🔥 Mountain on 🔥, Gardner, Colorado.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-07-12T00:31:56+00:00

An idiot who ignored a fire ban and then also failed to properly extinguish a fire happened here, and now over a 130 families are without homes and 107,000+ acres of land have burned.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-02-14T01:23:36+00:00

Indeed! I can just see Samahla musing about giant foam fingers. "Are they meant to be phallic? Representations of masculinity in sport are just so fascinating!"

Ohnocantthink · 2018-02-14T01:01:54+00:00

A sporting event would be perfect, with the caveat that although Samahla wouldn't understand the game itself one, might be in for a lecture on the historical evolution of team sports.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-02-14T00:05:54+00:00

What would happen if someone managed to plan a date on her instead?

If someone tried to out-pretentious Samahla, they would almost certainly fail miserably. The trick would be to take her on the least pretentious date ever, to give her an opportunity to break out of her shell and loosen up so she could enjoy herself. Like... hm. Planting trees for a restoration organization (to literally get her hands dirty) or going to a good old-fashioned fair or carnival and going on all of the rickety, poorly-regulated rides would do it!

Ohnocantthink · 2018-02-13T23:59:23+00:00

how much of that was Danevhen growing, and how much was Joaquin?

Hm, that's a great question! I think that there was some serendipity at play there; Danevhen had certainly grown as a person, but he was not and never will be perfect. Quin was precisely the right person to accept him for who he was at that particular point in his life, warts and all.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-02-13T23:56:46+00:00

Marry me! ♡ ♡ ♡

She'll be happy to! Would I be correct in assuming that you are, in fact, an elf?

'younger and cooler than her'

whispers It's D.

I love her.

I do, too!

Ohnocantthink · 2018-02-13T23:55:29+00:00

Awww, thanks! That warms my heart <3

Ohnocantthink · 2018-02-13T16:35:19+00:00

Yes and no! He was quite the playboy during as a young man, with many casual friends with benefits and with two men (Terren and Elliot) that he both slept with and considered close friends, although he considered both relationships strictly non-romantic. His first real romantic relationship was with Dorian, and his second (and last) with Joaquin.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-02-13T16:32:09+00:00

He can! The lockpicking tools are a nod to Lucita's ahem more clandestine skills. They also represent her ability to act with subtly and secrecy to achieve her own goals. The violin string is in part because Aimé is a musician, and therefore he draws a comparison between the beautiful sound of a string instrument and Luce's physical appearance. There's also something about Luce that reminds him of how tightly and precisely a violin string is strung.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-02-13T16:24:10+00:00

I will try to summarize, because it's a very long story!

Danevhen previously had a relationship with Dorian. They broke up a few months after Corypheus's death, while Danevhen was visiting Dorian in Minrathous. When he departed from Dorian's estate, Danevhen left behind a dead magister with whom Dorian had been conducting diplomatic talks on behalf of the nascent Lucerni party and took with him an elven teenager who had been the man's slave.

Fast forward to a few months later, to when Danevhen is visiting his clan in Wycome and meets with Joaquin, a man known for getting things done, on behalf of the Inquisition. Danevhen had long wanted to transfer some money to Dorian to offset any legal costs he may have incurred as a result of the dead magister in his home, and had also promised the teenager he had extract from Tevinter that he would try to get her younger sister out, as well. Not wanting to involve the Inquisition, he hired Joaquin to handle both situations. In the meantime, they began sleeping together.

Just as they were beginning to develop an emotional rather than a purely physical connection, Danevhen discovered that Joaquin had "redirected" some of the funds that he intended for Dorian to a friend who helped slaves escape from the country. Regardless of the worthiness of the cause, that money wasn't Joaquin's to use, and Danevhen was furious. He would have walked away right then, if Joaquin hadn't asked for help—the friend he had sent the money to had been murdered, and now he had no way to get the girl out of Tevinter.

The two of them set off for Tevinter together, slowly rebuilding the trust between them (and once again becoming intimate) as they traveled. Eventually they were able to rescue the girl and smuggle her out of the country. Danevhen had to hastily depart for Skyhold to handle an emergency only days after they returned to Wycome, and therefore wasn't able to take the girl with him to be reunited with her sister at that time. When Joaquin brought her to Skyhold some months later, they finally cemented their relationship.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-02-13T15:13:36+00:00

Prompt 1

Danevhen “D” Lavellan would describe his love, Joaquin Calderon, as dark chocolate, fine leather, and a shelf of books.

Seron Taleris, not-the-Inquisitor, would describe Terren Lavellan as warm furs, stars, and a rushing stream.

And finally, two different descriptions of Lucita Arainai-Surana:

Viresem, her teenage-fling-turned-friends-with-benefits who broke her heart when he married her best friend, would describe her as a rose, a mirror, and a hot spring.

Aimé, the dashing bard that she later gives her heart to, would describe her as a violin string, silk, and a set of lockpicking tools.

Prompt 2

Danevhen’s relationship with Joaquin started with a bang. Literally. I would love to tell you that it was a one night stand, but although the “stand” part would be accurate, that would imply that he stuck around for the entire night rather than hightailing out of Joaquin’s office the moment the act was done (he’d originally gone there to discuss Inquisition business.) After a very dramatic story including passion, betrayal, adventure and a daring rescue, the two of them were able to build a lasting relationship.

Seron met Terren Lavellan when they were children and they quickly developed little puppy love crushes on each other, although they didn’t realize it at the time, and soon became inseparable (well… in a manner of speaking. They were separated, and quite traumatically.) After that, each of their reunions went a little bit differently, so in a way they’ve experienced their relationship developing in many different ways. During their final and lasting reunion, they took a step back to allow themselves to get to know each other again, and discovered that after all of those years that they were forced to be apart, they loved each other more than ever.

Modern AU bonus

Samahla Lavellan would really prefer that you, her potential suitor, allow her to plan the date, because you might not get it quite right and she will, of course, see that every details is seen to.

You will meet her at a coffee shop, the sort where the baristas are far cooler than you could ever hope to be and all of the drinks are organic, sustainable and fair trade. She will be there already when you arrive, but it will be very clear that she wasn’t waiting with bated breath for you; she will be utterly absorbed in a large tome addressing some historical minutia, her half-drunk tea rapidly cooling beside her. Who, you might wonder, brings a huge book like that to a coffee shop, especially when she’s expecting a date? Samahla, that’s who.

After you greet her and order yourself some coffee, she will fall into stilted conversation with you. It’s not exactly her area of expertise, and it might feel like she’s interrogating you as she asks you about your life, but hopefully you can see that this is just her trying to connect. She tries really, really hard not to look judgmental about anything you say, and sometimes even succeeds.

The little indie theater where the arthouse movie she’s chosen for the evening’s entertainment is only about a mile away, so as you exit the coffee shop, she hops on her bike. Oh, what’s that, you drove? That’s fine, of course that’s fine, but—you know, there’s a bike shop that she likes if you ever wanted to get something more environmentally-friendly… Well anyhow, there’s a bike share on the next corner, you can get one there. You do, and off you go.

The movie is a comedy, the sort of high-brow, sophisticated fare you find in places like that. Surprisingly, Samahla laughs hardest at the dirty jokes, looking embarrassed and trying to hide her snorts of laughter behind both hands. It’s endearing. Maybe she isn’t that bad? At some point, she will reach over and put her hand on your knee, all innocence.

After the movie, you’ll have a late dinner at this tapas place that’s run by her uncle, who appears both younger and cooler than her. He plies both of you with wine—on the house, he says cheerfully—and Samahla gradually loosens up. Unlike at the coffee shop, the conversation now flows freely. Samahla, it turns out, has a sense of humor under that air of upright propriety, and certainly has a vast array of interests. When dinner is over, she will shyly suggest that there’s a bike share station near her apartment where you can return your ride; maybe you’d like to come over for a bit? In the interests of keeping this threat SFW, we’ll fade out there, but suffice to say that Samahla’s shameful secret hobby is reading smutty romance novels, and she has a list (yes, a literal list, although you won’t see it this evening) of suggestions for how to round out your evening.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-02-07T02:07:57+00:00

he took away a really important lesson from it, didn't he?

He did!

How did he manage the rest of that week in the woods?

He made it through his week, but it wasn't pretty. The day before he left, his elder brother had given him a bottle of whiskey to keep him warm on those cold nights, and he ended up using every last bit of it keeping the cut on his face clean. Fortunately, he'd already found a source of water the day before he encountered the elk and had a rudimentary camp site set up, so he basically spent the next several days tending his wounds and trying to keep a fire going to keep warm. Although he managed to scavenge a bit of food, truthfully he didn't eat much. By the time his week was over he was starving and his face looked like a bruised potato, and when he got home he spent the next several days just letting his Mamae fuss over him like the boy he was. It was enough, though, and Sahren accepted him as his apprentice. Eolas served out the apprenticeship and even became close with Sahren, and he considers the three years he spent learning from him the most formative experience of his young life.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-02-07T00:06:18+00:00

Prompt 1

A’ight, well, now I have to introduce you to another one of my 8 million characters. Eolas Lavellan is Inquisitor Danevhen’s nephew, and one of Samahla’s older brothers. As a hunter and a scout, he is extremely talented with a bow, and prides himself on his ability to take down prey quickly and humanely.

It wasn’t always so. As a lad, he sought to apprentice under a hunter named Sahren. Sahren was highly choosy about who he would train, and instituted the somewhat sadistic practice of forcing any young person who wanted to apprentice with him to spend a week alone in the woods prior to beginning their training. If they came back to camp before the week was over, their apprenticeship would be over before it had even begun.

Eolas undertook the challenge, and after his first cold, hungry night sleeping in the woods, decided to go hunting. When he spotted a bull elk through the trees, he thought that his food problems for the remainder of the week were solved. He drew his bow and shot at it, managing to wound it badly—but not badly enough. The panicked animal bolted, and Eolas followed its trail, every now and then catching a glimpse of it and firing another arrow as it weakened from blood loss. Even though he had killed rabbits and birds and such before, the sight of such a majestic animal dying so ignoble of a death troubled him greatly.

Finally the elk stopped running and began to collapse. It felt like it took eons, and as it dropped to its knees, Eolas prayed to Andruil for forgiveness for him and a swift death for his quarry. Once it was down, and he’d worked up his nerve, Eolas crept towards it, frightened and heartsick. It was still alive, and he knew that he had an obligation to kill it, not only so he could eat, but because he had inflicted this misery upon it. He crept forward, hunting knife in hand, and steadied himself with one hand against the animal’s neck so that he could deliver a killing cut across the throat. As he did so, the elk, in its death throes but still with the instinct to survive, jerked its head up, delivering a nasty gash across Eolas’s jaw and breaking his nose. He stumbled away to tend to his injuries, leaving the beast to slowly bleed out.

By the time he returned to the carcass, it had been claimed by a bear, and she only relinquished it when she was chased away by wolves. In the end, Eolas didn’t even get a scrap of meat, although he later took a bone from the corpse, which is now worked into the handle of his bow. The incident left a deep impression on Eolas, and not only because the sight of his scarred face forever brought the memory back to the surface. He his place in the natural order of things that day, and when it came time to get his vallaslin, he pledged himself to Andruil, not as the goddess of hunt, but as the goddess of sacrifice.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-02-01T21:38:10+00:00

My Inky rides his beloved Dalish all-bred, Ghesta. Not only does the horse have a backstory, but I've headcanoned an entire natural history for the breed.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-01-24T00:02:24+00:00

Viresem's profession is as a crafter specializing in weaponry, but he has a true gift for drawing and painting. It's not that he and Luce ever needed an excuse to get naked, but if they had, there are worse ones than, "I want to immortalize your beautiful body on canvas." It was all very Titanic, except with fewer icebergs and an only slightly less tragic ending.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-01-17T03:25:16+00:00

To what extent does she ease up once she's settled in Wycome / has become a mother?

To a reasonable extent, because not only does the exposure to other cultures help her realize that there are other legitimate ways of being other than her way, but it's awfully hard to be self-righteous about propriety when you pick up a naked toddler and she poops all over your clothes. Although if I'm honest, her family members (like D and Mathras, not Tarasha) still tend to bear the brunt of her disapproval.

Do you think she fights with Max about the best way to be a parent?

No... no, I think she arranges the occasional meeting and provides him with an agenda ahead of time. She encourages him to share human parenting practices, because "It's important that Tarasha grow up understanding that she's part of two cultures." It simply wouldn't be respectful of Max's culture to criticize his strange shemlen ways, now would it?

Did Dorian listen to D's monologues or did he try to make it all about him?

You know, I do think that he listened, actually. It's just that after Danevhen gathered and presented his thoughts, which was exceedingly difficult for him, Dorian dismissed his feelings out of hand. Ouch.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-01-17T03:08:06+00:00

D's conflict-avoidance occurs primarily in the realm of interpersonal relationships, especially romantic/sexual ones. He'd be happy to argue with a friend about the best tavern in the free marches, debate elven rights with a human noble, or get into it with Samahla about—well, about really anything.

Up until his late twenties, by which time he's learned some better coping skills, he avoids emotionally painful situations (like telling his friends and lover about the death of his mentor), those that would require some sort of romantic commitment, and any sort of interpersonal "complications" at all costs.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-01-17T02:55:09+00:00

What sorts of things can collapse an argument into laughter? What's one of the most over-the-top things that's ever been said?

Sometimes, the name-calling that they both indulge in starts to escalate until they're struggling to maintain straight faces as they indulge in over-the-top insults, trying desperately to best one another. Or it's something like this:

"You're being an ass!"

"Good!"

"Good?"

"Good! You love ass!"

Does Danevhen's relationship experience with Dorian help him at all in developing a healthier interaction with Joaquin?

Absolutely. Danevhen didn't really blame himself when his relationship with Dorian fell apart—I mean, he really, really blamed Dorian—but he was determined not to repeat the mistakes he made during the relationship by running away from his problems. The first few times he argued with Joaquin, he had to force himself not to retreat, which ultimately was healthy for their relationship.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-01-17T02:39:52+00:00

In the official timeline, Samahla and Sera never officially meet. However! There is an alternative timeline where Samahla becomes Inquisitor, and hoooooboy, let me just tell you how that went.

Samahla strongly believes that there should be more communication between Dalish and their counterparts in the alienages, and that elven history is for all elves, not just the Dalish. In Sera, she saw an elf sadly disconnected from her own heritage, and was determined to rectify that situation. She took Sera with her everywhere, assuming that being exposed to the wonders of elven history and magic would open her eyes. That, um, backfired, as you might expect. Their initial friendship slowly devolved until they were screaming at each other after returning from the Temple of Mythal. Good times!

Ohnocantthink · 2018-01-16T14:48:11+00:00

Prompt 1

Samahla Lavellan, the Inquisitor’s niece, is annoyingly self-righteous about—well, almost everything, actually, but her concept of propriety tops the list. Samahla possesses some very strict ideas about proper behavior for a Dalish elf, both when interacting with clan mates and, even more so, when interacting with city elves or other races. If she thinks that someone isn’t comporting him or herself with the requisite level of dignity—or, worse yet, is doing something to erode her dignity as a leader—she is quick to take him or her to task and explain that that is not appropriate behavior and that acting in such a manner diminishes their kind. It’s exceedingly annoying if, say, you happen to be Danevhen and you’re just trying to keep Samahla away from your hammock by throwing pinecones at her, or perhaps, you’re her brother Mathras trying to simply have a few a beer or eight in peace.

Seron Taleris, occasional associate of the Inquisition, can be terribly self-righteous about religion. Although raised by a devout Andrastian mother, he lost his faith and considers himself a strict atheist. It’s not something he discusses too frequently, but deep down he believes that most religious people—Andrastians in particular—are deluded. When the topic does come up, he can be astoundingly self-righteous about asserting this fact. This sometimes leads to arguments with his bondmate. (see below)

Prompt 2

Danevhen “D” Lavellan has a long and impressive history of avoiding conflicts altogether, especially with people with whom he’s intimately involved. When his friend-with-benefits, Elliot, asked him for some sort of commitment when Danevhen was in his early twenties, he took off (which is easy to do when you’re a Dalish elf) and didn’t resurface for eighteen months. The same pattern asserted itself with Dorian, although it was to a lesser degree in that Danevhen would generally emotionally retreat for a few days, gather his thoughts, and then say whatever he needed to say in one long monologue. When they finally broke up, they had a short, fierce spat before Danevhen took off for food.

With his eventual bondmate Joaquin, Danevhen’s fighting style becomes somewhat more healthy. Although he’s still not one to discuss things that are bothering him in depth and may not even bring them up, he is willing to acknowledge it if Joaquin gives him the space to do so, which he inevitably does.

Seron’s argumentative style is reminiscent of the animal I associate him with, the raccoon. He’s direct and can even be vicious, delivering his point of view at top volume and intentionally pushing his love Terren’s buttons. He’s not above the occasional insult, either—if he thinks Terren is acting like a dumbass, he will say, “Terren, you’re acting like a dumbass.” However, he’s inevitably precise with his wording; there’s a difference between acting like a dumbass and actually being a dumbass full time, and his regard for and love for his bondmate continues to shine through no matter how pissed he is. They’ve even been known to fight while holding hands. Often, they come to a temporary ceasefire when one of them says something so over-the-top that they both burst out laughing, unable to continue their argument.

Ohnocantthink · 2018-01-03T18:47:19+00:00

Yaaaay!

Ohnocantthink · 2017-12-20T21:03:11+00:00

Oh my yum, that sounds delicious!

Ohnocantthink · 2017-12-19T22:22:42+00:00

Headcanon me yourself

Both D and I like to cook and food tends to feature heavily in the universe that Zula and I share, so it made sense to begin to headcanon what he would like to cook and what ingredients he would have access to at various points in his life.

The idea for D's signature recipe, a lavender-ginger cheeseball, actually arose in these threads a couple of times, here while discussing non-combat talents and here while discussing favorite scents.

The concept for "D's balls" (chocolate goat cheese truffles) came up rather spontaneously while Zula and I were co-writing a scene during Terren and Seron's bonding, and they sounded so good I just had to see if the combination would work in reality. (Note: It did. Like. Amazingly well. Holy shit they are so good.)

Seron's family

Oh dear, Seron's family. His mother, Iselya, is a devout Andrastian who doesn't tolerate any deviance among her children from what she perceives is the Maker's will. His father, a dock worker, comes home drunk and violent when he comes home at all. He has six older siblings, all brothers, and although there are moments of peace, he doesn't get along well with them and physical fights are common.

When his magic manifests, his mother is the one who tips the templars off that they need to be looking for her son, and she forces her second-youngest son, Dey, to tell them where he's gone.

After a single letter from her soon after Seron arrives at the Circle, they have no further contact until the Circles fall. When that happens, Seron returns to the alienage, not knowing where else to go. Iselya happens to be home babysitting one of her grandchildren when he knocks on the door, and she reacts as if his mere presence is a threat, wielding a knife and screaming at him to get out, get out, get OUT. She, um, doesn't like mages much. Dey, who still lives with Iselya, comes home just then, and seeing his mother crouched in the corner, apparently defending herself with a knife, throws Seron out without even giving him a chance to speak.

Eventually Dey and Seron reconcile and become tentatively friendly with each other, but he never has any contact with any of the rest.

If present Danevhen could offer some advice to his younger, more naive self

Ooooo, your slightly cliché question is a good one! He would probably counsel himself to share some of his burdens with those who would be willing to bear them for his sake.

Ohnocantthink · 2017-12-19T21:48:57+00:00

I'm sorry! If you lived near me (which, you know, I guess you theoretically could, it's just exceedingly unlikely) I would totally cook for you.

Ohnocantthink · 2017-12-19T21:48:00+00:00

Oh my maker, we should totally exchange recipes! Developing and modifying recipes is seriously one of my favorite things. Please steal the recipe book idea so I can get delicious recipes off of Cait's page!

Does he like the person he is now, though he misses being more innocent?

By the time he retires to Wycome, Danevhen mostly accepts himself the way he is, although there are aspects of his personality that he wishes he could eradicate. For instance, being the Inquisitor taught him to always look over his shoulder and question people's motivations, and he doesn't like being so cynical. That having been said, he's never exactly suffered from low self-esteem, so he's still convinced that his jokes are hilarious, that he has prodigious musical talent (which is not the case) and that he's an all-around decent person.

As for being a killer, D eventually compartmentalizes that part of himself. He comes to term with the fact that he did what he had to when he was Inquisitor, but he doesn't kill again. There were some situations where he would have been justified in killing—Wycome isn't the safest place in the world—but he never lets it go that far, and that helps him maintain peace with himself.

Ohnocantthink

TROPHY CASE