PARTY BANTER MEME

[faderifting]

In the Dragon Age games, as you travel Thedas with your best pals, they have a lot of short conversations about politics, the weather, butts, etc. So this is the Fade Rift equivalent, in four easy steps!

1. Imagine your characters are on a very long walk somewhere, or on a very long walk back after kicking ass, or standing guard together, or gathering herbs, or working in the library late at night, or anything else sort of boring. You can provide context if you'd like, like "[ On the way back from Antiva: ]," but it isn't mandatory.

2. Post a few different remarks your character might make—similar to TFLN, except spoken out loud and less ridiculous, maybe, or maybe not, I don’t know your life—while passing the time.

3. Tag around to reply to those general remarks or to start new/wildcard conversations! Threads should be pretty short and involve minimal action; there’s no need to turn anything into a big production. Threadjacking to create multiperson conversations is encouraged (unless someone says not to). Multiple different conversations between the same characters occurring on different days are also encouraged.

4. Gather up all of your little conversation snippets like a bouquet and keep them forever, because they’re game canon.

Comments

[notathreat]

[When the silence doesn't work, she lapses into further silence. Usually, it's a pretty clear signal to back off. But this is Laura, so she's thinking. And definitely noticing the rest of the scars.]

Do you want me to stop asking about it?

[justashotaway]

[ Moments like this used to end when she left, urgent and mortified, in search of someplace small and dark to hide. Now, instead - ]

Yes. [ Being able to say so has yet to stop feeling novel; she's been afforded privacy only in the last two and a half years of her life. ] These are not scars I wish to talk about.

[bouchonne]

Who told you that?

[notathreat]

People who have hit on me.

[bouchonne]

[ A laugh. ]

I’d answer the question quicker if you asked what I don’t talk about with him. I don’t know if there’s a topic we haven’t touched on in one way or another. You may have noticed that we are both quite fond of talking.

[bouchonne]

[ He laughs appreciatively before saying: ]

Sometimes I think I should run a school. You’re not the only near-hopeless one here.

[notathreat]

[It helps to put some things into perspective. Ellie looks down at her own hands, her own scars, and nods.]

All right. I won't talk about 'em unless you bring them up. Cool?

[bouchonne]

[ He relaxes - and groans in delighted appreciation. ]

Dear Maker, Astarion! Tell me that line’s never worked for you.

[notathreat]

It wouldn't be such a big problem if people wouldn't just fucking hint about things.

Like, just say it. Just- plant a kiss on somebody.

[Conveniently ignoring that she's actually had someone do that and tried to laugh it off and her being drunk, but we're not keeping score here.]

[bouchonne]

How dare you, serah? That’s my wife.

[justashotaway]

Yes.

And I will not ask you about yours.

[notathreat]

Thanks.

You can ask, though. I like talking about some of them. And I'm good at saying no about the others.

[bouchonne]

Oh, sweet Andraste, that’s a terrible idea.

[notathreat]

Saying how you feel? Or just cutting loose and kissing somebody?

[bouchonne]

Cutting loose and kissing somebody. And, for that matter, just saying how you feel. Romance without flirting is like satiation without eating.

[notathreat]

Flirting is fucking fun.

It's just that- is it really flirting if the other person doesn't know you're flirting, and they're turning themselves inside out trying to figure out if you're actually into them or not?

[bouchonne]

This sounds like a rather dramatic story.

[notathreat]

[Blows a raspberry.]

...

We slow-danced together. She was fresh out of a breakup. She was drunk and she kissed me in front of her ex, and all three of us had been friends for years. I thought she was just out of it and trying to make him jealous.

[justashotaway]

Your fingers.

[favoriteanalyst]

And does being hungry mean we grab whatever we want and damn the consequences?

[...Wait, this is Edgard, his response is extremely likely to be yes-]

[favoriteanalyst]

[He blows out some air.] Ooh, yeah, honestly that's a tough one. Lotta good lines, even among the repetition and the rehashed stories. Put a sword to my neck and make me choose, I'd probably reach for: How can we know You? In the turning of the seasons, in life and death, in the empty space where our hearts hunger for a forgotten face?

[justashotaway]

Yes. I have.

What do you enjoy talking about?

[bouchonne]

With him? Or in general?

[bouchonne]

Hm. Well, having heard only part of this story, I have a rash snap judgment. That one was her fault.

[justashotaway]

With him.

Not the things that are private, the things - [ a pause, like she's trying to figure out how to explain it ] The things that he will talk about. About himself.