#verse ( pre-Inquisition )

[gffa]

Over the last week, I decided to go ahead with bookmarking all the fics I've recommended over the years on AO3 since I abide by tumblr poll results always (and man pour one out for all the fic that never made it to AO3 or has since been deleted, sooooo many gems lost to time!) and it was a bit more than the ~3,000 I was expecting:

Hopefully, this will be easier than browsing the hundreds of recs posts I've made, since you can filter for any of the author's tags now! These are mostly focused on Star Wars and DC fandom, but I did my time in the anime mines and occasional tours through some TV fandoms or movies. You can dig into everything unfiltered and start your own filtering, or the bigger fandoms you'll find:

MAJOR FANDOMS: Each of these should have 100+ at minimum and, in the case of Star Wars, literally almost half of them are in that fandom. Look, Star Wars fandom might be a trash fire in a lot of ways, but it is ON FIRE with some good fic. (Older bookmarks not guaranteed to match my current sentiments, especially re: the Jedi, but they did catch my fancy at that point in time!)

STAR WARS: - All Star Wars -OR- All Star Wars minus the Obi-Wan/Anakin ship - OR- Nothing BUT Obi-Wan/Anakin

BATMAN/DC: - DC can sometimes be tricky, but you can do a Batman* search and get most of them (though, sometimes Nightwing* or Young Justice* or Superman* will catch some of the others). Honestly, though, you might want to just do a search for what character or dynamic you like and have fun from there, because otherwise you're getting a face full of my Dick Grayson Is The Center Of The Universe And I'm Making That Everyone Else's Problem agenda. ;)

MARVEL/MCU: - Marvel* will probably get most of the various properties, though you may want to filter for Defenders* or Guardians of the Galaxy* if you're interested -OR- Marvel* without the Thor/Loki - These focus a lot on the Thor* fandom if you want to witness the results of like 8 years of constant voracious reading in that fandom (Minus the ship), because, seriously, I read a LOT of Odinson family fic. - Bonus, just do a search for Maximoff* to find some really good X-Men: First Class-verse because, listen, I have been ALL ABOUT the Maximoff twins since long before the movies or MCU brought them over and I will DIE ON THE HILL of "Marvel, make Magneto their bio-dad again or I'm never reading another comic of yours ever".

TOLKIEN/LORD OF THE RINGS/SILMARILLION/HOBBIT: - Tolkien* -OR- Hobbit* -OR- Lord of the Rings* searches will turn up most of my Elf-hunting, I primarily focus on the Sindar Elves, but look I can't resist my problematic Feanorian faves or that I will die on the hill that Fingolfin is the best ever. (You have NO IDEA how sad I am that so much fic on Stories of Arda or FFNET is not easily bookmarked on AO3, sob. I externally bookmarked a few of the bigger ones, but sooo many shorter faves are missing from my recs tag.)

CLAMP: - X/Tokyo Babylon legitimately bums me out because it's not a huge fandom and yet so much of what was written was pre-AO3 and lost when CLAMPesque went down or was never brought over from Livejournal, yet this fandom (well, the Seishirou/Subaru pairing) still burns brightly in my heart.

MINOR FANDOMS: Ones that probably only have under 100 bookmarks (often around the 20-30 bookmarks range), but will at least give you a place to start! ANIME/MANGA: Bleach | Cardcaptor Sakura | Dragonball | Finder no Hyouteki/Viewfinder | Katekyou Hitman Reborn! | Kuroko no Basuke | One Piece | Sailor Moon | Madoka Magica | Naruto | Princess Tutu | Trigun | Weiss Kreuz | Yuri!!! on Ice

BOOKS: Chrestomanci | Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

DRAMAS: Nirvana in Fire | The Untamed -OR- Modao Zu Shi

TV SHOWS/MOVIES: Community | Game of Thrones -OR- ASOIAF | Good Omens | Hannibal | Highlander | The Old Guard | Our Flag Means Death | Stranger Things

VIDEO GAMES: Dragon Age: Inquisition | Final Fantasy 8 | Genshin Impact | Okami

BANDS: Arashi

All right, whew, that was actually a fun project, despite how much work it was to hunt down a lot of older faves to see if they were on AO3, hopefully you'll find this useful!

[ectogeo-rebubbles]

fanfic end of year asks!

a fic you didn’t expect to write

something you learned this year

fic(s) you completed this year

fics you’ll continue next year

Thanks for the ask! ^_^ (For this ask game.)

14. a fic you didn’t expect to write

speech is silver, silence is golden, lmao. I really truly did not expect to write Garak/Morn smut. But when my friend requested it, I knew exactly how to write it lol. <3

15. something you learned this year

I may have already learned this, but exchanges with delayed fic reveals and then author reveals a week or so after that are BRUTAL on me, and I may (or may not) just avoid them from now on hahaha. The usual fic-posting waiting-for-comments anxiety but drawn out over a muuuuuch longer time period (finish the fic before the deadline to submit, wait a million years for it to even get revealed anonymously, then wait another whole week before I can even link to it on my blog...).

16. fic(s) you completed this year

27 fics finished this year!! Wooooo! (...And I may update this post later if I post any more hehe.)

completed fics posted:

the looking-glass war (Past Prologue Sisko POV, background Garashir)

and if you don't love me now, you will never love me again (Garashir, Broken Link getting together fic)

lockstitch (Sloanshir, embroidery as torture, sometime post-IAESL)

partners in crime (Siskarak, post-ITPM smut)

kiss me hard before you go (Garashir, Extreme Measures getting together fic)

Unlikely Weapon (Garashir, Julian killing Sloan = Garashir getting together scenario lol)

a contract is a contract is a contract (Quark/Brunt smut set during Body Parts)

me and the devil walking side by side (Siskarak smut about devotion and corruption and recognition of the self in the other and all that good stuff)

you're a criminal as long as you're mine (Siskarak smut set during Second Skin, about crossing and setting boundaries, and the homoerotic relationship between a weapon and its wielder)

speech is silver, silence is golden (Garak/Morn smut with pre-Garashir feels. Garak obvs gags Morn during the sex lol.)

every breath you take (Sloan records Garashir having sex)

going up, going down (cracky Siskarak smut, blowjob in the turbolift during ITPM)

A Professional Interest (augmentphobic Sloan interrogates Julian)

Deserted (Garashir stranded on a desert planet)

touch (Garashir IPS/BIL missing scene multichapter fic)

fics for events/exchanges that had restricted word counts (250 words or 300 words):

gaslight gatekeep girlboss (Kira/Winn and Kira/Ziyal, exactly what the title says lol)

the pros and cons of being possessed (Kira/Keiko, argument about what happened to Kira in The Reckoning and what happened to Keiko in The Assignment)

feels so right (Jadzia/Kira, Kira's fun way of coping with her internalized homophobia)

both lips on the mirror (Intendant/Kira, mirror Kira is obsessed with her counterpart)

not unfaithful but I'll stray (Kirawinn, Strange Bedfellows)

chirality (Intendant/Kira smut, Crossover)

drabbles (100 words):

lying down with dogs (Siskarak smut)

i think we're alone now (Garashir, IPS/BIL cuddles)

The Descent (quodo, The Ascent smut)

never loved nobody fully (Disko, two alternate versions provided depending on which Cardassian you want Sisko to actually be into lol. also some amazing people made a podfic of this, which is just so cool!!!)

The Mole (Sloan vs Kukalaka >:3)

sunshine bouquet (Garashir fluff, DBIP)

aaaaand, not fics, but while I'm rounding everything up, here's links to the two amvs I finished this year too:

Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls - Garashir (tumblr, youtube)

meet me in the pale moonlight by Lola Violet (tumblr, youtube)

17. fics you’ll continue next year

Sleep Awake is my only partially posted wip, but I have many unposted wip documents that I intend to post next year (or whenever I finish them)! These include wips with document titles such as: siskarak strip poker, Sub Rosa sloanshir, soulmate sloanshir, aphrodisiac sloanshir, Inquisition in the Abscess 'verse, julian jealous of imagined siskarak, and garak jealous of imagined sloanshir. :) (P.S. - Anyone can always feel free to ask me about any of those and I will immediately go write/edit at least a sentence on it. Trick me into making incremental progress on my shit, please!)

[fanboyzuko]

alright mai and azula are winning :3 enjoy a snippet of today's work

On a rare day they got to hang out with Azula in the palace, Mai pulled out a package with a deep sigh. Well versed in Mai’s sighs as Ty Lee was, she immediately turned her attention away from painting Azula’s nails. While it sounded like the typical annoyed sigh, it had a slight forced element to it which meant Mai was trying to cover up a positive emotion. Azula started to protest to Ty Lee’s inattention, then realized where her focus lay and also turned to Mai with an inquisitive raised eyebrow.

“I recently received a letter,” Mai said in perfect monotone. “And an accompanying package I chose to wait to open with you all, since there are supposedly presents for all of us.”

Ty Lee quickly cleaned up her nail polish set up, promising to finish Azula’s nails as soon as they opened their presents. Thankfully, Azula didn’t seem too miffed about the interruption and hardly acknowledged Ty Lee as she gracefully rolled off her bed and approached Mai with a huff.

“Well, what is the point of leaving us in suspense? Who is it from? Your uncle? I can’t imagine why he would-” She paused as Mai shook her head with a hint of a smile.

A smile?! 

Ty Lee leaped off the bed and cartwheeled to join them at Azula’s couch where Mai had been lounging by herself. The package wasn’t well-wrapped. Or, it was extremely well-wrapped which made it look lumpy and stupid. Mai’s uncle wouldn’t send something like that, let alone for Mai’s friends too and make Mai smile. There was only one explanation.

“Is it from Zuko?!” Ty Lee exclaimed, flipping over the table between her and the couch to sit next to Mai. “Oh it has to be! That’s crazy! Why is he suddenly writing now? How long has it been? A year?”

“Hardly,” Azula scoffed, crossing her arms as she glared at the package as if she could set it alight with her glare alone. “It’ll be a year next month.”

Mai shared a look with Ty Lee which helped stifle Ty Lee’s giggle. It wouldn’t end well if they brought attention to how much Azula obviously missed her brother if she knew how long he’d been gone to the day. Before Azula could catch them having a silent conversation, Mai held a scroll out to Azula.

“He also wrote to you. I think he actually used his brain and knew it’d have a better chance of reaching you if it came through me.”

As Azula took the scroll with wide eyes, Ty Lee planted her hands on the couch to lean into Mai’s space. “I have one too, right?!”

“No, just the pres-”

The fwoosh of flames and sudden heat across from them cut Mai off. They turned to Azula, Mai’s expression unchanging while Ty Lee’s jaw dropped. Ashes fell from Azula’s fingertips as she laughed and blew the debris away.

“I don’t care what a banished loser has to say to me.”

“B-but I wanted to know!” Ty Lee whined, staring at the floating ashes in dismay. She was so curious as to what Zuko had been up to and why he decided to suddenly send them all presents! Even if he hadn’t written her a letter, he’d still sent her a present!

Mai sighed as she pulled another scroll from her sleeves and held it out to Ty Lee. “I had a feeling this would happen and brought mine as well. You may read it.”

There was a flicker of interest and regret in Azula’s eyes, which anyone else would have missed. But Ty Lee was always on the lookout for the minute displays of emotions in her two reserved friends. So Ty Lee whooped and flipped off the back of the couch, putting it and the table between her and Azula as she opened it and started reading aloud.

“Dear Mai, I would have written-”

“Read it to yourself,” Azula spat and yet her arms were still crossed and she showed no signs of pursuing Ty Lee. “I just said I don’t care what he has to say.”

“What he has to say to you!” Ty Lee fluttered her eyelashes, putting on the air of perfect, fake innocence. “But aren’t you curious about what he has to say to Mai?”

Mai huffed in minimal protest, thankfully catching on to Ty Lee’s game and not taking offense. It was likely Azula knew exactly what Ty Lee was doing too, but latched on to the excuse with a smug snort. “Ah yes, I suppose I am intrigued if their puppy love has survived banishment.” She sat on the table and waved at Ty Lee. “Carry on then.”

The letter was shorter than it should have been. Almost a year since his banishment, and that was really all Zuko had to say? Despite its pitiful length, Ty Lee still felt oddly energized by Zuko’s words. He hadn’t written anything about how he was doing or feeling, but even his straightforward report of his recent activity suggested he was doing well. Zuko had to be doing well if he was so busy! He hadn’t been moping about and doing nothing, like Azula sometimes theorized. Obviously, he’d been working hard and even if he wasn’t close to finding the Avatar, he was accomplishing things! Posing as an Earth Kingdom scholar, living with sandbenders, finding a spirit library? It all sounded so fanciful and exciting!

“Well, what are these presents that supposedly made him think of us?” Azula demanded as soon as Ty Lee finished reading. 

Mai pulled the package into her lap and started the arduous task of unwrapping it. Zuko really took no chances of his glassware presents breaking while in transit. Finally, the box was open and three items were unearthed from the layers and layers of padding. There were no labels or cards, but it was quite obvious who each present was supposed to go to. 

“So pink,” Mai said in disgust, holding the necklace up to Ty Lee.

It was indeed so pink. The pink glass was spiraled in such a way it was opaque, but there was a hint of translucence only glass could achieve. It was beautiful. It was… Pinker than the aura holding it. Ty Lee stared at her hands and felt tears prick her eyes. 

A few months ago, Master Intira passed away in her old age. She’d known her time was coming to an end. She’d prepared everyone for her departure to the spirit world, and encouraged her school to carry her memory and legacy with joy. Ty Lee of course did as her master and idol instructed, but without Master Intira’s unwavering pink, there was no one else to compare her aura with.

Ty Lee thought she’d been doing a good job of keeping herself pink and free.

But compared to the cheerful spiraling glass pendant in her hands, Ty Lee’s pink was dull and lifeless.

“Well, I’ll give Zuzu this, he is shockingly competent at selecting suitable presents,” Azula drawled, pulling Ty Lee out of her panicked thoughts.

In her hands was a beautiful hairpin in the shape of red and orange flames. But the tip of the hairpin came into too much of a point to be anything other than a glass blade. Mai also had a glass weapon, some sort of short dagger that she held in her fist. The blade was a swirl of clear glass, black, and dark red. It was amusing how Zuko got them both a pretty weapon while he got Ty Lee a simple necklace, but Azula wasn’t wrong. Their presents did suit them.

“However, it would be quite unsightly for the nation’s princess to be seen wearing some trinketry from sandbenders,” Azula scoffed and loosened her hold on the hairpin. It balanced on her fingertip, about to fall.

It never crashed to the ground. Maybe the impact wouldn’t have shattered it. If it was supposed to be a weapon, surely it could survive more than hitting the ground from a few feet. But Ty Lee hadn’t been thinking that far ahead as she dived across the room to catch Azula’s present. There had been no time to think other than a sudden fear for her friend’s happiness. Azula would regret it if she broke Zuko’s present, Ty Lee knew it. 

Azula, of course, mocked Ty Lee for her mad dash to catch the hairpin, but didn’t protest when Ty Lee put it away in Azula’s vanity. They changed topics quickly after that, no matter how much Ty Lee wanted to speculate about Zuko’s travels. And it wasn’t long until Ty Lee and Mai were escorted out of the palace. Hopefully they would be allowed to visit again in a few weeks.

“So,” Ty Lee exclaimed as they started the short walk to Mai’s home. “Are you going to write Zuko back? You should ask him more about the sandbenders! They sound so interesting. Oh and please pass on my thanks for my present!”

A lump in her throat made Ty Lee pause as she looked down at the swirling pink now hanging from her neck. 

“It’s something I didn’t even know I needed.”

[littlehoundthings]

Verse: Footsteps of the Black Hound

Dragon Age Verse

The primary verse that will be used for Asheriel on this account. Ashe acts as a possible arcane swordsman companion for the WoF / Inquisitor / Rook throughout the series. Splitting this between games under the cut.

Pre-Dragon Age: Origins

Ashe originated from Redcliffe, where his father, sister, and brother were living. After his magic was manifested, he was sent to Kinloch Hold where he meets the Nanna (@avrorean), Iander (@theshirallen), and Jowan.

Ashe showed a remarkable lack of skill with primal and entropic magic, instead leaning into spirit and creation magic.

Oddly enough, Ashe found a vague father figure in Greagoir, who took him under his wing. This began Ashe learning how to wield a sword and dispel magic.

Thanks to Ian, he learns how to shapeshift.

Dragon Age: Origins (~18 years old)

During The Fifth Blight, Ashe manages to escape Kinloch Hold with Ian due to the Hero of Ferelden's intervention, and quickly asserts himself as an ally.

Ashe shows great interest in the werewolves, and ends up using his shapeshifting to take their form.

After the Blight, Ashe travels with Ian to return help return him to his clan, before splitting off at Kirkwall.

Legend of the Black Hound (Between Origins and Inquisition)

During the years between Origins and Inquisition, Ashe secretly travels over Thedas in his hound form. He began to use his abilities to help apostates and hunt blood mages, eventually earning the monikor The Black Hound due to his shapeshifting.

During this time, Ashe developed a relationship with a monster hunter named Morgan. The two split for unknown reasons a few years later.

At some point, Morgan had Lily and left her at the sanctuary Ashe had built for apostate families. Ashe adopted her, and began to raise his daughter with all the care and love he was able too, while still hunting as The Black Hound.

Dragon Age: Inquisition (~28)

Ashe returns to Fereldan when the southern circles rebelled, hoping to assist and protect as many mages from blood mages and templars alike as he could. He found Ian again in Redcliffe, and can be recruited as a Party Member in part due to his reputation as The Black Hound.

Ashe could be found a majority of the time healing people or taking care of his daughter, Lily, who was only 6 years old by the time of Inquisition.

During the Inquisition, Ashe receives his personal quest "Old Flames" after receiving a letter supposedly from Morgan and finds out she's in danger, only to fall into a blood mage's trap.

Through Ian's influence, Ashe starts to recognize his and Solas' concerns with the Veil during Trespasser, and decides after to leave the Inquisition in order to study and learn more about the Veil-- hoping to figure out a safer method for removing of it.

Dragon Age: Veilguard (~38)

During the intermittent years, Ashe joined the Veil Jumpers in order to study ancient elven technology and increase his understanding of the Veil.

With his skills in shapeshifting, combat, and magic honed from decades of fighting, Ashe quickly becomes an expert explorer for the jumpers.

Lily, meanwhile, took up learning how to be a healer like her uncle and father, hoping to be of some support to people one day.

Ashe offers his services after finding out about the aftereffects of Solas' ritual. Though he agrees with Solas' plan to an extent, he still feels there must be a safer way.

...Also, there are two gods on the loose, and honestly one issue takes precedence over the other at the moment.

[your-talos-is-problematic]

WIP Wednesday!

It’s probably Thursday for some of you already, but oh well. Tagging the usuals @throughtrialbyfire @skyrim-forever and @trickstarbrave sorry if y’all’ve already posted!

Here’s some more crossover fun with Afonya and Tilia! Beware some weirdness probably because a lot of this was written right before bed.

————————————————————————

“Luckily, my parents raised me to just… believe in myself. In my own value. No matter what.” The tiefling’s smile was genuine, but there was a question behind her eyes. She was trying to understand mine. After a pause, she continued, “I can’t imagine the effect it would have on me to be kicked out of my home of almost thirty years. Without that support, I mean.” Wow. Pointed.

I sighed. “Yeah. It’s not fun.” She nodded but kept silent, clearly fishing for more. “What do you want to know?” I was probably speaking to her like a child, but it was hard not to see Lucia in Tilia’s inquisitive stare and prying words.

She turned her head to think for a second, her facial scales catching the light. “What was your homeland like?”

I smiled. “Morrowind was beautiful. Maybe not if you were older and used to it pre-eruption, or lived somewhere green like this.” I paused to tear a flower out of the ground. “But it was beautiful. The ash covered everything, in this way that was always changing when the wind picked up. At night it was this beautiful dark gray color, but during the day you could see all the shades of brown and black and red coming from the mountain.” This was the point where Brelyna would usually cutely laugh at the wonder in my voice- it was smart of Tilia to start with this. “It wasn’t lifeless like some people try to pretend- unless you were in the deep ashlands, there was always some kind of mushroom or flower peeking its head out of the ground. And usually some form of bug bothering you, because it wouldn’t be Morrowind without one.” I swallowed a sound escaping my throat because I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a laugh or a sob.

Tilia gifted me with a sad smile. “It sounds nice.” I was well-versed enough in deception to know she was lying, but the thought was sweet. “When did you leave?”

“Not that long ago.” I paused to count the months, then had a sinking realization. “Nevermind. Three years ago. By Azura- Elia was only fifteen.”

Tilia drew in a sharp breath. “I’ve only been in the Gate for less than a year.” Her eyebrows furrowed, like she was trying to mentally make a timeline of our journeys. Eventually, she asked, “How do you get through everything, then? If you’re so unconfident in yourself? No offense.”

I paused to consider my answer. I thought about giving the usual I fake it, but decided to tell her the truth. I needed to be trusting with her, I could tell. “My family- my real family, that’s Elia, Brey, my kids. I still have trouble believing they love me unconditionally, but they help.” I was able to anticipate her next question, so I answered it too. “That first year though, and most of the second one, were pretty hard. I really think my faith in the gods was all that kept me together. Dunmer are very focused on change- creating it, adapting to it, taking advantage of it. And Azura feels your pain when you start to reflect your hatred inwards.” Tilia wouldn’t be able to notice, but I was quoting a common sermon from my father there. Those speeches were one of two things I learned from him- the other one being how to be a hypocrite. “You’re not religious, Tilia?”

She shook her head. “No. Never found one that worked for me. After seeing Aylin and Isobel, I wondered if I was being called to Selǔne, but…” She trailed off.

“Were you?”

“No. I think I was being called to muscular women, which… preach to the choir.” I lost my cool, at that, the urge to laugh fighting the urge to sigh and winning. The tiefling talked in a manner that almost gave the impression that she wasn’t fully aware of what was going on around her, similarly to Brelyna. She waited patiently for me to recover myself before asking, “What were we talking about?”

“Morrowind. When I left.”

“Right.” She paused to readjust her tail and run a hand through her hair. “How many times have you come back?”

I smiled. “Thank Azura, I’ve been able to return more times than I could count up to in Tamrielic.” She gave me a puzzled look. “My parents were stubborn and only spoke Dunmeri, so I’m missing some knowledge,” I explained. “But I’ve gone to Solstheim, the island that’s a lot less devastated, pretty often. Almost once a month for the past year. And then I went to Vvardenfell, the main island- not the mainland, which ks where I’m from- once. To get married to Brelyna, officially.”

She looked confused again. Or it was just her resting face. Hard to tell. “So when your sister came to Skyrim, you…”

I laughed. “We’re still pretty busy in civil war cleanup, so I hired someone from Raven Rock to escort her there.”

She looked somewhat upset at that, and opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but closed it and resorted to a nod.

“Something you take issue with?” I ventured.

“No. I guess not.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “No. Explain.”

“I shouldn’t be judging you for how you parent your sister. I’m an only child, I don’t- you know.” She had switched pretty quickly into an apology, which probably indicated that it was genuine.

I was tempted to point out the absurdity of the idea of me parenting Elia, but something behind Tilia drew my gaze. I stood up and drew my concentration to creating an Ebonyflesh spell in my left hand. Tilia followed my gaze, her white wings drawing out of her back as she turned her body. I extended my arm for her to pull herself up with. “We have company, Tilia.”

Tilia of Tragedy

[date in DnD system]

Afonya fought like Shadowheart. For the most part, she stayed back, whispering incantations that grew into bolts of what appeared to be both lightning and fire and ended their life cycle as explosions. She did occasionally become more reckless, though,   like a few seconds ago, when she had taken a few steps closer to the bulette to breathe fire onto it. Which was something I was quite jealous of.

As for myself, I was currently hovering just out of the creature’s reach, attempting to reposition a Cloudkill to not place the elf directly in its poison. I guessed that I probably had about a minute before my wings gave out and the cloud disappeared, quite possibly at the same time.

And as for the bulette, it was probably having the worst day of its life. I’d only seen Afonya fight once before, and briefly, but these thirty seconds were confirmation enough of Astarion’s account of her formidability. It alternated swipes at the two of us, occasionally breaking out into confused screeches.

Unfortunately, I was probably too focused on analyzing Afonya’s style and not focused enough on evading attacks. She took a break (probably to recover magical energy, given what she’d told me about Tamriel’s magic), which the bulette took as an opportunity to leap into the air, throwing me off balance and landing closer to Afonya than I was comfortable with. Right then my wings decided to disappear on me, so I took an ungraceful tumble to the ground. From the dirt I eyed Afonya, who was less than a foot from the monster’s massive snout. Far too close for a mage as, for lack of a better word, squishy as she was.

I drew in an anxious breath as she seemed to freeze with fear, fully prepared to walk back to camp alone to get Shadowheart. However, as I watched, she started to glow green around the edges. Haven’t seen that before. Raising a hand up to the sky, or whatever functioned as sky in the Underdark, she started to cast what looked like a version of Call Lightning, but more… frantic. And centered on herself. Which seemed dangerous. I pulled myself up from the ground, mouthing a small ignis and shooting a bolt of fire from my fingertips into the bulette’s back. It roared and turned to face me, but took less than a step before Afonya yelled some more draconic words and it was dead on the ground. 

[playedbetter]

Zinnia Verses

This will be updated as verses are added or developed.

Main Verse

Set at any point in the timeline pre-DA:D. After the conclave she is the Herald and later Inquisitor of the Inquisition.

DnD Verse

Originating from an isolated northern tribe of wood elves she left home to explore the world and uncover lost arcane secrets. However in her ruin searching she came into contact with a relic of what seemed to be a forgotten god, and upon touching it a burst of light knocked her out and when she came to she had a strange mark on her hand and strange new abilities. She now is searching for the truth behind who her patron is and what they want.

Wood Elf - Hermit - Wizard (Bladesinging)/Warlock (Hexblade)

Misc Verse

For any thread where the verse is unclear or non-developed or one off AUs.

[finishinglinepress]

NEW FROM FINISHING LINE PRESS: Structures by Barry Vitcov

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/structures-by-barry-vitcov/

Structures is a #poetry collection of #\Shakespearean-style #sonnets, #haibuns, on-sentence poems, #triolets, #villanelles, and #haiku. Each poem seeks to match the discipline of a prescribed form with an approachable and conversational voice, which encourages the reader’s accessibility. Sometimes serious and sometimes whimsical, this collection provides appreciation for what life has to offer. And there is delight in the cameo appearance of a beloved standard poodle at least once in each poetic form!

Barry Vitcov is a retired educator having spent 45 years as a middle school English teacher, school administrator, leadership coach, and adjunct university professor. He lives in Ashland, Oregon with his wife and exceptionally brilliant standard poodle. He has had fiction and poetry published in EAP: The Magazine, Literary Yard, Scarlet Leaf Review, Vita Brevis, Finding the Birds, Cobra Lily, and The Drabble. Finishing Line Press published two of his books, a poetry collection Where I Live Some of the Time (2021) and a collection of short stories The Wilbur Stories & More (2022).

PRAISE FOR Structures by Barry Vitcov

Barry Vitcov’s poems, collected here as Structures, give old and established poetic forms a fresh voice, at times playful, with Barry’s standard poodle making several appearances, but in other poems soberly metaphoric, as inOur Ukraine. His casual, conversational language takes any of the expected stiffness out of the formal structures; rhyme and meter are unforced, and repeated lines in the villanelles and triolets read as emphasis, not redundancy, like the language of an earnest speaker. The collection is cleverly organized as well—notice the haibun titled One Sentence Poem preceding the section of one-sentence poems, and the tightly constructed and humorous triolet, Plural of Haiku, leading into the final section, a generous plurality of haiku. Structures is a fine chapbook, a delightful and worthwhile read.

–Lisa E Baldwin, author of Truths and Consequences, editor and publisher at N8tive Run Press

From the lyric sonnet to the (deceptively) simple haiku form that Barry Vitcov is so well-known for, this collection of poems explores love and loss, hope and regret, and, of course, the beauty and wonder of the natural world. Sometimes serious and sometimes whimsical, Vitcov’s poetry helps us to appreciate what life has to offer. And you will be sure to delight in the cameo appearance of his beloved standard poodle at least once in each poetic form! Dive in: there’s something good waiting for you inside these pages.

–Jennifer Rood, past president of the Oregon Poetry Association and author of What the Heart Says

At turns whimsical and tender, Barry Vitcov’s explorations of poetic forms pay homage to classic themes. But there’s a modern personality at work here too, with its inquisitive poodles, river otters, and wordplay. The book moves like a journey through a closely observed landscape with an amiable friend who finds joy in working the puzzles of language.

–Amy Miller, author of Astronauts

The poems in Barry Vitcov‘s Structures represent a throwback to Shakespearean forms and times, and will delight literary readers seeking not the typical free verse offerings of modernity, but the rhythms and discipline of a form that, today, is rarely utilized and seems largely forgotten.

–Diane Donovan, Donovan’s Literary and Midwest Book Review

Please share/repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #read #poems #literature #poetry #sonnet #formpoetry

[equustenebris]

Writing Masterpost

I needed a new masterpost :> Check out my AO3!

As always: if y'all have any prompt ideas you'd like me to take a crack at, please feel free to send 'em my way! My inbox is always open. I'll take any active fandom listed below. (No guarantees I will be able to finish anything, but if my time permits I will most likely take a stab at it! :>)

If you'd like to leave a request.....

I typically like soft, fluffy things, domestic focus, and a focus on the personal relationships between characters but I'm open to trying other things too.

My favorite FNaF characters: the Daycare Attendant (Sun and Moon, though tbh I prefer Sun a little more :>), Gregory, Chica, Freddy

My favorite ESO characters: Revus Demnevanni, Tiras Tirethi, Narsis Dren

I'd also consider writing for: Tales from the Borderlands, Dragon Age: Inquisition

Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach

Typically fluffy drabbles, focused on the Daycare Attendant with a strong slant towards pre-virus cuteness. The reader occasionally makes an appearance; some drabbles may be reader x DCA.

The Very Noisy Night - Moon hated thunderstorms. They were loud, distracting, dangerous for electronics of all sorts. But he didn't hate them as much as Sun. And putting Sun down for a "nap" overnight during a vicious storm proves a lot more difficult than the Naptime Attendant anticipated.

Hanging by a Threat - The Daycare Attendant is injured and on strict prescribed rest while they await their ordered replacement parts. But as the human handlers -- and Moon -- quickly discover, it's hard to dim a bright Sun.

Trimming Day - The reader shares a somewhat intimate moment with the Daycare Attendant when they arrive at the daycare just in time for "trimming day."

To Fight the Early Morning Maudlin-ing - Not long after being moved from theater duty to the daycare, Sun is adjusting to his new role but finds himself missing their theater days. Moon offers a bit of comfort to his brother.

Elder Scrolls Online

Revus Demnevanni-focused, with appearances from Tiras Tirethi, Narsis Dren, and potentially the Vestige.

[WIP] That Tedious Delusion - After the events of Giving Up the Ghost, much to everyone's surprise, Tiras elects to go on another excursion with Revus. But as the euphoria of his near-death experience wears off and reality sets in, Tiras quickly begins to wonder just what in Oblivion he was thinking, letting Revus drag him all the way to Bangkorai. But as they're both about to discover, that's the least of his problems.

[WIP] The Maelmoth Mysterium - Revus Demnevanni has always had the worst luck. At the outset of a new expedition for the Council of House Telvanni, he arrives to find that his assistants are delayed and Tiras is sick, leaving him to gather his research by himself. But when he strikes off on his own, he finds out just how bad his luck really is when he runs across the famous Narsis Dren. [A retelling of The Maelmoth Mysterium quest.]

Duckverse

I'm no longer writing Duckverse stuff unfortunately for some personal reasons, but you can check out my masterpost here (featuring Italian comics-verse Gyro Gearloose, Mad Ducktor, Newton Gearloose, and/or Copernicus and Cartesius Gearloose. Most fics are Gyro/Mads.): Duckverse Writing Masterpost

[chaotic-criminal]

Mairwen: Pre-Canon [Fandom]

Mairwen’s next incarnation was as a Dragon Age Inquisition companion OC. She still did not have the name ‘Mairwen’, at the time having the name ‘Marie Pythia’. Her backstory is much the same as her Dragon Age verse originally is, except she had lost many of her memories. She had been in a circle tower and made tranquil before escaping with her friends from the tower who had known her before her change. 

At some point they were able to reverse her tranquility, but it made her forget her time before that. And since her friends were killed shortly after this, she was once again alone with only her horse. She joined the Inquisition as an herbalist, hiding her magic and acting as a rogue before she discovered her past. [Her companion quest.] I still have many of the drabbles and short fan fics from this verse where she romanced either Cullen, Josephine and/or Krem. 

It was this version of her that influenced her RP incarnation the most, though there were changes...

[freedomscall]

VERSES AND AUS

DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS & AWAKENING

CAREFUL PLANNING [ KINLOCH HOLD / PRE-ORGINS ]

This verse intends to encompass events and scenarios both vastly pre-origins and just upon the cusp of Anders' eight escape attempt. At his youngest, Anders is roughly 19 years old, newly Harrowed, about to start specialization training, and in a few months will experience devastating heartbreak. At his oldest, Anders is 29 years old, weak and emaciated from his year in solitary confinement, unaware that the Tower is about to fall victim to chaos via the hands of a Senior Enchanter, and is just on the cusp of enacting a plan of escape that no one though he had in him anymore. By default Anders has no concrete connection to Amells, Suranas, or Jowan outside of a passing familiarity, as given his comments in Awakening and due to the maturity gap. For non Warden circle mage OCs, Anders' default familiarity will depend on how close in age he is to said OC, though without plotting he will still be an acquaintance at best. I heavily encourage discussion and plotting for connections beyond the defaults, as Anders is a social butterfly while still confined to the tower!

FINAL ESCAPE [ ON THE RUN / PRE-AWAKENING ]

A between verse, for the period of time following Anders' final escape from the Tower before being captured outside of Denerim a few months after the archdemon is killed. This verse's length, canonically, is roughly a year long and can feature scenarios both before and after Anders comes to Denerim. The default state of this verse places him as working at the Pearl, a brothel, some months after his escape for both the sake of shelter and to earn coin with the idea of securing passage via boat away from Ferelden.

WARDEN ACOLYTE [ VIGIL’S KEEP / AWAKENING ]

This verse encompasses the entirety of Awakening's in-game events and beyond that to the moment Anders allows Justice to possess him, before fleeing to Kirkwall. The default state of this verse assumes the Warden-Commander is also the Hero of Ferelden, has recruited all Origins and Awakening companions, and is on friendly terms with Anders.

DRAGON AGE II

THE CITY OF CHAINS, ACT I: NEW BEGINNINGS

This verse takes place during the events of the game's first act and thus encompasses Anders' first encounter with Hawke, the death of Karl, the trek into the Deep Roads, etc. The default state of this verse leans towards a friendship path with Hawke, but will be adjusted as needed to better reflect individuals Hawkes.

THE CITY OF CHAINS, ACT II: GROWING TENSIONS

This verse encompasses the whole of act two and the three prior mentioned years following Hawke's expedition in the Deep Roads. The default state for this verse assumes Anders begins the act on a full friendship path with a Hawke that has flirted with him but then after Leandra’s death quickly swings towards a semi-rival in the later half, leaving Anders heartbroken. In this verse Anders is ultimately able to regain control of himself from Vengeance to prevent the death of the female mage in his companion quest, Dissent.

THE CITY OF CHAINS, ACT III: NO COMPROMISES

This verse features Anders at his worse, markedly mentally ill with no feasible way out of act three's inevitable conclusion. His relationships with Hawke and the rest of the gang are heavily strained and the default state of this verse assumes him to be a neutral path with a Hawke who, despite being heavily traumatized by what happened to their mother, ultimately sides with the Mages. You all know how it ends, so I imagine I don't have to say much more.

DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION

VENGEANCE WROUGHT

This verse features Anders two years out from the destruction of the Chantry at Kirkwall, having long fled from the Free Marches for Ferelden. He has tried and failed to join the main rebellion camp and it's offshoots for various reasons, be it his infamy or his potential instability. During this time he uses several fake names and monikers to conceal his identity and has grown out his hair and beard despite how much he dislikes it. Anders is active in the area near the Hinterlands as a wandering healer following the destruction of the Conclave, as never straying too far from the rebellion's path means he frequently encounters those caught in the middle of the war. This means he can potentially be encountered by the Herald of Andraste and certain members of the Inquisition as early as their first task of acquiring horses for the Inquisition, though unlikely. Following the destruction of Haven and the discovery of Skyhold, an Inquisitor who has allied themselves with the Mages and is rumored to be a supporter of their cause might spark enough curiosity in the healer for him to consider blending in with the various other individuals making pilgrimages to the fortress. On the chance that said Inquisitor has also chosen to expand Skyhold's courtyard triage, there is the possibility that Anders will linger--- leaving him open to potential discovery by the Inquisitor themselves or any number of those within. This is to be considered Anders' default post-dragon age 2 verse, his alternate verses where he's on the run with a romantic partner will be tagged individually per partner. For interactions with Inquisition based characters, the above is a general idea of what to expect for a bare bones plot and I would prefer to flesh it out before interacting.

DRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARD

tba

CANON ADJACENT ; DAO:A ONWARDS

ON SILVER GRIFFIN WINGS [ SENIOR WARDEN / UNPOSSESSED ]

In this verse Anders ultimately avoided possession by his friend, a spirit of Justice, and has remained with the Grey Warden’s Ferelden branch ultimately long enough to be awarded the title of Senior Warden. By default this verse assumes that by not merging with Justice, Kristoff’s body eventually was unable to function and Anders instead begrudgingly helped him return to the Fade, despite how he would have otherwise been willing to go through with other plans if not for Rolan’s presence when the moment finally came. Without melding himself with Justice, many of Anders’ budding issues that the spirit would have otherwise taken issue to and attempt to correct only continued to grow through the years. As a result, the healer is more or less a functional alcoholic with a promiscuous streak that waxes and wanes in accordance to his moods and, ultimately, mental state. He is still an extremely skilled healer despite this, and, as the years past, has become expected to train both new mage and new non-mage wardens under him in the nuances of quick, messy field chirurgy, intermediate herbalism, and several other skills helpful for those who’ve recently joined the Warden’s ranks— a role that he enjoys far more than he imagined he would. This verse extends through the same period of time as Dragon Age 2 onwards and certain events in it might put him in Kirkwall or Inquisition locations at various points in time. This verse also assumes that the events of Dragon Age 2′s final act somehow occurs without Anders’ contribution, as tensions between mages and templars were already about to come to head before Anders’ involvement within the mage underground. I’m willing to adjust this verse’s default assumption of what happens to Justice as needed, especially in relation to other character’s verses where they instead become the spirit’s host.

CANON ADJACENT ; DA:I ONWARDS

BLESSED ARE THE REBELS [ INQUISITOR / HERALD OF ANDRASTE ]

Inquisitor Anders. This verse places the healer at the conclave when it is destroyed, and by fate alone is rendered the lone survivor after being knocked into the Fade, then assisted out by the spirit of what seems to be the just deceased Divine Justinia V. Said spirit is quickly believed to be that of Andraste herself by those investigating the rubble, leaving witnesses to believe the unconscious mage blessed— despite the festering mark that threatens to spread from his palm. Unfortunately, however, others are unconvinced. Recognized by the Divine’s Left Hand ( and by chance, the kidnapped storyteller brought in by the Divine’s Right Hand ) to be the destroyer of Kirkwall’s Chantry and the mage responsible for the death of the city’s Grand Cleric and roughly a hundred others while still unconscious, Anders is imprisoned thusly. Chained and treated for the mark that threatens to kill him while waiting for him to wake, Anders is immediately accosted with accusations of responsibility for the destruction of the Conclave ( admittedly a fair guess given his past ) and the massive, unstable tears in the veil cropping up across both Ferelden and Orlais. Claiming innocence, all are unconvinced, until it is proven that the wound upon his palm is the key to sealing the rifts and staving back the influx of demons that flood from them. As Inquisitor, Anders faces difficulties that a normal player-controlled Inquisitor would not. In fact, the act of becoming the herald in the first place is a massive leap, considering just how close the Inquisitor is revealed to get to Corypheus when their memories of the event are restored. As further examples, Anders is plagued near nightly by the effects of the sentient darkspawn’s amplified false calling even before the events of the Conclave, during the attack on Haven the healer has an incredibly difficult time staving off the effects Corypheus has on the taint in his blood and the former magister’s attempts to seize control on the spirit within him once again. It can be assumed that Solas's eventual recommendation of an Amulet of the Unbound for Cole will also apply to Justice. Further more, it is in the Inquisition’s best interest to keep his true identity as Kirkwall’s rebel mage confidential to those outside of the inner circle. As in his default Inquisition verse Anders makes use of various fake names, though rumors begin to spread of his actual identity following the first trip to Orlais. By the time the Inquisition is fully set up in Skyhold, Anders’ past before being given the moniker of Herald of Andraste is more or less publicly known by the pilgrims making their way to the fortress. This leads him to being heavily distrusted by the common members of the Andrastrian Chantry and often faces negative reactions. This no doubt would have various effects on the story, but most notably during the Winter Palace segment the healer would be required to overcome an extremely negative court approval. By default, assume the majority of Anders’ choices to align with his beliefs regarding mages and that of his own personal compass. As a quick rundown he decides to take the mountain path on the route to the Temple of Sacred Ashes, outright refuses the title of Herald, immediately disregards Cullen’s suggestion to recruit the Templars, allies with the mages at Redcliff, dons the mantel of Inquisitor for what’s right, allies with the Grey Wardens, allows Celene to die and places Gaspard upon the throne of Orlais with Briala pulling the strings, and, finally, lets Morrigan drink from the Well of Sorrows. Furthermore, if given the choice, Anders will endorse Leliana for Divine while outright refusing to potentially give Vivienne that much power if asked.

FANDOM ; BALDUR'S GATE 3

FATE DIVINE [ TAV STAND IN / INFECTED COMPANION ]

note: for the purpose of this verse, anders takes the place of tav unless interacting with another tav or durge.

※ | Just another unfortunate abducted by the Nautiloid and infected with a mind flayer tadpole. Can be found in the wilderness north of the Emerald Grove following the Nautiloid crash. ※ | Divine soul sorcerer, with no known trace of divine lineage within his family. Believed to be blessed by Ilmater, He Who Endures, for this affinity as a child by his faithful. Specializes in divine magic and evocation spells. ※ | Begrudged by it. He never asked for this and it has made his life increasingly difficult, where as he was expected to act in a manner that defied the boy's desire for personal freedom. ※ | Throughout his youth he was largely disinterested in properly becoming one of the clergy and frequently found himself attempting to run away from it. At time has been both defiant and apathetic to things beyond his own wants and desires (especially as a teen and young adult) and found it hard to abide by the belief that pain is finite and by taking it upon himself there would be less for the world to bear. ※ | Originally born in a small village within the Western Heartlands before being taken to Eshpurta, Amn in West Faerûn as a child after his divine circumstance was discovered. Lived within the Towers of Willful Suffering, a temple and abbey complex that was looked down upon by the city. ※ | In Amn arcane magic was illegal and divine magic was only tolerated by those associated with recognized religions, but a certain incident caused the youth's magic to flare uncontrollably, killing and maiming dozens of individuals in an explosive display of vengeful power. ※ | Haunted One background, did unspeakable things to avenge the murder of someone he loved as a young adult and fears losing control like that again. Ran away and restlessly travels, offering his help where he can. Yet he still feels as if there is a lingering darkness in him that continues to crave vengeance… ※ | Selflessness as an ideal, helping those in need and largely refuses to allow others like said loved one to be victimized. Hopes he can find redemption from this guilt through his actions, though he still finds it incredibly hard to forgive. ※ | As a grown, 30 something year old adult he has found some comfort in the dogma of Bahamut (who advocated a 'greater justice' that included protecting the weak, liberating the oppressed, fighting against evil, and toppling oppressive regimes), despite being non-draconic himself. This is alongside teachings of Ilmater, which he has come to better embrace after all he has seen. ※ | Runs a traveling free clinic for those turned away from other establishments due to lack of coin or faith. Funded mostly by donations and other things he picks up on the road. ※ | Just wants to get back to his cat.

[immobiliter]

okay so now josie is rolling around in my head again, there are a few verses/AUs i am considering for her~

bg3 verse - so the best equivalent to antiva i can find through scouring the wiki is amn, and that nation has historically had a challenging relationship with baldur's gate ( but the two are still close ish ) so i feel like that gives me some interesting stuff to play around with through making josie an ex-bard turned amn ambassador to baldur's gate. i'm undecided yet on whether i would want a tadpole/companion verse for her because a huge part of her character is that she is non-violent so i'm not sure how she'd fit into a party dynamic, but her being an ambassador likely concerned about baldur's gate politics under gortash opens up some possibilities. plus i might tie her to jaheira again like i have varric just because i can

post trespasser / pre veilguard - so a lot of this is speculative because i personally don't think josie is high up on the list of likely cameos for the new game, but we do know from trespasser that if her personal quest is completed josie begins rebuilding her family's trading fleet and starts pissing off rivaini pirates ( so get ready for me to be 👀 at the lords of fortune faction ). i also imagine she continues to be involved with antivan politics even if the inquisition is disbanded post-exalted council or by the time veilguard rolls around, and ofc she still has her friends within the inquisition who she would help out with her extensive contacts across thedas high society

[empathsies]

❛  i  think  keeper  deshanna  and  crafter  abarat  are  conspiring  to  make  sure  i  don’t  have  a  SOCIAL  LIFE  .  ❜

ILLASAN  EASES  unceremoniously  into  the  spot  on  the  ground  beside  her  ,  wincing  almost  comically  at  the  UNKINDNESS  of  their  camp’s  rough  terrain  against  the  elf’s  equally  and  comically  flat  behind  .  

IT’S  TIMES  LIKE  THESE  that  illasan  wishes  the  utter  exhaustion  they  felt  was  from  something  as  harsh  as  PHYSICAL  TRAINING  —  the  same  kind  morwenna  was  lucky  enough  to  receive  from  the  clan’s  CAPABLE  ,  and  PROFICIENT  hunter  .  illasan  liked  watching  them  —  they  liked  watching  the  way  MORWENNA  ,  and  the  handful  of  other  soon-to-be  dalish  hunters  whizzed  past  obstacles  and  climbed  trees  with  the  graceful  ease  of  their  forebearers  .  AWE-INSPIRING  ,  and  deadly  .

JEALOUS  ,  but  PROUD  .

they  bump  a  SHARP  ELBOW  against  the  hunter’s  side  ,  GESTURING  towards  the  figure  of  a  girl  their  age  .  her  hair  was  long  .  RAVEN  .  she  was  laughing  —  black  eyes  glittering  as  she  spoke  to  one  of  the  clan’s  elders  .  

❛  i  mean  ,  look  at  that  —  just  ,  look  at  how  much  FUN  i  could  be  having  if  i  had  enough  ALONE  TIME  to  say  something  to  that  girl’s  stupidly  pretty  face  and  make  her  stupidly  pretty  laugh  with  her  stupid  —  pretty  mouth  .  ❜

@hcroesjcurney​  liked  for  a   starter  ♡

[orsino-the-enchanter]

A boop on the nose from Alexius! (Idk, maybe he is tipsy or something), from the unspoken fluff starters! ambitious-indeed

Orsino was quite inebriated himself, so he couldn’t have predicted the magister’s intention. Seeing him stretch over from the opposite side of the table, he thought he was just trying to reach for the jug of cheap wine they had ordered to refill his glass; a gesture he had seen him repeat a couple times that evening, much like himself. Next thing he knew, Alexius had given his nose the littlest of boops. The touch was so light and unexpected that the elf sneezed as he would if his nose was tickled, and then he burst in a fit of giggles, as if this was the funniest thing ever. Despite his intoxication he made a little note at the back of his mind to at least get drunk on better quality wine next time. 

“What was this about?” he asked between his giggles. “Were you trying to see whether elves are indeed descended from cats?”

@ambitious-indeed

[repentnt]

@andrastespromise​​​ wrote :    “ Feel better getting that off your chest? ” from my lavellan 😎 𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐊𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 .    accepting !

        head bowed ,  leena’s ears burn with embarrassment .  ❛  my apologies ,  𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐃 ,  i certainly do not mean to speak out of turn .  ❜  upon hearing that the inquisition would consider a potential alliance with the 𝙍𝙀𝘽𝙀𝙇 mages at redcliffe ,  she immediately sought out melava with the request that the inquisition should form this alliance 𝙄𝙈𝙈𝙀𝘿𝙄𝘼𝙏𝙀𝙇𝙔 .  leena had cornered the elf in haven’s chantry ,  where she then proceeded to prattle on about the hardships the mages at redcliffe had faced .  it was rare for her to be so outspoken .  she silently chastized herself ;  she must not present herself as too passionate .  too zelous .  𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 would not approve .

        thin lips 𝙋𝙐𝙍𝙎𝙀 as she takes a moment to compose herself .  ❛  i understand that lady cassandra or commander cullen may advise otherwise ,  but i must 𝙐𝙍𝙂𝙀 you to consider traveling to redcliffe .  the 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐒  -  they are good people .  if i were not lending my services here ,  i might even be at redcliffe with them .  ❜  leena took a steady breath ,  ❛  THAT is all that i wish to say .  ❜

[lyriumed]

@myrtair​ gets Rendan

The scruffy man walks calmly through the streets of Starkhaven, hand on a makeshift harness with a protruding handle. The mabari it is attached to walks steadily, keeping such a pace that the pair neither come apart nor trip over one another. 

It is only when Rendan steps on an uneven cobblestone, his balance waning, that trouble begins- most notably when the blind man stumbles into a cart of goods, tipping it over and falling, himself, into a complete stranger.

“My apologies-” He begins, quickly straightening himself and reaching to stabilize the other as best he could. “Del’da’lin must have missed that stone... Damned dog doesn’t do half his job when he’s supposed to-”

[ladylike-foxes]

Thank you so much, @solas-disapproves !! ❤️❤️ Here's a post-Inquisition/pre-Trespasser sad for @dadrunkwriting 😭❤️

~~~

Deshanna was standing before the small group of children, giving them the usual warning speech before sending them off to gather herbs. Mamae stood behind her, slightly off to one side, watching Laleal and Halesta as they listened with bored expressions to the Keeper's rambling.

"You all know by now how to tell our trails apart from the shemlen paths. Remember what happens to da'len that walk too far and lose sight of the trail? The Dread Wolf comes and takes them away, giving them to shemlen for slaves—or eating them up!"

Halie glanced at Laleal as she struggled to hide a smile, then looked to Mamae, who rolled her eyes without bothering to be subtle. 

The powder snow had frozen to the packed dirt, so her steps left no prints. Halesta chuckled to herself at the memory, and its strange reoccurrence as she circled Haven's frozen lake. The sun hadn't yet broken over the mountain tops. Even if she did wander off the path and into the fresh snow, the woods here were sparse, and the mountains were enclosed so tightly, she'd never be able to lose sight of it. And, anyway, I'd like to see the Dread Wolf try.

She stopped and looked up at the Breach, its hovering boulders amidst swirling green green light. A sudden sensation washed over her, as though she had lived this before. Flashes of memories strobing through her mind before she could make them out. Then the feeling of being watched. Her fingertips fluttered to the cord around her neck and skimming down to the low collar of her shirt, reaching for the hilt of the dagger hung there. She turned, already knowing who stood behind her, already knowing how this played out.

"Hahren," Tone weary and flat, "Is there something you need?"

"Not quite."

Solas stood in that old, familiar sweater, hands clasped behind him, barely attempting to feign casual indifference. 

She remembered this, too— Except now, they were both playing their part half-heartedly. He had recently come to this, reenacting old memories as an excuse to see her. Usually, she played along for the same reasons he did. Not this time.

"So, even my memories are false now," Without malice, but sighing wistfully, "Unless...you weren't, perchance, going to pin me against a tree again, were you?"

Solas didn't bother to hide his small smile at the memory; briefly bowing his head and chuckling down at his feet as he took a step toward her. Watching with little hope, she remained perfectly still, lest she scare him off. 

"If I were planning to do so," Half joking, but drowned in melancholy, "I could not very well do so now, could I?"

Tilting her head coyly, "Even if I played along?"

Shaking his head no, a bitter smile tight on his lips.

"'It would be kinder in the long run'," Parroting his own words back to him with less venom than usual: she was so very tired.

"It would only cause more needless hurt."

"And this doesn't?" 

Though she'd spoken softly, he was now looking at her desperately, as though pleading for something. Permission, perhaps? He had it, of course. The yearning was mutual, she couldn't deny that. But that wouldn't stop her from trying to reason with him, futile as it may be. Halesta gazed back, begging as well. Please, stop this. Please, come back. In an instant, he was Fade-stepping toward her in a blur of color. She closed her eyes on instinct.

With a gasping sob, she sat up in bed, tears already welling in her eyes. She could still feel the ghost of his lips as he had brushed them against the corner of her mouth.