#the fandom is on fire

[metatiki]

In Memoriam of Stories Untold

Or, Musings on the Benefit of The Three Choices of Veilguard

(To make it clear, I know this whole affair is a place of high emotion and disappointment to many. I simply wish to present a different side. My side. Also I get wordy - which is nothing new, I know. Thank you to anyone who chooses to read my maudlin musings.)

This is Kethry Aeducan, not my Canon Warden, but still one of my Warden babies:

Kethry dealt with the Blight with the same straightforward practicality as she did with everything else: on point and with a certain amount of brusqueness. She lacked the subterfuge and ambition of her brother Bhelen, who took advantage in a way that changed the course of her life forever and catapulted her ultimately into the role of Hero of Ferelden and Paragon of her people. However, along the way she found friends she never would have encountered as a noble dwarf in Orzammar, most importantly among them the woman who became the love of her life: Leiliana.

After I finished her story in DAO & DAA, I spent a little time crafting their retirement. Kethry trained up another Grey Warden to replace her as Warden-Commander, and she and Leliana traveled Thedas with a leisure they could never have experienced during the Blight. They sought out the most ridiculous shoes they could for Leliana, and an equally silly collection of hair ribbons for Leliana to weave into Kethry's hair for their nightly ritual of conversation and relaxation while Leliana's fingers danced through her lover's hair. It wasn't an exciting life (aside from the occasional bear) but it was the perfect life for someone who know she would never have the pleasure of dying of old age in her lover's arms.

And then DA2 came out.

Suddenly their quiet life wasn't so quiet because apparently Leliana had been busy out on a search with Cassandra for Hawke. All right. I made adjustments and delayed their retirement a little bit longer, but assumed that at some point she and Kethry would still get their time together.

And then DAI came out, and Kethry basically lost Leliana to Divine Justinia. No retirement. No traveling together. No spending their time idling in camp while Leliana wove braids into Kethry's hair. Instead, Leliana had been the Left Hand of the Divine, the sinister hand, all along, squeezing in time with Kethry as best as she could but putting off their already shortened happily ever after by ten full years. So I mourned the loss of the world state I'd built them as I reconstructed it, moved ten years of their time into headcanon, and updated her world state in the Keep.

But it was not the story I had originally chosen for Kethry.

~~~

This is Kamila Hawke, who is my Canon Hawke:

Kamila's life in Kirkwall broke them slowly over time. Torn between the need to provide for their family and their mother's lingering bitterness around Carver's death, Kamila tried their best to navigate the streets of Kirkwall while also trying to find their way from 'daughter' to 'son' but getting stuck in uncertainty somewhere along the way. Their friends did what they could, but by the time the Arishok had been dealt with and Meredith became a statue of angry red corruption on the flagstones of Kirkwall, the spark of anger which had driven Kamila for years finally sputtered and dimmed. They kept in contact with Varric the longest, but eventually even that trickle of messages stopped. One day Varric received Kamila's heavy sword from a traveling dwarf merchant, accompanied only by the short message: I'm sorry, Varric. Keep Bethany safe. Varric mourned the loss, comforted Bethany on the loss of her last sibling, and made sure that Hawke's story would never be forgotten in the only way he knew how.

And then DAI came out. Yes, I could have left Kamila's story well enough alone, but they were still my Canon Hawke, and I had a Canon world state I wanted to use. So, once again, I shifted a world state from 'canon' to 'headcanon', brought Kamila back from the Void, and gave them a new ending, one where they defiantly stood against a Nightmare to give someone else a chance to finish what they could not.

But it still wasn't the story I had chosen for them.

~~~

This is Martin Trevelyan, my Canon Inquisitor, with the man he loves more than any other:

(art by xla-hainex)

This is, of course, years after the tumultuous events of the Inquisition. Martin and Dorian have settled into a comfortable relationship of loving understanding, Dorian of Martin's constant need to be on the move and Martin of Dorian's duties and responsibilities as a Magister and one of the leaders of a movement to improve the Imperium from within. But it is still a life full of love and nightly conversation, whether in person over a glass of wine or via a small device that hums with magic.

The experience with Kethry and Kamila (among other Wardens and Hawkes whose stories I had to change) have made me hesitant to imagine too many details for him, particularly knowing that the Inquisitor was more than likely going to show up in the next Dragon Age game. I felt bold imagining them as they are above, older and happy and enjoying life together, but it felt like a place they would come to, even if they did so later rather than sooner. Ever since they confirmed the Inquisitor would be in the new game and started giving more details, I have been bracing myself, wondering how I would have to change Martin's story and what I would lose.

And then came the whole '3 Choices' Debate. And...I'm happy.

Oh, Martin's story isn't out of the woods yet, of course. Dorian might be in Veilguard, after all, and Martin will be. Evil gods are stalking the North and shenanigans will, indeed, ensue, and right now I have no idea what, ultimately, will happen. But from what we have learned, with the narrow focus of what past decisions will be considered to appear in Veilguard, I feel that I can hope that, for once, I may be able to keep the story I chose for my Trevelyan.

And I admit, I appreciate that freedom. I know there are many who are mourning the loss of what could have been, but I, for once, am able to hope for what should be, and not worry that Martin's story will be untold.

[chic-beyond-the-wall]

More medieval dyes for y'all!

[fshfish]

you speak as if from a distant dream.

[thatdisasterauthor]

Something you can do to help!

Got a quick, easy action item for anyone with a couple minutes to spare.

The Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act is back in the Senate. If it does not pass, federal wildland firefighters will be facing a 50% paycut here in a couple months (yeah, I said FIFTY). I don't know about you, but I don't know anyone who would keep working their job if their pay got cut by fifty-percent. And right now, that cut is poised to come right at the start of the worst of fire season. I'm sure I don't need to explain why this is NOT GREAT.

Please use this handy dandy form to contact your representatives and ask them to pass this act. Call them too, if that's a thing you've got the bandwidth for!

If you're not in the US, a simple signal boost is much appreciated!

[kindlylicksomegrass]

I think I really captured his essence

[jawnlockblog]

all of us right now:

[eggcromancer]

(in tears) the year is still new....

Hi hi hello dca fandom! I just wanna say thank you for being the most amazing community! i can't believe i made so many new friends and drew in so many fun magmas last year, everyone here is so nice,, and cool, and talented,,, y'all are genuinely the highlight of my 2024 🥹🫶💖

May your 2025 be filled with joy and whimsy (and silly jesters)!!

[somewhereincairparavel]

how am I only just realising that when the prophecy of the seven was talking about "the oath to keep with a final breath" it wasn't talking about leo's promise to get calypso, but it was jason's promise to piper that he'll always keep her safe. he had his final breath keeping that promise brb I'm gonna cry a river

[zondearts]

another practice painting based on a wip I'm procrastinating on

[the-phantom-peach]

more… mouthwashing…?

(more daisuke…🌺)

[shyblacksheep]

Short comic, Something little more movie based; Mario takes Luigi to the Fire Flower field for the first time!

[pinetreepilgrimage]

The Prophecies Begin, or, The Streams Begin

Here’s the complete cover series, 1-6. Which one is your favorite?

[acourtofquestions]

“If you were to ask me what Throne of Glass is about…

I’d say it’s about the epic journey of a teenage assassin in a corrupt kingdom.

But if you were to ask me on a deeper level, I’d say…

It’s about how small acts of kindness can change the outcome of the world.

Money to a barmaid, waiting an extra minute to shoot, a warning in a competition, a cloak in a cold dungeon, a message on a wall, sharing your lavender soap.”

[galacticghoste]

Soooo dose anyone remember me mentioning about wanting to make a circus AU bc I made some fankids in circus outfits?????

Well I got some rough ideas for their role and designs for some of these characters down

(Yes i was too lazy to draw a motorcycle for shadow so I just drew the globe of death instead)

Maybe at a later time I can play around withe the designs more.

[cheezy-whizz]

Shout out to dysfunctional teenage friend groups from 80s movies, gotta be one of my favorite genders

[cupcakeslushie]

I’ve been debating on saying something because I have a lot of thoughts about this, but I just want to say a quick (maybe not so quick) thought…

“Comfort Character” is not a declaration of ownership. Just because you relate to a character deeply, and see yourself in them, does not mean you get to go around policing the stories that get told regarding them, or the how they’re depicted in said stories.

I wanna be clear. Im not saying you can’t pose genuine questions and have perfectly reasonable discussions about the intricacies of hard topics. In fact, fiction can even help make those discussions easier to digest by lowering the stakes, because there are not any actual stakes when none of it is real.

Unfortunately, I’ve been seeing the entire opposite. People taking stories that may make them “uncomfy”, and declaring that they’ve now decided they are taking it personally, to near obsessive levels. You are not the only one allowed to play with these characters. It is a huge sandbox, and these toys are mass produced enough for everyone to have their own doll to do with whatever they’d like.

I get you might see yourself in a character, but that doesn’t give you the right to go around sending death threats just because someone wrote, or drew your current blorbo in an unfavorable light. Prioritizing some cluster of lines and colors over the mental health and safety of actual real human beings, is worse than whatever fictional, moral “atrocity” that you think you’re championing against. You only end up sounding just like the people calling for book banning in schools.

You are not the character. You are not being hurt. The character is not even being hurt, because they do not in fact, exist to actually experience any of the pain creators are putting them through. And most importantly, you have no claim on how other people entertain themselves with said character. Because that is what these characters are. Entertainment. They can be used in good or bad stories. If you don’t like how a creator is using them. Move on. Don’t send death threats or attacks.

Block and filter your tags.

I have triggers, but that is my issue to control and maintain. It is appreciated when steps are taken by creators to help me avoid the things that trigger me, but I don’t wish death and pain on anyone who doesn’t view the world through the same lens as myself, and might not have considered my own personal feelings on the matter. My feelings of unease or anxiety from coming into contact with my own triggers, might be valid, but initiating an attack on a creator, because I took a personal offense to their story, is not. I do not outright assume that something was created with me and my tastes in mind.

Also, this is not aimed at any one person. This is a rampant issue that I have seen first hand, going back all the way to more than a year ago. I’ve seen it happen in multiple fandoms, but as I spend most of my time in the Rise fandom, that’s where I see the worst of it. I’ve received attacks, I know other creators have received attacks, and if this keeps up, creators will just stop wanting to share anything at all.

I also need to emphasize, I’m not mad. This is not a lashing out. This is just a frustrating and hurtful trend to constantly witness, when creators are putting their own heart, time, and energy into creating intriguing and complex works of all kinds in order to broaden the beauty of this fandom, and they’re getting anonymous messages to kill themselves.

Please think about the real life person behind the art and stories you are consuming, instead of prioritizing the fictional comfort of made up characters inside the story, that will in actuality, never have any opinions on what’s being done to them. Because they do not exist.