#cal/varric

[mabaris]

the other thing that’s astounding to me from the past week is the takes i’ve seen about varric’s hair. so many people don’t seem to know what grey hair is. so many people also saying he used to have RED hair??????

[warpedlegacywrites]

Chapter 7: Good Bones

At long last, they arrive at their new home - but it's not exactly a comforting sight.

With each new discovery, Cullen’s spirits lift just a little further. Soon he’s grinning at the excitement radiating off his sister, listening to her brainstorm how to best use the space, where to prioritise the repairs, even offering his own thoughts on improvements. In a matter of little more than an hour, his apprehension has transformed into optimism.  There is wear and tear, certainly, and the scent of mildew pervades nearly every nook and cranny. Some of the marble is cracked, the wood rotted from windows carelessly left open. There’s hardly any furniture to speak of, and what pieces they do find Cullen wouldn’t dare touch with the end of his sword.  Yet despite appearances, and Varric’s underwhelming reassurances, much of the interior is quite sound. It will take a lot of work to clean away the filth and make it livable, but there are good bones here. And Cullen would be lying if he didn’t admit that the prospect of building this place up, of rebuilding it together, taking a direct hand in the shaping of their future, is enticing.  He imagines long afternoons in the library, reading side by side with Tess before a cheery fire, Cal napping at their feet. The scent of flowers from the garden while they take their tea and coffee in the morning room. Sharing meals and conversation in the dining room. Luxuriating with Tess in the privacy of their bedroom – or in the oversized tub.  Children’s laughter, echoing through the halls.  Skyhold had been home for a time, but it was a city unto itself. And though he will always cherish their months in Mia’s cottage in the country, it wasn’t his. It wasn’t theirs. This? This could be theirs.  This could be home.

DAFF tag list: @rakshadow, @rosella-writes, @effelants, @bluewren, @breninarthur, @ar-lath-ma-cully, @dreadfutures, @ir0n-angel, @inquisimer, @crackinglamb, @theluckywizard, @nirikeehan, @oxygenforthewicked, @exalted-dawn-drabbles, @melisusthewee, @blarrghe, @agentkatie, @delicatefade

[multimuseforme]

After I'm through Jedi Survivor, I might replay the Machine Games Wolfenstein games, which might make me want to add BJ Blazkowicz as a muse, cause i mean there's no such thing as too many nazi killers on one blog

[midmorninggrey]

welcome to dadwc!! how about some Cal x Fenris + ❛ wouldn’t it be awful if we fell in love again? ❜

happy writing!

-inquisimer

Thank you for this great prompt! I ran with pure messy vibes on this one - I'm just gonna yeet it out here.

For @dadrunkwriting

--

Fenris had expected some form of trouble when Cal had shown up at his door, armed with a bottle of whiskey and a crooked smile, but he hadn’t anticipated having to stop the man from climbing out his third-story window.

“What do you aim to find on my roof, exactly?”

“Fresh air?” Cal kept one leg swung over the sill and looked back at Fenris brightly, as if he’d just told a great joke.

“Keep the window open then. I think you should stay inside.”

“Why?” Cal asked. He wore the purple answer plainly on his brow.

The vague challenge made Fenris’ jaw clench. His eyes went to Cal’s cane, leaning against an old chair where Cal had tossed it before throwing open the window. He knew Cal was getting worse. Hawke told him things; whether she intended to calm or aggravate his fears, Fenris could not say. Two days ago he had seen proof that she did not exaggerate.

“You are prone to accidents,” he said eventually. It was true enough; Cal had never been a graceful man, even in better health.

“I like to think of them as surprises. You know...” Cal tipped his head back and blew out a sigh, drumming his fingers against the soft wood frame. “They add variety.”

Fenris tried to hold firm, as he should have at the door. “I’m in no mood for your surprises.”

“Sorry.” Cal dropped his eyes to the floor between them. “I’m sorry. I had a bad day – I mean, people have had worse days, but today was a real walloper.”

The unsteadiness in Cal’s voice wasn’t from drink.

“I just want to go somewhere I can see the stars, you know?”

“Cal -”

“I’m really sorry, Fenris, this is unfair. I’ll go.” He started to pull himself back inside, but Fenris surprised himself with the first forward step he’d taken all night.

“I will hold the bottle.”

So they went and carefully found their familiar seats on Fenris’ roof, an arm’s length apart. Their search for stars was in vain. The smog from Lowtown had drifted to the skies above the manor, and the autumn moon was the only light strong enough to shine through the haze. The looming glow was swollen and menacing, as if it had swallowed up all its children, the constellations.

Fenris soon opened the whiskey against the chill. Cal, with his southern blood, seemed unbothered and sat with his hands folded loosely over his knees. Three fingers on his left hand and four on his right, Fenris counted. At least magic hadn’t claimed any more.

The first swallow from the bottle held no warmth but still burned his throat. Cal turned his head towards Fenris’ stifled cough.

“Didn’t bring you the good stuff, sorry.”

Fenris’ stomach lurched; the bruise blooming across Cal’s temple had gone black in the moonlight. His head had hit the stone with a crack. They’d been on their way up to Hawke’s, and Fenris had been a flight behind him on the Hightown steps, haggling with Varric over borrowed coin that now seemed unimportant. There must have been a misstep or a moment of hesitation because his eyes were drawn to Cal in time to see him drop backwards. There had been nothing to break his fall.

Three long stride were all that had separated them, but in the time it had taken for Fenris reach him, Cal had already begun to laugh. The noise was a shrill defense; it rang out like the bell in a watchtower. Heeding the warning, Fenris had retreated and allowed the others to hear Cal’s apologies and help him to his feet.

He knew Cal’s other laugh, the one Fenris liked to think was hard-fought and true. The laugh that always started as if Cal was choking on it, as if the joy was too big for his chest, until it was finally pressed out in one long, squeaky wheeze. The sound was ridiculous and foolish and safe. Fenris hoped that Cal still laughed like that with other people. In the year since his mistake, Fenris had not heard it, and just as he had kept away from Cal’s pain, he did not presume to approach his happiness.

Sitting on the cold roof, Fenris suddenly felt he was between both.

“Can we pretend that everything is alright?” Cal asked, quiet. “I mean, I know you’ll be alright. I’ve always known that.”

There was never a bitter edge in Cal's words, no matter how Fenris searched for one. He slowly worked the cork back into the bottle.

“There is no need for us to pretend.”

[thatapostateboy]

for OCs, ships, prompts and askbox prompts, see below!

My inbox is always open, feel free to ask questions, send prompts, or just pester me about any of these! You can find my shared writing prompts here or I accept random requests.

You can find more info over on Carrds here

I also basically run a 'Everyone Exists' AU for all of my stuff - for example, all of the Dragon Age characters exist in Thedas together, so I also accept requests for their interactions together!

Baldur’s Gate 3:

Nel’Tavia Lienthel 'Nell' (Tav)/Wyll Ravengard/Astarion Ancunin

Malakai (Durge)/Shadowheart/Halsin

Malakai (Durge)/Gale Dekarios (this exists in the same canon as Kai’s relationship with Shad and Halsin, but Gale’s not part of the throuple)

Malakai (Durge)/Gortash (past)

Dragon Age: Origins:

Rowena 'Tab' Tabris/Alistair Theirin

Jennifer 'Jenni' Cousland/Zevran Arainai/Nathaniel Howe

Aedan Cousland/Leliana

Callum 'Cal' Surana/Morrigan

Brianna Amell/Bann Teagan

Lyna Mahariel/Tamlen

Thrina Aeuducan/Gorim Saelac

Dragon Age II:

Marie Hawke/Anders

Garrett Hawke/Isabela

Dragon Age: Inquisition:

Brenna Lavellan/Solas

Freya Trevelyan/Cullen Rutherford

Moss Lavellan/Dorian Pavus

Summer Lavellan/Blackwall

Dragon Age: The Veilguard:

Evanura 'Eva' (Rook) Mercar/Davrin/Lucanis Dellamorte

Magnus Thorne/Lace Harding

Dragon Age AU:

Alistair Theirin /Rowena Tabris/Jenni Cousland/Zevran Arainai

Rowena Tabris/Jenni Cousland

Rowena Tabris/Anders

Marie Hawke/Varric Tethras

Garrett Hawke/Sebastian Vael

Brenna Lavellan/Krem Aclassi

Greedfall:

Genevieve de Sardet/Kurt

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen:

Alicia ‘Ace’ (Arisen)/Mercedes Marten

Liam (Pawn)/Julien

Dragon’s Dogma II:

Ceridwen ‘Saber’ (Arisen)/Glyndwr

Sebastian (Pawn)/Captain Brant

Mass Effect:

Nora Shepard/Kaidan Alenko

Sam Ryder/Vetra Nyx

Scott Ryder/Gil Brodie

Anthony Ryder/Reyes Vidal

Mass Effect AU

Nora Shepard/Sam Ryder

Fallout:

Cora (Courier)/Benny

Natalie Powell (Sole Survivor)/Paladin Danse

Stardew Valley:

Farmer Jack/Penny

Farmer Daniel/Alex

Fable:

Princess Sophia (Hero of Brightwall)/Elliott

Skyrim:

Narah (Dragonborn)/Kaiden

Rowena (OC)/Vilkas

Choices: Stories You Play

(For the Choices deep dive, check out my secondary page https://indescribablechoices.tumblr.com/post/184653680920/mc-masterlist)

[highwayphantoms]

ooh how about cal & carver for "don't fool yourself. we're not good people" from the you could have just punched me prompt list?

ehehehe here's some Act 1 Hawke & siblings for @dadrunkwriting

Words: 719 Rating: G Warnings: nah

--

For a long, agonizing moment, Cal stared across the room at their siblings. It was late; all that was left of the fire in the hearth were the glowing coals, and a few wisps of magelight were all that lit the space. Then, finally, they said in a low voice, “Please tell me I misheard you just now.”

The memory of a little Bethany that had lingered in the back of their mind for so many years would have backed down. This Bethany was a grown woman, and not so easily cowed as she once was. She opened her mouth to reply, but Carver nudged her with a shoulder and interrupted, “She’s not wrong. We could do anything now that we’re free of Meeran, yet you keep insisting on picking up mercenary work.”

Cal closed their eyes, taking a deep breath in a wan attempt at keeping their cool. What was it about siblings that made them so… so insufferably right? “We need coin,” they said flatly, uncomfortably aware of the fact that there was nothing more than a very thin wall separating them from where their mother slept. Gamlen, at least, was still out drinking: small graces. “You don’t have to like it. Andraste’s tears, I don’t like it. But what alternatives do we have?”

“Aveline got into the city guard,” Carver countered. “I could, too.”

“Aveline was an officer in the king’s army. You were a common recruit.” Cal sighed and ran a hand through their hair. It was starting to get long again; they made a mental note to trim it back again.

“The Warden we found in Darktown,” Bethany started, and Cal winced. “He’s Fereldan.”

“You think he’s making any coin at all, treating Fereldan refugees?” Carver said, without heat.

“Look,” Cal said after a moment. “Don’t fool yourself. We’re not good people, Carver. I’m an escaped Circle mage, Bethy’s an apostate, and you would be executed for harboring us if the templars ever caught wind. We can’t afford to concern ourselves with morals.”

“Cal—” Bethany started, but fell silent at a glare from them.

“I know,” they said gently. “Believe me, I know. That’s why we’re going to take Varric up on that offer and invest in the expedition. When that pans out? We won’t have to take mercenary work anymore.”

“Assuming they don’t all wind up dead in the Deep Roads,” Bethany replied.

“That’s why Carver and I will go. We know how to fight darkspawn—we’ll be fine.” At least, Cal hoped as much. Carver had been lucky to survive their last encounter with darkspawn; the Deep Roads was the riskiest prospect yet. Still, there weren’t templars in the Deep Roads, and only a very stupid man would object to a mage assisting an underground expedition. Varric was far more clever than he had any right to be; Cal would be surprised if Bartrand wasn’t at least half as smart.

“And if you come back empty-handed?”

Cal frowned. “Then we cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Bethany sighed and leaned back in her chair. In direct opposition, Carver leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “We should try to bring that Warden along, too. It can’t hurt.”

On the one hand, it was a good idea. On the other, Cal’s instincts screamed at the idea of spending any more time around Anders than was strictly necessary. Two mages, escaped from the same Circle, hiding in the same city? The risks were enormous. “I didn’t get the impression he would go willingly.”

“Yeah, well, we have time. You didn’t forget how to make friends, did you?”

Cal hastily covered a faintly hysterical laugh with a cough. Make friends. With a man I know entirely too much about, who barely even knows who I am. Sure. Great idea. Absolutely no way that could go horribly wrong. Aloud, they managed, “I’ll consider it.”

“You’re still going to take that weird job Varric suggested, aren’t you?”

“It’s just a lyrium smuggler. If we’re lucky, you won’t even have to draw your sword,” Cal replied mildly. Most likely, the man just needed a distraction. Cal could handle creating a distraction.

But not tonight. Tonight, all they wanted was to sleep. To sleep, and think about anything other than a dead mage in a Chantry.

[evilponds]

ok i have inq brainrot again and im playing as cal so i am thinking abt how she'd get along with the companions & LOs

cullen: she tolerates him. to some extent he occasionally knows what hes talking about and people want him there so like, whatever

cassandra: cal would flirt with her sooo much but i think theyd end up being pretty good friends. i do think she'd find cass a little too fantasy-catholic for her tastes but they can work on that

sera: You Are My Little Sister Now. yeah sure we can prank cullen. whatever u want bud. she'd absolutely join the jennies post-game

bull: besties. immediately besties. if telepathy were possible thats how theyd communicate

dorian: too fancy for her. she'd like him but she would have to dunk on him a little bit occasionally. lovingly

vivienne: i feel like theyd disagree on pretty much anything but cal would have a very deep respect for her. i feel like they'd have a lot to talk about tbh

blackwall: man this ones a bummer because i think cal would to some extent see him as a father figure but i think once she learned what hes done in the past she would have a hard time getting past that

cole: cole my friend cole. i think cal would find him a very calming person to be around but as a deeply repressed person she'd be a little discomfited by his insights

leliana: ok TBH if inquisition leliana were a romance option cal would probs gravitate to her. i think they could help each other be a little more earnest. cal would 100% choose her for divine. catholic in a kind of horny way cal could vibe with

josephine: would have suuuuch a soft spot for josephine. cal would hang out with her a lot and try to get her to loosen up a bit

ummmmm shoot who else is there.

OH yeah varric. i think cal would LOVE that fantasy james patterson is the mayor. shes read all his books. they'd end up being friends but she would also name-drop him at the weirdest times

solas: Who Are You. could you please leave. youre killing the vibe

[disasterdrvid]

Iori absolutely knows Cal. Her and Fenris visit Isabela occasionally, and the Champion of Kirkwall among Lords of Fortune draws attention. She didn't get to officially meet her until she was fully inducted and thus closer to Isabela. (I headcanon that while she was recruited by another Lord, she served on Isabela's ship for a time and eventually became a bosun's mate. She was close to full promotion to bosun when she botched the job that landed her with Varric.)

[scottysketches]

About the Blog ~

>> Commissions are currently closed.

Hey there!

I’m Scotty, a queer writer and artist from the UK.

My primary fandoms that I write for are Mass Effect, Dragon Age Inquisition / The Veilguard, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Assassin’s Creed Revelations / Odyssey, however I do also occasionally dip my toes into other Assassin’s Creed titles, Final Fantasy XV, RWBY, Thunderbirds Are Go (2015 reboot), Doctor Who (and its various spin-offs) and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Most of my fanart will revolve around my various iterations of Commander Shepard and Pathfinder Ryder (Mass Effect trilogy / Mass Effect Andromeda) and my Inquisitors (Dragon Age Inquisition) and Rooks (Dragon Age: The Veilguard).

This blog contains/discusses 18+ & NSFW content.

Feel free to follow / ask / message / chill here if:

You enjoy people holding up blorbos like they’re comparing different paint swatches in a hardware store

You want to chat about particular fandoms/pairings that are listed below

You want to know more about me – send me ask/tag games! I love games!

Move on if:

You’re a TERF, paedophile, or promote bigotry of any sort (queerphobic, transphobic, racist, sexist, fascist, anti-choice, zionist, etc.)

You’re under the age of 18 (if you do not have your age in your blog bio or somewhere I can find it, you will be blocked, I am not interested in interacting with minors)

You’re just a troll or an asshole

I’m always happy to receive writing prompts and ideas, but there’s no guarantee if/when I’ll fill it, as I have to be in The Zone for the creative juices to flow properly. So if you do send something but don’t see a response, I haven’t forgotten! I just need to be in the right space for it.

Tags/Links of note:

#scotty’s words – My writing

#scotty’s art – My art

#scotty’s answers – Answers to asks

#kassnat – Everything to do with the Kassandra/Natakas pairing from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Legacy of the First Blade DLC)

#obitine – Everything to do with the Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze pairing from Star Wars: The Clone Wars

#otp: endless affection - Everything to do with the Ezio Auditore/Sofia Sartor pairing from Assassin's Creed Revelations

#otp: swift and cunning - Everything to do with the Inquisitor (Maha'anon Lavellan*)/Scout Lace Harding (unofficial) romance from Dragon Age Inquisition

#otp: so excited he set the curtains on fire - Everything to do with the Dorian Pavus/The Iron Bull pairing from Dragon Age Inquisition

#otp: the darling dead - Everything to do with the Male Elf Grey Warden Rook (Kione Thorne*)/Emmrich Volkarin pairing from Dragon Age: The Veilguard

My AO3 account – where I publish my longer-form writing/fanfiction

My BioLink

My Main Ships: (Ships written in bold are the ones I write the most)

Mass Effect:

Shepard/Liara T’Soni (Original Trilogy) Male Shepard/Tali’Zorah vas Normandy (OT) Male Shepard/Miranda Lawson (OT) Male Shepard/Samara (OT) Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian (OT) Female Shepard/Thane Krios (OT) Female Shepard/Jack (OT) Garrus Vakarian/Tali’Zorah vas Normandy (OT) Jeff "Joker" Moreau/EDI (OT) Male Ryder/Cora Harper (Andromeda) Male Ryder/Vetra Nyx (A) Ryder/Jaal Ama Darav (A) Female Ryder/Suvi Anwar (A)

Dragon Age:

Male Warden/Morrigan (Origins) Female Warden/Alistair Theirin (O) Inquisitor (Maha'anon Lavellan*)/Scout Lace Harding (Inquisition) Male Inquisitor/Dorian Pavus (I) Male Inquisitor/Cassandra Pentaghast (I) Dorian Pavus/The Iron Bull (I) Blackwall/Josephine Montilyet (I) Varric Tethras/Cassandra Pentaghast (I) Male Elf Grey Warden Rook (Kione Thorne*)/Emmrich Volkarin (Veilguard) Lucanis Dellamorte/Neve Gallus (V) Antoine/Evka (V)

Star Wars:

Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze (The Clone Wars) Obi-Wan Kenobi/Quinlan Vos (TCW) Anakin Skywalker/Padme Amidala (Prequel Trilogy, TCW) Ahsoka Tano/Lux Bonteri (TCW) Korkie Kryze/Amis (TCW) Korkie Kryze/Original Female Character (post-Order 66) (TCW) Cal Kestis/Nightsister Merrin (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor) Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla (Rebels) Garazeb Orrelios/Alexsandr Kallus (Rebels) Leia Organa/Han Solo (Original Trilogy, Sequel Trilogy) Luke Skywalker/Mara Jade (Legends) Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker (The Mandalorian)

Assassin’s Creed:

Ezio Auditore/Sofia Sartor (Revelations) Jacob Frye/Ned Wynert (Syndicate) Evie Frye/Henry Green (S) Bayek/Aya (Origins) Kassandra/Natakas (Odyssey, Legacy of the First Blade DLC) Kassandra/Alkibiades (Od) Alexios/Alkibiades (Od) Alexios/Lykaon (Od) Myrinne/Xenia (Od) Eivor (male & female)/Randvi (Valhalla)

Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, Magnus Chase, Trials of Apollo):

Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase (PJO, HoO, MC) Grover Underwood/Juniper (PJO, HoO) Nico di Angelo/Will Solace (HoO, ToA) Sally Jackson/Paul Blofis (HoO, ToA) Frank Zhang/Hazel Levesque (HoO, ToA) Magnus Chase/Alex Fierro (MC)

Other fandoms:

Ignis Scientia/Original Male Character [i.e. Comrades avatar] (Final Fantasy XV) Noctis Lucis Caelum/Lunafreya Nox Fleuret (FFXV) Prompto Argentum/Aranea Highwind (FFXV) Noctis Lucis Caelum/Prompto Argentum (unrequited) (FFXV) Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long (RWBY) Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos (RWBY) Nora Valkyrie/Lie Ren (RWBY) Qrow Branwen/Winter Schnee (RWBY) Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi (RWBY) Weiss Schnee/Jaune Arc (RWBY) Ruby Rose/Oscar Pine (RWBY) Jaune Arc/Neptune Vasilias (RWBY) Gordon Tracy/Penelope Creighton-Ward (Thunderbirds Are Go - 2015 reboot) Alan Tracy/Tanusha "Kayo" Kyrano (TAG) Virgil Tracy/Hiram "Brains" Hackenbacker (TAG) John Tracy/bagels (crack ship) (TAG) Robert Crawley/Cora Crawley (Downton Abbey) Mary Crawley/Matthew Crawley (DA) Edith Crawley/Michael Gregson (DA) Edith Crawley/Bertie Pelham (DA) Sybil Crawley/Tom Branson (DA) Tom Branson/Lucy Smith (DA) Rose MacClare/Atticus Aldridge (DA) Isobel Crawley/Richard Merton (DA) Charles Carson/Elsie Hughes (DA) John Bates/Anna Bates (DA) Joseph Molesley/Phyllis Baxter (DA) Daisy Robinson/Andrew Parker (DA) 9th Doctor/Rose Tyler (Doctor Who) 10th Doctor/Rose Tyler (DW) 11th Doctor/River Song (DW) 12th Doctor/River Song (DW) Amy Pond/Rory Williams (DW) Madame Vastra/Jenny Flint (DW) Luke Smith/Sanjay (The Sarah Jane Adventures) Clyde Langer/Rani Chandra (SJA) Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones (Torchwood) Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato (T) Gwen Cooper/Rhys Williams (T) Sonic the Hedgehog/Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedgehog) Sonic the Hedgehog/Shadow the Hedgehog (STH) Miles "Tails" Prower/Cream the Rabbit (STH) Knuckles the Echidna/Rouge the Bat (STH) Shadow the Hedgehog/Rouge the Bat (STH) Vector the Crocodile/Vanilla the Rabbit (STH) Vector the Crocodile/Espio the Chameleon (STH) Silver the Hedgehog/Blaze the Cat (STH)

[bigfan-fanfic]

Stolen Glances

Time for Day 8 of the 14 Days of DA Lovers by @14daysdalovers! 

Prompt: Stolen Glances Pairing: Cal Hawke/Varric Tethras (pre-relationship) Summary: The Champion has long since given up on Varric loving him back, but can’t help looking.

-- - 

“Cal. You’ve got to stop this. It’s depressing.” Isabela sighed. “You’re spoiling my ale with your sour face.”

Cal scratched awkwardly at the stubble on his face. “You don’t have to drink with me, you know.”

“Oh, believe me, I know. “ she smirked. “Usually, though, you’re a much better partner to drink with.”

“I’m a sad drunk, Bela. Don’t you know that?” Cal grunted. He stared again over his shoulder at Varric, who was talking to Mila and lovingly stroking his crossbow.

Cal had long since given up on his feelings being returned. But that didn’t stop his hopeless pining. He cast a last longing glance over at Varric before turning away.

He would just have to be content with stolen glances.

“Varric. Why don’t you just tell him?” Mila whined. “It would make you both so much happier.”

Varric gave a shrug into his ale mug and took another swig. “It’s impolite to interrupt a drinker when you don’t have a drink yourself.”

“You made that rule up.” Mila protested. “And besides, you need to stop living in the past. Look at the future you could have.”

But Varric only stroked Bianca, imagining it was Cal in his arms and smiling at him. “Sorry, Stacks, but Bianca’s the only one I’m good enough for.”

And just for a moment, he let himself hope, and turned in his seat to glance at Cal... but the man was drinking with Rivaini, and all Varric saw was the back of his head.

He would have to be content with stolen glances.

[darlingrutherford]

@bigfan-fanfic won second place in my blog giveaway! Big thank you once more for being so incredibly kind and patient with me filling this as my health has been up and down. 

He entrusted me with his wonderful OC Cal Hawke, and asked me to write this great idea with him and Varric. Thank you for trusting me with Cal and for always being such a big support! <3

The fic is under the cut, and I’ll also be linking below for those of you who have Ao3 accounts and would like to read it there :)

Rainy Days | Cross-posted on Ao3 | Cal Hawke/Varric Tethras | DA - Post DA:I | Explicit - sex, oral, all that fun stuff | 18+ only, please!

     Kirkwall was dreary. What Varric had hoped would be a sunny day off had swiftly turned into an onslaught of dark, grey clouds and heavy rain, all but ruining his plans. Or, so he thought. The viscount had quickly come up with an alternative plan to his outdoor picnic with Cal - namely, bringing it indoors. It wasn’t that far off from the original plan, he thought: a picnic blanket conveniently relocated near the hearth in their room; enough sandwiches and sweets to last them hours; a bottle of some fancy wine a noble had recently gifted to the viscount in hopes of gaining favor for the his new business endeavor; and, most importantly - no work, no one bothering them, just the two of them, alone. 

“Is our dear Viscount going crooked?” Cal teased as Varric offered him a filled cup of wine. The two of them sat on the blanket near the hearth, the crackling of the logs doing its best to drown out the sound of rain bouncing off the glass pane of the windows. Varric and Cal sat close to one another, their fingers overlapped when they weren’t otherwise occupied with their food. “Accepting bribes in exchange for favors?”

“Hey, I never said I’d give him the favor,” Varric said with a toothy grin. “He would have gotten the permit for his new fancy shop in the first place. Nothing wrong with letting him think he’s getting special treatment.”

“I suspect all criminals have said that at one point in time.”

“If I start turning to a life of crime because some noble gave me a bottle of wine, I’ll let you personally turn me in. How’s that sound?”

“Who says I’d want to turn you in?” Cal smirked. His pinky moved absentmindedly over Varric’s fingers, slowly stroking the tips of them as he took a drink. “Maybe I like the free wine.”

“Careful, Waffles. As Viscount, I’m probably expected to turn over devious criminals to the authorities, even if they’re as good looking as you.”

“You’d turn me in?” Cal scoffed mockingly. Varric nodded, his smirk giving away the playful nature to his response as he sipped from his own cup.

“It wouldn’t be easy, you being all tall and all,” Varric said. “I’d probably have to tie you up, the way we did that Orlesian grey warden that one time, and drag you in.”

Cal began laughing, though Varric easily noticed the way it slowly tapered off as Cal began staring at the sandwich on his plate in thought, the way his pinky slowed to a standstill. 

“What is it?” Varric asked. His eyes watched as a slight hue of pink began growing at the back of Cal’s neck. 

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Cal mumbled before taking another drink of his wine.

“Bullshit,” Varric laughed. Cal kept his eyes averted, all too keenly aware of how easily Varric was seeing through him. “Come on, Cal. You’ve got something on your mind. Tell me.”

“Well, it’s just…” Cal took a deep breath, allowing it to slowly sigh from his lips as he nervously scratched at the tip of his nose. Varric was patient, absentmindedly focusing on picking apart a piece of bread to pop in his mouth as he kept his eyes on Cal. “I was thinking about that time you brought up, with the grey warden we had to interrogate. Do you think… Maybe you should practice a bit? I mean, your knots were a bit sloppy.”

Varric snorted as he shifted on the blanket.

“What, in case I have to turn you in? Or… Wait, do you mean… You want me to tie you up?” 

The red had completely covered Cal’s neck at that point, spreading to his ears as he nodded and mumbled behind his hand. 

“I think I’d like that, yeah.” Cal tilted his chin slightly to glance at Varric when he heard no response. A devious grin had spread across the dwarf’s face. His eyes were travelling up and down Cal as if sizing him up while he stroked his chin in thought. 

“Waffles, you surprise me more and more every day,” Varric chuckled. Cal relaxed a bit, dropping his hand to his lap as the interest became clearly apparent on Varric’s face. Varric began looking around, the light of the hearth reflecting excitedly off his eyes as he rose from the floor and walked over to the window. Cal watched him as he pulled the tie from the curtains, laughing from his spot on the blanket as Varric regarded the ornate rope in his hands.

“Hey, don’t laugh at me, I’m making do with what we’ve got,” Varric scowled with a grin. 

“Sorry,” Cal mumbled through a smile. “Not to step on your toes, but there’s probably some downstairs.”

“Yeah, but this stuff’s a bit softer,” Varric said. He took the second tie from the other curtain. The room darkened significantly as the drapes fell, and the light of the hearth now only accentuated the smirk on Varric’s face. “What kind of lover would I be if I left your arms all raw from shitty rope?”

There was a witty response somewhere in there, Cal was sure. However, he found himself unable to pluck one from his mind as he found himself exceptionally focused on Varric’s eyes. He had tossed the rope onto the floor near Cal, considering his options while he looked over the man sitting silently next to all their goodies. 

“Strip,” Varric commanded simply. He held back a laugh, consigning himself to only a smirk as Cal practically leapt to his feet. Cal tried to remove everything at once it seemed, fiddling with his belt, his boots, all the while tearing his shirt over his head. Each piece got tossed far to the side, onto the bed, anywhere Cal could focus on as he tried to meet Varric’s demand as quickly as possible. When he finally stood naked in front of Varric, Cal presented his hands almost immediately in front of him, as one all too eager to be taken away. Varric finally allowed himself a laugh at Cal’s enthusiasm. 

“Nah, behind your back,” Varric corrected him. Cal paused for a moment, just a second, before turning his back to Varric and pulling his hands together to face Varric. Cal could hear Varric’s steps on the wooden floor, each one slower than usual, building up tension as Cal waited excitedly for the moment it would happen. Then, there was nothing. Cal’s eyes began wandering in front of him, searching for a shadow, anything that would give him some kind of a clue as to what Varric was up to. He began turning his head when Varric quickly corrected him with a, ‘Ah-ah!’, and Cal straightened his stance to stare forward with a grin. 

Varric took his sweet time. Cal was right, his ability to tie off rope wasn’t anything special past his ability to tie goods to a cart. Still, his simple knots that wound around the man’s wrists and pulled them tightly together would be good enough to keep Cal from being able to wiggle out of them. When Varric had finished tying Cal’s hands, he took a step back, taking a moment to appreciate his view in the warm light. The light of the hearth flickered off of Cal’s back, accentuating every muscle, every mark. Cal shivered as he felt the tip of Varric’s finger running down his spine, finding himself relaxing into the touch. When Varric’s hand reached Cal’s, he grasped the bulk of the rope, tugging roughly until Cal fell to his knees with a light thud. 

“What would you like to do? Or, like me to do?” Cal asked as Varric began walking around him. Varric paused before he began looking around as he sensed Cal’s nervous rambling beginning. “Do you want me to move to the bed? Or lie down? Are you going to take off your clothes? Should I - ”

Cal was silenced quickly by a wadded up cloth napkin that Varric shoved into his mouth, just before placing his hands on Cal’s shoulders and shoving him onto his back. Cal hit the floor with a muffled ‘Oof!’, his eyes fixed on Varric with a sparkling glint. Varric chuckled as he stood back with his hands on his hips.

“Are you going to talk the whole time, or do I need to keep this in there?” He asked teasingly. He took a step forward, intending to remove the napkin that he had placed in Cal’s mouth as a joke, only to pause as he watched Cal’s cock rapidly growing before his eyes. “Well, how about that? You like being gagged, Waffles?” 

Varric’s voice was light, a chuckle working its way through his throat as Cal enthusiastically nodded. Varric shrugged with a smirk, leaving the napkin in Cal’s mouth as he began removing his own shirt. Cal strained his neck to watch Varric, his eyes glimmering as he ran them all over Varric’s chest. Instinctively he began speaking again, only to be thoroughly muffled by the napkin.

“You’ll have to wait until afterwards for your comments,” Varric chuckled. He didn’t give Cal much time to look when he slid off his trousers before he moved to the floor. Cal could only watch the top of Varric’s head, his breath heavy through his nose as Varric pushed Cal’s legs apart and began kissing his way up Cal’s thigh. 

Cal exhaled sharply into the napkin as he felt Varric’s lips press against the birthmark high on his thigh. The viscount’s stubble tickled his skin, scraping against him as Varric nibbled on the mark and made Cal squirm. Cal found himself pulling against his bonds behind his back, half wishing that Varric was a bit worse at tying knots so that he could grip and pull on the man’s ginger hair as he moved further up. 

The napkin may have been keeping Cal from talking, but it didn’t do much to stop the man from sighing loudly as Varric’s tongue licked the tip of his swollen cock. It twitched at the contact, and Cal gasped sharply through his nose as he felt Varric’s thick fingers wrap around his girth. Maker, he wanted to say something, to praise Varric for the way he was stroking him, the way his lips curled around his cock and expertly sucked at him, but Cal didn’t dare to push the napkin out of his mouth with his own tongue. Instead, he resigned himself to showing his affection through his muffled moans, his sharp breaths, the way his hips bucked upwards towards Varric as his hands tried their best to grip at the picnic blanket beneath him. Varric knew how to work Cal through and through. He had quickly become an expert while the two of them had made up for lost time, and Cal soon found his chest heaving while a steady string of moans vibrated in his throat as he came closer and closer to exploding when, suddenly, it stopped.

Cal’s head shot up to find Varric smirking at him. His hand was still wrapped around Cal’s cock, now at a standstill as he slowly relinquished his grip despite Cal’s whimpers. Cal waited for Varric to offer an explanation that never came as the viscount instead stood and walked over to their nightstand. Cal’s heart skipped a beat as he realized what Varric was doing - grabbing the small bottle of oil Varric kept in the nightstand. Varric poured some of the oil onto his hand, eliciting a controlled, deep groan as he spread it over his cock, and Cal felt his mouth watering. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t leave you high and dry,” Varric promised with a smirk. Cal’s breath was heavy as Varric kneeled between his legs once more. Varric continued stroking his own length with his left hand, reaching his right between them and pressing a thick, oiled finger to Cal’s hole. Cal’s eyes fluttered shut, his head hitting the floor as Varric slowly and gently pressed it in. Cal breathed in short, sharp breaths, his own cock throbbing and twitching as Varric loosened him. Varric took his time, making sure that Cal was ready for him entirely before he slowly removed his finger and then pressed the crown of his cock to him. 

Cal moaned into the napkin, his eyes rolling back as he took in Varric’s length. The feel of him effectively satisfied his need to have his own stroked - at least, for the time being. Varric may have been shorter than Cal, but his presence was never lacking. Cal found himself engulfed by it, completely overwhelmed by the way Varric commanded all of his attention. Varric’s thrusts were short, full of a strength Cal was sure he would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Even if he couldn’t kiss Varric through the gag of the napkin, he could feel his love, his care, his full and utter affection through every thrust, every squeeze of his fingers on Cal’s thighs.

“Fuck, Cal, you always feel so damn good,” Varric sighed raspily, making Cal’s heart skip a beat. Varric brought his oiled hand to Cal’s cock, and a deep, loud moan broke through Cal’s throat as Varric gripped it tightly and began stroking it at a pace to match his own thrusts. Varric’s hips began picking up the pace, his thrusts just as controlled and steady as before. Varric could feel Cal tightening around him, could see the scars on his arms and chest stretch against his muscles as he flexed against the bonds that held him. Varric sped up his hand, thrusting into Cal sharply as he found himself eager to see his love come undone beneath him. Three more thrusts and Cal burst, his arms straining against the rope as he gasped into the napkin while his hips jerked. White streaked out of him, hitting Varric’s chest before coating his hand with the rest as Varric groaned and pulsed inside Cal with his own release. 

Varric remained poised above Cal for a minute, his grip lessening as he breathed deeply to help slow the spinning of his head. When he was finally able to focus on Cal, he chuckled as he found the man smiling as wide as he could with a napkin in his mouth, face and body flushed with his eyes closed in complete bliss. 

“Shit, if I had known a little rope would get that kind of response from you, I would have tied you up a long time ago,” Varric breathed. He leaned forward and tugged the napkin out of Cal’s mouth. Cal barely moved, seemingly content for the moment to just lie there. The two of them groaned in unison as Varric pulled out of him. The viscount leaned forward, kissing Cal’s shoulder before turning him onto his side and undoing the tie on his wrists. The moment Cal felt the pressure release from his wrists, he sat up and flung himself at Varric, knocking him to the ground with a hug and passionate kisses that Varric eagerly returned. 

“You’re getting - Hey, I’m all - sticky - “ Varric tried to say through Cal’s kisses. 

“Don’t care,” Cal mumbled against Varric’s lips, before slipping his tongue into the dwarf’s mouth and pulling him as close as humanly possible. Varric laughed against his lips, resigning himself to the fact that their chest hair would probably be stuck together by the end of it. 

Thank the Maker for the rain, Varric thought to himself smugly. Who knew an indoor picnic would have been so fruitful? 

[warpedlegacy]

Attention:

I shall do my best to tag all Dragon Age: The Veilguard posts as "veilguard spoilers" for those who wish to block any info related to the game. If I miss one, feel free to let me know and I'll tag it. You have been warned.

Reprisals

So it occurs to me I’ve never actually created a promo post for my ongoing fic of Theresa Trevelyan, my Inquisitor OC. So here goes! 

Reprisals is about lies. But it’s also about the truth. In very much the same way a shadow comes from light. The Chantry has told many lies. Theresa Trevelyan is merely one of them. They called her a heretic first, then a savior, then a prophet. She rejects the myth they've made of her life and her suffering. But more than this, she resents their erasure of the truth behind her rise to power. You think you know the story of the Herald of Andraste? Now you will hear the truth. With a little help from Thedas's favorite serial author, of course.

Set within a frame narrative of Theresa telling her story to Varric, who is writing it all down with the intent that the world will finally know the real person behind the stories. Reprisals is about lies and truth, yes. But it’s also about being seen. About learning to see ourselves, to look inward and find our own truths. About relearning who we are after the pain - not because of it or in spite of it, but simply after it. 

This project started simply as a desire to get back into the writing groove after a long hiatus by documenting my headcanon story of DAI. And it kind of snowballed from there lol. You will see my writing change as it goes along, as I grow more comfortable with both Theresa’s character and my own voice. I hope if you choose to engage you will enjoy the journey as much as I am! 

Reprisals, main series

Book One: The Rise - Begins with the game’s beginning, up through their arrival at Skyhold and the naming of Theresa as Inquisitor

Book Two: The Reign  - Continues on from where The Rise left off, meant to go up through the end of the base game’s events. Currently WIP. 

Book Three: The Revelation - Has yet to be written. Is meant to cover the events between the end of the base game up through Trespasser. 

While Time Remains

Currently WIP, post-Trespasser series. Theresa and Cullen begin their new lives after the events of Trespasser. A multi-chapter series meant to bridge the gap between DAI and DAD. Mostly focusing on the domestic lives of Theresa and Cullen, but with some tidbits of angst, smut, child rearing, action, and espionage thrown in. There are at least four planned arcs, and a planned end.

’Til Winter’s End - The first arc for WTR. After the events of the Exalted Council, Theresa feels adrift. No Anchor, no Inquisition, no home, and no left arm. What she does have are two clear points of reference. The first is her steadfast determination to stop Solas from enacting his plan to destroy the world. The second is in her husband, Cullen. At his suggestion, they spend their honeymoon in South Reach with his family for a long-awaited reunion, where Theresa begins to recuperate. But when all the bustle of duty and danger is gone, she is left with only herself, and has to relearn who that is.

The Black City - WIP, Picks up where TWE left off. Kirkwall is known as the “City of Chains”. Its jet black walls feel like an appropriate backdrop for a site whose history is filled with dark and bloody deeds. It is also where Theresa and Cullen have decided to make their new home, now that the Inquisition has been disbanded. Together with Cullen’s youngest sister, Rosalie – an apostate and now Theresa’s pupil – and their mabari Cal, they make a valiant attempt at settling down and starting fresh. But the past will not stay quiet, and unresolved hurts begin to fester, spreading their corruption into the present, and possibly poisoning any future they hope to build. (fic banner created using concept art for Kirkwall, commissioned art by neonteeth with permission, and flycam shot found here)

Side stories set within the same canon

Swept Away: Set post-Trespasser, with Josephine Montilyet and Isabela as the main characters, with small tidbits of Theresa’s world state peppered into the background as passing mentions only. If you like Pirates of the Caribbean and Pride and Prejudice, and ever wondered what a story that combined the two would look like, then look no more! Josie/Isabela is a rare pair that I deeply love and think it deserves more attention.

350: A series of drabbles about various characters and moments within the DAI storyline, each one exactly 350 words. This was a personal challenge for me to help fix my at times overly-verbose writing. 

Seeker, It’s Cold Outside: Varric/Cassandra, trapped in a cave during a snow storm. No smut, just fluff and some humor, with some very strong hints at shipping. And vitriolic banter, because who’re we kidding it’s the whole appeal of this pairing. 

Fools (or, Truth and Lies): Varric/Cassandra. If you read the above story and thought, “okay but do they bang?”, this fic is the answer. (spoilers, the answer is YES). 

The Catch: Theresa/the Iron Bull, set after Haven’s fall, during their time trapped in the mountains before reaching Skyhold. FWB. Smut as hurt/comfort. Some light D/s and sex-in-a-tent kinkiness. 

An Evening In: Cullen/Theresa. Set sometime during Book Three: The Revelation. The Inquisitor's latest excursion has had to be delayed due to an impending winter storm. With forward progress stalled, Cullen suggests they take the chance to comb through some much-neglected paperwork whilst secluding themselves in her quarters. This unexpected gift of extra time together leads to an unexpected revelation for Cullen.

Just Missing You: Cullen/Theresa. The Inquisitor finally returns after an extended journey, eager to reunite with her love, but she and Cullen seem to keep just missing each other, pulled apart as they are by the endless tasks of Skyhold.

Morningside: Cullen/Theresa. Porn with feelings. Theresa awakens after recovering from a serious injury, and is in the mood. Luckily, Cullen is right there. Mostly some light-hearted sexy fun, with a bit of character and relationship development thrown in as extra toppings.

Fluffuary: Exactly what it says on the tin. This is where I post all my filled Fluffuary prompts that are set within the Reprisals world state.

Blood in my mouth, and the bitterness in goodbye: f!Warden Cousland/Leliana. Leliana-focused story, takes place in between Origins and Awakening. Sort of a prologue for her story in Reprisals.

Fiercely Perish: You want Die Hard in Thedas? I got your Die Hard in Thedas! Sort of a crack fic, but also just a fun time. 

Theresa Trevelyan in other stories

The Storm Within: Part of DAFF server’s OC exchange event, written by @lalaenwrites. Theresa meets a Dalish Keeper with whom she seemingly has nothing at all in common... until they find common ground. 

Clearing the Field: Another OC exchange fic, written by MakjangCandy. Theresa and Cullen navigate a field of glyphs, both literal and figurative, together.

Silk & Steel: Another OC exchange fic, written by Gynedroid. The Inquisition has been disbanded, and the mark is gone. That means the Inquisitor's job is over, right?Well, not quite. Theresa Trevelyan will never turn her back on those who need help, particularly the mages she fought so hard to save. She no longer has the armies of the faithful at her back, or some of the best spies and diplomats the realm produced.  She has nothing but words at her disposal to persuade the famously iron-willed Queen Anora. Let it be enough.

Avatar by @neonteeth

Blog banner by @rakshadow​

[warpedlegacywrites]

Writing Forum Prompt - Dialogue

Write a dialogue between two people who know each other, each taking the opposite side of an issue or problem. This should be a verbal dance, not a shouting match. The issue you choose should be something immediate and particular (like whether to spend money on a vacation or put it in the savings account) rather than abstract (Communism is going down the tubes). Keep it simple and emotionally close to the two people involved. The speakers should be equally convincing. That is you, the author, can’t load the argument on one side or the other. 

Objective: To learn to use dialogue to reveal character and human dynamics and to understand that speaking style says as much about a person as their behaviour does. Incidentally, you should also recognize that dialogue should not be used for the following: for lengthy exposition, to furnish your stage, as a substitute for action, and as a vehicle for showing off your own vocabulary and education. A false line of dialogue can ruin an entire scene. 

Cullen stands in the doorway, exasperation barely concealed behind a slipping mask of patience, currently engaged in a staring contest with a much shorter but no less determined opponent. She has made herself an immovable object, seated in the middle of the floor with legs crossed beneath her, arms folded, face upturned and defiant. 

“Alright, dearest,” Cullen begins, with no small amount of trepidation. “It’s time to put on the dress now.”

“Nu-uh!” Ellie responds, plaintively, clearly expecting that to be the final word on the matter. 

“Now now, we discussed this. You agreed to put the dress on for the parade.” 

Her eyes brighten and she sits up with interest. “Horsies!” 

“Yes, you’ll get to see lots of horsies. Don’t you want to look nice for them?”

Interest contorts to disgust, as she sticks out her tongue and points imperiously to the offending garment, sprawled across her bed. “I don’t like that dress.” 

Cullen represses a sigh. “But that is the dress you picked.” He’s not sure why he’s bothering, but part of him just can’t help but point out the obvious discrepancy. 

“No more. I un-pick.” 

“Well, I re-pick.”

“No Papa, that’s silly! Re-pick is not a word!”

“Well, I suppose you have me there.” Maker save him, he was losing a battle of wits with a four-year-old. “I just thought you liked that dress. You refused to take it off all last week.”

“It’s stiff-ing.” 

“...Stifling?” Cullen corrects, behind barely repressed snickering. 

“Stiffff-ing,” she echoes, still not quite getting her tongue around that “l”. 

He lets her have that one, far too charmed by her mangling of the word to bother arguing. Maker knows who she heard it from - her mother, at first guess, though Varric is another likely culprit. 

“Alright then. You don’t have to wear that dress, but you must at least wear something clean.” 

The tunic she’s currently wearing is in an appalling state, the victim of too many afternoons with mud pies and mabari-wrestling. But her scowl returns, and he knows this fight isn’t over yet. She unfolds and refolds her arms more firmly, shaking her head no so emphatically it spreads to her torso, as her arms hug protectively over the soft and soiled linen. 

But then an idea strikes him, and he leans forward, hands on knees, to bring his face closer to hers. She watches him, doe-wide dark eyes tilted up with interest, waiting for his next manoeuvre. 

“What if I said you could wear my fluffy coat?” 

The light in her face might as well come from the sun itself, as she grins ear to ear at that prospect. Yes, he’d thought that would do the trick. How many times had he watched her sneak into Mama and Papa’s room, stealing away with the mantle that had once been his most defining feature in his years at Skyhold? How many hours had she spent shouting orders in a higher-pitched version of his Commander voice at Cal, while he wiggled his tail eagerly and she drowned in the many folds of fabric? 

“But we mustn’t get it dirty, do you understand?” he cautions, treating this as a most serious issue. 

Ellie takes her cue from him, nodding solemnly. “I promise.” 

“Very well. I’m going to entrust it to you for the day then. Let’s get you something nice to wear under it, shall we?” 

“Alright!” 

He straightens, but not before lifting her up into his arms, and together they approach her wardrobe to find something that is both not “stiff-ing” and also “nice”. 

[midmorninggrey]

Corny Combat Dialogue: OC Edition

One of my favorite parts of playing Dragon Age is when all the companions start yelling. So I started a list of weird things my OCs might yell.

Cal the Canary

[Combat]

"Incoming!"

"We've got company."

"Cut them down!"

"Come on then!"

"Right, they're coming at us now."

"Was this part of the plan?"

"Horsefeathers!"

"Whoops, watch out for that one."

"I've got your back!"

"You should've run when you had the chance!"

"First time?"

"I'm going to hit you now!"

"My arms don't have the reach."

"I can't hold them much longer!"

"I'm feeling a little peaky."

[Low Health/KO]

"Andraste's arse, Anders!"

"Merrill - not good!"

"Get up, Isabela! Pretty please!"

"How'd they best Aveliene?"

"They got Varric!"

"Oh no, there goes Sebastian."

"No, Bethany! You'll regret that, you bastards."

"Fenris! Not while I live!"

"Hawke! Hold on, Hawke!"

"Fall back, Hawke!"

"Get to Hawke."

[Locks/Interactions]

"I'm stuck...(Again.)"

"I walked into a trap."

"There's a trap over here! You'll never guess how I know."

"Oh, bother."

"I'm not the one to ask for that, sorry."

"Why don't you let me take a try?"

"There you go."

[After Combat]

"Everyone here?"

"I felt braver when they were trying to kill us. Now they're just...on the ground, aren't they?"

"Maker, what a mess." 

"That was fun. Let's never do it again."

"Hawke, have you ever thought of staying in? With a hot drink or something?"

Arden Trevelyan 

[Combat]

"Be ready."

"Don't try me."

"Pray that you come back stronger in the next life."

"Is this how you thought you'd die?"

"Do not fear the pain - it is your teacher."

"Not today!" 

"Stop sniveling."

"I'll break your skull."

[Low Health/KO]

"Seeker! The Maker does not will it!"

"Don't touch them!

"No, it's not his/her time!"

"Sera! Shit!"

"Bull! Gods."

"Ah, Solas is taking a nap."

"Dorian - no! You will not take him!"

[Locks/Interactions]

"Let us meet this moment with quiet contemplation."

"Fuck! More demons."

"Don't ask me where I learned to do that."

"I've been told I have nimble fingers."

"Blasted - shit assed - what bloody arsehole?!...And praise be to Andraste. Sorry."

[After Combat]

"Is everyone alright?"

"It's done. For now."

"May the Maker show us mercy."

"Take a breath if you need it."

"Let's move on."

Celeste Trevelyan 

[Combat]

"They're coming this way!"

"There are things worse than death! I think."

"That hurt." 

"Ow!"

"Back to the shadows!" 

"I don't fear you!"

"Take that! And that!" 

"Got one! Did you see?"

"I don't feel so good."

[Low Health/KO]

"Cole! I won't let them hurt you!"

"Wait, Solas fell!"

"I think Vivienne's hurt."

"I have to help Varric!" 

"Blackwall - Get up! Victory!"

"I need to help them!"

[Locks/Interactions]

"Why won't it open...?"

"I don't want to do that."

"No?"

"I guess so."

"Aha! It's not so tricky."

[After Combat]

"Is it over?"

"I think I'm ready to go."

"Yuck."

[valsnotgothstuff]

DA4 thoughts:

I'm really bad at putting my thoughts into words and I am still fairly new to this fandom so I'm sorry

-cullen is nice, but I dont want him to be a major player (lol) in this game, like I know he isnt gonna just gonna sit back and relax the whole time, but him doing shit in the background would be perfect. This is coming from someone who's main canon inquisitor romanced him, I like the man, he is not perfect, but I feel like his arc is done

-i have mixed feelings about seeing solas, but like, I'm worried for my solasmanced lavellan. ashalle is gonna be so depressed I'm://///

-i want to see calpernia, if you told her about corphyface's plan to use her as a vessel and didnt kill her and sent her back to tevinter, shes such an awesome character.... how cool would she be as a companion I'm just brain shitting rn. Some interaction between cal and dorian would be so cool . 👀👀👀 bonus points fenris 👁👅👁

-i need zevran. I need him back, I miss him so much. I want him and my warden to come back but we saw what happened to our hawke's in inquisition. I cant do that again.

-im of the few who kinda want a romance with varric 👉🏻👈🏻 but like, I'm not gonna be super sad if not. I get it I get it

-GIVE US BETTER HAIRSTYLES PLEASE. We had like 33 bald and shaved hairstyles. Grab your reward bioware, you've earned it

-holy shit qunari lady (wife? I dont remember what we are calling her sorry) I really hope we get to have a well written romance, it's what we deserve

-longhaireddorianlonghaireddorianlonghaireddorian

-

[highwayphantoms]

Happy friday Jay!! Okay I love some Hawke and siblings content, 🥺“I’d come for you. No matter what, when you need me, I will be there.”

whoops I made it sad (I say, like that's not my default setting)

for @dadrunkwriting, here's a lil snippet of the Deep Roads expedition. ;)

Words: 461 Rating: T Warnings: nah

--

Why hadn’t they noticed sooner? Why hadn’t he said anything? Surely, with two mage healers among their small group, one of them would have realized something was amiss.

And yet there they were, desperately funneling every last scrap of magic they had into keeping Carver on his feet. What little hope Anders had been able to provide—other Grey Wardens nearby, Wardens who could potentially save Carver the same way the Hero of Ferelden had been saved—was enough to drive Cal forward. It was a slim chance, and they knew it, but there was no world in which Cal would ever go home without being able to say they’d done everything they possibly could to save Carver.

“We’re close,” Anders said in a low voice, interrupting Cal’s ever-bleaker line of thought. “Let me talk to them first.”

“Do it,” Cal murmured, their shoulders and back aching under the strain of supporting most of Carver’s weight. “Carv.”

He wasn’t fully lucid, hadn’t been since the last time Cal had slept, but he acknowledged them with a faint hum.

“I won’t force you. If you’d rather—”

“No.” His voice was strained, far quieter than it should have been, but at least it hadn’t deserted him entirely. “I won’t ask you to do that.”

“You know what Anders said. You won’t be able to come home.”

“I know.” Carver exhaled, long and slow, but said nothing more.

For a few moments, they were both quiet. Varric had trailed after Anders, granting the two siblings a modicum of privacy that Cal appreciated. In a quiet, but firm voice, Cal said, “I need you to know I’ll come for you. No matter what, if you need me, I’ll be there.”

He made a sound that might have been a cross between a laugh and a cough. “You’d better,” Carver rasped.

Cal wasn’t sure how long they stood there before Anders returned with a single man in the blue and gray of a Warden uniform. It could have been a few seconds, or an hour; in the Deep Roads time had ceased to mean much of anything. “Hm,” the new Warden said, glancing over the two Hawkes. “We can try. It’s the most I can offer.”

“I just ask one thing,” Cal said. “Whatever happens, please send a letter to our mother in Kirkwall. Her name is Leandra. Leandra Amell.”

“If I remember to, I will,” the man said with a decisive nod, then stepped forward and gestured towards Carver. “Give him to me. We’ll do what we can.”

With some reluctance, Cal did so.

And that was it. A few minutes later, Carver and the Orlesian Warden were gone, and all Cal could think was I should have never brought him in the first place.