#General Lavellan AU

[queen-scribbles]

Tagged for another round of incorrect quotes by @palepinkycat​, went with some of the Dragon Age kids, some came out so perfect they had me on the floor. [Rahna, Trinne, and Gabriel are Wardens; Astrid and Sigi are Hawkes, and Tighe’s an Inquisitor]

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(love that both times I’ve gotten the braincell one it’s been bang-on. 😂)

[commander-krios]

Tagged by @aevallare, thank you my love <3 I did this before, but I can't remember how long ago? lol so I'll just do it again.

Not tagging anyone specific but feel free to use this and tag me in it so I can see your answers!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

228

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

446,245

3) What fandoms do you write for?

BG3, Mass Effect, Andromeda Six, edit: I can't believe I forgot KOTOR

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Better Judgement: Rolan/f!Tav, Mature

The Fall: Krem/f!Lavellan, General

Long Rest: Rolan/f!Tav, General

If It Pleases You: Krem/f!Lavellan, Teen

Nights Like This: Rolan/f!Tav, Teen

5) Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I love comments and try to respond to each one if I have time. I've been slacking lately, but I swear, if you leave one, I will most likely respond to you.

6) What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Ooof, that would be the fic where I wrote my Amell joining his wife, @caffeinatedrogue's Leda, on her Calling.

The Calling

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

For a more recent fic (since I write quite a few happy fics), I'd say With Devotion And A Little Luck ended quite happily.

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Not directly. Not sure if anyone vagues about me, lol but no one has ever complained to me personally.

9) Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, occasionally. Usually it's M/F smut, but I've done M/M as well.

10) Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

No.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't believe so

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

I'm unsure if I have or not

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yup! I'm cowriting a fic with a friend that's an original work, not fanfiction, so it's secret. Also do Round Rugan with my friends over at the Zhent server.

14) What’s your all time favorite ship?

Nooo don't make me pick! I'm going to pick one per fandom, i don't care if it's cheating.

BG3- Rolan/Juniper Mass Effect- Charley/Thane Andromeda Six- Damon/Astrea KOTOR- Revan/Canderous Dragon Age (for the hell of it)- Elissa/Nathaniel

15) What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have a FemShepley AU where Shepard gets turned into a husk like creature by the Illusive Man instead of the normal Shepard like ME2 and it's almost like a "Ashley tries like hell to help Shepard remember who she was before" fic. It's heavy, not sure if I'll ever manage to finish it, but I'm obsessed with the idea.

16) What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, banter, characterization

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

Smut, world building

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I won't do it if I can help it, especially if I'm not fluent in it. If it's a made up language, like Mando'a, I will try to learn enough to get by, but I prefer to not butcher a language I don't know.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

Buffy, I believe, but that was a long time ago. As far as tumblr fic goes, probably Skyrim?

20) Favorite fic you’ve written?

Making me pick a favorite child?

I think I'm obsessed with the writing I did in Astrea/Damon's fic, A Shimmer of Gold. So I'll plug that fic today.

[greypetrel]

Fan Work Friday Saturday

Rules: If you're tagged, MAKE A NEW POST and showcase one fanartist or fanfic you recommend (with links), and tag someone to give their recs next! Don't forget to reblog the rec you were tagged in!

Thank you so much for the tag @dreadfutures! Saving the second for later on in the week. Listen I have a hard time choosing and I'll do these on repeat if I must.

Fanartist: @salsedinepicta

Starting with her, purely because it's litterally 10 years of me being 👀 at her art, and I do love the way she mixes pictorical techniques with swirly, 2D lines. I am not a fan of pink+green combination, BUT when she does it. Add a lot of historical references and clothing and an expressive use of colour. I'm an absolute sucker for all artstyles that just looks like three paintstrokes thrown at a paper (digital or traditional) and she does that. And, she's a wonderful human being too, which really helps. <3 (she'd hate the attention but let me Will Smith meme her.)

Fanfic: To The Bone, by @shivunin

Rating: M Words: 48,373 Pairing: Cullen/Inquisitor Lavellan Summary: Depending on who you ask, either Sylaise or Andraste set a mark of fire on those who are destined to find each other. No matter how curious each of them is, neither Lavellan nor Cullen are especially eager to actually go looking for this person. Either luck or fate draws them both to the Inquisition anyway.

I debated high and low what of her fics to start from. I chose To The Bone because it's a soulmate AU. And I generally don't like Soulmates AU. But this one? Mo has a way to turn tropes and clichès around in a way that just makes them relatable, visceral and real. The way she renders human fragility and vulnerability is really heart-clenching. I know I always fangirl over her work but it bears repeating. To the Bone is played more than a Soulmate AU -it is important, but not the main focus, which tricks me into loving this- as a big story of two hurt people who needs to learn to trust someone with their own vulnerability. It's all about learning that you can trust other people, and exactly how scary a decision it is, how much it feels like a jump in the blue.

It's relatable, it's gritty, it's not the peak angst Mo can reach (for that, get a lot of tissues and click on Wander the Drifting Roads.), but it was the first of her works I read and it has a special place in my heart. For its themes, for its main character (can I hug her?) and also and particularly because it's a trope I generally don't like. And I do like to be stand corrected.

Tags under the cut!

You two whom I mentioned, if you want consider this a tag too! :)

Also: @melisusthewee @dreadfutures @inquisimer @blarrghe @blightbear @star--nymph @pinayelf @dungeons-and-dragon-age @ndostairlyrium @hollytree33 @theluckywizard and YOU

[voidcat-senket]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @hxhhasmysoul and @subdee!! <3 <3 <3 who are both v lovely go like. look at their blogs. anyway

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

.161

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

520,484 - 27% of that is one fic looool

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now just HxH and SW:Fallen Order series. Sherlock and Star Trek AOS were big ones too

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Closing the Space (Between Us) - again its 27% of my wordcount! It deserves it! the Hunter x Hunter Killugon Reunion fic of my dreams. I am SO PROUD of this one I have handed it to irl friends! On purpose! My partner got me a physical copy for Xmas 2021!

2. Crying Over Yuuri - a Kyou Kara Maou! fic, which is a fandom I am amazed is still being read. It's a Wolfram POV fic where he, you got it, cries over Yuuri. Pretty fluffy ending. I credit the numbers to the fact that not a lot of fic gets written for KKM anymore so it doesn't disappear under all the new stuff

3. Not Unusual - A ST:AO3 Academy Era McKirk. Bones gets a bunch of clues to something going on with Jim... he gets it a little wrong, Jim freaks out because this man has Issues, but it resolves in the end. I wrote this one as a pinch-hit for an exchange back when I was still RPing Jim Kirk @thewinningscenario

4. 5+1: Are They Or Aren't They? - Somehow my Mystrade (Sherlock BBC) still gets hits with fair regularity and I'll never understand why. It's definitely not my best work but it's cute! 5 times people weren't sure if Mycroft and Lestrade are dating, and the time they know (because they receive a wedding invitation!!)

5. One Flew East, One Flew West - a Killugon Modern AU in which Killua and Gon meet at a Psychiatric Recovery Center, with Kurapika as another patient and Leorio as a therapist. written for HxHBB2020. I'm very fond of this one. It makes me cry <3 I'm so happy there's so much fandom diversity in these! (The next 11 are all either HxH or Sherlock, l o l )

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I wish I could say I did! I mean to! Sometimes I am not in a good place so I mean to do it later and then I forget..... whoof. I am so thankful for each and every review, and I want to repay that!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I wrote a LOT of fics in my teens where people died (not all of them are on A03, it didn't exist at the time. I'm not giving you my ff.net ;) ) Surely, one of them! More recently, I wrote a Dragon Age: Inquisition Lavellan/Dorian in response to Dorian preemptively breaking up with me (rude!) that is Pretty Hecking Angsty. It's tagged "hurt no comfort"

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Closing the Space (Between Us) did so much work to get where it was, and they ended up with Everything! My boys <3 (And Alluka)

8. Do you get hate on fic?

Very rarely! I'm pretty lucky in life that I don't get hate generally. Maybe it's because I'm not Out There enough but- who cares! People are nice and sweet and lovely mostly, and I love writing fanfic for/with them :3

9. Do you write smut?

Sometimes it will appear in other fics. I don't really do PWPs, and smut itself is pretty rare because I don't include it unless it's... necessary? Kinda? Like if the story demands it. I personally only read smut in certain moods, so when smut's included I make it easy to skip, but it certainly exists

10. Do you write crossovers?

It depends! In my Sherlock days I had a Sherlock/Stargate Atlantis crossover series and a Sherlock in the HP universe series, but I haven't done any recently.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of! I heard people copy fics over to Wattpad sometimes but I've never looked. I'm not usually in MegaFandoms anyway, so I don't think I'm in any real danger.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

YES!! A few different Sherlock ones! (I guess I was pretty well known in the Mystrade sphere?? IDK that was back on livejournal. Anyone else miss KinkMemes?) I think one got translated to Russian and one to Chinese. Both reached out to me and asked for permission first, which I of course granted! It's very flattering <3

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Way way way back in my teen years I cowrote a few times- one in YuGiOh and one in Fruits Basket with a high school friend. Recently I am technically cowriting a fic with @spyscrapper atm- I say technically because its really an rp l o l (Star Wars: Jedi Survivor Canon Divergent Spyscrapper, it's pretty hecking cool! And painful! :D ) I once cowrote a fic where the other author just like. eliminated my plotline. so. It's not always good, but it's still fun to try!

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

I refuse to pick One. Killugon (HxH), McShep (Stargate Atlantis), Seishirou/Subaru (Tokyo Babylon & X/1999) and any combination of McSpirk (Star Trek) have probably had the most long-lasting impact on me. And

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

I often feel like I should finish Pulling The Trigger because it's an interesting casefic and I like the thought of a mystery, but... it's 12 years old at this point, so...

16. What are your writing strengths?

Nature-themed metaphors and descriptions! And I feel like I have pretty strong character points of view! Oh, and angst. I'm good at angst. >:)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Planning 🙃 oops what's that. And I use adverbs too much! (but it's fun so I'll keep doing it)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

It depends why! If a fic is from the POV of Character A and Character B is talking in a language they don't understand, for example, it's fine to use it (though please provide a translation for your reader!) The language switch has to be for a specific reason, and if the character understands it the reader should too. (In One Flew, Gon and Killua sometimes swap to Japanese to disguise their conversations from everyone else- I show that by changing their conversation to italics in most cases.) I definitely wrote a fic as a teen that had all Japanese because I was a weeb and... lol don't do that.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Yugioh, 2001!! It was probably two paragraphs long hahaha

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Closing the Space (Between Us) for sure! God it's so good. I am begging people to read it. If you're going to read One Thing I have written in my entire life-so-far, please let it be that!!

"Tag 20 people:" that seems like a lot hahaha uuhh @spyscrapper @avtorsola @mmuffncakes @nightingalesighs @etoiline @iwishtocountthestars @unicorncoalition @shalnarkonice @missinkylace @thefledglingdm 10 is a reasonable number. but tbh if you wanna do it, do it, I wanna read ur response!

[britcision]

Because I can, have some DAI cooking headcanons

Iron Bull: very good at it. He doesn’t cook for the Chargers, but he enjoys it once in a while and he knows how to make plain food taste good, and he’ll compromise on his less local spices for the good of the group

Cassandra: surprisingly skilled. Her uncle made one comment, once that cooking was beneath people of their class. She went straight to the kitchen the next morning and learned everything she could

Leliana: doesn’t do it often, especially these days, but she used to enjoy it and it might be good for her to cook more. She’s good at it and it involves way less life or death

Varric: doesn’t advertise, doesn’t volunteer if someone else speaks up first, but he’s pretty good. Makes plain food taste good, middle of the road tastes that isn’t too much for any palate

Blackwall: actually a little less good than people expect. He can cook on a fire and make it work, but he punishes himself with plain food and he never cooked for anyone else, so he can cook things the way he likes them, and if you don’t like them that way you’re fucked

Solas: excellent cook, this far down the list because he will 1000% over season to spite whoever else is with him, double especially if it’s Dorian or Vivienne. He learned he had a higher spice tolerance and now he only cooks with ghost peppers

Sera: competent cook, got her own recipe in the reference books (it’s for corn), but she can will and does whip out the most random flavour combinations. Some of them work

Cullen: has very expensive tastes and is 1000% incapable of meeting them himself. He knows this though, and will therefore never complain unless he’s paying for a meal and expected better. Has burned water

Josephine: has travelled enough through various stages of her life to understand the importance of buying good supplies and hiring a good cook. Leliana has tried to teach her more than once… Josephine still jokes it’s Leliana’s only failure

Vivienne: used to pride herself on never having needed to learn; has absolutely no idea how the hell ingredients become food, especially because she usually only eats fancy food. Insists on trying to approach cooking as a form of alchemy. It really, really doesn’t work

Dorian: started out very into the “adventure” of eating rations and preserved travel foods. Insists he still is solely to seem better than Vivienne and so he will never be asked to cook and accidentally reveal his secret: he can NEVER successfully tell the sugar from the salt. Underseasons in self defense

Cole: has dangerously flexible ideas as to what counts as food. Banned from cooking or helping cook to prevent loss of life

And our Four Heralds AU beans, just because I know y’all don’t care about them But I Do!

Corin Cadash: the best of the four by a mile. Good grasp of flavours, genuinely enjoys the experience (and distraction from their chronic pain), considers anything done in 20 minutes of effort or less an acceptable depression meal and knows what seasonings need to be cooked to be good and what can be added after to personal taste

Séamus Trevelyan: competent, doesn’t usually burn things, the taste of food is generally at least a little improved by his cooking it. Not fancy, but knows what he’s good at and sticks to it

Tavi Adaar: a little over-flexible on what is considered edible to non-qunari, but nothing worse than a stomach bug. Can break down and butcher a carcass like no other, but not the one you’d ask to cook it

Lluciano Lavellan: knows every single plant on Thedas, where it comes from, how to grow it, and every single use for it. Grew up with parents whose idea of cooking was “boil it white”, so if it can be eaten raw without dying he will. Only slowly being convinced that cooking can actually make food taste good. Bites raw onions and potatoes if not stopped

[hazelestelle]

Rarepairs! - A Dragon Age Black Emporium Exchange Rec List

Maybe a bit late, but then again, it's never too late to read great fic, right? ;)

So here are some recs from the @black-emporium-exchange

First, of course the amazing gifts I got! Every year, I'm so blown away by everyone's generosity and talent <3

Subtlety by SidheLives, Female Hawke/Loghain Mac Tir, Explicit

It has it all: Fake Relationship, Bed Sharing, Feelings, and really great smut. I love this fic so much!

Mistakes have consequences by Toshi_Nama, Female Hawke/Loghain Mac Tir, Mature

More Loghain for me, and it's so good! Hurt/Comfort and Enemies to Lovers, yes thank you!!

Vigil Kept by SidheLives, Jowan/Male Surana, General

It's so sweet! Thinking the other one is dead so that pushes you to confess your feelings? Always a great trope!

And some other fics, that weren't specifically written for me, but are just as amazing!

Reaching Out to Him by MeganMoonlight, Zevran Arainai/Jowan, Teen and Up

Not a pairing I ever considered, by I love them both, and this is so lovely!

Special Delivery by taintandlothering, Anders/Cullen Rutherford, Teen and Up

It's so sweet and lovely and funny at the same time! Spot on character voices!

The Maker's Sense of Humor by Toshi_Nama, Gamlen Amell/Orana, Teen and Up

Soulmate AUs always get, and I never thought of those two together, but it works so well!

Looking for a Bargain by SidheLives, Mouse/Male Surana, Explicit

Demon Sex? Demon Sex! So hot and such an interesting dynamic!

xX dReAM a LitTLe DreAm oF ME Xx by Anonymous, Nonbinary Lavellan/Solas, Mature

It's a My Immortal retelling, and I died laughing! Seriously, I couldn't breathe. Please comment so that they get 5 good "revows" and we get the sequel next year XD

And of course, go check out all the other wonderful works in the collection too!

(Sorry for the long post, but there's a lot of good stuff there!)

[fadedsweater]

Hello! For no particular reason whatsoever (jk this is for the Arlathan Exchange), what is Eira Lavellan's canon timeline of events in DAI? How does her relationship with Solas evolve?

Oh hello anon, and thank you for the ask! 👀

Great question! Definitely not helped by the fact that most of my published fics are post-trespasser stuff and aus and smut 😂

This is gonna be a LONG one. So I'm putting it under a cut and tagging it with "OC lore" to make it easy to find. Feel free to skim as needed! Some of this may be a bit repetitive from my exchange letter.

Before I start though, I just want to make it super clear that you absolutely don't have to use my OC, and I will love whatever you make whether it's an OC or a generic Lavellan. 💛

Eira's timeline follows the in-game canon pretty closely, except I usually lengthen the amount of time the events of Inquisition take (because a single year feels very unbelievable to me.)

Before the events of the game start, she's in her mid-thirties, has been the First of her clan for many years, and is probably expecting to become the clan's Keeper in the next few years or so. Her father is a halla keeper and her mother works with textiles. Her name is Eira (loosely translated as "snow" in Elvhen) because she was born during a rare cold snap, during which the snow stuck around for longer than usual.

When she was a child, she thought she'd become a halla keeper like her dad, but then her magic revealed itself and she became the clan's First instead. Her clan travels around the Amaranthine Ocean's coast outside of Wycome, sticking to forests when they aren't trading with humans. They take their halla up into the mountains in the spring to graze and harvest their wool. (I like to imagine halla are similar to different breeds of cashmere goats!)

As the Herald, Eira sides with the mages. She doesn't love being the so-called "Herald of Andraste," but is shrewd about her position -- she has the Anchor, there's a hole in the sky, someone has to deal with (and if she can leverage that position to help her people, she will). She's patient (if at times a bit cold) with her advisors and new companions. She warms up to most everyone eventually (particularly becoming friends with Dorian, Bull, Cole, and Cassandra) but is keenly aware of her position and the weight and baggage that the title of Herald and later Inquisitor hold. I haven't actually decided how she deals with the Winter Palace yet. My gut says she probably finds a way to ally with Briala. Later on she also allies with the wardens, much to Solas’s chagrin.

Other decisions: she becomes a knight enchanter, she saves the Chargers, she (gently) convinces Solas to spare the mages who accidentally kill Wisdom, she keeps Cole as a spirit, she helps Vivienne with the wyvern heart, she helps Cullen stop lyrium, and she forgives Blackwall. She does not drink from the Well (which she later feels regret and grief about). She keeps her vallaslin. Her clan survives the events of Inquisition, and she maintains a good relationship with them.

Her "sit in judgement" decisions rely on empathy and the desire to see people become better. She isn't cruel and doesn't enjoy suffering, and doesn't make decisions out of revenge. She's diplomatic where she can be, and values harm reduction. If someone can be better, and be useful or helpful (like in the case of sparing Alexius and having him study under the Inquisition's watch), she'll pursue that. This of course informs her desire to save Solas at the end of trespasser. She not only sees him as worth saving but as capable of being saved.

I'd say her relationship with Solas also develops pretty closely to what we see in canon. They start as kind of hesitant allies, then become friends, and then realize they have feelings for each other, have the Fade kiss, etc. In the very beginning, they're kind of wary of each other, but Eira soon comes to enjoy talking with Solas. While she does disagree with him on several subjects (like the Dalish), she finds that he's usually open to hearing her out and admitting when he's wrong, which she respects. She almost sees him as an odd sort of puzzle, and is kind of compelled by him, and starts to enjoy their discussions and their arguments. Having spent much of her life aware and embedded in Dalish politics, she's used to dealing with difficult people, so I don't think she's too put off by Solas’s more difficult nature. It helps that he does seem to genuinely care about helping people -- that means a lot to her. Here's a summary (from a wip of course 😂) of that relationship stage from Solas’s POV:

Still they argue often. He challenges her Dalish beliefs about spirits and the Fade, about their gods and their stories, and she challenges his own assumptions in turn. He finds she is not as ignorant as he once feared. He finds instead that her beliefs are nuanced, her opinions carefully crafted and born from research, from a life spent in the scholarly pursuits of magic and history. He begins to enjoy their arguments, their rhetorical sparring and endless discussions. He begins, despite himself, to look forward to them. 

She surprises and confounds him at every junction. He fears, even, that she has become a friend. 

They don't develop a Proper Relationship until after Solas's balcony confession scene, and probably have their first time sometime shortly after that. And while Solas is quick to say "I love you," she's a lot more hesitant. That level of emotional intimacy is a bit difficult for her.

Because of who they both are as people, they're a little cautious and awkward around each other at first. Eira's worst fears revolve around losing control, and so emotional vulnerability can be difficult for her. She's always wary of pushing Solas’s boundaries and is very gentle and careful with him. She probably realizes she loves him sometime mid-game, and probably at a really innocuous moment when they're traveling or something. By the time the Winter Palace happens, I'd say they're very comfortable with each other and at like, the peak point of their relationship in terms of comfort, vulnerability, and trust (it's a smut fic, but this is a pretty good summary of their dynamic at that point.)

To me her relationship with Solas is all about like...two very guarded people who haven't had a relationship in a long time learning to be *people* with each other. With Solas she doesn't have to be the "Inquisitor" (him calling her this post-breakup hurts even more for this reason), and can just be her nerdy awkward self around him. Similarly, Solas can mostly forget his own position while he's with her. They still enjoy the occasional verbal sparring match and banter, but there's an undercurrent of love and trust.

Eira knows throughout most of the relationship that Solas has secrets and a past he won't share. She's patient with him about it, and never pushes him. When he breaks up with her, she assumes it's likely related to that. She's angry and bitter, but she doesn't hate him.

After he leaves, though, she's pretty wrecked and heartbroken. It takes a lot for her to open up and trust someone, so to have him leave (without even saying goodbye!) feels like a stark betrayal. She can't stand the way her friends seem to pity her and feel bad for her, either. Leading up to Trespasser, she sort of just squares that part of herself away and focuses on the Inquisition.

During Trespasser, she learns that Solas is Fen’Harel before he can reveal it to her himself. Her reaction is less shock and horror and more a grim "this makes sense." She's mostly upset that he never trusted her enough to tell her.

Post-Trespasser, she's determined to save both Solas AND the world, in part because it's what she *wants* and in part because she's convinced that its the only way forward. She has a theory that the Veil is already failing, and that if Solas dies bringing it down -- that's just one less powerful ally the world has against the Evanuris and all the other horrors to come.

Post-Tespasser Eira is reclusive, secretive, and kind of a hot mess. She's that meme of the big conspiracy theory board with all the red lines connecting everything.

She disbands the Inquisition, convinced that it only presents Solas more opportunities to spy. She takes heart in Leliana's assurances that they have their own network of contacts and spies, and also in the fact that Cassandra as the Divine is a powerful ally. She spends her time traveling and learning everything she can about the Veil and Solas’s plans, making time for her clan and her friends where she can.

In my happy ending au, I basically skip over how this would all actually resolve because I simply don't have enough information. The basics: she and Solas are together, and the Veil is peacefully coming down, though there may be issues to deal with once that happens. It takes awhile for her to trust him again, and to work through all of her complicated feelings. Their relationship is pretty delicate for awhile, but eventually becomes fairly healthy and loving.

Okay 😂 that was a lot! I hope that answers your questions, and if not feel free to send another ask if you need to! And again, feel free to use your own OC or a generic one! I promise I will love whatever you create 💛💛💛

[herearedragons]

Fic announcement!

I've posted about this before, but I'll be writing my first longfic in, uhh, years! Specifically, I decided to do this for this year's NaNoWriMo.

The Breach is an eldritch horror AU for Dragon Age: Inquisition, set in an alternative version of Thedas. Written in an epistolary format, the story will follow Trevelyan, Adaar, Lavellan and Cadash through letters, articles and journal entries in the days before the Conclave explosion.

I honestly don't think I can hit the 50k goal, so I'm setting my own win conditions at a reasonable 25k. If I don't finish the entire thing during November, I'll just keep writing at my own pace until it's done. I'll be posting chapters to AO3 as they're being written, probably without much proofreading, because it's NaNo and speed is key.

@hoardofstories is a dedicated sideblog for this project.

content warning: this is a horror au. I know for sure that body horror (mostly related to the Anchor) and depictions of self-harm (related to blood magic) will be present, as well as depictions of blood, injury, fear and anxiety. I will put specific warnings at the beginning of each chapter, but that's the general vibe of this project.

[aamusedly]

GENERAL FANDOM STARTER CALL!

Like, comment, or slip into my askbox for a starter. Specify a muse or don't, I'll pick! Muses are listed below fandom. SEND:

☢️- for a FALLOUT 4 starter CANON: Valentine, Hancock. AU: Klaus, Boone. OC: Devil. 🎰 - for a FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS starter CANON: Boone. AU: Valentine, Hancock, Klaus. OC: Devil. 🔮 - for a BALDUR'S GATE 3 starter OC: Elezar, Devil. ⭐️ - for a MASS EFFECT starter CANON: Garrus. AU: Valentine, Kotallo. OC: Devil, Crow. 🎭 - for a VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE starter OC: Russo, Odelia, Devil. AU: Klaus. 💥 - for a MARVEL COMICS starter CANON: Loki. AU: Valentine, Kotallo, Klaus. OC: Devil, Odelia, Crow. 🐲 - for a DRAGON AGE starter CANON: Lavellan.

📱 - for a CYBERPUNK 2077 starter OC: Devil, Odelia.

[echoes-sounds]

So this is my official looking for a roleplay partner post!

I have never done this before (properly) so forgive me if it’s lacking in anything important!

Hello! I’m Echo, I am 22 year old artist, writer and gamer and I am looking for someone I can roleplay dragon age (and potentially) OCs with! I like to think I’m relatively easy going and I would like it to be someone I can be friends with outside of rping, we can discuss the games, theories, what you had for dinner whatever is cool with me!

My writing style: I am a literate writer, third person! I will match length (though my preference is for shorter replies I can and will do longer as needed)! I am however not interested in role-playing in action style sorry!

Response time: I tend to reply really quickly! I however don’t expect you to do the same I simply have little impulse control but I am willing to wait for replies (also if I do not respond quickly I will likely forget to)

Platform: Discord! It is honestly in my opinion the best place to roleplay, a private server with tupper so we can have as many channels as needed!

What I’m interested in RPing

Dragon age! (I can rp the following characters; Lavellan, Solas, Abelas, Cole, Mythal, the Evanuris, Varric and I am willing to try most anyone else!)

OCs (I have a wide variety)

I am seeking mostly for someone who is willing to rp solas for my Lavellan/s! Different AUs, canon events, in between interactions, etc etc. But I will also play Solas in return, or another character whoever is your preference!

While I am only seeking 18+ roleplayers I have no intent on doing NSFW scenes unless I become comfortable to do so, I am willing to have lead up and heavy flirting, fluff etc, but would ask that we fade to black.

Tropes and scenarios I enjoy playing

Angst

Fluff

Romance

Slow burn

General storylines

Enemies to lovers

Friend to lovers

AUs

Character types I enjoy playing

Sad (all of my OCs are traumatized oops)

Vulnerable (I enjoy playing a damsel in distress sorry not sorry 💀)

Really I am down to play anything though as long as it’s fun!

Writing examples

Starter from a roleplay

Some spicier solas replies nothing heavy NSFW

Chapter 1 from a fanfic I never finished or posted anywhere 💃

My dragon age characters

Nolwyn Lavellan

Solasmanced inquisitor, a mage, knight enchanter. Partially spirit (gives her the ability to dream)

Raine Hawke

Romanced Fenris, a mage, supports mage rights and mage fights, she is the last Hawke.

I also have another Lavellan concept I would like to try out! (Not romanced) I will discuss more with interested parties!

If you’re interested please shoot me a message or reply here!

All art featured by @esotericephemera

[inquisimer]

✨20 Questions for Fic Writers✨

thanks @nirikeehan for the tag!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

42

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

226,296

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Dragon Age at the moment, plus a hint of Dishonored. In the past I've also written for The Mortal Instruments/Shadowhunter Chronicles and MCU.

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

Grace In Denial: oneshot, f!Hawke x Anders - mostly fluff with a hint of emotional hurt/comfort Ended in Love: oneshot, f!Trevelyan x Cullen - some classic mage-Templar angst (cw: forced sterilization, abuse) Lamentations of the Living: oneshot, f!Mahariel x Alistair - the Dark Ritual/Ultimate Sacrifice debate It Will Have To Be Enough: oneshot, f!Lavellan x Cullen - Cullen waits for her to come back at Adamant Conditionally: oneshot, f!Lavellan x Cullen - Lavellan's clan does not approve of her relationship with a human

5. do you respond to comments?

I try! But I am very slow at it, and when the backlog gets too much I psych myself out about it. Currently working on convincing myself that it's not weird to reply to comments from many months ago😅

6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably Mostly A Lie,about an Inquisitor who breaks up with Blackwall at his judgement and a Blackwall POV of her subsequent relationship with Cullen

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Apple Whiskey, which is an all around fluffy fic about Alistair helping my Inquisitor Neria escape one of Josephine's parties.

8. do you get hate on fics?

I haven't yet, nope! And I know that if I did, I would bitch about it to my friends, block the user, and delete the comment. So what if we just didn't, hm?

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

A bit, perhaps. It's an eventual goal of mine to be more comfortable writing it, but that's definitely a work in progress.

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Nope! Personally not a fan of crossovers.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope!

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

Sort of, as I participated in the DAFF Discord Server round robin anniversary event where we all popcorn wrote a crackfic. Other than that, nope! I think it could be really fun, though :3

14. what’s your all-time favorite ship?

Horation Caine x Marisol Delko (CSI: Miami - I will never write fic for them but their canon story makes me f e r a l)

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

My Inquisitor!Carver AU. The idea is compelling af, but I have other DAI retellings that I want to write more.

16. what are your writing strengths?

Character backstory, description in general

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

DIALOGUE, dialogue tags, making endings (to chapters or oneshots) sound like endings without being cheesy AF

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I like it, both as a reader and a writer! It can be used well for character flavoring, but is also frequently misused in a way that makes fic harder to read. If it's large chunks of text, especially with plot relevant information, I prefer another indicator that the language has shifted, like italics or a dialogue tag. I think it works best when the author has a reason for it besides "they're speaking another language", like they don't want the readers to understand what's being said, or the character is trying to deceive someone who doesn't speak that language.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

MCU Avengers

20. favorite fic you’ve ever written?

HMMMM probably a toss up between Inquisitor as a Companion: Neria Surana Lavellan (faux DA wiki page entry for my inquisitor) and after all this survival (a snapshot of Siobhan Hawke as Viscountess in Kirkwall)

Blank template below the cut! Tagging: @oxygenforthewicked | @rosella-writes | @demarogue | @plisuu | @exalted-dawn-drabbles | and anyone who wants to use me as their excuse to do this :3

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

3. what fandoms do you write for?

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

5. do you respond to comments?

6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

8. do you get hate on fics?

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

14. what’s your all-time favorite ship?

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? T

16. what are your writing strengths?

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

19. first fandom you wrote for?

20. favorite fic you’ve ever written?

[kurogoesinthedas]

Tagged by @leothelionsaysgrrrr​! Thank you! It’s been a while since I did one of these, and I’m gonna do it for Fley so you all can know them better :3

GENERAL

Name: Mirel Ashani’Ro

Alias(es): Fley'Rani

Gender: Agender

Age: 35 at the start of the game

Place of birth:  Rathad, small village in the Trygghastian Crown Republic

Spoken languages: Common, Infernal, Elvhen, Dwarvish

Sexual orientation: Demisexual Panromantic

Occupation: Archivist in the Legacy Saga of History, assistant archeologist to Sanarei Rani’ka. Currently adventurer.

APPEARANCE

Eye color: fully gold, no irises visible

Hair color: Black

Height: ~6′

Scars: some newly acquired battle scars, from an axe cut to the chest.

Burns: No

Overweight: No

Underweight: Incredibly no, they’re putting up some lean muscle now that they’re out and about in the world (14 dex ayy)

FAVOURITE

Color: pastels, white, pinks.

Hair color: No preference

Eye color: No preference

Music genre: folk ballads, opera. In a modern au, symphonic metal.

Entertainment: singing and dancing, reading.

Pastime:  Studying, reading, playing their lute.

Food: peaches, light soft cakes.

Drink: Tea c:

Books: Will read anything, both for knowledge and for fun. Historical fiction is a favorite for leisure.

HAVE THEY

Passed university: Yes.

Had sex: Yes

Had sex in public: No

Kissed a man: Yes

Kissed a woman: Yes

Gotten tattoos: No

Gotten piercings: Yes but they don’t wear them anymore.

Had a broken heart: Yes

Been in love: No

Stayed up for more than 24 hours: Probably happened during university.

ARE THEY

A virgin: No

A cuddler: Once they are comfortable with someone, touch is a comfort they will gladly offer and receive. But it takes a while.

A kisser: No

A smoker: No

Scared easily: Somewhat

Jealous easily: Not quite, as it’s the fear of abandonment that rears its ugly head

Trustworthy: Mostly, as in they’ll try to keep their word. But they will lie by omission if needed to protect someone or achieve a goal.

Dominant: more like assertive

Submissive: Depends with whom

Single: It’s complicated Yes

RANDOM QUESTIONS

Have they harmed themselves: Not physically

Thought of suicide: Yes

Attempted suicide: No, although bad times were had.

Wanted to kill someone: Yes

Actually killed someone: Yes, but not the same as above, and by accident

Ridden a horse: No

Have/had a job: Yes, see above.

Have any fears: Yes, many indeed.

FAMILY

Sibling(s): four. Mirai, Hana are older, Kali and Kairon are younger.

Parents:  Calliana Ashani’Ro (mother) and Ambros Ashani’Ro (father, presumed dead)

Children: None, though I think Fley would be a good mother eventually.

Pets: None. They never had reason or resources to adopt one and now it would be too dangerous. They do love animals though, especially cute fluffy ones and take full advantage of the Ranger’s tiger to pet.

tagging @ourinquisitorialness​ @numin-lavellan​ @shadowedcipher​ @japanne​!

[vivispec]

hey, i’m bloo/vivi (she/her, 25). feel free to send me asks/message me/tag me in stuff, i always love interaction!

mostly posting dragon age rn (and for the foreseeable future) but i’m also pretty big on bg3, outer wilds, mass effect, zelda, msa, ghibli, ancient magus bride, and lots of other things i pick up and put down. i do a lot of writing for my da ocs which you can find on my ao3 here.

speaking of, here are links to my big completed projects:

derecho (my submission for the 2023 dragon age big bang, with AMAZING art by neoendydy)

my whumptober 2022 collection (100% completed because. i have issues.)

under the cut are my dragon age ocs whomst i love dearly, and write about pretty much exclusively! i am a dirty dirty console player so janky quality be upon ye

just realized all but one of these bitches is elves. look. i told you i got issues ok.

here we have my beloved viera’vun ‘viera’ lavellan, my inquisitor and a solasmancer (i am so sorry to her), as well as the oc i write most by far. she was a dalish hunter trained primarily in daggers, later specializing as a tempest. she is a pathfinder at heart whose greatest strengths are her perceptiveness and resilience, while her greatest weaknesses lie in her impulsivity, lack of assurance in her identity, and her tendency to run from her problems. i have a bunch of fucked up aus centered around her and all the situations i put her into! she likes to run, climb, and sing (she is Bad at it). varric calls her ‘finch’.

iloniyn, my most preciousest boy. him and viera are hunting partners as well as (platonic) soulmates, a phenomenon known to the dalish as tael’inan. they are each one half of a whole. iloniyn is incredibly sarcastic, confident, and prickly, but tends to care deeply about those that he considers his people, and gives of himself freely to them (even if he complains while doing it). he is bonded to @sweetmage​‘s oc athimien, likes to whittle, is a great shot, and can play the lute. varric calls him ‘snipe’.

ishme aeducan, a sharp, hard woman who will not be made a fool again. raised to navigate the subtle and dangerous world of dwarven politics, she is incredibly cunning, and often pulling the strings in any given situation. she is softened by alistair, who teaches her how to be a person as she teaches him how to be a king. wields dual blades as a warrior.

taufei! oooh i love taufei. a leader alongside ishme by the end of origins, she is idealistic, friendly, and generally just a chill person to hang with. though content enough to do her own thing, once she sets her sights on something, she does not relent, often leading her into...hairy situations. those situations include wooing a witch of the wilds and having a sweet lil totally-not-in-any-way-shape-or-form-creepy baby with her! yippee! she was the second of her clan, though her magic was never incredibly powerful and, as such, she made her living on making and infusing potions for her clan. she is a skilled herbalist, knows enough archery to protect herself, and actually has really long luscious curls that Do Not Exist in game you are just going to have to trust me okay.

kita tabris. she is...intense. if you are her friend she is kinda just a dudebro. picked up the big sword her mother used to wield and decided to learn how to use it because, hell yeah, big sword (which, as it so happens, is exactly what her mom did). if you are not her friend, she is. intense. finds battle thrilling, and isn’t afraid to spill blood. while she can come across as flippant or immature, much of her disregard stems from an avoidance of her more serious (and painful) thoughts and emotions. she is zevran’s gorgeous and incredibly powerful girlfriend whomst he adores and cherishes, and the fact that she can, will, and has crushed a man’s skull with her bare hands only strengthens his devotion. 

araia surana, a very sweet young mage who is wholly overwhelmed by this big, new world around her. previously a teacher’s pet who didn’t much mind kinloch hold with little in the way of friends, jowan’s ‘betrayal’ left her reeling with nowhere to turn. while she is curious of the world beyond, she is also incredibly anxious. she picks up a habit of lying to avoid confrontation, and while she is very good at it, her dishonesty puts strain on her and leliana’s relationship early on. her passion is in ancient and forgotten magical techniques and practices. she loves listening to leliana’s stories of adventure and romance, and often plays ‘doll’ when her girlfriend decides she needs something to dress up. after the archdemon is defeated, she spearheads efforts to find the cure for the joining.

[anneapocalypse]

My brain also draws funny arbitrary lines in terms of what kind of AU shenanigans it will accept in my world states and what it rejects--like, generally I don't cross the streams of my world states, so even though Ilana Tabris and Lorien Lavellan would probably hit it off, they're never going to meet because they exist in different universes. But apparently I can also have a world state where Eleanor Trevelyan dies at the Conclave and her brother Theo becomes the Inquisitor instead, or where Lorien's bff Dannae gets sent instead and becomes Inquisitor instead of her. Why does one of these things work for me but not the other? Hey, don't ask me, I just work here. :P

[shivunin]

what is the arranged marriage au 👀

WELL

The arranged marriage au is one of my longer unfinished wips (at ~75k currently) and I started writing it around when I started writing Wander the Drifting Roads (so....almost a year ago? geez). Sorry, this is a bit involved, but I don't have a simpler way of explaining lol:

The basic premise is that the second Exalted March on the Dales never happened. So the elves primarily live in extant kingdoms where Dirthavaren and Halamshiral are in the games. The catch is that the reason the March never happened was intervention on the behalf of Elandrin and Adalene (Codex entry here, which you find if you complete the Din'an Hanin area in the Emerald Graves), who were an elf-human couple. Part of the agreement between the elven government and the Chantry is that the compact between them must be renewed roughly every fifty years and one part of the renewal is an arranged marriage between an elf and a human.

That's what the humans know. What the elves know is that Siona, Elandrin's sister (whose murder of Adalene kicks off the massacre of Red Crossing) is held personally responsible for some of those events. Because it is her fault that the elves have to give up one of their own every fifty years, if one of her descendants is eligible they are automatically the candidate even though it's been some six/seven hundred years. In this age, that candidate is Adahlena Lavellan.

So: it is the Dragon Age, and the time has come for the next renewal of the compact. The only thing is...Ferelden barely has a new king, the Chantry is in shambles, Orlais is embroiled in its civil war, and there is just general pandemonium all over Thedas. Why should the elves give up an advantage and let the Chantry have the last say? No, they're gonna make the humans work for it. So they have each faction send an assortment of candidates representing various interests (nobles from the Free Marches, Ferelden, etc. as well as various experts on things they think might appeal) and over the course of several months the elves get to choose which of them will be the other side of the arranged marriage. Cullen, fresh off becoming the Knight-Commander of the Gallows post-DA2, is chosen by Leliana specifically to represent the Chantry.

Basically: I read that codex entry and I immediately thought, okay but what if they weren't star-crossed lovers and they didn't die? and because my brain is the way it is I had to extrapolate: what would the elves be like now if they'd had several hundred years to research their own magic and develop their own science and culture? So I wanted to depict that, but I also like shenanigans. Hence, arranged marriage au with two reluctant participants who grow to respect and gradually care for each other. Also, I love the OC I made for it---a grumpy gardener who has Trauma relating to Tranquility---and I really really need to finish it for Adahlena's sake if nothing else.

It's one of those things that I really, really want to finish, have so many good ideas for...and when I sit down to write, poof! All gone.

[dreadfutures]

Blue‘s Gift Fic Offerings

Here are some abbreviated summaries of all Dragon Age gifts I’ve written.

OC Swap Fics

Fics written with someone else’s OC as the main focus!

treat me like fire. Gift for @noire-pandora. Oneshot.

Rating: E

When Solas had faced down her anger that day in Haven, Elluin had awakened something in him that yearned for more. He could hold his hands to the fire, admire it for its warmth at a safe distance, but ever in the back of his mind was a voice that wondered: what might it be like to actually hold the flames in the palms of his hands—to embrace the inferno? To witness the true extent of the danger, if only for the thrilling chance to return unscathed.

The Gift of the Hunt. Gift for @lalaen. Oneshot.

Rating: G

Gethrael Lavellan had known for a long time that he would never be the Keeper of Clan Lavellan. When he fell out of the Breach and was named the Herald of Andraste, his path might have seemed lonelier than ever.

A new discovery brings more of the People to the Inquisition than he had dared to hope. But at what cost?

-:-:-

General Gifts

all i wanna be is whites and waves. Gift for @noire-pandora​. Oneshot.

Rating: T

Solas removes the vallaslin of Mythal from his face after a fateful battle tests his loyalty to her cause. The elf who would one day be called Felassan is drawn to him in that moment. Based on the idea that Felassan’s nature is Hope the same way that Solas’s nature is Pride, which I first saw in @rosella-write‘s writing

-:-:-

The Mirrorverse.

The Dragon Age Fanfic Writers Discord Server anniversary (Aug 2021) generated a bunch of crossover-type gift fis and introduced the idea of a multiverse connected by eluvians. Thus, the Mirrorverse was born.

the eternal now of experience. Gift for @rosella-writes. Oneshot.

Rating: G

Ixchel is granted a glimpse of Virelan Lavellan and Solas, many years after he leaves the din’an’shiral.

She knows how hard it was for Virelan to believe their love might find root to grow again. She has not seen the road Virelan and Solas have taken. She has not seen the passage of time. But the mirrors grant her one last glimpse into the life of Virelan Lavellan, and it is a vision of love at long last.

turning stones to look for light. Gift for @rosella-writes. Oneshot.

Rating: G

In another world, Ixchel Lavellan has known failure and success; she has seen Solas lost to his despair, and she has seen him learn how to hope.

Ixchel holds another Lavellan's son in the gardens of Skyhold, and she tells him stories of a father who isn't his...but could be.

Walkers of the Lonely Path. Gift for many. Multichapter (5). Complete.

Rating: T

On the darkest night of the year, five beefy elven warriors and a plucky mage find six mysterious eluvians in the middle of sudden blizzards. Now trapped in a foreboding ruin, they must discover why they have been called here…and if there is a way out.

Dungeon crawl for the Buff Elf Agenda squad and friends.

-:-:-

Solavellan Hell Exchange 2022

Full summary post here (x).

the road seems too wild for mixing it with blues. Gift for @maebird-melody. Oneshot.

Rating: G

To the rest of the world, for once, he is not Solas, not Fen'Harel, not the Dread Wolf; she is not Lady Lavellan, not the Inquisitor. They are visitors engaged in discovery, and the world will indulge them for just this little while.

-:-:-

Arlathan Exchange 2022

Full summary post here (x).

Chrysalid. Gift for @enigmalea. Multichapter (9). Complete.

Rating: G

Imagining the journey Cillian of Clan Ralaferin, a DAI Multiplayer character and DAI NPC, took to find the path of the Arcane Warrior. Inspired by the annual Western Monarch Butterfly migration, and borrowing @rosella-writes ‘ Valor (aka Virelan) from her Arlathan AU.

No Punches Left to Roll With. Gift for @rosella-writes. Oneshot.

Rating: T

(Pre-Relationship Lace Harding/Charter.) Harding meets the enigmatic Charter, and over the course of their diligent work for the Inquisition, the two capable women are drawn together in mutual admiration...and maybe something more.

Comrades in Arms, Brothers in Broken Chains. Gift for @queenaeducan | @theharellan + @rosella-writes. Oneshot.

Rating: T

(Felassan & Agents of Fen’Harel.) Geldauran, a leader among Fen’Harel’s Rebellion, believes anyone who wears their vallaslin after being freed is a spy, a traitor, and a slave at heart. Felassan, who himself wears the brands of Mythal, makes sure to correct him. Felassan would know, better than anyone else, that there are a multitude of reasons one might wear the blood writing and still defy the gods.

He is, after all, the Hope of Fen’Harel.

Centerpiece. Gift for @ashalle-art. Oneshot.

Rating: E.

(Felassan/OFC/Fen’Harel.) Now freed, Revas returns to the ballrooms of Arlathan as a spy and a rebel. But beyond her vital work, she does not know how to enjoy her freedom. Her sometimes lover Felassan, and his lover Fen’Harel, are determined to teach her how. Everyone adores each other, everyone gets off, and a happy polycule forms.

sanctify my body with pain. Gift for @anatidae-dragonage.

Rating: E.  Please read the tags.

(Demon?/Lavellan/Solas.) Lavellan finds herself at the mercy of a Desire Demon, in the wake of Solas’s absence. Just when she is about to succumb, Solas himself -- her Solas -- comes to her rescue. Is it just another trick of the Fade? Or is he really here to save her...and fulfill her desires?

And was it her desire that brought the Demon here...or his?

When she wakes, she receives a hopeful clue.

Solas Hell Exchange 2023

Full summary post here (x)

strike a match (whisper my name). Gift for @darethshirl. Multichapter (7). Complete.

Rating: T.

(Solas & Dorian Pavus). Blood magic. Blight magic. Time magic. From the earliest troubles of the Inquisition, it is clear that the topics are intertwined, and Dorian is determined to tease it all out. He is, after all, the brightest thaumaturge Minrathous has seen in an Age. If only Solas would recognize the fact, they might truly get somewhere.