#dragon age has some of the best folks in fandom

[biowaredisasterbisexual]

I don’t know that I can say enough kind things about the folks I’ve made friends with through fandom. Endless, tireless, support. Humor. Thoughtfulness. Creativity. Genuine kindness.

If I were to tag everyone I’m talking about, we’d be here all day, so I won’t do that. Instead I’ll just say:

Thank you.

Community builders, writers, artists, mutuals, followers, contributors…all y’all. You’ve made the DATV fandom a wonderful place to be, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

[krysmcscience]

Intro post I will prolly edit later, lol

Figured I needed to make a pinned post at some point for people checking out my page.

Here's my ko-fi - And yes, I do commissions. The prices are based on the time and effort it takes me. If you want something cheap and fast, I offer '$2 per minute' sketches. I can do more with that time than you might think. (Granted, I also worry way less about pesky things like anatomy and outfit details.)

Here's my Ao3 - My stuff is dark and unpleasant, because my life has been dark and unpleasant, and thus what I write is not meant for either children or people who think censoring dark and unpleasant things helps anyone. :) My stuff is also Pretty Dang Queer.

Here's my original art tag - I tend to stick to just a few hyperfixations, and rotate between them, sometimes with overlap. Current hyperfixation is Breach, and a bit of Heavenshine. On hold is The Spirit Marauder, Starlight Killer, and Bleached Canvas, among other stories that I may or may not have posted about. Sometimes I forget to tag character and story names and such, though, because I am bad at tagging.

Here's my fanart tag - Again, I tend to stick to just a few hyperfixations, and rotate between them, sometimes with overlap. Current hyperfixation is Gravity Falls (specifically Billford). I may sometimes still draw for Cult of the Lamb, Among Us, Pokemon, Zelda, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, and Tokyo Mew Mew, among other things, but most of my older stuff doesn't have the fanart tag (because again - I am bad at tagging). I no longer draw for Homestuck, though I may still reblog posts about it that I find funny, and while I don't think I ever posted art for it here, anyway, my InuYasha hyperfixation died the moment my comfort character was turned into a pedophile. It is liable to never recover. u_u

Here's my art reblog tag - I very rarely reblog other folks' art. Not because I don't like it, but because if I reblogged every bit of art that I liked, I would probably overwhelm all my followers' dashboards. 8|; If you want to see all the stuff I like, anyway, my likes are public.

Here's my everything else tag - I'll usually stick this onto my ramblings, or on reblogs of stuff that isn't other folks' art.

Quick n' dirty deets about me: Filthy socialist (meaning ACAB, fuck MAGA, terfs can GTFO, from the river to the sea, and so on). Also, gendervoid aro-ace aegosexual with rampant AuDHD.

FAQ:

NO, I do not do drawing or writing requests. I do not have the time or energy. I may do random gifts for other artists or writers if I get the inspiration for it, but that's at my own discretion.

NO, I will not mark any of my posts as mature. I do not post smut art, I make clear what my writings contain in both the writings and posts themselves, and the internet is not a safe space for children. If you're a minor, best to steer clear of my page, and if you choose not to - because goodness knows I would have done the same at that age - then heed the provided warnings and proceed with caution. I am no one's parent or babysitter, and no one on the internet should expect me to be.

NO, I will not turn on anonymous messages. The moment my InuYasha comfort character was turned into a pedophile and I spoke out about it, I was harassed en masse by the grossest part of the fandom. If you want to be an asshole at me, you can do it with the full knowledge that I'll be outing you for your assholery the second you do. :)

YES, you can message me, provided you've been following me for more than a week. I don't always know what to say, though, so if I don't reply, that's on me and not you. (It tends to take me a while to reply to things, anyway. I am consistently tired and overwhelmed, plus a massive introvert.)

YES, you can draw or write stuff based off of what I've drawn or written! Of course you can!! Please do!!! Just share it with me first!!!!! OuO

YES, you can spam me with likes and reblogs, I do not mind at all. I don't even care how old the post is, so go nuts, my dude - like and reblog to your heart's content.

Krys is pronounced the same as "Chris", not "cries". If we start chatting and get to the point where we start talking over mics and you call me "Cries", I can promise that I while I WILL roll with it, I will also NEVER let you live it down, so if it's easier for you, just call me Terri. It's pronounced like normal, but short for Terrible.

I know it says 'she/them' in my bio, but gender is a nebulous void for me, so I don't actually care what pronouns you use for me.

As of June 17, 2024, I am 36. And yes, I feel fucking old.

Don't bother me with pro/anti-shipping garbage. I do not care about shipping wars. I cannot possibly care about shipping wars, not when half of my own ships are toxic garbage. What I do care about is whether or not a toxic garbage ship is framed correctly, especially when it's aimed at a young and impressionable audience. (LOOKING HARD AT YOU, YASHAHIME.)

If you know me from DA, NO YOU DO NOT. I just went through all my old posts on there, and good GRAVY was I fucking annoying. I should show all that shit to my mom and be like, 'Are you SURE I didn't have ADHD growing up??? Cuz it sure READS like I had ADHD growing up!!!'

I don't know what else to add here at the moment, so I'ma go back to recovering from weeks worth of working on comic stuff now. <:]

[dearophelia]

best of sara's fic, according to her

Because I’m feeling some kind of way about my cancer lately and wanted to put together a Sara’s Greatest Fic Hits while I’m still around to do it (which is a morbid thing to type, but see the intro: been feeling some kind of way lately).

These range from my most popular fics, to the ones lost to weird posting hours, and everything in between. If I counted correctly, there are 14 fandoms on this list: from Mass Effect and Dragon Age, to Grey’s Anatomy and Stargate SG-1, to The West Wing and Calvin & Hobbes.

I’d appreciate reblogs on this (I am not ashamed to pull the stage iv cancer card here) so it can reach as many people as possible.

I have been writing fic for over 15 years; this is not a short list.

All are rated T or lower unless otherwise indicated. All stories are at or under the 3k mark unless otherwise indicated.

Stargate SG-1:

waves are universal (the heaven in hiding remix) (Sam/Jack; I’m very Normal about this fic; time travel and alternate realities, a host of OCs (and some familiar faces from Norafic if you look closely), oh and the Sam/Jack kid from the alternate reality! Only she’s an adult and working on a way to save the world! This has it all, folks: humor, romance, angst, action! I told you I’m Normal about it; 40k)

strange is the night where black stars rise (Sam; horror! A low creeping sense of doom! The King in Yellow! No, seriously, fuck that planet; 10k)

#sg1wedding (Sam/Jack; their wedding turned into An Event against their will; bets are going down about who would win in a fight: Bra’tac or the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs; also Jack loses his socks; twitterfic from 2012 and technology has definitely Marched On, just read it like an unhinged group chat fic)

phoenix (Sam/Daniel/Teal’c, Sam/Jack, Sam/Jack/Daniel/Teal’c; apocalypse (that I consulted a real live geologist on!); rebuilding in the wake of said apocalypse; team family feelings, kids, and some really shitty neighbors; 38k)

Dragon Age:

joy cometh in the morning (Ariadne; rated M; a host of OCs; mind the warnings; friendship; worldbuilding galore; friendships and mentors and first loves; did I mention friendship and worldbuilding?; 56k)

through the rude wind’s wild lament, and the bitter weather (Ari+Cullen; quiet magic, kind magic, good magic is still new to Cullen)

as the sun kissed the horizon (Ari/Josephine; a relationship in ten moments)

‘til we meet again (Ari+Cullen; platonic sleeping together!)

so hold my hand, consign me not to darkness (Ari; her faith is the core of who she is and, for the first time, Andraste isn’t there; post-Trespasser)

raise your fists up to the sky (Kylie/Krem; it’s Krem’s first day with the Chargers and there’s a naked elf in the middle of camp)

every demon wants his pound of flesh (Krem+Bull; Krem was in the Fade with the Inquisitor and the fear demon had some Things To Say To Him)

black dove (Anaya) & strange little girl (Anaya+Dagna) & dissolving clouds (Anaya+Cullen) (because neurodivergent Inquisitor, friendship, blossoming romance, and three very different takes on blood magic)

skeletons (Zahara+Bull; she is saarebas, he is Ben-Hassrath, and language is important)

children shouldn’t play with dead things (Juliette Amell; she’s always had an easier time with the dead than the living; cw for bugs)

a sorta fairytale (Josephine/Cassandra; flower shop & tattoo parlor AU; 8k)

Mass Effect Trilogy:

gonna set your flag on fire (Nora Vakarian, Liv/Garrus, James/Liara, Liv+Liara, Livfam; action! Humor! Angst! Worldbuilding! OCs!; I am Super Normal about this fic too; I promise everything’s okay in the end, promise, even though it isn’t written yet; Nora is an N3 and has an inactive control chip in her head. She and her team are ordered to investigate a Cerberus facility. It goes, shall we say, awry; 40k)

anthem (Liv/Garrus, Hannah/Zaeed, Liv+Liara; eight months is a long time without each other; angst with a happy ending (I promise); post-Destroy; 13k)

holy ground & dress (Liv/Garrus; ficlets from the night he gets sworn in as Councilor)

brightly shone the moon at night (Liv, Liv+Liara, Liv/Garrus, Livfam; five Christmases in Olivia Shepard’s life; 5k)

the pieces of gold, they light up your eyes & now we’re alone, now we’re alive (Liv/Garrus; the evolution of a relationship)

fighting is said to have reached palaven (Liv/Garrus; please, please let him be alive)

and some things you just can’t speak about (Quentus+Nico; the war)

‘cause i know that it’s delicate (Liv/Garrus; pre-wedding!)

nosce te ipsum (Nico; he likes boys and fanfiction and he didn’t think he’d get his little italicized oh moment)

i will write you love letters if you tell me to (Liv/Garrus; Hannah gives him one of Liv’s notebooks before he goes off to Omega; Garrus does the only thing he can think of with it)

i really need you (Liv/Garrus; James POV during the reunion scene in Priority: Palaven)

you look really tired (Liv/Garrus, Liv+Liara; post-Thessia, Olivia’s not doing well)

hey, so, ground rules (Liv+Zaeed; it’s a lot weird now that he’s dating her mom)

and all the scars you bear are from a previous war (Liv+Quentus; Mom!Liv)

you can hear it in the silence (Liv/Garrus; just a moment, post-war)

this all started because of a bad day (Liv/Garrus; from first meetings to matching rings)

combat, i’m ready for combat & turn on your favorite nightlight (Hannah; she’s a civilian and her daughter isn’t, and she’s bound and determined to know what Liv goes through when her boots hit the ground; Hannah, Zaeed, Liv, and Garrus hit up Armax)

four quarians who never made it back to the fleet (and one who did) (kinda what it says on the tin, honestly. Oh, Tali’s in this!)

everyone’s lost, the battle is won (Evangeline; somewhat predictably, my experiment in getting as many of my team killed as possible resulted in Feelings About It)

across the sky (Susan/Liara; how to make the Control ending feel good)

and yours is in red underlined (Vanessa; The Illusive Man has pissed her off for the last time)

i’m headed straight for the castle (Vanessa; renegade control ending; kneel before your queen)

Mass Effect Andromeda:

for saviours (Tori; ten scenes from a pre-Andromeda life; 10k)

ringing joyful and triumphant (Tori/Liam/Jaal; just some morning fluff)

the thing with the baby angara (Tori/Liam/Jaal; thinking about the future)

the undone and the divine (Tori/Liam/Jaal; the lone single solitary explicit fic on here, give it props for that alone; Liam gets absolutely railed by his partners. That’s it. That’s the fic.)

you’re like the thing that makes the universe explode (Sara Ryder/Suvi, Drack; kid, the only people who don’t know that you like Suvi are people who haven’t met you and Suvi)

this one’s for the torn down, the experts at the fall (Tori+Garrus; one night in the intersection of Victoria Ryder and Archangel; maybe they’re better friends than they both thought)

The West Wing:

a great revelation sigh (CJ; she’s Chief of Staff; ten steps to the apocalypse; the apocalypse source probably didn’t age well, heads up)

it’s in my blood and i won’t give up ‘cause it’s running through my veins (Amy+Andi; it’s Election Day in the future and Amy has nothing to do)

Grey’s Anatomy:

dropsonde (the singers in a lower choir remix) (Addison/Alex, Derek/Meredith, Addison+Derek, Addison+Mark, Mark+Derek; the one that kicked off all the remixes; absolutely off the rails from canon somewhere in S3; budding romances and kidfic and my theory about people being storms and lighthouses; 40k)

scarlet city (Mark/Addison, Burke/Cristina; film noir gangster and detective AU; Addison’s the gangster, Burke’s the detective; literally everyone I could fit into this fic shows up; also Denny is comic relief; 18k)

Misc:

access records (Star Trek Voyager; Naomi Wildman’s holodeck access for the past week; worldbuilding!)

in this twilight our choices seal our fate (the song in the house of night remix) (SVU; Olivia/Elliot; rated M; on the rise and fall of partnership; probably a little too much religious imagery but what the hell else am I gonna do with a minor in religious studies?; 4k)

the end of days job (Leverage; Parker+Eliot+Hardison; the apocalypse job, basically; this one ages well!)

let the only sound be the overflow (D&D; Calia/Kelpie/Edal, aka ot3: fathoms below; the ocean is big and they are not)

we are golden stars above silver seas (we hear echoes from another galaxy) (Calvin & Hobbes; Calvin+Susie; throughout all those years, she never gave up on him; this one went viral on tumblr [LINK] and I cleaned it up for the AO3 version)

lift her, pull her, from the orchids (Grace and Frankie; Grace/Frankie; the one where I invoke the spelling bee)

rocket queens (Babylon 5/Pacific Rim; Susan Ivanova/Talia Winters; look, they’re jaeger pilots, I really don’t know what else to tell you)

the great gig in the sky (Battlestar Galactica; Six; rebirth is painful, she forgets this sometimes)

[sitp-recs]

HP Rec Fest, Day 28

I’ve been reccing underrated fics since this blog was created and so I thought “there’s no easier @hprecfest prompt than this one” lol famous last words, this post took me ages to prepare 😂 I was initially overwhelmed by the amount of fics that came to mind, and going through my bookmarks and old recs only made it worse. How was I supposed to shortlist?? In the end I gave up and decided to rec 2 Drarry fics + 2 rare pairs. I could have included so many more but I really didn’t want this to become a tl;dr post and these rec blurbs are already going out of control, so here we go!

Day 28) an under-rated fic:

Drarry

In Dreams by @moonflower-rose (E, 38k)

Harry wasn't expecting to ever see Draco Malfoy again. He also wasn't expecting to walk into a political conspiracy that morning either, but apparently that's exactly what the day has in store for him.

I’ve screamed quite a few times about this fic (see my rec here) and every time I do it’s in the hopes that more folks will stop whatever they’re doing and go feast on this. not only a delicious and intriguing case fic with Rosie’s trademark epic dialogue and superb sense of humour, this also wins the award of best fic opening I have ever read. the way I gasped at chapter one and am forever haunted by its utterly devastating ending oh my god!!! my heart belongs to this gritty Harry, and the slow burn is masterfully crafted within the urgency of their teamwork to solve the mystery combining comfort, grief and hope in a thrilling, poignant and perfectly paced adventure. plus, the emotional payoff is chef’s kiss, honestly I cannot recommend this enough!

Survival of the Species by @romaine2424 (E, 47k)

Draco approaches Harry on the 9 ¾ platform, after their sons have boarded the Hogwarts Express, and invites him over for tea. The discussion they have leads them on an adventure that neither could have expected. There be dragons! HPDH compliant but before any other canon info had been released.

considering this masterpiece was published back in 2007 I think I’m allowed to say this is definitely a formative story when it comes to the creature genre, more specifically Veela fic. I first read this a couple years ago and my jaw legit dropped at the amount of world-building and carefully researched lore that went into this. so detailed and intricate and different from everything I’ve seen before or since, I was truly fascinated and couldn’t stop reading. kudos to the amazing slow burn covering years of their struggles stuck together in a dragon cave and having to rely on each other to survive. I loved seeing the hardships and how they genuinely came to care for each other, definitely one of the most moving and convincing Veela love stories I’ve read in the fandom.

Rare pair

With a Look by earlybloomingparentheses (Ginny + Deamus, E, 5k)

Now, twenty years old and done with boys and looking forward very much to putting her hand down some lucky girl’s shirt later this evening, Ginny looks at Dean Thomas’s gold-painted fingernails and feels heat pool between her legs.

I think about this fic every now and then - such a sensitive, thought-provoking and beautiful homage to the 🏳️‍🌈 community. the visceral and contemplative tone takes it beyond your regular PWP, and I’ve rarely seen gender and queerness explored quite like this. seeing Ginny figuring out and owning her identify is mesmerizing. her voice is powerful, sexy, earnest and articulates so many complex and layered feelings - I was particularly moved by the inner turmoil of not looking “queer enough”. I’m sure this fic will be eye-opening and comforting to so many people out there, and that’s why I never cease to rec it. an intimate character study, a sinfully hot and self-indulgent threesome but above anything, a poignant love letter to the queer community.

Passion, Patents, and Pen Pals at the Ministry by @violetclarity and @yrfrndfrnkly, art by @anaxandria-writes and @veelawings (Hermione/Pansy, T, 32k)

After an extremely ill-timed lovers'-tiff-turned-food-fight at the Ministry leaves her less one boyfriend and suspended without pay for six months, Hermione pleads for some position–anything–to fill her days until her suspension is up. The good news is, her temporary position in the Magical Games & Sports's Ludicrous Patents office is just down the corridor from Harry's office in General Inquiries. The bad news is Harry's officemate is Pansy Parkinson, the Ministry's operations are shockingly outdated, and every altercation between Hermione and Pansy winds up a headline in MoM's internal rogue gossip zine, Hot Goss.

rivals to secret pen pals to lovers yes please?? this hilarious Pansmione is a ship triumph and yet criminally underrated. I had a blast getting into the world of Ministry gossip & politics, and immediately fell in love with all the characters, l especially with this lovely meddling Harry. it’s SO MUCH FUN to watch poor him (and Blaise omg what a duo) in the middle of a ladies’ tug of war. I’m impressed by the amount of world-building especially around their workplace, not to mention all the side interactions and the fun, organic slow burn. I love this take on identity porn with tons of banter and Pansy and Mione connecting through their shared worldview and feminist principles, such a power couple ✊🏼 the mix of semi-epistolary, witty dialogue, dorky meddling friends and mild angst make for peak entertaining, I laughed non-stop and cheered so bad for them. femslash ftw!!!

[biowaredisasterbisexual]

Wooooooooooooo!!!

Taash Week 2025 is coming up, and I am so excited to create with you all! I thought it might be fun to stream while I work on the piece I'm going to write for each day. You can join me here!

Details below the cut!

When would it be?

Every day from Monday, March 10th - Sunday, March 16th! I will hopefully stream for around two hours each day while I write something for one of the prompts for the day, which you can see here! I haven't concretely decided on the times, but I may stagger them by an hour each day so different people will be available to visit! You can check the time in my area here!

What would you do?

I am going to write one of the prompts live (I will make notes beforehand, but that's it), and then post it on Tumblr. Hopefully this will encourage people to make things, too-- I hope you will feel inspired to create stuff with me! Maybe, if I get done early and nobody else wants to show things off, we can play DATV?

How can we interact with you?

You can talk to me in the chat, and if you want me to show something that you're working on for the week on the stream, you can send me a link there or here on Tumblr, and I'll show off your stuff!

I'm excited to create with you! I hope it will be fun! The Twitch channel is {here} ! (I won't use it until the week starts, though)

[faded-mage]

20 Questions for Fic Writers ~

Taken from @kcwriter-blog because I like to do these things. 😊 And I will tag: @solavellan--hell @loredrinker @ar-ghilas-vir-banal @miraabellee and anyone else who may want to do this.

1) How many works do you have on AO3? Only 9 works on AO3, a few extras hidden in my Notion I am unsure about publishing. Though I am relatively new to fic-writing.

2) What’s your total AO3 word count? 527,219. I go hard, apparently?

3) What are your top 5 fics by kudos? The Theory of Being Golden Thread Does Not Bind Courage Like a Crown Ill-Timed Desires Mending Strings of Loss First three are long fics, last two are one-shots.

4) What fandoms do you write for? My main love is Dragon Age, primarily Solavellan. But I have a handful of pieces that involve Cullen x Lavellan (he's just so sweet). My first fic was for Baldur's Gate 3, Dark Urge and Enver Gortash but I have one for my half-drow Tav and Gale in the works. Just nothing published yet. There's like 6 chapters, it felt like throwing a drop of water in an endless ocean of Gale fics.

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes! The only time I do not comment back is if I forget (sometimes it happens 😬) or if the only thing I can post will give away future chapters for said person, so I will look the other way until I see them comment on the chapter that would normally be spoiled.

I love love reading the comments, especially ones that like to talk about what could come next, or point out a specific line they liked. Ugh! The best.

6) What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I like goodish endings (even for the evil folks, the bad ones just end up together? ykyk?) However, I do have a scrapped chapter from my Avise Lavellan x Solas fic. After Solas leaves, she has a bit of a fling with Cullen. He does not take her ending it well... and one of the comments about it was "Yikes". So I'll call that one my angstiest.

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? So far my happiest ending is either of my Lavellan fics, Golden Thread Does Not Bind (Solas x Lavellan) which goes past Veilguard and into the Fade. And Courage Like a Crown (Cullen x Lavellan) involves marriage and happiness. Fluffy.

8) Do you get hate on fics? So far no, thankfully.

9) Do you write smut? Sometimes? It depends on the story, truly. Sometimes the story thrive with smut, sometimes I think it detracts from other aspects. I do always struggle with the *line* however, especially in descriptions. It's been something I am working on.

10) Do you write crossovers? Not generally a fan. I could see it in some instances, but we'll see if I ever dabble. Depends on where my inspiration comes from.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen? I don't believe I have anything popular enough to be stolen, so probably not.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated? No but that sounds neat as hell! I'd love to see it.

13) Have you ever cowritten a fic before? No, I'm pretty new to the scene, so I haven't been approached or considered it really.

14) What’s your all-time favorite ship? For fandoms I have started to write: Dragon Age: Solas x Lavellan Baldur's Gate 3: Gale x Tav/Durge Guild Wars 2: Canach x Sylvari Commander

15) What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Probably my own novel. 😂 But for real, I have this AU idea for a modern Enver Gortash x Dark Urge but it's like 2 lines and a song in inspiration and so it keeps just sitting there.

16) What are your writing strengths? I think I have an interesting style when the characters are reflecting internally, and how they feel about their world. Having a mystery that unfolds with later chapters as more information is given.

17) What are your writing weaknesses? I feel like I struggle sometimes when there's too much dialogue and it feels rushed to me.

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic? I like including it if it makes sense! Obviously with Solavellan you use... quite a bit of Elvhen. And even in my Cullen x Lavellan fic there was a bit because Cullen tries to learn some for her. But otherwise I've only really used some French here and there because it's a language I do know.

19) First fandom you wrote for? Baldur's Gate 3, Fountain of Decay

20) Favorite fic you’ve ever written? It's not finished, but my current fic I have fallen so in love with my OC and her views of the world and it just mushes up my heart. I look forward to writing it, an churn out chapters probably a bit too quick but I just... can't get enough. It's turned into my most commented on / most kudos / most hit / most bookmarked / most subscribed fic and I just... I can't with it. I am in Veilguard era now and I am not looking forward to it ending. Being able to expand on my thoughts for the Forgotten Ones, and their history has been a delight. I am actually considering writing up one using the history I developed for them into a fic of just about them... not sure if it would be interesting for anyone else so we'll see!

The Theory of Being

[madzilla84]

Emerging from spoiler cave

This was gonna mainly be about Veilguard lol but then I realised I wanted to talk about something else first.

I’m back - sort of, not really - after going into Dragon Age spoiler-avoiding self-imposed social media exile, and honestly it (leaving social media) has been … GREAT. I’ve been so deeply addicted for so long that I thought it would be much harder than it was… I was almost dreading coming back after finishing Veilguard, before I realised I - don’t really have to, at least not to the same extent I was before. (Hit Da Bricks, etc) 

My screen time numbers, especially for social media, were truly horrifying lmao - and if I’d been having a good time for all of those hours, talking to friends, posting stuff, seeing art or meta or fun/interesting stuff, then fine. But I wasn’t, the vast *vast* majority of the time was mindless scrolling on twitter and it was just making me feel anxious and miserable. The first day after I left it felt like coming out of a trance.

I don’t think I’ll ever leave 100% because I have friends on the various platforms I want to keep up with, and I do want to keep up with fandom stuff in *some* way, but I don’t think I want to go back to the way things were before. I also know it’s very easy to fall right back into it due to my all-or-nothing personality so I need to be careful not to do that now I’m out of Spoiler Jail.

I finished Veilguard last night, so today I sort of peeked around the door to see what was happening and honestly it is SO rancid everywhere. I don’t know where I can find the *good* stuff yet; I’ve only been on Bluesky properly for a very brief time and I haven’t been on here for weeks, but I think those two are my best shot (thinking of things like fan art, good meta, etc). I don’t want to be all Toxic Positivity about it but I am simply not interested in the Takes, the hate, the constant *constant* criticism. Talk to the wall.

I left DA fandom once before (2016? 2017? something like that) because of all the discourse and the terrible vibes so it’s not *entirely* surprising, but I do hope I can find some folks who actually *liked* the game and want to talk about it in good faith. 

It’s weird to leave, or mostly leave - especially twitter, which I’ve been on for 17 years - but everything has changed and not for the better, and sometimes you have to prioritise your own fucking sanity. I do feel like tumblr will be a nicer place to hang out from now on so I might post more of my stuff here like I used to; I’m still feeling out Bluesky, so far it’s fine but it’s - kinda just quieter twitter 2.0 a bit, you know?

It was very excellent to come back to Phan vs. Jedus, though. Never change, tumblr.

[biowaredisasterbisexual]

A collection of incredible Disaster Rook text posts made by the incomparable @thedissonantverses.

They’re so perfect. 🤣

[swagalicioussquids]

2, 6, 16, 24, 31, 38 from the oc prompts! :3

Yeeeessss these're good ones, thanks for asking!! These are all Nuri and Deyan talking about characters from our main human plot (which is in name limbo right now but I think we're changing the name back to Snapshots so let's call it that) and AU versions thereof~

---

2. Do you have a personal favourite among your OCs?

Is "all of them" an option??

In all seriousness, tho: Nuri can never settle on a permanant favorite, so the answer changes from year to year. But Mo (more specifically, her Dragon Age AU) has been a very strong contender for the past few years.

Deyan's favorite for the better part of the last decade has been a 3 way tie between Zee, Kye, and Brae!

---

6. Two OCs of yours that look alike despite not being related?

We don't have any super close lookalikes. Heck, a lot of the folks who ARE related don't even look similar, because there's a lot of adoption going on in this plot. but Sebastián and the Obsidian System look vaguely similar despite having never even MET.

---

16. Which one of your OCs would be the best at biology (school subject)?

Sebastián! He's a pharmacist! And also just generally a huge nerd.

---

24. If you could meet one OC of yours, who would it be and why?

Nuri would like to meet uhhhhhh... all of them?? But maybe Mario, because fae wants to understand him better. He's our very oldest OC and we adore him so much, but he's sometimes hard to write without ending up with some sort of like... [parody of a dudebro] situation.

Deyan wants to meet Kye because he desperately wants to be ocean buddies with her and also bond over Interfaith Family Things!

---

31. Pick one OC of yours and explain what their tumblr blog would be like (what they reblog, layout, anything really)

We have to pick only ONE?? Okay leeet's go with Brae, because they are Very Online. And... also we've been playing as an AU version of them in BG3, so they're on our brain.

Brae's Tumbr layout would be exceedingly green. Probably something designed to make text-heavy posts easy to see, with a very thorough intro post and tagging system. Their icon would be of their fursona playing the lute (drawn by Lirpa or Mario), and their header would probably be a photo of some very old sheet music or something.

Their orignal posts would mostly be lengthy infodumps about (mostly Celtic) music history, anecdotes about their roleplaying misadventures, and occasional photos of their ren fair outfits. And their reblogs would be a hodge podge of:

Other people's music history infodumps

Other history, music, and linguistics posts (serious or funny, often very text-heavy)

Posts about endangered cultures, religions, and languages

Posts about Celtic reconstructionist paganism

Photos of historical instruments, clothes, and art

Other people's roleplaying anecdotes

Their friends' art (especially of their roleplaying characters)

The occasional fic or fanart from fandoms they're tangentially in (mostly fantasy RPGs or D&D podcasts), tho they're not super active in any given fandom

The occasional green or nerdy aesthetic post

The occasional green magpie

---

38. Which one of your OCs would be the best dancer?

Aqui! She's not a professional dancer or anything, but she does have a considerable amount of formal training. Modern dance is her favorite!

---

Want to ask us questions about our OCs? Here's the list!

[biowaredisasterbisexual]

And, of course, thank you @hyperions-light for helping run the blog for the week, and contributing both your wonderful writing here and on AO3 and your fabulous company larkstreaming over on Twitch! Not to mention being an incredible commenter/reblogger of all the wonderful works made this week!

(And another round of applause for both @taashyvashedan for being the anchor of this week and YOU ALL READING THIS! Your enthusiasm, creativity, and love for Taash made this possible!)

We are still reblogging pieces for Taash Week 2025-- and remember to mention us/use the tag if you finish, later!-- but as this week is sadly coming to an end, I (hyperion) wanted to give a HUGE thank you to all of the mods who worked so hard to make this week a success by commenting, reblogging, posting about and creating for Taash Week 2025!

Thank you @flowersforthemachines for providing screenshots, making wonderful gif sets and mods, as well as reblogging and commenting on Taash Week works!

Thank you @mageofquandrix for modding the Taash Week streams, and for providing such wonderful screenshots, as well as being so dedicated to commenting and reblogging people's fanworks!

Thank you @thedissonantverses for writing such wonderful pieces, and for being so assiduous with reblogging and commenting on everyone's work, as well as making sure we never missed anyone!

Thank you @theunsinkablesappho for writing such lovely pieces, providing screenshots, and for interacting with people's work!

Thank you @ofcrowsanddragons for writing such excellent pieces for so many days, reblogging and liking people's work, and for helping promote Mage's screenshots!

Thank you @biowaredisasterbisexual for running the blog when Taashy was busy, modding for the Taash Week streams, and creating so much gorgeous writing for the prompts! Also, for being such a consistent commenter and reblogger for everyone's work!

And finally:

THANK YOU SO MUCH @taashyvashedan for all of your hard work running the blog this week, and for sharing your immense love for Taash! This week could not have been so successful without your incredible dedication-- it is truly inspiring! Thank you so much! 🩵

AND, a HUGE thank you to YOU, my fellow Tumblr blogging, for sharing your incredible art and your enthusiasm for Taash! We could never have made this a success without all of you sharing, liking, reblogging, and commenting! THANK YOU!

We hope to see you again, soon!

[not-poignant]

I remember reading some asks that when you were in Guardians fandom, people were always correcting some stuff too, that they though is wrong or smth. And I feel like especially after so long writing your own universes, those very "smart" anons are really annoying. I just hope that they won't suck any wind from benith your wings and you don't spend much energy on answers to their asks and that you know always know - your writing is your own and we are fucking blessed for reading it <3

Maybe I just have forgotten so that I can mostly remember the good things (haha) but aside from people always having a bone to pick with me calling Pitch's daughter Seraphina, Rise of the Guardians was generally pretty chill!

I think back then there were a lot more 'why are you depicting Bunnymund this way?' or 'Why are you making this choice?' which as open-ended questions I really don't mind answering!! Even when it's obvious that the person who's asking the question doesn't agree with my depiction, then I can explain myself, vs. someone just anonymously coming in to go 'hi you are wrong' when... I'm not O.o

Different fandoms have different feels to them, kind of like visiting different countries! DnD / FR as a fandom seems to have a pocket of vocal people who want to prove they know more than me about DnD / FR to which I'll just say - you all know more than me, you win, here's your trophy, now let me write my fic the way I want thanks and learn how to read tags/author's notes :D That being said, the folks who don't care about that shit and just want to enjoy Astarion being railed / living his best-worst life have been the BEST and I really enjoy how thoughtful they are and how cool their comments are. There's some super engaged folks in this fandom who have really great takes on things, and I enjoy that side of it a lot.

Rise of the Guardians was incredibly creative. Like, to this day, I know one fanartist who went to work at Dreamworks, one who does official art for Hearthstone and works for Blizzard (her dream - and I still have her fanart of Gwyn in my house!), plenty more who went on to become professional artists, comic writers, writers, animators etc. I think the visual art and style of that show attracted so many people who love art, which was fun. We also had antis, but whatever, I feel like every fandom has those if you're active in the fandom.

Stardew Valley is mostly very mild, because it's intermittently very quiet and there's so many different pairings, and I've always written rarepairs. Generally people who enjoy that game are pretty low-key, and they're some of the nicest folks I've met in like anon asks and in comments! Love SDV peeps and it's been a pleasure to come back to the fandom.

Dragon Age: Inquisition was... lol. Lol. Well, look, I made some amazing friends through that fandom who I still know today. It attracted actually a surprising amount of older fandom folks who brought a lot of knowledge about how to write fic, so the fandom is drenched in really good fic, really good art. There was a ton of fucking drama, and some of the most acephobic rhetoric I've ever seen came out of this fandom, including asexual block-lists where people hunted each other down on Tumblr with things like 'have you blocked this person yet they're asexual' in anon. So like... DAI was a RIDE. The people I met in that fandom as friends I'll treasure. The actual fandom itself was a trash-fire depending on where you were. There were definitely a couple of BNFs in this fandom who made it their job to just hate other people, especially if they were ace and liked writing an ace Dorian Pavus. That was the first time I learned that blocking is good for the soul.

The Beast that Chose Its Own Bridle is a tiny fandom made of people who all love Felix and Mildmay very much :D

Detroit Become Human was a weird experience and it felt like a weird fandom. It was I think Korean or Japanese fanart that actually inspired Eversion, since that's where the first reverse!AU fanart (at least that I saw) began. But the comments could be weird, the anons were sometimes weird (not always, but sometimes! Especially in the beginning - and I just think first impressions really count lol), and I remember joining a Connor/Hank Discord where the most active folks were very quick to tell me how I should write my story, which was like - I like that they liked the story, but I've never had people try to show how much they like something by trying to change it into something they like more in quite that way before? I didn't really feel like staying in the fandom, tbh, it's extremely cliquey, especially all the folks that have like 400 names for the different versions of Connor, and it feels like it has a steep learning curve if you want to join the 'club.'

It was also the story where I had to do the most heavy lifting on BDSM education. Like, this fandom felt very BDSM naive *overall* - there's obviously exceptions, but I had to literally change how I was writing the story to explain more things than I normally would have done in a fic like that, because I was just getting so many 'why would Connor want to be humiliated during sex' anons and comments which was like okay, okay, let's actually do some 101 brochure stuff with this (the chapter where Connor calls Luuk and they talk about Connor liking being humiliated was not meant to be a whole chapter dslkfjas).

In fandoms like Thorki I could assume that the majority of readers would sort of get that even if it was a kink they didn't like - it was still just a kink that people can like and/or help others out with explanations. So it's possible D:BH skewed young and/or just not BDSM experienced! Which is fine! It's just I've noticed it here the most of all the fandoms I've been in. There were folks who knew kink really well who didn't need any explanations there at all, because I tend to over-explain a character's reasoning at the best of times, but yeah.

These are all like... deeply personal experiences influenced by the pairings I'm writing and how deeply I'm going into each fandom! I was tag-tracking in RotG / D:BH / DA:I, so I saw a lot more stuff, I think.

There's other fandoms I've been a part of but not really written for much or at all, like Thorki (love it there) and Sebaciel re: Black Butler (love it there too, but we lose a lot of writers because of antis), and also Murderbot (really weirdly cliquey in a 'oh... I see' kind of way, which might explain why a small pocket of people are writing most of the fics - because they're the only ones allowed in their Discord lol). Murderbot fandom is why I didn't end up writing Murderbot fanfiction sdalkfjdsa

Anyway, fandoms are weird, personal spaces that should be heavily curated! But I can't stop anons coming into my inbox with certain 'flavours' of question per fandom unless I turn off anon and honestly where would be the fun of that :D :D :D

[thedaughterofkings]

Tagged by @clotpolesonly, thank you, Jess!

I went ahead and linked all of the songs and you should totally give them a listen, because they are all wonderful and amazing and I love them (and thus am totally unbiased).

T - Through the Dark (One Direction) Do yourself a favour and listen to this song it is so beautiful and I love it so much. H - Highland (Blackmore's Night) Renaissance Folk about wanting to go back to the Highlands? Sign me upppp E - Everything louder than everything else (Meatloaf) A wasted youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age - need I say more? D - Dreamer (Supertramp) Supertramp is epic and wonderful and has such prominent piano lines and I love it A - And Then There Was Silence (Blind Guardian) An almost 15 minute epic retelling the Iliad - need I say more? I especially love the Cassandra reference. U - Underdog (Imagine Dragons) I once listened to Bleeding Out for an entire day, but there is no B in my username and I do really like underdog, too, so we'll go with that! G - Give me love (Ed Sheeran) I'm not sure if it still counts as my very favourite Ed Sheeran song, but it certainly was my first favourite Ed song, and I still love it a whole lot. H - Heaven on their minds (Jesus Christ Superstar) If someone wants to pay me for putting on a one woman show of JCS - I'm ready! T - Time Stands Still (At The Iron Hill) (Blind Guardian) An operatic/symphonic metal concept album about the Silmarillion is everything I ever wanted in my life. E - End of all hope (Nightwish) If you need to get your blood pumping, I know nothing better than this song! R - Ride the Wild Wind (Queen) I had to get some Queen in here - and I couldn't make '39 fit my name so we'll go with this one O - On My Way Home (Enya) Really, anything by Enya goes! Her winter/Christmas album (And Winter Came) is an absolute staple in my winter rotation! F - From the North (Runrig) I'm hard pressed to pick any favourite Runrig song (because they are all favourites), but this one is definitely up there. K - Kopf hoch, tanzen (Herbert Grönemeyer) You are missing out, if you don't understand German, but there are a couple of English versions of his songs that he produced once upon a time! One of Germany's best beloved acts and well deserved as well in my opinion! I - If I Could Fly (One Direction) It makes me cry okay - another really beautiful one N - Nur für Dich (Wise Guys) Okay, this one is German and with this band half the fun are the lyrics (the other half are the harmonies because acapella!!), but if you understand at least a little German, I highly recommend the Wise Guys! G - Generation (Simple Plan) HEY HO, LET'S GO! S - Show me (My Fair Lady) One of my absolute favourite musicals ever!!

I feel as though I should say that I'm not as old as some of these choices make me appear

I'm always ready to yell about any of these songs/artist!!! And if you end up listening to anything because of this and liking it, pleeeease let me know!

Tagging Clara, @loverofcake and the last ten people who reblogged something from me - no pressure though!

@ihavelikenolife, @sharlaidfrey, @brap-brap-lightning-mcqueen, @writinglines, @fruitingbodyworship, @fandoms-and-i, @c00kieknight, @221b-anarion, @fangirlofrandomness, @letterschming and of course everyone else who'd like to do this!

[biowaredisasterbisexual]

Still spots available! I’m in one of these with Lark (and so many other wonderful people), and it has been such a wonderful experience.

6 (out of 5) stars!

Writing Workshop Master Post

What is it?

A writing workshop lasting approximately six weeks (barring complications), where we go over and practice critiquing a work, and then you provide a piece that is 5,000 words or less for the entire group to give you feedback on.

Where is it?

I run it through a private Discord server.

How much does it cost?

It's free! I'm doing this to provide access to this service for people who want to improve their writing skills without spending a lot of money. I do ask that if you join the workshop and are in a financial position to do so, you consider contributing a suggested donation of $50 (or whatever you can spare) to my ko-fi after your workshop day has passed. (I want to make sure you get something useful out of it first, though!) However, if you aren't able to do that, I understand, and it's still perfectly fine for you to participate!

Further details under the cut!

How long does it take, and when is it?

It takes approximately an hour and a half each time, and we are currently doing it on Sundays at noon MST. If the group would like to pick another date/time, I can likely accommodate it.

Who is allowed to participate?

Any adult who is fluent in reading and writing English is free to join. You do not need to be a native speaker. I have no desire to lock participation to English-speaking countries, but the topics covered in ESL classes are very different from those that I cover, and I don't feel qualified to teach that sort of curriculum. You do not need to be part of the Dragon Age or BW fandoms to join. If you are under the age of majority in the country where you live, please talk to me and we'll see if we can work something out. Some pieces submitted for critique may handle adult subject matter, so special accommodations/permissions may need to be arranged.

What information will you go over?

Close reading, providing helpful critique, how to give feedback to other people that is useful and well-received, how to line-edit a piece, how to write a critique letter, and some general writing tips.

How many people will be in each workshop?

I think I will stick with eight!

How do I sign up?

I will not start a new workshop until the current one is over, but if you know you want to participate, please contact me on Tumblr or ko-fi and I will reserve a spot for you in the next one. I will contact you and send you a survey when the previous workshop ends; if the timing is inconvenient for you, but you still want to do it, let me know and I can ask you later! If you want to, you can contact me right now!

Other writing workshops cost a lot more money. Are they overcharging me?

NO. This is an extraordinary amount of work, and I have no desire to devalue the services that other people provide in this space. I am doing this for comparatively little because I have a deeply held belief that people should have access to education, regardless of their economic circumstances.

Do I have to come to every single session?

Ideally, you should attend every session. The first two are necessary to participate in the rest of the course; if you can't make it to one of those two for any reason, please contact me and I'll see if we can figure out a time to make it up. However, the strength of the workshop is in the participants and the community of writers; the more people are present to give their opinions, the better each critique will be. Please try to come to as many meetings as possible, so that everyone can have a useful and fun critique!

I want to emphasize that this workshop does involve actual critical feedback of your work, and the participants will provide suggestions for improvement. However, I also expect all participants to be respectful and polite to one another, and to offer their critique with the author's goals in mind. If anyone cannot follow these guidelines, they will be asked to leave.

I have more questions! Where can I ask?

You can always contact me on Tumblr via asks or DMs, if you have any questions!

Thank you for your interest! Hope to see you all in workshop!

[maintitle]

4, 13, and 18 for the dragon age ask game?

Thank you so much for indulging my need to talk Dragon Age! But oh I'm definitely gonna put number 4 under a read more because I don't know how to answer it without it getting long-winded and story-like. I'll cover that one last.

13. What's one of the things you've seen confirmed so far that you're a fan of?

Oh, a lot actually! The only gripes I have with the game at the moment are some gameplay details, and if I'm being fully honest I care very little for gameplay if the story is good, I'm a bad gamer like that I guess.

I guess the number one thing was the reveal in the Q&A that the Inquisition dialogue wheel is coming back. I prefer a silent protagonist, but considering it would be unreasonable to expect that, I think the Inquisition wheel is the closest to it we can get. I know folks like the DA2 wheel, and while the sarcasm option was fun, I always feel a bit pigeonholed with the good/nuetral or sarcastic/bad wheel, it limits my options to me. I think the Inquisition wheel adding so many tone and emotional responses really allowed me to make a more complete character that's mine, and really that's what I'm looking for. Roleplay, good characters, good writing and a scope where decisions impact the world. So I'm sold!

18. Which aspect of fandom are you most looking forward to? (e.g. reading/writing fic, the bounty of gorgeous art, getting to know new people, etc.)

Honestly I'm just excited to not see it dead. This has been a very quiet fan base for a really long time, and while that's sometimes nice (there's a lot of folks flooding into the space that are really toxic atm), having excitement and new perspectives available is always both healthy and engaging for a setting.

4. What does your worldstate look like going into DAV?

Origins: A dalish male rogue Grey Warden named Vehra Mahariel, tired and blighted and so very young, becomes a pragmatic man who is willing to be morally grey to fund and run the cause, but will not move morally on the big issues. He managed to save the Dalish and cure the Werewolves, he saved the mages at the Circle Tower, and he put Harrowmont on the throne because at the end of the day he was both the most trustworthy to stick to his word and most willing to aid the effort. Conner was saved by the Circle thanks to waiting for Redcliffe until the last move and the Urn was found and he was cured.

The decision was ultimately made to marry Alistair to Anora, and put them on the throne. Peace had to be brokered, and this was the best chance the nation had. Alistair was not hardened however, and Anora was there to make up for his softer side. Vehra was in love with Morrigan, and had no qualms about the decision to have a baby with her, and was ultimately only hurt that he couldn't go with her.

During his time as the Commander Of The Grey, he was ultimately successful in re-establishing the Wardens, and ruled with a careful pragmatism that did not abandon the people. He was, however, shady when threatened, and thus proved he could not rule. He saved Amaranthine and his keep with no issues, but ultimately did not kill the Architect because of the implications of Darkspawn possibly being made sentient. After leaving Amaranthine over disputes with the Wardens, he managed to track down Morrigan and follow her to raise their child until such a time as he had to find a cure for the Calling. Vehra was ultimately a child robbed of his innocence, a sickly man who was forced to give up his world for a group that ultimately denied him despite every tough decision and difficult choice that was hefted upon him. In the end, he found his family, but ultimately always looks to the horizon for what was lost, and what little of his future he can save.

You can read his journeys here.

DA2: Champion Lyla Hawke was a female mage who was largely sarcastic, but that sarcasm largely hid how raw and idealistic she was, a coping mechanism largely causes by years of her family not really taking to her trying to protect them, her brother's aggressiveness and her sister's death. When she arrived in Kirkwall she did a lot of smuggling to save her family from the debts they accrued getting in. She protected mages wherever she could even in her early years her early years, and ultimately used the money she got from the Deep Roads expedition to gain back her family crest and protect herself from the Templars. It was the least the expedition could do after it nearly killed her brother and took him away from his Mother. He survived because of this guy Anders, who was a bit weird when she turned her down but like whatever his goals seemed cool.

Suddenly thrust into a deeply complicated political chess game between the city of Kirkwall, it's Qunari guests and some terrible woman at the Chantry. She worked her ass off to keep the peace, but ultimately was doomed from the start. After the loss of her Mother the city went to hell, and ultimately had to choose between the Qunari leaving peacefully and losing a friend, and she chose the friend. It was a whole situation.

Still stuck in the throes of politics, she found herself the only person protecting the mages from the Templars and Meredith, who now essentially ruled the city. Since she got Feynriel out of the city she'd been trying to save who she could, but it was ultimately a doomed effort. She would've been open to extreme action in order to allow mage freedom, but that guy Anders who was her friend decided that community action and union was NOT a fundamental cornerstone of rebellion, and blew up the chantry, essentially dooming many mages from being saved in the opening of a vast Right Of Annulment. She was angry enough that he trusted nobody and acted on his own, but when Sebastien threatened to start an exalted march on Kirkwall if Anders didn't die, the choice was made. Her friend had to die. The mages were saved, or as saved as they could be.

She went into hiding with Merrill, her lover. They were madly in love with each other, but love wasn't always enough. A mirror stood between the two, and always would. Hawke tried to make it work, and to Merrill's credit, she did too, but ultimately the past would beckon her back. Corypheas, a spectre of her past whom she thought was dead, threatened the world. She ultimately had to choose between continuing the fight against him and saving both the Wardens and the one person who could truly stop him, and thus chose to sacrifice herself. Her story is tragedy, someone who wanted to help but ultimately always was thwarted.

You can read her stories here.

Inquisition: Inquisitor Hissera Adaar was a female Tal-Vashoth Warrior who stumbled into the role of the Herald Of Andraste role through the nearly a decade of Mercenary Work she did. An exhausted optimist, she was incredibly empathetic, but also a seasoned enough tactician to be able to make tough decisions. While she was never comfortable with being called the Herald and was very open about denying it, the spread of the Inquisition and her skill at both politics and commanding armies did little to downplay the legend. Avoiding the hangman's noose nearly entirely also added to the image of divine mercy, much to her chagrine.

Adaar's first priority was ending the mage/templar war, and that started with the liberation of the mages in southern Thedas. It was the Inquisitor that gave them the first true taste of freedom. The experience, however, was a harrowing one, as she was forced to face a future she had to prevent. Politics became more complicated, but with the careful aid of Josephine's guiding hand, she brokered a peace between the lovers Briala and Empress Celene. It was the best option for all the citizens of Orlais, she though... and ultimately she was a hopeless romantic. Knowing the importance of the Wardens, she empowered Stroud to lead the Orlesian Wardens. During the attack of Corypheaus forces, she was respectul of the temple but ultimately trusted in Morrigan's judgement to drink from the well, despite the consequences.

After the defeat of Corypheaus, the Inquisitor empowered a newly softened Leliana to bring a kinder, if more firm, future to the Chantry as the Divine. Resources were put forth to follow the tracks of Solas, leading ultimately to a meeting between the two where she swore to change his mind. When the world called for the Inquisition to put down their swords, she fulfilled a promise from long ago and did so, leaving just a small group of allies to chase Solas. In the intervening years, she moved to her lover Josephine's home and remained a public figure only just enough to help her family, but largely retired from public view. In the shadows, however, she spent what time she wasn't needed to track Solas running with the Red Jennies, as her blood ultimately could not allow her to sit still.

You can read more about her story here.

thank you so much for your patience if you actually read all of this, and I'm so sorry.

[arcadialedger]

What does canon mean?

Ah, my sweet summer cherub. You must be new to fandom spaces. Don’t worry, I’m here to help you with all of the lingo!

Canon as a fandom term comes from the literary canon, or the set of texts we as a society consider classics/ “high literature”. The concept of the literary canon and whether or not we need to expand it is highly controversial (especially when discussing including more works by women, people of color, queer folks, religious minorities, and other marginalized communities).

Canon in the fandom sense is HIGHLY complicated, as it is a spectrum and the lines get blurry real fast. Essentially, canon means it is official, or in the text from the actual creator/ author. In other words, not fan theories or fan creation. In the age of spin off comics and books with varying input from the initial creator of a property, however, and of social media, what is canon has become very complicated (as I stated above), as things are being confirmed by creators on social media, or in spin off/ merch material, outside of the main body of the series, book, film, etc. This is especially common when it comes to creators confirming characters as queer on platforms such as Twitter, but aren’t confirmed to be queer in the context of the main story.

Take Lilith Clawthorne from The Owl House, or Wendy from Gravity Falls. Lilith was confirmed to be aro ace in an interview/ side material from the show, whereas Wendy was confirmed to be bi on Twitter by series creator Alex Hirsch, I believe.

To what level is these characters queerness canon, when it’s not in the main text of their respective shows at all? And this leads to discussion of what it’s acceptable to ship. General Amaya was confirmed to be a lesbian outside of the main show, and there was controversy towards her still being shipped with a male character. This was confirmed three seasons in with people having shipped her with this male character from day one, as they have a sweet friendship. It’s easy to see how some would wish for it to go the friends to lovers route. However, Amaya is a lesbian. It’s obviously not okay to ship her with a man, right? But what about those who are casual fans of the show and don’t know that Amaya is a lesbian, because they’re not involved in fandom spaces on Twitter? This begs to differ the question— how canon is Amaya being a lesbian, when it’s not even said in the show itself? Sure she’s with a female character romantically in season 4, but for all casual viewers know she could be bi+. The general consensus? If you know that Amaya is intended to be a lesbian, it’s probably not good to ship her with a man.

With canon bi characters like Wendy or Sasha Waybright from Amphibia it’s a bit easier, as bi+ people can be shipped with anyone without it invalidating their sexuality. But what about Lilith Clawthorne, who shouldn’t be shipped with anyone given she’s aroace? What about people who don’t know about that, and ship her with another character in The Owl House? How canon is her aromanticism, when it’s not stated in the show?

There are other examples of what is canon getting complicated outside of sexuality confirmations or headcanons (headcanon= something a fan considers canon in the text until proven wrong, in which case it becomes fanon, or “fan canon”— something a fan wishes was canon). Just look at the How to Train Your Dragon shows, which have gotten completely out of the hands of the original directors and creators behind the films. The original Cartoon Network series can be read as canon, as nothing contradicts the films. However, Race to the Edge and the subsequent shows CANNOT, as they blatantly contradict the films and main text. This is why spin-offs from varying creators under the same IP get so tricky. Race to the Edge has… some continuity from the original series, and at best can be read as “mostly” or “partly” canon, but there are blaring contradictions. It’s definitely not entirely canon— maybe only in its little HTTYD alternate universe it created.

Then you have stuff like The Dragon Prince, whose spin-off material is unquestionably canon and entirely by the original creators— to the point where the novelizations and comics are almost essential reading to understanding the main show. For example, there is a line in s4 that will leave you scratching your head wondering what it means unless you’ve read the novelizations. A huge part of the main couple (Rayllum)’s arc in s4 is entirely based on what happened in the graphic novel Through the Moon.

So, when I say that Sokeefe became canon, I mean they as a couple became official within the context of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. At least, I presume that post is what this ask was inspired by. KOTLC is a little simpler, as there’s a book series and that is it, no spin-offs or subsequent material. What’s canon is as simple as what Shannon Messenger wrote in the books, compared to what a fan might write in their fanfic.

I hope this helps, as complicated as the answer was, and that you have a better understanding of what canon means after reading this! If you’re still confused don’t worry— hang around Tumblr or other fandom spaces online for a bit and you’ll see it used so often you’ll get a sense of the context and when/ how to use the term.

[biowaredisasterbisexual]

It has been absolutely wonderful to see all the enthusiasm for @datvcompanionweeks’ Taash Week.

You all are so creative, so thoughtful, so funny, so talented….

You all are the best. I can’t wait to see what folks come up with each day. Here’s to you all and to Taash!