Black Emporium exchange

 Thank you for writing for me! If you are drawing, just make sure not to include those DNW that would apply to a visual medium and feel free to take inspiration from the prompts I offer. Illustrations or comics or portraits are all good. I very much enjoy some symbolism in art but don't feel bound by that.

 

General DNW

 

AUs unless requested • No BIG canon divergencies unless requested. • Crack fic. • Focus on pregnancy or childbirth. • Focus on gender dysphoria. • Character bashing. I am happy with characters disagreeing passionately and having negative opinions of other characters, but don't make them into your mouthpiece. Also don't make fun of or belittle characters gratuitously, especially those of the requested ships. • Focus on scat, piss, vomit. I'm fine with mentions of unsanitary things, but no focus on it; as in, nothing that is deliberately trying to squick the reader out or is kinking on these fluids. (Blood is perfectly fine.) • Second person writing. • Issuefic also known as educational fiction. Some of the characters in my requests are objectively and patently wrong in their beliefs, we all know that, so please when writing a pov that's wrong/prejudiced in some manner don't insert any "and that, kids, was morally a bad thing" in the text. • No writing out of canon-compliant various -isms or phobias. If a world area or time period is homophobic, I don't want the struggles of characters that have to live with it written away. However, if such things are not present in a given sitution, don't add them in for the sake of it. • A/B/O, genderswap, alien genitalia, m!preg/cis man pregnancy • Maggots, terminal illnesses, feederism and eating disorders, soulmates and hanahaki. • Daddy/mommy kink, de-aging of characters, ageplay and infantilisation, diapers, pet play, feet, enemas and urethral plays, insistence on how large a penis or breasts are, objectification. • Medical play or assorted medical kinks and situations, consensual or not. • Underage and non-con between requested characters (dub-con is fine but only if requested). Rape experiences or trauma are fine as background or in the story as long as they're not detailed or the focus. Parent/child or sibling/sibling incest unless requested (cousins okay). • Any variation of the word "come" spelled as "cum".

 

Dragon Age DNW

 

Secret half-elven parentage for characters for whom it isn't canon. • Half elves having obviously elven traits, the Dalish being (as a uniform group) perfectly accepting of city elves. • Unquestioned or endorsed national stereotypes in the narrative (e.g. Fereldan people are always honest and good, Orlesians are always deceitful). • Stories set in Tevinter where all the "good guys" are foreign and all the "bad guys" are local. • Bashing Anora, Cousland married to/shipped with Alistair, Alistair ruling alone. • The Chantry depicted as unquestionably right. • Focus on Cullen; any ships involving him and a mage, even in the background. • Adoribull mentions or Solas shipped with humans. • Switching DA:I advisors with another character (e.g. Morrigan with Merrill) unless requested.

 

Things I like!

 

 

I'm happiest when stories get into some in-depth character exploration. The plot of your story may be minimal, it may be slice of life, small missing moments, I tend to not care as much as long as characterisation and interactions between people offer emotional depth. For smut, the same thing applies: hot action is good, but I like it better when there's something that happens, in an emotional sense, to the characters involved. This doesn't have to be romantic love by any means, I very much enjoy friends with benefits and the like.

 

I like banters between characters, historical attention to details, politics, clashing point of views, complicated relationships, UST, bittersweet endings where not all things are solved neatly, hope for the future, moral ambiguity, explored dysfunctionality, love shown through subtlety, love that is not confessed, regret, hard-won redemptions and the distrust that comes with it, power dynamics, characters that won't ever relent in their goals and who feel things strongly and are larger than life. I like the consensual but not safe or sane, and if you feel like playing with darker themes emotional manipulation is great; loyalty and betrayal themes, rivalries, even those that aren't entirely solved, and especially those that take a long journey to come to an understanding. For any less wholesome ships, I am totally fine if they don't live happily ever after.

Please consider these thing as potential prompts and inspiration and don't feel compelled to hit any of these themes with your work.

If you want a very comprehensive list of my smut likes, you can find that here. This entry is very nsfw.

 

Preferences and state of the world: What I really don't want to read is in my Dragon Age DNW, so you can consider other things free game. I'm purposely not adding notes on any of the PCs, since I find it personally really difficult to fulfill someone else's expectations with OCs and always go with my version of things; so feel 200% entitled to exercise the same freedom. I have a playthrough for almost every possible iteration of the worldstate, chances are that I have at least a game where your canon matches with mine. 

OCs and adding characters: I love some OCs and to see the world populated. If you're writing a specific relationship and think it'd be great to throw in other people who would live and act around them, both original and canon, that sounds great to me. You're also free to mix requests if you want (e.g. Barris & Thrask, but throw in also Cassandra & Thrask in the same fic). Usually I just care that the nominated relationship takes centre stage, but the more the merrier. I only ask not to put emphasis on unrequested PC romances, though you're good to mention them as long as my DNWs are respected.



Prompts

• Cassandra Pentaghast & Ser Thrask, Raleigh Samson & Ser Thrask, Delrin Barris & Ser Thrask

What if Thrask had survived? He's one of my favourite characters and I think his death is one of the biggest wasted potential moments in the entire franchise. He would have been amazing as an addition to Inquisition. Saving him is fortunately easy enough due to Varric Unreliable Narrator tricks: maybe Grace is killed before she can use him for blood magic, maybe he survives despite her spell, and Varric covers for him due to the conspiracy. But perhaps he eventually is found by Cassandra anyway? Or Varric reveals his position? It would be great to see him interact with her as she is in Kirkwall, and the same goes for Samson. Many occasions through the years for them to interact, and occasions to explore Thrask's mercy and good character mixed with his hypocrisies and blind spots. A cool thing is that it's heavily implied that Samson is the one who helped Olivia, Thrask's daughter, in her attempt to flee, so that could be played with. I would love to see Thrask in the Inquisition and, for this prompt, I would also love to see an AU where he is the Commander of the forces in Cullen's stead. How would he interact with Barris? I feel as if they would get along greatly, both as members of the Inquisition and in an AU scenario where Thrask is the Commander. How would he interact with Samson and Cassandra, in the AU or regularly? 

• Female Hawke & Ser Thrask, Dorian Pavus & Aquinea Thalrassian, Kieran & Loghain Mac Tir

This is the "parents" batch. Thrask isn't Hawke's parent, but I do enjoy the idea of a daughter with no father and a father with a recently dead daughter who develop some sort of relationship based on their losses. However, if you'd rather write a different sort of relationship, be my guest! Maybe an adventure in Kirkwall? They talk about Bethany or Carver in the circle? I'm very open. I only DNW the version where Hawke blackmails Thrask about Olivia, as I'm not interested in that kind of interaction for them. Here as well, if you wanted to write an Inquisition AU, I'd love it as well. Meeting again after the conspiracy fiasco and perhaps apologising properly could be very juicy.
For Dorian and Aquinea, we have very little on her, but she seems an intriguing and very flawed character. We have a lot on the relationship with Halward, not as much on the relationship with her, and I'd love to see it portrayed either  before he left for the south, or once he's returned to Tevinter. Are their interactions rocky? Does she at least try to be supportive? Is she politically active? Cold and detached and their relationship must be rebuilt? Explore this as much as you want. For this prompt, I only ask that you don't write Aquinea as a downright abusive and horrible mother (she clearly has issues, also about his sexuality, and she drinks a lot, but I'm not interested in awful abusive parents and parents written as worse than they are in canon). Likewise please no saint Aquinea who loves Dorian very much unlike his awful abusive father, and no Halward who doesn't love Dorian at all. In short, nuance and no bashing. 
It's totally possible to have Loghain NOT be the father of Kieran, so if you have some incredible idea for that scenario, go ahead! Maybe he's bringing news of the Warden? But I'm working under the assumption that he is the father. Morrigan clearly didn't tell Kieran much, but I'm very intrigued by how Loghain would look at having another child, even though he's not "allowed" to explicitly be his father. Or maybe Morrigan relents in that respect? And how would the Old God part of Kieran react? I'm not a great fan of fluffy kidfic, so that's all I ask to avoid here.

• Gaspard de Chalons/Michel de Chevin, Florianne de Chalons/Marjolaine, Michel de Chevin/Male Lavellan

The Orlesian round! For Florianne/Marjolaine, I saw the ship and immediately thought, wow, they're both nasty in similar ways, I bet they'd hit it off! So honestly I will take anything with them. Maybe there's a story of betrayal, with how Marjolaine was selling info on Orlais? Maybe they met when younger and had a lot of fun times before it turned nasty? Something else? Surprise me, they have potential.
Michel and Gaspard also have a lot that could be used. Perhaps something happens during the ending of Masked Empire, when they travel together, or, with an Emperor Gaspard, Michel returns to court after leaving the Inquisition and shenanigans ensue? It would be fun to play with their soldier background, and perhaps with Gaspard's show of trust in keeping Michel's secret.
On the other hand, what if Michel remains with the Inquisition? He obviously hides his half-elven status for many valid reasons, but what if Lavellan heard of it from someone, perhaps Celene as part of "payment" for saving her? Or maybe Lavellan doesn't know at all, and that relationship must be navigated thinking he's a fully human chevalier. What about Michel's pov in this? How does he react to the power Lavellan is building? Maybe they spar together, if Lavellan is a warrior too? I'm okay with this relationship not having a happy ending or not even becoming explicit, if that is easier for you!

• Male Caron/Varel, Female Caron/Jean-Marc Stroud

So I'm an absolute sucker for the political and possibly emotional turmoil of Caron becoming Commander and Arl in Ferelden. I really enjoy Varel's very loyal and competent personality, but that takes on new nuance with an Orlesian Warden. How does their relationship develop? How does Varel navigate having to mediate between the commander and the nobility? Or maybe you want to start midway through Awakening, that would be fine with me too. Either way it'd be good to see how they get to the point of Varel saving the Warden, especially considering the various options of personality (and background!) for Caron. I don't recall if there's a stated background for him, but if not, feel free to play around. Something like Chevalier would be very juicy. 
As for female Caron and Stroud, this is another that I saw and was intrigued. There's a lot to play with here and I'm open to anything. Perhaps something set before Inquisition? What if Stroud is the one who recruited and performed the joining for her? Or perhaps Caron remains Arlessa in Ferelden during Inquisition, and shelters fugitive Stroud while the Inquisition arrives. Lots of possibilities.

• Sigrid Gulsdotten/Magister Verixsus

Sigrid and Verixsus meet if, after recruiting her, her war table operation is solved through Josephine, which you can read here for convenience. Verixsus is likely a surname (like Magister Pavus would be), so feel free to make up a first name for him. In any case, I'm really interested in seeing Sigrid actually accept that invitation to the summer estate! I would love them to interact further, and he was clearly impressed by her show despite their little bickering, so I think they should solve any further disagreements on spirits (also) in the bedroom. No matter what, I'll love anything for these very minor characters, please have fun with them. If you give a family and a wife to Verixsus, please make it an open relationship and avoid any cheating tropes. The only DNW for this request is either character belittling the other's magic or knowledge (such as with "I'll show him/her what real magic is like"). I'm really not interested in "putting someone in their place" stories or showing how much lesser they are culturally; if there is no mutual interest and respect on an intellectual and personal level, I don't care for it.

• Bethany Hawke/Nathaniel Howe, Felix Alexius/Carver Hawke, Clarel de Chanson/Loghain Mac Tir

For the two Hawke siblings ships, I'm most interested in their warden versions as I think they make the most sense, but if you have great ideas for the alternative, don't feel bound by that. Bethany as a Warden is a lot bitterer and I think it'd be interesting to match that to Nate, who practically begged to be made a warden in Awakening. I also think his ex-noble status would be interesting since she's technically related to nobility too. Either way I think there's potential.
For Felix, I would love to see an AU where he survives by being made a Grey Warden. Maybe Carver does it for him, having gone through the same pain of being tainted and risking death? Felix is also a very nice man, and I think he would balance Carver, even in his confident Warden version. Feel free to take this relationship anywhere you'd like. Adventurous? Intimate? Do they meet Hawke, do they return to Skyhold and talk with Gereon, or other Wardens? Go wild. For this prompt (and relatedly Bethany and Carver), it's of course fine to mention the taint as working like a terminal illness, so you can ignore the related DNW.
As for Clarel and Loghain, I think I've shipped them since the first time I played. Clarel's death is the second most wasted potential in a character in my opinion. I think it would be great if she survived and had to face her actions and decisions and what she did when she was desperate and propelled by duty, which incidentally is also what Loghain has to do if he survives and becomes a Warden. I feel like he's super well-equipped to understand her. And of course, it's doubly juicy considering his initial opinion of Orlesians, and her willingness to enter Ferelden to help during the Blight and later negotiations with Teagan. If you don't want to write an AU, they could also have a thing while he's a Warden in Orlais, since I feel they have, at their core, profoundly similar personalities.

• Flavius & Radonis, Francesca Invidus/Tractus Danarius, Tractus Danarius & Danarius

I loved both Flavius and Radonis the moment they appeared in the comics. Radonis seems a very ruthless man who however recognises the dangers of extremism and nationalism, who knows what kind of threat Tevinter faces with the Venatori and the Qunari both. He doesn't seem opposed to taking matters in his own hands, though always with a political mind (and he's the one Josephine suggests for an alliance). Flavius seems to be his personal slave; he shows pride and disdain for Tessa when she opens the door for him, and doesn't change tune until Marius is in the picture, switching around from scorn to obsequiousness; he finds the two outside of the country, having gone seemingly alone, spins a story about human sacrifice that they fall for, and then leads them to the little trap Radonis set up for them. He shows cunning, autonomy, and loyalty. But of course, he's still a slave. His position is really interesting, probably distorted in his mind as to how good his position is, but Radonis trusts him. Maybe Flavius has been with him for a long time? Maybe he's Radonis' main agent? How did that loyalty come about? I would love to see it explored. I think Radonis is a first name (like "Empress Celene"), and for a surname I've used Medon in the past, but feel free to make something else up if you don't like that one. Please no heavy, excessive shows of psychological abuse, and no physical abuse at all, though I'm okay with a relationship that is, at its core, unhealthy and unbalanced given the circumstances.
Tractus Danarius is another comics character that I find super interesting. He's with the Venatori, and clearly brainwashed by them, but we learn that he's elf-blooded, a bastard, and that they only took him in because Nenealeus needed it. I think it's cool how it shows that a strong need for acceptance and belonging leads him to fall into a kind of extremism that, in the end, doesn't actually respect him. He's also surprisingly resilient! So I would love to read what you think will happen to him in the future, and how he might potentially turn around and get with Francesca? Maybe they both get involved with the Lucerni? I honestly don't know how but I would love to see it happen.
Whereas for Danarius Senior and him (since it's the surname, I've named Danarius father "Celestinus" for my convenience, but if you don't like it, again, feel free to use something else), this is probably my "darkest" request given the nature of the character involved. I'm interested in seeing what bred in Tractus this strong need to be part of his father's world and gain power, what shaped his character and makes him interested in the Venatori. Who is his elven mother? How did Danarius treat him? For this prompt, I'm okay if, say, you decide that his mother was raped (as is likely the case, let's be real), and with depictions of psychological/verbal/emotional/physical abuse. Just don't make it abuse porn and we're good. 

• Delrin Barris/Leliana, Blackwall/Josephine Montilyet, Female Adaar/Blackwall 

For Barris and Leliana, I'm interested in how two people who look at the Chantry and the Templars and think that they could be better would hit it off. Would this be during Inquisition, while they collaborate? Maybe they talk about faith and the future and how ot achieve their goals. Both a hardened Leliana and an unhardened one might work, and maybe Balris helps her along the unhardened path? Or maybe Leliana is now Divine, and she makes Barris the Knight-Vigilant, or one of her Knights-Divine and her right hand. How would they navigate their relationship now? Any pining involved? I'm interested in the Vibe they have.
For Blackwall and Josie, I love their little courting game; I know Josephine says it wasn't meant to go anywhere and it's a little courtly romance, but what if it does afterwards? After it's discovered who Blackwall really is, maybe they start their relationship in a different way? Or perhaps reconsider it in Trespasser and afterwards?
For Adaar and Blackwall, what attracted me to the prompt is Adaar being part of a mercenary band, and for that reason potentially understanding what Blackwall did and why. A lot of it depends on how you imagine Adaar though, so I'm very open to any kind of dynamic depending on how you write her. Surprise me!

• Crassius Servis/Sister Tanner, Male Cadash & Crassius Servis

So Servis/Tanner is a genius ship. I went on the wiki to see who she was and when I saw "smuggler who poses as a Chantry sister" I immediately could tell why anyone would ship them. Servis working for the Inquisition and ending up collaborating with her would be a hilarious and possibly sexy set up, and no matter what, I'm super curious to see them interact. He has a remarkably mercenary personality, so I'm fine with fuckbuddies and real developing feelings both. 
Likewise, how might a Cadash, once involved in the lyrium black market/the carta, interact with a smuggler? Perhaps Servis meets Cadash in the field and accompanies the party for a while somewhere? Maybe they get to talk in Skyhold, at the tavern, and discuss more of what Servis was doing for Corypheus? Would Cadash be able to inspire some form of real loyalty? Also, dwarves tend to be regarded more positively in Tevinter than elsewhere, so would that influence Servis' opinion in any way? 
(These two requests might even be fun if mixed together.)

• The Iron Bull/Male Trevelyan/Vivienne

I saw this throuple and was really intrigued. Bull and Vivienne have a very cool relationship, and they both read people; I was also pretty keen on the Bull/Vivienne ship, I think she could very much be a domme for him, but I thought that throwing in a Trev could also be very interesting. Bull after all offers an escape from power and duty by "letting go" with him, and Vivienne embodies the want of power and holding onto ambition. How do these things interact? What kind of dynamics develop? Do they have a sexual relationship with Vivienne at all, or is it just a psychological kind of exploration of their attraction? Is Vivienne going to be the Divine, and how does that play into it all? Does this develop around the Snowy Wyvern heart quest? Feel free to explore any of these. Please no jealousy plots between the three people in the poly ship (whichever shape it takes, everyone with everyone or a V situation), and please acknowledge that Vivienne loved Bastien.

• Female Cousland/Anora Mac Tir

Listen I know there's the canon Male Cous/Anora where the PC can become her husband, buuut what if she hits it off with fem!Cous instead? They cannot be married, but they have so much they could build a relationship on. Either Cousland saved Loghain and conscripted him, or Alistair killed him, or Loghain died fighting the Archdemon (no ritual), or survived. With any of these scenarios, they could share something; saving Anora's father, bonding over a dead father, etc etc... but also, they were both raised as nobility, perhaps raised to rule, and might well understand the difficulties and burdens they both face; especially if Cousland has become Teyrna of Gwaren. They could provide each other support, understanding, and perhaps physical release, all wrapped in those juicy politics and duties to the country. Please don't have Loghain killed in duel by Cousland (I'm indifferent to Alistair's fate, as long as he doesn't have a romantic relationship with Cousland.)

• Zevran Arainai/Rinna/Taliesen

When I read Zevran's background, I immediately thought that these three all had a thing together. After all Zevran was in love with Rinnala, and he does say that Taliesen was a friend and "more". And then WoT confirmed it for me! Despite the tragic ending of this story, I am more than curious to read about their life and jobs together. I'm okay with not representing these relationships as altogether healthy, at the very least when it comes to Taliesen, who def lied about Rinnala... and also makes Zevran revert to a more obviously wicked sort of behaviour, if he accepts Taliesen's offer, which makes me think that the emotional distance he once kept returns to the surface. There's great potential in exploring nuanced and difficult relationships as related to the dealing of death and I'd love to see what you do with it. While I usually ask to keep themes of banal jealousy out of poly stories, I'm kind of okay with Teliesen showing that; don't feel like you have to include it, but just in case. Only like, no jealousy tantrums.

• Aldenon/Calenhad Theirin, Andraste/Hessarian, Karolis/Servana de Montfort/Remi Vascal, Architect/Corypheus 

The historical requests batch!
The wiki for Aldenon and Calenhad is SO juicy. It feels like a Merlin and Arthur situation a little bit, but clearly with very different vibes and emotional notes; nonetheless, conquering king and magical advisor who in the end feels betrayed sounds really good to me. I'm always a sucker for royals and their advisors or knights, so this definitely calls to me and scatches an itch. And I love the historical Ferelden setting.
For Andraste and Hessarian... look. I'm not saying write a soapy version of history as presented in Isabela's sponsored book "Hessarian's Spear", but I would not be opposed to it. I would also love to read a serious version, though. Likely far less smutty, considering her circumstances, but what if they have a long existential conversation together before she's put to death? What if, in addition to all the political reasons Hessarian would have had to make this move, he actually feels a little more than something for her, during the brief time they can talk? Whichever way you take this, I will be super interested in reading it.
As for the poly thing with Karolis/Servana/Remi, their wiki is already quite the treasure of inspiration, so I'll just link that. Maybe something after Servana's change of mind, and how she must rebuild her relationship with him? Or the reasons why she betrayed Remi in the first place? Or something during their adventures? I would be interested in seeing a Tevinter Karolis.
Architect/Corypheus is a ship that I would particularly enjoy if explored in their human years, but if you have some amazing idea for modern-day darkspawn-corrupted ship times, I'll be in awe and still definitely read it. For their human years, I'm really interested in seeing who they were as people. How did Sethius convince the Architect to join him in his plan, and why did he go to him first, of all the Sidereal? What was their political relationship? It's really cool how that snipped on Sethius in the fade, from his slave, mentions that Sethius "no longer laughed". Clearly he used to be a different man, though a very pious and faithful one. His WoT entry is also really cool. We have far less on the Architect, though I once saw the name Callistus for him, so if you'd like to use the same name, please go for it, I think it's very fitting (means "most beautiful" after all). I enjoy headcanons about a certain gender non-conformity about him, if you'd like to incorporate that. I also have a lot of ideas about the worship of the old gods and their philosophies, so if you're interested in those please reach out to the mods and I will share them with you through them! If you do set this ship in their human days, please acknowledge that Sethius had a wife (poly is good here, but so is a political marriage idea where Sethius is fine with taking lovers, just don't make it a cheating story). For this prompt, especially should you somehow write them as darkspawn, I'm okay with medical situations *on others* (not enacted on each other and not in a sexy way), since the Architect seems to have an interest in physical experiments and medicine.