Who has two thumbs and nuked their entire Tumblr account from 2013? Twas me! So now I have to go through everyone I kind of sort of remember and re-add/re-introduce myself. It's been great. I'm sorry if this is how you learn I actually only write bad guys.
Who?> Toshi | Mid-40s | Chicago, US
What?> Main Fandoms: Star Trek | Highlander | Dragon Age | Gravitation | Rival Schools/Project Justice
Currently writing a lot of Dragon Age stuff.
Dragon Age Meta:
Rook de Riva on Talons | Romanced Blighted Bellara and a fear of Abandonment | The Dellamorte Problem | The Crows Don't Do Prison Breaks | Lucanis Never Goes Home | Bellara 🧡💜 Crow! Rook | Competency is Vanilla for Crows | Banners of Treviso | VJ!Rook will never be Bellara | Grey Warden Staffing | Lyrium Dagger as Binding
Dragon Age Fics (RSS Feed):
Canon Characters Only: Fics without Juan's Bullshit, featuring Elek Tavor, Neve Gallus, and Lucanis Dellamorte probably
The Worst in Thedas World State and AUs:
Juan de Riva: Elven Mage with the Antivan Crows (Lore Sheet)
- Pre-Veilguard | Post-Veilguard | The Worst in Thedas (Companion AU) | Juan Fights Everyone | Ballad of Juana | Riley's Harem (Riley x Juan) | Let's Be Venatori | Viscount x Talon | Hostage Situationship (Juan x Elek) | #datv mongoose
- Support Character: Rinaldo de Riva (Lore Sheet) #rinaldo de riva
- Support Character: Nerea de Acutis #nerea de acutis
Hiro Laidir: Human Warrior with the Lords of Fortune | Master Post | #hiro laidir
Other Absolute Disasters: 'Ware the Shinglewing | Sock Puppets
Want notifications? Gaze upon my Tag List and Despair.
In the last chapter, Treviso was freed. Now, six days after the Veilguard left for Tearstone Island, Illario receives a visitor:
Emmrich. Illario learns that not everyone returned from Tearstone Island. Emmrich seeks Illario's help with a catatonic Lucanis and unreachable Spite.
Viago handles the news poorly and they all head back to the Lighthouse to support the rest of the team manage their task without Rook, Neve, and Harding.
Chapter Excerpt: (or how Viago handles the news of Rook poorly)
“He poisoned my coffee,” Teia snapped.
Illario looked down at her. She was standing so close to him that her curls were brushing the portion of chest bared by the smart cut of his coat. “You seem to be—"
“No. Not my coffee. The Cantori Diamond coffee.” She whipped a dagger out of nowhere and waved it in front of his face. “You take him out of here. Take him far, far away. I have a hundred poisoned Crows to deal with. Bring him and Gemma both back to me. Understand?”
The smile he gave her was one he saved for special moments. It was pure, languid seduction and he knew it would increase her anger monumentally. “Understood, Andarateia.”
“Aah!” She sliced at his face, coming close enough that he felt the displaced wind on his cheekbones.
One look at Emmrich’s shocked and then exasperated face told him she had not actually cut him.
She punched him in the stomach and stalked away.
No pressure to read or repost. Tag List Management Post (on or off? Post here)
OH SO @amoaliquis THINKS THERE AREN'T KNIVES INVOLVED IN JUAN'S PROPOSAL??
...this part is so close to the end if i can just get through this dellamorte slog...
“They’re so mean to me, Teia,” Juan whined, “After all I do for them.”
“Povero bebè. I’m here now and they’ll be nice to you.”
“They got married,” Viago said flatly.
Rook’s eyes went wide. “You bastard.” They couldn’t sit up fast enough before her fist was wrapped in their collar, tightening and choking them against their own shirt.
Her blade was against their throat as they struggled in their chair. “How are those not the first words out of your mouth?”
“They can’t answer you if you’re like this,” Viago pointed out.
Juan has a task to do in Minrathous and brings Jericho along for a bit of an impromptu vacation. Unfortunately, they aren't aware of Jericho's tenuous history in the city.
written with @sandcastlekings | Some time after After Taste
"Are you serious?" Juan had gotten into the habit of preparing breakfast about that time in the mid-morning. Instead, they were having a tense conversation on the phone, idly flipping the kitchen knife in their hand. "But what if… No, no, I heard you. Fine. I get it."
Jericho had only recently woken up, pulled out of bed by the sound of Juan's voice. He walked into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee before leaning against the counter and watching Juan's side of a seemingly heated conversation. Curious as he was, he didn't want to interrupt, only raising a brow questioningly when Juan turned his way.
Juan looked over and waved a bit. "Yeah, actually, make that for two. Alright, I'll behave. Call you when I got arrangements."
As they wrapped up their call, Jericho chuckled a bit, "who's telling you to behave this early in the day?"
"Gigi. She wants me to run something down." Then they grinned a bit. "But, she said I can bring some company if you can get a couple nights off."
"I think I could manage that," he smiled. "Where are we going?"
"Minrathous. Just have to verify some addresses. I'll have a lot of hours to myself."
"Ah." Jericho frowned slightly, but quickly tried to school his features, regaining his interest in spending a couple of days away with Juan. "Should be fun."
Juan caught the hesitation and frowned a bit. "I mean, you don't have to. I can go on my own."
With a small sigh, he moved closer and kissed Juan's forehead. "I do want to go with you. A couple of days away with just us sounds wonderful, actually." He paused briefly, a small crease appearing between his eyes. "But, you know I'm from Minrathous, right?"
"I… forgot," they admitted sheepishly. "Shit, I'm sorry. You can stay behind. I'll just video call you."
"Juan, no. I do want to go with you. I don't mind." Smiling warmly, he took their hand, trying to reassure them. "There's just… maybe a couple of places I'd like to avoid. If possible. That's all."
"Yeah, of course. I can find my way around if I need to. When I'm not working on this, we can stay at the hotel. There's supposed to be a nice spa inside."
"That sounds nice. We can do pretty much whatever you like. I can show you around some. Could be interesting… it's been… a really long time since I've been back."
"Take me anywhere. I don't usually get to do anything fun on these things."
"We'll find something fun to do, I promise." He grinned at them. "What do you need to do for work while you're there though?"
"There's a couple addresses that say they're in the city, but we haven't been able to double check. It's always better to see them with your own eyes. And, maybe, if something falls in my lap about that crazy guy's blog… well. Then it happens."
"Should be easy enough, it sounds like. When do we go?"
"Tonight. I need to get tickets now."
Jericho's eyes widened, and he turned to pour himself a cup of the coffee that had just finished brewing. Immediately taking a large drink, he finally nodded at Juan. "Right, I better start packing then."
"It's only for a couple nights. And it's not like we're going to go clubbing or anything so we just need regular clothes." Then they perked up and looked over. "Wait, is there some place we'd need to wear something specific?"
"Hm. I don't think so? Unless, you want me to take you out to a fancy dinner," he smiled, his eyes crinkling a bit. "Or if you need to dress up for anything work related, I suppose."
"Not exactly heading into meetings, but I should probably bring a suit. Do you like fancy dinners?"
He shrugged. "They're nice from time to time, but honestly, I'm happy anywhere the food's good."
"I'll bring a nice set of clothes, just in case."
Jericho made a second cup of coffee and set it down in front of Juan, leaving a quick kiss on their cheek before pulling away with a grin. "Good, then so will I."
"It'll also just be commercial. I don't have anyone I can bully into giving me a private jet."
"I don't mind, we'll make the best of it."
They grinned and kissed him. Then get packed. I'll get tickets."
Once they landed in Minrathous and made it out of the airport, Jericho paused for a moment, taking in the surroundings, and took a deep breath before reaching for Juan's hand. "So, where to?"
They took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "We can catch a cab to the hotel and rest a bit. Maybe dinner."
"That sounds good. Where are we staying?"
They checked their phone. "Ah… The Madrigal. It's supposed to be in Vivazzi Plaza."
"Oh, that's fancy. Viago's sparing no expense, huh?"
"He won't even see the expense report," Juan said with a grin.
"Even better," he grinned back.
They caught a cab just outside the airport and headed toward the hotel. Jericho quietly watched the scenery go by outside the window, not letting go of Juan's hand the the whole ride.
"Hey," they whispered, squeezing his hand. "You okay?"
"Hm?" He turned toward Juan and squeezed their hand in return with a small smile. "I'm okay. It's just a little… strange, being back here after so long. It's been years."
"Would you rather have stayed home? I didn't realize it was that bad." They frowned. "I should have asked. I didn't want to pry."
"No, no it's alright. Minrathous itself isn't the problem… I just… don't have a lot of good memories here." He gave Juan a soft look, his voice growing quiet. "I'm hoping this trip might change that."
They smiled and put their head on his shoulder. "I don't think it works that way, but we'll do our best."
Leaning his head against the top of Juan's, he chuckled. "Doesn't hurt to try. We can at least add some good memories to the mix."
"We can just do room service when we get in, while we orient ourselves."
"That sounds really nice," he sighed. "But are you sure? If you'd rather go out, we can. I want you to have a good time here."
"Only if you have a place we can go. Otherwise, having a night to rest in sounds pretty good."
"Staying in it is then." Jericho smiled and turned to kiss Juan's cheek. "Think the hotel has those really soft and fancy bathrobes?"
"Oh yeah, it should. We could get a bath kit sent up too."
"Mmm. I'm gonna feel spoiled after this, I think," he giggled. "I fully intend to put on a fancy robe, collapse into bed, and let the fluffy pillows consume me."
They grinned. "Oh sure but when I do it to you at home, it's torture."
Jericho smirked back at them and laughed before stealing a quick kiss.
The hotel was nice and the neighborhood was pretty lively. It took a bit to get settled in their room which overlooked one of the more popular plazas. The decor was high quality with a bit of Antivan motif throughout to set it apart from the other hotels in the area. A little gaudy but not so much for it to be unbearable.
Juan pulled their bag in and looked around with a low whistle. "No, you were right, this is a very nice place."
Jericho nodded as he set his own bag down. "Yeah, I've never stayed here before, but it's got a reputation for being really nice… and really expensive."
"Yeah… so when I get stressed out sometimes we expense me a little weekend to keep me from doing something stupid," Juan admitted with no small amount of embarrassment. "So I didn't actually book this. I'll get them something nice when I get back."
"So… this isn't really a work trip?" He looked at them curiously, reaching out tentatively to palm their cheek. "Have you been that stressed?"
They breezed past the question and shrugged. "It is a work trip, but this is nicer than even something I would try. Gemma's getting really good at pushing it."
"Juan…" Frowning a bit, Jericho sighed and dropped his hand. Instead, he sat down on the edge of the very plush and comfortable bed and looked up at them with a slightly worried gaze.
"I'm fine, I promise." They reached over and handed over the the menu. "Find us something for dinner."
He took a few minutes to peruse the menu, eventually settling on something more traditionally Tevene than they could typically find in Treviso, and placed the room service order after confirming it with Juan. While waiting on the food to arrive, he explored everything the room had to offer, eventually finding a neatly folded stack of the fluffy bathrobes he'd been hoping for in the bathroom. He changed into one and came back in to the bedroom, crashing on the bed, and flipped on the tv.
They chuckled watching him, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Everything in order?"
"Hmm. Maybe," he grinned. "Depends on if there's anything decent to watch."
"I'm sure there will be something on entertaining enough." They slid next to him. "You look comfortable at least. It's usually me going through every drawer and button in a place."
"I am comfortable. And there's more of these in the bathroom if you want to explore the place and join me."
"I might after we get dinner. We can't just keep ruining the wait staff wherever we go."
Jericho smirked a little and looked at Juan out of the corner of his eye as he flipped through channels. "That's a fair point."
They grinned and kissed him. "Thank you for coming with me."
"Yeah, of course." He reached for their hand and squeezed it gently. "I meant it, when I said I wanted to."
"I know. I can still like your company."
He looked up at them with a small smile. "I'm glad you still do. I love you, Juan."
"I love you too, Jer. Are you okay being here?"
"I am. Like I said… the city itself isn't the problem…" He frowned slightly. "I just want to steer clear of my family."
"That's understandable. Any place we should stay clear of?"
Jericho scratched at his beard as he thought, a crease forming between his brows. "Their neighborhood, obviously. And anywhere the politically powerful are likely to frequent." He wrinkled his nose a bit, a slight scowl forming.
"Hmm," they muttered, running a finger over his brow. "If needed, I can do my walk around on my own. I can come back when I'm done."
He felt his tension ease a bit at their touch and sighed. "I'll go with you as much as I can. How likely are we to end up in those places anyway?"
"I am looking into the dirty money of rich people so… it's not a zero chance."
"Right. Of course." He grimaced, leaning his head back against the pillows. "I'll be alright. I'll tell if you if I need to hang back anywhere."
They sighed heavily, putting their head on his chest. "I should have asked. I guess I didn't realize how little I actually know about you."
"It's okay," he whispered, running his fingers through their hair. "It's not like I ever bring it up. I cut contact with my family when I moved to Treviso for good."
"That much I guessed. Tevinter's a big place. I didn't realize you were from here."
Jericho laid there for a moment, mentally kicking himself for never telling Juan even some of the most basic things about himself. "I'm sorry… I guess I didn't really ever think to mention…"
"It's fine. Neither did I. I just don't want to drag you into a place you stayed away from for a reason."
"You didn't drag me here, Juan," he assured, softly kissing the top of their head. "I came here willingly. To be with you. And you know… anything you don't know about me… you can always ask. I won't keep it from you."
"Yeah, I know. But you know what I mean. If you're uncomfortable, you can tell me. Um… is there anything around here you do like?"
"I will, I promise. And I'm really okay right now," he smiled softly. "And there are things I like. I can show you around a bit, when we have some time."
"Looking forward to it! Hm, is there anything I need to keep an eye out for? Or you should?"
"Hm, like what? Besides anyone with an obvious family resemblance, so I can run the other way?" he grinned.
"That's a pretty good one!" Juan grinned back.
"I'm probably more worried about running into them than I need to be, honestly. We'll manage, if it comes to it."
"Are you banned from anywhere?"
Jericho chuckled at that. "No, not that I'm aware of."
"Then we should be fine."
There was a polite knock at the door. "Oh, that's probably dinner."
"And I still have my clothes on!" They hopped up, letting in the attendant to set up dinner on a small table.
Jericho picked up the remote again and quickly found something on tv that would at least provide decent background noise, and then joined Juan at the table after the attendant left. "Looks good. It's been too long since I've had actual Tevene food. Antiva tries… but it's just not the same."
"Very excited! What did you get? I don't think there's a good place anywhere near the pit."
"Oh, it's just grilled chicken skewers with rice and veggies. Kind of simple, but a favorite when I was younger," he shrugged.
"Probably a good plan considering the flight." Juan thought for a bit while they ate. "It's very good! Do you have any other good memories?"
"Hmm…" Jericho thought for a moment, trying to come up with something that might be considered good from that time. "There's a lot of cool little places scattered around that you wouldn't really know to look for as a tourist. Bars with live shows every night, little shops with the strangest assortment of things… that sort of stuff. My brother and I used to sneak off sometimes and go find things like that to do. It was fun."
"Let's do that tomorrow night."
He smiled warmly at them. "Yeah, I think I'd like that."
For the OC doodle asks, this one feels very appropriate — ☠
I imagine funeral being a very important event. And I bet there are just plenty of different outfits a Mourn Watcher can wear, depending of their role in the ceremony.
I think this is Lydia in just a traditional mourning fit. The dress or anything worn underneath is not as important as the mask and the veil - those are the insignia of her being part of the Watch.
i think we should be ridiculing them more for this. you don't get to try and go all "queer website" when your staff likes to go on nuking sprees targeting the trans fem users
would be remiss not to mention that the rainbow notably straight up just removed the trans flag colors from it. like they’re gone. it’s the progress flag minus the trans flag colors.
Tagged by @amoaliquis but when she says 'soft tag' i imagine that meme of being hit by a kettlebell.
Share your favorite romance scenes that you have written. Kisses, dramatic confessions, tragic partings, tearful reunions - whatever you like.
This is from the little Bellara Proposal microfic I wrote a while back which is just what it looks like when two people with anxiety are in a proposal.
She could feel their palms sweating. They were on one knee, eyes cast down to the ground as they cradled her hand. She couldn’t see their face. Were they happy? Shouldn’t they be happy?
Share your favorite romance scenes that you have written. Kisses, dramatic confessions, tragic partings, tearful reunions - whatever you like.
So, I've shared this before and it will always remain my favorite. I haven't written the full fic yet, just a blurb about the "confession", but I would fuckin' tattoo this shit on my forehead if it would fit. /laugh.
Interesting little factoid - this is the ONLY confession scene I have ever written. Huh.
Hancock and Brenna, AKA Hanbren
Full Scene HERE.
Direct Quote from Hancock:
"I love you, Bren. In this life and every other. You're mine, Sunshine. Until the end of the goddamned world."
I have commissioned comics of this quote with each artist’s own interpretation. Here is a beautiful piece by @yappacadaver.
If Senka and Arojan ever get to this point, I expect great things.
And I would be incredibly remiss if I didn't share these tragic moments that actually make me "feel".
Gross.
[Which makes me think that I should get art commissioned of these scenes.]
Here we have the potential deaths of both Brenna and Senka linked. Snippets provided.
Brenna
Snippet:
Something in her goes quiet then. Not calm, never that. Just… empty. Hollowed out where something vital used to be.
She buries him herself.
Senka
Snippet:
The Crow, who was too sharp, too fast, too impossible to properly contain... gone. Not in the way Crows usually go, blades in back alleys or poison in cups. This is different. This is… final in a way even assassins rarely understand.
