flesh is the first literature

ash | 18+ | any pronouns | blair witchin it

[asharaks]

hold on i'm gonna make a pinned post. i'm ash, this is an 18+ space. Mostly dragon age with some other video games thrown in for flavour:) and if it seems like i spend most of my time complaining about dragon age, well,

tags:

#lit review - thedosian gender politics posting

#datv rewrite - does what it says on the tin. our beautiful vision for what if veilguard was good ?

#wip wednesday thursday - my writing and my friendses writing:3

[ikarons]

a thing about vivi that is always like. heartbreaking to me. that i feel is often overlooked in the fandom. is like... when she is supporting the circle system and arguing for reform over rebellion, when she's arguably conservative... she's Not arguing from being like. just too insulated from normal mage life to know how bad the circle system can be and Is. she's not pulling up the ladder behind her or arguing that everyone should just get good like her. she's arguing from essentially abject terror for the mage children, mage Tranquil, mages with no abilities that can be used to protect themselves or fight back, mages who are not ready and able to run off, become rebels and arm themselves, when inevitably the response to the rebellion from the chantry hits the weakest, most vulnerable, most Currently Still Easily Accessible circle mages the hardest. she doesn't think that mages should be in the torture basement forever because they deserve to suffer and suffering is what's best for them— she believes that if the circles fall, the people (the chantry, the templars, the nobility of every country under the orlesian chantry who rely on mage labour, the ordinary soldiers and civilians who have been raised to be Terrified Of Magic) will turn on her people. and they'll turn on her, no matter how well-behaved she's been! and When they do, she won't be able to protect the most vulnerable mages! she is trying to protect other mages the best way She knows how here!

she's The exemplary circle mage taking a permitted avenue to create a position of influence and Make something of herself, and it still isn't enough, and she's still forced to rely on wealthy and powerful patrons who don't fully see her as an equal person to them and can retract their patronage whenever they want, because a mage can Never be enough. and she knows it! probably better than anyone! she Knows she's always on the verge of losing everything she's built for herself! so yknow. yeah she's afraid, of templars and kings and queens and the chantry, of the Backlash the rebellion will provoke, and she's absolutely certain that the mage rebellion Can't Win, and when they are inevitably crushed, it will only be Worse For Everyone. that's not someone saying mages are Correctly placed under the templars' boots, that's someone saying If You Cause Trouble, All Our Most Vulnerable Will Be Killed. she's not entitled or disconnected from Normal Mages, she's terrified! & i think that often goes like. unacknowledged because. ok partly bc dai is constantly asking you not to sympathise with her and to instead be as suspicious of her as you can. but also because so much of her character is putting on a front and refusing to allow anyone to see her fear because so much of her influence comes from being able to control the narrative around her. you are falling for her bit!

anyway i do think even though it's obviously a real highlight of da that the characters have like firm opinions and beliefs that won't bend just to please the player it's kind of a heinous crime against me specifically that vivienne's perspective isn't allowed to evolve At All through questlines & the way the inquisitor can materially impact the political landscape esp wrt mages. given her everything

[asharaks]

one fun thing abt me is every time i catch someone looking at my tits in public i Also look at them. and then we're both looking at my tits

[undeadhousewife]

[eeby-deeby-dark-and-creepy]

Ok now I’m curious… Which do you prefer:

I have lived in and out of the city, I prefer the city

I have only lived in the city, I prefer the city

I have only lived out of the city, I prefer the city

I have lived in and out of the city, I prefer out of the city

I have only lived in the city, I prefer out of the city

I have only lived out of the city, I prefer out of the city

Bald/vanilla extract/I reject dichotomies under all circumstances/I can’t read

Remaining time: 4 days 3 hours

[gyrovagi]

i hired these bugs to stare at you

[pinayelf]

let's settle this

what is alistair theirin's hair color

brown

blonde

ginger

he's bald/nuance (say in tags)

Remaining time: 2 days 12 hours

[gaywill]

i should be allowed to kill people based on how they talk about lesbians

[labcorp]

[imjunebitch]

in a world where happy rich people sell the discontent lower class the lie that money cant buy you happiness it is at least reassuring to know that our sole trillionaire is the most pathetic, unloved, miserable, alone human being on the planet, and that NOTHING could make him happy. get fuckeddd lol

[fllagellant]

The great thing about Jacob is he has a facade that is immediately recognizable and you can then see how he’s hiding a bleeding heart the whole time. He’s not convinced of his role as a middle man unaffected by the things around him so he can’t convince anyone else of it Unless they are also not paying attention. He doesn’t want to be the perfect Cerberus solider but he’s trying to convince the mirror he can be. Whatever

[minotauri]

[louder than everyone] MAN I THINK IT DEPENDS!

[thedas-finest]

Potential References for the Horses in Thedas

If you're anything like me, you made it your mission to collect every single horse breed in Dragon Age: Inquisition. However. If you're anything like me, it annoyed the hell out of you to not have good parallels to real-world breeds for art references. This post aims to help with that, using some tomfoolery and shenanigans to give some vague approximation of region, build and color in order to find horse breeds that exist in real life and would make sense in Thedas.

This will be put under a cut after the first pony because this post got LOOONG. Enjoy!

The Ferelden Forder, or the Cleveland Bay

The Ferelden Forder is described as a "proud animal ... [that] ranges well beyond its namesake, at home in stables and armies across Thedas." In the game, the Forder is a beautiful rich dappled bay, with darkened legs, mane and tail. Given that Ferelden itself seems to be vaguely inspired by the regions present in the UK, the stout appearance, tallness and shapely body of the Cleveland Bay lends itself near-perfectly to the Forders, in my humble opinion. The only thing about the Cleveland Bay that isn't truly represented by the Forders is their white markings--Forders have a big white blaze on their face in Inquisition, whereas real life Cleveland Bays are considered inadmissable in the studbook with markings any larger than a small white star.

Despite that, I think the Cleveland Bay is an excellent point of reference to use when drawing Forders, and the color variations are perfect for learning how to shade all sorts of variations of bay ponies.

The Amaranthine Charger, or the English Thoroughbred

The Amaranthine Charger is described as "spirited but not unruly" and an "uncommon mount, sure to impress." Amaranthine is still within the borders of Ferelden--or at least neighboring it--but its proximity to the Free Marches had me stumped. It's my opinion that the Amaranthine Charger could go two ways: a lighter, faster breed, or a thicker one that's been crossed with that fineness. So, there are two good options I feel are representative of the Amaranthine Charger.

The English Thoroughbred or the Irish Sport Horse (otherwise known as the Irish Hunter). Both breeds are brave, both have some speed, both are generally seen as being handle-able, and they both come in an array of colors that could be fun for any artist wanting to try their hand at some funky markings and patterns. I only chose a black coat since that's what we see in the game.

The Orlesian Courser, or the Selle Francais

The Orlesian Courser is breed that is spirited, with a "lineage longer than most noble names." While technically the Selle Francais is a newer breed, it is made of a bunch of older French breeds being merged into one studbook. The range of height (155-180cm at the withers), more elegant conformation and refinement lends itself perfectly to a faster, more 'respectable' horse that still may be capable of carrying a knight or mounted combatant.

The Selle Francais typically comes in shades of bay, grey and chestnut, but other coat colors are possible, especially when crossed with other breeds.

The Dalish All-Bred, or the 'Some Sort of UK Pony Breed'

Dalish All-Breds are described in-game as being hardy and sure-footed, as well as a breed of "humble origins." New Forest Ponies are generally well-temptered and loyal, often used as family mounts or for children. Being a breed that often roams New Forest, these ponies are also rather brave and perhaps exceptionally well-suited to navigating challenging terrain, making them great parallels for the Dalish All-Bred. Ironically, while piebalds and skewbalds (the pattern presented in-game) disqualify New Forests from being added to the studbook, it isn't entirely uncommon to find such patterning within the breed. Other options for Dalish All-Breds might be Exmoor and Dales Ponies.

Green Dales Feral, or the American Mustang

The Green Dales Feral is said to have descended from stock that escaped the Qunari invasions in the North, which sounds an awful lot like the Spanish horses that worked their way over to America and became feral. Mustangs aren't often used by your average Joe, and the Green Dales Feral is also "rarely seen on the field." The horses are hardy, sure-footed and brave, and come in a variety of fun and interesting colors and patterns that are sure to dazzle and make for fun art studies. Mustangs also come in a lot of different shapes, so you can really customize your pony however you'd like them to look.

The Free Marches Ranger, or the Oldenburg

The Free Marches Ranger is a palomino in-game, so I did want to make sure the breed I referenced had horses in this particular coat color. The Oldenburg is a German breed; it's sporty, athletic and also rather even-tempered. Other options might be Holsteiners or Hanoverians, depending on how stocky you want your reference to be. With the Free Marches being such a loosely connected place, it's difficult to really pin down each city-state as being of a certain region, so I used the idea that often gets circulated that the Marches resemble German city-states and worked backwards from there.

The Asaarash, or the Iberian Horses

The Asaarash was another one difficult to pin down, as the model in the game seems to just be an armored version of the Green Dales Feral. However, the actual information blurb tells us that the breed is Rivaini in origin, resilient, and is used to carry messages across Seheron. There's a couple different directions here, but I chose to focus on the Rivaini origins of the breed and chose the Lusitanos and Pura Raza Espanolas to represent the Asaarash. They're powerful breeds that are tall and stocky, capable of carrying heavier loads as well as being used to work cattle. They're brave and particularly adapted to war, having been used as cavalry horses. Both also come in the chestnut coat.

If looking for a horse that would more closely match the 'speed' and desert adaptability of Seheron, I would recommend Egyptian Arabians as your starting point.

The Frostback Mountain Horse, or the Trotters and Saddlers

The Frostback Mountain Horse is used by the Avaar in the Frostbacks, making the horse hardy and adapted to cold by nature. I chose to look to Scandinavian horse breeds for this and discovered the Swedish Coldblood Trotter, a horse with some feathering (hair) around the legs that matches the in-game equivalent and comes in varying shades of brown and black. The game codex describes the Frostback Mountain Horses as being "fierce, loyal and not quite tame" which doesn't exactly match the psychological profile of these Trotters, but I felt the region and build apt enough regardless to overlook it.

Other options for mountain horses would be the American Rocky Mountain Horse or the Kentucky Mountain Horse (sometimes referred to as the Kentucky Saddler/Saddle Horse).

The Taslin Strider, or the Italian Saddle Horse

The Taslin Strider is described as a refined breed and is most common in Antiva's warmer areas. It's also described as being suited to long distances and spirited charges. I thought the Italian Saddle Horse, or Sella Italiano, would best fit this particular description. The Sella Italiano is a breed with a great degree of refinement, as evidenced by the beautiful floaty trot above and pricked ears. The Sella Italiano is also bred for show-jumping, giving it a degree of power and force. The breed also competes in three-day eventing and endurance, meaning it checks off the boxes for long distance riding as well.

The Imperial Warmblood, or the Lipizzan

You may be familiar with the elegant Lipizzan from the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, with their elegant caprioles and levades. The Imperial Warmblood, being this beautiful grey and described as imposing, made perfect sense to be represented by the Lipizzan. The horses have all the refinement of a dressage horse with all the warlike structure of a good cavalry horse (the two are actually more entwined than you'd think). Additionally, the Lipizzan has near world-wide fame, lending itself further to the Imperial Warmblood's omnipresence when the Tevinter Imperium was at its height. Nowadays, the breed seems to feature more often in the Imperium's homeland, mirroring the current concentration of Lipizzan horses today.

The Anderfel Courser, or the Altai

The Anderfel Courser was a tough one, and I'm torn between two options. The Altai is a breed that is suitable for mountainous terrain as well as cold climates, which I think makes it perfect for the areas of the Anderfels that are freezing and rocky (think Hossberg in Veilguard). However, the Anderfels also has areas of arid, rocky and cavernous deserts, which left me stumped. I think a combination of the Altai and the loose 'Afghan horse' category (Qatgani would be an excellent keyword to start on those horses, or the sport of buzkashi for action-packed poses) would be best suited to this strange combination of climates. It also fits the Anderfel Courser's description of being highly uncommon across Thedas. Being bred for the Grey Wardens, I think the Altai and Afghan horses would likely be the best suited for their particular brand of excitement.

Some Quick Diagrams

I realize not everyone is as into horses as I am, and may be stumped on how to search for certain colors and patterns when looking up references. As a final little send off, I've compiled here a group of diagrams designed to help beginners look for color, markings and patterns without drowning in resources on [insert your search engine of choice].

As always, feel free to play with keywords and markings, and really, just go buckwild. These are fantasy horses, after all. But I know sometimes finding references that fit the image in your mind's eye can be tough, so I hope this post helps out, either with finding drawing references or just showing off some cool kinds of horses you may have never heard about before!

If you're interested in learning about medieval horses and their general uses and care, I would highly recommend watching Modern History TV's Everything You Need to Know About Medieval Horses for more information.

[ikarons]

bravely . i think aveline and isabela should primarily be fighting over who gets to do violence and against whom. and what actually counts as violence . instead of what being good at woman is like

[ikarons]

like. aveline becomes captain of the guard after having previously been a soldier married to a templar. her Life essentially is defined by sanctioned, culturally noble and respected violence against those perceived as Other, Deserving by the state she serves. child bride to pirate pipeline isabela (who is on the run because she took on her powerful boss to free slaves he would have profited from the sale of) has been the Other against whom it is Acceptable To Commit Violence (but who is not legally or morally permitted to retaliate) her whole life, and i think this has made her incredibly protective of her right to engage in violence of her own. to me this has always kind of been the heart of their conflict— ideas about who is respectable, who is Allowed, who gets to define what that even means. especially with the context that As captain of the guard, aveline quite actively reinforces her institution’s right to enact violence & the Taboo against the disenfranchised returning it; her guardsman sexually assaults an elven girl, and she not only protects him, but literally (accidentally.) starts a war over her right to prosecute the girl’s brothers for killing him in retaliation when She failed to deliver appropriate justice. ISABELA WAS SOLD AS A CHILD BRIDE. it’s such a gimme. that’s like the main thing that differentiates them and the main difference in their interests. literally how is this not the main thing they’re clashing about?

[ikarons]

ok now everyone look at these additions yay :3c

[ikarons]

bravely . i think aveline and isabela should primarily be fighting over who gets to do violence and against whom. and what actually counts as violence . instead of what being good at woman is like

[ikarons]

like. aveline becomes captain of the guard after having previously been a soldier married to a templar. her Life essentially is defined by sanctioned, culturally noble and respected violence against those perceived as Other, Deserving by the state she serves. child bride to pirate pipeline isabela (who is on the run because she took on her powerful boss to free slaves he would have profited from the sale of) has been the Other against whom it is Acceptable To Commit Violence (but who is not legally or morally permitted to retaliate) her whole life, and i think this has made her incredibly protective of her right to engage in violence of her own. to me this has always kind of been the heart of their conflict— ideas about who is respectable, who is Allowed, who gets to define what that even means. especially with the context that As captain of the guard, aveline quite actively reinforces her institution’s right to enact violence & the Taboo against the disenfranchised returning it; her guardsman sexually assaults an elven girl, and she not only protects him, but literally (accidentally.) starts a war over her right to prosecute the girl’s brothers for killing him in retaliation when She failed to deliver appropriate justice. ISABELA WAS SOLD AS A CHILD BRIDE. it’s such a gimme. that’s like the main thing that differentiates them and the main difference in their interests. literally how is this not the main thing they’re clashing about?

[yiddishfisting]

i hadn't really like. Truly thought too hard about that author's spider-fucking book so i wasn't putting individual pieces together but thanks to things people have reminded me of on that last post in this book i've realized we've got:

dark-skinned spider centaur love interest who's part of a cannibalistic incestuous spider race where the females are larger bc haha big hot abusive women

which means we've got a bunch of dark-skinned women who are incestuous sexual abusers of the males of their species

white protagonist love interest who is based off griffith from berserk looks-wise but i have also been told that character is like. a serial rapist. so maybe not the best choice

white protagonist leads dark-skinned love interest around with a rope noose around his neck

author makes 'jokes' about the dark-skinned love interest with a specifically "proud curved nose" being objectified

the sexual dynamic between the two MCs is supposed to be the dark-skinned love interest finally getting to be the rough dominant top to the pretty boy white twink protagonist

white twink protagonist is also a genocidal colonizer which i guess is supposed to be funny

[yiddishfisting]

@deep-sea-horror yeah

[yiddishfisting]

oh right i wasn't able to get the second half of that comment in the screenshot. so here it is

[gyrovagi]

i don't think shale's gender is handled particularly well within the game but i don't think it's better to use she/her pronouns for a character who explicitly disidentifies itself as a woman when asked about it i'm going to flip out

[gyrovagi]

shale is living in a beauitful universal it/its world and nobody else sees the vision but I do.

[sandetigerrr]

Just saw a post that claimed the Shadow Dragon faction in DATV was antifascist. The. The Shadow Dragon faction. in DATV. People really do be just throwing words around and refusing to define them or illustrate with clear examples what fascism is and what makes a faction like the Shadow Dragons antifascist.

Is this a good time to bring up my This Game Kills Facists (but does it really?) essay response?

[sandetigerrr]

Tumblr users be like

Narrator's voice: almost nobody on this website knows what fascism is