Thanks for the tags @chaosherald @redaresss @kogarashi-art @gatesofminrathous @jenn2d2 @cimmanombagel @mushrooms-x-moss @grad-writes @lemondelighted!
After a month, it's a trip to return to something I wrote in like three days but I completed the editing and now I'm just staring at it like an idiot waiting for more angst to well up. Have some more Three of Crows, from a section I revised yesterday. Yes, Zalan is in the bath now. No, it's not like *that* (but I'm sure he kinda wishes it was).
Aydenne watched Zalan’s eyes move across the page, a knot in his throat growing with every second. He’d read the letter a dozen times already, but somehow seeing someone else hold it made him feel like he was exposing a secret all over again. His fingers curled against his knee, trying to anchor himself.
When Zalan reached the line about Illario, he rolled his eyes so hard it was practically audible. Aydenne bit his cheek. Of course Zalan didn’t think much of Illario—he never had—but having it confirmed again still made something in Aydenne fold in on itself. He tried to keep his expression neutral, but they’d known each other too long for that.
Zalan saw the flicker of worry cross Aydenne’s face and stilled, biting his tongue to keep from saying anything. He never commented when it came to Illario; he just…reacted while trying to keep the reaction minimal, out of respect for Aydenne.
By the time Zalan reached the end, Aydenne perched on the edge of a settee, staring at the ground, hands twisting together in his lap as if he could fold himself smaller. He felt too visible, like Xi’s words had peeled him open. He shouldn’t have shown Zalan the note. He should have waited. Or prepared. Or—
Zalan folded the thin page carefully, as though it were fragile—or as though Aydenne were. He handed it back to his friend.
“Xi’s right,” he said, voice gentler than before. “You haven’t gotten away from the House in years. Not for something that wasn’t work, or the ducklings. And they're all Fledged. The House can survive on its own for a week or two while you’re away.”
Aydenne leaned against the tub, staring at nothing. Zalan rested a hand on Aydenne’s arm, his thumb brushing a scar before he caught himself and went still. Aydenne rubbed the spot idly, neither bothered nor comforted.
“I’ll be there,” Zalan said. “To make sure you don’t spend the whole time hiding in a corner.”
visibility tags for @davrinsleftpectoral @blackwall-my-tiny-husband @lycheecatee
Ronnie ran his fingers over one of the delicate vines that wrapped the doorframe of Harding's room. This place had once been so empty, so barren, like his life before sunshine reached out and set his world in full bloom.
"You were the only good thing I knew…" He whispered the words into the still air, speaking to the only tangible piece of her he had left as the plants around him absorbed his words. He tried to recall their names, their needs, their habits. But right now, the only thing he could remember was the brightness of her smile as she shone her love on him. And that final flash of defiance in her eyes as she fired her brave bow. She had been so fierce, so bold, so protective as she did whatever it took. One last time she had saved him, a choice that extinguished their fragile future.
Two weeks, his friends had said. Two weeks trapped in that prison with all of his regrets. And while his body might have made it out, he knew his heart would always linger there with her.
Thank you for the tags @grad-writes and @doctormur !!!
I did write a smidgen for Dr, Who? But thought this might be something different to share ^_^ (excuse the dodgy photos of the Cintiq, it's easier to send progress shots to friends from my phone heheh)
Here is my sketch for a scene for AWWF. I really don’t know what I’m gonna do with Illario’s face… or his armour. But wish me luck.
And I dunno if this qualifies as WIP because it’s actually done. Well, this part is anyways. And @blackwall-my-tiny-husband was kind enough to colour it in for me again 😭😭
Papa Zalan with baby Mimi (Mireya, in both Healer!AU and Ribbonverse). I have to laugh at myself because I didn’t even realise I had started using an 8pt mechanical pencil to draw the baby— I was just sitting there asking myself why it looked so different 😅 (I still not only mix up layers but tools as well lols hahaha)
As promised earlier today, I'm going to (finally) show off what I've done so far of my Grey Warden costume. Because this one was already done enough to wear to a con, three years ago. I just want to finish it, because it still needs its armor plates.
Of course, that also means 🥁 drumroll please...a face reveal! Because I'm going to show off me wearing the costume.
Three photos from DragonCon, one from my church's Trunk or Treat that same year (yes, I have a Fereldan banner)
Like I said, I had it in a wearable state, at least. I just want to add some armor plates because warrior.
Costume breakdown below the cut. Buckle up, it's long.
The Jacket and Tabard
The big piece, obviously, is the scale armor. There were a few options I considered for this, depending on how heavy (or noisy) I wanted to make it, how realistic I wanted it to look, how much money I wanted to spend on it, and how much time I wanted to spend painting it.
What I ended up settling on was the thin craft foam you can get at Walmart. We had a friend laser-cut lots and lots of scales out of the foam, each with a scored line down the center that I super-glued to form the curve in the scales, and then I sealed/primed them all with a mixture of black paint and Mod Podge.
Meanwhile, I needed the actual tabard for them to go on, as well as the bolero jacket. I'll get to the tabard in a second, but for the bolero, I bought a suit blazer in my size at Goodwill on a $.99 sale (Mondays, yay), cut the bottom half off to shape it into the bolero shape I needed, and then took it apart at the seams to turn into pattern pieces.
For the jacket, I made some quilted material out of blue fabric and thin fleece, cut out the right shaped pieces using the blazer pattern, and sewed it together. Also, adding all those studs (I think my hands still hurt). I then made a tabard in the right length to go under it, out of a sturdy grey material.
Left: the chest/shoulder portion of the pattern on Galatea, my homemade dress form. Right: the finished jacket and the base fabric for the tabard.
Back to the scales, because craft foam is soft enough for it, I took a few and did a test sewing them onto fabric with a needle I didn't mind dulling (because this WILL dull your needles fast) and making sure they were secure and weren't just going to tear off. Success! So I then took all my primed scales and sewed them onto the tabard in overlapping rows. And this demonstrates really well how the foam color still shows through the primer coat, even though it didn't look that obvious when I was painting each scale. If I were to redo this, I'd see about getting only black foam for the scales to avoid this, but overall it's fine.
Okay, so, all the scales are now sewn onto the tabard, but they're the wrong color. Obvious next step: paint them.
I didn't want to paint them all by hand, though, so I got a can of spray paint (in "hammered metal" color for added texture), taped the tabard down on a big piece of cardboard in the garage, and sprayed the scales to a metallic grey color. Yes, I'm lacking some shadows and weathering, but I'm fine with that.
The blue tape is completely covering as much exposed fabric as possible for the tabard to try to keep it from getting painted.
The next step was to add the blue stripes to the tabard, which I did by taking some blue faux suede I'd picked up for this costume, making the strips and borders, and sewing them in place (thank you, again, to craft foam for being easy to sew when it's this thin).
Not me putting my braid in the way on both photos, go figure.
You can see that the scales don't go all the way up the back. That's because it's going to be covered by the jacket, and I don't plan on wandering around in just the tabard.
So that's the two main clothing parts of the costume. But what about the rest?
Base Layers
Just a quick note about these, because I need things to look good, not just wear this over jeans and a t-shirt or something.
No, actually, I got some comfortable black pants and a dark blue t-shirt to wear under everything, for the parts that would still be visible under this armor.
Gloves, Boots, and Belts
I don't have a photo of just the boots, but it's a pair of inexpensive "riding" boots from Amazon. Quotes because they're good for costume purposes but I don't think they're actually for riding anything. 😅
As for the gloves, those were also an Amazon purchase because I don't like making my own gloves. It's a decent pair of "driving gloves," I think (I'm more likely to believe these are actually for driving...but cars, not cattle).
Not touch-reactive (for touchscreens) and I don't want to put any stitches in these to try to fix that, so I have to make sure a stylus is in my pouch just in case.
Belts are also necessary for cinching the armor around my waist and holding stuff I'll need.
Both are thrifted, though the one on the right is only a belt because it's no longer a purse strap. I'll touch on that again later.
Belt Pouch
Here's the trick to belt pouches for costumes: hit up the thrift store for purses and satchels that look right (or have pockets you can scavenge, at least).
This is just a purse I picked up. It didn't have a strap that I could remove, so instead I cut the strap down and glued/stitched (with upholstery thread) the shorter lengths into a pair of loops I can thread over a belt. Boom, instant belt pouch. Big enough for my phone, a pocket fan, emergency ibuprofen, and a few other necessities.
Waterskin
Okay, so, hydration at a convention is important, but I didn't have any water bottles that coordinated with this costume, nor was I planning to carry around a bigger bag that could hold a non-coordinating water bottle (some of my other costumes are better for this). So I needed something that worked with Warden armor.
I did some searching on the internet, and I've seen a few people make their own waterskins, bota bags, etc. And while searching, I learned that there are such things as "inflatable water bottles." Basically, they roll up for easy storage when empty. So I set about making a waterskin to go with this costume.
First step: find a suitable purse at Goodwill and cannibalize it for materials. I found one in a pretty blue faux leather which seemed perfect, so I bought it, took it apart at the seams, and saved all the hardware just in case I could use it later.
Here we have all the extra bits after I got the faux leather separated into panels. There was some kind of power charger in the purse (interesting), plus a zipper, D-rings, the purse strap (take note), and a zipper pull. The purse strap became the blue belt I hung both the waterskin and my belt pouch from, so they wouldn't have to hang from the belt cinching the armor.
I've also got the water bottle I picked up, and me measuring it against the purse material to draw an outline. Finally, a wooden candle cup from the craft store that my husband helped to router out to make the interior a little larger, to cover the otherwise exposed silicone water bottle spout. We sanded it down really well and then coated it with the same oil and wax that we use on our wooden cutting boards, to keep it food safe.
I ended up sewing a pouch that the water bottle would fit in by top-stitching around the outside of the material, then using leather punches to punch out holes through which I threaded suede cord for reinforcement (and to attach the purse's D-rings to the side of the new pouch).
These D-rings would give me a place to attach a cord so I could hang the pouch from my belt.
Speaking of, here's the finished pouch:
Hair elastics attached to the two flaps loop around a button to keep the pouch closed with the water bottle inside it (but allow for easy opening to refill the bottle without getting the pouch wet), and braided suede cord with a toggle button let me hang it from a belt but also remove it easily so I can take a drink without removing the water bottle from the pouch. The wooden cap hangs by another suede cord from one of the D-rings.
Accessories
There are a few other parts to this costume as well.
First, I didn't want to bother with a helmet, and I love the Arden Blossom "helmet" from DAI, so I decided that my Warden was allowed one too. So. Flower crown! With flowers made of foam from Hobby Lobby (for the decent fake florals section) glued onto a metal headband I've had forever (that has a tendency to snag in hair because it has pretty spiral loops on it, so this covers those up and also fits securely).
And speaking of flowers, my Warden romanced Alistair, and I found this rose (in the Valentine's section at Walmart, I think), so I figured why not add it to the costume?
Finally, while I didn't have a sword at the con, I did manage to find a suitable one at a thrift store with a decent Halloween section a month later, so I picked it up for the costume.
It originally was a bit too long, but the blade separated from the hilt easily enough, allowing me to cut off about three inches without affecting the point. We added a long paint stick inside the sword for stability, and while I had the two halves separated, I did a quick paint job on both. Black primer and then gold dry-brushing on the hilt, followed by a gloss coat on both hilt and blade. After they were reattached, I wrapped the hilt in the same blue suede that's on my tabard.
She's the perfect length and fun to hold. All I need now is to make a sheath for her, and then (time willing), make a shield as well.
And whew. That was a lot. This probably demonstrates pretty well my penchant for (and love of) jury-rigging solutions to cosplay problems (the waterskin especially). Thanks for putting up with it all to get to this point!
Tags for visibility (because I'm sure a lot of my list would like to see, and maybe get ideas of their own).
from “you know me” “do i?” to “the neve i know cares more about dock town and the whole damn world” “is that what you know?” to “you know me—i’m trouble”
from “trouble’s not always a bad thing” to “you know…i think you might be trouble” to “have i told you you’re trouble?”
from the numerous iterations of “i’m here for you” to “the gods can break that promise for you” to “before we go…i love you”
from “and if it’s already too late?” “don’t tell me you’re a lost cause” “i might be” to “i waited. finding you was a lost cause, but i would catch myself waiting.”
Ohhhhh noooo Shu’s hair tie broke and his hair spilled everywhere (which somehow made him look even more feral)! As you can see, I draw him a bit differently than he appears in game. His tattoos are similar but not the same, and his hair has much more volume, even when it is tied back. Oh and um. That’s definitely not tomato sauce dripping from his mouth…I did put cannibalism on Shukaku’s list of crimes in his most wanted post. 🤷🏻♀️
Tysm for tagging me @redaresss and @sorcerousadventurer ! This is way more than one line, but it is the last thing I wrote, so.
Inspired by this drawing and a conversation with @zennihilation
Everything went according to plan at first. The elf (“His name is Shukaku. You could at least remember that if we’re gonna sneak up on him and haul his ass to prison.” Said Mika, who was adamant that things could be done without bloodshed.) was traveling through a natural choke point, a narrow road with towering cliffs on either side. There was nothing ahead of him for miles but that canyon road, and it was the same behind. So naturally, the mercenaries had decided to split their forces. Half in front, to draw attention, half in ambush from behind. It seemed like such overkill for one man, but they were being paid handsomely for their services, and so no one raised an objection.
Kaihe was part of the ambush group. As the greenest recruits, they were given the easiest job. All they had to do was wait until the forward group had their target thoroughly distracted in battle, pin him down, and get him tied up. Simple. Or so they thought. By the time the group approached the rendezvous point in the middle of the road, it was a complete bloodbath. There were bodies and pieces of bodies absolutely everywhere. (They’re dead they’re all dead this can’t be happening—)
The target was crouched beside Carlisle’s body, his hands rummaging around in the dead man’s armor. After a moment there was a triumphant noise from Shukaku, and he lifted something (Dripping blood, still pulsing faintly. Some kind of organ?…Oh sweet maker. That feral elf hadn’t been rummaging in Carlisle’s armor, he’d been rummaging inside his body.) to his mouth and proceeded to bite into it like a fucking peach. Kaihe couldn’t help it. They retched. Then froze. Watched helplessly as broad shoulders tensed. Pointed ears twitched. As Shukaku began to turn around. Fuck.
The man (No. Not a man. Predator.) turned around so slowly, Kaihe almost believed they were dreaming. Or maybe their mind was just running at half speed, sluggish with revulsion and terror. That made more sense. This would’ve been the worst nightmare they’d ever had in their twenty-five years of life. Kaihe’s brain was screaming at them to runrunRUN, but their legs wouldn’t listen. The limbs were locked firmly in place no matter how they tried to make them move.
During their own inner struggle, Kaihe had made the unfortunate, and yet obviously fatal mistake of looking away from the predator stalking them. When they dared to look up again, they jumped backwards because Shukaku was abruptly right in front of them. When had that happened? There was a fresh coat of gore on the elf’s hands, dripping in a steady stream to the canyon floor where he held them at his sides. (He wasn’t even carrying a weapon, for fuck’s sake!) This made Kaihe realize with a sudden, horrible clarity that they were the only person in their company left alive.
Kaihe inched backwards until they hit the canyon wall and couldn’t go any further. They gulped. Looked toward their probable executioner’s face. Shuddered at the sight that greeted them. As they watched, Shukaku licked his lips, visible eye locking with Kaihe’s own. An eye which held an insane, ravenous gleam within its unfathomable depths. (Was he going to eat them too? Dammit. Maybe Kaihe should’ve listened to their mother and become a farmer instead of a Maker forsaken mercenary. Farmers didn’t have to deal with crazy cannibalistic elves.)
Aaaaaaand that’s all, folks! I’ll tag the rest of the gang too while I’m at it. So, do we think that Kaihe survived their encounter? 🤔
Thank you @k1dspl4t for the tags and the awesome idea. The scent was from this prompt here with @k1dspl4t take here
Rules: Imagine your Rook being asked, "Who are they wearing?" Select a clothing brand and perfume fragrance that fits their style. How many are selected is up to you. Optional points in adding a photo with their signature.
So this gonna focus on her boxing AU vibe. I have no sense of style so this was pretty fun to look through and find her vibe.
Zea is a simple bean. Old school hot topic, chains and and the like. Did I throw in some stuff that I wish i could pull off?....Yes lol. Very alt/goth. Though she does know how to dress up when the need calls.
And Zea's signature, slightly updated with canva's help.
Overall, Zea's style would probably scare some folks but she's a sweet heart deep down.
The first couple fight and it's over a salad. And maybe other things but don't unpack it at all. It's just a salad, everything's fine guys. Anxiety and panic is normal for salad. It's so big this salad.
written with @sandcastlekings | Some time after Housewarming
Juan was in the kitchen. They were a bit preoccupied while cutting up a bunch of vegetables to throw into a salad, nearly cursing themself out when they hit the board a little too hard. They took a moment to grumble, muttering how no one would let them hear the end of it, before continuing on.
"Juan?" Jericho had heard their cursing from the other room and came to investigate. "Are you alright?" His eyes watched the knife warily, concerned that Juan might hurt themself if too distracted.
"Hm?" They looked up, the tone of their voice immediately shifting. "Oh! Jer. Yeah, I'm fine. Just making something to eat. Do you want some? This salad is supposed to be pretty big."
"Sure…" Eyes narrowed a bit, he fixed them with a concerned gaze. "Do you need anything… It sounded like you were getting a little frustrated."
"It's fine, Jer. It's just a salad. I'm pretty sure I got it."
"Right… I'll be in here then…" Tilting his head to indicate the living room, he started to make his way back out of the kitchen.
"Oh," they said with a small frown. "You can hang out if you'd like. I should be done in a few minutes."
Nodding, Jericho sat down at the counter instead and watched Juan quietly.
They looked up at him, tilting their head. "Hm? What's up?"
"Nothing. I just don't want to distract you." He nodded, indicating the knife in Juan's hand.
They huffed. "I'm not going to hurt myself."
"You better not. You don't want to hear the lecture I give when I drive people to the hospital." He grinned a little.
"Oh, usually I hear them while getting bandaged up. Never had to go to the hospital," they said matter-of-factly before cutting up the rest of the salad.
"Really? Never?" Jericho looked up at them in surprise.
"Yeah? Why? I mean, I've been to clinics for shots and drugs and stuff but that's it."
"It's just surprising. Most people I know have had to at some point." He shrugged. "Broken bones as a kid, accidents, that sort of thing."
They shook their head, sliding the rest of the vegetables into a plastic box to shake about. "Nope. I have a lot of scars from falls I've taken or when you run into fences and shit. Never broke anything though."
"Lucky." Jericho smiled and shook his head. "Let's try to keep it that way."
They dumped the salad into a large bowl then some tortilla chips into the salad. "See? Didn't hurt myself at all."
He gave an exaggerated sigh of relief and smiled. "That looks good."
"Is there anything you don't like?"
"Sure. Seafood." He made a face, wrinkling his nose at the thought.
"Really? Like… all seafood? Or just kinds of fish? Shellfish too?"
"Yep. All of it. Can't even stand the smell."
"… Huh." They put out two bowls and handed one to him. "Just a salad."
He smiled and took the offered bowl. "Thanks. Feeling any better now?"
"What do you mean?"
"When I first came in here… it seemed like you were in a bad mood. I didn't want to make it worse…" His brow furrowed in concern.
They frowned a bit. "Jer. Don't. What's going on?"
"Don't? … I was just worried. I wanted to help… I just don't know how best to do that." Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair.
"It was a salad," they started to repeat then pulled back immediately. They took a small breath. "Sorry. I mean, it's fine. I was just almost done. It didn't really need all that much."
"I wasn't worried about the salad, Juan." His voice went quiet. "I was worried because I heard you cursing at yourself. I wanted to help you."
"I know! I know. Jer, I promise. It was fine. Knife slipped at hit the board in a weird way. It's nothing."
"Okay." Jericho whispered, his eyes downcast. "I'm sorry."
They put their hands under his chin, "No. No. Jer, There's nothing to be sorry about."
Taking a deep breath, he looked at Juan and nodded, but the worry didn't fully leave him. There was still a slight tension in his shoulders that he found he couldn't let go of.
"Jer," they muttered. They felt their hands tense and let them drop from his face. "What's going on?"
"I just don't know what to do when you get… upset." He sighed. "I want to help, I want to fix whatever the problem is… but I just seem to make things worse."
Juan winced. "I know. I just… I'm trying. I'm working on it. I wasn't upset I was just clumsy. I'll get better."
"Juan…" He brushed his hand against their cheek. "I'm not asking you to change. Just… tell me, if I can do anything, or if you need space. I just don't want to make it worse by trying to help when I shouldn't or not being there when I should."
"You wouldn't ask, even when I do or say things that scare you. I can see it on you. But I can change. I am trying," they promised.
His face went red and his voice fell to a whisper. "You can see it?"
"Can I tell you're scared of me? Yes, I can tell."
Stunned, Jericho sat there and stared at them for a moment. "I'm n… I can… no…" He stumbled over everything he tried to say, failing to come up with anything that could make this better. Under his breath, he finally offered a small, "I don't want to be."
"I don't want you to be either," they muttered.
"I don't mean to react that way… it's like, a reflex or something." Jericho met their eyes with a pleading gaze, begging them to understand. "I don't want you to think… I'm not mad. And I'm not going anywhere. I just.. want to help…" He hung his head and studied his hands. "I'm so sorry."
Juan quickly grabbed him around the waist, pulling him into a hug. "Don't run. I know you said you won't but just… don't."
Jericho held on to them, letting out a shaky breath as he buried his face between their neck and shoulder. "I won't. I promise."
"Good, thank you." There was a small hesitation. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, you know that, right?"
"I know," he held them just a bit tighter. "I know, Juan. I trust you."
"Thank you," they breathed.
He nodded slightly, running his fingers through Juan's hair as he held them against him. "And you know I love you, right?"
"I know you do. I love you too."
Jericho sighed in relief, finally letting himself relax fully, and pressed a kiss to Juan's forehead. "And you can talk to me about anything, okay?"
"I know, Jer. I do." They nuzzled him, "I'm fine. I promise."
"I used to be a Warden," Davrin explained. "But before that, I hunted monsters."
She looked up at him in surprise. "Me too."
My Inky Sylvie Lavellan guest stars in @sunny374940 & I's crazy Cowboy AU, and I've been listening to her playlist non-stop while working on an upcoming backstory for her. So I figured she should have a shot at this game too. TYSM to everyone who tagged me since I posted Ayla's songs! @casa-dei-corvei, sunny374940, @tieflingsorcerer, & @shadowknight19kay 💕
In the main story of Yeehaw Peepaw!, Sylvie's known as saloon-owner Davrin's knife-loving bae. She's also Tal Lavellan's cousin (Sunny's Inky), but they're more like brother and sister. Sylvie grew up with good ol' cousin Tal but was kidnapped by Tevinter slavers when she was only 8. Sylvie survives her time as a slave in Minrathous by fighting for her evil shem owner in underground gladiator slave-fighting rings, eventually escaping around the age of 16, when she begins an Arya Stark revenge quest that spans years.
Girlie's got all sorts of survivor's guilt, and lots of complicated feelings about what she was forced to do in order to survive. She is incredibly badass, but I wish she didn't have to be, ya know? 😭
I'm only doing Sylvie's first name, but I'm going to include a few random ones with some snippets too, because I love my gal so much and she's always playing second fiddle to the Golden Child Goblin Queen.
A few are from stuff that is still in-progress, and the one below is from this minific: Sylvie Hunts with Bartender Dav 🐍
Here Come the Wolves | Lola Blanc
Here come the wolves
They're coming to get ya
I run through the woods
I'm not gonna let you go
I'm baring my teeth, I'm ready
My tongue is a sharp machete
So why do I feel unsteady?
You can run, run, run, little lamb
And it's not, not, not who I am
But I'm a wolf now
Guess I'm a wolf now
"What's the worst monster you've ever killed?" he asked.
“The man who owned me."
Sylvie winced when the words came out of her before she could stop them, and she regretted it instantly. Bracing herself for the awkward, stilted silence that was sure to follow. Davrin appeared at a loss for words, and she couldn't bear to look at his face. Not when he must either think she was insane, or even worse…
…something to pity.
So it sort of surprised her when he muttered a bunch of filthy Dalish curses instead.
"Good," he spat, his deep voice low and full of rage. It rumbled straight through her, and Sylvie absolutely could not deny that it made her feel things. Dangerous things to be feeling around a man that damn pretty.
"Your 'list'?" he asked. His was scowling, all his normal good-natured charm replaced with fury.
"Every single bloody shem responsible for what they did to me and Mira." Sylvie gasped. She hadn't said that name out loud in…
Fuck. Not sure how long actually.
"…Your?"
"Sister." She stopped walking and focused on the big black birds overhead when she answered the question she knew he probably wanted to ask next, but was too kind to. "Dead."
Davrin didn't say anything for a while. He just stood next to her, closer than she probably would have liked. Staring at those damn birds.
"Ir abelas," / I'm sorry / he finally murmured, breaking the silence.
"Ma nuvenin." / As you wish.
Despite everything, Davrin nodded his head and gave her the ghost of a smile when she mirrored his unusual reply from earlier. Like he understood.
Which was impossible.
S - Start A Riot | BEGINNERS, Night Panda
Arms to the sky screamin', "Rah, rah, rah"
Head to the side with a na-na-nod
Hit that switch, make it hotter
Ya homegrown rebel spin 'em 'round, 'round, 'round
Late-night trouble goin' down, down, down
Hit that switch, make it hotter
They call me wild child
So what you heard 'bout me?
Dangerous, wild child
I know you heard about me
Y - You Wrote the Role for Me | Kiki Rockwell
Let go. Yes I am in your hands but I am snow.
Let go. I vanish more the harder that you hold.
Let go. No warm embrace can cancel out the cold.
This friendly shrug's a ragin', screaming no from me.
'Cos I only feel the love if there's uncertainty.
Don't wanna play the villain but it's like...
You wrote the role for me.
Let go. You can't usurp the queen of ice's throne.
Let go. Your hands around my waist feel like my throat.
Let go. You can't reap what refuses to be sown.
L - Lilith | Kiki Rockwell
God made me first
From the same dirt
Made me with thirst
And thoughts inside my brand new head
Oh how we fought
'cos I would not
Bend nor bow
And break in Adam's brand new bed
"She's making a mess of my garden Lord"
Can't put me back
"She's crashing the story I starred in Lord"
Can't put me back
I made me grow
Reap I don't sow
And soon he'll know
That I will always put me first
"Faster, rattus—or are you so eager to feel the sting of the lash again?"
Sylvie squeezed the potato in her hand so hard it broke in two, very much wishing it was that fucking shem's face. It earned her a smack, and she winced. Her back still stung so bad from the day before.
She glanced at the knife she'd dropped on the cutting board beside her…
No. She couldn't risk getting in trouble again so soon. It didn't even help the other new girl anyway since Sylvie got caught helping with her share of the potatoes. Sylvie got a lash for each one she'd done for her. Ivy, the other girl, was just so bloody slow. Probably because she never stopped crying. Cook didn't like it when they cried.
Well, Sylvie didn't much like Cook.
But she would very much like to see what kind of sound Cook made when she slashed her face like she had slashed Sylvie's back.
V - Vendetta | UNSECRET, Krigare
Fool me once and it's shame on me
But you know you better tread carefully
Fool me twice, I'm your enemy
I'm your enemy
If you push, I push back
Try to hide
But I'll hunt you down like a maniac
Down, you'll go down
So if you hide
I'm gonna hunt you down
Run, you better run
Vendetta
I - In the Dark | Klergy
Walk with me while the sun exits the sky
Show me what you feel without the light
It's your choice to turn around again
We could just try to forget
'Cause in the dark
You find out who you are
What's in your heart
In the dark
E - Empire | Saint Mesa
From a lonely stage
In a dark room
Past the golden age
I will sing my broken hymns
Though the demons stay
Still my light burns
I can only say
Welcome to my empire
'Cause I am an empire of one
SYLVIE & DAV 🐍
For some reason she couldn't wrap her head around, Davrin didn't treat her like the mangled broken thing she'd become.
It was as if he looked past the shoddy repair job she'd done. Pretending like he didn't notice how she was nothing but the bits and pieces of herself that she'd clumsily attempted to glue back together into the Sylvie she remembered.
Halu 🦊
Tal's pet name for Sylvie is Halu or 'little fox' in Dalish. And this song is 100% Western!Sylvie x Dav to me.
With a gun in hand and my man, we go into the woods
I know just what I need to do and yes, it's understood
Rumbling bellies, shaking limbs, we're gonna try and make a stand
No, we're not going anywhere without a prize from the land
I'm just a hunter
Just tryna survive
You know the drill: I'm plopping the taglist below to say howdy, absolutely no pressure to read!! Love y'all!! 💕
Noodling around with a rewrite of the first Rook/Harding kiss, and trying to figure out how to write Taash and Bellara, because every bit of relationship drama is made better with a peanut gallery.
"Morning, Rook!"
Bellara's voice is a whisper, almost lost over the pounding of Esha's head. "Hng..."
"Oh, yeah, right." She pats Esha's shoulder lightly. "D'you need to be sick? There's a bowl here."
Esha shakes her head, immediately regrets it, and resigns herself to lying very, very still for now. Nausea pulses in her gut in time with the throbbing ache she can feel in her temples. It feels like waking up on the boat after Nevarra, but without so much pain in her shoulder. She wets her lips.
"What...?"
"You got Harding so turned on all her lyrium came out," Taash says bluntly. There's a faint sound of a smack in the background. "What? She did."
Oh, right. The kiss. The kiss that would probably have been a terrible idea even without the lyrium, given how much Harding had been panicking right before. After all the shit with Reva, Esha had thought she'd known better than to get caught up in the moment again. But Harding's face in that moment had been so lovely, and soft, and open. Esha hadn't wanted to disappoint her; and more than that, she really hadn't wanted to stop.
And then their lips had touched. The lyrium sang through her, a hot rush spreading from her lips outward. Between one heartbeat and the next, she'd tipped from 'drunk on love' to 'drunk off her tits'.