#dharma-writes

I couldn’t answer this last night, as to me this is a question that requires more thought than two large gin and tonics would allow, and I wanted to do it justice. 

Before the art, which I think most people follow me for, there was (and still is) the writing. I wanted to write a Mass Effect crime story back in 2017, and thought a drell lead who could remember things perfectly would make a fantastic detective. 

Eidetic memory could be a useful plot device, too; if I wrote it in first person, it would not only make the mystery element more compelling (you are there with Kolyat as he works things out) but would make those flashbacks less jarring.

Thank you! A small, quick canon setting piece for @dadrunkwriting

Fandom: Dragon AgeWords: 534

Iwyn Lavellan x Solas | Inquisition timeframe | hurt/comfort / romanceRating: gen. Getting stuck, a bit of comfort, romance, Sera, Blackwall, Solas

Stuck

“No, my travels have never taken me to these ruins, I have not seen them before,” Solas says when Iwyn asks. “It is a pity I don’t have time to linger.”

“Ruins, boring. Sand. Boring.” Sera kicks the sand without much effect.

“Could be spiders here. Or Darkspawn,” Blackwall says.

“Do you sense any?” Iwyn asks. If there are darkspawn, they should probably do something about it, as little as she wants to.

“Not at the moment, no,” Blackwall says.

The four of them are travelling the Wastes, looking for Venatori. They’ve killed some, but mostly it’s been sandy and windy, hot days and cold nights. Iwyn asked Solas about the ruins knowing what he’d say, but she wanted to break the silence, and she loves his stories and his voice. Sera’s and Blackwall’s banter are equally enjoyable, even if the current subject is whether it’s safe to roast and eat darkspawn. The answer is most definitely no, and she doesn’t need a Warden to tell her.

Lost in thought, Iwyn doesn’t notice where she is going, and steps on a crack in the sand, and her right leg disappears under her. She cries out in pain and surprise, and then tries to get free.

“Iwyn!” Solas kneels next to her, concern on his face.

“I’m stuck, somehow. I’m sorry, I can’t get up.”

“Let me,” he says, and holds out his arm. She locks his hand with his, and attempts to pull herself up.  

She cries out again, as the jagged edges of the rock scrapes against her legs. Solas stops pulling.

“Are you hurt?” he asks.

“Let me try,” Blackwall says.

“I think I’m stuck. Something is digging into my thigh.”

“Can’t you magic her out?” Blackwall asks.

“I can try.” Solas starts to cast, and she can feel some earth moving, but not the stone. She sinks in deeper. Solas stops and shakes his head.

“Magic’s good for nothing. You gotta wiggle,” Sera says, but wiggling doesn’t work either.

“Dread Wolf take this,” Iwyn says. Wiggling makes it hurt more. She puts her head on the cool sand. Thank the Creators it’s nighttime, and she isn’t stuck under the burning sun. Solas reaches for her hand again, this time to hold it.

“The requisition officer usually has some mallets or hammers at the camp.” Blackwall offers. “I could go get them, but it will take while.”

Iwyn grits her teeth. “Take Sera with you. You shouldn’t go alone. Solas will stay here.”

“We’ll be back soon, Inky! I promise.”

The two of them sets off across the sand, a little faster than their previous leisurely walk. She hopes they won’t run into trouble on the way.

“Vhenan,” Solas says. She squeezes his hand. She will be alright. “Are you in pain?”

“A little, it’s not to bad. I’m mostly uncomfortable.”

“I’m sorry I can’t make you more comfortable. I’m afraid my magic can’t move the earth.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m glad you are here. I think we might have a bit of a wait.” She squeezes his hand again. “Tell me a story? Or more of what you think of the ruins?”

Oh WORD!!! I shamelessly write fic in public. I’ve always carried journals and binders around for that very reason! But I can totally relate to the smutty fanfic thing. I’m still scared to write smut thinking that someone from my life is gonna find it 😂

Hi @dharma-writes

I’m sorry to hear the tags are not working. Tumblr sometimes has issues with tagging, and unfortunately we can’t do anything about that really (other than report the issue to tumblr, if you want). I do my best to tag everyone in the head count post, but sometimes I miss one, or today I think everyone as i was in a hurry because of family commitments.  

That said, there are a few things to keep in mind, and I hope you don’t mind I reply to this publicly, as I’m sure others might be in the same situation .

The head count post (for US) goes out every Friday at noon Pacific time.

The kickoff is at 4pm, and you have until then to reply. If you’re looking forward to Friday writing, set a calendar reminder or similar, and just log in and reply to the post. You should be able to search for this blog (@dadrunkwriting) and find the post. 

If you miss the head count, you can still post. 

The headcount is nice for the community, so we do appreciate people replying to the head count even if they’re writing from the backlog or just hanging out, but if you’re a dwc writer and you post Friday evening and tag us, it will count. The biggest reason to be on the kick off is of course to get prompts, but If you miss the head count and do need prompts, you can always ask people in the discord, usually someone is around willing to prompt :)

As I said the opt-in is a lot about having an active community and being part of that, but by no means should it hold you back from writing if you miss the posts :D. Just go for it (you just need to be on the dwc list in general). 

I hope this helps!