#t: varric tethras

[lifetime-want]

My Varric Tethras townie <3

[sammakesart]

Varric’s chest hair (nsfw full on patreon)

[olessan]

[fadedhawke]

it's possible they're just scared shitless of you. (Varric, of course)

"Oh come on." Hawke gives Varric a cheeky grin and nudges him with her elbow. "Look at them Varric. That one's bigger than a druffalo! Scared of lil old me, pfft. I don't know what you mean, my handsome friend."

They absolutely should be afraid of the apostate even though she had taken the time to clean all of the blood from her face this time. Or at least fearfully curious. After all-how often does one see a crazed woman with a bunch of dead giant rats slung over her shoulder?

Hawke turns her back on the group in front of them and bats her eyelashes at the dwarf.

[clairdeleon]

Clairdeleon's Neve/Rook Fic Masterlist

Your go-to source for every fic about Neve Gallus and Victoria Mercar! Will be updated as I continue to post about them.

Maroon - Rated E - Filthy Little Tags: Hickeys, Oral, Desk Sex, Fingering, Marking, Bruises 5 times Neve left her mark on Rook, and the 1 time Rook left her mark on Neve. A small series of hickeys, bites, scratches, bruises, and everything else.

maker, i'm actually invested, haven't even met yet - Rated E - Filthy little tags: Modern AU (nothing spicy has happened yet, will be updated)

The most interesting cases always come from unknown numbers, this is just a fact of solving crime in Dock Town. Unfortunately for Neve Gallus, Tarquin and Ashur fully took advantage of that fact to set her up on a blind text conversation with someone they think may be good for her. The catch? No asking personal questions - no asking for name, gender, hair color, build, anything that could identify Neve's Unknown. The goal? Get the detective a partner in crime (solving).

Between solving her Unknown case and the one Varric Tethras brought her, Neve's booked and busy. But not so distracted that she doesn't notice the former Dragon that Varric brought with him.

you'll be my favorite mistake - Rated E - Filthy little tags: Sex pollen trope, grinding/humping, fingering, oral

The merchants of Dock Town aren't always the most trustworthy sorts. Emmrich learned his lesson, but he's from Nevarra, of course he didn't know. Neve assumed Rook would, being from Minrathous herself, but when Vic accidentally purchases what the merchant told her were sleeping potions and turns out they're actually more of a "sleeping" potion... well, they're just going to have to work through it, aren't they?

the age old curse - Rated M - Filthy Little Tags: ANGST, religion

Neve isn't religious. And yet, when Victoria 'Rook' Mercar is tricked, trapped, gone - she figures it's worth a try. Anything is worth a try if it could bring Vic back. Right?

Post Point of No Return. Neve's dealing with her feelings of faith while Rook is stuck in the Fade.

leather covered and rain soaked - Rated E - Filthy Little Tags: Desk sex, leather kink, glove kink, oral, fingering, voyeurism

It's both a blessing and a curse to have Taash as a good friend. A blessing, because Taash is one of if not the most capable dragon hunter in northern Thedas. A curse, because Taash can smell - and call out - a part of Neve's outfits that Vic has a particular attraction to. Rook's appreciation for Neve's gloves is about the aesthetic only, and certainly not about imagining those gloves on her bare skin. Not at all.

Set sometime after first kiss but before the point of no return, implied Neve and Rook have hooked up before.

bitter and broken and blighted - Rated T - Filthy Little Tags: blighted Neve, angst

“She’s still standing,” Davrin promises. “She’s still alive.” “She’s blighted,” Vic whispers. “I didn’t—” Davrin’s hand wraps around her wrist, the touch of his sword-calloused fingers warm and grounding. “She’s here,” the Warden says, firmer.

A missing moment from after rescuing Neve. Because she deserves to be reassured with more than just words.

a little distraction and a little interruption - Rated E - Filthy Little Tags: Desk sex, oral, fingering, mild exhibitionism

"I'll stop soon, I promise."

"No."

"No?"

Vic picks up a random note, puts it on top of the page in Neve’s notebook as a makeshift bookmark. Then, very deliberately and with barely disguised annoyance, slams Neve’s notebook shut. And then puts her hand on it, leaning forward and putting her body weight on it. “No.”

Neve needs to take a break from looking over her most recent case files, and Victoria Mercar's not going to let her return to work. Even if she needs to distract Neve with something else.

i'm not going anywhere - Rated M - Filthy Little Tags: angst, kissing

It's only natural for them all to have nightmares when they're fighting gods, and darkspawn, and Venatori. Neve just wishes they weren't so realistic. And that they didn't involve Vic.

i knew it were trouble - Rated E - Filthy Little Tags: Wet t-shirt theme, bath makeouts

Healing potions help with broken bones and big cuts, sure. But after fighting darkspawn (and not getting out of the way when Taash and Davrin told her to) and ending up black and blue, Vic's in need of something a little more relaxing and a little more home-remedy - a good bath with soothing oils borrowed from Emmrich. Nobody ever comes to look for her, she always looks for them, why would this time be any different?

a discussion of women and bad coffee - Rated M - Filthy Little Tags: just two girls talking about liking girls

It's become habit, to linger in the study with Neve when the both of them should be asleep. Sometimes Rook reads one of Bellara's serials, or one of Emmrich's books. Sometimes she just watches Neve put the pieces together. And sometimes she wants to talk. Tonight, she wants to talk. About a few things, but mainly women.

[thedragonagelesbian]

a monument to more than bone and tissue

Fandom: Dragon Age (II/Veilguard)

Ship: M!HawkeXVarric

Word Count: 2,992

Rating: T

Summary:

In 9:37, Cyrus Hawke flees Kirkwall, a man broken by his failure to save it. In 9:41, when the Herald of Andraste closes the Veil on the Nightmare, he finds himself dragged back to the city of chains, pressed into the Fade and hungry for its wayward champion. In 9:50, the Veil Jumpers pull him out again.

A meditation on bodies and their changes in grief, in healing, and in love.

“Sunshine says you’re not letting her look at you.”

Ashes in his stomach. Lungs. Eyes. But Cyrus Hawke does not blink.

“Come on.” Kirkwall is a haze on the horizon now, a smudge of red curling into the darkness from their perch high in the Vimmark Mountains, but that horizon is soon blotted out by Varric Tethras. For want of something tangible to fix, his hands twist at his side, matching the nervous working of his jaw, though Cyrus scarcely registers either. Staring without looking, unable to join mind and body. “Let’s at least get you out of the armor, yeah?”

Varric catches him beneath the chin with one finger, and for a moment, the elf feels it. A worn glove of thick leather. A tightness in his knuckles. The hard objects pressed into his palms. A pulse of sensation. And then everything is dull again. Empty. Smoke curling between his ribs.

“Alright, fine,” frown, shudder, exhale, “why don’t we start here instead: just drink some water.” Varric can’t press the canteen into Cyrus’ hands, occupied as they are with their charges, so he brings it to his lips instead. “Just a little. Please…”

The word breaks in his throat, the silver stripped from his tongue and left raw, and it is this catch that makes Cyrus tilt his head back. Reflexive compliance met by Varric cradling the back of his skull. Oriented, blinking up at the stars, before the water begins to trickle into his mouth. It responds slow. Lips haphazard in their suckling, tongue twitching around the droplets, throat clotted and struggling to swallow something tinged copper.

Keep reading on Ao3

[warpedlegacywrites]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤️

Thank you for this ask @blarrghe!

Swept Away: Josephine Montilyet/Isabela. M. 75,162 words. This project was a real labor of love from start to finish. It was also the first work I ever made a concentrated effort to finishing before I published it. And the result, I think, is all the stronger for it. I adore this pairing as well, and I'm not usually given to rare pairs, but these two just sing to me. They fit so perfectly together, and I had so much fun imagining how that might happen. Major thanks to @rakshadow for being my ever-patient and ever-wise beta. And to @theluckywizard for the lovely artwork she contributed. You both helped this story take shape!

Lead Her Through the Darkness: Genfic. T. 3,121 words. One-shot. This was my first gift fic for an OC swap exchange, and I swear from start to finish I was possessed with this character. Ixchel is such an amazing protagonist and the symbolism around her, especially her name, felt such a vital piece of that, I wanted to explore that a bit. I am humbled and honored that @dreadfutures has taken this idea and run with it in her own canon. <3

Seeker, It's Cold Outside: Varric Tethras/Cassandra Pentaghast. T. 5,242 words. One-shot. Writing vitriolic banter is like 95% of the reason why I adore this pairing so much. Their dynamic is so messy, doomed from the start, but no less worthy of a story to be told just because the ending I foresee for them isn't an unambiguously happy one. It's moments like this one where I see them able to unpack themselves a little bit around each other, and that's so important for them both.

Fiercely Perish: Dorian Pavus/The Iron Bull. M. 23,033 words. Die Hard, but in Thedas. This was an April Fool's Day fic some years ago, and it remains a fic I look on fondly for how much unbridled fun it was to write. I especially love people recognizing the source material as they read and leave comments. It brings me such joy. This is also probably one of the sillier fics I've written, and I don't give myself the opportunity to lean into humor as often as angst. This is just. Fun. It's fun. I love it. ^_^

While Time Remains: Series. Cullen Rutherford/OC!mage!Trevelyan. M. 189,699 words, 2/4 planned arcs published. WIP. I'm cheating a little bit on this one since it's a series rather than one isolated fic. But the series is one continuous story, so I think I can count that. This was the series I turned to when I stalled on my main DAI-timeline longfic. Writing this gave me a chance to finally sink my teeth into the Cullen/Theresa pairing that I was longing for so badly with my main fic's slow burn. It also helped me really start to shape my voice as a writer, learning how to pace a story so that one arc felt complete while still being part of a greater whole. And it helped me discover my strengths as a writer, and grow in my confidence. But more than that, I was able to develop Theresa and Cullen's relationship beyond my wildest dreams. They've grown just as much as I have throughout the course of writing and planning this story for them, that was only originally conceived as a sweet and lighthearted domestic fluff series of vignettes. An epic, vast-sweeping story has grown out of those humble origins, and I can't wait until it's all finished and published so people can enjoy it in its entirety! ^_^

[mlm-writer]

Character list

Hey so this is the new character list. You might see characters/fandoms in my masterlist which do not appear here. This is not a mistake. I probably just lost interest in them and moved on to the next shiny thing.

You can always request characters/fandoms that are not on this list. Worst I can say is that I won't write it. Please do respect my choices here on whom to write nsfw content for and whom not.

Deadpool

Wade Wilson: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Logan (pathetic edition): Platonic / Romantic / Sexual

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Dorian Pavus: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Cullen Rutherford: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Cassandra Pentaghast: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Varric Tethras: Platonic Iron Bull: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Cole: Platonic / Romantic

Kpop

Choi Soobin (TXT): Platonic / Romantic Choi Minho (SHINee): Platonic / Romantic Song Yuqi ((G)I-DLE): Platonic / Romantic Shin Ryujin (ITZY): Platonic / Romantic Hwang Yeji (ITZY): Platonic / Romantic

Mass Effect Trilogy

Kaidan Alenko: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Urdnot Wrex: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Samara: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Liara T'Soni: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Garrus Vakarian: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Urdnot Grunt: Platonic Aria T'Loak: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Mordin Solus: Platonic / Romantic

Peacemaker

Adrian Chase: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual

Shrek

Shrek (gotta have him in here): Romantic / Sexual

Star Trek (TOS/AOS)

James T. Kirk: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Leonard H. McCoy: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual S'chn T'gai Spock: Platonic / Romantic

Transformers Earthspark

Megatron: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual

Transformers Prime

Ratchet: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Optimus Prime: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Smokescreen: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Soundwave: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Megatron: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Knockout: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual Predaking: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual

Transformers Rescue Bots

Heatwave: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual

Venom (2018)

Eddie Brock: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual (but only when Venom is there too) Venom: Platonic / Romantic / Sexual

The Way of the Househusband

Tatsu: Platonic

[theoriginalladya]

Will & Might: The Test of Time

Title: Will & Might: The Test of Time

Fandom: Dragon Age

Word Count: about 12,000

Rating: T and Up

Summary:

William Trevelyan and Cullen Rutherford spent ten years together as Templar recruits at the Chantry monastery in Jader. Closer than brothers, until a revelation forced William to leave the Templar life behind. Reunited fifteen years later, their friendship is put to the test a second time by the same choice that drove William from the monastery. The world may be falling apart around them, but perhaps a reforged friendship is just what these two old soldiers need.

Characters: William Trevelyan, Cullen Rutherford, Varric Tethras, Solas

Pairings: William Trevelyan & Cullen Rutherford, William Trevelyan/Dorian Pavus

Tags: Friendship, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Drinking, Drunkenness, Mentions of addiction (lyrium), mentions of withdrawal (lyrium) Chess, get by with a little help from my friends

Snippet:

He should have gone the other way. “You look like you’ve got your hands full there, Inquisitor. Let me get that door for you.” In all his days, back in the Free Marches or even during his years at the monastery for training, William Trevelyan had always maintained a fine sense of humor. Puns, witty one-liners, word play of any kind – “It’s knight errant, not knight errand, you arse!” – Will savored and appreciated it all. He’d built a reputation for himself of being quick witted and, when necessary, as vicious with his words as he was with his blade.  Until tonight. Maker, but he’d forgotten that the easier route to his destination would bring him right past the dwarf currently sitting at the table in the Great Hall in front of the hearth, an inkwell, quill, and bare pages open before him. Right in front of the door Will needed to get through, and almost as if expecting he would come by. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I decided to go back to my roots in Dragon Age to try to get my writing mojo back and participated in the Dragon Age Big Bang this year with a (not so) simple story about friendship, separation, and the reforging of that friendship fifteen years later.

I was fortunate enough to get paired up with @blasteddoodles as my artist, and oh man, did she bring my Inquisitor, William, to life! Thank you, my friend! Also huge thanks to @shadoedseptmbr and @happychica for betaing for me!

Enjoy!

[inquisimer]

Accidentally got possessed by my handers rivalmance this week, but I'm not complaining. I can't remember the last time I wrote so many words at once and I'm rolling in the catnip about it :3

Summary

Mari meets an infuriating mage in Darktown. And for some reason he doesn't leave - and she can't make him. - Missing scenes & expansions on the rivalmance between Mari Hawke & Anders.

tags/word count/etc below the cut

Rating: T

Relationships: Anders/Female Hawke, Varric Tethras & Female Hawke, Bethany Hawke & Female Hawke

Chapters: 7/7 (complete)

Word Count: 12,469

Other Tags: Canon compliant, Missing scenes, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Humor, Purple Hawke, Enemies to Lovers, Rivalmance, Warden Bethany Hawke, Rogue Hawke, Protective Hawke, Post-Dragon Age II Quest - All That Remains, Dragon Age II Quest - The Last Straw

Tagging the DAFF crew 💜

@warpedlegacy | @rakshadow | @rosella-writes | @effelants | @bluewren | @breninarthur | @ar-lath-ma-cully | @dreadfutures | @theluckywizard | @nirikeehan | @oxygenforthewicked | @exalted-dawn-drabbles | @blarrghe | @agentkatie

[anneapocalypse]

Black Emporium Gift Recs!

BE is still in the anon period so I will no doubt be reccing these again after creator reveals 😉 but I received three AMAZING gifts that I love very much and must share so that you can go give them some love too!

a friend in need. Sera & Slim Couldry, 3000 words, rated T. A fic that captures everything I love to imagine about Sera's early life in Denerim and how she could have known one of my favorite minor characters! Really gets at the sense of rejection that hit her so hard in childhood and shaped who she becomes.

Letters to the Office of the Viscount. Varric Tethras & Bran Cavin, 1399 words, rated T. The very entertaining story of Viscount Varric, his unanswered mail, his approach to diplomatic relations, and his very put-upon seneschal.

gold dust woman. Branka/Hespith, 3000 words, rated M. A beautiful and atmospheric fic exploring the relationship from Hespith's perspective, from their early lives to the tragic Deep Roads expedition.

Happy Black Emporium reveals, friends, and happy reading!

[sammakesart]

Varric and Hawke enjoying their retirement | full on patreon

[holly-poly]

Nominations Open

Nominations are open, and they'll stay open through 11:00am UTC on 24 October - you can see a countdown timer at this link. You're allowed to nominate up to 10 fandoms, with up to 10 relationships per fandom. This year we have imported the tagset from Holly Poly 2022 to try and reduce the workload for us mods - please make sure to check the tagset before you nominate a ship to see if it is already included in the tagset. We recommend expanding all tagset categories before searching the page for any ships since some fandoms may not be in the section you expect due to us using slightly different fandom tags in some cases.

The tag set is located here: https://archiveofourown.org/tag_sets/17485

In order to nominate a relationship, simply click the Nominate button located in the top right-hand corner of the tag set. If you do not have an account on the AO3, please let us know, and we should be able to get you an invite. On a similar note, if you have any questions, or if you're nominating something that you think might be confusing, please either post a comment to this post or send an e-mail to holly.poly.exchange@gmail.com if you'd rather keep it private.

For relationships that do not already have canonical tags, please nominate them in alphabetical order by last name (and, if they don't have a last name or multiple characters share a last name, then by first name). For example: Anders/Fenris/Bethany Hawke/Carver Hawke/Isabela/Merrill/Varric Tethras/Aveline Vallen, or Astrid Beck/Eadwulf Grieve/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast, or Sirius Black/Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks.

Please don't panic if we add some type of disambiguation to relationships that you nominate. Especially for ones where the same characters fall under different fandoms (various comic fandoms, movie/TV show vs. book fandoms, etc.), as doing so helps keeps tags from wandering to fandoms where they don't belong.

This is an exchange for romantic and/or sexual relationships, not friendships, so make certain to nominate relationships that use a "/" rather than a "&". If you want to request that a relationship be asexual/queerplatonic/etc., then that's something to include in your optional details when signing up.

More fandom specific info, rules, links and contact details behind the keep reading cut.

EDIT: advice for how to submit ships with characters that are in both Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been updated.

Please nominate original works under Original Work for the fandom.

Please nominate crossovers under Crossover - Fandom for the fandom. List characters in alphabetical order by last name (and, if they don't have a last name or multiple characters share a last name, then by first name), and please put the fandom or a clear abbreviation of it after the character name. For example: Thirteenth Doctor (Doctor Who)/Ms. Frizzle (Magic School Bus)/Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins), or Female Hawke (Dragon Age)/Male Hawke (Dragon Age)/Female Shepard (Mass Effect)/Male Shepard (Mass Effect), or Hal Jordan (Green Lantern 2011)/Ryan Reynolds (RPF)/Wade Wilson (Deadpool Movieverse). If you have any crossover ships that hit the 100 character tag length limit, you can abbreviate the fandom names or leave out surnames to condense it down so long as it will still be clear which characters in the fandom and which fandoms you mean. If there's any ships that are still difficult to do that for or you're not sure if it will be clear to us/others, do let us know the ship by either commenting here or emailing us and we'll try to figure out a way to condense it.

Please nominate all relationships involving characters from the MCU movies, Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, Hulu Marvel series, Netflix Marvel series, and/or Disney+ Marvel series under Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you nominate a ship with Peter Parker in for MCU we will assume you mean Tom Holland's Peter Parker unless stated otherwise. If you want to nominate a ship with one of the other Peter Parkers in for the MCU please use "Peter Parker (SM 2002 Tobey Maguire)" or "Peter Parker (TASM 2012 Andrew Garfield)" - you can shorten the fandom disambiguation in the brackets if you run out of character limit but it still needs to be obvious which Peter Parker you mean. For Peter Parker ships in crossover - Fandom you will need to state which Peter you mean in each instance, identified by the specific film or comicsverse, with Tom Holland's version as Peter Parker (MCU).

Please nominate all of the X-Men movies under X-Men (Original Timeline Movies), X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), and Deadpool (Movieverse). The Wolverine movies go in Original Timeline. Any relationships featuring characters from movies that fall under different categories should be nominated as a Crossover.

Please nominate Marvel comics under the universe they belong to: Marvel 616, Marvel Adventures, MC2, etc. If you feel the specific title they're from is complicated enough that it should be listed separately, please either leave a comment or send an e-mail with more information. Characters like America Chavez who are originally from another universe but canonically spend time in a different one can be included as part of relationships requested for either universe.

Please nominate standalone Marvel movies/TV shows such as Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes or X-Men Evolution separately under the name of the specific movie/show.

Please nominate DC films set in the current movie universe (Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, Shazam!, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, and The Suicide Squad) under DC Extended Universe.

Please nominate relationships from various DC comics under DCU (Comics). If you feel the specific title they're from is complicated enough that it should be listed separately, please either leave a comment or send an e-mail with more information.

Please nominate standalone DC movies/TV shows such as Birds of Prey (TV), Gotham, and Smallville separately as individual fandoms.

Please nominate the various DC shows on The CW (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, Batwoman, and Superman & Lois) under DC's Arrowverse. Relationships including characters from The Arrowverse as well as from other DC shows like Birds of Prey or Smallville who appear due to crossover events can be nominated under this umbrella fandom, while relationships solely from Birds of Prey, Smallville, and the like should be nominated separately under the name of the show they're from. Crossover relationships featuring characters from other DC shows who do not canonically appear in The Arrowverse, even if other characters from that show do, should still be nominated under Crossovers. If nominating ships where the canonical tag uses "Behrad Tomaz | Behrad Tarazi" please change the character name to one or the other to specify which timeline Behrad you mean.

Please nominate the various cartoons considered part of the DCAU (Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, Batman Beyond, Static Shock, The Zeta Project, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited) under DC Animated Universe (Timmverse).

Please nominate everything set in the Doctor Who universe under Doctor Who (including Big Finish Audios, Class, Sarah Jane Adventures, and Torchwood). For characters that have multiple incarnations, please specify which you mean by number or actor, e.g. "First Doctor" or "The Master (Simm)". If you don't mind which version, please add "(any)" after the character name, e.g. "The Doctor (any)".

Please nominate The Good Wife and The Good Fight under The Good Wife & Related Fandoms.

Please nominate Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD and Chicago Justice under One Chicago.

Please nominate Tolkien fandoms under Middle Earth – J.R.R. Tolkien or Middle Earth (Movies) or The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (TV 2022), depending on whether you want bookverse, movieverse or the new showverse. The Silmarillion would fall under the books. Any relationships featuring a mixture of movie, book or show canon (which would include anything set in the movies but with characters who aren't in them, such as Elladan, Elrohir, Glorfindel, etc.) should be nominated as a Crossover; please specify which characterization you want for any characters who are in more than one of the bookverse, movieverse or showverse, ie. Aragorn (movies)/Elladan/Elrohir.

Please nominate One Piece (TV) separately from One Piece (Anime & Manga).

Please nominate The Wheel of Time (TV) separately from the book fandom Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan.

Please nominate Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) separately from League of Legends (Video Games).

Please nominate Percy Jackson and the Olympians (TV) separately from Percy Jackson & The Olympians (Movies) and the book fandom of Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan. If you want to nominate a ship from a specific book series please add the series acronym after the ship details, e.g. (PJO Books), (THOO Books) etc.

Please nominate the Star Trek TV shows (live action or animated) under Star Trek: Classic Timeline and AOS under Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)‎. For ships that include characters that are in both Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, we will assume the TOS version is meant by default - if you want to specify the SNW version please add "(SNW)" after the character name(s) to differentiate from TOS version, e.g. "Christine Chapel (SNW)/Spock (SNW)/T'Pring (SNW)". If the ship has a mix of TOS and SNW character versions, please add SNW or TOS in brackets after each of the character names that need clarification. Any relationships featuring characters from both the original timeline and AOS (other than those who canonically are in both of them like Spock) should be nominated as a Crossover.

Please nominate Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, and Stargate Universe under Stargate - All Media Types.

Please nominate Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel: The Series, and the assorted spinoffs (including Fray and other comics) under Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Related Fandoms.

Please nominate all of the Dragon Age video games and books under Dragon Age - All Media Types.

Please nominate all of the Mass Effect video games and books under Mass Affect - All Media Types.

Please nominate anything Star Wars related under Star Wars - All Media Types.

Please nominate Game of Thrones (TV) and A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin and House of the Dragon (TV) as separate fandoms.

Please nominate Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), The Witcher (TV), and Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski as separate fandoms. Use the appropriate names for characters based on the source rather than the longer canonical tags that include multiple names (ie, for the TV show it would be Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier/Yennefer of Vengerberg rather than the canonical tag of Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg or for the video games it would be Dandelion/Eskel/Geralt of Rivia rather than the canonical tag of Eskel/Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion).

Please nominate anything related to Once Upon a Time or Once Upon a Time in Wonderland under Once Upon a Time (TV).

Please separate anything related to the Power Rangers television shows under Power Rangers (TV), the comics under Power Rangers (Comics), and the more recent(ish) movie under Power Rangers (2017).

Please nominate anything set in Exandria under Critical Role (Web Series), including Exandria Unlimited and one shots such as The Screw Job or The Darrington Brigade. Non-Exandria one shots such as Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Crystal Palace should be nominated under their own names. The Legend of Vox Machina (Cartoon) should also be nominated separately.

Please nominate Yu-Gi-Oh! fandoms under their individual series names, unless you have ships that cross several series in which case you can nominate under Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types.

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Please note that while [Specific Character]/[Specific Group of Characters] is acceptable as a nomination, [Specific Character]/Everyone is too broad.

For example: Lex Luthor/Lionel Luthor's Board Members is acceptable because "Lionel Luthor's Board Members" involves a finite group of people. The same goes for Voldemort/Death Eaters, Shipwrecked Sailor/Mermaids, and Peter Pan/Lost Boys. While Carol Danvers/Anyone and Everyone or Jack Harkness/Everyone He's Ever Met are understandable, they're too broad because it could essentially involve an infinite number of people.

If you have any questions about a relationship you want to nominate that might potentially be too broad, leave a comment or send an e-mail.

RPF characters must be 18+ at the time of nomination. Significant others/children/etc. of public figures are not permitted unless they are public figures in their own right. For smaller RPF fandoms, providing information/links to help us verify the characters are eligible would be appreciated and will speed up RPF noms.

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[stcrforged]

get to know the mun.

what's your phone wallpaper: my silly little cat!

last song listened to: adrift from stray gods.

currently reading: the book of elsewhere by keanu reeves and china miéville, crooked kingdom by leigh bardugo, midnight's children by salman rushdie, as good as dead by holly jackson and undoctored by adam kay. i'm also reading some books in my mother tongue that haven't been translated and i'm rereading one piece.

last movie: deadpool and wolverine!

last show: sweet tooth.

what are you wearing right now: a large t-shirt.

how tall are you: 170 cm (i guess it's about 5′7″)

piercings/tattoos: five ear piercings and five tattooos.

glasses/contacts: none.

last thing you ate: white chocolate with lemon.

favorite color: mustard yellow.

current obsession: hmmmm... probably x-men and one piece.

do you have a crush right now: don't think so?

favorite fictional characters: wolverine, nightcrawler, storm, varric tethras, dorian pavus, the fifteenth doctor, the ninth doctor, sindri, mimir, peregrin took, snow white from fables / the wolf among us and many others!

last place you traveled: my workplace lol

tagged by: @yontonyo

tagging: @paetal, @elliscousland, @earthinheritd, @fadedpath and @cherrygardn

[sea-side-scribbles]

Solas wakes up in the strange new world of his own making and it terrifies him. Ridden with guilt, he joins the Inquisition and begins his lonely research in order to correct his mistake.

He doesn’t expect to find consolation in the presence of a human who wields ancient elven magic without knowing it. Who is way too gentle for an elgar’thanelan, but doesn’t know that either.

Solas, for his part, doesn’t know how to stay away.

Dorian wonders if the mysterious elf just enjoys playing with a Tevinter. He wouldn’t expect anything else.

_____________________

Part 1 | Chapter 1- 13 | Right after uthenera, Solas is found by a Dalish clan. This goes well until it doesn’t. (Basically my excuse for world building and hilarious misunderstandings.)

Part 2 | Chapter 14 - ? | Solas joins the Inquisition.

Chapter 18

The following days, it turned out the Inquisition didn't have the authority Solas had hoped for. Shortly after its foundation, Sister Leliana received the news that the Chantry denounced it. The only hope to gain a good reputation came in the form of a Revered Mother named Giselle who seemed to be one of the few open minded clerics. She stayed in the Hinterlands, in the village called “The Crossroads”, where she helped the refugees of the Mage-Templar-War. They needed to meet her there and hope for the best.

It was the first time they left Haven as an organisation - “they” included the Herald of Andraste, Seeker Pentaghast, Master Tethras – who, to the Seeker's dismay, had won the Herald's sympathy - a group of soldiers, carriages with supplies for their camp and Solas himself – less because of the Herald's sympathy, but because of the mark and his knowledge about rifts.

The mistrust was mutual. So far, Solas had no prove whether her intentions were true or not. His agents were still searching, but finding a clan that hid from all other settlements and even other clans didn't turn out to be an easy task. There could've been certain “activities” in the fade as well and Solas kept his senses sharp, but for now, he had to play her game.

While travelling, he mostly kept to Varric for conversations, as he had done so in Haven. The news that he helped the mages now had lightened up the dwarf's mood. Varric didn't know a lot about magic, but he genuinely cared about people, so they could talk about them and how to make the situation a little better for everyone in the village. And for a cheerier topic, his books remained an option. Solas satisfied his curiosity about Kirkwall, even though Varric's answers resembled memories from the fade – intertwined with exaggerations, variations of the truth and downplaying alike. And he had to make sure Cassandra didn't overhear them or else she would end their conversation with an annoyed remark.

The Lady Seeker kept to the Herald for the most part, giving instructions on how to deal with human civilisation, how to build up a reputation, or simply emotional support in her own genuine way. After all, she was talented in motivating others, in awakening faith in them even if they didn't believe in the Maker. Solas caught himself listening to her sometimes.

And of course, there were more battles. Solas had to swallow it all, assuming once more that he was bound to do this – killing victims, spirits and apostates alike. Sure, the apostates had chosen their path, but similar to spirits, their corruption could've been avoided. The land ached of death and suffering. Solas could feel the rifts, the crumbling surface of the veil. When the party came across a rift on the way to the village, he once again watched with awe how the mark worked its magic. They were so lucky. Nobody but him knew how lucky they were. And perhaps it wasn't even luck. If only he knew more about Dalish magic, their vallaslin. He needed to investigate it too.

They found chaos in the Crossroads. The little settlement had been invaded by demons. Fortunately, Inquisition forces were already there to help while clerics attended to the hurt. Again, Solas used the thin veil to his advantage. The fade pressed into the waking world and he dove into it, threw it around. The Herald must've felt it, too. She grew roots from the ground to trap her enemies, shaping the ground as if she kneaded clay. Solas had to admit there was a certain elegance in her Keeper magic. She felt at one with the earth underneath her, even though she likely had no idea what she was really doing. The durgen'len fought steadily, as quickly and effective as always. He was a reminder of the unstoppable force his kind once was. Seeker Pentaghast however tackled the veil and pushed away the fade that curled and ached at its edges. Solas had to stay away from her. Nevertheless, he watched with fascination how she did all this without allowing lyrium into her body.

When they finally spoke to Revered Mother Giselle, she proved to be indeed a helpful ally. She knew the clerics who had denounced the Inquisition, could assume their motives and encouraged the Herald to visit Val Royeaux. There, they could spread doubt among the Mothers, so their alliance would fall.

After that, they stayed in the village for a few days, helping out with supplies. When they strolled around in the lush green meadows of the Hinterlands to look for blood lotus and elfroot, Solas wondered if Ellana delayed her visit in Val Royeaux, or if she truly felt so much sympathy for the refugees. None of this was necessarily her duty, although it built up a reputation as herald and saviour. Cassandra's impatience didn't stop her either. Varric seemed to enjoy annoying the Seeker – and helping people, so he didn't mind the strolls at all.

Then it came to a rather amusing encounter with a Dalish elf, who looked for artefacts to strengthen the veil and to detect rifts. Ironically enough, Solas had mentioned these artefacts before as soon as he sensed them, but Ellana hadn't been keen on looking for them until the Dalish woman – Mhiris, former Keeper's First of her clan, confirmed their existence. More amusingly, Mhiris downright called him flat-ear without hesitation. With satisfaction, he noticed the Herald freeze for a second when she heard the word. Then he shocked the two “true elves” with his knowledge of Elvhen language. A few months ago, he would've shocked himself with the primitive noise his language had become – but he adjusted, having no choice.

Despite all this, Ellana appeared emotionally shaken while meeting her kin. Her aura stirred. Mhiris' as well. After Mhiris refused to join the Inquisition, they took a long time saying goodbye to each other, probably some Dalish ritual that mimicked ancient Elvhen behaviour. Mhiris left with an amulet they had found in a ruin because Ellana wanted her to keep it. Solas wondered what she would feel if she knew her kin was full of lies. But sadly, this was hardly the time for such lessons. Mhiris wasn't trouble.

The Herald remained silent after they parted from the other Dalish elf and no one dared to interrupt her. The encounter seemed to have spoiled her interest in the Hinterlands, so they left for Haven the next day.

Val Royeaux became a different experience. There, they were directly confronted with the Chantry's mistrust. As far as Solas could judge human behaviour, it was another kind of chaos. When they entered the city, people immediately recognized the Herald's glowing hand, shrieked and fled. And a messenger approached them, one of Leliana's people, telling them that the templars took over the city, claiming to protect it from the Inquisition. The news upset Cassandra. It looked as if nothing worked as expected for her.

Solas would've preferred to stroll around in the boulevard, but sadly, they had to rush. He took in as much of the lush place as he could, planning to visit it in the fade instead. The high, stacked buildings in blue and gold gave an impression of what people were able to create within the restrictions of the veil. He was certain magic still helped here.

At the market, the scene unfolded. Another Revered Mother accused the Herald to be the cause of the Breach. Ellana didn't even bother answering to her claims, she rather expressed her general disgust for the Chantry. Like that, she didn't destroy the aura of hope that surrounded her, willingly or unwillingly. Then the mentioned templars marched in, led by a man Cassandra knew as Lord Seeker Lucius. He straight out punched the Mother to the ground, and declared Val Royeaux unworthy of protection. The Lady Seeker was perplexed and tried to reason with the leader she apparently respected deeply. He had nothing but insults for her.

Solas noticed that these humans showed no subtlety at all, yelling their opinions at each other and using brute force. There were no false smiles, poisoned compliments and puzzles the Evanuris and their subordinates would've loved to dwell in. In their way, they would quietly gain control over an opposing mind and their victims would fall for them without noticing. These people, however, lacked the ancient means and had to go for something more direct. Solas admitted they could hide behind the noise as well. In addition, the city reeked of fear and anger. It wasn't quite the setting for elaborate mind games.

He also now realized the pressure Seeker Pentaghast faced ever since she had decided to trust the Herald. He had assumed she followed Chantry orders, but the Chantry acted like a blinded warrior, flailing with their sword, cutting allies and their own limbs. Helpless. And her Seekers were out of reach. There had been something in Lucius' aura that unsettled him, too. He would need to put his agents on the task, to find out what the Lord Seeker was up to.

The Herald knelt down to speak to the humiliated Mother. The cleric's attitude softened a little, but she didn't offer assistance. She merely surrendered the Chantry to its fate, hoping that a new Divine would sort things out. But the ceremony would take too much time. They couldn't wait for the Chantry.

However, they found other allies. At first, a merchant at the market offered her help in sending supplies to Haven. The Herald didn't hesitate to conscript her.

Then a messenger brought an invitation by a Madame Vivienne, to a salon at a palace near Val Royeaux. Cassandra knew the lady, she was a First Enchanter of an Orlesian Circle of Magi and member of the Orlesian court. The offer was indeed interesting. If the Inquisition got the approval of a court member, they would earn a better reputation and more allies. Ellana agreed only hesitantly. Solas understood that meddling with something delicate as the Orlesian Court and their rituals would make her nervous. She was lucky she had her ambassador Montilyet for help.

Even Grand Enchanter Fiona approached them in person. She invited the Inquisition to Redcliffe, where the rebel mages currently resided and offered their help in closing the Breach. Solas couldn't help speaking a few words to her, expressing his respect. She had made a grave decision that would've cost lives no matter what she chose. And still, she carried on. He saw a fire in her eyes and the strength in her aura, even if her magic was repressed like the magic of all mages here. The Circles taught them to fear themselves and even the Herald didn't trust her own power. People like Fiona made the first step towards change and paid a horrible price for their efforts.

Ellana acted friendly around her and appeared very curious. Perhaps because Fiona was an elf, but very different. Grown up among humans, being suppressed by them her entire life but ending up as the head of a human organisation and a rebellion. Fiona was closer to what an elf could be, not hiding and submitting to a culture of lies. Ellana must've been very fascinated. Solas was glad that she spoke to them in person. The friendly offer would hopefully encourage the Lady Seeker to visit the mages, and to find a way to close the Breach.

More unfortunately, the city reminded Solas of his own shortcomings. As they crossed the market, an arrow suddenly hit the pavement right to their feet. Solas immediately drew his staff and searched for the attacker, until Cassandra and Varric both reminded him that this didn't look good to the Orlesians around them. Meanwhile Ellana read the letter that came with the arrow and found out that it was sent by another possible ally. They just had to look for “red things” in the city to find the “Friends of the Red Jenny”. So they began to stroll around in the city after all.

Solas remained wary the entire time, upset by his own blindness and deafness. Everyone who didn't have a noticeable aura was as good as invisible to him, while the others managed to be aware of their surroundings. Varric as a rouge could sense people moving behind him, hiding in the shadows, about to strike. That was how he survived and Solas envied him for his awareness. The fact that Varric hadn't seen this arrow coming either was a consolation, but not an excuse. They could've been shot dead right there.

Suddenly the beautiful architecture became a nuisance, with towering facades everywhere. They provided ideal spots to hide and aim. Solas figured a dozen such places at the market alone, as envy and embarrassment burned in his guts. Eventually, they found three pieces of red cloth and discovered another enemy in the city who tried to destroy the Inquisition.

It was already nighttime when they dashed to the mentioned place and finally met a member of the Red Jennies, an elf named Sera. She was the strangest elf Solas had ever met and certainly outplayed the Dalish. He wasn't sure if she fascinated or disgusted him. She shot the “enemy” herself, when he stood in front of them - a noble who appeared to be less dangerous than full of himself - and then she declared to have relieved the rest of his forces of their breeches. During the following battle, she couldn't stop giggling and Solas himself couldn't deny the amusing side of her actions. Varric grinned, Cassandra didn't know how to respond and the Herald was too confused to laugh. Another elf that didn't match her expectations. Solas would've enjoyed this moment if it hadn't hurt too much underneath.

Sera was childish, reckless and she taught the nobles a lesson purely for the fun of it. Her skill with the bow was admirable and she moved so rapidly it was hard to follow her on the battlefield. She also didn't hide her disappointment when she saw an elven Herald. She disliked the Dalish, not because she knew better than them, but because she knew nothing at all. Solas thought at first that it was better than believing in lies, to be able to start on a clean canvas, but Sera seemed to have no interest in learning the truth. She only cared about her games with the nobles.

Ellana tried to find out who the Friends of the Red Jenny really were, and from Sera's ramblings it sounded like they were something like a network of spies, operating all around Thedas, having different methods but one goal – revenge. Despite it all, they had potential. Solas added them to the many spy networks that operated in the Inquisition now. Leliana's, Varric's, the Jennies and perhaps more. Wouldn't hurt if they shared some agents.

Sera wasn't the last ally they found. Back in Haven, Sister Leliana informed them about a Grey Warden in the Hinterlands, who they could ask about the Warden's current whereabouts because they seemed to have disappeared off the face of Thedas.

When they met the Warden named Blackwall, he taught a group of farm boys how to defend themselves against raiders. He saved the Herald's head from another cursed arrow that came out of nowhere, then a fight ensued. Solas found that this Warden would be a good addition to the group. Obviously experienced in war, calm and stoic, he and the Lady Seeker made a good team at the front. And he would care about their mission. Even though Solas didn't approve of the Grey Warden's methods of binding themselves to the blight, he respected their sacrifice and selfless attitude. He even considered he might've misjudged their joining ritual since there was no trace of the blight in Blackwall. That or it hadn't manifested yet.

Unfortunately, Blackwall didn't know where the other Wardens went. That certainly wasn't a good sign, especially because of their connection to the blight. But Blackwall himself asked to be conscripted and the Herald agreed. Lastly, she even accepted a mercenary group led by a Qunari who openly admitted to be a Ben Hassrath.

So in tiny steps, the Inquisition summoned allies from all sorts of backgrounds and their travels, while helping others in need and closing rifts, didn't remain unnoticed. Slowly, the Herald of Andraste build up a reputation. Solas hoped it would be enough.