#i don't have an issue with people thinking trespasser is amazing

[solavelyan]

10 years later and people are still in denial that the end of inquisition was, in fact, the ending, and it was just Not Good

[kebriones]

As an artist yourself i want to ask for your opinion. I want to draw couples in Greek mythology like Hades and Persephone but i feel already that people will think of them as overrated for someone to make art again for this couple for the millionth time.

Or when great artists make art about one specific couple so i personally feel that i can't make about the same couple. Like for example i would like to make art of Alcibiades but you already draw Alcibiades so amazingly it feels like i can't do it

Unless i am totally overthinking it without reason idk sorry for the rant 😔

Dear Anon, I will preface this by saying I completely understand what you are saying.

But life is very short and when you have a harmless and creative thing you WANT to do, like drawing something, you should just do it. Absolutely go and draw as much hades/Persephone art as you want. Because it's so popular, yes, some stranger online will perhaps see it and scoff "oh another hades/pers shipper ugh". That's fine. Don't mind that. It's unavoidable There will be dozens of other people who will enjoy it and will love your art.

Second point: never ever think that you mustn't draw something because someone more skilled is already drawing it. I'm not sure what the root of this way of thinking is, to give you some specific advice on combating it, but I know other people irl who have a similar issue of feeling like they're trespassing on some "better artist's territory"

I can only tell you that you never ever lose your right to draw something you want and sharing it with people, even if you're five years old and drawing stick figures. I myself will be ecstatic to see ANY fanart of Alcibiades, all of them are amazing to me. And this has been the case in all fandoms and art spaces I've been in. Especially fanart, will be enjoyed no matter your skill level.

I can't find it right now, but there's a comic where it shows two bakers, and one of them is feeling bad because their cake isn't as fancy as the other's , but the person who gets the two cakes is super happy because they got two cakes. More art is always welcome, nevermind what the style or skill level is, and never ever ever ever think you shouldn't draw something because it's overdone, or already being drawn by others.

Also like the Alcibiades fandom is small and we all need to pull out weight in this boat so go draw Alcibiades this instant 😠 😠

I'm joking <3 but i hope you get the sentiment. And I hope you draw whatever you want.

[felassan]

Thoughts/wonderings on Dragon Age: The Missing #1, under a cut due to spoilers for The Missing:

Thoughts on the first few pages can already be found here (spoiler warning for subsequent issues of The Missing at link), as they came out via preview beforehand. I'm glad Evka and Antoine made it out alive =)

"It's up to us, and only us, to find Solas" idk that was just a raw metal line. I'm ready to try (ง'̀-'́)ง

flashback scene! love a good flashback scene. that's the Hanged Man, right? I like the choice of different lightings and different color palettes for the flashback scenes vs the present, it helps distinguish them from one another and convey they take place at different times.

Charter has a new hairstyle, I guess indicating time has passed since the end of Trespasser. I like it but I'm not sure about the design choice for the way her ears have been depicted. I wonder, does this scene take place before or after her encounter with Solas in TN? I feel like we'll meet Charter again in DA:D.

Varric literally looks like '(╥﹏╥)' lmao he's so done.

tfw "The Inquisitor"

"there's no one I or the Inquisitor trust more than you" that's present tense, right? 👁��� so they're still called that old title, even now

lmao Varric keep it down man. random drunk people can hear you, never mind Solas spies and Solas agents. I feel like in two different panels the same background bar patron is listening in

Harding's scouting skills must be super amazing

In the "You know that's a terrible idea"/"But Harding sees the best in people" panels Varric is basically doing a grumpy 'but she is too good and pure for this world, precious cinnamon roll'. and he's really not pulling punches when talking about Solas is he (he's voicing things my Inquisitor would think incidentally..) like my wondering from the earlier pages (link above), this dialogue again makes me feel like Varric is kinda a reflection of the Stop Solas choice in contrast to Harding as a reflection of the Redeem Solas choice

"The Dread Wolf, who broke the world" is another metal line. "broke the world" is interesting, like.. the world healed, but into a fucked up state (e.g. Blight, elven oppression, all the stuff Solas woke up to). some people think he's doing to destroy the world to bring back the old one, but in some ways it's more like how there are procedures where to realign things and allow them to heal properly, healthily, medical professionals will re-break bones.

I wonder again if the Inquisition remnants have tried to come up with a countermeasure to the turning people to stone power? it seems like a big obstacle, yknow?

this sounds like it'll be Varric's role in DA:D, right? The person who puts together the new Team. Varnick Fury? he recruits us? maybe the various characters Varric and Harding meet in this comic series (Evka and Antoine, Teia and Viago [?], The 2 Veil Jumpers etc) are part of the wider team in DA:D, contacts, folks we meet?

"We both know what's at stake if you don't" find a way. aaaaa

oh I like Harding's cloak thing with the.. cloak-tassel-belt things. reminds me of Morrigan's belt-skirt

Evka is badass

"there's no one I or the Inquisitor trust more than you" that's present tense, right? 👁️ so they're still called that old title, even now

lmao Varric keep it down man. random drunk people can hear you, never mind Solas spies and Solas agents. I feel like in two different panels the same background bar patron is listening in

Harding's scouting skills must be super amazing

In the "You know that's a terrible idea"/"But Harding sees the best in people" panels Varric is basically doing a grumpy 'but she is too good and pure for this world, precious cinnamon roll'. and he's really not pulling punches when talking about Solas is he (he's voicing things my Inquisitor would think incidentally..) like my wondering from the earlier pages (link above), this dialogue again makes me feel like Varric is kinda a reflection of the Stop Solas choice in contrast to Harding as a reflection of the Redeem Solas choice

"The Dread Wolf, who broke the world" is another metal line. "broke the world" is interesting, like.. the world healed, but into a fucked up state (e.g. Blight, elven oppression, all the stuff Solas woke up to). we wonder about Solas going to destroy the world in order to bring back the old one, but in some ways it's maybe more like how there are medical procedures where to realign things and allow them to heal properly, healthily, medical professionals will re-break bones. like that has to be done to allow it to heal right.

I wonder again if the Inquisition remnants have tried to come up with a countermeasure to the turning people to stone power? it seems like a big obstacle, yknow?

this sounds like it'll be Varric's role in DA:D, right? The person who puts together the new Team, but not a companion per se. so... Varnick Fury? he recruits us? maybe the various characters Varric and Harding meet in this comic series (Evka and Antoine, Teia and Viago [?], The 2 Veil Jumpers etc) are part of the wider team in DA:D, contacts, folks we meet?

"We both know what's at stake if you don't" find a way. aaaaa

oh I like Harding's cloak thing with the.. cloak-tassel-belt things. reminds me of Morrigan's belt-skirt

Evka is badass

Is the Varric&Harding meeting flashback taking place in Skyhold or Kirkwall? the town around it in later panels makes me think Kirkwall. Varric looks kinda soft seeing Harding. that's nice, their dynamic there is nice. and I'm glad to hear Varric is being such a good Viscount and continuing to rebuild Kirkwall :')

Varric is going gray dfesfesffe. Solas Stress has kicked off his ascent (or descent, from his portrayal in this comic lmao) into silver fox territory. that and 'heavy is the head that wears the crown' I guess

Harding is so good :')

hm hm I think the bright sun in the sky, prominent and looming, harshly bright, in this panel, is interesting.. there's all the stuff about spheres, an eclipse, two worlds.. the sun/sphere motif is here on both pages as well in this comic alone for example

with Harding on the cover of the next issue, and the mention of her mother here, I wonder if we'll get to learn a bit more about Harding's backstory. maybe her mom is ailing? (Varric and Harding almost seem to be touching in this panel.) does "you've got more to lose" mean 'your mom would be really sad if you didn't come back from this mission, think twice about it' or 'something would mysteriously befall your mom if you went on this mission, think twice about it'? 🤔 either way its nice that he's trying to look out for her.

Varric taking off the Viscount crown is his equivalent of Ash Ketchum turning his baseball cap backwards

the Inquisition remnants are genuinely worried that Solas' plans will result in mass death

how credible is Harding's lead? how did she find it? I wonder if it's a false lead Solas or the Venatori planted?

eyeball

hmm is it really just the Deep Stalkers and/or the ogre that have been taking people tho?

Wardens Evka and Antoine didn't sense the ogre coming? is the ogre holding a severed limb as a sort of club? the ogre splash page is cool. also lmaooo... varric's face. Harding grim, Antoine in pain, Evka fierce, Varric simply dying a little more inside

a Let Varric Retire / 'Not This Shit Again' moodboard

lmao the ogre literally just yeets him across the room like a sack of fucking potatoes . hasn't he suffered enough . hes just sailing depressedly thru the air like

the ogre's red eyes.. seem kinda glowy almost.. a stylistic choice in the comic because Scary Threat/Monster, or a hint at the red lyrium darkspawn stuff..?

Antoine.. pls

poor Harding

"What I wouldn't give for someone to look out for me like that" Varric you wound me, Hawke would/does (ಥ◡ಥ) I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that and console myself by reminding myself that it's a default kinda worldstate/not my canon etc

aah, the thing's choice of weapon. so it was indeed a severed limb of some description

so they just come upon a possible former hideout of Solas' just like that, and a note advising where he's going next is the main thing left out in the open in plain view on the table? seems sus. more like he let them find the hideout and left the invitation there for them to see right? and how do they know it was Solas who was here recently? are the papers on the walls some kind of protective enchantments to keep darkspawn away (an ogre could break down a wooden door easily) or part of the research whoever was using this room was conducting? protective enchantments mayhaps, and that's what Varric means with "magical crap" in one of the next panels?

hiding close to darkspawn is smart at least, people wouldn't expect someone to do it and it would help keep wandering or prying eyes away. between them in these panels Varric and Harding hammer home the "oh how weird and surprising" that Solas is staying close to darkspawn almost four times, its almost lampshadey.. maybe he was researching the Blight (more specifically about its origins/how to stop it probably or something).

I kinda feel that it's a kind of a big deal that someone knows how to keep darkspawn and Blight away to this extent using magic

how do they know he left recently and in a hurry? hh, of course solas is up to something. the invitation is all they took? they didnt ransack the drawers, books on the desk, books in the bookcase? or take a closer look at the papers on the wall? I feel like potentially these could have contained a few more clues on whatever magic or other thing the occupant of the room has recently been studying or researching. I'd wanna bring everything that I could carry personally.

I know it's so we the readers can read the note, but seeing written English in Thedas gave me minor whiplash

also I know he probably didnt but the mental image of Solas living in that tiny room in the Deep Roads in hiding for weeks/months/[?]years is kinda funny

Antoine is simply... Evka's babygirl. overall Antoine and Evka didn't do much in the issue, which is a shame.

Harding's dialogue and framing randomly seems sus in the "What? Oh yes. Of course panel" hh

So the person trailing them is revealed to be Venatori. I guess they killed the deepstalker to keep it off Varric and Harding's backs so they would lead them to the hideout, or so they could hear what they were talking about without interruption. I wonder what is their interest in finding out more about Solas/the search for Solas? curious. also at this point I'm definitely feeling that Harding will be a companion in DA:D.

overall not a lot happened in this issue which isn't a big surprise as a] only a few pages in length and b] it's catching us up on what's been happening between Trespasser and now at the same time as explaining about the quest Varric and Harding are on, showing that quest unfolding in the present and generally setting everything up for going forward. I feel like more of note will happen in the next issues, especially issue 3. this was a prologue :)

what will happen in Vyrantium? find out next time on Dragon Ball Z :D

[anhed-nia]

You can really hear the smug voice of an insufferable grammar wonk dictating the tagline for this stupid movie. THE LESSON has one of my favorite movie problems to hate on, which is that it's about someone impossibly great at their craft creating an impossibly great masterpiece--a premise that almost no one can execute, unless you're like making THE RED SHOES with Moira Shearer who was beyond human, this is basically the worst plot setup ever. If you don't literally have the greatest living artist to help make your movie about the idea of the greatest living artist, just don't do it, I'm serious. And actually it's even worse when its a story about a great writer writing a great story, because what is that supposed to imply about the screenwriter who wrote it? And god forbid it's some sort of fantasy tale in which you get to have the uniquely insulting experience of a storyteller telling you that storytelling is literally magical, the implication being that the storyteller is himself some sort of high priest you should worship. But the king of this general problem is FINDING FORRESTER, a movie with all sorts of issues, the main one of which is that it's supposedly about "great writing" but you basically never catch a glimpse of what that consists of. It's like making KING KONG with no ape, just people telling you how big the ape is. Holy mackerel he was a whopper, take my word for it! Big, big ape. The biggest. As I recall your closest encounter with the amazing writing of the story's young prodigy comes when he drops his backpack while trespassing on scary Old Man Forrester's territory, and Forrester leaves notes all over his notebooks like "CONSTIPATED THINKING" and "ATMOSPHERE PUNGENT." Spoiler alert but near the end of FINDING FORRESTER, there is finally going to be a big public reading of an amazing essay--but then as soon as it starts, the music swells and there's just this hilarious montage of extras pretending to listen to something awesome. An amazing mass performance by all the extras.

So anyway THE LESSON is about how Richard E. Grant is a super amazing writer writing his highly anticipated next novel, and Daryl McCormack has to come to his palatial estate to tutor his neurotic son. Daryl spends a lot of time presumably doing great writing, spying on Richard E. Grant while he eats out his wife Julie Delpy, and spontaneously spouting verse or rattling off Wikipedia articles about great cultural figures. THE LESSON has a lot of cosmetic similarities to SALTBURN so it's really obvious that some sort of perverted plan is being hatched by one or more of the people involved, and like I just could not wait for them to get on with it. Daryl is so smarmy and precious and dewy-eyed I just wanted to punch him in is pretentious little face, I never imagined how angry I could be at someone just for reciting Shakespeare, I was really rooting for him to get victimized by the rich people. At least Richard E. Grant is always exciting even when he's saying the dumbest "smart guy" shit imaginable, he's such a demon, but this script is really the pits. It's almost like the guy who wrote it actually hates writing and writers and has some sort of bone to pick with people who are good enough to get novels published. Actually the guy who wrote it is a playwright who does some sort of comedy routine with an acoustic guitar, and I don't think I need to know a whole lot more about that. But at the same time this movie could have done with some jokes, and it was stingy of him not to offer them.

I do have one nice thing to say about THE LESSON though, which is that intermittently, for no particular reason, there are these great inserts of beavers dicking around in the idyllic pond by Richard E. Grant's house. It's so startling when it first happens because apparently beavers make THE WEIRDEST NOISE, it's so cool and fucked up, it sounds like a sick kazoo and I totally love it. I have to think that the beavers were included in the movie spontaneously during production just because they happened to be there and it always adds value to have random nature stuff if you can get it. Nobody ever refers to them, there are no other animals or animal-type metaphors in the picture unless you count some sort of analogy to Julie Delpy getting her beaver licked constantly. That would be pretty funny actually.

N.B. I couldn't find a video of the angry beaver noises that closely resembled the ones in the film. It would be weird if it was just some eccentric foley choice, I don't think it is, but in any case you'll just have to imagine it unless you want to watch THE LESSON.

I'll say one more thing about SALTBURN and then I'll stfu: I guess this is vaguely spoilery so stop reading if you care about that, even though I have to say I found that movie so obvious. By the time it finally gets around to its big perverted twist, I just kind of felt like, Well yeah, DUH. Usually I when I come to a movie like that, I tolerate the beautiful young people and stay for the psychotic debauchery, but in this case I found the movie's darkness so forced and condescending and basically meaningless that I couldn't bring myself to give a shit. The best parts of SALTBURN are when the beautiful young people are having a great time, trying on fun outfits and frolicking on the castle lawn. That seemed to me to be the most honest part of the movie, and actually I think that when people tell these stories about how rich people are secretly corrupt and dead inside despite their veneer of happiness and achievement, it's clear that they're really in it for the fetishistic depictions of extreme decadence, and the twist or the comeuppance part is just a cheap, moralizing excuse to fantasize at length about how awesome it would be to be rich. I guess SALTBURN's big excuse for existing is its ultimate assertion that being jealous of rich people is way sicker and more disgusting than being an actual rich person who hoards resources and plays games with the plebeians. I find that pretty suspect, and I think it would have been a better movie if it just let itself honestly fetishize power and luxury instead of making shady excuses.

[gittessimsadventuresog]

Pistache family prehistory Part 2

Part 1

This describes the things that happen during Parts 16 - 25. Written in Dutch, but I always made sure the text translates well with automatic browser translation to English. So if you want to read the full thing, it's pretty readable.

This focuses more on Bianca. When I started writing things down, I wasn't sure who I would focus on more or my storyline - but Bianca became my favourite, especially as I made her lifepartner Bree, who I also adored.

Alice really wants to give Conall the same elixer her mother must have gotten when she was little; the potent cure elixer, and afterwards also a bottled witches' brew while she's at it. The young boy likes himself the way he is though.

There is also the issue of Demi - their relationship was never great; what will Alice's wrath be when she discovers her sister seduced her husband? Because while it is two-sided, she for sure won't blame him.

Jaeda is being the middle ground and reason, and encourages Bianca to go back to university. Weaponed with potent invigorating elixers to still be in class the next day and skillbuild all of her free time, Bianca continues her lifestyle of parties and many, many, many, many short flings (I got to the Man eater/Dona Juanita reputation with her)

But, Bianca still doesn't dare to be herself. She doesn't tell anyone she is a witch, for one - powers she has surpressed, seeing all the bad things being done with them during her childhood. And she is very unsure whether she actually really cares about any of her flings; they're just connection, warmth, contact - a endless search for love and certainty when having that for a childhood. She portrays herself as the sexy, outgoing hot honey blonde. Doesn't matter that she was bullied for being too smart for her own good for her whole childhood and that university was her first touch ever with popularity.

Going to all the parties, having amazing grades & attendance and looking like that definitely brings up suspicion of course, Bianca has a hard time convincing people she isn't some sort of seducing enchantress (not the seducing part) nor sleeps with the teachers.

One day she stumbles into the science lab for dark reasons - she's an arts major - where her sight falls on Bree. A nerdy, shy girl - but confident and in her natural environment that Bianca the popular barbiedoll trespasses. Bianca has seen Bree before; making a fool of herself & being bullied by their roommates, and since shortly her roommate as she didn't have any before, but Bree fled from girls who were teasing her study habits. Bianca impulsively invites the lonely-looking Bree to her then boyfriend's - Jeffery Dean's - party, who isn't happy about the guest. Awkwardly, Bree excuses herself, proclaiming herself stupid about thinking the most popular girl on campus could've been serious about Bree being invited to the party of the most popular guy on campus.

Bianca's relationship with Jeffery continues curiously long - two weeks! - but so does her interest in the mysterious Bree. Still the partier, she organises one at their dorm.

Bree can't help buy say or do things at the wrong time and when Jeffery is overly harsh to her for doing a stimulus test (Bree suspected him of having ahum, consumed things), Bianca breaks of the relationship. Disaster continues and an unexpected dead happens at the party. Bringing up bad memories...

Who is she lying to? She isn't a confident, hot, outgoing, perfectly normal girl. She is a traumatized slightly nerdy, arthistory obsessed young witch with a toddler daughter, but people don't allow her to be that - they want her to be their perfect example of a bimbo.

The only one who she dares to confide in is Bree. Sure, she also sees her as a simple bimbo at first sight; but Bree is cunning and sees through the façade, apologizes quickly upon learning the truth and is above all a good shoulder to cry on. The two grow closer, and feelings start to develop.

The two go back and forth: Bianca has too much pride and Bree is too insecure and afraid of commitment, having not had the easiest childhood and social life herself, and she can't stand Bianca going back to many one night stands the moment she doesn't get all the attention.

(The images below portray Bree getting back from her many lectures and Bianca - who hasn't slept in 3 days - going to yet another party)

But, all confusing feelings aside - they get very close, best friends.

A few days before graduation, Bianca gets a worrying phone call: Conall - still a werewolf in his refusal to take any potion and getting stronger now that he's a child - accidentally hurt her daughter Demi. Jaeda tells her that Alice if furious...

Might a visit to the hospital after the accident have revealed Demi's parentage?

Bianca needs to get home asap.

Part 3

[biserker-kadan]

Ts OC then vs now

I've just been seeing this going around and I really wanted to do it because I wanted to see how my OCs have changed (and three of them really have lmao).

1. Myrinah Lavellan

MY BABY GORL. MY LOVE. She's come so far. She's not only the first Inky I ever loved, she's also the first one I posted here and started talking about and connecting with people through and I love her so so much for that. But I digress, Myrinah (I found this pic from her first post where I even put how her name sounds; Meh-rin-ah) is my baby and she's only really changed into Trespasser. She's stayed fairly similar all the way down to her outfit throughout her playthru. She's only really gained more scars because of her warrior and berserker status in game that I thought made her story more authentic? Idk, I just loved adding more scars to my girl and I think her eyes changed a bit?

Honestly, her personality definitely was tweaked but, to be fair, that was all her. She was supposed to be violent and cunning as hell but overall 'sweeter than you'd expect' lmao my bitch is a bitch thru and thru. I love her the way she is now; cold and stoic with anger issues but intense and passionate feelings. A complete dork on the inside but so confident yet emotionally detached on the outside, unafraid to speak her mind and totally, unapologetically sexual.

I just adore her.

2. Frey

Literally my most unknown Inquisitor, because she was kind of the 'first' (not the first, first but I did start her playthru before I started Myrinah's but like I did Myrinah's first so...).

Anyway, she started out being a Dalish elf who romanced Solas but she never felt right? She was gorgeous and so sweet and strong willed but her entire story felt fake? I don't know, I completed her playthru but it felt generic and like she wasn't in it, it literally could have been any character, it didn't matter. It was a really boring playthru tbh, I loved her and she was so sweet and I had a few headcanons and Solas and her were amazing but that was that? (This was before I got the DLCs too so...lmao). Anyway, did the game and when I finished it was it. Until I found her saves again and got all nostalgic and remade her and gave her the backstory she deserves.

Now she's Frey; a half-elf, half-Qunari. Her father was the Dalish elf and mother a Tal-Vashoth who settled in a small village on the outskirts of Orlais, right near the border. She grew up learning magic from both her parents and was fascinated with it all. She never had any siblings and is quiet and reserved (still super soft!).

Physically she's a little different; she has very small but long, pointed ears and has a slightly larger build than most elves (height and size). Her face shape is similar and her features as close as I could get them. Her eyes are darker and more green (fade connection bitches!) and she has more scars in the same area (exact same, I went and double checked because that had to be the same!). She has the same skin tone and complexion and hair cause that's Frey but her nose is a little different and she looks a little older I think. She has no Vallaslin, although her father offered, and no connection to the Dalish Gods nor Andraste.

I'm doing her new playthru right now if anyone wanted to know more about her!

3. Ifanna Lavellan

Ifanna literally irritated the shit out of me for weeks and I couldn't figure out why. I loved her face but she was so pale and odd looking and ehh, she didn't match with how I wanted her to look when I created with her. She was supposed to be similar to Zevran, I had her as Antivan, so when I made her in the Thing she wasn't as pale and I think that's what threw me when I saw her in the game, she was a lot more pale than I expected. Literally that was it, her skin tone was wrong. So I went and I changed it and her hair and bam. My beautiful baby.