Kept sane by your stories and art

Banner art and profile pic by @kogarashi-art

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Introducing Gemma de Riva

Art of Gemma

I am so very lucky to have talented friends who have made glorious Gemma art! Including these wonderful dividers by @mushrooms-x-moss.

Screenshots of Gemma

Info on Gemma

Main Long Fiction

The whole series on AO3 features:

The Origins of Gemma de Riva (no banner for this, sad!)

Part 1: Cacophony of Whispers

Part 2: Act Without Thoughts Holding You Back

Part 3: The Persuasiveness of Despair

Rookanis Week 2026

An alternative look at Part 3, Chapter 9!

Spite Week 2025

Stories of the current-time period Lighthouse that occur somewhere within Part 3.

Part 4: Stronger Together

Gemma de Riva Storytime

Stories of the past that occur somewhere within Parts 3 and 4. (Storytime sketch by @blackwall-my-tiny-husband)

Gemma de Riva Vignettes

A collection of short pieces in the Gemmaverse originally posted to Tumblr.

Gemma + Broken Glass and On the Edge of Consciousness When words aren't enough A stolen kiss A fistfight for Lucanis and Davrin The Croaker CLAMS

Illarook Week 2026

Gemma + Illario. A friendship retrospective in two time periods.

The sequel to The Tale of An Antivan Canary!

Other writing in the Gemmaverse

Thursday Bangers:

Nov 27, 2025

Dec 4, 2025

A Word With Friends

December 1, 2025

My Thoughts on My Writing:

Self Rec Fic Authors

Tag Games

Crossroads Island AU Gemma

Gemma’s Island Backstory

Gemma vs Island Gemma

Gemma’s Island aesthetic

Summertime Island Gemma

Gemma de Riva, FBI

The Spirit Box Mysteries Ep 1

Spirit Box Mysteries – Call 1800-Island-Ghosts

AU Rook: Tessa Volkarin

(AKA Theresa Ingellvar and Rook de Riva)

Who am I?

An intro to Tessa, by Tessa.

Rook is still in the Fade prison. She's going to be there for a while.

Full chapter on AO3 here.

Chapter Summary:

In Chapter 12, Illario and Spite successfully pulled Lucanis out of his mind and Illario passes the POV back to Lucanis. (Grudgingly.)

Lucanis is now back with the team and they are all hurting. Manfred passes out death letters from Rook, which Lucanis and Spite refuse to read. Illario comes up with an idea and secrets are revealed.

Chapter Excerpt:

“There are still a lot of leftovers,” Bellara said gently. “We can buy more ingredients and send food around again if you need to cook.”

Lucanis wasn't sure if it would help. The leftover cacio de pepe that reminded him of Rook had tasted like nothing but renewed some strength. “I don't know what to do with myself,” he said. “I'm not tired. I've done nothing for three days.”

Bellara looked tired, sad, and worried. “When everyone is back, we'll make a plan.”

“AND SIX BACKUP. PLANS.”

The words struck a sharp pain through his chest.

Illario strolled into the dining hall, holding something in his hand. “Cousin, remember when you left for that special training in Antiva City?”

He frowned at him, wondering where this was going. “Which time?”

“The first time.”

He had been thirteen, Illario twelve. It had been the first time apart since the death of their parents. The weeks-long training had been brutal and exhausting and without Illario, he had been miserable and alone. “Yes, why?”

“Do you remember what you told me to do before you left?”

“No.”

“We agreed to write down our days, so when you returned, we could switch journals and know what had happened while we were apart.” Illario frowned. “You forgot.”

“I did not forget,” he protested, remembering it now. “I was not given the time.” He could barely hold a pen or keep himself awake for the few hours he was allowed to sleep during the training.

“I did it. Every day. Multiple times a day.” He set a journal down on the table and pushed it towards him. “It made me feel like you were there with me the whole time. Like I hadn’t been left alone, stuck in my normal routine, while you were off doing exciting things.”

“Exciting things? It was grueling and—” He broke off and opened the journal. It was blank. Realization crashed through him. “For me?”

“For all of us. Tell her what’s happening.”

“WRITE TO ROOK?”

“Let it keep you sane,” he said.

“That’s a really great idea, Illario,” Bellara said.

And here's a preview of the Rook Book - entries by Lucanis, Illario, and Taash.

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Alright folks. This is not a drill.

I found it here on tumblr, saved the picture and lost the post... So if anyone see the original please send it to me, so I can credit the creator.

It's Lego Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul!!! Let's hope for my sake that Lego money is enough that I don't have to work anymore.

I have reached the stage where I am still very proud of this story, and I love it dearly, but it has also become a houseguest that needs to go home.

Full chapter on AO3 here.

Chapter Summary:

We are back in Lucanis's mind, but this time it's Spite and Illario navigating happy memories of Rook, trying to find Lucanis to convince him to come back.

Chapter Excerpt:

Spite kept a tight grip on his hand. The air pushed on him and with a flash of light, Illario found himself standing in the courtyard of the Lighthouse. It looked desolate. Unlived in. There were pieces of rubble scattered across the stone and the buildings looked dim.

“What happened here?”

Spite pulled him off to the side. “Nothing. The Lighthouse gains life. As we live there. This is our first night. After the Ossuary.”

The door to the library opened and Lucanis and Rook emerged. Her hands were full of bowls. Lucanis was wearing the old set of leathers he had sent with her on the rescue mission. She was chatting easily. He couldn’t hear the words, but he could see the confidence on her face. Lucanis responded. His face was calm but not that of an assassination. Naturally calm.

“They could never talk like that before,” he said. “From the start, they were that easy around each other?”

“Yes. She taught me. Joy. Laughter.”

Spite pulled him through the dining hall door, but they instead were back outside. Arlathan Forest. Illario recognized it from the trip to attend the funeral of Bellara’s brother. This was a nicer area, with the low hum of the river and the bright blue sky.

Again, better than the flowers in the Hossberg Wetlands.

He could see Lucanis and Rook lying on the grass, both partially clothed. It was still his set of leathers discarded on the grass. “When was this?”

“Few days later. She jumped off a cliff. To save us. Couldn’t swim.”

Laugher bubbled out of him. He had tried so hard to teach her to swim and nothing ever worked. “She almost drowned trying to save him?”

“So mad. At her. No connection yet.”

“He was an idiot,” he said, looking at the beautiful form of Rook. Only a few days after Lucanis’s rescue. He turned to Spite. “Are we going to walk through every good memory he has of her?” He held up his free hand at the look on Spite’s face. “Not that I’m complaining, but….”

“You are complaining.”

“All right, I am. They met almost a full year ago. We don’t have that much time.”

“Time is slower here. Must look. Not sure. Which memory. Is actually him.”

Curious now, he walked over to where Lucanis lay on the ground. He tried to nudge his foot, but his boot passed right through him. Just a memory. Not solid. “Lead on.”

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Thanks for the tags @genjyoandgojyoandhakkai @redaresss @sorcerousadventurer @jenn2d2

I'm having a day where I'm working on too many WIPs at once because that's what my brain wants to do. Here's five sentences from one of them.

Gemma had never found herself in such a dire situation before.

Surrounded.

Cut off from the one exit.

Out of knives. Out of poison. Unable to use magic.

All she had left were her negotiation skills. 

Anyone else want to play?

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Thanks for the asks! More fic writer asks are here.

4. a story idea you haven’t written yet

I wanted to write a search for Harding post Veil Guard, but Gemma had other ideas. I think I will end up merging my original ideas into the framework Gemma pushed on me.

12. a trope you’re really into right now

3. how you feel about your current WIP

4. a story idea you haven’t written yet

7. your preferred writing fonts

Thanks for the asks! More fic writer asks are here.

3. how you feel about your current WIP

Really good about all of them! There may be too many. After mid-July when I’m done with Canary, I’m excited about diving into my neglected AUs even more!

4. a story idea you haven’t written yet

I wanted to write a search for Harding post Veil Guard, but Gemma had other ideas. I think I will end up merging my original ideas into the framework Gemma pushed on me in the Canary sequel.

7. your preferred writing fonts

Thanks for the asks! More fic writer asks are here.

the last sentence you wrote

“When asked how, she smirked and said, “Lace and the Inquisitor may be unreachable, but we still have friends in the Inquisition.””

19. the most interesting topic you’ve researched for a fic

Most interesting, I don’t know, but I had a lot of fun researching kei trucks for the Texas AU. Most of my research is searching for maps of Thedas these days.

23. pick three keywords that describe your writing

Thanks for the asks! More fic writer asks are here.

27. your favorite part of the writing process