#tevinter nights art project

[larkoneironaut]

My Tevinter Nights art project 🐺🦚:

—The Dread Wolf Take You—

written by Patrick Weekes

Finished!! I’m kinda emotional, I started this project in 2021! It took me so long because I sometimes had way too long breaks.. At least you can see my art progress ✌🏽

[exhausted-archivist]

Okay, going to share a little joy as I project hop and play datv, but I'm cataloging all the food (cause it's me) and while I haven't done a pass for duplicates, I cannot stress how floored I am with the amount of food lore.

The entire series prior had a total of:

401 unique ingredients and their variations

321 dishes

155 drinks (liquor and non-alcoholic)

Veilguard has:

220 ingredients and their variations

175 dishes

32 drinks

This is nearly half or over half the amount of food lore as all previous works in the series. All the games, novels, ttrpg, shows, short stories, everything.

Now, I am not finished with the game. I have not heard every line of dialogue. I can say with confidence a lot of the stuff I've written down aren't duplicates because I have a whole scramble and yell to grab my notes to write it down.

For everything in this game, they really fed us good and well in the food lore

Edit: For additional context, this was the breakdown of source percentage of food lore prior to datv.

Podcast: 0.5%

World of Thedas: 8.6%

The Last Court: 7.4%

Short Story: 1%

Cookbook: 17.7%

Art Book (labeled art): 0.2%

Novel (this includes all of them from The Stolen Throne to Tevinter Nights): 14.7%

Blog: 0.2%

DAO: 14.7%

DA2: 6.1%

DAI: 22.9%

TTRPG: 5.4%

Comics: 0.5%

[dreadfutures]

Tevinter Nights: dramatic summaries

Back in March I decided to read a story from Tevinter Nights out loud to the DA FanFic server every Monday night. I figured with the number of stories, we'd hit August right as we finished - hopefully it'll be a big month for us fans!

I just love this anthology so much - there are many gems and entertaining bits among them, and they're criminally underrated. A lot of the DA side content is hit or miss for a lot of people, but seriously, some of these short stories could be published on their own without any knowledge of Thedas and still entertain!!

Here are the summaries I wrote ahead of each reading. :) All of the TN short stories are independent of each other, so take a look and perhaps you will find one you enjoy. I tried to keep them largely spoiler free :)

Also, check out @larkoneironaut 's Tevinter Nights art project! They're enjoyable in their own way :)

Three Trees to Midnight, by Patrick Weekes

After the Qunari take Ventus, prisoners are put to work chopping wood on the outskirts of Arlathan Forest. Myrion, a human mage, and Strife, a city elf who joined the Dalish, are shackled together at the ankle as a work pair. While their relationship starts antagonistic, they are quickly forced to work together to escape. This thrilling adventure is one of our first looks into the mysteries of Arlathan Forest, and the Antaam’s advance south—despite the rifts forming in the Qun’s ranks. Notably, Strife and his companion Irelin appear in another short story, Ruins of Reality, and Dragon Age: The Missing.

Down Among the Dead Men by Sylvia Feketekuty

We finally see Nevarra in this tale, and what better place to start than in the Grand Necropolis itself? Audric Felhausen, our POV character, is a city guard who is tasked with protecting a Mortalitasi mage during an investigation about some restless undead in the bowels of the Necropolis. We see how spirits and demons wander, and get stuck, in the bodies kept there -- and how possessing a body, even a long-dead one, can have significant effects on the spirit. On both a cultural and metaphysical level, this story gives us a TON of lore. And Audric, our hero, is equally curious and unsettled by what he learns. By the end you'll see why so many people are desperate for him to be a companion in DA4!

The Horror of Hormak by John Epler

Do you love Wardens? Do you miss the dark fantasy elements of Origins? Do you like the aesthetic of Dark Souls, with giant stone doors you push open with all your might to reveal a giant boss? That's the vibe that John Epler (DA4 Creative Director!) brings to this story. Wardens Ramesh and Lesha are tracking down a group of missing Wardens in Nevarra--a group, it turns out, that does not want to be found. For better or worse, Ramesh and Lesha plunge into the darkness and discover a horrifying truth with massive implications for the ancient history of Thedas... and the Evil Gods about to wake in DA4!

Callback by Lukas Kristjanson

Follow Sutherland and his crew of honorable adventurers back to where they began: Skyhold. Now defended and empty but for a handful of Chantry chosen caretakers, the fortress that once housed the Inquisition has gone dark, and Sutherland is tapped to investigate. We see Skyhold and by proxy the Inquisition itself from the perspective of one of the little guys, drawn to it because of ideals and encouraged to become their best selves. In doing so, we also see how the events of this world can shape Spirits in unexpected ways, with consequences for a world where the Veil is thin. Callback is full of callbacks and cameos from a surprising group from DAI, and an entertaining and perilous mini adventure in its own right. This is a love letter to Skyhold, to the Inquisition, and a meaningful counterpart to the memories of Skyhold kept in its frescos.

Luck in the Gardens by Sylvia Feketekuty

Hear a tale of glory and daring straight from a Lord of Fortune themself! A genderfluid, disguise-wearing, acrobat-turned-swashbuckler regales us with an adventure from the streets of Minrathous. Spy on secret meetings between Magisters, learn what the Venatori have been doing since Corypheus' defeat, and tremble in the face of things "past the Veil of our world," neither demon nor spirit. Who are the Lords of Fortune from Rivain? What lurks beneath Tevinter's streets? This may be the story that inspired many people's wishlist for the next Archon and the next Black Divine -- some beloved, familiar faces join our hero to face the terror in the gardens!

Content Warning: Body horror, Eldritch horror, mentions of Tevinter slavery

Hunger by Brianne Battye

Tevinter Nights returns to Warden business in Hunger -- or does it? Evka Ivo, a heroic warden, and her junior recruit Antoine, have to decide what counts as Warden business when there's not a Blight ongoing. As they make their way to Weisshaupt to answer their summons, they decide to make a small detour to help a village in need. Evka and Antoine are our beloved dwarf/elf romantics who feature in a DA Day short story - as well as in the DA4 lead-in comic, The Missing! Whether they may be companions or contacts to our protagonist remains to be seen, but surely they'll make an appearance after such tales of heroism and compassion!

Murder by Death Mages by Caitlin Sullivan Kelly

We return again to Nevarra from a different angle this time! An agent of the Inquisition, the multiplayer necromancer Sidony, is sent back to the home country she resents in pursuit of a killer. We learn not only about Sidony's past, but about the political landscape of Nevarra: do the Mortalitasi run the country as shadowy puppet masters? What do the common people, and the nobility, think of the death mages from the Necropolis? How are Mortalitasi trained? And what does necromancy look and feel like to the characters in Thedas? In this tale of alleyway chases and gossip-filled balls, we get another glimpse into a country we may very well visit in DA4!

The Streets of Minrathous by Brianne Battye

We return to Minrathous to learn what's become of the Venatori since Corypheus's defeat. Join Neve Gallus, special investigator (and important cameo in The Missing comic), as she navigates the alleyways of Tevinter's great city in search of a murderer. Through her eyes, we see how less-privileged mages are viewed, and how the law bends to the whims of the rich and magical in Tevinter. Neve is joined by Tevinter Templars in her investigation, and their final battle is certainly eye-opening for anyone interested in fighting mages... What lies beneath the Streets of Minrathous, if not the Cekorax? Well, you're about to find out.

The Wigmaker Job by Courtney Woods

Lucanis Dellamorte, Master Assassin (and rumored heir to the First Talon) of the Antivan Crows, prowls the secret passages and unsuspecting rooftops of Tevinter with his cousin Illario on a contract. The target? A member of the Venatori with a... peculiar hobby. From shady hotel rooms to a grand gala and fashion show, get a look at the best of the Crows doing what Crows do best. This is one of the best stories in Tevinter Nights by far.

Content Warnings: abuse of slaves, body horror, torture, gore, hair eating, lots of pretty gruesome (if cathartic) assasination, and possession

Genitivi Dies In The End by Lucas Kristjanson

The remnants of the Inquisition approach a new group of adventurers and task them with finding the secrets of Fen'Harel. The Antaam - or at least, part of it - give chase. And Genitivi Dies in the End.

Herold Had the Plan by Ryan Cormier

Our Lords of Fortune are on the run as a mission to steal an ancient amulet goes awry. They have the amulet, they have their daring escape (a Lord of Fortune knows no other kind, of course) -- but Herold had the plan for what to do with the damn thing, and Herold is gone. As Starkhaven guards give chase, only one Lord of Fortune will survive the night. But will he make it to the mysterious Squire who hired them in the first place? Join us for an adventure that will break your heart and keep you on the edge of your seat.

An Old Crow's Old Tricks by Arone Le Bray

Tevinter has sent their finest centuri to defend the shores of the Nocen Sea from potential Qunari invaders. They stake their claim on the area and set up camp, enjoying the esteem of being the proud defenders of Tevinter. But it's not the Qunari this group of soldiers should fear.

CW: blatant racism against dalish, off screen massacre of a Dalish clan, many gruesome cathartic assassinations described in some detail, hand trauma

Eight Little Talons by Courtney Woods

Antiva's crown is weak. Antiva has no army. And the Qun is at its doorstep. Antiva's Crows may be the country's only defense, but they must act fast. Caterina Dellamorte, the fearsome leader of the Crows, calls all Eight Talons to meet in secret and solitude to discuss and prepare for the threat at Antiva's borders. But perhaps they should begin by looking for threats at home. All Crows are assassins. But only one is a murderer.

Half Up Front by John Epler

A former altus who chose to be disowned into poverty to be with her elven lover takes the job of a lifetime: steal a precious, powerful, magical artifact from the Archon's Palace itself. It was never going to be easy, but the former Altus Vadis couldn't have predicted that a Minrathous heist would bring her all the way to a port in Rivain, loyal to the Qun. What at first glance seems like a classic cat burgling caper actually might tell us a lot about the forces at play in Thedas—how perhaps the people on the ground may or may not be following orders.

Dread Wolf Take You by Trick Weekes

[felassan]

following on from my 'this blog in the online print news' post, here's a lil 'this blog (& associated projects/mentions etc) in YouTube videos and podcasts' post. (❁´◡`❁)

Ghil Dirthalen: Dark Fortress {Overview. - Spoilers All}

Ghil Dirthalen: The Ferelden/Orlais War {Lore- Spoilers All}

Ghil Dirthalen: Loghain Mac Tir {Char. - Spoilers All}

Ghil Dirthalen: Dragon Age: Flight of the Wardens {Overview. - Spoilers All}

Ghil Dirthalen: The Guardian??? {Overview. - Spoilers All}

Ghil Dirthalen: DA:VEILGUARD: Quickly Catching Up With The Last Few Days!

Ghil Dirthalen: DA: The Veilguard: Discord Q&A with Developers!

Ghil Dirthalen: DA 101: A Guide to Dragon Age Media {No Spoilers}

Ghil Dirthalen: DA: The Veilguard: Discord Q&A with Developers Pt.2! {Minor DA:V Spoilers}

Ghil Dirthalen: Interview with John Epler || Dragon Age: The Veilguard {Marketing Spoilers}

Ghil Dirthalen: Veilguard's Gone Gold! What that means and more!

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Codex Added: {Split the Veil-Ep.91} Dragon Age Design Blog

Codex Added: {Split the Veil-Ep.98} Veilguard Gameplay Revealed

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Kala Elizabeth: Dragon Age Veilguard: COMPLETE BREAKDOWN - Character Creator, Combat, Gameplay, & MORE!

Kala Elizabeth: Dragon Age Veilguard: ALL Companion Appearances & Reveals

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Lisa plays Games: The content that was cut from Dragon Age 2

Lisa plays Games: The content that was cut from Dragon Age Inquisition

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Jackdaw: What Tevinter Nights REVEALS About Solas in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf!

Jackdaw: Dragon Age: Dreadwolf Predictions Based On Tevinter Nights

Jackdaw: Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's Website Update, Next Gen, A.I Patent & Last Court's Fate Uncovered!

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O Megascópio: Laboratório élfico dos horrores: origem dos Qunari e dos Darkspawn? | Dragon Age Tevinter Nights #3

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Knight 1029384756: Bioware VS Larian - What's the difference?

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Paragon7: Dragon Age Veilguard: Complete Breakdown in 19 Minutes

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The Veilcast: 2. Before The Veilguard

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MrHulthen: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Just Got It's Biggest Info Drop Yet

Dantics: Veilguard NEWS - Combat, Companions Questing on Their Own, & More | Dragon Age

---

Fonct: Mass Effect 5 - Everything We Know

ObsidianAnt: OA News - Cyberpunk 2077 PC vs Xbox Graphics Comparison - Next Mass Effect New Images

ColdBeer: Diablo Mode for Immortals Fenyx Rising, etc. | Weekly Gaming News #1

WhatCulture Gaming: Mass Effect 4 Art Continues Mass Effect 3's Controversial Ending

Honest Game Trailers: Dragon Age

[electricshoebox]

summer reading/writing/art meme

Tagged by @lyanndelune, thank you! 1: Describe one creative WIP project you're planning to work on over the summer

Definitely trying to get back to Eye of the Storm so I can get it finished!

2: Rec a book

Okay I have to confess that it's been awhile since I read a book but my roommate has been reading the Tevinter Nights stories from Dragon Age to me on our road trips as we work on moving and I'm really enjoying them so far.

3: Rec a fic

Oh my goodness. I'm woefully behind on catching up on fics, but my go-to recommendation is Bring the Gasoline by @adventuresofmeghatron. So much great action, compelling character arcs, and thrilling romance that blossoms into an ot3 in the after-series. Megh is really a master of action scenes and it is one of my favorite Fallout fics 💜

4: Rec Music

Well I have been devouring all the singles off of PVRIS's upcoming album. PVRIS is absolutely one of my favorite bands, the music is incredible and never disappoints.

5: Share One Piece Of Advice

oh man, I'm not sure if we're looking for life advice or creative advice here. I'll go for creative advice. If you're ever stuck in a story, give the characters a problem. Like, if you can't move forward with the current plot, try just introducing a problem they need to solve. Even just something small, like a minor injury or a weather restriction or heck, the power going out. Getting the writing moving that way can get the gears turning for the rest of the story. Problems always force more character interaction and development.

I'll tag @adventuresofmeghatron, @just-another-wasteland-merc, and @edaworks

[melisusthewee]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you @nirikeehan and @theluckywizard for tagging me! I think I did this a couple years ago, so it's worth doing again even though I doubt my answers have likely changed... lol.

(Under a cut because it gets a bit long with formatting.)

How many works do you have on AO3? 27!

What's your total AO3 word count? 66, 314 words

What fandoms do you write for? Currently Dragon Age, beginning to consider branching into The Terror (but the latter is mainly just art for now).

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? The Tang of Liquor On His Tongue (Dragon Age; Dorian/Male Trevelyan smut) The Dreamer Sets the Rules (Dragon Age; Solas/Male Trevelyan & Solas/Fade Spirit) mala suledin nadas (Dragon Age; Solas/Male Trevelyan) Impetus (Dragon Age; Cassandra/Male Trevelyan smut) Smut Challenge 2: War Table Boogaloo (Dragon Age; Cassandra/Male Trevelyan smut)

Do you respond to comments? I try really hard to! I fell behind for a period of time and got really anxious about it and have been slowly trying to catch up starting mainly with more recent comments.

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I suppose it might be Lathbora Viran since even though it's more of an implied/hinted at event instead of outright stated, the fic ends with Curiosity (the reborn spirit of Wisdom) becoming the Regret demon from Tevinter Nights.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Um... I suppose in terms of individual fic it would probably be Nothing Else Than What Is Now because the squires confess their feelings, they kiss, and if you stop there then nothing bad ever happened ever again lol.

Do you get hate on fics? No. I am far too insignificant to attract that sort of thing.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? On occasion! I don't really know how to describe the sort of smut I write. I think I tend to bring a sort of dreamy romantic quality to it? I lean very hard into even the smut that's very light on plot as being an important character or relationship study. I guess. I do think I'm a very good smut writer though! So whatever I'm doing, I'm doing it well!

Do you do crossovers? What's the craziest you've ever written? Not really. At least not in recent memory. I wrote a Harry Potter/Beatles oneshot years ago on Livejournal that was inspired by a friend's art. And around that time I also wrote a Dick Grayson/Bucky Barnes fic but that's about the extent of it.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Not to my knowledge. If there's ever a demand for it, I'm very open to it!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Sort of. I started co-writing a Mirrorverse fic with @rosella-writes about a year ago? It never quite got off the ground though, which is a shame because I think it was a good idea and I think what we did write was very good. Maybe one day the stars will align for work on it to continue. I'm co-author on a special secret project that is wrapping up soon as well, which is very neat and exciting but I can't say much more than that right now!

What's your all-time favourite ship? All-time favourite is a pretty big thing to consider. Out of all fandoms, probably Chrom/F!Robin from Fire Emblem Awakening. I am now and forever Chrobin trash. Have I ever written it? No. Do I have an extensive art collection for it? Yes.

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? My Qunari War AU. It's mainly just notes and snippets in bits and pieces and while it was definitely canon compliant when I started working on it, I don't think it is anymore. And that sort of made me mostly give up on it.

What are your writing strengths? I'd say dialogue!

What are your writing weaknesses? TRANSITIONS! I'm so bad at figuring out, "Okay, this scene is over/exhausted. Now how do I get things from here to the next one?"

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic? I think when it comes to real languages, it's probably best to avoid it. If a character is speaking another language then there are two possibilities - either the POV narrator understands the language or they don't. In the event of the former, there's then no reason to have the dialogue written in a different language than what the fic is since if the narrator understands what's being said then the reader should too. In the event of the former, it's much easier and far less prone to error if you just write that Character A was speaking in a language that Character B could not understand. With fictional languages that are usually incomplete, however, sometimes a word or an expression can be used for impact but I still think it's best to use them sparingly.

First fandom you wrote for? Technically it was Digimon Adventure. But I was 13 so we're not going to talk about that.

Favourite fic you've ever written? So far in terms of completed and published fics it is either In the Long Hours of the Night or The Many Faces of Wisdom. I think they are both evocative character pieces and if I had the money to commission art to accompany them I very much would.

That was a lot of fun and it was interesting to see that some of my stats and things had actually changed! For any other fic writers out there, I challenge you to give this a go! And I am gently nudging the following people: @ronqueesha @kiastirling @dreadfutures @bluewren @thraaaaaaaanduuuuuuuuiiiiiiiiil @unnecessaryligatures @rosella-writes @n7viper

[howlingwolf23]

Commander Fancy Pecs 2

Was chatting with @qunari-and-turians and my wife @amloveabledeathmo and a joke became a full story.

  The Inquisitor is in the tavern after a long day, drawing as they drink.

Josephine sits beside them, “Maybe after this business with Corypheus is over we should send you to art school with Yvette.”

The Inquisitor blushes “With your sister? Are you sure that's a good idea?”

”Yes, I think you may have a point. Couldn't trust her gossiping to you while you're there. Who knows what she’d say.” ”No, I mean, I am not good enough to go to art school. I can barely sketch.”

Josephine looks intensely at the Inquisitor, “That’s nonsense. You more have talent in your sketches than I have even seen in all of Sera's scribbles in my letters.”

Sera yells from her room “Hey! I heard that! My drawings are awesome!”

”If you heard that then please stop writing on my reports!” Josephine yells back, “I swear, she is going to give me another headache.”

 The Inquisitor laughs, “Well anyways, I am fine with my art. It's just sometimes, I want things....better.”

Josephine takes a drink and thinks it over, “Well, with your talent, you could start the project, then we could have another artist fill in the holes you aren't able to do. They could even just repaint your sketch or drawing for you completely.”

”Yeah, I guess that could work. But I am not sure I can show the work I want done....improved.”

”It's of Cullen, isn't it?”

The Inquisitor gasps and fumbles their cup almost dropping it, “What? Cullen? No! Never.”

Josephine gives them a look.

The Inquisitor sighs, “Fine it’s of Cullen, how did you know?”

Josephine laughs “How did you survive The Game? Halamshiral? You are very easy to read. Do not play Wicked Grace with Varric.”

The Inquisitor puts their head down and groans “So everyone knows? About us? We were trying to keep it quiet.” ”I wouldn't say everyone but probably mostly everyone. Don't fret on that. You wanted art of our dear commander to be touched upon.”

”Since everyone already knows, I guess it would be okay.”

Josephine nods, “I will reach out to the school, they owe me a few favors.”

The Inquisitor hesitates, “I don't know. Sounds too close, they might recognize the commander.”

”That eliminates most of Thedas then.” Josephine taps her chin, “Let me see what I can do. I promise the artist won't know who the commander is.”

”Thank you, Josephine.”

 Later that night Josephine was looking through contacts, muttering to herself when in walks Leliana.

”What's the matter Josie?”

“It’s nothing, just a special request from the inquisitor is giving me difficulties.”

Leliana mock gasps, “You? But you know everyone in Feralden and Orlais.”

Josephine throws a look at Leliana, “Joke all you want, that’s the problem, all of them know us. The inquisitor wants some...art... of theirs to be touched up by a professional artist.”

Leliana leans forward, “Let me guess. They drew Cullen and want it done better.”

Josephine groans “I didn't say anything.”

Leliana leans back again thinking about it “And obviously she doesn't want people to know....I may have someone in Tevinter. And after we can trade a few favors in Orlais….”

Josephine huffs “ I know better than to trust that look....but I am at my wits end.” Sometime later a newcomer arrives at Skyhold. A commission is completed rather quickly and they leave. A new painting is hung in the inquisitor's quarters at the foot of their bed and the original is returned to Cullen's loft.

 A while after an agent stops the artist near Val Royeux. ”Hello, I followed you from Skyhold. Lady Nightingale wishes to commission a few more paintings from you.”

The artist looks quizzically at the agent before them, “Why not tell me at Skyhold?”

The Agent responds “Ah, because the buyers of your artwork are here. The issue is, they trade in favors, not coin. So, the Lady will give you the coins you need, you give her paintings. She then trades your works for favors. Everyone wins.”

”So what's the catch?”

“No catch. She will request artwork and you will be paid. You can also stay and live in Val Royeux, create other works and sell them for yourself.”

The Artist looks around a bit before shrugging, “What paintings do the Lady and her favors want?”

First         Next            Last

[wyrdsistersofthedas]

All Frescos: Symbols in Dragon Age Art (Part 1)

When is a triangle not a triangle?

So....Tevinter Nights!  Still reading it, but you know me and maps.  I kind of like them.  And while the book’s map is short on details, it had one very interesting image that caught my eye.  

Let me zoom in a bit for you.

What an interesting depiction of the Veil!  Complete with spikey projections!!  Then I thought...we’ve seen those triangles before. Here they are clearly labeled as a visual representation of the Veil.  And if they represent the Veil between the Fade and the Mortal World then...

....it is very likely that they mean the same thing here.  

So this image may well be meant to show Solas creating the Veil.  

Now that alone might not be groundbreaking.  I think many of us thought that the triangles could represent magic or the Fade, but it seems to be more specific than that.  These triangles are the Veil in Solas’ art.  

Taking this as a working theory, then some interesting tin-foil hat analyses of the his other frescos is possible.  Here is what I am thinking:

He walked among The People, freeing them of their bonds, cloaked in a proto-Veil (***) that shielded him and his followers from the eyes of the Evanaris.

Fen’Harel summoned all of his strength and cunning to raise the Veil across Thedas.

The Veil sundered the world of mortals from the Fade, but the alternative was worse.  More war and more Titans felled for their orbs.

Thus the Veil keeps the Evanuris imprisoned in the Fade.  Even now they watch through the mirrors, twisted and vengeful, waiting for a time they can return.  And the sickness grows from within.

At least, that is one interpretation.  These Veil triangles seem to be a go to symbol in Nick Thornborrow’s Dragon Age art (and if you can’t see these images, check out the beautiful full size versions there!).  You can see a faded, failing Veil in the top right corner of the Dread Wolf Rises mural.  

(The Veil is stretched too thin and chaos engulfs the world? And that Maker forsaken idol is the key?  Yeah, that totally sounds like something that could happen in DA4.)

We already know that Nick Thornborrow uses symbols in a deliberate manner so it stands to reason that these triangles always represent the Veil, whether Solas was the artist or not.

The Veil triangles also appears in some of the tarot cards he created:

A demon with the mark of its Veil crossing fresh on its back.

Here is Corypheus sundering the Veil.

Thus image of the Sentinel Elves is interesting because we see the Veil triangles again, but also the diamond shapes on the right.  Makes me wonder if the triangle represents the Veil from the mortal realm while the diamond shape is how it looks from a Faded perspective.

If that is the case, then I need to revise an analysis I did in another post.  Sweet!  That turns that image in an interesting direction!  It still is the Evanuris trapped beyond the Veil, but the central symbol may mean more than I thought initially.  I’ll have to update that soon!

When the triangle is the Veil...

So what can we do with this information?  Knowing one symbol often makes others more decipherable.  This leads to theories about these art works being more grounded in reasonable assumptions.  It also shows us that when we see those same symbols used in other artwork, we can reasonably infer that they mean the same thing.  

That is exciting because the imagery in Solas’ art shows up in other places that were not created by our favorite hobo apostate with god thighs.  It would be a fun project to create a visual dictionary of common iconography used in Dragon Age and their likely meanings.  While it will mostly still be guess work, it is a starting place....

Thanks for reading!  I hope y’all are staying safe during these crazy times!

-MM

***PS - Those “V” shapes that I said might be a proto-Veil earlier in this post might also represent a mage who is talented at breaking the Veil.  Might be part of the reason why Corypheus was so interested in Calpernia.

[jackdawyt]

Your bird is back with another Dragon Age 4 News Update!  🐦

For the first time this year, I’m doing a massive monthly news recap of everything we learned about Dragon Age 4 going forward (JUST) in the month of March, because slap my arse and call me Andraste, this month was huge for Dragon Age 4 updates, we’ve got a lot of exciting info to get into!

(Romance Tweets)

Calling all romance fans, you can bank on Dragon Age 4 to fulfil all of your intimate desires, perhaps even more so than the previous games. Jon Renish, Foundation Programming Area Director working on the next Dragon Age had a few things to say whilst watching a romance scene script read through:  

“Don't want to alarm anyone, but I'm starting to think 'Dragon Age' games might be a bit randy.” (March 3rd)

‘Randy’, according to the Oxford Dictionary, means ‘sexually arousing’ and ‘exciting.’ So, we can prepare for that, whatever that is! Jon continues his tweet thread with:

“Well now it's all sad and sweet and emotional. I was not prepared for this rollercoaster.”

In true BioWare fashion, we’re going to have a lot of sexy times, however, brought together with moving and character developing moments – y’know, the ups and downs of the romance as the relationship builds and grows throughout the entire game experience.  

“Oh, nothing like that.  Just watching a script read through.”

Jon confirms that this was indeed a script read through, as we can tell reviewing a potential romance scene. As a romance advocate myself, I am very interested in the direction romances will be going in for Dragon Age 4. That is something that I will especially be keeping my eyes on. 

(E3/EA Play 2020 Update)

EA Play and E3 2020 are generally the most expected places to see a new Dragon Age 4 reveal trailer.

E3 2020 has been cancelled due to the current outbreak, however, we’ve yet to be updated on the status of EA Play 2020. Of course, it is most certainly cancelled since the tickets for the show were supposed to drop this March. But, we still don’t know what will replace the show.  

The teams behind E3 2020 are supposedly working on a digital showcase to display new announcements that would’ve been revealed on stage. We can only assume that EA will follow suite and do the same for EA Play, making it a digital show, like Nintendo’s Direct conferences.  

Regardless, this is something that we’re going to have to wait and see until EA speak out, and when they do, I’ll be sure to cover that in a news update. I feel we could have a Dragon Age 4 reveal, with an expected release of 2022/2023, but with everyone hectic right now, I’m unsure.  

(C Virus Update)

Speaking of hectic... with the current outbreak, EA have spoken and shared a statement about health and safety during these times:  

(March 13th) “These are challenging times for everyone.  We’re working to look after our employees and their families, and make sure we’re doing the right and responsible things to fight this pandemic illness.”

Thankfully, everyone working at BioWare have been asked to work from home. Justin Masse, Experience Designer working on the next Dragon Age tweeted he’s “working from home until April 1st", confirming the length of this situation.

According to Crystal McCord, Associate Producer of Performance Capture and VO, working at home has been very productive for the team at BioWare as they have “exceeded all expectations.” 

So, it’s great knowing that despite the crazy situation in the world right now, BioWare developers are staying safe, working from home and progressing hugely on the next Dragon Age title!  

(Slack Server)

(March 13th) While Mark Darrah was working from home, he tweeted a picture regarding his tiling progression, as he’s currently redesigning aspects of his home. However, in the very corner of Darrah’s picture lies a laptop screen with a Slack Server revealing many Dragon Age development secrets!  

The server shows plenty of channels for the BioWare developers regarding specific work notes on all aspects of progression. A large amount of the channels are abbreviated to “MOR_” - which is most certainly shortened from ‘Morrison’, Dragon Age 4’s current project title as we know.

This list of the channels are endless, and I could spend forever looking into what exactly they all refer to regarding the production of the next Dragon Age game. We have one channel called ‘mor_announcement’ - does this hint at a new trailer to soon be showed off, or is it an old channel since The Dread Wolf Rises teaser? Are they planning an upcoming announcement? Surely, they would be right? Is that anytime soon?  

Another channel is called ‘mor_da_week’ which from what I can assume stands for Dragon Age week? We have a Dragon Age Day created by the fans and made offical by BioWare, but a Dragon Age week, that’s something I’ve never heard of...  

And there’s just plenty of channels referring to Dragon Age 4’s current development, there’s even a bad design ideas thread, an ask Mark anything chat, approvals on key aspects of the game, marketing assets, and so on!  

It’s a gold mine of tidbits, orchestrated by none other than Mark Darrah, the Executive Producer on Dragon Age. He has once more tweeted a cheeky little tease that may appear mundane, passing a blind eye to it, however, when you take some time and actually look at what he’s posted, it reveals a nug-ton of info we can speculate on.

(New Associate Producer / Jobs)

Illustrator and Creative Professional “Mad Bee” has returned to work at BioWare, they previously worked on Anthem as an Art Quality Analyst. However, this time around, they are an Associate Producer, most likely working on Dragon Age 4. 

And, following that, BioWare are currently hiring! I’ve seen this news piece get quite the few news articles, but I figured I could break this one down better, rest in peace PC Gamer.

So, indeed BioWare are hiring for many roles at the company, the most prominent role is a ‘Technical Director’ for ‘the next major title in one of BioWare’s most prestigious franchises.’  

Considering Mike Gamble, the new project lead for the next Mass Effect game tweeted this hiring out, I’d assume this position is needed for the Mass Effect team who are also in Edmonton, opposite the Dragon Age team.  

What’s most concerning about this job listing relating to the future of Mass Effect is that, according to the job requirements, the applicant needs to have experience ‘developing, debugging and optimizing AAA multiplayer games on PC or console.’  

To throw away my suspicion that Mass Effect or Dragon Age are going to have a heavy multiplayer experience, I looked at the other job listings located at Edmonton’s studio and I discovered other job listings, like an Engine Programmer which require the same experience of developing and debugging games, however, without the multiplayer element.  

So, perhaps BioWare have two teams, one working on the main single player element and the other working on the much smaller multiplayer aspect? I’d be naive to not reiterate the fact that future BioWare games are going to be live service, however, we still don’t know to what extent that will look like.  

(Tevinter Nights)

Patrick Weekes teased that Dragon Age 4 is most certainly in Tevinter following there Tevinter Nights Book plug, however, Patrick still calls the next Dragon Age game an unannounced project? Which I don’t understand because The Dread Wolf Rises teaser trailer at The Game Awards 2018 most certainly confirmed that a new Dragon Age game is currently in production and has been announced.

Unless Patrick is calling it ‘still-unannounced' because they’re planning an announcement soon...

I feel like Patrick is just joking at the fact that the next game is most certainly set in Tevinter, considering PC Gamer made an article a while back stating that Dragon Age 4 is set in Tevinter based on the Tevinter Nights book reveal, it made plenty of the BioWare staff and community laugh at their credulous Journalism. So, it could just be that.  

Anyhow, March has actually been an amazing month to be a Dragon Age fan! We had the final issue of Blue Wraith and the release of the anthological Tevinter Nights!

Tevinter Nights dropped plenty of story hints for the future of Dragon Age. I was lucky enough to receive an early copy, as of which, I’ve created plenty of content regarding all of the story threads uncovered in the novel that you should check out once you’ve read the book for yourself, I’ve still got more to content to come from Tevinter Nights too!  

However, if you have not read it and very much care about the future of Dragon Age, which if you’re watching this video, you most likely do. So, you should go and read this book because we learn A LOT going forward for the future narrative of Dragon Age. The book is a huge spring board for the next game, so go and read it!  

(Blue Wraith)

The final issue of Blue Wraith launched and as much as I enjoyed it, the comic ended on a cliff-hanger!

The lead writers Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir are hopeful for another comic to come, stating:

The two also spoke in a comic-centred interview by Deconstructing Comics about the direction of their entire Dragon Age comics. That since Knight Errant, their comics are created to prepare for a hypothetical Dragon Age 4, but not as a prologue or a plot for the next game. Nunzio suggested that fans should instead look at Tevinter Nights.

Nunzio shared on BSN Forums that hopefully the wait for the next comic won’t be as long as last time. Dragon Age: Deception came out through October – December of 2018, whereas Blue Wraith came out through January – March of 2020. So, perhaps the next comic run could come mid-2021.

(Future Books/Comics)

Speaking of future books and comics, just after I finished Blue Wraith and Tevinter Nights, I was asking myself what’s next to look forward to regarding Dragon Age content. However, on March 23rd we got not one, but two book announcements coming later this year.

Dropping on the 13th of October, BioWare are revealing a new development book, charting the legendary game studio's first 25 years in a massive retrospective hardcover book at $39.99. Perhaps we’ll learn more about Dragon Age 4’s previous iteration, project Joplin?  

Following that, on October 27th, the five Dragon Age graphic novels are being put into a massive collection for $29.99.

This book collects Dragon Age: The Silent Grove #1-6, Dragon Age: Those Who Speak #1-3, Dragon Age: Until We Sleep #1-3, Dragon Age: Magekiller #1-5, and Dragon Age: Knight Errant #1-5.

But not Deception & Blue Wraith? Potentially they’ve left these two out because Dark Horse wish to progress with these comics, foreshadowing more comics in the future to come?  

(Reddit Leak)

Moving on to a slightly weird, and most certainly fake-but-take-it-as-you-will-update... we have a reddit leak showing many upcoming games release dates, with some actually being accurate. Dragon Age 4 is listed here, and according to this leak, it’s releasing the 15th of November, 2020. Again, most certainly fake, but take it as you will.  

Speaking of fake leaks, a 2018 leak for Dragon Age 4’s contents has resurfaced, and oh boy is this thing fake. I feel like dissecting this thing as a separate video just for a laugh, but tell me down below if that’s a good idea or not.  

With that, that’s all the updates we had in March! We’re three, almost four months into 2020, as crazy as this year has been so far. I’ve already created plenty previous news updates, so if you need to be caught up to date, or you’ve missed an update, or you’re just stuck inside and need something to put your mind at ease - I have a news playlist with every single major update regarding Dragon Age 4’s development, so be sure to check that out. 

I hope you all are holding up okay and staying safe, distract yourself by telling me some of your own hopes for the next Dragon Age game, it can be anything you'd like to see! Personally, I'd love to see Vaea make any appearance in DA4!

[pikapeppa]

Professor Solas/Lavellan: Oceanic

Chap 4 of Inadvisable (professor Solas modern AU) is posted!

In which Nare Lavellan throws caution to the wind when she officially meets Professor Solas for the first time. 😏 Featuring both Nare and Solas POV!

~4300 words; read on AO3 instead. 

*********************

- NARE -

Nare tapped her fingernails on her empty glass as she scanned the bar. I don’t see him, she thought in disappointment, then turned back to face her new labmates with a somewhat perfunctory smile. 

Merrill was in the middle of telling a story. She covered her mouth with one hand as she giggled. “After that, Professor Abelas has never eaten any of the baked goods I bring in. It was only the one time, though. I don’t usually put a tablespoon of salt in my cakes, I swear.”

“Don’t take it personally,” Tamlen said. “Professor Abelas doesn’t even eat storebought baked goods that are brought into the lab.”

“I think that’s how he got so tall,” Dagna said. “Not eating baked goods.”

Tamlen smirked. “Dagna, you think everyone is tall.”

She tutted and poked his hip. “Silly. I’ll let you get away with that comment since you always get the files down from the top shelves for me.”

Athera tilted her head quizzically. “Is Professor Abelas going to come to this mixer?”

“He already came and went,” Merrill said. “He always comes right when it starts and leaves within the hour.”

Athera’s eyebrows jumped up. “He came right at eight o’clock? I bet no one was even here yet!”

“That’s why he comes on time,” Tamlen said dryly.

Athera snorted. “That makes so much sense, actually.”

Nare briefly stopped scanning the room to grin at her. “Are you going to gossip about him now since you know he’s not going to show up?”

Athera scoffed. “I’m not going to gossip about a faculty member at the campus bar. I’m not stupid.” Then she smirked and elbowed Nare. “I’ll keep the gossip for when we get home.”

“Oh good,” Nare said brightly. “I still can’t believe you told Tamaris about your day while I was in the shower.”

Merrill clapped her hands. “Athera was so impressive today. You didn’t cry once!”

Nare looked at Merrill and Athera in genuine alarm. “Cry?” she exclaimed. “Why would you cry?”

Athera rolled her eyes, and Tamlen helpfully replied. “Professor Abelas is, uh, stern.”

“I think his face will crack if he smiles too much,” Merrill said. 

Tamlen cocked his head thoughtfully. “His frown does kind of look like a golem, doesn’t it?”

“Yep, it really does,” Dagna chirped, “and I would know. Golems were the focus of my undergrad thesis.”

“Were they really?” Athera said keenly. “I only had one single lecture during my undergrad that even talked about golems. What can you tell me about them?”

Dagna launched into an excited explanation of the role of golems in ancient Orzammar, and Nare took the opportunity to scan the room once more, even though she knew she shouldn’t be. Really, if she saw Professor Solas at this mixer, it would be better if she stayed away from him. 

But at the same time, if she stayed away from him and he saw her, that would be worse, wouldn’t it? She was his new Master’s student and they’d run into each other earlier today, even though he didn’t know who she was. If he saw her here tonight and she didn’t talk to him, it would be weird when she formally met him tomorrow in his office, as if she’d been avoiding him. And she had no real reason or excuse to avoid him.

Aside from the juvenile but persistent fantasies she kept having about his height looming over her and his gorgeous voice curling out of those plush full lips. 

She nibbled the inside of her cheek and tapped her empty glass. Then Athera nudged her. “You’re starting to make me nervous now,” she murmured. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Nare smiled at her. “I’m fine, I promise,” she said. Then she looked at her new labmates. “Does Solas — er, Professor Solas usually come to these mixers?”

Merrill nodded. “He does, yes. He’s probably here somewhere talking to someone.”

“Being told off by someone, you mean,” Tamlen drawled. 

Merrill tsked. “They only tell him off because they’re jealous.”

Dagna giggled. “Or because he embarrassed some Orlesian professor in one of their lectures by pointing out something wrong.”

Nare looked at him with wide eyes. “He does that in the middle of other people’s lectures while everyone is watching?”

“Yep,” Tamlen said smugly. “It’s kind of awesome, actually.”

Nare laughed, and Athera sighed happily. “I’d like to see that sometime.”

“You can, if you want,” Tamlen said, to Nare’s surprise. “Solas is insistent that all his lectures be open for anyone to audit. The administration almost had a fit at first because his classrooms were so packed that it violated fire regulations, but it’s calmed down a little bit in the past couple years.”

Nare stared at him. “Open for auditing? Wow.” That basically meant that Solas was doing his world-class lectures for free for anyone who wanted to listen. 

She sighed to herself. As if she needed more of a reason to have a crush on him. 

Merrill seemed to agree. “I think it’s brilliant. He’s trying to share the knowledge of Arlathan so openly! After so many years of their borders being almost completely closed to outsiders!” She sighed wistfully. “I hope I can go on an exchange to Arlathan someday.”

Dagna nodded enthusiastically. “That would be pretty amazing. Can you imagine how much we could learn?”

Nare smiled in agreement and glanced around, and her heart stopped.

There he was. Professor Solas was standing near the bar in a fitted blazer and a collared shirt, smiling politely as a dark-haired man spoke animatedly to him. 

Her frozen heart bolted into a galloping pulse. Oh gods, she thought. Oh gods oh gods. He was here. She was hoping he would be here, and now that he actually was, she thought she might pass out from excitement. Or from anxiety. One of the two. 

She tore her eyes away from him and smiled idly at Athera and the others, but she could barely pretend to be paying attention anymore. Professor Solas was there, standing right there not twenty feet away and drawing her attention more readily than a lighthouse beam.

All of a sudden, she couldn’t resist the beacon anymore.

She held out her glass to Athera. “Can you take this? I’m going to the washroom. I’ll be right back.” 

“Sure,” Athera said, but Nare was already walking away.

She twined her way through the crowd and slipped into the washroom, then stepped in front of the sink and stared at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were a bit flushed, but that could be chalked up to the crowded bar. Her hair looked good, half pinned-up and the rest spilling down her back in loose waves, and her makeup was surprisingly unsmudged. 

She took a deep breath to try and calm herself, but it barely helped; her anxiety was burning away and being taken over by excitement alone — a kind of reckless excitement that Nare was not accustomed to feeling. But then again, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this kind of spine-tingling excitement about anyone. 

Honestly, she couldn’t remember ever being this desperately attracted to anyone. Too bad he had to be her fucking supervisor. 

It’s fine, she thought. I’ll just introduce myself and talk to him a little bit. It’s fine. It’s perfectly innocent. 

She smiled at herself, then pressed her lips together to quell a stupid little giggle. Then, before she could lose her courage, she swept out of the bathroom and back into the bar. 

- SOLAS -

Dorian raised his eyebrows winningly. “Come now, Solas, you have to admit that a collaboration would be a huge opportunity. An exhibit developed and created by both of us focusing on the interplay between Tevinter and Arlathani culture over the centuries? People across Thedas will be discussing it.” 

“I will consider it,” Solas said. 

“You should,” Dorian said. “At most, a collaborative project could garner patrons and sponsors for several years’ worth of funding for both of our departments. At the very least, it will get people talking.”

“That’s not something I have had particular difficulty with over the past few years,” Solas said wryly.

Dorian chuckled. “True, true. You and Abelas and your controversial theories. Come, my friend, your glass is dry.” He leaned over the bar and signalled the bartender. 

Solas hastily held up a hand to stop the bartender’s approach. “Thank you, but no,” he said to Dorian. “And I’m afraid I will have to cut our conversation short. This mixer is intended for mingling with the students, after all.”

Dorian sighed playfully. “I hear your message loud and clear. You’re sick and tired of me nattering your ear off.” He stepped away from the bar. “I will let you be. But promise me at least that you’ll consider a collaboration.”

“I will,” Solas said. And he meant it. But just because he considered a collaboration with Dorian didn’t mean he would agree to one, even if it did mean more sponsorship and funding. The Ancient Elvhen Studies program wouldn’t need funding beyond the next couple of years, after all. 

Dorian clapped him on the shoulder, then wandered into the boisterous crowd. Once he was gone, Solas let out a sigh of relief. He was far more adept at these sorts of gatherings than Abelas was, and truthfully, Solas didn’t mind coming to these events; he was always willing to engage in a rousing academic debate or an in-depth discussion of art over drinks. But just because he enjoyed the debates and the discussions didn’t mean he wasn’t exhausted by the time the night was done. 

And tonight was only half-done. He’d only arrived about a half-hour ago, and he really ought to stay for at least another hour. It was simply unfortunate that tonight’s mixer happened to fall on the sort of lazy weeknight that Solas would have preferred to spend on his couch at home with a book in hand and Fenor purring happily in his lap. 

He sighed and glanced around the room. Then his heart flipped in his chest.

A beautiful young elven woman in the crowd was smiling at him. A young woman he recognized, actually. Long russet hair, big blue eyes, long bare legs in a dark red dress…

It was the woman he had bumped into this morning on his way to the library. 

Collided with, more like, he thought ruefully. He really should have known better than to read while he was walking, especially when he’d forgotten his reading glasses at home and had to squint hard at the page. 

He nodded politely to her. Her smile widened, revealing a dimple in her right cheek, and she slipped deftly through the crowd until she was standing in front of him. 

“Hi,” she said. “We meet again.”

“So it seems,” he said. He was a bit taken aback by her confidence; it was a contrast with how shy she’d seemed earlier today.

“I didn’t realize that you were a student here,” he said. As soon as the words left his lips, he felt foolish. How could he have realized she was a student? They hadn’t even encountered each other on campus.

Thankfully, she didn’t point out his inane comment. “That’s okay,” she said. “I wasn’t heading toward campus, anyway.”

He blinked. “That’s right, you weren’t. Where were you headed?”

“I went to the modern art museum to see the neo-Avvar exhibit.”

Solas raised his eyebrows. “Ah. It’s a fascinating display, isn’t it?”

“It is,” she said enthusiastically. “I love the range of mediums they use in their work. The textiles were especially beautiful. I don’t know anything about textile art, but I feel like it would have been so hard to dye the tapestries in that kind of colour blending without any modern tech.”

“The textiles are truly impressive, aren’t they?” Solas agreed. “Incredible that such meticulous weavework could be done with bare hands. The Avvar are known for not using machines for their weaving.”

Her eyes widened. “Really? I just assumed that they used a loom of some kind.”

“No looms,” he confirmed. “Those tapestries were made entirely by hand.” He chuckled. “I believe my fingers would seize if I ever attempted such a feat.”

Her smile curled mischievously. “I can’t imagine that. I think you have the right kind of hands for weaving.”

He looked at her sharply, amused and surprised by her boldness. “Do you, now?”

He was further amused when she blushed. “I just… I can tell you’re an artist by your hands,” she said.

He raised his eyebrows, and her cheeks flushed even further. “I just mean that your… you have beautiful hands.” She laughed and patted her pinkened cheeks.

Solas smiled helplessly at her. There was something utterly charming about her confidence combined with her embarrassment, and… fenedhis, he knew he shouldn’t be encouraging this. He had no idea what department she even belonged to. But regardless of department, she was a student, and he shouldn’t be encouraging any kind of flirtation.

His wayward mouth opened of its own accord. “Do all artists have beautiful hands then, in your estimation?”

She waved her hand haphazardly. “No, no. I’m just being silly. Mine are nothing special, for example.”

He studied her with fresh interest. “Are you an artist yourself, then?”

“I… yes, actually,” she said. “I’m, um… I’m a painter. Digital and traditional.”

A painter as well? That was a happy coincidence. “As am I,” he said. “If you are a painter, you should know that you ought not discount your hands as being nothing special. A person’s hands speak of their character, whether the hands themselves are considered classically beautiful or not.”

She tilted her head. “Can you tell me more about that, professor?”

A warm feeling bloomed in his belly, and he eyed her carefully. Her tone and her expression were innocent, but there was something about the way she said his title that felt… not entirely innocent, somehow. 

Against his better judgment, he held out his hand. “Certainly. May I?”

Her eyes widened. But before Solas could retract his unwise words, she lifted her left hand and placed it in his. 

He studied her palm and her fingers for a moment, then turned her hand over. “You are left-handed.”

She let out a breathless little laugh. “I… yes, I am. How did you know?”

“A writing bump, right here.” He brushed his thumb over the small callused bump of skin on the knuckle of her fourth finger. “Incidentally, you may want to reconsider the way you hold your stylus or your brushes in order to avoid fatigue.”

She gave him a teasing little smile. “Oh please. You should know better than to mess with how a painter holds her brush.”

He chuckled. “You make a fair point.” He studied her the back of her hand. “No nail polish, tidy short nails: also indicative of a painter.”

“Nice try,” she said. “You knew that already.”

He looked up in surprise at her drawling tone, then grinned and released her hand. “You have caught me. I’m afraid I can’t tell you anything of note about your hands.”

She laughed. “Don’t say that. You figured out that I’m left-handed.”

He bowed his head politely. “You are overly generous with your praise.”

“Maybe you can make it up to me,” she said.

“What do you suggest?”

She cocked her head. “You could draw my hands sometime.”

His belly flipped. Her eyebrow was quirked, and there was no mistaking the coquettish angle of her head.

He cleared his throat and folded his hands behind his back. “I… don’t think so.”

“Why not?” she asked.

“I… anatomy is not…” He faltered before he could tell the lie that anatomy was not a specialty of his. “It has been a long time since I did any anatomy studies,” he said instead. 

“Really?” she said. “I got the feeling that you’d be an expert at handling anatomy.”

The warm feeling in his belly flared hotly — and perversely. He gave her a chiding look, but he could feel his traitorous lips curling into a smile. “This is… hardly appropriate,” he said in a low voice.

Her cheeks flushed once more. She smiled at him, then dropped his gaze and tucked a stray strand of hair over her ear. “I know. I’m terrible, I’m sorry. Do you want me to leave you alone?”

No, he thought. Truthfully, there was nothing he wanted more than to continue this conversation with this alluring young woman. But he couldn’t keep this up. It was against university regulations. 

“It would be inadvisable for this conversation to continue,” he said carefully.

Her answering smile was sheepish this time. “You’re probably right.”

“The faculty handbook confirms that I am,” he said dryly. 

She laughed. “I guess so. Well, will you have a drink with me? Just a drink,” she said quickly. “A collegial drink, I promise.”

Her sky-blue eyes were wide and innocent – deceptively innocent. Solas eyed her shrewdly for a moment, then gave in. “I suppose one drink can’t hurt.”

She beamed at him and leaned over the bar to signal the bartender, and Solas idly studied the shape of her spine. Then his disobedient mind conjured an image of her bending over the desk in his office with her spine curved in a similar shape. 

Mortified by his own thoughts, he hastily tore his eyes away from her, but her voice instantly called back his attention. “Professor, what would you like?” 

Professor. She couldn’t keep saying his title. It was doing things to his imagination that it shouldn’t be doing. 

He looked at the bartender. “Half a pint of Arlathan pale ale, please.” He looked down at his overly-tempting companion. “And for you?”

“Vodka tonic for me,” she said, and she pulled her wallet out of her purse. 

Solas held up a hand to stop her. “Allow me.” 

A slow smile began to curl her lips. By the time she was grinning, Solas’s heart was pounding in his throat. 

She laughed softly. “Buying me a drink? That’s very collegial of you.”

Her tone was suggestive, and he liked it far too much. “It is collegial, in fact,” he said. “I can charge it to my department since this is a university-hosted gathering.” He gestured for the bartender to add the drinks to his tab.

 “Ooh,” she said teasingly. “That’s a clever loophole.”

Vixen, he thought incredulously. He couldn’t believe he’d ever thought she was shy. She was bold and beautiful and tempting, and she made him want to be bold as well.

And that thought – that wish to meet and match her boldness – was one that he absolutely could not entertain.

He forced himself to hold back the flirtatious comment at the tip of his tongue. “It is not a loophole. It’s the truth,” he said instead. 

She nodded and sipped her drink. Her expression was pleasantly neutral, but her eyes on his face were sly and warm, and Solas knew he ought to look away. He ought to break from her gaze and look at something else – anything else, really, aside from this beautiful woman that he absolutely should not be thinking about in increasingly carnal ways.

But he couldn’t look away. Her eyes were so clear and bright, and even in the dim light of the campus bar, he could see that they were an unusually lush shade of blue: not quite sky-blue like he’d originally thought, but a deeper, richer shade closer to cerulean. 

Solas gazed into her cerulean eyes and sipped his ale, and she stared back at him as she sipped her vodka-tonic. By the time Solas had finished half of his drink, he still hadn’t broken from her steady gaze. Neither of them had said a word, and as he stared into her eyes and mindlessly sipped his drink, he slowly realized that not only were they not talking, but that they shouldn’t talk.  

No, he shouldn’t talk to her anymore. If he said another word to her, he would only be digging himself deeper into the hole she’d started. 

He finally broke from her heated gaze to drain the last drops of his ale, then placed his glass on the bar and leaned toward her slightly. “This is an impossible situation.”

She blinked at him – such an innocent gesture, but her pinkening cheeks betrayed her. “What do you mean?”

He lowered his voice. “You know precisely what I mean.”

She didn’t reply. Instead, she grinned at him again: a bold, beautiful grin full of mischief and heat that made him want to sink into her right here on the spot. 

He licked his lips, and her cheeks flushed even more. Then her purse chimed loudly. 

He hastily stepped away from her, and she exhaled loudly. “Damn,” she muttered. She pulled her phone out of her purse and checked the screen. 

She wrinkled her nose, then looked up at him once more. “I have to go. My friends are leaving and I said I’d leave with them.” 

He sighed – with relief, of course, certainly not with disappointment. Truly, he should be thanking whoever had sent her such a timely text. “I see,” he said. He nodded politely. “It was nice talking with you.”

“You too,” she said. But she didn’t step away. She was studying him thoughtfully, and as Solas met her gaze, he realized what her eyes reminded him of. 

They reminded him of the ocean: the perfectly clear ocean off the coast of Arlathan. And if he wasn’t careful, he was going to drown himself in her oceanic eyes. 

He stared at her, his heart pounding and the blood thrumming through his body in a way that was really not appropriate for such an event. Then she stepped close to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. 

He froze. She was lifting herself on her tiptoes and leaning in close to him. Her heated eyes were coming closer, and his lungs were frozen and his brain was completely paralyzed with excitement as she raised herself higher and nearer to his face…

He parted his lips – to tell her to stop, to back away, certainly not to invite a kiss – but before he could say a word, she brushed her lips over his cheekbone in a demure Orlesian greeting.

She lowered herself slowly back to her heels, and her hand left his shoulder. “Goodnight, professor,” she murmured. 

He didn’t reply. He couldn’t reply. The sound of his title in her voice and the brush of her lips on his cheek had left him utterly stunned. 

She smiled at him one last time, then turned away. His hand moved involuntarily to reach for her, but he stopped himself in the nick of time. 

A second later, she had disappeared into the crowd. 

Solas stood stock-still at the bar for a long moment. His pounding heart was a drumbeat in his ears, drowning out the cacophony of conversation and music and laughter in the bar. Heat and disbelief and desire were thrumming through his limbs and into his cheeks and — fenedhis, he couldn’t ignore it any longer: he was hard. Shamefully hard and throbbing, his mind totally preoccupied with the feeling of her lips on his cheek, brushing over his cheekbone so close to his mouth — such pretty smiling lips. Ah, to imagine those smiling lips wrapping around his shaft and taking him deep into her throat…

He rubbed his hand over his face. He couldn’t think like this. He didn’t understand why he was so deeply affected by this particular woman. It wasn’t like this was the first time a student had come onto him, and it had never been a problem before to tactfully rebuff them while making it seem as though he was unaware of their intentions. 

So what was it about this particular young woman — this particular student — that had so captivated him that he was suffering from all sorts of tawdry thoughts that he really shouldn’t be having?

I should avoid her, he thought. If he avoided contact with her, he could avoid having any further carnal thoughts about her. Perhaps if he asked the administration to look up her name, he could…

Suddenly he realized something: he didn’t know her name. 

She hadn’t introduced herself before launching straight into a conversation with him. 

He laughed softly at his own sheer idiocy. Had he even introduced himself to her? Had his wits entirely left him the second she’d graced him with that mischievous smile?

He drew a deep breath, then exhaled heavily and stepped away from the bar. Enough of this, he thought. You must stop thinking about this. He ought to spend more time speaking with the students; he hadn’t even spoken with any of the students from his own lab yet tonight. What he really should be doing was looking for his new Master’s student, Nare. Surely she was here tonight. Perhaps she had found Merrill and Dagna. 

I should have stayed home with Fenor after all, he thought morosely. With one last sigh, Solas stepped back into the crowd. 

[larkoneironaut]

My Tevinter Nights art project 🏆🩸:

—Herold Had the Plan—

written by Ryan Cormier

[exhausted-archivist]

✨Self-Rec Tag Game ✨

Rules: Share five of your own fanworks (fic, art, etc.). Then, tag five more people to share the things they’ve made. I’ve put categories below, but they’re more guidelines than rules. 

I was tagged by @palipunk, who frankly is so talented I want a gallery of their work on my wall. Thank you!

Something you absolutely adore

I think it has to be the blank maps I made of Thedas. I used all the canon maps released from Stolen Throne to Tevinter Nights, including the ttrpg and matched them up to the same scale so I could expand the Thedas map. I still manage to find new maps details every now and then that I update this with.

Something that was challenging to create

These were the same project, and my first go at maps like this. I learned a lot and honestly there are a few things I'm going to revisit post da4 if we get more info on Antiva. I also completely missed the bit of blighted land in northern Antiva going to Rivain. Still I'm quite happy with how it turned out.

Something that makes you laugh (or smile, if that fits more comfortably) 

These are still wips but my rework of Thedosian bestiary to make them to scale based off lore as well as just exploring them as real animals. Mabari being as tall as dwarves, exploring deepstalkers with their lips actually closed, and a baby griffon.

Something that surprised you (in how it turned out, how much other people liked it, etc.)

The original biome map for Thedas. I was really surprised about how much people liked it as well as how it turned out. It's a bit out of date as far as Antiva and Ferelden area goes. But I look forward to updating it.

Something you want other people to see

The Foods of Thedas Master Post I put together honestly. I'm very happy about it and honestly am so immersed in the food lore, its actually why I started making the maps. I wanted to know what plants were in Thedas, where they grew, ect so I could then figure out what else could be there. Now I'm waist deep in the lore and making banners for everything haha. I'm really excited to be updating it once the official cookbook comes out.

Tagging: @vabonesyart @whoisnotmyname @witchofthewakingsea @circtheeunbroken @ripflemeth

[thereinafter]

tagged by @thewindysideofcare​

social distancing meme

Are you staying home from work/school?

I’m a freelancer who works from home anyway, so my work situation is about the same.

Who would be your ideal quarantine mate?

My cats and the family members I share a house with have been pretty great, no complaints about them! (we all have our own spaces, we get along)

Are you a homebody?

Yep, even when not quarantined I’m kind of a weird artist hermit and that mostly works for me.

An event you were looking forward to that got canceled?

There’s an SF/F convention that I volunteer for and we sadly had to make the call to cancel it this year, but it will be back.

What movies have you watched recently?

Last night I watched Haywire, in which Gina Carano fights a bunch of dudes very effectively, and then wished more spy-action movies were like it.

(also, in the realm of higher art, the National Theatre at Home streams)

What shows are you watching?

Have gone back to watching ST: Voyager for the first time and am in the middle of S2. binge watched all of Tiger King out of morbid curiosity and felt really bad for the animals.

What music are you listening to?

I generally listen to big themed playlists assembled over time from all the music files on my hard drive (because I’m old like that). Right now mainly the one for quiet work music and also the one for the fic I’m trying to write.

What podcasts are you listening to?

I just listen to them while drawing, and I’ve been (very slowly) advancing through the second Critical Role campaign for a while (on 21 of 99, ha). the various McElroy projects also make me laugh consistently.

What are you reading?

Finished the first quartet of Tamora Pierce’s Emelan series and am so attached to them, Rosethorn and Lark and Briar and Daja especially.

Also read Tevinter Nights and was pretty excited about all the DA worldbuilding details in it.

And, Laurie Marks’ last Elemental Logic book, which is a beautiful fantasy series I’ve mentioned before and you’d probably like if you follow me.

What are you doing for self-care?

trying not to feel like I have to be extra productive, going for walks outside since it’s easy to do that in my neighborhood, cooking ambitious things for the people I live with when it’s my turn, avoiding a lot of news exposure

tagging: idk, @jesusbuchananbarnes​ @skullhaver​ if you feel like it, or anyone else who would like to, consider me to have tagged you!

[felassan]

Dragon Age: Absolution creator Mairghread Scott posted this update today on her website, Mairghread Scott Writes. It confirms Rezaren's surname as Ammosine (see source link, it's contained in an image caption) and mentions that the development of the show began in Spring 2019, when Mairghread pitched several ideas to BioWare and Netlix. Maighread says that the show has been a huge passion project for her, that to prepare she spent weeks immersed in DA lore, and that they wanted to make something fans could be proud of. She describes the new characters as wonderfully flawed. She also mentions that "BioWare was committed to excellence every step of the way" and "everyone from the recording studio, to the post house, to the marketing team brought their A-Game" -

DRAGON AGE: ABSOLUTION OFFICIAL TRAILER AND RELEASE DATE (ALT: MAIRGHREAD GETS SUPER-SAPPY)

Hi everyone. Happy November! We’ve got news!

Netflix just released the official trailer and poster for my show, Dragon Age: Absolution and announced that all six episodes will premiere on Netflix, December 9th. Watch the trailer here!

This has been a huge passion project for me. I loved DA:I from the moment Cassandra accused my Inquisitor of being a terrorist (BTW, rude! But I can’t stay mad at Cass). Back in Spring 2019, I pitched several ideas to Bioware and Netflix, and this was the one I NEVER expected them to pick. This was the pitch I did just for me, sure no one else would believe in it. I’m so glad I was wrong.

When I got the job, I replayed and rewatched everything I could get my hands on. (Thanks to all you YouTube DA Lore Keepers out there!) I spent weeks scribbling weird insights on my office walls (they were glass at the time, don’t panic), and listening to songs on repeat for hours. Then in Fall 2019, I got to bring on the incredibly talented Tim Sheridan and Mae Catt, and our amazing writer’s assistant Grace Deppe-Waldschmidt. We brought so much of ourselves to this story! We wanted to make something fans could be proud of. Netflix was a dream to work with and Bioware was committed to excellence every step of the way. Then in 2020 Red Dog started bringing our show to life, and the last several years have been full of late night meetings with Korea, art approvals, and finally animation. (Bae, if you read this, you’re the absolute best!) So many people worked so hard throughout the pandemic on this. Our amazing voice cast recorded the whole thing from their homes over video conferences. (Best Zoom meetings EVER!) And everyone from the recording studio, to the post house, to the marketing team brought their A-Game.

It’s funny that in writing a show about such wonderfully flawed characters, I got to meet so many flawless professionals. I’m truly the luckiest showrunner in the biz. Now, three and a half years later, it’s all come together and we can share this with you. Whether you’ve played from the beginning or are brand new to Thedas, I hope you’ll watch on December 9th and fall in love with these characters as much as we did.

See you in Tevinter! Mairghread Scott"

[source]

[gin-and-stardust]

I Promise I’m Better than This

Dorian stiffened when he heard footsteps approaching from behind. It was late, and he had been the only one in the library for some hours. He thought better when he didn’t have people shooting him mistrustful looks every time they walked by him. Slowly he set the book down and tilted his head enough to get a look at the entrance to his alcove.

To his surprise, it was the Templar he occasionally stared at when he was out training with the troops. Arthur is his name, I believe. It set Dorian on edge, if only because this seemed random and he was a Templar.

“I didn’t disturb you, did I?”  Arthur asked softly, “I didn’t think anyone would still be awake.”

Dorian raised an eyebrow, “I wasn’t doing much to have been disturbed.”

“Ah, well,” Arthur coughed, “I’ll let you get back to it. Sorry again, and good night.”

Arthur stepped away from the opening and moved deeper into the library. Dorian watched him for several seconds as he picked out a book and settled in one of the uncomfortable chairs by a table.

Not exactly the standard southern Templar. Dorian shrugged to himself and pulled out Medicinal Herbs of Ferelden, which he read more to keep himself occupied rather than research. He sat back down in his chair and for a few moments, he read mindlessly. In the distance, he could hear the occasional rustling of a page turning.

Eventually Dorian realized that he had been staring at the same page for the past ten minutes, listening to the other occupant’s progress. He bit his bottom lip before standing up and sauntering over to Arthur. The Templar was curled up in the chair in a way that seemed impossible knowing how large the man truly was. It looked nothing short of uncomfortable if Dorian had to guess.

Dorian “accidentally” bumped against the foot hanging over the side of the chair. Arthur twitched and glanced up from his book. Instead of the look of annoyance that Dorian expected it was merely one of curiosity. He wasn’t sure why he was over here, much less trying to engage Arthur in some kind of interaction. Maybe he was hoping for something positive for once.

“Yes?” Arthur kept his eyes on Dorian.

There was no look of disgust.

“I was simply concerned over your posture, you’ll become a hunchback by the time you’re thirty.”

Arthur frowned, and his head tilted further to the left, “and why the concern over my posture?”

Later, Dorian would blame the forwardness of southerners for the slip of his tongue, “You’re rather too pretty to have a hunchback.”

“You think I’m pretty?”

Dorian swallowed, wondering how he was going to cover his gaffe. It wasn’t a lie, Arthur was pretty with his reddish-brown hair that looked soft to the touch, pale green eyes and a smattering of freckles across his nose. The deep scar that ran alongside his nose added to his looks. Saying it aloud, however, was something that Dorian had never thought would occur.

“In that barbaric southern way,” Dorian countered.

Arthur grinned softly, “well, if it counts for anything I think you’re pretty in that stuck up northern way.”

That statement caused Dorian to momentarily lose his train of thought. Arthur suddenly shrunk down and the tips of his ears turned red. He suddenly stood up and knocked the chair over in his haste.

“Shit,” Arthur cursed and bent down to pick it up.

Dorian wasn’t entirely sure what he should do with this rapid retreat. It stung, as all minor rejections do but he wasn’t sure why Arthur was the one fleeing when he had done the rejecting. Or would if the question was ever asked.

Arthur gave him one last look, indecipherable in the low light of the library before he bolted out of the door. Once more Dorian was left alone.

Codex Entry: Torn Journal Page

I am an idiot and an ass. I’ll be lucky if he wants to talk to me again. Why can’t I control myself around handsome men? Hazel is going to have a field day. At least I can tease her about getting nowhere with the Commander.

I should probably apologize to Dorian. Even if he doesn’t want to ever talk to me again.

… Also, did he mean it when he called me pretty?

“I’m sorry.”

Arthur held his breath as Dorian turned towards him. The face was neutral, so Arthur was going to accept that as not being completely hated. From what he gathered Dorian always had something to say about something he didn’t like.

“Whatever for?” Dorian asked.

“Uh,” Arthur coughed, “for whichever of my actions offended you.”

“So, the running out in the middle of our conversation?” Dorian quirked an eyebrow.

Arthur nodded, “yes, that was not the impression I wanted you to have of me.”

Dorian’s face shifted, and Arthur sighed as he looked to the roof hoping that there was a divine sign. In some ways the Herald was lucky, she got the glowy hand for a hint. He fiddled with the hem of his tunic poking out from under his armor.

“And what impression did you think you left me with?”

“That I’m careless with people,” Arthur replied, “that I just say whatever comes into my head and damn the consequences, which I try not to do, but sometimes it happens and it usually ends… badly?”

Dorian chuckled, and Arthur noted it sounded a little strained. I might be projecting.

“I was hoping that you’d give me another chance to make a proper introduction,” Arthur smiled, but it felt hollow.

“And why,” Dorian said as he leaned back with his arms crossed, “would you, an upstanding citizen of the Free Marches, want to be associated with an evil Magister from Tevinter?”

Arthur blinked, his arms dropping to play with the hem of his tunic that wasn’t tucked under his armor, “you aren’t evil, you risked everything to warn the Inquisitor in Redcliffe, and I thought you said you weren’t a Magister?”

“That doesn’t answer the question,” Dorian tilted his head.

“I think it’s unfair that people judge you because you’re from Tevinter,” Arthur replied, “it has to be lonely.”

Dorian leaned forward, his tone low, “and why would you think that?”

Arthur shrugged, trying to ease the tension, “I mean, it isn’t the same but it’s kind of similar, but people have certain judgments about me because I’m a Templar. The mages just keep glaring at me.”

Dorian let out a soft breath, “they think you hate mages because you’re a Templar?”

“Yes,” Arthur nodded, “but that isn’t the case. They think it is because I support Circles, but they don’t know I would support changing them to something less prison-like, and that I only think the Circles are helpful because they teach Mages the dangers of the fade and demons and blood magic.”

“You aren’t worried about places turning into Tevinter?” Dorian leaned back.

“I think any place should be worried about rampant blood magic.”

“But not that the mages will take over?”

“I rather like our current government, but most mages are decent enough until they get mixed up in bad blood magic and then become powerful in society.”

Dorian raised an eyebrow, “alright.”

“Alright, what?” Arthur frowned.

“We can have a new first introduction.”

Arthur smiled, “I’m Arthur Trevelyan, but most people call me Art or Artie.”

“Dorian of House Pavus,” Dorian grinned, “and just Dorian is fine.”

[awritersnest]

My current projects

WIP 1: DA alternative 

 A what if the plot of Dragon Age II had taken place in Tevinter but it might be worked to be its own world. Miranda Amell is the oldest and heir to her House but when her Father's research stands in the way of a Magister, she pledges herself to his service in order to spare her family from shame or slavery. The bargain might've just ruined them instead. 

Miranda's talented in entropy, a subtle art better used for murder and corruption. Struggling under the patronage of her new master, she'll have to walk the line between obedience and rebellion, of what's wrong and what's right otherwise others may suffer.

WIP 2: Dictatorship AU 

Dishonored AU turned into something more. 

After the death of Empress Jessamine Kaldwin I, the disappearance of her daughter and heir apparent, Emily Kaldwin, and a plague that nearly wiped out most of the Capitol, the Empire of the Isles threatens to veer into sourer shores still. 

A war with Tyvia is spotted on the horizon as the great northern nation and its corrupt government sees a chance to grasp power. 

Martial law is applied and four years later, High Overseer Uriel Fabela sees a chance to finally make use of his marriage to Lady Alice Beresford for a grab for power. 

Once a monarchy and now an impending dictatorship, discord rear its head as anti-foreigners feelings are born amongst Gristolians who mistreats all others alike. War with Tyvia and Morley never seemed to possible and Lady Alice's eldest son - Raphael - the child emperor to be, seems utterly unprepared. 

His kidnapping sends the fate of three islands spiraling into certain doom.

WIP 3: Horizon 

Neutral and resources rich Nubya is a mountain state stuck in between two rival nations with whom they have established trade and bonds of blood. 

Unfortunately, a curse has been cast on the reigning family. Aishawarya, known as Poppy, is niece to the sick, dying Queen and thrown into a tour of her new territory. 

This tour to understand her people becomes the needed in-depth she needs to understand why her father, a Prince by blood and brother to the Queen, lives under the oppressive thumb of her mother. Why did her uncle Rahol kill an Illyrian Princess and almost started a war with their neighbors? Where did her Uncle Darius vanish to? Why does her blood boil when the storms that antagonize her home rise?

WIP 4: Supernatural Custody Fight 

A desperate man goes to the Crossroads and strikes a deal: his firstborn for wealth and fame. Four years later, a fateful encounter with a mysterious woman ends up in a one night stand. Six years later, something reaches out to him in his dreams and he knows what he must do. 

Searching the countryside, MC becomes a demon/supernatural hunter in search for their wayward child who seems to haunt his dreams. Brushing shoulders with multiple dubious entities, killing and exorcising for a living, things seem to finally fall in place once he hears there have been strange bear attacks in calm ole suburbia. 

Yet all MC finds is Cerebrus has ditched the gates of hell and perhaps more than he bargained for.