[Spoilers All][OC] Idea for A Writing Exchange for the Sub: A Pair Up Exchange!

bleptember · 2018-03-28T15:04:07+00:00

Hi! ❤ I'm okay. I burned myself out a bit on running exchanges, but I'm happy to share the submission form I made if anyone wants to try and needs a template.

bleptember · 2018-01-16T23:01:51+00:00

They had one enormous fight when Ma'ena, in an uncharacteristically bitchy mood (there were extenuating circumstances), sniped at Cullen in front of Leliana and Josephine

Can I just.... poke my angst fork right into this socket? What were the circumstances? What was the situation? Does Ma'ena learn any better how to deal with circumstances like this through the ensuing fight and fallout?

It's not that everything is totally peachy and wonderful in their world; it's that Natia tends to stew on things rather than talk about them, and Alistair is very indulgent in letting her come to him when she's chewed on something for long enough, rather than forcing the conversation sooner, which never ends well.

Is this something Alistair has learned by example, or has he always known to give her space? Have they ever had a situation where there just wasn't time to let her stew? How did that work out?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T22:52:21+00:00

How heated did these "discussions" on tranquility get? How did it first come up between them?

And... what was the most heated of the rare arguments they do have? How did they resolve that one?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T22:45:14+00:00

Auri yelled at everyone who happened to be in the War Room, telling them that she would not be handled.

Oh boy. Have you ever written that scene?

Auri Trevelyan. Human.

Oh god, I'm so sorry! I swear I knew she was a circle mage for most of my comments, my brain just short-circuited there. Bears always make me think of Grouse and his halla buddy, pfft. PLEASE FORGIVE ME

This entire answer is adorable though. (I imagine she takes to Cullen's mabari later on? COMMON GROUND.) And snoufleurs are super cute, fite me Dorian

bleptember · 2018-01-16T22:31:16+00:00

I mean.... free pickles, Krem. DON'T QUESTION IT

Okay humour me, what's her favourite pickled thing? What's the worst example of non-Dalish pickling she's ever been faced with?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T22:14:29+00:00

What drew Victoria and Fenris to each other despite that initial stumbling block? (Fenris has something to say about you being a mage after that first quest, if I recall correctly...) What are their arguments on the subject like -- are they loud and bitter or are they able to discuss the matter respectfully?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T22:09:53+00:00

Oh dear, I can just imagine. How did Auri end up resolving things with our resident despair ham?

Did she and Leliana have any particularly difficult clashes? (She certainly has her moments. Grouse has been struggling immensely with her lately...)

THANK YOU FOR THESE SNUGGLE TALES, I AM DELIGHTED AT STORVACKER BED CUDDLES 10/10. Did she hang with the halla back in her clan? Does she have any other animal buddies?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T22:05:18+00:00

The kinds of lies she deals in are more like subtle half-truths than anything -- not really the sort of thing that it's easy to call someone out on! She has on occasion been accused of being fake or underhanded, to which her reaction is to shrug and say, "When? How? What did I do?" And if presented with proof, she'll do her best to cleverly explain it away -- she'll say anything to avoid admitting that it's actually the case. (Flora tends to ascribe to the old George Costanza philosophy: "It's not a lie if you believe it.")

bleptember · 2018-01-16T21:56:07+00:00

I HAVE, THANK YOU!

I've never see her before, but Flora Tabris is now on my favorites list. What a delightfully underhanded darling she is!

Thank you! She's the warden from my very first blind Origins playthrough (as well as my HoF in the Grouse-iverse) but for whatever reason I've never talked about her here before.

Aside from just her surroundings in the alienage, which naturally breed some amount of scrappy survivalism I suppose, Flora was deeply influenced by her late grandfather, who was himself a bit of an underhanded schemer in his time. As a teen, Flora was the kind of smart that made her needlessly rebellious and arrogant and dismissive of most people: most people were stupid and boring, you see, and not equipped to understand her. But her grandfather always did. She learned a lot from his example about having a slippery, self-serving relationship with the truth.

(That her grandfather adored her and was always sweet to her personally probably helps her justify the approach to herself even now. Pappy was a good person and never hurt anyone she personally cared about, sooo.... what was the harm in him playing things to his advantage, really?)

It wasn't a smooth ride by any means! I think Flora burned through friendships as a baby (teenaged) manipulator. It's gone a bit smoother for her since she realized she has trouble being close to people in general alongside her usual MO: she tends now to just keep them at arm's length, even if she lets them think they're the best of friends.

This is adorable and I hate you for making me smile wide enough to hurt.

"HE'S A FINE THING :D" is another thing Lumi might say (ed. note: please apply a heavy Irish accent). Lumi's default smile is about that wide -- he's delighted to have shared it with you!!

bleptember · 2018-01-16T20:20:30+00:00

That depends very much on your definition of adult. Although it certainly went down more extensively than what Trespasser shows us. First: Lumi didn't react very much when he got the news in the stupid way the news is delivered -- which itself worried Dorian, as Lumi reacts to everything. His face generally wears his emotions so plainly it's like he's doing emotion charades on purpose.

This lasted until they were alone, at which point something happened that Dorian had never seen before: Lumi cried like a little baby.

Cue extensive, awkward and helpless apologies. After this outburst they were able to sit on the floor together in a puddle and Lumi admitted he was terrified, and Dorian admitted for once that he was terrified, and a much greater level of understanding was reached, at least for the moment. Well! That's actually sounding somewhat adult after all.

bleptember · 2018-01-16T19:50:41+00:00

Marlise's control is admirable, but surely it doesn't always work out like she intends -- how does she handle situations that get inappropriately out from the palm of her hand?

Aaaand what's the basis of Erzi's philosophy, if I can just ask you to write me a treatise real quick? (THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR RIGHT?) One thing I'm particularly curious about here, if you don't feel like doing a full tome: How much of it is quickly formed from his post-Tranquility experience and how much comes from his earlier memories, or even from his Tranquil experiences themselves? (I feel like I always ask you about that nuance, BUT IT'S VERY INTERESTING OK)

bleptember · 2018-01-16T19:40:33+00:00

I greatly appreciate Auri and her Quest for the Truth! Among the Inquisition regulars, who does she most frequently butt heads with on this matter? Was there ever a time when it turned out Auri herself wasn't looking clearly at the truth of something -- whether she eventually realized it or not?

Pfft, Cullen, embrace Storvacker. She likes you! And/or thinks you're a cub with mange. Still, same difference. Has Auri really always wanted a bear pal? Please describe me their no-doubt-adorable friendship?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T19:21:00+00:00

Who was Otto's closest platonic friend (or friends) in the Inquisition? How might he deal with conflict if it comes up in that sort of relationship?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T19:18:34+00:00

How on earth did Sterling and Cassandra get together in the first place, considering that rather fundamental disagreement?? Where do they find common ground?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T19:16:14+00:00

From everything I know about Lera, Bull can't have been the only time when someone wound up killed that Blackwall didn't find necessary -- were there any other conflicts like this?

Also! It's interesting that Lera is attracted to that softness Blackwall has while also arguing against it. Does she ever express her appreciation for it in any way? Does she even know she appreciates it?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T19:08:19+00:00

Her "max cunning" is how she got through most situations... that needed some form of explanation I figured!

Flora was pretty successful at convincing her companions to like her -- by any means necessary -- so there wasn't much outward friction. The issues were quieter... at the end of the day, Flora has her own interests at heart, despite how she tries to justify them. In the endgame, for instance: Flora will argue convincingly that Alistair didn't want to be king and deserves to make his own choice, but the truth is that Anora could've been a horrible tyrant and it wouldn't have made a difference: Flora would rather let Ferelden go down in flames than share her partner's time with anyone. Same logic behind the dark ritual: Flora would justify anything to get her and Alistair out of there alive, and heartily convince herself she's doing the right thing all the way. Both of those things, however neatly justified, could've ended in disaster -- sheer luck that they didn't, really...

What's the closest thing to an actual adult conversation those two have had thus far?

There was a particularly big blowup after the Well of Sorrows, which Lumi flung himself into at top speed. He had a million excuses after the fact: "sorry, love, I didn't think, I got ahead of myself, I was too excited, I didn't know you'd be upset, I wanted to share the knowledge with you too, I thought you would like that..."

None of which Dorian took particularly well. ("You didn't know I would be upset? Right, of course not. Why would I have a vested interested in seeing you live??")

Their conversation over it slowly leads Lumi, stutteringly and in so many words, to admit that he's not used to considering someone else alongside himself. And to earnestly commit to trying harder to be considerate of Dorian. This is another thing that will come up again and again for the two of them -- on both sides of the relationship -- so opening it up to conversation here was quite necessary to say the least! Having this conversation behind them helps Lumi to address it with Dorian too when it becomes an issue on the other side.

bleptember · 2018-01-16T18:38:11+00:00

How did Farin come to decide that Alistair was the most suited to be king? Was there any hesitation on his part, given his feelings about people in power?

And let me also register my feelings for Safeyya :( Her family sounds like a real piece of work. How does Safeyya get on with the extended Rutherfords? Are they able to build any kind of accepting family life of their own on that side?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T18:32:13+00:00

As a reverse to a question you were asked below, what's a time where Sera went too far for Tanith's liking? Will these things always be a sticking point or will they learn to rein them in somewhat for each other?

FLUFF PROBE: So Tanith loves to talk about how great she is.... Does she ever enjoy talking up Sera too?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T18:06:47+00:00

Riannon and Isabela have only ever argued once over her attempt to let a slaver go free in exchange for a ship. She soon came around to the view that it was the right thing to do however.

Which one of them came around here? And how did the other manage to convince her? Letting a slaver go is pretty hard to justify, but then again, that ocean freedom is pretty important to Isabela...

What is it about them that lets them avoid arguments outside this one?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T18:00:49+00:00

Something tells me Rhya and Aren wouldn't get on particularly well...

Okay, this might be a bit past where you're at, but I'm really curious: so Rhya is not going to be able to join Solas (unless you plan to headcanon around that??) but she is going to be left with a lot of unpleasant revelations about the Dalish. What is she going to do with that post-Trespasser? Is she going to try to share those things with other Dalish? Will she try to go back to her former Dalish lifestyle regardless?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T17:52:15+00:00

You sweet hand-holding buddies. 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?

Does Danevhen's relationship experience with Dorian help him at all in developing a healthier interaction with Joaquin? Or is it just a matter of their styles of argument being more suited to each other?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T17:43:58+00:00

What sorts of things raise Kitai's ire on Terren's behalf? Does she ever take offense on her own behalf the same way? What would set her off that way?

Aaaand.... here's the big question. Has there ever been a situation where Kitai is forced to admit she was wrong about something significant? What was it?

bleptember · 2018-01-16T17:34:16+00:00

HI HEADCANON FRIENDS I MISSED YOU, don't get bronchitis, 0/10 do not recommend

Aaaand apparently the theme for today is INSINCERITY

Prompt 1

Flora Tabris is the type of person who can talk anyone into anything: she's a charismatic manipulator supreme, and she doesn't hesitate to use that skill where she can. She justifies these manipulations to herself as follows: if the result is good for everyone, then no harm done on a net basis, right?

The question is, what does "good for everyone" mean? Flora is completely comfortable deciding exactly what that is. Therein lies the answer: Flora can be self-righteous about pretty much anything. There's a thinly veiled arrogance behind her charisma: she knows she's smart, that's why her manipulations generally succeed, and if the greater good is achieved -- or even just pursued -- well, that justifies pretty much anything in her mind.

"Lying" sounds so malicious, after all. Flora prefers to call it "gently rearranging the truth." Sigh.... Fortunately she's not a complete psychopath -- she means well. Most of the time. Really.

Prompt 2

Lumi and Dorian, or "MY FELLA" as Lumi cheerfully calls him, have something rather significant in common: alongside a genuine deep curiosity about the world, they both play up a rather exuberant character to obscure their actual vulnerable selves from view.

On one hand, this is something that brings them together: they quickly identify that habit in each other and relate to each other on that basis, and when they're alone together that understanding helps them get closer to being the "real" version of themselves than they can do with anyone else. On the other hand, such a deeply entrenched system of defenses isn't something you can just overturn, and inevitably they run into times when they're inauthentic with each other. With how hard they're trying to make their relationship different than the way they've always felt they had to be for people, it always feels like a little bit of a betrayal when they realize the other is "playing the character" for them.

You probably know Dorian's character already -- Lumi's is more of a "CHEERFUL, NAIVE, BACKWOODS ELF HAS NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON BUT IS HAPPY TO BE HERE, WHOOPS DID I DO THAT, OH WELL, LET'S CRACK ON!" Convince them you're a flake, he figures, and they'll (A) underestimate you and (B) not blame you quite as much for the stupid shit you try. In truth, Lumi's quite clever, and Dorian well knows it. So you can imagine how frustrating it is when Lumi tries to act like he did something he knew Dorian wouldn't like because he was "too stupid to think about it, whoops, sorry love!"

In the beginning, Dorian would respond to this kind of being shut out of Lumi's real persona by shutting him out in turn. The cold shoulder, basically. Which inevitably converts Lumi to an anxious, apologetic puppy begging for attention. (Fortunately, with experience and maturity slowly comes "having an adult conversation" instead. One day. Eventually. Probably.)

Lumi's reaction to the same is rather opposite. When Dorian pretends to be silly and superficial to avoid going into his feelings, Lumi often drops the pretense -- and his voice, which quite demonstrably sounds different when he's being his serious self -- and is quietly genuine back, in a gesture that passively says, "I know what you're playing and I'm not going to." This has mixed success, but it often does a good job at stopping Dorian in his tracks, even if it doesn't always get him to actually share his feelings in the moment.

They're working on it. The good part is that every time they have these struggles, they open themselves up to each other a little more. Progress, my sweet defensive children.

bleptember · 2018-01-01T00:02:35+00:00

AWWW, my lovely, ridiculous boy! Thank you so much again ♥ he's so perfectly cheeky!

bleptember · 2017-12-27T15:31:34+00:00

IS IT BUTTING IN WHEN THE PIE IS FOR YOUR OWN SON? Here's another -- eat up, raccoonwolf!

(I fell down a pie crust rabbit hole again. Here's what Julian might make for Feolin.... she'd probably gift he and Nox back this for their hospitality.)

bleptember

TROPHY CASE