Comments | swooping_is_bad: Fic: Bound

serindrana in swooping_is_bad

Fic: Bound

Jul 28, 2011 13:12

Title: Bound
Game: Dragon Age 2
Pairing: Sebastian Vael/Bethany Hawke
Rating: T
Wordcount: 4947
Warnings: None
Summary: Post DA2. Bethany will do anything if she thinks it will protect Garrett Hawke and Anders - including imprisoning the Prince of Starkhaven. (ff.net & Ao3)
Notes: A gift for the lovely firstblush! Bittersweet. ♥

( It was like a voice from a half remembered dream, a nightmare where she cried out and the earth shook beneath him and threatened to split open. )

media: fic, character: sebastian, character: bethany

Comments 15

ashfae July 28 2011, 20:52:27 UTC

Oh, oh, oh! I like this so much! I'm not usually a Sebastian fan, but this one is extremely interesting. The pairing hadn't occurred to me before either, but the more I think about it the more I like it. There's so much in this story, tension and sweetness both. I really like it. I hope you'll consider a sequel. What a terrific thing to come back to after days without lj!

serindrana July 28 2011, 22:07:18 UTC

:D Thank you! It actually occurred to me only because of a fandom RP, though the circumstances in which they met was nothing like this. (And honestly, I'm the queen of oddball pairings at this point.)

And I'm so glad you like the story, pacing and all. It was a lot of fun to write! I have an idea for the first scene of a sequel (it's heartbreaking!), but I have no idea where it would go after that. So we shall see. :)

(And hah, I've been fighting to get it to let me post it since yesterday morning. ♥ )

ashfae July 29 2011, 14:58:21 UTC

And back to the original comment now that I'm not distracted by icons (though I love this one too!). This isn't a terribly oddball pairing, I'd say; I actually now can't believe it didn't occur to me sooner. And even if a sequel breaks my heart I want to see it anyhow (though sob! I'm sure I'll regret that. Darn you and your stubbornness, Sebastian! Give in! Choose Bethany over revenge! MUCH better!)

Also just wanted to state, I really enjoyed your Bethany. She's one of my favorite characters and in my opinion drastically underrated; you've kept her sweetness and faith but also shown her determination and stubbornness and vulnerability. Now, let's see if silly lj will let me add this to my memories THIS day...come on lj!

serindrana July 29 2011, 15:24:51 UTC

It's certainly not the oddest I've written. My friend just challenged me to write Meredith/Cauthrien, and I found a way to work it. My brain, it does strange things.

And actually, it would be Bethany breaking your heart! Like I said, I know exactly how the first scene opens- and it's not pretty for her. But for Sebastian, it's possibly the best thing in the world.

And thank you! I actually just had a conversation the other night that "sweet and gentle" does not mean "weak". When I first started writing her (over in RPville), I actually tended to make her to weak/reliant on others, but it always read wrong. Give her an ounce or more of steel to her backbone and she's far more like she is in the game and far more fun to write.

(Which icon to use this time...)

tarysande July 29 2011, 00:01:34 UTC

Oh, this was really lovely. And heartbreaking. I love your style, and I loved the pacing, and I thought the details you included -- the red scarf, singing, praying in the sunlight -- were just right.

serindrana July 29 2011, 04:49:03 UTC

Thank you, on all counts! I'm so glad that you enjoyed. ♥ I was worried a few of those details might seem cliche or overly-sweet, so I'm glad they worked well. :)

ashfae July 29 2011, 13:29:09 UTC

Is that a Vienna Teng icon?? It's beautiful!

serindrana July 29 2011, 14:50:44 UTC

Yes and no- the text is a reference to her, but the photo is of me. But thank you! Have a Vienn Teng meets Dragon Age one :D

Thread 7

aphreal42 July 29 2011, 00:18:56 UTC

This surprised me, in a really good way. I don't usually care for Sebastian fic, and Bethany seemed a very odd choice. I clicked on it mostly out of curiosity. Then I started reading and it grabbed me.

The characters are believable and genuine, and the story is compelling. It's a fascinating premise and very well-executed. In short, I really enjoyed this. Thank you for sharing it.

serindrana July 29 2011, 04:51:46 UTC

I'm always glad when I manage to get somebody to read out of curiosity! Honestly, I think I'm becoming the queen of oddball pairings.

And thank you, so much, for reading!

lassarina July 31 2011, 14:38:10 UTC

I like this a lot; I like how their individual beliefs make it impossible for them to come together, even though they wish they could, and how in the end they do only what they can. This is gorgeous.

serindrana July 31 2011, 15:42:08 UTC

Thank you! It was tempting to have them find some sort of resolution- but even I don't know how that would have worked. It likely would have required Hawke to be a wholly different person.