#queenie rambles about dragon age

[queenofbaws]

i know it's 2024 and i have no doubt this point has been made a million times before by a million people more eloquent than me, but here i am again, wishing there had been an

"okay, and...?"

dialogue option during blackwall's big reveal, like...........................what if my inquisitor truly did not care???????? the drama in that!!!! the drama!!!!!!!!

[magziraphale]

Strange and Familiar

This was inspired by @auroargraves ask about Credence trying ice cream flavours - well, this got a little out of hand and the ice cream trying is coming next!

A little ficlet about recovery, making friends and drinking tea:

***

Leaving the house is a little like preparing for battle. 

There’s a shocking number of decisions involved in going somewhere and doing something. So many details to consider if you don’t want to end up standing on a corner somewhere, mind a blank whirl, unable to take a step in any direction or make a sound...

For the first few weeks (seven), those decisions were beyond him. 

For Credence, getting used to the space in his apartment, to waking up independent and adrift, took every scrap of energy and will. He didn’t have to decorate or buy anything; the apartment was furnished and he knew Queenie had added her own homely touches before he ever saw the place. Clothes had appeared in the wardrobe just as food had appeared in the fridge and cupboards (and continued to appear weekly). The clothes fitted, better than anything he’d had before, but he found himself wearing the same pants and jumper over and over.

There were Events that stood out in the week. 

On Mondays and Wednesdays at 3pm Tina and Queenie would arrive to take him to the mind healer. Non-negotiable, for all that they had both sat in complete silence for the first two weeks. After twenty minutes of the same in week three he had finally burst out, “This is ridiculous!” The man across from him with the tidy hair and crinkled grey eyes had merely quirked a smile and agreed. He then invited Credence up to the roof garden and started showing him some magical plants. It turned out it was much easier to talk with hands moving in the soil, away from straight-backed chairs and constant eye contact. 

Queenie always took him for lunch at Jacob’s bakery on Fridays, and he had dinner with the Goldsteins again on Saturday evening. Queenie had taught him how to make tea - the different flavours and how long to steep the leaves, which types needed milk and which were best left alone. The pot was a strange thing, etched with willow branches that swayed and twisted in an unseen breeze. Some of the cups didn’t have handles. When he’d wondered how she knew all these things she told him stories of a neighbour they’d known when they were girls who came from Japan. 

Though he’d heard the name before, seen enough people on the streets who looked different enough from him, the next day he found himself looking for the name on the little globe that sat on his bookcase. He spent a long time just looking at the distance between New York and Japan. When he came back from the mind healer’s on Monday he found two books on the coffee table: The Wizarding Guide to the Marvels of Japan and The Japanese Art of Tea-Making. Making tea after dinner became Credence’s job. In week five he asked Queenie if she could find an old set for his apartment. She took him out early on Thursday morning, between the morning rush and the lunchtime crowds, to a hidden street that appeared at a few whispered words. The fourth shop down was filled to the rafters with every kind of tea imaginable, stacks and stacks of pungent leaves. There were pots of metal, porcelain and glass in a myriad of shapes and patterns. He left finally with a taster box and a tea set that first appeared plain white until it was filled with water and a little plant bloomed and grew, twisting into the form of a tiny dragon that puffed smoke when the tea was ready. Credence decided to call him Thomas, and Thomas never failed to make him smile.

In week six Newt had arrived back and came to visit with a creeping green plant in a shockingly blue pot. They had to gently disentangle the fronds from where they clung to Newt’s hair in order to pass the plant over, but they seemed quite excited to explore Credence’s fingers instead. Credence made tea and placed the plant, which he rather thought he would name Delilah, in a sunny spot on the kitchen window. She waved her fronds about happily. Newt was delighted with the tea, well, mostly by the little dragon on the pot, and approved wholeheartedly of the names Thomas and Delilah. 

Credence’s weekly Events remained the same, and he found himself settling into them with a little more warmth each time. Delilah waved to him in the morning as he cooed and watered her before making breakfast. He had tea (of different kinds) three times a day: once at breakfast, once in the afternoon, and once before bed (the kinds with milk and sugar tended to go best at bedtime). Sometimes, when he felt that churning chasm in his chest, when his hands trembled and shook and his skin began to feel flimsy, like it didn’t belong to him, he made other tea. Strong-smelling, filled with herbs and sweet vanilla, he let the scent break through the fog. Sometimes he showered as well, let the warm - warm! - water flow over his hair and face and down his back until his body felt like his again. Thomas always seemed to give an extra tumble or wiggle those times. It was a work in progress, learning what helped.

Newt stayed around, often joining them on Saturday for dinner, but he never made his own Event with Credence. Instead he seemed to pop up randomly, always with something new and exciting to show him. But Newt was quiet too, even though he talked a lot, never raised his voice or held a gaze for very long. For all his life seemed like a wild adventure, he listened closely to Credence when he explained the tea-making, his smile warm and wide. One day he brought a little radio into the kitchen and when Credence returned from the pantry he found Newt dancing and waving his hands along to the music at an enthusiastic Delilah. Newt didn’t stop when he saw him and Credence felt the warm surety of having a new friend. 

The first letter from Mr Graves - Percival, said the letter - arrived on Tuesday in Credence’s tenth week of living in the apartment. He drank cup after cup of tea, sitting at his kitchen table, trying to sort out in his head that this letter was from a stranger. Then he cleaned the apartment. And had some more tea. 

Newt found him back at the kitchen table. The parchment was now quite crinkled. Credence was torn between abject mortification and begging for help writing a reply. In the end he did neither.

“I think Thomas might be a bit blown out,” he murmured.

Newt laughed softly. “He might, at that. Letters are bloody awkward things aren’t they? Takes me ages and I either end up rambling or saying nothing at all really. There aren’t a lot of people who write me often. Say, do you even have a quill Credence?”

Credence shook his head. “I’ve never used one, seems a bit strange.”

“Well sometimes strange is as good as familiar. Tell you what, let’s go get some quills and parchment. It’ll be writing practice - I bet by the time you have it, you’ll have something to say at least. Or you’ll just say something to see the back of writing.” His lips curled in a little smile that reminded Credence of when some of the orphans played pranks on one another.

“It’s the afternoon. It’ll be busy. Busier.”

Newt nodded. “Do you have clothes that feel nicer than others?”

Credence frowned. “Um…I like the black jumper, it’s soft and the neck isn’t too high…” It came out like a question.

“Go put that on then. I like having my scarf nearby, just in case. It’s better to be comfortable and lots of clothes are awful. I can cast a little charm so that no one bumps us for now.”

No one did bump into them, though the noise on the street made him clench his teeth. The writing shop was quiet however, and Credence found that parchment felt so much nicer than paper. When they got back Newt stayed and showed him how to hold the quill. They sat together at the kitchen table, Newt with his papers and notes and Credence with his new writing collection. And his letter. Newt simply left him to it and eventually he found himself so tired, so done with the worries and thoughts and shaking hands that he simply wrote whatever came into his head.

Dear Mr Percival,

Thank you for your letter. I was not sure how to feel about your apology because I know that we have never actually met. Weeks ago I would have been angry. Now I am not sure what I am.

I am writing this with a new quill that Mr Scamander helped me buy. It’s very strange getting used to using one, so I do apologise for my writing…

When his hand cramped he stopped and folded the letter carefully. Newt had agreed to owl the letter for him and the man would reply or he would not. Either way, Credence could go over it all with the mind healer tomorrow, and he would plant herbs and return home as the owner of a proper wizarding quill. Maybe he could have his own owl someday, if Delilah didn’t mind. Once the mind healer approved him to start learning magic he might be able to learn that charm of Newt’s, though Newt had said there were other non-magic ways of making going outside easier. It had surprised him that someone like Newt would ever need such things. But then, maybe lots of people did.

He received a reply at the end of the week. The envelope was stiff and textured and sealed with wax and he spent several minutes running his fingers over the changing textures.

Dear Credence,

I admit that part of me did not expect a reply, though I am pleased to have received one. 

Stranger though I am, I do not find your words strange. I confess I now find it a challenge like never before to leave my own door…

For so long he had felt alone. Such a strange thing then, to find that everywhere there were others who felt things just as he did. Who knew what it took to venture outside, to feel fear and anger and loss and continue to live. He thought that he would write to Percival again and ask if he drank tea. And he would go back to the tea shop and the writing shop. And who knew what other things there were that he could see and touch and would become familiar. Newt and Queenie and Tina would know, and Jacob too, he would know about the non-magical places that might be just as interesting. He would ask them then, and make a list.

He would prepare. Things were waiting, and he found he didn’t want them to wait too long.

[fantasticwritingandwheretoreadit]

Of Course I Believe in Magic (Newt x Muggle!Reader)

Request:  Hello! I'm a big fan from Portugal and I want to do a request! Could you please do a Newt X Muggle!Reader? Like, she believes in magic and she's investigating (She's a detective) the Goldenstein sisters, and when Newt appears, she starts being a little less careful and Newt notice her. And he watches her while she watches him. Then he ask her to go out with him, and the date is super cute and he tells her he's a wizard and she tells him she's a detective. - @cecesunshine-fanfictions

This was a suuuper cool and original idea and I apologize it took me a while to write

THIS IS MY LONGEST FIC EVER AT 2520 WORDS I GOT CARRIED AWAY OOPS

L/N: Last name

When you were ten years old, you witnessed what appeared to be an average woman pull what looked like a twig out of her pocket, mutter something under her breath, and before you could process what happened, she had vanished into thin air.  Of course you had heard stories when you were younger about wizards and fairies and dragons.  Most kids stopped believing in that kind of stuff as they got older, but you weren’t ‘most kids’.  Deep down you felt that magic was all around you, but you just couldn’t see it with your own two eyes.  But when you saw that woman disappear in an abandoned alleyway, it was enough to confirm your suspicion that wizards and witches did exist, and looked just like your average person.  You were curious as to how wizards and witches got their powers.  Can anybody become a wizard?  Or did you have to be born one?  Is there some magic wizarding school hidden from average human eyes?  Whatever it was, you were determined to find out.

**Fourteen years later, age 24**

Fourteen years later, here you are.  A detective living in New York City, one of the busiest and most crowded places in America.  Not your stereotypical detective that wore a trenchcoat, totally not-suspicious sunglasses, and a fedora or deerstalker hat.  You preferred to blend in with everyone else.  You figured that there just had to be some wizards living in America.  About a month ago, you had become curious with a pair of sisters.  After a few days of what some would consider stalking, you had discovered that their names were Tina and Queenie Goldstein.  Queenie was the bubbly blonde-haired sister, you would usually always find her wearing some shade of pink.  Tina was the more stern dark-haired sister.  Using your context clues you had determined that Tina must be the eldest.  Aside from their physical appearance, what really fueled your suspicion was one morning you made the bold decision to follow the sisters wherever they were going.  You stayed about twenty feet behind them as to not stir up any suspicion from them.  Eventually you saw them enter the Woolworth Building on Broadway.  You followed behind them; but when you entered the building, they were nowhere to be seen.  

You went home that night and thought about it.  Maybe the building acts as an entirely different place for wizards if they use some sort of spell, you thought.  

**Two weeks later**

You hadn’t really made any groundbreaking discoveries on the Goldstein sisters the past two weeks, but today got you a little curious.  While standing near a lamppost on the street the Goldstein’s apartment building is on, you saw the two of them enter the building with two men.  You found this to be very out of the ordinary, as the Goldstein’s apartment building was females-only. One was shorter in stature, with dark hair and a mustache.  The other was more tall and lanky and appeared to be in his twenties.  He had cinnamon colored, curly hair and was wearing a bright blue coat.  You didn’t have that great of a view, but you could tell his face seemed to be littered with freckles.  In his hand he was gripping a brown leather case.  

He was the last to go in, and you, not realizing you were staring, caught him looking straight at you for a brief moment before following the others inside.  You were sort of embarrassed that he had caught you staring, but you had to admit:  he was pretty cute.

*

Over the next few weeks, you kept seeing the blue-coated curly-haired man around the city.  You never got too close to him, as you feared that there was a possibility he was catching onto your spying habits on the Goldsteins.  Yet you also wanted to talk to him and get to know who exactly he was.  (Oh, and french kiss him.  He looks like he tastes like pastries or somethin like that).  Next Friday, however, was different.

*

You weren’t doing anything involving the Goldsteins today.  You’ve been taking a break all week.  You were walking down the busy street holding a steaming cup of coffee, when the Gods decided to make it rain.  Hard.  You didn’t have an umbrella to use, so instead you tightly wrapped your coat around your body and began to walk as fast as you could in your heeled boots to get back to your apartment.  

You sharply turned a corner only to bump right into a man.  You looked up and was shocked to see who it was.  It was the attractive curly-haired man.

“Oh--uh--I’m sorry, I’m just trying to get back to my apartment before I get soaked--” you rambled on.

The man chuckled, before opening an umbrella over the two of you.  (It’s your average muggle umbrella).  “I see that.  I’ve been seeing you around the city lately, but I haven’t gotten the chance to speak with you.  Can I walk you back to your apartment?  It’s freezing and wet out here, I don’t want you to get drenched and catch a cold,  I could imagine you’d like some company.”

He was British!  That just made you attracted to him even more.  You were grateful for his kind offer, and especially for the umbrella that protected you from the ungodly weather.  You were pretty positive that he wasn’t a rapist or some shit.  He was just too adorable.  “I’d appreciate that very much, thank you.  Oh!  I’m Y/N, by the way.  Y/N L/N.”

He smiled.  “I’m Newton Scamander, but everyone calls me Newt.”

The trek back to your apartment took about fifteen minutes.  You and Newt made small talk, about little things, like hobbies, why Newt was visiting America, stuff like that.  You never brought up the Goldsteins so you didn’t sound creepy, you actually wanted to get to know this guy.  However, you found out that Newt was actually in the middle of writing a book, but he didn’t tell you what exactly it was about.  He said he was visiting America because there was something here that he needed to study for his book.  It sounded a bit suspicious, but hey, for all you know he could actually be an undercover agent.  

Or a wizard.

*

You arrived at the door to your apartment.  

“Thank you, Newt, for walking me home on such short notice.”  You smiled to show your gratitude.

“It was my pleasure.  I’m glad I finally got to talk to you, I’ve been too shy to actually approach you,” Newt responded, a cute smile appearing on his freckled face.

“I guess me running into you was fate, huh?”

He chuckled.  “Well, I should probably get back to where I’m staying.”

You frowned.  “At least come in for a cup of tea before you leave, in return for walking me home.”

Newt seemed very happy with the idea.  “I’d love to.”

At the end of your little two-person tea party, Newt had something important to ask you.

“Y/N, I know we’ve only really known each other for about an hour, but you’re more intriguing than any girl I’ve met the past ten years.  So I have to ask, would you care to go on a date with me tomorrow at Central Park?”

You nodded happily.  “Yes, of course I would!”

“Perfect.  I’ll be here tomorrow at six?”  Newt’s huge smile remained on his face.

“Sounds lovely.  Now you should really be getting home, it’s getting really dark.”

“Trust me, I’ll be fine.”

*

All throughout the next day you were giddy with excitement for your date with Newt.  You were grateful that Central Park wasn’t a particularly fancy place, thus making it a lot easier for you to choose your outfit.  

You glanced at the clock.  It was 5:58PM.  Newt should be here any minute.  You pulled on your heeled boots (you had basically mastered walking in them) and your warm winter coat.  You looked at the clock one more time just as the hand turned from 5:59PM to 6:00PM.  There was a knock at the door.  Man’s got impressive timing.  

You checked your hair one last time in the mirror next to the door and coat rack before opening the door to see a handsome Newt standing there with a single rose in hand.  He was dressed in his usual attire, but damn did he look sexy in it.  “Good evening, Miss L/N,” Newt said in his beautiful British accent before handing you the rose.  

You carefully took the rose as to not get blood on your coat and inhaled it’s sweet scent.  “Why thank you, Mister Scamander.  Come in for a minute, I’ll find somewhere to put this rose.”  

Newt stepped into your apartment, closing the door behind him.  You bustled around in the small kitchen and found an unused vase under the sink.  You put some water in it and placed the rose inside before setting it in the middle of the coffee table in your sitting room.  

As you were doing this, Newt spoke up.  “Y/N, you look beautiful.”

You looked up at him and felt your cheeks heat up.  “Aw thank you, Newt.  You look quite handsome yourself.”  Newt blushed as well.  “Shall we get going?”

“I believe we shall,” answered Newt as you linked your hands together and left your apartment.

*

Central Park wasn’t too far from your apartment, maybe two blocks over.  It was cold outside, but when you were with Newt the weather didn’t seem to bother you that much anymore.  You both walked down the paths and admired the icicles hanging from the bare trees and the frozen fountain.  You talked mainly about life and past relationships, which it turned out that neither of you had had many.  

When it started to get darker, you could see the beautiful colored lights that lit up the whole of New York City.  Your legs were starting to get weak from doing so much walking in your boots, so you pulled Newt over to the nearest bench that happened to overlook the trees and gave you a perfect view of the setting Sun.  You pressed yourself against Newt’s side and lay your head on his shoulder, much to his surprise.  Not that he was complaining, he loved the affection.  

“Isn’t it gorgeous?”

Newt nodded.  “Absolutely.  I’ve heard stories of this city, but getting to actually be here is incredible.”  

“I’ve always wanted to go to England.  It sounds amazing,” you said.  

Newt chuckled.  “If you like clouds and rain at least half of the week. You’ll definitely love it.”  

You two sit there, in silence, simply enjoying each other’s presence as you watch the Sun set behind the skyscrapers and the silver Moon rise.  

Suddenly, Newt broke the silence with his soft and beautiful™ voice.  “Y/N… I know this is completely out of context, but… do you believe in magic?”

You took your head off his shoulder to look him in the eyes.  You scoffed.  “Of course I believe in magic.  It makes living in this cruel world a whole lot easier if you believe that wizards exist and unicorns live.”

“Alright, that’s a relief.  But you might think I’m insane after I tell you this-”

You cut him off.  “That you’re a wizard?”

Newt stared at you blankly, eyes growing large.  “What?  How on EARTH did you know?  Are you a witch too?”

You looked taken aback.  “I was right!?  I knew I had a fifty-fifty chance oh wow this is amazing!  Are Tina and Queenie Goldstein also witches?  Please tell me they are.”

Newt looked even more surprised.  “Yes, they are.  You know them?”

You shrugged.  “Eh… not really.  I’m a detective, you see.  I’ve dedicated the past decade to try and find proof that there is in fact a wizarding world out there.  When I was ten I could’ve sworn I saw a woman use a wand or something and then suddenly she disappeared.”

“What you saw was an apparation spell.  It’s what wizards and witches use to get around quickly,”  Newt replied, still in shock.

“So wands are real, too!?” you sounded like an excited child on Christmas morning.

Newt reached into his pocket and pulled out a stick.  More accurately, a wand.  “Lumos,” he said, and the tip of the wand illuminated.  You stared at it in awe.

“Are wizards even allowed to tell regular people that they’re magical?”  you asked.

“The wizarding laws in the United States are different than in the United Kingdom.  In the United States it’s forbidden to be in a relationship with someone non-magical, but in the United Kingdom it’s legal.  There’s an obliviation spell, it makes a non-magical person such as yourself forget anything they ever saw that was magical.”

The color drained from your face.  Newt noticed.  “Oh, love, don’t worry!  I’m not going to use it on you.”

“Oh thank God.  This is all so incredible to me.  It’s so much to take in…”

Newt smiled.  “I’ll tell you everything soon, I promise.  And do you remember the rose I gave you?”

You nodded, confused as to how it was significant in this conversation.

“I enchanted it.  It will never die.”

“You just keep amazing me, Newt,” you replied and kissed his cheek.  “Did you really trust me enough to tell me that you’re a wizard?  Especially since it’s illegal here apparently.”

You could see Newt’s blush through the light of his wand tip.  “Y/N, I know we just formally met yesterday, but I feel more attracted to you than I have been to anybody, ever.  I don’t usually care for people that much, I mainly spend time with my magical creatures and beasts-” he noticed that you were about to interrupt and cut you off- “we’ll talk about them later.  There’s something about you that I’ve never seen in a human before.  I could sense you were very close to the magical world.  Not to mention your beauty and kindness...” he trailed off.

“Good lord you are just a complete sweetheart, aren’t you?”  you exclaimed.  Newt’s cheeks were blazing red.  You leaned in and pressed your lips to his in a sweet and chaste kiss.  Suddenly you felt something twig-like brush your neck, causing you to pull away in fear and confusion.

Newt groaned.  “Pickett!  You little bugger!  I thought I told you to stay in the workshop!”  Newt pulled a green stick-looking creature out of his breast pocket and placed it on his shoulder.  “I’m sorry, Y/N.  This is Pickett, he’s a Bowtruckle with some attachment issues, he basically lives in my pocket.

“Is this one of your magical creatures you mentioned?  He’s very cute,” you said, admiring Pickett with curiosity.  

Newt nodded.  “Yes.  I have so many more… I think they’ll all really like you.  But there’s no way they could love you as much as I do.”  Newt leaned in for another kiss, hand on your waist.

This was sure to be the start of something a m a z i n g.

Please let me know what you thought of it!

Tags: @just-a-bit-odd @allyadarth @namelesslosers @amazing-fandom-freak @tomthestuntmanfelton

You can always message me if you want to be tagged!

[queenofbaws]

no one asked, but i just think bioware should've had hawke openly flirt with cassandra

look, either she would've gotten flustered enough to forget she was mad or she would've gotten so mad she'd shoot out of her earthly body and fight the breach with her own bare hands, but either way all i'm sayin is that varric would've had a solid 10 min to hightail it out of there

also i just think hawke should flirt with cassandra, period ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[queenofbaws]

as someone who is SO GOOD at forgetting i was tagged in stuff immediately after being tagged in stuff, i thought i'd go ahead and fill this puppy out while it was fresh in my mind ;)c hehehe thanks for the tag @phenanthreneblue!!!!!!!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

156 😎 and hopefully no sign of slowing, lol. i've been writing and posting fic since aboooooout 2007 though, so. do with that as you will.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

it's. um. it's. uh. a lot. ahem. it's a lot.

(1,923,174)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currrrrrrrrently the supermassive universe and dragon age, but i'm slowly adding the remedyverse in there, and silent hill pops up from time to time!!! and in ye olden days, i wrote a LOT for kingdom hearts. i've been CONSIDERING adding horizon to the list too, but...only time will tell, hehehe ;P

4. Top five fics by kudos

the (almost)s; who ya gonna call? not these creeps.; my fav part of summer camp [not clickbait!]; lipstick stains & coffee cups; yes, no, maybe so: circle one and let me know!

5. Do you respond to comments?

i do! i figure if you took the time to read AND let me know how you felt about my work, then by golly, i'm gonna tell you how much YOU made me smile :)c i've met some pretty cool people thanks to the comment section, hehe

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

aw man, probably alone time, right? probably alone time. i'm sure there was some extremely angsty stuff in my kingdom hearts days, but lord help me i am old and i have forgotten a lot of that

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

well, the durellion affair ends with everyone getting to eat as much cheese as they want, so i think that fits the bill!!! 🧀

8. Do you get hate on fics?

nah. i've been crazy lucky that, aside from the occasional (and likely unintentional) insensitive comment, people have always been super kind with my stuff <3 the deviantart days were a slightly different story, but why relive THAT time period, i ask you?????

9. Do you write smut?

nope. i'm not, like, opposed, i just don't think it would be good, and i've yet to write something where i felt it would add anything, so. nah. there are so many other things i can do to earn that m rating ;)

10. Craziest crossover?

for sure did an organization xiii/sweeney todd crossover once, in the long-long ago asldkjflsakdjf recently, though, i guess i'd have to say reading & other fun rituals was a VERY self-indulgent way for me to smash the remedyverse and supermassive universes together!!!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

eh, every time one of those "this site is scraping people's fics!" posts goes around, i end up finding my stuff, but in terms of bumping into an individual nabbing something i've written? not that i'm aware of! (i like to believe anyone reading would recognize the overabundance of adjectives and come tell me, ha!!!)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

i've had people ask, but i've never seen a finished product, so probably not! i tend to write pretty long stuff, though, and i wouldn't wish that kind of work on anyone alsdkjflaskdjfksljfd

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

i have! none that are posted currently, but i've for sure co-written in the past. i'm also slowly but surely co-writing a fun little thing over here with my buds where our (totally cool and DEFINITELY not overpowered) self-inserts have fun being npcs in the federal bureau of control, so...keep your eyes peeled for that, heheheheh

14. All time favourite ship?

right now? varric tethras and f!hawke 🥺 at this point in time, i only have eyes for them

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

sigh. soft reset 😔 it's a big ol' silent hill 2 timeloop fic that i started back in 2015 i think, and as much as i WANT to finish it...i haven't felt the silent hill muse strike in a hot minute. maybe once the remake comes out.

16. What are your writing strengths?

oh, i like to flatter myself that i'm pretty solid when it comes to character voices/interactions 😉 it's why i do so many character studies, honestly - i just *clenches fist* love studying characters!!! i also think my dialogue's fun

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

how much time do you HAVE??? hehehe i feel like i flounder when it comes to straight up-and-down fluffy/shippy stuff, like if the focus of a story is, for example, some sort of romantic gesture, i'm fairly lost. i'm also HORRENDOUS when it comes to keeping things concise, and god help me, every time i have to delete a passage and kill my darlings, i am miserable, so i tend to just...not do that

also? just putting it out there because i do consider it a weakness in regards to writing: sometimes my self-esteem with posting stuff is just. MISERABLE. so i have a tendency to get anxious before, during, and after hitting the post button, just really wallowing in those good, good I'M A FRAUD feelings, lmfao. i'm working on it, though!!! i love writing so much, sometimes the irrational part of my brain just worries i'm not Doing It Right, hahahaha

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

no one's done it better than the thing (1982) and no one ever will

19. First fandom you wrote in?

proooooobably kingdom hearts??? don't quote me on that, though, it very much could've been x-men: evolution asdlkfjsalkjf (those just never saw the light of day)

20. Favorite fic you've written?

c'moooooon. the (almost)s :)

i'm gonna go ahead and tag...hmm... @love-fireflysong @jadedsunshine @unicornaffair @big-ass-magnet @mrs-theirin @theartofdreaming1 @icequeen-07 @chris-hartley and anyone - yes, i mean ANYONE - who wants to talk about their stuff ;) especially YOU!!!

[queenofbaws]

if i don't write something vhawke in the immediate future i feel like i might explode into a swarm of moths and eat a whole sweater

[queenofbaws]

hey writer buds, level with me here...

i know it's hard to pick - i know it is - but which fic of yours is your baby? i'm not talking about which has the most hits or kudos or anything like that, but the story that means the most to you, the one that you could talk about for hours and hours and hours if only someone asked you the right question about it?

whatever it is, you should let me know and point me in its general direction so i can check it out! give ya gurl something to read ;)c

[queenofbaws]

uh oh. my fears were correct: the new varric design did it.

im shifting back into da mode...............

[queenofbaws]

dragon age stuff i SHOULD get stuck on:

the whole two moon thing

whatever the fuck’s going on w the ghasts/profane and where they are now

that flower that can CURE THE BLIGHT (but only in dogs)

dragon age stuff i ACTUALLY spend my precious brain power thinking about:

are orlesians really out here calling fereldans “turnips”???????

[queenofbaws]

i use the phrase “bioware robbed us” often enough that i’m sure it’s losing meaning to you guys but i’m lying here trying to fall asleep just staring at the ceiling and mourning the cutscene(s) we never got of cassandra meeting hawke and it becoming immediately and humiliatingly apparent what a huge crush she has on them

“champion,” she says, feigning stiffness to try and hide her excitement, “varric here has told me much about you - ”

“only the good things, i’m sure,” hawke replies a little too quickly, dropping a wink at the very least and a knowingly antagonistic kiss to her knuckles at best

cassandra short circuits and cullen’s already packed his bags and halfway to antiva before he can see this shit start up again

[queenofbaws]

genuinely, one of my fav parts of dragon age 2 is the incidental storytelling you get from the npcs, by which i am 100% referring to how the citizenry of the great city-state of kirkwall will just keep walking through a bloody, no holds barred street fight on their way to go wherever the fuck they’re going

they don’t even break STRIDE

and i’m sure that’s something something coding something something a lot to program, but all i can ever imagine is one of them getting home and being like “sorry i’m late, there was a fight or something going on in the chantry courtyard and wouldn’t you know it, i tripped over five corpses piled on top of each other. just one right on top of the other! anyway, what’s for dinner?”

[queenofbaws]

personally i’ve never spent too much time thinking about hawke-as-inquisitor worldstates just because i so adore the idea of hawke interacting with the inky, but as i sit here playing tonight, uhhhhhh i’ve come to realize how very, very, very much money i’d pay to see inquisitor hawke coping through the dawn will come.

there they stand. making the same face as the woman from that math meme. they do not know how to process any of what is happening. ‘ah damn,’ hawke thinks, watching the people of haven take a knee and shout a chantry hymn in their general direction, ‘it’s happening again. i’m having the dream. the weird one. this is what i get for eating so soon before bed i guess.’ this confusion slowly turns to burgeoning horror as they realize oh, oh no. oh no.

varric, meanwhile, is frozen in a quantum state where he can’t decide if he wants to laugh until his heart physically stops or if he’s going to puke out everything he’s ever eaten in his life out of sheer, spiraling terror for what he knows is about to come next, the inevitable fall that comes from a hero being lifted onto a pedestal like that. there’s nowhere to go but down, down, down, and hawke has never really gotten the hang of falling - only crashing.

cullen has his head between his knees and is trying desperately not to pass out. he is, however, openly weeping.

[queenofbaws]

/slouches real deep into beanbag chair with eyes narrowed and fingers steepled under my chin like a saturday morning cartoon villain

are there actually spiders the size of SUVs in kirkwall OR does varric just describe them that way while telling his story to cassandra because he’s really, really scared of them and wants her to feel a sliver of the abject existential dread he felt whenever the word “spider” was uttered???????????

[queenofbaws]

i will never not be salty about how neat corypheus’s boss battle was in the legacy dlc, only for the dai battle to be so bORING

where were the statues i had to bleed on, bioware??????? where were my teammates constantly running into electrified rocks while getting smashed by inexplicable icicles??????????? where were corypheus’s COOL FUCKIN EYES???????

[queenofbaws]

i messed up, friends

wasn’t keeping track of what quests i had/hadn’t finished and now all that remains is, uh, all that remains

:(

[queenofbaws]

dear hightown funk 2022 author/artist...

oooooh baby, it’s that time of year again ;P

well hello there! first off, let it be known that i’m so incredibly psyched to see whatever it is you come up with, so THANK YOU in advance!!

tl;dr: i will love whatever idea you have and whatever you create/put out into the universe will be fantastic. i know this. i feel it in my heart. thank you for doing the lord’s work and adding more varric/hawke to the world ;P

hawke: i am a simple woman of simple tastes, i see purple f!hawke and i go hearteyes like a cartoon wolf. if you’re someone who likes to mix purple with red/blue, by all means, go for it! as long as the snarky banter is there, i am S O L D. rogue is my fav, but i will just as happily take mage or warrior, and i greatly, greatly prefer pro-mage hawke (read: supportive of anders and his actions), but HOW pro-mage you wanna go is, again, totally up to you!

other ships/characters: legit, i am down to clown with any side ships. any of ‘em. i am an equal opportunity shipper here, and i puh-romise, if you want to throw other ships in there, i’ll be pleased as punch no matter who they are :) as for other characters, again, whoever you’re comfy with!

prompt stuff: i know from personal experience that when /i’m/ writing, sometimes less of a prompt is more, so i went a little vague in my requests for that reason. like i said above, i’m super excited to see how the spirit moves you, so to speak, but if you want a little more than my wishy-washy descriptions, let’s do it!

halamshiral hijinx: i don’t know what it is about me as a person, but the idea of the inquisition having to bring hawke along to the winter palace during dai just gets me every goddamn time. hawke and varric having to deal with orlesians is absolutely one of my favorite subgenres of fic. sneaking off to the gardens for some privacy? snickering at the ugly-ass inquisition uniforms behind the others’ backs? going around making up stories about their exploits to any noble who won’t leave them alone? ‘oh man we’re at this FANCY BALL, sure would be a bummer if someone attacked and we had to fight in our FANCY CLOTHES’??? it’s all. so. good. 

skyhold shenanigans: for being drafted into the inquisition, we sure don’t see a lot of hawke in skyhold, huh? legit, anything about hawke and varric’s goings-on behind the scenes is so, so good by me. i’d love to see your take on their reunion, or varric making the rounds to introduce hawke to the inq, them hanging out at the herald’s rest and thinking about the good ol’ days at the hanged man…whatever comes to mind!

THAT self-indulgent scene: look. i know how it goes. there’s something you’ve been wanting to write/draw/create for these two that you turn over and over in your head like a rotisserie chicken for hours on end, but for whatever reason, you just haven’t been able to figure out where/how to use it, or you haven’t found the right excuse to put it into the universe. THAT’S what i’m after, here ;P this prompt is a total and complete free space - i just wanna see what you do with it!!

for artists: hi, hello!!! like i said on the form, default marian hawke is SO great by me - if you want to give her longer hair, i am DOUBLY down, but again, as is the repeating message throughout…well, most of this, whatever you’re most comfortable with is more than fine by me!!!

what i’m into: pretty much…everything, which like…i HOPE helps you, haha! again with the vagueries, i know, i know…angst with a happy ending is a huge weakness of mine, love it, love it…as is friends to lovers. all the ol’ cliches get me in a big way, the cheesier the better: oh no, there’s only one bed!; guess we better fake a relationship for [insert reason]; you keep jokingly flirting with me but…OH NO I’M INTO IT. all the ol’ gems.

please avoid: my squicks are few and far between, but full-out abuse of any sort (physical/emotional/sexual) is a heavy pass from me, please and thanks. similarly, it’d be greatly appreciated if there wasn’t a lot of pro-chantry stuff included.

again, thanks so much, i’m so excited to see what you come up with!!! :)