Black Emporium 2019

[greygerbil]

Dear Black Emporium Writer,

I'm greygerbil on AO3, thank you for writing for me! Right from the start, I want to say you don’t have to do anything with my prompts, they’re just there in case you want some ideas. If it has my pairing and avoids my DNWs, I’m sure I’ll enjoy it! All ratings are great. I included a list of my general likes and smut likes which apply to all my requests. When it comes to kinks, you can include anything not listed under my DNWs; point to this part of the letter if someone asked if I opted in, I like a lot of stuff.

Feel free to entirely erase the existence of canon relationships or break them up if they get in the way of the pairings I requested, whichever works best with what you’re trying to do.

Fic where the couple is not yet together but clearly in love, or on the road to getting together, or having their first time kissing/in bed together are great. However, so are established relationship fics. Whatever suits your ideas!

Some prompts may read like ideas for longer fics, but if you’re interested in them, please just grab a scene with the general idea out of the middle of those hypothetical longfics and write me that! I love fic of all length and don’t want anyone to feel like they have to go above the minimum word count. I just get excited writing prompts sometimes, heh.

Considering this is a canon where you slaughter your way through untold heaps of NPCs, I should also point out I generally have no problem with gore, blood, and graphic violence. I also don’t mind Hawkes or Inquisitors being blood mages or reavers or whatever other messier profession you want.

Table of Contents

DNWs
Likes
Smut Likes
Male Cadash/Varric Tethras
Male Adaar/Varric Tethras
Male Hawke/Varric Tethras
Fenris/Varric Tethras
Dorian Pavus/Felix Alexius

DNWs and Likes

DNWs

• permanent death of requested characters (they can die temporarily and come back to life, though)


• infidelity


• unrequested open relationships/poly


• noncon, dubcon (canonical instances of sexual abuse can be included/described/discussed, though)


• completely unhappy endings (vaguely hopeful or bittersweet is fine, just not full dark)


• smut involving underage characters (under 18)


• cross-gen incest


• ageplay, diaper play, daddy or mommy kink


• scat, emetophilia


• necrophilia, cannibalism/debilitating mutilation of requested characters for sexual pleasure, vore, bestiality


• crackfic (humour is totally good, just not complete randomness)


• high school/college AUs (other modern AUs are okay)


• 1st and 2nd person POV

Likes

• UST (and also eventual resolving of UST)


• friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, enemies to friends to lovers, friends with benefits to romance


• complicated people in love with each other, even if it’s not always easy


• battle couples fighting together


• loyalty kink


• admiring competence/skill


• sparring


• protectiveness


• possessiveness


• hurt/comfort


• fluff


• mpreg, adoption, kidfic


• angst


• arranged marriage turning into marriage of love, characters pretending to be in a relationship falling in love


• tough characters being driven to their breaking point


• character who is suffering trying to soldier through


• hurt character trying to comfort distressed person who is helping them


• one partner manhandling the other


• focus on height differences if applicable


• you can literally always write me PWP for my pairings or spice up my prompts with some smut, I’ll be glad for it


• Soulmate AUs, played straight or averted


• I also enjoy A/B/O AUs, so in case you’re inspired to write that, I placed the character I most enjoy as an omega behind the /. I also like things such as beta/omega or alpha/alpha, though! Mpreg is also always welcome. Again, the person I’d like to see pregnant more will be behind the /. For mpreg childbirth, feel free to give them new genitalia to manage it or just have an anal birth or a Caesarian.

Smut Likes

• rough sex


• slow, loving sex


• marking with biting and love bites, scratch marks, bruises


• overstimulation


• focus on hands, fingering, handjobs


• intercrural


• oral


• anal


• rimming


• body worship


• first times (in general, or with that partner, or with a partner of that gender)


• BDSM, D/s, honour bondage


• general playing around with dominance, one character calling the shots very clearly, or both challenging each other during sex, fighting for control


• however, I also love smut that is just really vanilla and fluffy and gentle

Male Cadash/Varric Tethras

Varric has a very different relationship with Cadash than he has with Hawke, but I think it’s still quite an interesting one because the Inquisitor gets Varric out of his Kirkwall element (and Cadash makes him camp out in the wild with him most days and Varric allows it, so that must mean something). All personalities and classes are fine for the Inquisitor, and I’m totally happy with custom looks, first names, and even backstories and personalities because due to the amount of choice in player creation, I felt that Cadash could often feel pretty much the same as, for example, a Humanquisitor except for a handful of special dialogue choices. So if you wanna bring in his heritage and background more, I’d be totally happy for that. Some prompts repeat with Male Adaar/Varric down below, but I also have some things specific to Cadash in here.

• Maybe Varric and Cadash start out as a friends-with-benefits type of arrangement. Neither of them is in a great situation and it’s nice to just relax and have some fun. However, it doesn’t stay that simple.


• Cadash and Varric get separated from the rest and have to fight their way back to the next Inquisition camp. Whether that’s almost kind of romantic (if it weren’t for all those bugs and nature in general, in Varric’s opinion) or they are a stuck in an absolute hellhole and bond over having to get out, both could be fun.


• Cadash is a big fan of Varric’s books. He’s totally willing to trade kisses for sneak peeks, not just because of the stories, though. (But also, something sweet where Varric tells a tale to distract Cadash from one of the multitude of bad experiences he can have in the game would be great, too.)


• Cadash is a rogue who teaches Varric two-handed dagger combat (Varric can switch from Bianca to two-handed for the first time in this game). During the lessons, they start to get along.


• House Cadash has Carta ties and Varric, as we know, does business with them. Maybe Varric knew him before the whole Inquisition business happened? Maybe Varric and Cadash even had a Thing (or just a one-night-stand) at one point, or are friends? How do they navigate that now?


• After years of long-distance relationship, Varric and Cadash are overjoyed when Cadash can finally join Varric in Kirkwall.


• Cadash was never really sure what to make of his feelings for Varric, but when Hawke or Bianca (either would work) shows up, the overwhelming jealousy suddenly becomes much less difficult to read. But Varric was only ever friends with Hawke and his romantic feelings aren’t for Bianca these days…


• I’m all for battle synergy expressing how great two characters fit, so fight scenes would be awesome. Two bowmen could probably get into fun competitions, whereas Varric long-range might distract the people two-handed rogue Cadash is stabbing short-range; or Varric puts aside Bianca and joins him in the front, as he can do in Inquisition. Then there’s the obvious ways tanks and rogues work together, so a full-on warrior Cadash protecting Varric in battle (and having Varric keep his flank free with his crossbow or daggers) would be awesome, too. But really, go wild! There’s so many fun specialisations and attacks and strategies in this game.


• Varric offers House Cadash a seat in the Merchants’ Guild when he becomes Viscount. Maybe Cadash really likes that idea, unlike Varric, who doesn’t enjoy the Merchants Guild very much, and the two of them become a political power couple in Kirkwall.


• I was disappointed how little having Varric with you and, well, being a dwarf mattered in the Descent DLC. I would love Varric and Cadash actually talking about and connecting in regards to their dwarfiness. Is Cadash a proud surfacer like Varric? Was he born topside? Does he like caves? What do the two think about the things they found out? Just them figuring out stuff about their heritage while being/falling in love would be fun.


• For smut, I’d prefer bottom Varric. Varric seems like he has a lot of experience, is it the same for Cadash? Does one of them maybe have less experience with men?

(I also have a letter dealing with marriage tropes for this couple, in case you're looking for more prompts.)

Male Adaar/Varric Tethras

Varric has a very different relationship with Adaar than he has with Hawke, but I think it’s still quite an interesting one because the Inquisitor gets Varric out of his Kirkwall element (and Adaar makes him camp out in the wild with him most days and Varric allows it, so that must mean something). All personalities and classes are fine for the Inquisitor, and I’m totally happy with custom looks, first names, and even backstories and personalities because due to the amount of choice in player creation, I felt that Adaar could often feel pretty much the same as, for example, a Humanquisitor except for a handful of special dialogue choices. So if you wanna bring in his heritage and background more, I’d be totally happy for that. Some prompts repeat with Male Cadash/Varric above, but I also have some things specific to Adaar in here.

• Maybe Varric and Adaar start out as a friends-with-benefits type of arrangement. Neither of them is in a great situation and it’s nice to just relax and have some fun. However, it doesn’t stay that simple.


• Adaar and Varric get separated from the rest and have to fight their way back to the next Inquisition camp. Whether that’s almost kind of romantic (if it weren’t for all those bugs and nature in general, in Varric’s opinion) or they are a stuck in an absolute hellhole and bond over having to get out, both could be fun.


• Adaar is a big fan of Varric’s books. He’s totally willing to trade kisses for sneak peeks, not just because of the stories, though. (But also, something sweet where Varric tells a tale to distract the Inquisitor from one of the multitude of bad experiences he can have in the game would be great, too.)


• Adaar is a rogue who teaches Varric two-handed dagger combat (Varric can switch from Bianca to two-handed for the first time in this game). During the lessons, they start to get along.


• Perhaps Adaar used to work around Kirkwall and Varric has hired his mercenary company, the Valo-Kas, before. Maybe Varric and the Inquisitor even had a Thing (or just a one-night-stand) at one point or are friends. How do they navigate that now?


• After years of long-distance relationship, Varric and Adaar are overjoyed when Adaar can finally join Varric in Kirkwall.


• Adaar was never really sure what to make of his feelings for Varric, but when Hawke or Bianca (either would work) shows up, the overwhelming jealousy suddenly becomes much less difficult to read. But Varric was only ever friends with Hawke and his romantic feelings aren’t for Bianca these days…


• I’m all for battle synergy expressing how great two characters fit, so fight scenes would be awesome. Two bowmen could probably get into fun competitions, whereas Varric long-range might distract the people two-handed rogue Adaar is stabbing short-range; or Varric puts aside Bianca and joins him in the front, as he can do in Inquisition. Then there’s the obvious ways tanks and rogues work together, so a full-on giant warrior Adaar protecting Varric in battle (and having Varric keep his flank free with his crossbow or daggers) would be awesome, too. And would mage Adaar opt to be a spirit warrior in the front or hold the backline with lots of Fade magic? But really, go wild! There’s so many fun specialisations and attacks and strategies in this game.


• I love size differences, so anything focusing on that (whether fluff or smut) would be great, since these two have a pretty big one.


• As a Viscount, Varric hires the Valo-Kas, Adaar’s former company, to help the city guard. I’d love if he also meets Adaar’s friends through that, who are interested in Adaar’s new boyfriend.


• Varric grants Adaar the title of Comte and holdings in Kirkwall. If they’re together, they could be a political power couple after Trespasser; if they’re not, maybe Adaar still really likes the idea of moving to Kirkwall and they start to date while rebuilding Kirkwall together.


• For smut, I’d prefer bottom Varric. Varric seems like he has a lot of experience, is it the same for the Inquisitor? Does one of them maybe have less experience with men? Does a mage Inquisitor use his powers for good in the bedroom? Do Aadar and Varric have to figure out how to make the size difference work?

(I also have a letter dealing with marriage tropes for this couple, in case you're looking for more prompts.)

Male Hawke/Varric Tethras

I love this pairing anywhere in the timeline – Dragon Age II, Inquisition, Post-Inquisition, it’s all great because the friendship between Varric and Hawke is always great. I was so sad Varric wasn’t ever a love interest, so if you’re so inclined, please fix it for me! For Hawke, I love all colours or colour combinations (Friendly in conversation but stern in actions? A joker who is just a little bit too chipper still while taking off heads? A grumpy ass with a heart of gold?). Sarcastic Hawke and Varric obviously get on like a house on fire, Varric is super fond of Friendly Hawke and his never-ending goodness, even if he does poke fun at him, and the tension between Aggressive Hawke and Varric is amazing (especially if Varric learns that while Hawke may come off as a callous bastard, his actions don’t always match his words). I also enjoy all classes for Hawke. Custom first names and looks are totally fine, as is going with the default, which I also love.

• Generally, I’m open for any of their day-to-day crazyness, from fighting evil Templars and crazed blood mages and bandits to dealing with the Merchant’s Guild or the upper crust of Kirkwall in general. I just love reading about them having adventures together.


• I’m all for battle synergy expressing how great two characters fit, so fight scenes would be awesome. Two bowmen could probably get into fun competitions, whereas Varric long-range might distract the people two-handed rogue Hawke is stabbing sort-range (and what if Varric laid aside Bianca in Inquisition – since you can actually take it from him in that game – and went two-handed, how does their combat change? Does two-handed Hawke teach him some things?). How do Varric and mage Hawke make up for both being squishies? Maybe Hawke picks up some Arcane Warrior skills or Varric teaches him to evade? Then there’s the obvious ways tanks and rogues work together, so a full-on warrior Hawke protecting Varric in battle (and having Varric keep his flank free with his crossbow or daggers) would be awesome, too. But really, go wild! There’s so many fun specialisations and attacks and strategies in this game.


• I have always wanted the scene that you get with the LI after Hawke’s mother dies with Varric, so that would be great.


• Generally, Hawke goes through a lot of shit in the game. He can be left without any of his family, or at least just one sibling (and depending on how that goes, they might feel quite distant from him/not be on super friendly terms). Perhaps Varric can pick him up in one of his worse moments.


• But the same is true for Varric. The whole Bartrand story obviously wears on him despite the fact they weren’t exactly super close. Hawke consoling him or trying to cheer him would be sweet.


• Speaking of families, I would love for Varric and Hawke to build one. Be it through mpreg (I’d prefer pregnant Varric – maybe because of dwarven biology, or magic, or some weird artifact Hawke picked up?) or because they end up adopting one of Varric’s informer urchins or stumble over an abandoned qunari baby during some quest, or Hawke gets handed a baby from a former fling who then walks out on him, or whatever else you can imagine. Hell, maybe they even start parenting together before they are a couple. But these two might also eventually go for having a family on purpose, post-Inquisition maybe?


• I could see them ending up as friends with benefits who both want to be more than friends with benefits but figure that it might ruin their friendship to ask, and that what they have right now is like, basically a relationship already, so maybe they shouldn’t push their luck, leading to all the unnecessary pining and hopefully, eventually, a resolution.


• Hawke is left behind in the Fade. Months later, he is spat back out into the real world after fighting his way through, or being released by whatever kept him. Whether him and Varric were long in a relationship or just had unspoken feelings for each other (aside from being good friends, anyway, since that’s obviously also important), their reunion would be awesome.


• There is this old interview with Gaider where he said that they almost wrote in that when Varric meets up with Hawke after the interrogation, he says he told them everything, and then Hawke would say “Everything?” and Varric would answer “Don’t worry. I skipped the part about us...” Would love to see that written out, too! Maybe with Hawke also patching up Varric after he got beaten up in the interrogation room, and an idea of what they plan to do now to fix Thedas.


• I also really like Inquisitor Hawke and Inquisitor Varric AUs, so if you wanna do something with that, that would be fun.


• Smut is always welcome. I prefer bottom Varric. I would love to see their first time, whether it’s the culmination of a romantic confession or a drunken spur-of-the-moment thing or anything in between. However, I also would really enjoy smut between them at any other stage of their relationship, maybe reunion sex, or them trying something new, or just comfortable, already-know-what-the-other-loves type of sex you can have after years together.

(I also have an mpreg-focused letter and one dealing with marriage tropes for this couple, in case you're looking for more prompts.)

Fenris/Varric Tethras

I always thought these two could work out pretty well. Varric teases Fenris and brings out a bit of a humorous side in him, but at the same time you can see in the banter he cares about him, and Fenris obviously likes Varric well enough, too. Varric’s big strength is that he’s good with people, so I could see him navigating Fenris’ hang-ups pretty well.

• With their luck, I’m assuming a date would include at least one attack by blood mages or mercenaries, but they could still have fun, I’m sure.


• One thing I like about this pairing is how the compact, muscular dwarf Varric is the sly rogue who keeps in the backline and moves across the battlefield like an acrobat, while petite, thin elf Fenris busts out the man-sized greatsword and has tank stamina and endurance. It would be fun just to see them work together in a fight (not like you need to walk far in Kirkwall to find one). Perhaps the enemies even underestimate Fenris’ strength and get a rough wake-up call.


• I’d also love to see one of them rescue the other – Varric getting Fenris out of a bad spot with people trying to recapture him (either physically or through using his nebulous contacts to keep Faneris safe), or Fenris protecting Varric from merchant’s guild assassins.


• Maybe Varric can get Fenris to clean up that damn house. Or at least one room. Maybe the bedroom. Alternatively, Varric just moves Fenris into the Hanged Man.


• Fenris old master decides that if he can’t capture Fenris, he’s going to get him by snatching Varric away and using him as bait. Fenris saves Varric (alone or with Hawke’s help) or Varric gets away, but Fenris is worried that being with Varric puts him at too much risk. Varric makes it very clear he doesn’t plan on letting some slaver stop him from being with Fenris.


• Fenris returns to Kirkwall after Inquisition and him and Varric reconnect. Feelings develop while Fenris helps Varric with rebuilding the city.


• Fenris and Varric have been together for a long while when Varric gets dragged off by the Inquisition. Fenris catches up with them eventually, so now the Inquisitor has a pissed off elf who won’t leave as part of his team.


• For smut, I prefer bottom Varric. Depending on how you interpret Fenris’ backstory, he does have bad experiences with sex and Varric probably cottoned on to that, so he might not wish to push Fenris, but perhaps Fenris, who does find himself wanting to go there, interprets that as a lack of interest and they have to clear up that misunderstanding first. Otherwise, maybe Fenris has no/very little experience with sex and that would be interesting to explore, too. Generally, I do love the idea of Fenris feeling safe to experiment with Varric and Varric encouraging him happily.

Dorian Pavus/Felix Alexius

Dorian says it’s an odd question when you ask him if he was involved with Felix, but I don’t think it is at all! They seemed fond of each other and Dorian obviously had nothing but the highest regard for him. Besides, Felix did say he liked trouble...

Since I’m not into character death, I’d prefer if the fic wasn’t all about the tragedy of Felix’s looming demise, or about said death. It could be set before he was infected or in a Felix Lives AU. Oh, and if you do decide to save him somehow, feel free to include all the angst about his (soon to be averted) death, lol, I just don’t like it if the death actually follows. As for Dorian’s relationships with Iron Bull or The Inquisitor, should you chose to set the fic during/past DA:I, it’d be great if they were very clearly broken up by the time he gets to Felix, or he didn’t romance either of them. It would also be nice if Dorian isn’t in love with either of these dudes anymore (though him still being bitter or disillusioned about love or whatever if it ended badly, as well as Felix believing that Dorian is still in love or that he couldn’t give Dorian what he got from his former lovers, are totally fine).

• Dorian totally did seduce his mentor’s son – or maybe the son even managed to seduce him. Would love to see something from their younger days in Tevinter with them falling in love. Felix seems well-adjusted and polite despite his difficult standing as someone with little magical talent. Did he have a crush on the wild young man his father brought home? Was Dorian fascinated by how well Felix held up despite not conforming to Tevinter’s hopes for an heir? Was it instant attraction or did it take them a little to warm up to each other?


• Felix and Dorian had a thing back in Tevinter, but broke it off on good terms when Dorian left, as Felix understood why he needed to go and they (supposedly) weren't that serious. However, they are both still in love with each other, even if they have tried to move on, maybe even with other partners. When Felix unexpectedly survives somehow (cured, made a Grey Warden) and joins the Inquisition, they rekindle the old flame.


• Felix is cured/made a Grey Warden and stays with the Inquisition. Dorian may have resisted the temptation to seduce his mentor’s son before, but it’s getting a lot harder now...


• Through some magic discovery (by his father or Dorian or some OC), Felix gets rid of the taint. However, his body is left permanently weakened in some way. Either he gets tired/exhausted very easily or he has some other physical limitations (needs to use a wheelchair, went blind, lost a limb – if it’s from Tevinter the cure is probably a blood spell, so maybe giving up something significant of his own body was the key, or it’s just generally from the extreme stress of pushing out the blight). He is happy with how things are for himself, but might be insecure at first about what it means for his relationship with Dorian. Dorian, of course, is just overjoyed Felix is alive and loves him just as he did before; or, if they weren’t an item, still flirts mercilessly with him and the two of them get together.


• Even with the taint affecting victims differently, the 3-6 years Felix has been infected (wiki doesn’t quite agree with itself here) are really long, considering how lucid and healthy-looking he still is and that other characters have died from it within the hour. Perhaps he is actually resistant to it? He can’t transmit it and won’t die to it, though he’ll likely always be sickly. Solas realises this and so Felix joins the Inquisition. Him and Dorian dealing with the fallout of the time travel mission (they both knew Felix’s father very well, after all) and just generally the insanity going on around them while falling in love (or reuniting if they used to have a thing) would be awesome.


• Felix is cured and returns to Tevinter to try to better things there as the heir to his family name. Dorian follows after the events of Inquisition. These two as a power couple in the Magisterium would make me so happy.


• Smut between these two would be great! I prefer bottom Felix. Maybe Dorian introduced Felix to some things back when they first met as young men? Or they used to have sex, but decided not to continue since the blight infection because they had no idea if the taint would transmit, but when Felix is cured/Grey Warden’d, they finally can have reunion sex of some sort. Generally, I would be here for them doing the sort of kinky, debauched stuff you’d imagine people from a decadent pseudo-Roman society to get up to, but I would also love the schmoopiest, most loving vanilla sex.


• Maybe Felix was a late bloomer and still a virgin some years into his twenties, but likely would have had sex by the time Inquisition happens if it hadn’t been for the blight. Trying to be careful, he decided not to sleep with anyone, as he didn’t know if he could somehow transmit it by close contact/fluid exchange. After he’s cured/made a Grey Warden, he tells Dorian about his lack of experience (whether because they’re starting a relationship or just because they have a private conversation). Dorian decides to show him what he’s been missing out on.


• Felix joins the Inquisition cured/as a Grey Warden a little later into the game. Dorian had a thing with Iron Bull that’s now done and Felix hears some very detailed rumours about it. It leads him to hold off on a relationship with Dorian because he knows himself well enough to say that he couldn’t act in bed the way the Iron Bull reportedly does (Felix just doesn’t enjoy domming) and he thinks that’s what Dorian is looking for. Dorian, however, is quite flexible when it comes to sex and happy to show Felix he was wrong, once he finds out why Felix keeps dodging his flirting.


• Felix is cured by a blood spell Dorian came up with. It takes care of the blight, but the side effect is that he’s now pregnant with Dorian’s child.