Prompt: "What would Zevran say... I think you know."
This is what Morrigan says during her dark ritual offer. When she gives your Warden reasons why he/she should take her offer this is one of the things she mentions. What would Zev say if your Warden could ask him?
Time Limit: 3 hours
Deadline: Tuesday midnight (EST) April 19th
Prize: Give me any screenshot from your game and I'll do a Artrage outline (possible colored) sfw or nsfw i don't care.
Its results time. sorry this is so late. I had the urge to draw and I could get myself to leave it until it was done.
this week we had three entries.
This is my first time judging so it was hard!
Corker wrote:
All my Wardens save one either accepted the DR without much thought
or rejected it out of hand. (The exception was an Ali-mancing Cousland
who'd have no reason to talk it over with Zevran.) However, at least
one felt awful about it afterwards, and I could see her rehashing the
decision with Zev.
Still Life with Woodpecker
(So titled because it immediately follows
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, a nsfw fill on the kink meme, and my title-maker is broken today)
Time: 45 min
Prompts: 3
They’d
made up, finally, this eve of the great battle. The pain in her
earlobe had dwindled to a dull thobbing, a minor nuisance compared to
the joy of hearing him admit his affection. Obliquely, of course, but
still.
There was another shadow over Kallian’s heart. “I’m
such a coward, Zev.” She admitted it aloud, speaking into his
encircling arm.
He chuckled. “A coward would be running for
Jader, my dear Warden. There is no shame in a little nervousness before
such a fight. Even a little fear, no?”
“Not what I meant,” she
sighed. There was a long pause, and then: “I made a deal with Morrigan,
so me and Alistair won’t die tomorrow. Well, sort of. We could still
die, but... one of the Wardens was guaranteed to die, see, killing the Archdemon. She says she can fix it so that won’t happen.”
He
was quiet for a moment. “This is what she was biding her time for,
yes?” Kallian knew that he’d long suspected the witch’s motives.
“Yep. Flemeth’s plan from the get-go.”
He shifted, rubbing her arm lightly. “Is that so bad? Perhaps Flemeth had a soft spot for Grey Wardens, no?”
“No,” Kallian said flatly. “Morrigan does, though, and Alistair’s filling it up right now.”
The strangled choking sound behind her almost made her smile. “You... you do not mean to say that Alistair and Morrigan are -- ?”
“It’s
some sex magic thing,” Kallian said, feeling her face warm in shame.
“The poor guy... I think he’d honestly have rather died in battle, Zev.
But I talked him into it. Because I’m a coward. I can’t believe... I
can’t believe I did that. I made him -- ”
“You did not, amora,” he chided her softly. “Unless you dragged him to her room and held him down for her.”
“You didn’t see his face, Zev. He trusts me and when I said it had to be done, he -- ”
“He
knew you were right,” Zevran finished firmly. “There will be regrets
and shame, yes, but he will be alive to have them. That is always the
better path.”
“But - ”
“No ‘buts’, amora. I know whereof I speak.”
“I... oh. Oh.”
And she turned in the compass of his arms to hold him. “I’m doing
everything wrong tonight, Zev, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...”
“Hush, my Warden.” He did not look upset. “From the sound of it, you have done many things right,
and given hope where there was none. As an agent of inescapable death
myself,” he said with a self-deprecating grin, “I know too well what my
victims would have given for such a reprieve. Alistair, if he has any
sense at all - which is not at all certain, of course - will thank you
one day for this.”
“You think?”
“I know.”
She smiled, tentatively. Perhaps she was not so unforgivable, after all.
I really like this. I get the feeling of her feeling like she was taking the cowards way out by talking Alistair into the ritual (I've had a few that have felt the same way....and others that were just so glad that there was an alternitive that they didn't give it a seconds though, after all, they didn't know they signed up for death. ) And I like that Zev understood her, and understood why it was the right decision.
HIlde wrote:
Zevran Weekly Prompt: "What would Zevran say... I think you know."
This
is what Morrigan says during her dark ritual offer. When she gives your
Warden reasons why he/she should take her offer this is one of the
things she mentions. What would Zev say if your Warden could ask him?
Prompts: 2
Time: 2 Hours or so - ish
With
DA2 I have found little time to continue Elam's story but thankfully
the prompts keep approaching subjects that work out in his larger story
and adventure....so Yay! Not so much as what Zevran would say sbout the
ritual and the baby (Elam did tell him) but how he helps Elam to cope
with a decision already made.
Ritual...
“All right. I agree. I’ll do it.”
Morrigan smiled weakly as she rose to approach Elam. “Come to me then.”
Elam stepped away nervously, his hands flying up as if to guard from an incoming attack.
“I…I need a moment, Morrigan. I will come to your room once I am ready.” Elam suddenly found it hard to look her in the eye.
They had spent the blight building a friendship, a friendship he had thought to be true.
While
he did not doubt her when she expressed her desire for him to be saved,
he struggled with the secret she had kept for so long. She must have
been certain he would concede for all these months.
All she had to do was mutter a few choice words and his path became clear.
The words haunted him as he stood close to Morrigan in the dim chamber. “What of Zevran?”
His
world had started to spin upon hearing his lover’s name. He had fought
so hard for a future over the course of the past few months; a future he
felt reluctant to give away to anyone, especially to the Arch demon.
“The ritual must…” Morrigan started as she moved to take Elam’s hand.
Spinning away from her touch her finally met her gaze. “Morrigan, please allow me this. I will come to you shortly.”
“Very well, Warden” She whispered as she turned to exit Elam’s room.
There
was a chance the ritual would fail, even against Morrigan’s assurances
that it would not. Elam felt a sense of dread. There were precious hours
left before the battle came to a head, precious hours to spend in
Zevran’s arms.
“Zevran” The name invoked a sudden, intense
desire in Elam and within moments, he had made his way across the castle
to Zevran’s room.
Elam found Zevran sitting by the fire,
diligently sharpening his blades as the firelight dances off the strands
of his golden hair and skin.
Elam fought a desperate need to
bury his face in Zevran’s neck to ward off the fear that plagued him, to
forget the ritual and even the blight, if only for a moment.
“Ah!
The secret Grey Warden meeting is over?” Zevran chuckled as he set his
daggers from his lap as he rose to greet Elam with a kiss.
“Zevran…” Elam stuttered struggling to look his lover in the eye.
“My warden, what troubles you?” Zevran grabbed Elam’s chin in hand forcing contact.
The
contents of the meeting with Riordan and Morrigan’s plan came out in a
rush as Elam struggled to explain the true fate of the Wardens against
the Arch Demon. Zevran kept his hands on Elam’s Jaw and neck, gently
rubbing to soothe as he spoke.
“Oh ho! That is why our lovely Morrigan wanted. I see.” Zevran’s brow furrowed. “Have you come to seek my permission?”
Elam took a deep breath before responding. “No. I have already agreed to the ritual”
“Then why have you come?” Zevran asked, his hands falling away from Elam as he studied the elf’s face.
“I
just…I needed to know….” Elam stopped short. What he needed from Zevran
was so simple but he struggled to find the courage to ask it of him.
“I
need to know if after this I will be welcome in your bed.” His voice
cracking, betraying his fear yet again, Elam continued, “I…there are
only a few hours that we may be together before the battle. I do not
know if the ritual will succeed or not. I just want to be with…I want to
know if you will still have me if I do this.”
Elam closed his eyes with the last words; the weight on his shoulders had never felt heavier.
Zevran’s
arms wrapped slowly about Elam’s waist pulling him close, their
foreheads meeting in familiar and calming ritual. A ritual that meant
everything to Elam.
“My Warden...” Zevran soothed. “I am yours.”
Elam
ignored his own desire to yell in relief and pulled Zevran in for a
long, slow kiss. Finally parting, he steadied himself before speaking
again.
“I must go.” Elam whispered, his lips slowly grazing Zevran’s warm, full lips again, savoring the taste and feel.
“Hmm.
Yes, I know.” Zevran studied Elam’s serious face before a familiar
smirk played across his golden features. “I will head to our rooms and
have the maids draw a warm bath for us…you will want one, no?”
Elam
turned to leave, looking over his shoulder for continued reassurances
from Zevran as he left. The weight was lighter near him and he was
determined to finish this nights ritual and return to his arms.
“I will be waiting for you My Warden.” Zevran whispered after him.
I really loved this. I felt so bad for poor Elam. we know that Zev has done far worse then what Elam was doing and had no reason not to be there for him, but our characters don't always see that. silly them.
Halae Dral wrote:
Time: 1 hour, 46 minutes
Prompts: 0
I expect I'd've been
better off drawing something on this one, but I felt like trying to
write... (and I couldn't really figure out what to draw). Ah well; at
least it's something.
- - -
The halls of Castle
Redcliffe seemed silent and deserted, the darkness oppressive. Zemariel
leaned against the wal, pressing the side of his face to the cool stone
and staring out the window. It all looked so peaceful out there. He
could hear footsteps in the hall - Morrigan returning to her room, he
guessed. He almost turned to look, but reconsidered - he didn't really
want to talk to her just now. The whole thing had been very awkward.
It
had been the right thing to do. He was sure it had - how could making
sure nobody had to die be wrong? - and he did trust her, but it felt wrong, and he still had doubts. What if she was lying, or if it simply didn't work after all? And then... I should've talked to Zev, he thought. There had been no time to do so - it had to be right then, she had said. He sighed.
Footsteps in the hall again. She's coming back?
Zemariel braced himself and turned to face Morrigan. To his surprise,
it was not the witch who was coming down the hall, but Zevran.
"Ah, so I have finally found you, my Warden!" Zevran looked quite cheerful, if perhaps slightly worried around the edges. Of course, Zemariel thought, he has no reason not to be cheerful - he doesn't know.
"Zev..." he began, but couldn't manage to think how to put it. He
folded his arms and kept looking out the window, half hoping Zevran
would simply move on, having found him. A thought occured to him. "Did
someone send you to look for me?"
Zevran paused. "No, nobody has sent me. I was simply wondering where you had gotten to."
"And
here I am!" Zemariel was quite aware that the grin he was trying to
give wasn't quite working, but he hoped that against all odds Zevran
wouldn't pick up on it. Of course, he did.
"Something is
bothering you, I see." Zevran came to stand beside him at the window.
"You are not worried about the coming fight?"
"I guess I am.
It's not that, though, not exactly, it's... well." Zemariel sighed in
frustration. It would've been a convenient excuse - and it wasn't as if
lying didn't come easily to him normally - but he didn't want to lie to
Zevran. He didn't want to think about the implications of that
considering how he expected the news of the ritual to be recieved.
"What, then?" Zevran shrugged. "Would it help to speak of it, perhaps?"
Just get it out of the way now,
Zemariel told himself. He closed his eyes. That was harder than it
sounded. He had always hated letting people down, and he was sure that
was what he had just done. "Zev, do you know what happens to the Warden
who deals the killing blow to the Archdemon?"
There was a pause.
He opened his eyes again, watching Zevran's face. "To some extent, yes.
I know that he dies." A momentary expression flickering across Zevran's
features, but it was gone before Zemariel could be sure what it was.
"You are not planning on doing it yourself, are you?"
Zemariel looked down at the ground. Maybe I should be.
He tried to banish that thought. "It's not just dying. It's worse than
that. The... soul of the Archdemon has to go somewhere, and it goes for
the closest tainted target. It tries for another Darkspawn, I guess, so
it can keep leading the horde, but if it's a Grey Warden it finds
instead then the Archdemon's soul is destroyed. And so is the Grey
Warden's."
"I see." Zevran made no indication of how he felt; he was obviously waiting for Zemariel to finish.
"I
don't know what happens after we die. I guess you go to the Fade, or
something. I've never really thought about it much. Whatever it is, it's
got to be better than nothing. I don't know that I could strike the
killing blow, knowing what would happen. I don't think I could let
Alistair do it. If Riordan fails, that is... and what are the odds we'll
get it right the first time?"
"And yet you have no choice in
that situation. One of you must do it, or the Blight will not be ended."
Zevran put a hand one Zemariel's shoulder. It would normally have been a
comforting gesture, but Zemariel felt worse. It seemed that Zevran was
getting the wrong idea entirely about what he was trying to tell him. He
opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't think how to put it. Apparently I only know the right things to say if I'm not being honest,
he thought with some chagrin. "It is not a decision to be made lightly,
I am sure," Zevran continued, "but if I may make a suggestion...
Riordan is the more senior Warden than you, is he not? It seems that
that honour should fall to him. Perhaps you could simply try to ensure
his success, although I do admit to having certain selfish reasons to
encourage you to do so."
"There was a choice," Zemariel finally
blurted out, unable to bear the awkwardness of the conversation any
longer. "Morrigan had a plan, a ritual, that would make it so nobody had
to die from it. I couldn't turn that down! You can understand, can't
you?"
"Of course." Zevran took Zemariel by the shoulders,
forcing the Warden to look at him. "My dear Warden, it is not as if this
were the first time we have employed blood magic to solve our probelsm -
I assume that is your worry? They use a sort of blood magic in the
Crows, you know. It does have its uses, and it seems this is one of
them."
"Zev... no, that's not it - well, it probably was blood
magic, but - damn it." Zemariel bit his lip and looked out the window.
"I slept with her. The ritual is for... she said it needed a child, it
had to be a Warden, and I couldn't ask Alistair to do that..." he
trailed off, and finally made himself look back at Zevran. To his
surprise, it seemed the other elf was holding back a laugh. "What's
funny?"
"You slept with her?" Zevran shook his head. "That was
all it was? The way you were carrying on, my Warden, I thought that you
had agreed to be the one to sacrifice yourself to end this Blight and
hadn't thought how to tell me! I could wish that you had spoken to me
first, of course, but I am rather relieved."
"You don't mind?" Zemariel supposed his expression must have been rather comical, judging from the look on Zevran's face.
"I
do admit to some amount of jealousy." Zevran chuckled. "Yet how could I
mind, knowing that I do not have to worry about losing you to your
nobly self-sacrificing ways?"
"I didn't say I was going to..."
Zemariel decided he didn't really need to admit now that he had been
prepared to do it if it had come down to it. Zevran had probably guessed
as much anyhow.
"I could see that grim look in your eye when
you left the meeting with Riordan," Zevran told him, confirming his
suspicions. "I was contemplating knocking you out before the battle so
you would not have been able to carry through with it, but I suppose I
would have let you if you felt that it was what you had to do. I am,
however, very glad that I needn't worry about it."
"I wanted to
ask you first, but she said there wasn't any time." Zemariel hugged
Zevran, leaning his head on the other assassin's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I
should've insisted I ask you first. I'm glad you're not angry about
it."
Zevran put his arms around Zemariel, holding him tightly.
"I may become rather disgruntled, should it happen again, but I am far
too relieved to be upset now, I assure you." After a moment, he leaned
his head down to whisper in Zemariel's ear, a mischevious smile on his
lips. "So then, tell me - how was it? I believe you owe me a story, at
least."
Zemariel laughed. "Well, it was all rather awkward, really..." he began.
This was really sweet. I understood Zemariel's worry about what Zev would think of all of this. (after all that's why I thought of the prompt) I've had a few characters that *would* have made the killing blow if they had to, but most of my characters are rouge's that have no want to die and are thrilled with having an "out". I have yet to play a game where my character actually dies. I like that Zev asked for details. lol, that is soo "Zev" Very good job.
and here comes the hard part. after much thinking and much rereading..
the winner is Hilde send me a message with what screenshot you'd like me to redo as a digtal painting and I'll get to you.
our next prompter with 0 prompts is Halae Dral
(The comic nearly killed my art mojo completely. My counter? Shirtless men. Lots of them.)
Retour en haut
And so... completely!
