#faelyn answers

[aoifethephoenixqueen]

betrayal, failure, fear, ghost and hide

Thanks for the questions @optimisticgrey!!

Betrayal: Has your OC ever been betrayed by someone they thought they could trust? Has your OC ever betrayed someone who trusted them?

Faelyn....Oh, my precious Faelyn. My first answer to this would be her parents, but she figured out early on not to rely on them. Her first 'love' would be her first true betrayal. When their secret relationship was brought to light and the boy's father called for her head, the boy stood silent. He didn't defend her against the accusations of her seducing him or placing him under enthrallment. Hells, the boy wouldn't even look her in the eyes.

Failure: What's your OC's greatest failure? Have they been able to move past it? Does anyone else know about it?

If you were to ask her, the list would be quite long, with nearly all of them being not her fault or things outside her control from the start. If you were to press her for the greatest from this list, she would say she failed her family. Growing up, she was never good enough and carries that weight still. When she is married off, her one job is to obey as a good wife should, and Faelyn wasn't even able to do that properly (according to her and her demons telling her so).

This is why her hair is cut so short. In Cormyr (in my mind at least), it is tradition for the women to have quite long hair. It is a badge of honour, and they take great pride in it. After 'the incident' with her husband (See below), Faelyn runs away with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. She's a fugitive, and she needs to blend in. In a fit of guilt and shame, she cuts her beautiful, long, red hair. As well as helping disguise her, Faelyn is cutting herself off from her family because she is not worthy to be part of it.

Fear: What is your OC's greatest fear? What do they do when confronted with it? Are they open with their fear, or do they hide it away?

As mentioned above, Faelyn is a fugitive and knows that if she is found, she will be shipped back to Cormyr and hanged, or worse, for her crimes. At the beginning of their adventure, Faelyn has a cloak and always has the hood up. It falls off when meeting Gale and Astarion, but when she gets up, the first thing she does is put it back in place. Later on, when a particular devil recites a Cormyrian rhyme, she panics.

Ghost: Who or what haunts your OC? What happened? How do they live with their ghosts?

Faelyn is haunted by the voice of her parents, though mostly the Countess. There is always her voice in the back of her mind, telling her what to do and reminding her of all her shortcomings.

The ghost of Faelyn's husband is a little more literal. She did kill him. It was an accident. She'd only meant to push him off or at least to get him to stop toughing her newly wounded shoulder - the wound he'd inflicted. But the truth of the matter was - he lay dead because of her actions.

Hide: What does your OC hide? Why do they hide it?

Faelyn's second greatest fear is that someone would see the rune her husband used magic to burn into her shoulder. It's the same rune used for women of, as she would say, a 'certain profession'. She called them consorts, and that was the kindest term for them. Faelyn is mortified to mention it, let alone let anyone see it. 3

And then, as seems to be the theme with these two, there was Gale.

[days-starship]

No Longer Locked

For the love of this system, I've finally been moved from the island to the Mainland AND I'm no longer front-locked. I had at least 3 crash outs and I split a guy about it. No, I will not explain how that happened because even I didn't know it happened until Mama Beth (Our official main mother of the system) lore dropped a few things on me when she was co-fronting.

I have yet to spend actual time with my original co-host Cam, and I'm still working on redecorating my room and figuring out how my new fronting space works. So, there was lots of learning and lots of chaos.

Positive Triggers do indeed work again! I did a test with Faelyn (with their approval of course) and she was in my room in about 8 seconds which was wild to me because it usually takes a minute for her to get to the fronting space. But hey, we now know everything is functional. The kiddos were the first to visit me once the lockdown was lifted and they spent a few hours with me after panicking and crying because they thought they were going to lose me as their host. Which honestly was kinda heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

However, when a certain child found out who locked me down and why, they took a magic crayon and portaled herself off to headquarters although I don't know what happened in that space, I have learned said child is now grounded for fighting the head robot of HQ, which honestly was funny to hear. But it seems everything else otherwise is okay. I have a few drawings I need to finish up, I'm a bit more motivated to do my school work and I have 2 appointments coming up finally. One is a blood work that I've been meaning to do for a couple years now, and the other is my 2nd psych intake with a psychiatrist who specializes in Dissociation Disorders and is just a bit cheaper than my other psych who I will still visit on occasions, but for now it's visiting the dissociation psych as often as I can to get that diagnosis a bit quicker. Of course, this still takes a lot of time to get through, but hey progress is being made and it means I'm doing good to taking care of myself even with set backs and roadblocks.

The ask portion of the blog is still open, you can ask a general question, alter specific question, or some fun silly questions. Please be aware that while I understand the curiosity of what may have caused the system to form or the curiosity to know more, I can and will delete your ask if I deem its too personal to ask. There are things I'm still healing from to this day and it's not going to be everyone's business to know what I went through.

My blog is a safe space to LEARN. I want people to understand what these beginning stages of having DID can look like. It doesn't look all the same for everyone; some things overlap with others, which is completely okay. No system functions the same, it functions on what it knows works to survive. I've got friends who dissociate less often than I do because dissociation has been a coping mechanism all my life and it's how I survived. Others have a meatwall that keeps the horrors away, or some may have rooms dedicated to their traumas. Each experience is valid.

Besides that rambling moment, the questions just need to be respectful and overall just don't be an asshole there just because you can. Also, please keep any syscourse questions out of the asks. I do not care for syscourse, it's chaotic and genuinely can become toxic and I'm not here for the toxicity. General Questions, Whichever alters want to answer can, but if you specify a specific alter you would prefer to have answer that question, be sure to name them.

This was a really long ramble and I apologize for it, but hey, a lot has happened and I needed to jot my thoughts down somewhere eventually.

If you would like a list of alters you can ask questions for, let me know in an ask and I'll add it to the pinned post where you can get a more cohesive list of who you can talk to.

Uhhhh other than that, take care. Hydration Check Medication Check Celebrate the little things and do what you can to keep yourself safe and healthy!

-Day/Shara

You can find the dividers I used in this post here.

[a-gay-bloodmage]

An AGBInk 2024 Fanfiction Announcement!

Hello, folks! I’d like to announce that, yes, I’m going to be doing Inktober again! After five long years! I’m using the official Inktober prompt list, which I had been hesitant about, but I think I’ve got a solid bunch of pieces planned and a bunch already finished. Throughout the month, I’ll have works from all three Dragon Age games, and works on a wide array of my Wardens and Inquisitors. 

Beneath the Read More, I’ve attached a list of the prompts and a small summary of what the fic is going to be about. I would love it if you gave it a read to see if anything sounds interesting! My goal is to get everything posted to Archive of Our Own on their assigned days with a tumblr post that links to the AO3 version. I’ll probably also be reblogging things the next morning in case anyone missed it the evening before! I really hope that you all enjoy my work. Likes and comments and reblogs mean the world to me! 

Here are some links to a post about my Wardens and my Inquisitors! 

Day 1: Backpack 

At the start of her journey with Alistair and Morrigan, Gemma Brosca is forced to learn how big things like backpacks are in the human world. It is unfair. And adorable. 

Day 2: Discover

Still reeling from the events of her botched wedding, Faelyn Tabris discovers what the world beyond the Alienage is like. 

Day 3: Boots 

Zevran doesn’t understand how Redren is so content to live his life barefoot. Redren doesn’t understand why Zevran really wants a pair of Antivan leather boots. 

Day 4: Exotic 

The mage-Warden, Redren, is a strange, foreign breed. Zevran can’t get a good read on him. He hopes things about the pale, exotic Warden will make sense in time. 

Day 5: Binoculars 

Cassandra doesn’t understand the strange, foreign words that Ozol Adaar and the Iron Bull use. The Inquisitor is supposed to be the Herald of Andraste, and all this Qunlat and Qunari technology like “binoculars” should be unacceptable. 

Day 6: Trek 

The Iron Bull is surprised at how capable the soft-stomached Inquisitor, Ademamar Cadash, is at going on long hikes. Ade does his best to explain his childhood of the treks from home to home without giving away too much about the reality of the casteless. 

Day 7: Passport 

On their way to Kirkwall, Anders and Justice try to comprehend what it means to be leaving Amaranthine with the Commander’s blessing and a forged passport. Homesickness is a new and uncomfortable feeling. 

Day 8: Hike 

Andrea Cousland is the Arl’s daughter. She’s not supposed to be hiking around the muddy Ferelden countryside like a common soldier. On their way to Orzammar, Alistair asks one too many questions. 

Day 9: Sun 

Duncan has saved Gemma Brosca from a death sentence, and is escorting her to the surface. He may have forgotten to warn the poor girl about the sun. 

Day 10: Nomadic 

Of course the Vint would have some stupid questions about the difference between Skyhold and the nomadic lifestyle the Dalish lead. Aelon Lavellan does his best to answer him while also trying to focus on helping Blackwall ready the stables. 

Day 11: Snacks 

Justice does not approve of how Anders is neglecting the nutritional requirements of their shared body. The Commander and Alistair always told the Wardens that they needed three square meals and snacks every day. He needs this to be fixed. 

Day 12: Remote 

As Orest Mahariel and Morrigan look for the best place for her to give birth, they talk about how they’re going to raise their baby. Even if the child will look human, Orest doesn’t want to deny the child a chance to grow up with a connection to elven culture. 

Day 13: Horizon 

At Ostagar, Hundir Aeducan finally gets a moment to stop and stare at the horizon. The Surface is seemingly an infinite sprawl of greenery. It’s a struggle not to be amazed. 

Day 14: Roam 

Alistair really wants to get to know his fellow Warden. Redren wishes to remain a mystery. After a bit of pestering, Alistair gets the mage to talk about his life roaming the Wilds after escaping from the Circle. 

Day 15: Guidebook 

Kiora Trevelyan is, on the surface, a very by-the-book Circle mage. After the rebellion, however, she struggles to adjust. Trying to lead the Inquisition without a guidebook is a struggle, and Sera isn’t exactly the most sympathetic friend. 

Day 16: Grungy 

Before they leave Lothering, Leliana insists that Gemma Brosca take advantage of the modest baths in the Chantry. She learns, quickly, that the grungy little girl has never had the privilege of taking a proper bath before. 

Day 17: Journal 

While in the Brecilian forest, the party stumbles upon a small, abandoned camp. Redren recognizes it as one of his own, and has to scramble to hide the journal that was left behind when he was made into a Warden. 

Day 18: Drive 

After returning to Orzammar, crowning his brother, and being spat back out, Hundir Aeducan is driven to the brink of madness. And cutting off his beard. 

Day 19: Ridge 

Still relatively new to the group, Zevran accepts Redren’s offer to join him in his tent. For just a plain massage. Zevran uses his time to study the ridges of the mage’s pale, thin form and wonder at what’s below the surface. 

Day 20: Uncharted 

Still reeling from their joining, Anders and Justice try to navigate the uncharted waters of being two people in one body. There's no going back. But is there even a desire to?

Day 21: Bronto 

Gemma Brosca grew up in Dust Town. As a result, her vocabulary is a little different from a Surfacer’s. To distract Alistair from his woes over Eamon’s illness, Gemma teaches him some dwarven slang. 

Day 22: Camp 

Sticking to his plan to keep dressing like a woman after being caught in the Conclave in his feminine attire sounded like a great idea at the time. Now, stuck out in a camp in the middle of the woods, Mallory Trevelyan is realizing just how tough it’s going to be. 

Day 23: Rust 

Joining the Wardens was a no-brainer for Gemma Brosca. Her life was one massive perk, and so was getting her first set of weapons that didn’t have any rust on them. 

Day 24: Expedition 

Most of his life, Hundir Aeducan wasn’t afraid of the dark. He was a dwarf, after all. But now, forced to go on an expedition into the Deep Roads to find a probably-dead Paragon, he’s forced to confront the fact that he’s not as put-together as he pretends to be. 

Day 25: Scarecrow 

There are rabbits getting into the small garden in the Skyhold courtyard. This is unacceptable. Thom Rainier, still living under the alias of the Warden Blackwall, watches as the Inquisitor, Aelon Lavellan, rigs up a scarecrow full of gears and runes. 

Day 26: Painting 

Mallory Trevelyan gets his official portrait painted as the Inquisitor Mallie. While the painting is undeniably beautiful, it doesn’t look like him. He reflects back on an old portrait probably hanging in a dark corner of Trevelyan castle, and wonders if he’ll ever see his real self on the canvas. 

Day 27: Road 

When the Anchor acts up in the Inquisitor’s sleep, Thom Rainier is pulled into one of Mallory Trevelyan’s dreams. He encounters a man he hardly recognizes in a tavern in Markham, on the road away from Ostwick and toward anywhere else. 

Day 28: Jumbo 

Ozol Adaar had gotten used to a select few things in the human settlement of Hercinia after fleeing the Qun. Now, stuck in Haven, he’s dealing with what it means for a jumbo-sized Inquisitor to come, quite literally, face to face with human doorways. 

Day 29: Navigator 

Aelon Lavellan is a Dalish elf, yes, but that doesn’t mean that he’s a natural-born navigator. When he and a group of non-elves get lost in the woods on an outing, he’s forced to clarify some unfortunate assumptions. 

Day 30: Viol 

When Maryden the tavern bard brings in another bard to play when she’s on break, Mallory Trevelyan is delighted to see that the man plays the viol. Iron Bull watches on as the Inquisitor Mallie draws upon some old lessons from her childhood she’s loathe to elaborate on. 

Day 31: Landmark 

Back in the Brecilian forest, Orest Mahariel tells his new friends about the places he remembers from his childhood. Some landmarks bring back good memories, some bad, and yet they all seem to be tainted by a sadness he can’t bring himself to speak about.

[araksi-art]

i am finally making a pinned post !

lil intro

hello!! i am araksi413, i use they/it pronouns with no preference, and i have a whole bunch of names (nyel, aryn, traffic..) but im also happy with araksi or nicknames :]

this is my art account and. i am bad at posting. i have so so many drafts help

i draw mostly my ocs, furries, and some fanart here and there

i have a taglist! if you wanna be added, send me an ask and ill do so happily :D

list of all my ocs & tag directory under cut!

a list of all my ocs:

first, here's a post with my doodles of all of them !

and here's the list:

world 1:

normal guys:

eva

mattias

sun

sarah (and elise)

special guys:

anna (and her brother)

zara

deer

emobear

charles

[no name entered]

araksi lamodre

daphne

special twelve:

cari'sam

roben (and the cliffbloods)

menir (and fuor)

bon de ciel

illumm elderspark

kamari

man uu, servant of ohbahma

al'ixia-mariunak

em

faelyn anastasia boldur

camm dan (and mae who belongs to @bro-strider-tgirl-tits <3)

ezry

other:

láng

rikuki

lú

fleur céléne

un

tag directory

making this mostly so i dont get lost in my own tags hehe :3

described <- anything tagged with this has image descriptions in alt text!

oc art: name <- art of the specific oc (e.g oc art: charles)

oc art <- all oc art

non-oc art <- art of other characters!

other art <- everything else, like landscapes, paintings..

art of araksi <- all of my art!

art for friends <- all art made for my mutuals/friends :3 or as a request!

asks and answers <- ask tag <3

taglist reblog <3 <- well, self explanatory, my tag for the taglist reblog i do for every art piece (when i remember)

[aoifethephoenixqueen]

Thank you @onlytavs for the tag!!I am always game for a tag....game

Okay everyone lets do Ravyn first this time:

(I honestly have no clue who this is. LOL! While I have a lot of the music, I have yet to watch a single episode. Just never got around to it.)

This one was more challenging than I had expected. Lol! So many of them, I was saying (possibly yelling), "That depends. To Astarion, she's *insert one option* but to the world, she's definitely *the other option*!!" Or she is both, like with the creepy-disarming question. She is 100% disarming and could make just about anyone do anything for her...But she does it in such a way that either 1. They know they shouldn't be doing this or shouldn't trust her. 2. Once done, they regret doing it, but they know there was no way they could have said no. Which is super creepy, right? So, yeah, she's both.

Okay, then there's the orderly/chaotic one. She's OCD about her surroundings being clean and organised, but her mind and her life are super chaotic. I mean, she lives with Ascended Astarion for heaven's sake!

Faelyn:

(I do have other pictures of her, I swear! I just couldn't find another one I liked)

I'm going to cheat (slightly) on this one. I hated the top answer Anastasia Steele (Fifty Shades of Grey)...So here are the next top (14) answers:

Beth March - Little Women

Ah, yes. The shy, quiet, obedient little peacemaker

Anna Bates - Downton Abbey

She is my second favorite character in this series (her husband is my favorite)

Jane Eyre - Jane Eyre

This is in my top five favourite books of ALL TIME!! And 100% agree that she and Faelyn are a lot alike. In fact, I would see Jane being Faelyn's top answer, but alas

Jane Bennett - Pride and Prejudice

I havent read this in literal years so I'm a little fuzzy on who this is but if memory serves she's quite calm, passive and kind

Ariadne - Inception

This answer speaks to Faelyn's intellect. She's an avid reader and general collecter of information. She's a curious cat by nature which has gotten her in trouble multiple times

Fantine -  Les Misérables

Speaking to the general shit that happened to them both...yeah...I see it

Belle - Beauty and the Beast

She's a reader and quite curious. She also possesses an inner strength she didn't know she had until she was forced to (AKA Nautiloid and subsequent adventure)

Molly Hooper - Sherlock

not much to say for this one other than yeah *nods* seems accurate

Walter 'Radar' O'Reilly - M*A*S*H

I LOVED this show growing up, and Radar is my favourite!! He's so precious and sweet and smart and ugh I just love him

Egwene al'Vere - Wheel of Time

I have only seen a little of this show, but given that both girls were silenced (one way or another), it seems accurate, though Faelyn wouldn't be nearly as feisty or confident

Violet Parr - The Incredibles

Speaks to her deep desire to be invisible. She would never be visible again if she could

Elinor Dashwood - Sense and Sensibility

Faelyn is a grounding force for Gale when he dreams of godhood. She is also the one who ensures everyone is taken care of and the party has supplies and whatnot

Dr. Spencer Reid - Criminal Minds

Brilliant and a (possibly) a little autistic...yup

Professor Remus J Lupin - Harry Potter series

Yes! If she were to teach, she would be like him!

I hope that wasn't too cheat-y. I was NOT about to let my precious baby girl be insulted like that.

No pressure tags: @waterdhaviancheeses, @optimisticgrey, @whiskeyskin, @emmy-dekarios-bg3, @auroraesmeraldarose, @astarioffsimpmain, @darcydekarios, @andromedaancunin, @tociminna, @themightynine-nine, @rdekarios, @wassidy-wanders-around, and anyone who wants to jump in as well <3

~Aoife

What fictional character is your OC?

To play, go to the following website and take the test as your OC:

Thank you, @bg3screenshotdump

I can't say enough how much I enjoy playing these tag games!

I went ahead and did it for the Elunthir Twins.. and wow, they are such polar opposites.

Tove Elunthir - This match makes so much sense to me because Tove is adventurous and curious to the world very much like Rapunzel is.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Sion Elunthir - This match low-key made me sad. Not because it was wrong but because it honestly deeply resonated to me with his character... Sion at his root is a man caged within his own internal mindset. A prison of his own insecurities and past, so when he was an 82% match with Brooks Hatlen, I just could not handle how accurate this comparison was.

Just wow.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

No pressure tags: @wasteful-sam @auroraderiva @aoifethephoenixqueen @vera-king-hrfl @starlightweave

[faerielandtrolls]

What is the weirdest job Faelyn would be willing to do?

#øw døes øne (1) defIne "weIrd?" I #ave wørked as a bøøk bInder, a #orse breaker, and a screen prInter In the past, t#ese are jøbs t#at are generallii nøt t#e fIrst ønes peøple t#Ink øf, but t#ey are døne everii daii

[nyandereneko]

A Productive Afternoon

Word Count: 589

Summary: “She didn’t want to fall victim to his charms so easily, but they were both equally hopeless in their fondness for one another.”

Author’s Note: Happy day 6 of yumeweek! I’ve really been enjoying doing these little drabbles and hopefully I’ll be able to keep playing around with them in between longer pieces. This time I finally took the chance to give Vax and Nova permission to be cute together, and it’s definitely something I’d like to do more of in the future. As always thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Reblogs appreciated!

*****

“I don’t know where I would be without you.”

The sincerity in his voice caught her off guard, but it wasn’t wholly unpleasant. She was brewing a simple elixir and he was keeping her company while she worked. The arcane arts weren’t exactly his forte, but that didn’t mean Vax couldn’t appreciate the finesse of her craft. And Nova had an abundance of it, measuring and mixing and enchanting as she concocted therapeutic and restorative draughts for every occasion. 

They’d certainly served him well in a few binds, but given the choice he always preferred the comfort of her gentle, healing touch. Just the memory of those fluttering fingers tending his wounds with a soothing salve and a whispered spell was enough to make him shiver. He observed the lazy ascent of a few bubbles as they breached the surface of her brew, his keen eyes shifting to the main source of his distraction as she applied the finishing touches.

“That feels like a pretty serious thing to say,” Nova replied, silently cursing as her hands began to quiver, betraying her heart’s unease. “Especially unprovoked. So, what brought this on, if you don’t mind me asking?”

He chuckled in response: a deep, rich sound that made her ears ring and soul sing. She didn’t want to fall victim to his charms so easily, but they were both equally hopeless in their fondness for one another. He rested a hand upon her own, fingers slipping into place as if they’d been molded as two parts of a whole. With a light squeeze he attempted to coax her to lift her head, but it seemed her anxiety was weighing her down. They’d long since offered to share the struggle of assisting each other in shouldering their burdens, but the stinging bite of insecurity and self doubt was pronounced and hard to overcome, armed with merciless fang and crushing jaw.

“Just felt like paying you a compliment,” he answered with a smirk, lips brushing the tip of her ear as he went on, “do you object? Even if you do, it doesn’t negate the fact that what I said is undeniably true.”

She took a breath in a feeble attempt to steady her voice as she struggled to put her scrambled thoughts into words. “You know I could say the same about—”

He cut her off with a kiss, precise and intent on derailing her train of thought. His strategy worked as intended, momentarily clearing the faelyne’s mind of anything but his preoccupying presence. She pulled back and he trailed after her before catching himself, not wanting to overstep any boundaries in his haste. She didn’t step away entirely nor did she retract her hand from his grasp, however, and he figured now was as good a time as any to plead his case.

“I know you pride yourself on being the nice one,” he hummed, nuzzling one of her ears as she melted into his snug embrace, “but do you think you could look the other way, just this once? In fact, all you really need to do is look at me.”

Reluctantly she acquiesced to his request, her mind promptly going numb as his heartfelt expression eclipsed her surroundings. At least he’d waited until the potion was complete, lest his impish meddling lead to any unexpected consequences. The sole consequence of their current exchange was likely to involve a little more talk and a lot more doting; it seemed it really was turning out to be quite a productive afternoon.

[faelynfawn]

Art commission info

Fanfiction commission info

Hello. You can call me Faelyn or Fawn or anything really. I use he/him pronouns. I am 18.

This is my MCYT sideblog. I used to have a seperate blog under this name, but I realised none of my posts were appearing in tags and my account was not appearing when it was searched for. Since this was just an inactive sideblog I had, I decided to repurpose it.

Other accounts:

AO3 - FaelynFawn

Youtube - FaelynFawn

My tags:

#faelyn art <- Art

#faelyn writes <- Anything related to writing

#faelyn talks <- Posts where I have added text in some way

#faelyn answers <- Asks

[aoifethephoenixqueen]

Thank you @whiskeyskin for the tag! Again, I don't really have anyone specific to tag, so if you have a Tav, this is your no-pressure tag to share them with the world. I would love to meet them!

Since I have two beloved Tavs and I have done Ravyn already:

Here is Faelyn

What common/uncommon fear do they have?

Magic:

Growing up, if she showed any magical tendencies, they were quickly snuffed out. She was called a freak, a monster, and at one point threatened to be kicked out onto the streets (she would have been about 6-8 years old at the time. Though they never quite killed her curiosity about magic.

Then she was married off to a wizard (she calls them Spellweavers) whose previous bride died under quite suspicious circumstances. She fell into her role and did everything she was told to do/be. The man's chaos consumed him, and in a fit of jealous rage, he used his magic to burn a brand on Faelyn's shoulder.

She came to believe all magic and spell weavers were evil.

She also has a fear of heights, but she's always been that way, and no one really knows why.

Do they have any pet peeves?

Her wants and needs where ignored for so long that she really hates it when people ignore her boundaries.

She's not a fan of touch - handshakes, hugs, a supportive hand on her shoulder (the non-burned one), and some people ignore that. Slowly, she learns how to stand up for herself, but those in the party (Gale, Shadowheart, Wyll, Karlach, I mean, she couldn't even if she wanted to) start quietly standing up for her.

Now, it should be noted that her relationship with both Gale and Astarion makes things a little different...complicated

What are three items you can find in their bedroom? (I'll take that as in/by their tent)

A golden locket from a maid in her parents' house

Rose scented soap/hair oil/lotion: given to her by...Astarion?? (I know the answer, but she doesn't. not yet)

Scratch and the Owlbear cub...what can I say...she's a Druid *Faelyn off in the distance* "I am not a druid!"

What do they notice first in person?

She's very much an 'actions speak louder than words' kind of woman. Though she'll note the way someone looks, she watches their actions (and words) to see if they match up or not

On a scale of 1-10, how high is their pain tolerance?

7-8 probably. She was either on display or ignored growing up so she became very accustomed to 'sucking it up'.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

Not really - Biologically there's her father, mother and her little brother.

As for 'found' family: she grew quite close to on of the older maids of the house and saw her more as family than her own parents.

It's a slow process but she starts to see her companions as family as well.

Do they go into fight or flight when under pressure?

Flight. 100%

What is a smell they dislike?

While the smell of burning flesh is probably high on most people's list of smells they dislike, Faelyn's disdain for it goes a littler deeper...deeper into her shoulder that is

Have they broken any bones?

Surprisingly, no

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Very quiet. Some would say unsettling, as she rarely makes eye contact.

Boom, surprise birthday party, how do they react to surprise?

So long as no one jumps out to yell 'surprise' at her, it would be fine. She would be grateful and probably fight back some tears that they thought of her at all, let alone set up such a party. She would also not want to be the centre of attention...so she'd kinda low key hope its over soon

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Immaculate. Every thing about her had to be perfect...and it was still never enough.

Do they have a favourite fabric?

Wool - Both her parents and her husband's houses were very cold, so she likes to finally have some warmth.

What kind of accent do they have?

Cormyr - This is why the blood drains from her face when Raphael starts reciting the Cormyrian rhyme. Does he know who she is? Is he going to turn her in?

Edit: Noticed I never actually answered all the questions - so I went back and remedied that.

[days-starship]

Teenage Alter Introduction

It's you!

Hi, my name is Kathryn. I'm the version of our host from when we were in High School. I'm unfortunately stuck at the age of 16/17 when things were the hardest for us to understand or go through.

I'm actually a Triplet to Faelyn and Kasey but I've 'been around' a bit longer. See Day didn't know she was a system and only a few of us could reach her, but we had grown up used to hearing a narration in our head and just thought it was normal and that it was our inner dialogue. I usually go by our given name but because at the start the only difference between myself, the middle, and our main 2 littles was the ages we had decided to go by nicknames to really tell when it's someone different.

I got my name Kathryn, based on an OC we had made when we were obsessed with Undertale, and I'm still pretty obsessed with it, just it's not as bad now as it was back then because it was more of a comfort game and having our OC was a way to let us vent how we were feeling about our day to day lives without it being completely real to us and allowing us to express ourselves in ways we never could.

We still struggle with this but we once used to journal. But after some unfortunate events, our journal had been used against us and gotten us in trouble when we were promised it wouldn't be read . Ever since we lost the only coping mechanism that had helped us with the more "negative" emotions. It had also been the only way for us to process situations properly and understand why we felt the way we did and understand where these feelings were coming from.

But we couldn't write in one after that because it never felt safe. To this day for us, it still doesn't feel safe for us to write our feelings down to process things. But I guess that's why we find we prefer to text our feelings to people rather than just tell them. Words are hard when your mind is clouded.

I'm actually slowly working on myself to develop more as our OC rather than just being the high school persona. While I still hold a lot of those memories, the back story we made for our OC just resonates a bit better for me and I tend to process those feelings better than when I'm just... Me? I don't know.

Being a system, it's kinda weird for us. We actually knew someone in high school who has DID and at the time we didn't know. I did my best to help them and it was a somewhat terrifying experience by the end of it. But I didn't know what was going on, I had never heard of DID before then so I had no idea what I was supposed to do. But I was glad I was able to help them even if it got scary afterwards.

I know at some point I had actually meant to do a ton of research on it to try and be a support for my friend, but Im pretty sure I forgot to actually do the research by the time I had gotten home.

It's always sad to hear when kids feel safer when they're anywhere but home, and for us it was the same. We hated coming home, we never knew what would happen and what the tone would be. Would we get in trouble for something we didn't do? Would we get in trouble for forgetting chores again? Of course, those questions got worse and worse but I don't really want to bring that up just yet. All you need to understand is that school was my sanctuary and I was always nervous about going home.

So why stay home? Why not go out and stay out as long as possible to avoid the chaos? Simple answer being I couldn't. I didn't really have anywhere to go and I needed to be there to protect and care for my siblings. They needed me and I couldn't let them get hurt because I was gone.

For a long time before we were able to even realize we had DID, I had been our sole caretaker of 3. The 2 littles and the middle, I occasionally helped Day out when she needed it but she hardly needed it. The middle took care of themselves for the most part, all I had to do was check in on them to make sure they were okay.

But at one point things got chaotic and I was struggling. Once we got more caretakers I was slowly and painfully taken into our own form of therapy and they had to work with me to not focus on others and focus on myself. Right now, the only thing that's helped keep me from trying to continue being in my fight or flight mode to protect everyone is the fact I'm solely in charge of taking care of the plants in my room.

I actually take really good care of them and love my little bonsai tree! But even so, some days are harder than others. The others don't see me as often anymore because I either relapse or I'm locked in my room (that I share with an NPC Caretaker Introject of Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds) being overly active over my plants that just kinda make me seem like I'm having a complete mental break in a psych ward.

So, why am I up here now? Well, because I needed to front for a bit. I needed out of my room and to be up here for a little while to help process my emotions as Day and I have both seemingly been having a hard time so we're sitting in silence together while I type this up.

Hopefully when we get this psychiatry appointment done we can start getting answers and the help we need. We have a great support system, but we need that professional help to guide us a bit into that proper healing process. We all need it.

Here are some pictures I did of the OC and what we currently look like so enjoy that while we crash hard and fast.

Find the divider here

Despite everything, it's still you.

♡ Kathryn

[adventuresofthechaoscoven]

The Party goes to an Escape Room

Part 2

written by: dee

character(s): faelyn, crow, blayre, ryxen, hades, hope (aka the whole party LOL)

canon/non-canon: non/canon

word count: 0.7K

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

30:00 Left on the Clock…

As the party continued to search for their next piece of the puzzle on the inside, they found clues all over the bar, but didn’t know what to do with all of the information.

“Okay, so we have this newspaper article… annnd a key that doesn’t seem to go anywhere.” Fae held up the key the got as a reward for the liquid puzzle. Crow snatched it out of Fae’s hand to run around the room, looking for a lock that would fit. The rest of the party watched and waited, but Hades piped up with some newfound information.

“Hey uh… Guys? There is a lock on this booze cabinet. Did we try that?” He asked as he pointed to a lock in the cabinet, a cabinet literally labeled “booze”. You couldn’t see inside, but one could only assume it was indeed alcohol. The whole room seemed to facepalm or sigh all at once, something so apparent and in plain sight. Crow ran to the cabinet to unlock it, but what was found was something completely unexpected.

There was an entire room behind this cabinet. Kegs lined up with aging “wine” and the other half of the newspaper article. Everything was starting to add up– the friend group just didn’t have all the information yet. 

Hope started to connect the dots with the newspaper article and the aging wine kegs. Blayre and Fae started working on a different puzzle to unlock a box. Crow pranced around the room just happy that they got to be useful and unlocked the door. Hades was actually trying to help Hope. But it was Ryxen that found the answer to the wine puzzle.

“Hold the phone, isn’t it obvious?” Ryxen strutted towards Hope as she explained how it all connected and the answer to the puzzle, “It has to do with the years they started the aging process from.”

Hope smiled at Ryxen, “What happened to not understanding the point of all of this?” 

Ryxen was taken aback by this question, “I can have fun sometimes. I’m getting this whole thing now anyways.”

“Ryxen is no longer a buzzkill! Woooo!” Hades cheered, putting an arm around her.

“1) I am NOT a buzzkill, you’ve been in many drinking competitions with me. Those are fun. And 2) Get your arm off of me or I will cut it off.” Ryxen glared over at Hades, who was slowly backing away. 

Fae, Blayre, and Crow laugh a little in a circle around the box, watching the situation go down.

“But where does the answer go?? We don’t really have anything to put this 4-digit number into…” Hope questioned.

As the party was having a good time, they hear an announcement. 15:00 Left on the Clock…

“Only 15 more minutes?!?! No way it has taken us this long!! What do we do?!” Fae starts to panic a little under the pressure of time. Blayre pats her on the pack to try and calm her down.

“I’m sure once we figure out this box it’ll bring us the next piece of the puzzle. Don’t panic!” Blayre reassured Fae. 

Crow nodded in agreement, “Panicking shouldn’t be on the to-do list right now. We have a game to win!”

As they were chatting, that’s when it hit Ryxen. “Back in the bar. There was a number-to-letter conversion thingy. It was weird. Maybe it’s that!” She speed walks to the paper she was talking about and hands it to Faelyn.

“Where did you see this and why didn’t you tell anyone?” Fae asked as she handed the paper to Blayre, letting Blayre and Crow solve the puzzle.

Ryxen just shrugged, “Didn’t think it was that important.”

“Got it!” Blayre yells in excitement, as she reveals a new key. The key opened one of the last locks in the room when suddenly-

5:00 Left on the Clock… Game Complete!

The whole party cheered and jumped around happily as they solved the room. 

“I am very surprised we did that! Even Hades helped!” Hope exclaims with excitement.

“Yeah! That was fun! We should do another one. Perhaps one with actual booze. Or more throwing things! I liked throwing things!” Hades was visibly excited from the whole experience as the party left the room and started heading out towards the night.

“I think we should definitely do more. That was fun!” Blayre said as they walked to their vehicle. 

“I suppose I’d be fine with another one.” Ryxen agreed.

“Then we shall do many more!” Faelyn exclaimed as they all went to dinner, discussing the room for the rest of the night.

[a-gay-bloodmage]

Hmmm, time to get to know a bit about everyone x) Can you do 2, 4, 8, 15, and 17 for the oc asks I haven't seen yet? Thanks so much, I love getting to know about your ocs :)

I’m going to be answering for my Dragon Age OCs, but I’ve got more in a non-DA setting for an original story I’m working on! If you want to learn about those, send an ask to @daughter-of-war

I’m more than happy to answer!

As usual, this got quite long! More under the cut!

2. Do any of your OCs have a physical disability?

You know what? None of my Wardens really do. I should try to work on making more diverse characters, but as of now, I think I’ll include Redren, because over-use of his magic can lead to pretty bad anemia, which is always there to a degree. And Maria, one of my non-warden OCs, is mostly blind.

4. Does your OC have anything they take pride in? (Like an award or collection?)

Redren takes immense pride in his blood magic, something he’s always defined himself as. His entire life revolved around the singular fact that he was a Blood Mage, and he learned to take pride in it. To him, the only part of himself he could take pride in was what he couldn’t ever change. Unfortunately, nobody in the world seemed to think blood magic was anything to take pride in.

Orest takes pride in his nature, seeing his personality as the most important thing about himself. His ability to have compassion, and to make people laugh, is one of his favorite things about himself. He’s not vain, but he is self-confident. To Orest, the best anyone can be is their best, and he’s proud to say that he’s doing the best he can.

Faelyn takes pride in her friends. She’d lived so long with only her cousins as friends, as soon as she found companionship in Alistair, and Morrigan, and Leliana, and Zevran, and even in Shale, Wynne, and Oghren, she sees it as one of the best things she’d ever accomplished. Sten’s still a work in progress, but she’ll get there some day!

Andrea is quite vain and self-centered at the beginning of her story, making her social status the most valued aspect of herself, something she took immense pride in. Eventually, she learned to see past that fairly narcissistic view of herself, but in the start of it all, her place in the world as the Arl of Highever’s only daughter gave her all the pride in the world.

Hundir was similar to Andrea, but as soon as he was cast from Orzammar, the object of his pride moved to his battleaxe, the weapon that led him through the Deep Roads became his source of pride, the dark crimson stain of Darkspawn blood helping him hold his head up high.

Gemma takes pride in her brand. To many casteless, the brand is an awful reminder of what they are, the failure of their birth, but as soon as she joined the Wardens, she held her head up high, pulling the hair out of her face to show the world the black brand on her face. She’d smile as she thought of what those back in Orzammar would think, to see a casteless girl take pride in her branding as worthless. Because she knew she wasn’t worthless.

8. Do you ship any 2 of your OCs?

None of my Wardens, no, but I do have a few original couples!

Jo and Renee Bircann, from Orlais, are one! Jo is genderfluid, who switches from biologically and mentally male to biologically and mentally female at random, with Jo’s birth gender being unknown (this way people can’t really call it a “fake gender”, because s/he is “actually” fe/male on any given day. Loophole, transphobes!) And Renee is his/her wife, a lesser noble-born woman forced to run from the Orlesian nobility due to her magic that manifested when she was fourteen. The two started their relationship when both of them were fleeing Orlais, meeting in the Orlesian side of the mountains near Orzammar, with Renee immediately captivated by the rugged-looking “man” in the mountains. Luckily, Renee is bisexual, and very attracted to both women and men. Jo is just two lovers in one!

Maria and Bethany are another couple! Maria is one of my most developed non-Warden OCs, seeing as she’s central to Redren’s story. An approximately 600 year old Tevinter-born sorceress, Maria is in a relationship with Bethany, a spirit of an ancient tribal princess of the nomadic Enchanted Wood Tribe of the forests of the Anderfels and Orlais. They started their relationship when Maria invited Bethany out of the Fade as a fully-formed apparition about 500 years ago, as she had been there for 500 years already, fully aware, but with no way to get back to the world of the living.

15. Do any of your OCs have pets?

All of my Wardens got the Mabari companion! How could I resist giving each of them a puppy?

Redren named his mabari Dog, because it’s simple and he couldn’t think of anything better in the moment. The name stuck, in the end, despite Alistair’s protests against naming a warhound Dog.

Orest named his mabari companion Anga, Tolkien Elven for Iron. He thought it was pretty cool, and a tough dog deserves a tough name!

Faelyn decided to call her mabari Puppy! Her first instinct was to call out "puppy!" when she saw him, so yeah, she kept the name. Cute, isn’t it?

Andrea called her mabari Prince, and she treated him like one. She’d play with him in the Highever Castle gardens, and read books with him, and brush his fur, in short, she spoiled that dog rotten. And after she lost everything except that dog, she treasured him more than anything in Thedas.

Hundir, the ever so tough Aeducan, named his new mabari Ripper. He liked how tough and intimidating it was, and over the course of the Blight, yeah, that dog earned that name tenfold.

Gemma named her mabari Flower after her favorite thing on the Surface. She had never seen a mabari before, so she was very excited over the idea of having one to call her own. The pretty little flower that saved it is forever remembered in her mabari’s name.

17. Do you have any OCs you haven’t posted about?

Maria, who I’m in the process of writing a “write-up” post about, is honestly a really fun character to develop! She’s loud, and outgoing, and certainly the pinnacle of the older-sister type. She is the one largely responsible for raising Redren, with the help of her mother, Alda, and her Dearest, Bethany. She’s been blind for nearly six hundred years, after being bound to the Fade by the magic of spirit-channeling and Necromancy. To say she’s a living corpse is untrue, but she is essentially frozen as an eighteen-year-old for the foreseeable future. She’s able to see the spirits of people, animals, and living plants, making her able to navigate with no problem. Spirits free from the “prison” that is the mortal flesh are able to be seen with perfect clarity for her. She’s slightly infamous from Tevinter to Ferelden, however, known to many as an Enchantress that seduced men who later went “missing.” Human blood is incredibly good for potions and food, in her mind. She gave up the habit about two hundred years ago, but that doesn’t stop her from telling story after story about the fun she had with the witch-burners and Templars before they died, though.

Bethany, as mentioned above, was a tribal princess of the Enchanted Wood Tribe of Orlais and the Anderfels. Elf-blooded a million times over, due to the mixture of elf and human makeup of the nomadic tribe, Bethany was considered the most beautiful of her tribe, with wavy blonde hair to her ankles and green-blue eyes, she was sacrificed to Desire Demons in order to keep her tribe alive through the unpredicted and harsh winter. She sacrificed herself willingly, but she’s always wondered what happened to her beloved tribe. She’s a full-bodied and fully aware ghost now, forever reminded of her sacrifice by the large hole though her chest where her heart was taken, and her eternal forced nudity. She doesn’t mind the nudity, though.

Alda, Maria’s mother, and Bethany’s Dear Mother, is the matriarch of the village all my Dragon Age OCs live in, which is made of nearly all apostates driven from their homes or Circle escapees. She’s a proud Andrastian, but not opposed to the Ancient Elven or Tribal Gods and Goddesses. She’s a kind and loving old lady, physically around 70, as she stopped her aging after her daughter. A spirit healer, she’s kept alive in the same type of way Wynne is, except she chose to be kept alive by the Fade. She’s incredibly matronly, and helped to raise Redren as his Auntie.

And many more, but way less developed ones!

I’m also making playlists for each of my Wardens, so if you have any requests for what character I should prioritize, please reply! Thanks~!

[phoebelovingcare]

went on a bit of a tangent and ended up with "do bugs count as meat and would magolor eat cooked insects?"

since u are magolor expert

do you know the answer?

people have proclaimed me the expert on so many characters.

Bugs do count as meat! They’re a kind of white meat I’m pretty sure - just because their skeletons are on the outside doesn’t disqualify them from being meat. While I’m sure Halcandrans/faelynes would eat bugs, Magolor would not because he is autistic and does Not like the cronch

[a-queer-and-his-ocs]

Faelyn to Ardyn

Ardyn didn't know how long into the night he kept running, each breath like daggers and ice in his lungs, his body finally stopped at first light, in a wood that could of been full of vicious creatures but his mind had no room for the thought as he fell to his needs, a heart breaking sob escaping his body which shivered from the chill and shock. Within a night he had lost everything he knew because of one man, something had also awoken in him, he could feel it under his skin an odd comfort to go with his loss. Once his body stopped shaking and the cries stopped leaving his body he forced himself up again, it wouldn't do to gain attention, now this mind a little more clear he knew better to stand still. “I need to find somewhere to think” he muttered to himself as he walked slowly, body tired but pressing on. It wasn't till the sun was already high he found a town, quiet, travelers going back and forth it seemed, those in armor looking at a noticeboard of jobs. That meant he would find an inn, if they would accept his sorry state. Keeping heavy eyes focused he walked until he saw the sign for an inn and entered, it was warm, smelt of meat and ale, not too busy. He walked to the bar, anxious which was new to him, how long would it take for those on horses with a poster of his face to reach here. It didn't feel safe but he needed to rest. The bar keep looked over, eyes looking at the young man in front of them “Job gone wrong?” a small huff of a laugh followed as they stood in front of him. “You could say that” He forced a smile “I was hoping for a room, I will pay two nights, even if I just stay one” The older lady moved to grab her ledger looking at the pages and hummed “yes, that will run you 4 gold in total, name?” he was grabbing the small pouch he had managed to take and stopped for a moment, a name. He needed one, he took in a breath before answer “Ardyn Mayrose” it fell off the tongue and soon a key was pushed to him, He gave the gold and headed up to a simple room but saw a small fire going, he took his rain and sweat soaked clothing off and hung them near the heat as he grabbed a blanket and sat by the fire himself.

He was no longer Faelyn of the starless ship, no longer a gem to be admired. Now he was Ardyn, he wasnt sure who Ardyn was yet but he would have to travel and not look back.

[faerielandtrolls]

Faelyn, your lusus is a Phoenix, right? Has your lusus gone through any or a lot or death and rebirth cycles.. anything like that?

I døn't necessarIlii knøw w#at cønstItutes as a løt, but t#ere #ave been a faIr few t#at I remember. W#en I was yøung It was alwaiis nerve-wrackIng, but I've gøtten used tø It nøw

[iarollane]

Fictober ninth

Prompt 9: "There's a certain taste to it."

Dragon Age: Inquisition: set during the Singer of Magic fic I'm working on. Features Lashanna ne'Drak, Solas, Josephine Montilyet, Leliana Nightingale, Tamra, Faelyn...

Rating mature, there's some slight sexual themes towards the end. I haven't been in a smut-writing frame of mind in a long while, and this was supposed to include some originally, so this took about two days longer than it should have. Apologies!

==

Josie had, somehow, heard it was my birthday.

I'd done the math. Back home, I'd have turned twenty-five a few days ago. I'm not really sure what that means for me here in Thedas, but regardless, I've spent a quarter of a century alive. Quite the accomplishment, right?

I immediately vetoed Josie's idea of a big lavish party involving all of Skyhold, including the dignitaries of course. It would have undoubtedly lasted all night long and given her an opportunity to soften up some of the harder cases.

"If you decide to throw that party, I'm leaving for the Fallow Mire," I told her in no uncertain terms. "I'm sure there's still things to find in the muck."

She finally agreed to no gala. "But we must celebrate somehow," she argued.

"Why?"

"Because you risk your life every day." She crossed her arms. "It would be a way to reaffirm to yourself and everyone else that you're still here, even after everything. Everyone would appreciate an opportunity to relax and enjoy themselves, I'm sure."

I tapped my fingers on her desk, thinking. "Okay, maybe. But only a small thing. In my rooms, say?" That should work to limit how many people she could invite. "Fine," I sighed. "When did you want to do this?"

"Oh, we can work out the details later," she said. "It might take time to get everything ready." A shrewd look crossed her face. "We'll have to decide on what food to serve. And of course, there must be a cake," she suggested.

"And I'm sure you have exactly the Baker and design in mind already," I said dryly.

She smiled, like a cat in the creamery. "I might have an idea or two in that direction."

I nodded, my mind already on other things. "Sounds good, Josie."

==

late that same day

"Surprise!"

I staggered at the sight and sound of- oh gods, there must be more than fifty people! It nearly tossed me back down the stairs.

Laughing, Josie came to me with her arms outstretched. "Whaa-," is about all I could say as she gave me a hug.

Faelyn was next, a big goofy grin splitting his face. "Happy Birthday, asa'ma'lin!" he crowed, squeezing me tight around my middle. I started laughing as more people came up to offer their own birthday wishes.

Half an hour later I found myself by my desk. All of the papers had been cleared away, and the grumpy bartender from The Herald's Rest was using it as his impromptu bar. He slid me a mug, saying, "Birthday wishes and all that. Here's a free drink. One night only. Don't go expecting it all the time."

I raised it in mock salute, then took a big swig. I wandered over to the table someone had set up with finger foods. Tamra chirped "Happy Birthday!" and handed me a small plate with a slice of lemon cream cake. "Where has all this been hiding?" I asked her incredulously.

She hid a smile, saying, "Your wardrobe. Since you hate going in there, and you're rarely in your rooms during the day, it was the perfect place to put everything."

"Sneak," I said good naturedly, and took a small bite of the cake. It melted in my mouth, tasting just like my mom had made when I was little. "How did you guys do all of this?" I mumbled, shoving more cake into my face.

"It was that strange young man. Cole?" Leliana's soft voice came from behind me. Tamra excused herself. "He came to Josie while we were having tea, about how you were year older than you'd been the day before, but it somehow made you sad." She shrugged one shoulder. "Once we were able to make sense of what he was talking about, all Josie could talk about was throwing you a party."

"But she just asked me about it today!"

"And you're welcome for that. It took a lot of convincing on my part for her to even mention the possibility to you. She's been planning this for a week, using Cole to figure out what you'd like, but I told her there was a chance you didn't want to celebrate at all. Why else wouldn't you have told anyone about your birthday." She raised an eyebrow at me, turning it into a question. I hurriedly stuffed another piece of cake in my mouth so that I wouldn't have to answer. "'Asking' you today was our compromise, to ensure you truly wouldn't mind."

I put my plate down and gave her a hug. "Thank you for looking out for me," I said. I noticed Solas slipping through the throngs of people to my bedroom door, a plate with a huge slice of cake in his hand. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go... mingle?"

Her eyes crinkled in amusement. "Don't do anything I would do!"

I grinned back. "There's no chantry board to pin smallclothes onto, so no worries there!"

Her startled laugh followed me to my door. I took another look at the party, marveling that everyone had gone through all this effort for me. When I pushed open the door, I didn't know what to expect. Why had Solas hidden in here?

I found him in the dark, with only a small fire burning in the fireplace. He was sitting at my secondary desk, eyes closed with a fork in his mouth. He opened his eyes when he heard me enter, and set down the fork. I could see a small bit of icing by the side of his mouth, and the plate was almost empty.

He stood. "Ma'da'mis. It seems an odd thing to celebrate, but I hope your twenty-fifth year is happier than any you've previously had."

I smiled at him as he wrapped his arms around me. "You don't celebrate birthdays, do you?"

His lips quirked. "Was it that obvious?" I giggled a little, nodding. "It's been a long time since I've noted any singular year as being significant," he explained. "But I think in this case, I'll make an exception. Especially if it means I get to indulge in vices like this." He nodded towards the remains of the cake.

"Yes, because frilly cakes are an incredibly serious vice," I said with mock sternness. "It's terrible, the way those cakes sneak up on you and leave evidence all over your face." Before he could react, I stood on my tiptoes, wrapped my arms around his neck for balance, and licked the icing off his mouth.

He raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips. "And what is your verdict?" he asked.

"There's a certain taste to it," I said thoughtfully.

"Oh?"

I kissed him, savoring the taste of the lemon cream on his lips. "It's better on you," I said.

He grinned, tracing his fingers over my cheek. "I could say the same of you, Vhenan."