#↳ in character // ashley barlow

[tiredthespian]

The DA:TV panel was so fun! The cast seems to really enjoy their characters and each other.

Some tidbits I enjoyed:

-For the “which DA character would you romance question”: Zach Mendez was very flustered over his love for The Iron Bull. There was a pause when no one else was answering the question and he said, “you’re just gonna leave me hanging when I just said I want to have sex with the Iron Bull?” 😂 Also, Ali Hillis was flustered over her love for Emmerich and said she’d be joining his admirers. Nick Borraine said he loves Manfred (unclear if he’d romance Manfred if giving the chance????), and he thinks Solas’s story is very sexy.

-As others have mentioned, Zach did mocap for Assan and he said “when you’re hugging Assan, you’re hugging me” (after they showed a clip of him filming mocap for the Assan hug).

-Jessica Clark described playing Neve as “freeing”. Ashley Barlow helped her embrace her lower register, which she said was a refreshing change from often playing roles where she is asked to use a softer/higher voice. She also talked about doing mocap for Neve and how creating such an imposing, badass character (especially ad a tall woman herself and as someone who doesn’t get to embody those roles in her other work as much) was freeing.

-Ashley Barlow said Zach Mendez is very funny IRL and brought some of his humor to Lucanis. He also voices and did mocap for several other roles. Apparently he recorded lines for Antoine the Grey Warden in a “bad French accent”, but he’s not sure if they ended up keeping him as Antoine’s voice

-Nick Borraine just really loves Emmerich (and Manfred)

-Ali Hillis got a lot of love from the rest of the cast/crew and the moderator (who said Scout Harding is “Inquisition inner circle in my heart”

[felassan]

Compilation of snippets from the DA:TV acting talent panel at SDCC (Dragon Age: Meet the Heroic Companions of Thedas) today (July 26th). DA:TV spoilers under cut.

Huge props and tysm to the users who live-tweeted and clipped this panel, you are heroes 🙏💜!!

The panel was moderated. In attendance were John Epler, creative performance director Ashley Barlow, and the actors of Lucanis, Neve, Emmrich, and Harding - Zach Mendez, Jessica Clark, Nick Boraine, and Ali Hillis respectively.

The panel ended with a Q&A session.

(BioWare have stated that a recording of the panel will be made available at a later date.)

Edit/update: I've now been through this post and tidied it up :)

---

Here are some pictures from the panel [source]

Here are some more pictures from the panel [source]

In this Twitter thread there are also some video clips of parts of the panel [source]

BioWare tried to avoid spoilers in the panel [source]

Key points/summary of DA:TV: hunting Solas, found family companions, stop the elven gods [source]

When auditioning the companions, BW were specifically looking for character chemistry [source]

BW used motion capture for the game [source]. Mo-cap was mentioned a lot in the panel [source]

Lucanis sees assassination as a job. His mind is as dangerous as his knives and he is also "kinda hilarious" [source]

There was mention of other Crows [source]

Zach Mendez read Tevinter Nights like three times [source]

A clip of the actors doing mo-cap was shown [source]. Photos of Zach mo-capping for other characters was shown [source]

BioWare said that Zach brought a certain darkness to Lucanis [source]

Zach is excited for the romance and is looking forward to the stats [source]

Zach mentioned that he used his own relationship with his brother in his portrayal of Lucanis [source] (surely this means ILLARIO.. ?👀)

Zach played a lot of darkspawn originally while auditioning [source]

Ali Hillis really welcomed Zach into the DA family [source]

Neve is from Minrathous. She has fun banter and is a cynical detective with a heart of gold. They want to show a rebellious side of Tevinter [source]

Jessica Clark loves Neve's loyalty, dedication, and different vision of Tevinter

Neve is fighting for the people [source]. Jessica: "She is really really fighting for those people, and she loves those people. So, yes, she's cynical, and yes she's kind of tough and brusque and all these other things, but when they say there's a heart of gold, there really, like, to have that kind of a passion and dedicate your life to something like that, I think that's definitely my favorite part about her" [source]

Jessica loves how much Neve loves Docktown and its people [source]

Neve sees a different vision for Tevinter than what has previously been depicted in the series [source]

The actors were separate from one another while recording lines but still bonded really well and organically [source]

There are several Veilguard gc [source] (groupchats?)

Ali is an angel and very supportive of the new cast [source]

Emmrich is a "stone cold silver fox" (this is a quote from the panel moderator) [source]

BioWare knew the reaction they would get about Emmrich from the fandom [source]

Nick Boraine feels like he's been preparing for Emmrich all his life. He's obsessed with death (as a comfort and not scary) and enabling people to transition into death. He is attracted to this aspect of the character [source]

"You're gonna need a dictionary for Emmrich" for all the magic spells [source]

"Interesting how this character caught fire compared to the other sexy characters" [source] (I think this was said wrt Emmrich?)

BW had a great time recording with Nick, he is a very consistent actor [source]

Nick and Matt Mercer have never met [source]

Manfred plays off of Emmrich. "I set the tone" [source]

What has Harding been doing in-between DA:I and DA:TV? She's been working closely with Varric and the Inquisition remnants. She and Neve already met in the comics [source]

Ali vividly remembers the beginning of voicing Harding, she says it's brilliant writing. She really thought of Harding's personality and traits. She's so happy to be back [source]

wrt the Covid-19 pandemic and the year 2020, BW had to pivot with working remotely and were able to push through their projects. [source]

"[Harding] chasing Solas for a decade..." "that was a great relationship that [you] developed... and now I'll stop talking now". Ali was excited [source]

John Epler talked about how companions may but heads, and won't be predictable [source]

There are thousands and thousands of lines and so many characters to meet [source]

Zach "unfortunately has been around the DA Reddit before recording as Lucanis" [source]. He feels inspired by all the fans and cannot wait for us to play it [source]

[new textblock due to character limit!]

John Epler on Emmrich: "I mean honestly, I will say, like, we expected a great reaction to Emmrich. Went beyond what we expected for sure. But it’s been fascinating to see, because again, Emmrich is this character, he’s more of the professorial, more, he brings a wisdom and kind of a calmness to the group, so even when things are at their worst, there’s that one person in the group who is kinda like, ‘okay, y’know, we've got, let's figure it out, let’s take a deep breath’. And just his journey through his character arc, and his interactions with the others, it’s been fantastic to see. Even just finding opportunities for him to bounce off the other characters, you know, the way he talks to Bellara, the way he talks to Neve, it’s all so different, but it’s also just, again, based around this core of this warm, kind-hearted, professorial necromancer. Which, again, is not something you see a lot of in media. I mean, usually, necromancers are depicted in a very specific way. But it’s been, it's awesome to see how Emmrich has grown and just, really one of the most, one of my favorite experiences has been just working with Emmrich’s writer, working with Emmrich as a character." [source]

All the actors are excited about the dialogue and narrative, and for us to explore DA:TV [source]

Ali says that we will really find ourselves in this game [source]

During the recording process, the actors all hear the previous person's recording and react or respond to it [source]

Due to Covid-related lockdown, a lot of recording was done over Zoom, and the writers besides Ashley Barlow (creative performance director) would jump in on the call to talk about the previous person’s lines [source]

A question was asked about the background factions. "Characters not causes". [source]

You can work with the Grey Wardens in the game (for example) [source]

The actors all met this weekend. They are an "un-chosen" family [source]

Zach stood in for multiple characters for mo-cap, for example he was Assan [source]

Lucanis has a heart but is stubborn and stuck in his ways. Zach is excited for fans to help his character open up as the story progresses [source]

Jessica is incredibly honored to join the DA universe. She is new to voice acting for video games. “This is play pretend. Playing Neve allowed her to step into her power.” [source]

A question was asked on what their first exposure to fantasy was, and do they implement this into the acting? John talked about Lord of the Rings and how every media you experience will seep out into your work [source]

Ashley didn't want the dialogue to sound modern [source]

Zach loves Theseus and talked about the symbolism in DA [source]

Jessica loves Greek mythology and lore [source]

Nick talked about The Hobbit and how he would dress up in big boots and a cape when his mother would read to him [source]

Ali recently went to Greece and felt like she saw DA everywhere [source]

A question was asked - "From your companion's perspective, which previous companion would you romance?" Zach kind of has a thing for The Iron Bull, saying "oh that awakened something inside of me". He also likes Dorian. Jessica was too overwhelmed to answer. Nick was also overwhelmed by the question, but thinks Solas is sexy [source] [source]

Ali fangirled over Lucanis and Emmrich [source], prefers Emmrich [source]

A question was asked - "Is DA:TV and DA:I streamlined together?" [paraphrased]. Answer: DA games are not as streamlined as Mass Effect and act almost as standalones [source]

The cast were asked about which aspect of their character is their favorite. Ali loves the little quirks about Harding. "Lucanis is a good cook!?" ** Neve is very dry and pretty closed off about it. For Emmrich, it's the "exploration of the idea of death and necromancy" [source] (** FINALLY CITATION for this? :D)

A question was asked: "How do you decide to introduce the lore in each game?" BioWare answered that it depends as they build each game. They always know the base lore, and see opportunities through game mechanics and characters. They try not to infodump [source]

A question was asked: "Any favorite party banter?" Ashley Barlow said to listen for "hand to bone combat" [source]

The game takes place approximately 10 years after the end of DA:I. You start the game hunting for Solas. The game is built on some core principles: be who you want to be in a world worth saving and with characters that matter. The companions are always at the heart of DA and they are at the heart of this game too. [source]

The moderator asked John Epler about what is bringing this party of people ("this rogues' gallery") together. John: "I mean, it's the end of the world, and each character that you bring into your party understands that the world is ending, that they need to stop that, and you're really building, what I would say is, more of a found family. These are characters who may not start off liking each other, may not even start off liking you, but over time they grow to understand the importance of what they're doing and just, how critical it is to stop the elven gods" [source]

"He is kind and has some spectacular lines. He is a natural nerdy scientist. He loves learning." [source] (Emmrich? ^^)

Ali didn't realize that Harding was such a beloved character. She thanked fans for bringing this character back [source]

Ali is super excited that the game is releasing. She said that there has been an evolution to Harding's character and that she's been chasing Solas for like a decade at this point [source]

Jessica loves the writing in the game [source]

Nick loves its narrative [source]

Ali said that this game is going to take you into a world that will blow your minds [source]

On Manfred: Nick was asked what it was like having another character to bounce off of. He said "Oh man! I mean, that is such a hard question, because Matt and I have never met, and we worked completely separately, and, I, I mean I know that the rapport is really great, but it's in the ether, I mean it is just, the magic that these guys create, telling us how to respond, how to do that, but it's, I can't wait to meet Matt" [source]

BW still said that the game's release window is Fall 2024 [source]. Nothing more specific was given [source]

There are also more snippets here in this Tumblr post, go check it out!

[source, two]

[when-life-gives-you-lemons-if]

So you've got a lot of projects. Some finished, some published, some in progress...

With the vast amount of characters you conjured up from your mind, are there any who influenced you?

What I mean is, did making a character help you realise who you are as a person, or perhaps helped you heal or change yourself in some way?

Loving your work by the by, my feeble mind cannot comprehend the creativity your mind possesses.

Wow, that's such an interesting question. And thank you for the kind words.

I think, in a way, all of my characters are a part of me. Some of them, I wish were real. Some, I wish I was more like. And a few, I might have created to fill a void I didn't even know I had.

Zhan from the Midnight Saga came to life because I wanted a protector. I wanted their powers—someone who could open a portal and send all the people who wronged them into it, transforming them into monsters only they could control.

Characters like Ashley, Tess, and Micah are the ones I wish I had the confidence of. They have that ability to look people in the eye and speak their minds, knowing their worth and strength.

Then there are characters like Danny, Mack, Barlow, and Fiffer, who are broken inside. They remind me that we all carry pieces of ourselves that need healing. We doubt ourselves, waiting for someone to come along, tell us we're worthy, and be the lighthouse that guides us back.

I don't think my characters change me, but they ground me. They let me express parts of myself, and through them, I find escape.

[tokyopewpew]

Big thanks to the Dragon Age dev team for doing a signing at SDCC! It was the one thing I was able to attend around schedule conflicts!!

I did not ask any leading questions about the game, just gushed how much I love the series, the world the characters, and as a Solavellen truther I expect to be face down in the dirt one way or another by the end.

I asked each of them to sign over their favorite place in Thedas. Corinne got dibs on the Grand Necropolis.

John Epler chose Kirkwall (Dorian’s voice rang out in my head: kind of a shithole)

Ashley Barlow chose the Sea of Ash

and Parrish Ley went to Rivain!

On that note San Diego Comic Con is coming to a close and Sag-Aftra voice actors are on strike officially. Please support the voice actors on this game and beyond, show solidarity, support, and unionize your workplace. GOOD NIGHT!

[hyperions-light]

I keep seeing links to/discussion about that video where some of the BW crew is talking about Zevran circulating, and while I do think it's disappointing that one of the devs does not seem to know who he is/remember him, I feel like the response is maybe a little out of proportion, considering the two people who say they "don't remember him," and he "looks like he has Daddy Issues," almost certainly don't work for Bioware.

Explanation below the cut bc it got long. Speculation/possible spoilers for DATV.

If you look at the post that EA made about their SDCC panel they say it will be moderated by someone named Lucy James, who works for Gamespot. You can see her with her nameplate in front of her (although it's hard to make out) in the picture that BW posted to their blog. Watching the video back, I think she's the person sitting across from the four BW people. If you look her up, you can see she makes videos with the Managing Editor of Gamespot, Tamoor Hussain, who I think is a decent guess for the person holding the ipad.

The background of the video makes it likely that this was filmed at the Fandom Party event that took place at SDCC this year, so if we look at the people who BW confirmed they sent to the convention, the other people here are Ali Hillis (blond woman), who is a VA and plays Lace Harding. I wouldn't expect her to know/have opinions about DA:O characters.

The person next to her is likely Ashley Barlow (check the panel photos against the video), the BW Creative Performance Director, who says the thing about the red flags. That's the most disappointing/concerning to me, because it means Zev probably isn't in the game (again), since she likely would have directed the performance.

The top row is Corinne Busche and John Epler, the Game Director and Creative Director respectively. You can see them clearly in the companions video IGN put out last week and cross reference them with the SDCC video. Busche seems to be familiar with him, and Epler says nothing.

I agree it was shitty of them to make those comments about the only romanceable POC in DAO, and I'm sad we're probably not going to see him again. I'm not trying to say anyone shouldn't be upset, but it seems like people might be confused about which people in the clip are BW devs. Just made the post to clarify any confusion; not going to argue with people in the comments over it.

[liabilitytm]

@novamelt | starter from every muse | 15 of 43

   ❝ you know what ?  this is your own fault for assuming i’m mature    just because i’m over two hundred. ❞

[st0pcryingmoved]

tags.

[the-keeper-of-midnight]

😫 this if writer knows how to push all the right buttons. I just saw that ask, with MC telling Mack to leave. Intriguing. After having their little fight i know for a fact, Mack is going.... 😈 eat his fill. Right author? That's what it was leading to. Look how close he was standing. His hot breath puffing on MC ears. 🤤. Simp.

In every playthrough I can't decide who I want. So I flirt with everyone. Then.... I settled down with different person's in every playthrough. In book two I met shadow and then all I could think about was being crushed between him/she/them and Mack. Lord have mercy! 😭😰 and then all those other characters.....

Author what are you doing to me?! I feel like hosting an orgy.... me and all the hookups in one room for one month. 🤤. Good stuff. Keep up the good work C.C.

LMAO 🤣

You really know how to get a giggle out of me. 😄

Thanks for the laugh this early morning. I'm happy you love my characters. I know you are already struggling with choosing between Barlow and Monroe. 🤭

Good to see it's the same thing here to.

For all Mack romancers, I'm going to use Ashley's words to ask.

[sunnaesa]

tags : ash

[escapetm]

「 @warmher​​  —  starter call 」

“you know, fire powers aren’t all bad. people might try make you think they are, but they aren’t.” are you saying that because you really think it or because you also have fire powers? the answer isn’t what it should be. “i mean, like, we’d be awesome firefighters, right? we’d do good at that.”

[annarellix]

The Post Office Shop by K.T. Dady

Welcome to Pepper Bay. A small close-knit community where you’ll find chocolate box cottages, quaint shops, love, drama, and a happily ever after.

The Post Office Shop: Tilly Sheridan is fifty, perimenopausal, a widow, and pretty much lives in dungarees. Her daily life consists of running her family’s small shop on Dreamcatcher Farm, where not much goes on. The last thing she expects to happen in her life is to fall in love with an ex-criminal. Rory Murphy has just finished a fifteen-year sentence for robbery, but he is not the man who first walked into that prison. With the help of a mentor, he changed his life whilst still behind bars, and now he has been given the opportunity of working on a farm to help him integrate back into society. He’s expecting early starts, long days, backbreaking work, and lonely nights, but he finds friendship, family, and love in Pepper Bay. Is it possible for him to finally have a good life? Not if his past has anything to do with it.

Snuggle down with this cosy, feel-good, comfort read that whisks you away to a beautiful bay on the Isle of Wight – Perfect for fans of Christie Barlow, Phillipa Ashley, and Holly Martin. The Pepper Bay books are standalone stories, best read in order, that intertwine with recurring characters.

Purchase Links UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Post-Office-Shop-Pepper-Book-ebook/dp/B09QSVNLZZ US - https://www.amazon.com/Post-Office-Shop-Pepper-Book-ebook/dp/B09QSVNLZZ

My Review: I loved this story of second chances, a story that talks about people who is able to start again and have faith in a better future and the community that supports them. This is the 5th in a series but it can be read as a stand alone, I will read the rest of the series as I loved the characters and the setting. Rory is an ex con and I liked how the author developed a character with a story of abuse and violence and made him a fleshed out and realistic guy who started again. Tilly lost the man she loved and is facing the beginning of menopause. The description of the hot flashes is quite realistic and made me smile. There's some romance, there's a strong community, and there's hope. It's an excellent read in these bleak times and it made me smile and root for the characters. Highly recommended. Many thanks to K.T. Dady and Rachel's Random Resources for this digital copy, all opinions are mine

The Author: Bestselling author of the Pepper Bay series, reader, mum, chocolate lover, and a huge fan of a HEA. I was born and raised in the East End of London, and I’ve been happily writing stories since I was a little girl. When I’m not writing, I’m baking cakes or pottering around in my little garden in Essex, trying not to kill the flowers. I’m the author of contemporary romance, middle-grade, and the thought-provoking thriller about mental illness, The Focus Program.

Social Media Links : https://ktdady.com https://www.instagram.com/kt_dady https://twitter.com/kt_dady https://www.facebook.com/ktdady

[felassan]

Some notes from today's new BioWare Blog post, which contained some new character insights and also gave some information on what is coming next and when:

Creative Performance Director Ashley Barlow helped to cast and direct over a thousand conversations in the game

Lucanis is bloodthirsty, calculated, and a workaholic. He was raised with high expectations and fears disappointing those he loves. To him, being an assassin is his only job and identity to be excellent at. He's constantly attuning himself to the kind of shifting terrain of every mission. There's a lot of love between him and Illario

As Zach is a comedian, he would easily find the humor in anything Lucanis was saying

Neve is a Shadow Dragons rebel who cares deeply about helping people and never leaves work half-done. Epler: " [she is] the working class hero trying to make her hometown better"

Emmrich is sincere, friendly, scholarly, sophisticated, eager to teach and learn, a well-meaning but oblivious academic, with a "hot nerdiness". He assumes everyone has an academic's curiosity so can be pedantic on select topics

The Mourn Watch are revered in Nevarra but odd at best and evil at worst outside of it

Nick: "I love the fact that the writers took Emmerich and explored the whole idea of death and the whole idea of necromancing by bringing kindness into it. I really responded to that and got into that and I know it sounds crazy, but it’s to not have this idea that death is vulgar or something to be terrified about, but something to actually engage with on so many levels. I just love the fact that the writers had the courage to do that in a game like this."

"Often Nick is just playing off of someone making a sound, and he takes it and internalizes it and gives it meaning and care, which is amazing to watch."

The world has changed a lot since DA:I

Harding has been leading teams through the wilderness while covering friends in battle

Harding loves her mom. She loves to write letters home and is always talking about her mother. She likes plants and raising plants. She has grown and is a veteran now, a trusted voice at the table

Footage of the full DA:TV @ SDCC companions panel should be available in a couple of weeks

Next month there will be a new roadmap, more looks at the game, and the reveal of the release date

[emphasis mine]

And this paragraph:

"Dragon Age: The Veilguard sees players embark on a perilous quest to face powerful Elven gods and stop the apocalyptic destruction they’re unleashing. You’ll step into the role of Rook, battling on the front lines alongside a deep and compelling cast of companions who together comprise The Veilguard, a group of heroes who have come together to stop the veil from breaking and bringing about the end of the world. Rook must become the unexpected leader who can rally and unite the group. Throughout the game, you can explore the detailed storylines of each companion, navigating love, loss, and complex choices that influence your relationships."

[source]

[when-life-gives-you-lemons-if]

is it hard sometimes to envision a character’s true perspective - is it just really a matter of creating it in your head and then put it on paper or do you visualize it in a different way? and which?

(i’m also high 💨 and happened to think about your books if you’re wondering why this is so long. 🤙🏽)

I do hope you are safe on your couch, Anon.

To answer your question, I would say it depends. Some characters are easier for me to write and create their perspective than others. Like Terry from Laws of Passion, the Teacher, Barlow from Lemon, Zhan, Mack, Ashley from Midnight Saga, and The Detective from Insert Rich Family, those are characters that are so distinct that it's easy to write them. I know their dos and don'ts. They have set motives and set personalities, and by putting them all in one room, I will always know who is talking even without dialogue tags.

Now when it comes to Green, Lani, the lawyer from Insert Rich Family, Karel(le) those are characters who change in the course of the game, and it's always difficult to pin them down.

So, yeah. Some characters are easier to write than others.

I also saw a TikTok the other day that got me thinking, because I think I fall victim to that too often. (See below) I think I need to be less of a people-pleaser and stick with some stuff, but the issue is most of my characters are never set in stone, so when someone makes a suggestion I always go, "Oh, that could work!" and then it turns into more work, so I need to fix that.

Anyway, stay safe, and thanks for the ask.

[viridiandnd]

Eddie Brock, a warlock with the Symbiote Patron (someone already homebrewed link )

Here's a link on the speculation of what classes marvel characters would have link

Matilda (from the book/movie) a young human sorceress with a Choatic Good alignment.

Gravity Falls characters: Stanford - Warlock, Stanley - Rouge/Thief, Dipper - Wizard, Mable - Bard

Any RPG based videogame would have great players and their classes would be pretty easy to figure out. (i.e. Ashley from Mass Effect would be a Fighter, Cassandra from Dragon would be a Paladin)

I've never played Undertale but I think their characters would be easy and fun to translate:

Alphys - Dragonborn Artificer, Mettaton - Warforged Bard, Undyne - Triton Fighter, etc.

I personally would play Kissin' Kate Barlow from that movie/book Holes. I love her and she would be so fun to play.

Campaign idea: all the characters are characters from other franchises. they must have a class, either actual or DM approved homebrew. DM is allowed to overrule characters and ban certain franchises with a good reason.

Go out and make the dumbest, wildest, adventure fanfic with your friends.

[cametrouble]

TAGS  :  ashley  01.

[liabilitytm]

TAGS  :  ashley  01.