8061 réponses à ce sujet

[Corker]

Sarah1281 wrote...

@Corker: Aw, that was so sad...I do wonder how they came to be in Haven in the first place.

For this story, I guess some of Howe's men were sent to quell a rebellion somewhere in or near the Frostbacks and stopped to resupply in Haven.

In general?  I think a Crow came to Haven once upon a time, since the High Dragon drops a Crow dagger and an Antivan longbow, too.  Since Zevran joins the party with both those items as well, this was *almost* an AU where the Warden spares him but he keeps shadowing the party, thinking to finish the contract, and ends up dragon chow for his pains.   But then the boots played an even more marginal role and were even *further* from the prompt, so I took a pass on that idea.

Edit: Page top?   OK, I'm going to go mine the old thread...

A screencap by Cuddlezarro, I think at Return to Ostagar? 

Modifié par Corker, 23 août 2010 - 02:58 .

[maradeux]

@Sarah & Corker: Both really interesting stories. Two times the boots, but completely different perspectives. I like it.

btw - young Zev wanted to tell more about his childhood. (Not for the contest, but a kind of sequel to the previous story). I wouldn't mind some help with the English version (could be an own prompt - make a sonnet of this "poem", because it's a sonnet in German ) :innocent:

Modifié par maradeux, 23 août 2010 - 07:25 .

[soignee]

I'm doing lulz again for this prompt, I can't help it.

[TanithAeyrs]

My submission for the "Antivan Leather" prompt.   My timer beeped so I hope I haven't missed any glaring errors.


Memories
 
The Crow instructors had always said the sense of smell was the most evocative of all of the five senses. Until now Zevran had not really believed it. 
 
Inhaling the sharp bite of recently cured leather sent his memories tumbling back faster than the butter soft touch, the sight of the artful stitching, the silent footsteps he knew would be possible in such fine boots. Taste, well, that wasn’t really part of experiencing fine leather, or perhaps it was….
 
A seven year old boy, the acrid tang of the tanning vats on his tongue, stumbled behind the Crow assigned to guide him to his new home. Excitement, he had been chosen as a Crow, not to be sold off as a slave to Tevinter or be aged before his time working upstairs in the ****house. He held the Crows in awe; they always had fine weapons, armor, well made clothes, full bellies. Too a child in a brothel the Crows were magic and nothing so minor as the stink of new leather would dampen his spirits. There was some fear, he had heard the stories, but most of all anticipation…. He was no longer nothing.
 
Eight years old, relief quivering in his limbs as he followed the stink of rotting hides back to the barracks. A fall during the climbing exercise and they had to call a healer. Broken limbs mended but failure not forgotten, he had been taken to the edge of the city and told to use his training to find his way home. A test, was he worthy of the healing he had received? Pain throbbing in mostly healed limbs he had resolved to merit the accolade of “Crow”. Dodging curses and kicks, another street urchin until he found his way back, he traced his path inhaling the pungent aroma of the tanneries.
 
Ten now, silent tears dried with threadbare blanket. Realization that failure truly wasn’t an option.  Mikael, slow and clumsy Mikael, had snapped at harsh criticism from a journeyman and buried his dagger in the man’s back. Child Zevran had flinched at the crack of the whip, the spray of blood, closed his eyes as his barracks-mate was flogged to death as an example. Packed in with the other apprentices, tight as sardines on their tiny sleeping pallets, he was aware that his were not the only tears though none dared make a sound. Were the tears for Mikael’s death, or for fear that he would be next? He had finally drifted to sleep by concentrating on the faint undercurrent of rich oils and dyes used to create the finest leather in Thedas.
 
Older now, a teenager, he was wrapped in the tingling afterglow of his first sensual experience. Zevran lay awake, the smells of the tanneries now a soothing oasis in which he relived the soft touches, the dizzying sensations, the ecstasy of release. The overcrowded barracks were home now, his bunk earned as a senior apprentice. No more crowded pallets with huddled, unwashed bodies on the floor. The cloying perfume of the courtesan lingered and combined with the familiar aroma of raw leather. He felt potent, capable, and dangerous. Zevran Arainai was someone to reckon with.
 
Sixteen now, Zevran stalked triumphantly into the tiny room he shared with the other senior apprentices. He was flushed with pleasure, unmindful of the tiny flecks of blood spattered on his right arm and chest under his shirt. Hidden in his left pocket was a gold earring and sheathed at his hip was the tiny dagger that brought him his first kill. No longer apprentice, Zevran was a journeyman, tattooed and blooded in his trade. He left the ripe scent of the tanneries with relief, journeyman quarters were in a better section of town.
 
Opening his eyes, Zevran reluctantly set the boots down before he tried them on. His bedroll was at the edge of camp and he caught the covert stares of the other members of the Warden’s little group as he slipped into his new footwear. None of them trusted him, his assassination attempt to recent in their minds. He had been surprised when the aloof Dalish Warden had presented him with the boots. Surprised she had remembered his passing comments about Antiva. Looking up he caught her speculative gaze and just a hint of an understanding smile. Perhaps here was a new home, a new start for Zevran Arainai.

Modifié par TanithAeyrs, 24 août 2010 - 04:07 .

[TanithAeyrs]

Okay, now I have mine up and I can go back to read the previous submissions. The best part about these contests is getting to read what everyone else has written and see all the amazing art.



@Maradeux - so sad, I could feel the Zevran's desperation when the gloves disappeared.



@Sarah - you did a beautiful job of conveying just how trapped Zevran was.



@Corker - vivid imagery and a great explanation of how the boots came to be in Haven.



Loved them all so far.

[Sarah1281]

@TanithAeyrs: Reading about his earlier life was sad but I did like the hopeful ending.

[Sarah1281]

TanithAeyrs wrote...

@Maradeux - so sad, I could feel the Zevran's desperation when the gloves disappeared.

@Sarah - you did a beautiful job of conveying just how trapped Zevran was.

I'm glad you liked it.

And since that just reminded me that I forgot to say something about Maradeux's, let me say that the betrayal by his fellow trainee being how he lost the gloves and that making him want to kill someone for the first time was really tragic. The other boy just seemed so cold and inhuman (in-elven?).

[maradeux]

@TanithAeyrs - A flight through the years of childhood and youth, the rememberance of several stations of life as one has in a very special moment. One could see the flow of associations in Zevran's mind. Well written.

Thanks @everyone for your nice comments about my little anecdote. I really like these weekly competitions and that they have made the Zev-Thread to a pool of endless creativity.

@soignee - I <3 you for the contest-idea and also for things like this:

soignee wrote...

I'm doing lulz again for this prompt, I can't help it.

I can hardly wait!

[payroo]

Gosh, I love all the entries so far! It never ceases to amaze me how many different takes we can have on the boots and yet still have each one be so fresh! Love how all of you are able to get the pain of zev's past life but also his odd sort of optimism too.

btw @corker: I finally got around to reading Birthright, and you had me in simultaneous laughter and tears!

@mara: loved this post! I hope you keep up this frequent stream of writing.

...and despite my best efforts, I can only come up with silly smutty fanart ideas for this week's prompt.
What has livejournal internets science done?!

[Minaleth]

Corker wrote...
So I once again fail at filling the actual prompt ("Zevran elaborates on his thing for leather") but I had this idea about the Antivan leather boots and it just wouldn't let go, so...  50 minutes.

The actual prompt is just "antivan leather", so anything involving this qualifies I guess.

I am currently reading through entries, you are all so creative people!

[Hilde]

@ Sarah - I loved the internal struggle with the boots and his need for there to be something to want to come back for.



@Maradeux - I love how he put the gloves to his cheek, so affectionate!



@ Corker - Great spin on the boots being made for Oriana. The gift takes on a whole new role in the story.



@TanithAeyrs - I liked following Zevran's miseries and his feeling of accomplishments to what he felt may be a new start.

[DOYOURLABS]

I don't know why, but in denerim Zevran betrayed me for the crows. I felt bad having to kill him.

[TanithAeyrs]

DOYOURLABS wrote...

I don't know why, but in denerim Zevran betrayed me for the crows. I felt bad having to kill him.

Zev will betray you if his approval isn't high enough.  It's easy to get approval points from him though, just talk to him and be nice.  You don't have to agree with murder or compromise your character's values to get enough approval for him to not betray you.  You should be able to do this just in conversation, without giving him any gifts at all.

[Hilde]

Minaleth wrote...



Prompt: Antivan Leather  
Zevran elaborates on his thing for leather. Maybe he was with Warden at market and saw something nice, or the Warden just asked and Zevran instructs how to appreciate the smell. It might be about boots, gloves, armor ... or something completely different.

Time: 1 hour
Due: Thursday (August 26) 23:59 GMT+1, I'll choose the winner at Friday
Prize: A picture (that can be basically anything, but I suck at backgrounds, so no bg probably)
 

All of the stories thus far have been so great and full of depth, I fear placing mine here. All I could think about after seeing the prompt was touching Zevran's leather (always figured the leather he shows up to kill you in was Antivan) and/or talking him out of it.  About 45 minutes, could have been elaborated on but homework beckons!

*********


She lay there stunned momentarily, the Hurlock who had knocked her back with his shield lay on the ground near her; the lightning she had shot through him was still sizzling and cooking his flesh leaving behind a horrid stench that would take weeks to wash from her robes. The new tears and cuts in her enchanters robe exposed more skin, a feat she had though impossible the first time she wore them. She had been fairly shy at first about the exposure of her new found robe, but the appraising glances from her companions especially Zevran had emboldened her to wear the thin leather robes with pride.

Her thoughts were cut short as Zevran leaned over her. The battle was over, their attackers dead; she could hear Alistair cursing, and Wynne clucking as she examined his cuts and bruises.

"My lovely Warden" started Zevran, "are you injured or just enjoying the stench of these fallen creatures?" Zevran moved over her placing a hand on either side of her shoulders and straddling her right thigh between his knees.

"I was just thinking...Do you know what I need" she said as her hands moved across the collar of his leathers, following the pattern the leather made as her hands crept across and down the expanse of his chest. A bold move for her, but there was something about the way his skin warmed the leather, the scent and the feel of it under her fingers that only encouraged her hands to explore more.

"Hmm. What or… who do you need, my dear Warden?" purred Zevran as he lowered himself closer to her, his smile only growing deeper across his face.

"I need." she started as her hands moved lower, caressing the belts at his waist, moving further still across the smooth leather until her hands came into contact with his thigh, warmed from the sun and the recent battle. "I need Leather."

"Ah! You need new armor, yes? We are close to Denerim, no. Perhaps we should…" Zevran was stopped by the look on her face and by the feel of her hands making their way back up his sides and back, leaving a trail of heat he could feel through his leather armor.

"I was actually thinking that I want your leather." She said, her gaze moving to meet his.

"Ah, but you see my dear Warden, this is the finest Antivan Leather, a piece of home if you will. While it could be made to fit you, I am certain, there is a problem. I am wearing it." Zevran’s mind tried to wrap his mind around the suggestions coming from his Wardens full mouth, usually not so bold, he wondered briefly as her hands moved back around to his chest, if she had hit her head when she fell.

Her fingertips moved across his shoulders and down his arms, drawing small patterns over his biceps to his bracers. "True. Perhaps…we should change that. If I am to survive this blight, I will truly need your leather. Do you not agree" She smiled sweetly up at him as her fingers curled around the straps of his baldric, pulling him closer to her. "What say you." She breathed as her lips caressed his jaw line.

Never being one to not help when needed, Zevran smiled as his lips brushed hers. "If you want my leather, my Warden, it is yours." Zevran chuckled. "But then I will need new armor, or do you intend for me to fight unclothed?" Zevran moved in to deepen the kiss, no longer giving his Warden the ability to answer.

The muffled coughs and pink cheeks of their companions as they gaped at the two of them pulled her and Zevran from their enthralling and consuming conversation of leather. As they moved to get up, she mused at how truly distracting, but pleasantly so it would be to watch him unclothed in battle.
　

Modifié par Hilde, 24 août 2010 - 02:50 .

[Corker]

@Hilde: I am grinning foolishly because I think both my HNF and CEF rogues *promptly* divested Zevran of his superior leather armor and claimed it for themselves. Never thought to spin it like this...

[Corker]

payroo wrote...

btw @corker: I finally got around to reading Birthright, and you had me in simultaneous laughter and tears!

Glad you liked it!

payroo wrote...
...and despite my best efforts, I can only come up with silly smutty fanart ideas for this week's prompt.

OH NOES whatever will we DO???

[TanithAeyrs]

@Hilde - is it warm in here? Loved the innuendo and your Warden claiming Zev's armor.

[Sarah1281]

@ Hilde: What a creative way to do with the game mechanic of totally stealing your party member's armor.

[soignee]

I've been working on the aftermath of Zevran's letter!

This was meant to be forcing myself only to use greyscale, and the mood shifted to something else. Because I draw Missa easily, I always pick her for art experiments, and it ended up being her thinking over what she recieved.



...Is all I can show. View it here on my Deviant Art too.

Modifié par soignee, 24 août 2010 - 07:29 .

[Kornichon]

d'awww, your Missa looks so sad

english is not my mother tongue, so what a pity I can't take all the subtilities of fanfics! T___T

Minaleth wrote...



Prompt: Antivan Leather  
Zevran elaborates on his thing for leather. Maybe he was with Warden at market and saw something nice, or the Warden just asked and Zevran instructs how to appreciate the smell. It might be about boots, gloves, armor ... or something completely different.

Time: 1 hour
Due: Thursday (August 26) 23:59 GMT+1, I'll choose the winner at Friday
Prize: A picture (that can be basically anything, but I suck at backgrounds, so no bg probably)
 

so my entry 
53 min

[soignee]

Ahahahahah Zevran as Gunther cannot be unseen, AWESOME.

[Herr Uhl]

Too bad that he is an elf, and thus can't grow a glorious porn-stache.

[maradeux]

(attention, please, mara throwing smileys around )

@hilde - that was fun! *lol*

@soignee - poor Missa

@Kornichon - What shall I say? It's not my mother tongue either and I can't even draw!

Your comic strips are always so sweet, I like it.

@payroo - I want to see your "silly smutty fanart" - now!

DOYOURLABS wrote...

I don't know why, but in denerim Zevran betrayed me for the crows. I felt bad having to kill him.

Posts like this are like the tides - predictable. :innocent:

[Sarah1281]

maradeux wrote...

DOYOURLABS wrote...

I don't know why, but in denerim Zevran betrayed me for the crows. I felt bad having to kill him.

Posts like this are like the tides - predictable. :innocent:

I don't know. I found the guilt about doing so instead of the usual ranting about how he's a horrible person and a traitor (and likes *gasp* men!) rather refreshing. More 'Zevran betrayed me!' posts should be like that.

[Dean_the_Young]

Zevran betrayed me once, which came as a shock because I more or less forgot I had him at all that playthrough, so I hadn't given him any gifts or talked to him at camp. If that encounter required him to be in your party to activate, I only put him in there by accident.