Crabs with Fics (among other things)

Jacs or Jay (nonbinary woman | she/they) Expect shenanigans and tomfoolery. Dragon Age, Baldurs Gate, fantasy books and whatever strikes my fancy really. On Ao3 as CrabsWithSticks :) Icon by Risoria

[crabs-with-sticks]

Check out fanfic I've written here on my ao3

I have a prompt list for Dragon age here

I also do art!

Find my Dragon Age Drunk Writing Circle Stuff here

My main OCs right now include: Ghilara Lavellan, Kytharia Mercar, Electra de Riva, Mara Tabris , Slate (BG3) , and Mithrian

[mogwaei]

I love putting Solas in a mirror. In one, beloved and happy. In the dark reflection, you have no idea if he's alone, or if the situation changed between them.

bonus cuts from the "dark" reflection

[yolebrat]

Get this man some electrolytes and an SPF! Or do whatever Viv did - both work!

[pooyaaaaan]

In one of the DAVG endings, Solas and Lavellan go into the Fade together.

For the two of them, it is the moment Lavellan chooses, of her own will, to stand beside Solas and go with him. But to the people watching from the outside, it might become a very different story.

Rook’s party and Morrigan, who were there, would know that she chose it herself. But for ordinary people, or for those who hear the story generations later, all that remains is the fact that the Inquisitor who led the South, the Herald of Andraste, disappeared into the Fade with the Dread Wolf.

And from there, I think the story would split in two very different directions.

One version would be: “The Herald of Andraste was taken into the Fade by the Dread Wolf.”

The other would be: “The Herald of Andraste guided the Dread Wolf into the Fade.”

In the first version, Lavellan would be remembered almost like a saint or a bride stolen away by a god. In the second, she would become someone who calmed a god, guided him, and crossed the boundary of the world with him. Almost a figure from myth.

But in reality, she was not stolen by a god. She was not deceived, nor was she offered up as a sacrifice. She chose Solas of her own will.

That is the part I find so fascinating.

In mythology, women who become the wives of gods are often abducted or deceived. But maybe, somewhere among those stories, there were women who truly chose to stand beside a god of their own will.

The thing is, stories passed down through history do not always preserve that kind of will.

People want stories they can understand.

The human world might want to say she was taken.

The Chantry might want to say she was martyred.

The elves might say she forgave Fen’Harel, or that she was chosen by him.

Those who hate Solas might say she betrayed them.

Those who see Solas as a god might say she became the Wolf’s bride.

Those who come to revere Lavellan might say she was the one who calmed the Wolf.

“The woman who was stolen away.”

“The woman chosen by a god.”

“The saint who guided the Dread Wolf.”

“The leader who betrayed the world.”

“The Wolf’s bride.”

In that way, a deeply personal choice might slowly become something else entirely.

For Lavellan, perhaps it was simply this:

“I want to be with you.”

Solas has always rejected being seen as a “god.” And yet, in the very end, he might turn even her choice into part of a myth.

I find that a little ironic. And honestly… that is exactly the kind of thing I love.

[aesungaia]

Everyone's Friend

[epsilonhybrid]

[moldavite]

good news. the things that used to upset me no longer upset me. bad news. i'm creating an army of bugs to hurt innocent bystanders

[importantcatpics]

[witnessings]

happy last day of pride to the gay snails who hug and kiss for hours without mating

[brick3621]

[transmascriza]

i love you trans people with no dysphoria i love you trans people who don't go on hormones i love you he/him lesbians she/her gay men i love you nbs who aren't androgynous i loveyou

[pantserspen]

How to Fix Underwriting

1. Slow down at emotionally important moments.

Big emotions need space to land. If a scene feels rushed, pause the plot briefly to show how the moment affects the character.

2. Add reactions, not explanations.

Instead of explaining what a character feels, show it through physical responses, hesitation, or small actions that reveal emotion naturally.

3. Ground every scene in the senses.

If a scene feels thin, add one or two sensory details—sound, texture, smell, or temperature—to make the moment feel lived-in.

4. Let thoughts interrupt action.

A line of internal thought can deepen a scene without slowing it too much. Thoughts show stakes, fear, longing, or conflict beneath the action.

5. Expand consequences, not events.

You don’t need more things to happen—you need to show what matters. Focus on how events change relationships, decisions, or self-perception.

6. Strengthen setting where emotion peaks.

The environment should echo or contrast the emotion of the scene. Setting is not decoration—it’s emotional reinforcement.

7. Add specific details instead of general ones.

Underwriting often relies on vague language. Swap “they argued” for one sharp line of dialogue or a specific breaking point.

8. Let dialogue breathe.

Short dialogue exchanges without pauses can feel flat. Add beats—silence, gestures, interruptions—to give the conversation weight.

9. Show transitions between scenes.

If scenes jump too quickly, readers feel disoriented. A brief transition helps establish time, mood, and emotional continuity.

10. Clarify stakes early in the scene.

If readers don’t know what can be lost, scenes feel empty. Make sure the character wants something specific and fears losing it.

11. Use the “what are they feeling right now?” check.

After each major beat, ask what emotion is dominant in that moment. If it’s missing on the page, the scene is likely underwritten.

12. Expand scenes that feel “too clean.”

If a scene resolves too neatly or quickly, it probably needs more tension. Messy emotions and unresolved feelings add depth.

[vhen-harel]

Solas’ line to the Inquisitor about not giving them the tools to stop him has always stuck with me.

I believe we met Abelas and the ancient elvhen for a reason. I also think the Well of Sorrows mattered, whether the Inquisitor or Morrigan drank from it. The sarcophagi in Trespasser, especially when paired with Cole’s comments about voices crying in the dark, always made me wonder if those coffins held ancient elves, newly crossed spirits, or some combination of both, trapped in stasis. Either way, these are Solas' people that he's trying to save.

That makes me wonder if the “tools” Solas refused to give the Inquisitor were the ancient elves themselves. What if, once the Inquisitor understood what was really at stake, they committed themselves to finding these slumbering elves and awakening them before Solas could? What if they tried to reach his people first, not just to use them against him (though that could have been a choice the Inquisitor made), but to understand him more and find another path?

Through Abelas, we know at least some of the ancient elves can be reasoned with, work together towards a common goal.

And imagine if Solas had revealed, even then, that he had once been a spirit. A high-approval, romanced Inquisitor, might have been uniquely able to appeal to his original nature as Wisdom. The Inquisitor already reflects him in so many ways and I can see this being a very big reason why a romanced Solas refuses Lavellan joining him. Lavellan would find out more about him, he'd naturally want to share more about himself and in doing so, make him more vulnerable to Lavellan's understanding and connection.

Had the Inquisitor known the truth about Solas, about spirits manifesting, about the ancient elves, and about what he was really trying to do, that knowledge could have become the very thing that helped them reach him.

DAI spends so much time showing us that the Inquisitor is shattering glass ceilings all over the place. They enter the Fade physically, they enter the Crossroads and walk through ancient elven spaces, uncover forgotten history, and repeatedly pass through places tied to spirits, memory, and old magic. These are exactly the kinds of places where the Inquisitor might have searched for the ancient elvhen if they had understood what they were looking for.

So I keep thinking about an alternate path where the Inquisitor gets there first. They find the slumbering elves. They awaken them. They pass through trials, earn their aid, and learn enough to confront Solas.

[mookyoobee]

Finally finished dragon age:inquisition including its trespasser dlc a few days ago. Amazing writings and cinematic combined with great game design. Making me feel good for working in a game industry! Also making me extremely sad because i romanced solas……

[rabentanz]

solas, before the fall of the hair

[briarnest]

kelsier my love

[seraphimsix]

Every time fandom turns a beautiful pathetic service top into an aggressive daddy dom type a random person on earth dies

[xkatchy]

[wetorturedsomefolks]

love island should introduce a "scheming eunuch" islander who is like a smart and completely asexual islander exempt from being kicked off or being made to participate in any challenges and they're just there to provide advice and be a sort of sounding board for the other islanders when they need a disinterested party to talk things through with. but the scheming eunuch has secret goals unbeknownst to anyone e.g. a cash prize for talking a certain couple into breaking up etc.