#starfeathers

With and without flash

Inspired by @sparkbirdmusic's Space! (I'm so negative)

I think I spelled that right

The first of at least 2 (I have half an animatic done)

My OC vesper (from my starfeathers fic) mid-mental breakdown, pulling her feathers out because they are not the right color anymore because of the magic manipulation done to them

Yes merle (not merl you heathen) gave her a mouthful for it later

Don't worry she's magic the feathers will grow back

@cardamonn-n ( @slightlyoffcolorstellersjay yes you are the heathen but I still love you)

He’s male, it’s just bad translation ;w;

XD I thought as much, thank you. 

Your type is generally my favorite kind of people. Like, at least two of my closest friend are like that so, lol.

1. Who crushed first?

Alim fell first, after they were in a sort of relationship. 

2. How long did the pre-kiss tension last?

Not long at all. A couple of weeks of light flirting at the most? Alim will simply make a move or dismiss the idea rather then go through a bunch of sexual or romantic tension, unless of course, he doesn’t realize it’s a thing *cough*Jael*cough*.

3. Who caved and kissed first?

Alim although Zev was laying down the bait pretty thick.

4. Angst or fluff?

Angst for sure, at least for much of it. Fluff had to wait until the earring. 

5. What the parents think?

It’s mostly a matter of, “what parents?” Adda met Zevran once and I imagine she understood that he didn’t think much of her and the feeling is probably reciprocated. There are likely stories going around the alienage about the horrible Antivan who came between her and her son, just because that’s how she is. It’s not HER fault of course and she can’t go aroudn slandering the HoF too much. 

6. Did they do a first date or did they just hook up?

Alim/Zev - Just friends who hooked up. Honestly, who else were they going to have sex with? Alim especially. 

7. Relationship dynamic?

I don’t know how to answer this. Dynamics shift a lot in relationships and it’s a few years before Alim and Zev can even really settle down and get a sense of balance. And then...Zev’s older but Alim’s the one with relationship experience...I need to write the fanfic.

Okay, this isn’t quite what was asked but one thing that I just can’t see playing a part in that dynamic is lots of unloading about stuff in the past. There are no big talks about what happened in their past. They both have to put stuff together from the pieces the other offers. Zev in humourous and sometimes misleading stories, Alim with bland and downplayed accounts, and neither one pushes the other. It’s two guys who have trouble sorting through emotional baggage so I just can’t see deep emotional talks for a long time.

8. How long do they last/did they break up?

Until death although hopefully they find a cure for the taint and both have long lives. 

9. Who’s the sex god?

Really? You have to ask? :D

10. Short headcanon for the pair.

replied to your post

“Okay, this has been bugging me.  The daughter and I went to a lecture...”

Agreed. Most of us have gotten used to our informed circles of conversation, that it rarely occurs to us that some newcomers may need time to adjust and learn. It's completely natural, and nothing to be ashamed of.

Yup. And nevermind that these people might not be complete newcomers. They might have been out for decades in a rural community or part of a smaller LGBTAI community or...Whatever. But folks have had their own struggles and don’t deserve to be belittled because they don’t have the language or knowledge of the young university student who’s on Tumblr. 

Pffft. 

They also spent a lot of time addressing allies which was problematic in another way. The audience looked devoid of allies to me and it left me wondering who exactly they thought the allies were. Was it the middle-aged woman who looked very much like your average straight housewife? That’s a little isolating in and of itself. 

That was very much a problem with the structure. The could have done a quick and polite show of hands right at the start, asking who was an ally and who identified as queer (I’m using that because that was very much a comfortable term in the group). Then, if the audience was overwhelmingly LGBTAI they could have tailored their comments and not left some wondering if they weren’t being seen. Which is, you know, just a little bit of an issue in a lecture on Bi/Pan/Multisexuality. 

bluvixen replied to your post“Okay, this has been bugging me.  The daughter and I went to a lecture...”

You get this sort of stuff in the science community too - especially where scientists think the general public are a bunch of dumb shits. The whole point of these panels is education, I thought; not making un-informed people feel stupid.

Oh my God. 

1. What is one thing others might find intolerable about them?

Alim - That black and white view of morality that comes out as judgy at times. 

Laughlin - Um. I honestly don’t know. 

3. Name one or more of their bad habits.

Alim - Answered here. 

Laughlin - Not picking up after himself? His room gets increasingly cluttered over the course of the Inquisition. He’s just never had so much stuff before. Certain things get put away, belts get hung, clothes folded after they’re taken off but beyond that: the gifts, the papers, the mementos...It all starts to pile up. 

And it’s all got some meaning so good luck trying to get him to toss it. 

4. Any addictions? (Food, sex, drugs/alcohol, shopping, power/control, etc.)

Alim - No but...He flirts with alcohol for a bit after Broken Circle in canon. Not just once and not just a few drinks but several benders that Alistair has to drag him through. Zevran, mainly looking out for himself, manages to finally head that off before it becomes an issue. But whenever I think of darker AUs they always involve Alim taking a turn towards drinking too much and too often, especially after the Blight. 

Laughlin - Romantic relationships? He really does have a hard time staying out of them. 

5. What is one thing they do that can negatively affect their relationship with friends?

Alim - Push them off a cliff if he thinks it needs to be done. :D See Alistair being put on the throne, married to Anora and then made to see Loghain recruited for a good example of that. 

Laughlin - Not sure yet. 

6. Their romantic relationships?

Alim - answered here.

Laughlin - Oboy. Get involved too fast, before he’s had time to really get to know someone? 

7. What is the biggest mistake they’ve ever made?

Alim - He would say not telling Irving about Jowan. I would say killing Jowan.

Laughlin - Staying on with the Inquisition after the defeat of Corypheus. He should have gone home. :(

8. What mistake(s) do they continue to make/have not learned from?

Alim - Jowan’s death. That he is not as noble in his motivations as he thinks and his decision to kill Jowan probably had as much to do with grief, anger and lack of sleep as all the tidily justified reasons he has tucked away in his brain. He is, in fact, quite willing to compound that mistake by hunting down and killing anders after the Chantry explosion. Thank goodness everyone around him thinks that’s a bad idea. 

Laughlin - Falling for people before getting their full measure. And he’ll never fix that.

10. Some of their emotional shortcomings?

Alim - answered here. 

Laughlin - Too quick with affections, too easy to bait into an argument (oh Dorian). 

12. At least one thing that they tend to overreact to.

Alim - Blood magic!

Laughlin - Not sure yet. 

13. In what ways might they be overly negative and/or pessimistic?

Alim - His chances of surviving the Blight for sure. I’m not sure. 

Laughlin - Same. I have to give this question more thought.

14. Is there anything they are too optimistic about?

Alim - Not sure.

Laughlin - everything? :D

15. How might they be ignorant or prejudiced?

Alim - answered here. 

Laughlin - Prejudiced? Not really. Laughlin has some ideas about shems when he first arrives at Haven but they’re put to rest in short order. 

16. Do they have any behaviors and/or beliefs that cannot be adequately justified?

Superstitious stuff? I hardly ever have superstitious OCs. :)

17. When would they be too judgmental of someone or something?

Alim - Blood magic, moral compromise at times. 

Laughlin - Laughlin would be tremendously judgmental of Alim’s whole idea that friends and lovers can be sacrificed if there’s a great need. 

19. Is there anything they refuse to budge on? What are they stubborn about?

Alim - So much. Soooo much. This is his thing. Conservative minded Loyalist that he is. 

Laughlin - No, and that’s an issue. I think he ends up compromising too much on cultural things, especially after Corypheus’ defeat. 

20. What is a self-inflicted misery of theirs? (i.e. something they perpetuate themselves)

Alim - That he’s ultimately responsible for a whole host of misery in Redcliffe because he helped Jowan escape. 

Holy crow - I like the way you ask…:D

2. What is their weapon of choice, and what weapon do they dislike using the most?

Spellweaver is his weapon of choice. He’s pretty impressed with it when they first find it and entertains the idea of learning to use it but tucks that thought away because it’s not feasible during the Blight. But then…Arcane Warrior happens and it’s like 10 Christmases at once. 

After using Spellweaver, he’s always reluctant to go back to his staff. It gets tucked away and rarely used. 

3. What is their preferred method of transportation?

Carriage when that happens (rarely). After all the walking during the Blight, horseback is okay as well but he’s not particularly great at it. 

4. Who did they look up to the most as a child? Who do they look up to as an adult?

This is not a thing he really does but Irving would be closest, for a while at least. 

5. What kind of weather makes them happy, and what kind makes them sad?

He’s pretty tolerable of all kinds of weather until it makes him physically uncomfortable. 

6. What languages do they speak? Do they have any idiosyncrasies or identifiable patterns of speech, word usages, etc?

Speaks and reads Ferelden and Orlesian, reads ( maybe speaks a bit?) Tevene, speaks some clunky Antivan eventually. 

9. As a child, what did they want to be when they grew up? Did they realize their dream?

Before the Circle he didn’t think too much about what he would be when he grew up. Once he got settled in at the Circle though he was going to be a mage. It was less a dream and more wholeheartedly accepting the expected path. 

10. What makes them feel safe or secure? What makes them feel insecure or unsafe?

Safe and secure: Routine, a defined place in some group, someone to grab on to.

insecure and unsafe: unpredictability, not belonging to any group, not enough food. 

11. What do they do when they need comfort? Do they seek out a person, a food, an activity, etc?

Grab a snack and a book, preferably something dry and convoluted.Grab LI (whether Zev or Jael). 

14. What are they like when they are drunk?

Funny. Expect questionable language and tall tales and an accent crumbles into an odd mix of educated upper crust and alienage. 

21. How well do they take criticism? How do they react to others noticing their flaws?

Depends on the mood but generally he takes criticism fairly well. Having others notice his flaws is embarrassing but he can work through that. 

25. What do their hands look and feel like?

He’s a healer and despite heavy sword use his hands are soft and smooth. Nice hands, long fingers, pretty much what you’d expect from en elf. 

28. What is a gift that they have received that was especially touching or significant?

Well, Zev’s earring was a pretty darn big one. The set of Grey Warden mage robes from Kinloch Hold was big as well, even if he rarely wears them. 

30. Do they have any allergies or chronic conditions?