Here there be Runaway Dragons.

Sideblog belonging to RunawayDragons. Gonna hide here for a bit and see if tumblr will be kinder to my original posts if I use this blog instead. *fingers crossed*

[runawaydragons]

Important Stuff

RunawayDragons -> ArcaneSchemes

(temporarily only using the sideblog so please follow me there)

Please read my statement regarding transformative works and use of my fanworks and fics below: - Please do not create podfics based off of my fanworks/fics. - I welcome translations based off of my fanworks! If you create translations based on my fanwork/fic, please use the “Inspired by” link on AO3 and tag me if possible. - I happily welcome fanart based off of my fanworks/fics! If you create fanart based on my fanwork or fic, please let me know, and use the “Inspired by” link on AO3. - Please ask me before creating recursive works (prequels/sequels) based off of my fanworks/fics. - Please ask me before creating remixes based off of my fanworks/fics. - Please ask me before creating fanbinding based off of my fanworks/fics. - And Please check in with me before creating other types of fanworks based off my fanworks/fics. - I do not give permission for any of my fanworks or fics to be used for anything involving AI, Generative AI, or anything intended for resale or profit. I can be contacted via a comment on the fic/fanwork that you are interested in making something about, as well as by being tagged or messaged via Tumblr or Bluesky.

Links:

My Dragon Age Characters Post

My AO3 Profile

My Bluesky profile

My Linktree

Fan Fic Spotlight:

Dragon Age Kiss Week 2025

Completed - 7/7 Chapters My submissions for the #DAkiss25 event here on tumblr.

Blood That Sings The Same

Completed - 129/129 A Rookanis slow burn fic featuring my nonbinary Grey Warden Rook, Nadarevas Thorne, and the DATV gang.

The Side Quest

Completed - 10 Chapters Viago De Riva and Mary Brithari Surana team up to retrieve Matteo De Riva from the ass end of Thedas, and an unlikely friendship develops. (BTSTS side story)

Prequels

Uncompleted - 7/? Chapters A collection of short stories/drabbles that take place before the events of DATV and Blood That Sings The Same. Starting with Lucanis and Spite in the Ossuary before they were freed.

The Werewolf & The Spirit Hound (Friendship Is Magic)

A collection of crossover stories featuring @avoskorm's Jovus Hassildor and my Mary Brithari Surana getting into trouble in the Dragon Age universe, during DATV.

[zheizhgg-deactivated20260413]

[userfish]

this pride month we’re all going to be radically pro transgender. or else.

[userfish]

hey so this means radically pro ALL transgender. don’t put limitations on this. all trans people are radically accepted here.

[arcaneschemes]

First ever outdoor archery competition tomorrow (72 arrows at 50m). Supposed to be 50°f with 20 mile an hour winds so it will feel like 36°f with some small chance for rain...

Also sorta extra stressed because of the whole being a parent thing. Havoc has to come with us, and I don't want her to freeze, or get into trouble.

Fingers crossed it goes okay. T_T

[arcaneschemes]

HEY SO YEAH.... That small chance for rain? It ended up raining for almost the whole thing. Also the wind kept gusting and changing direction.

I lost an arrow. T_T

Havoc had a great time, because she had her sleeping bag and my Nintendo Switch to play Pokemon on. Hubby brought a pop up tent we own and staked it into the ground really well, so she stayed warm and dry while the rest of us froze.

I won for funniest moment, lol. I took out the flag on top of the bale, hitting it so hard the piece of wood exploded. Then, in the second half, I fucking took it out again. 🤣🥲

I was the only one on my bale who had feather fletchings, and boy did it show. The rain completely fucked with them and they got very unpredictable as a result. So it looks like I might have to invest in some vanes instead.

We had fun, even though we got soaked through and frozen. Hubby had a good time, kids also had fun, and we all made it out alive. ^_~

Tomorrow hubby and I got back for the Master's Games, which is only for those who are 30 and up. It's supposed to be warmer and not raining then, so that will be good. (Fingers crossed.)

Grateful for the archery community, because that could have easily been miserable, but everyone was in it together and so nice. We had multiple issues of tents blowing away and people having to scramble to deal with the chaos when the wind got really bad. Everyone opted to skip the lunch break and keep moving so we could just get through it too. People shared everything they had, whether it was tents or hand warmers. It was reaffirming that people can be good. 💜

Gonna go shower so I can defrost, now that all my stuff is laid out to dry. Then I plan on getting comfortable and cuddling with my dog.

[arcaneschemes]

First ever outdoor archery competition tomorrow (72 arrows at 50m). Supposed to be 50°f with 20 mile an hour winds so it will feel like 36°f with some small chance for rain...

Also sorta extra stressed because of the whole being a parent thing. Havoc has to come with us, and I don't want her to freeze, or get into trouble.

Fingers crossed it goes okay. T_T

[arcaneschemes]

THE ARCHERY GODS WERE MERCIFUL AND KIND!!!

aka Archery Post time >_>

On Wednesday Jay told me that unfortunately the points for the Avance Sport arrows he was trying to order for me were backordered... Then, just minutes later, a box was delivered.

That box contained arrow shafts.

Arrow shafts they'd ordered many months ago and that had been backordered...

There was Easton Vector 600 spine shafts in that box!!!!

So I told him I'd buy them immediately, ran and grabbed the fletching I got myself in December, and then paid him to build me some new arrows.

Y'all, I thought I was screwed for next weekend. A weekend full of 6 arrow ends when I only had 7 arrows left, felt like almost guaranteeing I'd break more...

But now I have a full dozen arrows for the first time ever, and they're the correct spine, and the model arrow I wanted for this outdoor season!

And then I showed up to take Chaos to his class yesterday and Jay had the arrows already fletched! He put the points in while I warmed up and then I got to take them for a test ride. 💜

It took me a little bit to adjust, but once I did, I immediately started grouping again. Oh man, it felt so good! After six months straight of struggling, I finally felt like I was back on track.

I think I need to recalibrate my plunger now, as I'd switched it to a softer spring, which worked well with the old arrows. But these new ones seem to need a little more resistance.

I am just so damn happy I have arrows that work for me now. 🥰

[arcaneschemes]

Archery Post

I tried multiple times yesterday to make a post with pictures, but the stupid hellsite app ate the post each time and refused to do its job. *heavy sigh*

Archery remains my sanity saving outlet.

New limbs and I get along great now. Especially since I got my new string a couple weeks ago. Shooting with a string made for my style of shooting, as well as being the proper length, made a huge difference. Shocking, I know. ^_~

However, my arrows are spineing/spining too weak now. I've been shooting with the same Easton Vector 800 spine arrows since I first got my bow 11 months ago. They are great bang for the buck, forgiving, durable, and I have no real complaints about them. However with the current weight I'm pulling, I need a 600 spine arrow, as my 800s are going right consistently to an annoying degree. I wanted to get more Vectors in the right spine, but they've been backordered for over a month now, which puts me in a bind, as I only have 7 arrows at the moment.

In other archery news, the biggest bit of excitement for me is that I finally got my way and the hubby now has a working compound bow and has started shooting with us!!! He's having fun and making friends, and it makes me so happy. He works so much and he really needed a hobby that wasn't just another version of his work, and wasn't dependent on the weather. I convinced him to try out the evening adult class at the range, and he even signed up for it (I will join when I can if we have a babysitter available, but last night I was with the kids at a library program).

I've gotten to shoot outside twice now. First time was incredibly humbling. ^^;;

Second time was also humbling, but still very fun. Until practicing outside, I'd never shot further than 25m. The second time was for the NFAA Try Field Archery Day. 12 of us got taken through the field archery course by our coaches and some members of the club that was hosting the event. The course had targets ranging from 10yds, to 80yds, on a variety of terrain, that was spread out over a roughly 1 mile loop. I only broke one arrow and didn't lose any! Which is a win in my book. I also got most of my arrows on the bale at least, except for the 80yd target, which I couldn't hit (yet).

I am excited and nervous for my first outdoor archery competition at the end of the month, which will be at 50m. There is a second comp the day after, just for ages 30+, where you shoot 30 arrows each at 60yds, 50yds, and 40yds. That one I'm only doing for the fun factor, as I convinced the hubby to do it with me.

I had to buy a new finger tab, because with the added poundage my current one wasn't thick enough and my ring finger started experiencing vasospasm which is super painful and a health issue I've dealt with before.

I really wish I had an easy way to get some outdoor practice, but alas our yard is too small and our neighbors are too close.

EDITING TO ADD: Yeah I wrote this 4 or 5 days ago. Time is an elusive thing for me lately. To make matters worse it's been unseasonably hot here and that makes it even harder for me to function.

Also in the cute-shit department, Hubby confessed the other night that the reason he was so reluctant to take up archery was because he didn't want to take over what he considers my hobby/interest, as he knows how good its been for me. I reassured him that I was good, and am very happy that we have something we can do together again that works with our schedules (mostly). <3

[arcaneschemes]

Archery Post

So Coach decided to torture everyone today. He grouped us adults in with the JOAD kiddos, told us to shoot two practice ends, and then we did a speed 300 round (5 ends of 6 arrows). Once that was done he divided us all into teams and had us to a tag team match. It was fun and full of smiles and laughter.

This is only my third time shooting with the new limbs, and I'm finally starting to get used to them. I also put hockey grip tape on my grip, and that seemed to work pretty well to stop my hand from slipping. But we'll see how it holds up... Every time I got a grouping of three or more arrows I was super happy. It felt really good to see that I'm on the right track, and that I'm starting to regain some of my consistency.

When I got home I had some much anticipated mail!

I'm more than a little pleased with having earned two medals at big competitions despite only participating in this sport for less than a year. I have no grand plans to become super competitive or anything like that. But I am a bit competitive so I won't lie that it's rather satisfying to win some hardware. ^_~

[runawaydragons]

Archery Post

I shot a 600 round quick yesterday with the new limbs. It was a mixed bag, but I wasn't as frustrated. I need to get used to them, and the additional weight. The long limbs definitely seem to fit me better. ^^

Chaos is in love with my old limbs, and his coach assured me they will be enough for him to be able to compete in the field archery competitions we are planning on doing.

I also got the official email from the NFAA that the sectionals scores have been finalized, and they're shipping me a medal. I came in second for all of New England in my division, which I'm pretty proud of. XD

Trying to focus on the good things, as I have to go endure dinner at my in-laws shortly.

[arcaneschemes]

I posted this to the wrong blog 🤦‍♀️

[arcaneschemes]

Archery post.

So since Nationals I've been struggling to get consistent with my shooting again. First problem was the arrow rest debacle, but I got that fixed. Me being me, I always assume I'm the problem first, which is definitely part of the reason I didn't realize the arrow rest problem for too long.

I've come a long way in just the last four months, let alone the last ten months. I actually shot fairly well at NFAA Sectionals, but I still struggled with the same fucking problems. Which made it extra frustrating because I knew that I could do better, but something was off and I just couldn't figure it out.

I fucking figured it out last week.

I have gotten too strong for my current limbs. So when I'm at full expansion I'm having a really hard time keeping my draw arm stable because there isn't enough tension for me to hold against. Being hypermobile means I need that feedback from the bow because I don't get it from my body. That probably made no sense, but it does in my head.

So after a chat with the coaches, we maxed out my limbs to get me a little more weight to test my theory. It instantly felt better, and my arrows reflected that. I have 26lb medium limbs, that were pulling just shy of 28lbs with where they were at before we maxed them out. So I probably got to 29ish lbs with them maxed out. So after practicing with those for a bit, it was time to figure out what I need to plan for in terms of upgrading my limbs.

I'm 5'9", with a wingspan that is longer than it should be for my height (if I don't get tall sizes, sleeves are always way too short for me). So I asked if maybe I should look into getting long limbs rather than mediums, on top of getting a higher draw weight. So Coach brought out a pair of 30lb long limbs he'd bought for his son, that he'd used twice before going to something even heavier. We put them on my riser, and I shot three arrows with them. Instantly I felt way more stable, and without trying hard those three arrows grouped nice and tight. We hadn't adjusted my riser either, so those 30lb limbs were at the highest setting too, which meant I was pulling a lot more than 30lbs.

So after a lot of discussion, and thought, I'm pretty sure I want 34lb long limbs. We could back them all the way off to get them close to 30lbs, so I don't hurt myself by jumping up in weight too quickly, while still having enough weight to keep me comfortable for a good while. If I'm going to get new limbs, I want to get a higher quality limb, now that I'm enjoying competitions and have the skill to get the benefits of a better limb. So to get the mid-grade limb that is the same tier as my riser, would be $350 plus tax for the limbs. That's a lot of money right now. Plus I'd need to order a new bowstring as my strings would be too short, so that's another $65. I have a birthday coming up in june, and I think maybe that's the only thing I'll ask for, as archery has been very good for my mental and physical health.

But that doesn't help me right now. I don't want to stop shooting until I can get new limbs, but right now I'm just not having much fun when all I can do is struggle because of my stupid disabled body. I've vented about all this to my spouse, who understands and is doing his best to be supportive. Also I don't want my archery stuff to get in the way of Chaos' archery goals, so that's a factor too. He's also going to need new limbs soon, as he's just about 5'8" and has grown a ton since we got him his bow last year.

So my thought is to see if we can buy me the used pair of 30lb long limbs, which I can use until the summer, when hopefully I can get some birthday gifts to get the 34lb ones. Chaos will get my current limbs, which are the same poundage as his, but a better quality limb. Then when I get the heavier limbs, he'll probably be ready for the 30lb limbs, so those will become his.

We really want to do field archery this year, and we both need more weight to hit the longer distances anyways, so I think this plan makes sense. Right?

Arrows are going to have to wait, as the ones I have should be fine for field archery. I might just have to get them refletched, as most of them still are missing a lot of fletching from the big arrow rest debacle of last fall.

Why'd I have to pick another sport where the equipement is so damn exspensive, with a used market that sucks? *sigh*

[arcaneschemes]

Well the new arrow rest and plunger reset seems to have helped. I still have some fine-tuning to do, but I'm on the right track I think.

One of my issues still has to do with how my vision effects my aiming, as my astigmatisms and vision doubling complicates things.

Next tournament is this weekend, and it's my first real NFAA one, thus my practicing on their blue and white targets. I am gonna try to practice again tonight while Chaos has his JOAD class, and hopefully my back won't spasm this time.

I'm in a funk, and some of it is the weather, some of it has to do with my stupid pmdd and perimenopause, and some of it is just exhaustion. I do look forward to shooting, I'm just tired of feeling like I'm struggling so much. Logically I know I'm doing fine, but it's still hard not to feel like I should be doing more....

Blargh.

[arcaneschemes]

Yesterday I took apart my plunger, thoroughly cleaned it, lubricated it, and then reassembled it. Then I roughly retuned it, but I can't get it dialed in completely until I can go back to the archery range.

This morning I took off the broken arrow rest, and the rush job grip tape that was rolling and making it hard to keep my bow hand stable. I cleaned everything and then installed my new arrow rest (a cheap $12 one that 🤞will hold up okay), and tried to get it and my plunger aligned correctly. But again, final adjustments and tuning can't happen until I'm at the range.

New grip tape is installed, it's iridescent, and it feels better than the other stuff I'd been using. It helps that I understand what I need better now, so I can utilize what I have better. Like I don't need the tape to cover my whole grip, I just need it for where my palm makes contact with the grip. If the grip tape is too high into the throat it will get damaged by my bow stand, as well as chafe the skin between my thumb and pointer finger. So by concentrating on a smaller area, I have more material to cushion the area that needs it, while not wasting it on areas that don't. Progress!

I've got two more indoor competitions before the season is done, and I'd really like to feel like I tried my best and didn't struggle with equipment failures and shit like that. Nationals was fun, but having my arrow rest fail every few arrows by the end was extra stressful. And I can't help but wonder how much better I could have done if things had stayed fixed...

Anyways, it's my spouse's birthday, so I have shit to do. The time change combined by being woken up early to dog puking has killed my motivation. 🥲

[arcaneschemes]

Well, that didn't go as planned.

I ended up reorganizing my quiver and bow bag.

Philomena was very helpful...

Good news is I did get some cleaning done and got the cakes baked.

Bad news if I'm struggling for any executive function to do other things. I already sorta hit my cleaning limit, as my fingers keep locking and/or collapsing, and my left wrist was already bad when I woke up. Like I want things to be nice, but I don't want to push myself so far I trigger a three day flare.

[arcaneschemes]

Yesterday I took apart my plunger, thoroughly cleaned it, lubricated it, and then reassembled it. Then I roughly retuned it, but I can't get it dialed in completely until I can go back to the archery range.

This morning I took off the broken arrow rest, and the rush job grip tape that was rolling and making it hard to keep my bow hand stable. I cleaned everything and then installed my new arrow rest (a cheap $12 one that 🤞will hold up okay), and tried to get it and my plunger aligned correctly. But again, final adjustments and tuning can't happen until I'm at the range.

New grip tape is installed, it's iridescent, and it feels better than the other stuff I'd been using. It helps that I understand what I need better now, so I can utilize what I have better. Like I don't need the tape to cover my whole grip, I just need it for where my palm makes contact with the grip. If the grip tape is too high into the throat it will get damaged by my bow stand, as well as chafe the skin between my thumb and pointer finger. So by concentrating on a smaller area, I have more material to cushion the area that needs it, while not wasting it on areas that don't. Progress!

I've got two more indoor competitions before the season is done, and I'd really like to feel like I tried my best and didn't struggle with equipment failures and shit like that. Nationals was fun, but having my arrow rest fail every few arrows by the end was extra stressful. And I can't help but wonder how much better I could have done if things had stayed fixed...

Anyways, it's my spouse's birthday, so I have shit to do. The time change combined by being woken up early to dog puking has killed my motivation. 🥲

[arcaneschemes]

I call this Frustration.

My arrows going left is sorta killing me. Pretty sure the biggest culprit is my arrow rest.

*heavy sigh*

[arcaneschemes]

Holiday Movie AU snippet:

I know it's months late, and it's not done yet, but it's getting there.

[arcaneschemes]

So hubby helped me try to fix my arrow rest again, and this time we used loctite on it. So the good news is it didn't move, the bad news is it is forever stuck in this one position now and thus no longer adjustable.

So none of my arrows leapt up to the upper right part of the target with the rest fixed. But everything was consistently going left and now I have to figure out how I'm gonna fix that with my arrow rest stuck in one position... 😮‍💨

On a brighter note, the USA Archery achievement pins finally came in! So all of us on the team got the ones we've earned! I'd had the green one already, and had earned the purple and grey as well months ago, but they had been backordered. I earned the other three at Nationals last weekend. I need to get a 225/300 on a 40cm target at 18m indoors to get the next pin. Which I'd like to do before we get to the summer (which I think is a reasonable goal, since I got a 211 one round at Nationals while dealing with equipment problems).

Also my knife crowldren keychains arrived in the mail Friday, so the blue one is now living on my quiver, and the red one is on my purse. I love them very much. Bonus pictures of them and my Beans pouting under my bow below:

[runawaydragons]

Snippet Saturday

“You could have just said that. Was poking me really necessary, Matteo?” Lucanis questioned her, still looking aggrieved.  Matteo shrugged in response and then rolled her shoulders back, before she told him, “Eh, maybe not. Proved my point, though. I’m gonna go catch a quick nap, as something tells me once we get closer there won’t be much time for resting.”   Lucanis sighed and shook his head in response before he returned his attention to his knife throwing, not bothering to object to, or watch, Matteo wander away to go rest. He just went back to work, he practiced from multiple angles, while on the move, with his back turned, testing himself, and doing his best to ignore that Matteo had been right. He was dropping his elbow just a hair. Fueled by frustration, he kept practicing, as time slipped by in the hazy heat.

- Excerpt from Chapter 5 of Stack The Deck

Please reblog and add a snippet/excerpt from a work of your own! And make sure to link it!

[arcaneschemes]

Well, it's a whole day later and tumblr didn't show this to anyone... So let's reblog it to the sideblog and see what happens.

*heavy sigh*