#dorian is my bff

[thechildofbhaalhasawoken]

Cullen: *in his office in the morning, attaching his armor piece by piece*

Josephine, Dorian, Vivienne and Leliana: *enter*

Cullen: Uh, good morning? Have you heard of knocking?

Vivienne: Deepest apologies, my dear Commander, but we need to talk about the Orlesian dignitaries who are visiting later today.

Cullen: Can we talk about it a little later? I haven’t had breakfast yet. *fidgets nervously*

Josephine: It won’t take long, Commander.

Leliana: And besides we know you don’t eat breakfast. *eyes suspiciously*

Cullen: *furiously trying to think of something*

Vivienne: The good ambassador has told me that you have refused the dinner invitation and the request to show our guests the barracks.

Cullen: I honestly have work to do, and have no time to be parading around nobles.

Dorian: Do you hear something weird?

Cullen: All I hear is the open door behind you.

Vivienne: But these nobles have deep interest in warfare and you made quite the impact on them at the Winter Palace!

Josephine: And they could be persuaded into sponsoring - I hear something too. Is there a bird upstairs? We really should renovate your roof, Commander.

Leliana: No that is the sound of water. Is someone using your privy upstairs, Commander? *eyebrow lift*

Dorian: *smug grin*

Cullen: *blush* I, uh, I’m sure you’re just hearing noise from outside.

Upstairs: *sound of door opening, steps on the floor, rummaging*

Cullen: *urgently* You know we could continue this discussion at your office, Josephine?

Upstairs: Did you say something, vhenan?

Josephine, Dorian, Vivienne and Leliana: *look at each other and then at Cullen*

Cullen: *covers his face with his hand* No.

Upstairs: No? Well I know you’re not much of a morning person, so fine. Have you seen my trousers?

Vivienne: *about to say something*

Leliana: *stabs Vivienne with her elbow to shut her up*

Dorian: *delighted grin*

Josephine: *having the time of her life*

Cullen: *kicks said trousers from the floor to behind his desk* I don’t know but I definitely think you should stay upstairs for a bit longer.

Upstairs: Oh are you coming back up here? Did you change your mind, Mr. ”I can’t possibly go again yet?”

Cullen: No, no!

Upstairs: Well I suppose twice last night and once this morning is quite a lot.

Dorian: *silent applaud at Cullen*

The ladies: *looking at Cullen from head to toe with very approving nods*

Cullen: Maker’s breath, you’ll be the death of me.

Inquisitor: *slides down the ladder in a flurry of bare legs, wearing no trousers*

Vivienne: Good morning, your worship.

Josephine: I hope you had an invigorating night.

Leliana: And an energising morning.

Dorian: How many times was it for you?

Cullen: Never you mind. *throws the Inquisitor her trousers*

Inquisitor: Six. *catches trousers*

Cullen: *groans and facepalms*

Leliana: Nothing to be embarrassed about, Commander!

Josephine: Six? And three? That’s… amazing.

Dorian: Hell yes it is. *offer to high five with Cullen, switches to the Inquisitor when he doesn’t*

Inquisitor: *high fives Dorian and pulls on trousers* You know you could have said there was someone here.

Cullen: I tried to tell you not to come downstairs.

Inquisitor: Oh I did come downstairs, that was the first one of six, remember?

Cullen: *mortified*

Dorian: *absolutely pissing his pants*

Inquisitor: Anyway, I’ll let you talk about whatever you’re here for.

Vivienne: Oh we wanted to talk to you about the visiting dignitaries too-

Inquisitor: See you in the evening, Cullen, byeee *flees through the open door*

Cullen: I knew everything was going too well for me.

Josephine and Vivienne: *proceed to bombard Cullen with boring questions and duties*

Leliana and Dorian: *continue to insert a lot of double entendres*

[chialattea]

My Inky pre-conclave + some doodles hehe

[crossdressingdeath]

The only alternative to Dorian's DA4 intro cutscene being him wrapping up a call with Quiz that I'll accept is his friendship cutscene including him wrapping up a call with Quiz. Like, I will take him only letting the new protagonist see him speaking to his best friend/husband once he trusts them implicitly, that will be acceptable also. But we better see him calling Quiz at least once.

Also I would love to see some of his dialogue when you talk to him including him on the sending crystal just going "Oh, sorry, I have to go, someone wants to talk to me, talk to you later". Varric talks about Hawke constantly, give me Dorian calling Quiz just all the time.

[reverieprince]

what if there were guys in a room

[jacklyn-flynn]

Almost three years ago, @charlatron wrote the incredible Fire & Blood in which she borrowed my HoF and her murder husband for some shameless fun with Olivia. From there, they kind of took off all on their own! They became BFF's, are canonically now in the same world state and there have been a couple of installments since. I wrote Surprise Visit for her that same year for Christmas and we both created Letters From the Warden as Olivia and Briall writing each to other. I decided to make another chapter for her birthday this year! (I was so close to getting it to you on your actual birthday, sorry! Turns out there was more to get out of my head and onto paper than I thought there was.) As is fitting for a slutty adventure of Olivia Trevelyan, it is spicy as heck with a bunch of fluff. Under the cut is a little teaser and you can read Easy, along with the other pieces of the story, on AO3!

"Honestly, I’m glad you’re here to take your painful friend off my hands. If you’d been much longer, I think she would have killed me.”

Briall frowned. “What do you mean?” 

Leaning back against his desk, Alistair grinned. “She’s absolutely insatiable.” Though Briall’s eyes widened in surprise, he didn’t seem to catch on to what he’d said. “I thought I’d be nice and have her join me for dinner. She had a ton of questions about you and I was happy to regale her with stories. You know, talking you up.” 

She let out a relieved huff and shook her head at his child-like enthusiasm. 

“Like an idiot I broke out some of the nice wine and let the woman get me absolutely blitzed. Apparently the quality of my stories is directly correlated to my level of drunkenness. To be fair, she over-indulged too but she didn’t have to entertain a bunch of haughty Orlesian nobles the next morning, pretending that the world wasn’t as loud and spinny as it was.” He saw her stifle a laugh and grinned. “She can drink like Oghren but smells significantly better.” 

“I thought you meant you didn’t like her,” Briall admitted.

“Nah, she’s a hoot. We both adore you, how could I not like her?” 

“Oh, shut up,” Briall muttered, feeling her cheeks flush. 

He crossed his arms over his chest. “So, sharing a room, huh? In the ‘spicy’ wing no less. I knew Zev was a bad influence.”

[rhbrand]

“I'm here to set things right. Also? To look dashing. That part's less difficult.” Dorian Pavus

My sassy BFF for my Inquisitor

[athanasius-symposium-of-writings]

Have you played dragon age?

War flashbacks to Solavellan days

No jk yes my first DA game was DA:I and watched some playthroughs for DA:O and DA2! Praying that DA: dreadwolf is good (gonna bite Solas normal amount)

[wolfwhisperertf]

I love that Cullen and Dorian seem to have a friendship or at least a friendly acquaintanceship going on since Dorian is my Lavellan’s bff and Cullen is her mans

[charincharge]

I Don't Want To Wait, sixty-seven

rowaelin high school bff au masterlist

AN: WHOOPS, I disappeared for two years. (Legit the last chapter was posted in May 2022!). But I’m back and have written… a lot of the rest of this fic, so we’re just going to post weekly (or even twice weekly!) until we’re finished. And I hope you’re still out there, anyone, to enjoy it. Quick recap for a previously on IDWTW. Aelin and Rowan had sex! It was great. Then they walked in on Rhoe and her dance teacher Petrah having sex, which was NOT great. Aelin never wants to go back to dance again. We returned to school. Senior second semester is going great. Busy for Aelin, who is still trying to work her butt off re: APs and grades. Less busy for Rowan, who is already recruited to college for lacrosse. Aelin and Lys had a huge falling out, but have slowly rekindled their friendship now that Lys is sober and working on her shit. Elide and Manon came out! They’re running as homecoming queens! Dorian and Chaol haven’t DTRed and are taking a break. Last we left off, Aelin texted someone to help retrieve her lacrosse hoodie from the dance studio after hours. But who? Keep reading to find out. Also, I have been gone for so long that I have NO idea who is still in the fandom or reading Rowaelin fic. Please reblog to spread the word! Taglist doesn't seem to possible anymore, so please share! Love you all and missed you all. Comment, message, meme, gif, whatever. Let’s go, team.

Aelin watched with wide eyes as Lys lowered into a crouch and removed a bobby pin from her hair. When she’d texted her friend to help with her mission, she hadn’t realized that Lysandra was a bona-fide expert at breaking and entering. 

“It got boring in rehab,” Lys said with a small shrug, as if that explained her masterful lock-picking.

“Good to know,” Aelin said, chewing her thumb nervous and glancing over her shoulder at Rowan, who waited patiently in the jeep — aka, their getaway car. She didn’t think they’d actually need one, but this whole thing was such a thing, she figured it was probably safest to have a getaway car. What if the cops were called about the break-in, and they had to run? 

Aelin almost chuckled at the thought of Orynth’s elderly Police Chief trying to run after them, but it hadn’t stopped her from telling Lys to dress all in black and meet them at the dance studio at eight. Luckily, Rhoe was at the station overnight, so he couldn’t see their ridiculous antics. But, after all, this mission was serious. She tried to refocus on Lys, who was finagling with a pin in the lock, taking her sweet time. A rush of panic ran through Aelin. What if they got caught? What if this got put on her permanent record? What if they got arrested?

BZZZZ. Aelin’s phone vibrated in her hand, making her jump with surprise. 

“Gods,” she muttered under her breath, causing Lys to chuckle under her breath.

“Tell your buzzard not to worry, we’re almost there,” she said, twisting the pin again in a different direction. Aelin sighed at the reassurance. She knew that Rowan had to be feeling her nerves as well. Although maybe not quite as much. She wasn’t usually concerned about being a rule follower, but every step of the way had made her feel more and more stressed out. Which might have to do more with her overbearing boyfriend watching their every move than anything else. Couldn’t he just sit there and look cute and not worry? She looked at his text and shook her head. She should have known it’d be impossible. He was the biggest worry wart of them all.

Are you sure no one’s in the studio? It looks like the lights are on upstairs. Rowan texted from the front seat, his view of the studio probably better than theirs. But Aelin had spent too many years of her life at this studio. Despite her churning stomach, she knew they were fine.

Last class ended an hour ago. They always leave the lights on for the cleaning staff, but they get Fridays off, so they’re on until Saturday morning. It was part of my class schedule to turn the lights off. We’re good.

She looked over her shoulder after sending the text, and watched as Rowan threw a thumbs up in her direction. She couldn’t help but laugh at how silly he looked in his oversized black hoodie with the hood up. Despite completely disapproving of her decision, he showed up ready for the assignment at hand. 

“Tadaaa,” Lys sang out quietly as the lock clicked open, the door popping ajar. 

“Honestly, when I asked you to help me break into the dance studio, I figured we’d be throwing a rock into a window or something,” Aelin whispered, even though there was absolutely no reason to whisper at all. Aelin had timed it purposefully, so she wouldn’t have to run into … anyone. Okay, she really didn’t want to have to talk to Petrah. She’d avoided the studio (and Petrah) for so many weeks following the revelation that she’d been involved with her dad, and she had no intention of breaking that now. So, they’d had no choice but to break into the studio under the cover of darkness.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Lys said. “The door upstairs has a lock, too, right?” 

Aelin nodded. Annoyingly, there were three doors they had to break open — the building door, the door to the second floor, and then the dance studio entrance. Thank god Aelin had her locker key, so that wasn’t a worry.

“So, why are we doing this again?” Lys asked as they trudged up the long stairwell to the second floor. She tried not to flinch as the rubber-covered stairs squeaked beneath her shoes. “Not that I’m not happy to help,” she continued. “I just thought that you started dancing again and loved it?”

“Ugh,” Aelin groaned. “I did.” Aelin paused for a beat too long, causing Lys to flip her dark curls over her shoulder to get a better look at Aelin. 

“But?”

“It’s…complicated,” Aelin sighed as Lys crouched down in front of the second floor door.

“Well, this is going to take a minute,” Lys laughed. “Tell me.” Aelin was going to refute again when Lys’s voice changed, softer. “Unless you don’t want to…”

Aelin nearly smacked herself. She’d thought this would be a ridiculous, fun (and pretty low-stakes) way to hang out with Lys again, and here she was totally ruining it by keeping things to herself again.

“No, it’s not like that,” Aelin reassured her as she continued to work on the lock. “It’s just… horrifying.”

“Well now you can’t not tell me,” Lys snickered, but Aelin recognized the slight trepidation in her friend’s green eyes. Still nervous to push things. Aelin bit the bullet and let it out in a whoosh.

“Oh my GOD.” Lys’s nose crinkled, and she fell to her knees completely as her shoulders shook with laughter as Aelin told her story. “I mean, we all knew Rhoe fucked,” Lys cackled, causing Aelin to smack her friend’s knee. 

“EW! That is my dad,” she said, fake heaving.

“He’s a hot, hot firefighter daddy, though,” Lys said, her eyebrows wiggling.

“I swear to god I will vomit straight on you.”

Aelin tried to be serious, but Lysandra’s smile pushed them both over the edge into a fit of giggles. They laughed and laughed, releasing the tension that had been hovering around them like a thick blanket all night, officially removing all traces of formality. Unable to help herself, Aelin reached out for her friend’s hand, squeezing her fingers gently and was relieved as Lys squeezed back. They weren’t healed, per se, but they were healing, and that was the most that Aelin could really ask for right now.

Taking a breath and wiping the remnant tracks of tears from her cheeks, Lys pushed herself back up to her knees. “Second lock?”

“Speaking of my family…” Aelin started nervously, but forged on, curious. “How’s Aedion doing?” 

To her credit, Lys didn’t even lose pace as she unlocked the next door with ease.

“I know you want me to reply with something equally scandalous, but there’s nothing going on between me and Aedion,” Lys replied succinctly. “We’re friends.”

“Okay,” Aelin said, not completely convinced, but chose to respect her boundaries and believe her words. 

The pair fell into an awkward silence as they headed down the hall toward the studio door. Just one last lock to get through — and then she’d never have to return to this place. A part of her heart panged at that thought, that she’d be leaving Orynth and this studio behind and not really getting to say goodbye to it. But running into Petrah was NOT an option.

“Hey, isn’t this the studio?” Lys asked of a propped open door, a gentle music wafting from inside. Aelin’s stomach sank. Had someone stayed late tonight practicing? It was a plus that they wouldn’t have to break into yet another door, but she really didn’t want to risk running into anyone. “I thought you said it was closed.”

At the same time, the pair noticed the schedule on the door, showing the company’s new rehearsal schedule. Their rehearsals now went until nine on Friday night, meaning that Aelin had shown up in the middle of a packed studio, instead of an empty one. And one where Petrah would surely be. She contemplated turning right around, but Lys had already opened the door too far, leading them into the studio lobby where the company was on break, milling around and refilling their water bottles.

And at the front desk, Petrah’s eyes widened with surprise upon seeing her. “Aelin!”

She should have guessed breaking in had been too easy. Had the doors even been locked? She knew Lysandra had gotten through them too quickly! Grumbling, she stepped out of the shadow and into the lobby toward Petrah. She couldn’t run away anymore, so she had no choice but to say hello to the woman who she’d been studiously avoiding for weeks. And by the look on Petrah’s face, she knew it, too.

“I’ll go grab your jersey,” Lys whispered, leaving her to fend for herself. “See you downstairs!”

“Traitor,” Aelin mumbled under her breath as Lysandra all but ran into the locker room, excusing herself from the awkward conversation that surely lay ahead. She wanted to run, but her feet were stuck, watching Petrah approach nervously.

“Aelin,” she said again, taking a deep breath. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you….” But Aelin cut her off.

“I don’t want to talk about it!” she said, ready to slap her hands over her ears, lest Petrah talk about her dad in any less than completely formal way.

Petrah’s deep pink lips curled up on one side in amusement, but Aelin watched as she took another deep breath and shook off whatever she’d been about to say. Instead, she watched as her smile fell into a wistful expression. “We’ve missed seeing you around here,” Petrah said.

Aelin’s eyes shot to the open doorway of the studio where the company practiced, all jetes and pirouettes and well-supported port de bras. She had missed dancing. She really had just gotten back into it when she let it fall away. Petrah must have seen her expression because she smiled faintly and let her delicate hand fall to Aelin’s shoulder.

“You could join the class. Dance it out,” Petrah suggested.

Aelin couldn’t tear her eyes away from the dancers. She watched the emotion pour from them. That is what she needed. But as Lysandra held up her jersey and trailed down the stairs in the periphery of her vision, Aelin shook her head.

“I can’t tonight.”

“I understand that it might be strange to spend time with me after what you overheard…” Petrah trailed off as blood pooled in her cheeks, filling her usual pale complexion with a deep blush. “It was completely casual. It’s only happened a handful of times, and we both know it’s not serious. I’m not trying to replace your mother, or anything like that, it’s just… an occasional stress release, and oh my god, I am sorry I didn’t mean to say any of that.” Aelin cringed at the words. She wanted to stop Petrah, but the woman couldn’t be stopped even if she wanted to. “Please don’t give up dance because of this,” Petrah pleaded. “You have such a gift, Aelin, and I would be filled with regret for the rest of my life if I knew I was the cause of you walking away from it.”

Aelin took a breath, the comforting scent of chalk and worn leather infiltrating her senses and calming her down as she figured out what to reply to Petrah. Of course she wanted to dance still. It was undeniable, the way her body pulled her toward the studio, the way a sense of calm settled through her despite her initial discomfort upon seeing Petrah. She thought about her lack of free time and her constantly building stress as the semester went on and how badly she wished she could just dance it out. That release of emotion centered her, and she knew that she was feeling off kilter without it. Making time for dance had improved her life drastically — it'd kept her sane as the rest of her semester spiraled out of control — and she wanted it back. So, so badly.

She was on the verge of agreeing to join the practice when there was a crash and loud shriek from the studio. When the shriek morphed into a choked sob, a churning nausea overwhelmed Aelin. She watched as Petrah’s face morphed into one of horror as she sprinted into the studio. Sure enough, one of the dancers was on the floor, cradling her ankle, cheeks red and involuntary tears dripping down her skin, while another dancer attempted to help her stand. The girl hissed, crying out in pain and sat down again.

“Call an ambulance,” someone ordered, and suddenly there was a frenzy, a rush of dancers looking on in terror at the injury in front of them. Aelin stood with her back against the wall, not wanting to be in the way, slinking out of sight while so much was going on. It felt like a sign from the universe that Aelin shouldn’t even think about wasting her time with dancing. Like the gods warned her that she had way too much going on to even consider it.

With Petrah distracted, Aelin slipped out, trying to gain control of her waging feelings. She slid into the backseat next to Lys, her mind reeling and unable to get the image of the crying dancer out of her head. So caught up in her own thoughts, she didn’t even hear Rowan call out to her, until red and blue flashed behind them. He swung his head over her shoulder, his mouth agape in horror as he stared at his unusually quiet girlfriend.

“Ace, what did you do? Are those the cops?!”

Aelin shook her head, the horrible feeling of nausea persisting in her gut as Rowan drove away from the studio.

. . .

It had been days since Aelin had received a text from an unknown number, and she still hadn’t decided what she was going to do.

I thought you should know we’re holding an emergency dance company audition this Tuesday at 5pm. Please come, Aelin.

Aelin chewed her sandwich thoughtfully as she pulled up the text again. The audition was merely hours away, but she was still on the fence.

“You still haven’t made up your mind?” Lysandra asked, glancing at Aelin’s phone screen. Her former — maybe current — friend had started joining them at the lunch table in the last few days since their late night break in, continuing to heal and thaw what had broken between them.

“I keep telling her to pro con list,” Rowan said, letting his fingers trail across the back of her neck and kneading the tight muscles there with his strong grasp.

“Mmmm,” Aelin mumbled, leaning further into his touch. “Con. Time spent without you.”

“Pro, something to do while I’m at lacrosse practice,” he countered as his fingers massaged a particularly tender part of her neck. She angled her head so he could have better access, but he took it as an invitation to let his head drop to her bare skin and press his lips against it, causing her body to light up. As she leaned toward him with another light moan, Dorian slammed his tray down on the table with a loud thwack.

“Get a room or get outta here,” he complained, tossing a fry at the still-intertwined pair.

“Someone’s got their panties in a bunch,” Aelin laughed as she tossed the fry back at the offender.

“My panties are perfectly smooth, thank you very much,” Dorian quipped. “Some of us would just prefer not to bear witness to your foreplay.”

“Pro,” Rowan whispered into Aelin’s ear, his lips ghosting against the tickling skin there. “I really love watching you dance.”

“Pro,” Aelin whispered back. “Increased stamina, muscle strength, and flexibility.”

Aelin glanced up at Rowan, who was already staring back at her with a fiery intensity. Her eyes glanced down at his mouth, which was curled into a satisfied smirk. His throat bobbed with a slow swallow, surely thinking of all the way those fitness benefits could be put to good use. She leaned in slightly, her lips a hairs breadth away from his when another fry hit her cheek. Aelin whipped her head around, rubbing at the salty spot where the food had made contact with her face.

Dorian was the picture of innocence, eyes wide as he chewed his own fry.

“Con,” Lys interjected. “Increased horniness.”

“Literally didn’t think that was possible,” Dorian said with a snort. “So, what are we pro-conning?” he asked, popping another fry into his mouth.

“Orynth Dance Company is having an emergency audition after an injury, and Aelin was personally invited to try out,” Lysandra explained.

“But I don’t really have the time,” Aelin started. “It would require actual rehearsal time. Like, a lot of nights. Not just an hour long class. Plus, I’d have to see Petrah every day. And I have to knock this last semester’s grades out of the park if I want to even think about getting a scholarship anywhere, plus I have a million AP exams to study for coming up, and that’s not even considering keeping up with hospital volunteering and going to your games and having any kind of semblance of a social life and…” she trailed off, her stomach finally settling as she came to the conclusion she knew she was going to come to all along. “I can’t join the dance company.”

Rowan frowned and reached for her hand. “Are you sure, Ace?” His hand wrapped around hers in a comforting squeeze, and she knew he was asking seriously. “We could make it work. I could help you study, we could bring out your color-coded schedule again to make sure we could fit everything in.”

“I know,” Aelin sighed, squeezing back. “But, I’m sure.”

But as the afternoon ticked by, Aelin couldn’t ignore the swirling feeling of guilt trying to pull her under. She was so distracted by the approaching time that she completely zoned out through all of AP Lit, startling when the period ended and Dorian poked her side.

And as five PM approached closer and closer, she found herself growing more agitated and even snapping at Rowan at one point. It wasn’t his fault; he had to head off to lacrosse practice, but Aelin had found herself so worked up that she had thought maybe he’d want to help release some tension.

“I’ll come right over after practice,” Rowan promised as he twined his hands around her waist.

“But you’ll be all sweaty and gross,” Aelin replied with a frown.

“I thought you liked when I get sweaty,” he laughed, nuzzling his nose into her hair. Aelin sighed, knowing she was being petulant, but she couldn’t get out of her own head.

“Only when I’m the one doing it!”

She tried to push him away, but Rowan’s grasp on her was iron-clad, too tight for her to even think about prying him off her. “Ace,” he lowered his voice. “I would love nothing more than to skip practice and be with you, but you know this is the only thing I need to do this semester to keep my place at Wendlyn.”

“Because Wendlyn’s more important than me?”

“I think you need a snack,” Rowan laughed, but Aelin didn’t find that funny at all.

“Sorry my blood sugar problems are amusing to you,” she said, stiffening within his grasp. She felt Rowan sigh deeply and watched as he pinched the bridge of his nose and scrunched his brows up the way she loved so much.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “You know that’s not—”

“I know,” Aelin replied quickly. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

Rowan raised a single brow as if to tell her he knew exactly what had gotten into her, and so did she.

“It’s not even four yet,” Rowan said. “You could still go.”

But Aelin was nothing if not resolute. She’d made up her mind, and it was completely logical. And she was sticking to it. No, she’d head home and, yes, get a snack, and dig into her lit homework. Maybe Dorian would be willing to give her his notes from the class, seeing as she couldn’t remember a single thing that was discussed earlier.

She forced a smile and shrugged her shoulders back. “Nope, you were right. I need a snack. I’ll head to Maeve’s and see what she’s got for me.”

Rowan grimaced. “She closed for the afternoon, actually, while they put in a new stove, but she should be reopened by the time I’m out of practice.” Aelin shivered as Rowan let his fingers trail in small circles up and down her back. “Why don’t I stop there on my way to your place after practice? Cheeseburger and brownies?”

“And then orgasms?” Aelin asked, causing a loud snort to erupt from Rowan.

“You want to have sex after cheeseburger and brownies? That feels dangerous.”

“Well, we could have sex first, but reheated cheeseburgers are pretty garbage,” Aelin replied, loving the soft smile that appeared on Rowan’s face. It was the one solely reserved for her. When she was being particularly ridiculous or annoying, it was like he couldn’t help but love her more, and the small curve of his lips let her know that.

“You’re right. Cheeseburgers first,” he paused. “Then sex, then brownies?”

“Deal,” Aelin said as she reached her hand out to shake his. But he instead grasped it in his and brought it to his mouth, kissing her knuckles lightly.

“I love you,” he said.

And though Aelin wanted to roll her eyes, she took a moment to relish the fact that her best friend in the whole world loved her. And would do anything to make her smile. In fact, he’d succeeded in getting her too distracted to think about the auditions and…

As soon as she thought about them, her smile faded again.

“Just go,” he whispered, but Aelin shook her head.

“Have a good practice. See you in a few hours.”

She kissed him and sent him off, hoping to pour herself into her studies. But even with her book open, Aelin digested none of what she was reading. She kept looking at the clock, distracted. Even as it passed five pm, knowing that she was missing the auditions, she still couldn’t focus. And her mood started to plummet.

It plummeted even further as she received a text from Rowan saying that their coach needed him to stay behind for a bit after practice and that he’d be later than anticipated.

She tried to read more, and when that didn’t work, she attempted to do some math equations, but she couldn’t get her brain to work. She knew what she needed. And it was to dance it out. Despite everything, that was still her best coping mechanism. When a second text from Rowan came in, apologizing for being even later, Aelin had had enough. She couldn’t just sit here and wallow. Instead, she wrote a note for whoever would get home first – her dad, Lorcan, or Rowan — and began walking.

She didn’t even know where she was walking until she ended up at the dance studio. It was unlocked, but empty. She couldn’t remember if there had been an end time to the auditions, but it seemed completely deserted. No one was sitting at the front desk, and the lights were eerily dim. This is what she’d expected to walk into last week when she’d stolen back her lacrosse hoodie, and she was even more annoyed about it somehow.

Instead of focusing on that, though, she went straight for the first open studio and turned the lights on. The fluorescent bulbs overhead flickered on, illuminating the wooden floors beneath with a warm yellow glow. She toed her sneakers off and padded barefoot to the corner of the studio where the massive (and ancient) stereo system was stored. She pulled her phone out and connected it, pulling up one of the old playlists Rowan had made for her and closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her. Her feet took off, working in sync with the rhythm reverberating through the bare floor. Next, her arms spread, stretching out and shaking off the stress of the last few weeks.

For the first time, she really let herself feel it. The worrying and wondering what the future would hold. She knew Rowan was destined for Wendlyn, but she had no idea what she would do if she didn’t get in, too. He’d assured her that they’d stay together and figure it out, but who really stays with their high school boyfriend? She knew they weren’t like everyone else – they were special – but it didn’t stop her from thinking about it and wondering. When it came down to it, that’s why she really couldn’t bring herself to audition today. She couldn’t risk spending less time with Rowan, not if this was the last few weeks of their relationship.

Whoa. Where did that thought come from?

She ignored the small tear that pooled in the corner of her eye, letting it drip down her cheek as she spun in time with the music. How could she doubt her and Rowan’s relationship after all this time? She knew in her soul that they were destined to be together. She couldn’t imagine a world where she didn’t wake up and see him every day. But there had been a small slice of fear since they first kissed, and it had ebbed and flowed with each passing day until it was now a gaping chasm in the pit of her stomach. The idea that she could end up elsewhere without Rowan was a real, actual problem. And the timeframe was closing in on them. What if this was the end of them? How would she ever recover?

Her hands reached overhead and then she let her body collapse to the floor in a graceful fall, letting go over the overwhelming sensations of fear that had been swirling and threatening to paralyze her. She arched her back and her neck released, the tension that Rowan had tried to knead attempting to relax and letting gravity pull her down, down, down.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Rowan. She did. More than anything. She just didn’t trust this world. She didn’t trust that everything would work out the way it was supposed to. I mean, just look at her dad. He’d thought he’d found the love of his life, and she walked away like it was nothing. Walked away from Aelin.

She didn’t want to cling to Rowan, to be the girl who changed her whole life just to be with a guy. She wasn’t that person. No. She was Aelin fucking Galathynius, and she could live life fully on her own. But she wanted to be with Rowan. Wanted the whole package. Saw their life together. And wanted more than anything for it to become a reality. But what if that future disappeared? What if it was cut short? What if they drifted apart. What if they tried to do long distance? Last summer while he was at camp was only two months and it was pure torture. It caused a rift so big between them that she wasn’t sure they’d overcome it. And yes, of course they did. But… to do it again? And for four years?

Her emotions threatened to choke her as she continued to dance out her frustrations, stomping and spinning and leaping, hoping against all hopes that the answers to her anxieties would appear if she could only dance long enough. She left every feeling, every worry, every gnawing anxiety on the dance floor, letting it tumble out through her moving limbs.

She didn’t know how long she’d been dancing when she opened her eyes again and refocused at herself in the mirror. She didn’t recognize the girl she saw there. She may not have come up with any answers, but she felt better. Raw, red eyed, red cheeked, and breathing hard, Aelin felt totally exposed. Which is why she nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice cut through the silence, over her harsh exhale.

“Practice starts next week.”

The director of the company stood in the darkened doorway of the studio, arms crossed and lips pursed in thoughtful approval.

“Oh, I wasn’t—”

“I know you weren’t,” she said with a formal smile. “But we’d still love to have you. If you want.”

It wasn’t necessarily the answer she had hoped to reach, but something about this moment felt like the universe trying to reassure her. That things do work out the way they’re supposed to.

“Yeah?” she asked, feeling somewhat hopeful.

“Yes.”

“Okay,” she said.

A wide smile crossed the director’s face. “Welcome to the Orynth Dance Company,” she congratulated her.

Aelin didn’t know what had overcome her, but she couldn’t help but run over to her and throw her sweaty arms around her neck in a giant hug.

“Thank you.”

Right on cue, Aelin’s phone buzzed with another incoming text.

Cheeseburgers en route. See you soon. Xx

. . .

As anticipated, the cheeseburgers were exactly what Aelin needed to rejuvenate herself, but Rowan was totally right that there was no way to be sexy after housing a half pound of meat and cheese.

“I’m so stuffed,” she said, patting her extremely full stomach.

Rowan snorted. “Why don’t we take a post-dinner break and watch something?”

“Only if it’s Housewives!” Lorcan shouted from the kitchen where he was cooking dinner for him and Rhoe, who were properly affronted that Rowan hadn’t brought them cheeseburgers, as well.

Aelin sighed and chuckled softly as she let herself slump over onto Rowan, who was already pulling up Housewives onto the television.

“You are such an enabler,” Aelin laughed.

“It’s easier than dealing with him being pouty,” Rowan smartly replied.

Aelin was about to agree when they were interrupted by an unusual ring tone.

“I’m sorry,” Rowan said, sitting up suddenly. “Is that your… home phone?”

Aelin genuinely couldn’t remember the last time that had rung. Usually she and her dad were both contacted on their cells. They really just had a home line because it was part of their internet package. She couldn’t even remember who had that number.

“Uh, phone’s for you Aelin?” Lorcan shouted from the kitchen.

Even weirder?

“Who the hell would be calling this late on a Tuesday?” Aelin whispered. Rowan’s brow lifted.

“Why don’t you go see?”

Curious, Aelin pried herself off the couch and headed to the kitchen where Lorcan was standing with a spatula in one hand and the phone in the other.

“Who is it?” she whispered.

Lorcan shrugged, simply shoving the phone forward. Helpful.

Aelin cradled the phone against her ear and took a deep breath. “Hello?”

“Hello!” A deep voice rang out over the phone. “Is this Miss Aelin Galathynius?”

“Um,” she cleared her throat. “Yes?”

“Excellent!” the voice boomed, causing her to pull the phone away from her ear slightly. “My name is Xavier Forul, and I’m a local alum of Wendlyn University. I’d love to have you in for an interview some time in the near future. Whenever you’re available! I know you’re a busy senior with a lot on her plate.”

Aelin’s heart took off, beating faster as his words unfolded.

“Interview?”

“Yes,” he continued. “It’s my favorite part of the process. As a former Wendlyn man myself, I get to sit down and speak with young promising applicants to see what their goals and ambitions might be and how they might become part of the Wendlyn world.”

Aelin glanced at the silver-headed mop peeking out above the couch and exhaled slowly. This was it. The universe reassuring her. She felt it with every fiber of her being. She could dance, she could nail her classes this semester, and she’d get into Wendlyn and be with Rowan.

“Wow, thank you so much for reaching out,” Aelin began, her autopilot pilot voice taking over. “I’d love to meet with you.”

As Xavier explained the details of the interview, Aelin’s hope buoyed. She’d been waiting for a sign from the universe, something to tell her that she and Rowan were going to work out and be fine. If a personalized phone call on a landline that hadn’t rung in more months than she could count, inviting her into the home of a University alum wasn’t a sign, she didn’t know what was. And Aelin began to hope for the first time that everything was going to actually work out.

~*~

[darlinghowl]

since i made a dragon age blog i haven’t rlly shared my updated oc for DAI. meet my transmasc inquisitor (in game only, otherwise he’s the brother to my bff’s character who IS the inquisitor) zahariel lavellan, who’s romancing dorian

he’s so handsome <3

[thechildofbhaalhasawoken]

I’ve been writing a scene with the Inquisitor and Cullen, where things are getting a bit steamy but they’re interrupted. Again. Oh the pining, the yearning, the frustration! It’s not done yet, but I wrote this silly thing instead. Insert here a picture of the Inquisitor and her team, with Inky wearing a t-shirt that says I’m with these idiots.

Foul language sex talk warning. It funny, tho, not smutty!

*

[ The Inquisitor and her team, namely Dorian, Sera and Varric, are riding on their horses out of Skyhold for an urgent, important mission. ]

Dorian: How come you’re looking so hot and bothered this fine morning? Are you anxious about the mission?

Inquisitor: No, it’s not that. I know I should worry about our success, but my mind is a bit… preoccupied today. I’m sorry.

Dorian: What is it? Have you had a row with your dear Commander?

Inquisitor: No, we didn’t fight… almost the opposite.

Dorian: Almost?

Inquisitor: *frustrated sigh*

Dorian: Are you telling me you still haven’t…?

Inquisitor: No. *groan* It was so close to getting steamy last night too, but we were interrupted by messengers again.

Dorian: Just lock the door and tell the messengers to leg it?

Inquisitor: I would have but we were expecting news about this mission, which they of course had, and we really can’t afford to mess this one up.

Dorian: Maker. He’s been courting you for so long that Commander Blue Balls should fuck you on the altar and marry you when you’re done.

Inquisitor: Dorian! You’re being awful!

Sera: Commander Blue Balls. *snickers*

Dorian: I mean - what, he has single handedly saved you from freezing to death and carried you to safety like an actual fairytale hero? He has taken you to a date to some back water place -

Sera: And didn’t fuck you there either.

Dorian: - had you coddle him in his withdrawal hallucinations -

Sera: Bet he hallucinated the clothes off of you.

Dorian: - danced with you at the Winter Palace like an actual fairytale prince this time -

Sera: Isn’t the reason to do something like that to get into the lady’s panties? What’s the point otherwise?

Inquisitor: Romance, Sera, have you heard of it?

Sera: Sex is kinda romantic.

Dorian: - and you’ve been making out in like every corner of Skyhold by now!

Inquisitor: We have not!

Dorian: It’s alright, darling. You’ve been seen all over the place. I hear the messengers and soldiers have a running bet on the next place they spot you.

Sera: Imagine if he’s awful in bed after all this time. What if he has a real small weewee?

Dorian: *snorts* He’s not small. I’ve seen that schlong bulging in his trouser leg when he’s been in the training grounds. What? Just me? Ah, Lavellan, look at you blush. You know the schlong I’m talking about!

Inquisitor: I can’t believe we’re talking about the Inquisition’s Commander’s…

Sera: Mighty sword!

Dorian: Long lance!

Sera: Polished pike!

Dorian: Girthy rod!

(Varric in the background: I need to write these down. )

Sera: Spear of sexytimes!

Dorian: Dick.

Sera: Cock.

Inquisitor: You two done yet?

Sera: For now. I’ll get back to you.

Inquisitor: No need. Really.

Sera: Oh but you do need at least some of that nasty ol’ Templar romping! It’s no good being frustrated all the time!

Dorian: She’s not wrong, Lavellan. You’re woefully unsatisfied today. You might make some dreadful decisions while you’re so distracted.

Sera: Hehhehe. Lavellan the Lustful leading us lost.

Inquisitor: You’re a real poet, Sera.

Sera: Thank you. Watch out, horsie, she might like the saddle too much today. Slippery riding this morning!

Inquisitor: I’m done telling you guys anything about my personal life.

[fllagellant]

Who would your OC say is their best friend? for antioch & theris??

< 33 TYY my boys … question from here !

Antioch is such a tight ass about his relationships with others like he would never say it out loud … bc it also makes him a bit embarrassed when he has to be like this is my Friend …. Like he kinda feels childish … Best Friend however . I think that title goes to Bull . Because that guys gets in his head like no one’ s business . They have enough similarities to bring them together but are still different enough it’ s not like . Constantly looking into a mirror . Blackwall and Sera are also up there for good friends for Antioch

. Okay if Theris can remember your name off the top of his head that means you are best friends . He called Varric ‘ Bianca ‘ in his head for a long time bc he couldn’ t remember his actual name . He’ s super good at pretending to remember but when you look for it you do Notice who he does and doesn’ t call by name . So , for him , his bffs are Vivienne , Dorian and Josephine … they LOVE 2 gossip it makes them happy .. Cole is also kinda in the list but he doesn’ t know if he should call it a friendship or not just bc

[ruiningsalads]

Happy DADWC! Thank you for the prompt! I love F!Cousland x Nathaniel! I saw you were taking requests for F!Inquisitor and Dorian for BFFs. Gossiping at Halamshiral, especially if they start snarking about fashion choices because we know how crazy Orlesian fashion can get!

Only if the muse strikes you of course! Have a fun evening!

this is a fun one for me too! Dorian is such a pleasure to write.

I went with Trevelyan for this one, who in my canon is with Cullen.

for @dadrunkwriting

"My dear, it seems your commander has attracted quite the crowd." Dorian leaned casually against a column in the grand ballroom, looking utterly at ease and unconcerned.

Evelyn glanced over to see Cullen surrounded by a herd of attractive people, all vying for his attention. "Do you suppose I should go rescue him?"

"You'd better not! I rather enjoy seeing him blush." He grinned over at her. "And you're so cute when you're jealous."

She rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't suppress her smile. "If any of those jackals actually manages to attract his attention, I'll eat my boots."

"The same boots you wore into the Fallow Mire? Brave woman!"

"Eugh, don't remind me."

He chuckled, then elbowed her gently. "Take a look over there, by that side door. Who would have thought to use plaideweave for a ballgown?"

"Someone who wants to be the loudest person in the room without saying anything at all." Evelyn took a sip of her drink as Dorian suppressed a snort of laughter. "What about the fine gentleman accosting that servant there? How many birds do you suppose were sacrificed to harvest all those feathers?"

"Enough to make it a crime against nature and fashion." Dorian's tone dripped with disdain as they watched the feathered monstrosity a moment longer.

A nearby throat clearing made them both jump. "Sorry to butt in, but I was hoping to steal the Inquisitor for a time." Somehow, Cullen had extracted himself from his horde of admirers and stood beside them, offering his arm to Evelyn.

"Will you be alright, Dorian?" she asked, fitting her hand into the crook of Cullen's elbow.

"Don't you worry about me, I shall find a way to stifle my boredom alone." He sighed dramatically. "Now, go give them something to really gossip about, you two."

[anew-flame]

I’m so sad her playthrough, my first, is almost over. I’m really proud of her.

Even though I plan to remake her as Dalish and possibly put her through the hell of a Solas romance on the next playthrough, I’m gonna miss her.

Rift Mage Rhaella Trevelyan, Herald of Andraste, Comtesse in Kirkwall, Inquisitor First-Thaw, wife of Cullen Rutherford, BFFs with Dorian Pavus and Cassandra Pentaghast, self-appointed adoptive mother of Cole.

[sunnybyler]

my thoughts on the first throne of glass book

so i finally started reading throne of glass two days ago and i just finished it and i rlly loved the first one! i didn’t start with assassin’s blade because i’m following the reading order sjm herself suggested. but i figured i’d give my thoughts on the book just for funsies. this isn’t like a review really just what i’m feeling abt the series thus far.

for quality i’d give it a 6/10 but for how much fun i had reading i give it a 9/10 and i care WAYYYY more about entertainment personally lmao. so overall i’d probably give it like an 8/10.

spoilers under the cut, obvi (including some from later books bc i know some spoilers)

• why are there so many exclamation points

• so i’m gonna be honest i’m beyond confused about celaena’s name. bc everything i’ve ever seen about tog talked about some chick called aelin. now i’m just kind of assuming they’re the same person somehow but i have no idea what’s going on in that regard

• it was an enjoyable read but you can def kinda tell it was written when sjm was younger lol. but i know the writing is just going to continue to get better so it didn’t bother me THAT much, though i must say i’m anxious to get to the later books for that reason

• this book was FUNNYYYY omfg dorian and especially celaena had me laughing out loud at times. i hope the books stay this funny

• I LOVE CELAENA SM. like that’s my girl fr fr. thus far feyre is still my fav sjm fmc but honestly celaena has potential to change my mind

• i also love dorian and chaol and i’m not gonna lie i lowkey ship her with both of them (which is a rarity for me usually i’m very passionate about one or the other in a love triangle). but that may be because i’m aware i should not get attached to either ship LMAO

• speaking of chaol i spent half the book pronouncing his name as chowl in my head which made him very hard to take seriously. but honestly i feel like that is 100% sjm’s fault bc the fuck you mean chaol is pronounced kale!? how was i supposed to know that

• i’m curious when more magic elements are gonna show up. like i thought this was another fae series am i wrong there? i mean elena was fae so. maybe i just need patience (but i’m gonna be sad asf if some sort of fae plot twist erases my bffs dorian, chaol, and nehemia from the story)

• okay but seriously once again what is up with the exclamation points. why are they so many. like it was genuinely jarring in the first few chapters. idk if it faded later in the book or if i just got used to it but it genuinely bothered me for a while. pls tell me this isn’t a thing in the later books bc i don’t remember it being an issue in acotar

• i think challenges and shit in books are so fun so i loved that the whole book was centered around it, lowkey wish we saw more of the challenges tbh

• that freak monster that cain was summoning is the stuff of nightmares. i already forgot what it was called but i made the grave error of googling fanart of it and it was actually terrifying

anyways that’s all i can rlly think of for now but i’m excited to keep reading! i’m super curious about celaena’s past because i can tell there’s sooo much we don’t know yet, but assassin’s blade (which i believe is at least partially her past? but maybe i’m wrong) isn’t until after crown of midnight so i’ll just have to keep wondering lol. but i’m very excited for crown of midnight i feel like shit is about to get very messy with her being the champion

[an-established-butt-dent]

Dragon Age Inquisition: Meet Inquisitor Artemis Lavellan

Some love for my OC.

Age: at the start of Inquisition 24, but in my head cannon the Inquisition took like 5 years before they ended Corpypheus. Adding two years of relative peace before Trespasser this makes her in her early thirties now.

She is a Rogue with the assassin specialty. 

She looks like a badass but is actually an absolute softy (though she makes terrible romantic choices, like wanting to redeem Solas after he reveals his true identity.) She still believes in the good in people, which might become her downfall to be honest. 

She strongly advocated for the freedom of all beings and especially the Elvhen slaves.

Leading a military operation has taken its toll after some years, and so she decided to disband the Inquisition at the Exalted Council.  Fearing for corruption and wanting to do things her own way without the meddling of Orlais and Ferelden politics.

She chose to keep her Vallaslin, because even though she feels more distant from her Dalish roots since leading the inquisition. She treasures what they represent to her personally (perseverance) and the connection to her family and clan (yes they all survived Wycome, thank god. Don't plan to make her more traumatized than is necessary, lol).

What else? She bonded with Cassandra over smutty literature, for sure. Her BFF is Dorian. She likes all 4 legged animals especially Dragons. She loves taking naps.

Solas and her have been in like a 3 year(ish) relationship. (Lol I just kept postponing their inevitable breakup, does that count?) and she still held hope that he would come back after he left without a goodbye (I love some tragedy okay). She never expected him to have lied about so many things, so she was incredibly upset during their final  confrontation in Trespasser.

Now she is probably plotting revenge, but also mourning having her trust broken by someone so dear to her. (Especially when her Ex keeps looking longingly at her from a distance in the Fade. ' I will never forget you' indeed when you keep following her arround like lost puppy.) But seeing as she makes terrible romantic choices, she will try to fight to make him see reason and doesn't give up on him yet. (Cole greatly approves).

Thanks for comming to my Ted talk. :)