alyssalenko

[alyssalenko]

When Rook is twenty-eight, and Emmrich fifty-four, Emmrich takes Rook's hand gently and tells her that they must fully consider what it means for him to be so much older. To attach herself to him, when he is so close to his own decline, is folly—

Rook looks at him directly, waiting until his downcast eyes meet hers.

"I'm a Grey Warden," Rook tells him. "I know how to make every year that I am given count."

When Rook is thirty-one, and Emmrich fifty-seven, as Emmrich presses a kiss against the back of Rook's bare shoulder, Rook admits in a small voice: "I have, at most, fifteen years left to live."

In the warm darkness of their bedroom, the quiet stretches like the last moment after a crystal has been struck, just before the world falls again into silence.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Emmrich vows.

When the bells peal, sunlight and thrown petals and grains and joyous laughter raining down on them in equal measure, when Emmrich clasps her hands and says I give you my heart and soul. I will honor and cherish you each and every day of our lives— his voice sounds exactly the same.

When Rook is thirty-seven, and Emmrich sixty-three, she finds him on the floor of his laboratory, overcome by weeping.

"I have it," Emmrich tells her. "I have it. The Blight will progress no further in you."

She rocks him on the floor for a full hour as he sobs with the heart-rending relief, clutching her as if afraid to ever let her go.

When Rook is forty-six, and Emmrich seventy-two, Emmrich claims that most of his smile lines are Rook's doing.

"And many of the worry ones, too," Rook teases gently, brushing her thumb over her favorite, the divot closest to his eyebrow.

Decades of love settle over a person as tangibly as gravity: they are both radiant with it.

They watch the sun set together, as they have done hundreds of times, hand in hand. Emmrich waits until the last sliver of pink has left the clouds before he turns to Rook to speak.

"I have learned that my solution was flawed," Emmrich admits very quietly. "The Blight in you will be at bay only so long as I live."

The light of the first rising star is reflected in Emmrich's gleaming, tear filled eyes.

Rook raises their joined hands to her mouth, kissing the back of his.

"I am older than I ever thought I would live," Rook says tenderly. "This life is enough, love."

The words soften Emmrich's expression, but fail to touch the grief in his eyes.

"It is more than enough," Rook tells him, at fifty-two.

"You think I want to live in a world without you in it?" she tells him at fifty-six.

"I love you," she tells him, every day.

"Every word in every love poem ever written isn't enough to say just how much I love you."

Emmrich peers at her over his thick glasses, pausing in his reading of the book of sonnets.

"Should I stop, then?" Emmrich teases.

"No," Rook says, settling her head more comfortably in his lap.

He runs one knotted, shaking hand through her grey hair, presses a kiss to her forehead. Rook closes her eyes.

When Rook is fifty-seven, and Emmrich eight-three, he slips away in the night. She wakes, as always, with her hand in his. She lies quietly for a long time, her eyes bleakly dry, knowing that this time is the last.

Most deaths feel sudden, in the end.

And yet every griever knows: it is still possible, somehow, to survive the removal of a heart.

After Rook has stood for two hours at the funeral, crying mechanically and stopping just as suddenly, Manfred guides her away.

"It's time to sit down, Mother," Manfred tells her gently. "Would you like water? Tea?"

Even fifteen years after beginning his travels, Manfred still sounds so much like Emmrich. The place where her heart is meant to be aches. Rook lets him settle her in a chair, and bring her the blend of tea that he designed just for her.

"There are two bequeathments Father did not disclose in his will," Manfred tells her. "He wanted both to be delivered by my hand."

The first is an elegant leather-bound book, intricately tooled, with fine gilded additions. It's carved with both their favorite flowers, intertwined. Rook opens the cover with shaking hands.

The lines are labelled with a date, with a single sentence accompanying it, penned in Emmrich's fine hand. Each is a message to her. It began almost four years ago, but— the book is far too full. Every page is written in. Rook flips forward to find that Emmrich wrote a line for every day for the next three decades.

"He should have spared himself the pain of writing so much," Rook says. "The Blight will have me far sooner than that!"

Manfred silently hands her an envelope. On its front is written:

To my darling Rook.

Rook reads the letter. She stares at Manfred, uncomprehending.

Manfred embraces her, pressing his forehead to hers in his version of a kiss to the cheek.

"The Blight won't take you at all, Mother," Manfred says gently. "He transferred the spell to me eight months ago."

Through a veil of tears, Rook sees that every neat line in Emmrich's book ends the same way.

I love you.

[alyssalenko]

The Camp

[alyssalenko]

Happy Self-Indulgent Spicy Solavellan Sunday everyone. Featuring as usual Mr. Dragon Age Himself, Solas Wifeguy. This weeks inspiration comes from Every Single Solavellan fic I have read the last 30 days. It is many, unlimited, most. All? Mayhaps. Also, additional shout out to every Boudoir photographer/models who posts their shoots online. Truly an inspiration. *3*

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ketheric piece

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Safety inspection in the Mines of Moria.

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my brain would not let me rest until i made this

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In the few, short seconds it had taken Teia to get up the stairs, she had prepared herself to find Viago on the floor. Perhaps dying. Perhaps already dead. But not shirtless—never shirtless. “You know,” she groaned, turning him over. “This isn’t how I imagined seeing you naked.” Despite her flippant tone, Teia’s heart pounded against her ribs. Viago’s breathing was leaden, but present—thank the Maker. A quick scan revealed two puncture wounds on his forearm. The skin surrounding the bite marks was swollen and had turned a sickly hue of plum. His throat emitted a guttural noise. “Vi!” She brought her ear to hover above his lips. With substantial effort, Viago pushed out the words, “Wearing … trousers.” Teia didn’t know whether to hit or kiss him. “You stupid, silly, stubborn man. Tell me you have antivenin.” Viago lifted his right finger and pointed toward the leather case. Teia jumped to her feet. Inside the case were rows of vials labeled with charming but exceedingly unhelpful names such as Meet the Maker and the Snuff of Legends. “Which one is it?” From the floor, she heard incoherent gurgling. “Really, Vi?” Teia snapped. “You can correct me on your state of undress, but not a word on which vial will save your life?” This time her question was met with silence. “Vi?” Dropping back down to the floor, she checked his pulse. It was faint—dangerously so. If she didn’t find the antivenin soon, his heart and lungs would shut down. Cursing, Teia grabbed the case and continued the search. To her mounting frustration, not one vial simply said what it was. “If you survive this, we are definitely coming up with a sensible naming convention.” Finally, her hand stilled over one called Up and Adder. Teia winced. “I should let you die for that.”

the worst part is you can't even tell them to get a room. they already HAVE a room. Viago is actively dying and they're still like this.

[alyssalenko]

Grown ass man btw

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i'd write an essay about how much i love this scene if i could but i'm not a writer so i'll just settle for drawing it since i don't see fanart of it a lot

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Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition (2021) dev. BioWare

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kaidan alenko is the kind of man who can throw a biotic grenade with his mind but still looks like he’d text 'did you get home safe?'

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POV:

You pissed off a very powerful necromancer

Bloodied and un-bloodied versions ✨️

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Finally finished this Shenko piece.

I call it "Home"

🥺

[alyssalenko]

Spark of Connection

Thane visits Shepard the night before they go through the Omega-4 relay and they turn their spark of connection into a roaring flame. He's ashamed at how much he wants her but she turns it into something wonderful...

Amplexis (or Amplexus) is a frog thing where the mating pair is locked together for a certain amount of time after coupling. Since the Drell are Frog-like I tweaked it to work for them ;) I WAS SO EXCITED TO REVISIT SHEP AND THANE'S FIRST TIME ONLY WITH ALL MY NEW TALENT FOR THE SPECTRE SEDUCTIONS GIFT EXCHANGE for @bebravedearheart

Also on AO3

“Siha, I—I have known I will die for many years. I’ve tried to leave the galaxy better than I found it. You’ve helped me achieve more than I thought possible. We’ve righted many wrongs…I’ve spoken to my son. I should be at peace on the eve of battle. But…I’m ashamed. I’ve worked so hard. Meditated and prayed and done good deeds. Atoned for the evils I’ve done. Prepared. But now, I consider my body’s death and a chill settles in my gut. I am afraid, and it shames me.”

She crossed the room, her presence a comfort as she stood beside him, closing her hand over his fist and bringing it to her lips to press gentle kisses to his abused knuckles. “Thane…be alive with me tonight.”

He’d accepted that he was going to die and had made his peace, but now he had to deal with the guilt that he had been given something he wanted to live again for: her. She’d come barreling into his life and he’d felt a spark of instant connection, and now he didn’t want to leave this life behind, didn’t want to leave her alone and without him. Thane’s hand cupped the back of her neck as their lips met in a passionate kiss; every thought he had, as of late, was of her and he wanted her—wanted this: them together as one, his desire for her overpowering any other rational thought. He was going to die; if they survived going through the Omega-4 Relay then his Kepral’s would finish what it had started so many years ago. But, as he wrapped a lock of her hair around his fused fingers and tugged her head back to trail kisses down the column of her neck making her moan and arch towards him, pressing their bodies together, he suddenly didn’t want to think about his disease or their suicide run, instead he wanted to lose himself in her; the way she smelled, the way she tasted, way she felt as she moved against him and the little sounds she made whenever he touched her.

He claimed her lips with his own again, inhaling her exhale as her hands frantically ripped the belts on his jacket out of the buckles so she could pull the zipper down, Thane groaning into her mouth when her hands touched bare skin, soft fingers sliding over the exposed microscales of his stomach and chest as she pushed the jacket off his shoulders. He let himself get lost in her caress, having forgotten how good it felt to touch and be touched before he gripped the hem of her shirt with both hands, yanking the fabric of her tank top upwards and ending the kiss reluctantly as she stretched her arms up so he could pull it off of her, his lips crashing back against hers as the garment cleared her head. She nibbled at his bottom lip, before bracing her hands against his pecs and pushing him a step back, teasing fingers dipping under his waistband, Shepard pushing his pants off his hips before moving to her own body, shimmying out of her shorts, the fabric pooling around her ankles before she stepped out of it, standing naked before him and letting him drink her in.

There was the sensation of motion as he backed her towards the bed, the mattress bumping into the back of her knees, the kiss breaking as she fell into the center, her eyes roaming over him, as she parted her legs in invitation, baring her most intimate part of herself to his gaze, his cock hardening at the sight and black eyes blazing with affection. The edge of the mattress dipped under his weight as he crawled up after her and settled himself between her thighs, his hands roaming across her bare skin, mapping her body with his touch. She was absolutely breathtaking. Shepard draped one leg around his hips, pulling him closer, the two of them moaning in unison as his hardened dick rubbed against her core. He’d been thinking about this for far too long and had wanted to get this right, so he’d gone to both Dr. Chakwas and Mordin for advice and they’d given him several things to read on human pleasure as he had no sexual experiences with other races to draw on—but he was a fast learner, and the sounds she was making told him he was on the right path. Thane caught her hand in his as she reached for him, pressing a kiss to the inside of her wrist, her palm and her fingertips, the gentleness with which he was handling her nearly undid her right then and there.

Her head fell back on a moan, chest heaving as he rubbed his cock through her folds coating himself in her arousal. She rolled her hips, creating a delicious friction between them and making Thane groan before slowly entering her, letting her feel every inch of him as he filled her to the hilt, her walls stretching and shifting around him. Shepard canted her hips, taking him deeper inside her and whispering his name almost reverently as he reached between them and pressed the pad of his finger to her clit. The scales around his eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled down at her; every inch of her skin flushed as she watched him, before she cupped the back of his neck, bringing his lips down to meet hers again. She rocked her hips back and forth, impaling herself on his cock, the coil inside her winding higher each time he pressed her clit with his finger. Her walls clenched around his shaft as he pulled back, only the first inch of his erection still inside her, before he snapped his hips forward, the two of them rocking together and seeking their release.

He surged forward, her insides stretching to accommodate him as he rocked his erection against the roll of her hips. Her breasts brushed his chest, nails scraping lightly down his back as they sought his rear, soft hands cupping his ass and pulling him deeper within her, his hands ghosting over her breasts and pinching her nipple, the bite of pain amidst her pleasure had her gasping. She eased her hips backwards then arched up again taking him deeper, Thane pressing into her again as he gripped her hips and thrust slower and deeper. His lips closed over her pulse point, her heartbeat fluttering under the stroke of his tongue as he tasted her skin, sucking hard before pulling back and smiling as a dark red circle bloomed on her neck. She was his and now she had the mark to prove it. He used her hips to guide the speed of his thrusts, her back arching and insides clamping down around his cock as she bucked her hips against him.

Need hit him like a tidal wave as he thrust forward again the tension inside him climbing higher, a shiver racking his body; he wasn’t going to last much longer.

“Thane…” She breathed as his fingers trailed back down her body to circle her clit, a whimper of pleasure escaping past her lips as he touched her with just the right amount of pressure and at a pace that had her seeing the same stars behind her eyelids that she did whenever they kissed.

“Let go for me, Siha.” He rasped, sucking at her pulse point.

He felt her muscles contract beneath him as he rocked his hips once more, the friction sending her over the edge of ecstasy, her orgasm racking her body with tremors, but as she climaxed around him, he felt it; the ring of glands of the base of his crown activated, swelling ever so slightly and secreting a special fluid that locked them together and forced his own orgasm, his release spilling inside her. He felt the horror settling in that he'd neglected to mention the amplexis before they started this, but in his defense, it had been so long and he'd only ever been with Drell, who all knew about it and expected it, that he’d completely forgotten.

“So that’s what that feels like. I’d wondered.”

She was taking this rather well and Thane glanced at her in surprise, his heart fluttering in his chest as she smiled up at him—he wasn’t the only one who had done some reading it seemed; she’d wanted this as much as he had, he realized as she caressed his thigh with her toes. His cock twitched inside her as he held her hips, guiding them onto their sides, face to face on the bed, one of her legs draped over his hip; might as well get comfortable, as they were going to be joined for the next hour or two. He didn’t know how different a Human-Drell coupling was to two Drell, so the timing was a mystery, but something in him was excited to find out…which only made everything worse, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop this, not when he’d been so lucky as to find her. His Siha.

“None of this is fair to you, Siha. Loving a dying man.” He whispered, a slight warble in his voice betraying him.

She shrugged one shoulder before cupping his cheek with her hand. “The heart wants what the heart wants…and besides, nobody’s promised tomorrow, especially not me. I’m a soldier. One of the best, and I never know if a mission is going to be my last. Alchera was. And then I got a second chance and I met you, so now I just take it one day at a time—I’m not going to walk away just because the future’s uncertain. Most people only get one life, and I want to spend every moment I can of it, with you.”

He gazed at her, a smile dancing about his lips before he brought her mouth to his, her thumb grazing the red fringe on his cheeks, as she wiggled her hips experimentally, the amplexis still affording her some movement. She rolled them over so she was straddling him and bent to claim his lips, his tongue tangling with hers before she pulled back, smirking. She pushed up on her knees before sinking back down onto Thane’s cock with a moan, his head falling back onto the pillows, black eyes screwed shut in pleasure, both of them enjoying the slow drag of their hips where they were still connected

This was going to be fun…

[alyssalenko]

Sign Up Walkthrough (Hatboy Exchange)

Signups are open! Here is a guide on how to sign up for the exchange.

To start your Signup, go to the Collection Page and click on "Signup Form".

Requests

We start the signups with what you'd like to get as a gift. After a general blurb about how the signups work, you will get to the form itself. You must choose two separate requests (up to five relationships are allowed per request). So if you'd like only two different relationships, put one on each request form. Otherwise, list up to five per request.

The form above is what it looks like when you scroll to the first request. You MUST choose fandom (or choose both) and then go down to relationships. You choose between 1-5 requests on each form. If you aren't particular about what you receive as a gift, you can click on "Any Relationship". Be aware that if you do click on that, you are giving your gift giver the freedom to write or draw whatever they want as long as they adhere to your DNWs. Please be absolutely sure that is what you want before you click it.

Please be as descriptive as possible about your DNWs and triggers. They cannot be enforced if they are not explicitly stated.

Links: Links are for letters, prompt ideas, more detailed DNWs, information or tags for your custom characters (you can offer your character for the exchange, but no one has to write for your custom character).

You can choose to receive fanart, fanfiction, or both. But you must click at least one.

Offers

For your offers, this is where you will choose what YOU will be GIVING. This helps the mods and AO3 match you to someone that you will be happy creating for. You must list two different pairings to be matched well. Again, if you click "Any Relationship" in your offers, you are saying that you will make something for ANYTHING. Platonic, romantic or anything in between. Please be careful with using that option.

You have to make two offers but can list up to 5 pairings per offer. Please be descriptive with your DNWs again, this is where I will determine if you are matched with someone that won't upset your triggers. The additional tags are the most important part of your offers because it will determine what YOU ARE MAKING. Please, if you are writer, only choose fanfic. If you are an artist, only click fanart. If you do both, you can choose to do one or both.

After you submit your signup, you can edit it up to closing day, June 15th. After the 15th, you will be unable to edit it as matching will begin.

Any questions regarding signups, please message a mod or the main exchange blog. Someone will get back as quickly as possible.

If you don’t want a pairing but instead, something about only Joker (handling the Collector attack, post-Alchera, portrait of him alone, etc), you don't have to put a pairing in the relationship section. But please note your preferences in your description box.

[alyssalenko]

THE WITCHER 4