#love my little fake cousland

[yes7erdays-archive]

_________  ⋆˚ ★ INCOMING TRANSMISSION / ENDLESS EDITS OF YES7ERDAYS

[seigephoenix]

Happy Friday!!

How about ‘“Admit it- your life would be boring without me.”’ For m!hawke/Fenris (or any other pairing you might be feeling!)

Happy Friday! Malcolm Cousland and Zevran inspired me tonight! With a former Crow as a lover, you know Malcolm's life will never be that peaceful again and he would absolutely never trade it for anything.

Content Warning: blood, violence, smooches Length: ~800 words

Malcolm skidded around the corner of the marketplace, pressing his back against the building’s wall, and shrinking as far as he could back into the shadows.  The assassins ran past without even glancing in his direction and he released a pent up breath.  He drew his short sword and pointed it at the shadows behind him.

“Well played my lord.”  The man stepped out from the shadows slowly clapping his hands.  “I never thought the Hero of Ferelden would make his way to Antiva of all places.  Are the rumors true?  Are you truly his lover?” Malcolm’s grip tightened on the sword but he schooled his features to not betray him.

“Call off your dogs,” Malcolm snarled at the man.  He tilted his head back and crossed his arms.

“Now why would I do that?” The man laughed but it was cut off on a wet gurgle as blood oozed from his lips.  “What?” Malcolm’s eyes widened as he saw the sword sticking out from the man’s ribcage.

“Because he asked so nicely.  That is why.” Zevran’s voice normally soothed Malcolm’s frayed nerves, but he was filled with dread.  He’d come to Antiva after receiving Zevran’s letter and had become involved in assassination plot after assassination plot.  He’d honestly been safer in Ferelden during the bleeding Blight.  The assassins all questioned him about Zevran’s whereabouts but Malcolm had never broken.  To their utter frustration.  Now that Zevran was here…  Dread curled in a twisted knot in his belly.

“You bastard.”  Zevran laughed as the man fell to the ground his blood pooling beneath him.

“My love.  You got my letter.”  Zevran opened his arms as he stepped over the man’s corpse to embrace Malcolm.  Malcolm welcomed the hug, he’d sorely missed Zevran over the past year of their separation.  His fingers curled in the soft cape around Zevran’s shoulders as he just breathed in.  Zevran was real and in his arms.  Zevran rested his head against Malcolm’s shoulder, enjoying the embrace as well.

Raucous shouts broke them apart and Malcolm seemed to recall several plots against him.  “Will you tell me about these plots against my life?” Malcolm demanded as Zevran laughed.  “I didn’t have nearly the amount of people calling for my head when we were in Ferelden.  Given the political clime at the time, which is saying quite a bit.”

“What’s a little adventure love?” Zevran asked with a cheeky grin as Malcolm grumbled about wanting a peaceful visit for once.  “Ah, but peaceful is boring.  You know it as well as I.”

“Sometimes boring is a good thing.  Sometimes.” Malcolm sighed as he saw the look in Zevran’s eyes, the one that always called him on his bullshit.  “Fine.  Peaceful is boring.  You want to know something?”  Zevran grinned as he already knew what Malcolm was going to say.

“That your life would be boring without me in it?” Malcolm’s eyes crinkled at the edges, in a telltale move that told Zevran he was truly smiling.  He’d watched his love put on fake smiles, polite smiles, and smiles that were forced.  He was selfish in wanting all the real smiles for himself, but he cherished each and every one of them.  His hands reached up and tucked that coppery hair behind his ear and smiled at him in return.

“That it would.  I’d be withering away in Highever, surrounded by luxury, hand fed by beautiful servants, and sleeping on a posh mattress.”  Zevran’s nose wrinkled at the tone Malcolm used.  “But I wouldn’t trade this life for anything.”  Malcolm leaned forward and kissed Zevran to his surprise.  Malcolm wasn’t normally that bold.

His hands dove into Zevran’s hair, tilting his face towards him as he took the kiss to a darker place.  Hunger curled hot and tight in Zevran as his fingers clawed at Malcolm’s shoulders.  That’s when he heard it, the rapidly approaching footsteps.  Malcolm didn’t let him look up and ran his lips along his jawline.

“Are there in here?” The assassins yelled but when they turned into the alleyway all they saw was someone with a whore for the night.  Given how tightly they clung together and the sounds coming from the couple.  “Piss.  That Ferelden bastard escaped.”  They ran off down the street and Malcolm lifted his head after their boots faded from his senses.

“Now we can.” Malcolm was cut off by Zevran’s lips as he yanked him down for another drugging kiss.  “Wait.  Zev.” Malcolm tried to get out between kisses.

“Shut up.” Zevran hissed as he pulled Malcolm down.  To his frustration Malcolm stepped back and simply picked him up.  Zevran was stunned to find himself slung over Malcolm’s shoulder.  “What are you thinking?”

“That I’d like to kiss you without worrying about a knife in my back.” Malcolm grinned as Zevran huffed at him.  “I rented a room under Leliana’s name at a local inn.  Come on.”  Malcolm trotted off down the alleyway, stepping over the bloodied corpse, and keeping his senses alert for the would be assassins.

[ladypreliminary]

Uh oh I’m thinking about my dragon age OCs and how much I love them again

actually I’m going to talk about them because nobody can stop me

Catriona Cousland: my OG DA:O Warden. Silver-tongued dual-wielding duelist and queen of Ferelden. Polite but cool, though she has a soft spot for Alistair and Ser Barksleigh. Losing her family the way she did left her a quiet shell of her former self for a while. Discovering her brother lived helped. She wrote to Liliana every other week until she left for her search for a cure to the calling.

Stephen Amell: built like an oak tree. naturally, he’s a spirit healer with only a couple of earth—based tricks for damage. a lover, not a fighter, he focused on buffing and protecting his allies the whole way. maybe that’s why he was drawn to Morrigan. They were a study in contrasts. He annoyed her with his soft heart until it turned toward her. Of course he searched for her. Of course he went with her through the eluvian. Of course they were happy.

Althea Hawke: I meant to try other Hawkes out all the way through, but my force mage purple Hawke ruined me for any others. She’s brash, sometimes rude without meaning to be. Somehow she and Fenris love each other to disgusting distraction.

Daphne Trevelyan: my BABY. Shy, unassuming, and never left the circle out of fear until the option fell upon her. She became a passionate advocate for mage rights and “one of the helpers,” like Mr Rogers called them. She and Cullen better be able to have a nice and boring life. She’s done playing the hero. Being Herald and then Inquisitor was never comfortable for her, though she got good at faking it due to exposure. She was particularly close with Dorian and, surprisingly, Vivienne.

Ellana Lavellan: my sad little archer. Naive and innocent but inclined to distrust non-elves, she immediately fell in with Solas — and had her heart crushed for it. Close with Cole and Varric, she turned them for support and it crumbled the last of her walls. Despite all that, she is a brilliant strategist, and she’s hellbent on catching Solas’ trail so she can save him from himself. Of the two of them, she’s a much better politician than Daphne, which is hilarious considering.

[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

[necropxlis]

A Cure to a Broken Heart - (Alistair x Elana Cousland)

A/N: So I had a random thought today and I got super inspired to write something about it. I haven’t written in years and it obviously shows lol. Anyways, I hope you enjoy I don’t know how long it will be just yet. I will just write until I am satisfied. Please enjoy my piece of crap that I wrote! ^.^

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Seven years.

Seven years of peace within the kingdom of Ferelden. Seven years of standing by the love of her life. Seven years since she lost her parents in a coup and was forced to join the Grey Wardens. Seven years since she sacrificed everything and saved the world. Seven years of whispers and distant stares. Wondering when the royal couple will bear an heir. When the voice would call their king and queen into the forsaken Deep roads to waste away their days.

For years after their marriage and coronation, the nobles have constantly questioned when would an heir to the throne be born. The queen would merely smile and say she prayed to the Maker that it would be soon. The king would look at his wife with nothing but, what other people say is, love and admiration; but those who knew him well knew that sadness lingered in his eyes. Those who were close to the couple knew of their struggle with the fear of the future. The Calling. The one obstacle that the Hero of Ferelden could not overcome, could not defeat. The one thing standing in between their happiness.

“I think you should take a Mistress.”

Alistair froze and stared at his wife. His eyes bore confusion and then amusement. This had to be some kind of joke. His wife, his rose, would never have uttered something so ridiculous in her lifetime. She was smart and calculated. Cunning when it came to convincing the nobles into agreeing with them. She often played pranks on Alistair when they needed a little something to lighten up their day. Most of all she was in love with him and he was in love with her. This definitely had to be a joke, something to lighten their spirits. 

Laughter erupted from Alistair’s lips, “That’s funny, I thought you were serious for a moment. Yes, love, I will take a mistress and waste away my days in luxury like a true king.”

“Alistair-“

“You can’t be serious, my love. I would never betray you, I would never become my father.”

The queen sighed and motioned for Alistair to come closer to her. She grabbed his hands and looked at him with nothing but sadness in her eyes. Furrowing his brows, he tried to understand the reasoning behind her words. Was he not good enough for her anymore? Did she think she wasn’t enough for him? Did she want a divorce? He began to pray, to beg, to the Maker that she would not leave him.

“Alistair, you need an heir. Something I can’t give you. Please, take a mistress, or find another wife. Someone who can give you an heir. I’ll step down and-“

“Stop.“ he interrupted, “Don’t go any further.”

Alistair tore himself away from his wife and began to pace around the room. His hand roamed through his hair and down his face. His wife stared as he began to make dents in the floor with his constant moving. Wringing her fingers as her anxiety began to build. She had to make her thoughts clear. She was a ticking time bomb. Her fuse was running short.

She wanted to be the strong one. She wanted to be the one to end it so he could have the life he always wanted. He deserved a wife who could give him children, he deserved a family that loves him and makes him happy. He deserves everything she can’t give him. Her thoughts plagued her mind. Tears pooled in her blue orbs. The same orbs that her husband dearly loved and often told her he could get lost in them. She began to remember all the happy moments they had.

She realized how selfish she was being. Keeping him to herself all these years when he could have something better. The words of the nobles haunted her brain for years. She was the worthless daughter of the famed Couslands. How disappointed her parents would be. The wild Cousland daughter turned to be nothing but a fake. A woman who can’t give her husband a child to carry on the legacy. Useless. Good for nothing. Incompetent.

A cry tore from her delicate lips. The once strong hero could no longer keep her composure. Her walls that she had built up for years had shattered, like tossing a rock at a mirror. Alistair froze at the sound of his wife’s heart breaking more and more. She lowered her head to rest against a pillow so her cries were muffled. Her tears flowed like a river in the springtime, after the long months of being frozen in the winter. Fists tightly gripped the thin piece of cloth covering the woolen mass beneath her. Knuckles as white as freshly fallen snow. The stone walls echoed with each desperate cry. The anguish of a woman who will probably never know the struggles of carrying a life for nine months.

“Elana.”

At the sound of her name, the woman slowly opened her eyes to gaze at her husband. Alistair looked just as broken as she did. He knew the weight on her heart was heavy. The rumors of her being barren and not competent enough to give him what the kingdom desired most. He might not be the brightest star in the sky, but when it came to his wife he knew her better than she knew herself. What he could not fathom, was how badly this had affected her. Taking slow strides as to not scare her, Alistair gathered the broken woman into his arms. Brushing her hair away from her face, he saw just how this had haunted her. Her features had grown thin and pale. While he was blinded by happiness, he struggled to notice that his wife was suffering.

"Elana, I don't care about having an heir to carry on our legacy. The lords and ladies of wherever can kindly suck it." Alistair said placing a kiss to her forehead.

A small chuckle escaped from her cracked lips, "But you deserve to be happy."

The man scoffed and stared at her. This woman went to hell and back for them, for the world. She was the strongest person he had ever met and she carried his heart in her hands. If anything he was the one unworthy of such a wonderful human being. Elana accepted him for who he was, bastard prince, and all of his other baggage. She laughed at all his jokes and played along with him at times. She was his rock in the windy storm. Her blue eyes stared into his soul, begging, pleading him to just go along with whatever she was asking of him. But he was stubborn and was not going to let the only source of light leave his life.

"I am happy. Wherever you are, I am happy. We could be killing darkspawn for the rest of our lives in the godforsaken Deeproads, or we could be here ruling a kingdom and playing dress-up every day. As long as you are with me, I am happy." he said placing a strand of curly hair behind her ear.

A small smile crept up both of their faces. The love that each of them had for the other would be strong enough to overcome this battle. Time might not be on their side, but as long as they had each other, they would survive in this cruel world. Their love will shine through their darkest days.

But where there is light, there is also darkness.

Their days may have gotten better, their smiles may have lasted longer, but fear is a nasty enemy. It feeds and it feeds until it consumes that persons every being. Until that person no longer has any sense of humanity.Ripping the seal off of the crumpled letter, Elana slowly unfolded its contents. She was tired of being someone she wasn't, tired of fooling herself and her husband. If she wanted a future for the kingdom and her own selfish reasons, she would have to get her hands dirty once again. Scanning the parchment of every sentence it contained, something akin to a spark of hope rose inside of her. Maybe there was a way, a way for everything to work out in their favor. She needed answers. She needed to visit a certain witch.

"Dear Elana,

I have kept an eye on Morrigan for a while now, as I would for all of my friends. I am only doing this because if anyone can find the cure, it will be you. I have enclosed the coordinates to her location, may you find some answers to your questions. I will keep my ear to the ground for any new information I find and send it your way. Please be safe, I don't know what would happen if we lost you. One close call is one too many. My scouts will be watching.

Lilianna."

Her time has come. She would leave behind her life of comfort to seek what they have wished for years.

Elana would find a cure for the Calling.

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A/N: If you made it this far I appreciate you. Anyways I hope you enjoyed!

[prince-everhard]

Prince’s Whumptober 2020 masterpost

Gonna have links, titles, summaries, and all that jazz under a readmore because i decided to really push myself and do all 31 prompts separately. Thank you to everyone who liked and reblogged my work; your support means the world to me and makes me want to keep writing! 

multiparters here have been listed in chronological order rather than posting order for ease of reading. 

FAHC

No 1. LET’S HANG OUT SOMETIME Waking Up Restrained | Shackled | Hanging

Title: another duck joins the flock Fandom: FAHC Character(s): Geoff, Michael Rating: T Warning(s): blood, handcuffs Wordcount: 728 Summary: Or how the Fakes gained their most famous muscle. [tidied up/expanded this never-to-be-posted fahc wip for whumptober]

Naruto

No 2. IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY “Pick Who Dies” | Collars | Kidnapped

Title: and the worst part of waiting is the anticipation Fandom: Naruto Character(s): Team 7 Rating: T Warning(s): blood, vomit Wordcount: 951 Summary: Team Seven gets captured. [part of the whumptober au]

No 3. MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY Manhandled | Forced to their Knees | Held at Gunpoint

Title: A Teaching Moment Fandom: Naruto Character(s): Sakura, Kabuto Rating: T Warning(s): none Wordcount: 498 Summary: Kabuto makes her an offer she can’t refuse. [part of the whumptober au]

No 29. I THINK I NEED A DOCTOR Intubation | Emergency Room | Reluctant Bedrest

Title: Graduation Fandom: Naruto Character(s): Sakura, Kabuto, Rating: T+? Warning(s): blood Wordcount: 835 Summary: Kabuto has one more test before Sakura can be considered a true medic-nin. [part of the whumptober au]

No 15. INTO THE UNKNOWN Possession | Magical Healing | Science Gone Wrong

Title: Arboreal Fandom: Naruto Character(s): Sakura Rating: T Warning(s): needles Wordcount: 803 Summary: It was only a matter of time before Sakura found something that could help her escape. [part of the whumptober au]

No 9. FOR THE GREATER GOOD “Take Me Instead” | “Run!” | Ritual Sacrifice

Title: no good deed goes unpunished Fandom: Naruto Character(s): Naruto, Teuchi, Kyuubi Rating: T Warning(s): violence against children Wordcount: 972 Summary: Something goes wrong on his seventh birthday. Naruto might never be the same again.

No 26. IF YOU THOUGHT THE HEAD TRAUMA WAS BAD… Migraine | Concussion | Blindness

Title: Degradation Fandom: Naruto Character(s): Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto Rating: T Warning(s): dismemberment ment Wordcount: 187 Summary: Kakashi knows that power comes with a price.

Dragon Age

No 6. PLEASE…. “Get it Out” | No More | “Stop, please”

Title: Like Dogs Fandom: Dragon Age Character(s): Female Tabris, Shianni, Soris, Nelaros Rating: M Warning(s): implied/offscreen rape, violence against women, blood Wordcount: 1640 Summary: It was supposed to be a good thing, getting married. It wasn’t. [this is really just a love letter to the origin that fucking shooketh me]

No 19. BROKEN HEARTS Grief | Mourning Loved One | Survivor’s Guilt

Title: all’s fair but war is not without casualties Fandom: Dragon Age Character(s)/Pairing(s): Female Cousland, Alistair; ex-Alistair/Warden Rating: T Warning(s): none Wordcount: 695 Summary: Ten years after the Blight ends, Elissa Cousland runs into someone she never thought she’d see again. It, uh, doesn’t go quite as planned. [mostly canon compliant; Loghain is spared and becomes a warden]

No 11. PSYCH 101 Defiance | Struggling | Crying

Title: Duty Fandom: Dragon Age Character(s): Female Cousland, Eleanor, Bryce Rating: T Warning(s): blood, betrayal, last stand Wordcount: 633 Summary: Even without interference, history marches on. A what-if scenario if Duncan wasn’t there to recruit the Cousland. [part of iron & ash]

No 23. WHAT’S A WHUMPEE GOTTA DO TO GET SOME SLEEP AROUND HERE? Exhaustion | Narcolepsy | Sleep Deprivation

Title: To Ostagar Fandom: Dragon Age Character(s): Female Cousland Rating: T Warning(s): none Wordcount: 545 Summary: Jasmine is determined to get vengeance for her family. [part of iron & ash]

No 14. IS SOMETHING BURNING? Branding | Heat Exhaustion | Fire

Title: Consequences Fandom: Dragon Age Character(s): Female Surana Rating: T Warning(s): none Wordcount: 368 Summary: Surana helps her best friend escape the Circle, and the consequences are more than she bargained for.

No 21. I DON’T FEEL SO WELL Chronic Pain | Hypothermia | Infection

Title: Corrupted Fandom: Dragon Age Character(s): Female Mahariel, Duncan Rating: Gen Warning(s): none Wordcount: 192 Summary: It’s a long journey from the Brecilian Forest to Ostagar for someone with blight sickness.

No 31. TODAY’S SPECIAL: TORTURE Experiment | Whipped | Left for Dead

Title: Big Sister Instinct Fandom: Dragon Age Character(s): Female Hawke, Unnamed Templars Rating: T Warning(s): torture, violence against women Wordcount: 325 Summary: Marian Hawke would rather die than betray her family. She might even just get the chance to do it.

Mass Effect

No 4. RUNNING OUT OF TIME Caged | Buried Alive | Collapsed Building

Title: never forget to bury your regret (before it buries you) Fandom: Mass Effect Character(s): Male Shepard, Human OC Rating: T Warning(s): cave-in, blood, character death Wordcount: 450 Summary: Survival training goes south in the ICT.

No 7. I’VE GOT YOU Support | Carrying | Enemy to Caretaker

Title: First Contact Fandom: Mass Effect Character(s): Turian OC, Human OC Rating: T Warning(s): injuries, broken bones, vomit, vehicular crash Wordcount: 1150 Summary: Decimus isn’t ready to die, but he’s especially not ready to die on a stupid scouting mission to a stupid alien colony. [set during the First Contact War; probably not canon-compliant but idgaf]

No 18. PANIC! AT THE DISCO Panic Attacks | Phobias | Paranoia

Title: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (and what does makes you scarred forever) Fandom: Mass Effect Character(s): Female Shepard, Edi, Tali’Zorah, Garrus Vakarian Rating: T Warning(s): panic attack, open space Wordcount: 662 Summary: Shepard isn’t afraid of getting spaced. No, really. [a closer look at the geth dreadnought mission]

No 28. SUCH WOW. MANY NORMAL. VERY OOPS. Accidents | Hunting Season | Mugged

Title: Torfan Fandom: Mass Effect Character(s): Female Shepard, Major Kyle Rating: T Warning(s): blood, guns, drugging Wordcount: 589 Summary: How the Butcher came to be.

No 25. I THINK I’LL JUST COLLAPSE RIGHT HERE, THANKS Disorientation | Blurred Vision | Ringing Ears

Title: Rest Fandom: Mass Effect Character(s)/Pairing(s): Female Shepard, Anderson; referenced Shepard/Vega Rating: T Warning(s): blood, character death Wordcount: 1018 Summary: A father-daughter moment after they open the arms of the Citadel. [part of Alder]

No 5. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING? On the Run | Failed Escape | Rescue

Title: they found you on the floor Fandom: Mass Effect Character(s): Female Shepard Rating: T Warning(s): alcohol, vomit, underage drinking Wordcount: 348 Summary: Like mother like daughter; Shepard deals with her trauma after Mindoir. [part of Gloria Shepard]

No 22. DO THESE TACOS TASTE FUNNY TO YOU? Poisoned | Drugged | Withdrawal

Title: there’s easier ways to die Fandom: Mass Effect Character(s): Female Shepard, Ashley Williams Rating: T Warning(s): DTs, vomit mention Wordcount: 368 Summary: Shepard takes a stand against her own demons. [part of Gloria Shepard]

No 17. I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING Blackmail | Dirty Secret | Wrongfully Accused

Title: you crawled up on your cross Fandom: Mass Effect Character(s): Female Shepard, Jacob Taylor Rating: T Warning(s): alcohol Wordcount: 645 Summary: Shepard gets a morale boost from a crewmate. [part of Gloria Shepard]

No 16. A TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY Forced to Beg | Hallucinations | Shoot the Hostage

Title: Cornered Fandom: Mass Effect Character(s): Garrus, Female Shepard Rating: T Warning(s): broken bones Wordcount: 1281 Summary: Garrus gets into some trouble. [part of the omega non-reaper au]

No 20. TOTO, I HAVE A FEELING WE’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE Lost | Field Medicine | Medieval

Title: Ancient History Fandom: Mass Effect Character(s): Female Shepard, Garrus Rating: T Warning(s): injuries, death, self-destructive/suicidal actions Wordcount: 1223 Summary: Jane is an enigma and Garrus just wants to figure her out. [part of the omega non-reaper au]

No 8. WHERE DID EVERYBODY GO? “Don’t Say Goodbye” | Abandoned | Isolation

Title: After Fandom: Mass Effect Character(s): Garrus, Female Shepard Rating: T Warning(s): injuries, death Wordcount: 440 Summary: Jane comes for Garrus after the gangs’ assault. [part of the omega non-reaper au]

No 30. NOW WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? Wound Reveal | Ignoring an Injury | Internal Organ Injury

Title: Debt Fandom: Mass Effect Character(s)/Pairing(s): Garrus, Female Shepard, Mordin; mutual pining Shakarian Rating: T Warning(s): painkillers Wordcount: 590 Summary: After the gangs’ assault, Garrus overhears something. [part of the omega non-reaper au]

Undertale

No 13. BREATHE IN BREATHE OUT Delayed Drowning | Chemical Pneumonia | Oxygen Mask

Title: Drowning Fandom: Undertale Character(s): Toriel, Asgore Rating: T Warning(s): character death, child death Wordcount: 156 Summary: Asriel brought Chara home one last time.

[replacing no. 27] Alt 7. Found Family

Title: The Door Fandom: Undertale Character(s): Frisk, Papyrus, Sans Rating: Gen Warning(s): none Wordcount: 357 Summary: Just a little look at what could be a meeting with Gaster

Red vs Blue

No 12. I THINK I’VE BROKEN SOMETHING Broken Down | Broken Bones | Broken Trust

Title: Being a twin is a Hard Thing Fandom: Red vs Blue Character(s): South Dakota Rating: T Warning(s): psychological trauma Wordcount: 281 Summary: In the days before Wash finds them, South gets… introspective. [canon compliant? taken from a wip I was never going to finish so I fleshed it out for whumptober instead]

Original Fiction

No 10. THEY LOOK SO PRETTY WHEN THEY BLEED Blood Loss | Internal Bleeding | Trail of Blood

Title: please leave a message Rating: T Warning(s): blood Wordcount: 537 Summary: A detective’s work is never done. Antonia deals with the news that her most famous case’s subject is on the run again. [original fiction]

No 24. YOU’RE NOT MAKING ANY SENSE Forced Mutism | Blindfolded | Sensory Deprivation

Title: Secondary Location Rating: Gen? Warning(s): kidnapping Wordcount: 143 Summary: Antonia wakes up on the wrong side of the city. [original fiction]

[red-wardens]

vampire au!

My OC’s: Vampire AU

Alyss Amell is a late 1700′s French vampire, and just, the sweetest little blood sucker; very polite, never kills her victims. Bitten at age 21 by nomad vampire Duncan to save her from dying of consumption. Pining for years over the pretty red-headed priestess with the beautiful voice who she can’t speak to because she’s always in the church at night and Alyss can’t step on hollowed ground. Leliana catches on eventually and is very endeared to the hopeless undead girl. 

Claira Hawke is Alyss’ human cousin visiting from England but ends up staying when Alyss turns. Always frantically trying to convince the town that her “sickly” cousin is very frail and that’s why she can’t leave the house and also she has tons of allergies like garlic and...crosses (”It’s the metal you see, Mayor Meredith, it just makes her skin hive up, you know, allergies.”). A terrible liar but Leliana helps her keep Alyss a secret.

Ronan Aeducan’s family is the head of a powerful modern-day (but a millennia old) coven but he fakes his own death so he doesn’t have to inherit leadership. Ends up opening a vampire-themed bar to go undercover, the goths of the town love it. He also over-pays a mortal bartender, Nora Brosca to keep his secret and be his daytime task-runner (he refuses to turn her into a vampire despite her repeated requests though). Ronan drinks animal blood since he was a vegetarian before he was a vampire and he sees this as the closest vampiric equivalent. 

Kyung-Jae “Kieran” Tabris is in the same timeline as Ronan and new to being a vampire. Got into a bad fight and could not afford medical care (cough cough guess which “first world” country he lives in) but was saved by century-old Blue Surana who had been walking home that night from the research lab she works nightshifts at. Now he’s greatly frustrated because he thinks being a vampire is so cool but none of his human college classmates believe him (”Look how pale and pretty I am now!” [”you were always pale and pretty..”] “Well look how strong I am!” [”idk you spend a lot of time at the gym dude”] “Ugh, come on! I can’t eat garlic!” [”Yeah well you’re also lactose intolerant :/”] Is invited to work at Ronan Aeducan’s vampire bar once Ronan notices that Kieran is, in fact, an actual vampire.

Blue Surana is the unofficial, unintentional coven leader of the small group of vampires that she’s either met (like Ronan Aeducan and centuries old now-phlebotomist Alyss Amell and her now-vampire wife Leliana) or turned (like Isseya Mahariel). Among others in her found-family is human vampire-hunter Cassian Cousland who she has befriended (or rather, saved, because he’d been nearly killed by a hostile vampire named Rendon Howe) whose family has protected humans from vampires for generations. He’s the first ever Cousland to befriend vampires and keep them a secret from humans and other hunters. This arrangement comes with the understanding and agreement that Blue Surana and her coven vow to not kill any human (human Nora Brosca is not thrilled about the lack of murder: “Oh come ON! Where’s the excitement in being friends with the undead if there isn’t even a littttle murder? As a treat?” [”Nora, no.”])

———

thank you for the ask!! :) I don’t know a lot about vampire lore but I tried, and this was fun to brainstorm! <3 

Send me an AU and I will give you 5 OC Headcanons

[elysianruins]

Notes on Ana’s main verse (some are tweaked from the original notes): 

Pre-massacre, she’s very fun-loving and charming, but can still act like a lady and be proper when needed, such as when speaking to Bryce in front of Howe and Duncan. She’s a bit oblivious at times and can fail to be aware of how she presents herself out to people (ie. flirting). A good way to see her is your traditional noble who has a fun-loving side. She loves getting all glammed up and wearing gorgeous dresses. Being the youngest can make her a bit irresponsible, which also bleeds into her fun-loving personality. She’s the least likely to inherit anything given that she’s the youngest (moreso with another Cousland between her and Fergus), so she enjoys her position, knowing full well it’s probably the best she’ll ever get. 

Post-massacre... she’s cautious. She doesn’t dive right into situations anymore, and she has such little value for herself. Having fun feels like a privilege she’s not allowed, and she is less likely to trust people. She wants to seek comfort from others, but sometimes a mere touch from someone who isn’t family can send her reeling (even early on after she’s recruited, she will not respond well to her kin’s touch). Even as she heals and recovers, she’s never quite the same. She can still act prim and proper, does what she’s told to do if it’s from someone of a higher position (like an older sibling or or someone in a position of authority), but you can tell it’s not only because she knows how, but also because she’s afraid of what would happen if she didn’t — if she didn’t act the way she was supposed to, or if she didn’t follow an order or complete a certain task. Anastasia loses that sense of nobility she had where she could do whatever she wanted and instead “learns her place” after the massacre of the Couslands. 

As a companion, the Warden needs to give her a lot of reassurance throughout her arc, especially when she begins to open up to them and trust them more and when she brings up her lack of training in combat. 

In the Fade during “A Broken Circle”, if she’s recruited by then, her nightmare will consist of her being with Bryce and Eleanor, talking about her upcoming marriage to Dairren and how she is excited to start a family so that Oren can have someone to play with. The Warden can either be direct with her and tell her that her family is dead (a Cousland can flat out tell her how Dairren and Oren were slaughtered in the siege of the castle), or they can try to guide her into realizing that everything’s fake, giving her hints that help her remember such events. Another option is just outright fighting her parents and Dairren. 

The latter helps her grow because she’s able to think back to the incident without it harming her; in fact, thinking back to the massacre, as painful as it was, actually helps her because it aids in escaping the nightmare fabricated by the Sloth demon. If the Warden took the direct approach or outright attacked the demons, she doesn’t help in the fight, only helping (and increasing the number of demons to even the odds) when persuaded that everything is fake.

During “A Test of Faith” as part of the search for the Andraste’s sacred ashes, the Guardian will have different dialogue in regards to the question asked to her depending on whether or not the Warden is a Cousland:

If the Warden isn’t a Cousland: “Ah, young Cousland. Your name only rings hollow after what has happened to you. You watched as your familywas slaughtered, your home destroyed and set ablaze. You could have ended up like your mother and father, but yet you live, though living came with a hefty price. Your body was used and your soul was killed... would you have preferred dying alongside your family back in Highever?”

“I... I don’t know. His men, they... they made me wish that I had died... but being alive means I can still avenge my family and pierce Rendon Howe’s withered heart with the very knife he used to backstab the Couslands with.”

If the Warden is a Cousland: “Ah, young Anastasia. Left behind as your sibling escaped with Duncan, forced to watch as your family was slaughtered, your home destroyed and set ablaze. As your sibling tasted freedom, you were subjected to abuse that made you question whether you were truly lucky to live. You ask yourself if the bile in your heart is meant for your sibling, do you not?”

“...My [brother/sister] is lucky to have escaped with Duncan. There... there is bile in my heart, yes, but I refuse to let it be meant for [him/her]. I can’t hate my own kin... [he/she] is all I have left. But there’s still poison in my heart and it makes me sick to my core. If... if I get my hands on Howe, I will spit the bile that resides in my heart onto his lifeless body.”

Anastasia has every reason to be mad at her sibling; she has every right to feel that she was abandoned by someone she trusted, but she refuses to exercise that right.

Provided that Anastasia is a companion before the Landsmeet, she will voice to the Warden that she wants to help rescue Anora. The Warden can either:

Agree to let her come along and get her support in the Landsmeet (which she mentions she’ll provide to influence their decision) 

Refuse to take her, lose her as a party member and her support in the Landsmeet (she will not be present)

Persuade her that it’s better she doesn’t go along because her desire for revenge against Howe could blow the whole mission (-20 Disapproval)

Intimidate her by saying that you’ll leave her in Howe’s dungeons if she keeps insisting on coming along (-100 Disapproval, even if you are at max and this brings you to 0, her Crisis Point cutscene will be triggered next time you talk to her)

When it comes to the Landsmeet, as the last living Cousland (presumed + also if the Warden is NOT a Cousland as well), she voices her support for the Warden which provides a great deal of support given she could legitimately be considered Teyrna with Bryce dead and Fergus MIA.

[gremlinquisitor]

2019 Year in Review!

Thank you so much to @thejeeperswife for the tag! Gonna say right up front that I’m not tagging anyone, but if you want to do this, you definitely should!!

If you’d asked me without my looking, I’d have said I only did one thing this year. It really felt like it, at least. Like all I did this year was work on Recreate His Worldly Glory.

Apparently that’s not true, though! Apparently I posted a whole 15 fics over the course of 2019, with at least another 5 or 6 WIPs in the wings. 124,660 words total posted to AO3 is not bad at all, if I may say so myself. As for total written this year, I have no idea. I started keeping track in a google sheet at @barbex‘s excellent suggestion, but that fell apart somewhere after the summer at around 104k.

What I Wrote

Recreate His Worldly Glory: 76112 words so far, 13/36 chapters posted. Rated T, Sebastian/Hawke. Starts after the end of DA2 and follows Sebastian and the gang to Starkhaven. Chaste Sebastian. Happy ending.

If I Were a Wise Man, I Would Know My Part: 29357 words, 11/11 chapters posted. Rated E. ALL THE TROPES! Fake relationship, snowed in, hypothermia that leads to cuddling for warmth. Happy ending. 

The Legend of Sleepy Crestwood: 2865 words, Rated T, Alistair/Cullen, for a Halloween fanwork exchange. Based on the legend of Sleepy Hollow, with Alistair as hapless Ichabod.

The World Has No Right to My Heart: 1217 words, Rated G. Cassandra seeks Hawke out while she’s in Skyhold, curious about details of the Tale of the Champion.

Plenty of Time: 1170 words, Rated G, Sebastian/Hawke. Being Prince is hard sometimes; Hawke makes it easier.

Gotta Get a Letter to You: 2016 words,  Rated G, Nikhael Trevelyan/Ser Morris. Set later than Fragile and Fleeting,  Ser Simon comes to find Nikhael when he's tending to the Circle's messenger birds. (This one is sad.)

Fragile and Fleeting: 1039 words, Rated G, Nikhael Trevelyan/Ser Morris. In which Nikhael falls in more ways than one.

Give Us More Time: 1299 words, Rated G, Cassandra/f!Inquisitor.  After the Inquisition's narrow escape at Haven, the Herald remains in a coma. Cassandra goes to her tent to get some things off her chest.

Destiny in Your Hands: 2029 words, Rated G, Bellial Adaar/Blackwall. Bellial doesn’t take the revelation about Thom Ranier very well. 

Are You Jealous?: 1793 words, Rated T, Alistair/Cullen. Alistair finds his way to Cullen's office in Skyhold. Cullen shouldn't care that Alistair's been spending time with Hawke, but he does, maybe more than he cares to admit.

Turned to Stone: 1706 words, Rated G, Sebastian/Fenris. A Beauty and the Beast AU, where Fenris is cursed by a Tevinter magister to turn to stone if he can not love and be loved in return.

Aftermath: 1033 words, Rated G, Sulahnassan Lavellan/Cullen.  Cullen has a bit of a breakdown at the war table. Sulahn comes to find him afterwards.

Who Will Watch the Watchers?: 1296 words, Rated G, Eorryn Cousland/Alistair. In which word reaches the Warden-Commander about the siege at Adamant, and those who were lost. (This one is sad.)

How to Loot a Dragon: 960 words, Rated G, Gen. A recounting of the aftermath of the fight with the dragon in the Bone Pit. 

**The Tale of Corin and Neriah: 3445 words, Rated T, Corin/Neriah. A telling of he end of the Second Blight, written for In Peace, Vigilence zine (link is to pre-order promo post, not yet posted anywhere.)

Not Dragon Age: 

Taken: 768 words, Rated G, EraserMight.  “I don’t understand you. You always say you’re taken, but we both know you have no boyfriend.” Revelations in the recovery ward. 

Year-End Questions

Number of Smut Scenes? One posted, with at least three more in WIPs. I am terribly shy about smut, but I like having it in a story if I think it serves a purpose, and it will in these, if I ever post them.

New Things I Tried This Year? Finishing and posting an enormous multi-chapter monster. Applying to a zine. Getting picked for a zine. 

Favorite Thing I Wrote This Year? The Tale of Corin and Neriah is quite good, I really encourage everyone to get a copy of the zine, not just for that, but also for that. There are also some things in RHWG that I am very proud of and am looking forward to sharing.

Favorite Fic I Read This Year: I have read so much incredible fic this year. I don’t want to choose just one, so I’m gonna do a little rec list now.

A Love Long Lost by @sweetonsebastian. She writes Sebastian so wonderfully confident and secure in himself, and yet reserved when it comes to his past with Cullen, and the potential for them to start again. Cullen is wrecked, and she lets it show. This fic has incredible side characters, a beautiful use of language, so much lovely art, and just the happiest ending. I love it.

Lyrium Skin by @barbex. I devoured this in one sitting while I was getting tattooed this autumn, and my only regret is that I couldn’t type out comments on every chapter because I kept dropped my phone on my face trying to do it one-handed (my tattoo is on my other arm...) Her love for these characters and their stories is so clear, and I love the way she writes Fenris. Really looking forward to seeing where this goes. 

The Far Shore by @aban-asaara. One of the last fics I started this year, but I love everything Asaara writes, and this is no exception. Fenris and Amabel Hawke are going to Rivain, but it’s never that easy. Amabel is a wonderful character, and again, Asaara’s love for her and for Fenris is clear in every sentence. Bright, vivid descriptions, word choice that I honestly envy sometimes because it’s just perfect. We’re only getting started, and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next.

A Chance Engagement by @hollyand-writes. I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice, so every turn this story takes is new for me. I can only imagine the layers it must have for someone who’s read the original. The lovely Miss Merrill and the handsome Sir Carver are such a pleasure to read. I save this one up and read several chapters at once when I can, so that I make it last longer. A glorious Regency treat with a wonderful cast picked from DAO and DA2 (including the Arishok! Dancing!!)

Sun-Touched by @lucyrne. WHY CAN’T WE ROMANCE VARRIC?! This fic is the perfect example of why we should be allowed to, or someone should, and if not my PC, then Bethany Hawke. Fake dating, trips to Orzammar, dancing and kisses and danger and intrigue. Lucy writes Varric so well that it makes my heart hurt when he’s sad, it’s so good and genuine and him, and the contrast with Bethany’s POV is remarkable. This fic also has a wonderful, sympathetic take on Bianca Davri that I hope people enjoy when they read it. It made me think about her a lot, which I appreciate in a story. 

Goals for 2020

Try to write more shorter things and not just coast along posting RHWG and nothing else for the first half of the year. I would really like to spend more time putting Bellial and Blackwall’s story down on paper. It’s racy and volatile and not at all what I’m used to.

I also have a couple big WIPs that I’d like to see finished, including Concertmaster Baggins and my original novel. 

I also hope to do a lot more reading. My “to be read” list is embarrassingly long.

[secretsfromwholecloth]

Dragon Age: Inquisition, day 11.

Hello, Erimond. You’re definitely quite terrible.

That’s...wow, you’re quite forthcoming. I haven’t seen such a classic villain monologue in a while.

Oh, bless you, Blackwall. Seeing another side of the Wardens, are you? The next time you meet a real one, especially from Ferelden, get them to tell you some stories about Warden-Commander Cousland. Though the real scary bits are, ah, above your pay grade as a non-initiate.

The note recounting the creation of a baby mage’s phylactery. Weh, my heart.

And Sera’s quest is done. Still not too bad.

OK, now it’s time for the painful part of Here Lies the Abyss. So. I can’t not bring Varric for Hawke reasons, I can’t not bring Blackwall for Warden reasons, who else wants to come along? Cole might be an obvious choice, but he’s gotten a lot of attention lately and hasn’t given me much banter in return, so it might be Solas’ turn.

Really, Clarel. Really.

That’s how the Fade trip happens this time? Heh, nice.

The whole “what even is gravity” thing going on is hilarious.

I’d quite forgotten just how lovely male Hawke’s voice is. Not like I spent a whole game luxuriating in the sound or anything, right? (Not a very long game, to be fair.)

Noooo, my sons, don’t fight!

Oh no. Oh no. Decision time. Stroud should mean little to me, but I hate dealing the already-reeling Wardens another blow in a time like this, and he did agree to save Bethany, and the part of me that enjoys pain wants to see Varric mourn his friend (and give my tanky son a sad but heroic ending). So, just how much do I like pain?

Answer: ...not quite that much, especially since I know I’ve got more coming soon enough. I’ll sacrifice Hawke another time. I’m sorry, Stroud.

“It’s not right, to want to do good, to be good, and to have that turned against you.” Heh, yes, Blackwall, I’m sure that whole business hit you where you live.

Blackwall has done the thing. It is time for pain. I like pain. :D

Not even a coat or something to cover up with? I damned well hope it’s summer.

Headcanon: The sex that night in the barn is...good, but no better than that. Too frenzied, too forceful, too much. Distracted, but trying not to be. Not least because a certain fake Warden I could name is trying to block out his demons as much as share an intimate moment with his girlfriend, and it only works so well. Later sessions, after they reconcile, improve significantly. Enough so that Linniva bites back a “who are you, and what have you done with Blackwall?” joke just in time. Bad idea, Linniva. Good thing you didn’t say that out loud.

Linniva is doing a whole lot of curling up in a ball and crying. At first, her racing thoughts were of oh Maker it’s my fault I’ve driven away an important ally and soured things with the Wardens and damned the whole Inquisition because I couldn’t keep it in my pants oh Maker I’m an idiot. After the big reveal, it’s time for a second round, to the tune of oh Maker it’s my fault I was taken in by a liar and hung all our hopes on some mercenary because I couldn’t keep it in my pants oh Maker I’m an idiot. Fun times.

Writing a character like Blackwall means you have to make him sympathetic enough to be worth rescuing but not so sympathetic that his crimes seem irrelevant and his guilt silly. I say his writer deserves a round of applause for executing that very delicate balancing act with such deftness.

All through this series, you’ve taken such good care of me, Ms. Chee. Thank you.

Faking your death and literally taking up the mantle of a better person is an awfully clumsy way to go about things, but the impulse is clear as day to me. It’s the same thing that’s going through my head when I say I should’ve been the miscarriage instead of my mom’s previous pregnancy—I should never have been the one to survive, my life is worthless, someone else could do this better.

So yes, Linniva will be taking him back, once they work through a few things. The words “If you ever lie to me again, I’m sending you away” may be uttered somewhere offscreen.

You’re a good bro, Cullen. Linniva was definitely too frantic to make it all the way to “Our man is in prison? We’re the fucking Inquisition, we get him out of there.”

In the absence of further information, I’m going to imagine that everknit wool is fantasy superwash.

Sorry for neglecting you all this time, Iron Bull, but hey, what better moment to make up for lost time than when getting blind drunk and talking about something relatively simple, like dragons and how much you like them, is exactly what Linniva needs?

Weeeeeeeelp. Shouldn’t have missed my chance to start softening Leliana way back at the beginning, I guess.

[overboss]

i'm thinking of giving my warden cousland a brother for dark ritual purposes also fmsmdfms can you talk about tristan? when do he and briony reunite after ostagar? how does his romance with morrigan develop? do you view him as a minor or major character compared to briony?

Oooo honestly i say go for it! whats the harm in another warden oc! 👀

Tristan is the middle child between Briony and Fergus and is closer in age to Briony than that of their elder brother.

He is very charismatic and has just a wee smidge of middle child syndrome. Tristan puts himself out there and wants to impress his parents, maybe cause a lil bit of a stirr or a wee bit of trouble in the castle for attention but he doesn’t know what to do with the attention when he gets it. He has about shoulder length blonde hair and green eyes with a splattering of freckles acorsd his noes from being out in the sun! his fc is tom heukels

He’s a sword and shield warrior (specialised as a champion) and half-oversaw the training of the guards at castle cousland. He would secretly train briony in her roguish ways in dead of night behind their mother’s back.

Briony and Tristan reunite when Lothering is overun. i’ve toyed with the idea that my hawke and carver found Tristan on the battlefield at ostagar and took him under their wing when they saw the fall of the other grey wardens. Tristan stays with them for around a month and is healed by my hawke and bethany and when Lothering is overun he stays back in an attempt to give the Hawkes more time to flee.

Briony and the Origins fam come across Lothering whilst it is under attack and they find Tristan of course in trouble as usual and the two are reunited when they decide “um maybe we shouldnt singlehandedly fight the blight” and leave.

I havent ~really ~ thought about the romance w morrigan too much! as technically i havent played it yet technically 😳. But Tristan is kind of glib (i guess i dont think this is the right word but uh my brain wont come up with anything else) like he puts on a false front of being super charismatic and flirty but literally has no idea what to say or do when someone reciprocates the behaviour. He really likes morrigan but doesnt really know how to to about it because she’s a cool, beautiful and powerful witch lady who can turn into a massive spider and can burn things with a touch of her hand and after Highever he feels a bit like a lost and scared little boy facing the world behind both his fake front shield and the metal one from the ruins of his home.

I think it would be rather a slow burn one like “oh shit youre really cool and pretty and youre my best friend and you smell really nice and oh shit i think im in love with you” type of deal

Briony is my “main/canon” warden so kinda like a slightly more minor character i guess??? he’s listed as a side character in my oc page because i try to make it easier to navigate and see who my ‘canon’ ocs are per game. But his role in the blight is equal to Briony’s at the very least.

[haledamage]

Character Interview: Cait

And finally, Cait! I also went back and added the other questions to Kai’s and added pictures to Kai and Kira’s :D

Still tagging anyone who wants to be tagged :) tell me about all of your OCs! Even if you have hundreds of them, I want to know!

name ➔ Cathain Cousland. Cait to my friends.

are you single ➔ nope

are you happy ➔ sometimes. More often now. It’s a work in progress.

are you angry ➔ most of the time. Anger is easier than happiness

are your parents still married ➔  (she laughs humorlessly) wow. Way to twist the blighted knife. My parents are dead. Murdered in front of me and all that. You do know who you’re interviewing, right? I thought everybody’d heard about that.

NINE FACTS

birth place ➔ Born in Highever. Lived most of my life there, until, y’know, the Blight.

hair colour ➔ it was brown, once. These days, mostly gray.

eye colour ➔ also gray, but at least they’ve always been that way

birthday ➔ 23 Firstfall. Just after Satinalia, unfortunately.

mood ➔ restless. Always restless. There’s so much I could be doing.

color scheme ➔ gray, blue, silver. They were my colors even before I was a Warden, okay? They copied me.

gender ➔ Female.

summer or winter ➔ summer. Always. The hotter the better.

morning or afternoon ➔ morning. I’m usually up before dawn. I love to watch the sun rise.

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

are you in love ➔ yes. Despite my better judgement, perhaps, but yes.

do you believe in love at first sight ➔ no. love at first sight is only a fairy tale.

who ended your last relationship ➔ I did, probably. I don’t actually remember? What was her name… 

have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔ yes. Undoubtedly. Sometimes, there’s no other way.

are you afraid of commitments ➔ no. I’m not afraid of anything.

have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ I… don’t think so, actually. Should I remedy that? Hmm… 

have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ a few. They send me flowers sometimes. It’s mostly kind of annoying.

have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ with frightening regularity. No one knows how to hurt you as much as you do.

SIX CHOICES

love or lust ➔ lust. It’s less complicated.

lemonade or iced tea ➔ lemonade

cats or dogs ➔ I’d be a bad Ferelden if I didn’t say dogs, wouldn’t I? Especially since I have a mabari myself. He’s the best dog in the whole world.

a few best friends or many regular friends ➔ a few best friends. They’re like a family that you choose.

wild night out or romantic night in ➔ wild night out. First round’s on me, and I hope you don’t mind a bar brawl or two

day or night ➔ day. There’s too many things hiding in the dark.

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

been caught sneaking out ➔ yes. Mother had eyes like a hawk. I swear she could see through walls.

fallen down/up the stairs ➔ does it count if you were pushed? In which case, yes. Both. 

wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ Every blighted day.

wanted to disappear ➔ that’s the dream, isn’t it? To just… pack your bags and disappear into the wilderness. See the world.

been involved in a fight you thought you couldn’t win ➔ it seems like every week I’m in some new unwinnable battle. I can almost write my schedule around them. I’m still here, though, aren’t I? Maybe they should try harder.

FOUR PREFERENCES

smile or eyes ➔ eyes. Seen too many fake smiles in my day. Seen a few fake eyes, too, but that’s a different story.

shorter or taller ➔ doesn’t matter to me either way, really.

intelligence or attraction ➔ attraction. I’d rather be interesting than be smart.

hook-up or relationship ➔ hook-up. Less drama.

FAMILY

do you and your family get along ➔ My brother, Fergus, and I used to be very close. We… we don’t talk much, since our parents died. It’s just not the same.

would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ (she just laughs for a really, really long time)

have you ever ran away from home ➔ yes. Once when I was a teenager, I made it all the way to Denerim before Father sent people to drag me back. It’s not like I wasn’t going to come back, I just get… like I said before, restless.

have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ I got exiled from Orlais for a little while. Apparently those masked bastards don’t like when you call them masked bastards. Being a Grey Warden doesn’t make you immune to exile, I guess, but they have short memories there and it’s fine now.

FRIENDS

do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ ….yes. Regardless of the knives on my belt, I am first and foremost a politician these days. Sometimes you have to associate with people you don’t like, for the good of Ferelden.

do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ no. Sometimes people just… aren’t meant to fit. Someone who’s a good friend to me may be a very bad friend to you. It’s just how it is.

who is your best friend ➔ Anders, I think. I guess it would be more correct to say Anders and Justice, considering their current… situation. Also Leliana. They’re far from here, right now, but that doesn’t change anything about how much I care for them. We’ll see each other again.

who knows everything about you ➔ No one. Maker, saying that feels terrible, but it’s true. There are several people with a few pieces of the puzzle, but no one has the whole picture. I should really think about opening up to someone, I think.

[heartslogos]

newfragile yellows [544]

“What do you mean you’ve lost the lottery ticket?”  Sera says, rounding on Malika, “Andraste’s blasted garters, Malika. We spent three hours making sure that ticket looked legit. Three fucking hours on one lottery ticket to make sure it could get past the fraud detection and you lost it? We don’t have another friggin’ three hours to make a new one.”

“Well. It’s got to be in this car somewhere, right?” Malika says, panicking as she starts pulling things out of her bag. “Just drive or we won’t make it in time.”

“What,” Lavellan’s voice is very calm through the car speakers, but also obviously very forced, “Do you mean you don’t have the forged lottery ticket?”

“We’re working on it, Boss,” Malika says, “Don’t worry. Sera and I always pull through for you.”

Sera can hear the sound of Lavellan moving very fast and the sound of people of getting out of her way very, very fast.

“I need Leliana and Herah,” Lavellan says, “Where’s Leliana and Herah? Of all the blasted times for them to not be where they always are…”

“You don’t need Leliana and Herah, we’ve got this.”

“We’ve got nothing,” Sera says. “I don’t know why you keep acting otherwise. Malika you had one job.”

“I did not have one job, I had fifteen jobs. Hold the ticket, be your navigation, keep up three separate chats with the people pretending to be three different people, do an inventory to make sure our gear is ready…that’s already ten different things.”

“Are you counting the chats and the pretend bits as separate things?”

“Yes!”

Sera feels like it probably shouldn’t count as separate things but she’s attempting to weave through traffic on a goddamn holiday so she doesn’t have the focus to argue.

“Bull,” Lavellan says, “Malika and Sera aren’t going to make it.”

“We will! We totally will!”

“They lost the ticket.”

“It’s got to be in this car somewhere! It’s a closed system.”

Sera can hear Bull’s voice but she can’t quite make out the words, but she can sense the same measure of frustration that she, herself, is feeling. And honestly…yeah. Nothing to say about that.

“We should’ve made two fucking tickets,” Sera says.

“It’s still here! I swear it is! It was in the car with all of our gear.”

“Hold on,” Lavellan says, and then they hear her cover the speaker and the sound of several people talking and then crackling. Lavellan’s running. “You took the wrong car!”

“What the fuck do you mean we took the wrong car?” Sera asks.

“Bull, check the garage,” Lavellan says, “Skinner, where the fuck is Herah? Get her to the garage and get her on her way to intercept Sera and Malika. Someone tell Leliana to make a fake accident or something. Fucking stall for time.”

“What do you mean we took the wrong car?”

“You took the wrong damn car is — we have three cars that look exactly like the one you’re in,” Lavellan explains, “And all of them are loaded up with our normal gear. One of them just got brought in by Maxwell and it needed refurbishing because there was blood in the back seats and someone spilled cocaine back there. Malika must have put the bag with the lottery ticket into one of the other models, and then one of our clean up crew probably moved it to another garage for clean up thinking it was Maxwell’s car instead of the one you were using.”

“Why the fuck were we parking the same car colors and models in the same flippin’ garage to start with then?” Sera snaps.

“Apparently we need to figure out a system for that. I’m hanging up, I’ll have someone send you a new route to stop at to pick up the forgery from Herah. Malika, keep stalling. I need this ticket to get into government hands or we’re fucked.

-

“Having the Boss learn how to play cards from an Antivan and a Qunari really, really set her up good,” Maxwell muses. “You should have seen her at the table with the Hawkes and the Couslands. She cleaned house. I think Garrett would be impressed if he didn’t lose so many favors to her.”

“I love that woman so much,” Bull says. “Hey. Guys? I love her. Did you see the look on Aedan Cousland’s face when she bluffed the fuck out of him? If there were gods I cared about I’d thank them for putting her on this planet for me to watch destroy everyone in her path.”

“Is there anyone overly upset with us?” Josephine asks, “I told her not to win too much.”

“She did take some losses,” Maxwell says. “But overall she showed up and turned up. It was like watching a painter. Or a musician. It was art, Josephine, really. You did the world a service in teaching her gambling.”

“Don’t worry,” Bull says, “I flagged the possible problems. Aedan Cousland’s a dick, but he’s kind of honorable. He wouldn’t stoop to doing anything over a game of cards. And if he did Solona Amell’s got it out for him anyway so we could tap the Hawke’s and Amell’s for help dealing with his attitude.”

“So what’s going on here?” Maxwell asks. “Did we miss anything good?”

“Define good.”

“Anything that might end up being the end of me if I don’t hear about it immediately.”

“Ah, well then. Zevran is here,” Josephine sounds a little strained. “And…well. You know how he and Ellana get along.”

Bull and Maxwell grimace.

“How can two people so similar get along so badly?” Maxwell muses. “Bull, you get Ellana, I’ll get Zevran?”

“Nah, you can’t handle Zevran, either,” Bull lints out. “He bats an eye at you and you’re all fluttery like paper in the wind. I’ll handle Zevran, you get the Boss and distract the fuck out of her.”

“By handle Zevran….do you mean…handle Zevran? Or handle Zevran? Or handle Zevran?”

“Maybe, yes, and if it comes to it,” Bull replies. “Don’t question my methods, Trevelyan.”

[giottoren]

Time to tell y'all about my angry bean of a Warden

Galivar is /very/ proud. Throughout the Cousland Origin you get told that many expect the Warden Cousland to take the terynship once Bryce passes, and of course, he takes this rumor to heart. Don't get me wrong, he loves Fergus but just can't imagine him stepping up to the challenge.

Galivar is also extremely stubborn. I headcanon that Duncan had to knock him out in order for them to escape Highever since Gal wanted to face Howe that very moment for everything he had done. And he probably still has nightmares over how he left his parents to die like a coward instead staying his ground.

But the thing that made his playthrough most fun was how cold and harsh he could be at times. When Flemeth told Morrigan to join him and Alistair he straight up told her that she better make herself useful. Every time Alistair tried to crack a joke he had half a mind to punch a straight answer out of him. He and Leliana never got along because of how preachy he thought she was. Wynne always had a lecture ready for him and the only thing that he considered her useful for was how there was a blighted spirit in her to aid them in battle. The only people he seemed to get along with was Sten because Gal agreed with the Qun's practicality over things and with Zevran because of their shared enjoyment over violance and killing while he's mostly indifferent torwards Oghren. I'm pretty sure that Leliana and Alistair would have a talk regarding his leadership if it were possible. And that's the thing, because for the most part Galivar seem to endure their petty comments and demands because they aimed to help him stop the Blight.

I can already picture Alistair feeling uncomfortable over how eager Galivar always seemed at the field of battle, each drop of blood making him hungrier for more, whether it was his or his enemy's. Little examples of how much Alistair disapproves of such ways made me imagine it, just like how he reacts when you straight gut that prisoner in Ostagar for the key instead of feeding him.

He didn't make Alistair King, but not because Alistair himself told him how he doesn't want the crown but because Gal thought he'd made a poor ruler.

At the Landsmeet he spared Loghain, exiled Alistair, made Anora Queen and convinced her to become her Consort (convince is an overstatement because he's not the best with politics but he knows there's nothing more for him after the Archdemon dies, but thankfully enough Anora got notion of how much stronger her claim would be with this betrothal).

I like to think that he has matured in the Epilogue and honestly wants to try and rebuilt Ferelden because, yes, this land took everything for him at the start of the game but it's still the land that his parents fought to liberate. And fighting your way to your potential Death does that to a man. He had indulged in Morrigan's ritual, but who's to say it would actually work?

He didn't romance anyone throughout Origins. And even with their rocky start, he and Anora got past their differences, learned to appreciate each other and eventually fell in love (Loghain still threatens to check on them from Orlais if he hears something is amiss).

Galivar may get frustrated with the schemes of court, curse at how fake the nobility seems in their intentions, but still there's no other place in Thedas he'd rather be than his Queen's side.

[rllysleepyy]

my inquisitors (top) and wardens (bottom) as kiddos! karelek adaar: a fereldan vashoth apostate who loves her parents and lil siblings sm velya lavellan: a dalish mage who is just So Into dalish life she love it (esp festivals and celebrations for the elven gods) roana lavellan: a dalish rogue who is constantly in trouble, rambunctious, and doesn’t like tradition

maja brosca: a casteless dwarf rogue - hungry, smol, angry, and doing what it takes to survive eliza cousland: a little lady (or faking it so she’s allowed to go play outside); future warrior nova surana: circle mage at the lake calenhad circle since she was three, obsessed with the stars and wanting to go outside

[red-wardens]

You know how much I love making you suffer, so I have a big question. If your characters were in the hunger games, what districts would they be from? ❤️❤️❤️

Lol, yes please make me suffer as I think about my poor kids being killed. And lol i read The Hunger Games back in 2010 so I had to go look up the Districts xD

I don’t know who else has read these tragic books (or seen the not so good movie adaptations) but if ya’ll want to do this for your own OC’s (what district are they from? how well or poorly do they do in the games? did they volunteer? do they win?)

 I”m tagging: @dickeybbqpit @blighted-elves @chillyrose @space-vashoth @keeperscompanionsdai @seboostianillustrations  and @hoehoehoelt(revengeee)

Red Warden Squad in The Hunger Games AU:

Trigger Warnings under cut: mentions of death and suicide 

Cassian Cousland:

Grew up in the Capitol, into wealth and comfort. He’s shunned by his peers for hating the Hunger Games and embarrasses his family with his loud and public protests of it. Has been arrested several times for protesting outside the stadiums. Later, is a big ally to the District Rebellions. Tragically, this gets his parents killed when they’re accused as traitors while he’s away. 

Ronan Aeducan: 

Would be from District 1, Luxury Items. His father won the Hunger Games many years ago, and Ronan and his Brothers are all Careers, trained from a young age to fight in case their names Reaped. His older brother Trian was killed in the 44th Hunger Games. Ronan volunteers as tribute in the 45th Hunger Games when he’s 18 to replace his little brother Bhelen who was Reaped. His intelligence and strategics helps him win more than his fighting skill. Winner. 

Nora Brosca: 

From the slums of the mostly wealthy District 2, Masonry. Nora’s been crushing stones since she was old enough to hold a hammer. She didn’t come from the families who could afford to train Careers, but when her name was called in the 46th Hunger Games when she’s 14, she was ready to do whatever it took to survive. She charmingly allies with the Careers and slits their throats in their sleep when the number of other kids starts to get low. No one ever suspected the happy, joking girl would be so ruthless. She makes it to the final 4 but is killed by muttations in the forest. Dies. 

Kyung-jae “Kieran” Tabris:

Warning: suicide mention!!!!

From District 8, Textiles, his mother is killed when she is caught sneaking messages in clothes for the secretly growing District rebellion. Losing his only family, Kyung-jae volunteers in the 47th Hunger Games at age 17 looking to die. He’s quickly swept up in the Capitol life though as the people fall in love with his surly, “hilarious” interview answers and good looks. He allows them to nickname him “Kieran” and he is promised gifts from many sponsors to his annoyed confusion. His Mentor Cyrion urges him to try and win since he already has an advantage. He makes it to last 2 but is unable to kill the unarmed 13 year old red-haired girl from District 5 he’d allied with, Shianni. Tells her to turn around and then he leaves. Kieran then fills his pockets with heavy stones and throws himself into the arena’s fake ocean. Dies. 

Alyss Amell:

Warning: blood and suicide mention!!!!

From Coastal District 4, Fishing, Alyss mastered swim before she fully got the hang of running. Still shy and timid, during the 48th Hunger Games (she was 15) she was able to catch food in the lakes and hide in a hidden dam she made by the river. When other tributes would pass she’d use a tall bamboo-like reeds to breathe through and submerge herself deep under water, staying their for hours sometimes. She makes it to the last 3 and, when the other two kill each other, she crawls out of the water and sees their bloody bodies. Taking her fishing knife, she looks right into the cameras, cuts her wrists, and writes on a large flat boulder by the river “There are no winners” in blood before she dies. This causes an uproar in District 4 who then join the secretly growing Rebellion. 

Isseya Mahariel:

An orphan from the District 6, Lumber. Knows forest survival like the back of her hand and when she and her childhood best friend Tamlen are both Reaped for the 49th Hunger Games at age 16, they both do fairly well. Tamlen’s parents had trained them both in archery since they were kids and Isseya was a natural. Unfortunately, they were separated in the forest while running from mutations. Tamlen stopped to fight them off to give her time to escape. She’s up a tree gasping to catch her breath when she hears the canon go boom. After, she’s a cold, calculating killer. Winner (?) who becomes an alcoholic after.

Blue Surana:

Warning: suicide mention!!!!

Was unfortunate enough to be in the 50th Hunger Games at age 12, a Quarter Quell where there was double the amount of participants: 4 kids from each district. No one expected the stoic child from the nobody District 9, Grain and Salt, would be able to survive with 47 other contenders. But her Mentor Duncan taught her and the other 3 from her district how to be clever and do whatever it takes to survive. She killed a handful few people at night who never saw the silent “ghost girl” coming. Eventually it came down to just her and another boy from her district, her ally Alistair Theirin. Realizing they were the last two left, Blue drinks poison (from the Cornucopia) despite his protests to allow him to win. Dies. (Alistair goes on to join the Rebellion)

Claira Hawke:

At age 18, Claira Hawke from District 3, Electronics takes the place in the 51st Hunger Games to save her sister Bethany whose name was Reaped. Her and her Mentor Anders are both heavily involved in the Rebellion plot. He instructs her how to construct the bomb from the land mines aroundthe Cornucopia and, after gathering her allies in a safe zone, detonates it, sparking the rebellion with a huge explosion. She and Anders go on with surviving tributes and certain Mentors (including Isseya Mahariel and Ronan Aeducan) to join the Rebellion led by someone called The Inquisitor.