every stuffed animal Alistair has ever gave her or won her at a carnival and loves them all.

31. Pick one OC of yours and explain what their tumblr blog would be like (what they reblog, layout, anything really)

Solona Amell’s would be a lot of quotes from book, pictures of pretty cups of tea/coffee, plants, and the occasional cute animal. Mostly aesthetic.

32. Which one of your OCs would be the most suitable horror game protagonist and why?

In a survival/horror, Rhyann Tabris because she fits the personality archetype they use for those sorts of games (timid female protagonist).

33. Your shyest OC?

Rhyann Tabris. She’s extremely shy, and tends to avoid most human men until they earn her trust.

34. Do you have any twin characters?

Sophie Cousland has a twin brother named Jarak. He’s a bit flirty, but is overall a good person.

35. Any sibling characters?

Claudia Hawke has an older brother named Quentin. He’s a mage and she’s extremely protective over him.

36. Do you have OC pairs where the other part belongs to someone else (siblings, lovers, friends etc)?

Rhyann Tabris is the cousin of @mikagesshoku‘s Lyna Mahariel and Misali Mahariel. Claudia Hawke is also friends with Lyna.

37. Introduce an OC who is not quite human

All of my elves/dwarves/qunari? I’m in the mood to mention Thaliah Lavellan, though, given she’s a Dalish elf. She also hooks up with a Qunari.

38. Which one of your OCs would be the best dancer?

I say Claudia Hawke is a former ballet dancer in a modern AU. Though, I imagine Sophie and Jarak are pretty light on their feet, given they’re nobles.

39. Introduce any character you want

I’m world building for an original story in some of my free time, and the main character is named Lilika, though she goes by Lily for most of the story. She’s a seer raised by a wlw couple since she was around 10 years old and she’s blind in her right eye.

40. Any fond memories linked to your characters? Feel free to share!

Whenever anyone leaves nice comments/tags on artwork I do of them! I’ve had a couple people comment that Claudia and Rhyann are very pretty, and it makes me so happy (especially with Rhyann because I gave her some of my features that I consider ugly).

41. Has anyone drawn fanart of your OCs? If yes, maybe show a picture or two here (remember sources & permissions!)

I sadly don’t have any pictures on my current phone of it, but my nephew drew Claudia Hawke and one of his characters from the comic books he likes to draw hanging out. It was really cute.

42. Which one of your OCs would be the most interested in Greek gods?

I’m really tempted to say all of them and leaving it at that, but I’d bet money that Neria Surana went through a very intense Greek mythology period of her life.

43. Do you have any certain type when you create your OCs? Do you tend to favour some certain traits or looks? It's time to confess

YES. I like tall girls with red hair and who are also the more dominant partner in a relationship. I’ve been getting better with it. But I do have at least five red heads, most of which are tall, and most of which are the more dominant partner in a relationship.

44. Something you like about your OCs in general

I love them all and how they all have various facets of me. I try to make them all a little bit like me.

45. A character you no longer use?

I used to RP as Nikolai (a vampire) quite regularly, but I haven’t in years.

46. Has anyone ever told you that you treat your OCs badly?

Yes. My old RP buddy used to tell me all the time that I was being mean to our OCs, but in a you’re being mean, but it makes the story so good way.

47. Has anyone ever (friendly) claimed any of your OCs as their child?

The same RP buddy from number 46 did. He’d call our OCs our “children”, so his were my children too.

48. OC who is a perfect cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure

Solona Amell. She’s a precious child who deserves love.

49. Which one of your OCs would most likely enjoy memes

Claudia Hawke, Quentin Hawke, Neria Surana, Jarak Cousland, Elira Bassat. Most of them.

50. Give me the good ol' OC talk here. Talk about anything you want

Claudia Hawke and Sophie Cousland are named after characters from The Chipmunk Adventure. Claudia was the name of the villain and Sophie was the name of her dog. Quentin is named after a character from a book and his appearance is based somewhat off the same character.