#f!cousland/anora

[onelessvenatori]

Queen Anora I Mac Tir of Ferelden, and her Princess Consort, Mairead Mac Tir (née Cousland)

Just characters under cut

[ohnoitshappening]

If dragon age writers weren't cowards they'd make Thedas ripe with misandry based on the Chantry's beliefs and Alistair wouldn't be able to ascend to the throne without marrying a woman first 😒

And if you aren't playing a female Cousland specifically you'd NEED Anora...( For the record I think she actually wasn't a good ruler and that adds so much spice to this. Especially if you play as Tabris - an elf who suffered under her rule. )

[mxanigel]

after the Battle of Denerim

A bit beyond six sentences for this particular Sunday~ ^_^

Queen Anora Mac Tir learns of the Archdemon's fall and her father's death. Features forced-betrothal awkwardness with Alistair and a vulnerable moment with Heather Cousland.

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“My queen, I bring news regarding the fight against the Archdemon.”

The messenger’s hunched posture and inability to meet Anora’s eyes convey more than enough, but she must hear the truth from the woman’s lips. “Report.”

“The burst of light we saw did mark the creature’s death. The Blight is over.”

Over, at long last. But at what cost? “Who survived?”

“Most forces led into battle by Warden Surana remain with us, though many soldiers are injured.”

It is still strange to hear others refer to that mage as a commander. “What of the Wardens themselves?”

“Warden Riordan was killed mid-battle. Warden Surana yet lives. But Teyrn— Warden Mac Tir…”

Her heart twists. Her throat clenches. Her emotions do not—cannot show on her face. “I said, report.”

The messenger gulps. “According to Warden Surana, Warden Mac Tir died while delivering the final blow that killed the Archdemon.”

Surana did not claim the credit. Anora sets aside that detail for later consideration. “So it is defeated.”

“Yes, your Majesty.”

“By my father’s hand.”

“That is what I was told.”

Then he fell protecting the country he loved. A mixture of grief and relief she will not reveal builds pressure behind her eyes. “Thank you for the report. Ensure what we know is recorded. Once Denerim recovers, we will celebrate this victory.”

“Yes, my queen.” The messenger hesitates.

Anora narrows her eyes. “You are dismissed.”

The woman bows and flees the room.

There is much to be done—Denerim still burns, soldiers and civilians alike are injured, and even the healthy will require rations, shelter, a place to sleep. Anora is not so naive as to believe that no hostiles remain within the city walls simply because the Archdemon was slain. And she did not spend nearly every waking moment ruling this nation in Cailan’s absence and after his death to watch it fall apart now.

Hour after hour passes. Only her steward’s intervention ensures she eats meals at reasonable times. It’s long past sunset when a gentle tap on her elbow startles her out of her focus. She glances up to find Alistair’s face creased with concern. “You should rest.”

“Later.”

He grips her shoulder. “I don’t think you’ll enjoy me being the one to remind you of your duty to our people.”

Anora shakes off his grasp. “I accept your point. I will retire for the evening.”

“I’m not sure right now still counts as ‘evening,’ Anora.”

A realization of weariness unexpectedly doubles the weight of her limbs. “I will retire for the night. Alone.”

He exhales and steps back, his hands raised in defense. “We aren’t married yet. I wasn’t going to ask.”

She blames exhaustion for her words, her tone. Exhaustion and repressed sorrow. “Thank you, Alistair. For checking on me.”

He blinks. “Of course I checked on you. And… you’re welcome.”

Anora nods once in acknowledgment. Then she pushes herself away from the desk and wraps herself in a veneer of weary calm en route to her chamber, offering tired greetings and words of thanks to those she meets along the way. But once she closes the door behind her, she slumps backward against it and sliding down to the floor, burying her head in her arms. Yet tears do not fall.

“I knew you wouldn’t relax until you were back here.”

Anora bolts upright, grabbing the nearby bronze candlestick—not much of a weapon, but it is preferable to empty hands. Then her alarm eases enough to recognize the woman seated on her bed. “Maker take you, Heather. When did you sneak into my room?”

Heather Cousland yawns while languidly stretching her arms above her head. “Some time ago. You kept me waiting.”

Anora opens her mouth to protest the absurd claim and then decides against it. Heather is goading her into a retort. “I asked you to support civilians in finding shelter. Why are you here?”

“Because after I heard about your father, I needed to be at your side.”

Admitting her selfishness instead of declaring she did this for my sake is unlike her. Moisture stings Anora’s eyes. “What game are you playing?”

Heather quickly crosses the space between them to grasp her hands. “No game, Anora. You’re hurting, no matter how well you hide it. When you hurt, I hurt. If you don’t want me here, say the word, and I’ll leave. But if there’s anything I can do to support you, name it, and it’s yours.”

Anora stands perfectly still as a battle rages in her mind. She must maintain her own strength. Any cracks will only confirm the belief that she should not be queen. Despite Surana’s surprising machinations, her betrothal to Alistair—and thus her position—is not set in stone, and she will not provide Arl Eamon further reason to argue against it.

But Heather’s gentle, earnest gaze overpowers her weakening defenses. She collapses into her arms, finally releasing her grief.

[inquisitorismone]

i know it's impossible to get ppl invested in the politics of your own little tiny non canon corner of dragon age playthrus but. come on this fucked SO hard

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[vigilskeep]

is it reasonable to suggest, since fereldans seem literally allergic to marrying outside the kingdom, that those fereldans who were pushing cailan to set anora aside probably had f!cousland at the top of their list of alternatives, in the instance of her existence

[fereldanwench]

started thinking about what worldstate i wanna create for my first run in veilguard because of course i have.

we can't import past saves and we won't be using the keep anymore, so I'm not sure how detailed we'll be able to get with it but I've got a few possibilities to play with:

the first and most likely is my mostly canon-compliant worldstate with these bbs:

lorelei cousland [rogue; double-wield] warden / queen of ferelden / li: king!alistair

daphne caron [rogue; double-wield] warden commander / ruler of vigil's keep / li: warden!bethany

ansley hawke [warrior; board & sword] champion of kirkwall / pirate / li: isabela

melisande trevelyan [rogue; archer] herald of andraste / inquisitor / li: cullen

rosalind hendry [mage; knight-enchanter] former chantry scholar / inquisition agent for leliana / li: blackwall

the second is my slightly less canon-compliant worldstate that i never brought into inquisition because i didn't want to have to choose between alistair and my favorite hawke in the fade lmao:

karina amell [mage; i do not remember her spec] warden-commander / li: warden!alistair

rhiannon hawke [force & elemental mage] champion of kirkwall / temp viscount of kirkwall / li: cullen or fenris*

*last summer i did replay da2 with an iteration of rhiannon that actually romanced fenris and i loved it and I've complicated shit for her, lmao. rhiannon x cullen were my goro x valerie of 2013-2014 and making her officially with someone else feels wrong bc i loved them together so much. but i just can't enjoy cullen anymore. so do i do i give rhiannon a boyfriend upgrade? do i make a whole 'nother hawke inspired by her? do i just let rhiannon x cullen and rhiannon x fenris exist in different AUs? i don't know!

and the third is kind of the opposite of the second one: a worldstate i made just for inquisition in the keep with some choices i had never made in the previous games. i don't even have the worldstate in the keep anymore so i don't remember everything but i think it was like this:

default f!mahariel [rogue; archer] no li / recruited loghain / made alistair marry anora

default m!hawke [mage] li: anders / sided with mages

keagan trevelyan [mage; knight-enchanter] herald of andraste / inquisitor / li: cullen (although i headcanoned a polycule with her, cullen, and josie)

one of my conundrums with all of these is, as i mentioned, i can't enjoy cullen anymore. he was obviously a big fave, i think his arc is fascinating especially in da2 and especially if you side with the templars and he has to contend with the shit he's done for meredith, and i enjoyed all the different shipping dynamics with all different kinds of ocs. but i can't separate him from his dipshit VA at this point. hearing his voice is just an instant NOPE for me now

i am 99% positive cullen will not be in veilguard for 2 reasons: 1) the writers said during inquisition that they were no longer trying to work in characters whose fates could be too varied depending on player choice and 2) that twitter shitstorm a few years seemed to guarantee ellis will never work with bioware again lmao

now i suppose there's a possibility that ellis could have recorded lines before that happened and somehow they would be able to be used despite all the changes that happened, but I'm trying to be an optimist here

nevertheless, all of the inquisitors i played were with him, and it sounds like we'll be able to engage with our inquisitors in some capacity in veilguard so do i even want to have a passing mention of cullen? idk. i mean, my disdain for his VA isn't so bad that this would ruin the game for me or anything, but i also feel like this is an opportunity to enjoy another character

between keagan and melisande, melisande was definitely my more developed OC, but i just loved playing as a knight-enchanter gameplay-wise so keagan is actually the only one of the two who did trespasser and jaws of hakkon. i never did the descent--the only DLC in all the games that i haven't played. I've been debating firing up my inquisitor!valerie game again to play that with her but i know the descent recommends a pretty high level and i can't remember how far i got in the story with her (I think i just reached skyhold that last time i played)

so anyway, i've got some decisions to make!

as for what i'm leaning towards playing in veilguard: at this point in time, i'm pretty sure my first rook will be a mage of some kind and lucanis sounds like he was made specifically for me lmao so odds are looking good that'll be my first ship

[hauntedgarden95]

What was the most difficult treaty for Yaviel Amell to get during the Blight?

Or

What was your favorite section of DAO (ex: Ostagar, Redcliffe, the Landsmeet, etc)? How do you imagine Yaviel's experience during it?

Sorry this took so long! Life has been happening rather aggressively lately!

1. I’ve been debating on this for a hot minute and I think that the most difficult one for the would be the Elves simply because they are so untrustworthy and that makes HER extra wary. Plus she feels like Zathrian is keeping things from her, which is an instant dislike point. The circle is the easiest and it’s the first one they do and it kind of helps to establish her as the leader of the group.

2. The Landsmeet is probably my favorite part of the whole game. Vies experience in game is rather straightforward with killing Howe and and sparing Loghain and putting Alistair and Anora on the thrones together.

My personal canon is a lot different because I also have f!Cousland and f!Tabris and twins m&f!Mahariels and the decision to spare Loghain was Very Controversial.

The landsmeet starts with rescuing anora and ends with their enemy joining the wardens side. It’s runs Alistair off and Kaylan Tabris had a lot of words to say until Yaviel manages to talk her down enough to hear that the more of them there are the better their chances of surviving (I HC that Vie is an avid reader and you can’t tell me there isn’t any writing about the other blights and how the warden who kills it dies, putting two and two together would be easy) without outright telling them what she’s about 95% sure she knows. Raven and Oran Mahariel both make it known that saving him is something they don’t agree with. Rory Cousland isn’t an actual warden, didn’t go through the joining and she just looks sad. Her hero turned villain turned unwilling companion. It’s kind of ends up with a bit of Vie being cold shouldered for a while. None of them ever wind up trusting Loghain but when he doesn’t trying killing them in their sleep they learn to tolerate at best.

[seigeocs]

Ships and Characters

Skyrim

My OCs + their ships. Farkas Vilkas Brynjolf

Fallout 3 Butch Cross Jericho Charon

Fallout New Vegas (if it’s not obvious, I really like the ladies in NV) Boone Lily Bowen Raul Cass Veronica

Fallout 4 All of the romance options Deacon Maxon The Raider bosses in Nuka World except the Black siblings

Fallout (TV Series) Ghoulcy Maximus x Lucy

Destiny 1 Any of my OCs Siobhan x Emyr Siobhan x Shaxx Siobhan x Uldren

Destiny 2 Any of my OCs Siobhan x Crow Siobhan x Shaxx

Dragon Age: Origins Any of my OCs established ships F!Cousland x Anora, F!Warden x Leliana, F!Warden x Morrigan, M!Warden x Morrigan, M!Warden x Zevran, F!Warden x Zevran

Dragon Age: Awakening F!Cousland x Nathaniel Howe, F!Cousland/Anders, F!Warden x Varel

Dragon Age 2 I’ll write for any of the characters and ships in DA2.  My favorites are: F!Hawke x Fenris, F!Hawke x Isabela x Fenris, F!Hawke x Varric, M!Hawke x Fenris, M!Hawke x Fenris x Isabela

Dragon Age: Inquisition I like almost all of the ships.  I struggle to write Solas so he’s just not available unfortunately.  Not that I don’t like his character, I just suck at writing him. My OCs and their ships, Dorian x Bull are some of my favorite.  I also love writing interactions that don’t involve smut for the companions as well.

Dragon Age Veilguard (when it comes out as I’m trying to keep away from most of the game information)

Mass Effect F!Shep x Kaidan, F!Shep x Ashley, F!Shep x Garrus, F!Shep x Tali (DON’T CARE IF THEY WEREN’T OFFICIAL, THEY EXIST TO ME).

Mass Effect 2 F!Shep x Garrus, F!Shep x Thane, F!Shep x Zaeed, F!Shep x Garrus x Thane, F!Shep x Tali, F!Shep x Miranda, M!Shep x Jack

Mass Effect 3 Same ship as 1 and 2.  I also write F!Shep x James Vega but in the non creepy Citadel DLC way.  That doesn’t exist in my canon.

Stardew Valley I’ll write smut about many of the characters in the game.  My one farmer is shipped with Harvey and my other is shipped with Leah.  If you give me characters I’ll make it work.  My only line in the sand is I will not write any cheating.

BG3 *waves hand to OCs* I’ll write whatever for them and their ships.  If you request BG3 just give me some options and I’ll figure it out.

Helluva Boss* Established canon ships!  I am loving the angst with Blitz and Stolas right now.

Hazbin Hotel* Established canon couples, Angel Dust x Husker (mostly fluff for these two because Angel Dust needs it).  I won’t write Alastor in any romantic ships.

My Hero Academia*

I mostly write Reader insert fics for MHA.  I also write ships between characters too.  Platonic fluff, found family, sarcasm, and anything that is G to T rating is for every character.  My main ships: Midnight x Eraserhead x Mic Midnight x Eraserhead Mic x Eraserhead Fatgum x Mirko Fatgum x Hawks Fatgum x Eraserhead All Might x Eraserhead Mirko x Shigaraki (Don’t question it, I love the toxicity of it) Compress x Twice Twice x Hawks Hawks x Dabi

Demon Slayer*

My OC x Rengoku My Demon OC x Muzan Reader Inserts for all the over 18 characters I also write platonic found family for all the characters

Kaiju No. 8*

Hoshina is my absolute favorite character in this show. Kafka Hibino is a close second Narumi (omg the anime did him a disservice so badly) Eiji Hasegawa Haruichi Izumo Iharu Furuhashi Reno Ichikawa

Any any platonic, fluff, cute stuff with any of the characters

Haikyuu

As everyone in the main cast is over 18 by the end of the manga, I’ll write all the characters.  It’s mostly Reader Inserts but I’m open to OCs and character x character ships.

One Punch Man

Saitama Genos Atomic Samurai Blast Zombieman

[sekaithemystic]

do people ever think about f!cousland and anora being the last of their family if you kill loghain (before fergus is revealed to be alive). their father's daughter in their mother's image. my family's blood was on your father's hands and now your father's blood coated my blade

[queenaeducan]

I'm really curious about 4 for the DA4 ask game!

What does your worldstate look like going into DAV?

I have what I call my Trash Fire world state, where I make (mostly) the opposite decisions of my main file.

It starts with Kieren Cousland. It's been a decade since I've played him (literally before DA:I come out, b/c I was amused when I learned what Morrigan named her son) so I don't remember all his decisions. I know he was a bit power hungry, mostly affable with his companions.

He does the good option at Redcliffe (saves Isolde and Connor) iirc, and saves the mages. He does kill the Dalish clan, and I can't remember what happens at the Alienage. I find it very difficult to justify evil decisions in DA:O b/c they sometimes go a little over the line. He crowns Harrowmont b/c he doesn't understand dwarf politics. The most important thing about him is that he romances Morrigan and marries Queen Anora. The former doesn't even seem bothered by the fact. He doesn't participate in Awakening. Loghain lives, Alistair is exiled.

Then there's Theresa Hawke. She's a warrior with the Templar specialisation, and fittingly, pro-Templar. Bethany becomes a Circle mage. She aids the Chantry against the qunari. She rivalmances Anders, which I honestly wholeheartedly recommend. It was toxic as hell, but very interesting. She convinces him to work against the mages in the finale and becomes Viscountess. I thought it was implied Anders kills himself if you do that, but in DA:I she still spoke like they were together. Which is why I killed her at Adamant.

My Inquisitor is Ruth Trevelyan. She is young, the fourthborn child of her father and was training to be a Templar when she became Herald. Ruth is ambitious in her own right, but a little... tamer than Kieren. Her choices are mostly informed by the privileged life she grew up in, not that I think that justifies them, it's just how I approached her roleplay. She allies with the Templars, recruits the Wardens, and forces the Game's finest players into a truce. She is sure in the belief that she was chosen, and ignores any evidence to the contrary.

She romances Cullen. She hates Solas so much. She also never gets Blackwall's personal quest, nor Cole's. She's very close to Vivienne, however, and makes her Divine. When the time comes, she doesn't disband the Inquisition, vowing to kill Solas and trusting Vivienne as the Inquisition's overseer.

Honourable Mentions:

Gay Worldstate: Gimli Brosca (Zevran romance, Alistair-Anora joint rule), Leland Hawke (red-toned, pro-mage, but angry about it). Would probably end with a playthrough of Thora's estranged brother, Tetrak, in a Dorian romance. I know he'd conscript the Templars and kill the Chargers (RIP) but that's about it.

Mages Having a Hard Time: Bronagh Surana (Morrigan romance, left Redcliffe for dead b/c she is 18 years old and not prepared for this), Unnamed F!Hawke (Sebastian romance, she's a mage but deeply uncomfortable with it, albeit apparently not uncomfortable enough to surrender to a Circle. I'm doing Bronagh's pt rn so this girl will come after that).

[v-arbellanaris]

Re: rarepair Hell. I would like to know how many pits we mutually occupy, so. Could I get a list of like, idk, your top ten (based in enjoyment level) rarepairs? And/or headcanons but I would prefer "and".

okay i'll assume you mean dragon age specifically MFDSKJFSDKJF but okay, i'll list some!!!!

the obvious ones:

fenders (fenris x anders) : i love a good narrative foil

zevistair (zevran x alistair) : idk if this counts as a rarepair but!!! their canon flirting banters always make me go sooo insane. that you can include zevran in the foursome w alistair if alistair is hardened (lol) makes me INSANE. they are basically canon aND YET!!!!!!

warden x loghain : ive written so much abt them already. you get the idea

nanders (nathaniel x anders)

the less obvious ones:

anders/merrill (bonus: anders/merrill/isabela): for all the same reasons i ship fenders (which i would argue is still relatively a popular pair, so not quite rarepair??); they're such good mirrors, they're both encapsulate what the other fears. anders being 100% okay to hurt people despite being a healer vs merrill being a blood mage who has never wanted to hurt anyone is just *chef kiss*. you can take a look at this for more compelling reasons to ship them.

fenris/merrill: for all the same reasons as above. i think if u dont ship each individual LI of the kirkwall polycule w each other, u shouldnt say u ship the kirkwall polycule.

solavelyan / soladaar / soladash / solas x non-lavellan inqs: i still think it should've been a romance option for all inqs tho i suppose they didn't really have the time to develop a non-lavellan route for them, but i love thinking about it, and i love the vibes for it so much. again, i love narrative foils, and i think it's so natural to be drawn to someone who could understand you like that.

alistair x bethany: a not-templar and a not-circle mage, in the wardens together. i think they'd really like each other and have a very interesting kind of energy!!! they've both got these secret bitter/spiteful sides to them, there's a lot of parallels (like alistair thinking warden conscription is a good thing bc it was for him and bethany having v different emotions abt being a warden in general). i've also really enjoyed most of the fics i've read for them.

nathaniel x f!cousland: UNFORTUNATELY THOUGH i dont think i've been able to find the kind of fic i want for them in the tag. i've got too many wips as it is, but maybe one day i'll write the nathaniel/f!cousland fic of my dreams...

nathaniel x anora: this one is admittedly @rosella-writes' fault, but they've got me by the THROAT as a concept

m!hawke/cullen: LIKE ESPECIALLY IF IT'S ONE-SIDED FOR CULLEN it's something that can be SO fascinating to explore (esp in an amell worldstate). [shaking cullen] babygirl what is WRONG with you!!!!!!!

m!hawke/sebastian: sebastian grappling with his admiration for hawke vs his chantry vows but THIS TIME make it mlm..... i think this is probably baby vee coming through w how hard i used to ship d/estiel in the early 00's LMAO. fsr they hit the same beats in my skull.

morrigan/leliana: noooo girlies don't fight haha <3 they should dump the warden and kiss instead <3

josephine/the iron bull: i read a few fics for them that admittedly captured my interest. i think their dynamic is something that could really be interesting to delve into for so many reasons. i've read the evidence and i find it compelling enough to put on this list

[mxanigel]

Things I'd like to know about my fellow writers

Tagged by @marythegizka and @illusivesoul, thank you~

No-pressure tagging @druckkugelschreiber @captastra @dr-paine @poetikat @ruthvelyan

and @arendaes @anderstrevelyan @milesmentis @korblez @saraptor (prompts for copy/pasting below the cut)

Last book I read: Aside from textbooks or science papers, uhhh… a volume in the 86 series. I think. I can't wait for work to calm down in a month so I can read for fun again~

Greatest literary inspiration: Most recently, NK Jemisin's worldbuilding and ability to weave rich tales within those worlds and complex rules. The Broken Earth trilogy really, really appeals to the scientist in me.

Things in my current fandom(s) I want to read but I don't want to write: In Attack on Titan, anything Historia/Ymir but particularly stories where Ymir lives. For Dragon Age, I want happy and cute f/f fluff. (I want to get back to my Anora/f!Cousland pairing, but I just can't seem to keep it fluffy, lol.)

Things in my current fandom(s) I want to write but I think nobody would be interested in them but me: ahahaha other than the Levi/Hange/Shion (OC) longfic that's devoured my creative output? Historia/Sasha which still could happen and some of the awkwardness between Neri and Alistair after they reject his advances during Origins.

You can recognize my writing by: Queer characters with self-confidence issues who still strive to handle the responsibilities thrust upon them. Also lots of dialogue.

My most controversial take (current fandom[s]): Hmmmm. AoT-wise, maybe that I headcanon Hange as aceflux? (They're obsessed with Titans and monstrous things in general, but that doesn't have to imply that they're wildly horny for monsters. Or in general.) With respect to Dragon Age, it's not exactly controversial, but I genuinely adore DA2 and all of the companions in it. Yes, all of them.

Top three favourite tropes: These are the three that first came to mind rather than my ultimate favorites, but: 1) kabedon~ (I will include one whenever I possibly can); 2) a character caring for their beloved who's been injured or fallen ill or being the one cared for (bonus points if a love confession hasn't happened yet); 3) grump + sunshine pairings.

What’s your current writing mood? (10 – super motivated and churning out words like crazy, 0 – in a complete rut): Probably a 3. I had a months-long super productive phase, and then Day Job took over my life. Now I'm lucky to write more than a hundred words a week; this next chapter does not want to cooperate with me.

Share a random frustration: That I get hung up on kudos and comments. Brain, please please please just let me write for the sake of writing.

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Last book I read:

Greatest literary inspiration: 

Things in my current fandom(s) I want to read but I don't want to write:

Things in my current fandom(s) I want to write but I think nobody would be interested in them but me: 

You can recognize my writing by: 

My most controversial take (current fandom[s]):

Top three favourite tropes: 

What’s your current writing mood? (10 – super motivated and churning out words like crazy, 0 – in a complete rut) 

Share a random frustration:

[wetcatspellcaster]

Hi!!

I know you’re a Zevran girlie (and an expunged Cullen fan), but I’m curious to know who your other romances were in DA??

(I am an unfortunate Solas person. I have a framed print of his tarot in my room lmao)

Lol :')))))) I am indeed a Zevran girlie (and still a Cullen fan, just way more normal about it these days, I purged it from my system lol).

My dragon age romances are as follows:

Surana -> Zevran Arainai (Zevran was my first videogame boyfriend i love him so much)

F!Cousland -> Morrigan with a marriage of convenience to either Alistair or Anora (I know this isn't canon but in my heart it's canon.)

Brosca -> Alistair.

Mage!Hawke -> no one :IIIIIIII (I wanted Awakening characterisation Anders. He and my purple Hawke would've been in love if they'd met in the Circle and ran away together, and that's part of their tragedy. But he was too intense for her, and they were too different. I went with Fenris, but honestly although I love the characters and the game I feel like all of the romances in 2 aren't written to their fullest potential and as a result I couldn't shake off the feeling she should be dating Varric I swear to god)

Mage!Lavellan -> Cullen (I played Inquisition before I played DA2 and if I had my first run again with more context I'd probably have chosen differently. Unfortunately the chess scene gets me every time)

I see your Solas print. I was given a Cullen cushion for my study by my friends :)))))) I was very ill for a long time, even though he's a fantasy Tory :(

[sidhelives]

The Black Emporium Exchange Works Reveal

Yeah, I'm late. I know. Sue me.

Basically I was picking up a few extra treats after the deadline because I discovered a few people had slipped through the cracks and I can't live with that. I was also busy, I'm an adult with responsibilities, it happens.

BUT I'M HERE NOW

I ended up completing 26 works for the exchange this year totaling 62,968 words. That is twice the fics I wrote last year and very nearly double the words. I'm pretty proud of it.

Before we get into the full list and links, here are some general stats for the group:

Date of first posting: July 18, 2023

Date of final posting: September 26, 2023

Longest work: 8,473 words

Shortest work: 1,147 words

Most Featured Character: Anders (5 works)

Most Featured Pairing: Solas/Trevelyan (3 works)

Rating Breakdown: 15 General; 3 Teen; 1 Mature; 7 Explicit

Category Breakdown: 13 F/M; 6 M/M; 5 F/F; 2 Other; and 2 Multi

Game Breakdown: 5 Origins; 3 Awakening; 6 DA2; and 12 Inquisition

With that out of the way, lets get into the links!

The Ambassador Will See You Now for @thedaselcor

Krem Aclassi/Yvette Montilyet

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,829

The End of a Long Night for Missjlh

Leliana/Female Surana

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,147

Aboard the Siren's Heart for sgtblue

Bethany Hawke/Isabela

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,197

Engaging with the Rabble for @amarmeme

Original Female Inquisition Scout/Original Male Ansberg Noble

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,245

It's About Time for @ripplesofaqua

Original Female Inquisition Scout/Original Male Ansberg Noble

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,254

Between One Breath and the Next for Inquisitor_Inquisitor

Solas/Female Trevelyan

Rating: T

Word Count: 4,927

Coming Home Late for Luffymarra

Zevran Arainai/Male Hawke

Rating: G

Word Count: 2,557

Old Fears Never Fade for taintandloathering

Anders/Desire Demon & Anders/Jowan

Rating: E [Warning for Non-Con]

Word Count: 2,668

A Mutually Beneficial Arrangement for RootboundWoodWitch

Female Hawke/Cullen Rutherford

Rating: E

Word Count: 4,108

Can't Sleep for Wanting You for @settiai

Anders/Bethany Hawke

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,524

Subtlety for @hazelestelle

Female Hawke/Loghain Mac Tir

Rating: E

Word Count: 8,473

Little Hurts for @lordnochybaty

Fenris/Bethany Hawke

Rating: T

Word Count: 2,002

The First Night of the Rest of Our Lives for @antivan-beau

Female Cousland/Anora Mac Tir

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,458

It's Him or Me for CrimsonShield75

Alistair/Female Amell/Zevran Arainai

Rating: E

Word Count: 4,730

Senior Enchanter Seeks Employment for Tafka

Bethany Hawke/Josephine Montilyet

Rating: G

Word Count: 2,716

Thanks for the Conscription (affectionate) for ghostbunny

Nonbinary Amell/Anders

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,287

The Crown Thanks You for Your Service for dawnstone

Zevran Arainai/Anora Mac Tir

Rating: E

Word Count: 3,618

Vigil Kept for @hazelestelle and ghostbunny

Jowan/Male Surana

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,159

Looking for a Bargain for Dragonflies_and_Katydids

Mouse/Male Surana

Rating: E

Word Count: 2,759

Leaving Home for cartographicalspine

Merrill/Tamlen

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,213

Dream a Little Dream of Me for dreamkist

Solas/Male Trevelyan

Rating: M

Word Count: 1,334

Tripping Hazard for emocsibe

Anders/Cullen Rutherford

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,940

A Quiet Morning in the Clinic for Sinister_Queer

Anders/Bethany Hawke

Rating: E

Word Count: 1,328

A Good Night's Rest is Hard to Come By for Sumi

Solas/Female Trevelyan

Rating: T

Word Count: 2,655

Missed You for kaijuburgers

Krem Aclassi/Female Trevelyan

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,201

Dress for the Job You Want for adlerobsessed

Female Adaar/Vivienne

Rating: G

Word Count: 2,639

Apologies if I mistagged anyone or missed anyone, I don't know everyone's Tumblr handles (or if they have them). If one of these is you and you want to be tagged just let me know and I will update the post!

[vigilskeep]

if bioware loved me they would let f!cousland spare loghain but (like with hardened alistair & anora) still be engaged to alistair even when he leaves the party

[ziskandra]

No-pressure writing ask: what's a line or a scene you've written that you still think about because it makes you happy?

‘Happy’ isn’t my usual writing forte, but when I sat down to think for something that actually elicited some of that vibe instead of just like, a passage I was particularly proud of…

… and I immediately thought of this scene near the end of To Find a Cure, an Anora/f!Cousland epistolary fic I wrote a few years ago which takes place during the events of Inquisition!

A flash of hot panic runs through Elissa’s belly. Her hands shift to grasp Anora’s shoulders. “Anora. Anora. Listen to me.”

Anora stares back at Elissa, intently hanging onto her every word. Is this really it? Their final goodbye? There are no words that can truly capture the magnitude of the moment.

Elissa wets her lips. “Anora. When I die…” She takes a deep ragged breath, stopping short. She’d never actually confronted her inevitable death before, like it was something that was absolutely going to happen instead of something she was desperate to prevent.

She’d never been the type for wills or testimonies or succession planning. That had been her wife’s forte. She doesn’t know what to say.

She goes with her gut.

“When I die,” she finally continues, blood roaring in her ears, “I don’t want another fucking statue.”

Cauthrien laughs before Anora even has a chance to process what Elissa's said. There's a moment where they're all laughing, the three of them, and even Dog seems to be joining in.