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lover-also-fighter-also · 3 months ago

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THE PRINCE SWAP

Hi everyone,

So me and @cadybear420 had this idea of writing an adaptation of The Princess Swap, but featuring our OG: HSS MC's, Jeremy Rin (my MC) and Alan Parke (Cady's MC). Hope you enjoy it. And please tell us in the comments/reblogs about how it is.

Tagging @choicesficwriterscreations for this work.

Additional tags: @somerandomjewelleryonthefloor @choicesmc

@choicescommunityevents

@choicesmonthlychallenge

Chapter 1 part 1: Worlds Collide

It was a gorgeous day in the kingdom of Monterre, and Jeremy Rin, new exchange student of Julivert University and member of the Delta Theta Delta sorority was in his room, putting final touches to his presentation.

'That's done! Now time for a break.' he said, stretching himself out, and hopping off the bed. Just then, the bedroom door opens, and Jeremy's best friend, and the first person he met in this country, Faye, enters.

'You done?' she asks, taking his laptop. 'Yep.' said Jeremy, 'Think that's good for a perfect grade?' Faye frowns as she skims through the presentation. 'Not bad, but you are certainly not going to get a perfect grade for this.' she said. 'That's okay.' said Jeremy, 'A decent grade is enough for me.'

'Come on, Jer. Don't you want to put a little more effort into this?' asked Faye. 'Nah, I'm good. Besides, I was hoping we hit the pub tonight. Come on Faye, live a little.' said Jeremy, grinning and giving a light punch on her shoulder. 'Besides, I think I would want to find more adventure than homework, now that I'm in another country.' Despite herself, Faye smiles a little. 'Okay Jer, you win. You always manage to smooth talk your way out of things. Wish I knew how you do that.' Jeremy grins. 'It's my secret talent. I can't share all my secrets, not even to my best friend.' as Faye gave him a look.

Meanwhile, at the Monterre Palace…

Prince Alan of Monterre stood in front of his mirror, while his closest friend and lady-in-waiting, Aveline fits him into his new pink and floral dress. 'Don't you think it's a little too loose, Ave?' said Alan, adjusting himself to the new dress.

'Not if you want to enjoy your afternoon tea, your highness.' said Aveline, rushing around and taking final adjustments. 'Relax Ave, its not the end of the world - oof', he stopped as Aveline made an adjustment tighter. 'But its my job to make things perfect for you, your highness.' she said, taking short breaths.

'Ave, look at me.' said Alan, grabbing her arms. 'You are doing just fine. Besides, I would hate to see that beautiful face of yours get wrinkled because of the constant frowning.' he said, giving a small wink. Aveline laughed. 'You flatter me, your highness. Oh, I almost forgot, your father sent this.' She pulled out a letter with the royal seal. Alan frowns.

'Why does he always have to be this formal? He is my dad for god's sake.' He said, as he broke the seal and read the letter out loud. 'My dearest son, I have cancelled your afternoon schedule, to make time for a more relaxing itinerary (attached below). You also need not worry about the royal council meeting either. I will see you for dinner tonight. Love, Father.'

Alan skims through the itinerary, his frown deepening 'Lunch, socialization, walk through the garden…What does he think I am? A kid? He can't control my life!' Aveline rubs his shoulder, comfortingly 'He has certainly got a lot more protective since your mother passed.'

'You know what, I can't deal with this right now. I am heading to the conservatory to clear my head.' He leaves his room, followed by Aveline.

At the Delta Theta Delta Sorority…

'It's a beautiful day.' says Jeremy, looking out of the building. 'If only there was a place that I can go that can help me relax for a while..'. 'I would say try the conservatory.' said Faye, looking up from her work. They say it has very unique varieties of plants and its a really cool place..'

'Yeah, I know all about it.' said Jeremy, pulling a picture out of his wallet, showing a beautiful young woman sitting at the fountain. She had Jeremy's eyes and the same smile. 'That's where my mom and dad met, and mom might have told me the story a million times.'

'Your mom was a Monterrian? You never told me Jer.' said Faye, looking at the photo. 'Nah, she is American, she was just visiting here when she met my dad.'

'Wow, that's cute.' said Faye. 'So that's where you disappear off to for hours'. she said looking up at him. Jeremy shrugged. 'Guilty as charged. Sort of feels like home that place, you know.' he said, looking pensive. Faye touched his shoulder, 'Jeremy…' she said, which made Jeremy snap out of his daze. 'Hey, don't go all sentimental on me, I'm fine!' he said, putting back his usual grin.

'I'm heading over there and will be right back before we hit the pub.' he said. Before Faye could say anything, he rushed out of the sorority building, taking a walk to the city's royal conservatory. He passed by the rows of familiar flowers and plants, musing in his thoughts. He turns to the corner, and bumps into a stranger. 'Woah watch it…' starts Jeremy, but stops mid-speech when he sees the stranger.

'Who are you?' says Jeremy. 'And why do we look alike?' say the two of them at the same time.

Just then, a young woman rushes to the corner, and stops to look at the two of them.

'Um…Prince Alan, why are there two of you?'

#choices #playchoices #pixelberry #choices stories you play #choices stories we play #choices high school story #oc: jeremy rin #alan parke (og hss mc)#the princess swap #hss x tps #choices the princess swap #fanfiction #choices fanfiction

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blighted-elf · 3 months ago

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your gif of varric talking to hawke about isabela makes me curious: what's your headcanon around how much varric stays in contact with the da2 companions after the game ends? :D like we know he'll send letters to the romanced companion in inquisition, but i'm curious on if you think he tries to maintain a friendship with them after or not

Ooh interesting question. Thank you for asking!

Purely just basing this on my own worldstate. Like you mentioned, he sends letters to the romanced companion (Izzy in my case) but I like to think he keeps in contact with all of them to varying degrees. As much as he complains about Sebastian and Anders, it's my headcanon that he still keeps in contact with them. The Kirkwall crew are a dysfunctional found family who fight and disagree to no end, but there will always be an underlying level of love there. A fundamental part of Varric is that he doesn't give up on people he cares about, even when he's mad at them or even when he probably should for his own sake. As for the others - I imagine he'd be in contact with Aveline a lot during his brief position as Kirkwall's Viscount. Fenris during and post Inquisition due to him helping the order. Isabela is one of his closest friends and so they'd keep in frequent touch even if she weren't an agent of the Inquisition. He's always checking in on Merrill and especially Bethany now that my Hawke has convinced herself that she needs to keep a distance from her loved ones or they'll get hurt.

On the contrary now that I think about it, my Hawke probably wouldn't stay in touch with any of them except Bethany, Isabela, Varric and Merrill. Not because she doesn't care for the others (because she does and always will) but because either the tense way things ended with them or just the differences in personality. She feels like it's better left alone. Guarantee that if you put her in a room with any of them again though, it would be like no time had passed between nights at the Hanged Man, shit talking over a game of Wicked Grace and the rather grim now.

What about you? Do you have any headcanons regarding it?

#Answered #fashionablyfyrdraaca #OC: Marian Hawke #Goddd they're all so complicated and I love them lmao

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highwayphantoms · 3 months ago

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Hi!! Happy Friday <3 Can I suggest "i don’t wanna see you. i don’t wanna be with you. i just want you to go." from the broken relationship prompts? for Cal and whoever you think would fit!

heh hehehe hehehehehe

sorry not sorry

here's some act 3 pain for @dadrunkwriting

Words: 1628 Warnings: Brief mention of unconscious self-harm

The city was burning. Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, the acrid scent of smoke was inescapable. A good, drenching rain would help, but of course he’d picked Kirkwall’s driest season to unleash havoc on the city. Cal was many things, but a summoner of rain was not one. A bolt of lightning, sure, but a whole storm? They doubted any one mage could pull that off. A group of mages working in concert, maybe, but Kirkwall’s population of mages had just been decimated. Cal didn’t have the slightest idea what the exact numbers would work out to be—Aveline and Carver had still been searching the whole of the Gallows for any lingering survivors when Bethany shooed Cal out. They were beyond exhausted, having spent their last reserves of magic on tending to the injured, and… well, Bethany was right. The rest of the city would need help, too, and Cal was no good to anyone if they didn’t rest.

Still, Cal wasn’t sure they’d be able to sleep. Not with the smoke clinging to their skin and the rage still simmering deep in their heart.

It didn’t have to be like this. Countless people were dead because he’d chosen to keep secrets instead of trusting them. So many apprentices cut down without the slightest chance to defend themselves. Harrowed mages slaughtered wholesale. Even the Tranquil—who posed no threat to anyone at all—were dead. Cal had counted maybe a dozen mage survivors, out of a population that, according to Bethany, had been well over a hundred.

“You’re making yourself bleed,” Fenris said.

Cal paused for a moment, studying their hands. Indeed, they’d absently picked the skin around one nail to the point of bleeding quite readily. “Not intentionally,” they replied, and resumed their quick pace through the city streets. The manor wasn’t much further, and the last thing they wanted was to be stopped by someone—anyone—that might recognize them.

They rounded the corner, and there it was. Intact, as far as Cal could tell from where they were, and lucky to be so—even here, a decent distance from the Chantry, there were buildings with chunks taken out of them. One on the far end of the plaza, closest to the Chantry, had collapsed entirely. Cal could only hope no one had been home at the time.

A bath, maybe, would help soothe their frazzled nerves… assuming the pipes still carried water in them.

Cal hated this. Hated being so useless to fix something that they might have prevented, had they paid closer attention. Hated being so angry.

They sighed, and headed for the front door. It was locked, even though Cal had very specifically directed Bodahn to take Sandal and Orana and leave. Anywhere was safer than Kirkwall, especially now. They dug through the bag somehow still tied around their waist, a good half dozen empty vials clattering against each other in the process. Even now, more than an hour since they’d swallowed the contents of the last one, the taste of lyrium lingered on their tongue. Finally Cal retrieved their ring of keys, few as they were, and had the door open in moments. They stepped inside, haphazardly tossed their staff in a corner, and sank onto the bench. “Right about now, I’d give anything to turn back time.”

“Wouldn’t we all?” Fenris said with a wry smile.

“Hah.” Cal leaned forward, resting their elbows on their knees, and studied the floor for a few seconds. “I know my sister probably made you swear to her that you’d make sure I got some sleep, but if you would rather be making yourself useful, I won’t tell.”

“Hawke.” A warning, though an affectionate one. “I am here because I choose to be.”

But I don’t want you to see me like this.

“Oh, you’re back!” said a familiar voice from the direction of the foyer. A moment later, Orana popped into the doorway, her face somehow pinched with worry yet simultaneously full of relief. “I wasn’t sure when you’d be back—I can run a bath for you and have supper ready by the time you’re done? If you would like?”

Cal sighed. “That would be great, Orana. Thank you.” Easier to let her do whatever than to argue about it. Orana disappeared from view, and Cal wearily got back to their feet. “Does anyone actually listen to me when I speak?” they grumbled.

“Yes,” Fenris said simply, and nudged them. “Go on. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

Reluctantly, Cal went. They trudged up the stairs, each step more effort than the last, and stopped by their bedroom just long enough to shed their armor on the floor. Later, they would worry about cleaning it up and buffing out any new damage. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week.

They paused in the hall by the closed door to what had been their mother’s room. Three years, now, and yet Cal still didn’t dare open that door. It wasn’t as if there would be some sort of unpleasant surprise on the other side—they knew Orana went in to dust and otherwise keep the room as it was. It was just… a sore spot, still. Another failure.

Cal was tired of failing.

Orana was lingering in the doorway when Cal finally reached the washroom at the end of the hall. A faint scent of lavender trailed out into the hall, though it wasn’t as soothing as Orana had probably hoped it would be. “Thank you,” they told her again, and she smiled fleetingly and darted past them. In the privacy of the washroom, Cal stripped off the rest of their clothes—every layer down to their skin reeked of iron and smoke. With distant concern, they noted their own injuries—a smear of purple starting to ink their ribs the most prominent among them—and then eased themself into the tub.

They hadn’t realized how much tension they’d been holding until the hot water began to melt it away. By morning, no doubt, Cal would be stiff and sore, but for the moment they could feel every muscle in their body starting to relax. They soaked for a few minutes, firmly focusing on the sensations and nothing else, before reaching for the most strongly scented soap they had. By the time that Cal emerged from the washroom, they could smell nothing but cloves and lavender; a vast improvement over the scent of smoke. The hearth in their bedroom had been lit in their absence, and upon noticing that, Cal stepped inside to find Fenris standing by the window with a bottle of wine in his hand.

“I thought we finished last bottle you had,” Cal said.

“We did. I bought this for your nameday, but I thought you might want it after today.” Fenris held it out in offer; Cal peered at it in the flickering firelight.

After a moment, they recognized it. “Doesn’t this cost several dozen sovereigns for a single bottle?”

“If you buy it in Hightown, perhaps.”

For a moment, Cal debated with themself. Then: “I won’t say no to a glass or several.”

Cal couldn’t quite say what had woken them. Whatever it was, it hadn’t disturbed Fenris, who was ordinarily as light a sleeper as they were; he hardly moved an inch even as Cal slipped out of bed. The hour was late, the faint glow of the banked embers the only light to be had. Something drew them out into the hallway, some sense that something was wrong.

They realized what it was when they reached the top of the stairs. A shiver in the Veil. Magic.

Though their anger had been tempered by food and wine, it suddenly surged back to full strength. Down the stairs they went, around the corner and down the hall. As they reached the kitchen, where the faintest light peeked out from under the door, Cal said in an icy voice, “I told you to leave.”

Without waiting for an answer, they shoved the door open and stalked inside. As they had expected, there stood the source of the day’s unnecessary bloodshed and pain, quite obviously warming up the scraps left over from the supper Orana had served earlier. Anders looked, frankly, like shit, not that it sparked much sympathy in Cal. He glanced guiltily at the cookpot hung over the newly reawakened fire, then looked back at Cal. “I thought—I hoped that you might be willing to talk.”

“You already had your chance to talk.” Cal took a steadying breath, then released it in one sharp exhale. “I thought I was clear. I don’t want to see you. I don’t want you in my home, much less my bed. I just want you to go. Go, and don’t come back.”

Hurt flashed across Anders’s face, but just as quickly disappeared. “You don’t really mean that.”

“Do you have any idea how many people died needlessly today?” Cal snapped. “Because of you. What kind of healer kills a hundred innocent souls in the hope it might spark a change?”

“Hawke—”

“No. I don’t want to hear your justifications. Get out.”

Anders sighed and glanced aside. “I’m sorry, Cal.”

A shoulder brushed against theirs—Fenris. “Go back to bed,” he said gently. “I’ll see him out.”

“Maker have mercy on you,” Cal snarled, “because you’ll get none from me.” They turned, briefly meeting Fenris’s eyes, then walked out of the kitchen. Cal made it five steps down the hall before their breath caught in their throat; around the corner before tears started to spill down their cheeks; halfway up the steps before they simply curled into a tight ball.

Void take him. Void take them all.

#jay writes #dragon age #cal hawke

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thekingofwinterblog · 1 year ago

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Dragon Age Imperium - Chapter 2.

The mood in Kirkwall was one of jubilation for the most part.

Their beloved Champion had been elected Viscount, Meredith, the Crazy Templar leader had been assassinated, and the Qunari were finally gone.

As such, the mood of the city as a whole was higher than it had been in decades.

Not all were happy though. Kirkwall's underworld had a decidedly less cheery outlook on the prospect of Hawke taking the throne. Both because the woman's infamous ability to turn her enemies in corpses by the hundreds, but also because she had time and again proven herself extremely hard to assassinate, as the Carta and Coterie had learned first hand.

Her donning the Viscount's crown, thus did not exactly fill any of them with glee.

And there was also the Elves of the City's Alienage.

Clan Sabrae had come years ago, less than a year after the blight, to try to convince the Viscount to allow the Elves of the city to leave Kirkwall in mass for New Arlathan.

That had not gone anywhere, but given the fact that one of Hawke's closest friends was a member of clan Sabrae, most understood immediately that things were about to change.

Wheter you regarded the coming mass emigration as a blessing, an unwelcome forced mass emigration, or something in between, large depended on the individual.

And of course, in the highest levels of power in the city, Hawke's rise was met with their own varied responses. Some knew her only by her performance in the Viscount's Keep, where she had saved them all as they saw it. Others knew her personally, or was more than familiar with her rather contrasting personally and capacity for killing anything she set her eyes on.

Wheter you regarded that as a good thing, or something be worried about also depended on the individual.

One in particular, who was anything but happy with the development was one Guard Captain Aveline.

---

Aveline groaned as she massaged the ridge of her brow.

"What, you don't like Brigandine?"

The flippant tone in Hawke's voice was far, far more annoyed than the pages on her table.

Each showcased a different kind of design, but all of them were marked by Kirkwall's coat of arms… Only in new colors.

"It's not the armor type that's the problem, Hawke… It's the prospect of having to refit every single one of my guards."

"Oh, it's not just about that… I also want to quadruple the size of the city guard."

This admission did surprise her.

Hawke did look like a proper Viscount. Aveline would give her that.

Fine silk, a cloak of white with the symbol of Kirkwall in blood red on it, and a nice crown topping her pretty face.

The way she sat on Aveline's desk, turned around sideways to look at her with her usual, carefree grin betrayed the royal image however.

Hawke was still the same Hawke. The same woman she had been when they had been part of Ferelden's military together.

"Quadruple the guard? May I ask why?"

Hawke shrugged.

"Oh, I don't know… Could be the fact that even with your better training and rooting out corruption, the Guard hasn't been able to control the streets at night, and I want that to change. Could be because we currently have no standing army at the moment, and I want to strengthen the one military institution I do have now, in case Meredith's successor is as crazy as she was… Or maybe I just wanna make life harder for you by giving you more work."

Aveline glared at her.

"That's the spirit! I was worried this was gonna be awkward from now on, with me being your boss and all."

"Ughhh… Well, at least it's practical armor."

"I know. Honestly, I wanted real plate armor… But it's simply too costly if I want to use silverite for it."

"Silverite!? Why? Steel is far, far cheaper."

Hawke nodded.

"I know… But the fact is Ferelden recently innovated on the whole Brigandine Silverite stuff. And I have no intention to be left behind in that Arms race. See the problem with Silverite is that it's stupidly hard, and light… it holds an edge like nobody's business… But the moment it takes real damage?"

"It crumbles, yes I know. Any real damage creates a weak spot in the metal that spreads from it, and simply cannot be fixed. If you want to fix it, you need to melt it down and reforge it completely. Well… Unless it's enchanted right anyway."

"Right! But that would be even more expensive. In any case, Silverite plate armor? Stupidly expensive to make, and you can't upkeep it… Which is why the Brigandine innovation Ferelden is doing is so crucial! Brigandine is cheap enough as it is, and the big beauty of it is that if it's damaged, you can you can just replace the metal plates underneath the outer layer with a new one."

Aveline nodded, feeling very surprised.

"Huh… That makes way more sense than I thought your reasoning would."

"We'll still use regular silverite for stuff like helmets and things… But the main coat will be Brigandine all the way… Emblazoned with my glorious new coat of arms."

"Coat of arms? 1. This is not the Amell Crest. 2. It's not the colors of the Amell crest, and 3. It's literally just the colors of Kirkwall with the black replaced by white."

"Well, I didn't say it was the Amell Coat of Arms! It's the coat of Arms of the Hawke Dynasty… Or at least the main branch. Carver might use the old Amell one if he wants to. I doubt he wants to use my new design."

"It's still just a recolor of Kirkwall's symbol."

"And what's wrong with that? I like the Kirkwall coat of arms. A much better symbol for the Viscounty than old Dumar's coat symbol. Then again… Maybe I should use a recolored Mabari coat of Arms instead? Remind everyone that I am a Dog Lord after all!"

"Very funny…"

She looked down over the armor designs. Seriously this time.

"We'll go with… This one."

"Oh, not the one with the old Avaar helmet? Well, that's fine too."

Avenline was pretty sure Hawke had put it amongst them just to get a rise out of her. If so, she would not give her the satisfaction.

"One more thing Hawke… Silverite armor is all well and good… But Silverite is not cheap material. Even as Brigandine it will be very expensive to outfit hundreds of men with this."

"I agree! Lucky me then, that I happen to have kept a record of all the various places our little band has found Silverite deposits over the years. The one up on Sundermount in particular is vast."

"You… You kept track of all of those? As we trekked through caves, and wilderness and Darktown all these years?"

"I kept track of the Orichalcum, Lyrium, and Glitterdust deposits too, but I don't think those will be as directly useful at the moment. Well not unless it becomes the style for Tevinter ladies to cover their faces again with sparkly, poisonous, flammable makeup, but short of that, I think getting investors for my new Silverite mines is the safer bet don"t you agree?"

The flippant tone did not make Aveline miss the implication that Hawke had, during hundreds of trips through the most filthy corners of Darktown, the most inhospitable parts of Kirkwall's wilderness, or the most bandit-ridden parts of the Broken coast, always had taken the time to mark down every spot she might one day might want to come back too.

Yes, that was Hawke. The woman was a jokester at heart, always ready with a flippant comment, and throwing seriousness to the wind… And then she would remind her that she was also extremely competent.

It was quite the contrast.

"Do you have any investors in mind?"

"Oh, some here, some there… Kirkwall isn't exactly lacking for people willing to invest in business ventures. Heck, I even have one of those already in the Bone Pit."

"So you do."

Hawke grinned and finally got her ass off the table, seemingly ready to end the conversation, which Aveline was in her own way happy for.

She was going to have a mountain of work, both papers, planning and physical, to actually make Hawke's plans for guard expansion to 1 800 guards into reality.

"Oh, and by the way Aveline… Do you want me to set you up with a title? I could make you an Arlessa, or Bann if you'd like."

"That would be a Baroness and Marquise Hawke. We aren't in Ferelden… But I'll have to decline."

She had NO interest in getting herself involved in feudal politics.

"Really? Aww… What's the point of being royalty, if I can't give favors to my friends?"

"That road lies nepotism, Hawke."

"You think so do you, Aveline? In that case, you should see what title I'm planning for Carver."

"Is that so? Well, I-Wait… You're not planning to give a title to Isabella are you?"

"Not at all… I gave her a letter instead. I don't think she'd want to rule a bit of land."

"A letter?"

She was utterly confused.

"Yeah. A letter of marque and reprisal, against brigands and other pirates in the Waking Sea. Oh and a ship too."

Aveline opened her mouth to groan, then stopped.

"Huh… That's… Actually not a bad idea."

"Really? No complaints? I thought you'd have some scathing words on the matter.

"No, I do not. Send a pirate to kill pirates. That's much better than her continuing this… Whatever you'd call these years she's been stranded here."

"Enjoying Kirkwall's hospitality?"

"Yes, I suspect she's enjoyed herself quite a bit on the hospitality of Kirkwall's men. Better she enjoys herself on other pirates instead."

"Glad you approve… As for your own titles… I won't force you, but the chance to become nobility will remain so long as I'm Viscount Aveline. I take care of my friends."

She gave her a grin and a wave and left.

---

"So, you're onboard investing into the Silverite mine after all?"

"I am Your Highness."

Lady Flora Harimann had seen better days… But then again, she was a lot easier to take seriously when she wasn't ranting to an ale tank, oblivious about what was going on around her.

The pretty robe did help too.

"Good. I'm Glad I'm Actually friends with at least one investor. 50/50 profits. Half to me to spend on soldiers, the business of state, and all that, and half to you to… Do what you want."

She looked a bit nervous.

"I'm… Still committed to aiding Prince Sebastian regaining his throne in Starkhaven your Highness."

"Good… But do please tell me about what you plan regarding it. I have my own plans too… And it would be better if whatever troops you can muster marches with my army when the time comes."

Relief washed over the woman's face.

"So you are planning on helping him as well on the matter?"

"Of course! Sebastian is one of my closest… Well, he is a personal friend at least. And I take care of my friends Lady Harimann. Preferably with coins or knives. Or both, I'm not picky."

"That is… Good to hear. Should I expect any news on the matter soon then?"

"No. It will take a while to recruit a standing army for Kirkwall, much less equip it, and then train it."

"I see… Well, I shall keep that in mind. On a personal note your Highness… Is your brother… Available?"

Ah, the world of marriages and politics interwoven together.

Her mother had once been part of this world… And she supposed so was she now… Mother would be proud of her… Surely she would have been.

"I would like to say yes… But no, I don't think so. My brother has his eyes set on someone you see… He just lacks the guts to actually man up and take her to the mountaintop for a lovely day out."

"Ah… Very well, then-" "And before you ask, no, I am not available either. I already have my eyes set on a man."

"Truly?"

"Oh yes… He's quite the catch… Rich, handsome, and of good, noble breeding, and stature… If a bit below me."

"Unless your highness means to marry outside the country, there are none of those around here I'm afraid… Unless you're talking of Sebastian."

"I'm not. Trust me. But you'll find out who it is in time."

---

After Lady Herimann left, Seneschal Bran Cavin, coughed nervously.

He had been strangely accepting of her ever since the election. Honestly, she was surprised. She had fully expected him to bitterly resent her, but so far, he did not.

He was, however, exasperated by her usual nonsense. Which she enjoyed immensely. It wasn't any fun unless people actually reacted to her.

"Viscount… This… Man, you intend to court… You've spoken of him several times so far in meetings… I think I know who it is… But…"

"Then keep it to yourself then Bran. That's an order."

She had no interest in this getting spoiled for her. It had been a long, long time since she had tried her hand at a serious relationship. She wanted to do it right… Not to mention if he learned about it, it wouldn't be nearly as fun.

"Very well… In that case… We have one more meeting regarding investors in the new mines… Then we move on to the meeting with the Dwarves you requested, followed by the meeting with Grand Cleric Elthina. She wishes to discuss the coronation and other things of religious matters."

"In other words, Templar stuff."

"That… As well I'm sure. And finally, I have arranged the transfer from the gallows you've requested."

"Great! I haven't seen Bethany in ages now."

"The… Acting Lord Commander has suggested better, more skilled, and experienced alternatives."

"I don't care what the "Acting Lord Commander" wants on the matter, Bran. Bethany is my choice, as is my right by chantry law."

"Shall I write that in the reply to him then?"

"No, you can tell him that he should focus on trying to figure out who murdered old Meredith, instead of bothering me."

"I'm certain that will go over well, no doubt."

"And when I care, I'll let you know.

The door to her new office opened, as the final lord of the day made his appearance.

"Magistrate Vanard."

Bran announced.

Hawke gave him a smile, which the magistrate did not return.

"Your Highness. I thank you for the offer of this deal."

"Glad to hear it."

She moved over her map over Kirkwall's territories so it was between them.

"The spot is at the end of the wounded coast, in caves some Tal-vashoth used to hang out in before I slaughtered them all."

"I see you're as capable as ever… Though your display in the throne room made that obvious enough."

She frowned at that comment.

"Have we… met before?"

"Yes. You once… Brought back an escaped fugitive for me."

It took a moment before she recalled what the Void he was talking about.

"Oh, right you're that… Guy, whose son was insane, and killing… Well… Anyway, that shouldn't be a problem anymore regardless. There won't be any Elves left in the city in a few months."

This comment finally brought some real emotion to the Magister's face.

"Truly? No Elves? Why? Do not tell me you plan to purge the Alienage? That would seem rather out of character for you."

"It is. No, I intend to ship them to Ferelden, so they can immigrate to New Arlathan."

"Ah, yes… That does seem far, far in character for you, all things considered… What do you intend to do with the Alienage then? Rip it down and start anew?"

"Yes, pretty much. I'm Actually going to remake all of Lowtown… The stench is hideous you know… But It's a progress work, not something you do all at once. I'll start with the Alienage, and work my way from there."

"I see… Well, I shall leave that to you… We have a mine to discuss."

"Right. So it's here on the map… No roads there though, nor safe harborage, so on top of actually making the mine, we'll have to make a road from the city and deal with bandits and all that so the spoils of the earth can be shipped back to Kirkwall. I'll handle most of it, I just need you to invest coin for the mine and the construction of this road, and I'll take care of the rest."

"And we share the cut?"

"Half to both."

"Very well… You were asking for 40 sovereigns yes?"

"Indeed."

"I'm in then. I assume you have a contract drawn up?"

"Sure."

And just like that, with a bit of handwriting, it was done.

On the plus side, the first step of her plans was coming together.

On the other hand, the magister was also a sharp reminder to her that Kirkwall's nobility was anything but a nice bunch of people.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 3

#dragon age #dragon age 2 #fanfiction #dragon age imperium

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jamiwrites98 · 1 day ago

Text

Of Friends, Family, and Lovers

The smell of ale, sweat, and this week's mystery meat stew assaults my nose as I step into the Hanged Man, the light snow in my raven hair melting quickly as I'm engulfed in the warmth of the tavern. I can already hear Varric's guffaw in the background, and it makes me smile. Lightly brushing off any leftover snow and water from my russet tunic, I weave my way through the other patrons to reach the long table Varric has reserved for our game. We almost canceled due to the unforeseen snow showing up, but rarely does something impede our merry little band of misfits from our weekly game of Wicked Grace. Seven of my dearest friends are sitting around the table, save for Aveline, since she's on guard duty tonight, and Varric beams at me before patting the chair to his left.

"Hawke! About time you showed up! Here, grab the seat next to Blondie and let's get this started so I can rob you all blind." Varric's eyes twinkle with mischief as he bids me to sit next to Anders, lovingly dubbed Blondie for his dirty blonde locks. I'm no fool; I know that he knows.

Anders gives me a shy smile, pushing a mug my way as I sit down. I give him a grateful smile in return, taking a large drink of the dwarven ale Varric is oh so fond of. It's disgusting and piss-weak, but it's tradition, so I'll deal with it. Closing my eyes, I lean my head back and drink in the ambient conversations of my friends, having not seen them in about a week and wanting to catch up.

"Why do you even bother to come to these things, Sebastian, if you're not going to participate? Live a little! Spend some coin, lose some clothes! It's not like you're killing a bunch of mercenaries or stealing from the viscount. Surely the Maker can turn a blind eye to you having some fun with your friends," Isabela says, shooting the man a devious smirk.

Sebastian Vael, a dashing rogue, master of archery, Prince of Starkhaven, and devout, pious Chantry Brother is one of my closest friends. Though he's taken vows to abstain from drinks, gambling, sex, and all other sorts of fun and debauchery, he'd never miss a chance to spend time with our ragtag group. Isebela, on the other hand, is a rowdy, vulgar, dagger-wielding pirate from Rivain with no qualms whatsoever about debauchery.

"No, thank you, Isabela. I'm content to watch." Sebastian is used to deflecting her advances by now.

"Spoil sport."

"Now, now, Bela. Let Choir Boy sip his water and ogle my sister in peace," Carver says, smirking at me. The rivalry between the two of us has dissipated somewhat over the years, but there's still a fair amount of teasing to be had with this rambunctious little brother of mine. Anders's hand tightens around his mug, just a smidge, but I'm determined to squash the bait before anything happens.

"Sebastian is just making sure nothing is amiss tonight. You know the Carta have a bounty on my head, right? I've asked him to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, since he'll be the only one with a clear mind by the end of the night."

"That's great and all, sister, but I don't think he'll find the Carta assassins anywhere near your a—"

"You seem to mention your sister's behind rather often nowadays, Carver. Is there something you'd like to tell us?" Fenris's interruptions are rare, and his jokes are even more uncommon, but the ferocious warrior still manages to make the entire table chuckle every now and then.

"Right. I'm just going to ignore you, elf."

"Have I missed something dirty again?" Merrill inquires. I can never quite tell if her naivety is real, or if she's faking it to get a rise out of my little brother. Either way, the flush that adorns his cheeks at her words is adorable, and I make a mental note to scheme with Isabela to get them together. Her matchmaking ways worked with me and Anders, after all.

"No, Merrill. Maker's Breath! Save for yourself, I really don't like any of these people."

"Hey, rude! I'm your sister; you have to like me."

"No, I don't."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No!"

"I bloody well like you enough, Hawke. Your brother can shove it," Anders interrupts, and the statement makes me flush from the tips of my ears down to my toes. The room goes silent as they take in his words, and Anders simply stares into his now-empty mug, realization creeping over his face slowly. I slump down on my chair, hoping the floor will swallow me up. I like to keep my personal life private, which, in turn, means that all my friends and family like to guess and poke fun at me every chance they get. Having our relationship put on blast like this is nerve-wracking.

"Junior, Daisy, Broody, you all owe me and Bela five sovereigns each." Varric's smile stretches from ear to ear, pleased as the long-running bet of will-Hawke-and-Anders-get-over-themselves-and-screw finally comes to a head in his favor. Carver, Merrill, and Fenris, respectively, pull out their coin purses and begrudgingly pay up to the two conniving rogues. Isabela reaches over and gives Anders a small pat on the back, dropping a single sovereign into his lap. He swipes up Varric's mug and takes another swig of ale before leaning over and kissing my cheek, making my skin heat up even more, if that's possible. The look on his face as he pulls away, though, amber eyes alight and an affectionate smile gracing his lips, makes me melt into a little puddle of emotional goop.

"Of course, you were betting on my love life as if it were a game of Wicked Grace and not a tangible, important part of my existence. Really feeling the love, you guys," I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes and placing my right elbow on the table, my chin in hand. Anders tugs my legs into his lap and the front door of the tavern bangs as another chilled soul enters the congregation, seeking its warmth.

"Don't worry about them, love. We're the true winners."

"That was so incredibly cheesy. Maker's Breath, Anders, why do I even like you?"

"Because I'm charming, and I made the first move, so you didn't have to."

"You've got me there."

"Did I hear that right? My baby sister has a boyfriend?" My hand is halfway to Anders's when another voice cuts into the conversation. Just off to my right stands my twin brother, Garrett. Older than me by mere seconds, taller than me by a few inches, but otherwise completely identical, with dark hair and chocolate eyes, and even a scar across the nose to match mine. He's always been this big brother-type and I am definitely not prepared for this. The impish grin on his face throws me for a loop. "I'm so going to tell mother."

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teecupangel · 1 year ago

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Ratonhnhaké:ton would be walking with Edward and Aveline as they make their way to the docks, giving Aveline as many tips as he could. He trusts Edward to support Aveline and teach her how to sail but he can’t help but also worry because Aveline is his closest ally and friend. Aveline takes all of these with a smile because she knew what Ratonhnhaké:ton wasn’t saying out loud. Edward teases his grandson because that’s the kind of grandfather he was.

And Ratonhnhaké:ton watches from the docks as Edward and Aveline sail the Jackdaw/Aquila ship.

Wanna make it fun?

It’s during the time Edward was teaching Aveline to sail that they encountered their first ‘ghost ship’.

Edward doesn’t recognize it but it started firing at them as it continued to glitch quickly. They managed to evade a lot of the attacks and Aveline managed to hit it thrice with the cannons but the ship itself seemed almost invincible as the glitching made it harder to hit it as some parts would disappear because of the glitch only to reappear.

They don’t know it yet but the ship’s name?

It’s Experto Crede.

Wait, wait, wait. Why stop at 2?

Get all of Edward’s pirate buddies in the mix!

This way, we’ll get naval battles with the Aquila/Jackdaw being chased by Expecto Credo (Adéwalé), Queen Anne’s Revenge (Thatch), Ranger (Vane), Revenge (Bonnet), William (Jack + Mary + Anne) and Benjamin (Hornigold).

And then…

Just as they were being overwhelmed…

Bartholomew Roberts’ Royal Fortune sails at the center and they could see both Bartholomew and Juno as Juno holds an Apple of Eden that left golden wisps all around the other ships.

(Up to you if they are all actually being controlled by Juno or Juno is using Edward’s memories to create dolls that looked like them but doesn’t actually ‘act’ at all. Only Adéwalé and Mary (maybe Anne too?) are the ones looking like they were actually alive. I kinda want Thatch to also be able to get out of Juno’s control but that’s just because I think Thatch is so badass so we can make Thatch possessed his doll and ram his ship maybe XD)

And when they get to New York, it’s glitchy as hell and they all try to run towards the harbor but Shay hears them…

The whispers…

He manages to block one of the surprise attacks from the Stalkers and then that’s when he hears it.

“Shay Cormac!”

And his eyes widened when he sees Hope on one of the rooftops. Her eyes were glowing just like Evie had described and her voice… sounded off.

Like there was a cacophony of whispers surrounding her words as she tells Shay that she can’t let him live.

Shay hesitate for just a second before he reacts when Haytham shouts his name, dodging a two prong attack from two more stalkers.

The stalkers starts to glitch as they took a few steps back before they disappeared.

Before glitching back into Shay’s side and Shay barely managed to dodge out of the way before they glitched once more and disappeared.

“Go!” Shay shouts at the others, “They’re after me!”

“But…”

Haytham sighs and walk towards Shay as he says, “Go. We will take care of this and follow you.”

Shay turns to give Ratonhnhaké:ton a small smile as he says, “Take care of Morrigan, alright?”

“Of course.” Ratonhnhaké:ton nodded before they all run as Shay and Haytham stay behind.

They start to fight off the glitching stalkers and Hope joins in, glitching in and out of their visions and trying to strike them both down. They fight back to back to make it even just a bit more easier by making it impossible for their enemies to glitch onto their blind spots.

They’re slowly gaining grounds as they start to see a pattern into the glitching of the stalkers and Hope when Haytham is suddenly tackled and skid across.

Haytham instinctively grabbed the hands of his attacker as they try to plunge a dagger straight to his throat, his eyes going wild as he recognized…

“Ziio?”

How about Arno and the Syndicate trio were doing a coop mission because Jacob suggested they do a ‘warm up’? During their coop mission is when the servers began to glitch out and everything starts becoming FUBAR and Jacob and Evie swore they saw Lydia running ahead of them as they try to run across the WWI battlefield before finding another glitchy portal that returns them to French Revolution Paris… and that’s when…

Arno sees Élise in the crowd, walking away from them.

the post is getting Too Long on my blog and it’s breaking my poor phone so. WHEE. new one!

gang sails off into the distance! and by “distance” I mean they’re high-tailing it into the Assassin servers in order to regroup and recuperate and figure out what the fuck to do now since. well. hey, they retrieved Desmond and they’ve kept him safe! uh. now what. if there were other Assassins’ memories in Abstergo, how long until they gain sentience as well? and how the fuck did Desmond and Jacob find a movie projector on the ship?

Desmond is still kind of reeling from everything that’s just happened, and to his surprise, despite the whole awkwardness surrounding Uh Fuckin Everything, the Kenways are willing to take him in, altho Edward somewhat morbidly jokes that their dysfunctional family being an improvement over his is really kind of sad when he thinks about it. then he offers to let him take a turn at the wheel—he needs to go see what they’ve done to the captain’s cabin anyway, he wasn’t able to since the collision and it’s probably messed with a few things.

they do need a base to operate out of for the time being. Davenport Manor is suggested, then somewhat reluctantly shot down bc of the two Templars around who are immediately like yeah uh No. Café Theatre is too cramped, although in a pinch it could do. the Frye twins’ train has little to offer in the way of bedrooms. Monteriggioni is considered and makes it into a top five list, only losing bc an entire town is a little too big and prone to glitches. (Desmond is a little peeved about it.) eventually everyone settles on finding a version of Great Inagua in the Assassin servers and regrouping there so they can figure out their next move. and maybe Edward is a little bit smug over it.

I do like the idea of Desmond teaching the gang how to really break shit in Abstergo, like—Juno is still in there, and there’s a possibility there might be more sentient data representations of dead Assassins (and dead Templars) rolling around now in the servers. Ezio shudders to think of Juno at the same time that Shay does, and they’re both concerned about the idea of Juno being able to simply possess somebody, and if she’s able to do that in the digital realm, there’s the lingering possibility of her being able to do that to an actual flesh and blood person. which nobody wants! so that’s on their priority list. and also all the other possibly-sentient people who might be running around the servers.

Arno and the twins and Henry listen to all of this, then sit in contemplation. then all three of them are like. oh shit we have to check on our simulations bc Lydia and Elise might also be gaining sentience and god KNOWS what they’re doing right now without us. who wants to come with, we’ve got spare clothes for you. (aka: how to justify the legacy outfits lol.)

The “Too Long Post” which was about the playable characters in Abstergo’s games gaining sentience for easy reference. (And considering we ended it after they got away, we can count that as Arc 1 XD)

Honestly, I think the only valid locations for their homebase would be the Great Inagua or Davenport Homestead because they also need to park their ship (depending on who you ask, it’s either called ‘Aquila’ or ‘Jackdaw’) and the Seine river would be hard to navigate while the Thames is chock-full of other ships and boats and the moving train means they can’t always get to the ship quickly. Also, they all try to fit in the mansion that Edward had ‘commandeered’ but it becomes clear that there is a division. Altaïr, Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton took the rooms nearest to Desmond. Haytham took the room furthest away from everyone and Shay took the room to his left. Shao Jun took the empty room nearest to Ezio while Aveline took the empty room nearest to Ratonhnhaké:ton. Jacob’s the only one who went ‘whichever room is free’ and Arno took the room furthest away from Shay which sorta put him between Jacob and an empty room that Evie took for herself. Jacob joked of Jayadeep just sharing a room with Evie so he took the room on the other side of Jacob instead, making Jacob roll his eyes. Edward just took his old room (which was the largest room). So… they might be in this together but they’re definitely not exactly the bestest of allies at the moment.

Desmond taught them what he knew, things he didn’t know when he was alive but he just… knew once he ‘woke up’. He doesn’t even know if these skills came from his memory of Clay or from his memory of Dionysus (holy shit, his Isu ancestor was the god of wine and debauchery? What the fuck???) but he wasn’t going to reject such a boon. He’s quiet about his life though, only sharing a bit if anyone asked about what they saw.

And the only one who asked was a worried Shao Jun because Shay was keeping his distance and the others either didn’t have such a bad memory to watch (Aveline, Evie and Jayadeep) or didn’t even see any memory (Jacob and Arno).

The ones connected to Desmond though… Desmond told them everything. Even Edward who was just in the room with the three people who had the biggest urge to find Desmond and Haytham who Edward believes had been affected just as much by the time they started to piece Desmond back together. Edward provided the alcohol back then (although Altaïr did not partake) and they finished more than five bottles of Edward’s hardest liquor. He was especially worried for Haytham who grabbed an entire unopened bottle and just started topping his glass with it and ended up finishing it and still requesting his glass to be filled afterward.

Are we talking about the Juno in Desmond’s dataspace or the real Juno in digital space? Because if it’s the real Juno and this is set after Syndicate BUT before the comics where she died, then Juno is out in the real world (which would give us an excuse to have our sentient Assassins travel into other corners of the internet XD).

However, I do like the idea that they’ve unintentionally created Juno 2.0 from Desmond’s memory of her (and also a bit of Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton’s memories). This also gives Ratonhnhaké:ton a reason to want to take her down since she… technically didn’t lie but she absolutely used Ratonhnhaké:ton and gave him the short stick in that deal. (With her past misgivings to Ratonhnhaké:ton, Edward would be on board and maybe even Haytham once he learned how everything had been set into stones because of the path the Isus have chosen the world to walk to, including how the Kenway family ended).

You know what would be fun? If they made the grievous assumption that the data are gaining sentient while they were gone BUT the real reason why they’re slowly gaining sentient is because all sentient data (them) are still connected to the virus that started this all. Now, the virus was fast-acting in Abstergo because it was meant to fuck shit up there but the virus also have a failsafe that makes it dormant when it knows it’s no longer in Abstergo’s servers. But… the virus itself might be dormant but constant exposure to it will still affect data.

… wanna make Arno have a bad time once more? Élise is slowly waking up and she starts remembering…

The many times Arno repeated her death, together with the pain and rage that consumed her during those days, not knowing Arno repeated that memory over and over again to try and save her.

You gotta wonder… if Élise would even be happy to see Arno once more when her most lived memory was her death.

(Also… Lydia would be fine being sentient since she loves her grandaunt and granddad who raised her but… remember… Jack the Ripper is also in the servers).

#sorry it took a long time to reply to this TTATT #i’m trying to answer via fifo #but i’m lagging so far behind #sentient animus data au

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asscrackcreed · 3 years ago

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For the headcanon thing: I'm not all the way done Rogue yet, so I could be wrong, but I have a feeling Shay never fully bought into Templar ideology. By outward appearances/records that made it into the database, sure, but anytime ideology comes up he gets a look on his face like he's just a touch skeptical. It would make sense, too, given it's established early on he questions things and that he feels responsible for backing the "wrong side" and aiding in what happened in Lisbon. If he didn't trust another ideology so easily after, even as he actively worked toward and for it, it would still be narratively consistent.

I haven't played rogue - my pc isn't good enough for it 😭💀

mcs - main characters

But i don't think any of the main characters are fully immersed into their ideologies, most are assassins just purely because they believe in freedom and so does shay but shay felt betrayed by the assassins and then goes over to the other side (again i haven't played rogue but) it's sort of a plot hole because if shay wants people to be safe then why would he go to the templars? who are known for unnecessary kills and yk... not really having the people's safety in mind quite so much... the templars are mainly aiming for power which clearly doesn't really align with shay's beliefs. but anyways i think with shay, you're right he does question everything and i think it's more of a case of his guilt taking control of him - like he wants to undo what happened in lisbon, obviously he cant so by going against the assassins it's the closest he can do to 'make up for it'.

THIS GOT LONG LMAO - tl;dr - this isn't a headcanon this is unironically canon

back to my first statement of none of the mcs believing their ideologies, we see this right from the beginning. Altaïr basically rewrote the ENTIRE creed because he realised that the assassins needed improvement, that the ideology of the creed needed to be altered. true love was not a weakness like Al-Mualim thought, it was in fact a driving factor in helping the assassins, what made Al-Mualim's betrayal more heart breaking was his greediness for power - just like a templar. he even says to al-mualim 'how could I regret the only life i've ever known?' he doesn't know anything else other than assassins vs templars because he was born into it and so by becoming the leader of the levantine brotherhood he automatically changed the creed to make it better, and actually end up returning its ideology back to the hidden ones - that's why he was so revolutionary because he improved it all with his codex, he'd only do that if he thought the creed wasn't truly good enough in the first place. i mean his ENTIRE FUCKING STORY IS ABOUT QUESTIONING THE CREED...

every mc assassin has broken a rule of the creed, maybe not specifically with it's 3 doctrines but in someway they did smth different for a better outcome, and we've all seen side characters go 'but that's not the way of the creed !!! we can't do that !!!' and the mc is like 'yeah go fuck urself'. i'd say connor is the most explicit when it comes to that because he was never in the fight in the first place, his whole aim was to kill charles lee/get revenge on the people who attacked his village - but even when he becomes a proper assassin, he still shows obvious signs he doesn't care for it - the most explicit time this happens (as far as I can remember off the top of my head) is in liberations when connor and aveline meet and she says 'connor, are you always certain of the means and the ways of the brotherhood' and connors like 'i... trust my own hands.' he clearly doesn't believe in the assassins entirely and aveline already had doubts, only to be confirmed by connor.

both jacob and evie continuously went against orders from higher ups (the biggest example of this - going to london to liberate it after they were told not to). ezio literally says not to follow him because you're meant to find your own path. and have you seen how TIRED he is by the end, especially in embers he wants nothing to do with the creed anymore, he was so tired of fighting for smth that was beyond him and for smth he would never get to see. he does obviously believe in the creed more than some but i believe that after ac2 and throughout ac3 and acr, the creed became more and more 'corrupted', moving away from liberated thinking to just fighting the templars because they're evil. bayek and aya made the hidden ones to defend people, but even with altaïr's codex, we end up with less of an ideology and more of a movement. and i think just the fact that by the end, most of these assassins are just tired of this fight. a lot of them end up giving this feeling of 'i've had enough - i'm so tired' because they've spent their whole lives fighting and more people will just carry on fighting. and when that realisation hits, most of them have to fight to move on like ezio.

if you've read the wiki, you'll know that the ideology of liberated thinking and free will comes from adam and eve themselves, having fought against the isu to retain that. and i wouldn't say thats disappeared, i mean it is a reoccurring theme, but all the mcs of the games have this 'sudden realisation' of what the creed is trying to be and what it fails to be. the line between 'fighting for liberation' and 'stopping the templars' becomes blurred, and with that the creed becomes distorted, which a lot of the mcs knew which is why they never would 100% believe in the ideologies of whichever organisation they're with. and shay knew that. shay was just the only one to defect because the creed fucked up big time. ironically, despite liberation being the key word in all of this, once you're in this war, you can't escape it.

#i am such a nerd #i really pulled the quotes and evidence for this #assassin's creed #ac #zealousdetectivegladiator #ask

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uhhlucid · 3 years ago

Text

Part. 8

pairing: iwaizumi x black!fem reader

synopsis: on pointe! (updated weekly) previous parts in masterlist

word count: 2.3k

type: fanfiction

a/n: i really struggled with the ending here lmao

Y/n woke up around three to a note on the table. Mrs. Aveline took Frankie, Oikawa, and I for ice cream. Elissa agreed to go with you for costumes. Y/n couldn't see how Oikawa nor Frankie could accept that offer. Traitors, she thought. Since she hadn't gotten the chance last night, she hopped in the shower. The warm water hitting her skin helped her to relax.

She turned the water off and wrapped herself up in a towel after stepping out. She texted Elissa to meet her in front of the male dormitory in 45 minutes. The led mirror her mom had bought when she first arrived came in handy while she did her makeup. Since it was just shopping she wore a pink tube top and flared jeans.

She slid on her older cousin's hot pink jelly platform sandals and grabbed her purse. She did a quick once-over in the mirror and left the room. As promised Elissa was out on the male dormitory steps with Carter and Iwaizumi. Her hair was freshly silk pressed and she wore a white beanie. A long sleeved white crop and baggy khaki pants that almost completely covered her shoes was her outfit of choice.

"Hey. I can't believe Oikawa and Frankie took up her offer," Elissa stood up when she saw Y/n. "I expected Lia and maybe Oikawa, but Frankie?" "Oh well. Let's just go find some costumes. I've already found the main pieces for mine." The four headed off campus to the nearby party store. "What are you two going as?" "Princess Peach and Mario. You'll see the costumes tomorrow."

Iwaizumi opened the door to the party store and a wave of cool air greeted them. The store had all sorts of spooky decorations and moving props. The only visible worker seemed uninterested behind the counter as little kids ran around with candy and costumes in hand. The shelves seemed overstuffed despite Halloween being tomorrow. The group walked to the back where there were changing rooms and adult costumes.

Y/n combed through the isles looking for an alien costume with Iwaizumi close behind. "Can we use these?" He held up two spandex alien costumes. "How will we breathe Haji?" He shrugged. "This is the one Oikawa and Lia got." "Fine we'll get it." Iwaizumi grabbed the two costumes and headed for the front counter. Meanwhile Elissa and Carter were looking for accessories.

They had to go to the kids section to find a Mario hat. Carter was glad Elissa had come up with the costumes. He hadn't even had time to take her on a real date yet. The thought had been nagging him since Thursday. He had to practically beg his parents to go out on Halloween and had accidentally mentioned that he was going out with someone so naturally they wanted to meet her.

He watched Elissa grab white gloves for the two of them. "What's on your mind?" she asked him. She ran a few fingers through his dirty blonde hair that reached the base of his neck. He gave her a small smile. "Nothing. Let's keep shopping." They bought the closest shoes they could find to the original character and headed for the front. Iwaizumi and Y/n were already there waiting. Carter offered to pay for everyone despite it being the last of his allowance for the month.

Iwaizumi and Y/n said they were going to take a detour and meet them later. Carter wondered what that was about, but didn't dwell on it much. "Something's bothering you Carter," Elissa stopped and looked dead in his face. "It's nothing you have to worry about," he tried to continue walking. "I think it is." He sighed. Elissa sure was persistent. "It's just about the party. That's all."

"Omg you haven't told your parents?" "I did. Maybe I said more than I should've." "Your being really vague right now. What else is bothering you?" He wanted so badly to say the fact I haven't taken you on a date. "I wanted to hang out with you, but I just blew my allowance." "Just wait till Tuesday when you get a new one. Is that really all?" His parents would kill him if they knew he hadn't made the first move. Or any types of moves at all. She always initiated any type of physical contact.

He nodded. "That's all. Let's go try on our costumes."

Iwaizumi and Y/n were going to have an ice cream party of their own. Iwaizumi wondered why Oikawa had even accepted the offer. He couldn't let that ruin his day however. Tomorrow was finally the day he'd been waiting for all summer. The pair reached their destination. A corner store. The freezer with all the ice cream was right by the door on the right side. They gained a few odd stares from other patrons as they gathered all the ice cream they could.

From bars, to sandwiches, to cones, to pints of ice cream; they set it all on the counter. The attendant raised an eyebrow, but rang them up. Iwaizumi and Y/n split the bill and grabbed the bags. They left the building and sat on the sidewalk out front. "I bet Oikawa isn't eating this much ice cream right now." Y/n took her first bite of a twisted chocolate and vanilla cone.

Iwaizumi agreed and opened one of the pints of ice cream. They obviously couldn't finish it all and began giving it away to kids passing by until all of the ice cream was gone. "We should get back. I bet Mrs. Aveline is back by now," Iwaizumi suggested. Y/n nodded and they walked the eight blocks back to their school.

After walking up the main steps and going through the administrative building, they reached the main campus. Students were sprawled out everywhere practicing. Iwaizumi and Y/n headed to the female dormitory. There were lots of people on the first floor, chatting, stretching, and doing whatever they like before the big party.

Lia was nowhere to be found in Y/n's dorm which meant she had to be in Oikawa's. Iwaizumi took the costume out of the packaging and went into the bathroom to change. He noticed their bathroom was significantly cleaner and had more lotions and shampoos. He quickly changed and left the bathroom.

Iwaizumi was surprised he could see out the costume and even more surprised he could breathe. He saw Y/n in her costume sitting on her bed. She giggled. "Who're you texting?" "Lia." "What's so funny?" "Nothing. Tomorrow's going to be veeery interesting." Iwaizumi thought Y/n was acting really weird especially since she was agreeing with Lia. He took off the costume and changed back into regular clothes. As he was heading out, Lia was heading in. She had various bags and when asked about it she simply laughed.

Iwaizumi left the two girls alone and could only wonder what they were up to.

"Kourtney c'mon we kissed. You can't deny it now." Kourtney turned the other way. She twirled her hair around her finger. "All I'm asking is that you go with me," Serenity gave her a genuine smile. Kourtney knew this was bad. She knew Serenity had an addiction problem and was extremely toxic. She took Serenity's hand. "Sure. I'll go with you." "Great. Let's go get dressed." Serenity took Kourtney to her dorm.

Elissa was still sleeping when they arrived. Serenity yapped about how pretty Kourtney was while she was doing Kourtney's makeup. Kourtney knew she was just saying that to convince her more. This wasn't the first time she'd been wrapped around Serenity's finger. She grabbed her handheld mirror and pushed it into Kourtney's hand. "Don't you look so pretty?" Kourtney nodded in agreement.

"Your dress is hanging up in the bathroom. Hurry though cause I need to use the sink for the hair wax." Kourtney peered in the bathroom to find a bodysuit that looked like it was made out of leaves with a green sheer piece that connected at the waist and had the leaves spread out on it. There wasn't a full length mirror in the bathroom so she had to step out to see herself.

Serenity was busy doing makeup and didn't notice Kourtney come out. After twirling in the mirror a few times she sat next to Serenity. Serenity glanced at her. "You look pretty. I'm going to take a while." Kourtney nodded and glanced around the room. It wasn't her first time here. The windows were always open and the wet rags by the window were turning dry. Serenity must've been smoking earlier.

Kourtney watched Elissa's sleeping figure. She wore a shirt that was way too big and she wondered where'd she got it. Serenity suddenly got up and went into the bathroom. Kourtney was scrolling mindlessly on her phone when a sudden noise scared her. "Kourtney? What time is it?" "Like eight forty-five why?" "Fuck how long was I sleeping?" The sun was already beginning to go down and they hadn't even left yet.

Kourtney watched Elissa grab a pink dress from the closet and set it on her bed. Serenity emerged from the bathroom with her hair split dyed red and black in two pigtails. She had a spiky black choker that Kourtney didn't remember Harley wearing. She had fishnets up to her chest with a split black and red cropped tank with the black and red diamonds on either side.

The shorts were also split black and red but were opposite of the shirt. The shorts barely covered her ass. Typical Serenity. She had the split gloves and socks with regular black combat boots. "Let's go Kourtney." "I can't even get a hi?" Elissa asked." "Hey. Now let's go." Kourtney gave Elissa a sympathetic look and followed Serenity.

Elissa rolled her eyes. Kourtney was so scared of Serenity. Serenity knew better then to treat that poor girl like that, but that was none of Elissa's business. Elissa took a quick shower and brushed her teeth. She was admiring her reflection in the mirror when her phone buzzed. Carter had texted her. She quickly responded and put on her dress. Someone knocked on her door and before she could answer, she already heard the door open.

"Elissa c'mon. We're about to leave," the voice sounded like Y/n. Elissa finished putting on her accessories and carefully opened the bathroom door. Y/n and Lia were right outside it. They wore matching iridescent tube tops and skirts with green body paint. Lia had even dyed her hair a silvery color with glitter pieces. "I thought you guys were wearing spandex suits." "There was a change in plans," Lia explained.

The three headed out the female dormitory and towards the train station. It was extremely crowded because of Halloween night and Carter's house was all the way out in the suburbs. The train stopped and they got off. Elissa lead the way to a neighborhood with beautiful front lawns and huge driveways. They stopped in front of a house with a huge wraparound porch.

Carter was anxiously pacing the porch while waiting for them outside. "I didn't think you'd show." He greeted Elissa with a kiss on the cheek. "Serenity woke me up late." Elissa rolled her eyes. Carter led them inside down a winding hallway and down the stairs. Shots were being passed around while the music blared. Lia went off to find Oikawa while Y/n and Elissa headed off to dance.

"I didn't think you were serious about having a girlfriend." "Brittany you scared the fuck out of me." Brittany was nearly as tall as Carter and they had been childhood friends for years. Brittany went to one of the local high schools however. Tonight she was dressed as Cassie from Euphoria, already possessing the blonde hair and cheer uniform. "Why would I lie about having a girlfriend?" "I don't know you're just sorta shy?" "I'm not shy." "You are around girls. And let me be the first to tell you. You have a really pretty girl." "I am not shy around girls." "Did you make the first move?" Carter ignored Brittany's question.

He knew she was smiling to herself under the dim lighting. "Who wants to play Never Have I Ever?" Brittany screamed loudly. The crowd erupted in hoots and hollers and those who wanted to participate sat around in a circle. Carter sat in between Elissa and Ronald, one of his friends from school, for the game. He noticed he didn't see Y/n and Iwaizumi but didn't focus on it. Drinks were passed around in the standard red plastic cups and the game began.

At first it was simple stuff like cheating on a test, but then it got amplified to stuff like never have I ever had a threesome. He watched Elissa drink more then he had expected her too. "Carter your friend Brittany is so fun. You should've introduced me sooner." Brittany shot him a wicked grin when Elissa said this.

The party had been too loud for Iwaizumi to get his point across to Y/n. They snuck out the back door and were now sitting on the edge of Carter's pool dipping their toes into the water. "I've been meaning to tell you something and I haven't gotten the chance yet, so I figured now would be a good time," Iwaizumi stared directly into Y/n's eyes.

"What is it Hajime?" "I wanna be your boyfriend." Iwaizumi waited a few seconds for her reaction. He opened his mouth to speak just as Y/n kissed him. Her tongue explored his throat as she cupped his face. She pulled away and gazed into his eyes. "Shall we head back?" Y/n nodded and the two went back inside

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giantsreach · 3 years ago

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part of having written carver since like. 2013/14 is that i can never remember which topics i’ve posted meta on but i’m pretty sure i haven’t discussed his banter with fenris in-depth on this blog yet.

i think something that rubs me the wrong way about the way carver and fenris often interact in fan work is that there tends to be an underlying and fundamental misunderstanding about why carver approaches fenris in the manner he does. i’ve seen a lot of carver talking out of his ass to fenris for no reason other than a ) he thinks he knows better, and/or b ) his overly critical eye wants to fault-find. + he’s annoying or smth to that effect. 🙄

these interpretations tend to neglect the actual driving force behind carver interacting with fenris in the first place, and that’s that carver has had little exposure to other warriors. apart from his time in king cailin’s army, he was peerless ( literally ) in his field, and only interacted with his fellow swordspeople when they passed through town via the imperial highway.

now, there is aveline, of course, but the writing makes it clear that aveline takes on the role of yet another older sibling ( or family of a similar, authoritative position ) in his life, and as such, doesn’t quite qualify as a peer in the traditional sense.

this likely isn’t the most flattering way of phrasing it, but carver wants friends. people who he can relate to, who share his interests and background, who find him as compelling as he finds them. carver may seem prickly or sullen in act i ( and he certainly is at times ), but he’s also experiencing two-prongs of isolation:

1 ) cultural, as a fereldan refugee in a city-state that doesn’t try to hide its hatred of foreign asylum-seekers, and 2 ) mundane, as a displaced young man who has never quite fit in at home nor in any village they've settled in, and who has recently lost the family member closest to him, and who watches his surviving sibling pick up new companions left and right as if it’s not at all difficult.

cut to fenris, who is a consummate swordsman. and while carver is initially on edge because he's under the impression fenris could pose a threat to hawke, once the tension is dispelled, he's far from opposed to fenris's presence. if anything, carver is eager for his approval. fenris is, aside from aveline, the only warrior carver gets to spend any considerable amount of time with, and he's singular in his skill and ability. it's plain to see why someone like carver, starved for peers, would want to establish some kind of rapport with someone as exemplary as fenris.

the problem is, naturally, that carver — nineteen and having never learned to read socialize properly, due in equal parts to growing up sheltered as well as having poor self-confidence — cannot stop himself from saying shit that is so mind-blowingly stupid, that it is a wonder fenris was as forbearing as he was. i'm talking about:

Carver: So... this master of yours wants your markings back? Skin and all? Fenris: So his hunters told me. Unwillingly. Carver: So why not cover them up? Wouldn't that make you harder to find? Fenris: Let them come. I am not one to hide. Carver: Still, if it were me— Fenris: It's not. ─────── Carver: So you've really never thought of hiding from those hunters? Fenris: To what end? Carver: So you could, I don't know, have a life? Fenris: What life do you have? There are no hunters after you at all.

i feel like it should be obvious why these banters are in bad taste, so i won’t go into detail to lambaste carver over his blatant ignorance. the dialogue is proof itself, especially considering how little of fenris’s experience carver ( or anyone else for that matter ) can truly comprehend.

what i will do, true to form, is explain that no, carver did not just pull that suggestion, careless as it was, out of his ass. while hawke may or may not do their best to lay low as an apostate, potentially choosing to engage then-knight-captain cullen over the unjust treatment of mages depending on player discretion, carver has internalized how malcolm guided the family. his father taught them to keep their heads down and be prepared to hit the road in case the circle caught scent of them? then that must be the best way to approach it. emotional neglect unfortunately primed carver to idealize and adopt malcolm's choices and general philosophy. this carries over even to legacy, where, regardless of carver's current character arc, carver will agree that malcolm was correct to keep secrets.

so there's fenris, right, who carver believes is in a position similar to that which the hawkes have been in. carver, attempting to help ( as he is wont to do ), wants to share what had worked for them in attaining a semblance of normalcy, not realizing or considering that that is not fenris's foremost goal. hiding is not a one-size fix-all solution, but carver hasn't expanded his horizons well enough to grasp that fully yet.

then there's largest contributors to my secondhand embarrassment in da2:

Carver: You're very different from other elves. Fenris: Oh? You know them all? Carver: No. I just... you look different. There's no denying that. Fenris: It is what I am. And unlike the problems you claim to have, I really did have no choice. Carver: Do we know anyone who isn't brooding every hour of the day? Fenris: Like attracts like, it seems. ─────── Carver: You know, Fenris, I have a tattoo. Fenris: You have a what? Carver: A tattoo. A lot of us got them before Ostagar. It's a Mabari. For strength. Fenris: Does it curse you with the ability to reach into a man and tear out his insides? Carver: Uh. I can make it bark. Fenris: Please don't.

i’ll start with the second one first. at its heart, the tattoo banter hearkens back to the fact carver wants to feel like he has something in common with someone. yes, it is cringe. but it’s also misguidedly sweet, and on top of that, it’s something carver also tries to do with merrill, who carver arguably has the friendliest dynamic with out of hawke’s crew.

Carver: Your people came a long way Merrill, but I like to think that we have Ferelden in common. Merrill: I never saw Lothering. Did you walk as much as we did? Probably more, you didn't start with halla. Our ship stunk. Carver: Your ship? Merrill: There was something foul in the hold. I can still smell it. Carver: Oh, well, that must have been unpleasant. Merrill: It was. Did I miss something dirty again? Carver: No.

speaking of parallels, the “you’re very different from other elves” dialogue mirrors this one with merrill:

Carver: So, you're not like a lot of other girls. Merrill: No, I'm an elf. Carver: Right. Alright then. Merrill: Oh, did I miss something dirty? Carver: What? No! It wasn't dirty. It wasn't anything.

yes, i took 42069 points of psychic damage from reading that too. but the main takeaway from this is that carver is trying, poorly, to make the two people he thinks he could be friends with feel like they’re special. ( you know, like how carver wishes he was. lol. ) to disastrous results. but i think it’s more than worth mentioning that the intent behind his conversation-making is never once condescending.

and it’s not like carver lacks self-awareness, either. after he becomes a warden and returns to the party for mark of the assassin, he admits he lacked polish.

Aveline: I'm glad you found a place with the Wardens. Carver: Well, it's not the city guard, but it'll do. Aveline: Carver... it wasn't the place for you. Carver: No, it's all right. It is. It cost a lot, but I get it. I really was a bit of a tit those days, wasn't I?

Carver: So, we're lost. Varric: Just like old times. Carver: Maker, I hope not. I was an ass. Varric: (laughs) Fair comment, Junior. All right, let's get this done.

and specifically to fenris:

Carver: Orlesians. Can't build a hallway without turning it into a maze. Fenris: Keep going. I'm sure your training will kick in any moment. Carver: Still don't like me? I've tried to change. Fenris: You have. Now you're dangerous. Let's move.

i don’t know how to end this nearly 1.5k meta, so tl;dr i guess

#( here it is the 1.5k carver re fenris meta i've had brainworms over for litr years #at this rate i'll have one for anders merrill fenris and aveline by 2023 afhouwehd #anyway. first day of work is slow )#( miscellaneous ╱ outofchara. )#( re: study ╱ headcanon. )

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breadedsinner · 3 years ago

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Don’t rebagel

You think it would be in character if, at the very end of DA2, Meredith’s down and...I assume Noodle Boy makes the call, Hawke you gotta leave.

And then Sebastian comes to Judy’s defense like she’s the closest thing Kirkwall’s had to a competent leader in years you can’t just kick her out.

And then Aveline comes in like she technically acted against the leading body, we all did, that’s treason. Only her getting kicked out is very generous, but that’s the law.

And then Seb is like oh is that right. Are you going to have your guards “look into” the fact that Meredith had no authority to enact the rite of annulment. Are you going to give her corpse a slap on the wrist.

Too much?

#DA Tag #Aveline Negative #Cullen Negative #Not really but just in case #Remember anything remotely mean is just 'character name negative' ok #Not for rebagels

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lover-also-fighter-also · 2 months ago

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THE PRINCE SWAP

CHAPTER 1 PART 2: HOW TO BE YOU

Banner credits: @cadybear420

Link to Chapter 1 Part 1

Tags: @cadybear420 @somerandomjewelleryonthefloor @choicesmc @choicesficwriterscreations

Summary: a rewrite of The Princess Swap, but featuring our OG: HSS MC's, Jeremy Rin (my MC) and Alan Parke (Cady's MC).

'Did you just say Prince?' exclaimed Jeremy, still in shock.

'Shh…not so loud.' whispered Alan, grabbing Jeremy's arm and leading him to a private room. As soon as they are inside, Jeremy turns to him.

'You are the crown prince, aren't you? The one that almost never shows his face to the public.' he said, looking at their resemblance.

'Guilty as charged!' said Alan, equally shocked. 'But that doesn't explain who you are.' he continued, looking at Jeremy up and down.

'Jeremy Rin.' said Jeremy, holding his hand out. Alan looks at it for a moment, before giving a firm handshake.

'Prince Alan Parke of Monterre.' said Alan, giving a smile. 'And this is my lady-in-waiting and my closest friend, Aveline.' he continued, gesturing to Aveline, who looked between the two of them, as though she still couldn't believe what she was seeing.

'Your highness…it's an honor to meet you.' said Jeremy, 'Wait, do I have to curtesy?'

'Normally, I wouldn't object to it…' said Alan, 'But I am not sure what etiquette demands when one meets their own doppelgänger!' he looked at Jeremy, as though still deciding what to make of him. 'Your accents clearly American, and yet you look like me, and you are in the royal conservatory…'

'Oh, I am an exchange student at the Julivert University.' said Jeremy, 'normally I would come here when I feel like there is something…'

'Missing that you don't feel whole?' finished Alan.

'Wait, how do you know?' said Jeremy, surprised that the prince can exactly tell what he is feeling inside.

'Because I do the same.' said Alan, sitting by the fountain. Jeremy sighs and sits next to him.

'I had hoped for some adventure or a change. Now that I am in a different country, I wanted to so badly get out of my comfort zone and find my goal…' said Jeremy sadly. 'But all I feel is aimless. Like I don't have any power to make a difference.'

'Tell me about it.' said Alan. 'My father plans every single minute of my schedule, and he never takes me seriously. On top of that I am judged by what I wear, how I walk, how I present myself…and when I try to give ideas, I just get shut down by everyone. I just…feel like I don't have a voice in my own home.'

'I just wish there was something…' said Jeremy and at the same time Alan says 'I can't help wanting something…'

'More.' said the two of them together. They were quiet for a moment

Alan looks up at Jeremy, and a mischievous smile plays on his lips. 'Oh no. I know that look, your highness. You are planning something.' said Aveline, breaking the silence. Alan ignores her and turns to Jeremy, who was looking back at him with the same mischief reflecting on his face.

'Jeremy, Are you thinking what I am thinking?'

'Oh, I am definitely thinking…' said Jeremy.

'We switch places for the weekend. Starting now.' said Alan, excitedly.

'Your highness, you seriously can't be considering this. You both will be in a whole world of trouble if either of you gets caught!' said Aveline, looking alarmed.

'So we won't get caught.' said Alan, looking confident. 'Just think, Jeremy. You get to spend the weekend in Europe's finest palace, and get the excitement and change you want, and I get to live the life of a normal college student, without anyone telling me what to do!'

Jeremy stands up. 'Oh, I am so down for this idea.' he said, looking excited.

'You don't think it's risky?' asked Alan.

'I live for the risk.' said Jeremy, grinning

Alan held Jeremy's hands, positively beaming 'Ahh, thank you, thank you, thank you…You seriously are the best.' he squealed. 'Except for one thing.' said Jeremy, biting his lip. 'You are a prince, and I am..uh..well…me.' he said.

'That's okay!' said Alan, standing up, 'I can give you a few pointers, and I think you can manage for a weekend. And you can give me a few tips on your college life.'

'Then what are you waiting for? Shoot.' said Jeremy.

Over the next hour, Alan walks Jeremy through the basics of palace decorum.

'Aveline will stick with you, and help you keep your cover. But you must still be prepared. From the way you walk, the way you talk, and the way you curtesy must be done with a dose of regal decorum.' Alan then proceeds to show Jeremy a graceful curtesy. 'Now, you try it.'

Jeremy dipped into a curtsey, bending as much as Alan did, and perfectly mimicked his sweep of hand.

'Wow he's good.' said Aveline, 'but not as good as you, your highness', as Alan gives a slightly jealous look.

'I am a quick learner.' said Jeremy, looking proud of himself. 'I am glad we are pulling this off.' said Alan. 'Now, onto the next lesson…'

After some time, Jeremy runs Alan through his own lessons.

'Let's see, you grew up in Houston. You transferred here in the fall, joined the Delta Theta Delta sorority, and you're a history major.' said Alan. As Jeremy shows the next picture oh his phone, Alan points out each of Jeremy's friends. 'So that's Faye, she runs the Julivert chapter, that's Astra, Safiya, Luna and Poppy the snake. Man, I can't believe that you guys keep a snake.'

'Ahh don't worry about it. It only bites the unworthy.' said Jeremy with a mockingly serious fashion.'

'How do you know if you are worthy?' said Alan panicked but relaxed on seeing Jeremy's joking smile. 'Don't worry about her Alan, she just sleeps and eats frozen mice. You should be fine for a weekend.' said Jeremy, giving a gentle pat on the back.

'And last but final one.' said Jeremy. 'I am dragging my friends out to a party tonight, so pretend you know about it.'

'Shouldn't be too hard.' said Alan, grinning. 'We are switching at the right time!'

An hour later, when the two of them are confident that they are familiar with each other's lives, and thanks to Aveline's tabloid on the courtly royal gossip, they were ready to switch roles.

'You need not worry about the Ismar envoy, they won't be here till Monday, and most of the nobles will be deferential to you, but if you see a Lord Cecil, give him a wide berth. He is…not exactly a fan of me.' finished Alan.

'Noted.' said Jeremy. 'But how am I going to pass as you in front of your father? Surely he would notice the difference.'

'You will rarely see my father, except for a couple of meals, so I think you should be just fine.' said Alan shortly. 'He and I…we don't talk too much.'

'Oh! I'm sorry.' said Jeremy, but Alan waved off the apology quickly.

'Well, there is one thing left to do…' said Alan. A quick change of clothes later, they stand in front of each other. Aveline popped back in the room, carrying a cover with some clothes and makeup in it. 'Just as you asked for, your highness.' she says as she hands him the cover.

'So this is a goodbye then.' said Jeremy. 'You are going to be me, and I'll be…a prince.'

'Just for the weekend.' said Alan, giving Jeremy a heartful hug. 'Good luck at the palace. And I just know it will be the adventure you hope for. And, if anything unexpected happens-'.

'I just channel my inner Alan.' said Jeremy, jokingly. Alan laughs.

'At this rate, they won't even notice the difference.'

They exchange their phones and wallets, and part ways, with Alan heading to the university, and Jeremy towards the palace.

#choices #playchoices #pixelberry #choices stories you play #choices stories we play #choices high school story #choices the princess swap #hss x tps #crossover #huffles fanfiction #the prince swap

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dankgemestho · 4 years ago

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If It Weren’t for You Mages and Your Filthy Dog

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30435621

(M!handers, Hawke goes missing and it's up to his mabari to find him)

@dadrunkwriting

When coming into darktown, the first thing you notice is the stench. It follows like a sad puppy and cloys like a scared kitten, a reminder of the death and disaster dealt with by people on the fringe of the society.

Kirkwall was a city founded on injustice and its historic walls and statues were only too quick to remind you. Rainwater pooled like tears at the base of the giant twins' eyes, and then spouted off like geysers, spraying cold water into the trapped sea below.

Outside of the clinic the rock was damp and slippery, puddles of muck pooled in through the doors as Anders searched on the floor for anything that needed to stay elevated and dry. He'd awoken that morning to find his manifesto half-soaked, ink running down the pages. He tried not to be too envious of his friends whose homes stayed dry and clean, tried not to think about why their papers were safe and his were not, and instead told himself it needed revising anyhow.

Anders heard scratching on the door, the telltale sound of big paws furiously digging through water-damaged wood. Anders put away some gauze and opened the door. The brown mabari rushed in, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, tail wagging, and running circles around the blonde mage.

"For the last time Hawke, no dogs in my clinic!" Anders said, expecting Hawke to come in and restrain the dog. Hawke did not restrain the dog, in fact, Hawke did not enter the clinic at all. He simply was not there.

"Hawke?" Anders called.

The dog chuffed and whined.

"If Hawke's not here, why are you?"

The dog threw his head back.

"Go away. Go find Hawke."

The dog chased his tail, and then looked up at Anders.

"What are you trying to tell me--hey where are you going?" Anders asked as the dog ran off. The dog stopped to check that the mage was following and then ran off to The Hanged Man. Anders used his staff to help him move more quickly over the slippery ground of the former quarry and met up with the dog at Varric's private suite.

The dwarf was asleep in his small bed and snoring softly when he was pounced on and licked by the slobbery mabari. "Maker get off me, you're gonna crush me to death." He said, trying to push the hound off of his chest. The dog kissed him twice on the cheek and sat down at his bedside, wagging his tail.

"Blondie? I didn't expect to see you here. Where's Hawke?"

"I don't know. His dog brought me here. He seems to be on a mission."

The dog threw his head back. Varric scratched him between his ears. "Maybe the old boy is trying to tell us something about his master."

Anders shifted his weight. "Maybe… We should check if Hawke's home."

As soon as Anders finished his sentence the dog ran out of the bar, running through the legs of someone opening the door. Varric and Anders ran after him into the street.

"Now where's he gone?" Anders asked.

"No idea. Maybe we should check the Hawke estate."

They went to hightown and caught sight of the dog again. "You go catch him, I'll look for Hawke!" Anders said to Varric before running off in the other direction.

"I'm not the one who has immobilization spells, Blondie." Varric muttered under his breath. "Or long legs."

Anders slipped unnoticed into the passageway in front of Hawke's door and knocked. Bodhan answered the door. "Oh hello. You're one of Hawke's friends, I see. He left early last night, but I can tell him you stopped by."

"He left? Did he say why?"

"He said he was going to find a ring. I might have assumed one of you lot would go with him."

"Did he bring his dog?"

"Yes, he almost always does." Anders' face paled. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I need to go." He said, turning on a heel to go find the hound.

The hound, as it turns out, was sitting in Aveline's office, making puppy-dog eyes at the guard captain.

"What's wrong, Fido? You don't want to play with the guards?" Aveline asked.

Varric bolted into the room. "Oh there you are!" He said, clearly out of breath.

"Varric! What are you doing here?"

"The dog went and gathered me and Blondie. I think he wants us all together for something."

The dog barked happily.

"Where's Anders, then?" Waiting outside?"

"He went to see if Hawke was home."

Anders ran in and closed the door behind him. "Hawke's missing."

“Well that’s not good.” Aveline said. “Where was he last seen?”

“Bodhan said he left last night, taking his dog with him.”

“Should we follow him?” Aveline asked.

They all looked over at the dog. “Where’s Hawke?” Varric asked him.

The dog barked and scratched at the door.

Anders and Varric nodded. They let the dog out and followed him into Lirene’s Fereldan Imports.

“Oh not another maba-- Anders! What are you doing here?” Lirene said in lieu of a greeting.

“I’m looking for Hawke. Have you seen him?”

“Oh! Yes, he came in here looking for a ring. He didn’t specify what kind, and after I showed him what we had he just thanked me and left.”

“How long ago was this?” Asked Aveline.

“Last night, just as I was about to close up shop.”

“Did he have his dog with him?” Varric asked.

“Yes. He was on good behaviour, too.”

“Him or the dog?”

Lirene rolled her eyes.

“Thank you.” Anders said, leading them all out of the shop.

“So, where to next?” Varric asked.

“He was looking for a ring… something ferelden. Maybe he went to hightown?”

The dog barked.

“Hold on.” said Varric. “Maybe we should ask if Isabela saw him, first. She’s closer, and I hear they’ve got something going on. Maybe he found the ring and gave it to her.”

“They have something going on?” Anders asked.

“Isabela’s got something ‘going on’ with every handsome man she meets. They’re probably just flirting.” Aveline said.

Varric bowed his head in acknowledgement. “Still, we should check with her.”

The dog whined.

“All right.” Aveline said. She, the dog and Anders followed Varric to the hanged man. They approached Isabela.

“Oh hey Anders. Rough night?” She said, winking.

“What?”

She raised her eyebrows. “Uh, nevermind…”

“Rivaini, Have you seen Hawke?”

“He went to a lot of trouble just for a ring.” Remarked Aveline.

“I saw him last night.” she slurred. “Oh, not like that!” She frowned. “He… came to me for a private mission. Again, not like that.” She motioned over Varric and whispered in his ear.

“Oh.” Varric said, looking up nervously at Anders. “So we know he was looking for a ring, and Isabela told him about some buried treasure on the Wounded Coast.” He said, before muttering, “He should have just gone to hightown.”

“Come on, boy.” Varric said to the mabari. “Let’s go find Hawke.”

The group followed Isabela’s rough napkin-sketch map to a cave on the wounded coast. Outside of the cave lay freshly killed corpses, blood washed away by the rain. Clearly Hawke’s handiwork. As soon as they got inside, the hound started sniffing around everwhere.

“Is he nearby?” Varric asked the dog. He kept his nose to the ground and walked through the tunnel. They walked past skeleton archer corpses until they reached a locked dwarven door.

“I got this” said Varric, kneeling down to pick the lock. It opened and they followed the dog deeper into the tunnels, letting him choose which paths to take.

At the end of a short tunnel the dog lurched forward and pawed furiously at a door without a handle. As he whined, Hawke began to stirr on the other side of the door. Aveline went up and knocked. “Hawke? Are you in there?”

“Mmm? Aveline? Is that you? I must’ve hit my head…”

The dog growled.

“Hang on Hawke, we’ll try to come get you. Is there another way into the room you’re in?”

“I can’t… I can’t see anything.” he rubbed his eyes. “I think there’s three other doors. This place is like a big hallway or something.”

“Blondie, is there some spell you can do to blast the door open?” Varric asked.

Anders shook his head. “It’s dwarven. Even if it could I think it would hurt all of us more than it would the door.”

“We should go further in.” Aveline said.

“Are you leaving?” Hawke croaked.

“We’re going to go around.” Varric said.

The dog pouted at his traveling companions, not wanting to leave Hawke alone.

“Come on pup, we’ll need you. We can’t do this all by ourselves.” Anders said, for Hawke’s sake more than anything. The dog panted once and stood up off the ground.

Aveline led them deeper underground. The tunnels were carved out of the same stone most of kirkwall had been dug from, with red accent stone and fine dwarven carvings, eroded by the corrosive limestone dripping down from the ceiling. The lime must have been hiding the smell of the corpses littered everywhere, some of which were half-mummified, others bloated and drowned. Varric found a chest, picked the lock, and discovered it was empty. “Hawke must have looted this.” he thought.

The tunnel shook and stalactites dislodged themselves from surrounding rock and hit the adventurers on the heads. Shades clawed themselves out of the fade as demons possessed corpses. They were surrounded by eight corpses, four skeletal archers, and two shades. Varric started firing off crossbow bolts indiscriminately, moving in a clockwise circle. Anders cast a protective barrier around himself and Aveline took on the shade closest to Anders. The Mabari leaped on the nearest corpse and shred it’s flesh from bone.

The skeletal archers rained arrows down from above as Anders threw three fireballs down from above, scattering the enemies. They all ran past their fallen bodies so that they would only be encountered from one side. Just as Anders cast Elemental Weapons, Varric’s crossbow jammed.

“Bianca, now’s really not the time!” he said, pin in his mouth.

Aveline put up a shield wall and stabbed at the corpse directly in front of her. Anders continued to fire off spells from Aveline’s cover until Varric fixed Bianca. “I’m ready-- do the thing!”

Aveline taunted the enemies, who rushed into Anders’ cone of cold and were shattered by Varric’s hail of bolts.

Anders healed everyone as Aveline finished the rest of the demons off.

They heard clapping from behind them. “Well, well well. Very well done, all four of you. Don’t you think it’s time for a little break?”

“A sloth demon! Don’t listen to it-- kill it!”

Aveline and Varric looked dizzy, The dog just looked confused.

Anders sighed exhasperatedly. “C’mon boy, sicc him!”

The demon laughed. “That dog doesn’t take orders from you! When have you ever given it a reason to trust you?”

The dog whined and set his head down on his paws.

“I’ll give you treats!”

“Treats?” A feminine voice said from afar. “That’s my job.” A desire demon said, floating out from behind a wall. “Do you want a treat?”

The Mabari growled.

“Oh I know what you want even more than a treat. You want your master to let you back into bed with him. You must be very jealous of the mage who took your place.”

The dog whined.

“That’s not fair.”

“You wan’t him gone, don’t you? You could do it, right now.”

“Be quiet!” Anders shouted, summoning up enough mana to cast a fireball at them.

“You’re not enough.” Sloth said. “That spell must have taken a lot out of you, don’t you want to take a rest?”

“Guys, snap out of it!” Anders said to his friends.

“I’m… Trying…” Varric said.

“Aveline... “ The Desire demon began. “It must be so tiring, every day, protecting so many people, day in and day out, missing Wesley. Draw your sword and cut your throat with it.”

Aveline drew her sword. “N-No! Anders, Help us!”

The dog, sensing the desperation in aveline’s voice, growled at the demons.

“Good dog.” Anders said. “Sicc ‘em.”

The dog Leaped on the Desire demon and finished her off for Anders. The sloth demon tried to escape in terror, but weakened it’s hold on the party long enough for Varric to shoot it in the back.

“Sorry blondie.” Varric said.

“Don’t mention this to anyone else.” Aveline said.

“Let’s just find Hawke.” Anders said. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” He said to the dog, who began wagging his tail.

Varric kicked in the door and found Hawke passed out on the floor. They all ran to him.

The dog licked all over his face and tried to drag him by the arm, before being shooed away by Varric. “Hawke, wake up! We’re here!”

Hawke was covered in sweat and clutching something tight to his chest. Aveline pried it from him. “It’s an… Engagement ring.”

Anders felt his face get hot. “Oh, you fool…”

Varric Grimaced. “So blondie, can you heal him?”

“...I’ll need some help. Let’s go talk to Merrill.”

The three of them brought Hawke to his bedroom in the city and went to Merrill.

“Merrill I know we don’t get along--” Anders began.

“What do you mean? We get along great!”

Varric grimaced.

“...Right. Well, I need a favor from you. It’s about Hawke.”

“Is he alright?”

“He’s… bewitched. We found him in a cave with some strange magic. I believe his consciousness is in the fade.”

“What? But he’s not even a mage!”

“I know. I need the help of your keeper.”

Merrill whined. “But I hate talking to the keeper without Hawke’s help. But I do love Hawke--I mean we all do, right?”

The dog tossed his head back.

“Oh right.” Varric replied sarcastically. “My mistake.”

“Some of us love him more than others…” Varric muttered under his breath, looking pointedly at Anders.

“What?” Anders squawked. “Don’t believe everything a Demon tells you.”

Merrill smiled confusedly. “What are we talking about?”

“It’s nothing.” Aveline cut in. “Will you help, or not?”

“Of course i’ll help! It’s Hawke we’re talking about. So I assume you’ll all be helping, too.”

“What do you need?” Aveline asked.

“If the keeper comes here, we’ll need someone to keep her safe.”

Aveline nodded. “I’ll help. Of course I will.”

“Anders? Will you help me talk to the keeper?”

“Why me?”

“I don’t even know what Hawke needs. You could convince her better than me, right?”

“It’s worth a shot.”

The five of them departed for sundermount. When they arrived at the camp, two hunters stopped their egress.

“Shem are not welcome here, Merrill. I’d like to say the same about you, too.”

“But I am welcome here, and so are my friends. We need to speak to the keeper.”

The female elf sighed. “I’ll go get her. She’ll want to speak with you.”

The hunter returned with the keeper. “Merrill.” Keeper Marethari said, her eyes crinkling in smile. “It is good to see you. Bring you bad news?”

“No, keeper. I bring Anders, Doctor of Darktown. He needs help with a patient.”

“The patient is Hawke.” Anders added.

“Very well, how do you need my help?”

“Hawke went to find some ring but it was… possessed. I believe he is fighting off demons, similar to a circle mage’s harrowing. It’s not too late to save him, but we need to reach him in the fade.”

“I see. Can he be brought here?”

“That would take too much time. It may already be too late.”

The keeper inclined her head. “Very well. I will go. Take me to see him.”

“But keeper, we need you here!” One of the elves spoke.

“Child, I will go where I am needed most. I will return. Dareth Shiral.”

The hunter looked down. “Dareth Shiral, keeper.”

The group left sundermount and arrived with the cover of night at Hawke’s hightown estate.

Anders unlocked the door and let them inside, earning a quirk of Varric’s eyebrow.

They entered Hawke’s bedroom where he still lay, breathing in shallow slow breaths.

“Who are you taking with you?”

Anders recalled his earlier encounter with demons. “I’d rather not take any of you.”

“I’m sorry, blondie, I’ll try to make it up to you this time.” Varric said.

“I’m not sure I want to mess with demons.” Aveline said.

“I’d be happy to go with you!” Merrill said.

Anders sighed. “I’ll need all of them, since I can’t bring the dog. He can protect our bodies while we sleep.”

The three mages began casting spells and one by one the team opened their eyes in the fade.

“Go quickly.” the keeper’s voice rang out in the back of their minds. “I cannot keep this up forever.”

In the fade it was nearly impossible for Anders to control Justice and the others were startled to see Anders’ skin glowing.

He walked stiffly in long strides into Hawke’s dream. They were in the cellar of the Amell estate, from after Gamlen lost it but before Hawke bought it. The greenish fade air distorted the walls like stained glass might. Merrill gazed about and kept her back guarding Anders’. Varric marched on to keep pace and aveline crossed her shoulders and withdrew inwards.

They went into the next room and saw Hawke hitting a training dummy as his father looked on disapprovingly. He seemed not to notice them come in.

“Push yourself Garrett. Make me proud.”

Hawke’s voice came out strangled and boyish. “I’m trying! Why can’t you see that?”

“It’s okay to ask for help.”

“I don’t need help! I can do this!”

Justice stepped forward. “That’s not your dad.” he said.

Hawke whipped around. “Anders? I don’t understand!” He looked between his dad and his lover.

The pride demon stepped towards him. Hawke dropped his daggers and ran away.

“Nonsense! Make me proud, boy!” The demon said.

“That is a pride demon. Resist him.”

“Great.” Varric said. “You spooked him.”

“You! You spoiled my plan!” The demon said, morphing into it’s true form.

He summoned two electric chains and tugged Merrill and Aveline to the ground. Varric fired off shots at the demon’s massive chest as Justice calmly stepped forward and ripped the demon’s heart out.

The demon begged with his eyes before Merrill froze it and Varric shot it.

“Damn blondie! That was mental!”

Justice shrugged him off and kept moving.

Next they checked the broom closet. When Justice realised what was going on, he slammed the door shut behind him. Hawke was in his finery about to open the robe above a kneeling anders when he saw the real anders.

“Justice?!” Hawke cried, stepping back in surprise.

“That’s not Anders. It’s a desire demon.”

“Oh.” He squinted. “Is it?”

The demon rose from the floor. “Yes you fool. I have so much more to offer you than the real anders. Help me beat him and Justice will never spoil your fun again.”

“No… I… When I fell in love with Anders I accepted Justice with him!”

The Demon spat.

“I wish you could be here.” He sobbed. “I might get engaged soon.”

Hawke pulled his pants up and ran through the walls. Justice opened the door and let his group take care of the Desire demon.

They searched through the remaining rooms and found Hawke in his mother’s bedroom, crying on the bed as a ghostly Leandra fed him sad memories.

“How could you get married without your mother in the audience? You shouldn’t go.”

“That’s not your mother.” Justice spoke.

“How do you know?” Hawke cried. “You didn’t know my mother! Maybe this is her spirit!”

“See you said maybe, Hawke. You have no way of knowing what’s real here. Don’t let her taint your memories.” Varric said.

“You’ll want to remember her as she was.” Aveline said.

Hawke looked up and nodded. “You’re right. I must resist demons.”

“Are you ready to wake up now?” Justice said.

“No! You cannot forget this pain!” The demon drew back and transformed itself into a snake, coiling around hawke. Aveline charged at it and slashed away at it’s regrowing tail.

Merrill and Anders united their mana together and cast a strong ice spell, freezing just the serpent, and Aveline hacked the brittle beast to bits.

“Yeah.” He sniffed. “Thanks, Justice.”

They all awoke from Hawke’s dream in his room.

Hawke sat up fast. “Where’s the ring?”

Anders eased him back on the bed and held his hand. “You don’t need one. The answer is yes.”

“But you’re pretty. You deserve a ring as pretty as you.”

Anders scoffed. “I’m offended you think a bit of twisted metal could ever look as gorgeous as I do.”

Hawke smirked “Did you geta pride demon plus one in there? Are we making this relationship a foursome now?”

Varric cleared his throat. “We’re still here.”

“Oh I know that.” Hawke said, throwing his head back in laughter.

“Thank you Keeper Marethari. I am truly in your debt.”

“It was nothing child. If you must help me, ease my way home.

Hawke grabbed his arm and silently begged him not to leave.

“You guys go on, I’ll make it up to you some other day. And take the dog, I don’t want him to stick around and watch.”

Merrill made a face. “Yuck. I’m going.”

The rest of them left and the couple was all alone for the night.

“Well, maybe I was overblowing the animosity between us. I wouldn’t want you to think of me as untrustworthy just because I’m a cat person.”

“You know, your dog really does not like me.” Anders said, caressing Hawke’s arm.

“Doesn’t he?” Hawke frowned. “Well you’re not exactly the nicest to him. I’ll have you know I have no trust for someone my dog distrusts.”

Hawke smiled. “Did you mean it, when you said yes?”

Anders nodded against his shoulder. “I still think it’s crazy that you’d openly live with another man--an apostate. Aren’t you scared?”

“No. Not at all. Are you?”

“I should be.” he smiled. “Right now I just feel warm all over.”

“Hmm… Maybe we should get you out of that stuffy robe then.”

Anders laughed. “Maybe.”

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unboundstories · 4 years ago

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@madefromfade || Accepting || [X] || Cassius Hawke [ goodbye ] for my muse kissing and/or hugging your muse goodbye

It wasn’t often that these two had ever separated from one another, closest of friends some would say, and they would be right. Where there was Hawke, you could always find Varric not too far away, eyes always seeming to scan around, spotting detail for fodder in his stories. However when word got out that there could be a potential exalted march sent towards Kirkwall, he knew he had to say goodbye to his dear friend.

“I don’t like this. It could be years before we see each other again.” Varric folded his arms over his chest, his eyes showing just how tired he had been with trying to repair Kirkwall, slowly. He knew this was the likely outcome, yet for this to be real?

“So, you know what that means. Write to me, and be sure to get details about your travels, how else am I to tell stories to people for moral?” he smirked, but this wasn’t fooling anybody more than likely.

Hawke was leaving.

His best friend was leaving to who knew where, and Varric had to stay behind to be sure that everyone close to Hawke got away from Kirkwall safely. It would only be himself and Aveline that stays behind, and he knew Hawke didn’t even like that thought, but Aveline refuses to leave this place, and Varric grew up here. He wasn’t about to abandon his home, even if it was in shambles.

It only took a small glance before he felt big arms surrounding him in what was a rather warm embrace. Varric froze for a moment but soon relaxed and returned the hug, “Things will be okay, you just focus on helping Blondie escape. Okay? I will be here and so will Aveline when you get back.” He hoped.

#madefromfade #Cassius #rp

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branwen-lavellan · 5 years ago

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Fighting Together

Anders/Garrett Hawke for @14daysofdalovers writing prompts, day 6.

I’d like to start this piece off with an explanation and a caveat. This is a DA Lovers piece, but it is not meant to be romantic. This should not leave you feeling good.

It is not fluffy at all. And, underneath it all, it is extremely Anders critical.

I romanced Anders on my first playthrough of Dragon Age 2. I fell hard for him. I played as Garrett, and my emotions were invested so deeply into the romance that I was completely blindsided by the ending. And it HURT. Maybe even more so with Solas. The thing with Solas is, and maybe I’m just missing something, but I genuinely think Solas is a good person. I think he wants to do whats right, even if the cost is high. With Anders, though, when I went back and listened to the things he says and does, it’s so manipulative. It left me feeling really gross and even more hurt. I wasn’t planning on writing for this pairing, but, for whatever reason, I couldn’t quite get this scene out of my head. This was, in a sense, a catharis. A chance to explore an unresolved hurt that Anders as a LI left me.

This is in no way meant to judge people who like Anders, and I do not want to open this up to any personal attacks. Each and every one of you is a critical thinker, and you can make your own decisions about these characters. We love them because they are flawed, because they feel real. And, just like real people, sometimes they let us down in a way that we just can’t forgive.

So, anyways, without further ado, here’s an argument between Anders and Garrett.

The year was 9:37 Dragon. So, six years, then. Six years since Anders had moved into Garrett’s High Town estate. Six years that they had been together as a couple. Six years. Six years! Garrett had poured his heart and soul into their relationship. He’d invited Anders in, worked to keep him safe, worked to build a life together. And for what?

It was three in the morning, and for the third night in a row, Anders wasn’t home yet. Garrett understood his work was important, but they’d made a deal. Anders was supposed to at least swing by and tell Garrett if he was going to be gone that night. It was a favor Garrett had begged for after a close run in with the Templars. He’d lost so much already, and the idea of losing Anders plagued him. He never would have dreamed of stopping Ander’s work. He believed in it. He’d spent hours helping Anders edit his manifesto because he believed in Anders’ cause. He just wanted to know Anders was safe.

And yet, three nights in a row, Anders stayed out all night, and then came home without explanation or apology. Garrett was no fool. He was losing him.

Garrett sat on the edge of bed, facing the door. His legs were locked in front of him to hold him in place, and his palms rested behind him on the burgundy fabric of his bed spread. He was trying to maintain an air of calm about him, but the more he thought of what Anders was doing, the more he saw red behind his eyes.

He waited another hour before he heard the quiet footsteps approaching his door. He stayed exactly where he was as the door creaked open and Anders waltzed in without so much as a look up in Hawke’s direction.

“You’re awfully late tonight,” said Hawke dryly.

Anders threw his hands up. “Unbelievable.”

“Unbelievable!” Hawke bellowed, “I’m unbelievable!”

“You always do this,” said Anders.

Garrett stood. “We had a deal, Anders. You were supposed to check in.”

“There wasn’t time!” he said, “What I had to do was important! You know how important my work is to me!”

“It’s important to me, too!” Hawke said, standing, “But so is your safety! Is it so much to ask that you let me know if you’re going to be out all night?”

Anders rolled his eyes. “It’s not that simple.”

“Why not?”

Anders looked away, shaking his head indignantly. Garrett began to wonder if he had perhaps been too harsh. He always wondered that. He could never hold his ground against Anders. He loved him too much.

He tried again, gentler this time. “I’m just trying to understand, Anders. I love you. And if anything happened to you, I’d-” He didn’t try to finish the thought. He’d spent so much time dwelling on death. He dreamed of his mother most nights. When it wasn’t her, it was Bethany as she was torn to pieces by that Ogre. He rarely dreamed of Charlotte, the second oldest Hawke child. He hadn’t been there at Ostagar. He hadn’t seen. Carver had, though. He didn’t like to talk about it.

All of his fears about death only amplified his worries for Anders. If he could just make Anders understand-

Anders looked at him with tired, remorseful eyes. “I know, love.” He sighed, looking at his feet. Hawke noticed the teardrops that fell all the way to his boots. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“No,” said Garrett, rushing to his side, “It’s alright, Anders. I’m sorry. I overreacted. Your work is important. I know that. I shouldn’t have gotten so cross.”

“No, you have every right. I’ve been horrible to you. I’d understand if you wanted to me leave. I don’t deserve your love.”

“You do!” cried Garrett. “Don’t say that!” He wrapped his arms around Anders. He couldn’t believe how foolish he’d been. He wasn’t losing Anders. Anders was just stressed. That was all. Surely.

As if he had read Hawke’s mind, Anders pulled away, his face hardened into an expression of utmost seriousness. “I’m going to be trying something, and I thought you’d want to be part of it. But I needed to figure some things out, first. It’s why I’ve been out so late. We’ve both been wrong. What I did with Justice was unnatural. It should never have happened.”

Garrett cupped Anders’ cheeks and stroked them with his thumbs. “You’re getting him under control. I’ve seen it.”

Ander shook his head. “I can’t help mages like this. Not while I’m everything the Templars fear about magic. I need to be free of this curse.”

Garrett wasn’t sure he liked where this was going, but he had committed to himself to stand by Anders’ side, no matter what. “You know I’ll do anything I can.”

“Your patience with me! I marvel every day that you haven’t thrown up your hands and left. I’ve spent the last three years researching the methods of Tevinter Magisters. They’re the only ones who have ever sought to reverse spirit possession. Not just behead the victims. I believe I have a formula for a potion that can separate Justice and me, without killing either.”

It sounded too good to be true. Hawke was wary of a catch. “Is it dangerous?”

“There are always dangers with magic. But I believe this will be worth the cost.”

Garrett slid his right hand to the nape of Anders’ neck and gave his hair a gentle tug. “I don’t want to lose you, Anders. But I want you to be happy. If this is what you want, I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“I knew you’d stand behind me in this. Even if-“

“What?”

“Nothing. I’ve gathered most of what I need, but there are some outlandish ingredients I was hoping you’d help me collect.”

Anders explained exactly what he needed and where to get the ingredients. Hawke pressed him further, asking what else the ritual might entail.

“No ritual,” Anders said, “just mix the ingredients and boom. Justice and I are free.”

That was all the assurance Garrett needed. He made plans to meet Anders the following night by the entrance to the sewer in Dark Town. They would look for the ingredient Sela Petrae, there, along with the help of their other friends. Anders was wary, but Hawke was insistent. Varric, Fenris, and Aveline would happily help. Out of all his friends, they were the ones he was closest with. Whatever Hawke needed, they’d be there, no matter the cost. And, the more help they got, the quicker Anders could get his work under way. The sooner things could get back to normal between them.

He and Anders slept together for the first time that night in weeks. When they had finished, Hawke slept like a baby. He would not lose his love, afterall. Everything Anders had done, all the secrets, the lies, the coming home late, it had all been for Hawke. He could rest at last, safe in his love’s arms.

#anders #Garrett Hawke #hawke #anders critical #tw: emotional manipulation #tw: emotional abuse #14DALovers

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