Flight of the Faerie Dragon

Fangirling and social justice, yeah! Fangirling includes Bioware, Broadway, and a smattering of other things.  Lots of Kaidan Alenko, Sebastian Vael and Solas lately. ♥

[spacefjords]

i am LOVING campaign four so much so far, and i want to get back into the fanart game, so here's some sketches of two of my faves, trying to figure out how i want to draw them!!

thank you laura bailey for yet ANOTHER best character ever, and also loooving all the new additions to the table including alex goth powers.

[duckbunny]

you are fifteen thousand generations removed from stone tools

[duckbunny]

to be clear you are fifteen thousand generations removed from the invention of stone tools. not from the end of stone tools. modern humans are still using stone tools.

[pseudomasochist]

Flawless tags, @baddywronglegs

[tabbytiger]

Tips for Budding artists

1. DON’t COMPARE YOURSELF TO ANOTHER ARTIST!!!!!!!!!!!! - You don’t know how many years they’ve been making art - You don’t know if they’ve taken classes

2. DON’T DO IT!!!

3. Do gesture drawings!!! They’re really fun and it helps a lot

4. Try sketching with pens! Practice permanence!

5. Study the anatomy and composition of the body! - It’ll make your art look pleasant! - You’ll learn stuff!

6. Learn abt flow and lines of action!

7. Use refs!! Refs are your best friends!!! HOld Them like a lIFE LINE!!!

8. Use basic shapes for guidelines and build off of them!

9. LIGHT PRESSURE!! Draw lightly!! Use heavier pressure for detail!

10. Block in colors and shading! - Lay down your areas of color or shading and then go back and refine it

11. Believe in yourself!!! You CAN do it!! 12. Ask for help! Ask for criticism!

13. Mistakes are okay! Use them!

14. Start breaking things down into basic shapes! Pencil??? Boi thats a long rectangle!! + illuminati

15. Try to draw daily, if you can’t thats okay, just try to draw when you can,

16. Try new mediums and new techniques!

17. Use inspiration! Anything that inspires you??? Use it!!!!

18. It takes years! Of Practice!! You’re not gonna be Leonardo Di Vinci in 5 days!

19. DoN’t COmPare ursELF TO LEONARDO DI VINCI

20. There’s always a way to improve, theres always something to learn

21. If you’re frustrated or stressed out by your art! Take a break, watch speedpaints look at other people’s art

23. Doodling is still art

24. Have fun!! Try to make drawing something relaxing rather than a chore!

[star-system-generator]

Star System Generator v1.1

Here we go. Version 1.1 is a little chaotic but it works, and Version 1.2, which attempts to reduce the chaos, still only works about half the time on my machine. This is possibly primarily a 1-D-10-T error, but I'm working on it. I've hosted stuff on CryptDrive because it doesn't demand an email address, doesn't allow AI scraping, and is registered in Europe.

This link goes to a PDF of detailed, me-proof instructions for downloading and running the thing and reading the output. The physicist has not reviewed these so any errors are mine. I am not very good at Matlab yet, so if you have shortcuts or more elegant ways of doing things, please do let me know.

Encrypted File

CryptPad: end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite

This link goes directly to a download of the zipped folder containing all the code you need to run the star system generator on Matlab. I've tested it on Matlab R2025a, and the physicist has written and run it on (we think) Matlab R2023b. No promises are made for other versions.

Encrypted File

CryptPad: end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite

Please take whatever precautions you think reasonable before opening a zipped file of code downloaded from an encrypted cloud drive hosted by a complete stranger.

Suggestions for future versions are not particularly welcome because there is a plan in place, and if you ask for something that's already mentioned in the readme as a planned future feature I will just point you back to the readme. Bug reports and questions are very welcome; please send a screenshot as a Tumblr ask to this blog. Expect at least a 48-hour turnaround on questions.

If you pick this up and run with it and do something amazing with it, as I'm sure many of you will, please tag this blog in a post about it! We'd love to see what y'all get up to.

The license terms are set out in the readme as follows:

As on AO3, fandom includes non-commercial original works.

[deathtokillian]

Seen someone say “I can’t die, I got graves to dance on that hasn’t been dug yet.” And honestly, that goes hard. We need to keep that energy.

[undead-knick-knack]

[frostedmagnolias]

Thousand & One Nights Inspired Evening Gown

c. 1910

Augusta Auctions

[perrokallej3ro]

i’m fucking crying y’all

[do-not-stop]

2.01 Capital R Rake

[dreamruses]

Free Book of Drawing Exercises

Hey guys! I just wanted to share an incredible free resource from a great artist. Brokendraw on youtube created a book of 25 drawing exercises and (shockingly) decided to offer it for no cost. Though you can give him a tip! Link to him talking about the book. Link to download the book These are all the foundational exercises that can build real competency in drawing. It's the same stuff any good art school will teach you. Anyway, go check it out!

[vhen-harel]

Something I've been thinking about the last few days has been around the dilemma that Solas has as a rebellion leader (any rebellion leader really, the Inquisitor included). At what point are you responsible for the reactions and decisions of the oppressors you're fighting against?

There are two codices paired together that got me thinking this. Note - these codices were either cut or a glitch prevented some players from getting them.

Against the So-Called Gods People of Arlathan, hear the words of Fen'Harel. The Evanuris intend to tighten the chains that bind you. They are infusing lyrium into warriors not gifted with the sense of magic. This has not been done since the Great War, when honored knights willingly sacrificed their own flesh in defense of the people. But what enemy will the lyrium knights defend you from? The Forgotten Ones? They have fled the empire. Me? I am only a danger to the powerful. No, the lyrium knights are meant to defend against you, to stifle resistance and protect the Evanuris. Would real gods need protection from their own worshippers? Aftermath of Disparaging the Gods You were right. The Evanuris did not like the insinuation that they need protection. The good news is that public sentiment has turned against the lyrium knights, and our agents got information that let us destroy one of the sarcophagi. The bad news is that Andruil and Ghilan'nain made a big show of putting down a protest in the east personally instead of sending the knights. Andruil left a crater where the town stood, and Ghilan'nain is using the people taken prisoner as fodder for her experiments. This isn't your fault, but still, this is exactly what I was worried about. It's not enough to be right about these things. We have to think about the consequences. -Fellasan

Solas did what he does best, he used words, stirred up public dissent, and organized resistance without resorting to violence.

And how did the Evanuris respond? By annihilating a town and taking prisoners to use in horrifying experiments. (shudders)

To me this is not a proportionate response to criticism or protest. But that’s the point, it’s meant to show the forces the rebellion were up against. This response is collective punishment meant to terrorize the population and crush dissent through fear - it's why Andruil and Ghilan’nain “made a big show” of it. They wanted the people to see what happens when you stand up against them.

We know Solas’ rebellion was working - why else would the Evanuris turn to the blight? In this case, public sentiment successfully turned against the lyrium knights and the resistance successfully destroyed one of the sarcophagi. A win for the rebellion.

But there’s an element here that is interesting and it's in Felassan's response.

Solas is the one that exposes this information to the public (with Felassan's support) and the Evanuris are the ones who answer with violence. And yet, there’s an aspect of Felassan's letter that shifts the blame onto Solas because he should have anticipated the consequences - this isn't your fault, but still...

It creates a feeling that Solas is being asked to carry responsibility for the choices Andruil and Ghilan'nain themselves made. Solas used words and public dissent. Andruil destroyed an entire town. Ghilan’nain turned prisoners into experimental fodder. The implications of Felassan’s words is that Solas should have expected that. I mean, no doubt he did, no doubt they all did. Felassan says it was something he worried about so I imagine it was discussed at length.

But, that's not the point of this, for me, it's the dilemma of the rebellion leader. Because what do you do then? If any move you make is met with overwhelming violence and death, then do you just stop because someone could get hurt? You can prepare, think ahead to what consequences might be as I'm sure they all did - both Solas and Felassan were brilliant strategists to go against the Evanuris.

Now Felassan's not saying Solas was morally wrong to speak out, but Felassan is warning him, reminding both of them, that they have to calculate how tyrants with incredible power will respond when threatened. But the challenging thing is that this line of thinking can become paralysing. If every act of resistance is judged by how violently the oppressor retaliates, then the oppressor effectively controls whether the resistance exists at all.

It’s like that comment Rook makes in Solas' memory with the blighted elf - to be the god she needs him to be. Rook’s comment is a bit disappointing because there was no cure for the blight - no other way - just leave her there to stay blighted and suffer? Solas is judged in that moment for not being able to cure this elf, for not being a god, for ending her life as the only option and humane thing left to them. (A fellow fan @teamdilf really provided great insight for this that I've absorbed into my own world state, that Rook has fallen for Evanuris propaganda and thus in this moment, can't see Solas as anything but the Dread Wolf, a god.)

Both these situations seem to highlight Solas as morally responsible for outcomes created by systems of cruelty that existed before he intervened. Instead, he’s judged for the limit of what he could do, rather than any discussion about the horrors the enslaved elves actually faced. I think a comment left by someone on one of my posts really showcases this example of putting all the blame on Solas - hey, Solas MADE the Evanuris use the blight, so it's all Solas' fault!

And this doesn’t mean Solas is beyond criticism or denying that he's made morally grey choices. But these writing choices feel puzzling to me because the moral framing becomes uneven in that it's Solas who becomes centred as the one who should somehow have known better. I don't know, it's war. It's a massive slave uprising - what else is the leader (and his second in command) supposed to do? Yes, plan for consequences - but some consequences you can't plan for - like the Evanuris turning to the blight. Should Solas just have never helped free his people then just incase the Evanuris turned to the blight? Can you imagine the war room discussion with Felassan and others. "Well if we do this, the Evanuris will do this. If we do that, the Evanuris will do that. Guys, we should know better! Let's just go home then, we don't want any response that will hurt people". I don't know, apparently Solas should have been smarter and planned for every possible scenario ever.

If you want these codices restored in your game - here's a mod for it!

Edit: Make sure to read @fadetouchedlurker addition to this as well as another accompanying codex, it paints a different picture than the idea I was exploring and another good insight.

Also, my post isn't meant to be a criticism. I read those two codices back to back and it made me ask the question, what is a leader of a rebellion supposed to do in reality? I don't know. I've never been one. Why do some fans put the blame of the Evanuris' actions and choices onto Solas and the rebellion?

[kcwriter-blog]

Well put. I got these codices and to be honest, I was really irritated. I’m more irritated now because we are seeing how rebellions are dealt with in real time and how peaceful protest (words) is being met with force and murder. It’s almost as if the writers have never heard of a slave uprising or believe it is always possible to peacefully remove people from power (news flash: it isn’t). The joke is that Solas should have just handed out pamphlets and let the slaves vote out their gods but as we see from the first codex, Solas tried words and pamphlets. The response was to annihilate a village. And we never truly get to see what the Evanuris were up to because that would be just as bad as having to see slavery in Tevinter. More important to see regular people’s lives disrupted by what is happening. The ideal basically boils down to Solas should never have attempted to change the status quo because we are sure it would have turned out okay eventually. O suspect the Evanuris murdered Mythal because she was standing in the way of them fully using the Blight. We have the story of her fight with Andruil who was using what was called the Void but sure sounds like the Blight and not only winning but stripping Andruil of her memories. When she died Solas knew he had to act. He was desperate. He wasn’t strong enough to go up against seven of the most powerful Blighted embodied spirits so he did what he had to do. And that is the point that people miss. The rebels had to do what they had to do even if the consequences were grave because doing nothing would have been worse. The Evanuris were always going to want to use the power the Blight gave them. They were never going to see themselves as corrupted by it. Solas acted. It might make us uncomfortable just as it can make us uncomfortable in the real world but that doesn’t make it wrong

[kiisaes]

everyone eat more vegetables NOW!!! and mention the last vegetable you ate in the tags so we're all on the buddy system. I'll start: bok choy

[flightofthefaeriedragon]

I NEED a pro-shot (and physical release) of Maybe Happy Ending! What a charming and delightful show! And the staging looks gorgeous!

[flightofthefaeriedragon]

Apparently there is a film based on the Korean version! IIRC it's called My Favorite Love Story. I'm heartbroken I can't find it anywhere to watch/buy it.

[myvintagevogue]

Happy Pride Month

1928 by Arthur Ferrier

[diana-andraste]

I close my eyes Imagining that you are there, Imagining your fingers touching mine Imagining our room, The bed, The secrecy, The world outside, Your mouth on mine —

Stephen Sondheim, from the musical Passion, 1994

[heartattackinblackdye]

this summer i recommend shower wipes or body wipes to people who struggle with hygiene due to disability, mental or physical. yes i know it produces unnecessary waste. yes there’s the argument of “if you buy the wipes then you’ll never shower,” but chances are most people who are struggling would Not Have Showered with or without access to wipes. i know it isnt a full shower but wiping yourself down can make a big difference in how you feel!!

along these lines you can think about buying mouthwash and getting any kind of friction at all on your teeth when it’s too hard to brush fully, dry shampoo if it’ll help keep your hair less oily when washing your hair is overwhelming, etc. you deserve easier ways to care for yourself and feel clean. also remember you are not a failure for struggling with hygiene even if society tells you otherwise!

[corrya]

I think about this like once a day