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strawberryfairi · 1 month ago

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Synopsis🌹: After discovering a strange yet alluring red book in a boutique bookstore, you find yourself sucked into a strange world, where all of your inner most desires exist…

Pairings: Wakasa Imaushi X Musician! Black Fem 🤎 Reader (ANYONE CAN READ🧚🏾‍♀️) Content: Author AU, scifi, Musician! reader, reader is a talented nerd, smutty (slow burn) romance, tiny doses of angst, adventure, futuristic city, magic?, !!sexual tension!!, etc (just find out the rest, lol)

w.c: 4.9k💠 Released: November 23

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A/N🧚🏾‍♀️: Ok I can't lie, I feel like I couldn't really convey the level of detail I wanted to during the smutty part idk...maybe I'm just overthinking. Welp! Here's chapter 8 as promised! Enjoy the double chapter post😌🌹

C.W: Smut, P in V, Oral (fem receiving)

Tags: @nixalozt @lilthana @wakasaishot @bontensbabygirl

↳ (Let me know via inbox or the comment section if you would also like to be tagged here for this story🩵). Enjoy guys!!

𝟖 || 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚

(Supernova/Star Cluster Theme: (Demo 179) - Lost Traveler)

The hum of Neon City's traffic and nightlife fades as you both step inside his apartment, and for a moment, all you can do is just take in the space around you. Though you've technically been here before, it was more like a passing glance; now, you can really look and take in the details of Wakasa's world.

His apartment is sleek, highly futuristic, and yet minimalistic. Almost every surface gleams with a muted silver or dark slate, and the subtle glow of digital panels hinted at hidden features and functions you can't even begin to guess. There are no visible handles on the kitchen cabinets, no switches on the walls—just smooth, seamless surfaces that suggest a tech-driven convenience you've never experienced. The apartment overall is also extremely huge. If this size apartment is the norm here, you're gonna be completely blown away.

The entrance which shows the living room area, kitchen space, and potentially a bathroom tucked away down a short hall, is the first floor. There's a discreet staircase on the far right that leads upstairs to what you assume is the bedroom space.

As your gaze sweeps over the expansive living room, your eyes land on the far wall—a massive floor-to-ceiling window offering a breathtaking view of the city below. Neon lights flickered and pulsed from skyscrapers, holographic billboards, and traffic lanes, painting the skyline in vivid colors. You step closer, pressing a hand to the cool glass, marveling at the electric vibrancy of the city. You can see nearly everything from up here, from the bustling streets to the high-speed hover cars weaving between the buildings.

"This is...amazing," You whisper, almost to yourself.

Wakasa moves up beside you, a faint smirk on his face as he watches you take it all in. "Like the view?"

You glance at him, smiling, before turning your gaze back to the scene in front of you. "Yea, the view is absolutely beautiful. I'm just confused though because this view is like we're up high but..." You trail off, your brows furrowing as you go.

"Oh yeah. That's 'cause of this." He says, tapping a small digital pad embedded in the wall beside the window. Your eyes widen as the entire "window" shifts, the cityscape fading into darkness, replaced by an image so vast and surreal it steals your breath.

You're looking into the depths of space itself. A large group of stars glinting in endless colors against a backdrop of cosmic darkness, and not too far off in the distance, a vibrant galaxy swirls, its colors electric and mesmerizing. Light purples, blues, and fiery toned colors spin in a spiral, casting a faint, mystical glow all throughout the room.

"Wait, what?! How—how did...?" You stammer, unable to tear your gaze away.

"'S cool, right?" Waka says, crossing his arms, clearly pleased with your reaction. "This is real-time. This is a star cluster right inside Neon City's galaxy. I can adjust it to show other things too—planets, solar flares, anything you can think of."

"Are you serious?! Wait so...is it a window for real?!" You gape.

"Yeah, it's a window for real. I'm guessing windows where you come from don't do this." He says, and the view yet again changes.

"Hell no they don't." You murmur in response, your eyes locked into this new view the window shows.

"This is a planet kind'a near us called Chavaris. Odd name with odd people." He informs.

"Chavaris..." You whisper the name in awe, "It looks sooo pretty from here."

"Mhm. It's got a double sunrise." He nods.

Your brows raise in astonishment. "Really?!"

"Yup. The sun goes up then back down a few minutes, then comes right back up."

You turn to him, your eyes wide with wonder like a child. "This is so amazing. It's like I'm in a dream." You laugh softly, a little incredulously. "Sometimes, I actually forget I'm on another planet. And then...stuff like this happens, and it's like..."

"Unreal?" He finished for you, a smirk tugging at his lips. He changes the view back to the star cluster, then comes and stands right next to you.

"Literally." You look back at the distant planet, drinking in every detail. "It's just not even real."

"Wanna see the rest of the place?" he asks, his voice casual but his eyes sparking with a glimmer of excitement.

You nod, following him up to his bedroom. Just like the living area, his bedroom is simple but undeniably high-tech. The walls are a shade of dark gray, the bed low to the ground, and the lighting was dim, with a faint orangish-yellow hue that makes the room feel calm and cozy. But what catches your attention is his bed.

"Your bed looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. I like it, it looks cool." You murmur, running your hand along the smooth frame.

"Yeah? It's pretty comfortable, too," He says, patting the edge with a smirk. "But there's one more thing I wanna show you."

He takes your hand and led you back to the kitchen. There, he opens a compartment that you realize is actually the fridge. The shelves are floating, each one lined with sleek bottles and various types of (surprisingly) neatly organized food items. He reaches for a particular bottle and pulls it out, revealing a vibrant, ombre drink that shifts from deep red at the top to a glowing orange at the bottom.

You stare at the bottom, entranced by the rich colors. "What's that?"

"This?" Wakasa held the bottle up to the light, admiring it. "This one's called Astral Flare. It's...well, let's just say it's got a kick. But it's rare and only made on a few planets, including this one. Consider it a special occasion drink."

"You know, the last time I asked you what a drink was you avoided actually answering the question altogether that time too." You chuckle, giving him a playful skeptical raised brow. Waka joins in your laughter.

"I mean, it's not like you'd know what the ingredients are. Miss outta this world." He quips.

"...Ok, that is valid. I guess."

The quiet, dreamy atmosphere of Waka's apartment wraps around you two as he carefully pours Astral Flare into each of your glasses. The liquid shimmers in vibrant shades of red and orange, seeming to glow with an ethereal light. The soft, futuristic hues of the apartment reflected off the bottle, and the effect was mesmerizing—a glimpse of a world you've only just begun to experience.

Wakasa holds his glass and the bottle, nodding for you to join him on the couch near the expansive floor-to-ceiling window. You take your glass and follow him, glancing briefly at the view of the universe, which is beautiful, and alive with electric colors against the dark expanse. But it isn't the view that steals your attention—it's Wakasa, and how, with that subtle confidence he carries so easily, he seems entirely at ease.

As Waka settles onto the couch next to you, you turn to face him, holding your glass up. "Well, here's to your win, and keeping your undefeated title!" You beam with a warmhearted smile.

He smiles back, and clinks his glass against yours. "Thanks, Doll." He replies lowly. Taking a sip of the drink, you're instantly struck by how warm it tastes, rich and spiced (the kick he mentioned before), yet with a vibrant sweetness that lingers on your tongue. You glance over at Wakasa, finding him watching you with that quiet intensity you're coming to recognize as something uniquely his.

"This is really good!" You beam, before taking a few more sips.

"Right? I figured you might like it." He grins.

As he pours himself another glass already, you watch him with quiet interest, and he catches your gaze with a knowing smile. "You seem really taken by all this, huh?" He observes, his tone a mixture of amusement and genuine warmth.

You chuckle softly, unable to deny the truth. "I guess so, yeah. It's just...everything here is sooo different. I mean, where I'm from, there's nothing like this," You admit, your eyes drifting back to the incredible view behind you both.

His gaze lingers on you, that ever-present spark of mischief twinkling in his eyes. "Well," He replies, raising his glass, "I'm glad you're here to experience it. Wouldn't want anyone else here but you."

His words send a warm flush over your cheeks, making your heart skip a beat. You laugh it off lightly, though you can already feel your pulse start to quicken. But a part of you can't help but wonder if this is really a romantic moment or if he simply means this as a friendly gesture. Sure you both had a heated, highly impulsive moment once before when you first met, and even though that memory still lingers heavily, you aren't one hundred percent sure if it had meant anything beyond just a heat of the moment kind of thing.

Your cheeks heat up once more under his gaze, and you fumble a little for your glass, taking another sip just to steady yourself. The warmth from the drink seems to amplify the feeling of his hand on the couch next to yours, close enough that makes you acutely aware of his presence.

"You're staring," He breaks the silence softly, his lips twitching into an amused smile. It's exactly what he had said back at that club in the underground.

You stammer, feeling caught red handed. "N-no, I'm not. I was just... thinking."

He raises a brow, clearly entertained by your response. "About what?"

It was definitely a simple question, but the way he asked it felt loaded, as if he already knew where your thoughts were. You don't answer right away, your thoughts muddled by the warmth in his gaze and the intoxicating effect of the Astral Flare. The silence stretches out, and you can feel your pulse racing, heightening your senses to every subtle movement he made—the way he leans slightly closer, the faint scent of his cologne, and the way his hand brushes your arm, sending a shiver through you.

"Well...I was just thinking about how different you are from anyone I've ever met," You manage to answer, your voice soft.

He chuckles, seeming pleased with the reply. "Is that a good thing?"

"Yeah," You say, maybe a little too fast. You look away, flustered by your own honest response, but he only seems more amused.

"That's good to know," He murmurs, his tone turning warm, almost playful. His fingers tap lightly against the side of his glass, his gaze fixed steadily on you. "I think you're pretty different yourself," He adds, his voice warm and a bit mischievous, "In the best way possible."

You raise a brow, feigning nonchalance despite the butterflies that stir up in your stomach. "Oh? In what ways?" You challenge lightly, a playful smile curving your lips.

He doesn't hesitate, his expression entirely sincere. "For starters, you're the prettiest woman I've ever seen. You look like a supernova," He says smoothly.

Your cheeks flame instantly, the unexpected comparison throwing you off balance. You laugh, caught somewhere between flattered and flustered. "Supernova?" You repeat, grinning. "Is that somethin' all you Neon City guys say just to flatter girls?"

"Not exactly," He shrugs, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "But it fits you. I mean you're beautiful, rare, unforgettable...impossible to ignore. See? Just like a supernova." His eyes hold yours, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

Damn that was too good...

You let out a breath, trying to gather yourself despite the rapid pounding of your heart. His confidence is magnetic, and his words carry a sincerity that makes it hard to dismiss them as basic flirtation. Even though you didn't want to fall into it too quickly, you can feel your desire for him burning with fervent life somewhere in the pit of your stomach.

"Well, if we're talking compliments," You start, trying to sound as casual as he did, "You're...well, you're a lot'a things," You stumble over your words as his intense gaze seems to take in every syllable you speak. "I mean, you're definitely the most confident guy I've ever met."

He chuckles, an amused smile lifting his lips. "Confident, huh? 'S that a good thing or bad thing?"

"Good," You admit, a small, shy smile forming as you glance down at your glass, avoiding his gaze. "It's very refreshing. You don't seem fazed by anything, and you seem like you always know what you're doing and what you want."

"Hmm," He murmurs thoughtfully, taking another sip of his drink. "Guess I can add 'refreshing' to my list of talents, then."

You laugh lightly, relaxing as his playful tone helped ease your nerves. "Oh, it's a whole list of talents you got on you, huh?"

He tilts his head, his gaze turning teasing as he studies you. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

You try to keep your composure, but his teasing smile made it difficult. "Hey, I mean, maybe I would," You reply coolly, feeling a small rush of excitement at your own burst of boldness. "It's not every day I get to sit here with someone who races like it's second nature; makin' it look all easy."

He raises a brow. "And you think that's impressive?"

"Of course! What do you mean? It's amazing, actually. The whole time you were racing you looked so composed, like nothing was phasing you. I've started to notice you kinda always seem like that. Just overall unbothered. It's, you know,....attractive."

"Careful now, Sweetheart" He says, smirking as he leaned a little closer, "Or I'll start thinkin' you're actually into me."

You roll your eyes, but your heart races at the thought of him already knowing just how much you actually are into him. "And here I thought you were supposed to be the super confident one," You clap back, meeting his gaze with a bit of defiance.

He laughs lightly, clearly enjoying your reaction, and brushes his knee against yours, sending a small, electric shiver down your spine. "I am confident," He says, his voice dropping to a softer, almost serious tone. "Confident enough to know what I want."

The intensity in his eyes makes your breath catch, and you quickly glance away, your thoughts swirling as you try to make sense of his words. You'd never been in a situation quite like this, where someone was so openly interested in you yet leaves you guessing all at the same time. Every look, every smile from him seems to carry some kind of hidden meaning, and the uncertainty of it leaves you feeling both thrilled and nervous.

"...What do you want?" You ask softly, your voice barely above a whisper.

He replies casually, his gaze unwavering. "You really don't know? I thought I've been makin' it pretty obvious."

Your heart thuds in your chest, and you swallow, glancing down at your hands folded around your glass. "I just...I wasn't sure, I guess." You admit, your voice quiet as your cheeks warm yet again.

He reaches out, his fingers brushing gently over the back of your hand, sending another spark through you. "You don't have to guess with me, Doll." He says softly, his voice steady and reassuring. "I wouldn't be sitting here with you, talkin' like this, if I didn't like you."

Unsure of what to really say in response, you keep your gaze cast downwards towards your glass, watching with sudden deep interest at the ombre colors swirling around slowly. Waka's hand reaches out, taking your chin and lifting your gaze until you meet his lilac eyes once again.

"Listen," He murmurs, his voice soft but firm. "I like you. I wouldn't be here with you if I didn't."

You open your mouth to respond, but find yourself at a loss for words, your mind spinning with the weight of his confession. You'd felt his interest before, but hearing it now, spoken so bluntly, leaves your heart racing in a way you just can't ignore. His eyes hold yours, and you know you don't need to say anything in response. He seems to understand, to feel the same intensity that surrounds you both.

He sets his glass down on the table in front of you, then reaches out to gently take yours and place it down as well.

"Come here," He murmurs softly, his voice barely above a whisper. Then, he places his hand on your waist, giving you a gentle pull to move you closer. You don't hesitate, quickly allowing him to guide you right onto his lap. Your hands instinctually go to rest on his shoulders as you settle down into a straddle, your skirt splaying out along your thighs.

Without thinking, you lean into him, letting yourself be drawn closer, and feeling the warmth of his hands against yours as he pulls you impossibly close to him. He leans in, wasting not another second, placing his soft lips against yours in a slow, yet fiery kiss.

It's like deja vu to dancing together at the nightclub with the way his hands already begin to travel, moving from your waist to your hips, and landing themselves at your thighs briefly. They each slowly stroke your bare, soft skin, back and forth before sliding up your form and resting themselves on your hips.

If you hadn't noticed the first time it definitely sinks in now just how much of the handsy type he is. They leave a comforting and exhilarating trail of fire, burning deeply into the lower layers of your skin. It motivates your hands to do the same.

His tongue moves in perfect timing with yours as your left hand cups his cheek while the right gingerly slides down from his chest to his stomach, feeling the dips and curves of his abs through his shirt.

He lifts your top up, making you pause and lean back as he pulls it over your head. One after the other you both strip each other down, and your eyes trail over his intricate, detailed tattoos.

You don't say anything at first, allowing your fingers to convey your appreciation of his body art as they gentle brush along his chest. "I like this." You murmur softly.

"Yeah? I like you." He replies, making you let out a small puff of a flattered laugh. He leans up, kissing you once more. You shift around, struggling just a bit to balance between maintaining the kiss and aligning yourself with his hard dick.

A drawn out, low moan of pleasure leaves the both of your lips as you slowly sink down on his length. His hands grip your waist firmly, but not enough to hinder your movements. He allows you full control, setting your own pace and rhythm.

Your hands brace themselves on his chest as you lean in close to give yourself room to arch your back, bouncing your ass up and down. You start out slow, giving yourself a moment to fully adjust to his size, before speeding it up just a little. You throw your head back in pleasure, your moans becoming more frequent and louder as you get into it. Waka takes your breasts in his hands, cupping them and wrapping his lips around your nipples one at a time.

It sends another wave of ecstasy through your body as his tongue swirls in circles around each sensitive nipple.

"'S so gooood!" You whine, digging your fingers subconsciously into his tattooed chest as you ride him harder. It's as if something has come over you the way you've completely let go. All the shyness, the overthinking, it's all left the room now, leaving only the wild horse chasing pleasure behind.

"Damn baby" Waka moans lowly, bringing one of his hands down to give your ass a smack before gripping on it firmly, "Fuck."

You become overwhelmed so quickly, the fire of ecstasy engulfing every inch of your body. The blend of atmosphere and him, the view of the star cluster through the futuristic window, his lilac eyes gazing at you with nothing but desire. It's all just so much.

Already you can feel your legs starting to tremble as another orgasm looms close by. Your thighs give out, throwing off the rhythm. Waka reacts quickly, his hands gripping your thighs and slouching a bit more for a better angle. His hips raise as he pulls you down to meet him halfway, forcing loud, pleasure filled cries straight out of your lips.

"Uughh, shiiit!" He cusses as his pretty eyes flutter closed.

You whine, your nails subconsciously digging into his chest. "Too much! Too much!" You cry between heavy pants and loud moans, though no part of you wants him to stop. The tip of his dick kisses somewhere deep inside of you, hitting that sweet spot every single time.

He drives you straight into your first orgasm of the night, your body quivering as he works you through it, slowing to a stop.

You pant heavily, your body slowly relaxing as you catch your breath.

"You've got the cutest moans." He murmurs lowly, leaning forward and planting kisses all along your chest. Your cheeks warm, and a flattered smile runs across your lips.

Before you can even think of a reply, he's already on the move, shifting the two of you around and changing positions. He lays you down on the couch, and positions himself between your legs, placing each one over his shoulders.

Your heart starts racing once again, watching him give passion filled kisses up and down each of your inner thighs. Then, his warm tongue gently trails circles around your clit, sending waves of bliss up your spine.

You moan, drawn out and somewhat like a whimper as you throw your head back.

"Fuuuuck." You tug and pull hard on his dual-toned hair, feeling his tongue interchange between rapidly flicking and slow, long strokes. There's no way it could never get old the way he slurps you up, relentlessly dragging his tongue up and down through your sopping wet folds. You drench his face with your warm slick, coating his chin with a sensual sheen.

"Taste so good, baby. Can't get enough." He licks his lips, looking up into your eyes lustfully before diving right back into you. His tongue bullies its way into your little hole, pushing as deep as he could go. Your thighs quiver, your body losing control.

"I-I'm gonna cum! I'm cumming!" You cry loudly, panting harder and harder as your climax abruptly collides into you. A deep, low moan leaves Rindou's lips, deliciously vibrating against your puffy pussy. Your eyes squeeze closed, brows furrowing deeply as you reach the edge, coating his tongue with your cum. Letting go of one leg, he takes this as the perfect moment to slide a long, slender finger inside you, thrusting at a medium pace. "That's it baby." He moans against your clit, then adds yet another finger making you gasp and arch your back, pulling against the sheet.

"Waka!" You moan breathlessly, still trying to come down from your high. He eases you through it, working his fingers deeper into you while slowly lapping at your throbbing clit. "I wanna feel you cum on my fingers next." His eyes meet yours as he speaks, gaze filled to the brim with lust. His fingers curl inside you, hitting against your cervix skillfully. "Oh my god!" You cry out loudly, eyes rolling back as small tears form in the corners of your eyes. "Right there...right there, uuugh fuuuck!" You whine.

He does so well hitting that same spot over and over again. "Right here baby?" He asks, lips brushing right against your clit as he speaks.

"Yeees! Yes!" You nod, releasing the sheets to cup your breasts, squeezing them in a way that gave you more pleasure. Waka watches you play with yourself, only making him harder in the process. "Ughhh! Fuck I'm-...I'm gonna cum again! Waka!" You scream his name, feeling your whole body quiver as you release yet again, instantly coating his fingers with your cum. He eases you through your second orgasm, slowing his pace down to a stop.

You pant heavily, sinking down into the bed with your eyes closed. It was pitiful really, how worn out he had you after only cumming three times...four? You don't even know anymore. Waka chuckles softly, unlatching your leg and sitting up, making you open your eyes to look up at him. He takes his two fingers, keeping his eyes on yours as he places them in his mouth, licking up your cum left on them. Your cheeks heated up badly, but you were too mesmerized to look away.

"I love the way you taste. I could eat you out like that all night." He grins down at you, running his fingers between your folds just to taste more of your slick. "Stooop. You're embarrassing me!" You whine, squeezing your legs closed to keep him from doing that again.

He leans up from the couch, taking you with him. Once again he changes positions, placing you bent over the side of the couch.

You feel him run the tip of his hard dick against your folds, up and down, coating him once again with your wetness. A soft whine slips past your lips, a bit of impatience washing over you as you move your hips back. Waka doesn't waste a second, holding both of your hips tight as he thrusts inside you long and slow.

The two of you moan once again in perfect sync. He fucks you slow and hard, determined to bury himself as deep inside you as possible.

"Fuuuck. You're so damn wet, Baby." He cusses, giving your ass a smack as he thrusts into you harder. The apartment fills with the sounds of pleasure and skin colliding with skin, and erotic squelches from your pussy.

You moan loudly, "Don't stop, don't stop please! Ughh!" Your eyes begin to well up with tears in each corner, and you can feel yourself creaming all over his length. It doesn't take long before he's coaxing yet another orgasm out of you.

"Y-you're gonna make me...cum again." You whimper shakily. You're so wet you can feel it dripping down your thighs. You push your hips back, meeting his strokes halfway. He rocks into you harder, his grip on your sides tightening.

"Right there, right there!" You repeat, your cord deep inside coiling further and further.

"I'm close." He moans breathlessly, thrusting harder. You look out at the stars, the landscape of the universe blurry from your tears. You feel like a supernova in this moment, exploding with an orgasm unlike anything you've ever felt before, your whole body jolting in overstimulated pleasure.

You cry out, squeezing your eyes closed as his thrusts causes your body to react. Before you can even reach the end of your previous orgasm, he's already forcing out another, adding to the overstimulating sensations swirling in your body.

Your nails dig into the couch as you cum once again, your legs trembling terrible. Then finally, Waka cums, pulling out of you and spilling all over your lower back and ass.

It takes such a long time for you to fully catch your breath, you don't even notice his kisses against your shoulders. You're stuck on the couch, unable to move as your body comes down from it's high. You hear Waka walk away, but your mind can't even fully process it. You become mesmerized by the view outside the window, and by the overwhelming feeling of content that's washing over you.

Waka comes back into the room, placing a warm, damp wash cloth over your lower back, cleaning you up. You let out a blissful hum of appreciation.

His gaze drifts over you, catching the faint goosebumps beginning to appear on your skin. A slight smirk dances across his lips. “Already cold?” He murmurs, his voice low and teasing. You chuckle softly, nodding a bit.

“Come on,” He says, his tone warm and surprisingly protective. You turn around to face him on the couch and shakily come to a stand. He picks you up into his arms bridal style, walking over to his bedroom.

You take in his room once more, the soft neon lights from outside pouring in. It's a night and day contrast from the view of the star cluster just one room over.

You shake your head, laughing softly. "You really have no idea how different this is from anything I've ever seen." You say softly, staring out of the window at a hover car breezing by, watching the blue fire coming from the vehicle's jets.

"Really?" His brows subtly furrow, genuinely curious. "So...what's it like exactly, where you're from?"

You pause, unsure where to even begin as most of your brain power has already been exhausted. "Well, I'm from Earth. Our tech is...I mean, it's advanced, but nothing like this. We've got TVs, but they're all mounted on the walls or on stands so they can't go anywhere else except where they've been set up. And the windows they don't just...change into real time views of galaxies." You explain tiredly, chuckling at the absurdity of it.

Wakasa shifts onto his side, propping his head up with the palm of his hand as the other already gets back to work caressing your arm. "What about the people? What're they like?"

Your gaze drifts back to his lilac eyes, and you grin softly. "First of all, no one has eyes like yours. We don't have colors like y'all do here, so that's different. No lilac, no silver, no orange or neon green...just brown, blue, green, and hazel; grey. Your eyes would stand out instantly if you came to my planet."

He raises a brow, a faint smirk on his lips. "So I'd be the weird one, huh?"

"Oh absolutely. But...honestly the only thing genuinely "weird" about you is just your eyes. That eye color you got goin' on? You'll never see that on Earth. You'd freak people the hell out with that. But everything else is—

You cut yourself off with a quick yawn before finishing, "Normal."

"You're so cute." He muses, grinning down at you as you snuggle further under the blankets. In perfect sync, the two of you naturally move closer, his arm wrapping around your waist and lying on his back as you rest on his chest.

"Niiiiightttt." You drawl lazily, eyes closed.

"Goodnight, Nova."

#strawberryfairi🧚🏾‍♀️#wakasa imaushi smut #The Book of Desires🌹#Chapter 8 #wakasa x reader #fem reader #black female writer #wakasa imaushi x you #wakasa x y/n #futuristic city #smut warning #tokyo rev #black female reader #wakasa imaushi

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kaija-rayne-author · 10 days ago

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Did Solas actually kill Felassan?

It's interesting to me that, as objectively bad as DAV is, Felassan was noticeably not in Solas's regrets.

Spoilers for all dragon age materials, games, comics, and books included.

Obligatory 'I'm not an asshole' disclaimer. Feel free to jump to the cut if you've read it.

Something came to my attention. I need to make it crystal clear that I utterly love the diversity in DAV. It's fantastic. I'm also a heavily left leaning, non-binary, queer as fuck reviewer, editor, and author.

I was on media blackout while I played DAV. Please be safe and take care of yourselves. Arguing with incels and white supremacists is completely pointless. They sea lion worse than an actual sea lion. Your mental health is important.

Though, every single time the anti-queer brigade comes out for a new DA game, I sit there thinking 'have you bozos ever played any DA game, like, ever?' My guess is nope.

Note. None of my writing on DA, but especially DAV, is edited. This is just my off the cuff writing. I don't have the time, energy, or heart to edit them properly.

So did Solas kill Felassan? If you asked probably 99% of the fandom, they'd look at you funny and say 'of course'. You can call me deluded, it's fine. I legitimately don't care. I know that most people in this Fandom love to think Solas killed Felassan. (I have my theories on why, too, but that's another post.)

But ya know what? Solas would barely even be questioned if it were a modern setting. And unless the trial were rigged, he'd never be convicted of it. Yet the Fandom just loves to crucify the character.

I mean, there's plenty of other things he's definitely done that you can hate on if you want. He's never been all that shy in admitting he's a bloody handed rebellion leader. I think if he'd actually killed his friend, it would've been one of his biggest regrets. It's not like the elf has very many FFS. And I think he would've sadly admitted it too, if anyone had asked.

So why don't I think Solas killed Felassan?

There. Is. No. Proof.

So, look. I have a background in bioanthropology and forensic chemistry. Crime scene work. I honestly think the whole thing about Solas and Felassan is a Weekes twist.

1. It doesn't make sense that Solas killed someone who was spoken of as his friend. Not someone who served him.

2. Would Solas be capable of it? Yes. He's an antihero character. As such, he's capable of killing even a romanced Lavellan if she gets in his way. That's what an antihero does, they (usually, when written with any sort of competency) have a Goal TM. The only thing that can be allowed to matter to a true anti-hero character, before the goal is complete, is The Goal. I just don't think Solas actually did it.

3. I didn't want to believe Solas had killed Felassan. (Feel free to let me know, politely, if there was incontrovertible evidence in Veilguard, cause no way in hell am I playing it again unless someone pays me. A lot. It won't really matter to me, because DAV doesn't exist and is not Canon as far as I'm concerned because of the bad writing and disrespect of the Lore.) But you can tell me if he actually admits it or is shown doing the deed somewhere. So I went searching and analyzed everything. I can't find a lick of substantial proof that Solas definitely killed Felassan.

4. But it also tickled all those old crime stuff senses I spent so long training to do. My kids think I'm hilarious to watch true crime with, because I scoff at everything authorities missed re:evidence, a lot of the time. I have a gift for it, and misogyny drove me out of STEM.

Anywaaaayyyy.

Weekes has said several times that they love to write the kind of twist that 'was right in front of you the whole time'.

I don't honestly think Solas killed Felassan. And I have actual reasons why. Other than, I didn't want my blorbo to have done that. It just doesn't make sense. I don't generally have a problem with anti-hero characters being murderous fucks in pursuit of their goal, because literarily, that's kinda part of their purpose as an archetype.

Do feel free to look all this up for yourself, I have annoted notes on it all, but the big bad happened in Masked Empire. Felassan is an interesting character, I enjoyed reading the book (3x).

Motive: Felassan didn't get the key to the Eluvians to give to whoever he served.

Actions: Felassan knew he'd be killed for disobedience. He catches a rabbit, roasts it, gives himself a last meal, considers staying awake to avoid his employer, and decides an ancient Elvhen needs more courage than a 'stripling human'.

He tosses herbs on the fire, lays down, and dreams.

He wakes in the Fade in the same wintery forest he went to sleep in. He feels his dangerous employer nearby and starts talking.

He tells employer that he didn't get the key, which is a fib, because he chose to not take the key from a young elf he mentored.

He senses his employer knows that's a lie.

He tells employer he feels the modern elves deserve a chance.

He compares Briala, his mentee, a decidedly 'defines self as woman/female elf', to employer.

Employer crunches through leaves behind him.

'He never felt the blow that killed him'.

It never, anywhere, says 'Solas killed him'.

1. Felassan's body wouldn't be dead, it would be tranquil and still asleep in the cold forest he went to sleep in. That's what happens when a spirit is killed or separated from their body in the fade. This is deeply established Lore (as is the fact that tranquility is cureable.) Solas, even on a technicality, couldn't have killed Felassan cause he's tranquil, not dead.

2. Felassan compared a decidedly female elf to his employer. Solas isn't straight for any reason but misplaced 'avoid evil bisexual trope'. He was originally written as bi, but he's definitely more on the masc side of things, gender and sex wise. (You could make a case for him to be non-binary too, that would make a lot of sense, but that's a headcanon, not proof.)

3. Wolves move silently through bracken, like dried leaves. And all throughout DAI, Solas is shown as pretty graceful and easy moving. It's not hard to walk relatively quietly, if you're abled, through dry leaves. You'd kinda have to not care to crunch through them. Or want someone to hear you coming, which is a very un-Solas like power move. "He comes in humble guises".

4. Felassan wears Mythal’s Valleslin.

So, quick side jaunt on the Vallaslin. They aren't just pretty decorations. They're not make-up. They're called 'blood writing' and heavily implied as a method of control over the branded Elvhen by the Evanuris in the Lore.

So. By wearing Mythal’s Valleslin, he's sworn to her, and likely serves her.

Mythal is also a dreamer. (Or even lives in the fade like a lot of other Evanuris did.) It's implied in the Lore, that almost all ancient Elvhen were somniari, and definitely all of the Evanuris. She's still in Flemyth at the time of the murder. Flemyth hasn't ever been very pleasant and, y'know, not murderous. If you've played through all three games, the ones that actually were good, written decently, and that mostly followed the Lore? You'd know Flemyth isn't an awesome person. Mythal is even bloody worse.

Whatever you think of Solas as a character, he doesn't outright lie except for once in DAI. During WEWH. (Obscure, obfuscate, deflect, mislead, yes! Outright lie, based on the dictionary and philosophical definition of a lie, no.) And I don't believe in the 'lie by omission' nonsense. Why everyone thinks they have the right to know every little thing about someone else immediately is beyond me.

All circumstantial evidence points toward Mythal and away from Solas. (Except people love to hate Solas, so of course, everything a decidedly not awesome ancient, uber powerful mage with a god complex does is his fault. Makes perfect sense because he's eeeeevvvvviiiillll. Ripest of Sarcasm and glares at Epler, Creative Director of DAV. )

Solas has also been shown to be someone who listens to his few friends. He listens to Inky, Varric, and Bull a few times in DAI. So it's also odd that Felassan's employer wouldn't even consider listening. That Felassan knew he'd die rather than be listened to. Felassan is Solas's friend, ergo, he'd have been likely to at least listen.

Solas is also shown as someone honourable 'I have distracted you from your duty, it won't happen again'. 'I wouldn't lay with her under false pretenses'. When you're honourable, you kill an enemy face to face, not a stab in the back. Mythal? Yeah, she missed the honourable boat by oceans.

Oh! But what about Cole's line in Tresspasser?

To be completely frank, so many of Cole's comments are 19th/20th/21st century TV, game, movie, and book references, I don't know why anyone gives his commentary any weight at all.

So, Cole's line is, "His friend had to die. Because he thought they were people. A slow arrow breaks in a sad wolf's jaws"

You could take it on face value, sure. But, you'll pardon me if I think it's silly for anything Cole says to be considered fact on face value alone.

So let's break it down, assuming (possibly incorrectly) that this comment has anything to do with Solas.

His friend had to die. Sure, I guess? But this doesn't tell us who killed him. Simply that Solas knows Felassan is dead. And again, Felassan is referred to as Solas's 'friend'. Not servitor. Not employee. Friend.

Because he thought they were people. Unless I'm mistaken, the 'real people' line is another one of Cole's, just from DAI, not Tresspasser, so we're making an even weaker case by stacking a comment of Cole's upon another comment of Cole's. Talk about confusing. Also, Real people was a tv show. Real People (TV Series 1979-1983)

It could also easily be social commentary on the dehumanization of people in... so many ways and cultures historically and even up to today.

A slow arrow is definitely a literary reference.

"THE SLOW ARROW OF BEAUTY. The noblest kind of beauty is that which does not transport us suddenly, which does not make stormy and intoxicating impressions such a kind easily arouses disgust but that which slowly filters into our minds."

Friedrich Nietzsche

"Fate's Arrow, when expected, travels slow."

Dante Alighieri

So if it’s a Dante reference, Weekes is alluding to Fate. If Nietzsche, Beauty.

Based on the fact that so many of Cole's comments are references, I'm going forward assuming 'slow arrow' to be a reference.

Beauty/Fate breaks in a sad wolf's jaws.

The veil is considered beautiful, and Solas is intent on destroying it (because in the Lore, it's actually destroying Thedas, sucking the life and magic out of it. Which would matter, John Epler, a lot! *bombastic side eye*)

It could also be a reference to Lavellan in a romanced Lavellan playthrough. Solas destroyed or rejected the beauty of love. Or even fated love, by leaving her behind.

Sad wolf is also a literary reference. Likely to one of these poems. (Given our degrees, Weekes and I probably had to take very similar classes. I originally went to uni to be an English teacher.)

"The Wolf" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Lo! the calm moon comes forth!—The sad wolf howls!

He seeks his fellow in the hungry night.

With fiery eye—how red his mouth is!—howl

The lonely wolf, for, lo!—he is not there.

So if we want to go with Tennyson, the reference could imply that Solas tried to help Felassan... which, yeah. Mythal is also a twat of epic proportions. That wouldn't have worked.

This quote feels relevant to me. "The wolves in the woods have sharp teeth and long claws, but it’s the wolf inside who will tear you apart."

Jennifer Donnelly

Sad wolf could then be a reference to Solas's feelings. If Felassan was his friend, he'd be pretty torn apart by his death, no matter how it happened. Yet, it's still not among his regrets in DAV. Even though an entire story in Tevinter Nights is focused on his regrets surrounding his time in the Inquisition. (IIRC Felassan isn't mentioned there, either.)

From a literary perspective, this one also feels relevant.

The wolf changes his coat, but not his disposition.

Traditional proverb

Solas is many things, but he's always Solas. Why would he do something so out of character as kill a close friend? (I'll even tell you a motive for why *Solas* might’ve killed Felassan. It's well established in Solas's character that he abhors betrayal. I suppose you could technically call Felassan's support of Briala a betrayal.) Still doesn't make sense to me. Because it actually is out of character for Solas to hurt what few friends he actually has. But, enh, you could call it motive. Do NOT get me started on the ham-handed writing and the fate of Varric Tethras in DAV. Epler has already said they only had him in the game so Solas could kill him and it would make the player hate Solas more. Didn’t matter to Epler whether it was in character or not. And it's not. Solas saves Varric in the comics. Numerous times.

1. That failed. Ugh. What a shit end for Varric. An author killed by bad writing.

2. Fucking bad writing ruined DAV.

I've rambled enough. I guess my point is that I'd love it if more people would think about things they saddle heavily neurodivergently coded characters with. It's not harmless.

The very first demographic blamed for a violent crime are neurodivergent people. Usually, the first is Autistic people. (We're almost hardwired to not hurt people. We tend to be the white knight tilting at windmills type. It takes a lot to push one of us to violence.) It can be done, but to automatically assume it's an autist is ableist and harmful.

The second group blamed are the mentally ill.

Statistics don't support that either. Neurodivergent people are guilty of 3% of violent crime. All the rest of the 97% is on all you neurotypicals.

Blah, blah, recovering from pulmonary embolism, partner recovering from broken back, money is tight if you've anything to spare. www.kaijarayne.com

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dearasteria · 1 year ago

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Major Gale romance SPOILERS below, so please DO NOT read and watch if you don't want to get spoiled.

I was REALLY worried about how romance with Gale would go, especially after talking to him right after he gets Karsas' book. My Tav wanted to believe and trust him, but something didn't feel right. At the end of Act II, when Tav tries to convince him not blow himself up for his ex's forgivness/to save Faerûn, it can be summed up with that one gif from Grey's Anatomy: "So pick me. Choose me. Love me" 🤡. Honestly, she asks not only to choose her, but also not to kill her and the rest of the team. Gale is so easily swayed and tells Tav that he loves her, even more than Mystra. Tav should be happy, right? But I'm like WAIT A DAMN MINUTE, it was faaar too easy, I mean, no protests from him, I didn't even have to use persuasion to convince him. At that point, after the trauma that Bioware had caused us with Anders and Solas, I'm getting paranoid. Gale doesn't love Tav, he's definitely hiding something. But I'm thinking to myself, "Okay, calm down, he just doesn't want to die, super understable. Maybe he really loves her and he needed to hear it? He needed reassurance that he has something to live for? Yes, it must be it". But then I go to the quest journal and see this:

DAMMIT GALE, you snake 🐍 My poor baby Tav (especially since the romance scene in Waterdeep was so warm and tender). She's so in love in him. Now I'm convinced that he will definetly betrey us, stubs us right in the heart.

At the beginning of Act III, he becomes obsessed with a book called The Annals of Karsus that may help him learn more about the crown. He becomes obsessed with how powerful he can become. When Tav gives him the book and says, "We already know the crown's dangerougs. Wouldn't that make things worse?" he replies:

"Worse? It could be the best thing that ever happened to me. To us."

After all this, Gale tries to convince Tav to help him reconstruct the crown. We have this beautiful scene on the boat and when I tell you my jaw dropped. HE CHOOSES TAV, listens to her concerns and simply chooses her.

The way he says it, the way he corrects himself… damn. For Tav, it's like a bucket of cold water. And I'm like, "Here we go again" 🤡

Furthermore, when we visit the Stormshore Tabernacle in Baldur's Gate and interact with Mystra's statue, he seems to feel so uncomfortable, he doesn't want to be there. Tav starts to think he's definitely hiding something. She would like to hear Mystra's version of what happened between her and Gale (I hope we can talk to her at some point in the game, it would be very interesting).

My Tav, however, disagreed, and Gale replies, "I hope you're right. I truly do. Godly power, perhaps I can live without, but you? You're everything". Has the curse of dating mages that leave players heartbroken been broken?

But I have to admit, when he said: "With you, I forget my goddess. I love you. Tell me you feel the same way. Tell me you want what I want. Please" - OH GODS 😳. I was so close to agreeing to this madness. The VA did an amazing job (side note: so many talented VAs in this game, it's mind blowing), the writing is amazing, the music is incredible, I was blown away, really.

Next day, after the boat scene, he's so adorable and full of love for Tav. Then I remembered his gratest flaw (for me it's more like his biggest fear) from the scene with Zethino in the circus: "He thinks he, and the world, might be better off if he were dead". At the time I thought he was lying, manipulating Zethino and his answers. My distrust of mages in games… Yes, I have a problem 😅

I haven't finished the game, but I have high hopes for a happy ending. No spoilers please, thanks :)

What a rollecoster of emotions, I love it, I love Gale. It felt like I was playing Dragon Age: Origins for the first time, way back when I was a teenager. It's really insane how this game makes me feel, how much I care about its characters and story.

EDIT: Okay, so we have an audience with Mystra, I mean only Gale, but we see the whole conversation between them. My only complain is that Gale doesn't mention Tav when Mystra asks him why he defied her 💔 The outcomes are different depending on whether you do it before or after the boat scene. Personally, I think doing the boat scene before meeting Mystra is much better. I get the impression that Gale is abandoning the plan to reconstruct the crown solely for Tav and his love for her. And the drama 👌🏻 it gives me life.

#sorry for the wall of text #ignore my rambling #the thing is i'm very excited and none of my friends play bg3 and my husband can't listen to me anymore 🤭#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 spoilers #bg3 spoilers #Gale #gale of waterdeep #gale romance #might delete later #Tav #gale bg3

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evanhereonearth · 19 days ago

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I hope you understand that you/

defy my impulse to retreat/

Your soul is kin to mine in every way, love/

I mean no shame to suffering/

of elves who live today, just that/

my own—and yours—cannot be held so simply.

***

I was working on a new chapter of my longfic today and stumbled across some hearsay I didn't find a source for but decided to run with. (If someone knows the source, please leave a comment!)

Apparently, Trick intended for Solas to have an additional line after the post-WEWH conversation in Skyhold where he tells the Inquisitor that he does not think of the elves as "his people"; he was supposed to then admit to Lavellan that he does see her as his people.

I wanted to add that in my fic and to have him do it in iambic tetrameter with the extra Hallelujah amphibrach, so that's exactly what I did here.

My longfic is a chonker (200k+ words), but you can read the relevant chapter here or check out the series as a whole here. There are two complete books and I've just started posting book three. There are also a few snippets of post-Trespasser fic there, as well as the prologue of Veilguard from Ilaana's POV; those snippets aren't particularly well organised since I've written them out of order!

#my fic #longfic #no light series #solavellan #solavellan fic #solas x female lavellan #a solavellan heart beats in my chest #solas's speech patterns #he loves her so much and is so desperate to be seen and terrified at the same tiiiiiime #help HELP hELP #hurting my own feelings again #inquisition spoilers

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screechingpaperdeer · 7 months ago

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I finally watch the DA4 official gameplay review, and I have things to say!

The game looks lovely. When the game opens up and we're exposed to the raining city of Minrathous I was salivating. This is a dark city that evokes a sense of uneasy and pain. The agony and suffering of the cities citizens are what keep that floating thing in the sky, I swear. Even off that very linear path we're treated with, the urge to explore these streets is intense!

This is a very, very personal criticism on my end. I hate flipping. I understand Rook was just dodging. It's dumb, I know, I just hate it.

When Solas turned around, after Varric tries to stop him, all I could see was Megamind turning around. Re watched the shot like 4 times because I couldn't stop cackling.

@vulpixelates said it best in their post where they talk about a playable backstory like in origins. I haven't seen the Netflix show. I've not read the books. I don't know who the shadow dragons are, but I would love to learn more! And what better way to let me learn than through a playable backstory. Hell, even DA2 where Hawke is escaping lothering with their family, I'll take something like that. I just don't want what we got with Inquisition, it was one of my biggest gripes for that game. Please don't let Rook's story be "hey, they were just some person fighting in this tavern with us and we said yeah they're cool enough to help us fight an ancient elven god."

All and all, I look at Dragon Age has always had my heart and soul. I'm sure someone has honest criticisms just from the gameplay, I am not that person. I will forever and probably always look at the series with rose colors glasses, because I've never ended a game feeling disappointed, and I'm sure Dragon Age: The Veilguard won't let me down either.

#dragon age the veilguard #dragon age 4 #dragon age #da4

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crossdressingdeath · 7 months ago

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Care to elaborate on the dislike of "what they did with (Morrigan) in DA:I"?

Simple, snarky answer: I play Lavellan.

More complete answer: Morrigan in DAO could be kind of shitty, she didn't have a lot of respect for... anyone and seemed to make decisions solely based on whether or not they were evil (Morrigan bby please leaving everyone in Redcliffe to die isn't pragmatic when we still have to go through Redcliffe), but she was sheltered and still learning how the world worked so it was understandable, even sympathetic in places. Morrigan in DAI has been out in the world for ten years and has only gotten shittier. In general I'm not fond of the way that the recurring DAO characters apparently haven't grown as people in ten years (hardened King Alistair, a character specifically mentioned as being a good king, writing diplomatic letters to someone he met for at most five minutes like the recently-freed-from-heavy-indoctrination nineteen year old he hasn't been for a decade especially irritates me), it's clear that Bioware is more invested in cashing in on nostalgia than they are in developing these characters as characters, but Morrigan? Bioware, I know negative character development is still development but it maybe wasn't the best idea.

Let me put it this way. In Witch Hunt Morrigan steals a book from the Dalish so that she can learn about eluvians. This is kind of shitty behaviour, but it's Morrigan levels of shitty and she does leave the book outside the eluvian, so the Dalish as far as we see have reclaimed that book and the knowledge in it, and also they had it for years and so logically knew the things in that book already. Definitely they had access to it. And it's also important to keep in mind that that book is the only information we can confirm that Morrigan actually has on eluvians in canon; she's never mentioned as finding any other source. And then in DAI she basically calls the Dalish morons the whole way through and claims that she (a human woman with literally zero connection to the Dalish or elves in general beyond maybe having some friends who are elves and also stealing from the Dalish that one time, the Flemeth situation doesn't count because we're given no reason to believe Morrigan ever for a moment even suspected the Mythal thing or that Flemeth wasn't human or to believe that Flemeth passed on any knowledge about the elves, and certainly not anything the Dalish didn't know) has more right to take this ancient elven font of knowledge sacred to a Dalish god than a Dalish elf does. This despite the fact that if you have the arcane knowledge perk you understand the Well better than her literally just by looking at it (she doesn't know the Well will put the drinker under a geas despite all her research, while Quiz only has to look at it and hear the whispers coming from it to figure that out). I've seen it described as humansplaining and... yeah that kind of describes what Morrigan does. If you play Lavellan she's just constantly really shitty to you about you wanting to engage with your own damn culture and claims she knows better because she read one book that you quite possibly also read. It's not entirely to do with her as a character, some of it is DAI's shitty writing and without it her arrogance could've been just a character trait that she could've moved past (let Lavellan and Solas troll her by straight up lying about the inscriptions in the temple and her going along with it because she won't admit that she can't read as much of it as she claims she can, please), but the way it's allowed to stand unchallenged despite by all logic being horseshit really pisses me off. I don't trust Bioware not to double down on the "Oh this human woman understands this totally unrelated culture that she is in no way part of and has barely even studied way better than the people belonging to that culture do and deserves valuable ancient relics of their people more than them" thing, so I very much do not want to see her in any more DA games.

#dragon age #morrigan critical #asks #anon

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broodwolf221 · 6 months ago

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happy dadwc! for solas/varric this week: i think i've earned the right to learn the truth

happy writing!

-inquisimer

oooh them.... <3 ty for this! a little beginning of their romance blurb @dadrunkwriting 718 words cws: none

He was reading when Varric entered, barely glancing up at the dwarf before turning his attention back to the book. Something had been building between them for quite a while, but Solas had been loath to commit. It was wrong. It was selfish. It was cruel. So lately he'd tried to keep his distance, but it seemed a passive conclusion would not be permitted. “You certainly turn tail early,” he said casually, Solas' shoulders tensing. “I mean, I know I'm kinda rusty, but I didn't think my flirting would scare you off so easily.”

Oh, he resented that. He wanted to snap that he wasn't afraid… but of course, that was the exact reaction Varric was trying to provoke. That frustrated him, too, how simple it would be to fall for the other man's prodding. “Perhaps I simply tired of it,” he said, wary of meeting his eyes. He knew it was a cruel response, dismissive, but if they couldn't have this, then it was crueler still to let the possibility linger. Best to make a clean break instead.

Varric snorted, and that was not the reaction he'd anticipated. He looked up from the book with a sigh, only to find the other man smirking at him. Another unexpected reaction. “Look, I don't chase. You want me to back off, I'll back off. But seriously, you aren't anywhere near as secret as you think you are.” Varric drew closer, hip against Solas' desk and arms crossed. “Just tell me the truth. I think I've earned that.”

“Have you?” He shot back, but even he could hear how empty it sounded. Varric didn't even bother with a reply, aside from his smirk growing. Damn dwarf. “It is… not that easy, Master Tethras.” Something flickered across Varric's face at that, and his smirk seemed to stiffen, held deliberately. Solas had wounded him, and that weighed on the both of them. He settled back with a frown, meeting Varric's eyes. “Have you thought this through? The world is at risk, powerful forces are aligned against us, and I am a mage. An apostate. Should we succeed, I highly doubt I'll be able to linger. What would we have? Some brief dalliance? Is it not kinder, for both of us, to let it rest? Is it not wiser?”

“Shit, Chuckles.” Varric sounded strained, although Solas couldn't quite place how. “I'm not proposing. And this isn't my first ‘dalliance.’ I care about you, and you obviously feel the same. What's better about burying that? We may die tomorrow, or in twenty years—but in either case, I'd rather live today.”

He stared at Varric for a moment, then shook his head, even as he felt a traitorous smile creep onto his face. “Of course that would be your view. Of course it would.”

“And of course you'd be so deep in your head about this that you can't even see straight.” He snorted, unwilling—and unable—to contest that. Instead he tapped his fingers on the pages of the book a few times before closing it and standing, Varric straightening up. He stood in front of the other man and met his eyes for long moments, superficially debating with himself although he'd all but decided.

Varric grinned when Solas bent down and grabbed his jacket, kissing him hard. Heavy hands settled on his hips and Varric's warmth seeping through his clothing was a delight. Varric may not chase a relationship but he certainly chased Solas' mouth, pressing forward and reinstating the kiss when he began to pull away. Then he was being urged backwards until he felt the seat brushing against his thighs, sinking down into it. It made kissing easier, their height a better match now. “Ahem.” They jerked apart at the sudden voice, Varric stifling a laugh as Solas felt himself blush. “Please, do get a room. A different room.” Dorian sounded entirely too smug about it, but Solas had to admit it wasn't a terrible idea.

Still, he let Varric pull away without protest, tilting his head back to glare up at Dorian as the door to the rotunda opened and closed. The other mage smiled and shrugged before giving a little wave and turning away, and Solas heard his muffled laughter drifting down.

He found himself wondering where, exactly, Varric's room was.

#broodwrites #dadw time #solarric #solas #varric #dorian #is there too 😂

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thenevarranaccord · 2 months ago

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Context:

As I’ve mentioned before, my first Rook is going to be one of my old fenhawke kids. Right now, I’m filling in the blanks about what he was doing between the end of DA2 and the start of DA4, and that includes a brief stint at Skyhold.

He’s 15. He has never read The Tale of the Champion. Hawke and Fenris do not want him to read The Tale of the Champion.

He really wants to read The Tale of the Champion.

Who at Skyhold is going to give him a copy of The Tale of the Champion when he asks? All of these characters would know who this teenager is and would be able to infer that if Hawke wanted his kid to read this book, Hawke/Varric would have given him the book.

There is a reason why the characters who are not listed in the poll are not listed in the poll. I would really prefer it if people would pick one of the options in the poll, but if you absolutely can’t and have to pick the penultimate option, please tell me who you would go with and why!

Any input is appreciated!

#dragon age #da2 #dai #dav #Hawke #the champion of Kirkwall #Fenris #varric tethras #dorian pavus #solas #cassandra pentaghast #cullen rutherford #leliana

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ruiningsalads · 5 months ago

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Finding a letter they weren't meant to see for Solavellan :D Happy friday!

woof! I had trouble deciding which way I wanted this to go.

this is set after Veilguard, once the dust has settled.

"Vhenan?" Solas ventured into Lavellan's workroom, expecting to find her busily writing at her desk, as she so often did. To his surprise, she wasn't there. Her desk was covered in letters for her friends and former inner circle, but his eyes were drawn to a thick stack of parchment laid off to one side. Had Varric finally returned her accounting of the Inquisition? The dwarf had agreed to help her edit, but Solas suspected he was also pulling from her writing to supplement his own book.

Curious to see Varric's comments, he sank into Lavellan's chair and pulled the stack closer to him. Immediately, he could see that it was not her manuscript, but was instead a large stack of unsent letters -- addressed to him. It was beneath him to snoop, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he read.

Though written like letters to him, he quickly realized she used them as a sort of diary. The earliest pages were fresh with pain, betrayal, determination -- but as he read, he could feel as she grew ever more tired. Her arm no longer troubled her, but the pain in her heart, the pain caused by him, festered. He had known how much she suffered, at least to some degree, but to read it laid out in her handwriting chronicled over the decade they were apart...

He felt unworthy of her. After all she had done, all she had sacrificed, he broke her heart and left her behind for his own selfish purpose. Of course nothing went to plan, and that served to bring her back to him, but would it have been better if he kept his distance? Guilt weighed heavily on him, seeping under his skin like the vallaslin he so despised, leaving him marked and tainted.

"I could never figure out where to send those." He whipped his head around to see her leaning against the doorway, watching him. "You never left a mailing address."

"I... Vhenan, forgive me. My curiosity got the better of me, and..." His voice trailed off. No explanation felt sufficient, not after reading her soul laid bare.

"It was written to you." She padded over to the desk and picked up the page he had been reading. "I never thought you would actually read these, but it brought me some comfort imagining that somehow you would."

He felt unclean, like the lowest darkspawn skulking in the deep roads. When he moved to get up, she placed her hand gently on his chest to keep him in place. Then, she perched on his leg, much to his surprise.

"You already know much of this." She sorted through the pages, skimming the details briefly before moving on. "You had agents tracking me all along."

"I... Yes, I knew most of it."

She lowered the pages to look at him, one corner of her mouth twitching upwards. "Careful, Dread Wolf. Your reputation will be ruined if word gets out that you have such a soft heart."

How did she do it? How could she bear to look at him and smile after everything?

"Solas." Her warm hand on his cheek shook him free of his spiraling thoughts. "You're here now. You've made amends. I need you to acknowledge that." She peered searchingly into his eyes. "Don't run away from me this time. Please."

He sighed and wrapped her in his arms. "For you, vhenan, I will try."

#dragon age fanfiction #fanfiction #solavellan #late to the dadwc party

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silurisanguine · 2 months ago

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Dragon Age the Veilguard review

Spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers!!!!!!! I cannot emphasise enough how many spoilers are below.

You have been warned. Putting below the cut so as to NOT spoil you. If you click on it, that's on you as I will be talking about the end game as well as points within...as well as this man's romance.

THE GOOD

The world building - The lore, omg the lore. Finding out that the original Elves were spirits that made their bodies and became real - and that Mythal begged Solas to do it even though he didn't want to - That was why he didn't like Cole wanting to be human. He was projecting his regret onto another spirit!

It's insane to realise that Solas's regret is made of so many actions that have formed the world of Thedas as it is at that moment! That him waking up and seeing the world as it is, because of his actions drove him to despair. No wonder he was hellbent on changing things back!

Now I know some people are pissed at the new lore in the game, that it contradicts previous, well I'm sorry, but that's bullshit. Every past game and book/comic until recently, the lore has been told through unreliable narration. Told by characters who didn't have the full picture, who were going off what they had been told or learnt through past generations.

As someone whose read, played everything DA, what we get now is accurate and fits perfectly as the hints were there from the start and I love how the dots are connected now.

The Dalish for example got so much wrong, because after the wars, their people scattered to the winds, taking what they could and rebuilding. They lost so much and what was left they patch-worked together into a broken mirror of their actual history. Because they were so separated, those cultures even had different views on things like magic, where one clan would embrace their mages, whilst others feared them.

In fact pretty much every big religion or faith in Thedas is built upon lies and half truths. The dwarves Stone, the Chantry's Andraste and the Maker, Tevinter's old gods.

What we are finding out in this game is the actual truth of the past. Yes we are told it through one or two people, but they were there and we physically see the results of those actions confirmed as having happened. Much of the truth Solas tried to hide because it hurt too much, but we find it out anyway, so that is not misinformation, but the actual history.

I think some people's issues are because their headcanons are being disproved and they don't like it. It's like, how often would a historian be pleased if someone from the ancient past time travelled and told them everything they thought about a culture was wrong? Some may love the chance to talk with someone from that time, but as I've seen as a fan of ancient history, many baulk against their ideas being refuted and lash out at anyone who tries to think of a different theory.

On another point with the lore I also actually love how it's a blank slate by the end of the game. The final blight ended with the Blight destroyed, Elven gods dead or gone. Thedas will be something new next time around and that isn't a bad thing. In a way Solas did change everything once more and we as the player are living through it rather than finding out about it from past knowledge.

The writing - I was utterly blown away by the story. It is in general so well written. The way the main theme of the game is regret. Each character we meet has regrets of some kind, some at the start of their journey, others as they go. Even the Rook by the end, but they all work past it and if you do everything right, you can help Solas work past his too.

I was worried when I heard about a moment at the end of the game feeling cheap. But it works. It's heartbreaking, and as I mentioned below limiting in choice, But the way it's done. it's meaningful. That noble sacrifice, that no matter what theme, that if they don't no one will be left. It's a gut punch but good and not unknown to Dragon Age games.

Then there is the other utter heartbreaking moment…Varric. I was gobsmacked but like the Rook, I knew deep down he was dead all along. I saw that stab to the chest at the start and knew then no one can survive that, but I wanted him to be alive. But I don't think he was truly just a projection of Solas. No projection would have helped Rook escape the fade prison Solas put them in. He was there for her..one last time. (when I play it again, seeing the telltale signs will be bittersweet)

Each character has such distinct personalities and I love how they are written. Each feel alive and you want to get to know them. Some are acerbic to start but they have reasons to be. Others are scary by reputation, but absolute kittens in reality -once -you -get- to- know- them. Their side missions are meaningful, not wasteful to the story. As I found with all the side missions. I didn't find a single side mission to be boring or time wasting as they just added to the story rather than be filler. I love how each character reacts to how the player presents themselves too. For example I've learnt Lucanis loves if the Rook is cheeky in most responses to him personally, but Emmerich likes the soft (thumbs up) responses.

The romances- For me there was only one choice to start with and it will be my canon romance and that dear readers is Lucanis Dellamorte. So I only know the full romance playthrough for him as I write this, but it spoke to me on so many levels.

Once he knows himself, is secure with what's happened to him, he gives his all to the romance. It's slow burn, romantic, caring and dangerous and that final romance scene...be still my beating heart. the way he kneels before Rook, the look of sheer utter devotion and love he has for them. Holy shit...and then the wings. Fuuuuu. Spite is such an interesting character too and the writer has confirmed he loves Rook in his own way too by the end of it. The Rook helped him and he trusts them.

I fell for Lucanis the moment I saw his concept art, but it was confirmed the moment I saw him on screen that he was the one I would pursue and I don't regret picking him in the slightest.

But, I have watched all the final romance scenes and they fit each character so well. Some are delightfully sweet - (Bellara, Harding,) some deeply romantic and knee shakingly endearing- (Lucanis, Emmerich) and others passionate and intense - (Neve, Taash and Davrin), just like their characters. They fit each one well. So there is something for everyone. (My next new character I make will romance Emmerich because my goth heart loves they make love on a tomb and in a coffin!) Yes the love scenes are not explicit as some Bioware games, but I don't need to see everything on screen and sometimes find when they are too explicit they get cringy and sometimes don't age well.

In a romance I want the chemistry, I want the emotion, the intention and scene to fit the character's personality and these do perfectly…and again I have fanfic and art to fill in the blanks 😉

The graphics- My god Thedas is breathtaking. I have taken so many photos in game! The environments are truly alive. Seeing new places like Treviso (my favourite, I could live there), Rivain's coast, The Grand Necropolis and Arlathan come to life is an utter joy. Then places like Minrathous, the Hossburg wetlands, just made even more beautiful than their architecture style was in Inquisition (and DA2 as I definitely saw some Kirkwall ambience in Docktown), but keeping the same themes as we saw there, was a joy and felt connected.

I do like that they created hubs rather than massive open worlds. each area felt rich with things to do…rather than massive open expanses with nothing in between. Even if part of me would have liked to have gone…over there to a place we couldn't get to 🤣But I had that in Inquisition as I always want to see more! I'd love to have seen more of Rivain for example as they have such an interesting culture, but it is what it is and what is there is gorgeous.

As for the graphics of the characters, I have quickly grown to love it, practically within the first few minutes of playing. The expressiveness of the characters is second to none. I have made such a beautiful Rook, I love the way she expresses herself and they feel alive even if they have a stylisation to them. The character creator is expansive and the hair..oh god the hair is gorgeous. Yaay long hair!

I see complaints that it's such a different style, but then each Dragon Age game has different stylisation! See these handy images for a refresher! -

Look at them- ALL different!

Varric for example has changed each game, yet he's still Varric! That nose, those eyes, that hairline....that...ahem ring pendant and expansive chest.

Morrigan too, is different, because especially in Veilguard, much has changed for her. She's gone from a naive hedgewitch, to a royal court advisor to....vessel of a god's memories.

A perfect example though is Isabela. She has appeared in some form in every game so this gives an even better example of how a character has changed, but is still the same character.

Plus people age, so they are going to look different! Isabela looks over a decade older than how she appeared in DA2 yet still smokin hot.

The music- They got Hans Zimmer to do the theme! He is a genius when it comes to emotionally charged, powerful music, so I adore the theme so much. Lorne Balfe then knocked it out the park with a ost that I have been listening to constantly. Each track feels like a finished piece rather than just ambient sound, like some of the previous OST tracks. Not to say I didn't like some of the previous- Inquisition/Trespasser is one of my favourites too and some of the earlier tracks are also beautiful, but I cant listen to those whole OSTs like I can with this.

The polish- I have had very very few bugs with this game which is a breath of fresh air. I play on PS5 and it's been smooth as butter for 99% of the gameplay. Crashing once and with only one all be it hilarious visual bug of a man in just underpants floating in mid air whilst a scene played between Rook and Harding! Other than that I've experienced no lag, no constant crashing or jarring graphic issues. Now I think those who play on PC have been getting more bugs, but I cannot speak for them, only myself. Now onto the things i had issue with in the game -

THE BAD

combat mechanics- I had to turn the difficulty down in order to play the game, which is fine, thankfully there is a difficulty changer than doesn't effect achievements. I do like to play games on normal difficulty to get the full experience, but due to the style of combat they brought in here that was impossible for me.

I think it's the constant barrage of magic/effects colours and light during combat and the reliance on blocking/dodging God of War style combat that my eyes and brainfog cant cope with. (I had a similar experience with that game.)

I played as a rogue, with full intention to be mostly archery, but due to how the enemies all zero in on you unless you have found the deflect rune, it is pretty impossible to maintain distance, so I went all in on dual wield. The dodge function was a lot easier to remember so I became a master of that by the end of it, using the bow when I had enough range to start. I'm sure the more I play it, the more comfortable I'll be with the combat but I don't play Dragon Age games for the combat, I play for the story, the characters and the lore. So if I needed to play on the second easiest setting, so be it. companion comment handholding This is minor and it eases off after a while, but at the start the companion commentary to do things before you've even looked at the area was a bit much. I get offering suggestions, but do it once a player has not done the objective after a while. I get explaining new mechanics too, especially to new comers to the game, but there should be a slider to turn off suggestion commentary, especially once you've played it more than once.

Past game decisions- Now I don't have a problem with decisions the Warden or Hawke made having much consequence so further into the future as much of what they did was expanded upon in Inquisition anyway. But the Inquisition and Inquisitor? Someone who is directly linked to what is occurring now? I'd expect more than just - did they like Solas and who did they romance having some mention in this game. (though it seems the latter doesn't matter as my Inquisitor never mentioned their romance so must have only mattered if it was Solas or Dorian).

But it wouldn't have been hard to have mentioned who was running Orlais during their letters to the Rook. Also, in dialogue, would have been nice if they had said who was Divine, how the mages/Templars are helping or that if you asked the Wardens to help they weren't so angry with the Inquisitor but had bigger issues to deal with.

Also with other characters that appear, would it have been hard for Morrigan to at least once mention Kieren as well if she had him? Or if she drank from the Well of Sorrows? (considering she is carrying the memories of Mythal and Flemeth inside her, having drunk from the Well would have meant so much more.)

Or Isabela to mention Hawke if romanced? Dorian I believe does at least make comments if he romanced the Inquisitor, mentioning his Amatus. I guess they wanted them as surprises in game, but I wouldn't have minded a world state slider in the creation menu as that wouldn't have given anything away.

So yeah I think that is a misstep on Bioware's part and the only flaw in the writing for me. (Apart from knowing Flemeth was dead dead, but that's because I love Kate Mulgrew and would have been awesome for Flemeth to have had words with Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain. But her words ' as the music plays we dance', suggests Flemeth knew then her time was up and why she passed what she could through the Eluvian to Morrigan.)

The sacrifice - I don't hate that a character dies at the end. It fits the 'what ever it takes' fight against the insurmountable and I do like a bit of angst in my stories.

But the choice of just two characters I feel, is limiting. Also, the fact is the choice isn't just two people, If you choose Davrin: Assan dies as well. If it was just Davrin, I could pick him to nobly sacrifice himself and Rook would look after Assan. But it's not and I cant bare to loose that griffon. Not when they have only just come back to the world. So Sorry Harding.

Part of me would have loved the ME2 option of doing everything right means everyone survives, but again the theme is regret and doing what ever it takes, even if that means someone willingly sacrifices themselves to save the rest.

So I get it and it was emotional to witness but it meant something. Personally I'd like to think Harding returns to the Stone, that because her body wasn't found, then the Stone took her.

The attack choice- I don't hate the fact you need to choose to go to Minrathous or Treviso. That is a great moment, like choosing mages or Templars. What I don't like is the fact Minrathous loses SO many more points than Treviso - 250 compared to 100 for Treviso.

It should be the same!

In fact Minrathous should be less and Treviso more considering what we are told beforehand:

-Minrathous has a standing army, which has been at war for ages so is honed to repel attacks. Full of war mages who could use very powerful magic to repel a dragon attack. -Treviso is under occupation by the Antaam and has NO army. The Crows are not an army and don't have the infrastructure to be one. They would be sitting ducks compared.

Yet they don't suffer as much from a Dragon Attack and subsequent take over by the Antaam? That makes no sense and once some people know, they wont play the game for the story, they will play tactically...especially knowing the ending fight.

That is probably my biggest grievance with the game and needs to be fixed. Because I'm a Lucanis romancer first and foremost so will always pick Treviso! (I will do one playthrough choosing the opposite eventually🤣just not soon.)

So yeah, those are my issues with the game. Certainly nothing like what some people have been complaining about, which frankly have been bullshit. in all I would give Veilguard an 8 out 10. It's up there in my top games for sure. I can see past the minor flaws to what is still a fantastic game and will play again and again!

#dragon age the veilguard spoilers #Dragon Age the Veilguard #Dragon Age veilguard spoilers #DATV spoilers #Veilguard spoilers

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