#drow riven

The fuck is this? You all keepin' tabs on me or something? Checking up on supposed progress, or worse, trying to actually MAKE ME MAKE PLANS!?!

/scowls playfully

Look, if I have learned anything from Solas, from John Seed, from Astarion, etc., and so on... making plans is as good as pissin' in the wind. Which I have never done, come to think of it.

Make of that what you will.

Right, well I was tagged by @redaresss, @woundedsoul12, @vhen-harel [I FINALLY got your new @ down pat. HOOO! A rhyme for you! Oh shit, I did it again! AAHAHHA!! Stop me while I'm on the good foot.], and the lovely @lampost-in-winter

Wicked's, Red's, Vhen's , Lamp's all seen here! Keep tabs on THEM. Not me. Hmph.

This also ties into WIP Wednesday, for which I was tagged by @redaresss, @davrinsleftpectoral, @woundedsoul12, and @daylinlavellan! Red's, Davrin's, Wounded's, and Daylin's!

THANK YOU ALL FOR THINKING OF ME.

I am surrounded by absurdly talented and lovely people. Every single one of you, even those not specifically mentioned: the lurkers, the likers, the rebloggers, the quiet supporters... You are an integral part of every day. The fandoms love you.

I LOVE YOU.

What? Putting off responding? Excuse me, where is your callout etiquette?

Okay, fine. Plans. Sure. Uh-huh. Hmm. Let’s call them vague concepts at best... concepts I might be able to work with.

Though for now, I reckon I’ll just have to make some up on the spot.

Gaming -

Honestly, I’ve been laser-focused on finishing my three simultaneous BG3 playthroughs. If I’m lucky, and continue making catastrophically poor decisions regarding sleep, they’ll all hit the start of Act III today.

So there’s that.

I can see the finish line. Finally. Sort of. If I squint hard enough and shade my eyes.

Hoping to walk away from this with some hard lines on who Riven is as a [Tav/Durge]. Also, I’ve been fucking around with the Galemance on off-brand Tav Inith and, unfortunately for everyone involved, I have Thoughts.

Expect a post on that soon.

But in honor of nearly making it to Act III, please enjoy this GIF of Riven being kind of cunty: as she is both entitled and morally obligated to be.

Gale, Shadowheart, and Astarion all look so concerned while Riven's like, "Bitch, I don't have time for this. Catch."

I have said it many times, and I shall say it once again: I love Riv.

Crafting -

JUST ordered three “minor” accents for the cosplay, one of which I will need to violently rework into what I actually need. But I have committed worse crafting crimes before, so frankly, this is nothing.

I also have the leather cord and clasps for the necklace, which means I now enter the most sacred phase of any project:

standing over the materials like a Victorian scientist about to create life.

The current dilemma: Do I make two separate necklaces?

Do I make one?

Do I commit engineering atrocities until one necklace convincingly masquerades as two?

Ideally the third option.

If I can force the materials to submit to my vision.

Next on the list: I’m ordering two of the bigger pieces of the cosplay. One of them is going to need fabric paint, so yes, I’ve already done the research like a responsible adult pretending they won’t go absolutely feral over this project.

Found a pretty solid one recommended by other cosplayers, so it should work. Hell, it better work.

What I did find deeply amusing is that I could not, for the life of me, find exactly what I needed in the correct color. Which, fine, whatever. But then I stopped and realized, given what it is, the available color range actually makes perfect sense.

So now I’m just sitting here, planning cosplay logistics, the epitome of a very calm and rational person who is absolutely not about to commit craft-related war crimes in the name of accuracy.

Anyway. We move on.

Bonus: I thankfully have proxy access to a 3D printer, so I’m going to print some props too: paint them, the whole deal. You know how it is.

Writing-

Never heard of her.

OPEN TAGGING.

With specific callouts, so you know I think of you all the time and love you even more often than always.

Gale's take on Shadow Magic is reminiscent of Solas's on Blood Magic. I can easily envision these two talking for hours.

The bestus @galacticsparkles completed this, and I read it avidly! Love reading about that tall drink of water of yours: Elore Winterstone. [BG3 Tav]

I am excited to participate and actually get a chance to talk BG3, Dragon Age, and Fallout with the void!

Tagging some loves who might like to participate, just ya know, slightly adjust the questions for your game of choice!! Or hell, all the games, because I did NOT stick to one game. Go nuts.

@vhen-harel, @yappacadaver, @stormemes11, @fadetouchedlurker, @zennihilation, @ellessario [Rolan!! <3], @apothe-cary, @redaresss, @vishantikaffar and @tieflingsorcerer!!

But also: OPEN TAG.

This got a little long. I am not ashamed, just giving a heads-up.

🔹 WHAT’S A SMALL BG3/DRAGON AGE/FALLOUT DETAIL THAT YOU ALWAYS NOTICE AND LOVE?

I will revisit a post I made about the kisses in BG3 being tailored and very in character instead of a generic animation slapped over all companions. [Post Here], but that's not small to me. None of it is really.

What haunted me? Riven's facial expressions when I chose a route I normally wouldn't for her. She is HIGHLY expressive, so much so that during those scenes I could feel her revulsion. I'll have to cut some GIFs of it. Still makes me uncomfortable, but that just means it was very well done.

Dragon Age? Which game? /laughs. I noticed the shoe sole nails in Veilguard. I appreciated that. Still do. [Post Here] Now I find myself looking at the bottom of shoes in every game.

Fallout simply has to exist, and I love it. What? New Vegas crashed. AGAIN?! Love it. /chuckles

🔹 WHAT’S ONE PIECE OF REFERENCE MATERIAL YOU’RE CURRENTLY OBSESSED WITH?

BG3 - Surprisingly, it's everything about Drow for Riven. I cannot overstate how much I love that Drow are a matriarchal society. They're also highly sensitive to sunlight, leaving them vulnerable, so they travel beneath cloaks to shield themselves.

Keep in mind, I knew none of this before playing BG3. The only elves I was familiar with were Night Elves from WoW. So discovering all of this afterward, and realizing that Riven just so happened to romance Astarion, felt oddly beautiful in its own way.

Oh, and Drow have also developed their own intricate form of sign language for stealth, which is incredibly cool. It's also fascinating that elven races don't truly sleep; instead, they enter a four-hour meditative state known as reverie.

Yeah... I love Drow. I could keep going, but I'll spare you.

Dragon Age - anything on Qunlat and the Qunari. Reist and Arojan are directly responsible for this, by the way.

Fallout - Since I'm working on a cosplay, reference images from FO4. [I really want to replay.] But I'm always double-checking my information on ghouls and the layouts of places/settlements.

🔹 SHARE A SNIPPET OR VISUAL FROM YOUR CURRENT PROJECT THAT YOU’RE QUIETLY PROUD OF.

Nothing BG3 or Dragon Age. It's a little Fallout idea I'm fleshing out for Brenna and Hancock. A part of their canon if you will.

It isn't the fic yet; it's more about me "painting" the scene to visualize and make sure it FITS them, ya know?

[Since I'm not an artist. Unless you want me to draw you a booty. I ain't terrible at that.]

It's hard to share a snippet because I'm protective of widely sharing early-stage work/idea-spitting when it comes to these two. Yet, in the spirit of creative camaraderie and pushing against my comfort zone...

A claim. A promise. A deliberate choice to carry pieces of each other beneath their skin forever. Something raw and intimate that feels more honest than polished rings ever could.

🔹 WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO CREATING OR FINISHING SOON?

My Fallout Cosplay.

🔹 WHAT’S A FUN OR SILLY TRADITION YOU HAVE WITH YOUR OCs/TAVS?

BG3 Specific Silliness regarding my Durge - Riven, blood-thirsty bitch she is, makes sure every companion has something she personally threw into their spot in camp. Teddy Bears (Clive needs a friend), Plush Owl Bears, Music Boxes, Crystal Balls, Hand Mirrors, Paintings, Jewels, Hookahs; she customizes it to each companion. Often giving them more than one thing. Why? Manipulation? Maybe she's simply trying to lull them into being complacent around a Bhaalspawn.

A general thing for all of my OC's no matter their origins? Every single one of them has some type of facial scar. They always will, and for the most part, I tend to eschew most "traditional" ideas of beauty. My very being revolts against them. (Exceptions exist if it can be used to manipulate and make them more morally questionable bastards.) So you'll see ink, scars, odd hairstyles, prosthetics, if the game allows, whatever happens to fit who they are with body styles similar to my own. They're a strange mix.

🔹 WHAT’S A BG3/DRAGON AGE/FALLOUT NPC YOU’D LOVE TO SEE IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT OUTFIT OR SETTING?

HE WHO WAS!!!

No contest. Literally in any setting. Let Riven take the man out for a drink. Tie him up. Put him on Bhaal's altar so they can create the next line of Bhaalspawn. Or, you know, let her brush his hair and braid it. She's not picky. Leave the 'fit and bare feet though.

Dragon Age (Inquisition and Veilguard) - Off the top of my head? Professor Kenric, Chief Movran the Under (I LOVE the Avvar. A lot.), and Viago.

Fallout - Gob, Edward Deegan, and Maxson, please!

🔹 WHAT IS A BG3 COLLAB PROJECT THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO DO?

Dis Me, poking at the word collab for any fandom:

🔹 WHAT’S A TINY HEADCANON OR DETAIL YOU’VE ADDED TO YOUR TAV/OC THAT BRINGS YOU JOY?

I love every single tiny bit of information regarding any of my OCs.

BG3 - Riven specifically? Lately, I've been ruminating on how she wants to redirect any negative emotions Astarion has about the scars on his neck. Oh, and how rope/restraint has become synonymous with safety/care/love for her. Complex emotions that are strangely perfect for her.

Fallout - I love how Brenna's life is, in many ways, a Wasteland mirror of my own, especially when it comes to certain key aspects of her background and experiences. Write what you know.

Dragon Age - Senka? It's the fact that she still wears a strip of fabric around her calf, torn from Arojan's shirt and used to staunch her bleeding the day it helped save her life.

Loïc - He hates the very concept of grave gold and only wears one necklace hidden under his clothes/armor. A gift from Vorgoth on his ninth Found Day.

Reist - He has a heart-shaped freckle on his ass cheek.

Asena - Her favorite fruit is blueberries... which Solas tried to gank once to make a watercolor paint that matched her eyes.

🔹 WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU WANT YOUR FOLLOWERS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?

Send help. /laughs.

No, please interact. Let's talk about all the things!

Now, prepare for some BG3 that amuses me.

It’s not what was said, it’s the delivery that gets me. I can’t keep a straight face; I’m either laughing under my breath or smirking outright. Win/win.

Astarion's laugh here is stellar. Perfect. No notes.

[Neil has a wonderful laugh.]

Is your OC vengeful?

What first impression do strangers get from your OC?

Yippie!!! VHEN!!! All the hearts and hugs for you! Thank you so much for sending this. It gives me a moment to indulge in what I love!

And you're leaving the OCs up to me? <cue evil laughing track.>

Is your OC Vengeful?

Asena - Absolutely not.

Senka – Surprisingly, no. She has spent too much of her life serving as a tool for other people's vengeance to put much stock in the concept herself. Time and again, she has watched clients expect some grand sense of closure when word arrives that their contract has been fulfilled. More often than not, those who kill for revenge alone are left feeling just as empty as before.

Frankly, she has better shit to do.

Besides, actions have consequences. She doesn't have to lift a finger. Life has a funny way of settling accounts on its own... and if it doesn't, well, she knows people.

Brenna – If something is done to her? No. She's endured worse and learned long ago that carrying a grudge is rarely worth the effort. If something is done to Hancock, Charon, or her brother, however? That's a different story entirely. There would be no hesitation, no second-guessing, and no mercy. Brenna can forgive a great deal when it comes to herself. The people she loves are another matter.

Riven – Oh, absolutely. Woe to anyone who wrongs her. Or attempts to wrong her. Or even looks at her the wrong way. Riven collects slights the way a dragon collects treasure, and she has a long memory. Whether she seeks revenge directly or simply waits for the perfect opportunity, she is not the sort of person who lets things go. Ever.

What first impressions do strangers get from your OC?

I genuinely have no idea. I hope they all come across as strong individuals.

If I had to guess based on a surface-level interaction?

Senka – Chaos gremlin.

Not immediately, mind you. At first glance she appears composed, confident, and entirely too self-assured for someone her size. Then she opens her mouth. Five minutes later she's poking at someone's patience for her own amusement, encouraging bad decisions, or saying something that leaves people wondering whether they should laugh or be concerned.

The unfortunate part is that the answer is usually both.

Brenna – Stoic killer. Moral mercenary.

She doesn't waste words, doesn't seek attention, and carries herself like someone who knows exactly what she's capable of. Most people would assume she's dangerous first and approachable second. They'd be right on both counts. What they wouldn't realize immediately is just how much of what she does is guided by an unshakable sense of right and wrong and a very deep sense of empathy.

Asena – Sweet leader.

Kind eyes, patient demeanor, and the sort of presence that puts people at ease. She listens more than she speaks and has a habit of making people feel heard. Most would walk away thinking she's gentle. They might not realize until later that beneath all that warmth is a spine of steel.

Riven – Unhinged bitch.

The sort of woman who can make someone nervous with a single look. Beautiful, sharp, and radiating the distinct impression that she may either flirt with you or ruin your life, depending entirely on her mood. Most people would immediately recognize that she is a problem.

The smart ones would also recognize that she enjoys being one.

Are these impressions accurate?

To an extent, but all of them are incomplete.

Senka is the most disparate from how she’s perceived.

People can absolutely misread her as chaotic because she’s playful, provocative, and socially sharp in a way that feels unpredictable. But internally, she isn’t improvising chaos; she’s testing reactions, steering outcomes, and staying several steps ahead. What reads as “gremlin energy” on first glance is really precision disguised as casualness.

Riven agrees.

Ketheric

Sarevok

Cazador

Gortash

Nor will she ever tire of lounging upon the sacrificial altars of dead women.

Orin, Sister Dearest.

My, my. In your grandfather’s helmet, no less. Because Riven would twist the knife while adorned in your blood.

When combining gloating with the art of instilling fear into the hearts of lesser beings, subtlety simply won’t do.

@redaresss coming in clutch with the tags! Thank you! I enjoyed this one a hell of a lot! Zea looks like she's handling buisness.

OPEN TAG - Female Driven Unfortunately : HERE.

Yeah. My badass women love blades and I encourage that.

Senka - Always with the blades, even psychically.

Brenna - In the Wasteland she IS a heroine. Of sorts. Maybe.

Riven