#oc: ansley hawke

[fereldanwench]

started thinking about what worldstate i wanna create for my first run in veilguard because of course i have.

we can't import past saves and we won't be using the keep anymore, so I'm not sure how detailed we'll be able to get with it but I've got a few possibilities to play with:

the first and most likely is my mostly canon-compliant worldstate with these bbs:

lorelei cousland [rogue; double-wield] warden / queen of ferelden / li: king!alistair

daphne caron [rogue; double-wield] warden commander / ruler of vigil's keep / li: warden!bethany

ansley hawke [warrior; board & sword] champion of kirkwall / pirate / li: isabela

melisande trevelyan [rogue; archer] herald of andraste / inquisitor / li: cullen

rosalind hendry [mage; knight-enchanter] former chantry scholar / inquisition agent for leliana / li: blackwall

the second is my slightly less canon-compliant worldstate that i never brought into inquisition because i didn't want to have to choose between alistair and my favorite hawke in the fade lmao:

karina amell [mage; i do not remember her spec] warden-commander / li: warden!alistair

rhiannon hawke [force & elemental mage] champion of kirkwall / temp viscount of kirkwall / li: cullen or fenris*

*last summer i did replay da2 with an iteration of rhiannon that actually romanced fenris and i loved it and I've complicated shit for her, lmao. rhiannon x cullen were my goro x valerie of 2013-2014 and making her officially with someone else feels wrong bc i loved them together so much. but i just can't enjoy cullen anymore. so do i do i give rhiannon a boyfriend upgrade? do i make a whole 'nother hawke inspired by her? do i just let rhiannon x cullen and rhiannon x fenris exist in different AUs? i don't know!

and the third is kind of the opposite of the second one: a worldstate i made just for inquisition in the keep with some choices i had never made in the previous games. i don't even have the worldstate in the keep anymore so i don't remember everything but i think it was like this:

default f!mahariel [rogue; archer] no li / recruited loghain / made alistair marry anora

default m!hawke [mage] li: anders / sided with mages

keagan trevelyan [mage; knight-enchanter] herald of andraste / inquisitor / li: cullen (although i headcanoned a polycule with her, cullen, and josie)

one of my conundrums with all of these is, as i mentioned, i can't enjoy cullen anymore. he was obviously a big fave, i think his arc is fascinating especially in da2 and especially if you side with the templars and he has to contend with the shit he's done for meredith, and i enjoyed all the different shipping dynamics with all different kinds of ocs. but i can't separate him from his dipshit VA at this point. hearing his voice is just an instant NOPE for me now

i am 99% positive cullen will not be in veilguard for 2 reasons: 1) the writers said during inquisition that they were no longer trying to work in characters whose fates could be too varied depending on player choice and 2) that twitter shitstorm a few years seemed to guarantee ellis will never work with bioware again lmao

now i suppose there's a possibility that ellis could have recorded lines before that happened and somehow they would be able to be used despite all the changes that happened, but I'm trying to be an optimist here

nevertheless, all of the inquisitors i played were with him, and it sounds like we'll be able to engage with our inquisitors in some capacity in veilguard so do i even want to have a passing mention of cullen? idk. i mean, my disdain for his VA isn't so bad that this would ruin the game for me or anything, but i also feel like this is an opportunity to enjoy another character

between keagan and melisande, melisande was definitely my more developed OC, but i just loved playing as a knight-enchanter gameplay-wise so keagan is actually the only one of the two who did trespasser and jaws of hakkon. i never did the descent--the only DLC in all the games that i haven't played. I've been debating firing up my inquisitor!valerie game again to play that with her but i know the descent recommends a pretty high level and i can't remember how far i got in the story with her (I think i just reached skyhold that last time i played)

so anyway, i've got some decisions to make!

as for what i'm leaning towards playing in veilguard: at this point in time, i'm pretty sure my first rook will be a mage of some kind and lucanis sounds like he was made specifically for me lmao so odds are looking good that'll be my first ship

[fereldanwench]

Fic Author Self-Recommendations

Tagged by @starsandskies--Thank you!!! 💙💙💙

When you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you’ve written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love.

It's very tempting for me to only include my Cyberpunk fics, but I'm gonna try to spread out the love a little bit here.

Don't Get Dead [Dragon Age: Origins; T]

Summary: Somewhat experienced Ansley Hawke offers a little advice and food to Lorelei Cousland during a brief encounter before the battle of Ostagar. Comments: This is just a little character-driven one-shot between my canon-compliant Hawke and Cousland--I know OC & OC stuff usually slides under folks' radars for obvious reasons, but I loved writing this, and I always kind of pleasantly surprise myself when I re-read it.

Under Stars [Mass Effect: Andromeda; T]

Summary: Sara Ryder and Harry Carlyle navigate a tipsy encounter before leaving the Milky Way. Comments: Even though I have not updated this in... What? 4, 5 years? I actually do have a lot of subsequent chapters drafted. Before Cyberpunk took over my brain last summer, I actually thought this was gonna be my next big fic project. I love kind and patient Harry contrasted against bitter and impulsive Sara.

Heartlines [The Outer Worlds; T]

Summary: The Captain gives Vicar Max a (bad) palm reading. Comments: I also drafted a lot of Outer Worlds fic, but it was at the end of 2019/beginning of 2020, and well... We all know how 2020 went. But Max has got to be one of my favorite characters to write, especially if I can make him squirm a little.

Revelations [Cyberpunk 2077; T]

Summary: Takemura and V share a casual dinner, talk about the past, and plan for the future. Comments: This was my first Cyberpunk fic, and the first thing I'd written in about a year and a half, so it's a little rough. But it was driven purely by a passion I hadn't felt in a long time, and I think it will always be special to me because of that. Plus it's fun going back to the first fic with Goro and Valerie and seeing how ideas that had just started to sprout have developed over several months.

Homecoming [Cyberpunk 2077; E]

Summary: Takemura and V are physically reunited after her time in Mikoshi. Comments: This was just purely indulgent fluffy smut. I was never really able to write smut before Goro and Valerie--I tried a few times, but I'd usually fizzle out before the, uh, main course would be served. I see them both as being very sensual, enthusiastic partners, and I just can't get enough of how they love each other.

Tagging @bnbc, @sarasa-cat, @ren3gade, @chilljustacat, and @dustymagpie (no pressure, of course. 💙)

[fereldanwench]

I had to snag one of @needlesslycryptic‘s $15 commissions last week and give a little love to Ansley. ♥ 

[fereldanwench]

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[fereldanwench]

i own half the mine now. i’ll keep it safe.

[fereldanwench]

[fereldanwench]

I love how ominous the foundry looks at night. 

Also, Aveline said something I hadn’t heard her say before (or just missed): “Every piece of equipment in the Free Marches begins here.” Interesting little world-building tidbit. 

[fereldanwench]

She looks so pretty. 😍😍

[fereldanwench]

Finally found a suitable armor for Ansley. 

[fereldanwench]

And I have a room at the Hanged Man, if you’re looking for... company later.

[fereldanwench]

😍😍😍😍😍😍

[fereldanwench]