#doing another one of those ‘my oc as’ things for all my dragon age ocs

[avelera]

Authority and the Urge: Morality and Redemption in Baldur's Gate 3

Theme 1: Domination vs. Freedom as an Alternative Moral Axis to Evil vs. Good

One thing that makes Baldur's Gate such a pleasure to play is that the writing team had such a clear understanding of their themes. Good and evil are not the clean-cut alignments of the D&D world. Rather, they reimagined good vs. evil along more subtle lines of domination and control vs. personal freedom and healing. For the most part, they are remarkably consistent without being preachy, which is no mean feat. Nor do they say you can't dabble in the morally ambiguous, indeed, all the Companions have dabbled in the morally gray and you are invited to draw your own line as to what behavior you find acceptable for them. Even Wyll and Karlach, the most morally upstanding, have made deals with devils for the greater good, and been press-ganged against their will into fighting for an evil tyrant. You are given the choice to say there is no redemption for even these unwilling moments of moral impurity, if you so choose. You can reject Gale for not telling you about the Orb immediately. You can kill Astarion for being a vampire, which isn't his fault. You can criticize and reject Shadowheart for her Shar worship and thus never learn the full extent of how much it was not her choice to join in the first place. You can also urge companions like Gale, Astarion, and Shadowheart to give in to their worst instincts and become true monsters, which brings me to the next important theme.

Theme 2: What is the Worth of a Single Life?

When speaking of themes in BG3, another major one is the power of one person to sway the path of others in their lives towards good or evil. One hand extended in friendship can draw Astarion back from a painful and self-destructive existence, the pursuit of power to insulate him from pain and harm that ultimately would lead him to perpetuate the cycle of abuse he suffered under. There are clear implications of how much the Companions life is changed by their encounter with the player character, in a really touching dynamic about the importance of one life to another, which also works as a game mechanic, imbuing your interactions as a player character with the satisfying power fantasy of being able to have social impact on your Companions as friends, loved ones, or (in an evil run) victims of your sadism. You can make or break them.

Which brings me, finally, to the Dark Urge. It's clear to my eyes that the Dark Urge was originally planned as The Custom Character path. What I imagine happened next, however, is that they realized that there were hard story beats in the Dark Urge's narrative, certain deaths for example, which would be supremely limiting and unsatisfying for many players, who would chafe against the lack of choice.

The Dark Urge is a fantastic novel character, since characters in a novel don't have to do what the reader would do, but video games with their interactive nature usually require a bit more freedom of choice for players to be satisfying. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule, but in general it's very challenging and rarely attempted in video games to put the player-controlled character into a situation where the player loses agency, where the character dies without player freedom to prevent it, makes choices contrary to what the player character would do in a game that otherwise offers choice, or that simply kills the player character without the option to avoid that fate. It can be done but it's very very tough, some of the biggest complaints leveled at RPGs like BG3 or Dragon Age games is when the narrative takes choice away or makes the character make choices, unavoidably, that players would not make or would fight to avoid if they could. They are often the center of the greatest fandom ire. So that's why I think the OC Tav with the blank backstory was created, for those who chafed at the lovely but restrictive narrative arc of the Dark Urge.

Mirrors of Morality: The Dark Urge's Redemption

I mention that I think the Dark Urge is fundamental to the core design of the game because their narrative path so nicely mirrors the other Companions. A blank-slate Tav is wonderful to work with, and very freeing, but you are left with the slightly hollow feeling of not having nearly the level of trauma or issues to work through that the Companions do. Your character has no past and few opportunities to form a coherent narrative that precedes the events of the tadpoling the way the others do. From a gameplay perspective this is of course nearly impossible to do otherwise, they can't anticipate every RP headcanon a player might run, but they can offer one with the Dark Urge who has the same sort of deep dichotomy and divide in their backstory that the others have.

That said, I completed an Evil Dark Urge run before I completed a good one, despite rolling two attempts at a good Dark Urge before stumbling onto an Evil Dark Urge that worked for me (an older drow matriarch, for those curious).

The reason I struggled was because I couldn't imagine a Good Dark Urge with agency in their prior life. My evil Dark Urge was a willing partner of Gortash and Thorm. One reason I made her older was because I imagined her as mature, worldly, cruel, sadistic, and completely on board with the plot. The amnesia was only a brief interruption to her plans, a distraction. Once she recalled enough of her life and previous goals to piece together her part in the Dead Three plot, she went right back into enacting it and, in the end, won, becoming the unquestioning ruler of a world of thralls in Bhaal's name. If anything, the dialogue options that implied that Bhaal was the one controlling her, or that she had done anything but make her own choices were almost insulting. This woman knew what she was doing, beginning to end, with the amnesia as only a minor interruption.

But this interpretation of the Dark Urge was based on the letter we find in the Dark Urge's point of view, where again, they show no unwillingness to be an agent of the Dead Three plot. Gortash's warm welcome further cemented the view in my mind: the Dark Urge knew what they were doing and was a willing evil participant.

So how, I wondered, can anyone justify a Good Dark Urge? Not saying it can't be done, but how?

The implications I found troubling at first were that anyone who was evil would become good if they were simply removed from their environment. It had a ring of a sort of natural innocence, a sort of "noble savage" worldview that all of us would tilt towards good if our minds were wiped clean. Optimistic in some ways, very dangerous in its implications in others. Then I realized it wasn't a statement. It was a question.

Theme 3: Nature vs. Nurture

I then realized that nature vs. nurture is actually everywhere in BG3 side plots. Another reinforcement of the fact the Dark Urge storyline is baked into the DNA of the story. You have the Githyanki egg plot, Baelen's memory loss making him a good but absentminded person (which can be undone if you give him noblestalk, when he reverts back to the cruel man he was), heck, even the owlbear cub can be given a loving home where he thrives. You are shown, over and over again, stories where you can choose and contribute to and ponder whether or not evil is a product of nature or nurture, in a way that's incredibly relevant to pondering the Dark Urge's path forward under amnesia. Was this Bhaalspawn evil by nature or by choice? It's very juicy stuff.

Furthermore: all of the companions actually offer ways to rationalize the Dark Urge and choose a path forward for them to fall back into evil or move forward into good. This is because the writers of BG3 are actually superb at thematic mirroring. Each Companion can be a mirror for one way to understand the Dark Urge, how they were evil in the past, and how they could choose to change.

Shadowheart: Indoctrinated into the cult of a cruel god from childhood, you grew up in a world where the only moral compass you had was utterly controlled by those around you. You never knew a different world than the cult of Shar/Bhaal. Now with your memory wiped, you have the option to listen to the voice deep down that says the cruelty demanded of you by the little you can remember feels wrong or even follow the good examples of your newfound Companions to see a different way to live. Maybe you always had goodness in you deep down, but the society you knew channeled you towards evil that you're only now free of, albeit with a past full of holes you're trying to fill in again.

Karlach: Maybe you were never a truly willing participant in the Bhaal cult. Incredibly skilled at killing, yes. Perhaps a bit morally flexible to get involved with figures like Gortash. But ultimately, when you were whisked out of the bloody war and world that you were immersed in by circumstance, you saw your chance to get your old life back from before the Bhaal cult and you took it. Baldur's Gate is your home. People like Karlach are the ones hurt by the actions of the Dead Three Plot that you might never have put a face to if you'd never been taken from that world. Now that you see the harm caused, now that you're free, you can finaly become your own person again after being a foot soldier for evil forces.

Lae'zel: You were a true believer in Bhaal's cult. You grew up worshipping your evil god. It's the only life you knew and the only life that gave you meaning. You were a willing participant but before now, you'd never known any other life. However, through exposure to other people, other cultures, other ways of life, you're beginning to see that there are ways to live outside your narrow life of indoctrination in violence. The final blow comes to this worldview when you learn that your beloved god is completely fine with your destruction. They allowed Orin to take your place. Bhaal/Vlaakith would see you destroy and enslave the world for their own glory and be perfectly happy to destroy you at the end of all your hard, devoted work. You did not sin against Bhaal by rebelling against the full horror of his cruelty and negligence towards you, rather, Bhaal has sinned against you.

Gale: You were the beloved Chosen of Bhaal. Coddled, cradled, told you were special and perfect and wonderful. Of course you happily participated in the Dead Three plot, you lived a charmed life as the elevated darling of your deity. But then something went wrong. You were cast out. You've awoken lesser than you were, your body betrays you, you've lost knowledge that once made you walk among mortals as a near-godly figure. And it seems like Bhaal/Mystra doesn't care, as you wander the wilderness. You're hurt. Betrayed. Tadpoled. Orin has taken your place so easily, just as Gale was cast aside so easily. You don't know what you did wrong. You're angry. Resentful. How dare Mystra/Bhaal cast you aside so easily? They offer you a solution to get back into their good graces which require a complete denial, a complete destruction of yourself - becoming Bhaal's chosen once more or blowing yourself up for redemption. Ultimately, the way forward is in choosing yourself and relying on your own cleverness, rather than being seduced back into their circle of influence.

Astarion: Bhaal was a cruel master to you who controlled your every move. That doesn't mean you were a nice person though, or you didn't enjoy murder. But now you are finally free of Bhaal/Cazador's immediate reach. They cannot fulfill their evil plot without you. You can destroy them now, undermine them, or replace them - fulfill the Dead Three plot in your own name. Or you can take this chance once finally outside their grasp to rediscover who you really are, what you want, all the while your hungers drive you towards continuing to take the lives of others. But perhaps the help of new friends can help you deny these urges and steer you towards being a new person. What that new, better person is, what they even look like, is unclear to you, you've never really had positive influences. But maybe you can find it together.

Wyll: You lived your own life before you ended up in Bhaal's plot, as Bhaal's chosen. But that life was stolen. Now, through circumstances beyond your control, you have disappointed your father. Is there a way to escape the reach of Bhaal's control, Bhaal's pact? Will you sacrifice your soul to redeem yourself in the eyes of your father?

Honorable Mention - Minthara: Tadpoled and controlled by the Absolute, you are now set on throwing down all old gods that once thought to control you. Maybe you'll take over the Dead Three plot in your own name. Maybe you'll just take pleasure in tearing it down for your own reasons. Either way, your gods have sinned against you, the cult of the Absolute controlled you, and now you are unleashed to take vengeance.

With the Dark Urge, any one of these paths can provide a map for how to imagine your life under Bhaal's cult. Any one can provide a map for how to make use of your newfound freedom and to justify becoming a better person and saving the world. Or choosing not to.

#bg3 #bg3 meta #the dark urge #this got long but oh well i had a lot of thoughts that kinda went together

[idrellegames]

Apologies if this (or anything similar) has been asked before, but how long did Wayfarer take to plan/write/etc before you started posting about it on tumblr or actually.. writing the game?

I'm currently in the very early planning stages of my own IF and I don't want to rush on making the worldbuilding. I imagine lots of planning went into Wayfarer (?) before you started to actually write the game or promote it on tumblr, and I suppose I'm just curious to know? Again, my apologies if this is a weird question or one you don't want to answer.

Oh that's a good question!

To be honest, I wouldn't use what I did as a good example of what to do. 😅 As some of you know, Wayfarer has its roots as a Dragon Age fan game. That game went nowhere (and has no similarities to Wayfarer other than Alexia, Ren, Calla and Aeran were all originally OCs for it), but it did mean that I had an audience from the DA fandom when I made the switch to original writing. I made this blog and did announcement posts and OC questions before I had anything substantially written. I released one demo in May 2019 and didn't get much further than that.

2020 was when I made changes and abandoned the fan game to work on what is now Wayfarer. I did about 5 months of plotting and planning before I made the announcement; I actually did most of the initial worldbuilding and outlines for a video game scriptwriting course I was taking at the time. I had to develop a game bible for a hypothetical game, so I used Wayfarer for that coursework, although that game bible is not very representative of what the game is now since I had to do specific things in specific ways to appease my professor.

The first thing I did after announcing the switch to orginal fiction was commission a portrait of Mel. 😂 I already had portraits of Aeran, Alexia, Ren and Calla and though those ones were commissioned while the game was still Dragon Age, their character designs are still the same. Though I don't think artwork is necessary to have a successful IF, it can be very helpful in terms of gaining an audience. Visuals are eye-catching!

I tried a lot of different things in 2020. Some things worked, some didn't. The first half of the year I was worldbuilding, outlining, and reworking the game bible. I wrote and coded a Prologue that eventually got scrapped, and the beginning of Episode 1 up to the fight with Kane, which didn't. I livestreamed it on my Twitch channel with my partner reading and doing voices (shout out to anyone who remembers Southern Sero because that was... a thing that happened).

I rewrote the Prologue with the one we have now in September 2020 and worked to add more material to Episode 1 before making an official game announcement in November 2020. I can't quite remember how far that first demo went, but I think it was the Prologue and Episode 1's fight with Kane if the player went to Rat Alley and up to the end of the meeting with Zenaida if the player went to the docks. All of that would have been around 51k words of playable content in the game when the demo released.

Looking back, I probably would have done things differently. I also think that there's no one way to make an IF. What works for one person is not necessarily going to work for another, it's okay to find your own path. 💗

But I can give a little bit of advice:

You need to know what you are writing before you go ahead and write it. IF is not a medium that can be pantsed (unless you're creating a short or micro game). Get comfortable plotting and outlining in well in advance. You should have an idea of how your game is going to shape up and the main thrust of the plot before you start, otherwise you're going to get overwhelmed with too many ideas and risk fizzling out.

To promote a game, you need to have a game. Before you launch an announcement post and officially start marketing your game, you need to have a playable demo with substantial content. Think of it this way: you only have one shot to make a first impression and it has to be a good one. The demo needs to introduce the player to their character, the world, the game's main mechanics, and a plot hook. The amount of work this is going to take is going to differ depending on the scope of your game and your writing style, but a character creator and 1000-3000 words is not going to cut it.

Don't use your blog as a way to worldbuild. Keep that offline and between you and your beta group or writing circle. If there's one repeat tendency I've seen a lot over the past few years of IF development on tumblr, it's that there is sometimes more interest in answering OC asks and writing flash fiction and answering prompts then there is in writing the game. These asks can be a lot of fun and can absolutely drive engagement for your blog, but at the end of the day they can either take away from the time and energy you should put towards your game or they will spoil the development of your characters for the players. The line between player engagement and player participation in a game's development is a very fine one that can get tricky to walk.

Worldbuilding isn't something that you do at the start and never again. It's something that grows with you as your write your project; sometimes you'll have to shift things and change them, fill in holes you didn't see coming, scrap ideas entirely. Allow yourself breathing room. I think you're off to a good start by knowing that you don't want to rush the worldbuilding. It's something that takes a lot of time to grow organically, and it's going to change and grow with you.

Good luck! 💖

#wayfarer #wayfarer if #interactive fiction #interactive novel #twine #twine game #coding in twine #on writing

[plisuu]

Fanfic Writer Questions

Thanks for the tag @the-rebel-archivist! I think I might have been tagged by someone else a while ago but??? sorry ahahha

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 12! But two of those are art and one of them is the abandoned version of my long fic. I... don't post much ahahaha

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 71k

3. What fandoms do you write for? Just Dragon Age :)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In Flame Forged Anew - my long fic! DA: I, Cullen/m!Trev except not really because it's insanely slow burn. ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ What You Want - My oldest work (barring my abandoned long-fic). Pavelyan, from when Connor used to be a Dorianmance. A lil confession one-shot. ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ Battle of Attrition - Dead-dove whump for whumptober. Red Templars and torture ahoy! ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ The Healer's Hands - Solas/Blackwall gay awakening and pining, ft. a little bit of hurt/comfort ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ On Broken Wings We Fly - A lil friendship fic I wrote for @rosella-writes of their Lavellan's interactions with my Inquisitor and the start of their strange friendship.

5. Do you respond to comments? I try! I also forget and get so caught up trying to write "meaningful replies" that I tend to fall behind on them ahaha

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Hhhh well it hasn't ended, but probably Battle of Attrition (since it's all just whump) or Never Say Die, a tiny thing about some of the OCxOC lead-up to the Conclave.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Most of my writing is pretty bittersweet at best, but probably Shrike, a lil Cullen PoV fic about his and Connor's relationship.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I have in the past.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Only privately, and of the heavily character focused kink variety. Trust and emotional vulnerability through physical intimacy my beloved.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? Not off the top of my head, no.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware, but I mostly write OCs so probably not lol

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nopeee

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, it seems difficult?

14. What's your all time favorite ship? ... All time? Axel x Saix, probably ahahaha for Dragon Age though I'd say my favorite romance is Iron Bull's.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I have yet to finish anything ever soooo

16. What are your writing strengths? Banter and character voice! The transcript project mostly means I've heard and read so much character dialogue that their voices are ingrained in my skull. I'm also told that I'm pretty good at grounding things in physical sensation.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I've always really struggled with head-hopping and under-explaining, I think.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I've never needed to, but it depends on the fic/language. If it's something the reader would already be familiar with like or a word or phrase, I'd write it in the language, but for longer lines or a full conversation, I would either summarize for the reader or write the conversation in italicized English.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Naruto!

20. Favorite fic you've written? Definitely my long fic, I'm very proud of it, but I love all my writing! I write very specifically to my own tastes ahahah Though my whump fic has been so indulgent it's definitely near the top.

tagging: @rosella-writes, @inquisimer, @dreadfutures, @broodsys, @blarrghe, and anyone else who wants to join! Question template under the cut :)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5. Do you respond to comments?

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

16. What are your writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

20. Favorite fic you've written?

#tag game #long post #my writing

[plucky-elves]

Meet my first-ever Tav, Leda! She's a half-elf arcane trickster rogue who is ENTIRELY based on the headcanon I have for .... my f!Hawke and Fenris's first-born daughter.

Look, I was coming into Faerun basically blind and I know the DA2 crew like the back of my hand. Not to mention the stories I've built up for my Dragon Age OCs, so I basically just ported one of those over to start.

So yeah, Leda ... Hawke, I guess. Daughter of the famous Champion of Kirkwall and Blue Wraith. Leda is short for Leandra but also nods to Leto. My Hawke is a mage, hence the arcane trickster subclass. Magic on mom's side or whatever (she's not a full mage but her younger brother Gavyn is).

She's very much her parents' daughter, on both sides: the practicality of Fenris meets purple Hawke's sharp tongue and charm. (Her charisma is weirdly high for a rogue. I was rolling 40s on persuasion checks at one point.) Leda learned a lot of tricks from her Aunt Isabela and Uncle Varric, but at the end of the day, she's going to do the right thing. She's chaotic, on the line of neutral/good but tending toward good.

And of COURSE she romances Astarion. Another stabbity rogue who prefers to get by on wits and guile? They're kindred spirits, though the biggest trauma of Leda's past is being, like, a Thedas nepo baby compared to Astarion's *gestures at everything.* But like I said ... she is very much her parents' daughter. Falling for a white-haired elf with trauma? Just like mom! Falling for someone who, on paper, is probably bad for you? Just like ... well, both Hawke AND Fenris, probably.

Leda also spent some time on Isabela's ship and takes after her "aunt" in a lot of ways, so it starts as a pure physical "let's have some fun" thing for her with Astarion. But, of course, it turns into something deeper, much to both of their surprises.

I also made her guardian look just like Fenris because I was completely unspoiled, so yeah, that got real weird.

And yes, the nose scar is a nod to mama Hawke.

I'll probably roll a character very similar to her in the future now that I have a better sense of the game, but Leda will always have a special place in my heart as my first-ever Tav.

From now on, though, I think I'm going to give all my OCs names that Tav could be a nickname for. So I'm currently on my second playthrough: a Dark Urge tiefling sorcerer named Tavlyn. And HOO BOY it feels like a whole different game at points, even though she's probably also going to romance Astarion!

#my ocs #plucky thoughts #oc: leda #oc: leda hawke #my tav #astarion ancunin #astarion #tavstarion #astarion x tav #tav x astarion #headcanons #kind of #baldur's gate 3 #bg3

[greypetrel]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you @theluckywizard for the tag! It's been fun to compile :3

1. how many works do you have on ao3? 6

2. what’s your total ao3 word count? 356,534 (from last October. It's higher since I haven't upload a lot of ficlets I wrote here, oops)(But! it's my AO3 birthday, yeeeeh!)

3. what fandoms do you write for? Dragon Age, there's a crossover with LOTR/Silmarillion. I don't know if I'll ever write anything solely on Tolkien lore, I tend to reason per OCs in stories and I feel slightly bad in treating other's characters as my own.

4. what are your top five fics by kudos? - Home Was Never On The Ground (CullenxLavellan, long fic)(also known as Monster Fic) - She of Many Names (CullenxLavellan, a Dragon Age and LOTR - crossover) - The Night Before First Day (Some CullenxLavellan but very on the sidelines. it's Solas acting as Santa. And it rhymes.) - One For the Road (FenrisxLavellan, Angst is over 9000, 2 chapters.) - Death and All of His Friends (HawkexMerrillxIsabela, I'll get on with it but everything is on hold because I want to get Monster fic done before the year ends)

5. do you respond to comments? Oh yes, of course! Jumping on my seat and being very happy about it. I'm wordy, so chances are that comments will be answered with more lore.

6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Death and All of His Friends, right now.

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? The Night Before First Day.

8. do you get hate on fics? Not that I know of. The worst hate I got in the fandom were some assholes who commented on an adoribull fanart here on Tumblr. I didn't want to learn how to say "F*ggot" in Russian, but I did. They didn't expect me to understand and reply in Russian, and they never got back.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind? … Tried to. I'm self-conscious about my writing, so it never got posted. I don't know if it ever will. It was just to see if I could, but for now I'd rather keep it personal.

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written? Yes! I love making connections between things and fiction and see similarities and who inspired some others. I have She of Many Names, which is a Dragon Age with Lord of the Rings crossover. There's some Silmarillion, but as long as highlighting characters background goes. A person on Instagram commented on one artwork of my Lavellan (miss cinnamon "I cry if you tell me that there are kittens under the rain" roll) asking me if she was Sauron. I laughed so art imagining her as an evil overlady that I HAD TO write it. "It's all a big misunderstanding".

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of.

12. have you ever had a fic translated? Nope.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? I haven't, but I'd love to!

14. what’s your all-time favorite ship? You'll pry HawkexMerrillxIsabela from my cold, dead hands. HawkexFenris has the best ANGST. FaramirxEowyn. Been there since I was 10, will probably die on that hill. I see the fascination of Solavellan, but Cullavellan is there above, of course. And, MaharielxMorrigan. I am surely forgetting something, but it's one case of "I am asked what's my favourite movie and suddenly my brain thinks we never saw ONE movie in our life".

OH OH OH EnjolrasxGrantaire. I SAID IT.

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? I have another chapter half blorted down for One For the Road but I'm not feeling it. It's sliding towards a triangle and it's losing all the appeal to me.

16. what are your writing strengths? Oh shit, that's difficult ahahahahahah. As above, I'm self conscious about my prose. I'll try, tho.

Dialogue (been writing my own comics for years, those are just dialogue. I have exercise on that, ahahahah)

… angsty, emotional scenes?

People crying. watches Aisling

17. what are your writing weaknesses? Language and mispellings. English is not my first language, and as every person who speaks more than one, I have a very confused brain. I re-read my own writing again but there's always something missing. I also tend to write prose without a precise plan: I started writing fanfiction after YEARS of not writing prose after some comments that caught me in a moment when I was particularly fragile and convinced me my prose was never going to be ok. In order to ease me back into it, I started writing Monster Fic purposefully without a plan of action or a plotline not to stress myself too much and convince my brain it's just a hobby to relax. It worked, but in long fics I prefer having plans, I read it again and I think it shows that there's little planning ahead. When synthesis ability was being distributed, I was trying to pet a dog.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? Uh, English not being my first language counts? xD Beside that: I wrote some SIMPLE lines in wannabe-Latin, some words here and there in French. If it's something long, tho, I'm against it. Personal preference, I'd rather have my readers understand what's being said if it's important, rather than showing that I know more than one language. Personal preference, I also tend not to like movies that are all done in dead languages that nobody speaks, with subtitle. Glad the writer can master ancient Latin, here's a cookie, now what.

19. first fandom you wrote for? … Inuyasha in middle school. I drew small comics for my friends over it. And, I drew a parody comic of the Iliad in my first year of high school, which is the first fandom with a COMPLETED fic.

20. favorite fic you’ve ever written? … Still with the difficult questions AHAHAHAHAHAH. These two because I got to use friends' blorbos and I was so nervous but also had the best of times: - Three Cards Trick [ Maria Hawke becomes the official third Science Sibling. They adopt a skeleton. ] - Saving Grace [ Aisling as a companion for Kerry Hawke in DA2. She refuses to pay for elfroot, but will find a way to acquire "some" from the Templars. ]

- Could be Worse. [ Mahariel, Morrigan, and Aisling becomes Ghost Hunters in modern time New York. It should have been a scam. ] I live for quotations and it set my head on fire and it's yet another modern AU I'll get back to sooner or later.

- Death and all of His Friends. [ Raina Hawke, human disaster but mildly successfull trash raccoon, fucks up royally at the end of Act 2.] Originally prompted by salsedine but I'm linking the polished AO3 version. Raina Hawke won the lottery of having issues similar to mine, and writing her has always some form of therapy. But I did it, I like the three parts, and I completed it and posted it anyway.

- Not the Years but the Mileage. [ Booby traps in the Temple of Mythal. Cullen breaks stuff that should be in a museum. ] And this one because again, quotings. Arbor Wilds (that mission is flawed, but the environment? Not.). And that piece of dialogue where Aisling can't talk and Cullen just understands her mumbling.

- Something Fishy. [ Raina and Garrett Hawke, loyal knights at the court of the Red King of Amaranthine, gets sent on a... Fishy mission.] This was probably the funniest to write, and nothing. I thrive in angst or in absurd crack fics, and this by now is my peak crack.

... I wrote for years and I hope it was remotely interesting.

TAGGING BACK: @shivunin @ndostairlyrium @heniareth @oxygenforthewicked @rosella-writes @scribbledquillz @star--nymph @zenstrike and YOU who are reading.

#tagged petrel #20 questions for fic writers #dragon age fanfiction #tag game #writing petrel #pretend you're surprised at me admitting I'm wordy

[theluckywizard]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you for the tags @rowanisawriter and @nirikeehan

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

32

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

359,445 (since February lawdy)

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Only Dragon Age

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

In the Shattering of Things (Cullen x Rose Trevelyan, Hawke x Trevelyan long fic)

The Boy Who Talked too Much (Alistair x Cousland fluff smut one shot)

Some Kind of Witchcraft (Cullen x Rose Trevelyan fluff smut one shot)

The Protestations of the Commander's Bed (Cullen x Rose Trevelyan fluff smut one shot... sensing a theme here? LMAO)

Unvarnished (Blackwall x Rose Trevelyan Smuuuut)

5. do you respond to comments?

Yes, always! Someone is going to take the time say something nice about my writing? I'm going to like awkwardly hug them with words.

6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably toss up between

Fractures (Cullen x Rose Trevelyan whump smut)

and

Well Did You Miss Me? (Hawke x Rose Trevelyan angst)

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oh this is tough. I end a lot of short fics on a very hopeful note where two people are teetering on the precipice of Looooooove.

But actually maybe a short Bethany Hawke drabble where she learns her brother Garrett is still alive in the Fade.

Contact

8. do you get hate on fics?

The closest I've gotten to hate, which wasn't really hate, just kind of funny is a few different commenters messaging me after I introduced Hawke in my long fic (the other clearly labeled Love Interest, 250k words in mind you) asking whether it was going to be Cullen in the end because they aren't interested in Hawke x Trevelyan and they don't want to read it unless it's Cullen in the end.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

Yes. I try to write really characterful, joyful/emotional smuts generally-- the kind where it's just 'totally THEM'. I think smut is only as good as the set up and characters expressing themselves, because clinical/gratuitous descriptions of sex acts without those things doesn't interest me.

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Nope!

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not but I would loooove to!

14. what’s your all-time favorite ship?

God I can't risk showing my whole ass here because a bunch of long fic readers follow me but suffice to say the race for my love is real tight between the two separate ships in my long fic - Rose Trevelyan x Cullen and Rose Trevelyan x Garrett Hawke.

Also Dick Grayson x Barbara Gordon in DC 😍

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Probably The Bequest which is my oc/oc/oc/oc/oc/oc spooky murder mystery fic. I want to believe I will but I would have to learn how to write a damn good mystery and I'm not sure I can. But will at least write some more chapters minimum!

16. what are your writing strengths?

-- snappy, authentic sounding dialogue and banter that captures the characters

-- joyful, ridiculous smut

-- setting descriptions when I really put my back into it

-- being inside a character's POV and capturing their narrative voice uniquely

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

PLOT. GAH. I only got into Fanfic in January and that's because I languished in Original Fiction Hell for two decades where I wrote and wrote aimlessly. I am a shit plotter and a shit planner. Stories come to me in scenes and feelings. So you can imagine that getting to write something that is fully plotted and world built for me is like THE BEST FUCKING THING EVER. It is so satisfying.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I have written in French a little bit for effect in the Winter Palace, but generally I don't do it, no.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

I wrote a sequel to the book The Witch of Blackbird Pond when I was thirteen maybe because the main ship gets together in the last pages and then it just ENDS and it was written in the 50s and the author was dead. I HAD TO RESOLVE THIS FOR MYSELF.

20. favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Aside from my long fic which is my ongoing baby and I am very proud (I am in the midst of Act 2 and still loving it), it would probably be --

The Commander, the Tevinter and a Bottle of Lightning which is Dorian getting Cullen drunk on fussy Tevinter booze and Rose showing up after he's sauced. (Fluff, Cullen POV)

or

Good Old Garbolg which is Rose and Hawke getting into the storage room to try a bottle of mystery booze (one of the Bottles of Thedas) and it having some unexpected consequences (Fluffsmut, Rose POV)

I have read both of these A LOT.

Tagging @crackinglamb, @greypetrel, @bluewren, @kiastirling, @melisusthewee, @rakshadow, @ar-lath-ma-cully, @ir0n-angel, @smutnug, @monocytogenes, @skyeventide and @ammoniteflesh

#tag game #dragon age fan fiction #theluckywizard #shameless self promotion #cullen x trevelyan #hawke x trevelyan

[herearedragons]

3, 5, 6, 13, 23 from the video game asks! :)

Thanks for the ask!

video game questions

3. 1-3 games you’ve played in the past 12 months that you really enjoyed

the first Pillars of Eternity game (as evident by how much I've been posting about it) is still great and I 100% recommend it, it is darker fantasy than Dragon Age and there are a couple of Yikes Moments close to the beginning, but you WILL love at least one of your party members and the writing is pretty great. also a lot of its soundtrack was used in season 2 of Critical Role, and there is significant vibe/theme overlap, so if you enjoyed that season you'll probably like something about POE1 (also there are a lot of voices from the cr cast in the game itself. Matt Mercer notoriously voices two(2) of your best friends party members)

Dragon Age: Origins! The OG. The reason I'm even on this website. I had a pretty major reset when I realized that I accidentally locked myself out of Zevran's romance and now I have to do the Sacred Ashes quest again, but once I get through it things will get fun again. I've had a lot of fun writing Kyana meta based on this playthrough earlier this year, and I'm sure I'll have more things to say when I GET OUT OF THAT TEMPLE

I started playing The Sims 4 between writing sessions during NaNo. I made an off-brand Evelyn and another household based on two very old OCs, and I was really invested in them for a while (to the point of considering making fanart of the second household). I stopped playing at some point, but I think that, like Stardew Valley, this is going to be a fun thing to come back to every once in a while.

(the first answer was already very long so I'm putting the rest under the cut)

5. Game(s) coming out that you’re looking forward to

I played the demo for GLITCHED: The RPG a couple of years ago and it's been on my Steam wishlist even since. I don't actually know what's going on with the game (I think it was announced that it would come out in 2023 and then it didn't?), but I really hope that it will come out eventually because the demo is A Lot of my favorite things packed into one game. Like, honestly, even if the game won't be out for a while, I think that the demo itself is a really fun experience.

also, despite everything surrounding Dreadwolf, I'm definitely looking forward to it! though somewhat concerned about actually running the game because I Do Not Think my laptop will be able to handle it.

6. A series you’ve enjoyed since your early days of gaming and still enjoy to this day whether it still has games coming out or is one you return to

.........I mean, this is very much a Dragon Age blog. DA:O was one of my first RPGs (Skyrim was the other) and Here We Are all those years later

13. Quick, name the first song from a game that comes to mind

I haven't actually played it yet, but Challenging A Queen from Stray Gods. I'm definitely going to play it, though, because this is another game that looks like it was made personally For Me. and this song absolutely rules (my favorite version is the first one they played in this video)

23. A “Wow” moment of awe

...technically I didn't play this one either, but I watched a full playthrough of Wandersong on youtube, and the final song sequence I can't really talk about without spoiling everything was. very. Emotional(TM)

also for a more somber kind of awe, I really like the ambience in Emprise du Lion in DA:I and the White March DLC's entire deal in Pillars of Eternity. in both cases the environment made me just kind of pause for a second and take it all in (actually, adding to the song thing, the Abydon's Shell soundtrack from The White March is haunting)

#herearedragons speaks

[yuki-hitomi-chan]

Show us your ocs!!!!

Okay okay. Note that I'm bad at remembering to take screenshots, so the ones I have will have to do. I'll do my video game ones, including Dragon Age (origins and inquisition) and Baldur's Gate 3. Yes, they're all very similar I know, and yes I like playing as elves shush.

Baldur's Gate 3

Current Tav: Rion About: Half-Elf/ Rogue/ Thief/ Urchin Canon Romance: Gale

So this is Rion, and he's romancing Gale. He's pretty charismatic (12) but don't ask him to lift anything. He's like every other guy in the game and has a total of 8 STR. You also can't see it here, but he has red highlights that show up in the sun. As for personality, he's mostly good aligned, although he will sometimes cause problems on purpose, especially if he thinks it's funny. He's a sweetheart and has a bad habit of picking up stray children (he wants to protect them like he wasn't when he was a kid), so yes, he finds the tiefling kids funny and even gave them some tips on how to improve their scams. Fun note: He's transgender, which is why he makes certain decisions (He got magic hrt don't ask me how it works it's magic), especially if it comes to affecting how he looks.

Also, I didn't realize that there was another half-elf with his name in the game until I met them. Was a bit funny, since they pronounce it like Rye-on and he pronounces it as Re-On.

Dragon Age Origins

Hero of Ferelden: Da'len Tabris About: City Elf/ Duel wield Rogue/ Assassin Canon Romance: Zevran Arainai

Da'len is my Tabris Warden! Her name means "Child" in Elven, and the story behind that is her father heard a mother calling to her child, and thought it was a wonderful name despite her mother's (rightful) disagreement. Turns out, she's just permanently named 'Kiddo' (which earns her some weird looks from those who actually understand elven to her annoyance. She didn't choose her name, her shut-in father did). Always the troublemaker in her family she wasn't ready to settle down at the beginning of her adventure, giving her family a headache, but that doesn't mean she won't kill for them. She fell in love with the assassin who tried to kill her. She's somewhat grated against humans, which gets her in trouble a lot, especially when she doesn't put up with their bullshit, and even more so when she thinks a knife is a good way to solve a problem (I mean, sometimes it is). Still not sure who's bright idea it was to keep her as the leader of the group, but nobody important died, so that's gotta count for something, right?

Ironically, despite having a mabari, she's not really a dog person.

Dragon Age Inquisition

Inquisitor: Ferris Lavellen About: Dalish elf/ Archer Rogue/ Assassin Specialty (I also played him as a mage at one point.) Canon Romance: Dorian Pavus

This is Ferris! He's a Dalish hunter turned savior for a god he doesn't even believe in! (Well, he sort of recognizes the maker as "a god" but more like the human's god versus his pantheon.) He originally had brown eyes, but due to the Breach and it's magic, he got very green eyes that sometimes weird people out because of how unnaturally green they are (No, they never change back, so good thing he looks good with green eyes). He struggles at first because he has no idea what proper human social cues are, but eventually he figures it out. He doesn't really like being a leader, but does it because someone has to fill the role, and he's the only one who's going to do it. He wasn't too sure about Dorian at first, but he came to fall in love with his sarcasm and flirting. (Ferris is not subtle about his flirting with someone who could be considered an enemy socially, something that makes Cassandra and Josie want to pull out their hair)

Fun fact, this boy right here is how I figured out I'm a gay trans man!

So that's my OCs from those games. If anyone wants to learn more about them, feel free to drop an ask! I know I got a bit ramble-y here, but I had fun!

#dragon age inquisition #dragon age origins #baldurs gate 3 #Original Characters #Crow's OCs #inquisitor lavellan #warden tabris #bg3 tav #Ask to tag #ocs

[wanderingaldecaldo]

💕 self-love time! talk about which ones of YOUR creations (edits, artworks, fanfics) you like the most then send to other creators to do the same 💕

@imaginarycyberpunk2023 you're so sweet for this! I'm gonna do as @kittenchrissy did and say my V, Valerie Vermilion, so prepare for some tooth-rotting sweetness.

A recent-ish portrait of Val for the jeans mod I'm going to release soon™️

Before Cyberpunk 2077, I generally played games and moved on. Only Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition compelled me to read fic and, another playthrough later, write it myself. But neither of those times did I build up my Shepard or Inquisitor. All I knew about her was the backstory I chose and as much detail as the story necessitated.

But something different happened with Val. As I was writing No One's Gonna Love You, which starts with the moment I fell for Mitch, I fell in love with Val. She had grown to be a fully realized character somewhere along the line, with hopes and fears beyond the short term goal of hooking up with Mitch surviving Mikoshi. I really connected with her grief over Jackie, and participating in ask memes and chatting with friends helped me flesh out her lore even further.

Another portrait I took tonight while thinking about Val being sad hanging out in this park in Heywood that Jackie liked to visit

I've been writing for a long time, and character creation is a place where I struggle in my original work. That is part of the reason fanfic holds such a draw for me—I can take established characters and play with them instead—so having an OC as developed as Val is a real point of pride for me. I'm still finding things out about her, but I know so much already.

And why not one more? I'm a writer, we love threes

#cyberpunk 2077 #valerie vermilion #streetkid!val #streetkid val things #mail time! #imaginarycyberpunk2023 #thank you <3 #you're so kind and thoughtful #a blessing to fandom #my screens #fem v #female v #female oc #oc creation #probably said some of this before #it's the adhd brain

[razerathane]

20 questions for fic writers

Oh shit tagged by the holy @orangeflavoryawp <3

1. How many works do you have on Ao3/fanfiction.net? All of my AO3 stuff is crossposted from FFN, so based on FFN: 121 total posted

2. What's your total Ao3/fanfiction.net word count? On AO3: 83,212 Actual Total From FFN: 1,159,440

3. What fandoms do you write for? I've dabbled in a lot. But the ones that I've written MORE than 5 fics for are: Tekken, Soul Calibur, Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts. The most recent fandom I wrote for is Mass Effect.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? For AO3 (who has kudos):

Anchor (Mass Effect)

Molten (Mass Effect)

Breath (Mass Effect)

Postcards From Palaven (Mass Effect)

Exodus (Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)

For FFN, instead by review count total (as there's no kudos and all my works are here):

With Me (Tekken)

Take Me Back (Tekken)

Just Like Me (Tekken)

Better Than Me (Tekken)

No Tomorrow (Tekken)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes, I always try to engage with those that chose to engage with my fics.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? uhhh prrrobably Anchor (Mass Effect), but like, so much of my writing is angst LOL.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending uh I'm not really a big happy ending writer, so probably All That Matters (Tekken).

8. Do you get hate on fics? Excluding the stalking hater of 11-12 years, no, not really.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes I do / have, no y'all will never see it, no y'all will never know what kind. Nice try, QUIZ.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? I don't write crossovers, not my thing tbh.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Yep, around early 2012.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes, there was a Russian fan who asked to translate some of my HwoaJulia fics to Russian.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes, once, with Danko Kaji.

14. What's your all time favorite ship? Honestly I don't really have a favourite non-OC ship anymore.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? tbh? Probably No Tomorrow. There's 5 chapters left, I haven't touched it in about 10 years, but also the fandom is dead, and what is energy.

16. What are your writing strengths? I don't know tbh. Others years ago said fight scenes. I think dialogue.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I don't really know. I think pacing, I feel like I get too stuck in a scene.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I mean if its just for fanfic which is where a lotta people are learning about writing etc? Sure. In a real published thing? Handle with much much more care.

19. First fandom you wrote for? And published? Tekken. For myself? Soul Calibur and Star Fox.

20. Favorite fic you've written? This was really hard. I couldn't chose an individual favourite but my favourite five were:

Libra (Final Fantasy 7)

Anchor (Mass Effect)

Firestorm (Legend of Korra)

Ashes (Soul Calibur)

Oubliette (Dragon Age)

Tagging those that might be interested (no pressure): @steves-strapcollection @suncesus @dankokaji @briewoodfiction @vinjaryou @lemony-snickers @inchofsalt @bluedangernoodle

#personal

[senkaithegriffin]

Welcome To The Cabin.

Hey there, dunno why you're here but if you'd like to stick around you'd find that the cabin holds many tales and I happen to be the author of most of them. I'll share my stories, OC's, and a bunch of absolutely stupid stuff here because I happen to be oh so incredibly stupid.

You can call me Kai, Senkai, or whatever flutters your wings I guess, I enjoy writing and so I am deciding to share the things I write. It won't be on this blog but maybe if this one catches on enough I have some darker stories I'd like to share too so we'll see how the first cabin does but even now my stories aren't exactly family adventures.

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In the Future, you'll find a List of all of my fic's and links to the full chapter of said stories. I'm considering separating it based on Fandom and having a long list with it being labeled.

The list (No link yet)

A couple of Fandoms you might find me writing for are: Mortal Kombat, Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, Cyberpunk, Dragon Ball, MHA, Warframe, and so much more do note that some of the stories change so much that they're almost unrecognizable.

Before you decide to dive further like I mentioned, for now my stories will start off pretty light but they typically don't stay that way, when I see fit or people express interest the lore type of content I'll post will get darker they'll still be light-hearted stuff on here however. There will be warnings in chapters but here's also a heads-up in case you read this!

Also, some fics simply never get an ending, I do my best to find suitable stories but I know myself, and more than likely if you're looking for an ending it may not be there.

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This is my only blog, it features a little of everything unless I ever see it fit to make another Blog then I'll link it here but for now.

I'll add a Link to my A03 here: Link (Not active yet)

Here you'll find the full chapters of the teasers and snippets I drop here, but Tumblr also gets benefits as I'll explain things, answer questions, and such here. I'll even drop unrelated pieces of lore here occasionally for my stories.

Also since you're here, check out my writing partner @rennsdeaddoves would never be posting any of this let alone writing it without them.

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A few fun Facts I suppose: I go my He/Him

I'm based outta the U.S

I'm beyond the age of consent

You can never really predict what i'm gonna put out because when I watch something new I subconciously make an Oc in my head and it would be wasteful not to put them to work so that's resulted in me making some pretty outlandish stories but it's all in good fun.

My Current focus? I would say My DS Story but it's one of those stories of mine that are super detached, oh and maybe Spiderman, I've been playing the new game so much it's amazing

I turned on questions and some other stuff so go for it, Don't know how to use the block button on here yet but I'll figure it out so don't be a dick.

#introduction post #intro post #gaming #manga #my fic #oc #jjk #Senkai

[selfproclaimedunicorn]

MORE QUESTIONS

what other fandoms do you enjoy outside of ASOIAF?

Lmao, the big list of Things Misa Enjoys

I very much enjoy anime & manga. I got infected with those brain worms back in high school, & they simply will not leave. Particularly into Sailor Moon, which I haven't stopped thinking about since 1999, (I have OCs for that & a fic I'm gonna one day sit down & plot out beyond This Is The Vibe. I have a few things floating around in my brain, but I just haven't made the time to do anything with it. Maybe since I'm at reception for 6 hours I'll do that 🤷🏻‍♀️) & JoJo's (I also have OCs for this one, but no fic. I do have a homebrewed ttrpg system to run a JoJo's campaign with, though. But I need to finish statting enemy Stand Users & some character design. Also it's not a priority because I have an asoiaf campaign trilogy to finish running). I don't read or watch anything with the quickness, so I haven't watched a ton of newer anime or made that much of a dent in my reading of Berserk, but I do enjoy both newer stuff and Berserk. I even have a couple figures from Demon Slayer, which is probably my favorite newer series? It feels very nostalgic to the series I grew up watching.

I was into the Netflix Witcher series, but I haven't been able to bring myself to finish season 3. No amount of Joey Batey tits or confirmed pansexual Jaskier can really build my hype back up when I've heard the last bit of s3 sucked & I know I probably won't watch season 4. I have collected all but the last book of short stories though, so once I've worked through more of my books I need to give a fair shake before donating I plan to start those & get into The Witcher proper.

The Elder Scrolls is very good & fun, & I know the plots of all the mainline games even though I've only ever actually played Skyrim to completion. I have...I have so many OCs for that. And a fic I'm slowly working on that tells the story of the Dawnguard DLC by way of Lapsed Viglant Of Stendarr & Werewolf Vampire Hunter Are Forcibly Adopted As Serana's New Parents (and also I am confirming Serana as, like, eternally 19 because she feels very teenagery/early 20s-y to me). Fun fact: two of my current very close friends (my Platonic Wife included) were made by way of TES (and then another friend was introduced to me by a TES friend). So, thanks for your service, Todd Howard. Y'know, I guess.

It feels very "What are your hobbies? / Magnets." to say, but, like, dolls in general. I've collected porcelain dolls since I was little (but that collection got pared down massively when I moved from Texas), & I'm currently working through a clean/restore/dress/display of my old Bratz dolls. I've also dropped real adult money on dolls to (out of box, bc it sparks joy) display in my apartment. Specifically the Sasha (my best girl) Rock Angelz repro I waited almost a full year to see drop, Heather Greyson from Shadow High, & The Pride Bratz (I had a giftcard). I need to finish cleaning my old Bratz before I drop money on more though. So I know my shelving situation, lmao.

I am not not into Dragon Age, but I also complain about it all the time. I refuse to engage with it in a multimedia way. What I cannot learn by playing the games/have told to me in those games is simply not for me to know. Just...the way the franchise is handled & how it feels very obvious that Bioware wants to tell an incredibly specific story (while still allowing for character creation?), all the lore decisions they're making that feel like retcons/throw away everything I got invested in early (hello the dwarves & the dalish & Alistair's everything), & the increasing non-optional nature of the comics & books...it brings my blood to boil. The games are fun though! I have fun playing the games! And my personal Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor trios can be pried from my cold, dead hands!

I'm gonna be real, I know much more about Th Old World Of Darkness than Vampie v5, but I am into Vampire The Masquerade. This is, again, a "I have learned everything in bursts of hyperfixation that last a varying length of time," but I would very much like to take one of my two special vampire boys out for a spin one day. Because they're there! They exist & they are appropriately melodramatic, & I love them. Evil, fucked up, Hecata thug & flouncy, Catholic For The Aesthetic Toreador music producer my beloveds 💕

#ask #im also casually into batman & the flash #and star trek #but not enough to really make NOTE y'know

[lostthistime]

heyyy so I made a new Targeryan OC 🫣 ima use her for a couple of stories I’m thinking of doing next year

Masterlist • Chapter 1 •

𝑫𝑨𝑬𝑵𝒀𝑹𝑨 𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑮𝑨𝑹𝒀𝑬𝑵

𝑩𝑶𝑹𝑵: 𝑨𝑼𝑮𝑼𝑺𝑻 19, 98 A.C

𝑨𝑭𝑭𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵: TEAM BLACK

𝑩𝑨𝑪𝑲𝑮𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑫: Daughter of Daenerys Targaryen I, and Vaegon Targaryen. Granddaughter of Jaehaerys I and Alysanne Targaryen, and is adopted by Viscerys in 98 AC, when her mother dies.

𝑲𝑵𝑶𝑾𝑵 𝑨𝑺: 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑸𝑼𝑬𝑬𝑵 𝑴𝑨𝑲𝑬𝑹, 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑪𝑨𝑵𝑵𝑰𝑩𝑨𝑳 𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑰𝑵𝑬𝑹, 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑶𝑹𝑷𝑯𝑨𝑵 𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑪𝑬𝑺𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑫𝑹𝑨𝑮𝑶𝑵𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑵𝑬, 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑪𝑹𝑼𝑬𝑳 𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑪𝑬𝑺𝑺, 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑪𝑬𝑺𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑷𝑬𝑶𝑷𝑳𝑬

“Isn’t it frustrating for you? Inviting me here to try to pick apart anything that you don’t like about me to report back to the Queen. You have nothing better to do then be watch dogs? Surely the highborn ladies of Kings Landing haven’t fallen this low?”

“Amusing how men who speak of honor, fill their mouths with gossip like common whores. What honor do you know? Where is the honor in speaking about a princess behind her back? Maybe you should be taught the meaning of honor again since I see your education is severely lacking.”

“You know, what he said was correct. History remembers names, not blood. I call you my nephew because you are my sister’s son and you will be dear to me no matter what blood is in those veins. Now if you hear anymore teasing, come to me. They’ll see we share the blood of the dragon.”

“If they want a war, then we’ll burn that damn Hightower to the ground. Otto and that usurping cunt are sitting high and mighty now, let’s see how they feel when they die screaming.”

Daenyra Targaryen has known loss ever since she was born. When she was 3 months old, her mom died due to complications of her labors. It took her father all but two months, to go off and become a Maester at the citadel. Many say it was due to the heartbreak of losing his only love, but most said it was always his intention to end up there.

Leaving behind his daughter Daenyra, and his claim to the Iron throne, Vaegon Targaryen was the one who proposed for King Jaehaerys to hold the Great Council. The iron throne and Daenyra both ended up in the care of her cousin Viserys, and his wife Aemma who had just had a daughter of their own.

Growing up, Rhaenyra and Daenyra were constantly together. The two took very kindly to one another and were always off somewhere causing mischief together. When they both claimed their dragons, it was one of the most nerve racking days of Viscerys life. Daenyra was the more reckless one of the two surprisingly, she was one to punch first and ask questions later.

She was remarkably intelligent, agile, and brave. She claimed her Dragon at age 8, but it was not the egg that had been put in her cradle by her Cousin Daemon. No, that would have been too easy. The beast that she managed to claim, was the Cannibal. A dragon that she had to sneak around to claim. She renamed the bad tempered beast Karnax, and the once untamable cannibal bended only to the will of the Orphan Princess of Dragonstone.

Despite the rumors about the “Orphan Princess” she was quite capable. The Maesters would call her the reincarnation of Visenya, which was as much of a compliment as it was a warning. She was not the type to sit with things she was not pleased with, and she was as gifted with a sword as she was beautiful. She caught the eye of many lords, receiving marriage offers from the Starks, Lannisters, Raenyeros, and even Baratheons.

Let’s see how she fares in the dance of the dragons. Through the gossiping ladies, the leaching lords, the vulturous council and the promise of freedom hanging right outside her grasp.

One thing is for sure, she will pay back all the tears shed by house Targaryen in fire and blood.

#hotd #house of the dragon #house of the dragon hbo #game of thrones #hbo max #hotd season 1 #targeryan #daemon targaryen #got hbo #got #rhaenyra targaryen #rhaenys velaryon #hotd oc #hotd oc masterlist #house of the dragon original character #house of the dragons #daenerys targeryan #house targaryen #got oc

[lwbu]

Love Will Bury Us

Chapter 1

NEXT CHAPTER

MASTERLIST

pairing: aemond targaryen x targaryen!oc

summary: Alyssa Targaryen cherished chaos, its presence a comforting reminder that she was alive and breathing. But when dragons danced and fire erupted, her chaos was no longer her m own. As the last of control slipped through her fingers, a hand came in its place — cold, possessive and unforgiving, and it belonged to Aemond Targaryen.

content & warnings: f!oc, targcest, so much tension it hurts, slow burn, enemies to lovers, blood and violence, spoilers for hotd, morally grey characters, additional tags to be added

word count: 3.5k

notes: i've become a victim to the babygirlness of aemond targaryen. i’m ashamed to admit that it’s my first time(!!!) using tumblr and i have no idea what i’m doing (please help me). english is not my first language. all feedback is very appreciated. also on ao3 and wattpad.

Alyssa Targaryen came to a world flooded with blood and scorched by fire, with the distant wails of a lone, scaled beast soaring through the sky swallowing her cries.

Darkness crawled in through the window in one, swift movement, covering her pale body as though understanding of the secrecy blended with shame. It was quiet after that; the room empty but for two heartbeats singing the same tune to the rhythm of despair. There was a touch—brief and bittersweet, a mere caress that could never last long enough. When someone spoke, the words lacked boldness that might produce a shield against the dragon's shriek; because of that, they were immediately swallowed as well.

It was hasty, the way the child was taken from one resigned arms to another. It was soft and rich, the material of unfamiliar texture that covered the girl's frail figure. Then came steps—harsh, long, rushed, followed by heavy breathing, accompanied by strong hands that could easily cause damage but mercifully chose not to. Lights flickered, warm and orange, nearly comforting if one recognised their being. All sounds were muffled and blinded by the radiance. Corridors tapered and soon were met with endless stairs. Somewhere behind the door closed and with that came a definite end of something that had yet to begin.

The child came in the night, and in the night it disappeared.

It was a dreadful afternoon followed by even more of a dreadful evening. Any chance to escape the uneasiness that came with tension and trepidation present in the air seemed to have long vanished. Terror, in all its glory and strength, succeeded in penetrating each wall and room, and bathed the whole place in its stench. Each word spoken in either reluctant whisper or agitated snarl fuelled the suspense, although the outcome could no longer be proclaimed unpredicted. At times, even those who had never been dreamers were able to tell what the future holds.

When things got tense, Alyssa Targaryen could usually be found on her dragon's back, somewhere between the clouds and what laid even higher above. She enjoyed the moments of solitude, cherished the way her heart became one with that of Blindfyre. Her dragon, young in his age though never quite playful when compared to others, appeared to appreciate the stolen moments with only his rider even more so. He ascended the sky, all dark wings and darker yet tail, and breathed endless fire as though to replace the unseen clouds with thick smoke. He moved speedily but never with grace, his colourless eyes too sickly to ever catch a sight of what's before him. Disabled, he was called, and unfit for Alyssa to mount him. Riding atop Blindfyre was always a danger; the girl refused to acknowledge his uselessness and repeatedly rebelled against the words of men who had no love for the beast. After all, she and Blindfyre were one—no force in the whole realm would succeed in breaking their fierce bond. It was forged by urgency and desperation, and devotion everlasting in its depth.

During their shared moments, Alyssa would contentedly take the lead. It felt as though, in those times high in the air, her eyes became the dragon's own; his most valuable possession not once failing him. Her father had often voiced his displeasure with loud claims about the annoyance growing each time Alyssa chose to disobey him. Alyssa knew, however, that if the frustration of Daemon Targaryen had ever been truly genuine, she'd not have been able to fly once.

Or maybe she had grown too tired of accepting her father's bullshit. It would be his fault, too; he had taught her not to easily bend to someone's will.

As Blindfyre soared through the last of daylight, Alyssa's thoughts firmly remained within the walls where she knew screams of pain and sorrow could be heard. Childbirth was described as a tragic duty of unstoppable nature. It brought equal amounts of beauty and ugliness, the latter much more sensible in the eyes of a girl her age. Babes fought their way out of mothers' wombs all the time, yet there was no guarantee of success for them. The harsh, cold world offered no promise of a first breath and cry. Oftentimes, failure was inevitable, unforgiving with its brutal clutch and chilling embrace. Oftentimes, women paid the price of wanting to fulfil their duty with lives and, unwillingly, took children with them.

Alyssa knew both duty and her heart's desire to ignore it. Just as men fought on battlefield, women experienced bloodshed in the privacy of their chambers. Idly, she wondered just how easy it would be to once again disobey orders and act against all that was expected.

Too easy, perhaps, with the sheer power of her defiant nature.

Never easy enough when met with the deep rooted imbalance of rights of those who ruled and those who kneeled.

It didn't matter just yet, so she reduced her thoughts to nothingness and focused on her dragon's roar.

The wind was harsh as it brushed through her hands, the air biting into the skin on her face, a wild smile that didn't reach her eyes. Though Blindfyre was content to aimlessly wander around, Alyssa couldn't keep her mind astray from the events currently taking place not too far away. With deep frustration, she urged the dragon to return to the ground. Though unsatisfied, he obliged, falling down and brushing his wings against the earth.

"Shijetra issa," she muttered, gentle hands against hard, hot scales. Forgive me.

Although she'd much rather disappear entirely, fly away as far as north, or perhaps beyond the Wall to never be found again, Alyssa walked the familiar path leading to the chambers her father shared with the lady Laena.

Leana Velaryon brought kindness with her presence; unconditional and warm, and at times nearly overwhelming for a girl who knew not what to make of it. She reminded Alyssa of the sun; and as the sun was unreachable even for the most fearless of dragonriders, so was a place in Laena's heart. Alyssa quickly came to accept the fact that, while always sympathetic, the woman would never allow her the forbidden space somewhere deep inside her chest. With that, she learned to never much expect it. Instead, came the appreciation for the soft voice and softer yet words, and at times a tender touch to the cheek. Replacing her heart's desperate desires with those much more reasonable of her mind, Alyssa existed in peace and Laena was right there next to her.

The woman's first pregnancy went smoothly enough, both children healthy and very much the mix of Targaryen and Velaryon genes. Alyssa had been too young to remember it but she had often heard Laena retelling the story of the birth over and over again, smiling softly at her daughters. It was said she had been glowing back then, all sparkling eyes and gentle laugh, and even with the end nearing she had bravely climbed atop the mighty Vhagar and flown around for hours. This pregnancy had been different; the day when it ought to end came with nervousness instead of excitement, Laena's glow long since faded.

Alyssa was supposed to meet her first brother, the moment both dreaded and awaited with impatience. She couldn't quite imagine a little boy running around in the place that so clearly belonged to women. Everywhere one's eyes laid, there were good-natured touches that could only be imprinted by female hands. Now, a man would be born and if gods made him to Daemon's likeness, chaos would surely follow his every step. Alyssa briefly wondered if then, she'd be able to forge a deep connection with the child. If they both resembled their father, maybe finding solace in each other would come naturally, just like with riders and their dragons. It was a nice thought and something warm bloomed inside of her.

It vanished once she caught a glimpse of her father's figure.

Stories had been spread through the whole realm and what lay outside of it about the Rogue Prince, the wild dragon, the untamed beast unfit for the role of a king. He was laughed upon, ridiculed for being replaced by a little girl in the chase for the Iron Throne. He was feared, the tales of his ruthlessness echoing through castles and ruins, told by both common folk and lords, always with a mention of the blood he had spilled. Daemon Targaryen was a man who, at his every step, met people who had at least once heard of him and had no place in their hearts for creating a factual opinion on his character. He's closer to a god, they would say.

Now, Daemon Targaryen stood in the corridor, looking very much human. His posture was rigid, head hung low, breathing irregular and gaze absentminded. Alyssa watched him for just a moment before realisation sank into her lungs, poisoning them with smoke, and she saw fire, fire, fire.

"Kepa?" Her voice so small she suddenly felt like a child again, even more so when Daemon looked in her direction. When he said nothing, she repeated with hesitation, "father?"

"Dōna hāedar," he murmured, the endearment followed by familiar warmness. He never stopped calling her a sweet girl.

To her, he was no god, just a father.

"Driftmark ought to be lovely this moon around."

Laena Velaryon was kind. But kindness was a fragile thing, as her father had taught her, and when it appeared, it could never last long enough to soak it in. Accepting this as a fact, too, the young girl—a child, still—forced the ability to not expect more than is given or can be forcefully taken into existence. And when Laena was claimed by fire, Alyssa didn't allow too much grief and misery crawl into her chest. Instead of it came anger. It threatened to suffocate her with its cold hands, the claws sharp when they sank in her throat, a violent whisper pushing her to scream.

And scream, she would.

Lovely was not a word fit to describe Driftmark. Alyssa didn't care much about places she'd seen so far and High Tide with all its silvery roofs was no exception. Blindfyre, similarly, was overtaken by uneasiness, his wings barely managing to keep his distracted body from falling. With furrowed eyebrows, Alyssa offered quick words of encouragement, but they remained ignored. Accepting his silent pleas for peace that came with isolation, she let her feet touch the ground.

The day was sunny and warm, and childishly Alyssa hoped that it was Laena's brightness that brought this weather. Her father had yet to show his face, more than likely swallowing his torment down with bitterness of wine. Rhaenys Targaryen had come to offer some soft words and a kiss to the forehead before taking off with Baela and Rhaena. Corlys was unapproachable, a fact she had recognised years earlier. With Blindfyre so desperate to be left alone, Alyssa was forced to welcome silence.

Singing and reading books were two things she enjoyed, but none of them seemed proper in the middle of this anguish. Embroidery could only ever serve as a means of making her more miserable. Her maid whom she had clung onto many moons ago, Inid, was too busy with whatever preparations were required inside the castle. Some hours later, the two of them would likely exchange expressive and amused comments on lords they'd encountered and tasks Inid had managed to make a complete mess of. For now, all that was left was watching.

The king arrived along with his family and aura of importance. Her uncle had always been a good man, much more approachable than his children and lady wife. He enjoyed Alyssa's singing and questions, and entertained them with solid easiness. Sometimes, Alyssa cursed the ways in which the Targaryens functioned. She thought she'd savour additional moments of time spent among her family and that perhaps they, in turn, would grow to be fond of it. As it was, each moment with them seemed stolen and silently disallowed.

Oh, but the king's children.

Rhaenyra Targaryen was an enigma unbent to Alyssa's curiosity. She didn't know much about the woman but for the unmistakable moments of held breath and distracted gaze whenever her name was spoken in the presence of Daemon. The man himself rarely mentioned his niece; it was to be expected, for he had taken to ignoring his family altogether. Rhaenyra stood now with her children, a small circle of unexplained mismatch, and her eyes often wandered around as though searching for something. This, the girl decided, was undoubtedly interesting; this, she'd chose to watch instead of engaging in the feigned politeness of small talk with lords of even smaller significance.

Something in the Princess's whole existence compelled Alyssa, invisible strings attempting to pull her closer to the woman. Lives so uncommon and otherworldly, defying rules and laws, and the ways long accepted, had always managed to intrigue the girl. There she stood, a woman of beauty, and yet it was not the pretty face that made others watch her every move. Rhaenyra was the embodiment of the standards collapsing, a gentle power of taking more than should be given. Where intimidation ought to be blooming, excitement stole its place. Alyssa's ambition swirled in a wild dance within her brain, questions forming one after another, none of them making much sense. Deciding to be stubborn and not indulge in her mind's games, she stayed frozen in her spot.

When Rhaenys returned, she placed her caring hand on Alyssa's shoulder. "You should join your sisters."

The twins held hands and kept their silence, and though Alyssa couldn't shake off the feeling of intrusion, she didn't allow her insecurities to push her aside. The distance between her and her sisters was not one visible to the world but nevertheless existing. This, too, she had learned to accept.

Though lady Laena was no mother to her, the loss still cut through her heart and soul. Some stray tears managed to make their way down her cheeks and Alyssa decided against hiding them. After all, what damage could a few seconds of mourning do? Surely, Laena Velaryon would not be insulted. Perhaps, if she were there, she'd even brush through Alyssa's hair and whisper some words of comfort. Perhaps—just perhaps—no one would frown upon her state of distress.

Daemon Targaryen made an appearance and, as always, managed to make those around him both uncomfortable and offended. He left just as rapidly and Alyssa knew better than to search for him. At times, when two dragons too similar in their temper collided, fire was sure to grow into havoc.

When night came and both her sisters disappeared in one of the many chambers, she once again found herself beside Blindfyre. A song was sang in quiet voice, her only confidant either blissfully unaware of the words or tired of her lingering company. She sang what reminded her of days now lost, days of sunshine and sand, and cheerful laugh. Somewhere in the sky came an answer—a familiar sound of an old dragon rising to the clouds. Vhagar was a lone creature and never much valued the closeness of others. She would be seen thousand of times with her rider, Laena, as they both ran away from everything touched by people. When Laena chose to stay on the ground, Vhagar would return to her seclusion.

Now, Laena was dead, but Vhagar was not alone.

Alyssa jumped to her feet, a quick pat to Blindfyre's wing a parting gesture. Could it have been Rhaena, always so full of sadness and shame for not having a bond with a dragon? The girl had always thought less of herself due to that, inferiority overtaking her senses when she watched her sisters and parents hovering overhead. Perhaps now, although mixed with tragedy, came the moment when Rhaena could find her peace. Alyssa wished it to be true so much that somehow, somewhere deep inside, appeared the understanding that it simply wasn't. Rhaena wouldn't have tried to claim a dragon in the middle of the night, especially the one that followed her lady mother's funeral.

She walked much more slowly than she wished to, infuriation already blazing in her stare. When she finally noticed movement ahead, it was that of the familiar figures of both her sisters and cousins. Alyssa followed them without wavering. Their voices were loud and heated, and when another one—unfamiliar—mentioned the fate of Laena, Alyssa bit her lip in apprehension of what was destined to follow. All hesitance left her body at once, though, when her sister was punched.

There was a sense of comfort that chaos brought. Perhaps it was due to her father's obvious enjoyment of it, though his own chaos had always been a controlled one and never strayed from the path the man had chosen for it. Now, however, the chaos was unclaimed and unfamiliar. Some voice whispered to Alyssa, urging her to take it as her own. With shallow breath, she emerged from the shadows, one pale eyebrow arched, violet eyes unblinking and already piercing through a blonde boy's head. Instead of sheepishness, Alyssa met resistance. For a moment, then, she though that perhaps this very chaos had already been claimed and now there was nothing else to do but share it.

Aemond Targaryen held her gaze, something purely triumphant in his expression, dangerous glint behind his eyes. He looked unsurprised at her sudden appearance, as though he had expected nothing else. He stood at an awkward height, not quite a man yet, though no longer a toddler running after his older siblings. His face hadn't changed much during the years she had spent away. Even now, there was a touch of childishness in his cheeks. Out of sheer spite, Alyssa wished he would forever remain in this state of appearance; perhaps no soul in all of Westeros would ever be able to treat the child-like features seriously.

"Touch my sister again," she told him, voice steady despite the rapid beating of her heart. "Go ahead. Touch her and lose your hand."

"This doesn't concern you, bastard."

She had heard the word bastard before, many a time uttered to her ears alone, and was aware of the negativity and harshness of it. Still, Alyssa had never come to associate it with herself. She was simply what she had been her whole life—a girl, a dragon, and quite clearly motherless. Never a bastard, though; Daemon Targaryen had not once shied away from implementing his justice on those who dared call her that. And with his brother, the king's support, there was not a thing in the world that could possibly stop his fury.

She was, however, conflicted about the word falling out of a prince's mouth. Surely, the consequences could not be the same when it was the king's own son.

Surely, the fury could this time be hers and hers alone.

"You seem desperate to have your body maimed, Cousin." A step followed by another, eyes still locked in the same spot. He didn't blink once. Alyssa offered a smile. "If I had known your wishes, I would have gladly taken your tongue long ago.”

"Alyssa!" Baela's voice was loud and so very similar to her late mother's that Alyssa thought she'd cry. "You have to stop. The King–"

"The King will be saddened to hear of the disregard his own son treats his word with," she interrupted. "I'm no bastard and neither are they."

The Prince actually snorted, some of his hair falling onto his pale face. He looked like this very moment was the most fun he'd had in a long time.

"Are you as blind as your cripple of a dragon or simply stupid, Cousin?"

"Are you usually such a cunt?"

It was all rushed after that. Aemond, clearly not used to being called a cunt—the boy hadn't spent much time with Daemon—surged forward in one, long stride, his hand landing on her cheek the same moment her tightly balled fist found his jaw. Someone let out an enraged roar not unlike that of a dragon; someone pulled her away just when she almost managed to catch a strand of blond hair and rip it off.

Alyssa was blinded with wrath that threatened to break out when a dagger appeared in young Lucerys's small hand. She felt her own blood boil as crimson spilled freely down Aemond's face, covering half of it.

It seemed important to watch his suffering. It seemed fitting when his one eye found hers, carrying a sweet promise of violence.

It seemed like a starting point with no clear finale.

#aemond targaryen #aemond fic #aemond smut #aemond x oc #house of the dragon #hotd #targaryen!oc #daemon targaryen #aemond is a babygirl #hotd fanfic #ao3 fanfic #aemond one eye #aemond x original character

[delicatefade]

WIP Wed: "I don't love it?"

Another wed, another excerpt from my kissy kissy elves draft. Dragon age setting, but it’s all OCs. My OC is Eilan Lavellan and @bluewren’s OC is Lex Lavellan.

Lex had been gone for 7 months. He returned earlier that day. He and Eilan spent the day with their clan. This is their first evening together, alone. CW: Kissy wissy? Questionable facial hair? WIP Wed tagging @inquisimer @bluewren @mrslyncx @breninarthur @nirikeehan@theluckywizard@monocytogenes@sunshowerdandelion@narravero@varric-tethras-editor@melisusthewee@rosella-writes@warpedlegacywrites wc: 622

Unwed Dalish youths were not given tents. They had to make do with nature’s hidden alcoves. Luckily, Lex and Eilan knew just the spot, the very same clearing in the woods that had witnessed their love blossom a year ago. The walk from camp to the clearing would have taken all of ten minutes were it not for their frequent stops. “Gods I missed your touch,” she whispered. Their lips were raw from kissing. He had her pinned against a tree, his body pressed against hers.

He cupped her face in one hand — she loved it when he did that. He must have known for he did it often. Lex looked at her like she was the most precious and beautiful thing he had ever seen, though he had never said as much in so many words. She told herself that if forced to choose between that look or those words, she would choose that look. His thumb tugged on her lower lip. She mewled softly. His hands fumbled with the layers she wore. Their breaths made little plumes in the frost of early spring. “The clearing,” she panted, cheek to cheek. Twenty minutes and four amorous detours later, they reached the clearing. Tempting as it may have been to tear off each other’s clothes and make love with abandon, they had learned after many months of meeting in the wilds in all kinds of weather that a little preparation went a long way. The ground had not yet thawed. The night would plummet into a chill. The forest’s proximity to a shemlen city meant that precautions needed to be taken against potential human threats. They worked together to prepare the camp. Lex set down a thick mat to shield them from the cold earth. Eilan contributed an extra wide scarf that doubled as a blanket. Their old fire pit was still there, though a little worse for wear. Lex tended to it, commanding the overgrowth to clear with an arcane whisper. As he did so, Eilan activated the warding runes that they had carved a year ago into the trees that ringed the clearing. She thought of making a joke, that they should get married if only to claim a tent at camp and make love whenever they wished. She thought better of it. Lex lit the fire pit with a burst of magic. The flames roared and burned without fuel. He sat on the mat and guided Eilan to sit astride his lap. In the firelight they looked at each other, smitten anew. He tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. That enamored look returned to his eyes. “What?” she said coyly. “What?” He smiled at her flirtation. “That look.” “What look?” She shrugged one shoulder cheekily. “That look.” Lex tipped his head to the side, seemingly confused. Eilan’s brows lifted expectantly, as if by pretending that what she spoke of were obvious would make it so. Lex chuckled. “What, babe?” Never mind. She relaxed out of her expectant posture and masked her disappointment by stroking the patchy stubble on his chin. “What about this?” He rubbed the thin wisp of hair. “I’m thinking of growing it out.” Elves were not known for their ability to grow facial hair, and Lex, for all his talents and looks, was no exception. “Oh!” Her smile froze in place. “Really?” “Woooow! You hate it!” Lex laughed. “No-no! Well, it’s just that—” “Oh you really, really hate it.” Eilan winced and confessed regretfully, “I don’t love it?” He laughed harder. “Alright, miss hard-to-impress. Message received. Let’s see what you think of your gifts.” “Gifts, plural.” “Mhm.” He wagged his brows triumphantly as he pulled his pack closer. “Okay, gift number one.”

#dragon age fanfiction #eilan lavellan #lex lavellan #clan lavellan #dalish elves #dragon age fic #delicatefade excerpts #wip excerpt #wip wednesday #elf love #kissy kissy #youths in love

[fktonofwhatnow]

Is anyone else absolutely terrified of how SJM is going to write Elain's book because I AM

I think it's time I finally actually try to put a cohesive post together about the world building of this series because uhhhhh it's BAD.

Ok so, pretty generic epic dark fantasy setting right? Pinnacle of Pinterest fantasy boards with high contrast-low exposure pictures of fancy dresses and knives and men's abs and vague enough cultural references that it's not enough to be appropriation but you know it's ethnic and stolen images of people's dragon age elf OCs--

Anyways, this all ties into Elain, and her powers and stuff. Bc if your world is build just on the aesthetic, your magic system will suffer. It would be okay to not have a thought out magic system, and there are ways to have a vague magic system (e.g, The Chronicles of Narnia, LoTR, stuff like that) that work, but uh... Not if you give every single one of your characters epic magical powers. It... Kinda has to make sense in order for the story to make sense, you can't just pull this shit out of your ass, hate to break it to you. If your magic doesn't have rules, then your world doesn't have rules, and then your story doesn't have rules. And then why do we even care about the conflict, can't the characters just idk, blast their enemies into oblivion, since they can do whatever they want? You see what I'm saying?

Like ok, Nesta's power already makes no sense. I thought Feyre was the most powerful ever but now Nesta is the most powerful ever and I'm concerned to see how Elain is gonna top that.

And the thing about that IS: Elain is gonna have to be the most powerful in her own book right

It's actually an issue I've noticed in a lot of people who make characters: their characters always have to be the best and the strongest. I used to rp with a few friends, and I stopped doing so bc their characters always had to be better than mine, regardless of how good I established my own characters were, or how good my canon muses canonically were. My friends wouldn't let my characters be better than them. (They also always blamed my characters for every misunderstanding like conflict doesn't drive plot and my characters didn't also have thoughts and feelings of their own cough couGH sound familiar Mrs Maas)

In the entirety of ASOSF, I was out here BAFFLED by the amount of time SJM spent trying to prove that Nesta was the new strongest and best ever, while also trying to make sure that we knew that Feyre and Rhysand (mostly Rhysand bc Feyre was preggers uwu) were the still the strongest and best ever, and at some point I was like "why do these people still have problems" bc Briallyn was a plot point for like half a chapter before they straight up kicked her ass and then the next biggest problem was Feyre not being able to have a baby...? I though y'all were the strongest and best ever, can't y'all just reset the entire universe if it suits your fancy JJBA style at this point?

Ok so back to Elain....

Yeah so like, my question is: How is Elain's super vague and cryptic and horribly written poetic "Seer" power gonna top all this? (watch her be the one who can open fuckin portals n stuff just watch)

I would absolutely love it if Elain's book is just a slow(er) paced love(ish) story and it's soft and gentle and we don't need to demolish kingdoms and create portals into the multiverse and find random vague magical items with little to no sound worldbuilding behind them besides a keysmash of a name and another ancient war

It would be so cool if Elain gets to be the one doing the rebuilding, maybe she goes to help the Summer Court out, or maybe even the Spring Court! Maybe she meets sweet new friends and forms long lasting and meaningful relationships! My girl needs to feel needed, and she needs to help those in need.

But watch them have to find even more weird artifacts and stuff that only Elain can control or whatever and there's some new random enemy with no sound worldbuilding behind them either bc SJM Couldn't pull a character plot twist to save her damn life like god FORBID Eris actually have ulterior motives and be like evil or whatever nah we have to hear all about this random new guy who is terrorizing the Night Court now and then there's an ABSOLUTELY ATROCIOUS love triangle/square with Lucien in there bc I guess he really hasn't suffered enough yet and also Gwyn even though she's new BUT Azriel looked at her like twice so its fair game I guess-

Or maybe the whole book will just be about Azriel and how he's into a bunch of kinky shit idk I bet it will be tho-

#elain archeron #azriel acotar #anti sjm #anti sjms awful character writing #lucien vanserra #gwyn berdara #pro elain