#my thedas academia

[wardenassan]

I restarted my save this morning because I wasn't really clicking with Veil Jumper (with this Rook anyway) but I've barely had a chance to play since!!!! I got through an annoying work meeting and I was gonna get to play all afternoon and then there was another work emergency!!!!!! I just wanna play!!!!!!!!!

[nadas-dirthalen]

Dragon Age: the Veilguard Was Packed with Lore — But Many of Us Overlooked It

— PART ONE — [ 2 ]

Welcome back, friends and travellers. If you've been here a while, you'll know that I wrote 30,000 words of predictions in the week and a half before DA:tV released. But here's the most surprising thing—I was right, for the most part.

I spent my first Veilguard playthrough grinning (and then sobbing) at all the lore reveals. And here's the thing: I think most of us missed a lot of them, including even me.

So let's begin with...

Titans: Dark and Light, Compassion and Rage, the Eternal Hymn and its Endless Listeners (1/2)

This is your warning: This post will contain spoilers for the entirety of Dragon Age: the Veilguard, and all Dragon Age content made before Veilguard.

Alright, pals. If you've been here a while, you know how this goes. I always start by listing what we're going to cover, like anyone who's never fully recovered from academia.

Today's Discussion:

What Veilguard (Re)Taught Us about the Titans

The Titans the first Shapers of the known world.

The Titans are beings of the Abyss.

The Titans are sleeping, dormant—but alive.

Dwarves are the Titans' children, created to tend them.

The Evanuris mined the Titans' bodies to create people.

The Titans—the Earth—fought back.

What Veilguard (Re)Taught Us about the Titans

The best thing about Dragon Age, as someone who loves the series to death, is that its worldbuilding is consistent, but also bears the unique quality that we, as players, are not aware of it all. Our protagonists in each game don't know everything; the people they learn from also don't know everything. We learn what we can through codices that are all biased and need an extra layer of decoding. This is a feature, not a bug.

It also means that we did not know how to understand the Titans before. Even my 30,000 words of theorycrafting, especially my piece all about the Titans, had elements of speculation. I had to check that speculation against other sources like the Chant of Light, which is a source that we REALLY did not know how to decode when it was revealed piece by piece in DAO, DA2, World of Thedas, and Inquisition.

Here, I'm going to break it all down, piece by piece.

The Titans were the first Shapers of the (known) world.

It is said in the Descent DLC that Titans are enormous beings whose singing shapes the world. Their existence predates much of Thedas, if not all of it. The Titans are called the first Shapers for this reason, and in Veilguard it is restated several times over that they did, indeed, shape the world—for instance, by Cole in Inquisition.

"Their ancient shapers were mountains drawn of all their wills, walking their memories into valleys of the world." —Cole dialogue.

Inquisition told us so much more about the Titans than just that, though. The Titans have a realm all their own, a counterpart to the Fade, mentioned over and again in the Chant of Light and referenced as a quest name in Inquisition.

Here lies the abyss: the well of all souls.

The Titans are beings of the Abyss.

Now, it's important that I mention right here that the Chant of Light has existed long before Inquisition. In fact, its tale is what opens DA:O as the game begins. Recently Eurogamer stated that BioWare has had a massive lore document for the 20+ years of its existence, and I believe that there is no truer example of this than in the Chant of Light itself.

The Abyss, for a long time, was a mystery to us. Inquisition cleared it up a lot—not only with its game content, but with World of Thedas' publication shortly thereafter.

Not only is the Abyss referred to in many elven codices, but we go there. The key locations of the Descent DLC—the Forgotten Caverns, Bastion of the Pure, and the Wellspring—are in a region called the Uncharted Abyss.

Now, with Harding, we go deeper into the Deep Roads than the average dweller. The same is true in that instance: venture down far enough, and we reach a Titan's heart.

We find a Titan's heart there. But the Titan does not wake—none have before DA:tV, and even then, they have not fully woken. Because, for as long as we have known...

The Titans are sleeping, dormant—but alive.

"It's singing. A they that's an it that's asleep, but still making music." — Cole dialogue.

There is so much Cole dialogue in Inquisition that speaks on the sleeping Titans, on their old songs that once sang the same, on how they will never wake up, that it would be folly to try and post every codex here. Suffice it to say: Cole knows of the Titans, knows of their songs, and knows they are asleep. He is one of the pathways to our knowledge of the Titans in Inquisition, and his words are peppered throughout the game.

The Chant of Light also makes reference to a mountainous Maker, who oft speaks about a forgotten mountain. When Andraste meets the Maker "in darkness unbroken," specifically, these words are used:

The Maker Appears to Andraste (7) Eyes sorrow-blinded, in darkness unbroken There 'pon the mountain, a voice answered my call. "Heart that is broken, beats still unceasing, An ocean of sorrow does nobody drown. — Andraste 1:7

Heart that is broken, beats still unceasing — a being who has been broken, but whose heart still beats. We can hear that, in the Descent DLC.

Veilguard confirms that both sources are true through Harding, her personal quest, and the codices for the Dwarven people.

Records that exist outside of Orzammar mention "great sleeping Titans" and "the First Ancestors." — Codex Entry: Harding's Notes: Orzammar and Titans

Harding's experiences in Veilguard, in this way, serve to prove Cole right. That is a deliberate narrative choice: BioWare's way of saying, Yes, this is true. Yes, you should take Cole's take on Titans as correct.

We also know, from Cole, that this state of being is permanent. Not only are the Titans asleep, but they don't know how to wake.

Songs screaming far away. It wants to wake up but can't remember how. No one should be here. — Cole dialogue.

This becomes crucial information in Veilguard, and central to the main plot. It serves as the backdrop for what actually matters most to the characters living in Thedas right now, which is...

Dwarves are the Titans' children, created to tend them.

By now, a lot of people have seen this reveal in the art book: the dwarves were created to tend to their Titan hosts/makers. But we knew this before—we just didn't know it in context, and therefore we did not believe it to be objectively true of Thedas.

In truth, we've known about the elves and the dwarves' origin since the Chant of Light came out in full with World of Thedas volume 2.

At last did the Maker From the living world Make men. Immutable, as the substance of the earth, With souls made of dream and idea, hope and fear, Endless possibilities. — Threnodies 5:5

I talk about it in more depth in my Chant of Light dissection, but what this verse says in context is that the dwarves (the Maker's second children) are beings crafted by the maker: bodies made of lyrium, souls made of the same "dream and idea, hope and fear" as the original spirits.

This concept has already been massively hinted toward with both Valta (who has become The Oracle in DA:tV) and Dagna, who both connect to isatunoll during Descent and Inquisition's base game, respectively.

We've known about the Evanuris' horrible crimes since before Inquisition, as well, for the same reason and from the same verses in the Chant of Light.

Until, at last, some of the firstborn said: "Our Father has abandoned us for these lesser things. We have power over heaven. Let us rule over earth as well And become greater gods than our Father." (8) The demons appeared to the children of earth in dreams And named themselves gods, demanding fealty. — Threnodies 5

With the context given to us by Trespasser and Veilguard, we know without a doubt that the Evanuris are those "jealous spirits" that comprise the Maker's first children.

And just like the Chant describes, they sought to conquer the earth: the realm of the Titans.

The Evanuris mined the Titans' bodies to create people.

Trespasser taught us so much of what we needed to know about the Evanuris' and Titans' conflicts. Its codices in the Deep Roads outline how it was Mythal, specifically, creating some of the first elves in the coffins found in that zone. The Temple of Solasan features coffins of the exact same kind.

Ir sa tel'nal Mythal las ma theneras Ir san'a emma Him solas evanuris Da'durgen'lin Banal malas elgara Bellanaris, bellanaris. — Codex: Torn Notebook in the Deep Roads, Section 3

My (updated) translation: Isatunoll Mythal gives you dreams Lyrium within Becomes Solas evanuris Little stone boy You give nothing to the Titan (anymore) Forever, forever.

Trespasser reveals that Mythal mined the bodies of slain titans and rendered their demesne unto the People: she conquered Titans and used their bodies for her own ends. The hints about these actions, however, are not exclusive to Trespasser, nor to Solasan. These seeds were planted all the way back at the Temple of Mythal.

Elgar'nan, Wrath and Thunder, Give us glory. Give us victory, over the Earth that shakes our cities. Strike the usurpers with your lightning. Burn the ground under your gaze. Bring Winged Death against those who throw down our work. Elgar'nan, help us tame the land.

This codex to Elgar'nan makes reference to Elgar'nan giving victory over the Earth (capital-E, the Titans). Trespasser would follow this up with much context—that it was Mythal who was first known to have slain Titans, "rendering their demesne unto the People."

I theorized that Mythal's mining of Titans for lyrium to make elvhen bodies was what angered the Titans, based on codices in Trespasser and the Temple of Solasan. (I go into much more depth there!) Veilguard confirms this theory in Solas' Memory #4: A Memory of Manifestation.

Solas: I have the Fade. Besides, this talk of taking on a solid form. When you took the glowing stone to build your body, did the earth not shake? Mythal: The lyrium gives us the strength we had when we were of the Fade. We are the best of physical and spirit.

Mythal's crime was what took the war with the Titans in a new, darker direction. It was what would set off the chain of events that would change the very nature of the world—and it was foreshadowed, back in Inquisition, by Cole.

The Titans—the Earth—fought back.

"They made bodies from the earth, and the earth was afraid. It fought back, but they made it forget." — Cole dialogue.

In this post, I theorized that it was Solas' creation itself that caused the first Titan to "go red." That is to say, to change its nature and fight back. I used codices from Trespasser and Solasan to get there, as well as one paragraph from World of Thedas and this codex on Fen'Harel that describe the Forgotten Ones as "beings of terror, malice, spite, and pestilence."

Thinking about those words, and specifically terror, I read the codex in the secret Deep Roads room in Trespasser with fresh perspective.

For a moment, the scent of blood fills the air, and there is a vivid image of green vines growing and enveloping a sphere of fire. The vision grows dark. An aeon seems to pass. Then the runes crackle, as if filled with an angry energy. A new vision appears: elves collapsing caverns, sealing the Deep Roads with stone and magic. Terror, heart-pounding, ice-cold, as the last of the spells is cast.

Terror. The first of the turned Titans. The fire/plant/ice imagery also caught my eye, and when I went back to Solasan to check, there were many hints that this was, indeed, where Terror came into being. (For more, go look at the most recently linked post in this section!)

Huge implications for Solas aside, what this codex taught me is that Titans' natures could change. This was confirmed in Veilguard many times over, yes—but my point here is that Inquisition taught this to me, just a few days before I gained the context of Veilguard. This was never a retcon! However, this lore plays exactly to BioWare's rules: we did not have the full context, and so almost no one read that Deep Roads codex as it was meant to be interpreted—including me, the first few times I read it!

It was only when I'd seen the achievement icons before Veilguard's release that it all clicked for me. All of the lore of Inquisition and everything before it made sense. That was never a bug, never a retcon, but a genius twist on BioWare's behalf: one that almost no one guessed at for an entire decade.

One that changes everything.

Titans, we know for certain now, behave as spirits. Obscure hints in World of Thedas, Inquisition, and the previous games have been confirmed in Veilguard. This new understanding changes not just the Titans, not just the dwarves, but reframes everything we know about the entire history of Thedas and how its magic system works.

______

Thank you for reading! It means a lot when people engage with these. And don't worry: I'm not nearly through with them. It's taken me a while to compile everything, but with more of Veilguard added to the wiki every day, it's a lot easier to compile things for these posts!

(Immense thanks to the wiki staff, of course. <3)

Up Next: Titans and Spirits are far more similar than we think, and it means everything.

[kirkwall-tourism-department]

Extra Reading, Ch. 2

More illiterate rook x emmrich fluff

Opposites attract will always and forever be one of my favorite romance tropes.

Emmrich searched through the piles of books he had pulled from his shelves, all potential contenders to be the first book Rook would read. The gravity of the decision was not lost on him. Finding a balance between something that wouldn’t be too challenging at her current skill level and would actually interest her was a fine line to walk. Certainly none of his necromancy texts, nothing that assumed the reader was already somewhat knowledgeable on the topic, and nothing that overindulged in grandiose language. Which sadly precluded the majority of his library as candidates. He tried to think of everything he knew about Rook, and came up with a pitifully short list. She was a Grey Warden, she had spent time in the Anderfels, and she didn’t mind necromancy. When he had inquired if his magical practice would concern her and her teammates, she had just laughed and said “she had seen worse things happen to dead bodies than doing chores in the Necropolis.” Concerningly, she had not elaborated on that point. He paced the balcony of his room, repeating the words Grey Warden over and over in his head until they lost all meaning. Suddenly, the perfect book came to him, and he walked over to the bookcase that housed his choice for Rook’s first foray into literature.

The History of Grey Wardens in Ferelden by Ferdinand Genitivi. There was a reason he was one of the most popular authors in Thedas- his writing style was approachable, but engaging. And the subject matter was relevant, given Rook’s background. While she seemed to react to most things with amusement, when speaking about the Wardens, her demeanor changed. She spoke seriously, with passion and conviction, her connection in the institution clearly going deeper than ideology. Emmrich wasn’t sure what her life was like before joining the Wardens, or the circumstances that led to her recruitment. When he had asked where she was from during their initial journey in the Necropolis, she said she had trained in the Anderfels, but offered nothing about her origins. As curious as he was about Rook, he knew that if a Grey Warden didn’t freely offer information about their past, it wasn’t a good idea to inquire further.

A knock sounded on his door. He peered out over the balcony, searching for Manfred on the floor below before remembering he had left earlier in the night to watch Lucanis cook dinner. Tucking the book underneath his arm, he rushed down the stairs to open the door for Rook. She stood in the hallway, hands on her hips, a small smile on her face. Despite her diminutive size, her presence dominated whatever room she was in. 

“Welcome, Rook!” he greeted her, the excitement over having a new student starting to build in him. As much as he had been enjoying his time away from the Necropolis, he couldn't help but miss the comforting routine of academia. She strode into the room, taking in the mess he had left when finding the perfect book for her. Turning towards him, she raised a questioning eyebrow, and embarrassment began to burn over his face. In his single-minded focus to find a suitable text for Rook, he had neglected to clean up after himself. “I apologize for the state of the room, I suppose I lost track of time.”

“Professor,” Rook laughed, “I promise you I’ve seen worse living situations than this.” 

“Emmrich is just fine. This isn’t a setting that demands formality.” 

“But it’s such a fun word! And I’ve never gotten the chance to use it before!” Rook argued, putting on a playful frown. “Let me at least use it while you’re actually teaching me.” She took a seat next to his desk, staring expectantly at him.

“If you wish.” Emmrich gave a slight laugh before sitting at his desk, opposite to Rook, and handing her the book. As Rook stared at the cover, he realized he didn’t actually know how much she could read. Previously, she had simply said she couldn’t read “well”, but that wasn’t a very useful description. If he underestimated her abilities, he ran the risk of appearing condescending, which is that last thing a teacher should be. Overestimating her, on the other hand, would leave her without the instructional support she needed, and if she felt too shy to ask for help when she needed it-

“I don’t know what that says.” Rook said bluntly, interrupting his overthinking, pointing to the word Ferelden on the cover. “I know the words Grey Warden. Obviously. I’ve seen those enough. But I don’t know what a Feer-... a Far-...” she narrowed her eyes as she stared at the text, her finger running over the word as she tried to sound out the syllables. 

“Take it one part at a time.” Emmrich instructed, motioning for her to hand the book to him. He laid it flat on the desk, placing his hand over the word so only the letters “Fe” were showing. Once she read the syllable correctly, he moved onto the second, and the third. “Now string them together.”

“Ferelden... Oh! I know that, that’s where Harding’s from!” Rook grinned, joy from her accomplishment radiating off of her. Emmrich smiled, the familiar sense of satisfaction gained from watching a student succeed filling his chest. “One part at a time.” Rook reminded herself as she grabbed the book that lay between them and opened it to the first page. She settled back into her chair, tracing her finger over the lines of text slowly, silently mouthing the words to herself. Emmrich picked up his own book, a study of the aftermath of the Breach.

They spent the rest of the evening in a similar manner. Rook would stumble across a word or passage she struggled with, and would ask for help without hesitation or shame. After a bit of help, she would figure it out, celebrate for a moment, then dive back into the book. Eventually, Manfred returned, delivering a cup of coffee to Rook from Lucanis. A comfortable silence settled over the room, the only interruptions being the occasional question from Rook and the turning of pages. Emmrich peered out over the top of his own book, studying Rook. She was curled up in his chair, intently studying the book while hugging her cup of coffee, unaware of his observation. The contrast between the force of nature she was on the battlefield to who she was in the moments she thought nobody was paying attention to her was striking. He hadn’t gotten many chances to interact with her past the visit she paid to the Necropolis to recruit him. But here, without her armor and weapons, without the demands of the outside world, she radiated a sense of calm he had yet to observe elsewhere.

The colors of the Fade outside began to shift from pinks and oranges to a muted purple, which was the closest approximation to a sunset they got at the Lighthouse. As the light in the room shifted, the glow of his candles fighting off the falling darkness, Rook looked up from her book towards him.

“Emmrich… thank you.” Rook said gently. “Not just for teaching me, but for being so nice about it. I was never really embarrassed about not being able to read until I joined up with Varric and realized it was strange. So, thank you for not making me feel weird about it.”

“Of course! You have nothing to be ashamed of.” He reassured her, setting down his book to give her his undivided attention. “How are you liking the book?”

“It’s good! Makes me want to read about Wardens in the Free Marches.”

“Why the Free Marches?”

“That’s where I’m from. Grew up in the alienage in Tantervale.”

“I’m certain I can find it for you.” Emmrich smiled, gratified by Rook’s desire to delve deeper into the subject matter. 

“I should probably try to get some sleep. Would it be okay if I took this with me?” Rook tentatively questioned, holding the book up expectantly. He nodded, and she smiled, hugging it close to her. It was difficult to not be charmed by her mannerisms. Among other things. “You do realize I’m going to be bugging you with a lot of questions, right?” 

“I was hoping you would.”

[vague-humanoid]

Visigoth to Goth : How alt fashion history grew through gothic literature, music, and style

Gothic fashion fascinates me, and the goth aesthetic deserves it, from mall goth to whimsigoth. See how the goth style we know developed from the Ostrogoths and Visigoths through gothic literature and Victorian fashion history into goth music and the vampy style we know today. Click here https://foreo.se/ono7 for a 30% discount on the FOREO UFO 3! The first 50 people to use code VI10 get an additional 10% off.

Whether you're a mall goth, Victorian goth, whimsigoth, or just an admirer of the gothic fashion and aesthetic, everyone loves the dark and spooky this time of year for Halloween! But how did the gothic aesthetic become what it is? How did "goth" go from the name of Germanic tribes like the Visigoths and Ostrogoths, to a modern day subculture defined by dark music, black clothes, and vampy makeup. The answer takes us on a journey from the history of the Roman Empire through architecture, literature, the golden age of cinema, and music-- with plenty of dress history along the way.

The word "goth" came into being as the Latin translation of the name of a Germanic tribe in the first century CE, which is a pretty big difference from the gothic aesthetic! After the tribe was split into the Visigoths and Ostrogoths a few hundred years later, this historical gothic fashion was nothing like the dark alt fashion we know! Ostrogothic fashion was bright and colorful, combining colors like scarlet red and leek-green in the same garments! And Visigothic fashion seems to have been just as colorful, drawn in a variety of bright shades in illuminated manuscripts.

How we got from the Visigoths and Ostrogoths to the modern goth aesthetic starts with architecture. The dramatic building style of the High and Late Medieval period was named "gothic" by later Renaissance artists. These artists idealized the Classical style of Rome, and since the Goths had sacked Rome, they called the older Middle Ages architecture "gothic" as an insult. But the medieval gothic aesthetic of building held peoples' imaginations, becoming a defining feature of gothic literature in the 18th and 19th century. Spooky old castles and other Gothic buildings helped give the genre its air of hauntedness and fear and darkness.

Gothic literature is how the words "goth" and "gothic" found their way into the modern subculture! Now associated with the horror genre, silent films began retelling existing Gothic fiction and creating new works in the gothic style, with actresses like Theda Bara and Musidora developing the vamp style that became so popular in 1920s makeup. Gothic cinema remained popular, keeping the dark aesthetic in mind until 1967 when it was first applied to the new genre of music called Gothic Rock! The Doors were the first to be described this way, even though their clothes were decidedly different from the fashion we'd come to call goth. However, other gothic rock musicians in later years did wear much more dramatic stage outfits for performances, and so the goth subculture was born, forever changing the world of alt fashion.

Today, gothic fashion exists in a continual dialogue with other aesthetics. It combines with mainstream style to create corporate goth and dark academia. It's melded with other alt fashions too : with lolita style to create gothic lolita, or blending with cottagecore and fantasy aesthetics to become whimsigoth. And in its own right, goth fashion has countless sub-styles, from mall goth to Victorian gothic and so many more. Whether you prefer alt fashion gothic or Visigothic fashion, there's no denying that the gothic style hasn't survived nearly two millennia for nothing. Happy Halloween, my darling goths!

[rom-e-o]

I introduce you to my new Rook, Renata Ingellvar (age 51)! A fellow Watcher, mage, and professor of the necromantic arts who willingly took a well-earned sabbatical to travel the world of Thedas after the events of the War of the Banners, knowing all too well of the audacity of Nevarran nobles. She was much loved amongst the younger students and Watchers (and Vorgoth, but don't let them hear you say that) and was known for her... unique teaching styles that went beyond the classroom, aggravating many of her peers... except for Emmrich, of course. I imagine that they met and collaborated quite a few times over their years of teaching.

Rook was more than willing to reunite with a fellow colleague when the time arose for a Fade expert in the fight against Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain.

(I wish Veilguard let me add highlights to show grey hairs gdi- T_T)

OH MY GOSH, Renata is absolutely gorgeous!!! 😍

Her being a MW!Rook combined with the fact that she’s also his age and a peer? Her being another PROFESSOR?

Oh, the romantic potential with this set-up is so tasty! I bet these two could talk for hours about their studies! Especially him admiring her teaching techniques and expressing joy that there are others in academia who enjoy what they do and are so passionate.

The game’s dialogue really implies an age difference, but with the blessing of Emmrich’s writer Sylvia to disregard it as anything ‘canon’, I love seeing some 40s, 50s, 60+ Rooks and their romances. 👏

I can only imagine that must have been a lovely reunion for them, especially after the War of the Banners!

I knooow. I wish we had gray hair highlight options so much. It would be such a good addition, and helpful for making those older Rooks!

[thedinanshiral]

Time is an illusion

After trying to calculate an estimate for Emmrich's age, i thought "hey, why not calculate what Dragon Age year would be my birth year?" and next thing i knew i was falling down a black hole.

Unfortunately i don't have the exact source as this was said earily on during the glorious week of reveals and news and we were all so very excited i forgot to take notes then but i remember it was first said the time skip to The Veilguard was of 9 years since Trespasser. Then it was said to be 10 years since Trespasser. And yesterday someone asked Weekes on his socials and he replied he thought they'd said the year was 9:52 but we'll have to wait until someone releases an "official answer".

Well, here is my non-official answer: the year is Harvestmere 9:53 Dragon. But most of the game should occur during 9:54. How did i reach that conclusion? A mix of in-game and IRL time estimates.

First a disclaimer: I believe Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be released in November 2024. I only have my gut feeling and DAI's 10th anniversary, and DAO's 15th anniversary to go by to claim that; this whole thing hangs on a November release.

Ok so I went back to my first point of reference which is The Flame Eternal short story from 2021 which states said story happened "thirty years ago" in 9:22 Dragon. This sets the present of Thedas at that time as 9:52 Dragon.

In Inquisition if you ally with mages, during In Hushed Whispers when asking what year is it in that demon infested future the Inquisitor is told it's "Harvestmere 9:42" and Dorian comments you've missed a whole year. This would mean Inquisition -the game- starts in Harvestmere 9:41 Dragon. Let's say the events of the game take a whole year so it ends in 9:42 Dragon. Then Trespasser makes a jump two years ahead of that, to 9:44 Dragon. This is the year we should center these calculations on. Everything up to that point, DAO, DA2, and even DAI occur asynchronously, meaning they don't happen at the same time we're playing them. That's how a 10 year difference between the Fifth Blight in DAO and Inquisition only took 5 years of ours, and how in the span of a few months of ours 2 whole years passed between DAI the Exalted Council in Trespasser. While we as players experience these events in our present time, they do not correspond to our present time, this is specially clear in DA2 when not even the events of the game happen in the present of Thedas as it's Varric telling Cassandra the story of Hawke. The game begins already letting us know this already happened, more or less as Varric narrates it.

But why should the calendar of a fictional fantasy game match with ours? Well it shouldn't necessarily, but they've set the game roughly 10 years after the previous one, and 10 years have passed IRL as well, and thats enough for me. The short story saying 9:22 was thirty years ago published in late 2021 also matches this. So after establishing that our present and Thedas' seems to be marching at the same rate now, sort of, i took a look at their calendar. Without going into much detail they have 12 months as well and the calendar in use originated in the early Tevinter Imperium, so the months have an original Tevene name used for official records and academia, and a common name used by the people; i'll be using the latter. DAI begins in Harvestmere 9:41, Harvestmere is the 10th month of the thedosian calendar but just because our times kinda match now that doesn't mean Harvestmere is equivalent to our October. It seems it's equivalent to November. The following month, Firstfall, is when thedosians celebrate Satinalia, which obviously sounds awfully much like Saturnalia, a roman festivity that took place during December. Tevinter Empirium is based on Rome, so i think taking this into consideration is enough to say Firstfall is equivalent to December but since we're here the other detail that adds to this is Harvestmere seems to be November also because DAI begins in Harvestmere, and it was released in November 2014.

Following this train of thought i looked at Trespasser's release date, September 2015. If Firstfall is our December, that'd make our September their Matrinalis, so we could estimate then that the Exalted Council takes place around Matrinalis 9:44 Dragon. The All Soul's day is celebrated at the beginning of Matrinalis, so the lack of mention of it during the Exalted Council tells me the day had already passed.

But 10 years after Trespasser IRL would be September 2025, so how do i make it make sense?

If September 2015 coincides with Matrinalis 9:44 Dragon, then September 2025 would do so with Matrinalis 9:54 Dragon, there's a 10 month difference between Sept. '25 and Nov.'24, so that'd make Nov'24 match with Harvestmere 9:53, merely 2 months away from 9:54 Dragon. Nobody's saying the time skip is exactly 10 years down to a precise date so i think just the year being 9:54 should suffice.

This little difference made me look back at the trailers and realize hey, that's not where the game begins, right? Can't be. What do you mean we immediatelt get hired by Varric and go after Solas at Level 1??? Where's the tutorials??? Is Rook always Tevinter or that's just in the case of choosing Shadow Dragons as a faction? What if Rook's faction is the Mourn Watch, what's a Watcher of Nevarra doing in a Minrathous bar fighting Venatori? What's a Veil Jumper from Arlathan Forest doing in a Minrathous bar fighting Venatori? What's a Grey Warden doing in a Minrathous bar fighting Venatori?? Who says "yeah sure let's go" when a couple of dwarves approach them at a Minrathous bar after fighting Venatori like "hey we gotta stop an elven god from taking down the Veil and destroying the world, wanna come?"?????? The cinematic trailer was just that, ilustrative, but the gameplay trailer was more intentional in everything it showed, and what it didn't show at all. We are introduced to a Rook who happens to be of the Shadow Dragons so them being in Minrathous needs no explanation, and they start at lv.1 and immediately thrown into combat with nothing resembling a tutorial ( except for some commentary edited in to present different aspects of the new system, as it's a gameplay reveal trailer).

So my guess is, yeah the game starts in Harvestmere 9:53 Dragon, and in the two months left until 9:54 Dragon maybe we're shown Rook at their home, or where their faction is, maybe establishing some relationships within said faction ( friends, family, rivals, etc) and thats' when we get a quick tutorial and some context because remember, technically one doesn't need play the previous games first to play The Veilguard. New players must have some introduction to the world of Thedas, what's what, who's who, where's where and what's at stake. So i think the two months difference is when all that -plus a trip to Minrathous if they're not already there- can be crammed into so the action truly starts in 9:54, more or less 10 years after the events of Trespasser.

Not saying i'm correct in my estimations here, and as i mentioned at the beginning all this hangs on a November release, and the time skip being of more o less 10 years. If in the end any of that turns out to be different everything i presented in this post falls like a house of cards. But hey, it was fun putting it up.

If you've read this far, thank you and congratulations, you're a very patient person.

[deedala]

🌿w e e k l y 🍄 t a g 🕯️ w e d n e s d a y🌙

thanks @darlingian for writing this week!! and thanks for tagging me @creepkinginc @energievie @metalheadmickey 💖💖💖

which character from any media would you like to have as a father?: oh hey yeah i am going to have to also say Bob Belcher. He is dad goals.

if money, laws, time, and effort were no object, what animal would you want to have?: im sorry i have a whole entire me and 2 kids to take care of i dont want anything else lmao

what is your Chinese takeout order?: veggie fried rice and veggie egg rolls!

what's your favourite emoji?: omg i dunno uhmmmm 💖 is probably up there!!

would you rather have a library, greenhouse, or home theater in your house?: okay i am a legendary plant killer but i would LOVE to be able to just hang in a greenhouse. thats my vibe. i just cannot be responsible for those plants ok

what childhood tv show do you think of the most fondly?: david the gnome!

what was your tumblr like when you first joined?: for a really long time my tumblr was just my silly little artworks, from like 2011 to late 2014. in 2015 it became more of my dragon age artwork and fandom blog. and then a few years ago i just started reblogging whatever the fuck i wanted. and well now its a whole mess huh. my beloved trash pile.

what clothing style do you love but don't feel compelled to replicate yourself?: cottage core and dark academia

if you were plopped into a fictional world, which one would you know the layout of the best?: Thedas hoo boy

what is your favourite piece of art?: hmmm birth of venus by william-adolphe bouguereau

do you have a water bottle? what does it look like?: aluminum cup with a straw style, its blue and green and has a leaves design on it

what fanfic trope is a quiet fave? uuhhh...i dont know if i have a quiet fav?

do you carry a daily bag? what does it look like? what's the weirdest thing in it?: lately its been an addidas black drawstring bag. i just dug through it and found absolutely nothing un-normal haha?? i guess the most uncommon thing in there might be the epi-pens??

If you had to ship Mickey with another Gallagher, who would it be?: what kind of choice is this?? im going to go ahead and be a cheater and say i BFF ship mickey with debbie

what is a fanfic trope you didn't expect to like and then very much did?: ack...again i dunno?? i just like all the basic things and i dont know enough about the other stuff? maybe i need to try more things that i think sound unfun lol

Do you think s11 Mickey can still carry s11 Ian?: lmao hes so inexplicably swole, yes absolutely

who got custody of the killing bat when they sold the house?: i want debbie to have that, she deserves it.

Okay here's some nuggets who i think might want to play!! @michellemisfit @too-schoolforcool @mickeysgaymom @heymrspatel @gallawitchxx @gardenerian @callivich @juliakayyy @mmmichyyy @jrooc @sam-loves-seb @crossmydna @suzy-queued @tanktopgallavich @lingy910y @transmickey @rereadanon @palepinkgoat @sickness-health-all-that-shit @suchagallabitch @thepupperino @sleepyfacetoughguy @tsuga-of-mars and also you person not tagged you can lie and say i tagged you as always i will corroborate~

[witchsabre]

A note/letter that Rook never sent

━━ ↶*ೃ✧˚. ROOK CODEX PROMPTS

A balled up page of what was obviously a very wordy, much longer letter, found beside a waste bin ( missed shot ). Other pages, including excerpts from the writings mentioned, can be found scattered around their room.

-- Although my previous inquiries have been denied, I am once more asking for reconsideration in being granted permission to study within The Grand Necropolis and acquire access to the hall of records. As this is likely my last attempt at an appeal before you tire of receiving my letters, I will be candid- I am well aware of how my record in official academia appears, so I will not claim to have consistent, steady experience or a history of rapport within traditional schooling. I understand what my inability to produce a viable letter of recommendation does against my case. I implore you to set aside the unfavorable aspects of my portfolio and to look more closely at my work. There's no room to be humble when that is all I have to support my application; I am an excellent researcher. Once I have my mind set on an area of study, I will pursue it to the best of my ability, and then a bit beyond that. Stubbornness pairs well with curiosity, and you would be hard-pressed to find a research resident as passionate at myself. I could go on about my dedication and perspective, but I've included some of my best writing to speak for itself. Enclosed, you'll find my ethnographic research on the Dalish Yelaros clan's subcultures that have resulted from their uniquely radical shifts in tradition, as well as the reintegration of an Alienage. I've also included excerpts from my current endeavor to compile an anthology of lost histories and cultures among Mages who sought alternative methods and means to the Circle of Magi, as there is a truly horrific lack of study on these 'apostates' across Southern Thedas spanning from the Navarran Accord to 9:40 Dragon --

[lcgacyofages]

Thoughts on Cassandra Ingellvar

Send me "Thoughts on" + a Character name and my muse will give their opinions of that character.

Ogden gave a pause at the question, seeming to go over it in his mind. Green eyes looked hazel in the candlelight, glimmering with thought as he considered the necromancer.

"Skilled, but at times seems unsure of herself," he began. "She's capable in the field, but she seems to have a habit of second guessing herself in interactions. I've no issue with necromancy, but I am aware of some people in Thedas having a negative view on it..."

He sat back, thinking about what he knew of the Wardens.

"As a Warden, I have no room to judge."

He shifted in his seat, continuing to analyze. "Obviously more used to academia than necessarily on the battlefield, but can handle herself well enough to not have to be watched too closely. Still, there may be moments she could be overwhelmed and would need assistance but..." He shrugged. "Can happen to anyone."

He rubbed his chin, thinking. "Back to the second guessing herself...There may be a bit more to it than just, well, herself." He shook his head, trying to sort out the situation going on. "It might be something involving me. Been told once or twice I give off some sort of charm, whether I mean to or not." As for his opinion on if something was there, he wasn't sure how solid it could or would be, given his own history.

Didn't have the best track record, after all.

[boltlightning]

i keep coming back to emmrich's ability as a "corpse whisperer", and what that implies for the interaction of the fade and the physical world.

one of the first things that emmrich asks you is: if, when a spirit possesses a body, does anything remains of the original person? was the residing spirit drawn to the person? where does the soul reside? this is an excellent theological question, and one i don't feel i know the lore enough to argue with any eloquence. but it's answered pretty succinctly in that emmrich can talk to bodies of the dead with absolute trust that he will be communing with the owner of the body. doesn't that answer it? doesn't your own experience answer that, emmrich?

and it'd be interesting if we talked about that at all. the chantry teaches you that souls pass through the fade on their way to the maker's side; shouldn't that come into play here? it's no longer considered shocking to just walk into the fade anymore i guess (a rant for another day) but...the theological and cultural implications for emmrich alone should be massive. you are where the souls of the dead pass—or, you're where the souls of the dead pass theoretically, and you have a chance to prove it! we recruit emmrich because he's a fade expert and he doesn't want to, i don't know, search about a bit?

burying the dead is traditionally deeply religious, or at least deeply cultural and reverent, as stated by vg's script over and over. so where is the line between academia and religion? what would or wouldn't be supported by the nevarran government? there's a world where necromancy is not portrayed as this "uwu it's just another form of magic!" take, but as a serious and controversial branch of magic. it would've been so interesting to walk that line between religious dogma and empirical investigation.

also. hey. wouldn't someone with the ability to talk to the dead, no matter how long ago they died, be the rarest and most valuable sort of mage in the entire fucking continent? if people can talk to the dead after they are gone, then of course the rest of thedas burning their dead would be considered barbaric—so much knowledge is lost when they die! the tevinter imperium would lose their MINDS if they found out they could preserve their archons and magisters forever, they love nothing more than holding onto the past! but alas, all of this only lives in my head

obviously there's a lot of wasted potential in veilguard but in particular i keep coming back to nevarra. like what is going on in the rest of the country, i thought they just happened to bury their dead in the necropolis, not have their entire way of life revolve around it? is everyone in the country cool with necromancy? what are the circles like? how do templars decide when an animated corpse is too dangerous? how do they get along with the rest of thedas? they were a city in the free marches once, they have family ties to the orlesian imperial throne, they are the only other mage-forward country with tevinter—surely there's SOME sort of interesting tidbit about the country outside of their burial practices? which are implied to be archaic and unsettling even to their own citizens, let alone the rest of the world?

and lest we forget the dynasties of nevarra have famously been fighting very bloody feuds for the last 300 years. the pentaghasts are such a fucked up huge family. they were dragon hunters, once, shouldn't they be concerned with the lords of fortune? shouldn't there be coup after coup in the wake of king markus' death, wouldn't such a thing be highly publicized in such a cutthroat political country? why is this discussed in a throwaway line of banter???????? where is cassandra is she alright???

and i think this sort of questioning is why, even when you set aside the plot, veilguard feels so thin. the world isn't lived in, all the internal conflict of any organization is handwaved away. i chafe at the idea that these giant and powerful countries would do nothing of import to fight against elgar'nan and ghilan'nain, because the threat is immediately real and actionable. but if the game wanted to, there are easily plausible reasons the nations wouldn't be fit for fighting, yknow? and reasons beyond the venatori. like king markus dying and there being a succession crisis in nevarra, or the tevinter war with par vollen reaching a head after centuries of stalemates, or something. anything. anything besides silence, then devastation off-screen. why.

[evillesbianvillainarchive]

Its super late but today me and cole added Hawks and Natsuo to the MTA au so

Natsuo was born in the magi tower but since he wasn’t a mage nor he had any special ability that could interess Endeavor and his goals and also he had no intentions om becoming a templar, he was cast out of the Tower when he was a young teen (around 13 years old). He lived mostly on the streets and at some point found himself in trouble. He was saved by the Grey Wardens and joined them, leaving Ferelden till the blight started and he finally managed to be together with his family again.

Hawks is Chasind and was kidnapped by the Templars when he was rather young - like around 8 years olds - and forced into the Circle. He already got some sort of affinity with animals by that time tho and spent the rest of his time in the Circle either trying to escape - succeeding twice but being brought back because he didnt destroy his phylactery - or using his abilities to learn how to change form into a hawk. By the time he mastered his shapeshifter abilities he already became quite the nemesi of Endeavor, being one of the few mages who dared to stand up to him and that even managed to ridicule him. They were thinking of making him tranquil when Hawks finally managed destroy his phylactery - controlling a templar through blood magic - and escaped in his hawk form. Endeavor chased him but couldn’t find him for months so he lied, saying he found him and killed him to keep his honor in the Chantry.

Hawks went back to the Kolcari Wilds and it was there that he met a little orphan Tokoyami, took him with him and taught him everything he knew about magic and shapeshifting.

Also Hawks and Natsuo are together, continuing the memorable tradition of Enji’s kin to just fucking become apostates and/or falling in love with apostates.

[doctormage]

like fucking clockwork now that I have consistent work my brain is just firing off dragon age bullshit at all times. I had the urge to draw for the first time in weeks yesterday. I am in hell

[baejax-the-great]

The first thing Lara did when she decided to leave Val Royeaux was turn off her phone. Actually, the first thing she did was gingerly set down the book she had been reading on the little table next to her armchair. Then she turned off her phone, scooped her things into her duffel, and took one long look at Solas sleeping in their bed.

Never was she more thankful that he was a deep sleeper. Or less thankful. No, definitely more thankful.

Yeah.

It was the middle of the night, but she didn’t sleep much on the train. Sleeping would not solve her problems, and she had more problems than she cared to think about. Leaving felt good. Leaving felt right. As she watched the sun rise over rural Orlais, she was certain it had been the correct decision.

[literary-lion]

Outrageous Things I've Done for the Love of Books | Top Ten Tuesday

Outrageous Things I’ve Done for the Love of Books | Top Ten Tuesday

The topic this week is Outrageous Things I’ve Done for the Love of Books!

This is a weird topic because I’ve never really done anything that out there. Instead, this will just be ten books that I got in ways that were unusual for me! None of them are crazy, and that’s alright. I do love books but I like to display that love in quiet hoarding and reading, nothing dramatic. Although I’m excited…

[ao3feed-izuku-midoriya]

My Dragon Academia

My Dragon Academia by PureLaith

In the wake of the Fifth Blight, the Gray Wardens must rise once again to battle the hordes of Darkspawn, when they all fall, it's up to the last remaining 2 and their 19 other allies to prevent The Blight from exterminating all of Thedas.

Words: 1750, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Midoriya Hisashi, Midoriya Inko, Dabi | Todoroki Touya, Akaguro Chizome | Stain, Asui Tsuyu, But she's a, Mabari (Dragon Age), Shimura Nana

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44345290

[echoequinox]

rules: answer 30 questions and tag 20 blogs you wish to know better (i’m not gonna do that lmao). tagged by @hardisonparker​

name/nickname: echo! no nicknames, thank god

gender: woman comma trans question mark

star sign: i was born under the sign of the shadow on the first of sun’s height (or cancer, for the boring astrology)

height: 5′ 10″ (blech, tall girl squad)

time: 8:42am - only awake this early for a therapist who isn’t responding

birthday: july 1

favorite bands: at the moment uhhhh i dont... really listen to a lot of band bands. i’ll just say linkin park still

favorite solo artist: matt maeson and porter robinson for fuckin SURE

song stuck in my head: hero too from my hero academia by... chrissy costanza, i think?

last movie: i think my roommate made me watch To All the Boys I Loved Before: The Third One

last show: cw flash!! i’m really into it rn it’s fuckin great, cisco is a gem tbh

when did you create this blog: like..... 2013 i think, it was when i came out

what do I post: rarely anything, i dunno, clowns?

last thing googled: survey says.... elder scrolls star signs for the above joke JFDKSALC

do I get asks: no :) <3

why I chose my url: when i changed my name to echo i wanted to overhaul my brand so i moved from realityengineer/realityassassin to echoequinox. equinox doesn’t actually have any special meaning, it’s just another E word i liked, like echo

following: 286 but i really should go prune that and then follow new blogs with my more recent hyperfixations (like flash and my hero)

followers: i actually have like 400 followers but i keep forgetting followers on tumblr don’t mean shit like they do on twitter - zero fuckin engagement when it’s not people you know personally

average hours of sleep: anywhere from 6-14 hours a day, broken up every two hours by my insane sleep apnea that stops my breathing completely. i snore really bad lmfao 

lucky number: lucky? none. i like 7s though, like 7, 17, 27, etc. maybe it’s because they’re usually prime

instruments: so i played trombone in high school (ilu @exrayspex <3) but i dont play anything as of late. i really wanna get into music and make fun music in a daw like fruityloops, which i wholeheartedly believe to be an instrument

what am I wearing: this pink shirt that’s too small for me, like all my shirts. that’s it. the bare minimum of a therapy zoom call

dream job: either novelist or video game designer/writer. i really like writing. i wrote a really smutty monster fucker erotica that i’d love to publish but no one to read and edit it lmao whomp whomp (like it put it up on twitter and it didn’t even get any likes, it was rough)

dream trip: somewhere overseas. i really like italy and i’ve wanted to go to greece since i saw it in mamma mia lmfao 

last book I read: OOOOOH the new star wars novel from the high republic uhhh light of the jedi i think. “read” is a strong word - i finished about half of it and got distracted by everything else in my shitty life

favorite food: taco bell, PERIOD. more specifically like... the crunchwrap i guess - lots of meat and cheese, in a convenient to eat package (pro-tip: customize it in ANY way or you’ll get one of the ones sitting on the rack for like an hour). or the quesadilla but you literally have to get extra everything for it to be worth it, but the sauce is to die for. get the app, y’all, you can customize whatever you want super easy, pay for it there, and at the drive thru be like “i have a mobile order for echo” and that’s IT. minimal contact, it’s a godsend

nationality: white (american)

favorite song: uhhh? right now it’s either Hero Too from my hero or Get Your Wish by Porter Robinson 🥺 it feels so painfully trans (also whenever i see porter robinson i think of the “your brother is gnc af” “YOURE INSANE” post because got damn porter is gnc af lmfao)

top three fictional universes: i gueeess i gotta say....... tamriel (elder scrolls), thedas (dragon age), and the my hero universe? yeah that tracks