#bird version of anders

[ruumiinlaulaja]

He’s a whore and I love him ❤️

[salsedinepicta]

WIP Monday 🌙

Because why not?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1. Witchy sketch; I have plans for that veil/cloak🌿

2. Someone vampire-like, because I wanted to paint pervinca blue hair and my hand slipped.

3-4-5. Some kind of dark-fairytale handers AU? As a child I had an unabridged collections of Grimms' folktales (which explains a lot) and this Autumn I'm really feeling that kind of atmosphere. Where am I going with this? Who knows.

[the1trueanon]

OH MY GOD IT IS

hi here’s a cool bird I betcha didn’t know existed, ✨the wallcreeper✨

it literally looks like a monarch butterfly it’s so cute

[gainingfiction]

Heavily Used

Summary: This is a bit experimental (or weird), and maybe a bit predictable, but I had fun writing it. This is a story about an important relationship in a fat guy’s life, and the risk of taking things for granted. It’s also a story about coping (or not coping) with change.

Hope you enjoy!

~

I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I can only handle so much. It’s one thing to be taken for granted, that’s something we all have to live with. It’s just the total lack of acknowledgment, or even awareness that I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. I swear, one of these days, I’m just gonna snap and call it quits.

A little bit about me: I’m stylish, polished, and pretty easy on the eyes, if I do say so myself. Born in Poland, but my background is Swedish—I’m European, at heart. The name is Anders, but no one actually calls me that. I’m not super high-maintenance, once you figure me out, but everyone needs a little attention from time to time. Some tending.

Especially living with Max.

I’ve known Max for a while, and he’s not a bad guy. He can be a little rough sometimes, and maybe a little careless, but it doesn’t come from a bad place. I think it’s just a lack of self-awareness. And let’s be honest, that’s a common problem among pretty-boy jocks.

The trouble with Max is that he’s not the pretty-boy I once knew. He’s changed… he’s grown. I mean, he’s literally grown. Grown by about a hundred pounds, if I had to guess, and counting. Over the course of our time together, I’ve gotten pretty familiar with his ass, and I’ll admit, it’s a great one. But, boy, he’s got a lot more ass for me to handle these days.

It’s not insurmountable, not yet at least. But I’m worried it’s getting there.

It started out simply enough, the innocent midnight snacks and occasional takeout treats. No problem, right? Twunks can afford to indulge a little, especially a hot commodity like Max. But then, you get comfortable. You settle into a routine, you let yourself go. That’s the thing about creatures of beauty: one minute you’re the hottest guy in town, trim and toned, with a golden tan and handsome face and perfect, silky hair. The sort of guy who only seems to exist in a Hollywood version of reality. But then, inevitably, something happens. Sometimes tastes change, or maybe you’re the one doing the changing.

I won’t deny, I’m not in the same shape I was when I entered Max’s life for the first time. Any long-term relationship comes with the normal wear-and-tear. Max, though, has taken it to a whole new level.

The little snacks become big snacks. The extra meals go from “occasional” to “frequent” to “everyday”. Gluttony takes over. A 32-inch waist becomes a 36-inch waist becomes a 40-inch waist; size-small shirts are discarded in the back of the closet, soon joined by ill-fitting mediums, and then by larges, stretched out of shape by a gut that won’t stop getting bigger. Max used to flit around the apartment like a bird; now he lumbers like an elephant, heavy footfalls and a slow, waddling gait. His own warning system—you can hear him coming.

On paper, I know I should be trying to help lighten the load. And it’s not like I’m totally unappreciated; there are days when he comes home from work, legs tired and arms loaded down with takeout, and I can tell he’s genuinely happy to have me. But it doesn’t last long. Once dinner’s over, I’m back to being ignored while he sits on the couch, gorging himself in front of the TV, until he comes around again to stuff his face at the next meal. Which, to be fair, is pretty often these days.

It sounds cruel, the way I talk about his escalating weight, his increasingly-indecent greed. I’m not trying to be mean. I just wish he’d consider how it might affect me. I have to live with him, and he’s starting to cramp my style. But it’s not like I can say anything. I just have to sit there in silence, while he eats and eats, grows and grows, piling on pound after excess pound. And the way he eats, moaning and licking and slurping… it’s downright pornographic.

250 starts to feel like a lowball as the months go by. He’s pushing me to my limits without even realizing it. I’ve never had to deal with a guy this fat before, a guy whose big, round bubble butt would hang over the side of even the most substantial chair. And I, personally, am not “substantial”. I’m pretty thin; it’s just how I was made. I thought Max was made that way, too.

I start trying to make my frustration known, but like I said, I can’t just come right out and say something. So I try a little subtlety; a small groan every now and then when he throws himself down at the dinner table for another round of hedonism. If he notices, he doesn’t care. He just keeps upping the ante.

And upping just about everything else: his pants size, his portion sizes, the size of his monster-truck ass and thunder thighs. They press together whenever he sits down, now, lard against blubber. Not like in the old days when his legs were lithe and lean. His moobs bulge against every tank top, his pudgy arms pack his sleeves, his love handles blossom over the top of every waistband like ripening tropical fruit.

In occasional moments of self-pity, I hazard a guess: how much does my man weigh now? 275 pounds? 300? Is he even trying to do something about it? Clearly not. He never works out anymore, unless you count working up a sweat over a third (or fourth, or fifth) slice of cheesecake. I honestly wonder if he’s doing it on purpose, just to spite me. Or test me. But I know that’s crazy—like I said, sometimes I truly doubt he even thinks about what it’s like for me.

But the problem is getting harder to ignore; he really throws his weight around these days. He heaves himself up off the couch. He rests a hand on the front of his bulging belly, barely restrained by some poor, threadbare top, back arching forward from the strain of it all (he’s not a tall guy, which makes his increasingly S-shaped silhouette even more pronounced). He trudges from the living room to the kitchen and drops himself in front of the table like an anvil. When he sits down, his ass, spilling out of some indecent pair of jean shorts, spreads out like lava blanketing some hapless Roman hamlet.

Some nights, I strain underneath him, feeling absolutely crushed by his sheer weight, boundless mass bearing down on me with the force of gravity. How big is he now? I wonder, as I listen to him moan and groan with pleasure. 325? 350? Could he really have gained over 200 pounds? How could he not realize what he’s doing to himself—what he’s doing to me?

He’s just so oblivious. I don’t even recognize him anymore. I’ve been starting to make noises about how uncomfortable I am, how much I’m struggling with his extra weight. But, as always, it falls on deaf ears. His tight little butt has become a pair of vast, ponderous globes, his abs and lats and obliques are encased in a spare tire that belongs on an 18-wheeler, his tits bulge out and dangle towards his armpits. And he just. Keeps. Going. 

Keeps eating. Keeps gaining. Keeps expanding.

Things reach a boiling point before dinner one night. I can see him piling up the table, unboxing some outrageous quantity of food for his secret nightly mukbang. Well, secret except for the consequences, which anyone with eyes could notice. “There’s a man who likes his food” would be such a trite, vapid observation that it doesn’t even need saying. He doesn’t just “like” his food, he lives for his food. Food is practically a part of Max’s identity at this point.

He’s starting to lower his colossal ass to sit, and I can tell this is it. Tonight’s the night. Fuck it, I’m done. He’s well past 350 pounds, and that’s too much weight for me to handle.

Maybe he’ll appreciate me more when I’m not around. Hejdå, Max, it was nice knowing you! At least, it used to be.

~

Max sat on the floor, rolls of fat still wobbling from the jarring motion of his fall. His chair had been complaining for a while now—squeaking and groaning every time he sat down—but he hadn’t expected it to actually break. What a load of bullshit! He wasn’t even that fat!

He looked around at the splintered wood, soreness radiating across his ass—and not in a fun, post-fucking kind of way. At least his buttocks were nicely-padded. When he was bony, a slip on the ice hurt like all hell.

He was glad he was alone, or this would have been super embarrassing. At least no one was around to see him smash that chair like a pro-wrestler in a grudge match. He knew he’d been overdoing it, but this wasn’t his fault. How could it be, surely he wasn’t that big? Just a little out of shape, in need of a few good workouts to shed some winter weight. It was just the cheap IKEA furniture he bought.

With a grunt, he started the process of heaving his monumental form to a stand. As he started to gather his momentum, he glanced at the ruined seat and frowned. He actually liked that chair. It was pretty comfortable.

At least, it used to be.

(Author’s Note: don’t forget to rotate your dining chairs!)

[autolenaphilia]

Transfem authors of fiction: a list

I wrote a version of this list in Swedish for a meatspace friend, figure I might redo it for a tumblr audience. The books recommended are usually novels, and in case of prolific authors, the one recommended is usually the most successful and acclaimed one. I haven't read all of these, but I'm working on it. The list is in alphabetical order after the author's last name. I added some notes to the list, to introduce the authors and their books.

Nota Bene this list is based on my personal research, and largely reflects my own tastes in fiction, as in what I've read and considered reading. And it is of course not at all complete. And it's a transfem authors list, so no transmasc authors no matter how worthy. And it's about authors of fiction, not memoirs or non-fiction. So no Christine Jorgensen, even if she wrote a book I want to read. And Jan Morris gets in based on her two Hav novels, not her more prolific non-fiction work. Links are to my reviews on this blog if they exist.

Anders, Charlie Jane - SF/F writer, debuted with Choir Boy (2005), but most famous for All The Birds in the Sky (which won a Nebula).

Aoki, Ryka - her latest sf/f novel Light from Uncommon Stars is her most popular, but she has published both fiction and poetry before.

Becker, Saga - Våra Tungor Smakar våld (Swedish author, her book is untranslated, although quite good)

Binnie, Imogen - Nevada

Daniels, April - Dreadnought and its sequel Sovereign. Novels about a teenage trans girl superhero.

Deane, Maya - Wrath Goddess Sing

Felker-Martin, Gretchen - Manhunt (horror novel)

Kaveney, Roz - Tiny Pieces of Skull (also wrote the Rhapsody of Blood fantasy series, plus numerous poetry collections and non-fiction)

Kiernan, Caitlin R. - Usually categorized as a horror author, written numerous novels and short stories since her debut novel SIlk in 1998. The most acclaimed are probably her novels The Red Tree and The Drowning Girl (which won the Bram Stoker Award)

Leitz, May - Fluids and Girlflesh (review forthcoming)

Morris, Jan - Hav (mostly wrote non-fiction, history books and travel literature, Hav is an omnibus of her two novels about Hav, both "imagined travelogues" about a fictitious country)

Peters, Torrey - Detransition Baby

Plett, Casey - Little Fish (Lambda award winner)

Pollack, Rachel - Prolific writer of several kinds of books, including a pioneering career as a sf/f writer. Did her fictional debut with a short story in a 1971 anthology (credited under her deadname) and published her first novel Golden Vanity in 1980, which are literally the earliest pieces of fiction by an out trans person (not memoir or non-ficton) I've been able to find. So very much a pioneer. Her most acclaimed book is probably Godmother Night (1996) which won the World Fantasy Award. Also wrote comics, most notably Doom Patrol.

Rumfitt, Alison - Tell me I'm Worthless

Serano, Julia - 99 Erics (her debut as a novelist after years of pioneering transfeminist writing and poetry)

Thornton, Jeanne - Summer Fun (Lambda award winner)

[ltleflrt]

Ltleflrt's Writing Year In Review

Not a lot of writing got done this year, but considering the level of burnout I've been experiencing in the last 3-5 years, I'm very happy with what I've gotten done :)

Total 2023 Wordcount: 67,799

Total 2023 Kudos: 247

Total 2023 Hits: 2,734

My 2023 Fics:

Peace: 18,643 (WIP)

Fenris didn't have much reason to smile and laugh in his life, until he came to Kirkwall and Hawke gives him a reason to. Fenris doesn't want to disrupt the fragile sense of peace he's found by putting his heart in the hands of another mage, but Hawke's flirting and kindness are difficult to resist.

This is a rewrite of my very first fic Peace Begins With A Smile, and technically most of the wordcount is from there. But I've got many more chapters written than posted, and I know for a fact that I added AT LEAST 10k words to the original story, so I'm keeping that posted wordcount for this year's stats :D

Peace began as a writing exercise, just to keep my creative muscles from atrophying. I had replayed DA2 early in the year, and fell down the Fenhawke rabbit hole again, and it made me want to re-read my own story. I hadn't read it in like 10 years, so it was very eye opening to see just how much I've improved and how much my writing style has developed in that time. I wanted to rewrite it with my new skills, and wow it's a BIG difference.

Reaching Out: 22,825 (WIP)

Everyone knew Malcolm Hawke was a good man. A hero in the eyes of his wife and children, and a respected pillar of the community. At least until rumors of magic started to circulate, and he had to move his family in order to protect them. He'd do anything to keep his family safe, a responsibility he passes on to his eldest son when illness takes him away. Mal Hawke not only bears his father's name, but also the weight of his father's legacy. Everyone, including himself, expects him to step into his father's role, to pick up those responsibilities and carry them with the same steadfast strength. An expectation that is tested when the Blight hits Lothering, and is strained to a breaking point by the lawless and chaotic City of Kirkwall.

This is my biggest 2023 project, all original words. Once again, DA2 infested my brain, and I got an idea for a new version of Hawke that has me really excited. Plus, I have always wanted to write a Fenhanders fic, so this is going to be it! I got stuck, and have been distracted by BG3, but I still have big plans for this fic. (SO big, omg this story is going to be so long lol)

Something to Hold: 14,733

He did not hear the telltale clank of Templar armor behind him. It was probably a local. All Anders needed to do was act as if he were a simple traveler passing through. Nothing remarkable. Nothing worth mentioning to any searching Templars who might follow. Don’t run, act natural, don’t run, act natural, he thought firmly as he forced himself to keep an even pace. The only sign he gave that he recognized he was no longer alone on the road was to move to the edge to give the approaching stranger space to pass him. His heart beat like bird wings against the cage of his ribs as the sound of horse hooves and cart wheels grew closer. His fingers began to tingle with magic, and he curled them inward to hide any wayward sparks. Anders tried to keep his shoulders loose instead of tucked up tense around his ears. When the wagon drew up alongside him, Anders kept his eyes forward and prayed to the Maker that the stranger would ignore him. As was the case with most of his prayers, the Maker didn’t listen. On one of his many escape attempts Anders meets the Hawke family. And forms a special connection with the eldest son.

This was an excuse to write porn lol

I love "what if they met before canon" fics, and I decided to write one of my own. It turned out longer than I thought it would (shock!), and planted the seed for Reaching Out. It can stand alone, but I'm treating it as a prequel :D

Bathed in Starlight: 3,336

“You should have brought a torch,” Gethin scolds lightly as he comes to a stop next to Astarion’s discarded armor and clothing. It’s folded neatly, the armor stacked methodically. Astarion affects an air of carelessness, but he keeps his few belongings tidy and organized. Gethin suspects it’s his way of exerting a modicum of control over his life. “Or stayed closer to camp.” Astarion flashes a fanged smile at Gethin over his shoulder, seemingly unsurprised at his presence. “You know how much I enjoy a nip of danger, darling.” When Gethin’s lips tighten with disapproval, Astarion’s smile droops into a pout and he sighs dramatically. “There was nothing to worry about, was there? Here you are, with enough light for both of us.”

OMG a new fandom! *excited bounce*

I picked up Baldur's Gate 3 on launch day because the bear sex scene in the trailer hooked my interest (yes, I'm a closet furry), and the game has taken over my life. I did not expect to fall in love so hard, with the characters, the story, the gameplay, with my OCs, and one particular elf. But here we are, and I'm gonna fic about it.

This is just a canon conversation that I needed to write from the POV of my Dark Urge OC. Nothing special about it. And of course it had to include bathing. If I never wrote anything else for BG3, I needed to make sure I added my signature to the fandom :D

The Sun, The Moon, and The Night: 8,262 (WIP)

Caelnir and Kestrel are half brothers who were swept up by the mindflayer nautiloid at the same time. When they crash back to Faerun, they meet a pale elf who manages to snare both of them with his charms.

This is the bastard that has distracted me from my other WIPs. Yeah, yeah, I'm mad about it too, but I'm also gonna keep writing it lol

I don't normally create OCs. Like, there's Gabe Hawke and JM Shepard, but they've got more of a canon framework than most RPG playable characters. I have no emotional connections to any of my Dragon Age wardens, and the one inquisitor I care about has just the baaaarest hint of backstory. I can't even think of OCs I've created for other RPGs, because I don't care.

But oh boy, I care about Kestrel and Caelnir. A lot. Mostly because I created them with the same face shape, and I thought it would be funny if I somehow made them brothers even though one is a high elf, and the other is a drow. But they're half elves. What if their mom was just a slutty slutty human who traveled a lot? BOOM. The boys came to life, and now I'm writing fic. And since they both romanced the same character in the game, it's a poly fic. I love the challenge of poly fics, and I also hate the challenge, WHY AM I DOING THIS TO MYSELF??

Oh yeah, because Astarion is my blorbo, my boys are precious and special, and I'm the self insert slutty slutty human mom ;D

My writing in 2023 has been nothing like previous years. The fics I've written have gotten very little attention compared to what I'm used to, even going back to my very early days of posting, but I'm having fun and I've got a few friends who are intensely interested in the stuff I'm creating. I'm just happy to be writing!

My plans for 2024 are to keep plunking away at the WIPs in this post. I don't see myself going back to any of my Destiel WIPs, posted or otherwise, any time soon. I think my brain needs a break from the Winchesters for now.

(Of course, there's a shitload of Winchester Inspiration in some of my new OCs, but like...they don't have American accents, so they're TOTALLY DIFFERENT PEOPLE LOL)

Anyway, Happy New Year! Here's to many more fics, both written and read, in our future! 🍾🎆🥂

Previous Years

[magicalyaku]

(German version below) Roots & Raindrops, my second novel is out now! The German edition that is (The book on Amazon). An English one will follow, probably around March 2024. It's a short, mildy adventurous story about a boy trying to find (and save) his penpal, a girl looking for her favourite bird, another boy who might or might not be a prince and the penpal, and a basically-a-vampire who has his hands full with keeping the others from dying to wild beasts. There's magic and birds, everyone's queer, the weather's hot, but no steamy scenes around. The book also features 16 very lovely illustrations by @rechenbaer!

The full summary: 18-year-old Cass currently has two worries: His penpal of 10 years hasn't responded in months and the drought ravaging their kingdom of Rafiah is getting more intense every year causing wild beasts to roam the lands in search for food and thus making travel very dangerous. But travel he must. If the old rumors are true, the royal family's ancient magic might be connected to the bad weather and Cass believes his penpal to be none other than the crown prince himself! So what's going on with him? Cass finds unexpected help in Alanis, the girl who runs the Aerial Post Office in their city, whose dearest bird hasn't returned home since her last delivery to Cass's penpal. So the two of them set out on their journey to find their loved ones - and bring them home.

(German from here on)

Roots & Raindrops, mein zweiter Roman ist jetzt erhältlich! (Auf Amazon) Es ist eine ein bisschen abenteuerliche Geschichte über einen Jungen, der versucht, seinen Brieffreund zu finden (und ihm zu helfen), ein Mädchen, das nach seinem liebsten Vogel sucht, ein weiterer Junge, der vielleicht ein Prinz und der Brieffreund ist, vielleicht aber auch nicht, und ein sowas-wie-Vampir, der alle Hände voll zu tun hat, zu verhindern, dass die anderen von wilden Bestien gefressen werden. Es gibt Magie und Vögel, alle sind queer, das Wetter ist heiß, aber ohne steamy Szenen. Außerdem enthält das Buch 16 wunderschöne Illustrationen von @rechenbaer!

Der Rückentext: Der 18-jährige Cass hat gerade zwei Probleme: Sein Brieffreund seit zehn Jahren hat seit Monaten nicht geantwortet und die Dürre, die ihr Königreich Rafiah heimsucht, wird immer schlimmer, was wilde Bestien auf der Suche nach Futter durch die Gegend streifen lässt und Reisen gefährlich macht. Doch er muss reisen! Wenn die alten Gerüchte wahr sind, hängt die uralte Magie des Königshauses mit dem schlechten Wetter zusammen und Cass glaubt, dass sein Brieffreund kein anderer ist als der Kronprinz selbst! Also was ist los mit ihm? Cass findet unerwartet Hilfe bei Alanis, die das Luftpostamt ihrer Stadt führt und deren liebster Vogel von ihrer letzten Lieferung zu Cass' Brieffreund nicht zurückgekehrt ist. Also machen sich die zwei auf den Weg, ihre Freunde zu finden - und nach Hause zu bringen.

[askarsjustsoswedish]

Alexander Skarsgård: We have a son who is eight months old now.

Via Aftonbladet.se https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/a/l3rwme/alexander-skarsgard-om-sonen-med-tuva-novotny-och-infinity-pool dd 24 March ‘23, by Jan-Olov Andersson [Google translate]

The Swedish star about the new father's life ● Daring film ● The fake penis

The new movie "Infinity pool" is full of sex and violence scenes.

Privately, Alexander Skarsgård, 46, is busy being a new father.

- It feels good. But it's clear it's a bit unusual, he says.

The Swedish star is doubly current right now.

On Monday, the fourth and final season of the television series "Succession" premieres on HBO Max. Alexander Skarsgård was in some episodes of the last season. Now he is involved significantly more when the Roy family is about to sell their media empire Waystar Royco to the tech billionaire played by Alexander.

- The Lukas Mattson character hangs around and pokes fun at their company. It has been absolutely fantastic to be a part of. To get such a well-written script and to work with so many fantastic actors, he says.

Alexander Skarsgård in "Succession". Photo: Graeme Hunter/HBO

"I laughed loudly"

Already today is the cinema premiere for "Infinity pool", a kind of horror thriller directed by B randon Cronenberg, son of David Cronenberg who has made many well-known films in the genre.

- This was a damn crazy movie, was the first thing I thought when I read the script. It's rare that something is so unique, hysterical and crazy in tone. I laughed out loud many times reading that.

Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård in "Infinity pool". Press photo. Photo: UIP

"Infinity pool" is about the writer James Foster who is on vacation with his wife ( Cleopatra Coleman ) on La Tolqa, a paradise island in a fictional dictatorship (in real life Croatia). Another couple, Gabi and Alban ( Mia Goth, Jalil Lespert ), become their new friends and take them on an excursion, where everything goes wrong…

- The writer I play is a wounded bird when we first meet him. A failed writer, his self-confidence is at rock bottom, he questions a lot in life; himself, his talent, his relationship. So he's pretty easy prey for Gabi, all it takes is a little compliment to boost his ego.

Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård. Photo: Soeren Stache / AP

Fake penis

Small compliment, yes... the movie's most talked about scene is when she unexpectedly starts masturbating him until it works for him. Everything depicted in close-up.

- The film is satirical, violent and sexy. It's a graphic film in many ways, you could say. I won't go into details, but the scene shows that she is the one holding the leash. That he is at a disadvantage and both scared and attracted and excited. An interesting scene to make…

Alexander Skarsgard. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT

In a foreign interview, Alexander has told us that it is a fake penis we see in the picture.

The film is also about certain people being cloned and in one scene a naked Alexander on a dog leash (!) fights with himself.

- I love that scene. Fighting another version of myself and then going into some kind of primal stage and nursing Mia Goth's breasts as she becomes some kind of mother figure to him… I like to dive in headfirst and let go of all inhibitions.

Alexander Skarsgård at the "Succession" premiere. Photo: Charles Sykes/AP

Fatherhood: "Quite unusual"

The last time Alexander and I were spoken to in a Zoom interview, I asked about his relationship with Tuva Novotny . He didn't want to talk about that. It belonged to private life.

But it is no secret that they have had a child together and now I ask how it is to be a new father.

- It feels good. We have a son who is eight months old now. It's going well, although it's quite unusual.

Tuva Novotny. Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT

[murderspice]

📓 !!

Put "📓" or some other version of a book emoji into my inbox and I'll explain the plot of a fanfiction that I haven't written but daydream about

[cracks knuckles and opens the wip folder] So, there's one for Dragon Age that I ended up writing a teaser for, slapped out a meager handful of words for the first chapter and then just imagined the rest REALLY hard sdfkjlfsdkjl

"Without explanation, Elves across Thedas have found themselves filled with the innate magical abilities of their ancestors. There’s a warrior elf in Tevinter who is more than displeased with this development. 

There is only one mage he can think of that could help him control it and wouldn’t turn him away. The only issue is that nobody knows where Anders went after Kirkwall."

SO BASICALLY Fenris goes hunting for Anders (who was spared by this world state's Hawke) post-inquisition, and finds a freaking hermit hut. With a blond little hermit in it. Who is frankly disappointed that his new scraggly facial hair didn't fool Fenris at all. Based loosely on that one concept art from DAI that we all hated combined with that one lovely comic by fenhedislasa-harellan that we all loved JKFDLF.

SO. Fenris has magic. He does not like that he has magic. Sniffs out Anders. Anders is living off the grid and growing herbs in the woods. He gossips to birds like they're people and has a terrible beard.

They would then work together to figure out how Fenris ended up with new magic while also teaching him how to control it, and perhaps even use it to his advantage in combat (which would take a lot of debate and self compassion, not particularly in that order JKFDJKL). Stories of their pasts are shared. New perspectives are gained. Friendship is formed. Solas is bald and slippery as ever. Just another instance of me wanting to mush my favorite two glowstick boys together to work out their differences (and maybe even kiss a little? who can say, truly KDFJJKLDFJKL).

[thornfield13713]

adrawatcher

Okay valid valid hmmmm how about if the da2 group were superheroes what would you name their super identities?

Okay! So, here goes:

Marian Hawke - I mean, she’s Champion of Kirkwall already, but I feel like that’s more along the lines of Batman’s ‘World’s Greatest Detective’ title rather than a superhero thing. For my own particular Marian, though, she’d probably go by something like the Fox. The Black Fox is already taken, sure, but there’s a lot of variants on fox-related names, and given my Marian is one long tribute to Robin Hood, I want to get a nod to the Disney version in there. Or, hell, maybe the Hooded Man, to get a nod in to Robin of Sherwood and the fact that, dressing in layers and with a hood over her face, Marian is tall and broad-shouldered enough to cause confusion.

Bethany Hawke - For her, I would want the bird pun, just because her armour already has one, and because I like to position her as one of three mages from this particular family line - Margarethe Amell, Bethany Hawke, and my as-yet-unnamed new mage Trevelyan. So, what sort of bird would suit Bethany? I lean towards the Merlin, for reasons of a) a falcon traditionally associated with ladies, echoing Bethany’s dreams of the life of a Hightown lady, and b) she’s a mage, and I am not above a corny pun or two.

Carver Hawke - Goshawk. Carver wants to be out of his sibling’s shadow, but he doesn’t want to ditch the family name. And goshawks just...remind me of him. The yeoman’s bird, fitting for Carver as the one of the family who has least invested in moving up to Hightown, and stubborn little persistence hunters that are really hard to train, but once you’ve got them trained up, they make the best hunters of all. I think it suits him.

Anders - I think he might just go with Justice, on the grounds that...well, he’s now a fused Anders-Justice mix, which is...they are both in there, but it’s hard to tell who is who. Having his daytime identity go by one name and his nighttime one by the other sounds like a nice way to reinforce that.

Fenris - Literally already has a superhero name, he’s the Blue Wraith!

Merrill - The Green Griffon. Because she wears a lot of green and likes griffons, and it’s the sort of name I could picture her choosing for herself and then going all out on the costume for, resulting in a surprisingly lifelike griffon mask and feathered cape.

Isabela - The Siren. Nice nod to the name of her ship, nautical in nature, and she could make so very many jokes about it, most of them dirty.

Aveline - Can’t really picture her as anything but the poor man’s Jim Gordon - and frankly, that’s unfair on Gordon - but if she was...hm. The Guardswoman. Very basic, I know, but neither Aveline nor I is long on naming imagination, and I feel like she would want to underline that she is an official, state-sponsored superhero unlike the rest of this crowd. (Marian holds that this sort of misses the point of being a superhero).

Sebastian - Hm...I got nothing. Probably something Chantry-related, Sebastian being who he is. It might be entertaining for him to use ‘Champion of the Just’, and thus forever have to deal with getting mixed up with either Marian or Anders.

Varric - The Storyteller. Very, very on the nose, but after Hard in Hightown, Tale of the Champion and Swords and Shields, can we really say Varric is good at coming up with names? (Pay no attention to the crap-at-naming-things writer behind the curtain).

[salsedinepicta]

OC(s) Questionnaire

Tagged by @greypetrel - and her characters are just beautiful, so I'd highly recommend to hop on her blog and read her version :> 💜 Thanks for the tag!

Tagging: maybe @coloricioso could be interested? No pressure as usual ✨ +plus anyone who is interested!

Everything under "Read more" after the first one, of course.

NAME: Gwydion Hawke

NICKNAME: Hawke, of course - the firstborn can take dibs on the family surname. And then Gideon, since 1. that's how most people misspell his actual name and 2. Varric uses it in his stories (it's “more suited for the hero”). He doesn't mind.

GENDER: Male, although he takes it easy. In a modern AU he would be the Hakwe sibling most likely to experiment with gender presentation - and in every universe he just knows he'd look good in a dress/corset.

STAR SIGN: Libra

ORIENTATION: Gay

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: Literally a random human born on a ship – 100% conceived in Kirkwall though.

FAVORITE FRUIT: All the citruses

FAVORITE SEASON: Early Spring

FAVORITE FLOWER: Forget-me-not, snowdrops, zagare (orange blossoms).

FAVORITE SCENT: Crushed elfroot, rain, lyrium potions - and why must lyrium be toxic when it clearly smells like raspberries and tangerines? UH? Templars are gatekeeping it. He is literally the only one saying this. At some point he’ll think fondly of sewage.

COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Tea, preferably cold.

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: Around 7, but not consecutive.

DOGS OR CATS: Dogs AND cats AND also every single animal willing to be pet - why would you deny a centipede some love? And did anyone actually tried to raise a baby dragon? Cowards.

DREAM TRIP: Antiva, or Rivain – it sounds fun, from Isabela’s stories, and he is intrigued by their religious customs (and generally different approach to magic). Not without 50+ SPF though, have you seen Anders' skintone?

NUMBER OF BLANKETS: Just a few, he doesn’t particularly suffer the cold – and he’s a cuddly sleeper.

RANDOM FACT: Extremely tactile, hands must be occupied (almost) all the time. He makes his own bows and then whittle silly little figurines with the scraps of wood - usually they all end up looking like chunky animals of debatable identification.

NAME: Maren Hawke

NICKNAME: Mari (used only by selected people – Bethany can, Carver may or may not find nettles in his bed the next day) and various epithets by Varric (he finds her difficult to pin down, to his extreme annoyance). When she’ll get into Kirkwall’s politics people will start to call her Lady Amell, to everyone amusement.

GENDER: Female

ORIENTATION: Official not-so-mean lesbian

STAR SIGN: Scorpio

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: Human, born in Ferelden, even if she doesn’t feel a strong national connection to it.

FAVORITE FRUIT: Pears, quince, pomegranates

FAVORITE SEASON: Autumn and Winter

FAVORITE FLOWER: Wild violets, daisies

FAVORITE SCENT: Parchment and ink, ambergris, wild roses’ oil, metal.

COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Black coffee in public, hot chocolate with lots of spices (and something sweet to eat on the side) in more private settings.

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: Better not to ask. Around 5, to avoid dreaming – she will slowly get better during the years.

DOGS OR CATS: Birds, obviously.

DREAM TRIP: For political reasons, all the cities of the Free Marches. And Weisshaupt/the Anderfels to pester the Wardens about griffin’s eggs – because what Merrill wants, Merrill gets.

NUMBER OF BLANKETS: At least 4, because half of them will be stolen by Merrill during the night.

RANDOM FACT: Does she care about fashion? Not particularly, but she is highly aware of the power of appearences, and how to convey certain messages through clothes. She prefers small and significant jewelry over flashy one, but absolutely loves a nice statement headpiece, especially with some kind of drapery or veil – so she can literally put behind a curtain annoying people with a subtle turn of her head.

NAME: Malva Surana

NICKNAME: Irving’s pet, Surana, debatable variations on her name when Jowan wanted to be annoying – after the Circle, she is just Malva and then the Warden Commander.

GENDER: Do you have a gender if the circumstances of your birth make you less than a person in the eye of society? Ahaha, anyway, female.

ORIENTATION: Very queer - preference for women, but willing to experiment for the sake of it, if she fancies so. In another world, her and Gwydion would be the monsterfuckers, let’s be real.

STAR SIGN: Aquarius

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: Definitely a city elf (the tattoos are random lines, made by someone who wanted her to remember but had no idea how a vallaslin really looks like, or how and when they are done) – maybe from Denerim’s alienage? But as far as she knows, there is no past before Kinloch Hold.

FAVORITE FRUIT: Blackberries

FAVORITE SEASON: Spring

FAVORITE FLOWER: The kind of question that would trigger a half-an-hour-long aswer. For brevity sake: nightshade, hellebore, wisteria, ivy (not a flower, but impossible not to mention), and mallow.

FAVORITE SCENT: Burning wood, moss and damp earth, rosemary, wildberries.

COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Definitely tea. She is the mistress of the most absurd herbal infusions. They are great and they'll cure your cavities and other various ailments - but you don't want to know the ingredients. Don’t.

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: Between 6-8, can wake up every day at the same time without any alarm of sort.

DOGS OR CATS: If really pressed she'd say dogs (“They are great traveling companions”) but immediately regrets it because of all the fond memories of Ser Pounce-a-lot.

DREAM TRIP: The Thirashan forest, Arbor Wilds, Arlathan Forest – pretty much an elven history roadtrip to try to reclaim that part of her identity.

NUMBER OF BLANKETS: Just one or two, wrapped all around her chrysalis-like because her subconscious still believes that the other apprentices will steal them.

RANDOM FACT: For a moment, she was Justice's first choice for a possible living host - she never knew it, though.

[ao3feed-harleyquinn]

DC Yuritober Drabbles Days 1-10

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/JdzGgeR by sadifura An assortment of DC Yuri Drabbles for DC Yuritober, since...I doubt my confidence in drawing said ships (especially Taelyr...I can't do Jess Taylor's art justice!!). None of these characters belong to me. Taelyr Ilextrix-spiir Biarxiiai/Taylor Barzelay as well as Kat Silverberg belong to Jadzia Axelrod and Jess Taelyr, Barbara Gordon's portrayal as Oracle as well as my portrayal of Dinah Lance belongs to Gail Simone, my Bruce/Bea Wayne portrayal, although somewhat mine, belongs to Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, Martin Pasko, and Michael Reeves, as is my portrayal of Andrea Beaumont, my portrayal of Mandy Anders belongs to Mariko Tamaki, my portrayals of Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown are pretty much cobbled together from their best portrayals (I hope), my portrayals of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are a mix of Paul Dini incarnations and some others, my portrayal of Catwoman is a mix of Paul Dini and Michael J. Stern, my portrayal of Bibi and Jestah are Michael J. Stern compliant, and my portrayal of Karen Starr is consistent with Amanda Conner, Justin Gray, and Jimmy Palmiotti's version. Words: 534, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 1 of DC Yuritober Drabble Collection Fandoms: DC Extended Universe, Galaxy: The Prettiest Star - Jadzia Axelrod & Jess Taylor (Graphic Novel), Birds of Prey (Comics), Harley Quinn (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), Batwheels (Cartoon), I Am Not Starfire (Graphic Novel), Power Girl (Comics) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/F Characters: Taelyr Ilextrix-spiir Biarxiiai, Taylor Barzelay, Katherine Silverberg, Barbara Gordon, Dinah Lance, Helena Wayne, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Bruce Wayne, Andrea Beaumont, Mandy Anders, Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley, Selina Kyle, Bibi (Batwheels), Jestah (Batwheels), Karen Starr | Kara Zor-L Relationships: Taelyr Ilextrix-spiir Biarxiiai/Kat Silverberg, Taylor Barzelay/Katherine Silverberg, Barbara Gordon/Dinah Lance, Andrea Beaumont/Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown/Cassandra Cain, Mandy Anders/Taelyr Ilextrix-spiir Biarxiiai, Mandy Anders/Taylor Barzelay, Pamela Isley/Selina Kyle/Harleen Quinzel, Bibi/Jestah (Batwheels), Kara Zor-El | Karen Starr | Power Girl/Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn Additional Tags: Trans Female Character, Trans Bruce Wayne, Trans Female Bruce Wayne/Bea Wayne, Nonhuman Characters, Alien/Human Relationships, Disabled Character, Canon Disabled Character, Drabbles, Drabble Collection, DC Yuritober, Femslash, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Polyamory, Established Relationship, maybe requited love read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/JdzGgeR

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

DC Yuritober Drabbles Days 1-10

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/wv82ygB by sadifura An assortment of DC Yuri Drabbles for DC Yuritober, since...I doubt my confidence in drawing said ships (especially Taelyr...I can't do Jess Taylor's art justice!!). None of these characters belong to me. Taelyr Ilextrix-spiir Biarxiiai/Taylor Barzelay as well as Kat Silverberg belong to Jadzia Axelrod and Jess Taelyr, Barbara Gordon's portrayal as Oracle as well as my portrayal of Dinah Lance belongs to Gail Simone, my Bruce/Bea Wayne portrayal, although somewhat mine, belongs to Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, Martin Pasko, and Michael Reeves, as is my portrayal of Andrea Beaumont, my portrayal of Mandy Anders belongs to Mariko Tamaki, my portrayals of Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown are pretty much cobbled together from their best portrayals (I hope), my portrayals of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are a mix of Paul Dini incarnations and some others, my portrayal of Catwoman is a mix of Paul Dini and Michael J. Stern, my portrayal of Bibi and Jestah are Michael J. Stern compliant, and my portrayal of Karen Starr is consistent with Amanda Conner, Justin Gray, and Jimmy Palmiotti's version. Words: 534, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 1 of DC Yuritober Drabble Collection Fandoms: DC Extended Universe, Galaxy: The Prettiest Star - Jadzia Axelrod & Jess Taylor (Graphic Novel), Birds of Prey (Comics), Harley Quinn (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), Batwheels (Cartoon), I Am Not Starfire (Graphic Novel), Power Girl (Comics) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/F Characters: Taelyr Ilextrix-spiir Biarxiiai, Taylor Barzelay, Katherine Silverberg, Barbara Gordon, Dinah Lance, Helena Wayne, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Bruce Wayne, Andrea Beaumont, Mandy Anders, Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley, Selina Kyle, Bibi (Batwheels), Jestah (Batwheels), Karen Starr | Kara Zor-L Relationships: Taelyr Ilextrix-spiir Biarxiiai/Kat Silverberg, Taylor Barzelay/Katherine Silverberg, Barbara Gordon/Dinah Lance, Andrea Beaumont/Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown/Cassandra Cain, Mandy Anders/Taelyr Ilextrix-spiir Biarxiiai, Mandy Anders/Taylor Barzelay, Pamela Isley/Selina Kyle/Harleen Quinzel, Bibi/Jestah (Batwheels), Kara Zor-El | Karen Starr | Power Girl/Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn Additional Tags: Trans Female Character, Trans Bruce Wayne, Trans Female Bruce Wayne/Bea Wayne, Nonhuman Characters, Alien/Human Relationships, Disabled Character, Canon Disabled Character, Drabbles, Drabble Collection, DC Yuritober, Femslash, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Polyamory, Established Relationship, maybe requited love read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/wv82ygB

[potatoesandsunshine]

aaaaahhhhh 1) you posting the name of your Dragon Age WIPs made me remember that I forgot to post the name of any of mine damn but 2) because I trust you implicitly and you are the only person who has ever made me question my staunch opinion of NEVER learning anything about Sebastian, I gotta ask about your 'hawkebastian bad ending' AND/OR also...josie...yes, please talk to me about josie....

<3 <3 <3 oh i WILL talk about both

hawkebastian bad ending is also the working document for the potential hawkebastian ‘good’ ending timeline, and also the place I took notes during my most recent DA2 playthrough (Jessalyn Hawke You Are Everything To Me). I won’t try to sell you on Sebastian because I think this might be one of those ‘the version of this character that exists in my head is better than the one in the game’ situations—but the version that exists in my head is incredible. We meet him in act 1 and his family is all dead, foreshadowing how all of Hawke’s family will be dead, and I find him so miserable and tragic and compelling. Playing this save and doing the rivalmance for him also lets Hawke say a bunch of anti-Chantry stuff and I hate the Chantry so it’s a huge win. 

The Jessa/Sebastian dynamic is so so extremely reputation to me. Delicate is their song. Call it what you want is also their song. Also don’t blame me is their song. Basically if it’s on reputation (and I like it) it belongs to them. And I thought it would be so much fun for my aggressive, direct Hawke to fall head over heels at first sight for the Worst Possible Person.

It takes a bold man to shoot a piece of paper out of the Grand Cleric's hand. Jessa's heart gives a tremendous thump.

These two characters are desperate to escape the loneliness vortex inside of themselves and they do that by secretly getting married in the middle of act 2 after killing a bunch of bandits and having life-affirming sex in a barn that they both decide they need to Take Responsibility for, telling literally no one besides the Mother at the provincial Chantry in the middle of the woods around Tantervale, and then talking themselves out of it by the time they return to Kirkwall. This leads to either the ‘bad’ timeline, where Jessa kills Sebastian at the end of the game when he threatens Kirkwall and demands you kill Anders, subsequently going back to do a takeover of Starkhaven and naming herself regent (a weird Loghain parallel which I’m super into?); or the ‘good’ timeline where she kills Anders and they return to Starkhaven to rule together (but she always remembers that he wants her as a weapon before he trusts her as his wife). There’s definitely not a ‘happy’ timeline for them! They are always at their happiest in that barn, alone together.

   "I have this dream," she says, in that odd, soft way of hers. Her fingers card through his hair, more touch in the last day than he's had in the past year. He is hers, utterly, blasphemous as it is.

   Rain is still coming down on the dilapidated barn. The air smells fresh and new, and the wind is cool enough to raise goosebumps all over her skin.

   "Tell me?" he offers—he offers, like it's easy, like he's not starving for any piece of her, like he won't die if she stops touching him.

   "We never came to Kirkwall. We went somewhere else, somewhere kinder. My brother is a knight and my sister is happy and my mother is quietly proud of them." She is so very vulnerable, even with her hand at his neck. So very lost and lonely, a bird with a broken wing, searching for a safe perch.

   He has never—not even when she walked into the Chantry with blood under her nails, proclaiming his justice done—been more drawn to her. He has never felt so hollowed-out with need. He tries to be a virtuous man. He tries to be a good man. But right now, with her hand in his hair and his cheek against her chest, he wants to keep her. And he knows she wants to keep him—Hawke never wants to let anyone go.

   "And you?"

   "Oh, I suppose I marry someone sweet and have a lovely garden." Her nails scratch his scalp gently. A cat would purr. "We choose each other, and we're happy."

   "Jessalyn," he manages, pushing through the comfortable fog she has him in. "Jess-ah." Her grip on his hair tightens.

   "We choose each other," she repeats, more focused, her eyes boring into his. And he knows what she's going to say, as she tilts his face up into hers and catches his mouth in a brief, fierce kiss. And he has never, never wanted anything so badly.

   "I pretend it's you," she whispers, and he cracks clean through.

-------------------------------------

josie.... is actually the document where I write send your letter, i’ll reply (please ignore how that fic has not been updated since 2021, it is not dead I am still tinkering with it!) It’s actually a fic about Josephine witnessing a friendship blossom between Trevelyan and her sister Yvette! I thought Yvette was so much fun during WE&WH, and I love writing about how outsiders see video games happen, so she was a perfect way in to these characters. Josephine deals with her lover becoming best friends with her sister, the dismantling of the Inquisition as an organization, and the realization that she’s done the work and gets to have the happy ending. The first two chapters are finished, but the third is still in the bullet-point outline stage:

Letter from Kirkwall. Josephine has been settling matters in Antiva. Evelyn spent three days in Otswick before leaving, getting a room at the Hanged Man, and becoming a comtesse. Letter from Varric—don’t let her go back to Otswick, Ruffles. She gets all mixed up. Letter from Evelyn—I miss you, I love you, I’ll see you soon.

Trevelyans got kicked out of Orlais for breaking sumptuary laws headcanon here, an ancestor who discovered the right combo of pigment for Mock Imperial Blue and subsequently had to flee the country. Painting connection to Yvette :)

There are whispers in Antiva for months preceding Yvette Montilyet’s inaugural exhibition. They move beyond the circles of artists; three of the merchant princes requested to see the paintings in advance and five others sent spies. All were easily dealt with—the princes regretfully informed by the artist that the work was in no state to be viewed, the spies turned away by a few Friends and one resident assassin with a habit of walking the Montilyet estate at night. There is such a kindness to Evelyn. It is nonexistent when security threats arise.

What is their life together like? The Herald of Andraste resides a very short distance from Antiva City, and is often found in the studio of a novice painter. Yvette has had fine teachers, but she has not made a name for herself yet.

Beyond a brief presentation to the Queen of Antiva, the Herald has attended no formal court events. She has refused to sit for anything more than a sketch, even for the artist most in favor with the Empress of Orlais. 

Her portrait will be the centerpiece of Yvettes first exhibition. 

Josephine hasn’t seen it either.

It is not a portrait of the Herald of Andraste at all. It is Evelyn, only Evelyn, in the solarium. // Dressed simply—quiet blues and greens, no hint of the formal dress from Halamshiral. Her hair is in a cloudy bun, each wisping strand shot through with sunlight. Across her shoulders, poking fun at a chain of office, is a daisy chain. // She faces the viewer, hands resting in her lap. Everything about her posture speaks to regality; her chin is raised and her shoulders are squared. And then there is her expression. // The serious line of her mouth pulls up at one side, lips pressed together. Her eyes are lively, engaged. // Josephine’s breath catches, somewhere around the time she sees the freckles bunched up on Evelyn’s nose. This is—it is— // The opposite of every portrait, every rumor. There is no declaration of divinity or piety, no assertion of power. Not a single overt symbol. It could be any noblewoman. // Josephine reads the title, Lady Trevelyan Discussing Literature. // Yvette has captured the moment before Evelyn laughs. // No, they will not be parting with this painting. Not for anything.

No declarations of love come for Yvette in the wake of the exhibition, which she pouts over for a time. No censure comes from the Chantry for a disrespectful depiction of the Herald of Andraste, which lets Josephine breathe a sigh of relief.

Her mother has the portrait installed in the family gallery. Evelyn takes to haunting there, too.

The Anchor always hurts her, even now. They have separate bedrooms, connected by a door, and it is not uncommon for Evelyn to begin the evening in Josephine’s bed only to vanish in the night. The pain keeps her awake and restless, and Josephine is yet more grateful to Yvette, who is one of the only people capable of distracting Evelyn.

More than once, the two are discovered giggling next to the kitchen hearth by an indulgent cook. 

Basically, They Are In Love and even when things are tough, they work out :)

[daughter-of-the-prophet]

Isabela (Tv Tropes II) Part 1

Action Girl: Even more of one now that she's a main character. She's even introduced in the same manner, by easily beating up a bunch of thugs in a Bar Brawl. She might be without her ship and crew, but she's anything but helpless.

Ascended Extra: In Origins, she was a rogue who taught Ilona Cousland the duelist specialization in the Pearl. She returns in the second story with a new model and a new voice actress as a companion. Lampshaded when she, Areida Hawke, and the other companions meet with King Alistair of Ferelden in the third act; he remembers her and remarks, "You look... different."

Anything That Moves: According to her, she's had relations with men, women, elves, and a cross-dressing dwarf. She doesn't recommend that last one. Isabela's behavior is mostly for her image as a pirate, and while she has no problems with a Friends with Benefits relationship (or a one night stand), she doesn't have nearly as many of those as she implies.

Awful Wedded Life: Her marriage to Luis was anything but happy. Not only was she forced to marry him at a very young age, she frequently pressured her to act more "ladylike", and while at first he tried to please her with his wealth, he quickly grew tired of her rebellious attitude and became abusive, even planning to "lend" her to some of his friends.

Badass Normal: The main menu for Heroes of Dragon Age has her roaring right in Coryphetits' face, and Isabela is naught but a pirate captain in a world of mages and those Badass Abnormal.

Bad Liar: She's not very good at being subtle when she's hiding something; she stutters, avoids eye contact, and hesitates a lot. More often, though, she just dodges unwanted questions or starts talking about what pretty eyes the questioner has.

Big Damn Heroes: She pulls this during the Qunari invasion at the end of act two by returning their relic, thereby creating a relatively peaceful solution to the problem.

Blade Enthusiast: She dual-wields and carries plenty of knives and daggers.

Brain Bleach: Invokes this reaction in Areida and the other companions more than once when she talks about her more salacious sex stories.

Broken Bird: Has a few elements of one, though she'd never admit it, especially the issues with emotional intimacy.

But Not Too Black: A consistent problem in promotional material — the pre-game marketing, comic book covers and artwork in Art of Thedas lighten her skin-tone considerably.

Buxom Beauty Standard: Her new design in the second story gave her an ample bust, which is emphasized by the cleavage in her corset, and part of the reason why she's such a Dude Magnet.

Bystander Syndrome: She's a cynical person who always prioritizes self-preservation, and doesn't like to risk her neck for "noble causes". As she says: "We're not responsible for anyone but ourselves."

Call-Back: When the Ilona Cousland meets Isabela during Origins, she is dueling people in a bar who claim she cheated them of their coin. After defeating them, they run off. When Areida Hawke meets Isabela, she is dueling people in a bar who claim she cheated them of their coin. After defeating them, they run off.

The Casanova: A female version, she wins the eyes of many men and Really Gets Around.

Changed My Mind, Kid: On the eve of the Qunari invasion, she abandons Areida and her companions because the Qunari are after her personally. Having developed a close friendship with Areida, She turns around and returns to give the Qunari back their relic.

Character Development: Developing a close friendship with Areida Hawke during the story causes her to start drifting more towards the good side of the morality scale, though with reluctance.

Chekhov's Gunman: She only has one scene in Origins, but was popular/infamous enough to be made a full companion in the sequel.

Cool Aunt: She is seen as this by Anders and Areida's three children, especially their daughter Leandra.

Cool Big Sis: She tries to act like a cool, older female figure to Merrill and Bethany, though given her obsession with sex sometimes it comes across as Corrupt the Cutie.

Corrupt the Cutie: Jokingly invoked in several conversations with Bethany.

After Bethany gets sent to the Circle, Isabela sends her many erotic books to get her through the night.

Does this to a lesser extent with Merrill (teaching her how to do body shots).

Also invoked with, of all possibilities, Bianca, which appears to end the playful flirting between Isabela and Varric.

Invoked with Aveline after they settled into the role of Vitriolic Best Buds by Act 3, where she offers tips on how to spice things up with Donnic in the bedroom. Considering Aveline's response to Isabela asking if Donnic's bedroom prowess leads to Aveline being "flipped arse over tits and hammered like a bent nail," Isabela apparently succeeded.

"Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: In Act 2, Aveline mentions this in disgust when she and Areida learn that Isabela stole the Tome of Koslun and only decides to tell them this now that the Qunari are acting up.

The Cynic: Behind her Friendly Pirate persona, she is a deeply cynical woman who believes she's living in a Crapsack World that has no chance of getting better and sees no point in doing anything other than looking out for herself. Areida and Anders constantly challenge her on this, and with Areida's help and influence she learns to be more optimistic and care for others.

Dark and Troubled Past: Heavily hinted throughout Dragon Age II, though she is reluctant to go into details. Those Who Speak reveals that her mother was a Viddethari, who sold her into slavery after she refused to convert. The comic also tells of a particularly low moment for her, when she offloaded an entire ship's galley worth of elven slaves into the ocean to drown so she could make a faster getaway from her pursuers. Her self-disgust and guilt over this is why she would later free Castillon's slaves, starting the chain of events that would bring her to Kirkwall.

Depending on the Artist: The tone of her skin can change drastically in the comic series. One of the most notable examples is the cover art for The Silent Grove #5, where she practically has white skin.

Disappeared Dad: Her father was a random man her Madam mother slept with and has never had a presence in her life.

Divergent Character Evolution: In Origins, she uses the same assets like any other NPC character. In Dragon Age II she has her own unique model. This is Lampshaded when she goes with Areida to meet with King Alistair, who mentions she looks quite different.

Does Not Like Men: A very mild case, and played very subtly, but Isabela seems quick to believe the worst when it concerns men and how they view women, even if she has no trouble befriending or sleeping with them. This almost certainly stems from her treatment at the hands of her late husband. She's quick to tease men about their performance, but is even quicker to praise women for theirs.

Double Entendre:

Very commonly, sometimes Imagined Innuendo, and very rarely, Innocent Innuendo. Sex drips off her tongue every time her mouth opens. For every subversion, she plays it twice as hard.

A notable subversion occurs while she's speaking with Varric, and serves as a Call-Back to a similar conversation between Alistair and Oghren. For once, Varric and Isabela really were just talking about weapons.

One of her armor upgrades is called "Rigid Boning." Now, her outfit is not unlike Of Corsets Sexy, and corsets do have "boning" (a rigid structure, so named because at one point the structure actually was made from bone), and more rigid boning would be an upgrade in a sense. . . but still.

Drowning My Sorrows: She's found at the Hanged Man's counter when she's not out with Areida.

Dual Wielding: Is restricted to this in the second story.

Duel to the Death: With Hayder. Isabela suspects foul play, so when she meets Areida, she asks for potential backup.

Easily Forgiven: After Areida spares Isabela from being handed over to the Arishok, Isabela is shocked that Areida still wants to be friends with her even though her stealing the relic from the Qunari was what lead to the events of the Qunari invasion on Kirkwall in the first place and that she lied to her about it.

Ethical Slut: While perfectly willing to sleep with anyone and anything, she is greatly concerned with not hurting others' (especially Merrill's) feelings and gets incredibly angry with men who mistreat women.

Establishing Character Moment: Her introductory scene is a Bar Brawl, as a Call-Back to how she was introduced in Origins. Apparently, this happens with her fairly often.

Even Evil Has Standards: Isabela is a pirate to the core, but she would never condone slave trading, which is why she betrays Hayder before Areida first meets her. However, she's perfectly willing to let unrepentant slavers get away clean if it means she can have a ship again.

Expy: With her Devil-may-care swagger, lecherous personality, penchant for heavy drinking and betrayal, emphasis on personal freedom, obsessive mission to reclaim a lost ship even to the point of making a Deal with the Devil, and the fact that she's in her current predicament a job transporting slaves didn't work out, you'd be forgiven for mistaking her for a beardless Captain Jack Sparrow.

Four-Star Badass: In Inquisition Varric reveals that, after Kirkwall, Isabela went back to the Raiders and become an admiral. Though, as Varric puts it:

Varric: "I'm not sure if she's really an admiral or she just has a really big hat. Might be the same thing, honestly."

Friendly Pirate: Played With. By the time of the start of Act 1 of Dragon Age II, Isabela has been a pirate captain for a decade and engaged in all sorts of amoral activities such as raiding and smuggling but she draws the line at heinous stuff like slave trafficking. Despite her selfish self-preservation tendencies, she can be a charming and friendly person who gets along well with the rest of the party. As the story progresses, character progression pushes her further and further into this trope, to the point that she admits that Good Feels Good and she's happy to have known Areida and the other companions.

Friends with Benefits: While a tremendous flirt, she only appears to have such a relationship with Fenris.

Friend to All Children: It's mentioned that most of the pirates on the Waking Sea want Isabela dead for performing a one-woman army stunt, seizing the vessel she was meant to be escorting, after she discovered it actually contained slaves who were mostly women and children.

She later becomes an Honorary Aunt towards the three children that Anders and Areida have together.

The Gadfly: Her preferred form of humor is to tease and torment other people, especially if they're stuck-up prudes. Which makes Aveline her prime target, such as how she constantly teases Aveline about her sex life with Donnic just to see how she reacts, but then acts like it's Too Much Information when Aveline breaks down.

Isabela: "How about "satisfy a demand of your Qun." Or did he Cup your Joining? Or master your taint? That's an old one."

Aveline: "Yes, all right? He is an incredibly proficient lover. Happy?"

Isabela: "Well that's rather personal, don't you think?"

The Hedonist: She had a very unhappy life before becoming a pirate, so once she did she fully embraced the hedonistic lifestyle and seems to live for three things: the thrill of adventure, alcohol, and sexual gratification.

Hero of Another Story: Alongside Varric and King Alistair in The Silent Grove/Those Who Speak/Until We Sleep trilogy.

Hidden Depths: She can be surprisingly eloquent and wise, if deeply cynical, at times concerning philosophical ideas such as freedom and justice.

Anders: "There is justice in the world."

Isabela: "Is there? You want to free the mages. Let's say you do, but to get there, you kill a bunch of innocent people. What about them? Don't they then deserve justice?"

Anders: "Yes."

Isabela: "And Then What?? Where does it end? It's like a bar brawl: people are continuously pulled into the fray, and nobody remembers why it started. Justice is an idea. It makes sense in a world of ideas, but not in our world."

Hidden Heart of Gold:

She'll try to excuse any altruistic acts as self serving in some manner. Nobody buys it. Anders actually tease her about it, and invoke the trope by name.

Most obviously in Act 2 where her Big Damn Hero entrance has her irritably say that "This is your damned influence, Hawke!"

Hidden Weapons: She mentions she keeps some daggers hidden with her at all times. Even when she's naked.

Hit Me, Dammit!: Enables this as a plan to get to Castillion. Also one of her many battle quotes.

Honorary Aunt: She becomes this towards Anders and Areida's three children. She especially has a close bond with their only daughter Leandra who idolizes her.

[magicalyaku]

This is my future! As in: A part of the books I'm most likely to read in 2023. Haha. Ha. Why are there so many? uAu”” Against the common trend I actually want to read less this year! Because let's be honest, reading is easy and a perfect cultured excuse to not be doing anything else. But I have a lot to do! I want to write the sequel to my novel, draw illustrations for it as well as two short stories I've been putting off for years now. Not to mention the three to ten videogames piling up in front of my console. Yeaaaah.

But! Half of these book I already own, so not reading them would be stupid. There are also some new ones coming in 2023 which I'm totally looking forward to: Afterglow by Phil Stamper, Spellbound by F.T. Lukens, The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa, Forever Material (German title of Husband Material) by Alexis Hall! The cover for Ander & Santi were here is so beautiful and Gwen & Art are not in Love sounds pretty hilarious. And I waited for 4 months for my copy of Hell Followed with us and then didn’t get around to reading it last year! Change that! D:

Depending on how the series starters turn out, there might be even more sequels. And I feel like rereading a few books as well, like Little Black Bird, prequel to Tall White Tenement by Anna Kirchner, and Dark Rise by CS Pacat (preferably the German version). Also maybe Captive Prince for my fantasy fix and The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater in hopes that I finally get into the mood to best Mr Impossible (I started like three times and am still on page 20). And I’ll probably pick up even more stuff along the way. Lots and lots to do. u3u

Let’s see how this goes! Obviously, I’ll continue writing about them here. :)