#the fic is calling A LOT of Veilguard stuff

[solasyoulittleshit]

rereading Dead Pasts and Dread Futures by youworeblue before Veilguard and I just lol'd at this line

Ixchel Lavellan is being very prescient here lol

Meanwhile in DA:TV --

Great fic by a great author, if you're a newer fan or one of the few who haven't read it I linked it above!!!

[thebookworm0001]

Spoilers for the end of veilguard and specifically how solas’s story is handled under the cut

And seriously I do mean the very end of the game and I’m gonna talk about stuff that happened before then too

You have been warned

I felt satisfied with the ending.

I was able to collect all the solas memories/regret murals and very much felt like the way the ending unlocked by that was handled well.

Solas has always been a man bound by his regrets. And this game spent a lot of time establishing is primary regret is Mythal. Yes, he cares deeply about helping people and wants that world restored, but it’s less to do with the elven people and more to do with him feeling like he’s made mistake after mistake.

He’s been living in a sunk-cost fallacy for millennia and cannot see a way out. He really, really doesn’t want to do this - he knows how many people he’ll hurt to do it, but can’t see another way because if he stops now he feels like it’ll be just another betrayal of mythal when he’s already betrayed and failed her so many times. She’s the reason any of this happened.

That’s why it has to be mythal telling him to stop. He wanted to stop for a romanced lavellan - his letter says that explicitly. But he regrets mythal’s death (and his resulting actions) so much he just. Can’t let it go. What does his life mean if he can’t fulfill the wishes of the goddess that called him to service, to a body? The friend he murdered, in the end, to make up for the first time she as killed.

He was a spirit of wisdom mythal corrupted - it’s another version of Cole and the Templar who killed the human Cole. That confrontation has to happen for him to move in any direction.

And the way he absolutely crumples when he sees her? Damn if that didn’t sell me on how deeply he cares for her, beyond the murals that show how ashamed he is of what he did with and for her.

He’s always needed someone to tell him there was another way, but nobody besides mythal could absolve him of the actions he took, because they aren’t her. It’s not a matter of the nature of their relationship, rather that he cannot untie himself from the way his spirit was warped by her and the actions he took in response to her.

Idk I know people will have very different feelings and opinions on how that went down, but it made sense to me.

And my solas-romanced lavellan acted exactly how I expected her to. Granted, Ellana is the kind of lavellan who would immediately forgive him and would, no questions asked, go with him on his journey to atone. I had a whole fic planned out where she did that exact thing - even if the details weren’t what happened here.

If you have a lavellan who isn’t as sad as mine and who wouldn’t join him, yeah this ending may not work for you. But I went from being pissed at him for trapping my rook and lying about killing varric to immediately being back on my ‘fuck you’re just a deeply sad and broken man please let yourself be happy’ lament when he talked about how he failed both the world and mythal in different moments.

It worked for me. I’m satisfied by how it was handled and think the ending makes sense for the read on Solas I’ve had for the last several years. He’s just a deeply sad man who thinks he has to make up for his failures - and the one person he’s failed more than anyone tells him it’s not on him. She’s the one person he could never get forgiveness from - and he got it. And that’s why it had to be her.

[pinehutch]

Okay so my Thing about Dragon Age is this:

Ten years ago, I was in constant extreme pain as I worked my way towards a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis. I had spent the previous year working 12-18 hour days most days, between an unsustainable volunteer job and my daytime career. Sometime that fall, I started noticing that my hands were locking into fists while I slept, and that the fatigue was never getting better, and that walking was really hard, more days than not.

I tried to work through it, that first awful year. I mostly did, too. I had weeks when I couldn't walk unassisted, and months where I was sick all the time because we were trying different meds. I called the rheumatologist in tears more than once, feeling hopeless and like a failure because I couldn't tolerate some of the easier drugs. And in between it all, I worked.

On the days that I couldn't work, and if my hands would let me, I played Dragon Age.

I'm stubborn, and I don't usually watch or read or play things that other people recommend until the time feels right. Spring 2014, I needed something that would be immersive enough that it could distract me from my body but that wouldn't require too much complex problem solving. I needed gaming, and some very trusted people had recommended Dragon Age to me before, so I started Origins in March and by July I had played through Origins and DA2 and all the DLC I could get. Inquisition came out that fall, and I was hooked.

(It also was one of the first ways that I learned to distinguish between healthy pain and warning sign pain: I learned to put the controller down before my hands would be so irritated I couldn't use them at all the next day.)

So there I was, having the worst year of my life (at that point), and I got to fill up my brain with lore and distractions and become a hobbyist expert in the historiography and folklore and religion and politics of something that was entirely made up. I could invest, mentally and emotionally, but I didn't have to fix anything real, including my own unfixable problem. I just had to learn, and to play.

Dragon Age brought me into video games for grown-ups, and it brought me back to fiction writing. The first short story I had written since high school was DA fic. I came back to writing poetry, the love of my life, a couple of years later.

My life doesn't look that different from the outside vs what it was 10 years ago. I'm working out whether or not I'm okay with that; making big changes in your life is hard when you're chronically ill and have adhd and you work a complicated job with a lot of responsibility, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try. I had expected that my general weariness would stretch over into a kind of Dragon Apathy - that there would be news and I'd say 'oh, nice,' and then go back to work and the other little agonies.

Instead, I'm delighted? Surprised? Fond? Something I loved and that I needed during a really difficult time is here, again, while I'm anticipating another sea change. The thing that brought me some happiness, some wonder, and some escape can do it still, maybe.

Anyway. I collect my favourite DA stuff at @free-smarcher. I always roll a rogue on my first playthrough. (In real life I'm a giant brain on a giant, clumsy body; my fantasy is being able to go undetected.) I love Varric Tethras because he's a highly-accomplished fuckup with too many responsibilities and because he's bad at his personal life.

When Veilguard comes out I will almost certainly, at least once, play it until my hands seize.

[darkfeanix]

23 for the fanfic ask meme!

Oh, going straight for the throat, I see. 🤣

23. fics you wanted to write but didn't

Well, I've still got the Erino and Shadowheart suggestion from you about the Gauntlet and his feelings about her Shar worship. That was started and has been languishing in the WIP graveyard for some time. I've also got a Durge/Karlach story slowly microwaving in my brain that hasn't quite finished cooking yet despite me best efforts. In addition, I've got an abundance of Dragon Age stories I would like to write. Off the top of my head: More stuff in my Girls Get It Done Dragon Age worldstate. Calpernia gathering a fragment of the Venatori loyal to her and taking the fight against slavery back to Tevinter. Morrigan and Petronella's queer platonic relationship gradually mending over the twenty years between Witch Hunt and Veilguard. A few stories in the vein of the Fenris comics, following a couple of Hawke's companions on their adventures post-Dragon Age II (Merrill being at the top of that list). A Bethany-centric fic (or, ahem, possibly a series of fics...) covering the events of DAII from her POV, with a lot of focus on her time in the Kirkwall Circle. An AU of The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak, and Until We Sleep, with the trio being Loghain, Zevran and Isabela. Ravenna would live in this AU and join them as they travel to Tevinter. There's a Lavellan/Harding series I've been toying with (which is to say thinking about a lot but not writing anything) off and on for years that I call Elfroot and Wild Plums, which would start a few days after Corypheus's defeat and cover events all the way up to Trespasser and maybe beyond. All the new lore from Veilguard has made me want to do it even more. A newer idea featuring a Cadash Inquisitor that would pick up at the beginning of Trespasser and carry on after, following Cadash, Harding, et al, north to Tevinter where Varric and Dorian would introduce the former Inquisitor to their mutual friend Maevaris Tilani, and sparks would fly between Cadash and Mae. Don't even get me started on the OC Cardcaptors story, or the Dungeon Crawler Carl AU, or the Charmed AU. I am okay and very normal. 🥹

[slothquisitor]

2024 Fic Wrapped

Thank you to @eraserspiral for the tag! This was fun!

What’s been your biggest learning point this past year?

Mostly that I can still write a lot of words if I'm doing it consistently? I was in such a writing slump before BG3. I've been pursuing traditional publication and had some cool wins but not quite...getting there? And then that on top of some personal life shit kind of broke me. It's been fun to get back to writing and let it be fun again and not something I *have* to do.

How has your writing developed this past year?

I think I've tried out some fun and cool things this year. I wrote HORROR! I wrote an homage to Emily Henry. It was fun to push myself into really different directions, and I think it's made me better or at least I hope so. That's the thing about writing! It's so subjective and difficult to really pinpoint the places where you may or may not be leveling up. But I feel like I grew this year, so I'll take it.

Good writing habits?

Writing every day. Even if I'm traveling or even if it's only for five minutes on my phone before bed, I try to do a little bit. It helps me feel connected to whatever I'm working on, but also I'm the type of person who really struggles with feeling productive without clear goal posts. So, being able to look at actual words on a page helps me feel I've done something, you know? Also just generally reading widely. I think being a good writer is about being a good reader too!

Bad writing habits?

Impatience. I have the same issue with my art. My best pieces are always the ones I didn't rush. I have this like...desire to push things out into the world so that they don't clutter up my head anymore, and sometimes I think that means I'm publishing before things are strictly ready. My goal in 2025 is to do this less. But also, sometimes I'm excited!

Favorite thing you wrote?

Probably What Moves in the Dark though Invisible String is a close second. I loved the overall story of What Moves in the Dark, and I think it's technically plotted better than Invisible String where I was just like...coasting on vibes.

Favorite reads?

She's not on here, but TheWyvernRising is my writing partner, and honestly, her work is severely underrated. She's got a great Ghost AU featuring Halsin and her oc Rowan, plus our OCs are besties in every universe. What else is fanfic for?

Biggest win?

Finishing not one but two longfics in a year! Also, the response to Invisible String genuinely surprises and delights me. Someone called me diabolical, and I've never been more pleased with myself.

Goals for the new year?

Just keep writing things that make me happy. I'd like to maybe return to the original work, but I'm also just like...not pressed about it? I'm having fun and I think that maybe that's enough for right now.

Your favorite words of the year, aka the words you check each chapter for, making sure you didn’t repeat them 788 times?

Oh god. I overuse a lot of words or phrases and I know it! It just sometimes is hard to notice until I like...reread after posting and I'm like...whoa Sloth...did you use 'gaze' and 'smile' enough? lol

What are you excited for in the new year?

To not have a fic that's posting on a weekly basis so I can return to my chaos gremlin ways. I've been posting a fic update every weekend since Febraury (with a few exceptions), and don't get me wrong...when I'm working on a longfic I need that structure. However, it's nice to get a break from that. I'll probably let myself get too chaotic in a month or two and return to some sort of schedule, but for now, it's nice. I'm excited to keep working on Veilguard stuff too. I don't have any fic plans beyond that right now, but I'm sure the plot bunnies will find me. They always do.

I've been either skiing or painting my house, and I've been very not here. So I'm not sure who has done this....so if you see this and want to participate, consider yourself tagged! <3

[space-cowboy-101]

🥀 Seventeen x Dragon Age: Origins aesthetics 🥀

ahh dragon age origins. the og. the original. the beginning of all beginnings. one of my favorites.

my list definitely goes: inquisition, origins, veilguard, 2. but we aren’t here for that, we’re here for the one and only s.coups.

this is part of my dragon age au series, formally called ‘Modern Heroes of Thedas: Vol. 2’ (idk why its volume 2 it sounded cool), which is three (now four with the new game) fanfics for three (four) kpop groups that are based on the dragon age games. as of now, only the third installment is posted because it kind of started the whole thing 💀 now it’s gotten out of hand and i’ve allowed myself to drown in the obsession that is this.

dragon age origins, the first game and first fanfic of the series, has (some of) seventeen as the cast.

for our mc aka the warden/hero of ferelden, we have choi seungcheol—son to the teyrn of highever and a new grey warden.

some stuff happens at the start (the human noble origins) and lands him at ostagar, joining the grey wardens and fighting a battle against the darkspawn. when the wardens and the king of ferelden are inevitably betrayed, him and the other two wardens he met are left to pick up where they left off and end the fifth blight using the warden treaties.

unlike the actual mc of origins, s.coups isn’t going to disappear and never show up in another dragon age. he’s mentioned and he’s eventually going to appear in another because it calls for it.

each story, accidentally but now somewhat intentionally, focus on some dark subjects that aren’t as prevalent or just aren’t in the games because of the changes i made.

for the seventeen fic, it’ll lean heavily into the effects of what war does to young people because somehow nearly all of the members in this are under 18/turn 18 during the course of the story. it also goes into slavery and prostitution and some other shit that’s pretty fucked up that’s been hinted at/mentioned in dragon age.

(for example, it goes deeper into how the crows/house arainai literally buys children/orphans to train them as assassins and slavery of elves in tevinter. that’s a warning in itself 😬)

but this is typical dragon age stuff. i think. but there are happy moments! a lot, honestly. they’re a travelling bunch of misfits who don’t really have anyone but themselves.

anyways, if you’d like to read the third part (💀) of the series, it’s got about 20 something chapters to it. it’s ateez and has pirate/antivan hongjoong as the inquisitor.

i plan on posting this sometime soonish? i’ve been writing it quite a bit since the new game released.

[defira85]

Thedas Tuesday

Just over a week to go! And I've done introductions for all 8 of my Rooks (if you fancy, you browse the tag here to see any you might have missed) so today I'm posting my predictions as to who might romance who. This is just a guess, I've been trying to avoid a lot of the early access stuff that went live in September, so I really don't have a huge grasp on the companions' personalities for the most part, and it's entirely possible I'll get wrenched in a completely different direction by the muse once I get into the game proper.

But for now, under the cut because it's long:

Vaaran: Qunari Grey Warden, warrior class. This is actually the easiest one to predict because Vaaran has been a Grey Warden since the siege of Amaranthine in 9:31 and is actively hearing her calling at the onset of Veilguard. Who better to woo the stoic warrior who has embraced her own death and is only lingering to ease her sister's guilt but the charming necromancer and master of death himself? How much will it hurt Emmrich to realise that for once he finds death to be a hindrance, a horror, an enemy ready to snatch his new love away? How much will it hurt Vaaran when she realises she wants to live, but it might be too late?

Kasaanda: Qunari Grey Warden, mage class. Bubbly and boisterous, excited to be alive and to experience everything life has to offer, who else would catch her eye but the equally bubbly Bellara?

Micaela: Human Mourn Watch, mage class. A member of the illustrious and mysterious Gottschalk family on her mother's side, the more common Ingellvar on her father's side. Cousin to the infamous Jo Hawke. As a Gottschalk, Micaela has been raised as a member of the Veiled Brotherhood, and has an intimate relationship with spirits, demons and blood magic. Of COURSE that means I'm going to throw her at Lucanis (and Spite) because they're going to annoy each other SO MUCH it'll be delicious

Hedrobella: Dwarf Lord of Fortune, warrior class. The infamous Captain Brand is a world-weary grump with a heart of gold hiding under many, many layers of scars and snark. She is going to find common ground with Neve, two snarky women fighting to do the right thing for the little guy and finding comfort in each other

Dhraoibhan: Elven Veil Jumper, warrior class. I think I want to go elf for elf, and head for Davrin. We've never had the opportunity to have a Dalish elf romance a Dalish elf before! It's exciting! And with my personal little headcanon that Dhraoibhan is a worshipper of the Forgotten Ones, I can write it as a little antagonistic, a little culture clash, which will be fun. The only problem, it's also warrior for warrior, and now that the party size has been cut down, that makes it difficult to justify having him in the party with them

Luciaane: Human Shadow Guard, mage class. TECHNICALLY SHE'S INQUISITION, NOT SHADOW GUARD. Again, I get why there's not an Inquisition faction as a player background, I do, but I want one. For many reasons that I went into in her backstory post, but also because it'll be hilarious having her romance Harding knowing that Luc, her father, was a member of the Inquisition and a member of Inquisitor Corinne Trevelyan's inner circle, and he'll do fucking anime murder sparkle eyes when he realises Harding is dating his baby girl

Nomi: Dwarf Antivan Crow, rogue class. She's gayer than San Francisco in the spring time, and she's devoutly religious and bound by how important duty is. So of course that means she's going to have a CRISIS over Taash, who has left the Qun and has no loyalties beyond coin and is just the most extraordinary (BIG) woman Nomi has ever seen

Which is all 7 companions accounted for! Which leaves...

Beren: Elf Shadow Dragon, rogue class. Look. We all know my brand. I'm going to go after an unromanceable, it's just going to happen. I'll write a 300k fic about an unromanceable character yet again, it's just what I do. Will it be Solas, now that he's unattainable? Perhaps. It might also be Elgar'nan. Maybe it's Manfred, because Elissa's canon romance is Justice the corpse, so why wouldn't I romance a skeleton in this game? Who knows. We'll see what happens and who my wretched soul latches on to in 2 weeks time....

And in 2 weeks time we'll know just how wrong I am and how badly I messed up these predictions!

[himluv]

Okay okay okay. While I've been drooling over Lucanis, my brain has been percolating about Riallan in Veilguard.

(this is mostly for me to dump out of my brain so I can put it in fic later 😂)

Obligatory Spoiler Barrier

My biggest question mark was always going to be, what has she been up to for the last decade? She disbanded the Inquisition, her Clan is gone, she's bare-faced and alone after everyone clears out of Skyhold.

So what's she been doing? Veilguard gave me some clues.

1. Her Elvhen in Veilguard is WAY better than it was in Inquisition. She always spoke such halting and broken Elvhen. She spoke the fragmented language of the Dalish. But by the end of Veilguard, she speaks beautiful, lyrical Elvhen. She speaks like Solas. How did she learn ancient Elvhen?

2. She and Morrigan seem MUCH closer than I would have expected from where their relationship left off in Inquisition. They aren't just friendly or civil, they are... Conspiratorial? There's a sense of complete trust between them, which to me means there's complete HONESTY between them. Something has occurred between them in the past decade.

3. When Rook mentions the gods have escaped, Strife and Irelin immediately know that Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain are bad news. That they're worse than Solas. How do they know that? What's changed in the past 10 years among the Dalish?

4. We also know that, in Trespasser, Varric gave Lavellan a house in Kirkwall (to Bran's dismay). So that's been her home base since operations at Skyhold ended.

So. My little brain has been processing all that in the background and produced this headcanon this morning and I am RABID for it:

After Trespasser, Riallan goes to Kirkwall, where she meets and becomes bffs with Merrill. Meanwhile, Varric and Dorian sort of take point with Inquisition stuff because they think Ria's connection and love for Solas is a weak link he can exploit. She doesn't disagree and steps back from any major leadership responsibilities (such as they are after the Exalted Council).

So, she's got a lot of free time. She starts working on her ability to manipulate the Fade in her dreams. She'll never be a Dreamer, but if Solas visits her in her sleep she wants to be good enough to notice it. No more surprises.

Then, the issue of elves becoming Agents of Fen'Harel starts. And Riallan realizes that, if elves are joining Solas, it's because he's told them something they liked to hear. But she knows him, and knows he would only tell the bare minimum to get people to his side. They don't know the whole truth.

She knows the truth as he told it to her in Trespasser, and she does believe him. But to get others to believe her, she needs a better source of information. That's when Morrigan pays her a visit, reveals that she now carries Mythal, and that she thinks Ria might be the only one who can stop Solas.

So, they team up with Merrill to get her Eluvian working and connected to the Vir Dirthara (c'mon, if anyone can, it's these three). And they spend YEARS learning. Ria learns Elvhen and they piece together memories like archaeologists recovering a shattered pot. They fortify sections to keep it from crumbling further, and they confirm the truth of what Solas told Ria in Trespasser.

My girl got receipts!

So THEN, she starts going to the Clans. She's famous among the Dalish — a Dalish woman who rose to one of the highest stations in Thedas, saved the world, AND fell in love with the Dread Wolf? Come on, she's a huge elven celebrity 😂 — and they listen to her as she shares what she's learned.

The whole truth about the Evanuris, the vallaslin, and the Dread Wolf. About who the People were, what they've lost, and what that means for who they can become.

And it works. The Dalish start calling her Dirth'hahren (her maela called her Dirtha'len 😭), they spread the word, and some Keepers are even brought to the Vir Dirthara. Riallan never got to become Keeper of Clan Lavellan, but she basically becomes Keeper to all Dalish — she gives them knowledge and guides them away from the Dread Wolf. (This makes me so fucking happy I could cry, it's all she ever wanted).

And that's what she's been doing up until Rook disrupts Solas's ritual.

I will be writing all of this in a fic I'm tentatively calling "In Between" (already got to Trespasser so it's actually happening), so I hope you'll read it when it's done!

[somevirtualnolife]

A Tale of a Tower, Chapter 2

Game: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Read Chapter 1 Also on Ao3 Rating: G/T (Some language, fantasy violence) Summary: Aetius and Tsura (Rook) meet a new client that could change their luck around.

Author's Notes:

I think what is both challenging, but also fun about not directly including canon characters, but creating ones that feel like they could be NPCs you meet in Thedas. I wanted Donato Vesuvius to feel like a guy that you're not really sure how to feel and would get a lot of fun dialogue wheel options to choose from. He would probably consider himself forward-thinking because he sees value in working with non-humans, but he's ultimately still a fiscal conservative and a patriot of Tevinter.

Tsura is a rogue, so I also wanted to allude to where some of those skills may have started, but not quite throw her into the fray just yet, so Aetius is not only her father but her mentor in the trade. He's the one with the knowledge, the contacts, the skills. He may not want her to lead the lifestyle he does, but he also knows that it would be foolish not to prepare her.

I've also been meaning to add, but a big thank you to @randomnonsensedragonage who has been beta-reading all my DA fics as of late. Be sure to read her stuff as well!

Happy Reading!

Outside of a Tantervale tavern, Tsura sat on some barrels boredly watching a variety of citizens pass by. None of whom seemed to be the one she and her father were supposed to meet.

“This is taking forever,” she whined. “Why can’t people be on time?”

 “Oh, come on now, Tsu. It’s not even been 10 minutes,” Aetius replied. He was standing beside her, leaning against the building.

“I think you should charge them an extra silver for every minute that they’re late.” She was very matter-of-fact in her statement, which made her father chuckle.

“Wouldn’t that be the dream,” he mused. “Maybe if we did, we could finally buy a place rather than just rent out a room with one bed.”

Tsura sighed dreamily. Now that would be something. She was getting tired of having to switch between a bed and their bedroll every night.   

“Oi! No loitering here!” a human guard barked, sauntering up to the pair.

Tsura’s golden eyes looked at him and then to either side of her. There were plenty of others doing the same as they were, waiting around and chatting. She chewed on the inside of her cheek. She knew what this meant.

“Apologies! We’ll be out of your hair shortly,” Aetius answered, with a polite smile.

Tsura noticed that there was a certain sway to the way the man moved, as though he were slightly off balance. The teen’s body stiffened as she glanced at her father, whose demeanour seemed unperturbed.

“That accent… You ain’t from around here,” the guard continued as he leaned in. His breath was sour and stale.

“Vyrantium. Just here for work is all. My client just seems to be running late.”

Aetius reached into his vest pocket and pulled out crumpled, but official looking, work papers. The guard grabbed them roughly and brought them close to his face, narrowing his eyes as he read them.

“From Tevinter, huh?” he slurred, drunkenly passing the papers back. “Where’s your master, knife-ear?”

“Don’t call him that.” Tsura clenched her fist and seethed, but her father put his arm out in front of her.

“We’re Liberati,” her father continued calmly. “Free people,”

“Bullshit. That ain’t a thing for your kind over there.”

“Like some Tantervale guard knows anything about Tevinter,” Tsura crossed her arms and muttered. Her father shot her a stern look. She knew that look.

Keep the teenage sass to yourself.   

“Is there a problem here?”

Another human man approached, but he had a very different air about him. He was older, wearing violet robes, embossed with a golden Imperium design. His hands were adorned with jewelled rings. Tsura would have considered the display of wealth stupid, as it would make him an easy target for pick-pocks, considering the area. But then she noticed two stern-looking men in armour with swords at their sides beside him.

“Aetius Laidir?” he continued.

The elven man waved at the Tevinter noble. The city guard quickly cowered, realizing his mistake.

“A-apologies Messere.”

Tsura let out a slight tch noise. While she was grateful for the guard finally laying off them, she was annoyed that it took some rich guy to make it happen.

The noble gave her a curious glance. Although she was still a young teen, she was already her father’s height, which gave her an air of maturity to anyone who hadn’t met a Qunari before. The noble didn’t say anything further, however.

*

The interior of the tavern wasn’t anything special. Dimly lit lanterns emanated an orange glow. The tables and seating were dated and rickety, but the bar at the far end seemed well-stocked. A bard softly played their lute in the back.    

“Nice to formally meet you.” Her father extended his hand to the noble as they took a seat at a medium-sized round table towards the back. “I’m Aetius. This is my daughter. I hope you don’t mind. Learning the family business.”

Not quite, but Tsura had learned not to correct him when he was working. She didn’t always follow her father on jobs, but when they were somewhere new, like Tantervale, it was safer for the both of them. Additionally, they both noticed that when it came to new Qunari clients, they warmed up to Aetius much quicker when they noticed his daughter was one of them.

“Donato Vesuvius. Minrathous merchant,” the noble said, shaking Aetius’ hand. “Pleasure is all mine. Drinks?”

“Ale for me. Tea for her.”

Vesuvivus took a seat along with his (presumably) bodyguards, while Tsura and Aetius sat opposite them. Once seated, the Qunari girl felt a small nudge to her side. Right. Eyes and ears.

“I must admit, I was a bit surprised when my contact mentioned you were interested in hiring me,” Aetius continued.

“Is it so unusual for a Tevinter noble to want someone who can translate into Qunlat in this day and age?”

“It is when you are asking an elf to translate for what seems to be a hit on a fellow Tevinter noble.” Aetius shared a wry smile as he leaned back in his chair. “Rather bold.”

Tsura always thought it was interesting how her father was able to immediately shift his demeanour and manner of speaking based on who he was speaking to. To appear meek with the city guard and then as an equal with a person whose ancestors put his own in chains. She once asked him how he knew which ‘Aetius’ to use with which person.

It’s all just eyes and ears, Tsu. What do you see, what do you hear?  

She never found that helpful, as even when she knew what type of person she had in front of her, Tsura never particularly felt the need to change how she spoke to them. Still, she would observe and listen. What did she notice about this particular client? Wealthy and knew it, but didn’t seem to mind being found in a seedier part of town. Perhaps he’d done a rare climb in social status?

“Oh, I would hardly call a member of the Venatori a fellow Tevinter,” Vesuvius replied, waving his hand dismissively. “Cultists clinging to a dead empire instead of looking to what the Imperium could be.”

Aetius chuckled, but Tsura knew that was his way of avoiding saying anything that could lose him a client. Her father had given up on any real change in his homeland ages ago.

“Cinna Abate is a Laetan mage who seems to think himself an Altus,” the man continued. “He’s been sending people to raid merchant ships that have been carrying rather precious cargo from the South. Despite our complaints, authorities have been useless for one reason or another.”

“Hence looking into mercenary companies,” Aetius finished.

“And who is better trained to take down a few Tevinter mages than some oxmen?”

“Qunari,” Aetius and Tsura both said pointedly.

“Sorry, yes. Qunari.” The merchant bowed his head apologetically to the father and daughter duo. “And now you can see why I need you as an interpreter and wanted to meet you first. Work a few things out and make sure you and I are both on the same page so that they are on the same page. Once everyone is in agreement, I’ll send you and Stephan here along with them.” He then motioned at the human guard on his right. A serious-looking man with a bald head who crossed his arms.

“You want me to go? Out west and then Seheron?”

“You don’t send just anyone to Seheron, now do you?” Vesuvius replied. “I was told by a dear friend that is where you worked for a time and honed some of your skills.”

“There’s also a reason why no one stays there for long.” The elf crossed his arms. “You hired me for interpreting, not as muscle. Also, she may be taller than me, but my daughter is barely a teenager.”

“Now, now, don’t worry. I’m not a monster. She is more than welcome to stay at my property outside of Perivantium. No harm will come to her. I would hate to be on the bad side of you and a group of well-trained Qunari.”

Vesuvius then reached into his robe and pulled out a large pouch that made a heavy thud as it hit the table.

“Whoa,” Tsura couldn’t help but let out, leaning over it and peeking through the top. She’d never seen so much coin before. Her father kept in his seat, his face unchanged, but he did keep a firm eye on it.

“I’m a reasonable man, Aetius,” the noble said.  “A high demand doesn’t come without a high reward. The first half for now and your negotiations with the company, and the second half when the job is done. Do a good enough job, and I could find more work for you.”

Tsura knew her Uncle Lioren would not approve of any of this. Fen'Harel ma ghilana, he would probably say.

Then pay me more, dear cousin, would be the response. She never fully understood what either of them meant, but she was starting to get it.

She looked back at Aetius once more, who had now cocked a half-smile and extended his hand across the table towards the Tevinter merchant.

“Where do I sign?”

[tuffgreg]

2024 fic round-up

going by completion date. i'm proud of how much i wrote and, tbh, also find it kind of bonkers that folks are reading my shit lol. it means a lot!!! i like writing all my silly little stories and jumping back into fanfic at the tail end of last year was really a life changer and i'm happy to have met lots of awesome folks and friends!!

january

you might love me to death -- bloodweave, rated e, 23.7k words. this one feels a little like cheating because i posted one half on 12/31 and then the second half on 1/1 lol. this was my bw brainrot secret santa swap for slipintosomethingsoft (not tagging anyone bc that feels annoying lol). my favorite part: the horny orb stuff in chapter three. this was the first time i started to lean into the "backdooring themselves into a relationship with unnegotiated kink" dynamic i enjoy a lot with bloodweave lol

february

you pour and i'll say stop -- bloodweave + voyeur halsin, rated e, 19.8k words. first instance of my fondness for "bloodweave dynamic where you're kinda scared that they like your vibe from across the bar." cheating but my favorite part is that i wrote the first chapter then got several thousand words into the second one, hated it, and deleted the whole second chapter and rewrote a huge chunk of the first one to make something way better. good job past me. nice work

nothing promised, no regrets -- bloodweave + voyeur halsin AGAIN, rated e, 12.2k words. kirbles sent me a garfield t-shirt shitpost and i opened a google doc and wrote 12k of bw humiliation kink and exhibitionism. featuring trans gale!! love u kirbs

if you change your mind -- bloodweave, rated t, 3.6k words. a sweet little fic for the 2024 valentine's exchange in the bw brainrot server! astarion and gale get sent to do some subterfuge at a masquerade party, except gale didn't know it was also a date.

march

NOTHING i was just vibing this month and i had some life changes haha (all good)

april

as the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn -- bloodweave, rated e, 52.6k words. this was my fic for kittencombat as part of the bw tower spring swap. this is probably the best self-contained thing i have ever done. baby's first dubcon tag for misuse of magic and sex pollen. favorite part: the "dubcon for misuse of magic" chapter lol. i also like the bw + implied rolan voyeurism chapter that got tagged on the end; i'm charmed by astarion making up a guy to be mad at, especially if it's rolan.

a fragile thing made of glass -- bloodweave, rated t, 2.8k words. a fic for the bw brainrot spring fling! gale has accepted that practicality to astarion means saving himself first, and an incident in the guantlet of shar puts that to the test.

may, june, july

also just vibing, it was super busy!!

august

call on me for powers clandestine -- bloodweave, rated e, 14k words. "dom astarion sussur dagger knife play." this is the only fic i've ever posted where i was like huh, surprised more folks didn't read this mostly because of such a specific intersection of what feel like very "core bloodweave" tags, but it's also trans astarion, in a well-established series, and the whole first chapter is astarion talking to an oc which is understandably even more niche lmaoo. extremely proud of this one though honestly

september

at one, for once, with the universe -- bloodweave, rated m, 4.6k words. my yet-to-be-completed fic for bloodweave week! i have like a quarter of five chapters started and plan to finish this in the new year. i think it's good and really liked all the bw week prompts!! it's also a testament to why i tend to only post stuff when it's finished haha

october

breeze through the willows -- a slightly melancholy, very sweet apple picking themed fic for pjcole for the bw sanctuary autumn flash exchange. as usual i came at the prompt from left field but i really liked how this one turned out

november

look there was stuff going on

december

shoot the sunshine into my veins -- emmrook (veilguard -- emmrich and my rook merrick), rated e, 10.6k words. merrick accidentally gets high as a kite and whines at emmrich til emmrich fucks him about it. i did some informative reading about mushrooms for this one and i am soooo happy with how this turned out lol. the emmrook flavor i'm aiming for is sweet with weird-horny undercurrents

where art thou? why not upon-eth me? -- emmrook, rated e, 7.7k words. merrick trying desperately to get some privacy to beg emmrich to fuck him and then finally cornering emmrich in his room where everyone can eavesdrop to beg emmrich to fuck him anyway. my fave part is the comment "i want that old man to obliterate him" about merrick" i choked (he's gonna no worries)

stuff i'm trying to finish in 2025

this is for 2024 but i'm finishing up a bw swapfic!

next TWO chapters of by the sea (sex pollen redux, hypnotic pattern + worship kink)

a spite/emmrich/lucanis + merrick fic (this is the cuck chair time out one)

my novel draft lol (contemp romance)

stuff i want to start in 2025

bloodweave traitors au god finally manifesting

davrin/lucanis frenemies to lovers, the empty google doc is just titled what is this feeling (davcanis)

potentially a by the sea rewrite (the og would stay up, i would just update it lol) and long sequel

honestly i said i wouldn't do this because i did it with by the sea but emmrich and merrick are probably getting a silly on-going series of related fics that's just low-conflict kink exploration bullshit because it's fun. i have a whole google doc of ideas. i wanna get weird and silly with them

then also a separate emmrook post-game longfic featuring CLASS BULLSHIT, POLITICAL DISCORD, and MERRICK GETTING ENRICHMENT TIME IN HIS ENCLOSURE (murder)

[solasyoulittleshit]

@dreadfutures on tumblr 💜🐺

rereading Dead Pasts and Dread Futures by youworeblue before Veilguard and I just lol'd at this line

Ixchel Lavellan is being very prescient here lol

Meanwhile in DA:TV --

Great fic by a great author, if you're a newer fan or one of the few who haven't read it I linked it above!!!