What inspired you to write Ori and Kolyat specifically? What drew you to them? Sorry if you’ve already answered this!
I couldn’t answer this last night, as to me this is a question that requires more thought than two large gin and tonics would allow, and I wanted to do it justice.
Before the art, which I think most people follow me for, there was (and still is) the writing. I wanted to write a Mass Effect crime story back in 2017, and thought a drell lead who could remember things perfectly would make a fantastic detective.
Eidetic memory could be a useful plot device, too; if I wrote it in first person, it would not only make the mystery element more compelling (you are there with Kolyat as he works things out) but would make those flashbacks less jarring.
Kolyat was also a character that intrigued me. I could’ve gone with a drell OC, but I wanted to know more about him. I thought his father’s story was done, tied up in a neat bow; Kolyat’s story was not, and I was left wondering- was he okay? Did he survive the Citadel explosion? What does he do with himself, does he become a priest, a detective, an advocate for his people? Does he stay under Bailey’s wing? Does he return to Kahje? Does he actually carve a life for himself out of his parent’s shadow?
It occurred to me that rather than badger other fanfic writers to answer the questions above (you can still see my “but what about-” comments to some of them, sorry guys) I could write my own.
Disconnect is my first Detective Krios mystery, and I did begin to answer some of my own questions. It’s a WIP I’ll return to one day, but Kolyat has remained unchanged as my writing has progressed. A good thing, since it’s his voice that steers the stories. He is still:
Grumpy, to the point of misanthropic behaviour.
Has dry, somewhat sarcastic observations
A secret softie, good with kids and animals
Obsessed with his work
A runner- likes to run to clear his head
Just a detective. Not a Shepard, not his father, not a Vakarian.
A stranger in a strange land- a minority in whatever space he’s in.
Complicated in his thoughts regarding his people, culture and religion; has an immigrant’s guilt, but pragmatic with it.
Has/had a conflicted relationship with his father. Kol knows as an adult that his dad was dysfunctional because of the Compact/his own shitty childhood -even has empathy for it- but he still can’t quite forgive Thane his choices in life.
You’ll notice it’s all Kolyat I’m talking about so far, and not Ori. Partly because the reader doesn’t know her inner thoughts- she might be in every story, but the reader only knows her through the eyes of Kolyat.
I go into great detail in this post here why she’s important to me, and how I write her. In all honesty, when I first started writing her in Disconnect, I liked the idea of her more than the character. She was a woman in his flashback memories to haunt him, a familiar Noir trope.
It’s also one she took great offence at, as weird as that is to say about a character I write. Ori’s personality has had the most change and nuance in my writing because of this, but from the start I knew:
She was no one’s doormat
Works in colony development, understands politics and red tape
She has a very rich life outside of Kolyat’s sphere/observation
She has a sense of humour- sass is the name of the game
Smart, capable- more so than Kolyat in some aspects
Old Hollywood femme-y glamour passed through a Mass Effect filter
Ori’s had so much more added to her since then. Disconnect is the story where she’s the least featured; Sirens & Selkies and Acts of Repetition she is very much there and holds her own, and is not just a flashback.
I know a lot of people in the fandom are either nonplussed about the pairing/story (it’s not Shepard, etc) or have problems with the Kol/Ori ship itself, but that’s rarepair hell for you.
I’ve also seen the “but why?” comments in the tags- pair the spares, ugh is one, but that’s part of the reason I like them; in the postwar context as I write the characters, it just makes sense.
Kol and Ori have a lot in common; the biggest is of course the Normandy connection, a frankly secret part of their life they can’t talk about with most people- not really. Ori even calls herself a Lee, not a Lawson. Why would she take Henry Lawson’s name, anyway? She had a family before him and Miranda.
Obviously “but my sister worked with your dad” is not enough for a relationship, but it’s definitely enough for an introduction. “We met at a party” is also a start, which is how they first met Postwar. I’ve found the ones who hate ‘Koliana’ the most have their own passionate/thought out version of Kolyat and Ori anyway; fair enough, so do I.
My OTP is (personally) delightful to me, because:
Their sass! Back and forth banter is a delight to write.
An interspecies relationship where the physical is not actually the difficult part- the cultural and emotional side is.
Not soulmates, but people who have to make an instant connection last a lifetime, and always work at it.
Seem polar opposites, a moon/sun dynamic
It just makes sense to me. These two are in the long haul, and I know what they do up until their mid 50s; I will finish Disconnect and Sirens after Repetitions is written, maybe I can explore that time of their life (and their kids!) after they’re done.
Writing takes me a long time though, oh boy. I’ll get there! I have no desire to quit; obviously this world I’ve made still means a lot to me.
Thank you! A small, quick canon setting piece for @dadrunkwriting
Fandom: Dragon AgeWords: 534
Iwyn Lavellan x Solas | Inquisition timeframe | hurt/comfort / romanceRating: gen. Getting stuck, a bit of comfort, romance, Sera, Blackwall, Solas
Stuck
“No, my travels have never taken me to these ruins, I have not seen them before,” Solas says when Iwyn asks. “It is a pity I don’t have time to linger.”
“Ruins, boring. Sand. Boring.” Sera kicks the sand without much effect.
“Could be spiders here. Or Darkspawn,” Blackwall says.
“Do you sense any?” Iwyn asks. If there are darkspawn, they should probably do something about it, as little as she wants to.
“Not at the moment, no,” Blackwall says.
The four of them are travelling the Wastes, looking for Venatori. They’ve killed some, but mostly it’s been sandy and windy, hot days and cold nights. Iwyn asked Solas about the ruins knowing what he’d say, but she wanted to break the silence, and she loves his stories and his voice. Sera’s and Blackwall’s banter are equally enjoyable, even if the current subject is whether it’s safe to roast and eat darkspawn. The answer is most definitely no, and she doesn’t need a Warden to tell her.
Lost in thought, Iwyn doesn’t notice where she is going, and steps on a crack in the sand, and her right leg disappears under her. She cries out in pain and surprise, and then tries to get free.
“Iwyn!” Solas kneels next to her, concern on his face.
“I’m stuck, somehow. I’m sorry, I can’t get up.”
“Let me,” he says, and holds out his arm. She locks his hand with his, and attempts to pull herself up.
She cries out again, as the jagged edges of the rock scrapes against her legs. Solas stops pulling.
“Are you hurt?” he asks.
“Let me try,” Blackwall says.
“I think I’m stuck. Something is digging into my thigh.”
“Can’t you magic her out?” Blackwall asks.
“I can try.” Solas starts to cast, and she can feel some earth moving, but not the stone. She sinks in deeper. Solas stops and shakes his head.
“Magic’s good for nothing. You gotta wiggle,” Sera says, but wiggling doesn’t work either.
“Dread Wolf take this,” Iwyn says. Wiggling makes it hurt more. She puts her head on the cool sand. Thank the Creators it’s nighttime, and she isn’t stuck under the burning sun. Solas reaches for her hand again, this time to hold it.
“The requisition officer usually has some mallets or hammers at the camp.” Blackwall offers. “I could go get them, but it will take while.”
Iwyn grits her teeth. “Take Sera with you. You shouldn’t go alone. Solas will stay here.”
“We’ll be back soon, Inky! I promise.”
The two of them sets off across the sand, a little faster than their previous leisurely walk. She hopes they won’t run into trouble on the way.
“Vhenan,” Solas says. She squeezes his hand. She will be alright. “Are you in pain?”
“A little, it’s not to bad. I’m mostly uncomfortable.”
“I’m sorry I can’t make you more comfortable. I’m afraid my magic can’t move the earth.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m glad you are here. I think we might have a bit of a wait.” She squeezes his hand again. “Tell me a story? Or more of what you think of the ruins?”
Solas kisses her brow. “Gladly,” he says, and begins.
My first fan fiction was a horribly smutty and purely depraved fic about the Inheritance Cycle (Oromis and Eragon I think) written entirely on wide-ruled paper I kept in my pocket my entire 8th grade year and one day a page fell out of my pocket and there was a manhunt waged by the principal to find who wrote it and I had daily panic attacks and stopped writing in cursive so I wouldn’t get caught. I still have the rest in a box and I’m scared to open it in fear of unleashing demons.
Oh WORD!!! I shamelessly write fic in public. I’ve always carried journals and binders around for that very reason! But I can totally relate to the smutty fanfic thing. I’m still scared to write smut thinking that someone from my life is gonna find it 😂
anonymously(or not) tell me about the first fanfic you posted!
Hey! This is like the second or third week I haven’t gotten any notification that I’ve been tagged in the headcount (I’ve BEEN tagged, I just don’t get the notification) and I always miss it because I’m rarely on tumblr these days. Is there anyway to fix this? I’ve wanted to participate for weeks and I always look forward to Friday’s but I never get the notification. Should I turn on notifications for the whole blog or? Thanks!
Hi @dharma-writes
I’m sorry to hear the tags are not working. Tumblr sometimes has issues with tagging, and unfortunately we can’t do anything about that really (other than report the issue to tumblr, if you want). I do my best to tag everyone in the head count post, but sometimes I miss one, or today I think everyone as i was in a hurry because of family commitments.
That said, there are a few things to keep in mind, and I hope you don’t mind I reply to this publicly, as I’m sure others might be in the same situation .
The head count post (for US) goes out every Friday at noon Pacific time.
The kickoff is at 4pm, and you have until then to reply. If you’re looking forward to Friday writing, set a calendar reminder or similar, and just log in and reply to the post. You should be able to search for this blog (@dadrunkwriting) and find the post.
If you miss the head count, you can still post.
The headcount is nice for the community, so we do appreciate people replying to the head count even if they’re writing from the backlog or just hanging out, but if you’re a dwc writer and you post Friday evening and tag us, it will count. The biggest reason to be on the kick off is of course to get prompts, but If you miss the head count and do need prompts, you can always ask people in the discord, usually someone is around willing to prompt :)
As I said the opt-in is a lot about having an active community and being part of that, but by no means should it hold you back from writing if you miss the posts :D. Just go for it (you just need to be on the dwc list in general).
Also sorry to bog you down with messages but did you mean to follow me? I love your blog so much and I just can’t believe you’d ever find or follow me. ;3;
I absolutely did! I was going through my notes and I thought I’d followed you a while ago but it turns out I didn’t so~ 💖
