Modifié par Hilde, 06 décembre 2010 - 04:22 .
Tellervo wrote...
Turned out pretty well on the Zevran LJ group with most people going, "If I get an artist, this-ish. If I get a writer, this-ish." Everyone seemed satisfied, but then most people requested porn from writers.
Hilde wrote...
Edit: Top
Maric's sword IS huge with that particular weapons mod, it was exchanged with a pretty new dagger in Orzammar!
I like that you had such a plausible reason for Zevran and the Dalish to have not worked out. It wasn't really either of their fault, Zevran's childhood fantasies just weren't compatible with the reality of the Dalish suspicion they have to have to stay alive. I also like that Vashti did come to understand his reasons for not doing so even if she still wants him to be Dalish.Corker wrote...
Dalish Dreams
59 minutes - in under the wire!
"I ran off to join the famous Dalish when one of their clans drew near Antiva City. Naturally, the reality did not live up at all to the fantasies."
The words fell easily from his lips; perhaps they were part of a tale told more than once in the past. Then they kept falling until they hit the ground and lay there between them, heavy and awkward. Vashti Mahariel crossed her arms and looked down where she imagined them to be. "Sorry to disappoint."
"Oh, not you, dear Warden. You live up to any possibly fantasy I might..." He had the good sense to go no farther with that line of thought when she lifted her gaze to glare at him. "Ah. Or perhaps not."
She didn't turn to go. She looked down again, scuffed the ground with one foot, turning imagined words over in her mind as if to find grubs under them. "Why did you go back to Antiva City?"
"As I said, the reality..."
She glared at him again, but with annoyance this time. "Explain that, please."
"Well, since you have asked so nicely, my Warden... For one thing, I did not think there would be so many rules. The Crows had rules - so many rules! - and they were so very wearying. One hears of the free Dalish and thinks, 'Ah, there I will be free from people telling me where to go and what to do and how it should be done.' But no! There are even more rules! Prayers and rituals and chores and duties, it did not end."
Vashti chuckled at that. "Did you really think we danced all day among the trees, eating grass like halla? We don't work, we don't eat."
"I am familiar with that concept, yes," Zevran said, a trifle peevishly. "I merely thought each would do what he found agreeable, not what the Keeper said that he would do."
"That would be nice, I suppose," Vashti agreed. "In some magical clan where there were exactly enough hunters and craftsmasters, halla keepers and storytellers, mothers and Keepers. It all has to get done, just as all the Creators must be honored." She indicated the vallaslin on her forehead. "Falon'Din, bridging the here and the Beyond. Why? Somebody has to wear it." She shrugged.
"I admitted it was a fantasy," he said, crossing his own arms now that the Warden was having a bit of fun at his expense. "Did you wish to hear the rest, or do you want to continue to poke fun at my childish naivety?"
"Mm," Vashti paused to consider, then shook her head. "No, please continue." More seriously, she added, "It is a great sadness to know that one of our brethren came to us, but departed. I would know why. Perhaps in the future..."
Zevran waved a hand dismissively. "Were I older, perhaps I would have stayed. I expected a warmer welcome and took offense when I did not recieve one."
Vashti thought of Pol, the alienage elf her clan had just taken in. He was to have been hanged as a thief, whether justly or not she did not know. He was a stranger and an outsider, possibly a criminal, and while they had taken him in, he was indeed held a little at arm's reach until his measure could be taken. "Not every elf who comes to the Dalish is truly seeking a free life," she said carefully. "We have had our share of spies and bandits insinuate themselves into our clans. Surely, as a Crow..."
Zevran grimaced. "I know, I know. It was a youthful folly. They were my mother's people, after all, and..."
And on moonlit nights, cradling a pair of butter-soft doehide gloves against his chest, he had imagined what it would be like to have a mother, a soft creature made of love and gentle caresses, who would call him in from playing with the halla by the stream to feed him a stew rich with venison and root vegetables, who would ease the tangles from his fine pale hair and perhaps teach him to carve wood, not flesh, with small sharp knives.
They were both examining the ground as if it might contain a map to the lost Sacred Ashes of Andraste. "My mother's, as well," Vashti said at length. "I also... lost her when I was young." And as dear as Ashalle was to her, it had not stopped fancies that always started with, If my mother were here...
"Are you quite well answered, Warden?" Zevran asked quietly, in a tone that subtly suggested she had damn well better be.
"I am. Ma serranas, Zevran." Impulsively, she added, "Abelas."
"Hm?" He looked up, playful good humor masking his face once again. "That is a Dalish apology, is it not? Is the great Grey Warden apologizing to me? Whatever for?"
The word was for apology and sympathy both, and she suspected he knew as much. But if he wished to play the game, Vashti was inclined to let him, at least right now. "For... for us not... helping you more. You were a child, we should have made allowances."
"It is in the past," he shrugged. "And this second experience is much superior to the first, I must say. Quite a lot more loot, for one thing."
"As you like, Zevran." And there they left it for the night.
Oh, I love the thought that even though Zevran and the Dalish hadn't worked out, he wasn't a complete city elf. He did have something in him, whether from his mother's heritage or his own attempt to be Dalish, that can be recognized as distinctly Dalish. Seeing him with the halla was really cute. It's kind of awkward, isn't it, when someone you care for was unhappy in the past but you know that if it hadn't happened that way, you never would have encountered them. On the one hand, you really don't want them to have been unhappy but on the other you can't imagine not having had met them.HIlde wrote...
The Forest...
Zevran and Ewan leisurely walked through the forest previously filled with werewolves and animated, killer trees. The restoration of order was due in large part to Zevran. Ewan had not attached himself to the idea that either side was a particularly stronger ally, but upon his decision to side with Zathrian, Zevran had quite unexpectedly spoken up, pleading for the dalish.
The brief conversations into Zevran’s past had revealed he was in fact part dalish, or least he was led to believe so as a child…before. Before is what Ewan had a hard time processing even now, the very idea that Zevran had been sold as a child made his stomach turn, It was this ability to take pleasures in his life regardless of what had come before that made Zevran even more remarkable to him.
Looking over he noticed Zevran gently stroking the supple leather of his newly acquired gloves that Ewan had come upon a few days before. There was calm reverence playing across Zevran’s features that Ewan usually only spied in the protected and intimate confines of their tent. He marveled at seeing it openly expressed and longed to reach out to his assassin but was hesitant to disrupt Zevran’s silent revelry.
Ewan tried to imagine a much younger Zevran entering the dalish camp so long ago, excited at the prospect of freedom and possibly a connection he had not found before, happiness so quickly extinguished at their dismissal of him. Ewan could not help but feel a selfish happiness at this, had the dalish accepted him, Zevran would not be here.
“Zevran…” Ewan said as he halted their silent stroll next to a grove of young trees.
“Hmm?” replied Zevran, his eyes immediately locking onto Ewan’s own. Ewan marveled momentarily at how a single look from this man caused the blood in his veins to boil.
“Has there been no joy in your life at all?” Ewan asked, reaching out to caress Zevran’s arm.
“Oh there has been plenty.” smiled Zevran, “To tell the truth it is because I expected nothing more.”
“…and what about now?” Ewan wondered aloud before he was able to catch his own thoughts, quickly turning what he guessed was a very rosy shade of pink at his frankness.
Zevran quietly studied him for what seemed like a lifetime, finally slowly advancing, his arms wrapping firmly around Ewan’s waist pulling him close.
“Now?” smirked Zevran, “there is much more now, in fact my warden…now sounds like a very promising idea.”
Laughing, Ewan leaned in, his lips meeting Zevran’s in a familiar and passionate practice that left them both breathless. Ewan wrapped his fingers around the belt of Zevran’s leather armor, pulling him close as Zevran’s hand worked its way up Ewan’s neck into his hair. Unable and unwilling to hold this upright position much longer Ewan began to ease Zevran back towards the forest floor.
Ewan was startled at a sudden interruption an interruption accompanied by a cold, wet nose. Reluctantly pulling away from Zevran, he looked over his shoulder as a halla pressed her nose against his arm once again, grunting lightly. Surprised Ewan and Zevran separated and approached the halla, who at their touch lowered to her knees, resting in their attentions.
Through their time in the Brecilian forest Ewan had not seen the halla so calm and none had approached them before hand. While he was surprised at this intrusion, he lamented the lost time in Zevran’s arms until he looked up.
Ewan sat amazed at the vision before him. Zevran was kneeling in front of the halla, caressing her regal head and whispering questions of the forest and of her well being. There was never any question of it, Zevran was Antivan, but silently watching him in the dim, golden rays of the afternoon sun, Ewan saw him as if for the first time. Zevran was indeed also dalish.
So it looks like Zevran's finally figured out a way to get to Rysen's heart: showing interest in the Dalish ways. It can't have been an easy choice for Rysen to offer since for all he knew Zevran didn't really care but was just trying to make another move. I would like to think that Zevran is fully capable of doing both.ICevoL wrote...
From his position next to the cook fire, Zevran glanced around at the Dalish camp. Lanaya had declared an impromptu celebratory feast after she committed the Dalish forces to assisting in the Blight, and the milling activity of the preparations gave Zevran an opportunity to observe the clan without being noticed. Hunters had already brought down fresh game from the recently secured forest, and the smell of roasting meats drifted through the air. Just the idea of eating something not dried, salted, or preserved in some way had lifted the spirits of the warden’s entire group. Well, all of them except Shale, who stood off to one side and seemed preoccupied with watching for potential bird attacks.
Unlike the normal course of events, it hadn’t taken any convincing to get Rysen to agree that they could delay their departure for Haven until the next morning. Thinking of the warden set Zevran’s eyes to seeking the camp for him. While curious about the Dalish in general, Zevran felt a deeper fascination with that particular Dalish elf than the lesser known ones surrounding him.
Zevran finally located his quarry amongst the throng. Rysen stood next to Lanaya with a cloth-wrapped bundle in his hands. They spoke, but at the distance he stood, Zevran could hear none of the conversation. He watched as Rysen handed over the package and gave a shallow bow to the keeper before stepping away.
Without realizing at first that he’d moved, Zevran found himself following the warden’s path as Rysen walked to the edge of the pond at the perimeter of the camp. Rysen stopped and stared out across the water; Zevran stopped and stared at the warden’s back. While the warden had spoken with all of them during their travels, Zevran still knew very little about Rysen. At least in the conversations Zevran had had with him, the Dalish elf had asked several questions about Zevran’s past but had provided scant information on his own life before he joined the Grey Wardens.
“It’s quite beautiful, isn’t it?” Rysen asked without turning around.
Visually scanning the warden’s lithe form, Zevran smiled and replied with unmasked innuendo, “It most certainly is.”
Rysen didn’t react at all to Zevran’s overt flirtation, simply looking out across the water with the same calm expression as before. Zevran wasn’t surprised at the lack of response, as it was far from the first time such a gambit had failed to draw the intended result. He could at least comfort himself with the fact that both Morrigan and Leliana had met with failure in their previous overtures as well.
Zevran would have given up the idea of seducing Rysen entirely, except that he’d been provided cause to hope for eventual success by times when a certain light entered the warden’s eyes. On a handful of occasions, Zevran had caught Rysen looking in his direction with what Zevran read as attraction tempered by a healthy dose of confusion. Finding a way to remove the blockade of Rysen’s uncertainty had fallen outside Zevran’s grasp so far, but he believed the reward would ultimately prove well worth the effort.
Zevran took several strides to close the remaining distance between them before speaking again. “I saw you with Lanaya just now. Was that a gift you gave her?”
Rysen turned to face him. “No. The package contained some of the relics we found in the ruins along with my written account of what occurred. With the challenges we still face in the months to come, it seemed prudent to keep the items somewhere safer than in our group’s supplies. The knowledge we gathered here should not be lost again, if it can be prevented.” Rysen paused and tilted his head inquisitively. “Why do you ask?”
Zevran wondered that himself. He hadn’t really thought out the words before they’d left his mouth. “Curiosity, I suppose. I thought it might be one of your Dalish traditions to give a gift to the leader of a clan who hosts a gathering.”
“I see,” Rysen replied. “I wouldn’t have expected you to be interested, given what you said about your previous experience with a Dalish clan. It sounded as though the encounter was… less than pleasant for you.”
Zevran briefly considered telling Rysen the entire tale, but thought better of it. His evasive comments in their earlier discussion had apparently given the warden the wrong idea, and divulging the whole story would inevitably bring a bitterness that might also be misread. Instead, he smiled and shook his head. “What I said was that the reality of life with the clan did not live up to my fantasies, but that is no surprise. Real life rarely measures up to the whimsy of imagination, particularly where the daydreams of a child are concerned.”
Rysen gifted him with a small smile. “True enough.” Rysen glanced away for a moment, seeming to consider a decision before he nodded once and looked back to meet Zevran’s eyes. “If you’re interested, I could relay the teachings of my Hahren Paivel to you. We certainly have the time while traveling and in the evenings at camp.”
Zevran knew the offer could simply be Rysen doing his duty as a Dalish -- teaching the old ways to another elf -- but Zevran didn’t think so. The nervous tension in the warden’s body as he awaited Zevran’s answer spoke of something beyond mere responsibility driving the suggestion. This could be the opening Zevran had been hoping to find. “Thank you, Warden. I look forward to it.”
--the end--
Since Zevran does try so hard to make you think that he doesn't care about the Dalish and brushes his own experiences with them right off, it's easy to see why Rysen would get the impression that it meant nothing to him. 
)Modifié par ICevoL, 06 décembre 2010 - 09:15 .
ICevoL wrote...
Reading through the messages, it sounds like folks would enjoy a "Secret Santa" exchange for December. I figure the easiest way to do this would be to set up a Group and anyone who wants to participate can join. We'd have a group thread for people to put their wishes into for whomever draws them as a gift recipient.
I'd be happy to run with creating the group and organizing if people want to go with this in lieu of a normal prompt. Let me know what y'all think!
And I like Tell's idea of 'If an artist, X' and 'If a writer, Y.'
Shadow of Light Dragon wrote...
Secret Santa sounds fun.
To account for artist/writer sensibilities, maybe people who take part could tell whoever's organising if there's something they won't/can't do so they don't get a request they won't be able to fill?
Modifié par ICevoL, 06 décembre 2010 - 11:52 .
But gah, I've become a true fanfic addict @@ Of the smutty variety :/
ejoslin wrote...
Can i join to lurk? *grin* I have no artistic talent so i can't partake, unfortunately
ICevoL wrote...
ejoslin wrote...
Can i join to lurk? *grin* I have no artistic talent so i can't partake, unfortunately
Ah, good question -- I was thinking the group would only have the people participating. The main idea is to help organize things and not overwhelm the main thread here, not keep the gift fics and art in the group itself.
Here's what I'm proposing -- when people get their gifts done, they will post a link back here, or I can do it for them if they wish, since I'm corralling this thing LOL
Does that sound OK?
*grin* I'm still cursing the day i discovered fanfic! I blame soignee!
Modifié par ejoslin, 07 décembre 2010 - 12:06 .
Giggles_Manically wrote...
A maybe not so nice mention of Zevran:
http://uk.gamespot.c...e/video/6283746
Kornichon wrote...
Kismet76 wrote...
Johnny Chaos wrote...
i like the game in french translation
So maybe just the Italian translation sucks? [smilie]../../../images/forum/emoticons/grin.png[/smilie]
in french the "ravish in celebration" suggest the PC will deflower Zev during the celebration.... XD
Tellervo wrote...
soignee wrote...
Secret
Santa sounds fun, btw- art is okay for that sort of thing, not sure how
you can wrangle writing in that. "Please write my warden doing ____" is
harder then "please draw my warden doing ______" obviously.
Turned
out pretty well on the Zevran LJ group with most people going, "If I
get an artist, this-ish. If I get a writer, this-ish." Everyone seemed
satisfied, but then most people requested porn from writers.
Modifié par EccentricSage, 07 décembre 2010 - 10:18 .
EccentricSage wrote...
Giggles_Manically wrote...
A maybe not so nice mention of Zevran:
http://uk.gamespot.c...e/video/6283746
I thought it was fair. One could easily intend to simply be nice or complamentary towards a character in Origins without realizing they are activating the romance. Particularly with bugged console versions. I think Lelliana would have been a better example of this problem, but of course, so many homofobes flipped the **** out over Zevran hitting on them.
I have to say, I'm interested in how the new battle system will work out. It sounds exciting. But the dialogue wheel... Please please do not tell me that we aren't going to know what actual dialogue we are choosing... that we just get to pick an emotion/intensity and see what happens... WTF IS THAT ****. ;__; This isn't my adventure being lived through a character, it's just me deciding the character's emotional state or level of agression when reacting to something? WTF? Please someone tell me I missunderstood. ;___; This could ruin any RPG for me.
*EDIT* Wait wait.... I think I am missunderstanding? It's a paraphrase thing? So, it's just about getting a clear idea of the INTENT of the dialogue options, but I DO get to read the dialogue options I'm choosing from? Because that will do just fine, IMO. I'll admit, there were moments in the game where I misunderstood the intent of a line I chose. Sometimes intent is so incredibly subjective, and most of the Warden's dialogue options are too brief. Next thing you know someone's all pissed off at you. Though from a roleplay perspective, I might miss it, actually. Misunderstandings are a realistic part of comunication. And even if your intent is clearly friendly or playful IRL, sometimes tome people will still take offense.
But I get why they would want to be clear. I never played the ME games, but my brother told me in one of the games there are options for negative or positive reactions, and one time he took the negative reaction, because he was pissed that this reporter lady was being a ****, and then his character hauled off and decked the woman! And he was all "WTF^@%&!!!!!!(reload)" It would really ****** me off if something like that happened in a Dragon Age game.Kornichon wrote...
Kismet76 wrote...
Johnny Chaos wrote...
i like the game in french translation
So maybe just the Italian translation sucks? [smilie]../../../images/forum/emoticons/grin.png[/smilie]
in french the "ravish in celebration" suggest the PC will deflower Zev during the celebration.... XD
Not often am I truly laughing out loud when I say I am, but upon reading that, I was really glad I'm the only one home tonight.Tellervo wrote...
soignee wrote...
Secret
Santa sounds fun, btw- art is okay for that sort of thing, not sure how
you can wrangle writing in that. "Please write my warden doing ____" is
harder then "please draw my warden doing ______" obviously.
Turned
out pretty well on the Zevran LJ group with most people going, "If I
get an artist, this-ish. If I get a writer, this-ish." Everyone seemed
satisfied, but then most people requested porn from writers.
I'm decidedly MORE interested in filling porn requests, as that's actually what I tend to come up with and not finish and not post... XD But DA:O is depressingly low on quality porn! I'll make it my mission to gift the fandom with some of the very best DA:O porn they've seen to date! (I am on a mission!) Hold me to it!
Oh! It would be so funny to do porn for all the DA:O fandoms and just Porn Santa everyone's fandom threads! XD I'll even do Lelliana! So long as she promises not to talk!
ejoslin wrote...
EccentricSage wrote...
Oh! It would be so funny to do porn for all the DA:O fandoms and just Porn Santa everyone's fandom threads! XD I'll even do Lelliana! So long as she promises not to talk!
That's what gags are for!
ejoslin wrote...
And yes, DA2 is a paraphrase/dialog wheel/third-person-narrative.
Man I've never even played a game with a 'dialog wheel' before. I'm having a hard time even picturing how this might work.
Modifié par TanithAeyrs, 07 décembre 2010 - 05:02 .
EccentricSage wrote...
ejoslin wrote...
And yes, DA2 is a paraphrase/dialog wheel/third-person-narrative.
I hate to say this, but now I'm even more confused (and worried)... 3rd person?
Modifié par ejoslin, 07 décembre 2010 - 05:12 .
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