#nb hawke

[alienturnipp]

[handers-time]

Introducing the 2024 Handers Gift Exchange!

Welcoming any and all Handers fans, @handers-time will be hosting another year of the Handers Gift Exchange! For those unfamiliar, a fandom gift exchange is an event in which participants create fanworks to give to one another, based off their prompts, preferences, and ships! Then giftees will leave comments on any gifts they receive and the love for Handers will be shared.

Schedule:

March 9 - 23: Sign-ups

March 24 - 26: Matching & Assignments

March 27 - May 19: Creation & Posting Period

With additional check-ins on April 12-14 and May 3-5. Participants may post any time during the creation period dates, not just at the end.

Rules & FAQ under the read-more:

Q. When will assignments go out, and when is my gift due?

A. Assignments will go out on or before March 26, 2024. You can post your gift any time during the creation period, but they absolutely must be posted by May 19.

Q. Will there be check-ins?

A. Yes. Mods will be checking in with participants the weekends of April 12 and May 3. If you are struggling to complete a gift or haven’t started by then we would strong encourage you to flag this to a mod so that we can arrange a pinch-hitter if necessary. We understand that life happens, so we won’t hold it against you if you need to drop out - we just want to be sure that your recipient still gets a gift!

Q. How do I share my gift?

A. All gifts should be posted on AO3 and on tumblr. Gifts should be posted to the 2024 Handers Gift Exchange collection on AO3 (link to be shared). Your recipient should be clearly tagged. Tumblr posts should tag in the handers-time blog so that we can find it to reblog it.

Q. How big should my gift be?

A. Fanfic should reach a minimum word count of 1,000 words. Fanart should be at least a clean sketch or completed lineart, depending on how you view your artstyle.

Extra gifts - written as optional add-ons after you’ve completed your main gift - can be much smaller with a minimum word count of 250 words. There is no maximum word count for main gifts or for extra gifts.

Q. Is this an anonymous gift exchange?

A. No, but please do not tell your giftee until you have officially posted your gift. The reveal will occur the moment you post it!

Q. Are there any rules about commenting?

A. Yes. You must comment on any gift made for you. For a full gift, this should be a comment of at least 3 sentences in length. For extra gifts, it can be less.

Q. I don’t want to sign up to the exchange but I’d like to produce extra gifts. What do I do?

Lovely to have you! We share the complete list of requests after sign-ups publicly - you can keep an eye on this blog for it. Anyone can create an extra treat - you do not need to be a participant of the full exchange. Extra gifts have a lower minimum requirements (250 words, or sketches) and you can produce as many as you like.

Q. I have another question.

A. Please send an ask to the handers-time mod and we'd be happy to help.

[storybookhawke]

(please share, I'm curious!)

[lgvalenzuela]

My Dragon Age main characters (and their partners) for Pride Month

[resvarie]

my hawke :)

[unwelcome-tagalong]

i finished awakening again last night and i am ALREADY itching to get back home so i can start 2 again for the 80 thousandth time lmao

[aeipathism]

I feel somewhere in the middle on this - the individual quests and direct interactions felt really good and genuine to me. I came out of it feeling like my Rook was very genuinely friends with and had unique/close relationships with all the companions.

Also, i really loved the work they put into making the companions have relationships among themselves. Banter around the Lighthouse and codexes showing they all interact was awesome and sparked SO much joy

That being said, what did fall a bit flat for me was the inability to just talk to your companions around the Lighthouse etc. Which has been a staple across DA and ME games, so it felt like a weird gap to just... not have that. I can expand on the quests we have, but that structure also gives you a very narrow window for that relationship. Generally, you've always been able to go up to characters in your party and ask inane questions or have an exchange about the current plot. Not scripted events, just a bit of dialogue back and forth. Or even options to insert a comment to some of the banter you can walk into.

The other thing that felt missing were group scenes outside of main plot. In 2 and Inquisition you can have little scenes that cut off pretty early playing cards with companions etc. I'd love a snippet of a dinner Bellara and Lucanis put together. Or arguing over cards because the companions all coming from entirely different factions and cultures is a recipe for no one plays games with the exact same rules. And tbh, the lack of these was disappointing to me Because they really improved on the interparty relationships in terms of banter and environment. Which, with those being another staple in other games, I kept waiting for and was sad not to see it. Let us drop in on a book club meeting! Put Rook in the middle of the discussion voting on cooking duties! We had these snippets and set ups for simple group scenes that we never actually get to see.

Even on just a romance level, you can only interact with your LI in any meaningful way in carefully placed quests and scenes. I kept waiting for when I could go to Emmrich's room and trigger the same scene 5 times in a row like inquisition and just have Rook smooch him on his balcony. Or be able to say you want to chat and have a little no dialogue cut scene of them sitting together with Manfred to serve them tea.

So while I 100% agree that the relationships did feel genuine to me, I did find it a bit jarring to offload so much of that building into Quests or into codexes. Mostly since historically, you've always been able to go chat with your companions, or have 1 or 2 simple group events. It wouldn't surprise me if that's the sort of thing that got cut by EA since voice and animation means more work and those are technically not integral. But I suppose what I'm getting at here is that I do see where some of that feeling/criticism is coming from. And in some cases, it isn't necessarily an issue of catering to specific desires, but just base patterns established by previous games both in DA but also ME.

I can see where it feels a little jarring to have these intimate friendship moments with companions, when you're used to being able to walk up and establish more casual rapport with them. We lost a lot of connectors and middle parts of things that way. It helps the player establish a baseline of what casual conversation looks like, and that makes a bridge to the (brilliantly done!) personal quests where a deeper relationship is indicated.

tl;dr is mostly that I think that all of the points about the companions feeling like they truly care about rook are spot on. but I can also see why that feels disconnected without more build up in casual settings like in previous games. going from met this guy - little personal quest - overhearing some banter and reading codexes - this companion will now Die For You is a jump that can make relationships feel less genuine because the player isn't given a role in that development.

"The Veil Guard didn't actually care about Rook" the Veil Guard was so desperate to get Rook back from the prison they tried to make a ritual dagger of their own to rip the Veil apart and look for them

Rook wasn't their boss, Rook was their home

[felassan]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard info compilation Post 4

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [another post]

Post is under a cut due to length.

There is a lot of information coming out right now about DA:TV from many different sources. This post is just an effort to compile as much as I can in one place, in case that helps anyone. Sources for where the information came from have been included. Where I am linking to a social media user’s post, the person is either a dev, a Dragon Age community council member or other person who has had a sneak peek at and played the game. nb, this post is more of a ‘info that came out in snippets from articles and social media posts’ collection rather than a ‘regurgitating the information on the official website or writing out what happened in the trailer/gameplay reveal’ post. The post is broken down into headings on various topics. A few points are repeated under multiple headings where relevant. Where I am speculating without a source, I have clearly demarcated this. if you notice any mistakes in this post, please tell me.

Character Creation

BioWare confirmed that even if you make your Rook a short king, the team has done work to ensure animations fit any character build [source]

"Dragon Age's character creator has seen a massive glow-up" [source]. "The volume of choices you get here are frankly insane. As Epler noted, “you could spend forever here,” and he’s not kidding." [source] The art and graphics teams spent a lot of time trying to make hair look amazing [source: the Discord]

In CC we can customise our "bulge size" [source]

Some more detail on the new lighting options to see how Rook looks like in CC when you make them: you can view them in "blazing forest sunshine versus the glare of an underground temple" [source]

"newly mobile, extra-hairy hair" [source]

Faction choice has statistical boons. For example, Shadow Dragon Rook deals extra damage to Venatori blood cultists [source]

Faction choice basically determines why Rook has been called to help in the fight against Solas [source]

All pre-determined character models in CC can be adjusted [source]

You can make a really tall dwarf if you want [source]

"Setting your previous world state is fully integrated into the character creator for Veilguard" [source: the Discord]

Inquisitor appearance will be re-created, there is no way to carry their appearance from DA:I into the game [source: the Discord]

Classes for Rook are not restricted in the sense that you can play any almost class, lineage and faction combination that you want. For example, a mage Rook can be a Crow [source: the Discord] (Fel note: it sounded like Rook cannot be a magic-wielding dwarf, even though the exception of Harding now exists) (Fel note: there is a mage Crow in one of the books)

Story and lore

Here is another article which refers to Rook as "the Rook" [source]

The story is set "9-10 years from DA:I and about 8 years from Trespasser" [source: the Discord]

They have been tracking Solas for "a while. Something else you’re gonna learn about…" [source]

The game does not use the Keep [source]

Shadow Dragon is the faction background with the most in-game reactivity (e.g. from other characters' dialogue) during the prologue section of the game, due to the fact that the prologue is in Minrathous and the Shadow Dragons are a Tevinter-based faction [source]

"I also saw a big moment after the gameplay trailer ends that I can't talk about" [source]

During the more narrative-heavy dialogue choices, "the game will also give a bit of context on what you're about to choose, but doesn't go as far as explaining the exact consequences or precisely what will happen thereafter" [source] "the game shows you how you’ll go about the choice, but it doesn’t tell you the consequence of that choice". [source]

"The game is bringing back Dragon Age 2s dialogue system, which was tone-based and resulted in its protagonist Hawke falling into one of three different personality states. You have three general tones in a conversation: kind, humorous, or aggressive, with slight variations depending on the situation" [source]

"Venatori blood cultists" [source]

"The whole game has the makings of another Suicide Mission [ME2], given that you are up against a god with the ability to collapse dimensions" [source]

"Choices and consequences". "Now, it seems you can see the effects of your choices like never before, and this time, they marry that choice with incredible visuals" [source]

In the bar when you're trying to get information in the opening, if you choose to fight it out and the barbrawl ensues, you then have to run from the pursuers in the bar [source]

A key concern of the developers when creating the environments was to make “a world worth saving" [source]

The prologue is quite linear but there are additional paths you can follow to find additional loot [source]

In the opening section of the game there is a dock which has been attacked and the soldiers that were there have been killed, "but rather than seeing this passively, we walked through the aftermath and had to interact with the scene to piece it all together" [source]

The tone of the gameplay video is a good indicator of the tone of the rest of the game [source]. On the tone: "dark fantasy" [source]. horror & gore is back along with DA's classic dark elements [source]

Tevinter Nights is a better tone indicator for the game than the original reveal/character trailer. Ghil Dirthalen: "Tevinter Nights has felt the most 'DAV' to me" [source]. The gameplay reveal video is the best indicator for the tone of the game (vs the character one) [source]. there is still messy dark shit in the game [source]

Tonally the game is closest to Tevinter Nights and DA:O [source]

Ghil Dirthalen: "[as] one of those unfortunate souls who has latched onto a media world so hard: This game is for me. For the hardcore DA lore nerds, I've been secretly screaming about things I saw for MONTHS now" [source]

The game is true to the DA stories we know and love [source]

Characters, companions, romance

You can choose to engage in companions' own storylines as you progress or ignore them entirely [source]

You will often have to make dialogue choices that will affect how your various companions treat you [source]

Neve is quick-witted [source], measured and elegant [source]

In the opening, you interact with the companions as you move through Minrathous. "your choices during these interactions will determine who goes on portions of the mission with you, along with how “pleased” they are with the answers." [source]

On Varric and Harding: "Instantly the two felt like they’d never been away and avoided the trap of being parodies or fanfiction versions of themselves" [source]

Solas' eyes were always purple hh [source] (yes!)

Gameplay, presentation, performance etc

Some enemies have additional shields that are weak to ranged attacks [source]

When asked about if the war table from DA:I returned, John Epler said "There is a table. Now, whether it works the same way as the table in the previous game..." [source]

Once you get passed a certain point in the game, it opens up dramatically, however it is not an openworld game and they wanted to make sure that all the content mattered and was a more structured, sculpted experience for the player. There is some exploration, some opportunities to get off the beaten path, and some spaces that are fairly wide [source]

The button to press to bring up the skill wheel is RB or R1 (depending on what controller you're using) [source]

"You'll also have access to two skills or spells for each of your two companions that you can command. For a more seamless, uninterrupted combat experience, you can also assign these skills to shortcuts (such as holding the left trigger and hitting the X button) to quickly use them" [source]

"The game is bringing back Dragon Age 2s dialogue system, which was tone-based and resulted in its protagonist Hawke falling into one of three different personality states. You have three general tones in a conversation: kind, humorous, or aggressive, with slight variations depending on the situation" [source]

"booting Fade demons into pits" [source]

"BioWare have revised Dragon Age's art direction to make character models a little more consistent with the series' lovely Tarot-inspired menu art. Flesh is ruddy to the point of painterly; facial features and bodily proportions are thicker and more striking, as though the characters had been cut from clay" [source]

The 3 specs for Warrior are Reaper (has lifesteal/stealing health from enemies, and other freaky powers, does big damage), Slayer (can wield the biggest blade, big swords, big damage) or Champion, which is tanky, shield-using and Paladin like [source] [source]

There are quick-recover prompts [source]

You can roll through puddles of incoming AOE [source]

There are ziplines between some levels levels [source] (Fel note: just like in As We Fly... )

There are also slidey hills to slide down between some sections [source]

There are still some Hinterland-type areas designed for exploration [source]

We can do some home base management to our home base [source] (Fel note: this refers to The Lighthouse, detail in a previous post)

Camera placement is quite zoomed out [source]

Where Rogues have 'momentum', Warriors have 'rage' and Mages 'mana'. When a warrior spends rage in the ability wheel it triggers more powerful attacks. this has been referred to as a build-and-spend mechanic. this system resource gates your use of more powerful skills and is built by getting stuck in [source]. Momentum for Rogues is built by landing hits without taking any [source]

There are big glowing environmental cues for picking up loot or replenishing health potions [source]

"Epler noted that The Veilguard will not be an open-world experience like Inquisition, and instead will have large spaces to explore with quests littered throughout. This allayed my early concerns that they would course correct too hard from the oft-maligned open areas of Inquisition" [source]

Melee and ranged attacks can be charged up [source]

It sounds like there is an option to have greater guidance on when enemies are attacking [source]

The community council gave a lot of notes on the game's art direction to BioWare (gave feedback to the devs) that they were told and shown were changed from the first reveal/character trailer, these made it into the gameplay trailer [source]

The community council asked about having an arachnophobia mode, though they can't guarantee this was implemented [source]

"You’re encouraged to explore and grind for stronger weapons and gear, so your stats and cosmetics improve the further you get into the game" (in the sense that you’ll be rewarded for hard work) [source, two]

Follower information such as cooldowns and health will be visible on the HUD [source: the Discord]

There is a "quick cast" option if you prefer not to use the wheel, should be a chorded action using a controller [source: the Discord]

On PC you can play with keyboard and mouse or controller [source: the Discord]

An accessibility option is the ability to make auto-targeting stronger or weaker depending on your preference [source: the Discord]

The game will have DLSS support at launch [source: the Discord]

Re: hard drives, the game can be played using an HDD, they would recommend an SSD though for the optimal experience [source: the Discord]

There are lots of different interface options you can play with, e.g. combat text size, opacity, when to display health bars [source: the Discord]

Other

The leak from last year or whenever it was (the one that leaked screenshots and a gif from the game) was mainly a lot of outdated stuff and didn't really represent even the early version some community council members had played [source, two]. It was not leaked by a member of the community council, but by a member of another focus group [source]

The community council were given the chance to play the game twice, once in Fall 2022 and a year later in 2023 [source]

There is no information as yet regarding when pre-orders will be open [source: the Discord]

BioWare are hoping to at the very least have the very "best of" the Discord dev Q&A featured on social media and potentially in a blog [source: the Discord]

[☕ found this post or blog interesting or useful? my ko-fi is here if you feel inclined. thank you 🙏]

[xxsabitoxx]

xxSabitoxx Imagines/Drabbles Masterlist

╰┈➤ Return to Master Post

╰┈➤ Full Fic Masterlist

╰┈➤ Headcanon Masterlist

Updated Aug.12th 2023

Awkward Encounter | Gyutaro x AFAB Reader | FLUFF/SUGGESTIVE 

Play Fight | Shinobu x AFAB Reader | SUGGESTIVE 

Shit Talker | Sanemi x GN Reader | SMUT

Sanemi Falls In Love For The First Time | Sanemi x GN Reader | FLUFF

Rengoku Falls In Love For The First Time | Rengoku x GN Reader | FLUFF

Plush | Rengoku x Tengen x Wives x Reader | FLUFF/SMUT

Take it and Shut Up | Megumi x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Stay Still | Sukuna x AFAB Reader | SMUT 

Attention Please! | Tengen x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Caught in the Rain | Tengen x AFAB Reader | SMUT 

Earn It | Shinobu x AFAB Reader | SMUT

First | Nobara x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Just For You | Inumaki x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Seven Minutes in Heaven | Giyu x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Seven Minutes in Heaven | Itadori x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Referring to Them as a “friend”| Giyu, Rengoku, Sanemi | NO SET GENRE 

Dating Okkotsu Yuta | Yuta x GN Reader | FLUFF/SMUT

JJK and Your Habit of being Topless | JJK Characters x AFAB Reader | NO SET GENRE 

Dating Rengoku (Modern AU) | Rengoku x GN Reader | FLUFF/SMUT/ANGST

Mornings with Sanemi | Sanemi x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Singer Shinobu | Singer Shinobu x AFAB Shy Reader | FLUFF/SMUT

Bathing with Giyu | Giyu x GN Reader | NO SET GENRE 

Gojo & Geto Fighting for your Attention | Gojo & Geto x GN Reader | NO SET GENRE 

Childhood Friends | Megumi x AFAB Reader | FLUFF

Winning His Heart | Akaza x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Dramatic Megumi | Megumi x AFAB Reader | FLUFF 

His Favorite | Douma & Reader | NO SET GENRE 

Irresistible | Akaza x AFAB Reader | SMUT 

His Personal Assistant | Hawks x AFAB Reader | NO SET GENRE

First Love | Kakyoin x AFAB Reader | FLUFF

No Escaping | Sukuna x AFAB Reader | SMUT

A Guiding Hand | Rengoku x NB Reader | SMUT

Tempest | Sanemi x AFAB Demon Reader | MILD DEAD DOVE /SMUT

Cravings | Sanemi x AFAB Pregnant Reader | FLUFF

The Fourth Wife | Tengen & Wives x AFAB Reader | NO SET GENRE

Mornings with Makio | Makio x AFAB Reader | NO SET GENRE

Mornings with Hinatsuru | Hina x AFAB Reader | NO SET GENRE

Mornings with Suma | Suma x AFAB Reader | NO SET GENRE

Smile | Megumi x AFAB Reader | SMUT

I Hate Him | Sanemi x AFAB Reader | FLUFF

Uzui Gang & Public Tension | Tengen x Wives x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Tengen & His Husband | Tengen x AMAB Reader | FLUFF/SUGGESTIVE

Reward | Muzan x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Loosen Up | Sanemi x Giyu x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Team Bucciarati & Walking in on you Changing | Bucci Gang x AFAB Reader | NO SET GENRE

College Roommates Shinobu | Shinobu x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Easy | Douma x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Cut | Aki x AFAB Reader | NO SET GENRE

Needy | Geto x AFAB Reader | SMUT

I Want a Baby | Tengen x AFAB Reader | FLUFF/SMUT

Experience | Kishibe x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Promise Me | Giyu x GN Reader | ANGST

Being Sanemi’s Tsugoku | Sanemi x AFAB Reader | NO SET GENRE

Sanemi at the Butterfly Estate  | Sanemi x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Secret Relationship | Sanemi x AFAB Reader | FLUFF

Sanemi being Vocal | Sanemi x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Exploring with Sanemi | Sanemi x AFAB Reader | CRACK/FLUFF

Dating Dabi | Dabi x AFAB Reader | NO SET GENRE

Sanemi and his Newborn | Sanemi x AFAB Reader | NO SET GENRE

Urogi’s Sensitive Wings | Urogi x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Personal Heater | Rengoku x AFAB Reader | NO SET GENRE

Sensitive Aizetzu | Aizetsu x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Rengoku’s Nurse | Rengoku x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Twenty One | Rengoku x GN Reader | FLUFF/ANGST

Tengen and your Panties | Tengen x AFAB Reader | SUGGESTIVE 

Kyojuro and his Newborn | Rengoku x AFAB Reader | FLUFF

Drunk Giyu | Giyu x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Drunk Tengen | Tengen x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Drunk Kyojuro | Rengoku x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Pissing off Sanemi | Sanemi x AFAB Reader | SUGGESTIVE 

Recoil | Haganezuka x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Meeting the Rengoku Family | Rengoku x GN Reader | FLUFF

Stalker Giyu | Giyu x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Pride Month Imagines | Tengen | Shinobu | Rengoku & Giyu

Pull Out | Rengoku x AFAB Reader | SMUT w/concerning themes 

Lecture | Rengoku x AFAB Kocho Sister Reader | SUGGESTIVE/CRACK

Keeping Secrets | Giyu x AFAB Wife Reader | FLUFF

Never Mine | Geto x GN Reader | SMUT?/ANGST

Pheromone Perfume | Sanemi x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Guard Dogs | Satoru + Suguru x GN Reader | NO SET GENRE

Competition 15k special | Sanemi x Giyu x AFAB Reader | SMUT

Karoke 15k special | Satoru x Suguru x AFAB Reader | SMUT

[alienturnipp]

Little compilation of my recent Hawke drawings <3

[handers-time]

Poll: Help us decide if Handers Exchange 2024 should run!

Hi all,

Mod Reikah is unable to run the Handers Exchange this year, so Mod Hollyand and Mod Storybookhawke would like to gauge interest for a possible exchange later this spring for all Hawke/Anders pairings. Tentative dates are mid-March till mid-May, although this may shift to a few weeks later depending on one of the mods' medical issues...

We would like to get an idea of how many people would sign up if we did run the exchange this year, so please answer our poll!

[dobbie-doo]

˗ˏˋ ꒰ BURN FOR ME꒱ ˎˊ˗ arlecchino

You are a ballerina. In the age of advanced technologies that develop faster and more realistically every day, you are afraid of becoming just a shadow of these technologies..

✧ warnings — NSFW. hurt/comfort, fem ! ballerina ! reader , gentle sex, romance, Arlecchino my husband. ✧ minors & non nb/wlw do not interact. !! ✧ a/n — I thought about the backstory of the fic for a long time, because I didn't want to write nsfw just like that lol, this is the first time I'm writing to a girl on my account, I mostly only wrote to boys..😅😅 (Arlecchino step on me)

You are standing on a small stage. You are wearing a white ballet skirt. A little fluffy, covered in detailed patterns, a little sparkling in the dark, gloomy little performance hall.

There are people sitting in the chairs, all dressed in the latest fashion, and somewhere above, a couple of important Fontaine officials are sitting, looking down on you like hawks at their next victim. And you dance, dance and dance like a white swan on the lake, your movements as precise as they are elegant.

And you are scared. Sweat runs down your back, making the fabric of your dress unpleasantly sticky and wet. It is stuffy, your head is spinning from the music, and if you look into the distance, it seems as if the whole space is shimmering.

.. And the music ends.. You hear applause.

You breathe heavily, trying to hide it. You stand up straighter, arching your back almost to the point of crunching, and bow. But when you straighten up, you understand that people are not looking at you. And opposite you, there, on the other side of the stage, is a robot. Without heavy clothes, without makeup that hides almost all the flaws of the face. Without ballet shoes shoes..

..Without a face that needs to be constantly controlled. Without eyes that can look into the abyss of feelings, if only you look into them in response..Without a heart.

The robot opposite you is singing a melody for your own performance. People surround this robot, looking at the miracle of mechanics with delight and childish spontaneous curiosity. They applaud, praise the creator of the robot and Fontaine's new policy regarding technological progress.

And you stand right in front of this crowd on a huge stage, in a belle skirt and ballet shoes. You see these people. Who applaud some robot, they listen to a mechanical repetition of how someone sang in the past. A repetition devoid of feelings and sincerity. A repetition set by some algorithm of numbers of a simple code - "one" - "zero" - "one" And so on - to infinity

And you Dance, stand. Dance, stand. And so on - to infinity.

You remember how a few years ago everything was different. Children loved to watch your performance, and people in the big theater did not take their eyes off you and looked at you with delight. You try not to look in the direction where the robot is standing and there are people who with trepidation and admiration surround this insensitive and heartless robot. When all the people left the hall, leaving you alone in this space..

You shudder.

You hear the only sound of applause very close, you turn your head to the side. A woman is looking at you and applauding, it seems, at you, and not at all at the robot. She is looking you straight in the eyes. Her smile is sincere. The woman's eyes are two strokes of scarlet, which are permanently burned into your retina.

She is tall, slightly taller than you. Slender, her waist is very thin. The woman is completely covered by some strange, but elegant clothes

of an alien style. Black-white-red. Three constants in her clothes.

You are silent. Over the past two years, you have forgotten how to perceive recognition. You bowed again, you smiled at her. You curtsied and the woman let out a chuckle.

The woman suddenly comes closer to you. There is something in her movements that you involuntarily take a small step back, still standing on your toes and in that damn ballet skirt, and it seems that you are still shorter than her.

The woman moves so close to you that you feel the air around you change with her breath. You feel the warmth, not of a machine, not of a monster.

Warmth. A little burning, unfamiliar, but inviting.

The warmth of a human body.

"Good performance. And a good mask on the face," the woman whispers in your ear, sending goosebumps through your body.

The woman barely noticeably runs the fingers of her right hand along your shoulder. You feel how sharp her nails are, but you don't feel pain, only unnatural warmth.

The woman's hand suddenly moves away, and you feel something cold in your hands.

The moment of warmth disappears as quickly as it appeared. The woman moves away from you and with the same smirk on her thin, even lips, goes somewhere, passing by the switched off robot where people were looking a couple of minutes ago. And you stand, looking after her as if amazed. Like the statues of the Archons, who are eternally motionless and which nothing can revive - not even the prayer of a desperate mortal.

You suddenly realize that you have barely breathed all this time and have heard nothing but a low, hoarse female whisper.

You blink, look around, but it is too late - the woman has already managed to leave the hall, haha, and you did not even hear the slamming door.

You automatically look at your palm and find several large mora coins.

You swallow as you gradually return to reality and begin to see and hear everything perfectly. You look at several mora coins in your hand. The mask on the face always needs mora so that it continues to be beautiful and perfect.

But the heart burning in the darkness - no.

Your routine is simple. Put on makeup, put on a ballet skirt, bandage your chest so that it does not stick out, and put on ballet shoes. Lace up the corset. Repeat the dance that you have rehearsed countless times before. Inhale - exhale. Count to ten, put a smile on your face - and go out on stage. Lately, you are rarely invited to participate in solo performances in the theater. You look like a robot among artists, although in fact you are an artist and there are only mechanical iron things around you.

You stand up, long accustomed to the blinding spotlights in the first seconds of the performance. A couple of young magicians performed in front of you, you met them before, nice guys, they helped you once… but you don’t really care about it.

And it’s your turn, you start dancing, spinning, doing pirouettes and complex movements. All this is a continuous performance, and all life is a theater, you all need to play your roles on time. But isn’t there passion and tragedy in the theater at the same time?

You close your eyes and remember that very warmth. So human and inhuman at the same time. You remember the hot breath and inspiration that washed over you the moment you saw that streak of scarlet in that strange woman's eyes. If the heart could burn with a living flame, all your clothes would have burned away long ago, charred, and you would be dancing naked on this stage. But haven't you been naked for a long time? Doesn't inspiration burn away a person's outer self and set fire to his inner self?

You know that this woman is in the audience; sitting among the few spectators who still enjoy a living human performance, despite all the technological progress in Fontaine.

You don't wonder about her reaction, you don't think about the smirk on her perfect marble face. You don't imagine her words that would send a pleasant, euphoric shiver down your body.

You stop your dance with a bow as the music fades. You've already torn your heart out of your chest, it's burning - so why prefaces and afterwords? You open your eyes, the spotlights, as usual, blind you a little. But they seem like shadows compared to what's burning inside you. You look ahead. Someone is applauding you, but you're looking at that woman whose eyes are piercing your entire body like needles.

She's clapping too, and on her face is the same smile-smirk.

The spotlights disappear. The red curtain closes. And you exhale, carrying within you, somewhere deep in your body, that very spark. And the fire that started from that spark and turned that same spark into nothing.

---

You gasp for air and grip the edge of the dressing room vanity table with your hands. Someone else's lips on your neck are like tongues of flame and cold, sharp peaks at the same time. Thin, dark fingers with long nails gently brush your hair back. A bouquet of blood flowers that this woman gave you is lying around somewhere in the dressing room after the show. The dim light from the lamps dances bizarrely across the woman's face, making her look like something unnatural, illusory.

You swallow and exhale again, pressing your back against the tabletop. You reach for the human warmth and put your arms around the woman's back, running your hands over her bare, thin, slender waist.

"What is your name?"

You ask hoarsely between deep, shuddering breaths. The woman grins. She runs her hot, long tongue down your neck, leaving a thin trail of saliva. She looks up at you with her eyes, a thin scarlet streak. Then she straightens up a little and whispers in your ear, "Arlecchino"

Her answers are always like that - short and laconic. Always appropriate, even though you've only heard her answers a few times in your life.

Arlecchino spreads your legs with her knee, then smoothly lifts you by the waist and makes you sit on the countertop, pressing your back against the vanity mirror. The woman's hot hands fall on your hips and stroke them through the layers of your dress. You swallow and reach for another wet kiss, smearing the lipstick on Arlecchino's lips, mixing your lipstick with hers. Her tongue touches yours, and you shiver, feeling how wet you are becoming. Her hot, slender hands slide under your dress and touch your naked skin.

You break the kiss and throw your head back in pleasure, you painfully hit the cold mirror behind you with the top of your head, and Arlecchino removes one of her hands on your hips, and pulls this hand to your head, to the back of your head, to protect you from the unpleasant, cold pain.

You moan softly when someone else's lips touch your neck again. A hot tongue slides along your skin down to your collarbones. Arlecchino removes her hand from your hip and begins to feverishly quickly pull down the top of your dress, exposing your chest. When her hot mouth and hot tongue touch one of your nipples, you arch your back, breathing heavily and moaning with pleasure. If Harlequin hadn't protected the back of your head with her hand, you would have definitely broken the mirror.

The woman looks up at you, although she bends over because of her height. Her eyes burn with desire and anticipation when she sucks your nipple into her mouth again with her lips and makes a loud smack. You shudder again. You gently squeeze the other's breast, and your hand rests on her thigh.

The woman suddenly touches your breast in a certain place and hoarsely says: "What I like, I do not give. And if from this my hands become even more charred, then I will only enjoy it."

You suddenly understand where exactly this woman's hand is on your naked chest. Her hand is near the place where your flaming heart beats greedily. A crooked smile creeps onto your lips as you tremble with desire. You whisper with heat in your voice, looking at the blood-red streaks in the eyes of the woman in front of you:

"Well, then burn. Burn for me. Arlecchino.."

She thin lips opposite stretch into a hungry smile. You are kissed again, the tongue penetrating deep into your mouth. You respond to the kiss, clinging with your hands to the shoulders of Arlecchino.

You never really cared about the politics of other regions of Teyvat, too busy with your own problems. So you had no idea that this strange name "Arlecchino" had its own meaning, but you had a feeling that she was somehow connected with the fatui..

You were just thinking about how interesting this name was.

You will definitely understand everything much later: who this woman in front of you is, what she does, why her hands are so black, as if they were really charred. But maybe it's even for the best. Why prefaces and afterwords when the spark has already become a flame?

@anantaru @hitomisuzuya @lavandulawrites @himasgod @neuvigroove @quimichi @rsventhesecondd @anemoswirlsmyheart @nil4everheartz @kujiba @genshingorlsrevengeance @shyentsfoundherink @lavandulawrites @ashyashylee @s4nguiine

[lgvalenzuela]

[hadescavedish]

girlfriends and they are hawke's girlfriends too and hawke is their girlfriend (nb)

[fxnharellll]

turned my brain off to try to endure datv but im getting so frustrated 😭 spoilers below

•why the fuck is the enemy up my ass 24/7 pls. dodging every second is not gameplay.

•and i cannot for the life of me stand the constant spoonfeeding of information. thank u bellara i did realise that we were after the fucking elven gods!

• the ‘purple’/humorous responses are just… there. like i chuckled once but some of them seem out of place? idk if im nitpicking but im not vibing with the writing anyways (hawke i miss u)

•14hrs in and i have zero connection with my rook.

•everything ab solavellan has been ruined. I genuinely don’t wanna even see my lavellan atp😭 wdym mythal is the reason solas stops and not the woman who bust her ass for him for ten fucking years. I swear I’m never getting over this

• the dark spawn look goofy as fuck

•this last point might be controversial. I’ve seen clips of the nb storyline. i like the idea of taash’s identity being explored but the way it was written was so 😐. why are u using the word ‘non binary’ pls??? if taash had said something like ‘i do not feel comfortable in either male or female form’ then id be so on board. Such a modern term is SO jarring and ik when i get to the scene its gonna take me out

[theodorenmyth]

Protective Mattheo who watches his favorite huffle puff who is nb!reader like a hawk. Like reader is completely dense. They only known was platonic love and not romantic love and Mattheo figured it out before trying to show them what other types of love is.

-🎊 (sorry if it doesn’t make sense but please do this when you have a time and drink water and rest!)

Unspoken Feelings

Pairings : Mattheo Riddle x NB! Reader

Summary : Mattheo Riddle has always been protective of you, his favorite Hufflepuff, but your dense nature has left you oblivious to the romantic feelings he's been harboring. Having figured out your inexperience with romantic love, Mattheo takes it upon himself to show you the different shades of affection, hoping you'll see that his feelings run deeper than friendship.

A/n : listen to so american while reading because it includes some of the lyrics hehe

Warnings) : Nothing!

Word count : 1k+

You never thought much of the way Mattheo Riddle's eyes followed you. In fact, you didn't even notice. To you, he was just a brooding Slytherin, a mysterious figure in the shadows of the castle halls. Your world was filled with platonic love: the warmth of your friends, the camaraderie of your fellow Hufflepuffs, and the innocent crushes that fluttered away as quickly as they came. Love, in its romantic form, was a concept as foreign to you as the dark arts.

Yet, Mattheo saw you. Really saw you. He watched as you laughed with your friends in the Great Hall, as you buried your nose in books in the library, and as you wandered the grounds, lost in your thoughts. There was something about your naivety, your innocence, that drew him to you. He wanted to protect it, nurture it, and perhaps, shape it.

"Hey, Y/N," Mattheo's voice broke through your concentration one afternoon in the library. You looked up from your Potions textbook, surprised to see him standing there, his usual scowl softened.

"Mattheo? Do you need something?" you asked, genuinely curious.

"I thought you might want to join me for a walk. It’s a nice day outside," he suggested, his tone almost casual.

You blinked, considering his offer. It was unusual for Mattheo to seek you out, but the prospect of fresh air was appealing. "Sure, why not?"

As you walked through the sunlit grounds of Hogwarts, Mattheo kept a protective distance, his eyes scanning the area for any potential threat. It was a habit ingrained in him, this vigilance. But with you, it was more than just a habit; it was a desire to keep you safe.

"Have you ever thought about the different kinds of love, Y/N?" Mattheo asked suddenly, his voice breaking the comfortable silence.

You looked at him, puzzled. "Different kinds of love? Like family and friends?"

"Yes, but there's more to it than that," he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "There's romantic love, too."

"Oh," you said, blushing slightly. "I guess I haven't really thought about it."

Mattheo chuckled softly. "I figured as much. You have a kind heart, Y/N, but you're a bit dense when it comes to these things."

Your cheeks burned with embarrassment, but Mattheo's laughter was not mocking; it was warm and genuine. He was trying to help you understand something you had never considered before.

Days turned into weeks, and Mattheo's presence in your life grew more constant. He was there in the library, sitting across from you as you studied. He was there in the Great Hall, sitting a little closer than usual, making sure you ate enough. He was there in the corridors, his hand gently guiding you away from trouble.

You began to notice the little things: the way his eyes softened when he looked at you, the way his touch lingered just a fraction too long, the way his voice held a tenderness that was reserved only for you. Slowly, you started to understand. These were not the actions of a friend; they were the actions of someone who cared for you in a way that went beyond platonic love.

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden glow over the castle grounds, Mattheo took your hand in his. "Y/N, do you understand now?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Your heart raced, a fluttering sensation in your chest that you had never felt before. "I think so," you replied, your voice trembling slightly.

Mattheo smiled, his eyes locking onto yours. "This is what romantic love feels like. It's confusing and exciting and sometimes a little scary. But it's also beautiful."

You looked down at your intertwined hands, the warmth of his touch spreading through you. "Mattheo, I… I've never felt this way before."

"I know," he said softly. "And that's okay. I'm here to help you understand, to show you what it means."

As the days passed, Mattheo continued to guide you, his protective nature never wavering. He was patient and kind, always there to catch you when you stumbled through the maze of emotions. And slowly, but surely, you began to see him in a new light. He was no longer just the brooding Slytherin; he was Mattheo, the boy who watched over you like a hawk, the boy who cared for you deeply, the boy who was teaching you about a new kind of love.

One night, as you sat by the fire in the Hufflepuff common room, Mattheo leaned in close, his lips brushing against your ear. "Y/N, can I kiss you?"

Your heart skipped a beat, and you nodded, unable to find your voice. His lips met yours, soft and gentle, and in that moment, you understood everything. This was romantic love, and it was beautiful.

When you open your eyes, Mattheo is watching you, a question in his gaze. "How did that feel?"

You’re at a loss for words, your emotions a whirlwind. "Different," you finally manage. "But… good."

He smiles, relief washing over his features. "That’s a start."

From that moment on, you begin to see Mattheo in a new light. He’s patient, understanding, guiding you gently through the unfamiliar territory of romantic love. You’re still learning, still figuring things out, but with Mattheo by your side, you’re no longer afraid of the unknown.

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Over the next few weeks, Mattheo continues to show you the different facets of his affection. He’s patient, never pushing you beyond your comfort zone. He laughs at your all jokes and he compliments you daily. Slowly, you begin to understand the depth of his feelings and, to your surprise, you find yourself reciprocating.

One evening, as you’re sitting by the Black Lake, Mattheo’s arm around your shoulders, you rest your head against him, feeling content. The journey from friendship to something more hasn’t been easy, but with Mattheo by your side, you know it’s worth it.

“Thank you for being patient with me,” you say softly, looking up at him.

He smiles, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I’d wait forever for you.”

And as the sun sets, casting a golden glow over the water, you realize that you’ve found something truly special—something that transcends the boundaries of friendship and blossoms into a love that’s uniquely yours. Oh god, you're gonna marry him if he keeps this shit up. You might just be inlove with him.

UM HOLY SHIT STEVIE AKA SLYTHERINBOYSAPPRECIATION REBLOGGED ONE OF MY FICS??? IM FUCKING DREAMING

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