#lions of house cousland

[vakarians-babe]

The Lions of House Cousland: Remastered

By the count of days, an age came and went; lives made and spent utterly in shadow of death. Still, the Spawn never tired, never wept, and so knew all—man and dwarf and elf alike— that victory alone might live in the covenant of their people, their lives, and their blood. Thus joined, no defeat could sunder spirits unbent, yet still could no blade the Archdemon fell.

-Threnodies, 9:16

Part Three (Chapters 33-48) has been fully updated!

[ghoulsbeard]

this one is very fun. thank you much @jiubilant my friend for the tag :D <3 big tag list lol for anyone who wants to do this.. @phoenixsoul13 @isayashai @selvaso @like-dogs--shianni @nuwanders @nulfaga @ervona @mxssrelay @lavampira @ghostwise @vakarians-babe @consulaaris @gethenians @theflamesbeyond @werecanidae @antivantalon @dandenbo

1) describe a project you’re planning to work on over this summer: theres a few i need to get out of my system so i’ll keep plunking away at those.. but on the stuff i can talk about.. will give roll the bones another fair crack, its about “of somewhat fallen fortune”; and ive been circling a post-orb mirabelle & faralda piece that will be finished by fall ..fates willing..maybe even a bit for summerfest ….🤞🤞🤞

2) recommend a book: im going to read Nicky Drayden’s Symbiosis this summer, book 2 of one of the most imaginative compelling & fucking awesome scifi series I’ve ever read… if you haven’t read Drayden give her work a try

3) recommend a fic: dozens of good ones saved on my a*3, just going to highlight a few by some amazing people im privileged to know

@ghostwise’ for suffering is such a part is one of the best stories there is about Zevran’s character and the Brecilian quests, no question. as far as more longer fic for dragon age, @vakarians-babe is writing about the main plot of DA:Origins in The Lions of House Cousland, @isayashai has a few longer fics they’re going to rework and plenty of lovely shorts to enjoy

anything by @nulfaga is fantastic, since the incomparable True Gold was mentioned I’m putting in my hat for the Bridge of Details (Mass Effect 2&3, Thane, Kolyat and her own original characters) which I am endlessly enamored with. Maybe a bit niche, but for any DragonFable fans who have played far enough, As A Kind of Trial is not to be missed (Tomix!)

and I’d be remiss not to mention the fic so compelling I had to read it without having played the actual game, @blackinquisitors’s Bloom. in this world Isaac lives and grows up; this story explores his relationship with his father and the gang who raised him, as he does.

4) recommend a song: ドレス by Buck-Tick has been in my head, one of my favorite albums by them

5) share some advice: you only learn how a story is written as you write it… and more and more I’ve found, when you think you have nothing to say/are blank, try to ask yourself a different question about the plot or the people

also stretch your neck before you sleep

[captastra]

My secret santa gift for the amazing @vakarians-babe featuring their OC Talvinder Kaur Cousland, The Hero of Ferelden!! I highly recommend reading about Tali’s story (The Lions of House Cousland), I love her so so much! Happy Holidays 😊💗

[ollifree]

W. COUSLAND - following lani’s story through the end of the blight

house of memories panic! at the disco lion hollywood undead leave my body florence + the machine king lauren aquilina giants lights kids again artist vs poet up the wolves the mountain goats castle halsey seven devils florence + the machine misery business paramore emperor’s new clothes panic! at the disco king and lionheart of monsters and men bottom of the river delta rae not gonna die skillet white wedding billy idol

[shittybundaskenyer]

The Gardens of Val Royeaux

Alistair x Delia Cousland

Words: 2942

Val Royeaux is a mess and she adores every part of it. The vivid blues and oranges and the gold , the marble lion statues guarding the streets and the smell of different pastries and sweets. It makes her skin tingle with excitement as she and Alistair stride down on one of the busy streets of the Summer Bazaar. She’s wearing a sky blue dress that Alistair bought her a few days ago, the Cousland family sword still dangling at her side. It looks a bit silly, but he said she looks like a queen anyways.

She wonders sometimes about what could’ve happened with them if Alistair would have been made king. Maybe they’d sit on the throne of Ferelden at this very moment, buried deep in politics and court etiquette, but it’d be not so different from this, with the taint still poisoning their blood and with her body unable to produce and heir. It hurts sometimes, the thought of what could’ve been if things go different at the Landsmeet, or even way before. Maybe she’d be in Highever with her family, marrying some idiot son of a powerful Bann, leaving the fighting for the men, like her mother did when it turned out that she’s carrying Fergus in her womb. Family first.

She’s happy that she’s here, though. Not with a Bann’s idiot son, but with her royal bastard, her Alistair, scarred and a bit weaker, but alive, and in a very long time, happy.

She smiles a little at the thought and he looks at her, with an eyebrow raised curiously. “What are you thinking about?”

“You,” she tries to hold back her laughter but it bursts out from her anyways. Alistair looks more confused than before, but a small smile is forming in the corner of his mouth. He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly, waiting for her response what never comes.

They turn into a back alley where the buildings stand close together, casting dark blue shadows over them. They’re the only souls wandering here.

“Is there something on my face?”

“Yes,” she smirks and steps a little closer, her hands reaching for his, and he tangles his fingers between hers.

“Could you take it down?” he lowers his voice as he leans closer, almost whispering in her ear. A shiver runs down her spine from the feeling of his warm breath on her skin.

“Yes.”

She tilts her head up, planting a small peck on the corner of his mouth, and then captures his lips in a proper kiss, caressing his cheek with her other hand. He gasps, surprised, but he’s reaching for her waist to pull her closer already.

Delia steps back a bit, but Alistair is not quite done yet, he slides his hand up to the nape of her neck and kisses her again.

“Just one more,” he whispers onto her lips and she chuckles, a sweet little sound, and he leans forward to taste that beautiful giggle.

Footsteps echo from the entrance of the alley so he pulls away at last, but his hand grabs her own to entwine their fingers again.

It’s strange, wandering around Val Royeaux like lovers, hand in hand, without any heavy armor covering their bodies from head to toe. It’s so easy to get used to the touches—shoulders bumping together and staying close afterwards, arms laced together, a thumb caressing the back of a palm. Alistair, still touch-starved, loves it more and more as they continue their little journey towards the other end of the Orlesian capital.

Soon they leave behind the Summer Bazaar and it’s bridge and descend into the heart of the city.

Val Royeaux is busy, carriages running around, guards patrolling the streets and the songs from the taverns spilling onto the bare cobblestones in front of their doors. The Orlesians speak softly, the words rolling down their tongues smooth like velvet and it’s mesmerizing too, as just like the hundreds of orange and blue houses are. Golden and marble lions guard the squares here too, and she can smell the salty air of the harbor even if they’re in the middle of the city.

The sun is high on the horizon when they finally reach the gardens, the scent of thousands of flowers and the earthy smell of soil and fallen leaves fills her lungs, makes her chest ache. It’s beautiful even from the other side of the stone wall that separates it from the rest of the street. Marble lions sit on the top of each pole and two golden one roars towards the sky at the gate.

Alistair looks at her from behind his shoulder, his eyes glinting with a smile. She raises her eyebrows questioningly but he doesn’t say a word, he just grabs her hand more firmly instead and pushes open the gate, pulling her in.

It’s more beautiful inside. Small paths made from white stone emerge from the vivid green grass between overflowing flower beds and pots. The trees stand proudly next to each other and the wind whispers between their shiny leaves. The whole garden is filled with life, maybe has a life on it’s own. It breathes and her palm itches to step closer, to touch the plants and feel the life beating in them.

Alistair watches her from the corner of his eyes with a soft expression on his face and his lips slightly quirk up.

"Do you like it?"

Delia flicks her gaze to him and he already regrets the question. She's mesmerized and despite the garden's beauties, her expression is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.

Without a word, she reaches for his shoulders and pulls him into a tight embrace, mumbling her thanks into his neck.

After they part, they roam the small paths, stopping at every new flower bed so she can smell each one of the plants. There are almost no one here except for them so she laughs freely and he chases her when she runs off and no one looks at them questioningly.

They only stop when the late afternoon lights turn the garden into a field of dark shadows and vivid colors. She leads him towards a large tree where they can sit down under it's old branches.

Alistair however stops her before she could sit and reaches under his vest so he can pull out the dagger from it's sheath, the blade he got from a local blacksmith in Redcliffe while they were traveling through, and sunlight gets trapped on the weapon's Silverite surface. Delia inhales sharply and her expression softens, her hands already reaching for the blade. A gift. Another one, precisely.

"Can I touch it?" she whispers, her eyes flicking back to Alistair for a second.

"It's yours," he smiles and hands her the dagger, turning it between them with a swift move so the hilt's facing her.

She pulls it away slowly, rising the blade towards her face to get a closer look. The blade is clean, never used, and sharp as a razor. The hilt is decorated with carved dogs and laurels and her heart swells at the sight.

"It's beautiful."

"Shall we try it out?" Alistair raises an eyebrow while he extends a hand to grasp hers.

He points a finger towards the tree next to them but Delia is still confused so he steps behind her and places a hand above her hips, slowly guiding her closer. Her back's pressed to his chest and she feels his every breath lifting the hairs next to her ear. She relaxes into his embrace and lets him guide her hand, and with it, the dagger, too.

They carve a heart into the tree's bark and she thinks she finally knows where this is going when a slightly angular ' D ' and a '+' follows it. He finishes the carving with an ' A ' and he rests his chin on the crown of her head, probably admiring their work.

"Now we conquered Orlais, too."

"You're so silly," she actually giggles and his heart skips a beat. "We're together since the Blight. We're married , Alistair."

"Are you trying to say that I'm childish and living my wildest teenager dreams right now?" He grins and turns her towards him by her waist, leaning down until their lips almost touch.

"Well, if you put it that way…" she whispers, mouth to mouth, bodies pressed together. She pulls him towards her while she kisses him, and they stumble until her back touches the tree. He buries a hand in her dark locks and presses her more firmly to the tree, licking her lower lip and slipping his tongue into her mouth.

They kiss until he's out of breath and a familiar heat pools in his belly. But she feels that fire too, she grabs his hair and slips her hands under his vest and shirt and groans when his thigh slips between her legs.

She tries to shake off her boots while still kissing him so they end up tumbling and falling to the ground. Alistair’s who lands first, the air running out of his lungs in a low hiss and Delia’s head colliding with his nose.

"Ouch!" His face pulls into a frown and blood already starts flowing from his nose when she reaches for his face.

"Shit, Alistair I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright," he mumbles and pinches his nose. Bloods sweeps into his stubble and she doesn't hesitate to tore a piece of cloth from her underskirt to help him stop the bleeding.

She holds the cloth to his nose until the bleeding stops. His gaze never leaves her, not until she wipes his face clean and presses a careful kiss onto the tip of his nose.

She’s straddling him, her body on top of his is a pleasant weight, long brown curls falling over her shoulders and tickling his jawline. He slides a hand over her stomach and his thumb grazes one of her breasts through the fabric of her dress, slowly, oh so slowly, venturing higher until he can touch her collarbone, drawing an invisible line onto her skin with nothing but the heat of a fingertip. She exhales, a shaky sound, and presses her body even closer, leaning down to capture his lips in a languid kiss.

“Will your nose be alright?”

“I’ve been hit harder before, believe me,” he winks, eyes shining happily. “Besides, taking care of it further will stop me from kissing you.”

“I’ve always loved kissing you when you were covered in blood,” irony sweeps into her tone and she hits his chest playfully, then leans closer, “now kiss me again.”

And he does until they’re both out of breath.

She remembers how they made love when the darkspawn still crept in every corner, when the back of her skull constantly tingled, letting her know when they were lurking around.

It was not so different from this.

They were foggy nights with the rotten forests stretching towards the horizon, the air heavy with the scent of rain and the smell of fire and tainted flesh. It didn’t matter then. They had each other in the not-so-existing privacy of a tent, on a worn bedroll. Her knees were skinned then, too. Grass fell into her hair, she was still sweaty from the day’s journey on foot and she still smelled like darkspawn. Or at least she thought.

But Alistair just didn’t care. He pulled her close to him and kissed her softly, murmuring pleas and the broken syllables of her name onto her lips, as he does now, too.

Her fingers slide under his head, cradling his nape and she smiles, just a twitch of the corner of her mouth, but he notices her every little movement and doesn’t hesitate to act upon her invitation. Because it was an offer, that little smirk, and his belly is already on fire as she kisses him again with more vigor this time, easing open his mouth with the tip of her nose and capturing his already opened, waiting lips with her own.

Delia pulls away for a moment and he gasps for air, a low groan leaving his lungs but when her lips doesn’t return immediately, he opens his eyes, still in a haze, and chokes on another moan, clearing his throat afterwards.

She’s almost fully bare when he looks up, only her smallclothes remain as she tosses her pale blue dress next to a group of blooming embrium.

“D-Delia, what are you doing?”

“What? You don’t like me stark naked atop your body anymore?” she grins, a broader smile this time, showing teeth, and his hand twitches on her thigh and his cock in his trousers, too.

The traitorous bastard.

“Of course I do,” he leans forward until he sits up and wounds his arms around her. Lying is completely useless, she knows him as well as he knows her. “But I want your stark naked body all to myself,” the side of his face presses to her jawline as he whispers into the crook of her neck, “and I’ll not share the view with some Orlesian bastard who's hiding behind the bushes.” His lips taste her skin as the past words leave his mouth, licking the little spot behind her ear.

Delia shudders, but her eyes tell a different story. She’s confident, prideful even.

“No one is here, Alistair,” she presses that wicked smirk of hers to his collarbone and he’s aware that his fingertips are squeezing her thighs too tight but he doesn’t have the strength to pull his hands away. “And besides, if there is someone, let them see.”

Maker .

He knows her well enough to know that she was never feeling awkward when she ended up changing clothes or bathing when the others were nearby. She knows her body, how it looks, where it’s different and where’s similar to others. The scars, the faint stretch marks on her thighs, the freckles and moles peppering her skin, her muscled legs and arms and that thin, soft layer of fat on her belly. It’s all that makes her unique—a body shaped by fire and steel. She knows it's power perfectly well.

She presses open-mouthed kisses to his collarbone and the caramel-colored triangle of skin that his shirt leaves bare.

One nimble finger hooks into the neckline of his leather vest while the other goes for the buttons, popping open them one by one, her lips never leaving his skin. The laces of his shirt are the next in line, but she has something different in mind for those. She pulls them open with her teeth agonizingly slow while she pushes off the vest from his shoulders.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Alistair sighs into her hair, his hands coming up to caress the skin just under her breasts.

“Doing what?”

“Making me fall in love with you over and over.”

“Alistair, we’re married,” she whispers and pulls back a bit so she can look straight into his eyes.

“But it’s true.”

They make love in the soft grass. The small rocks and the bumps of the earth presses into the small of her back and scrapes her knees and green patches of broken grass cover her skin, hiding away the thousands of constellations of her freckles. They’re even more visible in the early afternoon light, bright pink and brown against her porcelain skin.

When all their clothes are shed she has him on the pleasantly cool earth, takes him slowly, savoring every second of their union until it lasts. Alistair is quieter than usual, but his heartbeat is so loud she can hear it clearly. They kiss and they part and then collide again like the northern coasts of Ferelden with the Waking Sea, where the cliffs of the shore are washed away by the wild waves, picked apart rock by rock and you feel like you’ve reached the end of the world.

It’s like being with her, Alistair thinks, like standing on the edge of the world and not afraid to jump and fall.

He’s still dizzy as he holds her flush against his chest, buried deep inside her as thousands of little jolts of pleasure run through his body. Her heavy breathing echoes in his ear and he nuzzles the crook of her neck, licking off the sweat from her skin and kissing her there.

“Do you have a thing for letting other people hear our lovemaking?” he mumbles, the words coming out of his mouth quite weakly, a whisper, nothing more.

“Maybe?” she chuckles.

“Now I understand everything,” he turns onto his side, pulling away a bit but his hand stays on her waist, his thumb stroking a long-healed scar. He’s smiling like an idiot.

They lie in the grass in silence, watching how the wind makes the deep green leaves of the trees dance above their heads and how it carries the sweet scent of the roses. He watches how the shadows play across her hips and shoulders too, and how the sun makes her skin look even brighter. She’s glowing like a princess from a fairy-tale. A warrior-princess, of course.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, her lips tickling his jaw.

“For what?”

“For bringing me here. For marrying me. For surviving the Blight... For being my best friend, for being my new family,” her words are quiet but firm and he raises his hand up to her neck to cradle her nape and kiss her properly.

“You don’t have to thank me anything. I’m here because I could say all of these to you, too… So thank you as well, my love.”

[jchb32273]

Fictober 2019 - Day 1

A little late in posting today, but here is Day 1 - Trust me, it will be fun!

Fanfiction - Dragon Age

AO3 Link

~~~~~

“Kylara?” I heard knocking on our bathroom door. “You can’t hide in there forever! I can pick the lock, you know!”

I groaned, knowing my roommate, Leliana was all too serious. The last time she’d been caught, she got fined for breaking school property. It still didn’t stop her though… “All right! I’m coming out now!” I looked at my reflection and thought, I look ridiculous!

I opened the door, just as Leli was pulling out her picks. She gasped in surprise. “Oh, you look so pretty!!” She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the bedroom of our dorm. “Now go on and put on the rest of your costume! You’ve already made us a half-hour late!”

“I still don’t know why you are making me go to this Halloween party. I don’t know anyone there!”

“Which is why you need to go, Kylara! You need to get out more! Socialize!” Leli stood there in her sparkling black cat costume and frowned a bit. “I will not let you sequester yourself in the library or the dorm room for the entire year! College is about having fun!”

“College is about working hard, getting good grades, and hopefully a meaningful career,” I countered. “Especially when you are on a scholarship like I am.”

“That doesn’t mean you need to stay cooped up all the time! Come on now, it will be fun, trust me!”

I sighed as I pulled on the silly mouse costume she had bought me. I am going to look so stupid in this… “The Theirin’s are the ones hosting! I bet there will be nothing but a bunch of rich kids with bank accounts bursting at the seams. I won’t know anyone there!”

Leliana came over and put her hand on my arm. “This isn’t some high-end social gathering by Maric or Cailan. Alistair is hosting this party. Also, you know me, and that guy you know from your science class… Cullen? He’ll be there. Morrigan is also going.”

“The goth girl from your poetry club?” I asked, curious. “Why would she even consider going to such a soiree?”

Leli giggled. “She said she was curious about how the other half lived.”

“I’m sure that isn’t her real reason.”

“Probably not, but it’s what she told me. Actually, I think she knows someone who might be there and she was hoping to meet him.”

“Who?”

“The bass player in Alistair’s band.” she replied.

“With all the money his family has – and their precious reputation – you’d think they wouldn’t let him have such a hobby… or host wild parties.”

Leli shrugged. “He’s always been the black sheep of the family and was only recently ‘brought back into the fold’, from what I’ve heard. So I guess as long as he doesn’t do anything to embarrass them…”

I tried to think back on what little I knew of the Theirins. Maric was the CEO of a huge business here in Denerim. His wife had died some years ago and his legitimate son, Cailan, was already vice-president of the firm. The scandal of the family was that shortly before his wife had died, Maric had had an affair. That was where the second son, Alistair, fit in. Initially, Alistair had been sent off to live with some distant relatives, but now that he was in his third year here at Denerim University (and doing really well), Maric had apparently decided to claim Alistair as his actual son. There was probably more to the story, but I didn’t thrive on social gossip like so many others in my classes.

All I knew was that just about every female (and some males) around the campus gushed about how handsome Alistair was and how they were going to do everything in their power to get him to notice them… now that Cailan was engaged to some high-end socialite. Stupid of them, really. Last I heard, Alistair was heavily involved with another wealthy girl, Ellie Cousland, I think? Who cares… I am here at this school to focus on my education… not play games to win the affections of some spoiled rich brat.

I sighed again. “Just promise me you won’t leave me alone… and we won’t stay for long, all right, Leli?” I looked at myself in the floor-length mirror in the room. The mouse costume was tight and hugged every curve on my somewhat voluptuous body. The glittery, grey makeup on my face brought out the blue in my eyes (so Leli said), but it also forced me to wear my contacts rather than my glasses. I hated the contacts… they made my eyes feel dry.

“Don’t forget your cheese, little mouse!” Leliana laughed and handed me the stuffed cheese plush.

I rolled my eyes. “You know, mice don’t really eat cheese.”

“Tell that to anyone who has ever watched classic cat and mouse cartoons. Now come on! We are already so late! Let’s go!”

We arrived at a really large gated community on the outskirts of the city. Cars were parked all up and down the streets. Leliana found a spot on a side street about three blocks from the house where the party was being held.

The party was already in full swing by the time we got there. Despite my telling her to not leave me by myself, Leliana was greeted by several members of her poetry club, including Morrigan (who looked just as thrilled as I was to be here). They pulled her away from “the bookish nerd” (I heard one girl call me) and over to the stage where Alistair’s band was playing.

The music was obnoxiously loud, though I had to admit it did have a nice beat to it. Though I tended to prefer classical music, I still tried to keep up with what was popular on campus. I knew Alistair’s band, The Griffons, were quite the rage. I even knew who was who on stage. Fenris was the bassist. He was a broody elf with odd glowing tattoos on his brown skin. So that is who Morrigan likes, hmm? Interesting. The drummer was a huge qunari who went by the moniker of “The Iron Bull” on campus. With the pair of massive horns on his head, I could see why. The keyboardist was a guy I had only heard about from others. I only knew his name was Dorian and that he was originally from Tevinter. The second guitarist was named Anders and while he was quite the looker, he paled in comparison to the frontman.

I had seen pictures of Alistair in the school newspaper and in social gossip magazines at the store, but seeing him in person for the first time was quite a different experience.

I can see why women fall for him… I thought. He is very handsome. Under the lights of the stage, it was difficult to tell the true shade of his hair, but it seemed to be a rich auburn. His dark brown eyes radiated warmth and compassion. His voice was deep and melodious… it gave me chills as I heard him sing.

“Hey Kylara! Good to see you!” I heard a man shout next to me. I turned to see Cullen, who was dressed as a lion. He handed me a beer and I thanked him.

I nodded. “I have never heard him live… Leliana has some of his CDs, but it isn’t the same.”

“He is pretty amazing. I’ve known him for quite a while,” Cullen spoke loud so I could hear him.

“Really?”

“Sure! I can introduce you if you want to meet him.”

“Why would I? He’s handsome and popular… not exactly the kind of guy who’d be interested in someone like me.”

Cullen seemed surprised. “You never struck me as someone who judges others at first appearance, ‘Lara.”

I blushed (though it probably didn’t show through the makeup on my face). “I-I’m not… I mean… I’m sorry. You’re right, Cullen. But still, why should I meet him? Isn’t he already dating someone?”

“He broke up with her last night.” Cullen said. “Turns out she was cheating on him.”

“Oh, that’s terrible.” I could hear the song was nearing its end. “But again, Cullen. Why should I meet him? What do you think he’d see in someone like me?”

“Al is a real friendly guy… and he loves having people around him. However, it is always the same kind of people. I know he’s been getting really bored of it all. You, Kylara, are a sweet, quiet girl. You are smart and not at all like the women who throw themselves at his feet. I think Al might find that a bit refreshing.” The song finished just then and Alistair told the crowd he was going to take a ten-minute break. “Come on,” Cullen said and took my free hand. I put the beer down and grabbed my cheese plush. “Let’s go.”

Cullen pulled me through the crowd towards the stage so quickly that I didn’t see the large clown shoes in front of me until it was too late. I fell to the floor with a crash. People all around me started laughing… hard. Mortified, I got up and before Cullen could say anything, I quickly ran out a side door and out into the back yard.

I don’t know how long I was out there, but the cool autumn air was beginning to give me goosebumps. I had contemplated just going back to Leliana’s car, but I couldn’t remember where she had parked. So in the end, I sat out in the yard on an old swing someone had left tied to a huge tree.

Just then I heard footsteps behind me. A soft, but deep voice asked with concern, “Are you all right?”

I turned in the swing, twisting the rope, to see who had spoken. To my utter shock, it was Alistair! I quickly turned the swing back around as my face heated up. Cullen must have told him what happened! I suppose he needs to know if I am okay… so there are no lawsuits to sully the Theirin name. “I’m fine,” I mumbled. “I… just want to be alo- ” The old rope holding the swing chose that very moment to snap and for the second time that night, I fell to the ground. I wanted to cry, I was so humiliated.

Alistair knelt down and offered me his hand. “Please, let me help you up.”

At first, I just wanted to shout that I was fine and for him to leave me alone, but then I noticed his eyes were not haughty, but genuinely concerned. I gingerly gave him my hand and with a strong pull, he helped me to my feet.

“Are you hurt?” he then asked.

I sighed. “Only my dignity.”

Alistair smiled. “Well, I suppose that is good to hear. I hear dignity is easy to fix… if you know the right people.” He then leaned close and whispered, “I heard they even sell it in the back alleys of Orzammar sometimes…”

I couldn’t help it, I snickered.

“See now, that’s much better. A pretty smile from a pretty woman.” Alistair smiled and then asked, “So, what is your name?”

“Kylara.”

“Well, Kylara, it is very nice to meet you. I really like your costume, by the way.”

“Really? Why?”

He held out the cheese plush I had dropped earlier. “Well, for one, I do have a certain minor obsession with cheese…”

[attanos]

dao canon babey!! 😎

some quick facts about this mess

cousland/guerrin family

nerin & teagan marry in 9:32 in denerim and she becomes the arlessa of redcliffe. she falls pregnant not too long after that and takes a step back from her work as warden-commander for the next few years. she focuses on her family and helping the crown rebuild ferelden.

their first child, finn, is heir to redcliffe. fergus never remarries and names rowan as his heir. maebh is set to marry brandon mac tir, heir to the throne, from the age of eleven.

the kids keep both of their parents names, determined to see both of their proud houses continue to prosper even after the tragedies that have befallen them.

finn looks every inch a cousland - black/brown hair and eyes the color of a mossy forest. 

rowan has the cousland hair but guerrin eyes. a stormy blue.

maebh is the striking image of teagan. same brown/red hair and stormy blue eyes.

nerin doesn’t really disappear in 9:40. she sets out with a purpose because a lead on the calling popped up (something she’s been keeping her ear to the ground about for years). her family & close friends are aware where she’s gone and lie to the inquisition about it.

mac tir/desrosier family

henri served as one of anora’s personal guards since she was about seventeen. he developed feelings for her during his service to her. he never said anything about them. he had no right to and anora was already betrothed to cailan.

his years of service to both anora and cailan saw him promoted to head of the royal guard not long before the events of ostagar. for which henri was present having accompanied cailan. then of course everything happens and henri is left with the death of his king and the label of orlesian traitor on his shoulders.

(his father, jehan desrosiers, was a chevalier & ruling gwaren during the orlesian occupation. his parents marriage was not a happy one. henri’s mother, neassa, was one of the leaders of the gwaren uprising. and according to tavern rumours was the one to drive a sword through her husbands heart. henri has about as many daddy issues as you can imagine.)

he and the handful of men he has left are in lothering looking for news when they run into the remaining grey wardens. long story short, they decide to work together to stop the blight and clear their names. henri is present for the landsmeet and has his name cleared, and his position restored, by anora.

both he and anora thoroughly discuss any plots that could be carried out in Alistair’s name and decide to up her guards for the time being. meaning that Henri is pretty much back to acting as anora’s personal guard. there’s a lot less distance between them this time. they’re both mourning cailan, a close friend to both of them, and henri finds himself half playing at advisor when anora shares governing business with him and asks for any opinions he may have.

eventually those feelings he had long buried come back, twice as strong as before and all the time he and anora spend together doesn’t help. nne night, after a particularly brutal session of trade talks with the orlesian ambassador, anora decides she needs a drink and after sitting in on those talks all day henri decides he could use a drink himself. one thing leads to another and there is some passionate making out going on. anora invites him to spend the night and he does, clothes on, both of them reminiscing about gwaren and how good of friends their mothers had been.

It’s here, three years after the blight, that their relationship begins to turn. they never label it, hardly discuss it, but they often spend nights together. sneaking kisses in hidden corners of the palace like they’re teenagers.

it goes on like this for years, slowly developing in a proper relationship. It’s an open secret in the palace and people whisper about it in denerim.

their relationship kind of comes to a head with the visit of an orlesian dignitary in 9:35 Dragon. some comments are made to henri regarding his father and how the desrosiers name is a joke in orlais now. how he spits on his fathers memory by running around and denying his blood, playing at being a loyal ferelden when orlais runs in his blood. and, of course, henri and his six thousand issues regarding his father and his orlesian heritage promptly freak the fuck out. he advises anora that they should break it off, telling her he’s sullying her families name, especially after everything her father has done to take ferelden back from the orlesian’s.

anora tries to talk him down from it, but he’s just as stubborn as she is, so she leaves him to wallow and goes to Get Shit Fixed. meaning she sends a letter to his mother, gwaren’s acting teryn, inviting her to the palace to slap some sense into her son. it’s actually quite a heartbreaking and lovely scene. henri sitting down with his mother and anora, being told how he is not and never will be his father. how he could never be even half as cruel and how he has his mothers blood in his veins too. old ferelden blood. blood that threw aside her traitor husband and swore allegiance to a rebel king. blood that made henri swear his life to the crown and those who held it.

henri still has a lot of issues with his birthright but having the two people he loves the most tell him he is more than his father definitely helps him slowly come to terms with who he is and how he’s more than his father’s failed legacy.

a year later anora asks Henri to marry her. her proposal is broken down into two parts; how much she loves him and wants to show that to her people and how valuable their joining with be for ferelden, both politically and also as a way to give the country an heir. it’s such an entirely anora way to go about it and henri loves her so much. he does voice some wariness regarding her marrying someone half orlesian. anora tells him to shut up. he does and they have a wonderful wedding ceremony attended by half of denerim.

anora gives birth to their first child, brandon, in 9:38. he takes after both his parents with his golden blonde hair and has henri’s light grey eyes. he grows up incredibly loved and cherished and 100% anora’s son. 

their second child, a girl they name lilah, is born in 9:40. golden blonde hair and anora’s (loghain’s) deep blue eyes.

brandon is to inherit the throne after his mother & is set to marry maebh cousland.

lilah is arranged to marry one of the little de chalon lions. a marriage between the ferelden & orlesian thrones? leonelle and anora truly are that powerful! 

[zaeedmassanis]

Silk and bronto hide for your Dragon Age OCs

thanks dude !!!!!

silk: does your character have something or some kind of hobby that’s completely frivolous but they keep anyway out of pure enjoyment? what is it?

everess cousland: there’s probably an element of nostalgia to it, what-could-have-been while she lived with her parents, back before everything went to hell, but everess takes a lot of joy in dressing up and buying new clothes. of course, there is a bit of an expectation there with her, what with being queen of ferelden and all, but alistair holds court in his armour half the time anyways.

isalin hawke: they weren’t able to take many things from the hawke estate when they fled kirkwall, but isalin managed to snag a length of lace and two novels (neither by varric, thank god.) the novels she and anders keep for cold nights in the wilderness, the lace she refuses to sell even when they finally get their cottage back in the korcari wilds. as much as she hated all the fripperies that came with being nobility, the lace is still a nice reminder. she takes it out, sometimes, but only to stare at it wistfully.

karys hawke: karys likes to knit. she learned when she was a kid and there was this old woman next door who would trade knitting lessons for pears from the tree behind the hawkes’ house, and bethany was too much of a risk and carver turned up his nose at knitting. so karys went, reluctantly at first, but then she started enjoying it. but she never made anything useful besides mountains and mountains of scarves (that she’d sometimes unravel to make blankets, and at least those were helpful) because anything more structured is too hard.

and yarn costs a lot in kirkwall, because the whole area is mountainous and even goatherders are few and far between, let alone sheep. nevertheless, karys still has at least a single ball at hand at all times. 

athenell hawke: when they travel, athenell packs these ridiculous literal silver spoons. she found them on the way out of ferelden, dropped by some fleeing minor noble, maybe, and she spent the entire ship ride to kirkwall trying to clean and polish them. now they’re her pride and joy. leandra tried to get her to sell them to gain passage into the city, but the look athenell shot her had been enough to put that notion to rest.

and athenell’s not all that introspective, so if you asked her, she wouldn’t know why she’s so attached to them. she only takes them out when they go to sundermount or the wounded coast. not even bethany is allowed to touch them when they’re at home, but she passes them out when they’re travelling without any compunction.

bronto hide: what is the single stupidest, most bullheaded, “milord no; MILORD YES” thing your character had ever done up till now?

everess cousland: a circus caravan once came to denerim with a bear. the less said about that, the better.

(she wrestled it. for fun.)

isalin hawke: usually, isalin considers her actions carefully because of the burden that’s always rested on her shoulders to be the leader, but sometimes she forgets herself. like the time she went on a hunt on sundermount hosted by some family from orlais or other (and why they do hunts in kirkwall, is another question entirely) and charged what was probably a damned mountain lion on foot, on her own, all because someone said she didn’t have the balls.

karys hawke: karys is nothing if not a walking bad decision, but the time she got uproariously drunk at aveline’s wedding (she may be one of the richest people in kirkwall now, but that doesn’t stop her from taking advantage of free booze) and haring off to the wounded coast alone, in the middle of the night, swearing up and down that she had suddenly had a revelation about isabela’s buried treasure. it didn’t help that she knew they had already found the tome of koslun.

isabela found her (somehow still in one piece) the next morning, tucked deep into a cave with skeletons all around her. karys still maintains that there was Something there.

athenell hawke: athenell hasn’t even gone to the deep roads yet so she hasn’t quite had the time to be a dumbass that the others have. that being said, she’s already tried to fight every single one of their neighbours in lowtown and probably most of the vendors as well. the one that takes the cake, though, is the time she broke into old man harper’s outhouse because she swore one of the quarries that athenril had set her on was hiding there.

all she got was an eyeful.

[zeroconnectionn]

been writing braime au drabbles on my priv acct for fun but i cant finish any of them so..... to those looking for ideas, here are some au’s that i can’t get off my mind and would love to see more of in ao3/tumblr (under the cut bc it’s so long im so sorry):

crimson peak - i mean c’mon... it’s perfect guys.....i have no idea who would play dr. alan though. maybe the hound??? but like platonic

real steel - lisTEN i couldnt stop thinking about this all day... selwyn is jaime’s former boxing coach... which makes brienne his old-and-soon-to-be-rekindled flame that practiced w him back in the day... cersei + robert are dead and there’s a custody battle over lil tommen.... jaime, his “nephew” tommen, and brienne teach Oath, the sparring robot some killer boxing moves and fight their way to robo championship, becoming a family

pacific rim - i found only one on ao3!! braime would totally be drift compatible and the best part is that cersei doesnt have to be evil here. in my drabble, jaime loses cersei and his right hand to a category 5 kaiju attack. cue angst. he retires as a pilot but decides to stay at the base to train cadets (the real reason he cant pilot anymore is because he keeps chasing after cersei in the drift, clinging onto her memory desperately ohoho). brienne is one of the cadets he trains but jaime cant stand her naivete and b/w outlook on the world (deep down tho, its because he once held the same ideals as she did that resulted in cersei’s death. he sees her as a liability to her future co-pilot) so he picks on her a lot. brienne, sick of his shit, boldly challenges him to a duel, setting the terms that if she wins, jaime has to stop picking on her but if he wins, she has to quit the jaeger programme. to NO ONE’S SURPRISE, the duels ends w a tie! i named their jaeger Ursa Maiden because... you know... 

battle: los angeles - is there enough military fics?? lance corporal tarth kicking alien ass and saving staff sergeant lannister gives me strength

harry potter - WE COULD DO SO MANY THINGS WITH THIS... brienne the halfblood hufflepuff prefect and jaime the pureblood gryffindor troublemaker. rival quidditch captains? best duelers of their respective years? eventual auror partners? all three, because destiny has fated them to be together always? also consider: jaime was said to have murdered the then minister of magic but was not sentenced to azkaban thanks to tywin pulling a few strings. and honourable, hardworking brienne, the first hufflepuff and woman to get an Outstanding in DADA for NEWTS, the first person to best jaime aka the lion of gryffindor in a duel, and the one lucky enough to be mentored by auror!Renly. also i think we can all agree jaime would say “wait til my father hears about this” to get out of trouble

the walking dead - dudes i have not been able to stop thinking about this au too, like jaime and brienne from opposing communities, meeting each other during a supply run and fighting over a jackpot supply of Useful Things but when they’re just about to kill each other over it- SURPRISE! a convenient horde appears! they become temporary allies to survive, somehow saving each others’ asses along the way, jaime getting bit on his hand trying to save her and brienne repaying the favour by chopping off his hand to stop the infection, they spend a week in an abandoned cabin in the woods to recuperate, jaime bathing in the river with her where he explains why he had to kill the twd!aerys + possible romance, confusion w where they stand w each other and whether or not they can continue this fragile alliance if they go back home, jaime selfishly telling her they could just stay here in the cabin, start a new life together and never go back to their respective communities, brienne saying she can’t bc there are people to protect back home (from his people) so she leaves, jaime leaves too because cersei’s back home but he’s worried that the next time he meets brienne, it’ll be as enemies.... do y’alls feel this

superheroes - jaime is the perfect charismatic speedster?? and brienne w super strength??? if u guys play ttrpgs, jaime would be The Legacy or The Reformed and brienne the Transformed in Masks

kingsman - brienne is lancelot and tyrion is merlin AMIRITE

dragon age - (da:o timeline) brienne, a templar from lothering saves jaime, one of the commanders of king cailan’s army and survivor of the Battle of Ostagar who was captured by howe’s men and labelled a traitor (he’d be in one of the cages like Sten!). eventually they get conscripted into the grey wardens by the Warden, becoming the Warden’s travelling companions. would be cute if the Warden wanted to save time and send them off on a treaty mission together. also how perfect would it be if the couslands were the starks... rendon howe could be littlefinger too...

mass effect - i friggin loved me3 multiplayer so i can totally see brienne as a n7 destroyer and jaime as a n7 slayer. the two of them would’ve made such a good team that they were considered instrumental to the reaper’s defeat on earth. also they totally survive the war and settle down in the citadel and adopt a bunch of alien + human orphans. maybe before the war, they were spectres who butt heads a lot bc of diff mission interests. 

the proposal - I NEED TO KNOW, HAS ANYONE DONE THIS YET??? bc if there is, i wanna read it immediately. in my head, jaime could be the jerk boss who begs brienne to marry him to avoid getting deported. but instead of going back to tarth that weekend, they go to casterly rock to meet jamie’s family. same premise as the 2009 film, but slightly different and way more fun with cersei and tyrion around. also consider: the image of gwen dancing and singing to Get Low

to all the boys i’ve loved before - okay... hear me out... lara jean is brienne, kitty is arya, and sansa is margot but younger than brienne and instead of college, she’s in paris for a highschool student exchange programme. brienne is also a step-sister to the girls, cat took her in after her parents’ deaths. MEANWHILE josh is teen!sandor who sansa broke up with before she left for paris but is still best friends with brienne, peter is jaime(!!!) who kissed her during truth or dare years ago, and lucas is of course renly!! also gen is cersei but jamie’s cousin instead of sister. this is so complicated but i find it so cute still?????

i found this au from a prompt list on tumblr and its perfect: “single parents whose children are rivals in a talent show/ sports competition”. the children are tommen and arya, but brienne is arya’s foster mum since cate and ned’s death

naruto - ok so they’re both from different villages but become allies for a dangerous mission.... or brienne is hunting jaime bc he’s a missing nin from her village (catelyn would make a great kage holy shit).... whatever it is, you could totally work in a bath house scene :)

bleach - BRIENNE IS ASSIGNED TO JAIME’S DIVISION AS HIS NEW LIEUTENANT IMAGINE THEIR DYNAMIC sometimes i lay awake thinking about how tite kubo would draw brienne and jaime. [holding a butter knife] he better not give her ginormous boobs

where rainbows end/love rosie - y’all feel this too or is it just me, like just the idea of brienne opening a beach hotel in tarth... i need more brienne by the ocean fics in my life tbh. also im such a sucker for fics made up of purely texts between the characters then ending it with them meeting ahdasdjadsjad anyway Jaime is Alex and Hyle as Greg.

I Wish I Could Write These But Should You Find It Equally Interesting To Write About, Please, By All Means, Take My Brain Juice And Make It Beautiful And Let Me Know So I Can Give You Kudos And Comments Full of Squealing and Love

[cityandking]

you’ve probably already answered this but what house would u put ur ocs in?? (I’d like to know for all of them but specifically bran, vesper, eniko)

hi! great question I’d love to tell you!

AHKI –– ravenclaw. a chipper, sociable, hufflepuff-minded ravenclaw, but it’s her desire to know that drives her so ravenclaw it is

BRAN –– gryffindor, of course. the perfect mix of bravado and heart for the house of the lion

ENIKO –– is a hufflepuff, with all the work ethic and dedication and determination but none of the fair play or fellowship. (he doesn’t have the ambition for slytherin or the curiosity for ravenclaw, and is far too much a coward for gryffindor)

IKEA –– slytherin. boatloads of ambition, selective morals, and a deep appreciation for cunning and self improvement

SYNNOVE –– slytherin. an even-keeled, mellowed slytherin, but still ambitious, and cunning, and driven, and focused on herself

TENNI –– hufflepuff. she toes the hufflepuff/gryffindor line, but she’s got an easiness and a fondness for folk that speaks more towards hufflepuff comfort than gryffindor daring.

AIMAN HAWKE –– gryffindor, in the most disastrous sense of the word

LIRA COUSLAND –– hufflepuff. she holds a deep appreciation for fairness and work and duty, and while she’s more of a slytherin in terms of her actions her values place her with the badgers

VESPER TREVELYAN –– gryffindor. she’d have expected ravenclaw, truth be told, but she’s far fiercer and braver than she gives herself credit for

others I have put less thought into: emory and cresp are hufflepuffs, sol and petra ryder are both ravenclaw, rosie trevelyan is a slytherin, seth ryder is a gryffindor. not sure about the rest of them

[vakarians-babe]

Chapter 58: The Legion of the Dead

Of the three pairs who set off to scout the immediate vicinity, only Tali and Alistair return with any real news. Thankfully, their return also comes a little more than an hour after their departure—just enough time for Savreen to fall into sleep and wake again before the nightmares catch her. She feels considerably less fragile as Tali explains excitedly that they’ve encountered dwarves—members of the Darkspawn-fighting Legion of the Dead, no less—and their commander is eager to speak with these surfacer newcomers. Oghren grumbles a little, upset that they’re moving in the direction of anything not directly related to Branka, but he quiets twice as quickly when Tali points out the Legion are likely to know the best way forward. Everyone packs up what little belongings they’ve brought out with considerable swiftness. The short rest has not only done Savreen good, but the others as well: even Ranjit and Sten, whose own scouting trip lessened their time at camp by about half, move with more purpose and clarity. There’s a new sense of urgency that enervates everyone as they follow Tali and Alistair down the tunnel, down to the old guardhouse where the Legion has dug in. When they arrive, they find a pair of dwarves standing stiffly outside the fortified doors, waiting for them and gazing warily along the road further into Bownammar. When Savreen follows their gaze, she almost imagines the faint buzz of the Darkspawn horde becomes louder. “This is all of you?” The incredulous question comes from the shorter of the two dwarves, a man with a shaven head and an intricately braided ginger beard. “Either you Wardens are stupider than we thought, better fighters than we thought, or luckier than any bastard has any right to be.”

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[vakarians-babe]

Chapter 59: The House of the Paragon

Please note: this chapter includes descriptions of gore, implied assault, references to cannibalism, depictions of body horror, and discussion of the Broodmother.

Bownammar is huge. Crisscrossing halls, crumbling bridges raised above massive canyons and trenches, stairs leading up into the darkness and down into the hot glow of lava. Huge, and absolutely overrun. Savreen can hardly believe what she sees—in fact, she wouldn’t believe it if they hadn’t seen the horde from a distance, if they hadn’t seen the sheer size of it. If she hadn’t dreamed of it countless times before. The place is teeming. While the layout and structure reminds her of Orzammar, nearly every inch of this fortress city is covered in a slimy black lichen of sorts, or maybe a mold. The stuff seems closest to the rotten flesh and skin of the Darkspawn themselves, a half-living, mostly dead thing, made of the Blight itself. Everywhere Savreen looks there are countless hurlocks and genlocks, swarmed around smoky and greasy fires that seem to burn only on the fuel of bones. Cadres of sharlocks lurk in dark corners, too, and even a few ogres loom over the whole scene, their massive horns twisting viciously against their impossible forms. Everywhere, jaws rip into flesh, feeding. The source of their meal is unknown. It feels to Savreen as though she’s stuck in one of her nightmares, and she can’t help but remember the innkeeper from Lothering, the strips of his own muscle and skin dangling from his teeth.

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[vakarians-babe]

Chapter 47: To Orzammar at Last

Daylight, thin and cold this high in the Frostbacks, illumines the small, makeshift village of traders set up outside the gates of Orzammar. Talvinder is relieved to finally see it, but too tired to be elated. The road up to the gate has been far from treacherous, but it certainly has been steep, and now her feet protest at the myriad pebbles and bits of gravel stuck in her boots. Nevertheless, she is ready to walk the remaining paces to the gate, and she becomes downright eager when she thinks about the amenities of a city like Orzammar (surely there are inns, with tubs, and almost certainly there will be hot water). Savreen, though, stops her in her tracks, throwing her arm out in front of her younger cousin to keep her from moving any farther forward. When Tali looks at Sav with confusion, all Sav responds with is a jerk of her head and a pointed glance toward the ornate gates carved into the mountainside. Tali looks once more at the gates, really looks, and she understands Sav’s caution. A small group of three soldiers, wearing the colors and livery of the house of Mac Tir, stand there, discussing some unknown topic at length with the guards posted at the gate. Next to Tali, Alistair tenses angrily, and she can do nothing but tap his hand with her own. “We wait for them to go.” Tali has no choice but to accept Sav’s order, because that’s exactly what it is—an order. The others do the same, pulling cloaks tighter around their shoulders, yanking collars higher over their jaws, trying to obscure their faces by any means necessary before they melt into the small crowd of market stalls one by one.

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[vakarians-babe]

Lions of House Cousland: Remastered

“’Tis enough, mother. They did not come to listen to your wild tales, nor to have their fortunes read as by some common seer.” That quells the bulk of her mother’s laughter, though she still chuckles lightly. “You speak true, my daughter. They came for their treaties, did they not?” Alistair moves again, and the witch is suddenly serious, laughter gone, sharp as cut glass. She stares Alistair down and holds out a hand, as though to stop his approach. “Before you begin barking, little Warden war-pup, your precious seal wore off long ago. I have protected these since.” She flips her wrist, places her hand behind her back, and pulls the scrolls out, seemingly from the air, which Talvinder does not entirely doubt. They are smaller than Tali had thought they would be, and not so aged, either, the vellum still supple and mostly unblemished. The witch steps forward, towards Alistair, and the others part to let her through as she hands him the treaties.

Chapter 6: Words with a Witch is now updated!

[vakarians-babe]

Lions of House Cousland: Remastered

“I am sorry we could not save them,” he says. There is a brief moment, when he glances up at them, that his eyes meet Talvinder’s, and she can see an endless pool, dark and sorrowful. It changes the shape of his voice as he speaks now. “Take your rest while you can. There is likely to be little time for it once we reach Ostagar.” It occurs to Tali that this is Duncan’s way of caring for them, of apologizing for what he’s done, what he couldn’t do. He’s so apologetic, it makes her wonder for a moment why she should be mad at him. Only a moment.

Chapter 2: Towards Ostagar is now updated!

[vakarians-babe]

Chapter 57: Entrenched

The sound of the slap rings on the air, far louder than it should be. Talvinder stares, open mouthed, at Savreen. Even she is shocked by her own action, breathing hard as she stares at her shaking hands. No one says a word, not as the imprint of Sav’s hand turns bright and red on Alistair’s cheek. Tali feels like she should speak, like there’s something she ought to say, but when she tries, she finds that nothing will come, that she can’t make her tongue move. Sav brings her hand back in and towards her chest, squeezing it into a fist before wiping it down her brigandine, as though she might be able to clean the slap from her palm. “Savreen—” Ranjit begins to speak, but all manages to say is her name before Sav’s eyes flash and she snaps to face him. “Don’t,” she commands. Ranjit clenches his jaw, biting back whatever else he might want to say. “I—I don’t understand,” says Alistair, and already the mark on his face is fading.

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