#with there being a child inquisitor she would definitely be like no way am I not staying to help this child I would protect her with my life

[idiotarsonist]

Some drawings of my oc with @tarantula-hawk-wasp’s oc Maera

The first one is when they first meet, the first time my oc sees Maera close a rift. I imagine her first reaction is ‘why are they having a child do this?’ and then when she finds out that Maera is the only one who can fix things she stays at the inquisition to help. The second picture is the two of them going on a picnic cuz my oc would definitely try to do fun stuff with Maera and try to give her some good memories.

[druidgroves]

😒 💀 👻 👀 💩 for Georgia + one oc of your choice

thank you bo !! georgia + allison bc they're og babygirls

get to know people in my oc's life

😒 …someone my muse hates.

The obvious answer for Georgia is Kellogg. Not a very interesting answer, but she hates the guy more than she's ever hated anything. Vault-Tec may have changed the trajectory of her life forever via cryo, but Kellogg tore it apart in front of her & inflicted so much trauma. We're getting closer to her fight with him in BLP & I am so excited lmao.

Allison hates Cullen with a passion. His "mages aren't people like you and me" comment pushed what would have been regular hatred of a templar into burning rage. She doesn't wanna be the exception. Being a mage is who she is & she's still a person despite it. When she visits Skyhold later on she definitely brings it up in front of the Inquisitor & the rest of their advisors, just to be petty.

💀 …someone my muse would kill for.

Without a doubt Georgia would & has killed for her son. The first time it was Kellogg, before she knew Shaun grew up & eventually figured out the ten year old she saw in his memories & inside the Institute was a synth. Even after she takes in synth!Shaun, by the end of the game she's already sold herself as the kind of person who wants to make the world a safer place for her family by any means.

Allison is kind of in the same boat--she's killed for family & for friends. She values her relationships to the rest of the Kirkwall crew highly & like. All of their personal quests involve some sort of killing lmao. She killed people in pursuit of her baby brother when he got nabbed. Allison repeatedly & willingly puts herself on the line for those she loves.

👻 …someone my muse considers a best friend.

Georgia's bestie is a hard tie between Preston & Piper. Preston was there from the beginning & they leaned on each other a lot in the early days after she left the vault. He taught her the basics of surviving in the new world she found herself in & she served as inspiration to keep going for him. He's her right hand man & she probably trusts him the most out of all of her companions. Piper serves best as a friend Georgia can chill out & gossip with, the kind of friend she sorely needed before the bombs. Piper is funny & loud & unafraid to be herself or express her opinions & Georgia truly admires that about her.

Allison's best friend is, of course, Varric. He talks about her like she hung the moon & Allison made him the fucking godfather of her child. She loves the man like family. Besides Varric, though, since he's the obvious choice, I think her next best friend would be Isabela. She's the most chill out of all the companions & the best at providing a break when Allison needs one. She also loves hearing about Bela's time at sea :)

👀 …someone my muse likes, but doesn’t trust.

Georgia likes Deacon but doesn't trust him as far as she can throw him (on account of the fact that he was technically stalking her even if it was for "the greater good"). She thinks he's funny & likes hanging out with him on Railroad stuff, but she basically treats him like a coworker.

Allison likes but does not trust Sebastian. Tbh I haven't really played much with him all that much but even if I did, his (admittedly somewhat understandable) reaction at the end of Act 3 would be her cut off point. Threaten her lover like that after years of being friends with her? You're done lmao. Post-DA2 Allison sees Sebastian as former friend but now a distant threat (distant so long as she & Anders can keep safe in hiding).

💩 …someone my muse dislikes, but admires.

Georgia & Cait don't get along very well due to opposing personalities & morals, but Georgia does admire her! Cait is everything Georgia isn't: tough, strong, & doesn't fall to social pressures. Georgia sees traits in Cait that she wishes came easier to her & in a way she's kind of jealous.

Allison isn't too fond of Samson for obvious reasons (since he is an ex-templar) but admires the fact that he put his neck on the line to assist mages. Overall she thinks he's pretty skeevy but overlooks that fact whenever they interact over the course of the game. If/when she got the news that he was leading the Red Templars for Corypheus, any goodwill she had left was probably diminished.

[the-bee-graveyard]

Rory I am in my tobias and eva FEELS RN

Cat's story seems SUPER sketch

Like his mom was 'hysteric', which is obviously 19th century language for queer mentally ill and being abused, and his dad was a 'hard man', cough cough abusive

And no one expected Eva and Tobias to get married, so they obviously eloped which would definitely piss off their parents who were high standing member of the clave (perhaps enough to plan something devious)

Now the real reason her story doesn't make sense

1) the clave FORCED him, and 4 others, to go to bavaria and leave his sick and ill wife to go fight powerful warlocks. The reason I say this doesn't make sens because why would the clave send someone from london to germany for a mission? Why not ask people from the german institutes or the institutes that are actually close to bavaria? More importantly why would they chose Tobias, the weakest and kindest herondale, to go and not his older brother William, who was said to be the best fighter of his generation?

2) only 1 of the other 4 men survived and told everyone Tobias deserted. First off, how would he know that Tobias fled and didn't just go chasing a demon? Also the guy said that Tobias was frightened because he was worried about his wife and kid? Yeah? He just watched 3 people get murdered why the fuck wouldn't he be scared of not being able to go home to his wife? Why would the clave be mad at him for that reason only? He was the youngest and worst fighter there. Did they want Eva to become a widow and raise their child alone?

3) HOW THE FUCK DID CAT KNOW THE EXACF DETAILS OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FOREST. She said that she ran into him in the woods and he was too far gone to be saved. However she knew that Eva was going to be executed in the stead of Tobias. He was just going to die anyway since he was stuck in bad dreams of his wife dying and not being able to eat or drink, so why didn't she bring him to the clave so Eva and the baby would be saved? And why was she so willing to take Eva's baby?

Theory time✨️

In the early 1810s Felix Blackthorn and Tobias' dad convinced the Inquisitor to look the other way when they buried Anabel alive. Consorting with a downword was a sentence for outcast, but having a child with one meant traitoring and was met with death.

What if Anabel and Malcolm stole the Black Book so they could have a child. Eva's parents are never mentioned, even though Cat supposedly knows them well. Eva was executed in 1828

Anabel was born in 1793 at the earliest and was 19 at the earliest when she died, that places her death at 1812. It's entirely possible she had a baby with Malcolm, and then her father and Tobias' father killed her.

Now after extensive research, I found out that shadowhunters in the 1800-1950s got married at an average age of 16 for girls and 17 for boys. Which means the timeline for Eva being Anabel's child makes sense as she would've be 16 at the earliest and almost 18 at the latest

Also, why would Tobias and Eva's marriage shock their parents? If Felix is close with Tobias' dad, then why would they be against it? Maybe because his dad doesn't want him to marry a half blood? Or because he doesnt want his weakling, probably mentally ill and queer like his mom, to get out of his control? Or because her dad wants to control her and he can't if she's married?

Now we all know half warlocks half shadowhunters don't have marks, but they do have magic.

So my theory is that Eva Blackthorn is Malcolm Fade and Anabel Blackthorn's child, who when she married Tobias discovered she had magic. She confronted her 'father' and he tells her the truth, so she makes a plan to tell and meet Malcolm

So Felix conspires with Mr. Herondale and they go to the Inquisitor to send Tobias on a suicide mission then convince the whole enclave that Eva should be killed in his stead

Maybe that's why Roland could do magic and why Malcolm would hang around and give Kit treats and tell him stories

But that's just a theory

A heavily researched informed theory

This is a very interesting concept and I would be very interested in watching it develop even further. I do feel like the Eva and Tobias story has something off about it myself, and this does seem to check the boxes that don’t make sense about it,

[onlymexsarah]

Jealousy || Jesper Fahey

Request: "hey i saw your requests were open and i was wondering if you could write something with jesper? maybe with him being jealous of everyone that flirts with the reader or something like that lol, i just want jealous jesper. you are amazing btw i love your kaz’s stories!! <3"

Pairing: Jesper Fahey x reader

Warning: just flirt and my english :)

A/N: Thank you sweety! I'm so happy you liked it, and I hope you are gonna like this too! I'm sorry if it's short, but I have to admit I've never written something about Jepser nor I've never thought about him in that way, and it was a funny challenge, hope you'll appreciated what I've written❤

Working for Kaz Brekker meant that your life was in danger six days on seven when the luck was on your side, but that didn't stop you from having fun.

Not only you were part of the dregs, but you also were Nina's best friend, and that meant that no woman and no man had any chance to say no to you, not when you flirted with them.

It wasn't a secret that you loved fun, and just like Nina and Jesper you loved having people's eyes on you. Kaz knew that the three of you could easily flirt your way out from any trouble if needed to.

"Green or red?" you asked Nina with two dress in your hands.

"Have you seen yourself in the mirror? Definitely green." she answered without looking, she was too focus tailoring her makeup in the mirror.

From the high of his ruthlessly, Kaz Brekker had given to all of you the free night, and you had decided to go out with your friends and have fun.

"Still try to make Jesper admitting his feelings?" asked Nina while you brushed your hair.

"Jesper is Jesper, he flirts with everyone. If he doesn't a move, then there is an entire city that is waiting to do it." you said with more confident than you felt. Jesper Fahey was the boy who had fucked up your mind since the beginning, with his witty remarks and his flirty personality, you had fell for him as a kruge fell in Kaz's pocket.

You didn't want to have to go and console yourself with strangers, but at the same time you couldn't wait Jesper forever.

Nina chuckled helping you with your hair and then walking with you downstairs. "Let see if we can find a worthy partner for you, Y/n."

They reached Matthias and Jesper outside the Slat; you had the suspect that Inej would have stayed sat on Kaz's window all night keeping him company.

Matthias had to shut Jesper's mouth when you girls arrived. He was devouring you with his eyes and the Fjerdan couldn't hold a smirk.

Damn it. Did you plan to seduce all Ketterdam that night? Because he would easily surrender at you.

When you approached he composed himself. "I can't decide if you look amazing in that dress or if you'd look better without it."

He winked and saw a little blush on your cheek, but if you were shy you hid it very well with a sly smirk. "I guess you're gonna have to see yourself."

"It's a primise then." he said before the four of you started walking around the streets of Ketterdam.

Your relationship had always been like that. Jesper couldn't deny that his comments had become more true and spontaneous, he couldn't help it, and it was hilarious for the people around you, because it was oblivious how you both felt toward each other for everyone but you.

"Love, I don't think we can afford a table here." Matthias said to Nina once they stopped in front of one of the most fancy pub in Ketterdam.

"Leave me and Y/n deal with that." she winked taking your arm with hers and bringing you at the counter where the owner, a beautiful Kaelish woman, stood.

Jesper stayed at the door with Matthias looking you and Nina flirting with the woman. He saw how her eyes were on you while you giggled and smiled at her. He couldn't hear what you were saying, but it seemed that it was working because now the woman had her arms rested on the counter, her face close to yours.

"Hard, isn't it?" asked knowingly Matthias beside him. "See the girl you like flirting with someone else and obliviously being reciprocated."

"They are Nina and Y/N, they always do...that" Jepser said waving his hands in the air to point you girls. "You are the one who find it strange."

"Maybe you are right, but it's one of the things I love about her. But still, it's not a shame admitting you are jealous...I am too."

He didn't have time to answer that you and Nina arrived with two huge smiles on. I am not jealous. "Guess who has a table as a gift of the house?"

"We do, don't we?" asked Jesper excited.

"Yes! Come." you said taking his arm and bringing him at the table with Nina and Matthias behind you.

"You have to thanks Y/n, she did all the work. The owner couldn't take off her eyes from her as she talked." said Nina smirking as Jesper shifted on his seat.

"I was lucky she liked my accent." you waved your hand in the hand as it was nothing.

Nina chuckled. "More like she wanted to hear you moaning with your accent in her bedroom."

Jesper and Matthias choked themself with their drinks while you started laughing. "At least my beautiful accent gave us a table and free drinks."

You enjoyed the night, drinking and dancing. Jesper knew that people flirted with you everyday, but he thought that someone was pranking him that night. Every time he turned around someone was talking with you, making you giggle or blush. He was getting crazy.

Couldn't they just...walk away?

He moved closer to you at some point and took you into a conversation everytime he saw someone approaching.

You noticed that something annoyed Jesper, but you couldn't figure out what. You all were having fun, even if with your disbelief he hadn't danced with anyone but you. Was he ill?

"I'll go and take two drinks, stay here dove." he said in your ear walking away and disappearing behind the crowd.

You stayed there for while when a young man of few years older than you approached smiling. "You must be the star of the night because no one is shining like you."

You tried your best to not laugh. "And you must be in the wrong place, the circus in on the other side of the city."

"Ouch, pretty and quick-witten. A letal combination." he said amused.

You shrugged. "What can I say, Ketterdam made me."

You two kept talking about silly things keeping the flirt in the air. He was the one more eager, you were just waiting Jesper but the company of a pretty man wasn't bad at all.

You were laughing at one of his joke when an arm took your waist and squeezed you. "Piss off dude, she is with me."

You watched Jesper with widened eyes as he burned the man with his eyes.

"She didn't seem so to me." said the man annoyed.

"Well sorry to disappoint you. Now go away if you don't want trouble."

"Jesper!" you didn't know what was happening. You had been talking with people all night and he hadn't said a word, so why now was different?

"It's fine, I'll go." you and Jesper remained alone and he looked like nothing happened.

"Drink?" he said offering you one glass.

You shoke your head astonished and walked away toward the door. You needed fresh air and stay as far away as possible from him.

"Y/n!" you heard his voice behind you but you didn't care. What was wrong with him? He had never had such behaviour in none of your nights out. "Y/n wait!" He followed you outside, the drinks forgotten somewhere inside. "Tell me what's wrong."

"What was that?" you asked crossing your arm in front of your chest.

"What was what?" he said confused making you rolling your eyes.

"You were...rude. You had no reason to threat him like you did."

You could see in his eyes that he didn't know what to say. He looked for an good lie but it was hard under your inquisitors eyes. "Y-you were suppose to be with me!"

"So? That never stopped you from finding other partners." you raised an eyebrow obliviously.

He gave a quick look around, as if something could help him, but when his eyes fell on you again he knew he had to tell the true otherwise he could loose you.

"I was annoyed, alright? All those people flirting with you, saints I couldn't even turn around a moment that someone had already approached you." he agitated his hands in the air while you widened your eyes.

"Why should it bother you anyway?" you asked defensive.

He looked at you astonished, as if you were asking why the water was wet. "Because I like you! Hadn't been oblivious enough these past months?!" Now your mouth was a bit hopen, speechlees. He seemed to notice what he had said after few seconds. "Oh...it would be too late saying that it's not true, wouldn't it?"

You nodded quickly. "Yes, definitely too late."

"Well, you weren't suppose to find out like this. I had planned something like a date, maybe with some candles and a good view, but I guess that in front of a pub in the Barrel sounds fine too." he tried to joke shrugging while you were still processing his words.

"You are still in time, the night is not over for that date." you sounded casual but you couldn't hold your smile while you said it.

He looked at you surprised before smiling like a child. "Let's tell Nina and Matthias we are leaving then."

You walked inside the pub, both smiling like idiots, before you felt a hand on you wrist that turned you around and a pair of soft lips on yours. Jesper was kissing you while he kept you close with his right hand on your waist and the other on your cheek, and you didn't think twice about putting your hands behind his neck.

"I have to make sure no one will flirt with you again tonight." he said seductively with a smirk a few inches from your mouth making you blush.

[shift-shaping]

Solas/Surana Party Banter round whatever

hello. here it is again, but different this time! SIGNIFICANTLY. there's way more and it's a little bit ~angst-y~. anyway, here's the previous version, and here's a preface to this post.

-

In case you aren't aware of what my girl's Whole Deal is, she was in love with Alistair during the Blight and he sacrificed himself, which Sucked Balls for her. She wandered around in the mountains for most of the past ten years, and now she's in the Inquisition because she doesn't know what else to do with her life.

content warnings: brief mention of colorism

Lots of banter under the cut

Solas: Surana. Now that you have joined the Inquisition, what title do you prefer to use?

Surana: What title do you use?

Solas: None. But you have earned many.

Surana: 'Warden,' I guess. I don't really care.

Solas: Not 'Hero of Ferelden?'

Surana: No. Surana is fine.

.

Solas: You dislike your title?

Surana: It is inaccurate. Alistair was the real hero, and he died fighting the archdemon --I only ever did what I had to do.

Solas: Hm.

.

Solas: You do not think yourself a hero?

Eirwen: *sighs* If a man is ordered to save a child from a burning building or else be killed himself, is he really a hero? No, he is not.

Eirwen: Had I not been made a Warden, I would have been killed or made Tranquil. I did not choose to do the right thing. I was forced to.

.

Surana: Why do you keep asking me so many questions, Solas?

Solas: You are an historical anomaly. An elven mage elevated to the status of legendary hero.

(If the Inquisitor is an elf, a mage, or both:

Eirwen: Well apparently it’s not that anomalous.

Solas: Even still.)

Solas: I have seen echoes of your victories in the Fade alongside reflections of your losses. You have overcome a great deal. Do not be so quick to dismiss your own story.

Surana: Your dreams are lying to you. That legacy is not mine to claim.

Solas: I will not try to convince you otherwise, but know this: whatever bitterness you feel towards your legacy, you will gain far more accepting it than you ever would fighting its tide.

Surana: This isn't really about me, is it?

Solas: It never is.

.

[After All New, Faded for Her]

Eirwen: I’m sorry about Wisdom, Solas.

Solas: I appreciate that. Thank you.

Eirwen: It must have had a wealth of knowledge. It is a shame to lose so much for so little.

Solas: There is a difference between wisdom and knowledge.

Eirwen: Right, yes. I remember a joke about that. Would you like to hear it?

Solas: Not particularly.

Eirwen: *clears her throat* Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing it does not belong in a fruit salad.

Solas: ...

Eirwen: Too soon, I suppose. Sorry.

.

Solas: Thank you, Surana.

Eirwen: I told you, Dorian and I aren’t fond of that particular vintage. And we thought you’d appreciate the earthy tones.

Solas: Thank you for that as well, I think, but that is not what I as referring to.

Eirwen: Oh?

Solas: Your joke. You… it was unexpected. But not bad at all.

Eirwen: Oh. Well, that’s about the least dirty joke I know. Want to hear one a drunken dwarf told me in the Deep Roads?

Solas: Another time, perhaps.

Eirwen: Ah, you wouldn’t like it anyway.

.

Solas: Surana. You said before that a man ordered to save a child from a burning building under threat of death would not be a hero.

Solas: I disagree.

Surana: Oh?

Solas: The man threatened with death may not see himself as particularly noble, but the child will always see him as their savior. Regardless of his motivations, he will always be a hero to the child he saved.

Surana: So no matter who or what made him do it, he is still a good person because another thinks him such?

Solas: I did not say that. 'Heroic' and 'good' are not necessarily the same.

.

Surana: So what is your point, then? That I should make people call me 'Hero' at Skyhold?

Solas: My point is that you should not feel guilty if they believe you to be someone you are not. You cannot control them, and attempts to the contrary will only serve to make you miserable.

Surana: Why do you care so much? Why does it matter to you how I feel about being called 'the Hero of Ferelden'?

Solas: It --doesn't. You are right, of course. And I meant no offense.

Surana: That's not-- I'm not offended, I'm curious. I want to know why it matters to you, a random wandering apostate, whether I call myself a hero or a bastard or a drunkard or nothing at all.

Solas: It is as I said: elven mages are rarely given the level of respect and admiration that you are. It is a shame you see no benefit in that.

Surana: Benefit? Like what, seeing my ears cut off in statues? My staff turned into a sword? My skin lightened in paintings and my relationships reduced to spectacle or seduction?

Surana: Maybe I am offended. I would love to be an anonymous apostate. I was, for a while, but I couldn't stop trying to live up to a version of me that doesn't exist, never has, and never will. The real hero is dead, and you have me instead.

Solas: You must let that be enough, Surana.

Surana: It isn't.

.

Surana: Solas, you have dreamt in all sorts of places, right?

Solas: Yes.

Surana: Have you ever --well, did you ever see the Battle of Denerim, in your dreams?

Solas: Not as you would remember it.

Surana: Of course not. But... I mean-- did you--

Solas: It is done, Surana. You cannot linger there.

Surana: How do I do that? How do I stop seeing it?

Solas: You do not. But instead of letting it weigh you down, let that pain be what pushes you forward. Focus on where you must be, and what you must do. You are needed here, now, exactly as you are, not as the person you were in Denerim. Whoever others think you are, you must go forward as who you know you are. If you lose sight of that, you are lost.

.

Surana: Solas, thank you.

Solas: For what?

Surana: You know full well what.

Solas: I try to help, when I can. The pain you carry is... familiar.

Surana: Familiar?

Solas: You feel guilt simply for being alive, as though self-flagellation will make you worthy of existence.

Surana: Self-flagellation? *dryly* You have a way with words, you know.

Solas: *just as dryly* You flatter me.

[If neither Solas nor Surana are romanced]

Surana: You deserve the flattery.

Solas: Is that a compliment, from the Hero of Ferelden herself?

Surana: I take it back. You're an ass and I hate you.

Solas: *chuckles*

.

[After Here Lies the Abyss]

Surana: I didn’t know you disliked the Wardens so much, Solas.

Solas: It was not worth mentioning.

Surana: Not until it became acceptable to criticize us, you mean.

Solas: What have the Wardens actually accomplished in terms of understanding the Blight? Do you honestly feel you understand it any better than you did before you became one?

Surana: Is that a serious question? Do I understand it better after witnessing its ravages than I did when I’d merely read about them in a book?

Solas: What did the Wardens teach you? What did you learn from them, about the Blight?

Surana: More than I will ever tell you.

Solas: *bitterly* Ah. Of course.

.

Surana: You have always been an apostate, have you not?

Solas: By your Chantry’s definition, I suppose.

Surana: My chantry? Am I the Divine now, too? *scoffs* Anyway, you have never spent time in a Circle.

Solas: No.

Surana: Then one thing I will tell you about the Wardens is this: there is no other path to freedom for many mages than to join them. You were not dragged from your home in chains because of what you are. You were not barred from dreaming, nor threatened with Tranquility when you failed to perform a difficult spell.

Solas: You should not have had to make that choice, Surana.

Surana: Yet I did, because it was the only one I had. And the Wardens are all the world has to counter the Blight. You can disagree from your tower in Skyhold or your hut in the woods or whatever, but we are working with what is available to us. Come up with a real solution and I will listen. But I’m uninterested in ignorant complaints from someone who was not there.

.

Surana: It’s not my Chantry.

Solas: Poor wording, on my part.

Surana: I don’t even like the Chantry.

Solas: Abelas. I meant no offense.

Surana: Yes, you did. Or you just don't care.

Solas: What would you have me say, Warden?

Surana: Nothing. Just be quiet.

.

Solas: Where was home to you, Surana? Before the Circle?

Surana: *sighs* An orphanage in Denerim’s alienage.

Solas: Really? Huh. In that case, I would have expected you to sound more like Sera.

(Sera, if present: What? You think all city elves sound the same?

Solas: You are from the same section of the same city. Why would you not have the same accent?)

Surana: I don’t sound like Sera because I was beaten in the Circle until I spoke 'properly.’ No offense to Sera, of course.

(Sera, if present: More reasons to be glad I’m not like you two.)

.

Solas: I am sorry, Surana. Living in the Circle must have been difficult, and I imagine being a Warden during the Blight was no easier.

Surana: *sighs* It’s alright. You couldn’t have known.

Solas: I should have tried. I have done you a disservice, and I hope you can forgive me.

Surana: Maybe. Possibly. Did you bring any of that wine with you?

Solas: Unfortunately not.

Surana: *playfully* Then, no.

Surana: …But please, call me Eirwen.

Solas: Eirwen. Ma nuvenin.

.

[After Surana hears Cole and Solas banter for the first time]

Surana: Oh! I think I got that one, it's --oh, wait. No, that can't be it.

Cole: You were close, though.

Solas: Nearly had it.

.

[If Eirwen is romanced by an elven Inquisitor]

Solas: *playfully* For all your talk of wanting anonymity, Eirwen, you seem incapable of avoiding spectacle.

Surana: Is this about the drunken bear? I already apologized for that.

Solas: No. You and the Inquisitor. Two of the most powerful elves in Thedas, together?

Surana: Jealous?

Solas: Not for the reason you think.

Inquisitor: How could we resist?

Surana: We are both very pretty.

OR

Inquisitor: One day we will be free of all of this. Together.

Solas: For your sakes, I hope you are right.

.

[If Solas is romanced and Eirwen's personal quest is completed]

Solas: You no longer consider yourself a Grey Warden, Eirwen?

Surana: Did the Inquisitor tell you that?

Solas: Yes. You threw your badge into the Abyss.

Surana: Bit dramatic, I suppose. I was having a moment.

Solas: Evidently.

.

Surana: It almost felt traitorous, honestly.

Solas: Why? You were forced to join the Grey Wardens, were you not?

Surana: They still saved my life.

Solas: And condemned you to an early death. They bought you time, nothing more.

Surana: But time is all any of us have, isn't it?

Solas: No. You have a name, and experience, and the influence to pull the strings behind the world.

Surana: Careful. You'll make the Inquisitor jealous.

Solas: I am not attempting to flatter you. I am only telling you what you must already know: that you are more than a Warden, and always have been.

.

Surana: Where will the two of you go, once this is over?

Inquisitor: (Somewhere quiet) A place where we can be left alone.

OR (Somewhere fun) Someplace with good wine.

OR (Home) North. Where my people are.

Solas: An appealing prospect, vhenan.

Inquisitor: What about you, Eirwen?

Surana, based on the Inquisitor's answer to the previous question: (Somewhere quiet) Somewhere without so many damn demons.

OR (Somewhere fun) I was thinking Rivain. I've heard the food is excellent.

OR (Home) The Deep Roads. Where my people are.

.

[If neither Solas nor Eirwen are romanced]

Solas: Have you ever learned any elven, Eirwen?

Surana: Unfortunately not. A few words here and there, a long time ago. It wasn’t exactly taught in the Circle.

Solas: Would you like to?

Surana: I –oh. I hadn’t –um.

Solas: *chuckles* You do not have to learn.

Surana: No! I would love to. From you, I assume?

Solas: I cannot imagine you were going to learn it from Sera.

Sera, if present: I prefer real words, thanks.

.

Solas: What elven words do you recall, from your alienage?

Surana: Ah… okay. Hahren, that’s like… elder, or leader. The tree in the middle was called the vhenadahl. Lethallan is like friend, or ally, or maybe even sister?

Solas: Do you know what vhenadahl means?

Surana: It must be something about a tree.

Solas: And where is it, in the alienage?

Surana: A central place, somewhere everyone could see it.

Solas: And what is another word for the middle of something that lovers might call each other?

Surana: …Heart?

Solas: So what do you think 'vhena’ means, if 'dahl' is tree?

Surana: Uh... heart?

Solas: Yes. But also 'home.' The vhenadahl was both the home of your people, and the heart of the alienage.

Sera, if present: Just call it what it is --a big stupid tree.

.

Surana, in elven: *haltingly, mumbling* [Her early leaf’s a flower… but] –shoot.

Solas, in elven: [But only so…?]

Surana: M- it starts with an ’m’…

Solas: Take your time.

Surana: Meh- malath?

Solas: *laughs*

Surana: Is that wrong? Shit, that must be wrong.

Solas: Not wrong, per say, but perhaps premature.

Surana: What? What did I say?

Solas: Do not concern yourself with it, lethallan.

Surana: …was it dirty?

Solas: No.

Surana: …then what was it?

Solas: Patience, Eirwen.

.

Surana: I found out what ‘ma lath’ means.

Solas: I would expect nothing less from such a gifted student.

Surana: Mhm. It’s –well. I’m glad I said it, but you were right. It was premature.

Solas: I agree. Though...

Surana: Though?

Solas: *chuckles* I think this is neither the time nor place.

Surana: What is, then?

Solas: When I have you alone, Eirwen.

Surana: *laughs awkwardly* Maker's breath...

.

Sera + Surana

(If Solas has begun "teaching Eirwen elven")

Sera: So… you and Droopy ears.

Surana: Why do you call him that?

Sera: Cause he’s all –I don’t know, sad or wha'ever.

Sera: Anyway. Teaching you 'the ways of the elves,’ is he?

Surana: It’s just not a very good nickname, frankly.

Sera: Well I don’t want to know what you call him.

Surana: Certainly not droopy.

Solas, if present: *snorts*

Sera: *laughs* Ew! Keep it to yourselves, then!

.

Solas: Eirwen, I–

Solas: I am sorry we had to cut our lessons short.

Surana: It’s… I understand. We… no, you were right.

Solas: Please, Eirwen.

Surana: Perhaps, in another life, another time, we could have–

Solas: You are a bright light in a dark world. You will always be important to me, for whatever that is worth.

.

Surana: Can I ask you a question, Solas?

Solas: Of course.

Surana: It's not about me, is it?

Solas: I--

Surana: It's about trying to fight the tide.

Solas: Eirwen...

Solas: I am so, so sorry.

Surana: Telanadas, hahren.

Solas: Ma nuvenin, vhenan.

[darethshirl]

OC Interview: Lyanna Lavellan

Thank you so much to @noire-pandora and @morganlefaye79 for tagging me for such a fun OC game! I had a blast writing this. 💜💜 I’m tagging in turn @rosella-writes, @melisusthewee, @cleverblackcat, @thevikingwoman, @ammocharis, @in-arlathan, @dreadfutures and anyone else who wants to do it!

Introduction

This event was organized a few weeks prior to the Winter Palace ball. Ambassador Josephine Montilyet had invited a few Orlesian journalists to Skyhold to interview the newly appointed Inquisitor.

Can you introduce yourself?

She looks at the speaker with a clear and steady gaze. “I am Lyanna vir Lavellan.”

What is your gender identity, orientation, and relationship status?

She tilts her head. “I don’t believe in labels, or constraints. I’m attracted to people first, not particular identities. And as for my relationship status...” She gives a coy smile. “Let’s just say I’m not searching right now.”

Where and when were you born?

"In my clan, somewhere in the Free Marches, 30 summers ago.”

What is your weapon of choice and fighting style?

"Bow and arrow, and my one trusty dagger. I prefer picking out enemies from a distance, one by one, and going unnoticed during battle... but if I’m forced into close combat I have no problems getting my hands bloody. Also, ever since I became the Inquisitor I’ve received extra training on being stealthy.” Her eyes twinkle. “Not that I needed it.”

And finally, are you happy?

“Yes, I am. I have many things in my life to be grateful for.”

Family and friends

What is your family like? What is your relationship like with them?

She sighs, and looks slightly at the distance. “It’s a long story, and I won’t share the details, but my mother died when I was young and my father was never in the picture. I was raised by my aunt alongside my cousin Syranna.” She turns back to the speaker with a smile. “I’m very grateful for the family I have, and I love them both dearly. I wish I could see them more often than I do.”

Have you ever run away from home?

“I never needed to! Whenever I was feeling antsy as a teenager - or even older - my Keeper would always give me permission to visit other clans, or would just give me a mission that took me far enough away for the restlessness to dissipate.”

"Would you want to get married or have children?

"No.” She doesn’t elaborate.

Do you secretly hate any of your friends?

She raises a single eyebrow. “If I hated them, then they wouldn’t be my friends.”

What friend knows everything about you?

"I think all my friends know things about me. They all have pieces of my soul with them, and together, they all comprise me.”

Asked by fans

Can you read and write? Did you go to school?

"I learned to write and read elven runes by my hahrens, as all children of my clan did. As for human letters, I admit those give me more trouble. I had to learn as an adult, and in some ways I am still learning.”

The scariest prediction you made that later came true?

"I don’t actually think about the future. I don’t think I’ve ever made a prediction, true or otherwise.”

What is something you embarrassingly realised too late?

"Well...” She shifts. “When I was a child, I was convinced I’d eventually display my own magic. My cousin and aunt both had magic, so why wouldn’t I?” She shrugs with a self-deprecating smile. “It took me too long to realise that it wasn’t meant to be, for me.”

Do you have mental or physical problems?

“No, none for now.”

What's your main goal right now?

Her expression turns smooth and neutral. “To defeat Corypheus.”

Choices

Drink or eat?

“Food, definitely.” She suddenly chuckles. “Don’t tell Varric, but I don’t actually like the taste of alcohol.”

Cats or dogs?

She thinks about this with surprising seriousness, frowning for a long time. “...Cats, I think. It’s a hard choice, but at least cats are more independent.”

Optimist or pessimist?

"There are certain people who consider me a pessimist. But if you ask me, I’m simply a realist.”

Sassy or sarcastic?

She quirks a smile. “Aren’t those the same thing? Anyway, I’d like to think I’m neither.”

HAVE YOU EVER:

Been caught sneaking out?

Her eyes twinkle with humour. “Didn’t I tell you before? I’m good at sneaking.”

Broken a bone?

"No, but it was pure luck that I didn’t!”

Did you get flowers?

"My cousin and I used to gift each other flowers - or other pretty trinkets - regularly as children. As an adult, I’m usually the one giving flowers rather than receiving them.”

Ghosting someone?

"Right now? No.” Her gaze is cool and steady. “But I can, if I have to.”

You pretended to laugh at a joke you did not get?

“I’ve never pretended, but if someone laughs at their own joke I tend to laugh with them.” Her smile turns warm. “I just find it endearing.”

[ohnotoomanyfandoms]

This is definitely gonna be an unpopular opinion and you probably won’t agree with me, but what ariadne did to Anna is VERY similar to what Charles did to Alastair, but no ones ready to have that conversation yet 🤭 it’s making me mad that loads of people are hating on Anna (and I don’t even rlly like Anna) for what she says to Ariadne in that leaked snippet when actually it’s fair enough for Anna to feel frustrated and reluctant to give Ariadne a second chance. I definitely sympathise with Ariadne but people like to act as tho she’s done nothing wrong, even though she did enter into a relationship with Anna without telling her that she was engaged to Charles - Anna’s within her rights to be wary of her

Okay, lots to unpack here. 

I do see your point - there are definitely similarities. Both Ariadne and Charles preferred to keep their sexuality and relationships a secret, preferred to hide their love for Anna and Alastair, make a political marriage, and be closeted forever. Reputation is a big part of why, but I feel the real reason behind it is slightly different. 

In Charles’s case, it’s all about ambition. He wants to be Consul and he won’t let anyone or anything - not even his feelings - come first. He loved Alastair in his own way - as we can see from him trying to speak with him at the party in the snippet, four whole months after Alastair broke things off. His feelings were real, but his reason for wanting to keep Alastair a secret and wanting to make a politically advantageous marriage are entirely selfish. 

Now, Ariadne. I feel like it’s important to point out Ari is much younger when she meets Anna and breaks her heart. She was 16/17 (not sure about her exact birth date), while Charles was 24 in Chain of Gold when he had that conversation with Alastair. You can see how this changes things.

Another important thing to consider: status. Charles is the perfect firstborn child of the Consul. We know Charlotte and Henry just want to see their children happy, no matter their sexuality, just like Gabriel and Cecily with Anna. On the other hand, Ariadne is the daughter of the Inquisitor, but his adoptive daughter. Her parents love her, but with limitations. She does not believe they would think of her the same way if they knew she was a lesbian. And, yes, she is a young woman of color thrown into the ruthless London Enclave. I know that logically Shadowhunters should be more progressive on internal racism, since they are racist aplenty with Downworlders, but it’s just another thing that sets Ari apart from her peers.

Ariadne is aware her position is more precarious than Anna’s and says as much in Every Exquisite Thing: “I am adopted, Anna. My father is the Inquisitor. I do not have parents who are as understanding as yours must be...” 

I don’t blame Ariadne for her choices in EET. Should we had told Anna she was entering a long engagement? Yes, absolutely. She didn’t handle the situation well, but it’s not like she knew Anna long. They kind of fell in love instantly and acted on it right away, there wasn’t much time for conversation about future intentions. 

By the way, the marriage with Charles was the perfect loophole, because both were gay and both were entering that marriage with the same intentions of living separate romantic lives. No one was being lied to or led on. Even Alastair understands this and is willing to tolerate it. It’s Charles leaving Ariadne to enter an engagement with Grace that does it for Alastair, because it makes no sense logically or politically, and Al also realizes that if Charles was willing to PUBLICLY drop Ariadne, the daughter of the Inquisitor like that, he could as easily drop him, his secret love that no one knew about. To be fair to Charles (not something I enjoy doing lol), we know Grace must have compelled him to enter an engagement, so this part is not his fault. 

Now, to the situation in Chain of Iron: Anna and Alastair are indeed reacting in similar ways to their exes trying to win them back. They’re both refusing, and they have good reason to. They’ve been hurt by these people in the past and have no wish to repeat the experience. 

I did not enjoy the anti Anna discourse I was seeing last week, because - as much as I ship them, which is a lot - you need to remember that Anna does not owe Ari anything. Yes, we know she’s still in love with her, but she has no obligation towards her. She is free to refuse her as she would any other lover. She shouldn’t be cruel about it or do it out of spite or pettiness, but, just like Alastair with Charles, she doesn’t have to take Ari back. 

Anna wants freedom. She feels like romantic love will be a cage. Whatnot, she does not trust Ariadne with her heart. It’s not hard to see why that is, and I think she deserves to be fully sure she wants to be in a relationship with Ariadne before she rushes into one. This might take some time, and I think it’s okay Anna takes hers with this decision. Because once they’re together, Anna knows her life will change drastically: Ariadne isn’t interested in being another dalliance, she wants the real thing, she wants to win her back and conquer her heart. 

Anna knows that if they do this, it’s going to be forever. I think it’s fair she considers carefully. She is not punishing Ariadne for her past mistake, she is testing her. She needs to see how committed Ari will be this time, because Anna can’t risk her heart with her again. I’m not saying I support this, just that Anna has a right to wait.

I want them to get back together. They will, sooner or later. We need to let things take their course. 

[espressocomfort]

I got tagged by one @crackinglamb​ ! It’s Thursday in my time zone, so it’s a WIP whenever at this point.

I’ve been told my tavern scenes are lovely, so, this week you’re getting a little celebratory snippet from a future chapter of Coiling Time, one which I’m currently working on... 

After hours of wine and dance and food, the party has broken off into smaller tables. I set down the two tankards and take my seat between Arcanist Dagna and Maryden, across from Ser Morris, Harritt and Elan Ve’mal. Her and Cabot’s one-year-old, a round-faced and happy little boy with dark curls, bounces happily on her lap. 

“Oh, to be young and betrothed. Well,” the botanist adds, “It’s not half bad being a little older and betrothed either. But look at them, not a wrinkle on their faces. What are they, twenty?”

“Can’t be much more,” Harritt says.

“Twenty and two, I think,” Dagna corrects.

“Practically children,” I say, shaking my head. “Way too young to get married.”

“You got some experience with that?” the dwarf asks, taking a sip of her pint, but then she flinches, and looks to Maryden. Her expression settles on embarrassed. 

I follow the weird exchange, then clear my throat. The table turns to look at me.

“I made many mistakes in my youth,” I admit. “But, getting married was never one of them. I think. How about you, Dagna?”

“You think?” she asks with a laugh.

“It depends on your definition of married. I never made vows, but…” I add vaguely.  “Well, Dagna?”

She blows out her cheeks, eyebrows raised, then sighs.

“My father planned to marry me off for the biggest dowry. Well, that was before I went topside and ran off to a Circle to study. It broke his heart, I think, that I became a surfacer. I don’t regret it, one bit,” she adds with a shrug, “I know everyone shared their stories about how the Inquisitor changed them, but my life would be quite different if I’d never met the Hero of Ferelden. I’d probably still be in Orzammar, married to some… man. I’m more of a ladies’ girl. There’s this Red Jenny I quite like,” she adds, eyes turning dreamy, “and I’m not sure if she’s trying to get with me or trying to recruit me but… Morris, how about you?”

“I am unwed,” Morris answers. “But I am betrothed, since Wintersend,” he adds, picking out a ring on a cord around his neck from under layers of ruffled fabric. “And… Master Harritt? How about you?”

“Eh. Never had much time for a wife. Maybe once this all ends. Had a good offer from one of the Guilds in Orlais.”

“I can’t really picture you in Orlais,” I admit.

“Offer for a wife or for a job?” Dagna asks.

Harritt winks, and turns to greet the tavern keeper who arrives at the table. Cabot sets down the rest of the table’s drinks, and picks up his son, wiping at the jam around his mouth with his tea towel, an uncharacteristically soft expression on his face.

“What’s the word, Cabot?” Dagna asks.

Cabot hoists the boy up to give him a good sniff, much to the child’s delight.

“Malodorous. Time for this tadpole’s bath,” Cabot grunts.

[ooops-i-arted]

@unsure-sincerity said: The beskar spear is a Mandalorian weapon, more specific to their culture than any old blaster, and that’s enough. The setup for the spear is that it withstood a fight against two lightsabers. I’m convinced that Din is going to fight Gideon and use that spear, and it will withstand the dark sabor. Maybe Din will skewer him with the spear. That would be nice.

I am 100% in favor of Gideon getting an epic skewering.  Hmm, you are right about that, although I still think they could’ve set up Din’s melee skills/potential skill spears more...though now that I’m thinking we have seen him use the amban rifle like that a bit, like fighting the Trandoshans in The Child.  Plus I’m very attached to the whole Significant Weapon trope personally so I tend to lean towards wanting that (I blame LotR).

@purpletangomintsprite said: Ugh you’ve reminded me of how irked I was that she showed up and was taking on 2 inquisitors at once when Kanan and Ezra struggled against one; and then of course the Dark one himself while Kanan’s all, “I know some Force stuff? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯” They were padawans at the same time,  but Filoni treats her like she’s a Grand Master.

I KNOW RIGHT!!???  And in TCW Grievous is nerfed so she can take him on when she should’ve been crushed into Padawan pudding like poor Sha’a Gi!  Also I will freely admit I haven’t actually seen the season, just gifs, but how come she is able to deflect trooper blasts and magically snap Rex out of it when so many other, more experienced Jedi were caught off guard and killed?  Hell why is she even “The Jedi” of the episode title when in Rebels she says “I am no Jedi”?  Is she a Jedi now again in something I didn’t watch or is it just the usual “Ahsoka can do whatever she wants cuz she’s the bestest ever”?  /rant  (Okay I did see one post saying it was “I am no Jedi [because you killed them all]” but since she is saying this in response to a comment about revenge not being the Jedi way, it really feels to me like “Jedi character who does the cool stuff but without the responsibility that comes with it” and I HATE that in so-called Jedi characters.)

purpletangomintsprite said:  I’m definitely in the minority with you. Din felt like a guest in his own damn series. I mean really what did he even do in the final conflict?? As far as I’m concerned this is a fifteen minutes episode since I skip most of it. I wouldn’t rewatch at all if it didn’t also have some of the best Din-Baby moments.

Oh thank god it’s so nice to not be alone.  My sister is the only other person I know who agrees with me!  (She was so salty about last episode, even more than me.)  We were both yelling at Din “Just shoot him!” and wondering why tf he wasn’t doing anything!  We’ve since Din make mincemeat of people in similar situations and he isn’t one to just.... hang around and see how it turns out?  He’s so much less proactive in this season, it feels like he’s just being pinballed around.

purpletangomintsprite said: Yes to all of this! Holding out hope either Ezra or Luke respond to the Force Shout Out (and whoever it is confirming staying with a caregiver he clearly loves is the best thing for him). Also a longshot idea that Jacen hears him and asks Hera to go see.

I’m really wondering what they’re gonna do with Grogu “making his choice.”  Because I’d think he would choose Din - at least for now.  He is very young, developmentally (at least from what’s been shown so far - ofc it could be different for his species, especially since we now know he had some sort of training at the Temple) and very attached so him choosing Din seems the most logical for his character.  Or maybe Gideon will find them and his choice will be delayed til another episode or season.

Tbh now that I think about it I kind of wish they’d set up a new Force-sensitive character (maybe an escaped Jedi, or a student of another order like the Guardians of the Whills, or a Force-sensitive who’d figured out things on his own) to keep expanding the Outer Rim characters/worldbuilding instead of looping back to the Jedi Temple.  And given us a new regular to get to know, rather than the Guest Star Parade.  Plus then Din could more actively track them down using his Cool Bounty Hunting Skills and be a more proactive protagonist again.  (OR my pet theory from Season 1 was that Din’s birth family was part of some sort of Force-worshipping order, like Lyra Erso, because of their uniform/religious garb-like costume choice.  Then Din could go back to his roots to try and find a way to help Grogu, while also delving into his own backstory more/further confronting his own trauma and providing an opportunity for character development.)

[bealight1009]

Favorite Character Post: Ivan Karamazov

Name: Ivan Fyodorvich Karamazov

Book: Brother’s Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Dostoevsky is one of my favorite authors)

Position: Anti-hero/Protagonist 

Age: 23/24

Family: Fyodor Karamazov (Father)

             Alyosha (younger brother –share the same mother)

             Dimitry (older brother –share a different mother)

             Smerdyakov (brother –an affair (if you could call it that) of Fyodor Karamazov)

             Katerina Ivanova (object of his affection, though she pretends to love Dmitry)

Nationality: Russian

Time Period: Mid-1900s.  

Favorite Quotes: “I am too young and loved you too much…you’ve been tormenting me so consciously that I am unable to forgive you at the moment. Later I shall forgive...” 

“And cherry preserve? They have it here.  Do you remember how you loved cherry preserve at Polenov’s when you were little? 

“No one, by the way, ever died of hysterics.”

 “Me, laughing?  I wouldn’t want to upset my little brother who has been looking at me for three months with so much expectation.”

“Though I’m terribly fond of one Russian boy named Alyoshka.” 

“My dear little brother, its not that I want to corrupt you and punish you off your foundation; perhaps I want to be healed by you.”

 “It’s not that I don’t accept God, Alyosha, I must most respectfully return him the ticket.” (245)

 “You little plagiarist!” 

Thoughts:

Ah, Ivan Karamazov, a favorite of mine. I could write a book about him, but, for your sake, readers, I will not. Ivan Karamazov is the middle brother in The Brothers Karamazov, and it seems every literary analyst has something to say about him. His epic poem “The Grand Inquisitor” is regarded as a work of geniuses, though it bears a frightening amount of totalitarianism. Throughout the book, Ivan is troubled by the suffering in the world, and a good God. Therefore, he refuses to accept God’s world. He is a great thinker, and proposes a theory that “everything is permitted,” since God does not step in for His people. However, when someone uses Ivan's ideology to commit murder, Ivan feels responsible . Ivan is racked with such guilt that he develops brain fever. He is a tortured anti-hero. He has been classified as a villain, an atheist, and a madman, yet, he is more.

Our Ivan is a middle child. His father is Fyodor Karamazov, a man who loves to give himself up to debauchery and buffoonery. Ivan lived with this man for eight years, yet his father hardly knew he existed. Having Fyodor Pavlovich would certainly not be a blessing, and I imagine that poor little Ivan suffered emotionally while watching his father bring loose women into their home and become drunk every night. As for his mother, she was abused as a young girl and married Fyodor to escape (so their relationship certainly wasn’t healthy). When Ivan was four, she had another son, Alexi (Alyosha). Around this time, she also started having mental attacks that would leave her insane and shrieking. I think the fact that both his parents would not (or could not, in the case of his mother) care for him, is often overlooked. I mean, imagine being young and watching your father humiliate your mother, who would then lose cognitive ability and shriek. This definitely impacted Ivan –he’d need to learn to be independent, which is so sad to see in young children. Perhaps he’d feel alone; there would be no one to comfort him or protect him.

Once his mother died, he and his four year old brother were taken to live with his mother’s benefactress. Though she took them in, it seemed to be not because she wanted to, but because she felt it had to be done. For example, she called them orphans, and only allotted them 1000 rubbles a piece for all their education needs –anyone who would give them more she deemed would be “wasting their money.” Ivan old enough to hear this, and being extraordinarily intelligent, would have picked up on her disinterest in him and Alyosha. I imagine this is where his “gloomy and taciturn” nature started to form, as now not only did he not have a supportive parental figure, but he was unwanted. 

However, the two brothers did have a friend, a Mr. Polenov, who, when the grouchy old woman died, took the little boys under his wing. He didn’t touch their 1,000 rubbles wanting to save it for them when they came of age. It is mentioned that Ivan realized that he would forever be indebted to this man—which might have hurt his pride a bit. One important note is, while Polenov cared for both boys, he did favor Alyosha. Ivan went off to study out of town and lived with his professors. Speaking from experience, it’s a wounding thing to know that people like your younger sibling better than you. Poor Ivan!

He did make a very successful academic career for himself at the young age of 23, which is when the Brother’s Karamazov truly starts. Ivan has returned to his father’s house to act as a mediator between the old man and Ivan’s older brother Dimitry. 

Honestly, Ivan’s relationship with his father is messy. At times, Fyodor seems to like Ivan: he calls him his Karl Moor, and at times heeds his advice. However, at other times, he despises Ivan; he insults his son going even so far as to say he hated Ivan, and encouraged Alyosha to hate Ivan as well. 

Ivan’s relationship with his younger brother, Alyosha, is precious, despite what their father may want. Alyosha obviously likes Ivan, he is willing to defend him in front of their father, and in front of the prideful Katya. Ivan tells Alyosha that “I have no friends,” but he wants to try to be friends with Alyosha. (Though brothers, the two haven’t seen each other for about nine years). Ivan and Alyosha philosophize with each other and care for one another. Ivan even remembers that his little brother likes cherry preserve, and says that while he (Ivan) doesn’t like Russian boys, he is terribly fond of one Russian boy named Alyoshka. Aww! (He uses the diminutive of Alyosha’s diminutive!!!)

This post has been a lot, but it barely scratches Ivan. He a neglected genius, overshadowed by his younger brother, and terribly lonely.  Yet, the story ends with a bit of hope; he has Alyosha, and he has Katya, who has finally admitted her love for him. Ivan’ suffering and his intelligence, not to mention the love of mankind , make him one of my favorite character.  

[2ofswords]

for your analysis meme: clara

This is going to be so much fun and so very tough, because Clara is such an amazingly complicated character! God, I love her so much but part of that is because she is very ambivalent and hard to describe. She is one of these characters where you can find an opposite trait for every other one she has (which is kind of the point of her). Also: I still haven’t played the Changeling route in Patho1 and I have a stronger understanding of the Patho2 universe… so bear with me. I will try my best to analyse our favorite saint.

their biggest strength

I needed to think a while about this one and the term that stuck with me was attentive cleverness. Because I really couldn’t decide if I wanted to call her attentive or clever and luckily these two can be combined into something, I find pretty precise for what I want to describe. Clara is very clever and has a lot of knowledge that not really anyone else in the patho-universe can gain (or at least the amount of it, people share bits and pieces). She is the healer most aware of the meta-narrative and at least in routes that aren’t hers is telling you either that she knows more than you do or straight out telling you something, you needed to know (and probably didn’t want to). As is obvious by her focus on hands and talking her main skill is also interaction with other people… but I think a lot of it comes from the fact, that Clara is a good listener. Which seems to be counter-intuitive because listening is assigned as Artemy’s domain in the artbook, but I think the other word used – rhythms – is pretty important here. Artemy’s skill is finding connections, intuit solutions as well as similarities and differences (there is a reason he realizes his similarities to Aglaya’s description of the inquisition) and gaining cultural knowledge that he then transforms into practical and usable abilities. Clara’s “listening” is more about singular people’s well-being and personal struggle. (She is like a good therapist. If your therapist wanted to convert you into a sacrificial religion. ^^) She interacts with her surroundings directly and attentively. I mean, she is very well informed very early on without really having a live before that or at least not in town (again, I did not play the changeling route yet and do not know her origins or how ambiguous they are kept at the end. Either way, she arrives in town at the beginning of the game and navigates her way pretty well.) However only calling her attentive sounds like the trait is a passive one which is not something I mean. Both her personas as a saint and a thief use her knowledge that is gained by being attentive in unconventional ways and/or for unconventional means. As noted in the beginning, Clara is very clever and that in combination with her noticing even small discrepancies and listening to people makes her able to peek behind the curtain of the game in the first place. It also helps to get yourself into places people normally wouldn’t want a teenage girl to be and Clara knows and is fully willing to use this ability. It is both the reason why she knows so much more about the greater scope of the disaster and also why she always seems to be able to get into any place she wants to. By the way, just as an afterthought: Of course that ability doesn’t come and is in fact enhanced by empathy. I do not think, Clara is listening to people only to use them and to gain information. You can genuinely be willing to listen to someone and still use the information you get out of these conversations. Listening carefully and actively engaging with other people is a great part of that strength!

their greatest weakness

Does “not being able to hold a knife when the town wants you dead” count as a weakness? Okay seriously, I have a really hard time to put what I consider her weakness into one expressive term. So I will talk about it first at length and then we will see. What caught my mind first was ironically Clara’s problems with communication. That might be the case because, yes, I still haven’t played her route, so I am working mostly on her ways of communication with the other healers. But Clara really has a lot of strong points that she has trouble getting across or acknowledged. Sometimes that is definitely not her fault and one of her problems is, that she is not taken seriously by other people. But trying to persuade someone to their cause and emphasizing the reason with an elaborate monologue how the other healers are demons. Daniil was genuinely asking, why you wrote your letter about your destiny, it’s fine! Same happens in Pathologic 2. Saying someone to stay put when they are in a pretty bad spot already is not a bad idea and Artemy is pretty open to both warnings and clairvoyance in general but saying. “Nope, do literally nothing even if you know you want to, I am a better doctor anyways” is… yeah hurting him in his professional pride isn’t exactly a smart move. Often it feels like she really has a chance to explain and the other healers would probably listen but then there is just a terrible miscommunication. (Which is a thing for all of the healers but Clara I-am-going-to-call-your-father-a-horrible-person-while-we-are-at-his-funeral Saburova… Look, it might be true but it is also hilarious.) But putting communication skills here would still be weird, since… you know… she is pretty good at communicating in different ways! And also all three healers are pretty prone to miscommunication albeit in different ways and for different reasons… So I think we have to dig a bit deeper still… So why is this happening and hindering her? There are multiple reasons to come to this conclusion. One I would call childlike stubbornness. (Which btw. Is also one of her strengths, but… it is Clara, everything is also its opposite. God I love her so much, she is just so hard to describe, it’s amazing!) Even with all of her wisdom and cleverness… Clara is still a child. As she should be, it makes her so much more interesting! But she also has this childlike quality of just… assuming people will completely understand and accept what she is trying to see and getting frustrated the moment it doesn’t happen. This is one of her contradictions. She is so very attentive, and she can touch other people with her hands as well as her words, but she also is inexperienced and doesn’t really know a lot about the world or about how to socially approach people which can be a big problem, if she desperately needs someone to listen. The other argument would be about her role in the plot and the way she regards her own role as well as the other healers. She is the most aware one and she does indeed know a solution to the dilemma of the story (if we do not conclude that this is a three way battle, but I exclude my thoughts about the factions themselves for this. She definitely though knows how to get rid of the town vs. polyhedron conflict) but this also puts her in direct opposition to both healers. Which… you know is completely fair and not a weakness. But, she is very uncompromising about this and while all of them are – at least when they are not the main protagonists – Clara is the most unmoving and also uncompromising of the three, telling everyone always very directly how she things the others are shit. Which again, is very justified but becomes a big problem when she needs help and makes it harder for her to express her own thoughts, even if they are very justified and might even help all parties. Speaking in riddles and of concepts beyond something we would see as our reality surely doesn’t help there either.

a headcanon about their childhood

Oh dear, tbh I am not even sure how metaphorical she just crawled out of the earth at the beginning of the game and if she even has a proper childhood… I think it is pretty literal but there are allusions in Patho2 that she actually has a past? At least she speaks about it and I guess it can be as made up as real. (A classic Clara move ^^) And having no defined past is kind of a big thing for her so… sorry, no childhood headcanon here.  

a headcanon about their future (if they have one)

Again, I am not really sure if she stays in town or leaves with Block and I have read fanfiction with both, so I am not sure if there is a consensus in fandom either… If she stays in town I imagine her still being with the Saburovs but I do not know, if I really like this headcanon, since abandoning your newly found orphan in the middle of a plague is really something that should revoke parent rights… But on the other thing the position among the mistresses seems to still be pretty defined at least in the endings in Patho 2. I like to see her travelling with Block at least for a while. Maybe not at the front, that would be just… bad. But she also seems like the person who would just poke their head around at random intervals and nobody really knows, when she will get back and somehow Clara still knows exactly what is going on in town… Still she also seems pretty bound to the place and she has business there… it’s a tough call. She will definitely fire up the rivalry of the mistresses by a lot though. Probably even if she is just there for a second, she would definitely sow some mischief between Capella and Maria! Another triad of petty politics for her! Yay?

a small detail/scene that leaves a great impact

Oh dear, every scene she is in is just so impactful! (Also never knowing which Clara is with you right now (if there even is a difference) doesn’t make this easier...) I really like her quest in Artemy’s run, where she is upset about not knowing what exactly she is in the first place… but that is not really a small details or scene. Same goes for the cathedral and her offer to meet the inquisitor together with Dankovsky to stand up for that whole disaster. Which is still a really heroic but also not really a small scene and there is nothing to talk about there aside from “man, is Clara brave and set on doing the right thing!” I also think the letter about her ending is really interesting because it is just so out there and giving all of her bound a demonic nickname is just so over the top, but tbh all of the ending letters are very… passionate. So this might be more the games writing even if they lampshade it and talk to each other like the other one is the only healer in town who wrote a completely insane letter… But I digress. While I love Clara’s Patho1 design, I will say that I love her shaved hair in Patho2 and the commentary the artbook has for it. Seeing it as a sign of sickness or a deliberate mark of sainthood is just so on point for her! It is a really nice visual piece for her characterization and I also think putting the beany on top of it makes it even better. It is contradicting but firstly she deliberately kind of tries to hide her own contradictions (I mean, it is not part of her! It is just the sister, she is wrong!), which is also a nice added detail. Also, she might combine contradicting elements, but god, she is doing it with style!

their philosophy/worldview (or part of it) described in one neat little sentence

I am throwing the towel! How should this even work with Clara??? She has different philosophies and worldviews! Also, I think they differ a bit between the first and second game. The first one aligns a lot with the humble faction from what we hear but in the second game her dialogue alludes more vaguely to touching and changing people and not necessarily to “The right people must die for our world to continue” which is most of what I heard from her. Hm… How about: A saint’s duty is to touch the immoral and diseased, thus one can never rid themselves of all dirt. I am not that happy with this one, but… at least it has the whole touching other people thing in it and it is about good people not being pure, which also is a theme with her. It still sounds a bit judgemental and I don’t really like this emphasis of the “dirtied” but… I mean this is what Clara talks about in her letter, so I still think it fits, even if I would dare to say that she shows a lot more compassion than this sentence shows.

[mars-colony]

For the ABC OC asks - CHONO for uhHh Atticus? 👀

Thank you, dearest! This is long actually so I’m putting it under a read more.

letters of my name for Atticus: C: Comfort 1. how do they sit in a chair? The nickname Varric gave Atticus is "Manners." It suits him very well. His posture is impeccable, looking at him sit in a chair would probably make my back hurt. He also looks kind of incredibly uncomfortable, lol. This is at first. He gets more comfortable the longer he's with the Inquisition. But the straight back posture stays. He spent the majority of his life under his mother's constant scrutiny to be the perfectly educated polite gentleman so. He's kinda anxiety about it. Until he gets more comfortable, and loosens up quite a lot.

2. in what position do they sleep? Kind of a belly flop starfish. He takes up a lot of room, sometimes he'll curl an arm around the pillow behind his head. Big cuddler once he and Dorian are in a relationship. He is definitely the big spoon.

3. what is their ideal comfort day? A hunt with his father, tracking foxes or even bears through the wilderness. The barks of the hunting dogs puts him at ease. Or a quiet day in Haven, practicing archery with Sera maybe, or alone. In Skyhold, a day when he can sleep late, watching Dorian sleep even later, reading together, just enjoying the others company.

4. what is their major comfort food? why? Bread. Just please give this man a fresh baked loaf of bread and he will just eat it. Plain. He will just eat it. The warmth, the smell, it reminds him of simpler times. When he was young, he was sick often, and a lot of times bread was the only thing he could keep down.

5. who is the best at comforting them when down? The obvious answer is Dorian Pavus, his wonderful boyfriend. Dorian can always make Atti look at things objectively, and is there with something witty and charming to say that calms him down. It's also just a comfort knowing he's there for him and a part of his life. When Dorian is not available, Atticus will turn to Varric. They have a very fun rapport, and Varric can always cheer him up and make him laugh. He is also known to turn to Josephine, they are very good friends. She's very soothing because of how she tackles problems and Atticus appreciates that a lot.

H: Heat 1. do they rather a hot or cold room? Atticus would rather be cold, because he can always put on more layers. He loves blankets and being cozy, and you can't take off your skin when it gets really hot. He does not have the best time in the desert, but he certainly makes the best of it.

2. do they prefer summer or winter? He likes winter and summer for vastly different reasons. He wouldn't be able to choose. He loves snow and snowball fights, he's sculpted a few very good snow mabari in his day.  In the summer he enjoys horse riding and swimming (take notes bioware my boy CAN swim).

3. do they like the snow? Atti loves snow. He thinks it's lovely. He can and will start snowball wars. He gets excited about the snow, because tbh, his inner child is LIVING. Lock a boy up for most of his life and he'll just have the best damn time when he finally goes out on his own.

4. do they have a favorite summer activity? Swimming. No body of water is safe.

5. do they have a favorite activity? He loves traveling with the Inquisition. Getting to see all kinds of places and climates is probably the thing he loves the most about his life after the Conclave. Even before he was appointed as the Inquisitor, he had so much fun.

O: Optimism 1. are they optimistic or pessimistic? My boy is very optimistic (for most of the game, there are moments... where he is not).

2. are they openly optimistic, throwing it on others? He is a firm believer in letting people make their own opinions. He will offer his optimism, but understands when people don't feel the same way.

3. are they good at giving advice? No. Usually, no. He has very limited life experience until well into the Inquisition. He always does his best though, and is glad to be a sympathetic ear to those who need him.

4. is there anyone in their life that throws optimism on them? His Mother. His brother Percy. He will avoid being in the same room as them like the Blight.

5. were they always optimistic? No. He had a very pessimistic childhood.

N: Never Have I Ever 1. what would they never do? I don't think he'd ever travel through time into a bad timeline where all of his friends are corrupted with red lyrium again... sorry I am having an incredibly difficult time thinking of anything for this one. He'd never.... lick a lamp post in winter??

2. what have they never done that they want to do? He's never ridden a dragon. He thinks that would be pretty incredible. Also incredibly dangerous. Nothing the Inquisitor can't handle.

3. is there anything they absolutely can't believe people do? Willingly go to the Orelsian opera.

4. what is the most embarrassing thing they've done? Well there was this one time during a performance of "The Murder of Queen Madrigal"... there was a nug... his aunt wouldn't speak to him for three months...

5. have they done anything they thought they'd never do? Sincerely, Atticus never thought he'd be allowed off of the Trevelyan estate without his mother marrying him off to some sorry noble woman. Upon "joining" the Inquisition he has done more things than he thought he'd ever do in his life than he could ever count. Hunting dragons, fighting demons, sealing rifts, falling in love with an altus from Tevinter... the list goes on and on.

[pikapeppa]

Character Interview: Athera Lavellan

Tagged by @faerieavalon​​ @serial-chillr​​ @elveny​​ recently! I did this before for Rynne Hawke, so maybe I’ll try it with one of my lesser-known OCs?

Meet Athera Lavellan, Inquisitor and unfortunate romancer of Abelas. Art by @froschkuss​​!

[The interviewer is ushered into the rotunda at Skyhold, where the Inquisitor can be found sitting cross-legged on the couch and eating roasted peanuts while listening to two tall male elves discussing magic. One of the elves is bald and kind-looking; the other wears a hood and looks quite forbidding. As the interviewer approaches, the Inquisitor pops up from the couch and hastily puts the peanuts aside before holding out a hand to the interviewer.]

Thanks for coming! Well, actually, you asked me to talk to you, so maybe you should be thanking me.

[The bald elf coughs quietly, and the angry hooded one smirks. The Inquisitor grimaces at the interviewer.] 

Sorry. Sometimes I put my foot in it. They’re here to make sure I don’t make a complete idiot of myself.

name ➔ Athera Lavellan! It’s nice to meet you. Er, who are you?

are you single ➔ [her face turns bright red] Oh. Ha. Hahaha. Right into it, huh? 

[She glances at the hooded elf, who is watching her very intently. A moment later, she looks at the interviewer again, and her voice is confident.] 

No. I’m not single.  

are you happy ➔ Um, yes! I’m going to go with yes. 

are you angry ➔ No, of course not! This is just what I look like when I’m hungry.

[The hooded elf speaks: “Should I bring you some cake?”]

Would you? That would be amazing. Oh, you’re being sarcastic. [laughs] Can you bring me some cake anyway? Please? 

[He sighs, then bows his head and turns away. The Inquisitor reaches out and grabs his hand.]

Wait, I was kidding! I’m not some Orlesian noble, you don’t have to fetch me cake.

[The bald elf speaks: “I will go find some cake.” The Inquisitor laughs.]

Oh please, Solas, we all know that’s just an excuse for you to eat all the cake by yourself. 

are your parents still married ➔ yes, actually! And happily so. I... fenedhis, I should probably write to them. It’s been a whole week since the last letter.

NINE FACTS

birthplace ➔ I was born in a forest a small ways outside of Markham.

hair color ➔ It’s brown and full of spirits. 

[The hooded elf silently runs his hand over her hair, and she leans into his shoulder.]

eye color ➔ Grey!

birthday ➔ Haring 10. I’m a winter child. 

mood ➔ Hungry. 

[She smiles mischievously at Solas, who lifts his eyes to the ceiling before leaving the rotunda. The hooded elf snorts softly before speaking: “I am surprised he is taking your request seriously.”]

Well, I am the Inquisitor. He has to listen to me. [laughs] Gods, what a terrible thing to say. Don’t publish that. Oh, I guess I still have some peanuts here. Maybe he didn’t have to leave to get the cake... 

[She slowly sidles over to the couch and picks up the peanuts, then slowly and guiltily starts munching them. The hooded elf clears his throat.]

gender ➔ Female.

summer or winter ➔ Winter. I just love a layer of crisp cold snow like a blanket on everything. It’s like the whole world becomes new again. 

morning or afternoon ➔ Mornings! They’re a fresh new start.

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

are you in love ➔ [Her face turns bright red again. She starts to laugh. The hooded elf watches her with a very serious look on his face.]

Gods, what is taking Solas so long with that cake?

do you believe in love at first sight ➔ Oh thank Mythal, an easy question. No. That’s always just your trousers talking. 

who ended your last relationship ➔ [sigh] He did. But it was for the best. I was too young to know what I was doing. [Looks at the hooded elf.] I know what I’m doing now. 

[He studies her in silence. His face remains very serious. He tucks a strand of hair over her ear.]

have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔ Me? Ha! No. I’ve been dumped on my ear every time. Varric should write a farce about me. 

are you afraid of commitments ➔ No. Commitments are what give our lives their meaning.

[The hooded elf bows his head slightly.]

have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ Of course! Here’s some proof. [She hugs the hooded elf around the waist, and after a moment’s hesitation, he hugs her in turn.]

have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ Not that I know of. That’s why it’s called a secret, isn’t it?

have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ [She freezes for a split second, then laughs lightly.] Not yet. 

SIX CHOICES

love or lust ➔ I’ve never had one without the other, so... love?

lemonade or iced tea ➔ Iced tea! No one ever makes the lemonade sweet enough for my liking.

cats or dogs ➔ Dogs. They’re very loyal and steadfast. And they make me think of the old stories of the Emerald Knights and their guardian wolves. 

a few best friends or many regular friends ➔ [tilts head thoughtfully] A few good friends. A few who know you well are better than a bunch who know you only a little.

wild night out or romantic night in ➔ [smiles at the hooded elf] A night in, for sure.

day or night ➔ day! I’m a sunshine sort of girl. 

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

been caught sneaking out ➔ Mmm, I don’t think.... well, not unless you count -- um... [She looks at the hooded elf with a sheepish smile.] The kitchen? When, er, Solas, um...

[The hooded elf looks briefly discomfited. The Inquisitor turns to the interviewer with a sickly smile and reddened cheeks.]

Let’s move on, maybe?

fallen down/up the stairs ➔ Oh gods, yes. Especially in this tower. I’d probably be better off flinging myself from the rookery into the Solas’s office rather than taking the stairs.

wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ [The Inquisitor freezes. The hooded elf’s expression becomes intimidatingly blank. The Inquisitor looks up, and her smile is gone.]

Yes. 

wanted to disappear ➔ [She's quiet for a moment. The hooded elf frowns slightly.] 

It... I can’t disappear. I’m needed here.

FOUR PREFERENCES

smile or eyes ➔ [She looks up at the hooded elf and studies his face for a minute] Eyes. You smile with your eyes more than your mouth.

[The hooded elf smirks very faintly. The Inquisitor chuckles.]

If that’s your attempt to prove that you can smile with your mouth, you didn’t prove it very well. 

shorter or taller ➔ Taller!

intelligence or attraction ➔ Intelligence, for sure.

hook-up or relationship ➔ Relationship. I’ve always been a relationship sort of girl. Even when... well, never mind. [She shifts closer to the hooded elf and leans against his side.]

FAMILY

do you and your family get along ➔ Yes! I really miss them, actually. 

would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ Um... [She shoves a handful of peanuts into her mouth and mumbles something incomprehensible while shrugging.]

have you ever run away from home ➔ No. I wouldn’t have left my clan at all if they hadn’t wanted someone to come here and keep an eye on the Conclave. But honestly, now that I’ve been away, I think... I’m... I’m not glad, exactly, but I’m... it’s been an important experience. 

have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ No.

FRIENDS

do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ No, not at all! 

[The hooded elf speaks: “What about that shem who-”]

Abelas! [clears her throat] Friends and colleagues aren’t the same thing. You don’t have to like everyone you work with. [pokes Abelas with her elbow] You didn’t like me at first. 

[Abelas speaks again: “At first, no.” His tone has softened, and he runs a hand over her hair. She smiles and wraps an arm around his waist.]

Not the smoothest answer, but I’ll forgive it.

do you consider all of your friends to be good friends ➔ Yes!

who is your best friend ➔ Varric, for sure. Oh but wait, there’s Solas... 

[Solas calls out from the doorway: “Did you call for me?” He’s carrying a small platter of Orlesian petit fours, and the Inquisitor brightens up as she spots him.]

You actually brought cake! And you didn’t eat them all! Oh, you’re definitely my best friend, then.

who knows everything about you ➔ Does anyone really know everything about anyone? I don’t think it’s possible. So the answer to this one would have to be... no one. 

[Solas offers the platter of petit fours to her. She picks one and pops it in her mouth whole. Solas and Abelas each select a cake and take a small bite, and the Inquisitor grimaces.]

You two know that they make those cakes small on purpose so you can eat them all in one bite, right?

[Solas replies: “Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The diminutive size of these cakes is purely aesthetic.” Abelas chimes in: “They also taste better if you take the time to savour them.” The Inquisitor laughs and loops her hands companionably through their elbows.]

Oh, please. Nobody has time for that.

**************************

Athera and Abelas’s smutty and romantic but ultimately tragic adventures can be read here on AO3. 

[himluv]

Little Mercies

Another Solavellan oneshot. Set a few weeks after Heat. Enjoy!

“Wild. Running, jumping, white and shining.” Cole blinked watery eyes at the Inquisitor. “Free.”

She smiled softly and nodded, but did not speak. She had eyes only for the halla that bounded away from them across the river. Solas had thought little of the creatures, but when he looked back at Riallan he saw the depth of her wonder at the sight. Cole’s voice echoed her reverence, and knowing the thoughts were hers made his heart clench.

“They are so delicate,” Cassandra said. “I expected them to be… hardier.” She said it without disdain, a simple observation.

“Looks can be deceiving,” Riallan said without looking away from the animals.

The Seeker considered her, taking in her willowy form in the intricately sewn Keeper’s robes and smiled. “This is true.”

That made him smile. That the Seeker compared Riallan to halla was at once endearing and laughable. The Inquisitor was something altogether more fierce than the elegant deer, even if she shared their grace.

Not that he would say as much in current company.

“Elegant, yes,” Cole said. “Long legs for bounding through trees. But sturdy too. Powerful, precious, poised.”

Riallan laughed at that, the sound bright and echoing off the stones of the riverbank. “Yes, Cole they are that too.”

Solas was glad he stood at the front of their party for once, for he could not contain his blush at the spirit’s words. They had been his thoughts, and they were decidedly not about the halla. He continued on the path, eager to move on and give Cole something else to think on, so he was the first to notice the red sails across the water.

His stomach dropped even as he smiled. While he had little affection for the Dalish, Riallan would be overjoyed to see a clan here. “Inquisitor,” he called and pointed ahead of him.

Sure enough, once her gaze found the aravels her whole face lit up. It was the biggest grin he had ever seen on her face. The purest, most hopeful expression. It made his chest ache, knowing that she so dearly missed her clan. She may not know it, but he had taken that from her. Yet another shame for him to carry.

“These are the aravels?” Cassandra asked, tripping over the word slightly.

But Riallan didn’t hear her, she was already bounding down the bank and into the water. Her joy ran away with her, lending wings to her feet as she reached the other side of the shallow river, her bare toes sure in the firm mud of the bank.

“Inquisitor!” Cassandra shouted, but it was a wasted effort. Riallan was already gone, her heart and mind leagues away in the Free Marches.

“Flying, soaring, thunder in her ears. Sun in the sails, stars in their eyes, warmth in their hearts.” Cole looked at Solas, his gaze unseeing as he read Riallan’s racing thoughts. “Home.”

He knew that clan Lavellan were fairly progressive, if reclusive. He hoped, for her sake, this clan would welcome her with open arms.

Cole looked at him then. “They keep coming back, searching, seeking, sad, but home is gone.”

“Yes, Cole,” he said. “It is.”

“I’m sorry, da’len,” said the Keeper. “You are one of the People, but we do not trust this Inquisition.”

It shouldn’t have been a surprise, even she had felt the same until recently. And yet, Hawen’s words stung more than she cared to admit. Not least because she saw the prejudice in his distrusting glances at her companions. Did Deshanna look at city elves that way? Was her clan no better? Were all Dalish so insular?

Was Solas right about them after all?

“I— of course, hahren. I understand.” There was no keeping the disappointment from her voice. This was a rejection, even if it was wrapped in wise and kind words. It was as she had feared, the humans would vaunt her for as long as it was convenient and she would pay for their fervor with the acceptance of her kin.

But she couldn’t give up that easily. “May we rest with your clan for the evening?” She kept her voice quiet, hoping that her companions would not hear their conversation. Though she suspected Cole would tell all over dinner anyway.

She saw the hesitance on Hawen’s face and closed her eyes. “Forgive me, hahren. I did not mean to impose.” She turned to leave, but he stopped her with the brush of fingertips on her shoulder.

“Tel’abelas, da’len,” he said. “I am sorry. Of course you can join us.” He gave a wary glance at Cassandra, but smiled at Riallan.

She understood his concerns about the Seeker. She was an imposing figure, a capable warrior, and above all, human. But, Riallan worried more about Solas. Their only argument had been about the Dalish, heated and full of brash words she regretted. It was not something they had ever resolved. She would need to talk with him before tensions rose in the camp.

“Ma serannas, hahren.” She inclined her head in deference to the Keeper. “I will inform my people.”

She stepped away to the edge of the camp, Solas and Cassandra following her. Cole was nowhere to be seen.

“I am here,” the spirit promised, his voice frail as wind. “It would not help them to see me.”

“Thank you, Cole,” she said.

“That conversation did not seem,” Cassandra paused to find the right word. “Welcoming.”

Solas snorted, but said nothing.

Riallan cast a disapproving glance his way, but if he noticed he gave no sign. “They are, understandably, hesitant to trust us.”

Dark brows rose high on the Seeker’s face. “But you are Dalish!”

“A Dalish representing a human organization with ties to the Chantry,” Riallan added.

“And accompanied by a Seeker of Truth and flat ear, no less,” Solas said. There was no heat in his words.

Riallan was pretty sure that made it worse. “Hawen said nothing of the sort.”

“He did not have to.” He leaned on his staff and looked away from her.

She had no argument to make and it only made her angrier. “He has invited us to spend our evening in the camp,” she said.

“Ma nuvenin,” he said. The words were a cold wind in her ears.

Cassandra looked between them with confusion. “You are fighting. Why?”

“Solas takes issue with the Dalish,” she said, crossing her arms, wishing his disdain didn’t affect her so much.

“Reaching. So much they do not know. Grasping hands and hearts save all the wrong parts.” The spirit appeared, standing between Riallan and Solas.

“Leave it be, Cole,” Solas said.

“Their misunderstanding hurts.” He said it as a plea, begging the elf to let him help.

“Yes. But you cannot heal it.”

“I could try,” he said, petulant, displeased as a child being told ‘no’.

“And you would fail.”

“Perhaps because you don’t want to let the pain go,” Riallan said. “I don’t know what the Dalish did to slight you Solas, but this clan has offered us shelter. I, for one, would not offend them by refusing.”

That was an exaggeration, considering that she’d asked Hawen if they could stay, but he didn’t need to know that.

Cassandra gave Solas a sheepish look. “Something other than field rations would be a pleasant change.”

Solas pursed his lips, then looked at Riallan. “I do not disagree.” It wasn’t quite an apology, but there was no argument in his eyes. It was close enough.

“Then, it’s settled.” She forced a smiled at them and turned back to the camp, eager to mingle with her people.

This was not how Solas imagined spending his evening. The campfire and open sky were all correct, but being surrounded by modern elves, listening to their stories was unexpected. It wasn’t wholly unpleasant, if he didn’t listen too closely.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Riallan sat down beside him, setting a wooden tankard down by her feet. The firelight flickered and billowed in shadows across her skin, giving her cheeks a duskiness she didn’t have by day.

“Try this,” she said and offered a piece of bread to him.

He took it, but did not try it. “What is it?”

“Honeyed bradh with halla butter.” There was laughter in her voice, a warmth he only heard after she’d visited with Varric and Bull in the Herald’s Rest. Perhaps the tinge in her cheeks had more to do with Dalish wine than the fire.

He took a tentative bite and let out a pleased sound.

She grinned. “You like it?” Her eyes shone with the light of the fire, and when she looked at him like that, like her whole world hinged on what he said next, he couldn’t help but smile back.

“Very much.” He took another bite to prove it. The bread was light and flaky, spread with spiced butter and a fine drizzle of honey on top. It was savory and sweet, hearty enough to have with a meal but sweet enough to crave for dessert.

She flushed at his approval, and then stole the final bite out of his hand. “I didn’t say you could have the whole thing!” She laughed even as she shoved the bread into her mouth. “Don’t tell on me, but this better than my clan’s.” She giggled, the sound girlish and carefree.

Definitely feeling the effects of the wine, then.

He leaned in to bump his shoulder against hers. “You secret is safe with me, if—” he gave her a wicked little smile, “—you get me another piece of that bradh.”

The look she gave him flushed him with warmth that had nothing to do with the fire. “Ma nuvenin, Solas.”

And then she was up and gone, hunting to fulfill his request. Across the fire Cassandra leaned against an aravel, talking with one of the clan’s hunters. From what he could hear they were sharing hunting stories, and she’d regaled the elf with a tale of Pentaghast dragon hunters. Cole remained out of sight, but Solas saw him in the little mercies that had played out over the evening meal. A knife that should have slipped and sliced simply fell instead. The fish that would have burned were magically flipped while no one looked. And, he noticed now, the Inquisitor’s drink had filled in her absence.

“Cole,” he chided.

“The wine helps,” the spirit said, though he didn’t appear.

“That is debatable.”

“She is comfortable. Thoughts quieter. Frantic, buzzing, soothed with warmth.”

Solas sighed. “Remember that too much can lead to hurt. It weakens the will and tears down walls that should remain in place.”

Cole blinked at him, suddenly manifested before him. “She wishes you would let your walls down.” He tilted his head. “Would you like wine?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “No, thank you.”

The spirit vanished as Riallan returned. She bowed, an exaggerated flourish of arms and legs, and offered him the bradh she found. “Your bradh, Master Solas.”

He bit back a smile at her antics, but took the bread. He was halfway through a bite when she sat beside him, much closer this time, and lifted her tankard. “Did you refill my wine?”

He choked and she laughed at him. “No,” he said. “Cole was helping.”

“Aww, thanks Cole!”

“You’re welcome,” came the spirit’s disembodied voice.

She took a sip and looked out over the fire, her eyes lingering on the people and conversations happening all around them. Someone had found a lyre and strummed it aimlessly until a song formed and a few people took up singing. It was a soothing melody in a mixture of their broken elvhen and common.

It was no less beautiful for it.

He caught her watching him, her eyes suddenly intense. “What is it, lethallan?”

“This is why I asked to stay.” She held his gaze for a moment, then looked at the fire. “I wanted to share this life with you, even for just a night.” The words were barely a whisper, a confession he wasn’t certain she would have made under other circumstances.

He cleared his throat. “I thought the Keeper offered.”

She blushed. “I lied.”

“Why?” Just when he thought he understood her motivations she did something he didn’t expect.

“I didn’t want you to think I was desperate or homesick.” She stared down into the depths of her wine. The words no doubt confessed thanks to its influence.

“There’s nothing shameful in longing for the world you once knew,” he said.

She hummed and took another drink. “Maybe not shameful, but certainly foolish.”

Only because she lacked the power to bring back what was lost, he told himself. “If you could go back, if the anchor and the Breach had never happened, would you?”

He hadn’t meant to ask, but in the warm haze of the fire and the sweetness of the wine on her breath, the words just tumbled out.

She thought on his question for a long time, long enough that he thought she wouldn’t answer him at all. Then her hand was on his forearm, the barest touch that sent a jolt through him.

When he looked up her focus was undeniable. She held his gaze even through the flush of embarrassment and drink on her cheeks.

“No. No, I don’t think I would.”

[tamayokny]

in honor of pjo being adapted for d+, my love for my pjo oc has resurfaced let me talk about her a little bit

her name is doris, but she goes by her middle name louise

she is half-blood, and a daughter of hades (based on my own quiz results for who my godly parent is), making her the sister of bianca, nico, and hazel

she fits in the current pjo/hoo/toa timeline, but how...i am not quite sure yet. we know hades is actually the more responsible brother out of the big three...however i could tweak that. she could have a similar background to the di angelo siblings and/or hazel. (after all, her name could be a hint. her name is a “vintage” one.)

she also loves her siblings and would do anything to protect or save them

not related to the main universe at all, but if she was in star wars i feel like she would be mandalorian and/or a jedi. LMAO. but also imagine her in that inquisitor uniform :eyes:

also i am very tempted to have her weapon basically be like a lightsaber or equivalent, lol.

she’s a hades kid so she would get a lot of judgement/mistrust from others but if people try to get to know her, they know her to be very kind and accepting of others (very likely due to the isolation she has always felt.)

even if she’s an outsider, she can use that as an advantage to help her friends/allies. (can totally picture her as a spy/mole.)

she gets along with her siblings’ s/o. she thinks frank is a sweetheart (and tells him that she can sleep on her lap in his bulldog form anytime) and will is...will (in a good way!). she would probably get along with apollo i haven’t read TOA yet eventually?:eyes:

at some point, i can totally imagine her dueling with luke/kronos!luke. with kronos!luke, she knows she can’t defeat him, but she can stall him.

due to that, we can say that louise is brave and courageous. a bit rebellious, too, as i can imagine her saying “fuck you dad” and helps percy in TLO (way before nico and the rest of their family arrives in battle)

favorite color is red and the various shades (pink included). she also likes deep/royal purple tones.

we know that persephone and nico have a mutual dislike for each other, but they try to get along. even so, i feel like persephone would get along with louise better...even if she and demeter only calls her “doris” always. (after awhile, louise is chill with it.)

louise has a neutral, yet affectionate relationship with her father. hades does care for his children, after all. out of all his children, hades would probably confide more with louise than with nico, as she’s the “wiser” one. she understands life and death--the balance that must be.

this does not mean that they have their disagreements. earlier in the hades/nico relationship when hades expressed disappointment, louise would defend him. she was also pressed when she found out her father’s true intentions, when he wanted one of his children to be the prophecy demigod. she was livid. as loyal as she is to her father (more or less), she said “fuck you” and helped percy escape.

(note: as with big three children, louise is dangerously strong and powerful. as a child of hades, she is very lethal whether she realizes it or not. more on that later.)

speaking of percy, she’s cool with him. they’re tight, and sally insists that louise can call her “aunt sally” (louise may or may not choke up every time at the reminder). she also likes tyson. she often brings him a fuckton of peanut butter sandwiches--and introduces him to nutella sandwiches, and the peanut butter/nutella sandwich combo. (”don’t forget the milk!”)

as mentioned, she’s close with her siblings. they’re younger than her (or are they? :eyes:), but they all rely on each other whether they realize it or not. louise feels like she has to find a good footing on being both big sister/mother figure.

hazel looks up to her big sister a lot. both louise and nico have been nothing but incredibly kind, thoughtful, and helpful with hazel--especially when they brought her back to life. but with louise...there’s just something about her that makes hazel feel confident with herself, and as much as hazel loves nico, she’s glad that louise doesn’t accidentally call her “bianca”.

lowkey i can also picture them being not just sisters, but magic sisters. or, at the very least, louise helps hazel with her magic.

“YOU MESS WITH ONE CHILD OF HADES, YOU MESS WITH US ALL!”

not too sure on her ethnic/racial identity yet. right now it is ambiguous (altho, i’ve pictured something along the lines of chloe frazer, trilla suduri, but sometimes reboot!lara croft LOL).

definitely pansexual tho.

will definitely share more later. i kinda forgot what else to say

[bytheangell]

i am so in love with time travel fics so if it's not too much trouble can you please write something re: sad!past!magnus (maybe TID-era, or anything really) somehow winding up in the present day, and finding out that he's gonna be ok, he's gonna be so happy with his husband and children (if you want to include the book!malec kids here) and family, and the world might not be perfect but it's going to be better than he thought it could be

Believe in All the Possibilities (Read on AO3)Magnus just wants a carefree night of music, perhaps a bit of dancing, and most definitely more drinking than would be strictly advisable in his current emotional state. Maybe, if he still feels awful enough by the end of the night, he can end up in a den of questionable moral offerings on the shadier side of London. Who knows where the night might take him?

Instead he finds himself staring across the room at Camille, dancing far too close to be publicly decent with her current conquest. That’s all they are, he reminds himself, but it doesn’t help, not when he was in her arms not that long ago (had it been weeks? months? what’s time to an immortal, anyway?). Not when she’s the reason he’s drinking his heartbreak drink alone at the bar in the first place. He watches her for a while, losing track of time (has it been minutes? hours? time matters so little these days…). It’s the amount of time it takes to drink two bottles of whiskey, he can measure it that way. He thinks he might just continue for the rest of the night until Camille meets his eyes, winks at him, and then pushes her suitor against a wall to shove her tongue down his throat and run her hands down the length of his body and-

He needs to leave. 

Magnus pays his tab and walks out of the party, doing his best not to look back. He almost manages it but steals one last glance, not sure if he’s more or less hurt by the realization that she isn’t even watching him for his reaction, now entirely lost in the arms of her new lover. It isn’t a comfort to remind himself that he probably means nothing to her because that’s only a reminder that he meant nothing to her, too. 

He doesn’t have a place in mind when he opens a portal. He’s only just polished up with Henry a more stable way of opening portals for Shadowhunters to use, with runes drawn intricately around where they wish to form it to channel the magic needed. The one he opens now, fueled only by his own raw power, could be considered a prototype at best. It’s unstable and unpredictable without the runes to ground it, but hell, he’s feeling more than a little unstable and unpredictable himself. 

Magnus knows, deep down, that this is a mistake. The first rule to using a portal is to have a clear picture of where you’re going, but instead he steps into it with only one thought in mind: Take me somewhere I can be happy. I just want to feel okay again.

London vanishes behind him, and everything goes black. 

—

By all accounts he should be dead. Or in limbo. Or some horrifying combination of both.

Instead, Magnus finds himself blinking his eyes open from darkness to take in the scene around him of a city that is most definitely not London. There are street lamps lit along the– no, not lamps. The light coming from them isn’t fire. They’re electric. In fact, electric lights seem to be everywhere, despite the lightbulb barely being functional in the richest of areas testing out electricity in 1878. 

But that’s not the strangest thing. Magnus takes a few tentative steps towards the street only to jump backwards at the speed of the… well, he isn’t sure what the horrifyingly fast cart that passed him is exactly, but he knows that one more step forward and he would’ve been underneath it. Sobering up much faster than he’d like, Magnus starts to realize that however improbable the idea is, he has to face the facts that add up around him. He appears to be in the future - at the very least an alternate timeline, one far more advanced than his own. Regardless, either should be impossible. 

And the most distressing realization (as if all of that isn’t enough) is that since he has no idea how he managed to get here, he isn’t entirely sure how to get himself back. 

If he even can. 

…if he even wants to. 

After all, the past holds little for him outside of disappointments and broken promises. He can hardly find joy in his work at the moment, the one thing he’s consistently turned to as a source of pride and solace, so why bother going back to a life destined for solitude and misery? 

But first things first: he needs to figure out exactly where he is. It takes a bit of poking around and more than a few heavy American accents telling him in no uncertain terms not to so much as look at  them, before he gets the answers he’s looking for. It’s New York in the late 2010s, a little over a hundred years ahead of where he came from. 

But why here? Why now? 

Those questions are answered when he backs up quickly to narrowly avoid two children who turn the corner and nearly run directly into him, followed by the voice of someone calling out after them. No, not someone - that’s his voice. 

“Max! Rafe! This isn’t a game tonight, okay? Something’s wrong and I need to test the wards before you can go inside.”

Magnus glamours himself immediately, pressing up against the side of the building to let them pass while  listening in on the middle of a conversation this future version of himself is holding with a very tall, very attractive Shadowhunter. 

“-I don’t know, Alexander. But something feels off with my magic, like I can sense too much of it? I can’t explain it, but I just want to make sure nothing’s wrong before you and the boys come up.” And then he’s gone, vanishing into the apartment building while the man named Alexander waits on the sidewalk with two children, one warlock and one shadowhunter. Magnus knows because of the runes and blue skin he can see just beyond their glamours; glamours which are good enough to fool mundanes but not strong enough to block out skilled warlocks who are looking hard enough. The children must be keeping their own glamours up rather than relying on ones put on by the two adults. Impressive, especially for children so young. 

The warlock boy starts to poke small jolts of magic into the Shadowhunter boy, who looks about two seconds away from stabbing the warlock boy in the arm with his stele if he doesn’t stop. Magnus has the sudden impulse to give away his own hidden position to stop them but Alexander is already on top of it.  

“Max! No magic on the street, you know that. Rafael, please, if you break another stele this month Izzy’s going to kill both of us. Just stand still for two minutes while Papa checks the wards.” 

“Alright, Dad,” the children say in unison.

And that’s when Magnus realizes. These aren’t just people his future self is working with, or bringing here for a social visit. These are his children. And Alexander is… well, if Dad and Papa weren’t enough, one glance down at the wedding ring on the Shadowhunter’s finger is all the answer he needs there, too. Magnus can sense the magic there, his magic there, laced with more protection charms than should reasonably be contained in an object so small. 

The future version of himself comes back downstairs looking more confused than ever, and just for confirmation Magnus’ eyes immediately drop to the matching wedding band on his hand, standing out in its simplicity compared to the rings surrounding it. I’m married. And more than that, married to a mortal. A Shadowhunter. “Everything’s fine. C’mon kids, grab your things before we drop you back off at the Institute with Aunt Isabelle and Uncle Simon for the weekend.” 

Magnus follows behind as they go upstairs, the wards letting him pass without incident as they’re keyed to his own magic, after all. He’s careful to stay out of the way as he remains hidden from view, listening to the sounds of laughter as the children pack clothing into a bag and his future self enjoys a glass of wine with his husband, eavesdropping on their conversation while he looks around the room at children’s artwork and smiling family photos, feeling the warmth that radiates from this nontraditional family. 

“Once we get back to Alicante I have three meetings, one with Consul Penhallow,” his future self sighs. “Remind me again why I let you talk me into the High Warlock position?” 

Alexander laughs. “Talk you into it? As I remember, the moment you heard Alicante was getting one you practically demanded to be the one to, how did you put it?, ‘put the Clave in their place once and for all’?” 

Magnus nearly chokes on the air he’s breathing. High Warlock is one thing, it’s an honor he’s always dreamed of. But High Warlock of Alicante? It sounds absolutely absurd and he can hardly comprehend the idea of it. Downworlders are barely allowed to exist in the same rooms as Shadowhunters, let alone exist as any sort of authority in their sacred country. He’s broken from his thoughts by his future self speaking again. 

“Yes, well, I also remember the job coming with the clear perk of moving to Alicante with my husband the Inquisitor, so-” 

Magnus watches them smile at one another, leaning in to kiss. It’s a short one, quickly interrupted by a flying pillow and the laughter of children. Soon both wine glasses are magicked away and both his future self and Alexander are each grabbing a child, spinning them before pinning them to the ground, tickling them into submission. 

Suddenly Magnus realizes why he’s here, why now. 

This is what he wanted. This is where he’s happy. 

There is so much love in the room it’s practically palpable. He’s married to someone he clearly trusts, someone he doesn’t believe will hurt him or leave him, because he knows himself. He knows how impossible the idea of finding someone like that feels right now, and how important this Alexander must be for him to go against everything he’s resolutely resigned to in his own mind and allow him into his life in such a monumental way. And a family… as impossible as marriage seems to him, the idea of a family isn’t even up for consideration. This sort of life - settling down, unconditional love, contentment, happiness - it isn’t meant for him. It never has been, and he never thought it would be. 

Until now. 

When his future self opens a portal to the Institute they’re going to drop the children off at Magnus instinctively follows close behind, still glamoured, coming out of the other side and into the New York Institute just as it closes, like it knows to wait for him. The children immediately run into the arms of another Shadowhunter, a woman this time, and then the man beside her. A vampire, who is casually coexisting in the inner sanctum of the Shadowhunters and friendly with his future children. 

“Simon!” The young Shadowhunter boy, Rafe, nearly shouts. “I got my speed rune, I bet I can beat you in a race now!” 

The vampire - Simon - laughs. “Oh yeah? We’ll have to see about that…” 

Magnus almost feels guilty for intruding on these moments. He knows they’re not for him, not yet, but he can’t help himself when Alexander and his future self say goodbye shortly after and he’s ducking quickly behind them into another portal, this time coming out somewhere entirely unfamiliar at first. It takes a few moments before the scenery around him registers. 

Alicante. 

He recognizes the demon towers, can feel the strength of the angelic power around him from both the concentrated amount of Shadowhunters and the adamas veins that run beneath the city. He’s immediately uncomfortable, an instinctive sense of unease coming from so much as stepping foot upon the City of Glass… but not his future self. 

He watches his future self visibly relax the moment he steps foot out of the portal and onto the ground of the park below. Can anyone portal into the middle of Alicante at will now or is it just him, Magnus wonders idly. Exactly how much have things changed? 

…exactly how much of that is, potentially, because of him? 

Magnus follows his future self and Alexander down a path he realizes was picked deliberately for the portal to open up at. The pair take their time wandering down it, hand in hand, talking and catching up on each other’s days. Alexander mentions Catarina and Magnus feels his heart swell at the knowledge that they’re still friends, even now. Maybe everyone doesn’t leave him in the end after all. 

When his future self and Alexander finally reach a building that’s most likely their home Magnus decides not to follow them inside. He’s seen enough: enough to know that he may never stop watching this version of his life if he doesn’t leave soon, and more than enough to know that running away from the life he has now is no longer what he wants, not when he has this to look forward to in the end.  It might not be what he thought he wanted out of life, but maybe it’s exactly what he needs.

Magnus feels a lightness in him he didn’t imagine himself capable of just an hour ago. Hope, the smallest seed of it, rests firmly within him after the sights he witnessed tonight. He just has to let it grow, nurture the idea that things may seem bleak now but they won’t be forever. He has proof of that now, a reason to believe that he’s more than just someone to be used and discarded. That one day he’ll find a love powerful enough to see him marrying a Shadowhunter, taking on a job title he never could’ve imagined existing let alone holding personally, and raising a family to come home to at the end of the day. Loved. Accepted. Content. 

Before he came here he simply wanted to dull the ache and numb himself to any feelings at all; now he finds himself overwhelmed by too many emotions to count, and he couldn’t be more grateful for it. 

This may all be his one day, but first he has to get here. Once he’s certain he’s alone he conjures a portal of his own, picturing London and a life that’s only as meaningful as he chooses to make it.His life no longer feels like an inevitable sentence to play out but rather a glowing future that’s his for the taking. ‘Take me home’ he thinks with surprising fondness as he takes his first step towards that light.