#yes I'm in the Brecilian Forest right now what of it

[maintitle]

Solas, on the other side of the veil, realizing the horrors that have just been inflicted upon the world thanks to the interruption of his own ritual, reciting sadly:  "Like Dragons they fly, glory upon wings. Like dragons they savage, fearsome pretty things.'

Varric, on the ground behind him, dying: oh come on, chuckles, if you're gonna monologue about my stupidity while standing over my broken corpse don't refer to my mistakes with a poem written about humans, it's insulting.

[saturndigital]

Hi! Just found your Veil Falls AU, and like... My one of oldest loved titles and current one.... Count me intrigued and waiting for more. And like... Sorry, if it's too soon, but did you compose the timeline for the au already? I mean I saw that Ford (also really liked your work of making them dalish names!) missed events of dao-da2, but does it means that others didn't? Like where was their clan during Blight or did they even know there was one? Or did Stanley (I suppose he travelled all of Thedas) had troubles with Crows and stuff?

Really sorry for questions, but I really was into DA some years ago, and I'm really into GF now, and this AU is like the most delicious cake for my soul.

I am over the moon someone is so interested in this au that they have so many questions EEEKK never apologize I'm SO happy to answer!!

As of RIGHT NOW I have a very basic idea of the timeline:

Ford returning from the Fade happens before the events of the Inquisition, as to me Weirdmaggedon is the entirety of that game's plot (yes this means Bill had a part to play in it but that's story talk for later). So, the summer that the twins visit Stan happens between the events of DA2 ending and the Conclave's destruction (9:40 Dragon I believe would be the year?).

Yes, the others did experience it, though because many of the cast are so young or in Stan's case constantly all over the place, they weren't at the epicenters of those games' plots. Most of the cast experienced the consequences of the events and how that affected the world rather than being part of said events.

The clan did survive the blight and currently, their grandfather Shermie (still figuring out an elven name for him rn it's Shirem) is the Keeper of their clan. The clan resided in the Planasene Forest when Ford and Stan were young, but have since moved to the Brecilian Forest which is where they possibly were during the 5th blight. Dipper being Dipper he probably begged someone in the clan to tell him about the blight and darkspawn so they definitely do know.

This is where I am still workshopping ideas, as I am constantly going through the lore like "hmmm would this work? Maybe not hmmm" but there are a lot of things I have solidified, mainly character stuff.

Stanley I do not doubt got into heaps of trouble with possibly multiple groups, including Crows. He definitely has tales to tell that makes the twins go "Grunkle Stan WHAT??"

If you or anyone has ideas on either timeline or character stuff I am all ears! The fun thing to me about aus like this is that I don't know everything, but some do! And those people have cool ideas because of it! So if you've got smth in mind I am intently listening. I do already have certain character designs and backgrounds already figured out, but I will chew on anything tossed my way anyway LOL

Thank you for asking!!!

[criffyzou]

My dragon age next gen kids moodboard were only humans and dwarves, so I started a new elfy one, and decided to document my process.

Here is the resulting rambling.

First thing I usually do is find stand-ins for the parents, to have *something* to start from. They usually don't appear on the moodboard itself, but I love to do that step.

I'm pinning these two deviantartists as Cammen & Gheyna, teens from the DAO dalish camp that the warden help get together (them but older & as parents). This is to keep to my theme of "kids that exist or survive thanks to the heroes of Thedas".

It's then time to pick a name. It can be a lore thing, i.e. Ailis Theirin is named after a chantry sister from Maric and Loghain's fereldan rebellion days, who raised Cailan and, I choose to believe, Anora too, once Loghain started bringing her to work. It can also be completely unrelated: I wanted an old french name for Pernille de Chalons, but as a french person myself, all of it sounded cringey; in the end her name is from the karpe song Au Pair. It sounds orlesian enough but is not actually french.

I'm not good at elven names in Dragon Age, my Lavellan inquisitor is named Sheana because I was being a Dune nerd when I learned there was a Siona among the emerald knights (iykyk). The reward for the quest Cammen's Lament is The Tale of Iloren and its corresponding codex, a book cherished by Cammen's family for generations. I like Iloren; it's technically a male keeper in the tale, but the name feels gender neutral, and I want that kid to be a girl.

Cammen & Gheyna get married in 9:30, but they're so young their first child doesn't have to be born for a number of years. By my referent point 9:52, I want her to still be a teen, around the same age as her parents when we meet them in Origins ? I don't actually know how old Cammen and Gheyna are. I also want Lena (born in 9:37) to still be the baby of the band; let's go with 9:35.

Now, class ! I really want a dalish warrior, but there aren't many interesting warrior specializations. Champion hasn't been used yet, but feels too similar to Ariane from Witch Hunt. Spirit Warrior is my favorite of what's left.

Identity down, now to the moodboard specifics !

I like to follow the old lavellanpls template because it forces me to think about the character in details I would not have thought of.

Complexion is a square I use for faceclaims. Both Iloren's parents are white, like a lot of Dragon Age NPCs; I've not had a lot of wriggle room for non-white next gen kids outside of Zerlinda's son, whose dad is not shown, and Kieran, both Morrigan and Alistair being biracial even if Bioware doesn't show it. I don't really brainstorm for that one, I simply look at a lot of pictures until something clicks.

Wardrobe has a few armor options from my initial generic dalish pin rampage, that I may choose from when I have a better idea of the dominant color. My main issue is the lack of consistency in dalish heavy armor, and how hard it is to find a real life equivalent.

Hair can be Gheyna's red, Cammen's ash blond, or a mix of the two, but I have too many redheads already.

Now is the time I start to lie invent rather than extrapolate. I want this elven kid to be strongly attached to her dalish way of life, à la Velana, because we have enough self-loathing elves in canon. That could Home accounted for then, something representing the dalish camp, or the nearby Brecilian ruins.

Obviously I cannot resist the Animal square for a dalish from that clan, born after the werewolf conflict, to be a wolf despite how on the nose it is. I like when things are predictable.

Iloren has to be an extravert, if not because she was raised in a commune, then because we have more introverts in the current next gen lineup and I like balance. E, S and J feel right, let's try ESTJ. Yes this is relevant, as I use either the Season or Element squares as clues for the character's personality. Season I will probably put Brecilian forest in its winter dreariness, so let's focus on element: First one I can think of is ironbark, "surprisingly strong and very light". It is also somewhat blue in color; that is our first official color of the moodboard !

Accessory square I often put down as a weapon, as that seems the most logical option for a prized possession. It could also be something sentimental from games lore, like Tini Kondrat's toy horse, like the one the warden gave Oghren as a joke, that he may have repurposed as an actual toy for his child. My best example of a Spirit Warrior is actually Fenris, who uses two handed weapons; let's continue this trend. Ideally something resembling the Sulevin Blade from Inquisition, because it is the perfect weapon for Iloren, but not one she would have access to.

Last square unaccounted for is Texture, which is usually my "make the moodboard actually cohesive" free card, while keeping it relevant to the character, adding personality or background hints I could not fit into the rest. Something Spirit Warrior-y, as it's been missing so far, like maybe their weird brand of fade cloak.

Aaaand we're done ! A brand new complete character, spun whole cloth from a vague desire to have an elf in the lineup.