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#but solas is back to not interacting with me in dreams
psalacanthea · 1 year
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Are we going to talk about how scary being the Inquisitor is for a Lavellan or…?
I mean, the more and more I have played this game, the more the Chantry shit is terrifying. Over and over again, you see painful and irrefutable evidence about the shit humans did to elves in the name of the Maker. The Exalted Plains is an obvious example.  (I consistently call it Dirthavaren you don’t like it fight me bitch) 
Like I think the entire fandom can agree on fuck that bitch sister Amity. The Chantry crusades destroyed what was left of the elves, destroyed them. Culture, body and spirit. Like be honest, there aren’t many Dalish clans left and each time a new game/book comes around, another one bites the dust. It’s so easy to lose your clan in Inquisiton and even easier to accidentally kill off Marethari’s. Hell, you can choose to kill Zathrian’s. 
The Dalish are dying out, any way you slice it.
Then suddenly a hole rips open in the sky and everybody thinks Lavellan did it. It destroys the Conclave…don’t tell me for one second that the humans didn’t immediately start developing an ‘elves and vengeance and antiMaker’ conspiracy theory. The ‘remain silent’ dialogue option in that first interaction isn’t a stoic ‘I don’t give a fuck’ to me, it’s more of a ‘whatever I say doesn’t matter I’m already dead’ for a Dalish Inquisitor. 
The true horror is knowing that they wont just kill you, they’ll call for a bloodbath on elves across Thedas.
“For the elves were guilty of the greatest sin, of turning from the Maker.”
You’ve damned them all and you can’t even remember how or why. For a First, it must be terrifying to realize even if you try to diplomatically talk your way out of it, they’ll never believe you. As a hunter or warrior, you know it’s hopeless. All you can do is throw yourself forward as the villain, claim that whatever happens you acted alone and take as many of these shems out with you as you can.  As a mage you know if they take pity on you, you’re condemned to their mage-slavery prisons.
“Whatever you think I did, I’m innocent!”
But then they believe you (barely, like thank the Creators the Lavellan clan taught you how to talk to humans civilly and not panic) but it’s basically a hostage situation. There’s one other elf with you and even if he’s not Dalish thank Mythal because shit you were scared and you’re still scared but at least it’s something. His name is ‘Pride’. You take it as a sign from the Creators that it’s not time to give up yet. Suledin, you think.
There is an orb, a weapon that caused this. Solas tells you it’s elven and your heart sinks.
“Eventually, the humans will find a way to blame elves…”
You become Inquisitor and things are a little better but the humans call you Herald of Andraste. You don’t believe in their Maker but none of them care. You know your clan would feel betrayed, think you’ve given up your gods. You haven’t of course but the terror is there…what if the gods think you’ve given up them? You talk to Cassandra and Leliana, trying to understand the human chantry and maybe figure out a way for your two beliefs to coexist. 
 But no.
You realize it wont help. Cassandra talks about spreading the Maker’s word to all corners of Thedas…you remember the lonely howls of the wolves across Dirthavaren. You know what ‘spreading the Makers word’ means. Leliana at least acknowledges what the Chantry did, but she dismisses it with words. All those lives and hopes and dreams dismissed with the words ‘that hate won’t just go away if you dissolve the Chantry’. You understand what she really means, though. 
She’s saying that the hate will never go away, not until the elves are just like humans. The Chantry will never stop.  She says she wants elves to be part of the chantry so they survive and you try not to taste bile in the back of your throat when you think of what that means.
“My father says humans are like weeds that choke out the grass…”’
Slowly, slowly, slowly...they consume you.
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lordbhreanna · 6 months
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I need to YELL about this because I am feeling not just the BG3 brainrot, but the Tav/Dream Visitor brainrot happening.
Some Act 2 spoilers and stuff about the DV's real identity. And a lot of fangirling and nonsensical squealing.
Let me preface this by saying that I did get spoiled about the DV's identity. I know he's a mindflayer, and The Emperor at that. I don't know anything else about why he's inside the Astral Prism, what his title entails, or how he got the dirt of Vlaakith or anything about his role in the story with the Absolute cult and such.
And me being me, that makes me ship them *EVEN MORE*. Seriously, the dynamic between them speaks to me in a way I can't describe yet, I find it so fascinating and I can't put into words why yet. Maybe it's the "he's in your head and visits you in dreams, and seems to have chosen you in a way", the phenomenal performance, the small bits of intimacy. But IDK, there are just a lot of checked boxes.
Also Larian letting you choose his appearance??? Galactic brain move!!! Brilliant, geniuses!! It works perfectly because it allows for you, the player, be swayed more easily because your DV directly caters to you and what you may find attractive/trusting.
One thing I find very compelling about the relationship is that the shadow of doubt is ever present, but he truly comes off as an honest ally that is trying to help you. It's probably gonna be something along the lines of Solas Dragonage, in that he's keeping a big secret from you and "lying" but not overtly, and whatever he's planned it's NOT GOOD and it involves a certain deal of treachery, but it does seem that he... cares? Genuinely? AM I FOOLING MYSELF?
But seriously, when you meet him in the Astral Plane he sounds so sad believing you have accepted Vlaakith's orders and are going to kill him 😩
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Is this the face of a oniric presence in your brain that it's just manipulating you? (This might come back to me in the ass later on). It broke me a little.
I am so looking forward to more interactions. I know they are fewer than actual companions, because I have seen some fans asking Larian for more, and even though I have still a long way to finish my first playthrough, I hope they listen!!
Seriously, there is so much untapped potential here!!!
I am loving every minute of the Astarion romance, and I love him as a character, and how everything is unfolding, and he checks a LOT of boxes on what I like in a romance story/character development - but... I think I'm gonna be partially a mindflayer girl by the end of this game because I won't be strong enough not to smooch the Emperor, tentacles and all, when the option shows up.
The fact that he's monster romance material sparkled with a lot of interesting dynamic is just too appealing and I am weak. We're not given this chance that often.
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Like!! He get on his KNEES TO HAND YOU THE SWORD SO YOU CAN KILL HIM!!!
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I am also expecting this to be a minor ship in the fandom, which... I'll be honest, may drive me more to do fanart/fic when I finish the game. I hope so, at least, because I need that hyperfixation kick to get more creative.
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scribbledquillz · 8 months
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Self-Recommendation Tag Game
Rules: Share five of your own fanworks (fic, art, etc.). Then, tag five more people to share the things they've made.
I was tagged by both @bumblewarden and @siriskulk - thank you both for thinking of me and for your patience, I know you tagged me forever and a day ago.
I'll tag back: @jinakadaisy, @buridanshorse, @transprincecaspian, @demandthedoodles, @icylook for my five. I don't know if anyone has or hasn't been tagged lately, but consider this a tag in! :)
1. Something you absolutely adore: I have to come back to my old reliable - Stay. This is possibly my most popular fic as of now, and my favorite to go back to to read. I love the five and one story telling style posts, and this one covered so many juicy points in Zevran and Revka's relationship in a really fun, stylized manner.
2. Something that was challenging to create: My multi-chapter fic encompassing all the major milestones in Revka and Zevran's relationship - Your Fire Burns In My Veins. Mostly because it's a behemoth of a piece I've been chipping away at as I have time and spoons, and because I've had to tweak and rework things as time goes on. I'm also not happy with the first chapter I have up for it, and think I might remove or rework it entirely at some point though it isn't a priority in any way. Still, it's a story about my favorite idiots falling in love, and I can't wait to be able to get to some of the scenes that've been in my head for them since I started shipping them.
3. Something that makes you laugh or smile: I'm cheating and listing two for this one, just because they're short one shots. >:) I did micro story prompts a while ago, and two in particular still stand out to me. In Dreams (prompted by @jinakadaisy) and Sea Change (prompted by @icylook). The former was a very fun experimental type piece for Revka and Zevran (surprising no one) from the perspective of a Fade spirit which was fun to toy around with, and the latter was a very self-indulgent look into an AU that may or may not ever turn into anything more substantial - but was still super fun to day dream about while writing.
4. Something that surprised you (how it turned out, how other liked it, etc.): My piece for Imakai Adaar immediately post breakup with Solas - Savagery. It's a piece I wrote on the fly, letting myself get really into the nitty gritty of emotions and the state of mind Kai would be in in that moment, and frankly I didn't edit it much at the time lol. I was so glad to see so many people outside of my usual circle of Tumblr friends liking and interacting with it, and it's given me a lot of enthusiasm for writing more for them when life allows.
5. Something you want other people to see: ...I'm going to cheat one more time and say Your Fire Burns In My Veins, just because A. I have a lot of juicy scenes in mind and B. lord knows I need the encouragement to get back into it when I can hahaha
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alucinore · 10 days
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wake, above the distant murmur of yourself ☁️ . . . a private & highly selective multimuse blog feat. primarily fantasy based characters from various media ( incl. the sandman, deathless, dragon age, bridgerton, myths & more ). studying the concepts of : the wandering mind, venturing down the rabbit hole, demystifying our legends, night journeys & illusions of love. as written by caliope ( she / her, 21+, pst ) affiliated with @rainfile & @noirfile
✧. prompts ✧ sb: @peaceforger ✧ info:
✧ 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒
001. you know the drill by now, no meanies, no god-modding, tag your spicy images etc. i'm limiting this blog to a handful of mutuals and long time friends only until i get back into the swing of things, so please only follow if i followed first for the time being. base psd & template can be found (x) (x) 002. plot based due to my limited free time. i still welcome spontaneous memes, but will prioritize memes for plotted dynamics and threads. please don't take the delay as a lack of interest, i'm just trying to economize my time and my dms are always open if you want to brainstorm to get things going ! no starter calls here. as a general rule, you can expect me to be here on weekends. 003. mature content will be present, so i will not be interacting with anyone under the age of 21. there are lots of themes of war, violence, and romance here, but i will be sure to tag anything particularly triggering or suggestive as ___ tw. if i miss one of your triggers pls lmk. for me, no need to tag anything except your us.fw/ns.f.w
✧ 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒 / 𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐒
exclusives
✧ alys cousland ( ladygriffon ) ✧ percival de rolo ( noirfile ) ✧ sophie beckett ( rainfile ) ✧ vex'ahlia ( dawnalia ) ✧ bianca di angelo ( infernocte ) ✧ vax'ildan ( duskildan ) ✧ zoya nazyalenskaya ( godwitch ) ✧ yor briar ( thornesse )
mains ( + means ship exclusive )
✧ blogwide ( rainfile ) ✧ evelyn trevelyan ( verdraste ) + ✧ blogwide ( noirfile ) ✧ solas ( fenahrel ) ✧ blogwide ( maeinade ) ✧ eric, the phantom ( fantoume ) ✧ blogwide ( mirrorvale ) ✧ aya akazawa ( chthonaya ) ✧ blogwide ( neovale ) ✧ kenneth vareck ( daylighter ) ✧ blogwide ( fospherus )
literary / film / television ( ** means primary / high muse )
✧ daniel hall , neil gaiman's the sandman** ✧ madame lebedeva , deathless & slavic folklore** ✧ loid forger (twilight) , spy x family** ( sb: @peaceforger ) ✧ benedict bridgerton , bridgerton ✧ yvaine , stardust ✧ milo thatch , atlantis: the lost empire ✧ marina , pirates of the caribbean
myth & lore ✧ dionysus , greek god of revelry** ✧ hermes , greek god of swiftness** ✧ melinöe , greek goddess of ghosts & nightmares** ✧ megaera , supergiant's hades & mythos based
games & other media ✧ asteria amell , dragon age origins** ✧ fergus cousland , dragon age origins** ✧ mhairi , dragon age awakening
by plotted request only ✧ keyleth , critical role camp. 1 ✧ hades , greek god of the underworld ✧ mnemosyne , greek goddess of memories & language
testing ✧ john constantine , mixed media
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rhyske · 1 year
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Hiya! I am back! I was busy for a couple of days. I hope you are doing well!
I do agree that it doesn't seem like the characters have lives of their own save for a few that you can see interacting on screen. but there aren't really any hints of off-screen interactions which is such a missed opportunity. The approve disapprove system is really vague too, like the worst that could happen if you have a low approval rating with someone is that they are kinda cold or hostile towards your player character. I suppose it makes sense in the setting but still kinda weird.
some shit has happened in my playthrough so far… HAWKE, I loved seeing my girl again. but I knew I would have to make THAT choice, to be fair it wasn't that hard to leave stroud behind. AND THEY MENTIONED FENRIS AAAAA I almost cried. but yeah I couldn't do that to my girl or fen because they deserve the world. also Varric, I'd hate to make him sad.
I am romancing Solas and he do be making me mad. I already know he is bad… it's an old game and I got it spoiled at some point. but yeah I don't know what the context is or what his motivation is. I would guess it's something, something elves and their old empire glory days. but it's interesting being able to clearly see the hints of when he lets something slip etc. my brother told me, Solas wanted the anchor for himself(?) and he has posed with his hand outstretched like the inquisitor does, once toward the breach and once towards cole. idk if it's just a mage thing but alarm bells were going off in my head. I have some theories but I doubt I am anywhere near the right answer. The reason I am mad at him is because he literally never wants to talk to me, I've cycled through all of his dialogue and it makes me sad, even after doing some minor quests for him he says nothing, and he didn't show up at wicked grace TT_TT. I suppose it depends on how you play it but I feel like his romance is very fast and then there is nothing? ALSO, THE DREAM KISS WAS WILD, I did not expect that to happen so fast.
Cole's quest was a bit interesting when choosing between making him more like a person or a spirit. I tried both and I had a hard time choosing what outcome I wanted but then I decided to make him more like a person, it was kinda bittersweet in a way and also Varric became like a father to him which was sweet.
oh, learning Japanese is really cool but it's so difficult! I know some small phrases and such but I don't think I could learn to read their characters, I already struggle with spelling in my native language and English haha. it's amazing that you're learning it! do you have someone that you can practice speaking with? I know that really helped me when I was learning English when I was younger. earlier this week I was on an internship at a college I'm applying. for some reason there happens to be a few Japanese students at that college, its kinda in the middle of nowhere so I was a bit surprised hahah I wanted to say hi in Japanese but I was too shy to do it ^^' 💜
Oh welcome back!! I was wondering where you were and if you were okay (: I've been alright! Allergies has been giving me headaches the last week or so >:
Omg yeah for me it was between Alistair and Hawke, and legit. I romanced Alistair both times I've played Origins because I adore him...but I sent him into the Fade. Because I just. Imagining Fenris losing Hawke was absolutely devastating. I couldn't do it. Especially with Varric there, knowing he'd be watching his best friend basically disappear to their death, and having to be the one that lets Fenris know. I couldn't do that to my boy. Hawke and the Kirkwall Crew is my Dragon Age Normandy and I will do my best to make them happy and keep them that way.
I romanced Solas my first time around (Cullen my second) and I highly agree that it's very obvious Solas' romance was a last minute addition. It just...has no build up, and the seeming insta-love it shows is terrible. BUT, I will say, the potential in that romance and the absolute devastation it has has me invested. I won't continue with a Solas romanced world state but I will definitely be seeing how it impacts things in the second game. I can talk about Solas' character for hours, he's the most heart wrenching character I have seen in a game in a long time, and how that translates into a fascinating romance... If it had been done right.
Yeah, there are so many opportunities to have the characters interact with each other in Skyhold and they just...didn't bother with it. Mass Effect 3 they started doing that a bit (and I think it should've been a thing in all three games too, show a cohesive team dammit!) and it was amazing watching the characters talk to each other and share stories and inside jokes and whatnot. They have a life outside Shepard. Dragon Age 2 didn't have a hub, and I think they did an amazing job with the party banter to compensate.
I really liked Cole's quest! I don't remember a ton of it but I also remember not knowing which decision I wanted to do (and kinda feeling confused as to why it was up to me to begin with). I think I decided to go with him being more of a person too!
I don't have anyone to speak with ^^' I've decided to focus more on just reading comprehension, mainly because my main drive to learn the language is to read manga and play games that don't get a localization. I'm also hella shy, so just imagining trying to speak the language or instant message someone in the language gives me so much anxiety!
Oh that's so cool! What's the major? Haha, aaaw, I feel that! I remember, back in high school, we got some Korean transfer students and I so badly wanted to get to know them (I was in a big KPop phase then and trying to learn Korean), but I was way too shy to approach them! I ended up writing a letter in Korean with a help of a Korean penpal instead! I don't remember how I gave them the letter. I think through a friend? They gave me a CD of their favorite KPop band but that was the last I ever had any interaction with them cause I didn't know how to respond.
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thebookworm0001 · 3 years
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my brain decided to give me a modern au thing with the inquisition cast as a dream last night and i would like to thank dream me for seeing solas in his semi-hippie aesthetic and going ‘yeah i like him but that would be a bad idea’ 
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iawv · 3 years
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She Called Him Fen’Harel - Chapter 12 "Reunited“
"She Called Him Fen'Harel" on AO3 "Fear isn't so difficult to understand. After all, weren't we all frightened as children? Nothing has changed since Little Red Riding Hood faced the big bad wolf. What frightens us today is the same sort of thing that frightened us yesterday. It's just a different wolf. This fright complex is rooted in every individual." – Alfred Hitchcock
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Drawing of Fal & Fen by Ithelana_Lavellan
She was at Fen's side in an instant.
"Falon, you found me," Falherna murmured, approaching the wolf. The animal lowered his head and whimpered.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
No, no.
She knelt beside him. "What happened, Fen?" she whispered, knowing he would not answer. His fur was covered in blood.
She was holding her breath; her heart was pounding in her chest. A lump in her throat was impossible to swallow.
Breathe, she reminded herself. You can help him.
"No, please, no." Fal pleaded, eyes glued to the wolf. She whispered prayers to a god that never answered, to a creature who possibly did not care. How could she believe he is listening?
"Mana, Fen." She took a long breath as her hands investigated Fen. She checked his head, neck with trembling fingers. As she touched his leg, the wolf whimpered in pain. She took a closer look at it and found a cut, some dried blood. Shemlens' arrows caused this. She wanted to roar, claw, and sink her teeth into the flesh of those who did this.
She concentrated on breathing, on what was important.
She returned to examination, checking for other wounds. There were none. A relief washed her over; she let out a huge breath. Her body slumped, lost its stiff posture, and she sat on the ground next to Fen.
She bowed her head, perhaps Fen'Harel was listening after all.
She let out a sigh of relief, stroking his fur, calming him, calming herself.
"Solas," she whispered. Suddenly he was at her side as if he was waiting near to be called.
"I am here," she could hear the concern in his voice.
"Leg wound," she said quietly. Solas dropped to his knees by her side, ready to heal the wound, but she grabbed his arm.
"Slowly. He usually doesn't like strangers." Solas nodded, focusing on the animal.
Breath in, she heard her father's voice again. Breath out, Celia. Focus on helping him.
Focus. The keyword. The crucial lesson of her life.
Still, there was this nagging feeling of fear at the back of her mind. Fear of seeing Fen in pain, seeing him dead.
"I will hold him down so you can heal him, Solas."
The wolf put his head on her lap, allowing her to stroke his fur. She scratched him delicately, knowing how he liked it. She leaned in and whispered into the animal's ear, "This is Solas, ma falon. He will help you."
No dying. Not today.
Solas placed his hands on Fen's leg.
"Mana, falon," she whispered, stroking his fur in a slow, calming manner with her shaking fingers. She could hear her heart, the sound of flowing blood in her ears, her own hitched breath.
Breathe, she reminded herself again and again, in and out.
To find a distraction, she started to study Fen - his eyes, thick fur, teeth, ears. She loved him. He was wild, free, owned by no one, like her.
He was a companion, a partner, a friend, her only connection to reality. Her anchor. He was one of the reasons she was living.
Fal startled at the first tingling warmth of Solas' magic. She could feel it on her skin, his aura reaching her own. The mark on her palm brightened a little, just for a second.
Solas’ hands stopped glowing. "He will be fine, and I stopped the bleeding. Still, I need to immobilize his leg," he stated, reaching for his backpack.
"He is not afraid of you." The statement escaped her lips, and she couldn't hide her surprise. She looked at the elf in the darkness.
He stared at the wolf. "He is not."
She patted Fen's head, staring into his eyes. The wolf poked her with his nose and licked her hand. Falherna laughed softly.
"He loves you," Solas said.
"Obviously," she chuckled, her fingers stroking the soft fur.
She watched Solas as he lowered his gaze, his face drawn tight with concern.
"I love him too," she whispered, more to herself than to him. Solas paused, his eyes meeting hers for the briefest of moments before quickly returning to his task.
"Done," he said after a while, bandaging Fen's paw.
"Ma serannas," Falherna thanked him.
He smiled tightly, but when he met her gaze, something in his eyes softened. "It is no trouble."
Falherna helped Fen stand up. The animal tested his leg, sniffing it, raising and lowering it. He made a few steps towards Fal, who laughed again and patted his head. "You'll be fine."
Solas moved back to the distance.
***
The feeling of Fen’s head and nose beside her cheek was a warm, calm sensation she missed. She looked at the fire, her fingers tucked deeply in his fur, sliding slowly along his jaw and ear. It was comforting to feel his muscles again, his strength, the certainty she is no longer alone.
She hugged him and whispered to his ear, "Soon it will be over. We are getting out of here, ma Fen."
She sighed and laid down on her bedroll. For the first time since the hole in the sky opened, it took her only a brief moment to fall asleep.
***
Solas sat quietly. The fire almost died out; he sent a small fireball at it.
Rubbing the base of his palm against his eyes, he tried to gather his thoughts. He would rest as best he could, but he suspected that his dreams would offer no release.
It happened again; the mark gave him access to Herald's state of mind. The world went blank as his fingers made contact with hers. This time he could see things, but all were fragmented. Images. Emotions. Sensations.
His eyes settled on Herald for a moment, observing her marked hand.
The anchor shouldn't cause this - the strange connection between the barer's mind and him. He never experienced anything like this before.
It was no mind-reading, no telepathy, nothing similar to it.
He sighed; there was no way to test it without engaging Herald in it, and the thought was both exciting and disturbing.
Whatever this incredible power was, Herald did not know about it and consequently did not have any control over it.
He looked away from Herald with a sense of relief. He didn't want to fail at his assumptions - it irritated him. And he didn't want to develop an interest in her hidden thoughts or feelings.
Not worth the effort to uncover them.
***
The sky was beginning to blush into the evening, turning violet and gold.
Falherna followed the winding road, refreshed by the cold air whipping across her face, raising gooseflesh along her arms. The closer they got to Haven, the calmer she was. There was no way this could work, but she had prepared an alternative solution.
She tucked her hair into a ponytail and scratched Fen behind his ear. He strolled by her side, looking at her from time to time.
Solas and Varric stayed a few steps behind, their attempts at interacting with her unsuccessful.
The conversation with anyone did not interest her at the moment.
She had things to consider to make it work. She was not going to separate herself from Fen.
The world already took her freedom, locking her in one place with unwanted magic in her palm.
She pinched the bridge of her nose as her head started to pound. She was tired, so were Solas and Varric, probably. They found a small clearing less than halfway back to Haven.
"We can camp here," she suggested slowing her steps.
"Good idea, Brighteyes, also I need to talk to you," she was expecting it. Varric would not let this go. She just nodded.
While Varric and Solas lighted the fire and prepared their bedrolls, she placed both hands on either side of the Fen's head and lifted it to look into his eyes. He met her gaze solemnly and let out a soft whine.
“We're going to figure this out. Ara dir'vhen'an,” she said with a reassuring smile, pressing a kiss to his nose's bridge.
The wolf buried its head in her chest. She smiled, closing her eyes and absorbing the noises of the approaching night.
Her neck began to stiffen and tense, a tingling sensation spread on her skin, a feeling of someone else’s gaze. She didn't know how, but she was sure it was Solas, observing her.
The rising sun had burned most of the mist away. The wind whispered across the long grass and rustled the leaves of the trees lining the dirt road, the gentle sounds of the countryside drowning out the noise of the bustling village. She studied the wildflowers and rocks as they continued climbing up the bridge.
"You know they won't let Fen cross gates of Haven," he heard Varric's words as he got back from relieving himself.
The Herald was humming thoughtfully, her hand never leaving Fen's head. She turned her head to meet his eyes. For an instant, Solas felt caught. Underprepared.
"Not immediately," she muttered, taking a sip of water; a single line appeared between her eyebrows for a second, then her features smoothed out, and emotion fled her gaze.
Solas laid on the bedroll behind the Herald's back and listened to the exchanged. Varric was not wrong humans would not let the woman - even Herald of Andraste - walk among them with the wolf at her side.
"So, you've got a plan, Fal?" Varric leaned in, grinning conspiratorially.
"Always," her answer simple as usual. She quickly changed the subject, talking about someone who they both knew.
Through half-closed eyelids, Solas observed the jewelry in her hair. There were still those odd metallic beads braided in, a claw at the end of one.
She moved her head, and he frowned. Was that a wolf head on one of her braids?
It matters not, if that's a wolf head or something else, he thought.
He closed his eyes, steading his breath. The Herald laughed, and his eyes opened.
Fen turned his head, meeting Solas' gaze.
The wolf watched him as close as Solas, himself, was watching the Herald.
***
Cassandra stood with her arms crossed staring at Fen, face tense, unease in her eyes.
Falherna clasped her hands behind her back, waiting patiently. At the corner of her eye, she could see gawkers - some curious, some visibly scared of the wolf by her side.
"What's the meaning of this?" snapped Cassandra.
"Seeker...," Varric murmured.
"Let's wait for advisors," Falherna cut in, "I saw you sent for them."
The Seeker looked at her surprised before she shook her head.
"Fine."
Tension settled over them as they waited. Falherna could sense Seeker's anger seething just below the surface.
"What in the Maker's name happened?" they heard Cullen's voice shortly before joining them. Behind him walked Leliana with Josephine, who trying to keep up while pulling her second hand into a coat sleeve.
"Herald?" Cullen's eyes widened when his gaze rested on the wolf. He looked at Falherna, waiting for the explanation.
She did not plan to answer yet. She preferred to remain silent until everyone saw the situation they were in.
Solas stepped closer and now stood beside Fen.
"Oh my!" Josephine covered her mouth, eyeing the wolf.
Leliana kept herself quiet; however, she couldn't hide the smirk on her face.
Cassandra sent Falherna a frustrated glance.
"I will ask again - what's the meaning of this?" her tone icy.
"This is Fen, the wolf I told you about," she explained and held her silence for a beat. "Before you start accusing me of dragging here a dangerous beast, I would like to propose a compromise."
Falherna sighted discreetly, waiting for the flow of words to end.
Humans. They would never disappoint. Were their mind so broken they couldn't recognize what compromise meant?
Her hand automatically found Fen's head, while her fingers stroke the fur.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see how Solas' gaze kept darting over to her face.
"Herald, I've heard something about a compromise?" the corner of her mouth twitched at Leliana's voice.
She looked at Cullen, Cassandra, and Josephine, who stood in front of her with their confused expressions, and she felt so tired. Tired of the words she did not say yet, of the fights she did not experience yet, of explanations they did not ask of her yet, of the role she did not want, of the fate waiting for her.
"Yes. For the sake of everyone, Fen and I will stay in the Taigen's shack north of Haven," she paused, her blue eyes suddenly sharp, "If you want me to stay, of course."
Her face was so set as to be carved from stone. They regarded each other, both her and Seeker, motionless.
Cullen was the first to interrupt the silence. He took a step towards Fal, and Fen did the same, snarling quietly.
"He doesn't seem to like you, Curly," Varric laughed.
Commander Cullen sent him a brief look, focusing on the Herald.
"We want you to stay, Herald. Without you, we are doomed," he assured her.
Falherna dug her hand into Fen's fur, calming the animal.
"Thank you," she answered, merely looking at the Commander.
"Herald, forgive me for asking but do you ever lose control?" he asked, and immediately his hand gripped the back of his neck.
"In certain specific situations, yes," her tone reserved, eyes studying his body language. He seemed embarrassed. He regretted opening his mouth, obviously.
Luckily Leliana decided to intervene once again.
"If we are done here, I would like to talk to you, Herald. There is a message delivered today," she quickly got straight to the point, bowing her head slightly as if she was trying to hide a little smirk on her face.
"I will gladly talk to you, but I would like to clean up first if you allow."
"You are the Herald, my Lady," her arms tensed when she heard Cullen.
"I am no one's Lady, Commander," she answered with weariness. She was exhausted; her mind and body screamed for rest.
"I will meet you in the war room in an hour." Leliana smiled at her, and the four of them left towards the gate.
She stood there with her hand on Fen's head, feeling eyes on her. Too many eyes - of soldiers, people of Haven, kids, her companions.
"Do you have murderous thoughts, Brighteyes?" Varric joined her.
She said nothing.
With a corner of her eye, she saw Varric's gaze. He was worried about her.
"Do not trouble yourself, Storyteller. Go and rest." she sent him a faint smile, "I will see you later.".
She had never felt so alone as she did standing in the midst of this small village. There was no one to talk to. No one who could understand, comfort her.
She heard the sound of voices and turned to look behind her. The gawkers were slowly scattering. Some were still there, pointing at Fen and whispering to each other.
She moved towards the shack with Fen by her side.
***
Varric sighed loudly, "Fuck."
Solas looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and the dwarf shook his head as if he wanted to get rid of some persistent thought.
"Fate is a weird thing, Chuckles," he murmured.
"Is it?"
"She is forced to stay amongst humans which she disklike, to put it mildly. She is trapped here. I worry," dwarf seemed to be speaking to himself, but Solas listened carefully.
"You worry because you think the Herald does not have enough strength to endure?" he asked not only out of curiosity. The fact was he wanted to know if she was a flight risk.
Varric snorted "Nah, Chuckles, I do not worry about lack of strength. She has it more than enough.".
Solas frowned trying to make some sense of it while Varric continued. He caught a glimpse of red hair before Herald and her wolf disappeared behind the trees. He wondered how long humans will allow her to stay outside of Haven.
"You know what a cage can do to free man? Imagine having no space to call your own, no choice over who to be with, what to eat, or where to go. Day after day threat and suspicion everywhere," Varric sighed while they passed the main gate.
"I can imagine, Master Thetras," Solas murmured, "I would assume Herald can adapt."
"She is confined to this kind of environment so has no option but to change and adapt," the dwarf face took a grim expression.
"What worries you then?"
"The change. The chronic loss of free choice, lack of privacy, daily stigma. To be honest this constant mask of invulnerability and emotional flatness is the most disturbing factor. I struggle with it since I know her," a small laugh escaped his mouth, "Asked her about it many times but she always dismissed me with silence or stoicism bullshit theory."
They stopped by the fire to warm their fingers. Varric invited him to sit as he handed him a bowl of water. Solas considered it for a moment but refused, waiting impatiently to get back to his cottage. The conversion, while very interesting, took too long already.
"She is not alone. We are all here to support her." he declared however without conviction.
Varric sat silently for a while and Solas was ready to leave when the dwarf looked at him and smiled.
"Yeah, maybe. Maybe the presence of Fen will help or perhaps Faron would be a better solution for her troubles." the dwarf scratched his chin.
Don't ask. It is none of your business.
The question burnt in his mind but eventually never left his mouth. He bowed lightly leaving Varric alone.
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oxygenforthewicked · 3 years
Text
WIP Wednesday
Thank you @emerald-amidst-gold and @the-dreadful-canine for tagging me!
Instead of a WIP this Wednesday, I was finally able to finish the next chapter for my m!solavellan fic 🥰 It’s a little shorter because my writer’s block did a serious number on me this week, but here you go:
                _________________________________
Chapter Eight: Compassion
Read on AO3
For the next few days, Saeris returned to the snowy meadow each morning, avoiding the gaze of Cullen who had no doubt been told by Cassandra about his newfound “condition.” What respect he’d earned from the Commander for helping the Inquisition soldiers learn how to fight had seemed to vanish entirely. So he slipped into the forest, ready to be rid of the cautious glances and hushed whispers. Saeris swore word traveled faster in Haven than it had in Clan Lavellan.
Thankfully, the arrival of the templars had given the Inquisition other things to focus on, especially with the assault on the Breach finally in sight. But that didn’t make Saeris feel much better, and it didn’t help that each day he either couldn’t cast a spell at all, or it was like his magic would spill out all at once. It was almost as if his magic was actively trying to defy him - which made it damn-near impossible for him to make any great strides with controlling it. 
By the fifth morning, Saeris had nearly given up. His body was tired, despite the dreamless sleep he’d had every night. 
When he arrived in the clearing, however, Solas was nowhere to be seen. He bit the inside of his lip and leaned against the boulder where they usually met. Solas wasn’t typically late, so it must have been for something important.
The snow was falling harder now than it had been in the previous week, and the chill in the air had become sharper, biting at his skin as he hugged himself tightly.
“Summer air, wrapped around me like a hot, wet blanket as we played just outside the encampment, the scent of wildflowers and Mamae’s sour bread filling my nostrils. With dusk came the fireflies, blinking in the distance as the sound of laughter drifted through the forest to guide us home,” a voice said beside him. He looked up to see Cole, who was crouched on the boulder beside him. “You can always go back.”
“No,” Saeris said. “I can’t. Not now.”
“Your father would understand, if you told him,” Cole said. 
“It doesn’t matter now,” he said. “The only thing I’m going to worry about is the Breach. After that…”
Cole eyed him for a long moment. “You think it’s going to kill you.”  
“It’s possible,” Saeris replied. He looked over at Cole. “You’re a spirit - what do you think?” 
Cole looked away thoughtfully. “You’re too bright,” he said finally. “Magic is wrapped around you like threads woven in a tapestry but it’s too hard to see - like it doesn’t want to be seen. I’m… sorry if that’s not much help.” 
Saeris rubbed the back of his neck. It was too much to hope that Cole would have any insight on it, he supposed. 
The snow crunched lightly behind them and Saeris turned back to see Solas entering the clearing, looking between him and Cole. 
“Who is this?” Solas asked. 
“My name is Cole,” Cole said. 
“He’s a friend,” Saeris said. 
Solas folded his hands behind his back as he looked at Cole curiously. “Your friend appears to be a spirit - living outside the Fade.” 
“Yes,” Saeris said, and Solas looked back at him, slightly surprised. 
“Do you often make friends with spirits?” the mage asked. 
“No,” Saeris replied. “Just him. My sister was the one who would try to commune with spirits - Cole was just the only one that we ever met. He saved me back when Envy tried to take over my mind.” 
“I wanted to help,” Cole said. 
“A spirit of Compassion, perhaps?” Solas said. 
“That’s what my sister said he was,” Saeris replied. “But we just always called him Cole. He seems to prefer that name.” 
He looked back at Cole, who seemed to be assessing Solas carefully. 
“In any event,” Solas said. “We should continue with our training. There is still much for you to learn.” 
Saeris looked back at Cole. “Will you be here for very long?” he asked. 
“I go where people need me,” Cole replied, looking back at Saeris. “I will stay.” 
With that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, the clearing quieting once more. 
“You are more comfortable around him,” Solas noted. “It’s curious, given the common assumption by most that spirits are dangerous.”
Saeris pushed himself off of the boulder and followed Solas toward the middle of the clearing. “He reminds me of my sister,” Saeris admitted. “And if it hadn’t been for him, I probably wouldn’t be alive.” 
Solas slowed. “What do you mean by that?” 
Saeris hesitated. He hadn’t intended on saying that much. “It’s a long story,” Saeris said. 
“We have time,” Solas replied. 
Saeris hesitated. “I was in a hunting accident,” he said finally. “I ventured too far away from the encampment and I was attacked.” 
“By what?” 
“A... bear,” Saeris said slowly. “Cole helped my sister find me and save me before I bled out.” 
He met Solas’s gaze, and knew at once that he didn’t believe the story for a moment. 
“And that is what is haunting your dreams at night?” Solas asked. “A bear?” 
Saeris’s jaw locked. Why is he pushing this? “Can we just get on with the magic lesson?” 
Solas straightened, and he could sense the mage’s frustration. “We’ve made some progress in the last few days, but as you are still unable to control the spells that you wield, I believe it may be time to try something different,” he said. 
“What do you mean?” Saeris asked. 
“I am beginning to wonder if, perhaps, the herbs to help you sleep are somehow interfering with your magic,” Solas said. 
Saeris stiffened. “Are you suggesting that I don’t take it?” he asked, hardly able to mask the panic in his voice. 
“For one night, yes,” Solas said. “Then we may be able to see if that is what is causing the interference.” 
Saeris shifted. During their travels back home after defeating Envy, his dreams had gotten significantly worse. He wasn’t eager to return to that. 
“I know it is much to ask,” Solas said. “But it is necessary if you are to be trained properly to exhaust all of our options.” 
Saeris folded his arms across his chest. 
Solas was quiet for a moment, and Saeris could feel a strange sense of uncertainty around him before, “There may be another way to help your nightmares.” 
“How so?” 
“Well...” Solas began, when suddenly they were cut off by a scout running into the clearing. 
“Your Worship,” the scout said, pressing their fist against their chest as they bowed. “Lady Nightingale sent me to inform you that your presence is required in the war room to discuss the assault on the Breach tomorrow.”
Saeris stilled. “This soon?”
“I’m just the messenger, ser,” the scout said. 
He swallowed. “You can tell her I’ll be along shortly.” The scout bowed again and hurried off. Saeris turned back to Solas. “This will have to wait, I guess. Maybe I’ll even be able to survive this long enough to actually learn how to control this.” 
Solas pressed his lips together. “You will survive,” he said. “Of that much, I have little doubt.” 
A strange feeling brushed across Saeris, and he hesitated for a moment. A question began to surface, but he pushed the thought away. “I can meet you tonight,” he said. “We can talk more then.” 
Solas nodded. “Tonight, then.” There was an air of disappointment around him that gave Saeris pause, before he left the meadow and returned to the inner walls of Haven. 
                            _________________________________
Solas watched as Saeris disappeared through the trees, his thoughts turning over in his mind. Magic is wrapped around you like threads woven in a tapestry but it’s too hard to see - like it doesn’t want to be seen.
His conversation with the spirit had no doubt been intended to be private, but Solas’s curiosity had gotten the better of him when he’d approached the clearing earlier. He wondered if, perhaps, Cole had been referring to the nas’falon bond and its potential interaction with the mark - but it didn’t make any sense. The nas’falon bond was of the Fade - the magic from the mark would merely amplify it, not make it harder to distinguish. No. This is something different. 
Whatever magic had been obscured from Cole’s sight was likely the same magic that was blocking him from entering Saeris’s dreams. If he could only isolate Saeris in their shared dream for long enough, there was a chance he could uncover the reason behind the wall that kept interfering with their connection. 
As the day waned, Solas meditated in his cabin, attempting to reach out to spirits who might be able to help him with the issue. But even after the Breach had stopped growing, most of the spirits were still too far away to reach. Save Cole, it seemed. 
The sounds of the evening lifted through his open windows, and Solas felt Saeris before he had even neared the door to the cabin. 
A sharp knock echoed through the room, and he rose slowly and lit the lone candle on his desk before he opened the door to find Saeris standing before him.
His hair was unbound again, and he noticed the way the near-permanent bags beneath his gray eyes had slowly begun to disappear. 
“You still wanted to meet with me, right?” Saeris asked. “About the… nightmare thing.” 
“Yes,” Solas said. “Please come in.” 
Saeris followed him, nervousness spreading through the air around him. Solas sat cross-legged on the ground and motioned for Saeris to sit in front of him. 
“So - you mentioned that there might be a way to keep the nightmares at bay without the herbs,” Saeris said as he sat. “But you never mentioned that there was another option before.”
“The herbs allow you to maintain a dreamless sleep, it is true,” Solas said. “But that is a method to use before your mind is properly trained. As a mage, you may have more power over your mind than you did before - but you are also more susceptible to demonic possession.” 
“So more magic training,” Saeris grumbled. 
Solas tilted his head to the side. “This can only help you, lethallan.” 
Saeris glanced up at him with an uneasy look in his eye and sighed. “What does it entail?” 
“It may be easier to show you,” Solas replied. 
The uneasiness Saeris was clearly feeling sharpened. 
“Trust me,” Solas said, reaching out to him with a wave of calm. “No harm will come to you.” 
Saeris’s shoulders relaxed. “But what will happen?” he asked. 
“Do you know very much about Dreamers?” Solas asked. 
“As in mages who can enter your dreams?” Saeris said. “I have heard tales about them from my clan’s Keeper. I thought it was just a myth.”
“It is not,” Solas explained. “It is a rare gift, but it exists.” 
“And I assume you are one?” 
“Indeed,” Solas replied. 
Saeris swallowed, his cheeks turning slightly pink. “So, your plan is to enter my dream, then.” 
“Yes,” Solas said. “The goal is merely to aid you in learning how to protect yourself while you sleep.” 
Saeris was quiet for a moment before he looked back up at Solas. “What do I need to do?” 
“Close your eyes,” Solas instructed, and Saeris did so, almost without hesitation. Saeris was seeming more at ease around him, which was a promising start. Solas lifted his thumb and pressed a sleeping spell to Saeris’s forehead, who immediately began to fall forward. Solas caught him and gently laid him down on the ground, placing a pillow beneath his head. He paused for a moment, carefully brushing back a dark lock from Saeris’s face. He looked serene, without a care in the world. 
It was dangerous to do this, he knew. Just like it was dangerous to allow himself to get even remotely close to his nas’falon with everything that hung precariously in the balance. It was necessary, he reminded himself, as he sat back and closed his eyes. 
Even if it complicated everything.
Tagging: @noire-pandora @aymayzing @ofgoodmen @little-lightning-lavellan @musetta3 @dreadfutures @mywitchcultblr @pedlimwen @drag-on-age @mx-nplm @lunar-shards and anyone else who wants to 💖
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fairfaxleasee · 3 years
Text
So @rangeredacted (the mind behind my Evergiven fic) requested something with killer garden gnomes for @dadrunkwriting so... Here it is. (Or here is Part 1 at least, I don't think I have the energy to do the whole thing tonight...)
"Inquisitor what are you doing?" The answer should be fairly obvious to Cullen - Ayala Trevelyan was kneeling in Skyhold's garden digging a hole. But Cullen knew enough about Ayala (and the woman's hatred of getting dirt, plants, or bugs anywhere near her hands or clothes) to know that if she was digging a hole in the garden, then answer was anything but obvious.
Ayala ignored him entirely and stuck something in the hole.
"Inquisitor..."
Cullen had no idea what she had stuck in the hole, other than he both didn't want to know and that it should greatly concern him. Ayala had an annoying habit of picking up every piece of useless junk on Thedas that caught her attention for any reason and Cassandra and Solas had decided it was Cullen's job to sort through it all just in case some of it was dangerous (some of it was inevitably dangerous, but given the amount of stuff the woman dragged back to Skyhold, it would be far more suspicious if it wasn't occasionally dangerous.)
"I asked you a question, Inquisitor..." Cullen hoped the 'angry Templar' tone would get her attention. He doubted it would, she was one of the few Circle mages he'd met that didn't inherently mistrust Templars, but if the tone didn't work he'd have to try and touch her and he wasn't in the mood to be flung halfway across the courtyard by a barrier spell she'd send up whenever someone tried to touch her and she wasn't expecting it (although if she spent more time in this world and less in her own, she might be surprised about it less often).
Ayala hummed to herself and adjusted whatever it was that she stuck in the hole that Cullen was becoming more and more convinced he never wanted to look closely enough at to properly identify. She made one last adjustment and turned to face Cullen (who had made sure to have his arms crossed and a disapproving glare on his face in preparation for it).
"Inquisitor, you know you're supposed to bring anything you find to me before you do anything else with it, right?"
Ayala's eyes darted up and to the right, "Uh... I don't know what you're talking about?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about." He stepped around her, finally resigned to seeing just what she'd gotten herself into this time.
"But look! He's all happy there! You wouldn't want to make him mad by taking him out of his new home!"
Cullen clawed his fingers in rage at the interloper sitting in the garden. The blighted gnome was, by far, the ugliest thing Cullen could recall seeing (and that was saying something given the things Cullen had seen). Its sculptor had (for some Maker-forsaken reason) carved its wrinkled face into a snarl and given the thing almost avian talons that were reaching up towards whoever was looking at it. And the ridiculously oversized hat that obscured its eyes was just a mockery of everything.
He reached out and snatched the thing out of the ground, provoking a disbelieving interjection from Ayala. "Hey! Put him back! He liked it there!"
"NO! Inquisitor, you know the rule - anything you find on your travels has to come directly to me for inspection! Now, I'm going to put this blighted thing in the ever-growing pile of things you've picked up. Once I manage to examine it, assuming it's not possessed by something, you can have it back and then you can stick it in the garden if that's what you want to do!"
"But he wants to live in the garden now!"
"It is a statue!"
Cullen turned and stalked off, but not quickly enough to avoid Ayala's grumbled retort, "Don't see why you're so grumpy about everything all the time..."
He (barely) resisted the urge to turn around and hit her over the head with the stupid hunk of rock and stomped the rest of the way back to his office.
He set the thing down on his desk and buried his head in his hands, hoping the thing would decide to be gone when he opened them (this could all be a bad dream, couldn't it?). Unfortunately, when he was interrupted a few minutes later by Jim, not only was the scout lurking around in his office for what he was positive was an inherently illegitimate reason, the blighted garden gnome was still there and appeared to be sticking its tongue out at him (he wished he could recall whether the thing always had its tongue out like that).
"What's this?" Jim lifted up the statue and turned it over in his hands.
"Nothing!" Cullen snatched it back. Jim winced as he did so, but Cullen didn't care. "Something the Inquisitor picked up and was trying to sneak into the garden." He slammed the thing down on his desk.
"Oh, so you know the Inquisitor was doing something in the garden then?"
Cullen widened his eyes and pressed his lips hard enough for it to hurt him at the man. Fortunately it worked as Jim ran from the office faster than Cullen had ever seen him move before. He turned down to his desk so he could take out his anger at the damn gnome only to find it gone.
That's... odd. I could have sworn I just put it down here.
He started looking around the desk for the thing.
Maybe I just slammed it down hard enough to crush the blighted thing. No, I'm not that lucky...
He snapped his head up when he heard the door open, "What now, Jim? Some other problem I've already solved?"
"I highly doubt that, Commander. I can think of few problems you've actually solved."
Cullen narrowed his eyes at the one interruption he liked less than the scouts. "...Solas."
"Well, I see your eyesight is working. However, I came in to test your memory. Ayala came to tell me that you confiscated her gnome."
"I don't care how upset your girlfriend was about it! She knows she's supposed to bring things like that to me first! And why'd you let her bring the blighted thing back with her anyway?"
Solas shook his head slightly in a gesture Cullen recognized to mean the apostate had no intention of listening to a word he was saying.
Where is that damn gnome now that it could have a use. I might not be able to hit the Inquisitor with it, but I could absolutely throw it at him...
"Finished, Commander?"
Cullen glared in response.
"Good. While I care little, for the record, I did not 'let' Ayala bring anything back here. She was with Sera, Blackwall, and the Enchanter at the time, and my understanding is they were too busy antagonizing each other to notice that Ayala had gone off into a secret passage on her own. However how the gnome got to Skyhold is unimportant. Where the artefact is now is."
"I don't know. I must have tossed it in one of the piles of junk," Cullen threw his arm around his office to indicate all the random items Ayala had dragged back to Skyhold, while Solas had been 'supervising' her, "Your girlfriend whose name you're afraid to say to her face dragged back here."
Cullen thought one of Solas' eyebrows may have twitched at that.
Good. At least he's getting just as annoyed about this as I am!
"Let us keep any interaction between us to a minimum, Commander. Where is the gnome now."
"I don't know, I can't find it, but I also can't be expected to keep track-"
Solas sighed, looked at the ceiling (or at least as much of the ceiling that existed in Cullen's office), and cut him off, "Very well, Commander. However, as you cannot locate it, can you tell me this - had Ayala put the gnome in the garden before you confiscated it?"
"I -" Cullen thought back for a second. "Yes."
Solas pursed his lips. "Unfortunate. And these blood drops by your desk, they were not caused by the gnome by any chance, were they?"
"I - what?" Cullen leaned over to where Solas was pointing. There wasn't a lot of blood, but it was fresh, and Cullen didn't think it had been there before Jim started playing with the stupid gnome.
Cullen didn't answer Solas, but the man saw through his silence. "That is even more unfortunate, Commander."
"Why? Just what do you know about this Solas?"
"Well, I know nothing, I never saw the statue myself if you recall, however in my travels in the Fade I have heard rumors of-"
"GARRG BAR-RARGH!!" A gutteral cry interrupted whatever Solas was going to say.
They both snapped their gazes to Cullen's desk in time to see the gnome reach into the inkwell and smear paint on is face in a pattern that was reminiscent of Bull's vitaar.
"BA-RAR-RAR!!!" the gnome called as it picked up one of Cullen's quills and stabbed at his hand.
Fortunately, his armor was more than a match for his quill and the makeshift weapon snapped in half. The gnome seemed to be far less pleased than Cullen at the development and reacted by trying to bite his finger. He snatched gnome and threw it at the nearest wall (the fact that Solas' head was in a direct path to the nearest wall was just a random fringe benefit of the action). Unfortunately, Solas ducked out of the way and the gnome was launched outside Cullen's office without taking any of the apostate with it.
"GAR-Rah-argggh!!!!" it called as it landed and turned to scurry away.
"Let me guess - the statue is cursed and will come to life if its removed from its garden and exposed to blood?"
"Not exactly, Commander. The statue is cursed, however it does not need blood to come to life. That happens if it is forcibly removed from a garden in which it has been placed if the proper precautions are not taken. The blood allows it to increase its numbers. The more blood it finds, the more of these we will have to deal with. And the more bleeding injuries they could cause. I'm sure you can understand the vicious circle that represents."
"If we survive this, Solas - your girlfriend is in quite a LOT of trouble."
"Technically, Commander, she didn't cause any of this. You were, after all, the one who removed the gnome from the garden."
"Have I mentioned lately how much I don't like you?"
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felassan · 4 years
Text
TEVINTER NIGHTS details (new)
ohh shit ohh fuckk Not a drill! Under the cut because spoilers. Don’t look if you want to read these short stories unspoiled.
serious SPOILER WARNING.
also please bear in mind I was working from fragments and trying my best to infer, so it’s not going to be perfectly correct like an oracle!
Dorian is in it
Maevaris is in it
Vaea is in it
no Zevran from what I can see sorry :’( [but bear in mind I can’t see all of it] BUT there is reference to House Arainai
Solas is mentioned at least 4 times by the name Solas
Solas or his new cultists seemingly have ordered his/their agents “Death before capture” they fucking SUICIDE PILL rather than be captured WTF?? or at least one agent in a story does. (see quotes below)
it also reads like they’re blowing up/bombing/trying to blow up towns of thousands of people???
Felassan is mentioned
A FEMALE ELF WHO SHAPESHIFTED INTO A HALLA and then a falcon and a snowy owl. she has short hair, freckles and striking features; I’m love
STRIFE THE ELF. 
a reference to the HoF; or more specifically an assassin family lost face when they failed to complete a contract on their life
An Executor is in it and talks, has interactions with several different types of characters
werewolves!!
in the first story a City Elf-turned-Dalish and a lowborn Tevinter mage are taken as slaves by invading Qunari during their invasion of Tevinter, escape and learn to work together to overcome their prejudices and such in order to survive (since they were chained together). Dalish/elvhen lore is quite prominent in this short.
The Qunari are moving into Rivain. “You need to get word to the clans before they land.” Clans in Rivain confirmed again?
Divine Victoria appears, seems to be kept neutral/non-specific i.e. can be any of the 3
Venatori mentions
red lyrium encounters
there’s a new Dalish clan name given, Oranavra
one story seems to deal with a clan getting back their precious ironbark halla statue
Andruil mentioned several times. Ghilan’nain mentioned
we’re going to Arlathan Forest. it has entities protecting it called Forest Guardians or sth
there is some sort of order or guild called the Lords of Fortune. they are treasurehunters, the order seems to be Rivaini in origin but like others can join?
also the first story features a Tevinter male mage (not magister) who is MLM
there’s a Qunari rank Bas-taar it means Keeper of Bas
Charter appears and she does gay pining for Tessa, twice
Sutherland and company appear and go on a mission. We get some insight into each of their pasts
Philliam, a Bard! appears. he argues with Genetivi
Varric as Viscount Tethras is mentioned
Kal-Sharok is mentioned
Cassandra is mentioned, seems to appear in Sidony’s flashback
Josephine is mentioned
we return to Skyhold as it is the setting for a story
more wiping out of Dalish groups fucks sake Bioware
a Rasaan is in it
Genetivi is in it
Dagna appears
Valya mentioned, doing new research into new weird darkspawn phenomena. and HOLY SHIT, the new darkspawn revelations in this book!!
the Antaam attacked without the permission of the rest of the Qunari govt
Sidony from DAMP is in it
without an army Antiva’s only line of defense against the Qunari is the Crows
Kirkwall’s events & boom referenced
Serault glass mirrors mentioned
House Danarius mentioned, a mage from the house was mentioned as having been up to something
a new type of demon I think, Regret. & the implication that there are spirits of Contemplation and Introspection. I think the Regret we see, “the regret of a god”, is Solas’ regret :S Sutherland and Co are dispatched to Skyhold to deal with it, it had like taken up residence in the deserted building or something. seems like all Solas’ regrets about what’s occurred and his choices like coalesced into this spirit (not literally but the spirit took the form because the feeling was so strong)
many cameo appearances from minor npcs who were Skyhold staffers
necromancers in Nevarra get skeletons to do their chores and its totally normal
there is an establishment called the Nug Queen
“hollix” means something like “irrepressible rascal” in old Tevene
no mention of live griffons from what I can see
Isseya is mis-spelled as Issenya
Quotes:
As though my good works were insufficient to draw compassionate spirits who might wish me protected, as though I were some common criminal binding spirits through blood magic, not the victim of the Dread Wolf himself! they returned with
[suicide pill entry] Her teeth clenched. Green foam started to fill her mouth. I dropped her to the ground and she started spasming, her legs drumming on the wooden deck. Her back arched once, twice, and then she was still. I knelt beside her and put my fingers to the side of her throat. Nothing. Dead. Damnit. “And that’s the other reason I didn’t join. Death before capture. Not my sort of thing at all.”
The words battered us like storm winds, and the Dread Wolf’s jaws closed upon the Tevinter mage, snapping him up in an instant as he screamed in terror. The lesser demons rushed down upon us, crackling with fire and lightning and our
us, and the demons that had accompanied the Dread Wolf burst into the world in righteous fury, shining warriors with blades forged from the raw fade itself and behind them, dimly visible through the crackling light, the shadow of the beast
“And now we know that the Dread Wolf has agents working for him,” the bard added, his mask glittering in the firelight as he tossed back his golden locks. “and that he has the power to kill those who oppose him as they sleep.”
“I act freely. For the Dread Wolf. To bring back what was once ours - what must be ours again.” Dread Wolf. Crap. I’d heard the rumors of course - dozens of elves, off to heed the call of some god. Guess I’d found one of them, at least. “The Qunari left sooner than I’d expected - their trail grew cold. But I had you. You found them for me.
All painted by Solas, the Inquisition’s expert on the Veil and the Fade beyond. It was his gift of record. At least, that’s what was claimed at the time. The rotunda they entered now was not fastidiously clean like the rest of Skyhold. The floor was
“Tevinter’s intelligence network declined to answer our request,” Charter said, “As did the Ben-Hassrath.” She grimaced. “The latter is especially disappointing. They had more knowledge of Solas’ movements than anyone else. They also”
“‘Solas’ is also not true.” “Pride,” said Laudine. “It means pride.” Rasaan stopped and cocked an eye. “Very good,” she said. Names were important to the Qunari. They were named for their roles, and roles defined their identities. Their actual
“Beyond that, the Inquisition knows little about what Solas intends. Much of his research involves the Veil that separates our world from the world of the spirits. He claimed to have created it, and he asked the Inquisition for help activating
A lone elf. My client. [...] The rune that she’d given me - she held it aloft, examining it critically. Muttering a single word over and over again.  “Felassan, Felassan, Felassan.” There was a hum, and the rune began to glow a steady and unpleasant red. I’d been around enough magic to know that was probably not a good thing.
“But you are now known to Fen’Harel. He has eyes everywhere. Inside Tevinter, without a doubt.” “So where should we go?” Irian asked quietly. She had moved closer, and was standing directly beside me.
The Fen’Harel question. How many lives had ended, seeking an answer? Four more, if our turn chasing a legend fails tonight. But we’ve dragged truth from the darkness beneath Tevinter, found pages that will guide
of those damned Fen'Harel cultists. 'Ooh, if we blow up enough people, ancient Elvhenan is definitely coming back.'” She caught my questioning glance. “They tried to recruit me a few years ago. I said no.” 
as the Avvar do. But whatever fear the name Dread Wolf carries, he has earned. While we might visit the Fade, it is his natural home, and the spirits there serve him gladly. They whisper in my dreams now, accusing me of crimes I never
the wolves. Each event that had shaped the Inquisition was being stripped of color.
The division of the mortal realm from the Fade was not a natural state that had always existed. It was an event, a moment in time that had literally shattered the elven empire. Pieces of that glory now drifted beyond dream and will, with the Dread Wolf stalking between. But other pieces remained, displaced in the physical world.
Elves are slim, but its their eyes and ears we recall. Humans have the most variety in the shoulders, and all anyone sees about qunari are height and horns
In our veins runs true Tevinter blood, passed down from the dreamers -
You all know that the Antaam invaded without permission of the other branches of Qunari government? We had assumed this would hobble them, but it appears the priests and workers were a moderating influence. Without them, the Antaam have crushed the Tevinter opposition in the east, and I fear everything east of Vyrantium will be under their control within a year, and northern Antiva as well.
The Inquisition had to be disbanded, they argued.. The Inquisition wasn’t the first army it had hosted. It would remain a distant beacon, so that all would remember when the Inquisitor had rallied the people of Thedas against a false god
He couldn’t be killed until his blighted dragon was dead, and the Herald had somehow countered with a dragon of their own. And there was a dragon on the panel, with an Inquisition blade in its neck. But according to the story
Every act of the Inquisitor recorded in masterful plaster and paint. From the explosion that had marked the Herald, to the triumph against a blighted false god
matter to her that Sidony wanted nothing to do with the fate of her home country? The Inquisitor does not want to see that happen to Nevarra. Or did it only matter that the Inquisitor was pleased?
The Inquisitor has taken a chance on his potential. But more than that, the Inquisitor had stood for him. Had stood for them all. Made them feel like they were worth it and could help. Made them look forward.
We bounced once, twice, jostling with the magical orb but it still held
Something huge trembled around us, a spirit so great that it shook parts of the Fade I had always considered to be neutral, devoid of life. - and high overhead, where the Black City shadowed the sky, I heard a great booming roar
So that’s what it was. “Supposed to be a piece of the Black City itself. ‘A reminder of man’s hubris, and of the unique and glorious divinity of the Maker’.” I snorted. “Seems like a bunch of nug shit to me.” “Regardless, the artifact has been stolen.
“Anything else?” “Whoever clips the Crows’ wings will walk by my side when we enter the Black City and take glory back for the Imperium.”
The Blight is over, or so it seems. Valya, a young elven mage recently recruited into the Wardens, has been tasked with studying the historical records of previous Blights in order to gain insight into newly reported, and disturbing, darkspawn phenomena. Her research into the
One of our best smiths has been studying red lyrium, and she says the blasted stuff is tainted by the Blight. A few families might’ve tried to keep smuggling it after that, but we shut that down. The Carta believes in business. Blight is bad for business.
So when this Dalish elf comes around asking can someone get the lyrium idol out of what’s left of the statue, our first thought was to send him back to his clan with a few new tattoos on his face, if you know what I mean. Plus, the idol is
“Or he could be a demon impersonating an elf,” the Mortalitasi said, sipping her wine. “What he does is not... especially Tevinter.” the Mortalitasi said with a sneer. “since most of it is built over where the ancient elves lived.”
“FROM THIS MOMENT, SHOULD YOU EVER BIND A SPIRIT, THEN YOUR LIFE IS MINE.” The hypocrisy almost made me laugh. The Dread Wolf forbade us from binding spirits, but why would these lesser demons attack us if not because the
but before the Tevinter mage could complete his ritual, the Dread Wolf arrived... burning eyes like a pride demon, and it came to us on wings of fire that resolved themselves into a horde of lesser demons as the Dread Wolf landed before us
The mark of the Pride demon, Audric realized. 
“I would caution you in dealing with those across the sea,” he said, “they are dangerous. “More dangerous than the elf who threatens the world?”
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staggeringsmite · 3 years
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4, 8, 14, and 31 for the dm asks? (Also I hope you’re having a great day!)
thank you sola!!! i hope you're having a great day too <333 putting these under a cut bc it got a bit long
4. do you have any noticeable dm mannerisms? anything you’ve picked up from ttrpg shows or other dungeon masters in your life? or common tropes, themes, or encounters that reappear across your games?
aslkjlgkfjlgk i don't know actually? i have chronic "heard someone say this once and now it's a part of personality" so i think Most of my mannerisms are borrowed and i have no idea where from. i know i've kept "okayokayokayokay" from when ashley johnson was on in the cr1 days which tends to be my combat noise when it's my turn with npc's and the phrase hell yeah/hell yes gets repeated pretty frequently as my affirmative "cool hell yeah do that thing" phrase. as far as encounters or tropes i think dream sequences are soooo convenient and good and spicy for introducing some nice meta flavor naturally and narratively to analyze a character/characters. i love having them in my games because i think it's a great way to facilitate scenes (getting players to think about their character's state or jump-starting thoughts from the party members about a certain pc) or simply to get people thinking about what their character is going through more in depth. i also LOVE a good minigame session, festivals and parties with a competitive element and people running around to find their niche and do fun skill checks is a great way to get some dice rolling in a not traditional combat way and just to have a good time.
8. what types of stories do you like to tell? what is a game of yours incomplete without?
fuck capitalism and found family are givens i think <3 i just love and find comfort in focusing on love and community and chosen family and am not terribly interested if those themes in whatever form they are presented are entirely absent. but i particularly adore the bittersweet notes in a game. looking at wandering isles, which overall has a fantastically happy ending given the odds the pc's were facing, there are so many little notes that don't get that overwhelming, vastly fulfilling joy with them, they're messy and tinged with sadness and they make my brain go brrr extremely. i can't take credit for all of them because most had pc interaction at their core but to name a few: temish still being tethered to the mountain, his story being about sacrifice and him never being able to repair that bond with his sister over his decision to become this vessel, rosa's betrayal and being just an irredeemably flawed person that xarus has to cut off that hope of closure, eva admitting that she does not know who she is or who she would've been as the twin's mom that her first feelings towards them were not love when she got her memory's back and that she has a mountain of trauma and learning to love herself again to get through before they can hope to try and recover something (and that something never really being maternal because it just can't be + on this line therrin's death not being reversed at the end of the campaign) just to name a few. i live for this shit and think it makes the bright spots brighter <333
14. place you wish the pc’s had spent more time in or a plot hook they didn’t follow?
i just love all of the places in the wandering isles but as far as pacing goes and it being an airship pirate-based campaign it never made sense for you all to stay in one spot for a long time, i wish in general we could've seen a bit more of the big three organically (linde, geline, and malstova) because linde was such a vibrant atmosphere, and geline and malstova being the capitalist hellscape islands would've put a lot into perspective and maybe helped the revolution aspect that was big be more on screen for the party (though, once again, you were hunting down the singular world-ending entity and didn't have a lot of time either place to stop and check things out, and the plot didn't provide a good way to do so beyond these points)
31. best game snack/drink?
ooooh!!! pringles gang with jack because such a good quick chip to have for stress eating. snacking is very important with my blood sugar stuff bc we play for a loooong time some nights, so pringles and granola bars are #1. i usually eat a quick dinner before, so i'm not hungry until later in the session. as far as drinks go!! i love having tea with me (especially if it's in my little guy mug <3) and a big ass glass of water i have to refill a lot from talking all the time.
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emerald-amidst-gold · 3 years
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Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
I realized last night that that concept was the first I had written of Solas and Fane interacting in forever, and as such, I can’t stop now. 
I’m like, ‘Okay, smut now. Waaaait...one more build up!’ And so, I present Fade shenanigans and more fluffy angssssssttttt! *slams down virtual document*
***
The scent of Gladiolus was the first thing Fane could detect as his mind disconnected from blackness. It was sweet, yet pleasantly mild, and slowly numbed the pains of his body and head, which were both throbbing in protest. 
“Ugh..”, he heard himself grunt before he willed himself to open his eyes. He had a hazy recollection of everything, but mainly all the emotions he’d absorbed.
Trepidation, anxiety, sorrow, grief, happiness, love and joy in equal measures. Along with the magic he could remember kissing his face, that must have been why he had...ended up where he was currently.
Which was…?
Brightness immediately met him as Fane slowly opened his eyes, squinting a bit from the intensity before his vision acclimated. What he saw above him, realizing now that he was laying down, had his hazy mind clicking into place like a piece in a puzzle. 
He knew this place - completely.
This place, with its crystal clear blue sky that still warbled like the tides of the ocean, and the almost overwhelming scent of Gladiolus, who’s sweetness reminded him of a fresh baked cake. This place, that felt so real, so tangible, as he ran a hand along the soft grass under his body and felt his eyes flutter at a whispering breeze. This place, that held a feeling of home, of safety, of grief, but made him only feel relief as each one soaked into his body. This place, where he could hear the delicate tinkle of wind chimes and the low hum of a baritone chorus in the air around him, the latter barely audible, even for a dragon, but it was there. 
This place, where the rules of nature apply, but don’t. This place, where the imaginable became reality. This, where they had made a golden vow before only one returned with a usually composed face shattered and eternal eyes only harboring a well of tears for their other half, but refused to shed them due to guilt and self loathing.
Yes, he knew this place, even if he possessed none of which would tie him to it. Or, maybe he did have a link as he let his head roll to the left to glance down at the dormant mark upon his hand - watching it silently ebb with green light like a wisp.
It didn’t hurt anymore, surprisingly, but there would come a day when it would again. Though, there could be a chance, he knew, to-- 
Fane quickly abandoned that train of thought as he let his head lull back to stare upwards. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on what was to come, what many, many an argument had been about. No, now was the time to watch the sky and be welcomed back. 
“Been a while.”, Fane murmured to the sky above, seeing how it shifted with the swaying of magic and spirits. “Yeah, I know. I should have come sooner..”, he continued to converse, able to understand what this foreign, but familiar sky wished to tell him.
It was saying, ‘Welcome home. We’ve been waiting.’ But it wasn’t the only one waiting for him if the mildly, mildly, panicked aura he could sense was any indication. 
Solas was here, and of course, he was being his usual self with how he could hear furious muttering coming from the treeline to the meadow he was situated in. 
“Every time, we are unprepared. Every time, and I still bend to match his passion.”, Solas’s voice reached him as it got closer. “I told him to be patient, but he never listens, never waits. Fenehdis lasa, ma’isensatha..”, the self conversation dying out upon that curse. 
Fane couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh at that, the realm around him latching onto the sound greedily as if it had been deprived of such purity. Oh, this fool would be the death of him. One could never truly be prepared for everything, and the removal of his vallaslin had been--
His thoughts and amusement died out as Fane launched himself upright, momentarily getting smacked with a wave of dizziness before he shook it off. Now he knew precisely why he was here! 
The vallaslin, or the lack thereof! The ritual! The magic had made him pass out!
“Gaps in my memory. Always gaps.”, Fane grumbled before whipping his head around for anything that could be reflective. He needed to be sure! He needed to see!
With a surprisingly graceful movement, he pushed himself to stand, wobbling slightly as he adjusted to the change around him, but steadied quickly. He nodded, shaking out his legs before resuming his search with his eyes. Reflective, reflective..
There was...nothing. No water, no shiny surfaces. There were only golden flowers that made a tight pang of longing replace the desire to see his unshackled face. He felt his eyes zero in one bloom, its petals still slightly closed as it seemingly trembled with fear and hesitation.
Fane frowned. That won’t do, he thought. Let me… 
Fane slowly began to walk towards the shivering bloom, gracefully bending a knee before it. As he thought, it was trembling. It’s golden hue held a mild hesitance to join its fellows. It’s peeking crimson from within making an appearance on occasion as it seemingly sobbed. He felt his eyes narrow and soften at that as he reached a hand out carefully, lightly brushing a few fingers against outer petals. 
“Shh. Do not fear the change to come, little bloom.”, he encouraged, watching as its shivering slowly calmed to where it was just lightly sobbing. “Look at me, see me, and accept that change can be beautiful, even if crimson and black loom overhead.”, his fingers glided up, tapping the now agape mouth of the flower. “We are what we are. There is no shame in that.”
With those words that he wasn’t even sure he was capable of ever saying, the fearful bloom calmed completely before it shined dimly. Fane watched without a shred of hesitation or any feeling of sickness as magic wrapped around a delicate bud like ribbons floating in the breeze. 
“Observe and accept. Observe those who came before you, but accept that you can be different, but still stay the same as they.”, he whispered in fiery determination. That’s right. No matter their appearance, they belonged to the kin that bore them to begin with. He to the dragons, and this slowly morphing flower the Gladiolus of gold and crimson. 
Those words seemed to give the struggling flower the push it needed because suddenly, the area around them lit up with not hues of gold and red, but rather, hues of white and blue. He watched with amazement as that essence wiggled into the ground, offering its gift to the others surrounding it before every single flower bore the same majestic colors of cerulean and ivory. 
It was beautiful. It was magical. It was a change born of acceptance and desire. There was no more simple way to put it as twinkling specks of magic popped to release themselves from above before residual flecks sprinkled down like the snowflakes that he had once allowed to sit upon his tongue out of draconic curiosity. 
And all Fane could think to say, as he heard a familiar intake of breath from behind that had him turning slightly towards it and how the array of blooms before them were awash in magical blue and purifying bleach was--
“We’re home, Solas.”, he said with a tight voice as the sprinkles of magic above kissed his skin with no pain. “We’re home..”
Fane watched as Solas’s unconcealed wonder at the display before them shifted to crushing adoration and relief, his face breaking out into an easy smile that could only be possible when they were home. 
“We are, ma lath.”, Solas agreed with a wobbling voice of his own before quickly, but not too quickly striding over to him to crash into him in a tight embrace.
Fane easily responded with an embrace of his own, the agony of his body feeling like no more than a bad dream as he pulled Solas flush against his frame. He nuzzled his face into the crook of the elf’s neck, suddenly overcome with a wellspring of emotions that had tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. Such an overabundance of emotion had him sobbing quietly before giving himself a watery laugh. 
“Damn it all..”, Fane laughed out shakily before more tears began to escape, his fingers curling into the back of Solas’s tunic. “Ar lath ma, ma fen. Ar lath ma. Ar lath ma.”, the once disgusting language that signified slavery to him falling out with love and relief. 
Solas’s embrace tightened even further around him as those words flowed like water, a singular hand coming up to weave into the hair at the nape of his neck with a firm grip. 
“Ar lath ma, ma’isenatha. Ar lath ma.”
Yes, change was good, change was required, and change was freedom awash in blue and white, not gold and crimson. 
Fane let out another watery laugh before a tiny wiggling of anxiety had him pulling back to connect their gazes. He was almost knocked out once again when he saw the swirling of pure love within Solas’s eyes, their stormy cast intensified by the shimmering lunar hued flowers around them, but he cleared his throat. He could gaze at his sky later because right now, he had a question. One he needed the answer to.
“So..”, he began, shifting his gaze away a few times from the one piercing into him. 
Solas only gave him a calming smile, arms still wrapped around his shoulders. “So..what?”
Fane let out a tiny huff. Why was this suddenly so difficult? Was it because of how many emotions he could feel rippling through him, the realm of dreams tickling his skin as it, too, latched onto this memory of love and freedom. Was it because of the knowing look that Solas was giving him with eternity? 
Was it because he was scared to know the truth? 
Perhaps it was all of those, or none of them, but soon he found the will to elaborate. This desire was stronger than any fear he could harbor.
“How...do I look?”, Fane finally said, his voice low and quiet, but not so much that Solas wouldn’t be able to hear. 
Solas blinked before his features softened and practically melted with tenderness, the arms around his shoulders unwinding to instead cup his face with his hands. Fane practically melted himself as he leaned into those soothing cushions, letting out a tiny sigh as his eyes went hooded. Looks like they were back where they started, hm? The mage, all cool and composed, and him, just putty. So typical.
The Elvhen rebel’s own eyes went hooded, supposedly due to Fane’s contentment, before leaning up to brush their noses and their lips together. Fane nearly cracked with long held restraint at that, but opted to simply pull the man closer to him. There would be time for what he also desired later. 
Their hooded gazes connected, heat radiating between them, their dual presence assured with the connection of their bodies before the sound of Solas’s voice, no more than a whisper, wrapped with gentle wonder and tender adoration, caressed his ears. 
“You are beautiful. Without and within.”
And what a freeing truth those words were as Fane let the last leash of his restraint snap and fray, surging forward to connect them in the most freeing expression he had once only dreamed of, yearned for but could not for fear of retribution.
A kiss, and he hoped, oh, he hoped, that much more would follow in this bittersweet place they called home.
*sits in a chair as the world burn around me* This is fine. I’m in hell and this is fine. 
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elfrootaddict · 3 years
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It has been a looooooong time since I posted anything regarding my Halla & Wolf series but I have recently managed to start the next volume: Keeping Company
Here are two small extracts from chapters 1 & 2 🤗
Chapter 1 of vol. 5 Keeping Company:
...
Lana then spots Commander Cullen shouting inaudible instructions towards his exhausted recruits, and then peers up at Solas, “You go on ahead. I just need to speak to our Commander before I head inside. See you at dinner?”
“Of course,” concurs Solas with a smile. “See you then.”
With a respectful nod towards Solas, Lana turns and walks towards the soldiers in training, “Cullen!”
Before leaving Haven for the Hinterlands, Lana often found herself wandering around the camp when she wasn’t either talking to Solas, playing Wicked Grace with Varric or sketching in her cabin. By the second day, she found the Inquisition’s military adviser training new soldiers or improving strategies with the experienced ones near Haven’s frozen lake, with the snowy mountains stretching up towards the scarred sky. In the quieter moments of her day, she would often enjoy watching the soldiers train under the guidance of Cullen’s experience and expertise. And since she has no training, or use, when it comes to utilitising a sword and shield, Lana found the number of different ways a sword can be used to strike down one's opponent to be equally grotesque and fascinating. It was a whole other world of defense she never knew and it piqued her curious mind.
Not wanting to get directly involved or noticed, Lana would quietly sit and observe to learn what she could from a distance. And on the few random occasions, Lana and Cullen would quickly share a couple of glances from afar and release mutual smiles of respect towards one another. This would be the only time they would interact, albeit from a distance, when they were outside the war room.
That is until by the fifth day, when a soldier in training managed to parry a sword out of another’s hand and accidentally fling it straight towards Lana, piercing the ground only an arm-stretch away from her feet. Irritated with his soldier’s negligence, Cullen orders the soldier to retrieve the sword and the young man immediately hurries over in panic, “Please forgive me, Herald! It will never happen again!”
Lana waves her hand in the air in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, “No, no, it’s fine. Please, don’t worry.”
The soldier simply offers a respectful bow and turns on his heel, passing Cullen as he heads towards Lana himself, “Maker’s breath,” remarks Cullen looking embarrassed. “I apologize on behalf of my soldier, Herald. Clumsy fool.”
With a sympathetic laugh, Lana looks up at Cullen, “It really is okay, Commander. It was just an accident.”
“Regardless,” reiterates Cullen with furrowed brows. “It should not have happened.”
Still looking up at the Commander, whose appearance Lana felt was easy on the eyes for a human, and his shining armour with a deep red fur wrapped around his shoulders, offers a simple smile. “That was still quite an impressive move.”
Cullen releases a soft laugh under his breath, “Disarming one’s opponent like that does not happen often.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” begins Cullen looking down at the ever curious elf peering up before him. “To get such a bind on your opponent’s sword like that means that your opponent isn’t very experienced or they are beyond exhaustion and are no longer concentrating. Usually your opponent will be able to parry such an attack if they know what they’re doing before the sword is twisted out of their hand.”
“Parry?”
“It means to counter a move,” explains Cullen casually, however based on Lana’s curious but perplexed expression, he releases a polite smile, “Perhaps it would be best if I showed you? If you’re interested, of course. I understand if you are needed elsewhere.”
Delighted by the invitation to know more about the world of swords and shields, Lana stands to her feet with a wide grin, “Of course! That is if you don’t mind? I can always come back another day.”
With a sincere smile, Cullen cocks his head towards his soldiers and reassures Lana that it would be of no inconvenience at all to show her some of the basic techniques of fencing and mastery of the sword. Since then, Lana and Cullen would often spend some time discussing other off-hand topics while watching the soldiers practice their techniques. Igniting another unexpected friendship.
~~~
Chapter 2 of vol. 5 Keeping Company:
...
“Now what?” murmurs Lana eventually to help snap her mind out of her obscene thoughts and back to the present. Back to reality.
Solas releases a wide smile at Lana’s eagerness as he cannot help but feel his own giddiness swirling inside him. The idea of bringing someone from this world into the Fade with him was quickly denied by the overly cautious, frightened and grossly misunderstood people of Thedas. Nobody cared to know more about the Fade than what the Chantry already preached. The Dalish were far too superstitious and did not want to disturb the resting place of their pantheon, lest they catch the wandering eye of Fen’Harel. Their minds were all made-up and nobody could tell them otherwise. Especially a wondering, lowly elf nobody had ever heard of before.
Reaching for his side of the fireplace, Solas grabs a small clay bowl with crushed, dried elfroot, “Now, before I light this I want to mention a few key aspects about the Fade that I believe you already know, but I feel should be said regardless,” Lana takes small shallow breaths as she listens intently to Solas’s every word. “Your beliefs and willpower is paramount in the Fade. Everything that exists there, exists by your expression of thought. If you are expecting a demon, the Spirit will adapt. Magic can be used if necessary but I strongly advise against it. Magic in the Fade is incredibly unpredictable and may end up causing more harm than good. As a somniari, I have far more control over my surroundings and abilities, so you will follow my lead and enter my dream.”
Lana slowly nods in acknowledgement, “Okay.”
“Now, I remember you mentioning that you have only entered the Fade once with your Keeper. So, I have taken the liberty of drying up some elfroot to help you relax. Making the passage easier for you,” Solas brings the bowl closer to his face and creates a small flame, lighting the dried healing plant before blowing all the flames out. A plume of smoke rises from the bowl as Solas places it on the grown between them. “Take my hands and close your eyes,” Lana looks down at the open palms laying before her and gently places her hands onto them. Solas then curls his fingers around, sealing her hands in a firm but gentle grip and murmurs. “Now, just focus on breathing in the air and connecting to the Fade. I will do the rest.”
With her eyes shut and seeing nothing but darkness, Lana focuses on her other senses: the elfroot fumes burning her nose as she takes in sharp, deep breaths, her aura humming alive as it connects to the Fade, the heat from the fire almost too hot against her face, her hands slightly damp in Solas’s grip, and the hairs standing up on the back of her neck as the magic begins to swirl around her. Suddenly her head begins to feel as light as a feather and slowly spins around, giving her the feeling she might lose her balance. But with Solas holding her securely in place, she knows she is safe from falling.
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bigfan-fanfic · 3 years
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Heskan Aeducan as a Companion
(Face Claim: Can Yaman) - Okay, I really wanted to do this because Heskan is basically the hot romanceable dwarf we’d all deserve in Inquisition. He uses the Dwarf Noble Origin and has the Spirit Warrior specialization, using it as an archer.
Hope y’all like him! Feel free to romance him, haha!
Inquisitor’s Name: Heskan “Hess” Aeducan
Race, Class, & Specialization: Dwarf Archer Warrior (Spirit Warrior)
Varric’s Nickname for them: Feathers
Default Tarot Card: The Chariot
How they are recruited: He joins automatically if you talk to him at the gate leading to the bridge in Skyhold; a cutscene triggers where he and Leliana are speaking and she vouches for his skill and he offers aid to the Inquisition.
Where they are in Skyhold: Aiming his bow over the battlements, taking potshots at trees in the distance.
Things they Generally Approve of: Pragmatic options, manipulating nobles, recruiting prisoners
Things they Generally Disapprove of: Letting prisoners go, executing them, dismissing Sera from the Inquisition, hitting Solas or Dorian
Mages, Templars, Other?: Heskan comes from Orzammar, and is really tired of having to deal with this whole surface conflict, especially as darkspawn get closer and closer to overrunning his people. That said, he prefers the mages. Templars he doesn’t trust.
Romanceable?: Yes, by any gender or race.
Friends in the Inquisition: Cole, Vivienne, and Iron Bull - Heskan and Varric have a not-quite-friendly rivalry.
Small side mission: Run around Skyhold collecting a stray arrow each time you return to Skyhold. 9 arrows altogether, every 3 arrows earns you a Heskan Greatly Approves.
Companion quest: Heskan wants to know if he is accessing the Fade through his Spirit Warrior specialization and asks the Inquisitor and Cole to help him, sleeping in front of them so they can test it. Cole mentions that Heskan is actually afraid of finding out the truth. After he wakes up, the Inquisitor has two options. Neither option impacts the ability to romance him.
Option 1: Lie and say no. This will net Disapproval from Solas and Approval from Cole and Heskan. Heskan seems relieved to learn that he is not upending all the rules for dwarfs and talking to him later reveals he is a little concerned because he’s been getting fragments of dreams, but nothing else comes of this. 
Option 2: Tell the truth. This will net Slight Disapproval from Cole and Great Approval from Heskan. Heskan admits that the idea of breaking all the rules for dwarfs and magic is frightening, but he is thrilled to consider this (if a Dwarven Inquisitor replies they feel the same way, they can earn extra approval). Talking to him later reveals that he has come to terms with accessing the Fade and he wants to attempt speaking with the spirit he has bonded with.
Tarot card change
Option 1: The Chariot (reversed)
Option 2: Knight of Pentacles
Cole’s reflection on their thoughts: “The smile should not have to be my mask, but it serves its purpose, bright and blinding as I bleed from the wounds in my back.”
Comment(s) on Mages: “Poor sods. I’d be pretty tired too if someone shut me up in a tower all my life and didn’t let me breathe wrong.”
Comment(s) on Templars: “We trade these people lyrium and we don’t care where it goes... but seeing what happens to them... I wonder if it’s worth it.”
When looking for something: “Did somebody hear that?”
When finding a campsite: “Care to kick up your feet for a while, Inquisitor?”
When the Inquisitor Falls: “Hurry, save the Inquisitor!”
When they are low on Health: “Hello? Archer needing help over here?”
When they see a Dragon: “You’re gonna go fight that thing, aren’t you?
Default saying: “Sort of brisk out here, isn’t it?”
Travel Banter with Canon Companions of your choice:
Heskan: So, Varric. Varric: (Sighs) Hello, Feathers. Heskan: You don’t like me much, do you? Varric: One handsome dwarf archer is enough for a good story. You’re a bit superfluous. Heskan: Don’t spare my feelings or anything...
Vivienne: Tell me, Prince Aeducan. What are you doing on the surface? Heskan: Madame Vivienne, please. You may call me Prince Heskan. Varric (if present): (Disgusted noise.) Vivienne: That wasn’t an answer, Prince Heskan. Heskan: No... no it wasn’t.
Heskan: Varric? Varric: (Sighs) What is it, Feathers? Heskan: Oh, I apologize. You must be trying to find a way to describe me other than “exceptionally ugly.” Varric: So you read The Tale of the Champion, huh? Heskan: If anything, I’d say that only one of us uses chest hair to distract from our sorry faces. Varric: “Hideously ugly and arrogant” it is, then. Heskan: Lazy writing!
Cole (after Heskan’s personal quest is complete and he is told the truth): She says hello. Heskan: She? She who? Cole: I don’t know... she’s you. (if made more human) I used to see her better. Heskan: Oh. Could you... could you tell her thank you? Cole: She knows. Heskan: Thank you, Cole.
Friendship?: “Hello there, love. Miss me?”
Leaving the Inquisition: “I’m not fond of the way you’re running things here. If you don’t shape up, I’d rather be sucked up into the Fade than hang around here.”
The Fade
How they react: “Well... this is different. Not sure I should really be here, actually.” Their Tombstone: Betrayal What the Fears look like: His dead brother Trian What the Nightmare says: “Ah, the murderer-Prince of Orzammar. Have they forgiven you for killing your brother yet? Or do you think they’re waiting for the right time to strike?” Their reflection about the Fade: "Yeah, I’m not so sure I enjoyed that.” Hawke or Warden: Has worked with both, Disapproves if Hawke or Alistair is left behind. Greatly Approves if Loghain is left behind. Approves if Stroud is left behind.
The Wardens
Their feelings: Respects the Wardens, being a veteran of the Fifth Blight and working with the Hero.  Exile or Allies?: Allies
The Ball
How they feel: “Smile, love. We’ve got a role to play here, so stay guarded.” Where they linger: Outside the door to Gaspard’s balcony Are they good at the Game?: Very much so. What people say about them: “Oh, that dwarven Prince is such a good dancer!” “Tall for a dwarf, isn’t he?” Gaspard, Briala, or Celene?: Prefers Briala through Gaspard
Temple of Mythal
Rituals or Hole?: Hole Agree with the Elves’ bargain?: Agree. Morrigan or Inquisitor for the Well?: Morrigan
Comments on Canon Romance
Cassandra: “Personally, the Seeker frightens me. But if you’ve chosen each other, I can tell she’ll be true.” Dorian: “Treat him well, Inquisitor. He’s been through enough in his life, I can tell.” Sera: “Hah, fun for all, eh? She’s a firecracker, she is.”  Iron Bull: “Heh, he’s a fun one. If you two weren’t together...” Josephine: “Ah, Lady Montilyet. A fine woman indeed. You’re lucky, Inquisitor. They don’t come much sharper than her.” Cullen: “Ah, I’ve met Cullen a few times before. He’s... he’s a better man than I once knew, I’ll say that.” Blackwall: “I’m definitely not qualified to judge. But he’ll treat you right, Inquisitor.” Solas: “Well, to each their own.”
Sexual/Racial preference: Panromantic. Any race.
Nickname for PC: My sweet
Romance only mission: Heskan asks the Inquisitor to accompany him to Valammar, where he has heard rumors of trouble brewing. The party is ambushed by Endrin loyalists who want Heskan dead for the alleged killing of his brother ten years ago. Afterwards, Heskan explains the details of his murky past, including why he killed his brother, and how he has always had to look over his shoulder. Choosing the dialogue response “Maybe I could look for you” locks in the romance, and Heskan expresses awe and joy that their casual flirting actually meant something.
Dialog to being asked for a kiss: “How could I refuse you, my sweet?”
Halamshiral dialog: “Just keep up that pretty smile of yours, my sweet. I promise I’ll put a real one on your face once the party’s over.”
Being asked to dance during mission: “As much as you want. Once this business with the Empress is over, of course.”
Asking to dance post-mission: “Come here... you’ve done so well tonight. If I can help you relax... I am honored.”
What Cole says about companion to PC: “The smile... it used to be false. Fake, fleeting, like feathers in the wind. But now... he is safe, secure...his sweet is here.”
Who is concerned about the relationship?: Varric, Cullen
Who supports the relationship?: Josephine, Leliana, Vivienne, Dorian
Who had a bet running on it?: Blackwall, Iron Bull, Sera
Banter(between NPCs):
Varric: So... you and the Inquisitor? Heskan: Ha, I never figured you for the jealous type, Varric. Varric: I - that’s... ugh.
Vivienne: A well-made match, my dear Prince. I congratulate you. Heskan: For once, Madame, I was not considering politics. Vivienne: Nonsense. Matters of the heart are just as political as anything else. Heskan: (chuckles) I suppose that on that count, we agree.
Iron Bull: So, are you a one-lover dwarf, or can I expect you again? Heskan: Why, Bull, you know I’ll never forget that magical night... Sera (if present): Ewww! How would that... oh. Fingers. Heskan: BUt in any event, you’d have to ask my sweet one. (The Inquisitor can respond favorably or unfavorably) Favorably Inquisitor: You could... if you don’t mind my presence. Iron Bull: The more the merrier! Heskan: My sweet, the Bull makes an excellent footrest. I’ll have to show you... Unfavorably Inquisitor: Sorry, Bull. He’s mine. Heskan: And I need no other lover. 
Flirt options: Upon meeting (gains Slight Disapproval from Varric), and at almost every interaction. Flirting with him enough unlocks his romance quest without needing to gain higher approval
Break up dialog:
If PC breaks it off: “I understand. It was fun while it lasted, though, eh? I’ll see you around, my - er, Inquisitor.”
If NPC breaks it off(and why): “I... I can’t condone what you’re doing, my sweet. I wish it could be different. I wish I could help you... but I cannot.” (Low Approval breaks off the romance)
Love confession: Heskan takes the Inquisitor walking along the battlements. “I... I never really thought I would find anyone who truly cared... but with you... I feel safe. I feel like... I could be happy.” The Inquisitor can flirt with him, which leads to a sex scene and lazy kissing in the Inquisitor’s bedroom, or say they love him, which leads to him pulling them to him with his bow string and kissing them deeply. “Then I am yours as long as you will have me, my sweet.” In either event, the Inquisitor can ask for a kiss or ask to “take a long walk,” which will result in a brief implied sex cutscene with a shirtless Heskan leaning over to kiss the Inquisitor in their bed.
Romanced tarot card: King of Pentacles
End game dialog: “You’ve done it. Beaten the villain, slain the dragon. I wish I could tell you it gets easier from here... but no matter what, I will be at your side, my sweet. Always.”
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dirthavarens · 3 years
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The Shrine;; Solavellan
Fandom: Dragon Age: Inquisition Characters: Mirani Lavellan, Solas Relationship: Solavellan Rating: General Audience Warnings: None Word Count: 1420 Notes: First time posting real fic in a while. I hope you enjoy!
The Exalted Plains were beautiful save the name and history of violence and bloodshed. Dirthavaren is what the Dalish called them, a much warmer title that resonated within the confines of Mirani Lavellan’s heart. Deep within was the lair of wyverns and a high dragon that laid slain, bones carried away for armor, and what remained was picked clean by ravenous wildlife. 
Mirani found a peculiar piece within Ghilan’nain’s Grove that lie just beyond the great beast’s nest and wondered how she had not seen it sooner. A sizeable and detailed shrine dedicated to a god of treachery and madness stood in carved stone. Most Dalish elves were content to carry only a small fetish and only for superstitious purposes. 
“I’ve never seen something so monumental dedicated to Fen’Harel,” she mused as she placed her palm upon the stone. It was warm from the sunlight and smooth beneath her touch with the exception of the intricate pattern carved into the body. “Surely it’s tucked away for some reason. Maybe due to the possible implications?”
Wolves were not uncommon in her people’s history, as tales of the creatures never leaving the side of the one with which they were bonded. Faithful to the last, were the wolves to the elves. But those statues were large and tame, content to gaze and guard. The wolves locked in stone before her howled soundlessly upward, forever crying out to the heavens. 
“And what implications do you infer?” It was Solas who spoke, but her eyes did not break from the design upon the wolves’ bodies. Their shared interest in the Fade and all things related to the true elves of Arlathan had bonded them from the very beginning of the Inquisition. She took comfort in his voice being the one to urge her further. Though, she swore she heard a note of apprehension lining his tone.
“I would say worship, but it’s hard to think of the Dread Wolf being the subject of such things if the tales ring true, though I’ve never placed much faith in the stories of my people. Maybe it’s a warning to those who venture so deeply into the Grove or maybe it’s a memorial. The Veil feels thinner and there’s room here for something. An eluvian?” 
The spellbound mirrors were a well-kept secret of the old elves that served as doorways between areas. Traces of them laid derelict in the Fade and she saw them only in dreams during her early travels in the Free Marches. The one that would fit in the space between the wolves would have had to have been massive. She took a step back and looked quizzically at the architecture. The stairs that led to the shrine would only serve as more evidence to her initial conjecture.
“An eluvian?” Solas repeated. “You have knowledge of such things?”
“A little,” Mirani began with a smile, still astonished by the shrine. “What remains of the true Elvhen is little and the Dalish only seek to covet it, hide it away from the world. With more eyes and minds turned toward the history, we could learn more than ever. Leliana believes that Briala knows of at least two working eluvians and uses them to move her spies undetected from place to place.” 
A hum of approval sounded from beside her as Solas stepped closer, his gaze now turned to the shrine as well. “It is refreshing to hear a Dalish voice so openly willing to admit such a thing. They claim to be true elves, but hoard and squander what they find. Knowledge should be shared to all ears, not guarded with abject hostility.”
“Though I come from a Dalish clan, Solas, you know I don’t consider myself Dalish. My clan tolerated my magic because the first to the Keeper was old enough to train me and when I was old enough, I was content enough to keep myself far from camp. I spent most of my time in search of ruins that might hold more knowledge,” she explained, ensuring that she kept the bitter taste in her mouth from soiling her words. “Occasionally, they would listen to what I learned but if anything challenged the old stories of the Creators it was immediately shut down.”
Despite her low opinion on her clan, Mirani was thankful that she had been permitted to stay among them. Most Dalish kept no more than two mages in their clan to prevent possible abominations from spawning and those two mages were always at the head of the clan. Elves were intrinsically tied to the Fade, the magic in their blood as old as time. To be punished for having that gift hardly made sense to her.
“My apologies, vhenan. My own interactions with the Dalish have been largely negative to say the least. Perhaps if I had met you earlier, I could have shared my knowledge with you.” 
She turned her attention to Solas and saw the shadow of forlorn familiarity as he gazed upon Fen’Harel’s shrine. Such pain dwelt behind his eyes and Mirani could only think to amount it to the stories he possessed of the ancient elves. The glittering city of Arlathan, towering in the sky like a brilliant jewel. Despite being tied closely to the Fade, she could only imagine what he had seen in his journeys. 
“You’re here now,” she returned softly. “That’s what matters.”
He blinked slowly, the amaranthine sorrow returning to its secret place within him, and turned his head in her direction. “As are you and so long as you’re willing to listen, I will share all that I know.”
“Have you ever found any traces of Fen’Harel in your travels into the Fade?” 
Solas turned to her, the pelt upon his armor shifting slightly as his staff brushed it. There was a muted hesitation in him that would have been imperceptible to most members of the inner circle, but Mirani caught it in a fleeting glimpse.
“Some say his pride was too great, that he locked away the Gods to hold power of them and be the only immortal to roam free,” he started. “As you know from the tales of the Dalish, he was perceived as a monster more than a man--an enemy bearing the face of a friend, at the ready with a knife behind his back. The truth, I fear, is much more complicated. It would be easier had he simply been the malefactor all claimed him to be. He stood defiant against the pantheon, saw their misdeeds against the Elvhenan, and presumably sought a way to free them from their masters.”
Mirani returned her gaze to the wolf statues as she listened to him speak and tried to imagine the hellish fiend as something more complex, something softer, something solitary and wise and helpful. Solas continued. 
“The echoes of long forgotten memories cry out his name in terror as Arlathan crumbled and the world was torn asunder. Magic left the earth as he locked away both the Forgotten Ones and the so-called Creators, the Veil holding back all that the elves were.”
“But why erect the Veil?” The question left her lips before she had time to consider the possibility of him not knowing. 
“What I have found in the Fade suggests that he was attempting to keep the pantheon from destroying the world in their ceaseless lust for power and control. The people suffered a great deal from the actions of their leaders, as they often do when power is placed in the wrong hands. And in his desperate foolishness creating the Veil, the Dread Wolf caused the very world he fought against.”
They stood silent for a time. Mirani swallowed the sorrow that welled in her throat as she drowned in the imagery of the tale. She looked to the howling head of the wolf and wondered how terrible of a burden that must be. It was her every fear, to fail those who needed her protection, to fail the elves, to fail the mages, to fail herself. 
She reflected a moment on his words and closed her eyes. The face she needed to place upon the Dread Wolf was not one in need of creation, but one she knew so intimately that it made her stomach drop. So visceral were his details that she could no longer keep herself blinded by self-imposed ignorance. 
“It must be a heavy burden to bear,” she said after another few minutes of silence. 
“It is indeed, vhenan.”
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faerieavalon · 3 years
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I WANT TO ASK ALL THE QUESTIONS, DAMN IT 1. What’s your favorite character(s) to write for? 2. What character(s) do you find the most difficult to write for? Why? 3. Do you have a favorite scene/chapter/arc/etc you’ve written for Sule? AND OH, 34 :3
AHAHAHA choosing?! You bastard gollum. I’ll take them all!
1. What’s your favorite character(s) to write for? 
This was actually harder to answer than I thought it would be. I adore Ara’lan with my heart and soul but she’s a real challenge to write for, especially right now. She doesn’t even remember her whole story right now so I have to be extra careful about what she should know and what was forcibly forgotten. That being said, keeping her centered around her spirit self of Hope is hard in Thedas. There isn’t much to spare.
Final answer is actually Anaris. I haven’t written much of him yet and I can’t wait to see what people think of how I’ve changed his story. He’s sharp, dangerous, and witty. Also immeasurably powerful? Churning his words into daggers and grins into nightmares has me cackling away like a mad woman. He’ll grow in time, but right now he’s so much fun for me. Solas, I’m sure, would starkly disagree.
2. What character(s) do you find the most difficult to write for? Why? 
Flemythal. She has a rhythm to everything she does and if you hit it wrong it’s like dropping a piano down the stairs. Everyone is going to notice. So when I’m not altering canon interactions I am terrified of missteps. Word choice, body language, and tone are so important. I also adore her. I may write her as a terrible villain in my story, but I mean that with the most respect. No one else could carry the weight of what I have planned the way she can. So I suppose I’ll have to conquer my fear sooner than later.
3. Do you have a favorite scene/chapter/arc/etc you’ve written for Sule? 
You would make me pick, you brat! I adore the moment when Felassan sees Ara’lan for the first time after thinking she was dead for so long. There was the dance she shared with Solas, where she learned who he really is. Or in the temple, when she called out Abelas. And I can’t pick something I haven’t written yet or else you know exactly which one I’d choose. (no spoilers, lol)
I will have to say the scene/moment I keep going back to and reading with a feeling of ‘wow, that’s awesome’ would have to be my revised Crestwood. When Solas took Ara’lan into the cave and showed her the memory, he knew there was no going back. He trusted her enough to give her the opportunity to both figure out who he truly is and prove that she was every bit of the person she’d told him she was so far. There’s one line I wrote that will stick with me for a very long time:
“I see you, Fen’Harel. I see you and I am not afraid.”
34. Have you felt emotional while writing a scene before? What scene was it? 
Oh shit, yeah! These are all going to be out of order.
I was crying writing the Fade scene where Mythal kidnaps Ara’lan. I knew what was coming and I didn’t want to do it. Her fear, her pain were agony to write. Then Felassan’s reaction after, his anger and frustration, and Solas compartmentalizing his feelings, because of course he would, just ugh!
On the same lines, I died a little inside writing out the shared dream between Ara and Felassan, where he learned how he lost her. Making her relive that and him holding it all in so he could be strong for her was the first real time I could show the depths of their connection and through that fire they survived stronger. But I didn’t.
Getting Ara through Dirthamen’s temple was nearly as hard as getting her through Mythal’s for totally different reasons. I’m an anxious creature and knowing she would be feeling and hearing things she didn’t understand and no one could help her process made me twitchy. I’ll hopefully be able to explain this to her, and readers, soon.
There are a lot of emotions in my pending chapters and I’m scared of them. Between Abelas having to [redacted] and the fight that nearly kills [redacted], and then the bit where [redacted] breaks the [redacted], I’m chewing my nails to nubs and have a knot in my stomach that won’t die.
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