#Soldier's Heart by DAfan7711

[thereluctantinquisitor]

WIP Whenever!

Thank you for the tag @frenchy-and-the-sea, and for sharing your own wonderful WIP (which curious folks can find HERE - seriously, GO FORTH AND ENJOY).

I’m currently trundling away at a new project, so I figured I’d just go ahead and post the (current) chapter 1!

I will tag: @leothelionsaysgrrrr, @dafan7711, @captainsaku, @rufinagertrude, @bladeverbena, @thefluffynug and anyone else who has something they want to share (just tag me so I can see it!)

Chapter 1 (1800 words)

For many centuries, the blessed temple of Callifae, the Broken Bride, stood proudly atop its noble grassy plateau. The goddess, whose likeness emerged, brilliant, from the forward face of the temple, cast her watchful gaze over the quiet city of Vezarine with eyes of smooth, pale stone. When the sun set on a clear day, there was said to be a moment when those all-seeing eyes shone with a honey light; a perfect imitation of the goddess’ golden stare.

On this day, the second of Torrens, night had already arrived. The sun - gentler, now, against the summer-scorched earth - had vanished long ago. But still, the Bride’s eyes glowed.

Vezarine was burning.

In the warren of streets below, a cloaked figure peeled out of an alleyway. His chest rose and fell in a rough, staccato rhythm - the breaths of someone who had been running, climbing, hiding, fighting, for far too long. 

The wide, two-storey building behind Xaraan was already blazing. Its wood groaned and cracked in the heat, slowly buckling beneath the weight of itself like a body held up by broken legs. Backing further into the street’s exposed centre, his footsteps crunched against a thick coating of ash and blood. When the upper storey gave way with a shudder that shook the ground beneath him, he simply watched, silent. Cold. It had been a workshop, once. A tannery, if the smell was any indication. A smell like cooked fat and burning hair.

Sivaan, the third of the sister-moons, hung low in the sky. She joined the fire to bathe the city red. The raid was almost done. 

He had to move quickly.

---

Elsewhere in the ashen streets, a lone figure stood among the licking flames, the crimson mantle of her station whipping out behind her, tossed by the wind and smoke. Beneath her heels, the cobbles were stained black. Narrow rivulets trickled along the grooves in the stonework, drawn towards its gutters by the street’s gentle curve. Calayne, the Scythe of Erentis, watched the pattern as it slowly spread from the soles of her feet. 

She was where she belonged. The poison at the centre of the web.

A sharp signal - her raised fist - led to a pattern of blasted horns, their low, reverberating sound rolling through the broken city like thunder. Irethani soldiers began to flood back onto the main streets, peeling out of buildings and alleyways, some wiping blades on their dark cloaks, others pleased by the gore trailing in their wake. A patrol group joked lightly beneath the red moon’s gaze; playful remarks about how considerate she was, to mask the worst of the stains. We have become too used to this, Calayne thought as her soldiers swept past, saluting, smiling at their conquest. It was not the first time such treacherous words had crossed her mind. They were as dangerous as any blade. She would do well to keep them sheathed. 

“Scythe?”

Calayne released a slow, calm breath. Soon. Soon she would be rid of it all. The blood. The guilt. 

That wretched name. 

For now, she turned towards the familiar voice. Her dark hair, long and grey as night, swept past her face. “Report, Xaraan.”

Xaraan, the last of her officers, hesitated at her tone before snapping quickly to attention, right fist upturned against his stomach. “The city has fallen, Scy---ah, Overseer. Those who did not raise weapons against us have been gathered in the square by the catchers. Vezarine’s leader and high priest have barricaded themselves in the temple, along with their servants and a large number of cityfolk.” He hesitated, his luminous eyes flicking towards the statue of the goddess. “Should we send the burners?”

His question was first met with silence. How many this time? She had been informed before embarking that Vezarine was home to thousands. Then, after a sharp demand, Xaraan confirmed the estimated body count. It placed the dead, alone, at about the same number. The pleasure in his voice would have encouraged her, once. She would have basked in it. 

Instead, she frowned into the smouldering dark. The numbers the Rhaiz had given her had been wrong.

She clenched her jaw until her teeth ached. Never again.

“Forget the temple. Give the signal to retreat.” She was careful to keep her voice flat. Expressionless. Fire, its smoke thick and dark, licked from rooftops in the distance. “We are done here.”

Xaraan, perhaps misreading her soberness, suddenly remembered proper protocol. Hurriedly, he placed himself directly in front of her, his feet in line with hers. As one might expect after a raid, the man was dishevelled, his light hair tangled at his shoulders, blood streaked across the front of his leathers. The dark markings that streaked down past his eyes in a mimicry of spilled ink only made the wideness of his gaze - its faint luminosity - more pronounced. He is still young, she thought absently. Then, that very same realisation struck her like a blow to the chest. 

Had she not noticed that before?

“Overseer… the prisoners?” There was an edge to his voice, now. Uncertain. Fearful. That was the trouble of a man in his position. Even if he felt he knew the answer to his question, he was forced to risk her ire by asking it anyway. 

This time, however, he could breathe freely. “Take the ones already gathered in the square. Leave the rest to sweep the ashes.” It was, truly, the least she could do. For Vezarine, yes, but also for her own soldiers. Unfortunately, she doubted it would be enough of an offering to spare them from the Rhaiz’s anger, once the dust had settled. She had been carving away at their leader’s patience for over five seasons. What might have once been a victory in his eyes was now a failure. Another bleeding gash to be stemmed.

Of course, Calayne was far too valuable to use as salve for his wounded pride.

No. She would dig her fingers in and tear. 

In front of her, Xaraan - a far more likely sacrifice - hesitated, his amber eyes widening, betraying his surprise. Fool that he was, he had always worn his heart on his sleeve. It was a dangerous place, to keep such a vital thing. “But... Rhaiz Sathan’s orders were to take as many---”

Her patience was nearing its end. She cut him off with a glare. 

“The Rhaiz’s orders have changed.” 

A gust of hot wind blew past them both, forcing Xaraan to flinch and blink away the ash and dust. Distracted, his hand raised in front of his face, he made his first mistake. “I -- they have? I didn’t hear any...”

He stopped himself before she even had to speak. Of course, it was already far too late. A year or two ago, he would have been dead where he stood. The Scythe of Erentis had not earned her name for leniency.

“You are not in a position to be informed of anything.” Calayne’s gaze sliced across, ending his next sentence before it began. It carried with it a terrible, icy anger. The one that had borne her through decades of conquest. The one that had lifted her all the way to commander, then higher again to overseer. It gave weight to the words she spoke next, each laden with implication. “Do I need to remind you of your place?”

It was difficult to tell when one of the Irethani felt true fear. The other denizens of Erentis had developed noticeable tells for such things; vast swathes of their skin drained of colour, their voices shattered like glass, their bodies reshaped in ways that were impossible to ignore. But for her people, it was a subtle thing, best told by the lips. Xaraan’s, for example, had just turned a sickly pale shade of grey, his dark blood fleeing towards his stammering heart. “No, Overseer.” His gaze quickly fell to her feet, hands pressed hard to the tops of his thighs. A child’s trick to conceal a tremor. “I will sound the victory. Give your orders to the patrols.”

She made Xaraan spend a few more moments writhing beneath her stare. He had begun to question her more and more of late. Perhaps she had been a fool to allow such insubordination to fester and embolden him to the point of recklessness. It would see him killed under another’s command. Anger tightened her fists at her sides, but this time it was not a weapon to be aimed. No - it seemed her distractions had been as dangerous as her actions. For too long, her mind had been... elsewhere.

It remained a poor excuse for such carelessness.

Eventually, she released him from her glare with a sharp nod. “Go. Deliver my order.”

Xaraan’s relief was palpable. He exhaled it in a shaky rush. “Yes. Of course.” He gave a final salute, then turned to flee. But just when she believed their conversation over, the young man hesitated. Turned halfway back, his pale hair whipping in the fire-lit air. “The Rhaiz will be pleased with your victory today, Overseer.”

Calayne did not even have time to sharply repeat her order before he turned on heel and vanished into the thickening smoke. Sycophant, she thought at his retreating back, but swallowed the word like bitter tonic. It was self-preservation, obvious and infuriating, and nothing more. She should not scorn him for that.

The Rhaiz will be pleased with your victory today. 

Calayne’s gaze lowered, drifting to a body discarded by the roadside. Human, she believed. Male, broad of stature, perhaps in the middle of his lifespan. He was sprawled, half out of his doorway, head resting in a dark pool where his home met the city street. A few feet away was an old scythe, flecked with blood on its curved edge. A common farming tool, raised as a weapon against an army. He had managed a single swing – one futile strike – before it had been kicked from his grasp and his throat opened to the night.

The sting of the cut burned on the underside of Calayne’s arm. Her dagger still dripped a slow, pensive red. She had not planned to kill that night.

“You are more deserving of the name,” she murmured to the corpse. Yes. The Scythe of Vezarine. Had he lived, had his aim been true, perhaps it might have been so. Perhaps it might have been better for them both, if a new legend had been born from these ashes.

Something like an invisible chain tightened around her neck, heavy and cold. She turned away from the corpse to face the smouldering city. 

He should have stayed inside.

#wip whenever #original fiction #stonebreakerseries #(but not really) #i need a TITLE HJKFDHSKJL #reluctant writes #thank you for the tag <3 #and for sharing your words!

[pikapeppa]

Author Interview

Tagged by a number of lovelies: @mrscullensrutherford​ @dafan7711​ @hellas-himself​ @mythicaitt​ @crackinglamb​​ @rpgwarrior4824 - I think that’s it?? I’m so sorry if I missed someone, I was ignoring tags for a couple of days there! 😭 

Tagging forward to @elveny @midnightprelude @faerieavalon @cornfedcryptid @johaeryslavellan @solas-disapproves @serial-chillr @cartadwarfwithaheartofgold @lostinfantasies38 @alyssalenko​ @modernagesomniari​ @novamm66​ and anyone else who wants to play - truly, go for it and grab this if you see it and want to play!

Name: Pikapeppa. You can call me Pika!

Fandoms: I write/have written for Dragon Age, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Mass Effect. 

Where You Post: here on Tumbles, and on AO3 as queenofkadara.

Most Popular One-Shot: Baby, Come Back And Fight With Me, which delves into Fenris and Rynne Hawke’s first time together, including when he leaves her [sob]. This one’s got almost 4k hits.

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: Lovers In A Dangerous Time, i.e. Fenris the Inquisitor, with over 13k hits. I’m so thrilled this is the most popular since it’s also the story that’s closest to my hort. Stormbirds and Stalkers (Aloy/Nil from Horizon Zero Dawn) is close behind at nearly 13k hits.

Favourite Story You Wrote: Lovers In A Dangerous Time, for sure. It’s my longest story and the one I poured the most of my heart into. I also really loved writing my and @schoute​‘s pirate AU, Where The Winds Of Fortune Take Me, partly because it was a great challenge to write a semi-original plot and to fully develop two romances in a single story, AND BECAUSE I LOVE SCHOUTE AND IT WAS SO AWESOME WORKING ON THIS JOINT PROJECT. 😭 ❤️

Story You Were Nervous to Post: my current WIP, The Love That Grows From Violence (Felassan x Tamaris Lavellan). I had so much fucking trouble getting this fic started. I wrote 6000 words of a first chapter before realizing I hated it, scrapping it, and reworking the idea into its current form. I’m still nervous about certain parts of it but I’M SOLDIERING THROUGH.

How You Choose Your Titles: They’re often either song titles/lyrics, such as Baby Come Back And Fight With Me or Lovers In A Dangerous Time, or a play on a piece of canon dialogue/lore such as Fall Into The Tide (Sten x Yara Mahariel) or The Love That Grows From Violence.

Complete: Most of them...? It’s easier to just list the ones that are incomplete actually LOL

Incomplete: Dancing In The Moonlight, which is a modern AU Piper Lavellan/Cullen gift fic for @schoute (which we’ll work on more someday!), and my current WIP, The Love That Grows From Violence (Felassan x Tamaris Lavellan). 

Do You Outline? Yeah boi. The outline changes and morphs, but I absolutely outline. I am much more of a planner than a pantser.

Coming Soon/Not Yet Started: OKAY SO. 😂

Witcher AU Piper Lavellan/Cullen and Rynne Hawke/Fenris fic with @schoute. Pending ME ACTUALLY PLAYING THE FUCKING GAME.

I have had a crack idea for a humour/horror modern AU with @schoute‘s Piper and my Rynne Hawke and their boys for a while, based entirely on a hilarious Messenger conversation we had a year ago bahaha.

Professor Solas modern AU, encouraged/enabled by the wonderful @elbenherzart. If I do it right, it’s actually going to end up covering three intertwining ships: Solas/Nare Lavellan, Abelas/Athera Lavellan, and Felassan/Tamaris Lavellan. I’M VERY SCARED AND HORNY FOR THIS ONE. 😂

Do You Accept Prompts? I do, but it’s been a long time since I filled one. SORRY SORRY I’M SO SORRY. 

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write: I’ve been really into The Love That Grows From Violence (Felassan x Tamaris Lavellan) recently! I’m focusing only on this fic right now because I’m really enjoying it!

#fanfic writer's life #tag meme #author interview #pikapeppa writes

[mrscullensrutherford]

Do you have any Mass Effect or Dragon Age fics you can recommend?

OH!! Absolutely!!! I should warn, I ship Shega for the most part in Mass Effect and Varric and Hawke from DA so some of my recommendations are going to reflect that.

First off, I recommend ANYTHING written by @pikapeppa (queenofkadara on Ao3). There is so much to choose from with her DA stuff and there is some Andromeda but she is a superb writer and I can spend days just reading her fic. (And I have, you can ask her, LOL)

Amatus Vhenan - Kate_Shepard - This is an AU where Lavellan is captured and sold as a slave in Minrathous. And who becomes his master? Dorian Pavus, of course. @cdrkateshepard

Flowers and Thorns - @smolbiotic - I just started reading this and I already love it. The main character is a human who wants to study xenosurgery and xenoscience. She pays her way through college by being an exotic dancer. 

A Cup of Tea Between Friends - Kbug81 - This is an adorable story about Solas’ struggle with having feelings (non-romantic) for the Inquisitor. 

Soldier’s Heart - @dafan7711 - SHAMELESS SHEGA PLUG! But really, their action scenes are GREAT! This follows Shepard’s confinement and goes into regular gameplay scenarios but with the added bonus of some truly entertaining moments. 

The Words I’m Leaving Out - Solshine - Varric/Hawke and mutual pining, need I say more?!? Okay, how about a fake relationship and bed-sharing?

Emergence - Ias, Nemonus - A wonderfully, horrifying story of Saren’s indoctrination. @eri-223

And I am sorry it took so long to answer, I had to dig deep for some of these because I have spent the last two years drenching myself in HZD fic. 

[weekendwritingmarathon]

This weekly roundup includes fics written (at least in part) during the 1k1h sprints and/or the Weekend Writing Marathon events.

Fics are ordered first by fandom, then by word count from smallest to largest.

***

we’ll never be loved right by gunsnships

House MD || Greg House/James Wilson || Mature || No major warnings apply || 5,059 words || Complete

Summary: "Just for tonight" and an assortment of other lies.

Other tags: Season/Series 02, One Night Stands, Non-Explicit Sex,  Arguing, Eavesdropping, Dreams, Unrequited Love, Hinted at internalized homophobia, Angst, Ambiguous/Open Ending

***

Head and Heart by @tellthenight

The Magicians || Quentin/Eliot || Teen & up || No major warnings apply || 335 words || Complete

Summary: Q saves Eliot from the Monster.

Other tags: 4.12 coda, queliot

***

Awww, Budapest, No.... by @pherryt

Marvel || none || General || No major warnings apply || 2,169 words || Complete

Summary: Budapest was a bogeyman. No one knew what had happened in Budapest. All anyone knew for sure was that it was a highly classified mission both Natasha and Clint went on and that it nearly went belly up. That didn’t stop anyone from speculating of course.

Other tags: Budapest, Angst, Clint helps, Heart to Hearts, clint can't keep secrets, implied future tony/steve, Secrets

***

Soldier’s Heart by @dafan7711

Mass Effect || Vega x Shepard (Shega) || Teen & up || No major warnings apply || 9,015 words || WIP

Summary: After his deadly decision at Fehl Prime, Lieutenant James Vega runs off to a shady bar in Omega to numb his sorrows. But a personal request from Admiral Anderson has him swallowing his pride--hiding his pain--and running security for Commander Shepard's house arrest. When the Reapers hit Earth and they escape together, he learns every heroic thing he's heard about Jane Shepard is true, and they share more in common than the grim heart of a soldier.

Other tags: Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect romances, BioWare romances, femshep, James Vega, Commander Shepard

***

To Love is to Trust by FormidablePassion

Supernatural || Claire Novak/Kaia Nieves || General || No major warnings apply || 500 words || Complete

Summary: With their relationship still so fresh, Claire knows exactly how much it means for Kaia to allow her to take her on this ride.

Other tags: Claire Novak, Kaia Nieves, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Witch Claire, Beginnings of a relationship, Dreamhunter

***

It’s Nearly Morning by FormidablePassion

Supernatural || Amanda Walker/Julia Wright || General || Author chooses not to give major warnings || 685 words || Complete

Summary: Amanda still has nightmares. When she wakes to find her wife isn't in bed she goes to search for her. It makes Amanda wish all nightmares were only when you were sleeping.

Other tags: Julia Wright, Amanda Walker, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Nightmares, Song fic, Canon Compliant, Song Lyrics

***

Tea & Sympathy by Tryslora

Welcome to PHU (Original Fiction) || Gen (Nate & Cass) || Teen & up || No major warnings apply || ~3200 words || Complete

Summary: Cass is starting at her phone like she's ready to kill and about to die. Nate provides tea and food, and tries to provide a listening ear.

***

Have you posted a fic recently?  Any active WWM participant can Submit your fic here by midnight EST Wednesday and it will be included on next Friday’s WWM Fic Roundup post.

#wwm fic round up #house md #the magicians #marvel #mass effect #supernatural #original fiction #welcome to phu #fanfic

[mrscullensrutherford]

WIP... Saturday

I was tagged by @oops-gingermoment and @pikapeppa a long time ago but I haven’t been doing much writing lately with everything that has been going on. BUT I am proud to say that I have buckled down and started the New Year right. 

Here is an excerpt from the next chapter of Seeker of the Nora.

As she scanned, she also took note of the bodies not found. Where was Sona, Varl, Teb, Teersa? Had they made it out alive? Were they waiting for her in the mountain? The Vanguard didn’t seem to be amongst the fallen and she thanked the All-Mother for that.

A hand on her arm brought about the next question. Nil’s stern face took in the scene around them. But where was Erend? As she turned to survey the remaining field of battle, Nil spoke. “He’s in the mountain with the rest of the Vanguard. Some of the men took some heavy blows but it seems they will survive.”

Aloy nodded. It was the answer she had hoped for but couldn’t bring herself to face. The Vanguard had survived. She hadn’t signed off on their deaths. She took in a deep and steadying breath only to choke slightly on the cloying odor of smoke and death.

Nil chuckled, “Nothing like the scent of death to herald a fresh start.”

She shook her head. Leave it to him to find any humor in this situation but she had to admit, he was right. They may be looking out onto a scene of horrors but this fight was over. There was still much left to do but when they walked away from here, people would band together and start to rebuild. This she had seen many times with Nil at her side. Take down a bandit camp and the people of the area who had been in need would move in and make it a home.

She thought about the many Outcast camps that existed because of what they had done. Aloy had never really thought of Nil as the “silver lining” type of person but it did seem that he always thought about the good alongside the bad.

Taking his hand, she gave it a little squeeze. She wasn’t sure that walking into the heart of the Nora, hand-in-hand with a Carja soldier was the greatest idea but given all that they had just done for them, she was finding it hard to care what anyone else thought. 

TAGGING: @obvidalous​ @myfeyrelady​ @ir-anuk​ @valaloy​ @jadefyre​ @dafan7711​ and back to ya @pikapeppa​ and @oops-gingermoment​

#seeker of the nora #trinwrites #wip excerpt #horizon zero dawn #niloy #Ereloy #hzd

[pikapeppa]

Find The Word tag meme

Tagged again by another set of lovelies!

Rules: Find the assigned words in your current WIP, then pick 4 new words and tag some peeps to find them.

My assigned words: From @galadrieljones: sigh, power, lips, quiet From @obvidalous: curse, hold, against, second From @dafan7711: fragile, brittle, fuck, beat From @faerieavalon: before, heart, chill, breath

Tagging forward to @dickeybbqpit, @iarollane, back to @faerieavalon, @galadrieljones and @thevikingwoman if you’d like to go again, @lyrium-lovesong @aban-asaara @fourletterepithet and anyone else who would like to play! Your assigned words: lie, foreign, claw, adore.

Here we go. All are from Lovers In A Dangerous Time, i.e. Fenris the Inquisitor.

****************

Sigh:

A desperate little sigh left her lips, and her hand rose to claw at her collarbone. “F-Fenris,” she begged, and she arched her back more insistently toward him.

Power:

“Knowledge is power,” Solas said quietly. “You have shown yourself capable of handling both.”

Lips:

I love you, he thought. But his lips wouldn’t move, and his body was heavy and warm, weighed down and heated by Hawke. 

Quiet:

Fenris tilted his head curiously at the mercenaries. “Have either of you seen the mabari? Toby?”

Bull shook his head, but Krem nodded. “I have,” he supplied. “He was with that quiet fellow. You know, the one with the hat.”

Curse:

Fenris unceremoniously dropped the heart on the ground. “Start preparing your spell,” he snapped at Dorian. “I am sick of this cursed place.” 

Hold:

He trailed off at Varric’s guarded expression, then took hold of Varric’s shoulder. “Talk,” he ordered. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Against:

More magic, forced upon me against my will, Fenris thought. As if the lyrium brands weren’t enough, now he had yet more unknown magic in his body, stuck beneath his skin and trying to burst free.

Second:

The soldiers were all missing their breeches. Fenris only had a split second to marvel at the complete and utter idiocy of the moment before launching himself into the fight.

Fragile:

The healers’ tents in the courtyard now held only the most wounded patients: the ones whose condition was too fragile for them to be moved indoors.

Brittle:

She let out a brittle laugh. “It’s not that easy, Fenris. Carver and I don’t have anything in common. I can strike up a nice chat with anyone except my own bloody brother.”

Fuck:

Fenris showed her the sheaf of parchment. She took one look, then clapped a hand over her mouth and hopped in excitement. “Oh fuck me, this is fantastic. All right, forget everything else, let’s go find Cassandra right now.” 

Beat:

“Dorian told me that you play chess,” Fenris said.

Cullen scoffed. “That mage beat me one time and has never let me forget it,” he muttered.

Before:

Fenris frowned at his wine, then took a sip before speaking again. “The rich and powerful are the same everywhere you go. They love nothing more than talking about themselves. It is a simple rule to learn, and simpler still to exploit.”

Heart:

The scream ripped through the frosty air and set Fenris’s nerves alight. His heart jammed itself into his throat, and suddenly he was lightheaded, dizzy and breathless with hope.

Chill:

“It’s all right,” Cole said. “You’ll sleep soundly, safe from scarlet dreams.”

A chill of realization ran down Fenris’s spine. He opened his eyes and slowly straightened. “You,” he said. He swallowed hard. “You stopped the… you stopped them?” he asked.

Breath: 

He slipped his fingers under the hem of her shirt to feel the small of her back, and he carefully nipped her full lower lip for the sheer pleasure of hearing her breath catch in her throat.

#tag meme #tumblr game #fanfic writer's life #fenris #fenris fic #fenris the inquisitor #fenquisition #Lovers in a Dangerous Time #fenris/hawke #fenris x hawke #fenris/femhawke #fenris x femhawke #fenris/f!hawke #fenris x f!hawke #fenhawke #hawris #f!hawris #dragon age: inquisition #da:i #da: inquisition #pikapeppa writes