#i much prefer the way they draw seras

[hellsing-shitposts-r-us]

Me seeing Anderson turn up in the OG Hellsing anime:

[deva-arts]

zomg... the girls! Sketched out! And a few characters I never showed designs for! haha! I keep thinking about the beach, so this is their swimwear.

I hope to make a full fledged drawing for all of them soon~ then the guys~~

Some newbies are: Aura (blue!) Katya (Gold!) and more of Verra (Green!) We'll eventually see more about them as I draw more things and doodles.

[rubyclover]

I love your new au about cain

I imagine adam used to comfort cain whenever heaven or eve would favor abel more than cain by saying something like this:

"Abel will be the son of eve and heaven, but you, my little star, shall be mine."

Bawww that you very much. I’m glad you like it. I’m genuinely surprised it’s gotten this much attention.

Adam did say things like that at first but found it sent the wrong signals to Cain and Able. If Cain got more of Adam’s attention because Able got Heaven’s attention, then Able gets hurt. ‘It’s not my fault Heaven talks to me! I prefer dad too!’ Able would be the favorite child treated like a doll/slave but nobody sees it that way because he gets nice stuff. Meanwhile Cain is neglected by family members he sees as important. That’s his mother, aunts and uncles yet they won’t even look at him! [Cain cried his heart out when Sera lets the truth slip. Able finds him first.]

Adam did his best to not show favoritism but also make up for Heaven’s obvious preferences. Poor Adam bumbled around since he was the first father. There wasn’t any guide book or history he could draw upon. It caused some animosity between the them until Able matured enough to understand his older brother’s plight. Normal sibling behavior lol.

[nerdyfan1]

Thinking about Winner Pentious again. So fuck it gonna list some things about him I’ve thought about or speculated.

First thought I kind of took from this post and idk if I really believe it but, I have a thought about it so I’m talking about it here. That being Morningstar eyes observation.

Now I’m iffy that this was actually intentional cus for preparation for this post I went through the episode in Heaven to look through all the background winners to see if is like rare. It wasn’t super common but, I did see it a lot more so I think this was just winner thing and likely a coincidence. Still it did give me the funny idea that before the fall Luci had the same eyes as winner Pentious. Ngl that probably look so cursed and I kind of like it. If that the case god that is probably a jumpscare to Sera.

Moving on let’s talk about something smaller before I jumping into a big thing I have in mind. I like that the big third eyeliner changed to making it look like little wings. It’s obvious why it looks that way and it’s not like anything super deep about this I just wanted to mention it cus nobody seems to at all and I just found it cute. Wish I knew how to draw this better.

Tho yeah I guess speaking of wings… that leads to another thing.

So he’s wingless. It’s right here when we got the shot him of him ascending guess what I’ll call it. I really like this. Both from a logical standpoint and more importantly a character standpoint.

First of all up makes sense he’d not randomly grow new appendages. Spoiler alert but, I feel like this is gonna be a trend with any other future redeemed sinners we get. Where they pretty much similar to what they once looked like in hell but, the pallets are changing to something more heavenly, visuals that reflect the reason they died (which I’ll touch on later) and maybe smaller wings. Something else I realized when looking into the background is most Winners usually have wings. The only wingless one I found when looking around was like a lobster guy. This meaning unlike the eyes this is more rare. So very interesting if less redeemed sinners will have wings. Or what I’d prefer less fancy ones. As they’ll still need to fly among the sky to survive really live up there.

Leading into this from the character perspective, I do wonder if this means Winner Pentious just can’t fly? Idk my first thought was him using his love of making machines to help him fly like this:

Or maybe a more fitting one for him, a steampunk style jet pack kind of thing? Idk something I always liked about Pentious as a character is his ability to adapt and how uses his mind to aid in leveling the playing field for himself. Besides it could lead to some great comedy to see him fly around like a nerd in his little nerd contraption. :P

So last point for the post but, my Hazbin moot mentioned this to me and I really wanted to bring this one up. So when I stated that I was making this post and asked her server about if they had any things they noticed about him that was worth mentioning here. My mate pointed out his bow tie eye changed to a heart.

Which lead to me going into us talking about the heart theme of Winner Pentious’ design. Back in hell, at least to me, he’s always read as more paranoid. He was just not exactly the most trusting person before the hotel. A lot of eyes are usually are a visual for paranoia after all and Sinner Pentious’ design did indeed have many eyes in different places. It’s a common theme throughout it actually. Now compare that to the Winner design with the overall eyes theme starts to be overtaken by a hearts.

Considering how he died to get here, to me it was designed this way intentionally cus well he spent the time at the hotel learning to finally open up his heart to others. Then died in a sacrifice out of the love he grew for the place that became his home and people there who became basically his family. Hence now he’s decorated with hearts. While still keeping a few eyes indicating that his paranoia is still lingering a little bit within him just it’s not nearly as much as he used to be. Cus stuff like that never truly leaves you but, you can still find ways to combat those feelings to live more healthily.

This lead me to start to develop a headcanon about them. If he developed those hearts on his new designs cus he learned to open his heart and let ppl in then if someone took advantage of his new founded trust or made him super upset, would those same hearts visually be shown to breaking?

Started doodling the idea out (sorry it looks kind of ass lol) to show what I mean. I know a more common fanon thing to do when drawing Winner Pentious is to give him the more stereotype angel wings but, ngl I kind of like the idea of messing around with the hearts of this design to express him emotions way more. Given how his hat in the actual show this feels so fitting haha.

Tho yeah that’s kind of all I got. Idk just wanted to dump stuff I thought about with Winner Pentious and his design. It’s such a pretty looking one btw probably my favorite in the show. Took a design I always really liked and did really cool stuff with it while keeping to the core of the original. He’s very pretty basically what I’m saying. Love him. :3

[miracles-and-butterflies]

Can you give us more SeraBel (Sera+Mirabel) content? I want to see these two dorks together and I feel like we have almost no content for them. First date? Valentine's Day plans? What they enjoy doing together? The two of them have such a unique bond and I'm dying to see more of it

I’m more than happy to talk about Serabel! (Oh my god, they have a ship name!! 😭)

I just had no idea on the best way to share more information about them - format, what people wanted to know, etc. So without having any asks, I just hadn’t really posted anything.

Their first date wasn’t anything overly date-like. If that makes sense? Mirabel was still very new to everything and unsure about a lot, especially in the early stages of their relationship. And Sera had been friends with her long enough to know how easy it is to overwhelm Mira. It was just a usual hangout like they had done before as friends, talking casually and wandering through the town. Essentially they had a small picnic. Mirabel read a book to Sera while Sera made daisy chains and started intertwining flowers into Mira’s hair.

They wouldn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day (14th February), that is a generally more western holiday. Colombia has Dia de Amor Y Amistad which is sometime in the third week of September each year. Very much follows the same idea though. But nobody in Encanto would be celebrating or treating it the same as people do now in the modern day.

It would be a day of love but infinitely more simple and heartfelt. Less about superficial and commercial element - how much money you spend and/or how big a statement you can make. There would definitely be some kind of festival or party thing in town, but I imagine these two would skip it. In preference for something more quiet and private for them both. They’d just want to spend the day together; they wouldn’t need anything else but each other. If we are specifically talking gifts, they would be handmade - Mirabel would embroidery or knit something for Sera and Sera would draw or paint something for Mirabel. They are both very creative people.

Mirabel is a lot more simple. She is happy enough with Sera’s company; she doesn’t need to be doing something exciting or out of the ordinary. She likes it when they are both working simultaneously on their different creative pieces and projects. Sera will equally enjoy watching Mirabel work, but is the first to admit she doesn’t have Mira’s endless patience and ability to sit still. She really enjoys dancing with Mirabel, whether it’s just alone or in a group full of people. She loved teaching her how to dance.

Following their first date, they often have reading dates. Or rather, Mirabel will read, and Sera will listen while doing whatever. Playing with flowers or Mirabel’s hair or the tassels on her skirt, sketching pictures of her girlfriend, carving their initials into a tree, etc. Sera can and will do all sorts while listening to Mirabel talk, loves her voice. Or, if she’s lucky, will successfully convince Mira to sing for her. But that’s rare.

(Mirabel tends not to sing, part of the stage fright. She knows she can sing but is more comfortable in a group than doing something solo, so it’s extremely rare you get to hear her voice alone).

[greypetrel]

1, 7, 13, and 24 for the fandom asks!

Hi Mo! Quicker than a lightning!

Tis the prompt list

1. List 3 positive things about your current fandom(s)

I know this could all depend on the small bubble I created around me, in the years I grew at least a bit proficient in curating my experience online but... I am surprised and amazed at how active and welcoming this fandom is. And how adult. Speaking of Dragon Age. With my utmost surprise, the fandom is still active and ready to engage after all these years. People are active and producing content, and welcoming and kind enough to comment and compliment. I am not the kind of person that randomly befriends others... But the environment pushed me to produce more and to get in contact with more people, fangirl in tags with less fear of being judged. With more adult people that knew how to disagree in a productive way (on fiction of course, we're not talking of human rights). I am happy to say I made some friends and changed my minds over some characters and things my in-game experiences made me overlook, and without being shamed for thinking otherwise ONCE. it still amazes me. (and it all happened in a very dark year, so if you're here reading: my deepest thank you, really <3)

7. Your favorite tropes to read/write/draw

Bisexual Cullen needs to be first, of course. Many of you are here for those comics. Solas yes could be a villain, but I prefer to think he's a grumpy old man who has absolutely NO idea of how to people, and is just acting out of pure, unadultered panic. Sera is treated WAY better by fandom than by the game, sorry not sorry. I recently discovered that the scout that interrupts the first romance cutscene with Cullen is NOT called Jim in canon and my brains refuse to entertain the idea. Fenris and Merrill being friends. Dad-Bod Cullen.

It all depends on how people build things up.

13. your favorite type of fandom event (gift exchange, ship week, secret santa, prompt meme, etc)

I'm big on weekly events with prompt lists! And I do like gifts exchanges quite a lot with mutuals, without much obligations on both parts. :)

24. how has fandom positively impacted your life?

As above, I entered the fandom in a bad moment of my life, with little time. My original works tend to be heavy on research, and I had little time for that (and I was already in crisis with one). So, I restored to fanart to relax.

Fandom has brought me back to see art as a hobby and something I do for pleasure and not as a job. It had brought me back to write prose, made me meet many lovely people I am so happy to chat with! Which in the end brought me to experiment more on art, learn something new...

It has come in the perfect moment, and I'm happy to say I'm now, thanks to fandom, working on a new original project that doesn't stress me out as much. It's still soon to say something and I have nothing to show but... Eh. :)

It carried me through a difficult year and gave me some joy and some friends, for which I'm extremely grateful for. <3

[broodwolf221]

happy dadwc friday! a prompt from your rare/unusual words list: ephemeral - something that is fleeting or short-lived, often used to describe a moment or feeling

happy writing!

this went such a random and unexpected direction but here you go lmao. solas and sera's whole dynamic is so important to me tho..... weird sibling vibes fr @dadrunkwriting 1237 words cws: panic attack

Thunk. It wasn’t real. Thunk. Just some fucked-up Fade shit. Thunk, thunk. Not real.

Thunk.

“Not real,” she said aloud, drawing her bow before she sighed and let it relax, dropping it to the side and sinking into the pile of soft things she’d collected. “Not real. Unreal. Doesn’t exist. Make-believe. Fade shit. Fade piss.”

Of course it wasn’t real—it was nothing. How could that be real? The absence of– shit, her head hurt even beginning to think about it. But when she thought about it she felt like her throat would close up, and that was real, and what the fuck–

Suddenly she was moving, ignoring everyone’s glances and the sound of their voices, ignoring Maryden’s creepy singing, ignoring everything. Shit, she hated having to do this, hated it so much, but there was one person who might be able to make this make some kind of sense. Maybe. Assuming he didn’t just fuck it up in her head even more.

She pounded on the door to the rotunda. “Solas! We need to talk! Like, now.” She didn’t even wait for him to answer, pushing it open herself and walking right in. He was at the little desk in the center of the room, looking absolutely puzzled to see her, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Not even enough to be amused by finally making him look puzzled—the arse certainly deserved it, as often as he’d confused her. “You gotta explain this shit to me,” she said urgently, leaning her hands on his desk. “How did I see nothing and why was it so fucking scary and what does it mean–”

“Sera–”

“And how do I make it stop–”

“Sera!” She bit her tongue on the onslaught of words that still wanted to pour out, his voice surprising. It was firm but not angry, and his expression was really gentle. She shifted awkwardly in place, thinking she preferred him looking confused. This set her teeth on edge. “You’re clearly troubled,” he said as he stood and she snorted—fucking brilliant, yes, troubled–

But before she could protest he held up a hand, then gestured to the small couch. She frowned warily at him, feeling like she needed to move not sit still, but, well, she was here—might as well give it a shot. She sat on the edge of the couch, bouncing her leg. He glanced at it as he sat next to her but didn’t comment on it. “What the fuck, Solas?”

“We all saw our fears realized,” he said gently and she shook her head. Not denying it, just… that was too simple, wasn’t it? “You say you saw nothing?” She grimaced and nodded tightly. “And you don’t understand it.”

“I don’t understand any of this shite!” She shouted, rising to her feet to pace in front of him. He didn’t stop her, didn’t try to get her to sit down again, nothing. Just watched her. “Coryphe-shite, holes in the sky, the fucking Fade–” she snarled and quickened her pace, feeling like she was going to burst out of her skin if she didn’t do something.

“Sera.” She glanced at him, surprised again by how gentle his voice was. “Come here. Please.” She groaned but sat down again, leg bouncing again– “Give me your hand.” She frowned at him, but… well, he’d been a right freak since they’d met, but not in the bad way just the weird way. She could deal with weird. So she gave him her hand and he took it between his, his skin warm and a little rougher than she would’ve expected from a mage. “You feel this?” He asked, squeezing her hand.

“No shit,” she grumbled but he just arched a brow and she sighed, nodding. “Yeah, yeah, I feel it.”

“Focus on your body. Tell me everything you feel.” She frowned again but he kept staring expectantly at her. Eventually she sighed. “Your hands are warm,” she offered awkwardly and he nodded, but still looked expectant. She sighed again, squirming a little. “Your couch isn’t that comfy.” The hint of a smile tugged at his lips but he didn’t break his concentration. “I don’t know—it’s kinda cold in here?”

“What do you hear?” She frowned at him again, but he seemed serious…

“Uh, you talking? Sometimes. I…” She paused, closing her eyes to really listen. “I can hear Leliana’s birds. The wind. Voices.”

“Good. What do you smell?” She opened her eyes to stare at him, certain that he was pulling her leg now, but he still seemed sincere.

“Um…” She closed her eyes again, inhaling deeply then wrinkling her nose. “Your paints, I think? They smell kinda weird. Wet bird. Dust. Cold air.”

“Very good.” He squeezed her hand again. “Now—let us look at this fear of yours.” She opened her eyes and took a deep breath, nodding slowly. She did feel calmer, which was weird.

“It was nothing. Who’s afraid of nothing!” His smile was as gentle as the rest of his demeanor had been, but she didn’t distrust it quite as much now.

“Many people. Nothing is frightening. What can one do against nothingness? No body to fight, no fear to crush, no battle to win. Just absence.”

“Not helping,” she muttered and he squeezed her hand again.

“I only mean to say that it is an understandable fear. But it is just that—a fear.”

“So, what? It doesn’t matter?”

“On the contrary. Our fears tell us much about ourselves. Fear is not a cruel force in our lives—it is trying to help us, trying to save us. Your fear is telling you something.” She frowned, but she thought she was following. More or less. “Did you not say you shot an arrow into the Breach?” She shuddered to remember the fact that it didn’t come down, but nodded. “You want something to affect. You want to be able to change things. Thus, your fear is something that you fundamentally cannot affect, cannot change.”

“Still not helping,” she said, but she wasn’t quite as sure about it this time. At least she didn’t feel like she was going crazy anymore.

“Sometimes, we need to accept that we cannot control what happens. Giving up control—or the illusion of control—is a frightening prospect. But your fear is telling you that such a thing is your particular challenge. If you can learn to accept that you cannot control all that is around you, you will, in time, come to a place where you can be at peace with your core fears.” She didn’t say anything, frowning down at the floor. Was that it? Just accept that she can’t control it? And it’d fix this hollow feeling in her?

“That easy, huh?” She muttered and he squeezed her hand until she met his eyes, surprised by the obvious sadness in his gaze.

“It is not easy at all,” he told her plainly. “But it is something you can control, in time. It will be a challenge, but afterwards, you will have conquered something that most people refuse to even face.”

“And… you think I can do it?” She couldn’t hold his gaze, her voice terribly quiet. She didn’t sound like herself. Didn’t feel like herself.

“I know you can,” he said firmly and she took a deep breath. Another. Then she nodded. If Solas believed in her, then… well, shit, that had to count for something, didn’t it?

[ofviolentdeath]

Character(s)::Chance Word Count::875 Trigger Warnings::Kidnapping, murder, torture. Basically tw Chance

He didn't know what was worse, the state Robbie had been left in or the fact that Sera, the one person he had trusted to keep his children safe, had threatened to harm two of them, but he was certain it was the combination of events that had him prowling a bar several states over. Any other time, he would have taken his time, found a victim he could spend more time with, but his control was thready with the rage coursing through him.

Robbie and the girls were safe at his mother's house and while he was grateful to Azrael, it didn't stop the itching feeling in the palm of his hands. He needed a release if he was going to be able to do what was best for the kids and he almost didn't care who paid the price for it.

She was new to town, clearly out of her element in the crowded bar, but when her eyes met his, she offered a timid smile. No one else had paid her much mind and she was just hoping to find a friend, to make the transition into her new life easier.

Chance made his way across the room, his own expression almost pleasant by the time he reached the girl and offered his hand, giving a fake name and asking if she was new to the area. From there, it wasn't that hard to get her to agree to leave the safety of the crowd.

No, if anything, she seemed relieved to get out of there, to be anywhere quiet and peaceful. She had no idea it was the last choice she would ever make.

There was confusion in her eyes when the park they had been walking through was suddenly gone, replaced with the interior of some abandoned steel mill on the outskirts of town. His grip on her arm had gone from gentle to bruisingly hard.

Rough hands shoved her to the ground before he landed a series of hard kicks to her ribs, knowing that would keep her down until he was ready. It was almost funny to watch her curl into a fetal position to try to protect herself, pained cries falling from her lips as she struggled to breathe.

Normally, he would have had everything in place before picking the victim, but he had been too worked up to focus on anything beyond finding someone to break. Still, it didn't take him long to get the restraints set up and there was no kindness in him when he gripped locks of bottle-blonde hair and dragged the woman to her feet.

Chance generally preferred a natural blonde, but beggars couldn't be choosers and he didn't have the patience right now to get things right.

The girl stumbled, trying to dig her heels in as he pulled her towards the chains and locked them around her wrists.

"Why are you doing this?! Please, please just let me go! I swear I won't tell anyone!" she begged, her voice hoarse and laced with pain.

Of course, he didn't answer, the grating of her voice only further setting him on edge. Fingers gripped her jaw tightly, head tilting slightly before he twisted his wrist, snapping her jaw. The sound of her scream mixed with the breaking of the bone had him drawing a shuddered breath, eyes closing as a sense of calm began to wash over him.

His touch was far more gentle when he patted her on top of the head before turning to his bag and pulling out a rough and jagged-looking blade. It was his personal favorite, better for tearing flesh than it was for cutting.

"Scream for me," he murmured as he dragged the blade down her body, lost to the sensation of hot blood spilling over his skin.

Even if she wanted to bite her tongue, to keep from giving him what he wanted, she couldn't. The pain was awful and it all seemed to bleed together. The broken bones, the ripping of her skin on that knife, the fear and knowledge that she was going to die. It was too much.

But it didn't stop her from struggling against those chains either, trying desperately to get loose, to escape him.

His fingers tangled in her hair, jerking her head back sharply as he brought that knife to her line of sight, the blade candy-coated cherry red already. The tightness of his grip kept her head still as he worked the blade into her mouth and cut her cheeks all the way through before forcing her head forward. It wouldn't do him any good if she choked to death on her own blood.

It didn't take long for her to pass out from the blood loss and while he liked the sound of her pain, the quiet suited him better as he continued her work. By the time he was done, she would be nearly impossible to identify.

Not that it mattered, really. He was going to be setting the entire place on fire before he left to make sure there was no evidence of his presence. It was just a part of how he had managed to get away with his crimes for so long.

[nihiltism]

ok now that ive explained my dearest beautiful blorbo drosera in all her awful awful detail in my last post. i can show you my playlist for her and explain why theyre all there.

most of this is relating to the first part of her story and not post trigger ill note buuuut! heres it all. teehee. some just. scattered thoughts abt it

theres a couple different subsections here? like theres a couple that are The Vibe (musical aesthetically), since sera is a Very violin + strong percussion coded character stuff like cypress queen ends up there. tir na nog is also there for similar reason but i want to note that it is Really not that applicable to her as a song. i mostly just added it because i liked it. but i also really liked the line (the world you left, it forgot your name) in relation to sera and that was good enough for me to add it to the list. in general her musical vibe is foresty tunes but like. Preferably foresty tunes about spite and murder and if theres metal there thatd be cool. so like. thatd be why terrathaw and the quake is there. but also wolves of the revolution but less metal. metal is kind of The Genre I Associate With Her Emotionally like i do think she would listen to this shit. this would be why theres an mgr jumpscare there. but also because i thought itd be funny. but also i will admit that my beloved oc probably listens to angst music which is why the soad jumpscare is there. ive been wanting to draw a mini amv with her to the (i saw her laugh) bit of revenga because yknow. kind of relates to the betrayal if you really fucking stretch it. also because its really cool. its a song that probably fits her The most personality wise. speaking of the betrayal do i have to explain hangman. no. cool. i think the first six are all songs that fit her Story (or just vibe) in one way or another and the last three are ones she'd actually listen to is basically what im getting at. idk this is all over the place. hangman gives me really evocative drosera art ideas for when i have an actual ref for her and i think the second half of the horror and the wild specifically fits her a lot. i like the remember me bits and the mutterings of all your fears bits. also the (you passed your fingers through my hair and called me child. witness me old man i am the wild) feels like a double meaning because it Does kind of evoke that longing for acceptance while also a retaliatory spite against the people she wants it from. yknow. wolves of the revolution just fits her entirely i dont think i need to explain. also!!! krystallomantia is what i very much consider to be what her boss theme would sound like if she had one!!! thank you and goodnight!!

[black-emporium-exchange]

How to sign up for Black Emporium!

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CHANGES THIS YEAR

- We now have a brand new Request Database this year! Unlike previous years where mods had to hand copy requests into a separate Google Doc, the Database will automatically populate who and what people are requesting. (Should come in handy when writing treats or looking for inspiration.)

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO SIGN-UPS BELOW THE CUT:

1. Sign in to Ao3

If you don’t have an Ao3 account, contact the mods for help!

2. Go to the Black Emporium signup field (link)

3. Scroll to the “Requests” field

There are several different components of this field:

Relationship:

Enter one, two, or three approved relationships that you would like to see in a fanwork created for you. This field will autosuggest approved pairings. If your pairing does not show up, it may be that you have fallen victim to a known bug of Ao3's that we cannot fix, wherein pairings in a tagset do not autofill. If this happens, simply type it in as it appears in the tagset.

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Description: Here is where you can provide additional detail about what you would like to see in a fanwork, both in general and for specific pairings. Good things to include (in this box, a letter, or both) are general likes and dislikes, preferred content rating, and Do Not Wants. Please remember to put your DNW's (do not wants) in the Ao3 sign up form - we can only take action if you put your DNW in your Ao3 sign-up form because it is the only thing we can absolutely guarantee that your creator will be able to access.

Remember that anyone who creates fanwork for you must respect your Do Not Wants. If you do not enter anything into this box, and you do not have a link to a letter, we will assume that means you are okay with anything for the specified pairing(s). If you have any preferences or things you do not want, we would encourage you to add them. It makes the process smoother for all involved.

Here are some things commonly put in the description box:

Likes/Wants:

- Frequently it can be considered helpful to your author or artist if they have some idea of what you like to see, and what you don't. For example:

I love F!Adaar/Sera because I think the idea of them merrily pranking their way around Skyhold is so much fun. Please don't write me something sad about them.

Do Not Wants:

- Stuff that makes you uncomfortable, or just plain stuff that is Not Your Thing. While the Black Emporium does not believe in kink shaming or otherwise insulting people for their own personal taste, we do want people to let their artists or authors know what their limits are. You don't have to give any reasons for this; "no x/y/z" gives your creator plenty of info to discern where your limits are.

We can only take action if someone writes you something against your DNWs if it is in your sign-up.

Prompts:

Prompts can be just about anything, but they're meant to be ideas that you'd like to see that can help give your artist or author something to work off of. Sometimes this can be a prompt or a question you'd like explored (for example: What if Solas found himself falling for M!Trevelyan? How would he feel about potentially falling for a human?) or an idea you'd love to see (Josie and M!Cadash snuggled up in front of a fire, please!) or just a few words of inspiration (Leliana/Josephine - secrets, lies, ravens).

Details about your character(s):

It is fairly common for people to give basic descriptions of their characters if it is a character where their appearance or personality may vary (ex: Wardens/Hawkes/Inquisitors), particularly if fanart is requested. These descriptions can be very basic indeed (ex: purple hawke), or extremely detailed (ex: This is Celeste Trevelyan, she loves her squad more than life itself, pink hair, dusky-rose skin, built like she could bench press you six ways from sunday).

Bucket Requests:

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“I would like anything but nasty [kink]. I think people who write that are gross and nasty.”

Please do not insult people who like something you dislike. It’s Not For You, and That’s Okay. “No [kink]” expresses this much better than a long explanation of why you don’t like [kink].

“I’m only choosing this to get to three nominations. Please don’t write it.”

While we know someone who signs up for a, b and z may want a and/or b more than z, but please don’t scream to your author or artist that what you may well match on is something you don’t want as much as other pairings. Writing something like this also reduces your chance at treats as well.

“Even though I said I wanted M!Solavellan, I’m fine with F!Solavellan too if you like that better.”

Please don’t tell people that you’d be alright with non-nominated pairings, as fics with only non-nominated pairings cannot be added to the collection.

Minimums and Maximums in Requests:

You are required to fill out a minimum of three request fields (Required: Relationship, Additional Tags; Optional: Letter, Description). Remember that you may put in one OR two relationships per request field, so the maximum number of pairings that you can list in this manner is thirty. Remember also that you must fill out at least 3 request fields, so if you fill 2 out with 3 requests in each "request box", Ao3 will still want you to add one more -- it's a good rule of thumb to fill at least three out with one request, then double up as you wish.

4. Continue to the “Offers” field

There are several different components of this field:

Relationship:

Enter one, two, or three approved relationships that you would like to see in a fanwork created for you. This field will autosuggest approved pairings. If your pairing does not show up, it may be that you have fallen victim to a known bug of Ao3's that we cannot fix, wherein pairings in a tagset do not autofill. If this happens, simply type it in as it appears in the tagset. If it continues to give an error, please drop us a comment with the pairing so we can figure out what's going on. You also have the option to select any relationship.

By selecting “Any Relationship,” that means that you are willing to write or draw fanwork for, literally, ANY of the approved pairings.

The only limitation we will accept will be be a limitation of what category of relationship you want to create for: eg, Any F/F, Any M/M, Any F/M, Any Multi, Any Other, or Any Nonbinary. Anything else WILL BE REJECTED. You may NOT use this option to say, for example, “Any Cullen pairing”. This option is for any and all of the approved pairings in your designated category/categories. Do not use this option unless you are sure that any is truly what you want.

Additional Tags:

You can offer to create fanfic, fanart, or both. Selecting "any" is treated the same as selecting both.

Comments for mods:

Here is where you can provide additional detail about what you will and won’t create. As with your requests, you can provide general likes and dislikes as well as things that you absolutely will not do. If there is someone signed up you absolutely cannot stand, please write "don't match me to x" here; we won't ask details, we just won't match and this will be a fully confidential field. If you hate nugs, put it here, and we'll make sure you get at least one nug-free prompt and, ideally, a nug-free sign-up. We want you to have an assignment you'll be happy about, so if you've got something that would be triggering for you to create for, let us know. We can only take action based on our own knowledge, so the more information we have the better we can try to match you with what you really want. If you do not enter anything into this box, we will assume that means you are okay with anything for the specified pairing(s) selected. If you have any preferences or do not wants, we would encourage you to add them. It makes the process smoother for all involved. None of the mods will blab over whatever you write; we just want you to have the best time possible with your assignment.

Minimums and Maximums in Offers:

You are required to fill out a minimum of three offer fields (Required: Fandom, Relationship, Additional Tags; Optional: Comments to mods). Remember that you may put in one or two relationships per request field, so the maximum number of pairings that you can list in this manner is twenty. Remember also that you must fill out at least 3 offer fields, so if you fill 2 offer fields out with 2 offers in each "box", Ao3 will still want you to add one more offer field even though you have one over the minimum required amount of offers -- it's a good rule of thumb to fill at least three offer fields, each with one offer, then go back and double up or not, as you wish.

Bucket Offers:

You may also use the comments to mod field to note additional pairings that you would be willing to write if you have already filled thirty slots. You may find this option helpful if you are willing to consider different Warden or Inquisitor backgrounds for your specified pairing. You are limited to an additional ten pairings specified in this manner. Once again, those filled in the actual relationship: tags will take priority over those written in, so choose which pairing goes where carefully!

A Note on Matching

Black Emporium runs on OR matching, which means that you will match on one relationship out of the ones that you offer and request. You are guaranteed to match on ONE relationship; you may match on more, you may not. For your assignment, you can write what you matched on OR you can write any other couple on their sign-up form. You will only have to write or draw for ONE request, not all of them. The minimums will be one piece of artwork or one 1,000 word fic.

[eurekq]

>be me >today i will make a height chart for my da protags and their love interests >okay maybe ill make it an outfit and color reference too >well i dont want it to be too boring to look at >draw this

so here we are with all my sweet little ladies and their lis :]!!! from left to right: cassie cousland, marian hawke and anders, aoife lavellan and cullen, rhiannon tabris and alistair, cecelia hawke and fenris, melly cadash and sera

LOTS of extra stuff under the cut!!!

lovely da protag templates are from marian churchland!

dear sweet cassie, partaker in the forbidden non-romantic alistair marriage that the game never knows how to acknowledge. very much the definition of gaslight gatekeep girlboss. and by that i mean a genuinely bad person in the sense that she tends to toy with peoples feelings. had an extremely public affair with anders during the events of awakening. It takes a good 5 years for her and alistairs marriage to be anything even approaching functional. extremely savvy, ambitious, and charismatic; a great politician and an extremely effective ruler. morrigan is her closest friend in the world (yes i know i never had her in my party. thats because im bad at video games and needed a healer.) and they’re like sisters.

my default hawke. 6′2, buff as shit, slept her way through half of her friends before finally settling with anders. she’s a blood mage and her first use of blood magic was during a particularly nasty fight where she got speared through the stomach. she carves herself up for mana; anders puts her back together. does things in anger and impulse and then regrets them (see: giving isabela to the arishok, never reconciling with carver after leandras death). mean if you dont know her, intensely protective if you do, but takes betrayal extremely poorly. constantly taking action, even if it doesn’t turn out very well; she is physically incapable of being a bystander. her and anders are my fave da couple ever... ask me about my post da2 hcs <3 theyre happy and have a daughter named bethany :] she punched cullen in the mouth at the end of da2 so hard that it left that scar.

literally is there anything like your first dai playthrough being an elf. aoife is... remarkably well realized in my brain for a character who’s life began as my friend chanting “goth elf! goth elf! goth elf!” over my shoulder while i was in character creator. very affable and friendly, but extremely politically adept with a capability for subterfuge that even she isn’t fully comfortable with. huge history buff. solas was like a big brother to her and her faith was extremely important to her so trespasser was crushing. very curious, especially about magic; definitely learned some blood magic from hawke after hearing dorian and solas talk about it. dorian is her closest platonic friend, but cullen is her rock. as in he is literally so normal compared to everything else that happens to her and she loves him for it. also her and hawke are friends and a scenario that lives rent free in my mind is them hanging out while anders and cullen attempt to kill each other in increasingly looney toons-esque ways in the background. she turned out remarkably pretty for an inquisitor... look at her

....and that’s it for my canon timeline. onto the secondary timeline!

DEAR SWEET RHIANNON. 4′8 powerhouse with a sword longer than she is tall. i first played rhiannon with a friend who was very new to rpgs and she picked all of the mean dialogue options because she thought they were funny, which led to me discovering that alistair reacts oddly and kind of hilariously well to being made fun of by a female warden pre-duncan dying. rhiannon is fun in that she literally gives no shits about conflict avoidance; if you start something with her, she’ll see it through. disliked alistair on principle and poked fun at him when they first met, but after the events at ostagar bonded to him extremely strongly. very close to him pretty much at the exclusion of all her other companions. extremely strong willed, laughs loud and smiles wide, no real concept of subterfuge except for when she’s hiding her own pain, generally goes in the path of least resistance if it gets to her goal faster. #1 arl eamon hater. she looks pretty different when i draw her compared to how she looked ingame but this screenshot of her doing the like. dead deer tinder profile pic pose is extremely powerful

cecelia is the truest tragic hawke that i’ve played (rip cecelia. you had the misfortune to exist in the warden alistair timeline). lost carver, lost bethany in the deep roads, lost her mother, believes that fenris has left her. act 2; a real rough ride for cecelia. aside from all the tragedy, she’s tough as nails, direct, and extremely blunt. very cautious in combat, even more so since she lost both carver and bethany. plans upon plans upon plans and prefers to strike unseen and unheard from the shadows. DEEPLY in love with fenris, best friends with isabela and merrill. aware of anders affection for her and keeps some distance for both their sakes; after the chantry explosion she helps him fake his own death on the condition that she never sees him again. when terrible things are not constantly happening she has a very dry wit, part of the reason her and fenris get along so well. too many bad things happen to her for someone with such nice thighs and such a stylish cape. her save file had some weird bugs with companion like.... staring???? in weird directions???

the absolute energy here. she also turned out very pretty in inquisition.

melly is easily my most powerful da oc. not in terms of in-universe power (although sword and board reaver is like. unkillable.) but in the sense that she is a catholic (read: andrastian) mid-40′s widowed mobster milf. she’s very close to cassandra and vivienne and consults them for advice before she goes to her actual advisors. even she was surprised by her relationship with sera; she finds sera’s unique sense of humor very charming and really likes pulling silly pranks with her as a reprieve from her everyday life. when she’s not with sera, she tends to be very pragmatic and logical when making decisions for the inquisition and has a very defined sense of purpose. she takes her role as both as the inquisitor and the herald of andraste very seriously. she’s very warm and soothing to be around during off hours and random inquisition members will often drift towards her for life advice. first draft of her and sera in this drawing had sera wearing this

[sky-scribbles]

Party banter with Inquisitor Essek

(Because this ridiculous crossover has taken over my life. A brief explanation, as much as explanation is possible: a mis-cast spell has yote a post-campaign Essek through a planar rift and into Thedas, and he happened to land in the Temple of Sacred Ashes. These banters go up to the destruction of Haven, which is why Cole isn’t here - but he will be in later instalments!)

Cassandra: Leliana has found no information about you. Not a thing. Essek: Considering that most mages are met with disgust and imprisonment, it would be... imprudent of me to advertise my presence. Cassandra: Living in secrecy is one thing. Leaving no mark on the world at all is another. Essek: And you would prefer, I think, for all my secrets to be at your disposal.  Cassandra: Are you surprised that I suspect you have something to hide? Essek: Is hostile intent the only possible reason for secrecy, Seeker?

Solas: It would appear that your mark is affecting you physically, Herald. Essek: My hand was not green before, no. Solas: Aside from the obvious. While I tended to you after the conclave, you did not always seem to be asleep. At times, you lapsed into true unconsciousness. At other times, you seemed to trance, half-sleeping. Essek: Ah. Yes. I suppose... the connection to the Fade has altered the way I sleep. I find I can enter these trances at will, as a substitute for sleep. Solas: That is fascinating. The ancient elves could enter an endless dream called uthenera. Perhaps this is a related phenomenon. Essek: So one would assume.

Essek: So, Sera. I was going through  my research notes - Sera: [Sniggering] Essek: And I found that they had been expertly illustrated. Sera: That's what your weird rifty timey magic shite needs. All the butts. Essek: They certainly add interest. Although... that drawing of me closing a rift full of demon butts? You should have shaped my cloak so that it looked like a dick. Sera: [laughs] Like a dick! You're all right, Herald Weirdyhand. Essek: And you are quite the jester.

Varric: How is it you can just walk around pitch-black caves without a problem? Don’t tell me you're part-dwarf and it's stone-sense. Essek: Ah, no. I would assume it is yet another change from the mark. Varric: So this thing lets you fix the sky, and it's a free torch? Who knew that being Andraste's chosen came with a multi-purpose toolkit? Essek: There is no evidence for my being chosen by anything other than political convenience.  Varric: You’re not crazy about the whole Herald business, are you? Essek: About people deciding that I am the mouthpiece of an unproven god who does not speak to anyone, and yet whose name and teachings people use as an excuse for war and conquest, without investigating the truth behind those teachings? No. I am not.

Blackwall: So what does an apostate do, if he's on his own for... I don't know, how many years? Essek: Arcane research, mostly. Why, what does a Grey Warden do when he's on his own for however many years? Blackwall: Kill darkspawn. Recruit for the Wardens. Kill more darkspawn. Essek: And your fellow Wardens do not accompany you? Blackwall: You don't need more than one person to say 'how do you feel about fighting darkspawn for the rest of your life?' Essek: Did you... ever find yourself becoming lonely, in your solitude? Blackwall: I... sometimes, I suppose. Never gave much thought to it. Easier that way. Essek: Mm. I know the feeling.

Dorian: So you think Alexius’s perception of time was fundamentally flawed? Essek: I do. Time is not a straight line, through which one can jump ahead, skip back and rub bits out. Dorian: How would you have done it differently? Aside from the whole ‘conjure a world infested with red lyrium and catastrophe’ part. Essek: Imagine time as a branching thing. Every choice we make causes potential timelines to fade into non-existence. Essek: But their potential remains, waiting to be tapped. Alexius should have attempted to manifest a timeline in which I was never here, rather than removing me from this one. Dorian: Well, don’t tell everybody how to make it work. Wouldn’t want them to get ideas. Though perhaps you’d like to compare notes, later? Essek: I... would like that. 

Vivienne: You carry yourself remarkably well, Herald. Almost like nobility. Essek: Only 'almost'? I shall have to try harder. Vivienne: And despite your youth, you deflect personal inquiries with the deftness of a seasoned player of the Game. Quite remarkable, from a hedge mage. Essek: I'm mildly curious: 'hedge mage'? Vivienne: A self-taught mage, dear. One who has gone without the instruction of a Circle, or even a Dalish clan. If you ever require tuition, I am at your disposal. Essek: I’m sure you are. But I am not especially interested in whatever you think you have to teach.

Sera: You’re proper weird, you are. You go all swanny around the noble piss-bags, all smiles and pretty words like Lady Josie, but you put teeth in it, like Vivvy. Essek: Like Vivienne? I should hope not. Sera: And then you screw the nobs over like Josie does, ‘cept she makes them love her for it and you make them scared. Leliana kind of scared. Essek: When people don’t know you, or what to make of you, they fear you. It makes them... malleable. It’s something I’ve learned to use. As has Leliana, it would seem.

Varric: You doing all right, Smiles? Essek: 'Smiles'? An intriguing choice. Varric: Same reasoning as Iron Lady and Sparkler. Meet as many messes as I have, and you get good at spotting masks. Essek: Indeed? Varric: You fell out of the sky, got attacked by a shit ton of demons and put in charge of an army, and never once stopped smiling. Kind of impressive, actually. Essek: Thank you. Varric: Also, creepy as shit. 

Solas: I'm curious about your name, Herald. Essek: My name? It's Essek. Sera: [laughs] Solas: I meant that it isn't elven, though your family name sounds very like it. Solas: ‘Thelyss’. I wonder if it is is a result of syllables from the name 'Lethallas' being lost and altered over the years. It means, 'a gift to one's kin.' Essek: Ha. Solas: You don't find that likely? Essek: Me being a gift to my kin? Highly unlikely.

Iron Bull: So, boss, what do you make of my guys? Essek: They clearly have an array of talents. Iron Bull: Oh, come on. I didn't ask for what the Herald thought of his new recruits, I asked what you make of my guys. Essek: Very well. They are... unusual. Enthusiastic. I think that some would underestimate them, some would be thrown off-balance by them, and many would do both. Iron Bull: Ha. Yeah, we like to keep people guessing.  Essek: I like them. They are... lively.

Sera: I don’t get it. You can screw over noble shite-faces without being scary. And you’re not scary! I know you and you’re not scary, so why be scary? Essek: Well, I don’t find you scary either, Sera. But I’m sure our enemies do, when they’re on the wrong end of your arrows. Sera: That’s different things, though. I learned arrows because arrows mean nobs are dead and I’m not. Essek: Exactly. Like you, I have had to fight for survival in my own ways. And unlike you, for a long time, I was without friends. Sera: So... you learned how to do scary because you’re scared? Essek: I would say more... aware of potential dangers. Sera: So, scared.

Solas: As for your first name, the final syllable is not even a sound that occurs in elven. Is it Qunlat? One of your parents is Qunari, I assume? Essek: Ah. Yes, of course. Solas: So it is Qunlat? Iron Bull: Nah, that’s not Qunlat, whatever it is. Almost sounds like it, though. Kinda like ‘isskari’. Name for Ben-Hassrath who get hold of weird magic crap. Essek: Oddly appropriate. But since I'm not in contact with my family, the truth shall have to remain a mystery.

Blackwall: Are you all right, Herald? Essek: Fine, thank you. I simply have somewhat sensitive eyes and skin, and it is a very bright day. Blackwall: If you need to stop, I could... I don’t know. Hold a shield over your head? Essek: I appreciate it, but no, thank you. It is tolerable. Blackwall: Didn’t meant to offend. Essek: It is all right. I - [sighs] I apologise. That would help, if you could. Years of solitude have made me... reliant on my own self-reliance, I suppose.  Blackwall: I know what you mean. Shield parasol it is, then.

Sera: Don’t need to be scared, right? Anyone gives you shit, I give ‘em arrows. Or just pies. Or worms in their shoes. Essek: [chuckles] Thank you, Sera. Please do. Sera: Did think you were scary at first, you know.  Essek: What changed your mind? Sera: Scary wouldn’t grin when I drew butts on things.  Essek: ... Are you at all fond of cupcakes, Sera?

[vosh-rakh]

meeting of the minds

Ku-vastei wearily steps inside from the rain, slamming the round metal door behind her. She begins to wring out her robes, swearing to every god and saint she knows under her breath.

A heavily-armored man draws his sword and points it towards her. “What are you doing here, slave?”

Too tired to speak, Ku simply glares at the cyrod as she continues to dry herself off.

“How did you get up here?” pursues the warrior, stepping closer. “These are Master Aryon’s private -”

Before he can take another step, a daedric spearpoint materializes in xanthous light at his throat, freezing him in place. “Come no closer, n’wah,” Ku declares, her tired voice deep and rumbling, “if you value your neck.” 

“Turedas? What’s all this commotion about?” calls a silvery voice from upstairs. A dunmer descends the spiral staircase, hiking up his robe so he doesn’t trip. He spies Ku-vastei with her conjured weapon pressed against his bodyguard’s gorget and his face lights up. “Ah, Turedas, settle down. This is the guest I told you to expect.”

The cyrod carefully sheathes his weapon, and Ku follows suit, the spear dissipating into tiny flecks of yellow floating to the ceiling and beyond. “I did not expect you meant to meet with a slave, Councilor,” says Turedas, his eyes still carefully trained on Ku.

“She is no slave of mine or anyone else,” replies Master Aryon, patting the warrior on the back. Ku-vastei notices he lacks the coarse Vvardenfell accent. “She is like Smokeskin-killer, a free argonian. We do not keep slaves in Tel Vos.” He smiles at Ku-vastei. “My apologies for the confusion. My man here once worked at the slave market in Sadrith Mora. Despite his Cyrodiilic origins, his heart was hardened to the abuses there.”

Ku-vastei grunts and goes back to wringing out her robes. “No, no,” interjects Aryon, taking a careless step closer. “Here. Allow me. You’ll feel warmer for a moment.”

Ku narrows her eyes but allows him. With a wave of his hand, vaporous orange light encircles her, pulling the moisture from her clothing and suffusing her body with a pleasant warmth. Her tail pulls itself taut with a cozy shiver. “Thank you,” she offers in return.

“Think nothing of it, muthsera. Come upstairs with me, I was just about to sit down for dinner.” He waves her towards the stairs with a practiced bow and flourish of his hands. “Turedas, if you would, please mop up the entryway.”

Turedas groans but nods in deference to his master. Ku follows Aryon up the fungal stairs, her tail “accidentally” slapping Turedas on her way past. As they climb, she begs the question, “See, you know what stairs are. No levitation necessary to go from one floor to the other. Then why do you require it to access this tower at all?”

“It is a longstanding tradition of the Telvanni,” answers Master Aryon. “We are a House steeped in wizardry, of course. So to reach our finest, you must prove yourself capable of such an essential spell, or at least resourceful enough to buy or brew a potion. This way it is impossible for lesser men to waste our often valuable time.” He pauses, then adds, “...Or so the tradition goes.”

“So you hesitate before tradition?” Ku observes.

“In its most outdated forms, yes.”

“Yet you keep the common folk of Vos a mile away from you. Very faithful adherence.”

The magister turns to look at Ku-vastei for a moment, then smiles. “...Some traditions die harder than others. Some must be followed so that others may be changed. It is a sacrifice. You are very observant, Ku-vastei, and that shall do you well in House Telvanni.”

They arrive at the second floor of the fungiform tower, where a table ladened with food awaits. “Be my honored guest, muthsera, and have a seat,” Master Aryon proclaims, throwing his arms wide with entreaty.

As Ku-vastei sets aside her pack and cautiously tucks her tail to sit at the table, she admires with salivating tongue the grand feast laid out before her: gleaming slaughterfish sashimi with an inky dipping sauce; an entire leg of mudcrab, plump and stuffed with golden meat; perfectly molded saltrice balls, neatly tucked into hackle-lo leaves; a bowl of bright blue roasted dovah-flies; and a large cup of mulled shein, steaming with an intoxicating aroma. She lifts it to her nose with both hands, inhaling deeply. The weather must have clogged her sinuses, because the blast of spices clears them right back out, like a fire removing a colony of its congestive kwama.

“Feel free to help yourself,” Aryon says, taking his own seat and separating his corkbulb chopsticks. “I prepared enough for the both of us.”

Ku takes a mighty swig of the shein before setting it back down. She forgoes her own pair of chopsticks and begins popping dovah-flies into her mouth with gusto, each one carefully pinched between her claws. Aryon watches attentively as he slowly dips a piece of sashimi into the black sauce.

“You knew -” Ku says between bite-swallows, “- that I would be coming.”

Aryon ignores this observation, instead making one of his own. “You approach this meal with proud carelessness. Who is to say I haven’t poisoned the dovah-flies?”

Ku laughs, picking up the massive crab leg. “A man of your status should know we argonians are immune to the poisons of men and mer.”

“Yes,” Aryon replies with a chuckle of his own. “Of men and mer, yes. But I know of at least three brewed in the dark depths of your homeland that are immune to your immunity.”

The leg cracks open violently, mudcrab meat scattering across the table. 

“But you needn’t worry,” entreats Aryon. He moves his chopsticks in a single calculated motion to pick up a dovah-fly and pops it into his mouth, savoring the crunch before continuing. “Such poisons have no antidotes. We are here as allies, Ku-vastei. We serve the same purpose. In serving me, you serve yourself.” He pauses to fish a piece of misplaced crab meat out of the murky depths of the sauce. “My Mouth told me you were coming.” He taps on a lavender-stoned ring on his finger as he chews.

“...Telepathic ring?” Ku asks, her pupils dilating slightly as she examines it. She gently takes a saltrice ball and nibbles on it, a bit more cautiously now, despite Aryon’s assurances.

“Close,” Aryon says after swallowing. “Teleportation. I prefer to meet face to face. I had Galos take the long way back to Sadrith Mora.” He rolls the ring under his fingers across the table towards Ku-vastei. “This is yours now, as I’m making you my new Mouth.”

“I’m not standing around in Sadrith Mora all day.” Ku’s hunger gets the best of her, and she finishes off the ball quickly. But the words have an effect - she takes her own pair of chopsticks and awkwardly fiddles with them to pick up a piece of sashimi. She does not touch the ring just yet.

Aryon laughs. “No, no, I won’t expect that of you. Galos will still take care of the minor clerical duties of the position.” He watches Ku’s attempts with a frown. “Look. See how I hold them? Like this,” he says, rotating his hand towards Ku-vastei. He deftly picks up a dovah-fly and pops it into his mouth.

Ku adjusts her grip and tries to pick up a dovah-fly herself. She manages to lift it a few inches from the bowl before twisting it out of the sticks, sending it rolling off the table. “Xuth,” she exclaims under her breath.

“Much better. You’re a quick learner.” He sets down his chopsticks and leans back in his chair. “I suppose they didn’t teach you proper etiquette at the Savethi Plantation, did they?”

Ku-vastei’s nostrils flare slightly. “You’re very well researched,” she remarks, biding her temper.

“Yes,” Master Aryon says. “I’m well aware of your past prior to arriving on Vvardenfell. Your role in the Arnesian War is particularly impressive. You’re quite the impactful character, Ku-vastei.”

“What’s your point?” Ku lays down her own chopsticks.

“You know, unlike most of my fellows in the House, I’m quite sympathetic to your plight, and that of your people.”

Ku presses a palm firmly on the surface of the table. “You know nothing of ‘our plight,’ n’wah. You live just the same privileged life as the rest of you house-folk.”

Aryon clears his throat and leans in. “I may not have ever been a slave, Ku-vastei, but I am fond of progress. The business of slavery is an ancient tradition, and ancient traditions must be abolished for a new society to blossom. Are you familiar with the teachings of Vivec?”

“No,” Ku-vastei lies. She’s read some of his sermons, but admitting familiarity feels treacherous.

“Ah, nevermind then. But as I said, in order for our society to flourish, it must be destroyed and made anew. This goes especially for our Great House Telvanni. You will find me just as progressive as the staunchest abolitionist.”

He lifts his cup of shein to his nose, inhaling the aroma of the spices. “I’m aware how your name translates from Jel to Aldmeris. ‘Catalyst for necessary change.’ It served you well in rebellion, and I think it can serve us well here. Working with me, you can once again be that catalyst, and forever change the face of Great House Telvanni.” With his offer pitched, he leans back in his chair and takes a sip of the wine.

Ku-vastei mulls it over for a bit. In order to advance within the house, it seems she has little choice. And perhaps he truly will end up a valuable ally. She picks up the ring and inspects it briefly before sliding it onto her middle finger. The magical ring glows in reaction to its new wearer, expanding and tightening to fit comfortably. “One condition,” she says. “Build some damn stairs to this place.”

“Well,” Aryon interjects, “with the ring, you won’t need-”

“I don’t care. Build some stairs.”

Aryon narrows his eyes briefly but smiles. He extends his hand over the feast. “Deal.”

Ku takes his soft hand and shakes it firmly, saying nothing. 

-

After feasting further and conversing about House politics and magical theory, Ku-vastei makes ready to leave. On her way out she meets Turedas again. 

“Good evening, sera,” he says, hissing the honorific.

“I’m Master Aryon’s Mouth now, n’wah.”

The color falls from the cyrod’s face. “Yes, serjo. Of course.”

Ku-vastei turns swiftly towards the door, slapping Turedas with her tail again as she does, before quickly marching out into the clear night.

[theharellan]

Solas Fan Banter

Here’s a compilation of the fan banter I’ve written over the years between Solas and other canon Dragon Age characters, posted for Dragon Age Day 2020. There are references to a canon divergent Solas/nb!Lavellan companion romance. I’ve regretfully not written any Iron Bull banter that I’m proud enough of to feature here, but if anyone has any suggestions for topics I’d be glad to hear them.

Featured characters: Solas, Cassandra, Varric, Sera, Blackwall, Vivienne, Dorian, Cole, Morrigan, Cullen, Leliana, Valta, Renn, and Arcane Advisor Merrill!

Solas & Cassandra

(after receiving the quest Agrarian Apostate)

Cassandra: And he was not even a mage. Shameful. Solas: Would have it been justified if he was? Cassandra: The Templars have sanction to punish apostates. It would not have been beyond their authority. Solas: I would not call that justified, merely legal. Cassandra: The Templars should be better. Solas: The Chantry armed them and gave them an enemy. That might fuel an army, but will only serve to poison their minds against innocent people, apostates or no.

Solas & Varric

(after killing the Templars during the quest Agrarian Apostate)

Varric: I thought at least away from Kirkwall I could get away from crazy Templars. Solas: You believe they were mad? The men I saw were no different from those who confronted us in Val Royeaux.

(after delivering the ring)

Solas: She seems to be holding up well, considering. Varric: Yeah, but I know a front when I see one. Solas: You believe she was suffering more than she let on? Varric: Oh, I know it, Chuckles. That ring might comfort her when the country gets too quiet, but it won’t dry her tears or– shit, do much else, really. Solas: Some wounds only time heal. Varric: And they always seem to leave ugly scars.

(after beginning Here Lies the Abyss)

Solas: You found Hawke after all. Varric: Oh, you know. All those heroics jogged my memory. Solas: Naturally. Varric: What, you going to lay into me, too? Solas: No, no. I understand why you hesitated. (if Hawke is a mage) Solas: To involve her in a Chantry organisation would not have been wise, at least before it had a chance to prove itself. (otherwise) Solas: Given her involvement in this war, I can only imagine there are those on both sides who would blame her for their present predicament. Varric: You mind telling all that to Cassandra? Solas: I would prefer not to.

(after Here Lies the Abyss, if Hawke is left behind)

Solas: I have read your book, you know. The Tale of the Champion. Varric: I don’t know if now’s the best time. Solas: I understand. I only wanted to say that in reading it, I felt your affection for Hawke in every word. I am... sorry, for what happened. Varric: Thanks, Chuckles. Solas: Of course.

(after Here Lies the Abyss, if Hawke survives)

Solas: You said your farewells to Hawke? Varric: Sure did. Sent letters home, debated sending letters to Weisshaupt. The Wardens will need to know the storm coming their way. Solas: You believe Hawke will pose a problem? Varric: Well, maybe not on purpose.

(in the Hissing Wastes, while exploring dwarven ruins)

Varric: I’m surprised you’re not hounding me about how all this makes me feel, Chuckles. Solas: I had thought we established your disinterest. Varric: Yeah, well. I’m thinking about it, anyway. Solas: If you insist. How does this make you feel, Varric? Varric: There’s a tiny part of me that’s really satisfied, you know? Seeing a Paragon of all people living on the Surface, then the rest of me just doesn’t give a shit. Solas: Tradition is a difficult thing to shake, to be conflicted is expected. Do you think our discovery here ought to be shared with Orzammar? Varric: I don’t know about Orzammar, but I can think of a few Surface dwarves who’d be interested in this.

Solas & Sera

Solas: I could not help but notice what you were drawing at breakfast. Sera: What? I wasn’t drawing anything.

(if Sera is romanced)

Solas: You captured our Inquisitor’s likeness well. Sera: Better than you could.

(otherwise)

Solas: There was no mistaking Dagna’s likeness. What were you carrying? Sera: A bowblade. It’s not a thing yet, but if anyone can make one, Widdle can.

Solas: Have you ever given thought to collaborating together on a piece? Sera: Collaber-what? Piece of what? Solas: A painting, or a drawing if you prefer, what medium you decide upon makes little difference to me. Sera: You really think the two of us could work together on anything? Solas: I was under the impression we had been. Sera: That’s different. The Inquisition’s not an ‘us’ thing, or it is, but not us us.

Sera: Say if I wanted to make something with you, what’d we even make? Solas: You ask the question as if there are limitations. Sera: A dragon, then! No, wait, a butt! (beat) Sera: Nothing? Not even a nose wrinkle? Solas: I am not unopposed to the idea. Sera: Ugh, how can you even make butts boring?

Sera: (handing him a drawing) Here, made you something. Solas: What is this? Are those—shoes? Sera: That’s right. One for each toe. You’re welcome.

(After Solas initiates a relationship with Ian)

Sera: So, you and Freckles, huh? Interesting. Solas: Your interest is not my concern. Sera: I always figured you’d wind with someone who’d make the bumping bits matter. Y’know, drop ‘em and rebuild the empire. Solas: It is not the physical product of our love that matters so much as how he makes me feel when I’m with him. Sera: Eugh.

(If Ian is in the party)

Ian: (laughingly) Vhenan, I would choose your words more carefully next time. Solas: Oh. (slightly embarrassed) I did not mean it like that. Sera: Ha! I’ve made him blush. Solas: This is why I didn’t wish to discuss it.

Solas & Blackwall

(While near Ferb’s old fishing pier in the Exalted Plains)

Blackwall: Wonder if the fishing’s good. If we had an hour or two… Solas: Do you consider yourself an angler, Blackwall? Blackwall: I wouldn’t go that far, but I do enjoy the sport of it. Solas: I’ve never considered it a sport. Blackwall: Probably because you’ve never gone fishing just for the fun of it. Next time we make camp, I’ll show you.

Inquisitor: So, how’d your fishing expedition go? Blackwall: You should’ve seen the size of the gar I wrangled. Solas: It was not half as impressive as he believes. Blackwall: He only says that because all’s he caught were minnows. Solas: (scoffs) Inquisitor: So... where is it? Blackwall: We threw it back, of course. Wasn’t like we were going to eat it. Solas: A convenient excuse.

(Along the Storm Coast)

Blackwall: Ever heard of the pale ship that appears on the mists? The Windy Marcher – I think that’s what they called it. Solas: I cannot say I have. Blackwall: An old story, no idea where it started. Must’ve heard it a dozen times in the Free Marches, always a different ending. Solas: As is often the case with legends, the content and moral changes with the teller. Blackwall: One man claimed he’d seen it himself, said the ship was captained by beautiful spirits who’d called him to the sea. Solas: A case of wishful thinking, I assume. Blackwall: He was a bit of a lonely bastard.

(After Revelations)

Solas: You and Cole seem more friendly, of late. Thom: He took some getting used to, but his heart’s in the right place. There’s enough darkness in the world without pushing away the good. Solas: I imagine it was chilling, knowing he could break your cover on a whim. Thom: That did keep me up some nights, yes. Sometimes I wonder why he didn’t say anything. Solas: Perhaps he saw in you what the Inquisitor sees. Thom: Well, I’m grateful. On both counts.

Solas & Vivienne

(After the events of Bring Me the Heart of Snow White)

Solas: I heard the news of Duke De Ghislain’s death. As I understand it, the two of you were close. My condolences for your loss. (if the Inquisitor gave Vivienne a regular wyvern’s heart) Vivienne: (coldly) There was a chance at saving him, but he is beyond saving, now. At least, by mortal hands. Solas: Then I am all the sorrier. (otherwise) Vivienne: He was at peace, and we had the chance to meet at least one last chance before he passed. Solas: Be thankful for that closure, it will bring you comfort in the days to come. Vivienne: It already has.

Solas: How do you feel about the moniker ‘Madame de Fer?’ Vivienne: Oh, I think it’s darling. Why do you ask? Solas: Iron is cold, unyielding without the proper tools, some may use it as an insult rather than a mark of respect. Vivienne: Of that I’ve no doubt, but let them. I embraced it wholeheartedly, and from then on no one could ever truly use it against me. Solas: True enough, such a tactic has worked for others before.

Vivienne: You will be wearing shoes to the ball, won’t you? Solas: My comfort is not worth jeopardizing the Inquisition’s image, so yes. Vivienne: Many elven servants in Orlais go barefoot, it would hardly be a scandal. Still, it would be beneficial. We must all present as a unit when the time comes, not a single hair out of place. Solas: That will hardly pose a problem for the two of us. Vivienne: (makes a sound almost like a laugh) Right you are.

Solas: There are rumours that your name be put forward as the next Divine. Vivienne: I wonder who might have started those. Solas: After all that has happened these past few months, you believe it possible they will accept a mage into their fold? (if the Inquisitor completed In Hushed Whispers / is a mage) Vivienne: Whyever not? Magic is what solved the problem, after all. Solas: Magic has solved countless problems over the centuries, and yet it is still reviled. Vivienne: I am not any ordinary mage. If any mage can achieve status of Divine, I am she. Solas: On that, we agree. (if the Inquisitor completed Champions of the Just and is a non-mage) Vivienne: With the Inquisitor’s support there is nothing I cannot accomplish, my dear.

Vivienne: The Inquisitor gave you that hood not half a day ago and it already has a hole in it. Solas: Two, in fact. Vivienne: Are you afraid we’ll forget you’re an elf if we go five minutes without seeing your ears? Solas: My estimation of your abilities is not that low, Enchanter, and I would be careful were I you. Two holes cut in a hood is not nearly as desperate as donning a pair of horns every morning.

(After Ian is made Tranquil during his personal quest)

Vivienne: I hope you know what you are doing, my dear. The Rite of Tranquility is not something easily undone. Solas: As I understand it, the Seekers did it quite regularly. Vivienne: And through a far gentler process. What they did to Ian was barbaric, but undoing it is not necessarily a kindness. One might even call it selfish. Solas: I never made any claim to selflessness. Vivienne: Go through with it, and he will relive what happened to him every morning and night for the rest of his life. Solas: (with restrained anger) Do not pretend as though you suddenly care for his well-being now, you showed little regard for him before. Vivienne: It is a warning, nothing more. Solas: Your warning is heeded, but it changes nothing. I am under no illusion this will be simple, but to give up on him now— I would be no better than the Circle that once wanted this same fate for him.

Solas & Dorian

Dorian: That book you have on your desk, Solas… Solas: There are many. Which are you referring to? Dorian: There’s one that looked to be in Ancient Tevene. Do you speak it, or are you just keeping it around to look clever? Solas: I would not go so far as to say I speak it, but I understand it well enough. Dorian: How did you go about learning it? Solas: Memories of Tevinter’s empire litter the land, there is hardly a place in Thedas where the world does not remember it, and with memories come language. Dorian: So you learned through the Fade? Solas: I did, though my pronunciation leaves something to be desired. An unfortunate consequence of learning any language alone. Dorian: I might be able to help, but only if you give me the satisfaction of hearing you muddle through it out loud beforehand. Also, I’ll be next in line when you’ve finished reading that book of yours. Solas: (snorts) Very well.

Solas & Cole

Cole: So they’re nobody, but somebody. Empty shells, filled with someone else’s memory. Solas: For the most part, it seems. Cole: If they’re heartless, why are they so angry? Solas: Perhaps it was not so much the absence of feeling, but the lack of recognition of said feelings. Cole: Belief makes them real, even if they’ll always be different.

Cole: It remembered. Delight in discovery, always pushing further into the unknown— someone like that does not simply disappear, and yet... it cannot remember his name. Solas: Names are not so as important as the spirit of the person they belong to. Cole: It remembered the person. Sadder, but stronger. If I ever return to the Fade, I would like to meet it. Solas: Nothing would delight it more. Cole: Oh, I know. I think we’d be friends.

(After the banter where Solas helps prevent a panic attack)

Cole: You breathe in— one, two, three, four— then out— one, two, three, four— feel the grass beneath your feet, magic between your fingers, remember what is and what was. How long did it take you to learn? Solas: More time than is ideal. Cole: I’m sorry. Solas: There is some comfort in knowing I’ve learned enough to help others with such struggles. Cole: I’ll count with you, if you need. Solas: Thank you, Cole.

Solas: I’m curious how your efforts are coming along since we last spoke. Cole: Josephine misses how saffron tastes, but she hasn’t asked the chef to purchase any. I wrote it on a list when no one was watching. Cullen doesn’t like my letters. He says they don’t make sense. Solas: I cannot imagine he devoted much time to understanding them. Cole: No. Listening is... difficult, when you’ve been taught not to.

Cole: Eyes fall shut, but they do not drift away. Their feet are tethered, tied to the ground. Solas: Even dwarves who lived and died on the Surface never dreamed. Cole: But they are still remembered. The song drowns out their thoughts, but it does not smother them. If I listen, I can hear. Solas: I have seen fewer glimpses of dwarven history than I would like, but there are always memories preserved by particular attentive spirits. 

(When passing through the kitchen, or lingering nearby. Solas stands over the stove and Cole sits on a nearby counter, hitting his leg against the wood.)

Solas: Would you like to try it, Cole? Cole: Would it not be a waste? I don’t need to eat. Solas: To overindulge, perhaps. A taste will do you nor the world any harm, a good meal is about more than survival. Cole: Then I’d like to try it, please.

Cole: You don’t have to eat, Solas. Solas: Strictly speaking, no. Cole: Sometimes you do anyway. Solas: When the urge takes me, or if refusing would be seen as ill-mannered.

Solas: If I could ask for your opinion, Cole. Cole: It remembers the garden. The sun bakes it red, colour working through it like a blush upon a maiden’s cheeks. Solas: Excellent. And this? Cole: It was lost in weeds for weeks, neglected and forgotten. It tastes like oversteeped tea. Solas: I see. Then we will find another.

Cole: And it remembers the ocean? Solas: It knows the mountain streams and rocky coasts as well as any well-seasoned traveller, though the paths it takes are laid with smoother stones. Cole: Rough edges wicked away by river waters. Soft enough to stand on without any shoes. Solas: Though one must still take care not to fall. (optional) Inquisitor: Speaking from personal experience, Solas? Solas: I suppose one might say that. Cole: Feet forget the ground, flying out from beneath him, but the rest of him doesn’t follow. Solas: (tinged with embarrassment) As I said. Inquisitor: (chuckles) (otherwise) Cole: But you always get up again.

Solas & Cullen

Cullen: I’m curious how you’ve avoided Templars all these years. Solas: I would prefer not to say. Cullen: I’m no longer a Templar, you know. Solas: Then why do you still wear their heraldry? Or am I mistaken? Cullen: I… Solas: Templar or no, your support for its cause endures. I would not endanger fellow apostates by revealing our methods.

Solas: Master Tethras tells me you served in Kirkwall. Cullen: Varric has no shortage of stories, that one just so happens to be true. Why do you bring it up? Solas: My travels have taken me there, on occasion. Cullen: I admit, I’m curious what your impression was. Solas: All the world is steeped in tragedy, but in Kirkwall the Fade overflows with it. Spells flow from the fingertips with such ease you may forget the Veil altogether. Cullen: That doesn’t surprise me, the amount of abominations I saw during my years there… Solas: They were but a symptom. Kirkwall’s sickness ran deeper than what any one spirit could cure.

Solas & Leliana

Solas: I have heard the Inquisition call you many titles. Sister, Nightingale, Spymaster. Leliana: I have worn many masks, some I’ve liked more than others. Why do you mention it? Solas: Which do I refer to you by? Leliana: (laughs) Whichever you prefer. You may use Leliana, if you wish. Solas: Then I shall see which suits you best.

Solas & Josephine

Josephine: It took several tries, but we managed to remove the wine stain from your sweater. I apologise again for Lady Vérène’s indiscretion. Solas: The fault is hardly yours. It is a pity she is not more open to an apostate’s perspective, but the loss is hers. Extend my sincere gratitude to whoever expunged the mark. I have only a few shirts to my name. Josephine: You know, Solas, now that the Inquisition finds itself in more favourable circumstances, we can afford to purchase you a new wardrobe. Solas: With respect, Ambassador, I value comfort over style. I’m uncertain the Summer Bazaar will be able to accommodate me. Josephine: It would be a most... unusual request, but I believe I know the tailor for the job.

Josephine: Have you found the library to your liking? Solas: I have. I cannot imagine any other circumstance where someone like me could have such unmitigated access to the written word. Most human libraries are not so liberal with their guests. Josephine: I confess, I have never been without books. Ever since I was a child they were always within reach. Solas: Then you must have recommendations. Josephine: One or two come to mind. If I can secure faithful translations, you will have them.

Solas & Morrigan

Solas: You seem well-versed in courtly manners for a woman raised in the wilderness. Morrigan: What are you implying? Solas: That you have a talent for winding nobles around your finger, or that the infamous ‘game’ is not so deadly as they like to believe. Vivienne: Or that more talented souls paved the wave for her. Solas: Another possibility. Morrigan: ‘Tis true that Orlesians overestimate the challenge of this ‘Game’ of theirs. Empress Celene had her desires, and ‘twas a simple matter to keep her satisfied. Vivienne: Which is why you’re with us. Morrigan: With you at my side, I could not help but notice. Vivienne: Believe me, dear. Court enchanter is a trifle compared to where my sights have set.

Solas: I found your son atop the rotunda’s scaffolding today. Morrigan: He has long been fond of climbing, and Skyhold’s trees are too new to bear his weight. Solas: It was no harm. My only regret is I did not have an answer to every question he asked. He is a curious boy. Morrigan: (laughs) That he is.

(During What Pride Had Wrought, upon finding the mosaic of June)

Morrigan: Ah, clever June. The most elusive of the elven gods, insofar as legends are concerned. Solas: Their silence is deafening. Morrigan: I take it you have insight? Solas: Merely that he does not deserve what little credit he is given. Time has forgotten the name of whosoever built the first aravel.

Solas: Rumour spread that Kieran went missing. I trust your presence here means you have found him? Morrigan: I… yes. Solas: He is unharmed? Morrigan: Yes. Solas: Then I am glad. And… you? Morrigan: I have much to think upon, but my son is safe. Everything else can come after.

Solas & Renn

Solas: Tell me, Lieutenant, why did you remain with the Legion? Renn: Having trouble seeing why it’s your business. Why d’you ask? Solas: Escaping would be a simple matter of finding the right battle to slip away from. Freedom would only be a few day’s journey from where we stand. Renn: I couldn’t abandon my men... or my city. Solas: You show great loyalty to Orzammar, considering you will never see it again. Renn: Yeah, well. You never forget your home. Solas: No. I suppose you don’t.

Solas & Valta

Solas: “But the truth is the truth— no matter how political it may be.” Valta: Do you disagree? Solas: Just the opposite. The truth does not change with our ability to stomach it. I am glad a historian such as yourself agrees. Valta: A shame the rest of the Shaperate doesn’t agree with us. Solas: True, but if they had you would not be here, on the brink of uncovering secrets buried centuries ago. In their attempt to keep you out of the way, they unknowingly set you upon the path to even greater knowledge. Valta: Orzammar will know the truth. If I don’t make it, then the Inquisitor— Solas: You are not yet dead, Shaper Valta. Do not count yourself apart from the living so soon.

Solas & Merrill

Merrill: You snort when you laugh. Solas: I’m well-aware. If you are about to ask me to stop, I’m afraid I’ve tried before. Merrill: Oh, it’s not a bad thing. It might be the most charming thing about you. Solas: Damned by faint praise. Merrill: It is a very charming laugh.

Solas: Why did you leave your clan? I read Varric’s Tale of the Champion, but I suspect most of it was a lie. (if present) Varric: Hey! I’m right here. Solas: You did well to lie. To name her as a Dalish mage would be to paint a target upon her back. (otherwise) Merill: I left… I— it wasn’t exactly my choice. There was a mirror, tainted by the Blight. I thought we should fix it, even if it meant turning to blood magic. My Keeper disagreed. Solas: You cleansed the Blight from an eluvian? That is remarkable. Merrill: I used to wonder if it was worth it. I sacrificed so much to get it working, years of my life, my— I’m just glad we’re getting use out of it, now.

Merrill: You’re wrong about my people, Solas. The Dalish aren’t as lost as you think. Solas: They cast you to the streets of Kirkwall, exiled you for the crime of pursuing the duty they tasked you with. Merrill: Some of them said such awful things, they looked at me like I was already a demon, but… that doesn’t mean there isn’t good, too. Sometimes I wonder, had my Keeper not been so against me, if things might have been different. Merrill: I don’t know what they said to you, but I know what their scorn feels like. It hurts, but… there’s so much to admire. Solas: You still feel for them. Merrill: They’re my people, they always will be. No matter how much they might hate me, I’ll always love them. Solas: Put like that, I suppose I understand the sentiment. Merrill: It’s a lonely feeling, isn’t it? Solas: It never ebbs, no. Merrill: Then just— remember them, when you think unkind thoughts about the Dalish. The people you miss, the people you don’t, and what you’d sacrifice for them both.

(in the Exalted Plains, outside the boundaries of Hawen’s camp)

Merrill: (giggles) Datishan was asking about you before we left. Solas: Datishan… Hawen’s little hunter? Merrill: Who else? She wanted to know when you’d be back. Solas: What did you tell her? Merrill: I told her you needed time, that good stories don’t grow on trees. You will go back, won’t you? Solas: It seems I shall have to, or else suffer the wrath of her arrows. Merrill: You joke, but she almost poked out my eye last night. Solas: (chuckles)

[morganaseren]

OC Introduction

Tagged by: @illusivesoul Thanks! Sorry this took so long!

Tagging: @this-is-something-idk-what, @noeldressari, @alessandramortt, @theherowarden, @jellydishes​ As per usual, I can never figure out who has or hasn’t been tagged by this. No pressure if you don’t want to participate though! Below is the template you can use.

My answers will be under the Read More.

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Fandom:

Role:

BASICS

Full Name:

Nickname(s):

Pronouns:

Sexuality:

Occupation and Titles:

Birthday & Age:

Physical description:

Clothing style:

BACKGROUND

COMBAT & SKILLS

Preferred fighting style:

Special skills:

RELATIONSHIPS

Family:

Love interest:

Best friends:

PERSONALITY

Positive traits:

Negative traits:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Fears:

Guilty Pleasure:

Hobbies:

Fandom: Dragon Age

Role: Inquisitor

BASICS

Full Name: Niamh (pronounced “Neev”) Cousland

Nickname(s): Neevy (from Sera), Brat (from Leliana lolol), Storm Pup (mostly from her late mother’s side of the family)

Pronouns: She/Her

Sexuality: Lesbian

Occupation and Titles: Niamh is the leader of the Inquisition forces and is also hailed as the Herald of Andraste. Although all her rights to the Cousland estate along with any titles associated with it were forfeited the moment her magic manifested, her ties to her family name are still recognized and vice versa--perhaps especially so now with her being Inquisitor. Thus, in accordance to an older tradition from her late mother’s family, she is also titled the Storm Wolf of Highever per her brother Teyrn Fergus Cousland.

Birthday & Age: Niamh was born on the 3rd of Cloudreach in 9:08 Dragon, so she’s 33 as of Inquisition and 36 as of the Trespasser DLC.

Physical description: She’s a woman of middling height (5′6″ or 168cm). Niamh’s hair is pitch-black, which settles asymmetrically around her face with a longer fringe covering one of her eyes--a pale, misty-grey hue. Physique-wise, she’s full of wiry muscle, especially along her arms, shoulders, and back--testament to years of heavy staffwork.

Clothing style: This is more dependent on what setting she finds herself in. Around Skyhold or in more official circumstances, she tends to garb herself in formal wear such as the one seen below.

When she’s out and about on missions, her attire consists more of cloth and leather as depicted in the screenshot above. As a native Fereldan, she has a tendency to favor fur in her overall field outfit, which is evident in the black Great Bear fur seen along the spaulders atop her shoulders. Then, as an occasional artist, her sketchbook is ever present, constantly hanging from her belt as she draws flora, fauna, and anything of interest in her travels to properly document later. Littered amongst the sketches are also occasional plans for whatever project she’d like to work on back at Skyhold.

Art and crafting is ever her way of relaxing.

Despite being an artist, her color palette in terms of clothing remains relatively simple even if the cut of them are always finely-tailored. She favors darker colors overall with white and varying shades of grey. Occasionally, a splash of color is thrown in every now and again for visual emphasis.

For instance, the red scarf you see on her is a gift from Bethany Hawke. ;3

BACKGROUND

Niamh is the youngest child of Bryce and Eleanor Cousland.

She was born beneath a violent storm that only settled as her newborn cries filled the world--a telltale sign perhaps of the destiny that would later be laid out before her.

She was taken away to Ferelden’s Circle when her magic manifested at the age of four. Niamh was the youngest to enter Kinloch Hold that year, and she was inconsolable for several months as she struggled to adapt to her new surroundings and the many strangers that were meant to be her new family of sorts.

Of all the mages present, she was closest to Jowan since he was only a year or two older than her, and the then young boy was responsible for drawing her out of her sullen shell--enough to where she could finally be comfortable with interacting with others after months of frightened silence. The two children did everything together and were otherwise inseparable. Unfortunately, their relationship would later become strained as they entered into adolescence, especially as Niamh grew into her magical abilities and surpassed him entirely in power, astounding the likes of First Enchanter Irving and Wynne--both whom became her respective mentors--with her command over the elements. 

Niamh was able to successfully undertake the Harrowing at the age of seventeen, earning the right to be recognized as a full-fledged mage. She was never designated an Enchanter throughout her time in the Circle, for she had no personal apprentices of her own. The few new ones to arrive at the Tower were assigned to those who had passed the Harrowing before her, but she was content to help them and the Senior Enchanters however she could. Her kindness, patience, and calm diligence earned her easy friendships.

...or at least she thought so until some of her colleagues turned on her with Uldred’s coup following the onset of the Blight.

Caught between blood mages and Templars who believed she had a hand in Uldred’s machinations, she likely would have succumbed to either party eventually had her sister Saoirse--now a Grey Warden--not arrived to help cleanse the Tower of abominations and save First Enchanter Irving and the remaining Senior Enchanters.

For her efforts in saving them, Niamh was allowed to accompany her sister on her travels across Ferelden along with Wynne. She formed a fast friendship with Leliana early on, and it eventually led to heavy infatuation on Niamh’s end, but it stuttered to an abrupt halt when she realized her sister was also in love with the bard. Believing that she had nothing of worth to offer to Leliana as a mere mage, Niamh buried her feelings for the other woman, watching from afar as she fell for Saoirse.

Saoirse was as bold as all great heroes could ever hope to be, and so she was well-suited for Leliana, but it was Niamh who tempered much of her sister’s impulsiveness, especially when it came to matters of diplomacy.

---

"Can't we just--"

"No." Niamh just kept her gaze forward as they walked out of the Deep Roads, refusing to look at her sister.

"But it's a good idea!" Saoirse insisted earnestly.

"Saoirse, in no world where you throw the crown at the two candidates for Orzammar's throne and expect the least most concussed to be King can ever be considered a 'good idea,'" Niamh deadpanned.

---

Yet, for all her brilliance with tactics and matters of negotiation, Niamh was unable to convince Saoirse to allow Morrigan to use her Dark Ritual despite knowing it would have saved any of the Grey Wardens from being sacrificed. Worse, her sister made her promise not to tell Leliana of Saoirse’s own plans to slay the Archdemon in the final battle.

As expected, it resulted in Saoirse’s death.

Racked with guilt over never telling Leliana the truth of the matter, and believing she had been left the last of the Couslands--a mage that Thedas would have never recognized--she disappeared following the end of the Fifth Blight. Niamh placed herself in a self-imposed exile abroad for over a decade until news of a Conclave by Divine Justinia was brought to her attention. The Divine had hoped to bring together both sides of the Mage-Templar War and negotiate its end.

For Niamh, this led her to return to Ferelden. It was her last hope to see if the world could finally begin to change for the better.

Instead, she was given a far different destiny...

COMBAT & SKILLS

Preferred fighting style: She prefers keeping herself at range on the battlefield, for it allows her to better survey it. She sees everything like an intricate chess game, and she always tries to place herself and her team at the best advantage to overcome their opponents.

As a mage, Niamh incorporates a lot of staffwork in her fighting, especially when it comes to casting magic. However, when she was living abroad, she had to learn to adjust her fighting style altogether so that she would never be suspected of being a mage. As such, she taught herself to fight with spears and polearms, as they were still similar enough to normal staff-fighting that it wouldn’t require a completely new foundation with which to work from.

Because the new style of fighting required her to be within relatively close quarters of her enemies, she learned to try and limit the time of the engagement with them as much as possible with quick, brutal strikes. That methodology happens regardless of how many opponents there are. A quick takedown means a much quicker escape after all. As a runaway apostate, she couldn’t risk leaving a trail of bodies behind her wherever she went.

Special skills: Niamh is specialized in all the elemental houses of magic although she favors lightning the most. During her time with the Inquisition, she also specialized in necromancy--much to the surprise of many.

RELATIONSHIPS

Family: Of the renowned Couslands, only she and her older brother Fergus remain, but despite their years apart(she honestly didn’t know that he survived the Battle of Ostagar until she returned to Ferelden in 9:41), they remain loving and supportive as always toward one another. Of her late mother’s family, the Mac Eanraigs, she gets along well with them, especially her Aunt Eithne (who will be making her first official appearance in chapter 24 of OtSttCA).

Love interest: Leliana (although they won’t be an official couple until close to chapter 30 or so)

Best friends: Dorian, Sera, and Cole. She views the three of them like younger siblings, which was an admittedly odd feeling for her at first, given that she’s the youngest of her own siblings.

Of her other companions, she is also closest to Vivienne although Niamh sees her more like a fond, maternal figure than a best friend. She greatly respects how the older woman was able to take her status as a mage and turn it into a position of power within the Orlesian Imperial Court, especially when so very little of it was ever afforded to their people. When it comes to the mage allies she gathered from Redcliffe, she trusts Vivienne’s judgment in overseeing them along with the Knight-Enchanters Niamh requested of her back in chapter 13, especially since Niamh travels so much between missions. Then, when it comes to just about anything regarding Orlais, she goes to Vivienne as much as Leliana or Josephine, mostly wanting the insight of a mage in regards to the culture and politics seen there.

Then, of her War Council, Leliana and Josephine are her absolute favorites. Niamh and Leliana have so much history between them that it’s impossible to separate themselves from one another, and she appreciates Josephine’s sweet nature as well as her diplomatic acumen.

PERSONALITY

Positive traits: Her adaptability. There’s an almost... chameleon-like nature to Niamh at times. As such, she can acclimate herself to whatever her environment asks of her and find a way to thrive in spite of it all. She’s also quite intelligent. Ever the eternal student, she constantly looks to expand her wealth of knowledge. Had she not been born a mage, she likely would have done well as a scholar in the world of Thedas. Niamh is also benevolent, always seeking to place more kindness into the world rather than contributing to the bad already within it.

Negative traits: After years of being taught rather toxic, religious doctrine from the Chantry in regards to mages, Niamh has rather low self-esteem, especially when it comes to the subject of love. She doesn’t believe herself worthy of Leliana for instance. As brilliant as she is, her mind can be rather restless at times. This can lead to overthinking outside of any tactical or official setting, which tends to feed back on her latent anxiety as a leader. Then, having spent a decade constantly on the move, she’s not used to staying still for long periods of time, which lends itself to some trouble, especially if she’s injured. She is quite literally the worst patient ever. :P

Likes: Storms, the ocean, mabari, tea, strategy games, sweets, books, art

Dislikes: The Chantry, Templars, discriminatory behavior, incivility,

Fears: The Rite of Tranquility, outright failure as a leader

Guilty Pleasure: Niamh has the most terrible sweet tooth. If given half the chance, she’d get her entire day’s sustenance through sweets alone. She actually does like fashion; she just couldn’t allow herself to indulge in it since her nomadic lifestyle before joining the Inquisition didn’t permit such luxury. She’d happily window-shop the entire day away if given the opportunity.

Hobbies: Sketching, painting, crafting, reading, chess

[the-cat-at-the-theatre-door]

So uh who are some of YOUR canon adjacent ocs 👀

Oh, moi? Don’t mind if I do - I’m going to talk about Old Deuteronomy’s parents. All three of them. 

(I unfortunately don’t have any drawings to go along with them so I automatically deduct fifty points from my character card score - perhaps someday...)

(I’m also going to borrow @theimpossiblescheme ‘s brilliant idea of assigning voices to them as well)

Augustus (Funnily enough, he never went by Gus)

Imposing, Spirited, Jovial

Sounds a little like: Rodrick Dixon

-The previous Tribe leader, and father of Old Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy remembers him as a friendly and jovial cat, but with the tendency to be distant and preoccupied at any given opportunity. Sometimes he seemed to be living in a world all his own, and it was difficult to reach him. 

-Always looked forward to when it was his turn in rotation to teach the kitten dance troupes - he used to be a fine dancer when he was young, loved showing off,  and resented having to slow down as he got older and his joints started locking up. He personally taught Gus to dance as a thank you to Seraphina for taking care of his son.

-As much of a dancing show off he could be, he was oddly shy to sing solo and preferred singing with his brothers, Mordecai and Azrael (though that’s not much to complain about - they sounded *very* good together. Their ability to randomly harmonize with one another was unparalelled. The three of them performed together pretty often until Azrael left the Tribe to go off on his own).

-Had some rather strange tendencies throughout his life - sometimes his voice would change half way through a story, or he’d sit in a full rain shower, squinting up into the clouds. He often complained of migraines, and suffered with them most of his life. The running theory behind this was that he had been given shades of telepathic ability, but was unable to ever fully grasp the threads he was provided, no matter how hard he tried. It was essentially creating cracks in his spirit that he had no way to mend.

-Met Adularia at a seashore flea market. She was sitting alongside one of the shop owners, who sold hand woven baskets to sailors. He wasn’t her owner, but thought it good luck that he found her curled in one of the baskets after lifting its lid, and would give her pieces of his lunch when she came around (this was a good enough arrangement for her).

He was immediately smitten with her, and so determined to talk to her that he was willing to be smacked with a broom *twice* when the shop owner tried to chase him off. She was two years older than he was. She laughed at his terrible jokes and thought his persistence was charming. He invited her to the Junkyard and they were mated a year later. Deuteronomy was his only child. He was never quite the same after she died.

-Living “many lives in succession” is definitely a pass-down trait in their familial line. Augustus’ soul lived seven and a half consecutive lives previously before passing away (there was an accident with a cart - Augustus had been a very independent tom until the end, and was still insisting on walking to the Junkyard himself for the Jellicle Ball). 

Adularia 

Kindly, Anxious, Wry

Sounds a little like: Gina Breedlove

-Deuteronomy’s biological mother, and mate of Augustus.

-She and Seraphina had been best friends since they were kittens, and did practically everything together. They joined the Jellicles together, had their first Ball together, they even went through their first pregnancies together. Augustus accepted early on that the two queens came as a set (good thing he got on well enough with Sera as well).

-Was a razor sharp checkers player - it was near impossible to beat her. 

-Though it never really got her anywhere, she was an extremely talented painter. She often painted rocks, and produced several dozen portraits of her Tribe family before she died. 

-She had ridiculous amounts of patience and was prone to out of the box ideas - why is this a bad combo? Because she never gave up on something when she put her mind to it, even when it was a waste of time. She committed herself fully until it was realized or she ran herself into the ground - no in-between.

-Adored her son even if she didn’t get to see him much - she had always loved kittens and wanted one of her own, but fate wasn’t really on her side for that one. 

-Was never in the best health, and it only got worse as she got older. Her mobility was severely limited, she wasn’t able to nurse her son, and she left her den less and less after he was born. She passed away before Deuteronomy’s second birthday. 

Seraphina

Respectable, Independent, Frank

Sounds a little like: Harolyn Blackwell

-Called “Sera” by her close friends, but was a very big proponent of referring to cats by their full given names (Ironic that her son is Gus then - that was not at all lost on her)

-When she wasn’t in the Junkyard, she spent most of her time in the dressing rooms and rafters of the Royal Opera House.

-Biological mother of Asparagus (Gus) the Theatre Cat - Gus’ father (Ramiro) was the one and done type, leaving her shortly after he got what he wanted. She never regretted having her son, but she absolutely regretted allowing herself to get swept up by a tom like that. (Adularia, never a violent queen, mentioned more than once that if hindsight were 20/20, she would have strangled him the moment he crossed the Junkyard threshold).

-Became Deuteronomy’s wet nurse soon after he was born, as Adularia was incapable of feeding him due to her failing health.  Appointed herself as Adularia’s caretaker when Emmeline was absent. She brought Deuteronomy to see her several times a week, and would leave them alone for an hour or two so they could bond.

-Would only ever drink when a kitten was born in the Tribe - had a crisis the evening that Yaomana,  Ramadia, and Piccolina all had their kittens on the same night (and a massive hangover the next day).

-Had the tendency to be extremely blunt if necessary; if you want the cold hard truth you ask Seraphina. Ask Adularia if you want some padding around it.

-Dislikes dogs immensely. She doesn’t like them anywhere near her. Ironically, this was the inspiration of “The Pekes and the Pollicles”.

-You wouldn’t really think so since she was generally a very proper and no-nonsense queen, but Sera quickly established her place in the tribe as its storyteller. She was incredibly imaginative and good with a turn of phrase, and would often translate/adapt the Operas she heard into something tangible to cats. She would have been an excellent libretto writer herself, should that have suited her fancy. 

-When Adularia passed on, she immediately volunteered to adopt Deuteronomy and assist Augustus in taking care of him. Deuteronomy was very young when she passed on, and while he *knows* that Sera isn’t his biological mother (Sera would talk of Adularia often, ensuring she lived on in her son’s memory even if he didn’t get the chance to know her), she’s the closest thing he can place to one. He’d call her “Mama Sera” as a young kitten and Adularia “Mama Addi”, and then “Seraphina” as he got older.