BronxWench

You know, I don't think I could choose, either!

JayDee: Ah, yes... romance is germinating, at the very least! I'm glad you liked Alistair's reaction. I'm finding him surprisingly fun to write, and there will be more of these two.

In the holiday spirit... YouTube - Dirty Sleigh Ride

Poor Jeddek isn't going to know what hit hit when Auran decides to pounce, I think...

I love this... five spammers spleens! Brilliant!

Oh, I love this! I'm telling you, we are a creative bunch, aren't we? :clap:

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Twelve horny cookies, Eleven whips a-cracking, Ten lords a-cumming, Nine ladies stripping, Eight maids a-spanking, Seven hot men in kilts, Six big leaf blowers, Five cock rings, Four paladins, Three French maids, Two cattle prods, And a climax 'neath a pear tree!

This is so true, AB. I dealt with a lot of Japanese clients, and the protocols and almost ritualistic behaviors involved in the simplest phone call can be extraordinary. Japanese media is so far removed from reality as to be almost from another planet, but it IS the only outlet they have. My mother's cousin married a Japanese man, and he was disowned at his mother's insistence. She would not have a son who was married to a gaijin, period. This would be the same woman who paid for a condo in Tokyo for her husband's mistress, by the way. There is a schizophrenia in that culture that is staggering to the Western mind... SK: That's a rant for another thread, another time...

One thing you don't cover is timeframe. I came of age, sexually speaking, in the early 70s, when sex was not yet lethal, and the worst thing that could happen could be cured by a few days of penicillin. Women in my age group, who were open to exploration, probably displayed more than a few asshole traits of their own. It didn't make me less likely to be drawn to the bad boys, but I certainly gave them a run for their money...

I was reading this, and noticed something rather interesting, and let me state in advance that I'm poking myself more than anyone else... Why is it that we automatically assume, when we discuss assholes, douchebags and arrogant twits, that we are referring to males? I do acknowledge that there is an inherent gender bias in the English language, with the male pronoun being the default, but dear gods... As a woman, I can categorically state that we are equally prone to all of the personality traits that go into being a total and utter feckwit. And honestly, I really don't know if I'm mentioning this from a sense of offended gender pride (Yes, we too are assholes!) or simply because I am having a nice moment of my own...

Sometimes nice guys are boring, until you hit them with something that pushes them past their limits. No one's ever nice all the time. Everyone has triggers, and if you can realistically portray how they react to those, nice guys can be a hell of a lot of fun to write. Having said that, I prefer a little edge to my male characters. I find snark incredibly sexy, and a battle of wits amuses the hells out of me. I don't like men that are doormats, and I can't write men that are doormats, unless they are slated to die horribly in the very near future. But total bastards amuse me even less, unless I'm allowed to use them for target practice. Honestly, it's even harder to make a complete gobshite's redemption believable than it is to write a nice guy with limits. But that's just me...

pittwitch: Thank you! This was a fun prompt for me, and I'm glad you enjoyed my take on it!

FairySlayer: Thank you! You have no idea how much I love having people who normally wouldn't dip into my fandom actually read my flash fics, and enjoy them! I really am trying to focus more on the characters than the storyline itself, and I want to give a little insight into Wraith's head, outsider that he feels he is. Tolerance there is, along with a deepening friendship, and it is the best gift of all!

ApolloImperium: I'm glad the underlying theme came through, even though this one was a bit more heavily into the fandom. I'm trying to keep these more about the characters and less about the actual game, and it's a fine line! But I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I'm already checking out appropriate sweet nothings, but you know, that Chantry boy is not exactly easy to get in the tent. He waffles in such an endearing way, though, and I'm sure Wraith will be up to the challenge. Dalish hunters are nothing if not persistent.

ShadowKnight: Thank you! The last thing I want to do is lose the very thing about Alistair that makes him so damned sexy...that good-natured vulnerability. Gods, he's delicious... and Wraith is getting sucked right in no matter how hard he digs his heel in. Wraith's name... avid RPer that I am, I imagined he would not want to give his name that his clan knows him by, not to all these strangers, and with all he feels he's lost, he is very much a wraith.

Pen Name: BronxWench Story Link: Story: The Gift Review Replies: Review Replies for AFF Prompt/Gifts - AFF Community Forums Type of Fic: FlashFic Rating: Adult Fandom: Dragon Age: Origins Pairing: N/A Warnings: AFFO, ChallengeFic, Complete, NoSex

JayDee: Thank you! I think what I'm happiest about with this one is that despite most people not being familiar with the fandom, the mood is coming across well, so, YAY! And as to any proto romances, stick around! I have a feeling those two aren't done with me yet... And definitely play the game... I've played all sorts of CRPGs, and this is hands-down one of the best. I haven't flipped for a game like this since Planescape: Torment or Baldur's Gate.

Enough double espresso shots, and you don't really care....

ShadowKnight: Thank you! Wow, that made my day, actually. One of the things that really struck the first time I played a Dalish was that this elf was going to die, no matter what. He was tainted before the Joining, nearly dies, gets to go through the Joining and nearly dies again, loses everything that he's cared about in one fell swoop, and now he's got an archdemon calling him. So, yeah, bitter much? And Alistair? Damned straight he's fuckable, and also trying to be decent, which he just is, so yeah, Wraith is starting to warm up a little to the sexy shem. Ah, the temptation presented by a decent man...

Bored_Straight: Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review my flash fic! I'm glad the descriptions helped you follow along despite not being familiar with the fandom. It's hard sometimes to read a fic when you don't know the premise, but I appreciate your doing just that.