#but like. just straight up tagging it as 'lavellan'? girl WHERE

[tortoise-teapot]

people stop tagging my trevelyan as lavellan just because he's kissin on solas challenge

[maleficarfic]

Of Unicorns, Virgins, and Other Such Things

Pairing: Female Lavellan/Solas

Fandom: Dragon Age: Inquisition

Rating: Explicit

Additional Tags: Only partially crack

Summary: A noble attempting to curry favor with the Inquisition gives Inquisitor Lavellan a unicorn. It gets in the way. A lot.

On AO3: Link

“But what is it?” the Inquisitor asked, ears flicking with annoyance as she peered at the massive white beast stomping around her courtyard, nickering nastily at everyone who wasn’t Cole. It was quite pretty, with a flowing mane and tail that shimmered like starlight. Its hooves and horn glimmered gold in the brilliant light of early afternoon.

“A gift,” Josephine said, a bit too cheerfully. “From a noble who seeks to curry your favor. It is a rare, almost mythical unicorn.”

The Inquisitor peered at it. “It doesn’t have a sword through its face like the other one.”

“Because this is a natural unicorn,” Josephine said with infinite patience.

The Inquisitor’s right ear twitched, her expression flattening. “You said mythical.”

“I said almost mythical.”

“And this from you,” Varric interjected, leaning against a wooden post and giving the Inquisitor one of those shit-eating grins. Her ears twitched again. “The woman who does at least ten impossible things before breakfast.”

She pulled her lips back and gave him a snarl. Any normal person would have seen that expression and pissed themselves, but Varric just laughed like this was all good fun. It was infuriating how she was supposed to be the most deadly person in Thedas – though, probably, the Hero of Ferelden was more so – but none of her companions seemed to treat her with the respect deadly people deserved. Actually, now that she thought about it, no one did. It was always Inquisitor, fetch this thing or Inquisitor, take this other thing to the place with the people or even Inquisitor, my wife is dying and my son knows how to cure her so please go to him but, oh, no, he won’t come back with the potion or even given you the recipe he’ll just give you the potion to bring back to me necessitating you making future trips to bolster the Inquisition’s reputation. Not that she had strong feelings about this.

“Also this unicorn is not dead.”

“Fluffy,” the Inquisitor said with sharp enunciating, “is not dead. She is respirationally challenged. More importantly, why doesn’t this one like anyone except Cole?”

Solas, who had been hovering at the edge of the courtyard with a studious expression on his face, swung toward her at the question. “Lore surrounding unicorns posits they prefer the company of virgins and will defend a virgin quite violently.”

The Inquisitor went still. Her mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. “Oh,” she finally managed.

“Indeed.” Solas slipped closer to her. “Given the unicorn’s nature, it might be best to have—”

He broke off as the unicorn, with a whiny loud enough to burst eardrums, rounded on them and charged. He threw himself to the side, snapping a barrier into place around himself, Josie, the Inquisitor, and Varric, and stumbled. He righted himself only with Josie’s help.

“Oh,” the Inquisitor said as the unicorn paced in a circle around her. She felt heat rising to her cheeks. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of being a virgin. That didn’t bother her at all. It was just that a four-legged beast with a spike growing out its head was telling everyone in Skyhold that she’d never gotten laid.

Twenty-four years old, leading one of the most powerful political forces in the world, surrounded by men and women who pretty much oozed sex appeal, and she’d never had sex.

This was her life.

She dragged a hand down her face as Varric made a noise of pure delight. “Inquisitor, he seems to like you.”

“I’m going to kill you,” she muttered.

The unicorn’s muzzle rubbed against her face. It lipped her ear. With a shriek, she bolted away from it.

“He really seems to like you!” Varric called after her as she tore across the courtyard, the unicorn prancing happily after her.

She tried hiding in the great hall. She tried hiding in the tavern. She climbed the ladder to Cullen’s Blighted bedroom and crawled under his bed – much to his sputtering horror – and the damn thing somehow managed to follow her everywhere. When she decided to go out on missions, it was waiting in the stables, somehow saddled, looking at her with huge, watery eyes that seemed to say Ride me, beautiful virgin, and she’d go red to her ears.

Passing judgments was next to impossible. The Tevinter shem who had led the Wardens astray had taken one look at the unicorn standing proudly beside her throne and dissolved into giggles. Ser Ruth, who had turned herself in around the same time the Tevinter mage was brought before her, took one look at the unicorn and started choking. Ostensibly on laughter, but the Inquisitor hoped the woman swallowed her tongue.

“You can’t follow me everywhere,” she told the damn beast as it followed her across one of the ramparts. She and Cole kept putting him in the stables. He kept escaping. Somehow.

Vivienne thought he was possessed, and Bull tended to agree, but everything was demons and despair with those two anyway.

“You need to let me do my job.” He stared at her with watery eyes. She attempted to remain unmoved. “You need a name, too.”

He pranced, hopping from hoof to hoof as if he understood. In the back of her head, she heard Solas intoning, Unicorns are widely believed to be incredibly intelligent creatures. Do your best to be polite. That horn isn’t for show.

“Pokey?” she suggested.

The unicorn gave her a look that pretty clearly said, You’re shitting me.

“Fine, fair, I agree, it was a bad idea.” She was bad at naming things, though. The other day, she’d scraped together enough lambswool to make a new set of robes for Solas, and when asked by Dagna and Harritt to give the coat some kind of identifier, she’d just said, “Sheep’s Clothing.” They’d looked at her like she’d grown two heads before declaring it Resisting Magical Something or Another.

She had told Solas about the incident. He hadn’t approved, though she couldn’t fathom why.

Tugging on one of her braids, she gave the unicorn an assessing look. “You kind of look like a Bob to me.”

He blinked at her and that blink somehow managed to convey his dripping disdain.

“Not Pokey. Not Bob.” She chewed on her lower lip, and the unicorn made a sound that might have been horsey delight. It disturbed her. Deeply. She stopped chewing on her lip. “We could go with something noble. Charger?” He shook his head. Or ruffled his mane. Or something. She took it to be a no. “Dasher? Dancer? Prancer?” She paused. “Now that’s just ridiculous. You’re not making this easy, you know.”

He shuffled up to her and rubbed his nose against her shoulder. She, meanwhile, eyed the exceptionally sharp tip of his horn as it bobbed next to her face. Tentatively, she stroked the unicorn’s neck. “What about Hanal’ghilan? You’re not a halla, but it’s a noble name.”

He whickered and caught her ear with his lips. With an indignant shriek, she tore across the parapets.

In a rare moment of unicorn-free time later that afternoon, she slipped into Solas’s room to study the murals he was painting. And possibly to snuggle up to him and make him incredibly uncomfortable. There was something to be said for flustering him, and it was so delightfully easy that even a virgin could do it.

In her defense, she wasn’t much of a virgin. The unicorn might count her as one, but she’d done more than her fair share of playing poke and tickle with some of the other youths in her clan. She’d just never gone far enough to jeopardize her position.

“Solas,” she greeted cheerfully.

His head snapped up, his eyes darting all around her. Then he relaxed. “I see you’re without your stalwart protector.”

She slipped up to him. He wasn’t painting, was standing beside his table with a book in one hand. His fingers, long and lithe and delightfully wicked, were splayed across the pages of a book that lay open on the table before him.

Dancing her fingers up his tunic, she drew closer to him. “Stolen moments are so rare,” she purred, watching with delight as his eyes widened slightly.

“Inquisitor, I—”

“You?” she asked, rising onto her toes to brush her lips against his. It wasn’t even close to a kiss, but it was enough to get her a little tingly and a lot interested in actual kissing. She wanted real kisses, the fiery, passionate, he-shoves-his-hands-in-her-hair kinds of kisses. Kisses that involved tongue, but not Fade tongue. Fade tongue only got a girl so far.

He swallowed and made a strangled sort of noise in the back of his throat. “I don’t think…”

“Oh, but you do,” she murmured. “Entirely too much.” She canted her head to the side, sliding one arm about his neck. His book tumbled to the ground as his arm went around her waist, tugging her flush against him.

Their mouths were so close, his eyes so intent and filled with burning, desperate wanting.

From above them came a mighty crash.

“Confounded creature!” Dorian shouted. He followed that shout with many more, none of them understandable, all of them Tevene.

Solas all but shoved her away from him, throwing himself at the scaffolding to the side of the room as she heaved a heavy, beleaguered sigh and Hanal’ghilan tore into the room looking like a demon. He snorted, chest heaving, head lowered, and charged straight at Solas.

His horn missed Solas’s butt – and what a tight, sexy butt it was, she thought as he scrambled up the ladder – by inches.

Hanal’ghilan skidded to a stop between her and Solas, scratching the stone floor fiercely with his hooves. He huffed, dragging one hoof over the stone as if readying to charge, and she sighed heavily. “We need to discuss personal boundaries,” she said to him, patting him on the back.

It took her and Cole promising Hana’ghilan the best oats and a stupid amount of sugar cubes to get him to leave Solas’s rotunda. It took even longer to get the unicorn back to the stables, where the Inquisitor assured him up and down that she wouldn’t go anywhere near Solas ever again and he needn’t worry about her losing her virginity in the near to immediate future. He snorted, clearly not believing her, which was pretty much the right response because that night, Solas barged into her dreams with all the subtly of a charging druffalo.

He caught her face in his hands and kissed her, and she threw her arms around his neck, wrapping her legs around his waist and forcing him to hold her. They stumbled until her back pressed against a wall, and his tongue was in her mouth, tasting her, and it was so good.

Except for the part where it wasn’t real.

“I’m going to kill that creature,” Solas growled against her mouth, working his hands under her tunic to cup her breasts. That was also good. It was better than good. Heat lanced through her, and she dragged his mouth back to hers for more kisses.

She’d done a lot of kissing in twenty four years. Well, to be fair, it wasn’t as though she’d popped out of the womb and started kissing people. Maybe it was more like twelve years, unless she counted that time she kissed Theron when she was six. It hadn’t been a good kiss. She decided not to count it.

“I’m going to kill you,” she growled back, tugging at his clothes, wondering why he bothered with them in the Fade at all.

Probably because they never got much further than kissing shirtless. He always balked at that point.

“What have I done?” he asked as he caught her lower lip in his teeth, tugging gently.

She responded by grinding her hips against his, making him gasp with pleasure and shock and, really, he should be used to her doing this like this by now. “Nothing, hahren,” she replied in a throaty murmur, and he pressed closer to her, his eyes flickering with lust. “And that’s the problem.”

She heard something crash. It was a splintery sound. Rather like what wood might sound like when it shattered. She went stiff in his arms, and he noticed immediately. “Vhenan?” he asked, drawing his hands down her sides.

“Oh, by the Dread Wolf’s hairy ball—” The Fade dream fractured as a very large something pounded up her stairs and neighed loud enough to wake the dead. She bolted upright from her nest on the floor – she still wasn’t used to the concept of shem beds – and hurled her pillow at Hanal’ghilan’s face.

It hit his horn and stuck.

As he shook his head wildly, trying to dislodge the pillow, she threw another one. “It was a dream!” she shouted, hurling a third pillow. “It was just a dream, I was dreaming, and how did you even get in here?”

In the end, her pillow went flying off Hanal’ghilan’s horn and straight out her open window. It soared over her balcony and disappeared into the snowy mountains. Hanal’ghilan had the good sense to bow his head and give her those sad, watery eyes that were almost as guilt-inducing as puppy eyes.

“I’m still mad at you,” she groused as she patted a spot next to her pile of blankets. Hanal’ghilan happily settled there, and, after a moment, she dropped a pillow on his side and curled up against him. It wasn’t so different from sleeping with a halla.

The next morning, she stumbled into the tavern for breakfast with Hanal’ghilan on her heels, and Varric, who was always obscenely cheerful at all hours, saluted her with a mug of that wonderfully bitter, disgustingly perfect drink the shems called coffee. She made grabby hands at it and he surrendered it to her. “Looks like you’ve still got your unicorn chastity belt,” he said and she dragged her hands down her face, pushing the coffee aside and leaning across the table.

“All I want,” she hissed, “is to kiss him.”

“Who, the unicorn or Chuckles?” Varric asked, waving a serving girl over for another cup of coffee.

She pinned Varric with a glare that could probably melt silverite. At the very least, it should have seared the flesh off his bones.

Varric, however, was immune to such looks. She knew this. She still tried to employ them. They always failed. “My hahren—”

“That’s what the kids are calling it these days?” He rubbed his chin. “I’ll have to remember that.”

“That,” she sputtered, “is a term of respect for an elder and not some – some—” She broke off, still sputtering.

“Some salacious pet name?” he supplied.

Dorian dropped into the seat next to her. Aside from Cole, Dorian was the only man Hanal’ghilan let touch her. “Who are we giving salacious pet names to? Can I be next?”

She dropped her head to the table with an audible thunk. “It’s bad enough everyone knows I’ve never had sex with anyone,” she complained into the wood.

“And all you want is for Solas to throw you down and have his wicked way with you, but you have one very large, very white, very horny problem,” Dorian said with far too much cheer for the time of morning.

There was a beat of silence. Then he and Varric broke into laughter so loud it probably reached the Creator’s in the Beyond. She wanted to claw their faces off, but that wasn’t what civilized Inquisitors did.

The door to the tavern banged open, and she turned her head to see a very surly Solas in the doorway. He stopped there. Saw Hanal’ghilan. Hanal’ghilan saw him.

Some kind of energy snapped between the two of them, Hanal’ghilan pawing at the hardwood floor as she hissed at him to behave. Solas spun about on his heel and left. With a cheerful whicker of pleasure, Hanal’ghilan nuzzled against her shoulder.

“I’m going to die a virgin,” she groaned.

“Was this even an issue before our friend showed up?” Dorian asked. He had tried to pronounce Hanal’ghilan’s name once. She had told him if he ever tried again, she would burn all his silky robes and force him to wear cotton. The horror on his face had been priceless.

“No,” she moaned, reaching blindly for her coffee.

One of them, Creators bless them, pushed the mug into her hands. She picked her face off the table and hunkered over the steaming mug, taking small sips of the still too hot drink. It was black and bitter – as bleak as her sex life. She pointed to the mug. “This coffee is my sex life.”

“Hot and steamy?” Varric asked.

“Bitter and black and awful.”

“I thought you liked coffee,” Varric said.

“I don’t. I hate it.” She drank it anyway. “It’s just a good kick in the ass in the morning so I’m awake enough to wrangle all of you. Like whiny little halla who don’t want to go in their pens.”

“We have pens now?” Dorian asked. “That’s rather deviant, Inquisitor.”

“I hate you,” she muttered, throwing back the rest of the coffee in a single gulp.

She began to plan. She went to Cole, because Cole was the only one in Skyhold other than her, apparently, who was a virgin. It was awful. It was terrible. Because of Hanal’ghilan, she knew more about the sex lives of everyone in the Inquisition that she ever wanted or needed to know. The reverse, of course, was also true, and the only one who didn’t seem to care was Cole. Everyone else teased her mercilessly.

“Still have your white shadow,” Leliana had said idly in the War Room two days ago while Hanal’ghilan had lowered his horn at Cullen and proceeded to push the Commander around the room – the Inquisitor had not wanted to consider why.

Just yesterday, Sera had gone on at some length to Blackwall about being elbow deep in circumstances. And had asked the Inquisitor how her circumstances were. They’d both howled with laughter. The Inquisitor had wanted to die.

Or to stick them with something pointy.

Hanal’ghilan was off harassing someone else, so she was planning. With Cole. Planning with Cole was more like trying to herd cats than halla. He kept wandering off in his mind, and she kept having to refocus him. She understood the drifting; they were in the tavern, and there were lots of thoughts constantly brushing up on him. “We should have gone to one of the empty towers,” she said after two hours of getting nothing done.

“I can lead him away for a while,” Cole said abruptly. “We can make crowns of flowers and give them to you when it’s done.”

Her head hit the table with an audible thunk. “Couldn’t we have come to this conclusion at least an hour and a half ago, Cole?”

“Maybe,” he said. He tilted his head to the side. “But you weren’t ready then. You are now. Don’t worry, Solas burns, too. Heated, hot, heavy hands on his—”

Squeaking, she flailed, shushing him. “That’s private, Cole!”

“But he thinks it so loud.” Cole blinked at her with those huge eyes of his. “So do you. You think about him pushing, pressing, pinning. Holding you down and—”

She sputtered, pressing her face into her hands. “Private,” she groaned. When her face stopped flaming, she lowered her hands. “Let’s do it, then. You lead him away. Do the flower thing. And I…”

“Will have and be had,” Cole supplied.

“Yes, that,” she agreed.

So Cole left, and she watched him go to the stables. She watched him lead Hanal’ghilan to the gates. She watched him lead the unicorn out. And then she ran for Solas.

He was pouring over some book she was sure was very interesting, but it couldn’t be more interesting than him bending her over something and—well. She really didn’t know where to go from there, she’d just heard Dorian talk about being bent over things. Presumably, it worked the same way as everything else, but she just didn’t know.

“Hahren,” she said breathlessly, stumbling to a halt just in front of him.

He looked up at her with interest, but not interest.

“Forgive me, but I—”

“Cole took Hanal’ghilan out of Skyhold,” she said, and there was the interest she was looking for. She held out her hand. “Come with me?”

Creators, it suddenly occurred to her that he might say no. That he might gently rebuff her. He had hinted, on more than one occasion, that she was too young for him, that it was inappropriate for him as her hahren to act on any feelings for her. She would strangle him, she decided, if he told her no.

He shot to his feet, taking her hand. “You deserve better than what is sure to be a quick tumble,” he said as she all but dragged him out of the rotunda and hauled him across the great hall.

Behind them, Varric called out, “Unicorn chastity belt, Inquisitor!”

“I’m going to stick you on a spit and roast you, Varric,” she shouted back just before she pushed open her door.

She and Solas tumbled through the door and scrambled as quickly as possible around the tower to the actual door to her room. Then they were through it, and his hands were in her hair, dragging her mouth to his as he pressed her against the side of the stairwell and kissed her. Creators, it was a kiss. His nails scraped against her scalp as his tongue swept into her mouth. It was real and visceral and it flooded her with heat.

“Bed,” he said against her mouth, and he started to draw away.

“The wall is fine,” she protested, pulling him back.

His teeth found her lip, biting and tugging, and she whimpered softly before pressing another hot kiss to his mouth. “Not for your first time,” he said.

“Solas, you could fuck me in the dirt in the woods, and it would be fine,” she snapped, thrusting her hand into his breeches to find him achingly hard.

He swore, cleverly and creatively in Elvish, as she closed her fist around him and stroked. Creators, he was big. She’d stroked boys in her clan until they spilled in her hand, but they were boys and Solas was a man, and the idea of having this part of him inside of her was turning her brain to goo. Her smalls were a mess. She was a mess.

“Fuck me here, hahren,” she breathed, squeezing his cock. He gasped, his breath fanning across her lips. “Up against the wall, just like this.” She rubbed her thumb over his tip, rolling her hips against his thigh.

“Vhenan,” he said, strangled.

“The more you protest, the more time you waste,” she pointed out, taking his hand and guiding it between her legs.

He hissed, pressing the heel of his palm against her clit, rubbing her through the fabric of her trousers, and her mind went blank. She rocked against him, grinding herself on him in a rhythm that practically had her soaking through the fabric. Words escaped her. All she could do was gasp and moan, mewling for more as she worked herself over his hand, hers still stroking him.

Yanking his hand back, he deftly unlaced her trousers. Pushed them down her hips. They caught on her boots, but that didn’t deter them. He stepped between her legs, and she lifted them, trapped as they were, around his hips. His fingers pressed against her wet cunt, one sliding easily into her, and he groaned. “I should do more for you,” he said.

“Fuck me,” she demanded, sliding the fingers of her free hand behind his head. She urged him closer, feigning a kiss, then went straight for his ear. Her lips closed around the delicately pointed tip and he snapped.

He tore at the laces of his breeches, knocking her hand aside in his efforts to free himself. She kept sucking him, pulling broken groans from him with every drag of her tongue along the shell of his ear. And then his cock was free of his pants, and he was pressing it into her, and she had to release his ear so she could let her head fall back against the stone.

“Yes, yes, yes,” she hissed, clawing at his shoulders as he worked himself inside her.

He murmured something in Elvish she couldn’t understand – he was always doing that, speaking far more of their language than any elvhen had a right to – and then he was all the way inside her. “Vhenan.” He sounded strangled.

She brought his lips to hers. “Doesn’t hurt,” she told him. “Shouldn’t it hurt?”

“Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t,” he ground out, and she ground against him, rocking her hips over his. They both gasped at the same time.

“Lucky me,” she said on a soft exhale. “Now, won’t you shut up and fuck me?”

He did. Creators, he did. He wasn’t tender or gentle. He was demanding, taking what he wanted with brisk thrusts that had her moaning his name every time he pushed into her. One hand curved around her ass to support her, to give her more leverage, while the other worked between their bodies to stroke her clit.

That was a revelation. Having a man inside her as he played with her? She could hardly breathe for how good it felt. Some demented part of her thought it felt so good in part because it was petty revenge on an obnoxious unicorn, too.

Then she was lost to thought, drowning in the feel of him. He made her cry out, made her quiver and shake in his arms, until finally, finally, her body clenched around his cock. It was the strangest, most delightful sensation she’d ever experienced, the orgasm somehow more intense for having him inside her. She swore – something about the Dread Wolf’s balls – and Solas swore – something about Mythal’s tits – and then he was coming, too, with jerky, abbreviated thrusts and a look of ecstasy on his face.

They slumped against each other, gasping.

“Vhenan,” he began, but she cut him off with bright, wicked laughter, peppering his face with kisses.

“Finally,” she crowed, laughing, kissing him, wrapping her arms tight around his shoulders and just hugging him. “Finally, finally, finally!” She pulled back, eyes widening with delight. “You know what this means?”

“I’m damned for all eternity for despoiling you?” he asked mildly.

She knew her expression was demented from the way his brows rose slowly. “That Blighted unicorn is going to hate me now!”

An hour or so later, Hanal’ghilan came screaming into the great hall, flowers braided into his mane. He slid to a halt before the Inquisitor’s throne, where she sat idly drinking coffee. He approached slowly, his nostrils flaring, and then recoiled from her. There was, interestingly enough, no condemnation in his eyes. Just quiet acceptance. He trotted away.

“I almost feel bad,” she said, taking a noisy sip of her coffee, as Solas drifted through the great hall toward her, a predatory look in his eyes.

At her side, Varric said, “Do you really?”

“Mmm. A little. A very little.” She sighed happily. “My sex life is still like my coffee, though.”

“Bitter and black?”

She gave him a wicked smile. “Hot and steamy.”

“More than I needed to know, Inquisitor,” he said, and he fled as Solas gained the dais.

“I believe I owe you hours of leisurely lovemaking, vhenan,” he said.

She tossed back the rest of her coffee and set the mug aside. “Let’s see if you can keep up, old man.” He did. But so did she, and it was wonderful.

[galadrieljones]

11 Questions

tagged by @buttsonthebeach. thanks so much!! ^_^

1. What image or images do you come back to over and over again in your writing?

Birds, orchards, night sky.

2. Which character’s point of view do you most enjoy writing? (OC or canon)

Not sure? I have really grown fond of writing men. I like writing the male POV. I think it’s an interesting study and use of empathy. 

3. What is the first piece of inspiration that led to the project you are working on now?

For that he may hold me by the hand, which is my BRAND new project--I have always liked the Arthur/Albert ship. I’ve always liked the bisexual Arthur headcanon. Rockstar has written a bisexual male protagonist before, so this headcanon is very arguable. Arthur, as a character, seems very emotionally unavailable throughout most of the game. I feel like all the times he comes closest to *actually* flirting with any character in-game, the times he seems most open and easy-going, most confident and in-control of his own domain, are spent with Albert. With Albert, Arthur comes alive a little bit, like he’s got some blood flowing through his veins. I guess I wanted to explore that further, and of course it’s mostly planned out, and it is looking like probably the most straight-up romantic love story I’ve ever written. I mean, Arthur offers to protect Albert multiple times. He uses those literal words: “I’ll protect you.” Albert flails. He calls Arthur a gentleman. “You, sir, are a gentleman,” he says. “You don’t know me very well,” says Arthur. “Well, you’re a gentleman to me,” says Albert. Arthur legit is blushing. Arthur carries his bag for him. ???? Arthur worries about him. Albert is genuinely in awe of Arthur’s relationship to and knowledge of nature. To me, Arthur feels genuinely under-appreciated by nearly every member of the gang. There are really no other characters who fawn over and admire Arthur the way Albert does. I think...I think Arthur could get into that.

4. What is one fic you have always wanted to write but haven’t gotten a chance to yet?

My Arlathan AU! I always talked about going back and writing the story of my Arlathan and the Great War--Solas and Mythal’s love story, what happened with Solas’s mother Leanathy, the love triangle with Solas, Ghilan’nain, and Mythal, Ghil’s betrayal, Solas smoking elfroot in the kitchens with Abelas and flirting with the servant girls, etc. etc. I want to write it! But I don’t! Think! I ever will! Wah.

5. What project has been the toughest for you to work on?

Probably my art! Ugh. With the new baby, it’s really fallen away. I still draw, but definitely not every day. With drawing, I really have to like, focus and try so hard. It’s not easy, and I get very fixated and it’s hard for me to move in and out of the space at a moment’s notice, which I sort of need to be able to do right now. But writing for me is easy. I can be writing while doing anything. I can be writing one minute and then tending to my kids in the next, and vice versa. It’s just an experience thing. So I’ve just been writing a lot. That’s been my main creative outlet, which is okay. It’s normal for me. But I miss drawing!! Of course starting another chapter fic probably isn’t going to help with that much lmfao.

6. Do you have any routines or habits for writing?

Probably just my new need to have my phone drafts. I so rarely just sit down to an empty page without prepared material anymore. I write so many scenes on my phone before I start typing in word. It’s like the lynchpin of my writing process lately.

7. How do you get to know more about each of your characters? Do their personalities and backstories tend to come to you immediately, or do you have to “spend some time” with them to figure that out?

Hmm. I think I need to spend some time with them. There are certain things that come to me immediately, and a lot of the time, it’s because those things just fit my aesthetic tendencies. So like, Arthur being able to count cards and cheat at blackjack, and his ability to do sleight of hand at the poker table--these things came to me immediately, just like they did with Solas (who also does sleight of hand and magic tricks and is very good at cards). That stuff all just comes from my husband, who is a good mathematician and super good at games like poker and blackjack. So like, most of my male characters are...that way lol.

Other things, like backstory-wise, it’s usually a mixture of spur of the moment and then well-thought-out stories. So for Mary Beth, she just seems like she’d be from Kansas. So, she’s from Kansas. Then I go searching for a good town for her to be from in like the 1870s when she would have been born. And I find a good town, and then that leads to something else about the backstory of the entire gang, etc. With Sene Lavellan, it took me a long time to invent her whole backstory and to realize she was a rich Dalish elf, and that this was central to her identity. BUT, I knew she was a loner and a hothead right away. So. Yeah. It’s a mix.

8. If you could only write one for the rest of your life - smut, angst, or fluff - what would you choose?

Probably fluff? I need joy.

9. What trope do you love to include in your writing?

I like characters who are protective of each other (it’s not a gendered thing--I like protective women as well as protective men). I like hurt/comfort a LOT. I like touch-starved characters easing themselves back into the throes of intimacy with partners who are patient. I like secret relationships. Fake relationships. Sorry this is multiple tropes I just realized the question didn’t include the plural lmfao

10. Do you write original works in additional to fandom works?

Yes? Theoretically? Lol. I have original stories that I work on from time to time. It used to be all I wrote. I wrote and published original stories before I got here. I miss it sometimes, but to be honest, the transition from fanfiction to original work is not simple. It’s very complicated. That’s not because fanfiction is easier. It’s because it’s a different genre. It’s an entirely different rhetorical situation. The conventions do not match up. Despite the common purpose of “storytelling,” the way you get there is another animal and it takes time and focus to make the change. If I make the change it will most likely be a longterm change.

11. What author’s style do you admire the most?

Probably Hemingway. I love a lot of different styles, but his particular brand of minimalism is, I think, the most taut and the most stylistically interesting to me.

I’ll tag @morgan-arthur @pikapeppa @a-shakespearean-in-paris @ellstersmash @idrelle-miocovani @thevikingwoman @bearly-tolerable @gentle-outlaw @goldenentertainment @jarbaje and @nyoom-bum. Your questions are under the cut <3

What is your favorite character from a video game and why?

When you look back at your middle/junior high school years, what is the first album, band, or musical act that comes to mind?

What makes you nostalgic?

What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to tumblr, fandom, and/or publishing at AO3?

Describe the place where you are from in three sentences.

Which fandom(s) are you most active in right now? What is your current favorite ship from that fandom?

Where/to whom do you turn when you seek wisdom? 

Do you like sports? If you do, what’s your favorite sport to watch and/or play?

Have you ever been to Las Vegas?

What is your guilty pleasure TV show and why?

Do you believe in ghosts?

[pinayelf]

OC Interview Meme

I was tagged by @star--nymph and @heraldofwho! Thank you ^_^

Let’s put my girl Imryll in the spotlight lol

1. What is your name? Imryll Lavellan-Rutherford

2. What is your real name? It’s rather long and elfy - Imryll Ilao Bahaghari Lavellan-Rutherford

3. Do you know why you were called that? My mamae told me “Imryll” was the name of a forest nymph in Seheron. I can’t quite remember the story, but it was one of my papae’s favorite tales.

4. Are you single or taken? Taken :3

5. Have any abilities or powers? Magic? I suppose that’s a given isn’t it? Haha. I am adept at alchemy, I don’t like saying I’m good at it but I enjoy it greatly.

6. Stop being a Mary Sue. What’s that?

7. What’s your eye color? Black

8. How about your hair color? Back

9. Have you any family members? My mamae, my papae, Iefyr - creators rest his soul...though saying that feels a little strange right now, considering...

There’s my cousin Tala, Aunt Edea, Uncle Cyran. And of course my Cullen :)

Josephine is like family now too. 

10. Oh? What about pets? Mushy! I’m not well-versed with dogs so I was apprehensive, but he was immediately affectionate. They need a lot more attention than nugs and hallas do and he tends to follow me around everywhere. I don’t mind.

11. That’s cool I guess, now tell me about something you don’t like. I’ve tried not to dwell on it - in fact I’ve pushed it aside but I suppose saying it, or at least acknowledging it will be a weight off my heart.

The thing, the whole deal with the Evanuris. That whole thing. I think I’ve cried about it for a week, and there was a point where I tried to convince myself that Solas had lied to Tala. But even I don’t think Solas could lie about that. Could he?

I just feel very hurt and embarrassed. I feel like my identity has been a joke, but at the same time, how could we have known? We were just trying to find a piece of ourselves amidst the destruction and...Tala and I spoke to Keeper Deshanna for hours about this. I’ve never seen her sob like that. We told our clan and some people left. That hurt too.

I don’t hate who I am, but all of this has made me very confused. I don’t know anything anymore.

I’m sorry if I vented a bit too much. 

12. Do you have any hobbies/activities you like doing? Gardening and experimenting with potions. There’s always something new to discover!

13. Ever hurt anyone before? Yes :(

14. Ever… killed anyone before? Yes :(

15. What kind of animal are you? Umm, I hope this isn’t a backhanded way for you to call me “rabbit”.

16. Name your worst habits. I let emotions get the best of me, I admit I’m plenty self-absorbed and I tend to be a coward. Many tell me I seem cold until they’ve gotten to know me.

17. Do you look up to anyone at all? Madame Vivienne. And Tala. But don’t tell her, she’ll get a big head.

18. Gay, straight, or bisexual? Bisexual

19. Do you go to school? No? Well, Deshanna taught me.

20. Do you ever want to marry and have kids one day? I have :)

As for a little one, I think Cullen’s due to hear an announcement I’ve been keeping from him...

21. Do you have any fanboys/fangirls? What are those?

22. What are you most afraid of? Everything, unfortunately.

23. What do you usually wear? Anything soft, loose and comfortable. 

24. Do you love someone? Yes ^_^

25. When was the last time you wet yourself? I don’t remember. I would assume during a dragon fight once.

26. Well, it’s not over yet! All right?

27. What class are you? (High class, middle class, low class) It depends on the context?

28. How many friends do you have? A few close ones.

29. What are your thoughts on pie? I don’t have any strong feelings towards them. I’m not really a fan of bread-y or dough-y things. I don’t understand why Cullen likes them so much. It’s probably a Fereldan thing.

30. Favorite drink? Herbal tea.

31. What’s your favorite place? Home.

Which is wherever Cullen is. 

32. Are you interested in someone? :)

33. What’s your bra cup size and/or how big is your willy? Did Sera write this?

34. Would you rather swim in the lake or the ocean? Ocean. Creators, I miss Seheron.

35. What’s your type? Tala says my types are warriors.

Is it true?

36. Any fetishes? Um?

37. Seme or uke? Top or Bottom? Dominant or Submissive? This is rather personal.

38. Camping or indoors? Outdoors :D

39. Are you wanting the interview to end? This is a strange question.

40. Now it’s over! All right? I hope you were satisfied then?

[rageagainstthemarine]

Do Not Reach Beyond the Sky (13/?)

Warnings: None Tags: Canon-typical violence, Freeform, Retelling, Original Characters, Additional Tags Pairing: None yet Characters: All of them

Fahleon Lavellan is several things, a Dalish elf, a deserter Warden, but Herald of Andraste is not of them. The Creators have played a cruel trick if anyone is to believe he played some part of the Conclave even if the evidence is a rift-sealing mark on his hand. Where he does fit, he doesn’t know and isn’t fond of finding out.

NOTE: This marks pretty much the introduction to Fahleon's story, and the edited version of what I had done at the end of NaNo. I'll be continuing Fahleon's story throughout April, so please bear with me through this hiatus. There'll be a few canon divergences coming up that won't change the actual plot of Inquisition, but does bring out some better characterization for Fahleon. I'll be putting up notices on the chapters where it happens.Thank you for coming so far with me already!

Previous|Current|Next

"What did our new acquaintance want to talk about?"

Fahleon looked over the rim of his glass to glance at Varric. Through the amber drink the dwarf's face looked more distorted than the crooked nose and the small scar on his cheek made it out to be. Fahleon downed the liquor and grit his teeth against the burn before letting out a breath that was more fire than air. Varric's face still looked sideways and he snorted out a laugh. "Mages."

The dwarf took a more dainty sip from his own drink - clear and water-downed. All water, most like, from the way Varric didn't twitch at all. The dwarf didn't know what he was missing. Or, wasn't missing. Fahleon hadn't been able to hear the buzz of gossip and rumors over the ringing between his ears and the glances sent his way slipped past his blurred eyes. It was no Dalish drink, but it went down all the same. "Of course she did. Care to elaborate on the juicy details?"

"No." Across the room the nobles began to twist and turn, and not in the confusing, dizzying patterns of the dances they sometimes did. Their hands fluttered to their faces but not to hide blushes or whisper more secrets - there was a nervousness to it, an unease. Fahleon stiffened as the crowd parted, and he reached for another glass when Cassandra shoved her way through the gap. Varric made a grab for his elbow that he not so nimbly avoided, knocking the drink he'd reach for over. He grabbed the one behind it, instead.

"Where is Solas? We need to go," she said, demanded, sang for all he cared. His head had been free of magic theory and the differences between the Dalish and real elves for nearly an hour. Cassandra was asking the wrong person to know of his whereabouts. If Solas found it more comfortable to live in a tower surrounded by the shems he seemed to prefer over other elves, Fahleon wouldn't waste the effort in convincing him to come back. Fahleon knocked his third drink back and he clenched his teeth against the taste. Talk of Solas made it go down even more bitter. Cassandra made a low sound in her throat when he slammed the glass back onto the table alongside the others. There was a handful of small, shaped meats on the golden plate just next to them, and he shoved one into his mouth. The rest, along with the plate, went into one of the pouches tied to his belt.

The Orlesians wouldn't miss it. As if he cared. About Orlesians. Or what Cassandra thought of him.

"You made sure to check the library before asking us, Seeker?" Varric asked. Cassandra scoffed in answer, never taking her eyes off the nobles still huddled in their groups. The sense of unease still hung between them and the talk whispered into ears had gone from sharp smiles to twitching frowns. Fahleon bit into a cracker topped with salted fish and licked the crumbs from his finger. He went for the knife, next, used to spread some sort of jelly he'd been too afraid to try atop it, and held it hidden within his fist, while his eyes followed the nervous gazes of the mages.

At the entrance, not so well hidden by the banners and floral arrangements that hung around it, stood Solas and another elf. She had small, sharp ears and sharper eyes, and if she had as sharp a point of view as Solas, Fahleon wanted nothing to do with her. One elf that cozied up to shems was enough - two, after the girl in the courtyard was ridiculous. A third, and he was going to jump from the roof of the Circle.

She looked as happy to meet him as he did. Her mouth was a thin, tight line, and her shoulders, adorned with a mantle of heavy, dark fur, were straight and rigid. She stopped in front of him, and without even looking at the table of food. A shame.

"If I might borrow a moment of your time...outside," she said.

She turned quickly to leave back the way she came. Fahleon's grip on the butter knife didn't loosen until she'd turned the corner, Solas trailing after her. He slipped it into another pouch and staggered after, Varric occasionally nudging him away from the approaching wall before he stumbled into it. His tongue felt numb in his mouth and he waited for Cassandra to say something.

"You wished to...speak, Grand Enchanter Fiona?" Cassandra asked. Her eyes flicked to Solas but he merely lifted a shoulder, but there was no surprise to the action.

"I did. I do," the enchanter answered. "About all of the templars...I heard of their gathering and I wanted to see the fabled Herald of Andraste with my own eyes." Fahleon snapped his attention back to her at the title and steadied himself against Varric's side when he wobbled as he spread out his arms. There he was, for the seeing. He flashed her a grin, all teeth, and he barked out a laugh when the skin around the enchanter's eyes tightened as he jaw clenched. "I wish to offer my aid in their stead. If it is help with the Breach that you seek, perhaps my people are the wiser choice."

"Your people," Fahleon muttered, sharp under his breath. Mages, not elves. Elves weren't people unless they had magic, lived hundreds of years ago, or had a glowing scar on the palm of their hands. He was sick of it. And to his stomach. He glanced at Cassandra.

She cleared her throat. "I do want to ask...you weren't at the Conclave, were you? You were supposed to be, and yet somehow you avoided death."

"As did the Lord Seeker, if you recall," Fiona answered, none too lightly. Cassandra frowned. "Both of us sent negotiators in our stead, should the Conclave prove to be a trap. In the end, I will not feel remorse to be glad that I did so, but I will not suffer another's opinions on the matter. I lost many of my own dear friends that day, as did we all. I only seek to do what they would, in their stead. It disgusts me to think that the templars will get away with their role in all of this. I'm hoping you won't let them."

"Then why speak to us now? Why not earlier?" Solas asked. Suspiciously. He'd spoken with the Grand Enchanter earlier, before she'd come to Fahleon, and he wondered just what they'd discussed. It couldn't have been the finger food or the poor choice in music.

"The Chantry has seen what you are and I've seen what the Chantry is. My actions are my own in regards to what's left of it. Consider this an invitation to Redcliffe - to come meet with me and with the mages. An alliance, I hope, could help the both of us. I look forward to seeing you there. In the meantime," Fiona said, and Fahleon narrowed his eyes to catch the faint slip of a smile that crossed her face, "I believe the Circle's cellars have not yet run dry."

Fahleon scowled through his flush, and he bit his tongue when Varric slapped a hand against his back. Fahleon spat. If it was a challenge, he'd take it. Fuck the templars and the mages. Fuck the Breach and all it's Rifts. He wanted to go home.

"What should we do, Smiles?" the dwarf asked, and Fahleon didn't believe he'd asked seriously - not with the grin on his face. "Did you need any more?" Fahleon sneered. "I mean about all the magic shit."

"Eat a nug."

"Oh, I've done that. Tastes better than whatever you've been swallowing down."

Cassandra pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let's make it back to Skyhold before we discuss anything."

Cullen was pacing outside the gates around Haven when Fahleon slid gracelessly from the horses. A layer of snow had settled around the Commander's furred shoulders, and he brushed them off with a heavy roll of his arms as they approached. There were layers and layers of parchment clenched in his fist and a tight frown on his face - and Fahleon shoved past him and shouldered his way into camp. His head pounded from the lack of discussion between Cassandra and Solas as they bickered over what Fiona meant by her invitation, and the bottle of liquor he'd swiped from the Circle's tables as they retreated hadn't helped enough to dull it. His thighs ached something else after the ride, and Fahleon dreamed of a soft bed to sit on and never get up from.

Footsteps crunched on the icy paths after him. Fahleon hunched his shoulders.

"We heard what happened," Cullen said, and Fahleon tucked his chin in low against his chest. He didn't need a recap on the situation he'd had to bear. He headed for his cabin with steps as wide as he could make them, but Cullen was taller and quickly outpaced him to cut him off and force his path towards the Chantry. Fahleon made sure to step on the Commander's boots. Whether he felt it through the armor or not, it made Fahleon feel better just for the inconvenience it caused. "Leliana's agents in the city watched over the...proceedings. As much as they were. It was a shame that the templars abandoned their senses as well as the capital."

"A damn shame," Fahleon spat. He stamped the snow off his shoes and shouldered his way inside the church.

"But now we know the extent of the Chantry's threats." Cassandra waited for them just inside the doors. She was down to her traveling leathers and wrapped in a thick mantle of fur to keep off the chill. Her crossed arms made her shoulders thick and round and bearlike. Fahleon skirted around her as she came up on his other side.

"Yes, and we now have the openings we need to approach either the templars or the mages," Josephine said with a tap of her quill against the tablet still in her hands. She opened the door to small room at the end of the Chantry, behind the statue.

"Do we? The Lord Seeker is not the man I remember."

"I have to agree." Inside, Leliana waited. There was a screech, sharp and shrill, as she stood, and Ada flapped her wings from her perch on the back of the chair Leliana rose from. Fahleon lifted a hand and Cullen ducked with a grunt as the bird glided over to wrap her talons around his knuckles. He let her pluck at his braid for a moment before quieting her chirps with a hand over her eyes. Her weight on his arm steadied him in the small room full of shems. "My reports have been very...odd."

"Odd how?"

"We can look into it," Cullen dismissed with a sweep of his arm across the table. Cassandra snorted and reached for a paper he'd disturbed. She skimmed it before flipping it over.

"Do we have the time for that?" Leliana asked.

"I have to agree with Leliana," Josephine said. "There is little time to be wasting arguing while the margin for any of these meetings continues to close. We could simply have the Herald head to Redcliffe to meet with the mages-"

"The mages?" Cullen shook his head. "The mages could be ten times worse than the Breach itself!"

"You think the templars are any better?" Leliana hid a smile behind a fist pressed to her lips, pretending to think.

"At least we know what they're capable of." Fahleon's lip curled when Cullen turned to him. Ada screeched. "What do you think?"

Fahleon sneered. He thought he'd been given the power to make choices with or without their approval. He thought Cullen had a lot of confidence in himself, asking a Dalish to put their trust in templars - in soldiers that trampled their camps and set fire to their tents to flush the mages out, to capture them and steal them away from their families and brainwash them like all the other flat ears. Fahleon thought he'd like to slam an arrow down the Commander's throat, just for suggesting it. This was greater than any demon spitting hole in the sky. The Breach, if left alone, would spread to the Free Marches. If it hadn't already affected the Dalish in Orlais, in it would soon, and other clans as well.  That was what he stayed for.

If the mages, on one end, made the Breach ten times worse, they could make it ten times better.

"We head to Redcliffe," Fahleon growled.

[selenelavellan]

Era’harel

Concert AU

Some backstory that’s unlikely to come up naturally so I’m putting it out here. I actually wanted to do more bits, leading up to how Selene lost her  teaching job but this seemed long enough on its own, so that’ll likely be up tomorrow.

TW for Sexual Assault, Death, Violence, Rape, and Shitty Parenting

tagging @feynites for reasons

Era'harel joins clan Ralaferin when he is still a toddler.

His name was different before then. Sweeter, like music when it rolled off of his parents tongues.

But he can't remember it, when he is found. He tries to, tries to remember the way his parents smiled at him, and held him, and how they would call for him near cobbled stones and ratted ceilings. He recalls the warmth, and the love, and the way the sunlight streamed through endless branches of a giant tree in a courtyard. But no matter how he tries, he can not recall the words, in the end.

As he grows, he doesn't think it matters anymore.

“Era'harel,” They call him, as he is taught to string a bow and clean a corpse and sit quietly for a hunt. Something to make him useful, something so he can earn his keep in the clan with no parents and no family to care for him. Some of the members are kind, and he bounces from aravel to aravel wherever room can be spared. Wherever there is a spare bit of love he can snag, or warmth he can gather and tuck away for later.

He is thirteen when he goes to his first Arlathvhen.

It is loud, and raucous and he loves it.

There are so many other elven children to run with and dance with and kiss with, and he discovers that he really, really likes kissing behind the closed flap of a tent.

Or what he thought was a closed flap, until he hears the giggling, and spies several sets of eyes peeking through the cloth like sunlight through branches.

It doesn't bother him, but the other boy blushes and giggles and runs back to the main events with a quick pardon.

He frowns, left alone again and not quite sure where he went wrong, but doesn't think anything more of it.

By the end of the Arlathvhen, he has been traded to the other boys clan, anyways.

“Alaris, First of Clan Lavellan,” he reintroduces himself, as though his tongue had not been down his throat a few days prior.

Era'harel nods, and introduces himself again as Alaris takes him on a tour of the clan site. Lavellan is more centralized than Ralaferin had been. More of its members are reliant on crops and trade than hunts and livestock.

It's nice, but it's also much, much more boring.

The hunting team is smaller, so his workload increases substantially despite it being a less necessary trade here. Hunting becomes a daily ritual, rather than a weekly one. He hates it, really. No time to do anything else, just a repetitive, monotonous list of daily tasks. Wake up too early, fletch some arrows for the following day, inspect the ones from the day before, hunt, clean the kill, eat, sleep, repeat.

Ugh.

At least his dreams are vivid. Parties and people and never having to touch another bow in his life. Visions of massive trees in courtyards, music, laughter. Freedom.

He's grateful that he's been taken in by the Dalish, really. They could have left him to die, and there's always one or two members that won't let him forget it. But he watches the ink on the faces of the other hunters, the bow permanently scrawled over the features, and feels sick at the permanence of it. At being permanently tied some predetermined role that he hates. Life is meant to be enjoyed.

No one else seems to get that.

And then the wyverns come. A small grouping wanders too close to the camp, picking off their usual prey and the hunters all have to scare them off, or hunt them down.

Arrows whiz past his ears, long dark hair blowing past his peripheral vision in the aftermath. The wyverns remain, screeching, and dart towards the group. The hunters leap, climb into the trees effortlessly, as they have done countless times before.

Era'harel stumbles, and falls back onto solid ground. Three scaled down dragons barrel towards him and he panics. He stands, and looses a fireball, managing to strike one right in the eye as it lets out an ear-splitting shriek.

The other two don't even pause, and one slams straight into his ribs before he can run, knocking him flat on his back. The other hunters call for him, and the wyvern rears its head up, teeth gleaming in the sunlight as he prepares for his death.

Several arrows thunk into it before it can tear out his throat, and the beast collapses, dead, on top of him.

Which would be less of an issue, he thinks, if they were not so heavy.

Another hunter slashes the throat of the already blinded wyvern, and the last is taken care of in short order before they are able to pull the carcass off of him. His ribs are crushed, he feels as though his entire body has been flattened out like jerky, and every step he tries to take sends another shot of pain straight through his body. The hunters that are not busy bundling up the wyverns help carry Era'harel back into the clan, and into the healers aravel. They dump him (rather roughly, if you ask him) into the empty patients hammock before leaving to finish the hunt.

Alone again, he sighs. Immediately, he wishes he hadn't as his ribs press painfully back into him with the deep breath.

“You look like hell,” comes a soft voice from behind a shelving unit full of salves and potions. “What did you do?”

“I killed a dragon.” Era'harel lies with a smug grin.

The girl doesn't seem to believe him, on any account. White hair braided down her back, a small curl wisping over her forehead as she strides towards him in traditional healers garb.

She pokes and prods and hems and haws at him, and he relaxes at the attention, until he realizes something odd.

“You look like you're my age.”

“Well, how old are you?”

“Fifteen.”

“Then I'd say that makes sense, since we are the same age.” she quips.

“Why haven't I seen you before?”

“I'm not always around. The last few years my time has been split between the trade routes and, well,” she gestures to the space around them “being locked away in here.”

Era'harel blinks “They let you go on the trade expeditions?”

“Mm-hm,” the girl grins “I'm good with numbers, and Keeper agrees that I need to get out of my fathers shadow from time to time.”

“Do you get to go into the cities?”

“Sure do.”

Era'harel thinks of giant trees and laughter and ratted roofs, and how much he misses these things he scarcely remembers.

“Could you take me with you?”

She blinks.

“I...don't know. We need the hunters here, for food. There's only about six of you.”

“Well there's only two healers, and they let you go.” he points out.

“That's...” she frowns. “I mean, you're right, but I don't know...”

“What don't you know?”

“You, for starters.”

Era'harel thinks that's probably fair, and gives her the best semblance of a wave and a charming smile as he can manage in his current situation, and introduces himself.

“That's a weird name.” she comments. “They named you 'demon mage'?”

“It's not like I picked it,” he gripes. “So what's your name then, Ms.-hyper-critical-of-naming-customs?”

“...Sulvuna.”

“Oh, 'alive'. That's much better.” He snickers.

Sulvuna turns red beneath the strands of her hair that have come loose in the humidity of the aravel before she pokes him harder than is necessary for her inspection in the ribs. He yelps in pain, and notes the flat 'oops' she gives him in lieu of an actual apology.

She does end up asking if he can go along on the trade routes though. She even goes so far as to lie for him, claiming that his injuries will require more recovery time before he can shoot an arrow or cast a spell correctly. Her father scoffs and derides her for it, and Era'harel pretends not to hear him calling her a disgrace, or notice that it's the first thing he's said to her in the week he's spent resting in their hammock.

Still.

She was willing to stick her neck out for him. He should do something in return, probably.

They're on the road with another elf, a slightly older one who is far taller than any elf really has the right to be with bright orange hair, (“His name's Haleir,” Sulvuna informs him from beneath rosy cheeks and eyes that are trying to act like they aren't focused on him for half their trip) who is in charge of the actual trades. Lots of exchanges made over the years, and Era'harel notices the gifts Haleir buys for Sulvuna on their trips. Nothing extravagant, some clothes and foods and most notably a smooth stone in the shape of a crescent moon that she keeps tucked away on her person, even when they are back at camp.

He also notices Haleir giving gifts to several other members of the clan, when Sulvuna isn't looking.

When they are eighteen and he and Sulvuna consider each other best friends even in the daylight, they go into town with Haleir for the umpteenth time. But their first night, Haleir sends him away. Some errand he says needs to be double checked, and Era'harel goes without question.

When he returns, he finds Haleir asleep beneath the covers of the bed, and Selene with tear streaks down her face, her dress torn and shredded and hanging off her shoulders.

He's frozen in the doorway, her gaze going right through him. Empty, hollow.

Hurt.

And then he is angry. He doesn't ask what happened, doesn't need to, doesn't want to make her say it when he's seen the looks and he's seen the signs and he still trusted them here alone together and he was wrong, he was so wrong, he should have been looking out for her, he's supposed to be her friend damn it.

Era'harel drags Haleir out of bed, slamming him to the floor and shocking him awake.

“What the fuck-” Haleir screams.

“How dare you!” Era'harel interrupts “How dare you, she trusted you, the clan trusted you and then you turn around and pull this sort of shit, you fucking monster-!”

“Era-” Sulvuna whispers, moving to stand from the bed. Haleir speaks again and she winces, immediately sitting down as he starts yelling excuses to Era'harel about how it wasn't his fault, and of course she wanted it too, she just doesn't know how to have a good time, and it's right around this time that he stops listening and smashes his fist into the side of Haleirs jaw, instead.

Sulvuna freezes, stunned, still caught trying to figure out what the best course of action might be. Haleir, clearly unused to being held accountable for his own actions, is momentarily stunned as well before he pulls back and strikes at Era'harel, who narrowly ducks out of the way and uses the momentum to slam Haleir face down onto the bed, twisting his arms painfully behind his back until he's screaming in pain instead of anger, and pleading to be let go.

“Apologize.” Era'harel grits out.

Haleir is silent, until his arm is twisted tighter behind him, and he yells once more before finally saying “Fine, fine!” he turns his head slightly, to look at Sulvuna “Sorry for giving exactly what you wanted you fuckin-”

“That is not an apology!” Era'harel roars, before kneeing him as hard as he can in the groin and slamming the taller elf back into the wall. Haleir crumples to the floor, unconscious, while Sulvuna stares uncertainly back at Era'harel.

“I...thank...thank you?” She manages, voice scratchy and raw enough to break on the higher tones.

He sighs, and pulls her tightly into his arms. Tries to emulate what he knows is supposed to be reassuring. “I'm sorry,” he mumbles into her hair. “I shouldn't have left.”

“It wasn't your fault...” She whispers back, arms awkwardly coming up to wrap back around him. “You didn't know. I didn't know. These things happen.”

“That's not- That's not true, Sulvuna. The world doesn't have to be like this. Not everyone is like him, I've slept with plenty of people, and none of them were-none of them did anything like this! You're not supposed to!”

“It doesn't matter.” she whispers back with a shake of her head “It doesn't-I don't..It doesn't matter. It happened, and nothing I do will change that. I just...can we...can we go for a walk or something? I'd really like to...to not be here, right now.”

“Yeah,” Era'harel swallows, handing her his traveling cloak. “Yeah, wherever you want to go.”

She nods, and thanks him as she dons his cloak, and they step back out into the hallway.

They end up walking all the way back to the clan, without Haleir, and without going back.

Era'harel confronts her father first. He's a healer, and he's her father, and that means he should be the one to help her here, right? You're supposed to see a doctor after stuff like this, he's pretty sure.

But it becomes clear early into the conversation, Sulvuna thankfully still outside, that Elrogathe has no desire to try to fix the situation.

“I don't see the problem.” He shrugs without even looking up from his work.

“You're shitting me, right? Haleir raped your daughter, and you 'don't see the problem'?”

“Haleir is going to be bonded to Sulvuna soon, and then she will be expected to have relations with him regularly so that they can have children and strengthen the clan.”

“And if he knocked her up already?” Era'harel manages through grit teeth.

“Then for once in her life, my daughter will be ahead of the curve.”

The nonchalance grates at him. He should care, he should love her, parents are supposed to love their children. Era'harel can not even remember his parents faces, but even he knows that. Purple flames lick at his arm, and Elrogathe finally glances up from his work table when he smells the smoke.

“Please do not set the aravel on fire. It would set me back by months on work.”

“What is wrong with you? Doesn't Sulvuna matter to you at all?! Isn't her well-being important to you?”

“Sulvuna is important to the clan. Her mother and I are both from long lines of Dalish blood, as are Haleir and his parents. I wouldn't expect a shemlen like you to understand.”

“Excuse you?”

“Do you prefer demon spawn, then? I assumed Shemlen was the polite thing to call you.”

“I am not-my parents were-”

“Your mother was a whore from the city, who ran away when your father was slaughtered by templars. Keeper Ralaferin found her standing over you, already a demon, an abomination given in to her sin entirely. Ralaferin has always been a soft clan. They slew her to save her, and took you in in the hopes that a proper upbringing could make you better. An offering of repentance to the gods, to show that even the doomed could be saved.” Elrogathe leans back in his chair, raising one eyebrow.  “They were wrong, of course. We took you in, because we needed more hunters. But a demon dressed as an elf is still a demon in the end. You are still not one of us, nor will you ever be. And the next time you fall ill, do not expect me to save you. It is not worth wasting the resources anymore.”

“That's enough.” Sulvuna insists from the doorway, fists tight at her sides. “You are being needlessly cruel. Era'harel is a good person-”

“We call him demon for a reason, Sulvuna-”

“And yet his heart is kinder than yours.”

Elrogathe tsks, and returns to his work as Sulvuna snags Era'harel hand in hers and drags him out of the aravel.

“I'm sorry, for what he said.” she apologizes. “He was out of line.”

“Is it true?”

Sulvuna blinks.

“Is it true?” Era'harel repeats, more insistently.

“I...I don't know,” she admits. “I've never known him to lie, though.”

It stings. It stings, the only thing anyone has told him about his parents in years, and it's this. Slaughtered, given in to temptation. Temptation he's been eyeing himself, in dreams. Memories tainted, smiles and warmth and love all ended with blades.

His end too, probably.

Sulvuna hugs him.

She doesn't say anything, usually not one to initiate physical contact, especially given recent events, but she steps in and wraps her arms around him and pulls him into her until his head is on her shoulder and he returns the embrace.

And then he cries. He cries, and he howls for the first time in his memory as she holds him and hums old songs into his ear, and takes him to one of their more secluded spaces in the woods, one of their bottles of alcohol still hidden in the trunk of the tree.

They stay there like that until the sun begins to set. Sulvuna still stroking his back gently, soothingly. 

Lovingly.

“We should leave.” She muses.

He scoffs.

“I'm serious.” she says.

He lifts his head, pulling back from her and wiping at his face  as he makes eye contact. 

She certainly seems serious.

“Where would we go?” He asks, warming up the the idea the more he considers it.

“Anywhere,” Sulvuna shrugs “Anywhere we wanted, that's the point. We could go somewhere no one knows us. Reinvent ourselves, start from scratch. I've got some things we could sell, and we both know how much things are worth, and we could go. We could go anywhere.”

“Let's do it.”

She nods. “Pack a bag. We'll head out in...an hour?”

Era'harel grins. “I love you.”

She snorts. “Oh, shut up.”

–

They leave that night, and travel to the nearest city to find a bus. They take the bus for a few days, until nothing is familiar anymore, until no one's heard of their clans, or anyone linked to their clans. Until Era'harel is sure he's too far for it to be where he was born.

“We should rename ourselves.” he decides over a burger and fries at a small diner. And gods, he is not going to miss having to kill something to eat meat.

“You think so?”

He nods. “We hate these names anyways. Why drag them into our new life? If we're gonna start over, let's go full balls to the wall.”

Sulvuna laughs. Light and easy, and more freely than he thinks he's ever seen her laugh back with the clan. “Ok, sure. What do you want me to call you?”

He ponders it for a moment, before the perfect name hits him, and his face splits into a grin. “Desire.”

Sulvuna almost chokes on her milkshake. “Oh, surely something more modest and subtle for someone like you would be better.” she teases.

“Nah, I like Desire. Des, in fact. Des has a nice ring to it.” 

Like reclaiming the very thing they tried to condemn him for, he thinks. Fuck them. They want to keep it hidden behind closed doors, like some shameful secret? He'll wear it as a badge of pride, instead.

And besides, he knows he looks good. No one would argue it.

“What about you?” he asks.

Sulvuna ponders the question for a moment, nodding decisively and declaring “Selene. I like Selene.”

“That's like a moon thing, right?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

“Suits you. Hair like moonlight. People will write poetry about you.” He teases with a waggle of his eyebrows.

She laughs again. “I doubt that.”

“You never know,” Des smirks “Our future looks bright, after all.”

[kiwi-le-survivant]

Bajillion Questions Meme Rules: Answer all questions, add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions!

I wasn’t really tagged, but I saw it @the-x-button post it, and it said anyone who sees it can do it.

1. Coke or Pepsi: Coke

2. Disney or Dreamworks: Disney. Although I really like Prince of Egypt.

3. Coffee or Tea: I used to prefer tea, but I drink more coffee these days.

4. Books or Movies: Movies.

5. Windows or Mac: Windows

6. DC or Marvel: In terms of movies? Marvel. In terms of actual comics? Probably DC. In terms of animation? DC. I guess DC wins, then.

7. Xbox or PlayStation: PlayStation

8. Dragon Age or Mass Effect: Mass Effect, due to the fact that I’ve never played Dragon Age.

9. Night Owl or Early Rise: Night owl

10. Cards or Chess: Don’t play either much. I used to be into chess, though.

11. Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate

12. Vans or Converse: Uh

13. Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash or Adaar (dragon age): Who?

14. Fluff or Angst: Fluff.

There doesn’t appear to be a question 15, so moving on.

16. Dogs or Cats: Cats. Dogs are fine, though.

17. Clear Skies or Rain: Rain

18. Cooking or Eating Out: Eating out.

19. Spicy Food or Mild Food: Spicy food.

20. Halloween/Samhain or Solstice/Yule/Christmas: Christmas. Can depend on my mood, though.

21. Would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: Cold.

22. If you could have a superpower, what would it be: Possibly time travel, but it might be too easy to fuck up.

23. Animation or Live Action: It depends on the story, but a lot of the time, animation.

24. Paragon or Renegae (Mass Effect): Paragon.

25. Baths or Showers: Showers

26. Team Cap or Team Iron Man: Well, Cap’s name was in the title of the movie. Kind of gives away who will win.

27. Fantasy or Sci-Fi: Sci-Fi

28: Do you have three or four favourite quotes?: “If you had told me ten years ago Raiden was gonna be cooler than Dante, I would have told you to just shut up and allow me to punch you.” “There was a time when Mass Effect was really popular. And then Mass Effect 3 came out and that time was over.” “Stop trying to make this cool.”

29. YouTube or Netflix: YouTube

30. Harry Potter or Percy Jackson: Harry Potter, since I never read Percy Jackson.

31. When do you feel accomplished?: When I succeed in tricking people into thinking I’m cool.

32. Star Wars or Star Trek: Star Wars

33. Paperback Books or Hardback Books: Paperback. Hardback does feel cool, but is often harder to read.

34. Handwriting or Typing: Typing

35. Velvet or Satin: I forget what either feels like.

36. Video Games or Movies: Video Games. How is it even a contest these days?

37. Would you rather be the dragon or own the dragon: Own it. It seems I’d have to make some sacrifices if I was the dragon.

38. Sunrise or Sunset: Sunset. I’m usually too late for sunrise.

39. What’s your favourite song?: It depends on my mood, but I’ve been listening to Money for Nothing by Dire Straights a lot lately.

40. Horror Movies, yes or no? The only horror movies I really liked were Pan’s Labyrinth and Evil Dead 2.

41. Long or Short Hair: Short. It used to be long, but I decided it was time for a change.

42. Opera or Theatre: Theatre

43. Assuming the multiverse theory is true and that every story ever told has really happened somewhere, which one of the movie/book/tv show/game/etc worlds would you pick to travel to first: The universe where I’m unquestioned ruler of the Earth.

44. If you had to eat only one thing for the rest of your life what would it be: Possibly some sort of naan.

45. Older guys/girls or younger guys/girls (I guess you can change this to your preference): I tend to like girls my own age. If I had to pick, probably older girls.

46. If you could erase any show from TV history, what would it be: I don’t want to ruin anyone else’s good time, so I’ll pick something nobody enjoys. Tosh.0.

47. Singing or Dancing: Of the two, I’m probably less awful at dancing.

48. Instagram or Twitter: Twitter

49. Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit: Lord of the Rings

50. If you could create either a sequel or bring back any TV show/movie, what would you choose: It’s possible I’ll think of something I want even more, but a new Hellboy movie by Guillermo del Toro with Ron Perlman.

51. Who is your movie/tv show character that you are looking up to and why? Dante.

52. If you were ever convicted of a crime, what would it be? Doing sick graffiti while on rollerblades.

53. Anime- subbed or dubbed? If it’s not 4kids level, I’ll generally settle for the dub.

54. City or countryside? City

55. What book have you read over and over? I’ve read through Watchmen a few times.

56. What is your personality type? Coot cat who gets all the ladies.

57. Would you rather change a moment in time or have a glimpse into the future? I might be tempted to change a moment in time, even if it ends up fucking up the fabric of space and time.

58. Is there a popular series that you just can’t get into? Assassin’s Creed. Though that’s everyone’s favourite whipping boy, so I’ll pick something else. Borderlands. Something about it just put me off, even without Anthony Burch.

59. Dream job? Pretentious auteur game designer

60: Top three video games? Phoenix Wright - Trials and Tribulations, DMC3, Viewtiful Joe

61. Dragon Ball Classic, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT or Dragon Ball Super? OG Dragon Ball

Wow. That was a lot of questions. I won’t tag anyone. You can do it if you want.

[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.

[readerdye]

@farseersfool tagged me in this wonderful questionnaire! Thank you so much!

RULES: Answer all questions, add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions. (I can’t tag anyone today, but please do this if you’re interested!)

Long post after the cut

1.      coke or pepsi: After that commercial the other day, Coke.

2.      disney or dreamworks: Dreamworks, I think. They have How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda and Shrek! But if Disney keeps creating stuff like Moana, I might have to switch.

3.      coffee or tea: Coffee, probably, but I can’t drink it. If I do, I’m wired and bouncy and awful. So I’m trying to switch over to tea. 

4.      books or movies: Definitely, definitely books. I can manage movies sometimes...but only if I can fidget and talk straight through it. Even TV shows are hard to sit through for me.

5.      windows or mac: Windows, because I can play more games.

6.      dc or marvel: Okay, so the Captain-America-Nazi thing was ATROCIOUS. But Marvel has those tiny, cute franchises like Patsy Walker AKA Hellcat and Squirrel Girl and nonviolent superheroes, and I like that trend. So I’ll go with Marvel, provided I don’t read any of the big-names anymore.

7.      xbox or playstation: PlayStation for life. (Sadly, though, I don’t have a PS4 and am therefore behind the times. RIP Horizon Zero Dawn)

8.     dragon age or mass effect: Dragon Age, definitely. I haven’t gotten around to playing Mass Effect.

9.      night owl or early riser: Being a night owl is the Worst Possible Thing for a depressed kiddo to be, and yet. I’m trying to switch to early bird, but it’s not working for me.

10.  cards or chess: Cards, definitely. There’s a lot more variety in what you can play, and I just like the feeling of shuffling.

11.  chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla. Not a huge chocolate fan.

12.  vans or converse: Ahahahahahaha you think I buy name-brand shoes. That’s hilarious. I’ve been wearing the life out of the same pair of sneakers for two years, and I don’t even know what brand they are. Payless brand.

13.  lavellan, trevelyan, cadash, or adaar: Oooh. I feel like Lavellan is more central to the plot and can interact more meaningfully with Inquisition’s setting, but I really, really loved playing an Adaar.

14.  fluff or angst: Fluff fluff fluff. Too much stress and I have to put the book down and step outside to breathe.

15.  beach or forest: Beach, and now I’m landlocked. (sigh)

16.  dogs or cats: Cats. Dogs are cute, but they don’t know when to leave you alone. Cats get personal space and kind of live their own lives.

17.  clear skies or rain: I loved the torrential downpours back in Houston, but now that I’m in Colorado, clear skies are SO nice. Not too warm, perfect for relaxing outside (I say from my computer chair).

18.  cooking or eating out: I order way too much take-out, I’ll admit that. I really love and miss cooking, but it’s hard to muster the energy.

19.  spicy food or mild food: Spicy! Well, it depends on the type. If you’re just chopping up 85 jalapenos for fun, then no thank you, but an Indian curry will get me every time. 

20.  halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas: Solstice/Yule/Christmas is more family-and-friends-ish, so I like it a little better. I’m not a very spooky person.

21.  would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: I’m guessing this is excluding the possibility of wearing jackets or short sleeves to correct for temperature, right? Eesh. I’m rarely ever too hot, so I guess too cold, since at least I’m used to that.

22.  if you could have a superpower, what would it be: Shapeshifting yes please! I’m with you, Rowan.

23.  animation or live action: Animation. It’s just fun! And the art choices are so interesting to me (I can’t draw a stick figure, but I like seeing other people who can).

24.  paragon or renegade: Haven’t played Mass Effect, but my understanding is that Paragon is kinda the lawful good choice and Renegade is more chaotic, right? I’m sadly lawful good. So paragon. (And I’ve also heard that renegade is racist, so no thank you. Although I’ve also heard that renegade is passionate about defending their friends...)

25.  baths or showers: Baths are my relaxing “calm down everything’s okay” treat to myself. 

26.  team cap or team ironman: Um...as far as Superhero Rules go, I really loved Ta-Nahisi Coates’ article about this: Iron Man is the logical choice. Right? You can’t have superheroes running around exempt to all rules. But Cap is the heart-choice, because if you knew a rule would hurt your best friend in all the world, and you didn’t feel he deserved that punishment, you’d fight. In my head, Iron Man, because giving superheroes free reign is a recipe for disaster. BUT I think situations have changed: for better or worse, Marvel is very America-centric. So the one registering the mutants would probably be our president. Which would be Trump. So now I’m Team Cap. (Don’t get me wrong. Both superheroes are intolerable.)

27.  fantasy or sci-fi: Fantasy...but it’s a tough call! I love my cyborg-futuristic-alternate-planet-space-operas SO much that I might have to switch that answer soon. Some really cool things have been happening in sci-fi lately.

28. do you have three or four  favourite quotes? if so what are they: “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.” - Mary Oliver, “Wild Geese”

"If the ocean can calm itself so can you. We are both salt water mixed with air.” - Nayyirah Waheed, “Meditation”

29.  youtube or netflix: Netflix. There’s more of a quality guarantee.

30.  harry potter or percy jackson: Harry Potter. I really love the diversity in Percy Jackson, but I hit them too late to appreciate the jokey style of humor.

31.  when you feel accomplished: When I write and everything flies around and connects inside my head. It hasn’t happened for a long time.

32.  star wars or star trek: I’ve been told I’d like Star Trek more, especially old-school philosophical Trek, but I don’t know enough about it to say. 

33.  paperback books or hardback books: Paperbacks are my preference, but I get so many hardbacks from the library that my preference is switching.

34.  horror or rom-com: They’re both actually really tense (interpersonal conflict stresses me out!). But maybe rom-com, since I can sleep afterwards.

35.  to live in a world without literature or music: I get to pick? I’m actually going to go with a world without literature, because then we could all return to oral storytelling and ballads, and because if I couldn’t hum then I’d never do the dishes.

36.  pastel colours or dark colours: Dark, but actual colors: not just black, but maroon and plum and navy blue and the like. 

37.  tv shows or movies: Movies...? TV shows are doing such marvelous and interesting things, but I never, ever finish them, because I can’t binge-watch to save my life and I always find something else that needs doing.

38.  city or countryside: I grew up visiting my grandfather’s land, and I loved getting up early in the morning when the sky was all misty and the world was quiet. Then I moved to a Tiny Country Town and realized exactly how wonderful-but-awful that kind of place could be. I’m glad my still-there friends are turning it into a better place, but now I prefer the city. 

39.  if any other zodiac sign could describe you, what would it be: I remember everyone posted the What Zodiac Thingamajig are You lists for a while, and Virgo was always something like “glaring over your spectacles,” and Pisces was “You’re a nice fluffy bunny who daydreams too much and flakes out and sometimes cries because flowers can’t sneeze.” So Pisces, I guess? 

40.  if you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life what would it be: ahahaha, you think I listen to albums. 

41.  cinema or theatre: Theatre! Much more interactive, especially tiny theaters where the performers are right near you. I can’t focus on movies (the screen maybe?), but I just end up staring at theater slack-jawed.

42.  if you could be any fictional character’s best friend, who’d you be: So many of my favorite characters have such difficult lives. 

43.  smiling or smirking: Smiling? I can’t really smirk.

44.  are you an ‘all or nothing’ type or are you more consistent: All or nothing. I’m trying to develop consistency.

45.  playlists or your whole library on shuffle: Whole library on shuffle! My mom swears by playlists, but I want to always be surprised.

46.  travelling or staying at home: I like traveling. Really truly honestly: I’m used to uncomfortable sleeping situations, and for some reason all of my road trips have ended up being bizarrely in-depth and soul-searching. Plus I like seeing new places. 

47.  books or fanfiction: Books, but I still love fanfiction and applaud those who write it!

48.  If you could live in a fantasy world, what world would it be: One of those integrated-fantasy worlds, where it’s just like ours only fey creatures and divergent multicultural myths have been added in. I’d really love to wait behind a centaur at Starbucks.

49.  your favorite cartoon: Steven Universe, but I just discovered Phineas and Ferb and it’s delightful. 

50.  name the weirdest five songs on your itunes, current or past: Let’s see. “The Pirate Ninjas from Dino Island” was egregious. Mrs. Burch’s science songs (please tell me someone remembers). Some bagpipe cacophony. Everyone says “No Blue Thing” was weird but it was my favorite for YEARS. And there’s this song from Amelie that starts with aysynchronous piano notes, tosses in a bunch of snapping and whistling, ties in accordion music, and ends on a music box. I don’t remember the title, but that one was odd.

51. a favorite song that starts with the same letter as your name: Last name work? “By Yon Bonnie Banks.” 

52. the last inanimate object you named: my House Squid! Its name is Herman.

Thank you for this again! I won’t tag anyone this time...I’m still too sporadic on Tumblr, so whoever wants can do it. But thank you again!

[libraryscarf]

ALL THE QUESTIONS

Tagged by @psycho-alchemist (THANKS I LOVE DOING THESE THINGS)

RULES: Answer all questions (that you can), add one question of your own and then tag as many people as there are questions.

1. coke or pepsi: I....don’t really care tbh. Usually I will choose coke.

2. disney or dreamworks: Disney, just because I’ve grown up with it.

3. coffee or tea: c o f f e e

4. books or movies: Books, all the way.

5. windows or mac: I’m a Mac hoe.

6. dc or marvel: Marvel

7. x-box or playstation: I don’t have either one *weeps*

8. dragon age or mass effect: I’ve heard enough good things about fem!Shepard to choose Mass Effect on this one

9. night owl or early riser: Night owl af

10. Cards or chess: Cards. I rule at checkers though.

11. chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate until I die.

12. vans or converse: Converse, because I am still going through my pseudo-scene phase.

13. lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar: Y’ALREADY KNOW I DON’T KNOW SHIT ABOUT DRAGON AGE.

14. fluff or angst: I like writing angst and reading fluff.

15. beach or forest: Forest because it’s magical™.

16. dogs or cats: I love both, but I’m a Cat Person™.

17. clear skies or rain: RainrainrainrAINRAINRAIN

18. cooking or eating out: I love going to restaurants even though my budget cannot handle it.

19. spicy food or mild food: Spicyyyy

20. halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas: *covers myself in sleigh bells* I can’t hear you over my Christmas cheer.

21. would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: Too cold, absolutely.

22. if you could have a superpower, what would it be: Flight, because that would be dope.

23. animation or live action: I guess animation these days, though I like live action if it’s interesting enough.

24. paragon or renegade: Yes...?

25. baths or showers: Showers for every day, and baths for once in a while.

26. team cap or team ironman: Iron Man. Idk, I just like him more.

27. fantasy or sci-fi: Gdi, I really like both. I guess if it were down to the wire, I’d pick fantasy.

28. do you have three or four favorite quotes, if so what are they: (not in order)

“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” - Joseph Campbell (I love everything he’s ever written, but this is one of the most lovely bits)

“Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.” - Carl Sandburg (Isn’t this just pretty??)

“There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them.” - Sylvia Plath (My personal mantra)

29. youtube or netflix: Netflix.

30. harry potter or percy jackson: Harry Potter aaaaaall thhhe waayyyy

31. when you feel accomplished: Never, lmao. Maybe when I get a paycheck?

32. star wars or star trek: I really like Star Trek ok...*TNG theme song starts playing distantly*

33. paperback books or hardback books: Kindle?? lmao ok but probably hardbacks if I’m being honest. They’re so pleasantly tactile.

34. to live in a world without literature or without music? WHAT THE FUCK..NO. I REFUSE. NOPE. CAN’T, WON’T

35. who was the last person to make you laugh? My mother, because she is funny and cute.

36. sour or sweet candy: Sweet.

37. dawn or dusk: Dusk, definitely. Who even sees dawn?? Is dawn even real???

38. piercings or tattoos: Piercings, although I’d like a tattoo someday.

39. girls? HOT?????: YES!!!!!

40. snow or fog: Snow!! Especially since I never get to see it!!

41. do you sleep facing the wall or the room? Window, usually.

42. TRC or AFTG: TRC!!!

43. horror or drama: I’d pick horror over drama tbh.

44. ocarina of time or majora’s mask?: I....have never played Legend of Zelda.

45. would you rather live in an area of more nature or city?: I prefer to be within civilization, so a city probably.

46. what’s your addiction right now?: It has been and always will be hot Cheetos.

47. what languages can you speak?: English and some basic Spanish.

48. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?: Unfair question. In Europe, it would have to be Ireland, Italy, or England. In the U.S., either Washington state or Oregon.

49. sun or moon?: It’s not so much that I like the moon, and more that I just straight-up hate the sun.

50. potato bread or banana bread?: Bananananana

51. Are horses good?: Theoretically, yes. Realistically, nah.

52. Edward Elric or Alphonse Elric?: Edward because he’s my ultimate fave, but Alphonse is my sweet son.

53. Logan or Deadpool?: Deadpool because I like laughing more than crying.

54. Pokémon or Digimon?: Pokémon Go

55. one-shots or lengthy fics? I love writing them both (although I’m shit at updating). As for reading, I super-love getting into a lengthy fic--but only if it’s extraordinarily well-written.

56. What’s a hairstyle you want but are too scared to try? I want to cut all my hair off and have a very curly pixie cut. I think my face is too round to pull it off though.

I didn’t add a question because I’m not tagging anyone, but if you want to do this, then go ahead. :)

[stitching-in-time]

tagged by @ilwinsgarden -thanks!

Rules: Answer all the questions, then add one of your own, and tag as many people as there are questions

Let’s get started

1) Coke or Pepsi? Used to like Coke, but I don’t drink soda anymore at all.

2) Disney or Dreamworks? Disney!

3) Coffee or Tea? Tea.

4) Books or movies? I like both but these days I watch movies more often than I read books.

5) Windows or mac? Only ever had Windows so can’t compare.

6) D.C. or Marvel? I’m not really into comics enough to have a preference.

7) Xbox or PlayStation? No idea- I don’t game.

8) Dragon age or mass effect? Like I said, I’m not a gamer, but from what I’ve heard from friends I suspect I’d prefer Dragon Age.

9) Night owl or early riser? Night owl but I wish I was an early riser!

10) Cards or chess? Cards. Never learned how to play chess.

11) Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate

12) Vans or converse? I don’t wear either brand.

13) Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar? What?? Are these Games of Thrones houses or something??

14) Fluff or angst? Fluff

15) Beach or forest? Both!

16) Dogs or cats? Cats

17) Clear skies or rain? Clear skies

18) Cooking or eating out? If I had unlimited money I would eat at restaurants all the time to avoid cooking!

19) Spicy or mild food? Mild

20) Halloween/Samhain or solstice/yule/Christmas? Halloween! 

21) Would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot? Well I’m already a little too cold pretty much all the time, so I’ll stick with what I’m used to :p

22) If you could have a superpower what would it be? Telekinesis- mostly because it would be nice to be able to clean my house without having to get up!

23) Animation or live action? It depends on the specific story. I love hand-drawn and stop-motion animation, but not computer animation. And when it comes to Doctor Who stories, I definitely prefer live action! The animated episodes are better than nothing, but I’d rather the originals were found!

24) Paragon or renegade? What?

25) Bath or shower? My house only has a shower so I don’t even remember what a bath is like.

26) Team Cap or team Ironman? Captain America

27) Fantasy or sci-fi? I like both.

28) Do you have 3 or 4 favorite quotes if so what are they? “A life lived in fear is a life half-lived” is a quote I like from ‘Strictly Ballroom’, which is one of my favorite movies. The old axiom of “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing” is one that I think is always relevant. Can’t think of any more right now.

29) YouTube or Netflix? I guess youtube because I’ve never used Netflix.

30) Harry Potter or Percy Jackson? Harry Potter

31) When do you feel accomplished? When I actually finish a writing or sewing project.

32) Star Wars or Star Trek? Definitely Star Trek!

33) Paperback books or hardcover books? Hardcover 

34) Fantastic beasts or Cursed child? Haven’t seen/read either yet, but Fantastic Beasts is the only one I’m interested in seeing.

35) Rock or pop music? Both

36) What is the most important thing in your life? Friends and theatre and costuming and writing.

37) Mountains or sea/ocean? The sea!

38) How do you express yourself? Theatre and writing and costuming.

39) What’s the first book/film that really counted to you? ‘The Little Mermaid’ was the first movie that made a big impression on me as a small child. For books, the American Girl books had a huge impact on me and are probably the reason I’m a history nerd now.

40) What’s your element (air, water, etc.)? I’m pretty sure my sign is one of the water signs.

41) If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? London! 

42) If you had any job in the world, what would it be? Writer. Novels, TV, stage, whatever. I just want to write stories and be paid for it!

43) If you were granted three wishes, what would they be? 1.) That the Electoral College had been abolished before the election and we would have the president America actually chose right now. 2.) That patriarchy would just vanish from the face of the earth. 3.) To be able to cure any illness.

44) If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Maybe stir-fry because there’s quite a lot of variety of things you can put in a stir-fry so it’d be less boring.

45) What’s currently the most pressing issue on your mind, and what’s stopping you from fixing it? Not being able to do all of the things I want to in life because of chronic illness, and the current political climate being so hostile to people with disabilities and literally everyone who isn’t a rich straight white man.

46) What is your dream companion animal? Probably a cat

47) Raptors or songbirds? Songbirds, but I also like owls.

48) Do you think there is life on other planets in universe? I should think so- the universe is pretty big and it'd be kind of improbable that we’re the only ones.

I don’t even follow 48 blogs so I don’t have 48 people to tag... so tagging anyone who wants to do it :)

[fall-for-the-game]

I was tagged by @andrewminyarrr​ !

Rules: Answer all questions, add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions (maybe not QUITE)

1. Coke or pepsi: Pepsi if I must... zero, and it’s still too sweet.

2. Disney or Dreamworks: Gotta go with Dreamworks

3. Coffee or Tea: tea, I hate coffee

4. Books or Movies: Hard choice... Lately it’s books, but I love movies.

5. Windows or Mac: Windows

6. DC or Marvel: Marvel

7. XBox or Playstation: I’d say PC, but I recently acquired a PS4 and it’s got the better exclusives

8. Dragon Age or Mass Effect: Dragon Age

9. Night Owl or Early Riser: Night Owl all the way

10. Cards or Chess: cards

11. Chocolate or Vanilla: chocolate, though I like both

12. Vans or Converse: Uhm, what? Neither I tink

13. Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar: I dunno??? I think I picked an elf?

14. Fluff or Angst: ANGST alldayeveryday

15. Beach or Forest: both

16. Dogs or Cats: My life for cats definitely, though I do like dogs too

17. Clear skies or Rain: Clear skies, nothing cheers me up than a cloudless, blue sky

18. Cooking or Eating out: Ordering in

19. Spicy food or Mild food: mild, I hate spicy

20. Halloween/Samhain or Solstice/Yule/Christmas: Christmas!

21. Would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: Hot, I think. Cold paralyses me

22. If you could have a superpower, what would it be: Flying

23. Animation or Live action: live action

24. Paragon or Renegade: uhm??

25. Baths or Showers: showers, ain’t nobody got time for baths

26. Team Cap or Team Ironman: UGH

27. Fantasy or Sci-fi: Fantasy

28. Do you have three or four favorite quotes, if so what are they:

“Write down everything you own, and all you get is a list. Write down everything you’ve done, and you’ve got a story.” - Jochen Schweizer

“Reading gives us somewhere to go, when we have to stay where we are.” - Mason Cooley

“I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape.” - Charles Dickens

“Don’t waste your time looking back, you’re not going that way.” - Ragnar Lothbrok

29. Youtube or Netflix: Youtube just has more content

30. Harry Potter or Percy Jackson: I feel like I’ve outgrown both...

31. When you feel accomplished: Never?

32. Star Wars or Star Trek: Star Trek, 2009 reboot

33. Paperback or Hardback books: Ebooks

34. To live in a world without literature or without music: NOPE

35. Who was the last person to make you laugh? Some youtuber

36. Sweet or Sour candy? Sweet!

37. Do you believe in aliens? Extraterrestrial life, yeah. Aliens travelling to earth? Not really

38. Dawn or Dusk? Dusk is when my day begins

39. Piercings or Tattoos? Tattoos are prettier, though I have a piercing and will probably never get a tattoo

40. Girls? Hot?? I’m a straight girl (I think) but I find the female form more aesthetically pleasing?

My question:

41. Food or Sleep?  Sleeeeeep~

So uhm... I tag @archerybushidokid​ and ... I dunno, @happyminyards​ I don’t really know people :’D

[athena1138]

The OC question thing, all 50 answers bc I’m bored. 

Some OC questions

1. Your first OC ever? Vikara Amarina Nellenryll. I’ve had characters before, but she was the first one who really stuck, who got a background and everything. She was my go-to oc for everything.  2. Do you have a personal favourite among your OCs? Alena Fanelis-Lavellan (dragon age)  3. Have you ever adopted a character or gotten a character from someone else?Nah 4. A character you rarely talk about? Seirein Xavier (adopted by Charles,) my X-Men OC. Her power is that she can make anyone do anything with her voice, so she’s resolved to be mute. She and Logan end up together.  5. If you could make only one of your OCs popular/known, who would it be?  Alena. Or idk, Belladonna Hawke. There aren’t enough Varric x Hawkes out in the world. I love both those bitches. 

6. Two OCs of yours that look alike despite not being related? Most of my Hawkes look similar tbh. I try to make them different, but I’m a slut for a strong-nosed, big-lipped, tawny-skinned woman.  7. Are your OCs part of any story or stories? AHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Yes. Hands down. Most of my Dragon Age OCs are already in stories, or are at least mentioned because I have them set up in specific timelines. Alena is getting her own goddamn biography. Belladonna is 5 chapters into her own story. My FenHawke is 37 pages into her story. I’ve got a oneshot posted with my Hawkebela. (Da2 is my fav game tbh.) My non-DA OCs have a few stories, too. Seirein is one chapter down in hers, my Sole Survivor has more than a few oneshots down, etc.  8. Do you RP as any of your OCs? If you do, introduce one of your RP OCs here! No. I’m uncomfortable with RP since a friend destroyed it for me a long time ago. I used to be super big into it, but now it just makes me squeamish.  9. Would you ever be willing to give any of your OCs to someone else? Fight me. (Maybe Rastig. He’s a little shit.)  10. Introduce an OC with a complicated design? Idk what that means. A physical design? Most of them just get scars. I mean, Anna Hawke is deaf in one ear. Genevieve is blind. Idk. Most of them have fully fleshed out backstories so that’s about as complicated as they get.  11. Is there any OC of yours you could describe as a “sunshine”? Brilla Aeducan. Gemma Cadash. Missella Surana.  12. Name an OC that isn’t yours but who you like a lot On AO3, there’s a FenHawke series that I legit sat and read for 3 days straight. Literally didn’t even turn on my TV. (It’s here ) I really like this Hawke.  13. Do you have any troublemaker OCs?  Depends on how you define troublmaker. As in, a douche? Rastig. As in, mischievous? Kalam Adaar, Titania Shepard, Jack Ryder, Belladonna Hawke. 

14. Introduce an OC with a tragic backstory HAHAHAHAAHHAAH Who doesn’t have one? Alena is the most fleshed out. She was born in Redcliffe, taken to the Circle at age 6, broke out with Anders at age 16, got separated from Anders, went to Denerim, was taken in by Cyrion and his family, was caught up in the slave trade, was sent to an abusive master in Kirkwall, killed him to escape, was caught by Cullen and taken to the Gallows, broke out of the Gallows, found Anders again, Anders was crazy, got help from Hawke (Belladonna) to get to the Sundermount Dalish clan, was taken in by them, found them all killed in year 7, was taken to live with Clan Lavellan, hated it but didn’t want to be alone so she allowed them to give her vallaslin even though she didn’t want it, Conclave, Solasmance, Solas broke up with her, finally Cullenmance.  15. Do you like to talk about your OCs with other people? Idk. Kinda? Kinda not though. I get shy really easily. I like talking about them. But with other people? Idk.  16. Which one of your OCs would be the best at biology (school subject)? Marina Shepard 17. Any OC OTPs? Among just my OCs? No. I don’t ship my girls together. But each of them is specifically designed for a specific romance.  18. Any OC crackships? Nah 19. Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why) Vikara has been with me through a lot. I’ve had her for like... 7 years now? She made it through a bad breakup, high school graduation, and all of college.  20. Do any of your OCs sing? If they sing, care to share more details (headcanon voice, what kind of songs they like etc)? Genevieve Hawke sings frequently at the Hanged Man. She’s a Mezzosoprano if she really gets going and she tends to get throaty with it, kinda like Christina Aguilera or Gaga. Marina Shepard can sing but she’s a bit shy to do it. If her friends can boost her up enough, she will for them. She’s a tenor.  21. Your most artistic OC Vikara Lavellan writes poetry. Brilla Aeducan draws/paints (she painted Leliana fireside one night.)  22. Is there any OC of yours people tend to mischaracterize? If yes, how? People think Anna Hawke hates Sebastian, but that’s not true. She’s just threatened by him because she’s a mage, and he’s very vocal about turning in her mage friends. (She used to feel the same way about Fenris, but she fell in love too fast.)  23. Introduce OC that has changed from your first idea concerning what the character would be like? Most of them.  24. If you could meet one OC of yours, who would it be and why? Genevieve Hawke. She’s a very strong, proud woman.  25. The OC that resembles you the most (same hobby, height, shared like/dislike for something etc?) Tbh, most of my OCs are just re-coded versions of myself. Except Rastig. But I guess Anna Hawke. The story I mentioned with her is focused on her weight issues and how Fenris helps her learn to love herself (and vice versa.)  26. Have you ever had to change your OC’s design or something else about them against your will? I mean, I’ve had Vikara for 7 years. Not all game platforms allow for the same character customizations.  27. Any OCs that were inspired by a certain song? Nah 28. Your most dangerous OC? Rastig Brosca and Titania Shepard.  29. Which one of your OCs would go investigate an abandoned house at night without telling anyone they’re going? Alena is actually about to fall into a well and ponder her death because she didn’t tell anyone, so, her.  30. Which one of your OCs would most likely have a secret stuffed animal collection? Asena Adaar. Josephine thinks they’re darling, and they talk about their dolls together.  31. Pick one OC of yours and explain what their tumblr blog would be like (what they reblog, layout, anything really) Marina Shepard is all about the memes, man. She’s nothin’ but jokes, nonstop, though once in a blue moon, she might reblog a picture of a nice ass (tastefully, of course.)  32. Which one of your OCs would be the most suitable horror game protagonist and why? Kalam Adaar doesn’t get scared. She just cracks jokes until she feels better.  33. Your shyest OC? Anna Hawke. 34. Do you have any twin characters? Yes! Belladonna Hawke was a twin to Garrett Hawke (who is deceased.)  35. Any sibling characters? Beyond Belladonna, no. Though, Asena Adaar and Gemma Cadash are quite close. (Multi-inquisitor AU, but only Gemma has the mark. Asena is just part of the inner circle.)  36. Do you have OC pairs where the other part belongs to someone else (siblings, lovers, friends etc)? Nah. I’m a solo-OCer 37. Introduce an OC who is not quite human I mean. I only have any human DA characters because I didn’t get a choice with Hawke. Even my queen is, in my lore, an elf because I really don’t like humans. Every single OC would be non-human if I had the choice.  38. Which one of your OCs would be the best dancer? Jack Ryder.  39. Introduce any character you want I have a Labyrinth story I started.............a longass time ago. The main character is Jacqueline (the French, not the American,) and she’s the daughter of Sarah. She is mute for most of the story because she was driving in an accident that killed her father. Sarah contacts Jareth and asks him to help fix Jack, help her overcome her guilt and trauma, so he takes her to the Labyrinth.  40. Any fond memories linked to your characters? Feel free to share! Not really. I love them all, the wee babs.  41. Has anyone drawn fanart of your OCs? If yes, maybe show a picture or two here (remember sources & permissions!) Nope.  42. Which one of your OCs would be the most interested in Greek gods? Titania Shepard. It wasn’t a huge leap for her to go from Shakespeare (where she supposes her namesake comes from) to mythology.  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 I like big noses, strong cheekbones, brilliantly colored eyes, and scars. Lots and lots of scars.  44. Something you like about your OCs in general They’re like my friends.  45. A character you no longer use? Psh. I can’t even remember. If I don’t use them, they’re lost forever.  46. Has anyone ever told you that you treat your OCs badly? Not yet 47. Has anyone ever (friendly) claimed any of your OCs as their child? IRL, nah. In games, most of my Shepards are bonded strongly to their krogan teammates, and then there’s Seirein who’s literally adopted.  48. OC who is a perfect cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure Brilla Aeducan 49. Which one of your OCs would most likely enjoy memes Kalam Adaar and Titania Shepard 50. Give me the good ol’ OC talk here. Talk about anything you want If you want, you can tag your ask answers with #yetanotherOCmeme so I can check them out too `v´9 I just really fking love them all. The biggest struggle is that I have so many I’m so invested in but I obviously can’t do anything with them all in one go. I have to focus on one then another then back to the one and it gets so frustrating because I have so many ideas and stories to come up with but so little time. 

[galadrieljones]

Which chapter is your favorite in tds?

Hey, anon!! Thank you for this lovely and very tough question. I feel like I love them more and more as they go, like each one better than the last, but that’s too easy. Here are a few I would consider to be favorites, at the moment:

Chapter 50: The Trespasser - This is the newest one and I love it so much, because it’s linear and like a straight line hero’s journey with four thirsty, tired men literally wandering the desert, in search of some form of the holy grail–the big bad, the ultimate boon, home, water, all of the above. What they find in the end is just…it’s everything. I usually mix things up so much structurally in my chapters. This chapter is men talking, men cooperating in the wild. It’s me deep in my element in many ways. Writing this was surprisingly very easy once I got going, and it felt extremely gratifying in the end.

Chapter 45: Lavellan Family Values - I loved this chapter because it meant I finally got to explore the Lavellans and their family dynamic. I got to use a lot of my own life, as well as my love for incredible texts like Gilmore Girls and The Sopranos to help me cast and structure that dinner scene. We also learn a lot about Sene in this chapter, who she is when she’s at home, and her particular flaws when it comes to dealing with her family.

Chapter 37: Entropy - This is the one where we go back in time and look at a twenty-three-year-old Solas and Mythal in the negotiations parlor with Elgar’nan. We get to see the very beginnings and power dynamic of their relationship. This is where I fell in love with Mythal and really became invested as her. It is when she became one of my heroines. It’s also the chapter immediately preceding Assassins, in which the shit hits the fan, and we’re propelled into a brand new act in the story, and all the Arlathan stuff sort of starts in Entropy, and then it’s the beginning of the end. I also love Sene in this chapter, at the end, talking to Morrigan about Matthew Cousland, Kieran’s father, and learning about what it means to be young and in love with a man who carries a lot of hidden darkness inside him.

Chapter 38: Assassins - I honestly love the entirety of the Emprise du Lion 2.0 chapters, these two are just my favorites. Because…Mythal. This chapter shows Sene in her element, head-butting that assassin in the courtyard, Cullen with a great crescendo as Commander and body guard, Leliana, too, and Mythal as just…so deeply Mythal, and so much is revealed in this chapter, and the sad ending with Sene in the brig, and Solas way up in a tower, in a dream, completely and blissfully unaware of all the hell that’s just broken loose. This chapter was extremely hard to write, because of all the new information, and Mythal being a new character that we needed to both sort of hate but also sympathize with, and structurally there was a lot of external conflict as well.

Chapter 22: Man of Faith, Pt. 1 and Chapter 23: Man of Faith, Pt. 2 - Charming Solas in his element is super fun to write. Here, at the party in Val Royeaux, we meet a version of Fen’Harel that Sene doesn’t even really know exists yet. “Handling” the Comte, charming the Comtesse, and of course the ending, which is Solas’s first Belly of the Whale moment–when he finally very nearly acknowledges that he must undergo a major transformation if he is to move forward with his relationship with Sene.

Thank you so much for the ask, anon! TDS is getting closer and closer to an ending, so it is good to look back sometimes. It’s been a really intense and beautiful journey.

gonna tag you, @thevikingwoman, per your interest (even though you’re on vacay