Solas could not help the easy smile on his face, the memory of Griffon Keep and the desert itself was not his favorite during the time of the Inquisition, but she had spent it there with her.
He ran his thumb along her cheek, wiping away the tears that remained, that neither of them chose to fully acknowledge, “And do you remember those moments we stole away from the others, hidden corners in the dark? Where I cooled your skin with my hands, and for once the world felt like ours. No death, no duty.”
He paused, watching the expression on her face change, as she remembered their less than subtle passionate moments deep in the desert, “I wish our lives could be that simple, but fate was not kind to us. Remember this lesson but do not dwell on what loss you could not prevent.”
Solas shifted so she could not look away, “You did not invent war, nor death, nor the Blight. So you must keep going… not just for Thedas, but for me as well.”
The Theory of Being
This is the first commission I've gotten of both Solas and Isathe from my longfic! (I have art for both their modern AU versions and a few of just Isathe!) and working with @commander-sarahs-art is lovely and easy as always. 💚
I highly suggest getting a commission from them. Look how soft my babies are. 😭
Other Isathe (and Solas) art:
Isathe by maniplague
Isathe (Tarot) by anxident
This Forgotten Binding (DABB Artwork, Modern AU) by mabelaart
The Kiss (Modern AU) by manuzillust
Originally inspired by The High Priestess - which highlights intuition, and inner wisdom along with mystery, the subconscious mind, and the divine feminine.
Her mask represents her past as The Forgotten One - Aseradiva - remembered by the Dalish as a dark counterpart to their benevolent Creators - she represents Greed and Desire, a hunger for what others possess.
In reality, Isathe was merely a Spirit of Curiosity who was torn from her purpose and twisted by blood magic, and circumstance. Her chains represent the blood magic that kept her bound to her own creator. The lightning represent her skills as a mage.
Had this beautiful, breathtaking commission by @anxident done for my baby Isathe, and I am just - it's fine, I'm sobbing about it.
Isathe means so much to me for so many reasons and seeing her like this has just made my heart so full.
Isathe was never one for prayer. There had never been a reason to believe in anything higher than themselves. They were once pure spirits of emotion. Those who wished to claim godhood rarely were up to the task. But she prayed. Unsure of who she was praying to. Someone, anyone. If this is a mistake… please stop this. Begging the world, the Sky, the Sun, the Sea, to stop the wedding if it was not meant to pass. If she was making a mistake.
No one answered.
chapter 14 (to stand under the stars) - the theory of being
Did you think I was done with Isathe spam for today? HAH, you'd be wrong. The amazing, beautiful, lovely and sweet @maniplague drew my baby girl Isathe, spoiling me to the point of sappy, happy tears just in time to make a terrible day so much better.
Does she have the most glorious resting bitch face? Absolutely.
Does Solas deserve it? Absolutely.
Is Solas a bit scaroused? Also, yes.
OC Series:
The Theory of Being (Inquisition & Veilguard, ongoing)
This Forgotten Binding (Modern AU, complete)
THIS FORGOTTEN BINDING
The Gods of Elvhenan were once unified under one banner until the Forgotten Ones left to form their own, waging a bloody rebellion.
In modern Thedas, Professor Solas Bleddyn, a reincarnation of Fen'harel, meets Isathe, a field arcanist and feels an impossible pull. Drawn together by relics, memories and dreams, Solas finds himself facing an impossible truth: the woman he’s falling for is a reincarnation of the love of his life, but awakening her past could cost them both everything.
(writer: @elfyroot - artist: @mabelaart)
Rating: Explicit
Total Word Count: 58,587
Setting: Dragon Age Modern AU, God Reincarnation AU
Pairing: Solas x Lavellan
Tags: Partner Jealousy & Abuse, Manipulation/Gaslighting, Murder, Depictions of Violence, Character Death, Past Trauma, Reincarnation, Gods Among Mortals, Academic Setting, Museum Setting, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending (please see work for all tags)
RULES: I am sure I am not the first to think of this/start this, but I was considering lines that I felt were standouts in my own work, and thought it would be fun to share them. 🌿
So, pick 5 lines (doesn't need to necessarily be 1 single sentence, we can be a bit fast and loose with this rule) and share them.
It wasn’t carefully curated to perfection - La Cima was a beautiful melting pot of chaos and change. The art Vero had experienced before was by invitation. This? Was grace by accident.
The Penalty Kill
(Dragon Age, Teen & Up) Written for a private OC swap where I got to have @wishforhome's amazing, deep and beautifully flawed OC Vero go on a playdate with my own OC. I loved writing this (even though I was petrified of fucking up someone's OC).
If he wasn't who he was, if he didn't remember the Gods as they once were, he might've prayed - begged, even - to anyone who would listen that this feeling, what they had, would never end.
Higher Than a Nug in a Twister
(Dragon Age, Explicit) A one-shot, a little smutty about my modern AU Sheriff Geldauran and his Undersheriff Rhela Ghilain.
"I do not want to exist as they made me. I want my sins to be mine alone."
The Theory of Being
(Dragon Age, Explicit) Narrowing down a line from my longfic was a challenge. But I feel like this one is so quintessential Isathe.
Knowing that she 'failed' Vought's imperative, that she loved him so deeply that it fucked up their whole experiment? Fuck, he couldn't be prouder of her.
A Witness To My Crimes
(The Boys, Explicit) I just, I love Ben and Riley's whole dynamic and how it has shifted with the flashbacks and all the new revelations.
"Allowing you to forget would be a tragedy to her memory that I cannot allow. Your love was a truth, and truths cannot be undone. Should not be hidden away because it causes you anguish. You will continue to carry her - until you meet again."
This Forgotten Binding
(Dragon Age, Explicit) A line said by Anaris in my 2025 Dragon Age Big Bang work that just, oof, gives me a lot of feels even now.
BONUS
There was something in the way he spoke, a reverent hushed whisper. No, he was not venerating the space they stood in, he was worshiping her, “Not all those who kneel do so in submission, Lilith.”
Blasphemy
(The Sandman, Explicit) Because I can, and wanted to add something else outside of the Dragon Age fandom. 😏 Still quite proud of this short one-shot. Technically an OC and Morpheus, my version of Lilith doesn't exist in that world.
No pressure, just me going 'I love you and want you to know I am thinking of you' tagging:
@fadetouchedlurker @coacklebee @prettypavus @dayntee @vanillastrange @theriothag @summergreen009 @purpleasters-inseptember @theluckywizard @magicalmysmalin @virshiral @fagetwrites @iamsuperconfused @wishforhome + anyone else who might want to do this.
You should all know by now I have no real list and just kinda tag on vibes. Love you all though. ✨
I would like to know, from my fellow writers, their favorite romance scenes that they have written. Kisses, dramatic confessions, tragic partings, tearful reunions, I want to know.
Thank you for the tag @fadetouchedlurker, I am staring at the screen trying to remember my favorite romance scenes. It's difficult!
I will tag some of the following (I think most others got tagged already?): @coacklebee @vanillastrange @theriothag @dayntee @prettypavus @crittadownunder @iamsuperconfused @summergreen009 @tinybatjoly + everyone I know I missed. Sorry I suck.
I am going to pick two because I cannot help myself. The first is the first time Solas and Isathe kiss - though they are in the Fade and using their persona's of Fen'harel and Aseradiva.
The Theory of Being
Chapter 12 - Touching the Veil
Aseradiva stood and began to wade through the creek, stepping gingerly so she did not lose her footing. Her hands held aloft at her sides for balance. The woman’s pale curly hair piled on top of her head, only a few ringlets free from the bun, they swayed from side to side as she moved. He finally answered her after realizing he had been staring, his words continuing their song, “I will admit I was thinking about you.” His internal conflicts always felt so much farther from himself while in the Fade, Solas willing to follow whims while he wandered there.
The elven woman nodded her head slowly, a small chuckle escaping her. She stopped to look at him for a few moments before stepping through the water to the bank he was standing on. Solas extended his hand much like he had the time they danced in another one of her memories. This time however, she took it without hesitation, stepping up onto the steep embankment so she was on solid ground, even with him.
Solas ran his thumb along the fingers that grasped his, the warmth of her skin pressing against his palm. The two stared at one another for a long time until he followed that impulse, that pull toward her. The urge that sat in the back of his mind every time he stood with her in the Fade. The one he liked to ignore and push away. Leaning down he gently pressed his lips against hers, the woman responded in kind. Soft kisses turning frantic between the two elves. Like they were starved for touch. Aseradiva’s hands found the collar of his tunic, grabbing onto it for dear life as he guided her away from the creek. Soft, sweet sounds vibrating through his mouth as she kissed him back. All other thoughts - the guilt, the conflict, melting away as he slid his tongue between her teeth.
Their movement stopped when he pushed her back against a tree. He pulled from the kiss only to grab her by the thighs, lifting the woman up. Her legs wrapped around his waist as they resumed. Solas felt the weight of her arms as she draped them across his shoulders. There was a faint glow that sat in the center of the woman’s chest, an echo of the spirit she was - is - shining through the skin and bone. That is what his made his body truly ache.
Solas was not sure how long he pinned her there.
A gasping breath coming from Aseradiva as she pulled from the kiss to lightly nip at his lower lip, sucking it between her teeth. He groaned softly. Her head drifted back toward the tree and Solas took the opportunity to graze his teeth against the skin of her neck.
Toward the back of her neck on the side was a set of three scars. They looked old and long since healed. It gave him pause and that moment he heard the woman speak again, “We really should not be doing -” her voice sounded sad and wistful. Like she hated herself for stopping them and he understood.
The logic began to return, biting at him and what he wanted, what he truly wanted in that moment. The two elves leaned their foreheads against one another, Solas still holding the woman up against the tree. They were trying to regain some semblance of composure, the sadness in her voice continued, “I wish I could. This… could complicate things da’fen.” He saw her swallow slowly, a deep and shaking exhale through her nose.
He lifted a hand from her thigh, looking into her eyes as he pushed some of the ringlets of hair that had fallen in front of her face. Her cheeks were flushed and there was a distinct sadness in her gaze. Solas unfortunately understood, as much as he wanted to. By the Sun and Sky did he want to, his life was complicated to begin with. He still wanted it though.
“There is not anyone who I would allow to call me little wolf, but it sounds beautiful coming from your lips.”
Her nose crinkled up as she laughed, chasing away the sadness there for a few moments, “If you can find me, da’fen. Then it may be worth the complications.” Aseradiva placed a gentle, chaste kiss on his lips before fading from in front of him. Wherever she was, she awoke in the world. Leaving him behind in her own memory.
Solas turned and leaned against the tree, sliding down into the grass. Maybe complicated could be worth it.
The bonus one below the cut is NSFW. One of my favorite smutty one-shots for Rhela and Geldauran. Cowboy smut - yeehaw.
Higher Than a Nug in a Twister
It started as a tingle first at the very tips of his fingers, slowly creeping its way up his arms and into his chest. So subtle, at first, that Geldauran hadn’t realized that the intended effect of the elfroot had kicked in. Permeated into his core being. Each muscle weighed down, heavy and unmoving while his mind floated, weightless. A combination that he did not know existed until that very moment. As if the Fade itself suffused into his skin. Enveloping him with an intimate awareness of the blood that rushed through his veins, each heart beat that kept this version of himself alive.
The weight of a body crawling up his own, the bed bowing beneath him - when did he get into bed? - caused his eyes to open, finally summoning the strength to open them. Fighting that endless pull into the nothingness that the elfroot assured.
Geldauran was entirely sure that his heart stopped dead in his chest the moment his vision focused. A strangled, needy groan found its way involuntarily from the back of his throat, witnessing the prettiest damn thing he had ever laid eyes on in his many, many lives.
Rhéla, endlessly pleased with herself if her expression was anything to go on, sat perched on his lap as if she owned it. All sin and curves while she straddled him, wearing nothing but that Void-forsaken, crooked smile and his favorite cowboy hat cocked on her head.
Rich, russet skin that damn near glowed in the firelight - looking soft and inviting. The smooth expanse of her stomach, dotted with scars from a life fiercely lived, caused every muscle in his body to tense. His hands shook, sliding up her bare thighs, palms and fingers pressed into her body to remind himself that she was real, and for some reason she had decided that he was worthy of her time. He never wanted to leave this life behind if she was in it.
If he wasn’t who he was, if he didn’t remember the Gods as they once were, he might’ve prayed - begged, even - to anyone who would listen that this feeling, what they had, would never end.
He couldn’t see much of her face, the brim of the hat obscuring her features, which allowed for her smirk to continue to steal the show. A hint of teeth, a single dimple, the left side higher than the right. “What? Mabari nip your tongue?” Rhéla’s voice dropped lower, a tease as she rolled her hips, his denim pressing against his groin in an enticing way. Geldauran’s hands tightened around her thighs, unsure if he wanted her to continue the torture or if he was ready to beg. She damn well knew what she was doing to him, and if she didn’t - well, she certainly had to feel it.
Rhéla placed her hands over his, guiding them higher up to her hips, his mind wandering into the future where he was -
“Rhéla.” Geldauran’s voice came out hoarse, and dangerously close to a divine petition, while his eyes rolled up. His head dropped back into the mattress, breathing ragged and shallow. The sensation of her deft fingers working their magic on his belt caused his head to swim. A soft click of the metal buckle as it was released. He opened a single eye to watch her face as she concentrated on the task at hand.
Full lips pink and parted, with a few fiery curls hanging in her face. Soft curves of her breasts, her breathing slow and deliberate. Muscles in her stomach shifting under the skin as she rose up on her knees. None of it easing the heat that had begun to pool in his stomach. “Sugar.” His voice cracked. “I don’t got it in me to -”
She interrupted him with a click of her tongue behind her teeth, shifting so she could push his pants down far enough to release him from his boxers but little else. Thighs pinned by her straddling him. The only thing he could do was lift his hips so she had an easier time, quickly sinking back into the soft mattress.
“Now, handsome. Let me do the work.” Rhéla’s voice was the only thing that managed to break through the haze caused by the elfroot. Between the way she said ‘handsome’ - breathy and quiet - and the way she looked at him, he was done for. Heat flooded his body as her hand trailed down his stomach. Skin on skin below his navel, weaving through the hair that led down until she wrapped her skilled fingers around his cock.
Already painfully hard and aching as she teased him. Her thumb ran along the bottom of the head, his hips jutted upward and hands twisting in the sheets. Rhéla squeezed a little tighter to keep him in line. Stopping him from bucking like a bronto, “Ah, ah. Not yet. I got plans for you.”
DAY 05 - ASERADIVA
Goddess of Dreams & Sacrifice ✧ Warden of Unseen Magic ✧ The Last Offering
The Final Dream
Once, a young girl named Mirevas found herself in the Fade as she slept. Each night she wandered through landscapes that were not her own - starless skies of inky black, sunsets in blues and greens, forests that walked with her as she meandered in her dreams.
One night, she finds a path that had been hidden to her - it was the dream of another. There was no sun, no moon, no sky. A dark abyss of emptiness, and inside of it lay a small boy, crying. She asked him again and again, why did he cry? But, he gave no answer. Each night Mirevas returned to the boy’s dream. She shared pieces of herself, fragments of the world she lived - through stories, and laughter. Mirevas gathered each drop of the boys tears until one day the boy smiled.
The next night, Mirevas called out to Aseradiva in the Fade, finding her standing in the middle of a small creek, her fingers trailing through the water, fish swimming around the Goddess’ ankles. Mirevas asked her, “Why is the boy stuck inside an abyss? It is cold, and it is dark.”
Aseradiva knelt in the water so that the girl could see into her eyes, a gentle kindness in her gaze before she spoke, “The boy is one of the Unwaking. Lost in his Dreams until Falon’din sees fit to release him.”
Mirevas shook her head, that could not be. The poor boy was so young. She thought for a moment, swallowing softly. A hushed whisper, “If I give myself to the Fade, could he wake?” A sacrifice, a moment of selflessness to appease the Gods, and grant mercy on the Unwaking boy.
Aseradiva nodded, the girl’s desire to save the boy brought an aching to her heart. “If you join the Fade, I will ensure that he wakes.” Mirevas laid down, giving every small fragment of herself to the Fade - her name, her life, her flesh and bone, until she became the ground beneath her, joining the fabric of the Fade, and the thread that held dreams together.
The Unwaking woke, remembering nothing of his time in the abyss, and nothing of the girl who sacrificed herself for him. Sometimes, on the wind when he closes his eyes, he can hear a soft bubble of laughter, and the threads of the Fade sigh.
The Fade may keep no names, but it remembers acts of love.
From my Forgotten Codex set in a world where the Elvhen gods were... well, actual gods that ended up reincarnating in a modern Thedas.
Here is my Forgotten Ones OC - Aseradiva (her "real" name is Isathe), Goddess of Dreams and Sacrifce - twin to Anaris. She was reincarnated into a Ferelden Field Arcanist.
In my non-reincarnation work, she is the former wife of Daern'thal, and becomes Inquisitor.
The Theory of Being
This Forgotten Binding
The Forgotten Codex
