#⊰ isabela ⋄ to realize you have the potential to be a better person ⊱

[thefourchimes]

lots of encanto AUs i want to talk about so here you go

so uh, i've been brain rotting and hyperfixating on encanto for a bit now, and its been very fun

tho i've barely talked about some of the ideas and aus i have and want to share, so i guess i want to do that now in a way, so uh... (mirabel voice) lets go lets go

List of AUs here:

Time Travel AU

Big Hero 6 AU

[Redacted] AU (not the au's actual name, hidden for reasons)

Ghost Cocoon AU (fusion idea au i came up with of the cocoon au by @raefever and ghost grandchildren au by @jerseyk112, both found in @gamerbearmira's blog)

Giftless Grandkids AU (idea by anon, also found in @gamerbearmira's blog)

Undertale AU

Gravity Falls AU

P.S. some of these au ideas are not originally mine, but i've contributed to them in some way, and i've credited and tagged the creators

More information of the AUs found below

1. Time Travel AU

first au i've ever thought about, cool hue sisters centered, because i love them sm and i was still finding my footing in encanto and the fandom when i thought of this au, and yeah

its where isabela and luisa get sent back to the past after going after and protecting mirabel as casita falls

i gained the idea after seeing how the two older sisters were still so terrified of alma and disappointing her that they couldn't stand up for mirabel and for themselves, but as casita was falling, they weren't about to let their baby sister go, not after everything

despite this being the first au, its also still really vague and barebones in a sense, not much planned yet and its all just vibes, plus i just really wanted a cool sisters au because i love them sm

2. Big Hero 6 AU

ah yes, big hero 6 au, my beloved

came to be when i figured out bear aka @gamerbearmira's reference in one of her encanto one shots, the scooby doo one where they got arrested, and she used bh6's aunt cass' rant for alma's rant in said one shot, and then it led me to realize the potential of encanto big hero 6 au with bear, so that was fun

there's a post in bear's blog for the au, so you can check it out

there's a bunch more info that we haven't shared yet, but it's all written up in the docs for it, so yesyes

honestly been a bit since i touched the au personally, as i keep getting distracted by the other ones below

but yeah, planning on exploring of this au soon <3

3. [Redacted] AU

ah yes, this au, the 120 and counting pages one in my docs

and the 120 pages are mostly just details and planning for the au, not a single written thing yet

this au is not called redacted au, but the name itself is redacted because the word itself is a bit of a spoiler and im still trying to find a better name for it in general

i have no idea how to explain this au

first thing to mention is how its very much inspired by Take Back the Kingdom by @optimistic-violinist and @impossiblefangirl0632 (sorry for the tag, i can take it out if you'd like) and i really really recommend this fic, its so so good and it changed my brain chemistry on so many levels

so yes, i really got inspired by this fic, and it will very much be shown in this particular au with some things and tropes, but ofc im doing my own spin on stuff and the details, and from what i have rn, i think it really evolved and is still evolving as time goes on

another thing to note about this is how the idea came to be because of TBTK inspiration and a dream i had on the day i was taking a metaphysics midterms exam (this is completely unnecessary to mention but oh well, i still remember that moment so vividly)

the dream impacted just exactly how this au is going to go

what is the dream about? you'll find out whenever i get to write this au

all i can say without spoiling much is that there are lots of memory shenanigans and angst, plus the very fun trope of "your found family is your actual family"

also once more, read take back the kingdom, very good fic, 11/10, much recommend, will reread again

4. Ghost Cocoon AU

this au is the fusion of the Cocoon au and the Ghost Grandkids au, both still found in @/gamerbearmira's blog

ghost grandkids au is from @jerseyk112 and cocoon au is from @raefever, and ofc bear has a lot of ideas and thoughts for these aus in her blog

i was rereading bear's cocooned fic for the 17123723507 time and while i was at it, i remembered the ghost grandchildren au, so i decided it would be pretty fun to fuse the two aus together in some way

and so i did (first ask, second ask)

basic premise of this au is really just the ghost kids' healing and them protecting their younger selves and their family

this fusion au interested me so much that it got to the point where i actually wrote a 3683 word first chapter of sorts(?) for this fusion au already (bear has seen it but i havent posted it at all)

planning on continuing it when i feel like it tho hehe

so yes its been wild with this one

5. Giftless Grandkids AU

giftless grandkids au, my beloved

just as the name says, au where all the grandkids are giftless

all i can say is everything and nothing changes all at the same time with this

this au was sent and suggested by an anon in bear's blog

this is also the one where bear and i went wild on for the past few days

pretty sure bear is gonna be writing this au, if im not mistaken? so its very exciting

there's a lot in store for this au and it'll be fun

6. Undertale AU

undertale au yesyes

not the type where the characters are these characters tho

this idea is where we'll be throwing the grandkids into the underground for an adventure of a lifetime!

so basically characters of one media meet characters of the other media type

and the kids are gonna be going through the plot of undertale, technically in frisk's shoes here

this au is still very vibes and not much planned, there's lots of potential to play around tho, so im thinking of exploring this at some point soon

7. Gravity Falls AU

gravity falls au this time!!

now this au is the one pure vibes one, absolutely zero planning or thoughts, just vibes and aspirations for it

not even sure if it'll be like the undertale au where characters of one media will meet characters of the other media or if it'll be characters from this media are gonna be these characters of that media in this au

i just thought it would be fun to have an encanto gravity falls au idea, but still dont know where it'll be going in general

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

So that's about it, there's actually a few more ideas i havent mentioned yet, but let's just say these ideas are exactly like the gravity falls au vibing no planning, except much worse in a sense, so i have no idea what kind of footing there will be at all with those aus

but anyway, i digress, these are some of the ideas and aus i have and would love to share and write and uh, yeah

if you have any questions on these aus, feel free to ask if ever, my asks are open (this is the first time im saying this in a post omg help)

but anyway yes the brainrot and hyperfixation is real

if you got here to the end, congrats have a pic of my dog for your effort and dedication <333 see you around <3

#encanto #encanto au #encanto time travel au #encanto big hero 6 au #encanto [redacted] au #TBTK #encanto ghost cocoon au #cocoon au #cocooned #ghost grandchildren au #encanto giftless grandkids au #giftless grandkids au #encanto undertale au #encanto gravity falls au #mic rambles #a lot #so many aus #wheezing #so many vibes here lmao #anyway uhhh thats all #thank you for reading #if you made it to the end #HASFUASF #anyway yes i'll stop rambling now bye #:')

[kimbap-r0ll]

YAYY requests are open, idk if you have done a scenario like this but could you do a scenario with the dorm leaders with an S/O like Mirabel Madrigal from Encanto like having the same personality as her but also dealing with the fact they are the only one without magic or a gift in their family. Thank you

You know...this is interesting! I kinda wanna add someone as a bonus on here because why not, thank you for the ask!

Dorm Leaders with a Mirabel!s/o

Riddle

He really doesn't mind if you can't use magic, he just worries that others may make your life more stressful though you are Ramshackle's dorm leader

He likes your enthusiasm, it's new to him and refreshing. NRC could use more energy anyways

He admires how you can find good in everyone and everything. He usually looks at faults first, making his vision sometimes a bit limited when it comes to character. Because of this, he's happy to have you around

Might treat you like his therapist because he needs you to be happy haha but nonetheless he's super grateful to have you as his s/o

Leona

Might feel that you're a bit annoying because of your optimistic personality but don't be fooled - he really finds you adorable

He likes to hear you talk about anything because its just nice to see you so passionate about different topics. Will casually say "go on" when you ask if you're talking too much

Might be a bit protective of you because of your lack of magic. He doesn't want any Savanaclaw students picking on you so he might wrap an arm around you when walking by some of the more reckless ones

Overall know that he really likes you, though he's still a tsundere king

Azul

You are literally the one person he will never ask for contracts because you're just too...too pure

You are literally the nicest person and to him he admires how strong you are. Even if people might try to put you down for your lack of magic you brace through and tell them that perhaps not having magic is your magic. Like, what? You can turn that mean comment on its head?! :0

He may ask you for advice when looking for potential contracts but you always tell him not to make contracts, maybe you can change him haha

Similar to Riddle, he knows that you're job can be stressful so he wants to provide you as much care as he can. Expect surprise drinks from the lounge!

Kalim

You guys are like two suns jumping around at once. Jamil loves and hates it

The two of you definitely make NRC a better place with your enthusiasm and your optimism. You find a way to solve any problem because of your wittiness

Kalim definitely takes you on carpet rides that are more extreme than Jamil wants, but speaking of Jamil he likes you too because you're just really nice to talk to

Kalim and you are really similar and overall just a really cute pair

Vil

Imagine if Isabela Madrigal was a person in the TWST world. Ta da, here he is!

He may find your more down-to-earth approaches to things and your optimism to be a bit strange. You're too naive in his eyes, but that's why he gets protective

Vil wants you to know that magic or no magic, you are perfect in his eyes. He will try to help you out whenever magic is needed in your tasks but nonetheless know that he loves you for who you are

Admires your positivity and will respect you for this. He may soften up a bit on Epel too because of you haha

Idia

At first you scared him. You were way too outgoing for his comfort. But he soon realized that you were more than just an extroverted person, you literally gave him energy

He wonders how you can function without any magic but that's probably why he admires you too. NRC is a bit rough, but know that you won't have to worry about anything around him

Will ask you to play video games with him and honestly it might be really fun!

People start noticing that Idia smiles more often, and a lot of people correlate this with you. Idia does feel much better with you around!

Malleus

He was born using magic, so this is surprising to him. He wants to learn how to do certain tasks without any magic because honestly he just likes learning new things!

Malleus definitely gets protective, though you won't really notice it. If anyone is out there trying to harass you for not having magic at NRC, you might not hear anything from Malleus but when you are looking away he'll give that person the scariest look and omg who would dare anger the fae prince :/

He likes to hear whatever you want to talk about too! Will go on walks with you but just listen. To him, he could spend days just listening to your voice

Know that even though fae are heavy magic users, Malleus does not care too much about your skills in magic. He loves you for who you are

Bonus: Rollo

Omg you don't use magic?! Is this an angel sent from heaven like :0

He might find your extroverted personality a tad bit tiresome at first, but he finds himself being drawn to you. He won't tell you this directly, but you will find him lingering around you more often as time goes by

He's also really protective. He likes that you don't use magic and if anyone tries to harass you about it they'll have to face his wrath :/

Though you two might seem like polar opposites, maybe that's why you guys attracted each other. He definitely needs a bit more brightness in his life haha

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst imagines #twst scenarios #anon ask #twst x reader #twst dorm leaders #twst riddle #twst riddle x reader #twst leona #twst leona x reader #twst azul #twst azul x reader #twst rollo #twst rollo x reader #twst vil #twst vil x reader #twst idia #twst idia shroud #twst malleus #twst malleus x reader #twst kalim #twst kalim x reader #twst riddle rosehearts #twst leona kingscholar #twst azul ashengrotto #twst kalim al asim #twst vil schoenheit #twst malleus draconia #twst rollo flamme

[seyaryminamoto]

Leap of Faith: Sokkla Saturdays 2022

Day 4: Sokka dresses Azula

On FF.net//On AO3

And here's the first sequel I've written this year... the sequel to my Dragon Age AU from last year :'D about half as long, so still ridiculously long, but yet again... you can't expect better when adapting such a long game, not even when you're only centering it around secondary characters.

Anyway, it was a wild ride and I was very happy to finally fulfill my main headcanons in that franchise regarding a potential way to save a certain someone from being trapped in the Fade forevermore...

Hope you enjoy it! Read in either link above, since, yet again, Tumblr won't allow me to post the full story here.

Now, as for thoughts you may read after you finish that story...

Regarding the controversial ending... I can't be the only person who finds Aang and Solas can be disturbingly similar x'D There's obvious differences between the two, but even the fact that Bryke described Aang as a "trickster", and the Solas is notoriously known for being the Trickster God? Stuck in an iceberg for 100 years, and dormant for over 1000 years? Both are struck by tragedy when their civilizations were completely wiped out -- and both struggle with guilt over it, though I hold Solas far more responsible for it, in his case. In short... this was a no-brainer. The reason why Aang was never around in the first part of this story, the Prince Sokka and Peasant Azula prompt from last year, was because the minute I wanted to write a Dragon Age AU, I knew Aang would be the ideal Solas if I ever got around writing the Inquisition sequel. I know it was probably weird back then, but I hope it makes some sense this time, especially for people who have played these games.

Regarding Ursa... Flemeth is another big question mark in the future of Dragon Age's franchise as a whole. I recently watched a video with a lot of crazy theories about her being the source of all that's wrong with Thedas, but going by DAI's ending, with that epilogue in which Flemeth/Mythal kind of dies (?) in Solas's arms and Solas takes in her essence? It doesn't feel like Flemeth will be returning as herself in the future, at the very least, hence why Azula is sure she won't see Ursa again. Ursa is such a strange, gray character here because that's what Flemeth is like, but until the universe proves otherwise, I elect to believe that Flemeth's cruel treatment of Morrigan was actually a very twisted way of breaking her own cycle and setting her daughter free from the burden of inheriting Mythal directly... even if, by drinking from the Well of Sorrows, Morrigan is connected to Mythal all over again anyhow. Anyway. Well. I don't know what else is there to be said about this, but the point is Ursa's characterization wasn't so sketchy and strange for no reason, it's all because of the source material.

Regarding Dragon Age 2... I honestly wish I knew who to cast in the place of DA2's cast. I have a soft spot in my heart for most of the DA2 party characters, but unfortunately, I've already used soooo many ATLA and LOK characters, and finding some that correspond really well with the DA2 cast was so difficult it became virtually impossible. I actually thought June would be a perfect Isabela at first. I switched her to Hawke when I realized that I had no Hawke, and I NEEDED a Hawke for this story X'D my personal preference for Hawke is female Hawke too, which helped in that decision, but I couldn't possibly figure out who to turn into Merrill, Fenris, Aveline, let alone Anders (hence why he's not mentioned by name, I really have no idea who he'd be), and so, I chose to just reference a potential physical relationship between Hawke and Zevran (in this case, the old fandom-favorite obscure ship of Jet and June) rather than confirming a more traditional DA2 romance for this Hawke, since I just couldn't sort out who the rest of the DA2 cast would be. I didn't leave them so far out of the story because I wanted to, it's because I kiiind of had no choice, the shortage on characters rendered me helpless.

Regarding the Inquisitor... writing Inquisitor Korra Adaar made me happier than I imagined possible from writing that character. I thought about making her just a warrior, but I suppose she's a kind of physical mage, a warrior-mage hybrid of the sorts I don't think exist in this franchise. In her case, I didn't go all-out to confirm any DAI romances because I honestly didn't want to push a pairing for her, since it was also not exactly important for the story? Therefore, I left it up in the air. If you want to believe Korrasami happened, well, Josephine/Asami is certainly willing to be romanced by any Inquisitor, so that's a valid conclusion to reach X'D I suppose a case of the sort could be made for Mako/Cullen, but I realize Cullen isn't supposed to romance Qunari Inquisitors. Still, eh... it's up to whatever readers would like to imagine in the end, fic writers have been notorious for disregarding all of the canon preferences for characters anyway. Weirder things have been written in fandoms.

Anyway. I think that's basically all the notes I had to give for this particular chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it!

#sokkla #sokka #azula #sokkla saturdays 2022 #sokklasaturdays #so retelling DA my way takes about 120K words apparently (?) #and Tumblr doesn't like that :'D #anyway #I hope people can enjoy this one #I know it's a very specific AU but I really hope it's comprehensible anyway #*flings this into the wild*

[etoilebinaire]

okay here's one for your DA OCs and the canonical LIs dfkgjsg how about Taylor + Alistair, Evanna + Isabela, aaaand Rasha + Sera?

Sierra!!! Thank you for the ask ❤ It was so much fun to think about and I wrote more about my own considerations while playing rather than from their character perspective maybe but still it was a lot of fun!! It got long so I'll put it under a readmore sdjdsj

Taylor + Alistair Okay so when I first played DAO the friend who recommended it to me was obsessed with Alistair so I was like 80% sure Id romance him on her recommendation. But then Leliana barged in and I was like wow pretty girl so then I was sure Id romance her. But then Zevran happened. Listen. He swept Taylor off her feet as much as he swept me. Taylor probably would fit just as good if not better with someone else but,, how can I resist.

SO specifically Alistair: I think Taylor was subconsciously still very wary of humans. The timing wasn’t the best, with a human man ruining her entire familys life just before a human man ripped her away from said family and putting her in a position with the mostly human grey wardens. Yes Alistair is half elven and very kind and they became friends instantly and that’s why Taylor didn’t have a nervous breakdown at Ostagar, but trauma is trauma and I don’t think Taylor could help not fully opening up to Alistair at first, even if she didn’t realize it. And I also think Taylor doesn’t consider herself an option for affection? No actually, that’s not true, she does know that she’s lovable etc but it doesn’t immediately occur to her that she’s lovable in the romantic sense. She also worked hard as a teen to not be considered an option. Someone having a crush or potential interest is so foreign to her, someone would have to be very blunt about it for it to click.

Instead, she and Alistair in my canon are very very close but more in the best friend sibling-y sense.

However, while it isn’t in my canon, I do think Taylor and Alistair could have been adorable together. Their personalities complement each other pretty well and they’d be even more grossly mushy if they were together romantically. It would definitely also change my outcome of DAO; Alistair would have absolutely not become king, and Kieran would have two moms and a dad. Thank you.

Evanna + Isabela Again, truly an option I considered in DA2. Lets go over my considerations real quick. The same friend that loved Alistair a lot also loved Fenris a lot, so instead of being sure Id romance him (like I thought with Alistair), now I was sure I wasn’t going to. Idk why. I love Fenris truly. My personal fav candidate was Anders cause I love him and that’s Taylors son, you know. But he was so annoying in da2 god bles he reminded me of one of my irl friends so much and me and my irl friend have a very good gay-bi alliance going on so that’s what I did with Evanna and Anders but then in reverse. It doesn’t have to make sense it makes sense in my head, and so Evanna was officially a lesbian. Merrill is absolutely endearing and the best and I think she understands more than anyone how Evanna struggles with relating to people.

That being said, Isabela and Evanna would be amazing together, but would also wreck Kirkwall even more than it already is wrecked. They would be unstoppable. They are the true mean bi and meaner lesbian couple that is met with awe anywhere they go. However, Evanna would not push Isabela to not be afraid of being loved anymore. Evanna isn’t that socially gifted and she wouldn’t say the right things at the right time and I just don’t think that would be right for a romantic relationship with Isabela. Evanna cares about Isabela, obviously, but I don’t think she’s got enough empathy to understand what she’s going through.

Rasha + Sera Ok so for Rasha, her being a vashoth already limited some options. The same friend who really likes Alistair and Fenris obviously also likes Cullen (Im joking. But she does.) and I wouldn’t consider him an option for Rasha even if she was an option for him. I knew in advance but was really sad that Cass wasn’t an option. Rash was being friendly galpalls (read: flirting) with Josie when the chargers mission happened and then Rasha could be a bit nicer to Bull and the rest is history. For Sera.. I don’t think she and Rasha would really match? Rasha likes and even trusts Sera (which is a huge deal for her) but I don’t think she trusts her enough to let her pull her out of her shell. Like, Rasha takes things very seriously in the inquisition and goes along with the pranks etc. cause Sera is right and things shouldn’t be serious all the time, but Rasha is very good at compartmentalizing that. I also think that Sera would get too nervous about Rasha being as paranoid as she is. Although I do agree they’d be very cute together, I don’t think they’d match.

#thank you sierra!!! 🧡 #im slowly replaying dao so I Have Thoughts about Taylor sjjdss #I really need to replay da2 and dai but idk if thats going to happen soon. so maybe the answers will change a bit after another playthrough #my character tags are all SO empty. I never talk about my girls :( but memes like these are very good to start and think about them!! #so thank you again ^^ #Taylor Tabris #Evanna Hawke #Rasha Adaar

[inquisitorismone]

sebastian just said to isabela "it's frightening, isn't it? to realize you have the potential to be a better person?" which i would normally shrug off except that's almost exactly what i said to her when she went "look at you, the champion of kirkwall, and i'm just some disloyal two-bit thief and murderer"

cuz instead of choosing the option i normally do ("you're my friend, isabela") i chose to go a little aggressive with it and choose "no, you're not"

and what i wound up saying is "you only think that because you're too afraid of trying to be anything else"

which hurt my wittle feefeees

[beepinout]

ENCANTO TV SHOW EPISODE IDEAS

- Mirabel and Camilo want to give Julieta a break for the day so they go into town and try to keep everyone safe and out of harms way, which is surprisingly difficult

- Dolores goes on her first date with Mariano but Isabela and Camilo get scared for Dolores because she's known for being creepy and scarring away potential suitors so they try and "help" her not make the date go bad (to tell their plans to each other they shove Dolores in her room several times because it's sound proof)

- Isabela falls in love with someone in the village but abuela thinks Isabela is out of their league so trys to get Isabela to date other people that she does not have any interest in

- Antonio is skeptical of Mariano dating Dolores so Mariano has to get the approval from Antonio that he's good enough to date Dolores

- Pepa is having a bad day and abuela tells her to suck it up to the point that a gigantic storm is created and abuela has to apologize

- Pepa, Julieta, and Bruno go out on the town for a sibling day and people still hate/are skeptical of Bruno

- Bruno, Julieta, and Pepa are going to celebrate their birthday after 10 years and Bruno wants to get the best gift for them

- One of Antonio's favorite animals died of old age (of all things) and he's having a hard time dealing with it so his family tries to make him feel better and or forget about it

- Luisa goes to Isabela to teach her to act more girly

- Bruno is asked to use his visions again by the town and when the visions turn out bad he lies and says there good and it gets to the point where he's in trouble

- Bruno is going to write all his old rat plays into a human adaptation and he gets terrified that people won't like it and hate him for it, also Dolores is ecstatic for the adaptation because she known this since she was 12 (*bonus: Dolores help Bruno realize he shouldn't be that scared and reassures him that at least she'll like it)

- How Pepa fell in love with Felix

- How Julieta fell in love with Augustin

- Camilo and Mirabel does a Sherlock Holms type of thing when something goes missing in the town

- Theirs going to be a talent show for the entire Encanto and Camilo thinks he has it in the bag but it's reveled that none of the Madrigals can use their gift and he starts to think he has no purpose or personality without this gift

- Flashback where Abuela starts it by having a photo album and recounting memorys of her trying to deal with the triplets powers when they were 5

- Camilo finds an old stitched together book of amazing pranks and trys them on everyone but it doesn't work on Bruno, turn out Bruno made the book and then they go pranking people together (until people team up together to stop them)

*****If you want to say an episode idea you think is cool you totally can*****

#encanto tv show #encanto fandom #encanto headcanons #mirabel madrigal #camilo madrigal #abuela madrigal #alma madrigal #julieta madrigal #pepa madrigal #bruno madrigal #antonio madrigal #dolores madrigal #mariano guzman #luisa magridal #augustin madrigal #felix madrigal #Encanto #isabela madrigal

[isabelaaaa-encanto]

Hello hello hello! 🥰 if you are taking requests may I request how it would be if Isabela and her gf or wife had their first big argument? And how they would make up with one another? Thank you!

Alsoooooo have a wonderful day love💕

major fight

summary: headcanons (drabble at the end) of isabela and her gf having their first serious argument with each other; how would isa deal with it, and how would they make up with one another

warnings: lowercase intended, word vomit, angst, slight mention of depression, fluff i think

a/n: thank you for the request, anon! i didn't know what to put as the subject of the argument, so i'll just leave it to you guys. i'm sorry if this took a while! anyways, enjoy :) have a wonderful day/night, everyone <3

wordcount: n/a for the headcanons, 640 words for the drabble

°°°

would immediately lock herself in her room for the rest of the day

screaming/crying into her pillow

would blame everything on herself

overthinking, overthinking, overthinking:

this was all her fault;

she wasn't good enough;

you deserved better;

you were gonna leave her;

you hated her;

you never loved her; etc.

the thought of this fight being the potential reason you two break up makes her sick to the stomach, literally and figuratively

wouldn't have an appetite

would refuse to go out of her room and join the family to eat

this would be the first time they'd seen this side of isabela

the family would be very worried about her, especially julieta

her mom would be bringing her food to her room, but would come back to an untouched plate

julieta would be trying to get her daughter to talk about what was bothering her

isabela wouldn't say a word

she would keep everything to herself

would never leave her bed

the only time she would ever leave her room was if she needed to go to town to do her duties

wouldn't bother fixing herself, like:

leaving her hair unbrushed;

not wiping the fresh tear stains on her cheeks;

wearing her sandals on the wrong foot;

whatever, she didn't care

she just wanted to get it all over with so that she could go back to bed and cry

would be brain dead the whole day while getting everyone's requests wrong;

"isabela? these aren't sunflowers, i- are these hyacinths?"

"isabela um, why is there a tree in the middle of my crop farm?"

would probably lash out and take her anger out on them

the townspeople would be concerned for her

the only times that she would really be consciously aware of her surroundings was when she was somewhere near your area

would be very worried of bumping into you

just seeing you would be enough for her to tear up and have a mental breakdown

would be going straight to bed once she was home, ignoring the looks of her worried family

would be clutching your pillow to her chest, crying herself to sleep

i feel like nothing would change even after a week had passed (unless you try to approach her first and mend things yourself)

she'd still be as miserable as she was the day you two had fought

wouldn't know how to fix things between you two

it would only be thanks to mira who one day barged into her room, finally sick of her sister being in such a depressive state

mirabel would be the only person who would get isabela to tell her what was wrong

(it took 20 minutes)

she'd also be the one to be able to convince isabela to talk to you

"isa, you and y/n love each other no matter what. whatever problems the two of you may face, i know you'd both be able to get past them. and that includes whatever is going on between you two right now. but in order to get past something, you're gonna need to face it first."

would realize that her sister was right

she loves you, and she wants nothing more than for you two to make up and get past this

would probably take a few days to physically and mentally prepare herself

when she's finally ready, she would go to dolores to ask her where you were

after hearing that you were at home, and receiving a tight hug from her prima, she would start preparing to come over:

getting the bouquet of your favorite flowers ready;

mentally preparing her speech;

making sure she looked her best for you;

the family would be giving her moral support, glad that she was finally starting to get back on her feet

once she arrives at your front door, she would probably be having second thoughts

what if you didn't want to see her?

what if you grew to hate her during the days you were avoiding each other?

but disregarding her thoughts with a shake of her head, she would be knocking on the door of your home

she missed you so much

she needed to see you

but first, she was going to make things right between you two

◇

you awoke to a series of loud knocks coming from downstairs. in aggravation, you checked the clock on your bedside table, and it read 1:36 pm.

dismissing the knocks, you decided to go back to sleep, hoping that one of your family members would deal with whoever was out the door. but no less than 10 seconds had passed before the persistent knocker began knocking loudly once again.

with a groan, you irritatedly put a pillow over your head as you called out to your mom, "mami, there's someone by the door!"

there was no response from your mother as the knocking continued. you waited for a few seconds, but you heard no footsteps making their way towards the door.

you thought it was strange at first, because your mom/your sibling would've opened the door by now, but that was until you remembered that everyone was at town and you were left home alone for today.

as another series of knocks echoed from downstairs, you let out another groan as you decided to see who the hell was outside. was it so urgent that they couldn’t have waited until it was, like, i don't know, 10pm?

you trudged down the stairs and over to the door as the annoying knocks continued, before you grabbed the doorknob and swung it open, ready to snap at whoever was outside for disturbing your sleep.

but to your utter surprise, the person who's been constantly knocking on your door was none other than isabela madrigal, your beloved.

you felt your heart drop to your stomach as your mouth suddenly felt dry. the two of you stared at each other for a moment as a lump slowly forms in your throat. she looked so beautiful.

you didn't know how to feel; were you happy that she was here? angry because of everything that happened? or even more depressed at the sight of her doing well? (oblivious to the fact that she had also been in a state of depression just a few days ago)

isabela on the other hand, felt her heart breaking at the sight of you; you clearly hadn't been taking care of yourself.

huge, dark eye bags were present under your eyes; your hair was messy and tangled—god knows when was the last time you've brushed it; your lips were horribly chapped; and your blouse had an old, faded stain on the front, implying that you had probably been wearing it for several days now.

was it because of her? have you been suffering because of her?

your gaze fall down to her hands and noticing the bouquet of flowers she was holding, you felt hot tears start brimming your eyes. isabela could feel her own tears blurring her vision as she took a step towards you.

dropping the bouquet to the ground, she immediately captures you into a rib crushing embrace. you hug her back as tightly as you could, tears falling from your eyes as you buried your face into the crook of her neck. god, you missed her so much.

incoherent sobs came out of isabela as she repeatedly kept saying the words, what you thought sounded like, "i'm sorry." you shook your head as you tightened your hold on her, never wanting to let go.

"please... i don't wanna fight anymore," you whimpered, the lump in your throat only making it harder for you to speak. isabela's heart shattered at the sound of your voice, before immediately nodding in silent agreement, her arms wrapped around your waist securely.

the two of you stayed there in each other's arms for what seemed like forever, which you didn't mind in the least.

talking could wait.

for now, you would both indulge in the warmth of each other's embrace, making up for the lost time you should've had with one another.

°°°

#encanto #encanto fic #isabela madrigal #isabela madrigal x female reader #isabela madrigal x reader

[ford-ye-fiji]

I'm trying to think of how a Encanto and The Umbrella Academy crossover would work and I can't figure it out. Do you have any ideas or headcanons?

Hmmm I think the main problem is that the obvious person to be in Alma's place would be Reginald… and unlike Alma, Reginald is a terrible person and pretty much has shown no redeemable qualities. rn you could totally do it, but the ending would be a lost less wholesome/probably end with reginald's death ajsksks

Mayhaps he got the candle when his wife died on that alien planet? Or you could nix the whole alien thing completely to make it simpler.

Grace is Casita tho.

Vanya could definitely be Mirabel! Oooh and Bruno has a lot of parallels with Five.

okay, wait, this is working out.

the real question is, anon, is that both these groups have super powers. would we switch around these powers? For example let’s say Allison gets super hearing. Or should we keep them the same? The problem with changing them is that the powers for both groups of people are tied intricately into who they are. This is the closet equivalent I could think of tbh

Luisa for Luther- this is fairly self explanatory and pretty much the easiest choice.  Mirabel for Vanya- also pretty easy. Both of them were "powerless”

Allison for Dolores or Isabela- Allison is fairly akin to Isabela and Dolores personality wise, but I feel Dolores’s powers make a better parallel with Allison’s rumors.

Klaus for Camilo- Klaus gives off the Vibe tbh

Diego for Antonio- i can’t explain it

Ben for Pepa or Julieta- Ben is one of the siblings where his personality ties a lot into his powers. The Horror has negative consequences/connotations like Pepa’s powers. Julieta tho might fit his personality a little more as they’re both fairly level headed. I think it’s a tossup.

Five for Bruno- sibling who vanished? Check. Sibling who helps drive the plot? Check. Sibling with dire warnings about the future? Check. Sibling who is probably a little off his rocker? Check. Sibling who talks to things that you normally wouldn’t talk to like rats or mannequins? Check!

You could also include Claire!! i think giving her Isabela's powers could be interesting and also a lot of fun. Really, just any chance to include Claire.

I think that was the easy part.

how much of the plot is going to transfer? I think you could safely keep the 'all the same age' aspect of tua. We could still have the Mirabel crisis with her and the cracks except perhaps with Vanya. And then you could switch the apocalypse out for the cracks?

Maybe Five becomes this hobo living in the walls talking to his mannequin while he tries to figure out how to prevent it.

Hhhh anon this crossover has so much potential!!!! These are just some beginning thoughts. I might revisit it, but hopefully that’ll be enough to help out?

(Also I just realized this might not be the crossover you were thinking of. Either by placing encanto and tua in the same world instead of replacing them or by placing the encanto characters in tua ajaksksk)

#ask #anon #anonymous #tua #The Umbrella Academy #encanto #encanto spoilers #hopefully that helps!!!!! #also neu in advance I’m sorry lol #I included it XD

[breadedsinner]

Don’t rebagel

-Boy I hope nobody notices or cares that Judy’s hair is 2 different colors in that set, lmao. Her most recent and “canon” hairdo is a Ciri TW3 port, and it’s just...kinda came that way? A darker shade of brown? Which I prefer but...she has shorter hair in the beginning, so Prologue Judy is stuck with that. Also was not up for revisiting All That Remains just for better hair, so...

-I realize that scene in the Chantry or even the quote doesn’t really fit the “Knight in Sour Armor” trope BUT that’s a personal favorite of mine. Like if I were to pick ONE trope for Judy, it’d be that.

If nothing else, it’s a pretty unique animation, showing she’s still trying to carry herself as a knight despite this being Act 3, and things are... kinda nuts.

-I know it was a bit mean to Merrill, but that quote “You don’t get to choose who suffers because of it,” fits her SO WELL. I always see her...struggling to understand this in some of her companions, namely Isabela and Merrill. As someone who has always needed to be careful and had a purpose of protecting others laid out for her, as someone who greatly values a sense of duty, other characters seeking personal freedom even at the *potential* cost of others is extremely difficult for her to grasp.

Like not to make everything about Sebastian, but even with him. She can admit priest does seem a lot safer, it would be harder to get it wrong. If he became Prince, there would be...not even a chance, an inevitability, that his actions, however well-intended, would have negative consequences for others. Same with her being Viscount. It’s something she needs to accept.

#Judith Hawke

[fandomn00blr]

Dread Moon, Chapter 13 Excerpt

[Context: Post-Inquisition, Pre-Trespasser...Dorian has been ‘rescued’ and is headed back to Skyhold with his Inquisition fam. Anders is struggling to find his place in Kirkwall again, and without Justice. Hawke tries to big sister him to repair their friendship. It starts to work...sorta.]

[Oh shit! Also...have I mentioned how important Orana’s cinnamon buns are to keeping all of Hawke’s friends from killing each other?]

...

A hungover Evelyn was not happy that she had to practically drag Dorian and Cullen aboard the ship Harding had chartered for them the next morning. Bull, and even Alarion, who was technically their prisoner, though it was easy to forget that he would be taken directly to the dungeons as soon as they arrived at Skyhold, came along much more willingly. Aveline as Guard-Captain, and Varric as the official Inquisition ambassador in Kirkwall were there to see them off, and Merrill had accompanied them, having woken up as bright and chipper as ever before sunrise. Hawke and the others opted to sleep in and enjoy the comforts of the Hawke estate, which most of them had been missing for the past few weeks, months, and even years, in Anders’ case.

Just like old times, Orana had cinnamon buns baking and coffee brewing by the time Hawke even realized she’d missed her chance to say goodbye.

She rolled over, from dead asleep to wide awake in an instant. “Fenris!” The mid-morning sun was already streaming in through the curtains. “How could you let me sleep in and miss sending Trevelyn and Cully-Wully off?”

Fenris had already gone for a morning run, done his meditations, bathed, dressed, and was reading on the chaise across the room while enjoying a bowl of strawberries with his cinnamon bun and a cup of hot water and lemon, all parts of his routine that he had been missing dearly for quite some time.

“It’s not really a matter of ‘letting’ you…” he murmured, not looking up from his book.

“Is everyone else gone, too?”

“Isabela just woke up. She’s downstairs with Anders and Orana in the kitchen trying to convince someone to make her an omelette. Your sister said she had to go meet another potential donor for the College. And Merrill went with Varric and Aveline.”

“Why?”

Fenris shrugged, finally looking up at her. “Perhaps she was just being nice?”

“Weird.” She eyed his plate. “Are there anymore cinnamon buns?”

Fenris smiled and shook his head, returning his attention to the book. “I’m sure Orana saved you one.”

Hawke spent the rest of the morning nursing her hangover, gossiping with Isabela and Varric when he returned from the Docks, helping Merrill move more of her stuff into the estate, and insisting on buying Anders a new robe and a trip to the barber.

“You can keep the beard, Anders! But it’s in desperate need of some tidying up. Hobo apostate chic is so...not a thing anymore. And your hair could use a trim, too. The messy man bun still works for you, I think, but the dead ends...you’ve just taken the look way too far.”

“Even I get my glorious chest hair groomed…” Varric bragged, puffing his chest out even more than usual.

Merrill’s eyes lit up. “Really?!”

“Next time, Daisy...I’ll let you tag along to my appointment.”

“Oh! How fun!”

“I just don’t think I need --” Anders began to protest again.

Isabela eyed him knowingly. “No harm in cleaning yourself up! You know...in case you run into anyone cute…”

Anders shot her a quick glare and then turned back to Hawke. “Fine,” he sighed in defeat.

...

An afternoon shopping with and cleaning Anders up turned out to be quite exhausting for both of them, and they headed back to the Hawke estate tired, hungry, and irritable, but not entirely unsuccessful.

“It looks good, you know…” Hawke grumbled, trying not to look like she was admiring him too much. No one could ever call Anders ‘ugly,’ but new clothes and a bit of grooming had certainly reminded her how attractive he was. “I think eating food the past few days has helped a lot, too,” she added, just to annoy him.

“Thanks,” he grunted begrudgingly. He had thought the barber had done a fine job of accentuating the parts of his face that he didn’t completely hate. And the robe he’d picked, after so much fretting, was a nice teal velvet, free-flowing and comfortable, weighted perfectly for his tall lanky frame, with lots of useful pockets inside for potions and herbs and tools. It had gold accents that brought out the amber of his eyes and the various shades of blonde that actually washing his hair had revealed. Even he had to admit that it was nice to look down and appreciate what he was wearing, and how he looked in a mirror for the first time in...well, since he’d come to Kirkwall, really. Justice hadn’t really had much patience for vanity, after all.

But the two of them actually sharing a moment of gratitude and appreciation was short-lived.

“Anders, get behind me…” Hawke muttered, glaring ahead of them into the lengthening shadows of one of Kirkwall’s many winding alleys.

A large sinister-looking figure stepped out, brandishing a Templar’s sword from under his ill-fitting cloak. Several others, smaller in stature, but no less ill-intended emerged behind him. All of them wore hoods or masks to hide their faces. Hawke grinned. Too afraid to even reveal themselves...this would be easy.

“Our beef isn’t with you, Champion. Best get out of the way,” the big one muttered.

Hawke laughed. “I thought we routed all you inbred mage-haters out of the city years ago! Show your faces, you cowards!”

“We represent Kirkwall. You brought this murderer, this terrorist, back to our city, just as we had begun to rebuild from what he did, and we intend to do what you could not five years ago before he does anymore harm.”

“Kirkwall is BETTER NOW, you idiot! Are you so blinded by your ignorance and hate that you don’t see it?”

“I ask you once more, to please step aside. And let this man answer for his crimes.”

“No.”

“You don’t have to do this...” Anders muttered behind her.

“Oh, shut up. You know I do!” she said through gritted teeth, refusing to take her eyes off of the menacing group forming in front of them.

“Very well, then. Try not to kill the Champion, but if you must...” He motioned toward them with his sword and the rest of the group swarmed out of the alley, swords and knives and bows out in front of them. There were far more of them than Hawke had imagined, but they were clearly not trained or very well-organized, and many of their weapons were makeshift or old family heirlooms, heavy and rusted. Most of them didn’t stand a chance. Anders noticed several of the hooded figures were small, child-sized, even for dwarves, and he felt his stomach drop.

“Hawke, don’t!” he shouted. “They’re mostly civilians! And children!”

“They want to kill you!” Hawke shouted back, daggers flashing as she unsheathed them, ready to pounce on the first person who dared to attack. “Civilian or not!”

Anders was panicking. He didn’t want this. This is precisely why he’d hidden himself away in a cave for five years. He felt himself reaching for Justice, trying to will him to take over. He didn’t want to be here, he didn’t want to see this, didn’t want to be a witness or to have to decide between his own life and that of someone else, let alone a child, however murderous. Justice could make those hard decisions. Justice could protect him from the guilt. But Justice was gone.

“Faith and Justice send their regards…” a familiar voice murmured. In his head? Mostly...though his shimmering presence was beginning to coalesce nearby. Compassion.

“Cole! Can you help?!”

The figure nodded, and Hawke did a double-take when she finally noticed him.

“Who…?”

“Nevermind! Get out of the way, Hawke!”

She stepped aside as the shimmering spirit-boy-thing walked right into Anders, and a blinding golden light exploded out of him, pushing the angry mob back as they shielded their eyes.

“Abomination!” the leader of the group cried out, his cloak thrown back revealing full Templar armor underneath, though it was ill-fitting and unpolished. “We must kill him before he transforms into a demon!”

But many of the others had begun to back away, lowering their weapons, pulling their friends and family members along with them.

“Your friends are smart.” Hawke grinned at the man, sauntering up to him with a swagger that Anders had always both loved and hated in equal measure. “Show me that Templar sword again, big man.”

He raised his sword in front of himself defensively, but he couldn’t hide his trembling.

“And take off that stupid hood!” Hawke whipped one of her daggers up and knocked his hood back to reveal a plump-faced, orange-haired man with a ruddy complexion. He looked terrified. “Ah, of course! Ser Mettin! Who let you back into the city? I thought we’d made it quite clear you weren’t welcome here after you threatened to...hmmm...what did you say about my sister? ‘Put that little witch in her place’?”

She dragged her dagger across his cheek, tracing the line of a scar that ran from his ear to his nose. “Bethany gave you this with one flick of her wrist, but you deserved worse. My sister really is the kind and benevolent one of the family. She’s busy at the moment, so I’ll go ahead and finish you off for her.”

“This is my city, too! You and your sister and your friends can’t just do as you please!”

“Why not? Meredith and the Templars certainly did for more than a decade…”

“That was different!”

“You’re right. She was cruel and abusive and driven to madness by her greed for power. We’ve just been trying to help this Maker-forsaken city.”

“Hawke, let him go,” Anders said. Cole was back beside him, watching curiously as Hawke pressed her dagger against his other cheek.

“He doesn’t deserve that…” she mused, sliding the dagger down his jaw to his throat. “How many other mages did you ‘put in their place,’ Mettin?”

Suddenly a barrier flashed between Hawke and Mettin, and the man winced, half expecting it to have been some kind of killing spell. “Let him go!”

Hawke turned around, livid with Anders for interfering with her kill, and it gave Mettin just enough time to throw his hood back up over his head and take off in the other direction.

“Go back to the estate!” she shouted angrily, preparing to pursue him.

“It’s not worth it, Hawke,” Anders sighed.

“I know...he’s pathetic, right? Totally out of shape...I bet he dies of a heart attack before I even get to slit his throat.”

Anders looked at her pleadingly, those damn doe eyes of his begging mercy for the man who’d just tried to incite an angry mob against them. She’d always had a weakness for them, and especially now, with his hair pulled back away from his face, and the new robe with its contrasting teal and gold drawing all her attention to them.

“Fuck, Anders! But he’s complete garbage,” she whined.

“So forget him. Let’s just go.”

Hawke stared longingly down the dark alley, then sighed. “Fine…”

...

#dread moon #my writing #writing collab #anders #hawke #fenris #mettin #my favorite templar to hate

[authorellenmint]

A tinny scream broke from the flickering screen before me and was answered by a more guttural one beside. I glanced over by the glow of the flatscreen just as Merrill buried her face in her hands.

“Tell me when it’s safe to look,” she gasped.

The Mistress of Ceremonies patted poor, shivering Merrill’s knee and assured her, “Don’t worry, Kitten. I will…ooh!” Isabela’s attention snapped back to the movie. The scythe wielding maniac swung his weapon of choice hard through the neck of the corrupt mayor, blood splattering against the screen in response. Merrill whimpered at the squishy sounds, but dutifully kept her eyes locked away behind her palms.

Leaning back on the couch, Isabela crossed her legs loosely so the knee butted against mine. Even with only the low light of the old exploitation film I could read on her face that she did it on purpose. Well, two could play at that game. Yanking my wine glass off the table, I took a slow sip and balanced the bottom on her lower thigh. Rather than get a cross reaction, Isabela scooted an inch closer to me.

“Oh come on!” Aveline, perched upon the edge of the only recliner in Isabela’s den, shouted at the shoddy movie. “What is she doing?” she exasperated at the requisite heroine screaming her head off and running up the stairs.

“Does the battering ram not approve?” Isabela baited Aveline, her eyes burning into the woman still in her uniform.

“Of you? Never. Of this movie… No one is this idiotic. Who runs higher into a house when there is a means of escape right beside you? It is a wonder this woman made it past the age of five.”

“It’s a movie, Aveline,” I tried to intervene before any potential fight broke out. This was one of Isabela’s favorites in a long list of exploitation and gore films, though she didn’t seem too perturbed by Aveline’s criticism. With one hand wrapped motheringly around Merrill’s shoulders, Isabela tipped her beer back until it was perpendicular with the ground.

A snort broke from the critic and she shook her ginger head. “Call. The. Police! There is a phone right beside you! I cannot understand this. Why, in these kinds of movies, do they never think to get in contact with emergency services?”

“Because it’d end the movie faster?” I threw out, wincing as Isabela placed the empty beer bottle on the table.

She swiped at the side of her mouth and pivoted towards Aveline. “What good would the cops do? Whenever one of your kind is on screen they always wind up butchered like a hog and strung up by their intestines. Plus, the brain dead fools never believe there’s a killer on the loose until their own head’s got a candle shoved up the neck hole to make a Cop O’lantern.” Isabela flashed her teeth while grinning wide, “Trick or treat.”

Aveline scowled at the thought, but returned to the movie. We fell silent watching the point of view footage of someone running hell bent through trees. “Can I look?” mewled Merrill.

“You’re good, Kitten,” Isabela said.

As she shed her protective fingers, Merrill smiled, “Oh good. That’s really rather pretty and…”

A severed hand came flying from off screen. Isabela quickly clamped her hand over poor Merrill’s eyes. “Sorry, forgot about that jump-scare. You okay?”

“Uh huh,” Merrill nodded dumbly, once again hiding behind her safety net.

“Why do you come to these if you don’t like scary movies?” I asked.

She shuddered, either from my line of questioning or the chainsawing and wood chipping going on on screen. “I like the movies. I just don’t like blood, or gore, or screaming, or scares, or monsters, or ghosts.”

“So…you hate everything about a scary movie but the fifteen minutes or so of plot exposition?”

Nodding her head, Merrill said, “But it’s a really exciting fifteen minutes.”

“You are…” I shook the thought away, not wanting to crush our little butterfly. “You do you, Merrill.”

Leaving Merrill to hunker down in her version of watching a scary movie, I nudged my shoulder against Isabela’s. She twisted her face towards me, her teeth flickering the reflection of the killer inching closer to a screaming woman. I leaned nearer as if to whisper something in her ear, when Isabela’s head snapped to the screen.

“Oh! Pointless panty shot. Everyone take a drink!”

Isabela passed me a shot glass already sloshing over with whiskey. Digging my toes into my shoes, I tipped it back. A burn gouged up into the sinuses. The alcohol chewed apart my throat better than the hell hounds from the first movie. Izzy took hers down fast, barely shaking off the pain. We both looked up to watch Aveline, still on the edge of her seat, tip her own shot glass back. She drank the rotgut as if it was water, her eyes peeled at the action.

Sharing a look, Isabela and I both shrugged.

“What about me?” Merrill called. She draped her entire forearm over her face and slapped her hand into the coffee table covered in glasses.

“Hold on, Kitten,” Isabela said. Picking up a shot glass, she placed it in Merrill’s hand. “Keep it steady,” she ordered and, instead of picking up the half empty whiskey bottle, Isabela hoisted up a bottle of grape juice. As she filled Merrill’s glass, she winked at me.

“There ya go, drink up.”

Merrill slammed it back as if she was the hardest drinker in the group. A giggle erupted from her juice shot and she burped. “Excuse me. I dare say I might be a little drunk.”

“You can always sleep it off in my spare bed,” Isabela said while corking the fake wine and hiding it where Merrill wouldn’t see.

“None of the liquor at the Hanged Man tastes as good as the stuff you get,” Merrill mused to herself, then she hiccuped. “Is it time for another shot?”

“Not yet,” Isabela said.

Turning away from them back to the movie, I scoffed as the heroine expertly cranked on a chainsaw. “I guess in between all of those virgin choir practices and perfect-attendance honor-roll studies she found time to take a ‘chopping off limbs with a chainsaw’ class.”

“What? You didn’t have those in high school, Hawke?” Isabela nudged me in the ribs, her forearm glancing against my breast. I assumed it an accident until I caught the sparkle in her eye. An idiotic grin tried to take my lips as I realized for all her shielding of Merrill, she wasn’t the one to catch Isabela’s eye.

“Hmph,” Aveline grumbled, shaking me from my observation. “It’d be more practical to cut the legs off at the thigh. Femoral artery, you fool!”

“Speaking from personal experience?” Isabela cut back with.

“No, only common anatomical sense.”

I sighed, “He’s an undead demon cast out of hell. They don’t bleed out. Probably don’t even have arteries.”

Aveline snorted at the thought, shaking her head from such nonsense. She was not one to give into fantasy without a lot of arguing. We damn near had to chain her down to watch part of Lord of the Rings, and she refused to believe that trees could ‘perambulate.’

“I don’t get why you watch these, Isabela?” Aveline turned to their ghost host.

“What’s not to love? The excitement, the blood, the screams, the naked women.” She swiveled her head to me and waggled her eyebrows at that one.

Aveline sighed, “Yes, and in all of these it’s the promiscuous tart who gets perforated through the ribcage first. Doesn’t seem like you’d last too long.”

I sat up higher, prepared to have to either pluck Isabela off Aveline or vice versa, but Izzy fell silent and contemplative. “It’s not really about the survivor at the end. They’re always dull as plastic silver. The real draw is the monster, someone who’s been wronged by the world, people, the devil himself. Who’s been tossed off, hated, feared its whole life, and finally takes the chance to get its revenge.”

Isabela turned to Aveline, the pair locked in a glare, “That’s what I really get out of these movies. The monster taking justice where there was none to be given.”

A smile twisted up Aveline’s lips as she digested Isabela’s thought. Hefting up her beer, she declared, “To justice.”

“To monsters,” I answered with, raising my own beer.

Isabela fished up hers and declared, “To getting my girls together to bring the bastards down.”

We all took a drink just as the heroine grabbed a revolver and fired once, causing the monster to slump to the ground. “Come on,” Aveline shouted at the TV, “empty your clip into it and…what are you doing? Don’t drop the gun! Get back there and finish the job!”

As she yelled at the movie for failing in logic, I turned to find Isabela watching me. “Do you like scary movies?” she whispered, her voice in that shed-all-panties range.

“Only if the monster’s really pretty,” I answered, leaning closer to her.

“Guys?” Merrill piped up from the end of the couch, “Can I look yet?”

#dragon age autumn #isabela #aveline vallen #merrill #scary movies #halloween

[araglas1989-writing]

Wicked Grace

“For the last time - I am not playing strip Wicked Grace!” – Fenris said, his expression showing his distaste.

 For the past several minutes, Isabela had been trying to convince him to play this new version of Wicked Grace. Everyone else present; namely Merrill, Anders, Hawke and of course Varric, had already agreed to it, and yet Fenris still refused.

"Oh come on Sweet thing, you are such a beautiful man. You absolutely need to join us!" The pirate seductively purred whilst leaning over the table shamelessly giving Fenris a good look at her breasts.

For a moment, she managed to get Fenris distracted. She was a beautiful woman after all. Still, the elf gathered himself quickly and looked away from her cleavage, snorting.

"Still no." Even though he was not blind to her charms, he knew that she wasn't what he was looking for. She was a player, but Fenris needed a keeper.

  "Give it up, Rivaini. Broody just hasn't got the balls for this kind of game", Varric intervened with a smug smile whilst shuffling the cards.

Fenris raised an eyebrow at the remark. "You cannot manipulate me that easily, dwarf."

 Varric simply shrugged.

 "Was worth a try" He replied, a smug smile on his lips.

  "Please, Fenris. Just one game!" Hawke gave his best puppy eyes at the Elf who faltered for a moment, but then he shook his head. "I will not play strip Wicked Grace!"

  When Isabela wanted to argue further, Anders sighed in frustration

  "Just give it up and let’s play! I, for sure don't want to see the prickly Elf naked, thank you very much."

  The Warrior turned at him with a sneer "As if anyone wants to see your bony body!"

  "Ha! I just knew you two were scrubbing each other’s decks" she winked at them with a broad smile. "Ohhh let me watch, yes? Please, please!"

  "What?! Are you kidding me? Me and that mage hater? No way. He wouldn't touch me even if his life depended on it. Neither do I want him to." Anders grimaced. Really, what was that woman thinking? He shook his head as he glanced at the Elf.

  "I hate it, but this time I have to agree with the mage." Fenris took a deep gulp of his ale.

  "How do you know that he is 'bony' beneath his clothes? " She defiantely crossed her arms before her body.

  Fenris raised an eyebrow, glancing at her and then looked at the others, but all of them gave him only confused and bewildered looks.

  "Really?" He shook his head, nodding towards Anders. "Has nobody noticed that his cheeks are too hollow? His cheekbones are too pointy and for weeks he has had balance problems when he wields his staff too fast? Also, when he eats here, he eats slower on purpose to hide how hungry he is." Again he watched everyone. "Not that I care, but he obviously doesn't eat enough. How has nobody other than me noticed it?"

  "And why have you noticed it?" Hawke's voice sounded curious but also a bit sulky because the Warrior hadn't mentioned anything sooner. Also because he failed to notice these things himself. What a good friend I am...

  "He is a mage and an abomination. I keep an eye on him closely. On all mages, if I am honest." Again he took a sip of his mug, while casting his gaze down. When he put down his mug he shrugged. " To be entirely truthfull, I know everyone’s weaknesses. I was a bodyguard. I'm trained to find potential hazards and weaknesses..." Even without seeing them Fenris could feel that the others were uncomfortable with his remark and all its implications.

  "That sounds like you plan on fighting us..." Hawke's voice sounded wary and unsure.

  "No! It is simply a habit." He paused a moment, drinking more of his ale whilst his gaze was cast down. Fenris couldn't bear to look at anyone in the eyes. "But as an escaped slave and accompanied by mages, I never can be too sure what comes next..."

  "So you what you are telling us is that you’re just waiting for the day when we’ll betray you?" huffed Hawke "Do you really think we would do that? After four years and many encounters with hunters? After all I have told you..."

  For a moment it seemed like Fenris wanted to melt into his chair, but then he straightened his back and lift his gaze. Not enough to look into the gold brown eyes of their leader, but enough that Fenris could see his beard and lips. "It is no secret that I am no friend of mages. And while I admit that I deeply respect you, I do not think that I will ever think otherwise. So it is only a matter of time till you, or one of the other mages will find you have had enough of me. Also, I do not know at which point my bounty will be high enough to tempt the rogues." This time he looked in Isabela's direction without meeting her gaze.

  The silence hung heavily between them. "You really got some nerve, Elf" this time it was Anders who was speaking up with a deep growl.  "That you don’t trust me I understand, I'm everything you hate. That you don’t trust Merrill, I also understand but Hawke? He may be a Mage but has always been on your side! And don't forget that you could also turn at us any moment … but we still trust you! One word to Meredith and all of us would be locked away. So tell me, when will you betray us?"

  Fenris looked at him. Really looked at him. It was odd but somehow Anders was the only person he could look into the eyes and hold its gaze without any difficulty. His eyes wandered over the grim face of the Mage, taking in every emotion that showed so plainly on his face. The Warrior had always wondered how Anders could be like that. Maybe this was the reason why he didn't believe much of what Anders told him about the circle. How could it be so unbearable there if it did not change the blondes’ good and open hearted attitude?

  "If I told Meredith about you, you would be made tranquil or be killed. Merrill would surely be killed and Hawke I would assume they would want to take him alive but he would not go without a fight. So I think, he would also turn either tranquil or dead. So I think that after all we have been through, if anyone is going to kill any of you, I owe it to you to do it myself." The Warrior emptied his mug and ordered some wine. Then he returned his attention to the others. "Not that I cherish the thought. I would rather not be forced to kill any of you" Again his gaze went to Anders. "Not even you, although I admit it is tempting at times..."

  "Owe us... Do you only think about who owes who? How will you ever truly be free when you don’t understand the meaning of friendship? It doesn't matter what happens, there is no way I would let any of you down! I always will fight for you, kill for you even die for all of you!" Hawke's voice was determined, honest and fierce.

  Fenris shifted, uncomfortable, gaze casted down again. "I... I have never..." he paused and looked somehow miserable and stoic at once. After several minutes of silence he just shrugged.

  "Thank you."

  The warrior wanted to tell them that he had only ever people he could consider friends once, but back then he was the traitor. Fenris wanted to tell them, that since then he had realised what he had instinctively known to be true as a slave, namely that betrayal may happen at any time And he just wanted to be ready incase it did happen. Also the Warrior desperately wanted them to realise, that he also could easily be the traitor...

  But then again... This was the first time Fenris belonged somewhere without belonging to someone so he didn't want them to fear him. He didn't want to fear them. They were all so incredibley trusting. It was both endearing and painfully frightening. It seemed to him as if betrayal was beyond their imagining.

  Isabela sighed inwardly at the change in atmosphere in the room. Personally she didn't mind Fenris' implication that she might sell him out. Honestly she would feel more offended if he wouldn't even consider this possibility.  She was, after all a pirate and thief and proud of it. Still this atmosphere was counterproductive for the game she had planned for this night. "Speaking of sneaky elves" Isabela winked at Fenris and snatched the cards out of Varric's hands, shuffling them further while starting to tell her story.

  "Did I ever tell you about my encounter with that damn hot crow? He came at night to assassinate my... lover that evening.  At first, I thought he was going to  kill me too since I was a witness, but instead we ended up having the most amazing sex I had had till then. Later I saw him again in Denerim  and had a threesome with no other than the Hero of Ferelden himself..."

  Anders perked up: "Wait, are you speaking of Zevran? I never met him personally, but the Hero of Ferelden was head over heels in love with him!"

  Isabela laughed while dealing everyone, even the warrior, in. "Exactly him. I think I have a little dangerous elf kink" Again she winked at Fenris.

  Without thinking Fenris took the cards, inwardly grateful for the change of subject. He only remembered what kind of card game it was when the first round was over and Merrill was the one with the worst hand so she needed to undress. She decided to remove her scarf.

  A bit upset he turned to Isabela. "You tricked me!"

  She shrugged and grinned mercilessly. "Either you continue to play with us or you leave. We will not put on a show for you while you stay dressed" She winked at him, shuffling cards and dealing them all in again. The Elf only huffed and decided to play along. He didn't want to leave. Not after the heavy words they had had before. It was certainly better to raise every ones mood first.

  ~

  The reason why Fenris didn't want to play, was not, because he would be ashamed. No slave had a sense of shame, that was only for free people. No, he feared his appearance could intimidate or disgust the others. But Fenris learned quickly that rather the opposite was the case. Also he realized that everyone in their group had some kind of scar. So after some rounds and much booze he felt comfortable and even enjoyed the game. Especially his bickering with Anders which was something between teasing and insulting. But it seemed to have the right balance since the Mage grinned now and then.

  ~

  The game went on and on. The booze flowed freely and it was a jolly atmosphere. It was already early in the morning and only Fenris and Anders were still playing. Fenris still wore his breeches, whilst Anders was down to his smalls.  He indeed was quite bony and could use some decent meals. Just like Fenris had said.

  Isabela had lost suspiciously often. As the elf threw a side glance at her he wondered with a wine fogged mind if she had done this on purpose to have an excuse to get naked in front of them. Now she was half dressed again and asleep with her head on the table, snoring quietly. Hawke and Merrill had left about an hour ago, so only Varric was still present, dealing them the cards.

  "So you still will not give up?" The elf asked scornfully. The Warrior was either glancing at his cards or looking at Anders with a sneer and mild distaste.

  "Never" the Mage answered with the same amount of taunting and facing Fenris with a matching sneer.

  "If you give up you could at least keep some dignity" He grinned wickedly casting his gaze a bit down where he noticed some time ago that Anders had an erection before his gaze returned to the face of the mage.

  Somehow, Anders managed to not blush, looked at Varric wondering if he noticed something, but the dwarf sat on the other side of the table appearing very tired.

  "Don't babble and show me your hand. I drew the Angel of Death"

  Both showed their cards and Anders lost again. He saw the broad grin of Fenris.

  "You loose, Mage" he called triumphantly.

  But Anders shot a grin back, as he just remembered that he still wore his hear tie. He pulled it out and ran his hands through his hair to untangle it.

  Fenris’ breath hitched at the sight. For a moment his face lost the sneer and the look of distaste he’d been wearing. With his hair down, Anders' face didn't look as hollow as before. It flattered his features and for few seconds Fenris forgot that he disliked the Mage deeply. But he quickly composed himself again.

  "Dwarf deal in a new round."

  "No" Varric yawned, "call it a draw and stop it. I'm exhausted. So please just get dressed and go."

  Both threw an unamused gaze at the rogue but then nodded.

  Fenris stood first and grabbed Ander’s coat, throwing it at the mage before he began dressing. Anders quickly covered his erection with it, giving the warrior a grateful look which Fenris did not see.

  ~

  Outside in the fresh air Fenris suddenly felt the wine hit him like a hammer. Frowning he stumbled forward, but Anders quickly caught him, steadying him.

   "Easy there. Everything ok?"

  Fenris breathed deeply, in and out three times before he pulled away.

  "Yes."

  "Ok then... Good night" Anders began making his way to the nearest entry to Darktown but after several steps he stopped, noticing that the Elf was following him. "Uhm Fenris? What are you doing?"

  "Walking you home."

  "You are the drunk one. I'm perfectly sober and can defend myself."

  "No" the Warrior said stubbornly.

  Anders sighed. "You don't even like me so why would you want to walk me home?" Except maybe for some hot sex? As if...

  Anders really had enjoyed seeing the always so stoic Elf half naked. And if he was honest with himself, he had fantasised many times what would happen if Fenris lost his control in a good way. In a pleasurably way...

  "True. But we are still a team and have each other’s back."

  "That's... really nice" the Healer seemed surprised at this statement. "But that leaves us in a stalemate. Because by that logic it also means I have to walk you back, since you are far from sober, and then you would need to walk me back and so on. The only solution would be that either you stay at my clinic or I stay at your mansion..."

  Fenris stared at Anders, considering. With his wine fogged brain this was really hard work. Finally he shrugged.

  "My mansion then."

He turned and walked away only to stop, when the other didn't follow but just gaped at him.

  "Come on, I'm getting tired."

  Together they walked through Lowtown to Hightown till Anders followed Fenris into his home.

  I've never been here without Hawke. Anders thought worriedly. He hadn't thought that the Elf would agree, he just wanted Fenris to reconsider walking him home. Now he didn't know what to do. What did Fenris expect from him? Anders noticed that he was left in the hallway with those creepy corpses and hurried to follow the Warrior again.

  "Uhm... and... what now?"

  Fenris went straight to his bed, Anders already forgotten. He huffed annoyed. "You either sleep on the floor, I might add that I have rats, or you join me. The bed is big enough."

  Anders hesitated but then decided to join the elf. I can't believe he invites me into his bed. Not for sex… But still... He lay down next to Fenris, who already appeared to be asleep and turned his back to him. Since Anders was sober it took him some time to get used to the others presence but finally his tiredness and the softness of the bed lulled him into sleep.

  ~

  Later, as the sun began rise, a noise stirred Fenris from sleep. He’d only slept for a couple of hours and was so very tired, then there was a whining noise behind him once more.

  Fenris almost leaped out of bed when he saw Anders laying behind him, obviously having a nightmare.

Why is he in my bed?...

Anders jerked and made a distressed noise and before Fenris knew what he was doing, he’d pulled the mage closer, combing the human’s hair with his fingers.

  “Hush” Murmured Fenris softly.

  Anders calmed almost instantly, and Fenris lay his head back down on the pillow to rest, his body flush against the mages back...He was so very tired...

  ~

  Several hours later it was Anders who woke up first. Eyes still closed, he stretched a little but stopped as soon as he realized that there was an arm holding him and a body beneath him. His heart started to beat fast, a moment of fear rushing through his veins when he opened his eyes. First he noticed that his cheek was resting on a warm chest, rising and falling with the breath of the other. Next he became aware of the lyrium tattoos etched into a lean but strong arm.

  Oh Maker I'm laying in Fenri’s bed in his arms. How by Andraste's tits did this happen? He will surely kill me! What should I do, what should I do?

  Panic seeped through him whilst he stayed perfectly still to not wake Fenris. Breath! Anders told himself. Instinctively his breathing matched the elfs’. After a few minutes the healer managed to push his panic aside. Slowly, he turned his head till he could see the face of his bedfellow.

  I never saw him with such a relaxed face. He is really a handsome man... A handsome man who could easily kill me if he finds me in this position!... But he is holding me not the other way around so it's his fault, isn't it? And he invited me to his bed... but that will most likely not matter to him... But if I try to sneak out of his hug he will surely wake up...

  All his thinking came to a stop when suddenly Fenris eyes opened.

  Fenris groaned. I should known by now not to drink that much of the filth they serve in the Hanged Man. He thought regretfully because of the hangover he had. He blinked in irritation when he noticed Anders, but instead of trying to hurt him or at least to let the healer go Fenris just stared at him.

  Anders was staring back. After some time with nothing happening, the mage dared to speak out.

  "Headache? If you want..." He raised his hand, which had laid at Fenris chest, and moved his fingers promisingly.

The warrior kept his silence a moment longer then he nodded slightly. "Maybe then I will remember why you are in my bed."

  Anders moved his hand to lay it at Fenris' temple pushing healing magic carefully in his skull. "You invited me..." He answered worriedly.

  Fenris raised one eyebrow. "I invited you?"

  "Uhm yes. You wanted to walk me home and I told you that you would also need to be walked home since you were really drunk and that the only solution would be, that either you stay with me or I with you. So you decided I should come with you and offered for me to sleep with you in your bed since you have rats... I don't know why you are holding me, though." He explained as fast and clear as he could.

  Still the Warrior stared at the human. Slowly very slowly his memory came back. "Ah yes. And you had a nightmare. You woke me up."

  "Oh... sorry about that..." He fell silent again. This is so surreal! Since when is he so calm and understanding? Since when does he accept magic and my help? And why... "Why are you still holding me?"

  The elf immediately let go of Anders. After the other had made some space between them, Fenris got up, stretching and slightly moaning when his back cracked. He absently ran his fingers through his hair, repairing his bed hair to his normal hairstyle. Finally the Warrior turned to Anders.

  "Breakfast?"

            The healer somewhat regretted having mentioned that Fenris had still been holding him causing Fenris to let go of him. It had felt really nice to be held, but of course had his irritation to destroy this moment. Now he was watching Fenris stretching and flexing his muscles. The soft moan shot an electricity bolt down to Anders' groin so he decided to get up and grab his coat. Anders paused while getting dressed. "What?"

  "I asked, if you wanted breakfast" now Fenris' voice sounded slightly annoyed. He frowned when the other only gaped at him. "What?"

  "You... just yesterday you told all of us how much you distrust us, then you invited me for a sleep over. You were drunk then so it was weird but still acceptable. But you are sober now so what the hell has happened to you?"

  The warrior stared at the human because Anders was right, his behavior was really strange. His gaze turned inwards while he tried to figure out what had changed. I feel... well rested. Fenris looked out of the window, measuring where the sun stood. It is approximately one hour after midday so I have slept.... His eyebrows shot up and he stared at Anders. "Maybe because it is the first time I slept longer than my usual four to five hours..." Since he could think he couldn't remember sleeping so much and so good as he had this night. No nightmares  hadwoken him up, even the pain of his markings were on a level he didn’t even consider as pain. All in all, Fenris felt relaxed like never before. Maybe I should keep him as a teddy bear, shot through his mind before he rejected the thought.

  "So the cure to you being grumpy is just giving you a sleep potion every night? I think I can do that!" Still quite unsure Anders closed the buckles of his coat. When he looked up again he found Fenris scowling at him. "Okay, okay no sleep potion then."

  He watched Anders getting dressed, an evil grin growing on his lips. "We did not finish our game yesterday, care to play again?"

  The healer raised one eyebrow. "Weren't you the one who didn't want to play?"

  "True. But I finish all my competitions. Besides I am sure you enjoyed the view" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Fenris felt playful today and wanted to savor this new feeling as long as he could. And why shouldn't he enjoy teasing the apostate?

  This time Anders blushed then cleared his voice.

  "I'm quite sure you enjoyed yourself too" he grinned "I think you liked my hair down, didn't you?" After that he shook his head. "I'm already late for my patients. I can't believe I slept in this long."

  "Tonight then?"

Anders paused. "Hanged Man or... just the two of us?" His heart began to beat loudly. Partly because it sounded like a promising event but also party because he feared a mood swing. Maybe Fenris just wants to humiliate me?

  "The two of us, here." confirmed the warrior.

Anders gulped. "Alright, tonight then." He left the room and the mansion fast. I'm such a fool. Tonight his foul mood will surely back and he will throw me out.

  ~

  When Anders came back to the mansion it was already late. Shortly after he had opened his clinic the word had spread and many patients came for healing.

But now stood in front of the door of Fenris’ Mansion, trying to muster the courage to go inside. He did not say until when I should come... But it's already late... I wish I was at home... but I said I would come. He was so nice after waking up, if I break my word now he surely will never try to be nice again...

  Anders shifted uncomfortabley, before he finally knocked and went in. "Fenris?" Nobody answered. For a moment Anders hesitated but then he went further, till he found Fenris by the fireplace. "I'm sorry that I'm late it was a very busy day..."

  Fenris sat there on his bench a table near to him with an empty wine bottle, two full bottles and the half empty bottle in his hand. He met Anders with a cold gaze. "I thought you were too much of a coward to come back."

  "Never. I was just busy. But if you want me to go..." Anders was not really that enthusiastic to stay when Fenris was in this mood, but he would not lose face by retreating.

  "Sit", Fenris drank a sip of wine then reached for the cards. He shuffled and dealt them out.

Anders sat down with a huff and took his cards. He lost the first round and stood to unbuckle his coat since it was quite hot thanks to the fire, but a hard voice stopped him.

  "Start with the tie"

  "But it's hot in here... yeah yeah okay!" Anders sat down again, when Fenris snarled at him, pulled his tie and ran his hands through his hair to untangle it. He is really bossy. This will be an awful night.

  The atmosphere was neither jolly like the night before nor easy like after waking up. It was dark and intense. Anders didn't dare to speak much since the elf was incredibley broody. The healer already lost his tie, coat, boots and socks whilst the warrior only lost his armor.

This time Fenris lost and removed his tunic, then shuffled the cards to deal again, but Anders had finally enough.

  "You know what? I give up! It's no fun like that!" The blonde stood up to retrieve his belongings.

  "We will finish this" Fenris’ growl sounded almost like the wolf after which he was named.

Anders winced, turning to Fenris with a scowl on his face.

"If you wanted me naked you don’t need this stupid game to to it!" Without hesitating he removed his shirt, his trousers and, after a short pause he also removed his smalls. "Happy now? So what? Want to laugh at me because of my poor physical condition? Tell me how ugly I am because of the scars and because I'm so skinny? Do you want to humiliate me by forcing me to go naked home? What?!"

  Fenris blinked in suprise as Anders started to undress himself. Slowly he stood up whilst the other yelled at him. He walked toward the mage and stood before him. The mage had just finished yelling, looking away as he finished. Fenris lift a hand and  and gently wiped away a tear on Anders’ cheek.

  "Hush" He said, his voice gentle and low. "I am not... I do not wish to humiliate you."

  Anders breathed deeply and nuzzled a slightly against the rough palm before he looked into those deep green eyes in front of him. "Then what do you want from me?" His voice trembled slightly,

  Fenris’ breath hitched. His thumb caressing over Anders' lower lip.

  " Everything you are willing to give me."

  For a moment the healer was silent, his gaze wandered over Fenris' face, taking in everything he saw, then he closed his eyes.

  "Will you be gentle?"

  "Yes"

  Anders opened his eyes again. "Then I'm willing to give everything you need."

  Fenris looked into Anders' eyes, before nodding. , His other hand runnind down Anders back till it lay at the small of the mages back, the hand at Anders' face caressed the mages’ lip one more time.

  "Let's go to my room."

#fenders

[andrastesknickerweasel]

wearwind replied to your post “Fenders makes the most sense!”

One thing I will always point out to Fenders shippers is how Anders *cheers* if you give Fenris to Danarius. I have seen that scene, and no damn amount of backstory-comparing rationalisation could ever wash off the absolute nausea.

I agree with you that the scene you are referring to is deplorable.  I will say that since Bioware has no official “canon” for Dragon Age, this scene is only canon if Hawke was terrible enough to sell Fenris back into slavery in the first place.  Why is it that this scene is brought out to invalidate Fenders as a ship while Fenhawke shippers get a free pass?  Why is it ok to ship Fenris with someone who could potentially sell him back into slavery, and not a person who could potentially agree with that decision?  The answer of course is that if you ship Fenris with anyone, be it Hawke/Anders/Isabela/whoever, chances are pretty good that you like him and therefore wouldn’t dream of selling him back into slavery.  If you are going to damn Anders for that scene you’ve got to damn Hawke right along with him.

I would also argue that Anders’ reaction to this scene is wildly out of character.  He has compared living in the circle to slavery.  Whether or not that is an entirely appropriate comparison isn’t the issue, what’s important is that Anders believes the experiences to be similar enough that he gets frustrated that Fenris “of all people” won’t see his point.  I don’t believe Anders would wish slavery on his worst enemy, which Fenris hardly is.  They have been traveling in the same social circle and fighting along side Hawke for years, they hang out at the Hanged Man together, and apparently play Diamondback together at Fenris’ mansion in their down time.  They don’t see eye to eye, but I don’t think they wish each other harm.

Then if you take Justice into account, the very idea of Anders being ok with selling Fenris back into slavery sounds ludicrous.  This was the same Spirit that was concerned that Anders keeping Ser Pounce-a-lot as a pet was a form of slavery!  

I firmly believe that Anders’ approval gain in that scene was a poorly thought out continuation of the exaggerated rivalries the game wants to shove down our throats in the name of gameplay mechanics.  If you do something that pleases Anders, you’re guaranteed to piss off Fenris, and vice versa, so better think about your party composition players! 

I’m not telling you who to ship or even who to like.  If you hate Anders you certainly aren’t alone and I doubt I’m going to change your opinion.  If you care to know the reason why I like Fenders as a pairing, it’s because (as OP said) there’s so much potential there for growth and character development.  I have always been a sucker for the romantic troupe of the two bickering opposites that are more alike than they realize and it’s only when circumstances push them together that they both start to listen to each other, which leads to understanding, respect, friendship, hot sex etc. etc.  It’s a type of pairing that’s been done to death in our love stories and romcoms, which obviously means it’s popular and it’s not just me that likes this dynamic.  The only difference is that Fenders is never framed as a potential romance.  They hate each other because they’re rivals, anit-mage vs. mage, black and white, cut and dry.  So it’s perfectly understandable that if that dynamic doesn’t do it for you and you might never seen what people are going on about, or even see it as unhealthy.  

But for those of us that do see a chemistry there in the grey area that Bioware isn’t always that great at portraying and want to explore it in fanart and fanfic, well isn’t that what it’s for?  Anders and Fenris were designed to be two halves of the same coin and it can make for an fascinating and engaging story.  I love reading and writing about these two surprisingly similar men having to put aside their differences to solve a problem or escape a trap, or maybe exploring what could have been had they met in under different circumstances, or simply playing out the moment many of us wanted but never got where they might find a piece of common ground between them.  Fenders isn’t a ship that’s laid out for you on a platter as a writer, it’s one you’ve got to work for, one you’ve got to uncover and cultivate with care if you want to keep them in character, which is what I find so captivating and rewarding about it.

#wearwind #fenders

[kagetsukai]

Six Dates And How To Fail At Them [Cullen-centric]

Pairing: Cullen Rutherford/(??)

Metaverse: Dance Like No One Is Watching (modern AU/dance!fic)

Synopsis: Cullen Rutherford is not completely incapable of finding himself a date, but he just doesn't have time to look. When his friends catch the wind of it, they volunteer to help him improve his love life. To various degrees of success, of course.

Read on AO3

Over the years Cullen had tried – really, he did - to find a woman who would put up with his particular set of peculiarities. That being said, he wasn't exactly keen on approaching random women, perusing online sites, or putting himself at a bar on a Friday night. All of that sounded worse than spending a whole day calibrating a finicky trebuchet. So when some of his friends decided to help him find female companionship, he was almost relieved.

He should have known better than to trust Varric with these choices, but he learned that lesson a tad too late. As he sat at a booth of some disreputable dive, the dwarf in question sitting across from him, in came a woman that he could only have been described as 'The Sex'. Her luscious brown body completely filled out her skimpy white dress and the overflow boldly spilled in all the right places. She immediately spotted him and he felt like prey pinned down by a hungry vulture.

“Hey there, gorgeous,” she purred at him as she sat down and slid uncomfortably close. “Varric never mention he had such sexy friends.”

Panic set in Cullen's chest as he desperately tried to signal to Varric not to leave him alone with this temptress, but the dwarf handily ignored him, going as far as throwing a parting wink.

Perhaps the whole date would not have been such a sound disaster if it wasn't for the fact that Isabela – that was her name – had insisted on getting super close and personal, which put him on the edge the entire evening. Cullen would keep trying to start a conversation, anything between a local sports team to something about politics, but she would dismiss him with half syllable responses and low, throaty giggles. It all ended abruptly the moment he felt a not-so-subtle touch on his right thigh. At first he thought it was an accident, but when a warm, solid hand aggressively fell between his thighs and squeezed, a startled yelp escaped his throat.

“Ooo... you're a big boy,” she whispered while he fought to remove her hand as quickly as possible. “Wanna take this somewhere more... private?”

“I don't think so,” he growled in reply and moved himself as far away as he could. Which wasn't far enough. “Let go of me.”

In the following commotion Cullen somehow managed to remove himself from Isabela's tight grip, settle the bill, and make a hasty retreat out the diner. Later, he would hope he didn't come off as too rude, but at that moment he wanted to run off to the other side of creation.

The voice message he left Varric that night borderlined on belligerent and uncouth, but he was too enraged to care. Sensing that, the dwarf didn't dare speak to him for two weeks straight.

===============================

When Varric approached him next about a potential date, Cullen refused immediately. Just the mention of the name Isabela – and he did come across her more often that he liked – brought on burning shame and terrible discomfort. Still, the stubborn dwarf shrugged and pulled up a picture on his phone.

“I think she's more your speed, Curly,” he said and casually pointed it towards Cullen. “She's super sweet, really easy-going, and I guarantee she won't try anything untoward.”

The face that looked back at him was beyond beautiful, Cullen noted. This woman had lovely dark hair - almost black - ivory skin, and piercing brown eyes; she was looking at something off camera and laughing without restraint. He swallowed around a lump in his throat as his heart did a weird little stumble.

“What's the catch, Varric?” he asked. There was always a catch.

Varric gave him a level stare.

“The catch is that if you break her heart, I will break you harder.”

Cullen frowned around a pause.

“I don't understand. If she's so precious to you, why try setting her up with me? I'm not exactly desirable.”

Varric gave him a look that was both bewildered and incredulous.

“Really, Curly?” he asked and without missing a beat, he continued. “Her family is a little too crazy, if you ask me, and I'd love to see her with someone who could take care of her when the eventual shit hits the fan. She seems to like a man in armor and you're not exactly difficult on the eyes. You have the chance to not fuck it up.”

The finality of the statement bode no further discussion and Cullen didn't press it. Instead, he agreed to exchange numbers with this woman and see where things went.

All in all, their first date went great. Beth was a sweet and gentle soul who volunteered at the local clinic for the needy while she studied to become a licensed physician. They seemed to have a whole lot in common and he was pleasantly surprised she was a devoted Andrastian. Their conversation had a wonderful ebb and flow to it, and Cullen was slowly understanding why Varric took a shining to this delightful woman. When he finally walked her home at a horribly late hour, he wondered if the little smiles she kept shooting him were an indicator he would be able to kiss her goodnight. Alas, it was not meant to be.

“Bethany Hawke! Where in the Void have you been?”

The rough and gruff voice that assaulted his ears sounded entirely too familiar and Cullen closed his eyes in resignation. Of course it was too good to be true. There was always a catch.

“I'm an adult, sister. You don't get to give me a curfew.”

“And who are you with? Wait...” the woman paused in her tirade. “Is that Cullen? Ser Cullen? As in, you are dating a Templar now?”

“Yes, we went on a date! What of it?”

Hoo boy, this was getting more than Cullen had bargained for. In his line of work he had constant run-ins with a ragtag group of misfits that he always found involved in something and Marian Hawke seemed to be their leader. She had a reputation of a stubborn and willful woman who defied authority at every corner, though it seemed her younger sister had some of that fire as well. The two women were having a row in front of their house and Cullen fervently begged the Maker to send a raging dragon as a distraction. It didn't come.

“How about I just leave you to it,” he cut in once he realized there would be no other way to interrupt them. “It seems like my presence here is unwelcome. Have a good night, ladies.”

He bowed and left the two Hawkes behind. When he got home, he did not call Varric to yell at him, but instead poured himself a glass of whiskey and sat there, mourning all that could have been and never would be. As he steadily drank the liquor, he vowed to never agree to any more dates with Varric's acquaintances.

===============================

Cullen was having a severe case of deja vu while sitting at a tall table inside of some swanky lunch place. It had an Orlesian name plastered all over the walls and menu, and he felt significantly under-dressed.

“This is a bad idea,” he mumbled to Cassandra under his breath. “I've told you--”

“Nonsense! You're overreacting,” she scoffed at him. “ I did not propose you marry the woman. This is just lunch between adults.”

Cullen tried hard not to roll his eyes. “I know nothing about this woman,” he hissed.

“Which is why I'm introducing you here, on neutral ground,” she pointed out and suddenly spotted someone at the door. “Ah. She is here.”

The next several minutes Cullen spent on introductions, subversive – and clearly mutual – checking each other out, and ordering of their respective lunches. He noticed that Threnn ordered something heavy on the meat and light on the 'frill'. He hummed with approval.

“I don't know why Cassandra chose this place,” she whispered to him conspiratorially. “I'm pretty sure we're both so Fereldan we might already have matching Mabari tattoos.”

Cullen coughed into his hand in an effort to mask his laugh and looked down at the woman as if seeing her properly for the first time. Her mouth was quirked in a cocky grin and he found himself returning it.

“I'm still working on getting mine, I'm afraid,” he quipped back.

His optimistic mood did not last long. Once Cassandra excused herself to make a 'very urgent, work-related phone call', Cullen got to converse with the woman in earnest. While Threnn seemed perfectly nice, albeit direct, she soon started sharing opinions he didn't even ask about.

“I really don't understand why Loghain had to be executed. He was single most decorated general in Ferelden's history. He would have been a perfect asset to this administration.”

Cullen frowned, trying to will his impending headache away.

“He was a traitor to his country, in case you forgot.”

“He made one strategic mistake. One!” she exclaimed louder than he was comfortable with in a public place. “That's not enough to kill the man.”

“There were charges of aiding and abetting Tevinter slavers as well as involvement in orchestrating an elven genocide,” Cullen ground out in the most level tone he could manage.

“That was fake news and you know it,” she decided with a glare. “And even if he did do it, so what? There's been too much riffraff in our country for too long. If we could ship them all away, we could make Ferelden great again.”

At that point Cullen chose to focus completely on his food, in case the words that wanted to come out didn't stay behind his teeth. He waited patiently for Cassandra to return, making only non-committal grunts when prompted.

Later, once alone with Cassandra at her desk, he repeated the whole interaction and made her promise to never set him up with anyone else again.

===============================

In a true fashion of perpetually inept and unlucky he found himself drunk and alone one Friday night, desperately craving companionship. Samson, his roommate who somehow had no issues finding women to be with, had suggested trying out the newest dating app that seemed to be all the rage. Fueled by liquid courage Cullen signed up and started browsing what looked like an endless stream of female faces, one lovelier than the next. When he set up a date for the next evening, he fell into bed feeling like the luckiest man alive.

The next morning brought a horrifying case of a hangover and several text messages from a girl that was saved in his phone as DalishFlower. Memories came back slowly, and with a fuzzy sheen that didn't match his mood, so he went through each and every name he contacted to make sure he didn't make more mistakes. With the app scrubbed from his device, he stared at the influx of cutesy messages that kept coming from a clearly elven girl whose name he could not remember. She seemed like a sweet girl, albeit eager, and Cullen felt guilty for accidentally leading her on. His mind made up, he set out for their meeting spot.

The Dalish restaurant – Halla Good – was quite to his liking, even if the meats were a bit gamier than what he was used to. There were a lot of vegetables as sides, both pickled and fresh, and everything seemed to be roasted on an open fire. If only his dinner companion was equally as agreeable. The elven girl that bounded through the door was incredible: she was an exotic beauty painted in dark hair and green eyes, she had a fantastically quick mind, and she seemed like the sweetest person on the planet. That being said, Cullen knew within the first five minutes he would not ask her for a second date.

“My Keeper is convinced I've made a mistake in devoting my life to preserving the eluvian – that's that old mirror I already told you about. It's a piece of Dalish history and she would have me keep it away as if something was wrong with it. She keeps telling me it's blighted, as if it was a living thing! Preposterous. She knows nothing on the topic. Besides, it's not like I'm going to make human blood sacrifice to fix it,” she rattled off in one breath and stopped. She looked at his face and frowned. “Do you get pedicures? I hear humans really like to have soft feet. Is that something you do?”

“I--”

“Oh, I'm sorry, am I being weird again? I'm being weird again, aren't I. Here, let me pour you some tea!”

The entire evening consisted of in-depth dissertations of Dalish culture, intersected by random comments about humans that Cullen had no rebuttal to or was genuinely surprised to be asked about. While at first he tried to insert even a full sentence of a reply to anything, he soon gave up and instead applied himself to devouring all sorts of grilled meat, steamed vegetables, and fresh cheese. Besides, the girl didn't need a conversation partner for most of the things she was talking about, anyway.

When the evening came to an end, Cullen stood with her just outside of the establishment's doors, trying really hard not to come off as a raging asshole.

“So, Merrill...”

She looked up to him with an intensely verdant stare. “Yes, Cullen?”

“I had a good time today--”

“Is this where you ask me to your place and we have sex?” she blurted out.

Cullen felt his face flame with a shade of red he hadn't experienced in a long while.

“What? No!” he exclaimed a little louder than he wanted. “That's not what I was going--”

“Oh.” She sounded confused. “But my friend Isabela told me that humans went on dates then they had sex. Is that not how it works?”

Why was Isabela still haunting his life? A variety of conflicting emotions danced through Cullen's mind at this revelation and he cleared his throat.

“That does happen with some people who are a little more... ummm... flexible with their... ummm... preferences.” Sweet Andraste, he was going to combust from embarrassment in front of this girl. “There's nothing wrong with that, of course! I just... I don't do that.”

“Oh.” Merrill still sounded a little confused, but no longer eager. “So, no sex?”

Cullen reached for his neck and prodded the painful knot that already started to form there.

“No, I don't think that's a good idea,” he said in the softest voice he could come up with. “Also, while I enjoyed our time together tonight, I don't think we are compatible enough for... ummm... future dates.”

For the first time that night Merrill stayed quiet and just stared at his face with an unreadable expression, as if searching for some secret meaning hidden there. She may have found something, because she nodded to herself, as if in confirmation.

“Of course. I understand. Have a good night, Cullen,” she said.

She abruptly turned on her heel and walked away into the night without any other explanation or without giving Cullen a chance to say goodbye.

Not even a week later he found his Templar protective gear covered in itching powder along with a note 'That's for making Kitten sad'. It was soon followed by a visit from Varric with not-so-subtle questions about whether or not he was prejudiced against elven women.

That's when Cullen vowed he would sooner die a celibate bachelor than agree to another blind date.

===============================

It took several years, and a fair share of trauma, but the sting of failed dates wore off, dulled, and joined all other things he would rather not think about. With the rise of the Inquisition he had a new set of responsibilities to worry about and his personal life took a distant back seat. Which most likely was the reason why his newest, and largest, work companion showed up in his office one evening with a suggestion of a date.

“She's fire, I can tell. All redheads are,” the Qunari extolled her virtues. “I did offer to let her ride the Bull, but she declined. I'm not one to force a woman, but maybe she wants a man who is more her size?”

Cullen pointedly ignored the backhanded comment about his manhood and side-glanced at his companion.

“I don't have a good track record with women, Bull” he felt he should mention. “I seem to attract a very particular kind of crazy.”

The Qunari shrugged.

“Crazy can be good. Crazy chicks tend to know some fun things in the sack,” he chuckled. “Not that I know much about Lace's proclivities.”

Shocked, Cullen raised his eyebrows.

“Lace? As in Lace Harding, Leliana's chief reconnaissance lieutenant? You're trying to set me up with a woman who can probably stab me if I look at her wrong?”

Bull chuckled somewhat lecherously.

“I have a feeling you could handle a woman like that,” he said and winked. “Plus, she doesn't strike me as bloodthirsty as her boss. When out in the field, she's cool as you please and nothing really fazes her. I think you two can absolutely hit it off.”

That was how Cullen ended up connecting with a dwarven woman with an impossible schedule that rivaled his own. They did eventually exchange phone numbers due to Bull's subtle meddling and messaged each other on a regular basis; they got to know each other through a series of topics, like favorite movies, current hobbies, or the first live concert they went to. Cullen found it extremely easy to chat with Lace and became increasingly more hopeful for the success of their first date. If it ever happened.

It was she who managed to come up with a solution.

 Lace: How would you feel about doing something informal and active? :)

 Cullen: What did you have in mind?

 Lace: I'll be in town this weekend. Would you like to join me Saturday morning for rock climbing?

He stared at the words and a sudden feeling in the pit of his stomach tickled at his nerves. This could be it.

 Cullen: I could make it.

 Cullen: I've never done it, though.

 Lace: No worries! I've got you covered. Just make sure you wear workout clothes you don't mind ripping or getting covered in talc.

 Lace: Would 7am be okay or is that too early? :P

Cullen actually laughed out loud, startling his assistant that sat in the office with him. He felt a blush prickle at his ears and cheeks, and he coughed to cover his embarrassment.

 Cullen: Please. I'm a career military man. It will feel like I slept in.

 Lace: Great. It's a date then?

 Cullen: It's a date.

He once again stared at the words and felt an increasing sense of panic as it trickled down his spine. Perhaps this could go well - they had been casually texting for several weeks now - but a nagging feeling that something would go wrong refused to leave. He took a few deep breaths and willed himself to relax; this was just a date.

Saturday morning Cullen woke up almost an hour before his already early alarm and spent most of the extra time fussing with his hair, his clothes, his phone, then his hair again. He almost texted Lace twice to cancel, only to berate himself for being foolish and a frightened child. It would be fine, he kept telling himself. He almost believed it, too. When he got into his car, it was with plenty of time to spare and he arrived at the spot almost half an hour early.

When Lace pulled in fifteen minutes later, she jumped out of her Mini Cooper with energy of a woman used to early mornings. She wore clothes that looked comfortable and practical, and Cullen allowed himself to briefly look her over, appreciating her sculpted shoulders and clearly muscular thighs. This was a woman with functional strength and a confidence in her body.

She stepped closer and a lovely smile split her face.

“Commander.”

She stopped, immediately screwed her eyes shut and reopened them, clearly apologetic.

“I'm sorry. Cullen. It's still a little difficult to separate you from the name on my paperwork.”

He chuckled.

“That's alright. As long as you don't start saluting me, we should be fine.”

It was her turn to laugh.

“I'll keep that in mind.” She pointed to the duffel bag in her hand. “I've got my stuff. Shall we go in?”

“Let's do that.”

Cullen had always thought himself to be a fit individual, especially since he had spent most of his professional time training recruits and getting them ready for the field, but the two hours he spent rock climbing with Lace taught him otherwise. Even with her direction and support he kept putting extra strain on muscles he didn't know he possessed and it didn't take long before he was covered in sweat, dirt and talc. That being said, when they decided to call it a day, he could not remember the last time he felt this free or this happy.

“So, what did you think?” she asked him as they slowly walked towards their parking spots.

“That was fantastic, but I will definitely feel it in the morning.”

She nodded. “The first time is rough on just about everybody. If you decide to keep up with it, you'll build up callouses and your body will get used to the strain.”

He was going to say something in return but then they stopped at her car and she turned to him, pinning him in place with a stare. Suddenly Cullen remember this was a date and his gut did a weird flip. Was he supposed to kiss her? They were both covered in filth, and they haven't really flirted while climbing, and he wasn't even sure if she liked him that way, and--

“Cullen, I'll spare you the guesswork,” Lace tripped his trail of thought and she tilted her head with a smile. “I think you're a great guy, I really do, and I did enjoy spending time with you, but... I think we should remain friends.”

Relief that flooded his senses was tangible. He chuckled nervously and reached to massage a knot in his neck that wasn't even there yet.

“Oh thank the Maker,” he exhaled. “I had no idea how to say it so I'm glad you're better at articulating your thoughts than I am.”

Her already sweet smile widened and she raised an eyebrow.

“Commander of the Inquisition who doesn't know how to speak his mind? I find that hard to believe.”

Cullen shrugged.

“It's one thing to yell at soldiers all day long. It's something else entirely when I'm faced with a pretty girl whom I'd like to stay friends with.”

She chuckled.

“Well, since you're being so sweet, I'll let you off the hook,” she announced and reached out her hand. “Friends?”

He took it and shook it once.

“Friends.”

They parted with friendly waves and promises to keep in touch, Cullen then returned home and decided he was just hungry enough for a late breakfast. While he prepped his meal, he grinned happily at having made a friend. He wondered briefly if Lace would let him tag along the next time she went rock climbing and he reached for his phone. Her reply was quick and to the point.

 Absolutely.

===============================

“Maybe you should try something different?” were Bull's exact words and the phrase had put Cullen's teeth on edge at once.

When the Qunari found out about the platonic nature of his ongoing relationship with Lace Harding, he got a strange look in his eye that did not bode well. The results were more ridiculous than he could have expected.

“Iron Bull!” he roared as he stormed into the Chargers’ quarters. “I need a word with you. Privately.

He stomped into the closest empty office, which happened to be Cassandra’s, and slammed the doors closed once the other man walked through.

“Did you think it was a good joke?” he hissed at Bull. “What the world possessed you to… to…”

“What?” the Qunari asked with a shrug. “Did you not have a good time at your date?”

Cullen wiped his face with both hands and groaned.

“For the first and last time, Bull: I am straight,” he said through his clenched teeth. “And please, no more set ups. I am done.”

Bull frowned. “Why?”

“Because you set me up with Fenris, you ass!” Cullen exclaimed and immediately clamped his mouth shut, afraid he could be heard outside the office.

For a brief second the two men just stared at each other, but then the moment broke as Bull guffawed in a booming voice and reached to clap Cullen’s shoulder.

“And that upset you?” he roared with laughter. “C’mon. It couldn’t have been that bad?”

Cullen screwed his eyes shut for a moment, recalling the awkward date from the night before, and ground his teeth again.

“It was worse! He clearly knew what he was getting into, I did not. Once that awkward conversation happened, he proceeded to order a lot of wine and getting shit-faced drunk. I had to help him get home and he threw up on my shoes.”

The Qunari was in a fit of such intense giggles that there were tears streaming down his face and he had issues drawing a breath. He kept trying to get a word out, but nothing would come. At that point, Cullen chose to cut his losses and stormed out of the the office in a huff, hoping that whatever else the Iron Bull had in mind, he could just… ignore it.

#Cullen Appreciation Week #Cullen Rutherford #Dragon Age #modern AU #dance!fic #rarepair #Iron Bull #Varric Tethras #cassandra pentaghast #Cullen tries to date #he's clueless #mostly clueless #his friends are assholes #humor #I may have been drunk when I came up with this #please don't be mad at me #Day 7

[carvers-hawke]

have i ever mentioned how much of a bad idea i think fenris’ traditional romance scene is? like, the scene that triggers if you flirt with him in the aftermath of A Bitter Pill? because i think it’s a bad idea.

WHICH! let me specify, i’m not saying that fenris’ romance is bad! i love fenris! love him to death, love his character growth, love how hawke (either mage hawke or just being friends with bethany) can help him realize that not all mages are like the magisters! love how intense and passionate and emotional he really is! love him and his romance arc so much! but i do not think you should have had sex with him after A Bitter Pill, i think that more than anything is what sets up for his memories triggering and him completely shutting down. 

so the thing is, i honestly get why fenris’ first instinct is to completely shut down and pull out of his relationship with hawke. i honestly think the entire lead up to the romance scene is very fast paced, and intense, and it leaves both of them (obviously fenris moreso) in a very emotionally vulnerable place, so it isn’t surprising that he gets hit with the whammy of his memories coming back.

buuuut if you romance neither fenris or isabela, it’s mentioned in dialogue that they get together, presumably without any memory based side effects. which leads me to believe that it really is a matter of him being so deeply emotionally invested in hawke, and his emotional state of being leading up to the romance scene. honestly i wonder how much of his memories being triggered has to do with having sex with hawke, and how much of it has to do with confronting hadriana and being told he has a sister.

like, when fenris comes to the estate after the confrontation with hadriana, he’s not in a good emotional state. he states that he wanted to let her go, but he couldn’t. and then immediately afterwards, if you question him on it, he admits that he thought he’d moved past his hatred, that he’d started to heal and move on as a person, only to be confronted again with it is... distressing. you can see he’s shaken up, and overwhelmed by this fact, and shuts down and withdraws because ‘i didn’t come here to burden you further’ this is not the time when you should have angry wall sex. this is the time when you should have actual conversation, help him sort out his obviously tumultuous emotions. because tensions are running high, and fenris is still wound up, and vulnerable, and it seems to me that sex really shouldn’t be the next step. which isn’t to say that, you know, that scene was created with the intent to cause any sort of... idk emotional manipulation or anything. and again, this isn’t trying to knock on the fenris romance, because it personally means a lot to me, but i just. i feel like some sort of fallout was inevitable in the aftermath and if the game had been written differently, there would have been a way to start a relationship with him that didn’t immediately stall out into three years of painful pining. i also think that, it doesn’t really fit the narrative of fenris’ character, that he’d still hold himself apart after potentially watching hawke almost die battling the arishok, but that’s a whole nother post. 

this doesn’t take into account the alternate romance scene, because i’ve yet to be able to trigger it in a game so. from what i watched on youtube, it’s something else entirely. and idk people have probably been able to vocalize this better than me, but this is my DA blog, and these are my feelings.

#i feel like i might catch some flak on this #but i still stand by it #even if it is clumsily worded #fenhawke #hawris #fenris #fenris meta