A fan event to show your love and appreciation for all things City Elf. Beginning the first Monday of August.
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Latest Posts by cityelfweek - Page 2
My Katerina Tabris for @cityelfweek Day 5 Prompt: OC
She was the first warden I made when I first played the game back in 2018. She's a dual dagger rogue, romanced Leliana, sided with the dalish and made Alistair king.
City Elf Appreciation Week
Day 7: Free Day
While the Battle of Denerim overwhelms the city, the families of her elven smugglers wait in the tunnels beneath their alienage for either death or salvation, and in their midst, Soris keeps a dangerous secret from the rest that may put his standing among them in jeopardy. 1513 words.
event hosted by @cityelfweek
City Elf Appreciation Week - Last Day!
Thank you so much to everyone who participated this week! Today is a free day - anything that's focused on city elves is welcome, new and old! Please remember to tag @cityelfweek or use the tag #cityelfweek24 so your works can be reblogged!
The Last Flight: C A R O N E L
„I became a Grey Warden not because I wanted to save humanity from the Blight, but because I wanted to save myself. I didn’t care about humanity. If anything, I wanted to watch the shemlen burn just like they tried to burn my family. Given the chance, I would have thrown them all down the Archdemon’s gullet, one by one, and counted myself lucky to have done it.”
Pairing: Charter & Agent(s) of Fen’Harel (gen) Characters: Charter, Lace Harding, Agent(s) of Fen’Harel, Original Magister Character Fandom: Dragon Age: Inquisition Rating: T Warning: Discussion of Tevinter slave trade Summary: Charter attends a Tevinter party, hoping to deny the Dread Wolf another ancient Elvhen artefact. My gift for @dreadfutures as part of the @arlathanxchange! Thank you again for the opportunity to write this!
Charter has never been one for parties. The air, always thick with the smell of incense and perfume, draws like a rope around her neck. Her high-collared uniform is doing her no favours, either, fabric drawing tight against her skin as she cranes her head to look around the room. Orlesians gossip from behind porcelain masks, their painted smiles jeering like actors in a play. They mingle in a crowd of Rivaini merchants with a wealth of gold rings hoarded on their fingers, and, of course, Tevinter magisters who seem indifferent, at best, to be in attendance at such an affair. Even if it was hosted by one of their own.
She’s loath to admit that, at least in this, they are in agreement.
She’s no stranger to them, but had always preferred attending them as a ghost than as a guest. Here, eyes stick to her before they slide away, lingering a second longer than she’s comfortable with.
For most of the evening, she listens. The conversations are light, any allusion of war and unrest veiled. An Orlesian and an Marcher commiserate over the difficulty of procuring Rivaini goods of late, any mention of the invasion implicit in the complaint.
And no mention of the Wolf that closes in on them all. Tonight, he may as well not exist.
Charter, however, does not have the luxury of feigning safety. She knows a race when she smells one, she only wishes she could tell what she’s racing to. Rumours swirl in crowds far below the one she swims through now that the Dread Wolf’s aim has turned to their host. An unenviable place to be, and she will lose no sleep when that arrow finds its mark, but what turns the Dread Wolf’s gaze now turns hers, as well.
When she finds herself engaged in conversation, she coaxes words from their lips that might trick the best-practised accent, but so far she’s learned nothing but the latest fashions from Val Royeaux.
Hopefully, Lace is faring better than she is.
The crash of a plate cuts through the chatter like a knife through a nobleman’s purse. All eyes snap to the sound, drawn to a gangling elven servant who now stoops over the mess in barely-contained panic.
Read the rest here on AO3!
City Elf Appreciation Week
Day 6: Original Characters
The week is soon coming to a close, so while i rush to finish what i can of the other two fics i hope to be able to post for this, i thought it'd be nice to bring back out Novhen's retelling of the city elf origin! Who doesn't love a wedding? 30,069 words.
event hosted by @cityelfweek
parody of a destiny (chaptered work)
it's rotten work (series)
atros shiral info (tumblr post)
complete | 21,116 words | E
Atros Shiral was a servant to a particularly cruel human in Denerim. When he was taken along to serve the man during the Divine Conclave, a strange kind of luck thrust him into the center of everything—and although he is pleased that his master was wiped out along with the rest of the attendants, he doesn’t feel like he should have survived.
Angry, bitter, and wary, he feels once more at the mercy of humanity, inappropriately raised up to be their savior. But he couldn’t even save himself, and he knows how ill-fit he is for the task ahead.
There’s another elf in the Inquisition, someone who helped guide him through bearing the mark upon his hand. Someone who doesn’t treat him like a leader or a divine figure. Someone who sees him for who he is, the entire flawed package.
It’s the first time he’s felt known.
Dilwyn and Gethon’s Camp Supper
Adaia’s old friends knew her from her adventuring days, and often shared food and stories around the campfire. The menu is nothing exciting: whatever they caught, brought, or foraged, but for Dilwyn and Gethon, the memories lasted forever.
Menu:
“Rabbit” Stew with Dumplings
Roast Apples
Shopping List:
flour
apples
onion
parsley
sage leaves
8 ounces mushrooms
butter
3 pound rabbit or chicken
Gethon’s “Rabbit” Stew
It’s a little bland, but it keeps body and soul together. Rabbit can be purchased from larger markets or specialty provisioners, but substitution and improvisation form the backbone of this recipe, so chicken or Cornish hens will do just as well. Odds are good that Gethon himself made it with chicken plenty of times, or squirrel, or any other small game they had on hand. If you don’t have eggs to make the dumplings, add ¼ cup more water and accept that the dumplings will be very dense.
1 3-pound chicken or rabbit
1 large onion
2 whole sage leaves
handful parsley
8 ounces mushrooms
salt to taste
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter
2 eggs
½ cup water
Cut the meat apart at the joints, skinning the carcass, but leaving the bones in. Arrange in the bottom of a pot just large enough to hold the meat without stacking it. Cut the onion into a ½ inch dice and toss it and the remaining ingredients on top of the rabbit. If you have leeks or greens, toss them in, too. Add water to within half an inch of the top layer of vegetables. Cover the pot, put over the hottest part of the fire and bring it to a boil, then move it off the fire slightly (or turn down the heat) and simmer until the meat is very tender and the vegetables are soft, at least 1 hour. The vegetables will sweat out their juices and contribute liquid to the stew, and the longer this cooks, the more flavor it has. Season to taste with salt and continue to simmer while you prepare the dumplings.
Combine the flour with the salt and rub in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the eggs and the water and mix to form a dough. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the surface of the simmering stew, cover, and cook until the dumplings are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Dilwyn’s Roast Apples
Dilwyn was never as fond of cooking as her husband Gethon, so she leaves the bulk of the meal preparation to him and contents herself with making a little something to round things out. Quantities are rather pointless, as the procedure is the same whether you are roasting one apple or a dozen.
Core apples, wrap in kitchen foil, and roast in the embers or on the grill until the apples are soft, about 30 minutes. Serve with honey, if desired.
"saying I love you for the first time" for Zevran/Tabris?
Really leaning into Mara's aloof black cat energy here! Gotta hide in Zevran's cleavage before she can bring herself to say it lmao @dadrunkwriting
It was cold. Mara could feel that much even through the pile of blankets she was huddled under, curled up with her face tucked under them like a cat. She could feel the warm press of a body at her back, soft flesh curled up around her, so close that they might as well have been joined by a seam. She smiled and snuggled down further, sighing at the soft fluffy blanket whose edge on slightly tickled her nose when she breathed in. On her waist she could feel the gentle drawing of shapes and patterns with bare fingers. The soft pads occasionally replaced by a light scratch of longer nails. “Wha time isit?” Mara slurred out, tongue still clumsy from sleep. “Now, now Mara, you know I love you but we have to get up. They will be sending out a search party for us otherwise.” She grunted, turning over and wrapping her limbs around the other elf, pressing her face against his chest. Zevran’s limbs stiffened and Mara looked up at him, the actions happening practically simultaneously as their sleep addled minds processed what he had just said. You know I love you… Neither of them said anything, just looking at the other in shocked silence. Mara couldn’t quite make out the emotions which were at war within Zevran’s eyes. It was a distant look, as if he had been yanked out of bed and into the cold. Partially fearful, partially shocked, and partially…something else she wasn’t quite sure of. She looked away from his gaze, a blush rising on her cheeks. They had slept together, they had made love, they had fornicated, they had committed sodomy, and this was what made her blush? She reburied her face into his chest to hide the growing redness on her face. “I love you too Zev.” His voice was in her ear, soothing and gentle, even as she could hear the pounding of his heart through his ribcage and the slight quail of his voice. “I’m sorry warden, I didn’t quite hear that.” She removed her face and tilted her head up, though she couldn’t bring her gaze to meet his own. She spoke with a frown, or perhaps a pout. “I love you too Zev.” His whole body relaxed and he let out a shaking laugh. “Well! That is a relief. Mara.” Her frown deepened and she pulled him close to her into a tight embrace. Her mouth right next to his ear, looking out past him. “Were you really that in doubt?” She asked, certainly pouting now. “Hm, I am picking up that the diplomatic answer to your question is ‘no I was never in doubt’.” She laughed at that, sudden and from the stomach. “But I must confess I was a little.” She growled and peppered kisses over every bit of skin that she could reach from their current position. Not willing to give up the feeling of being enveloped in strong arms. He squealed as her lips grazed across a ticklish spot and she grinned, doubling down and clutching him tight. Through his rolling laughter he said, “well don’t worry I’m not in doubt anymore.”
headcanoning war vet/night elf adaia with the line "[Adaia] wanted [Tabris] more than anything. It’s sad she never got to see you all grown up." and "Valendrian and [Duncan] have known each other for almost twenty years… since the time I tried to recruit your mother, in fact." [...] "I never made the offer. Valendrian convinced me that it was better for her to remain here with her family. As there was no Blight and thus no immediate need for recruits, I deferred to his wishes." really adds severe psychic damage of adaia simply wanting a peaceful life with her family after the war and im shattering like glass
City Elf Appreciation Week
Day 5: Alienage
As the eldest Tabris cousin, it is Novhen's familial duty to show his younger cousin Shianni the ropes around Denerim, and in his rogueish mind, this obviously includes how to scam the city's human population. 2666 words.
and a thank you to @cityelfweek for putting all this together (and giving me the motivation to finish this fic) ^.^
Hiiii! For Atros x Solas! "come, before the band stops playing. dance with me." Happy writing!
oooh this was fun thank you! my chaos boy........ i love him sfm 😭 @dadrunkwriting 558 words cws: mentions of background character death as in canon
Solas looked right here. Which was ridiculous, or should have been ridiculous, but… he did. He looked right. In the uniform that Atros had scowled to see, refusing to look in a mirror, detesting the idea of having to dress up and be presentable for a bunch of shems, but Solas just slipped in like he was made for this place. Even in his stupid little hat. He should have looked ridiculous. Atros wanted him to look ridiculous, had been expecting to have a good laugh, a shared joke between them.
Instead, this. Solas wearing the uniform and the hat with a stunning grace and authority, and damn if that didn't do something to Atros. He had some thoughts about having Solas stay in that uniform tonight, but those would keep. For now they had to navigate all the complexity of the Winter Palace: and it was outrageously complex. When they got to the fighting—practically inevitable, really—it had come as something of a relief, although he had to choke down his rage at the servants' lives carelessly and cruelly spent. But at least he knew how to fight, knew the steps. This was honest, where the Game was all deception, saying what you don't mean, smiles like blades slipped between ribs except he only understood the second part.
But it was strange that Solas understood it all. Strange that he carried himself the way he did. Atros had been watching him all night; in front of other servants he moved naturally, smiled warmly, was sincere. In front of the shems he was coolly indifferent, unaffected, poised. Their gaze slipped across him as if he wasn't there, blending into the background despite standing tall in plain sight.
Even had he not been the Inquisitor, he knew he couldn't manage that. He was always going to be ill-fit here, always gangly and disproportionate, at odds with expectation. That was him.
So when they were done with bloodshed and politics (were they even separate things in Orlais?) and he stood on the balcony trying to get some fresh air, something far from the thick rush of perfumes that had given him a headache as soon as he'd entered the palace, he was not terribly surprised that Solas joined him. He must have known this was the right moment… he knew everything else about this.
What did surprise him was the other man asking him to dance. “Me? You're kidding.” His voice was deadpan but Solas' hand remained stretched out to him, bent in a slight bow. And he was smirking.
“Come,” he said, voice warm and with just the edge of teasing. “Before the band stops playing. Let's have this moment—dance with me.” A raised brow, a challenge. “Or does our brave Inquisitor fear dancing when it's not for political gain?” He scowled at the memory of dancing with Florianne.
“I was so scared I was going to step on her foot,” he muttered even as he placed his hand in Solas', inhaling sharply when that hand closed around his and drew him near. “I think now I should've.”
“She deserved as much,” Solas admitted as he led Atros in a far simpler dance, “but you conducted yourself admirably. And I am confident Josephine is relieved you danced well.”
“Can't let Josie down,” he shot back, lips quirking when Solas grinned. With teeth.
Fiona's Regret
"The Grey Warden, Alistair, they tell me… he died? In the Fade?"
“Well, it’s the lucky grooms themselves. Hello Soris. Hello, dear.” “Now, love. He probably doesn’t remember us.” “Oh, of course. I’m Dilwyn, and this is Gethon. We were friends of your mother’s. We haven’t seen much of you since she… well…” What can you tell me about my mother? “Your father still doesn’t speak of her, does he?” “Adaia was beautiful and full of life. And a bit wild.” “She wanted you more than anything. It’s sad she never got to see you all grown up.” “We just wanted to see you today and express our good wishes.” Any friend of my mother’s is a friend of mine. “It means the world to us to see you happy.” “We’ve saved a bit of money for this day. We’d… we’d like you to have it to help start your new life.” I can’t accept this. “Please, we want you to have it.” “Are you nuts? Take it. When are you going to get this much money again?” Thank you. I’ll take it. “Maker bless you.”
*
“Many blessings, young one. We hoped to stay for the celebration, but we must be off.” You’re not staying for my wedding? “I wish we could.” “The human who owns our building has decided to sell it for storage space. We can’t afford to live anywhere else here, so we’re leaving Denerim.” Where are you going? “The Ostagar ruins. The army camp there is calling for laborers.” “We wanted to look for work in Highever…” “But that’s just not possible.” Why not? “Moving to a different alienage isn’t easy. Travel and bribes cost money. Humans are a suspicious lot. I’ve heard the ones in Highever are worse than here.” Is there anything I can do to help? “You’re still a child. You can’t do anything. Enjoy your special day, and put us out of your mind.” “What my husband means is, you’re very generous, but… we don’t need charity to solve our problems.”
*
“Wait… can I talk to you a moment?” Of course. “I apologize for my parents. They’re too proud to accept help, much less ask for it. My parents will labor in the army camp, and they’ll expect me to do the same, but… I don’t like the idea of being surrounded by human soldiers who haven’t seen a woman in months.” Maybe you should stay here. “I would, but my father would have to believe I have a future here…” Would some money help? “Of course, but I can’t imagine anyone here has much to spare. We’d need another three silvers to make it to Highever. And if we got another ten silvers, we could rent a house here. Maybe one large enough to start a business. But… that’s just dream talk. Nobody has that much money, and if they did, why would they give it to us?”
Maybe he’s a big fool, can’t help himself to help other, as long as he can. Darian give her three silvers help the family go to Highever. His not that fool, forget he also has a big family need money. And he thought a family shouldn’t be separated. Choose this just for role-play.
Dragon Age: Origins Screenshots 1920×2160
City Elf Origin, Part 1 ½: "Nobody has that much money, and if they did, why would they give it to us?“
my warden & inquisitor for me 8-9 years ago
