#thanks arja!!

[shivunin]

Procrastination providers on report! 🫡

For the micro-stories…

Candles and/or 19. Sea change? :3

What inspires you the most for whom inspires you the most for it!

Both, you said? Well, gosh, I have no choice but to comply c:

(Micro-stories prompts)

Candles (Maria)

Hawke had always found the candlelight in the Chantry a little unsettling. 

It wasn’t the candles themselves; no, those were precisely as they were meant to be. It was the way the shadows danced over Andraste’s face above them, making a stranger of her. Hawke kept her eyes away from the Bride’s unsettling stare now, cupping the rushlight for a moment longer until the wick before her caught. 

“Evening, Hawke,” an unexpected but familiar voice murmured behind her. 

“Sebastian,” Hawke replied, “and here I thought I’d be the only fool awake at this hour.” 

His laugh was as quiet as his voice had been, and his hand was gentle when he patted her shoulder. 

“Shall I stay, or would you rather be left to your own devices?”

Hawke lifted her chin and caught Andraste’s eyes, a little warmer, a little less alien than they had been a few moments ago. 

“Stay,” she said quietly, her words stirring the flames before her, “if you don’t mind, that is. I…think I could use the company after all.”

Sea Change (Isabela---I know, I was surprised, too)

The rocking of the ship meant home; so, too, did the rhythm of the crew’s yelling directions as they neared land. Her cabin was just as she liked it, bed just soft enough, all of her creature comforts as they should be, the ship in pristine condition, and yet Isabela had found little comfort in them these past months.

How had she, a sea creature by nature, left her heart upon the land? If she looked now, she could pick out the shape of her lover from a distance, a slight thing tucked in amongst the crates and barrels of the wharf, for all appearances having a conversation with a stray cat.

The sea changed everything, given enough time. It swallowed ships and fortunes and kingdoms and it never, ever gave up its dead. But—it also smoothed rough edges and never gave up, its waves tracking back where they’d come from ceaselessly. 

Merrill looked up at last and waved so vigorously that Isabela could do nothing but wave back, her heart settling down at last in her chest. 

There—there it was, the feeling she’d been missing: 

Home.

[greypetrel]

"Fighting in the dark is not good for your eyes, Venhan!"

I am finishing my Radha playthrough finally and nothing. I thought Solas dropped the damn torch while fighting, I noticed late he in fact did not.

Caring for his companion not to lose eyesight fighting in the moonlight, what a caring Dread Wolf.

[ndostairlyrium]

✨ Now available for Tarot readings, futile curses, and delicious hexes! ✨

-

My chaotic kiddo plus my favorite ability <3

[rrredgi]

🏹🦅

[rowanisawriter]

🍦🍧🍨 ICE CREAM DELIVERY!! 🍨🍧🍦 give ice cream to your favourite bloggers and help them stay cool this summer. 😎🍦

in the summer in the american south, the air is muggy and thick enough to cut through, it’s so humid your glasses fog up when you step out from the blessed a/c and mosquitoes black and white the size of rats swarm immediately, and welts the size of two eyes side by side rise on your arms and legs and anywhere else you dare expose to the elements, and wildfire smoke from up north drifts down like a fog and makes the already steamy air smoky too, and every breath you take is like breathing in tepid water and it sits in your lungs like a brick, so some ice cream 🍨 🍦 🍧 is so very much appreciated bestie thank you 🙏

[brother-genitivi]

Hello! :)

For the cute character asks: 2, 8, and 11 for Destan?

Ask List

How does your OC show they love someone without words? Are they the touchy sort, with lots of hugs and cuddles, or do they have another, less obvious way?

She's not the type to initiate physical contact, so when Destan does small things like resting her chin on someone's head or draping her arms around them from behind, she really loves them.

What little nice things does your OC do for others? Do they keep any of them secret?

She retrieves Sebastian's arrows after battle, sharpens Isabela's blades and refills Anders's stock of healing herbs when they all aren't looking. She also makes meals for Merrill at her house, organises Aveline's roster files (or conveniently loses them...), leaves flowers in the vases at Fenris's mansion (it brightens up the place) and always has a bottle of oil to spare in case Bianca's gears jam.

Where is your OC’s favourite place to spend time? Is it a nice peaceful park bench? A library? Or a bustling café?

The gardens at her mother's estate. They're quiet and pretty with many ornate benches to sit on. Sometimes she'll read out there instead of in the estate's library.

[rrredgi]

My sweet child!!! arrows are not infinite you know, also they're hella expensive 🧐

Art trade with @redgitanako !

I had the pleasure of drawing her durge Arja 🥹 She seems like a sweet girl... (I swear she is)

[ashleyrowanthewriter]

That Dream Again - Life and Times of Ashley the Crow (Crow HRT?)

Next

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

I felt the warmth of the sun rays on my feathers as I was waking up. My murder flew to the ground looking for breakfast. I’ve found some tasty looking fruits and I called my compatriots. I saw a friend finding some nuts so I brought him a rock to crush them. The feast was plentiful. It was time to scavenge for needles to build fortifications on the nest. The murder took off into the air and started the search. I tried taking off too, but no matter how much I tried moving my wings, I could not take off. I tried and tried to no effect. And my murder left me.

I woke up with heavy breathing. In the same bed as always, in the same body as always. No beak, but a human nose. No talons, but human feet. No feathers, but human hair. No wings, but human hands. Some tears appeared in my eyes, but I quickly wiped them.

I looked at the clock. It was 2 AM. I knew I should sleep more, but I doubted I’d be able to. Then I remembered that I had a guest.

My girlfriend Arja was sleeping in the other room. She was far into her dragon transition to the point that she could only sleep on my couch. I went to the guest room. Arja woke up a bit right as I opened the door.

“Are you sleepwalking?” Arja asked.

“No,” I said. “I just had… that dream again… Can I sleep with you tonight? If I fit on the couch of course.”

Arja moved a bit to the side. “Sure, come here,” she said.

“Thank you.”

I snuggled together with Arja. Her scales felt warm like a cup of tea in an Autumn afternoon. I felt it was just what I needed.

“Have you been having these dreams a lot?” asked Arja.

“A lot more since I moved,” I said. “Maybe it’s my brain that is finally allowing this feeling.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Arja asked.

“You know I can’t become a crow!” I said. “That stupid fish heart of mine will not transition properly! I’ll die before I can fly!” I was on the edge of crying. “Sometimes I want to jump. I don’t care if I fly or not. But at the same time I don’t want to fall.”

I think I scared Arja. She embraced me tighter. She put a hand on my heart.

“I understand you want to listen to this,” Arja said and moved her hand to mine. “But if so, don’t listen to this!”

I felt better and genuinely smiled. “Thank you!” I said.

We kissed each other and fell asleep.

In the morning I woke up to an empty couch. I looked around the room looking for Arja. I’ve found her in the kitchen with a bowl of fruits and nuts.

“How was the night, my little bird?” Arja asked.

“Much better,” I said. “What’s with that bowl if I may ask?”

“I thought I could pay you back for all the stakes,” Arja said.

I was really happy.

“You didn’t add any sulfur?” I asked, referencing an inside joke.

“I would never!” Arja said.

We laughed and I started eating my breakfast. It was a nice morning. A much needed high after a sudden low. And I was grateful for knowing Arja.

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

So here we are! I've finally wrote my own crow HRT story. And I guess I've managed to unintentionally subvert the genre. But since the OG uses their series to express their feelings on transitioning, I can do it with my feelings on being trans with a heart defect. Maybe someone feels similarly. It would get less lonely.

Anyway, I hope you'll like it! There will be more stories, but they will be more episodic than a typical animal HRT series. Unless it turns out my heart defect doesn't prevent me from transitioning somehow! Then I'll start crowing up as soon as the real me starts girling up.

Anyway, shout out to everybody who might need it!

Aha! And the title of the series lost the poll, but I grew to feel it would be appropriate. Sorry for disappointment.

[thedragonagebigbang]

Bang Creator Interview: Tumblr: @greypetrel  |  AO3: stridingcorgi  

The Collaboration period has begun! In these quiet months before works are due, we want to foster a sense of excitement, camaraderie, and celebration among our participants. To that end, all participants were given the option of a formal interview by our mod, Dema, or an informal “ask-game” survey. We hope you enjoy getting to know our phenomenal creators as much as we have!

Q&A with Arja

What is your favorite origin?

Definitely the Mahariel one. I do think that all the origins in DA:O are well done and well thought, I do love the Tabris one. But there's something in Mahariel that makes me prefer it over every other one in all three games for how it drags into the game and cause -for me- quite a different view on the events of the game.

Mahariel, as a blank character, has not the same drive of all the other Origins to enter the Grey Wardens. Oh, sure, the alternative is dying... But it's sad that you *can't* take that alternative. You can't choose, you are still forced to go through with the ritual even if it's not your character's choice. There's nothing personal at stake for them, nothing that makes entering the Grey Wardens the best option. If Cousland dies, the family dies with them, Aeducan needs to settle things up, Brosca and Tabris would be caught and imprisoned, Amell and Surana punished with Jowan. Mahariel could lay in a ditch and die: they saw in a day their best friend/love interest possibly die, the clan doesn't want to look for him, not even to bury his body, you're kicked out of the clan and made to follow the convenient Grey Warden that was passing through.

And sure, the Blight would eventually reach the Sabrae clan as well if unchecked... But what has Mahariel to do with politics in Fereldan? What does Mahariel even care for a country that offers them as a boon for saving everything a patch of blighted land to the Dalish, a castle full of darkspawn to them as a thank you?

I do love how detached Mahariel is, it's more subtle of a tragedy as all the other origins, but... I see a small margin of win in all other origins. For Mahariel it's mostly losing. And losing, and losing and losing again, for a country that never cared and won't start caring now. I love how it's the origin that makes you see Duncan and Eamon as mainly negative figures, against the others. Duncan is the one that took away your choices and forced you to enter a cult, the one who left your friend for dead and didn't look behind. Eamon just uses you, as well as he uses Alistair. It may be more subtle on angst levels, but it's pervasive, you have a character with nothing much at stake and I'm chewing on this.

Forgive me the TED talk, I tried to keep it brief but I'm into an Origins replay and *I have thoughts*, ahahahah.

What is your favorite subject to draw or paint?

What I like to find and explore in any consumption of media: characters. I love to explore different sides of humanity (or lack thereof in a safe environment such as fiction - and we all know that liking villains in fiction doesn't equate to liking the same set of behaviours in real life, right?).

I tend to overconcentrate on expressions, characters and their emotion: how do they react to a certain environment, another character they're interacting with, a situation they're facing? That's what I like to draw. I come from comics, and storytelling keeps being important even in illustrations. Adding small details, focusing on the expression, that's my jam.

On a more trivial matter: I do *love* exploring clothes and different styles of dresses! It's a research every time and learning something new, which I really love. It tells a lot on the nature of a character: where do they come from, their personality, how practical they are, how showy, how much time they're willing to spend doing their hair in the morning... It's all connected to storytelling, still. Plus the research. I love researching.

And I do love painting dramatic lights best! Stark sunsets, bonfires under the moonlight...

What drew you to tackle a Big Bang?

The collaboration part, mainly.

Art can be a pretty solitary occupation, and even if I'm lucky to have friends whom I can talk with, and being private enough not to care a bit about fandom popularity... I do love a good collaboration and trying myself to illustrate something written by another person as the fic is being worked upon sounded really appealing.

So, the collaboration and meeting new people: fandom is for the community and for all "playing" together with something we all share and love, exchanging points of views and interpretations of the same character, hype each other and be merry together. I'm not the best at the social part, I'm shy, but the environment seemed focused enough on keeping interactions positive and constructive, and avoid drama, that I decided to take a try. I'm very happy I did and I can't wait to see the whole thing finished and see what the others have come up with. For the meanwhile I'm very excited about the fic I'm illustrating, and I hope it'll show in the final piece.

[pinayelf-archive]

Here some questions for you!

What's to you the most interesting pit of research you ever stumbled upon while designing/deciding the backgrounds for your characters? A cool fact you were excited to learn.

Also, what's your favourite thing to draw?

Thank you so much Arja!! ❤️

I was looking up pre-colonial Tagalog naming customs and was pleasantly surprised that I found something! This isn't for any specific story/project just general for high fantasy world building (as well as researching my own culture).

Source here (the original sources are linked in the reddit post, I prefer this post bc the og sources are journals from colonizers :/)

- The mother is usually responsible naming the child, and it can range anywhere from how the baby was during birth of perhaps they were near a river when the baby was born. Ex: Malakas (meaning: strong, like maybe the baby kicked with some strength behind it lol), Damo (meaning: grass, the mom looked outside after the baby was born and saw grass)

- Male and female names are differentiated by adding -in to the end of female names. Ex: Ilog (river) becomes Ilogin

- You will receive a new title when you have children. Amani (father of) and Inani (mother of). For example if you're the father of Bakal your new title would be Amanibakal (Father of Bakal). I've read that this is similar with Arabic names? Which is cool

- Filipino culture in general has a colorful way with nicknames and I wouldn't be surprised if it's because pre-colonial people (not just the Tagalog people) influenced it. For example if you shared an egg with your friend you call them Kaitlog (itlog meaning egg)

There's much much more in that thread and the linked sources. I wish it had more info and I hope there's more sources that have documented th3 specificities of it because I'm hungry to know.

I don't have access to journals and rely on people who do, and people who will dig through colonizer journals sadly. But I love learning it and I have a fondness for etymology in general ❤️

Hence Linawin (one of the name options for my Rook) was created with this naming custom in mind, Linaw meaning clear.

I also wonder if I should apply this to Biyaya (blessing) and make it Biyayain! I do wonder if Biyaya WOULD be used as a name - tho it does seem like pre-colonial Tagalog people named children from anywhere like Matatag (sturdy) to Maliwag (difficult) to Bato (rock)

For the second question, I love drawing eyes and lips hehe. I was talking to friends the other day and said I love giving male characters big pretty eyes (honestly I love giving everyone big pretty eyes lmao).

A wip but I enjoyed drawing Bellara's lips so much (mayhaps it's bc I am thinking of her lips lol 😳)

[salsedine]

9 people you want to get to know better

Tagged by @greypetrel - thank you! <3

Last Song: Francesca - Hozier (the song is amazing, and I can't help but think it was somehow inspired by the story of Paolo e Francesca in Dante's Divine Comedy).

Currently Watching: ... nothing? I'm terrible with shows because I often end up rewatching my favourites instead of catching up with the newest releases - or I just do other stuff instead (unless it's a period drama, let's be real).

Currently Reading: parallel-reading Rinascimento anticlericale by Ottavia Niccoli (lots of topics that I used to study at Uni- it feels like meeting again a bunch of old friends) and a (very good) fantasy book written by a friend.

Current Obsession: Dragon Age, no questions - thank you, Arja :P I'm playing at snail-like pace the second one, and so far I'm really enjoying it (meta storytelling? a city as a character, almost a living organism, albeit a rotten one? queer characters all around? YES). Will I try to install&play Inquisition too even if technically my pc is not that powerful? Ahaha... yes.

Too tired to think of 9 people, but maaaybe @birdkeeperklink wants to share? No pressure tho!

[shivunin]

Hullo! ✨

Random ass question because I was curious: In the Fade graveyard in Here Lies the Abyss, what would the tombstones of your characters say? What's their deepest fears? (for everyone, not just your Lavellans)

Ohhhh this is a fantastic and fantastically crunchy question!! Thinking about my answers got me through the whole second half of work today c:

Wen: The Cage

Maria: Last of her Name

Elowen: Uselessness

Emmaera: Forgotten

Salshira: Unlovable

Some extra detail under the cut:

Wen: The Cage-- The memory of those moments trapped in the backroom of the Arl's estate have never left her. She is not afraid of close spaces, but being confined sends Wen into (alternately) a fugue state or a howling rage. There is something about the helplessness, the loss of power and autonomy that she never really gets past. It is the reversal of all she values about herself: when told she was no better than an animal, Wen said "then let me be an animal, with teeth and claws that cut." Being caged saps all of those strengths from her

Maria: Last of her Name-- Not only Carver dying and leaving her alone, but being the one who failed the rest of her family and never having the children/family she's always wanted. There is a profound loneliness to the idea of being the only Hawke that haunts her.

Elowen: Uselessness--Elowen was raised to be useful, above all else. The fear of not being of use to others is what drives so many of her choices throughout Inquisition, including (in YFFM) her choice to stay behind in the Fade. At a very basic level, the idea of there being no point to her is her greatest dread.

Emmaera: Forgotten--Emma was raised by an amateur archaeologist. She spent most of her formative years brushing dirt away from ancient Elvhen ruins, revealing the knowledge of centuries and lives of thousands. She learned every tale a First should know, memorized every old story, and loved the idea of becoming a Keeper---not just a keeper of the clan, but a keeper of knowledge. She knows that a people is not just its material culture, but also its memories passed down through centuries and generations. The idea of not being a part of that--of being profoundly, truly forgotten---is one of her deepest and most hidden (and--it makes Cullen forgetting her so much more painful)

Salshira: Unlovable--Salshira already believes that she is unlovable. She compensates for this by setting boundaries around which kinds of affection she will accept and pursue. She has no interest in falling in love because she knows she will never believe in it. Instead, she allows physical affection, because being desired is something she has control over. Even under these circumstances, the core belief that there is nothing in her to love is something that she acts in opposition to. I think seeing this on a headstone is something she would laugh at, but it would keep her up at night.

[greypetrel]

10 Characters, 10 Fandoms

Tagged by @buridanshorse , thank you!! These are super interesting and I always struggle in just choosing 10 but let's see xD

Tagging: @salsedine @deerna @diesvitae @ndostairlyrium @cao-the-dreamer @zitronenmango @coloricioso @layalu @daggerbean @transprincecaspian and YOU.

1. Anakin Skywalker - Star Wars

I have a 30 pages essay over him and I won't shut up about it if you start me (as a villain, mind me, I just am obsessed with his corruption arc)

2. Idril Celebrindal - the Silmarillion

Choosing just one character from Tolkien universe is HARD... But if it's just one it's her. Wise, not afraid to go against the status quo, knowing what she wants and acting upon it without forgetting kindness. The version in the Lost Tales? Step on me, mommy.

3. Enjolras - Les Miserables

Reeeed, the blood of angry meeen 🎶 (second place to Javert. I love morally VERY gray antagonists ok.)

4. Kashibai - Bajirao Mastani

One of my latest obsessions, but THIS MOVIE. I'm kissing her on the forehead she's flawless and strong in a way we can all dream of. (Go watch Bajirao Mastani.)

5. Dorian Pavus - Dragon Age

Cullen comes a very close second, but choosing him because I'm pretty hopeful we're seeing him again in DA4 (if it'll ever come out) and I want to see how his story develops, Cullen's is concluded (I hope. Retire, man, I beg you) and gives me less brain worms speculating.

Also histrionic, extremely theatrical human wet cats are always an instant fave for me.

6. Ellen Ripley - Alien

Were we talking about Bi awakenings, uh?

7. Jareth the Goblin King - Labyrinth

Have I already mentioned that I have a thing for histrionic, extremely theatrical wet cats, and that there are few thing in a story I find as boring as a Lawful Good Paladin?

8. Urdnot Wrex - Mass Effect

I'm at the start of ME2 but I'm gently kissing him on the forehead I already miss him so much.

9. Izumi Curtis - Fulmetal Alchemist

Choosing just one character from Fulmetal Alchemist is also HARD, but oh my god, her and her husband. Choosing them because she doesn't see so much love around.

10. Jessica Day - New Girl

I know this show comes with flaws but it's been important to me to see a girl owning up using glitter while being a strong woman nonetheless.

(Nick is a close second, but I never cosplayed Nick. I cosplayed Jess. - no one recognised me if you were wondering, but I ran around a Lucca Comics in a black wig, flat shoes and dressed in three different colours and I had a lot of fun.)

Am I regretting leaving out at least three or four characters? You bet.

[ndostairlyrium]

I was tagged by @daggerbean @herearedragons & @greypetrel💛 thanks luvs ;;

Again, it's not much but it's honest-- *gets hit by a bus*

Roger is proceeding. Somehow. Somewhere. Somewhat? (thanks Arja for reminding me of Roger, they're grateful for being brought forward :'D)

Cassandra Aloisia Porta Catarifrangente has changed colors and I'm okay with that. I'm trying to approach this one with a reverse buildup so I'm starting with light to mid tones instead of using a darker/very saturated base. Also gold wasn't working so I shifted towards silver. Sigh.

che talento = what a talent you have. It's um, a phrase you would jokingly say to a hot person lol usually the tone is half horny half condescending, which is appropriate for the context. And with context I mean Ankh of course

Tagging (no rush, no pressure, no obligation <3) @underneathestars (ESCI I BIMBI PLS <3) @layalu @vakarians-babe @dreadfutures and @inquisitorgaywarden

[salsedinepicta]

Fan Work Friday Saturday

Rules: If you’re tagged, MAKE A NEW POST and showcase one fanartist or fanfic you recommend (with links), and tag someone to give their recs next! Don’t forget to reblog the rec you were tagged in!

Alright, technically I was mentioned and not tagged - but still. Details. It’s like a tag.

(It was SO hard to pick only two names, considering how many talented people I've saw in the fandom. I'll probably auto-tag myself in the future just to be fair. And regarding the fanfics, I always recommend the interested readers to check the tags first -thanks!)

Artist: @pyritefes2

Gorgeous use of watercolour-like textures! I love the inky lineart and how expressive the characters are -especially their eyes, which is not an easy task. It’s very suble but also very effective. Pyritefes is also one of my favourite artists when it comes to depicting Anders (his eye bags? 10/10, great character design), but I linked an illustration with Justice because he* is such an underrated character – plus I love the contrast between the armour and the delicate green background.

*they? Is gender a thing in the Fade?

Writer: @greypetrel

Fun fact! Beside being both an amazing person and artist, Arja is also a great writer.

I am always in awe at her attention for details and dedication to reseach. This is why I picked Floriography - great characters introspection, original approach to relationships, and excellent symbolism. The fact that the narrative is basically led by said botanical symbolism is pure genius, if you ask me. Plus I love how creative she is - her AUs are proof of this (see: She of Many Names and Not Any Duller). Aaand the shorter stories and prompts are not less adorable and well-though, trust me.

As usual, if the random reader want to do this too they can consider themselves tagged <3

[rowanisawriter]

fan work friday

thanks for the tag @greypetrel arja!!!!!! i looooove this idea so much and am adding so many cool looking fics to my marked for later list

Rules: If you’re tagged, MAKE A NEW POST and showcase one fanartist or fanfic you recommend (with links), and tag someone to give their recs next! Don’t forget to reblog the rec you were tagged in!

tagging…. @yourworsttotebag @smoreofbabylon @gale-sized-hole @elysiumnightmares and anyone else who would like to help spread the love, please tag me if you do!!

soooo… i would like to recommend @yesistolethisurl and their amazing bg3 series Fate’s Spindle, which follows their tav and his very peculiar and unique past. this series has two stories so far and just had an update from shadowheart’s POV, Beachside Introductions, and goes through the events that immediately follow the nautiloid crash and the first meetings with some of the party members.

i absolutely love these stories, the attention to detail, the atmosphere, the pacing, the suspicion from the party members early on, the shadowheart pov, i really feel like they make bold and interesting choices to make their stories stand out. i am super excited to read more from this series!!