If you all will allow me a moment to analyze the competition as it exists, there's something interesting going on with the numbers.
As we all know, thanks to the support of the good people of Tumblr, Tylenol has experienced a meteoric rise to second place. Even though her competition is stiff, I believe in Tylenol's ability to go the distance.
But let's take a look at the competition:
Elmer seems to be a lovely boy. I have no qualms with Elmer, and think he would look fantastic on a beer can. But what about Elmer's campaigns? Who is the power behind the throne here, and how have they managed to find such breakout success on this competition?
A handful of wealthy donors are trying to buy this competition.
At the end of the day, all donations are good donations here. This is a charity event so every penny earned is going to help animals in need. But it's not lost on me that Elmer's current ranking is thanks entirely to a few individuals with the financial means to put their thumbs on the scale.
Tylenol's donors, comparatively, are small and numerous, mostly $1-10 donations from many passionate believers in what she stands for (autism and pain relief I think).
Overall, the donations tell a very different story than what the base ranking shows you. Elmer is held aloft by just 24 donors and bolstered by a few wealthy patrons, whereas Tylenol has won the hearts of literally hundreds of people. Even the current third place, Abby, owes her ranking to numerous small contributions rather than one or two large ones.
i know the way people talk about their pets now is probably how we’ve been doing it for all of history. a cat owner in ancient rome saw their cat lounging on the dining pillows and commented “he thinks himself to be the senator claudius 🤣”
Black terror stalks the night
Claws to clutch and fangs to bite
A dark and faceless crawling fear
_____________
⚙️🖤 Marcus from the E-Day trailer. I tried to bridge his looks to the original concept in the previous games
Among the right or wrong
No, I won’t go along
Tired of hearing orders from the world
Still outcast all the while
Look in my eyes, there’s calm before the storm
I wanna know which way to go
I’m set to blow, a hulking dynamo
I stomp around, breaking the ground
I am the sound of hulking dynamo
___________________________
Marcus and Baird mood bc I got dem feels again ♥
Set sometime after the events of GOW3 and during the times our guys were being busy single-handedly rebuilding western civilization :’D
help me, tell me I’m sane
I feel a change in the earth, in the wind and the rain
save me, oh, take me away
over, it’s over at last
there’s a message inside as we build a new life from the past
_________________
seems like its Carlos & Marcus lovin’ hours ^o^
Take my eyes for what I’ve seen
I will give my sight to you
You are free to choose whatever:
Life to live or life to lose
Whatever God you know,
He knows you better than you
Believe
In your once and future grave
You’ll fall endlessly deceived
Okay so story time before I ass blast ya'll with a bunch of words that were not in the bible.
I have dragged my BF @awesomechipz into the GOW fandom via mu rambling and watching a no commentary play through of the games for the past several months for our date days.
I like to personally yap about my AU [The one with Kit] as we watch and we ended up noticing that in the 5th game, Kait, JD, Del, and Fahz sound like V-tubers when talking to each other. [We also stream, they sound like us]
So like, this stupid ass AU was born, it's technically an AU of an AU [Kit and my ocs are in it with my Bf's oc]
So like, they V-tube when there's down time in between things for fun.
Okay rundown of some stuff:
Kit started V-tubing because why not, he plays farming and building games mostly, talks about plants, his online name is "LittleFoxFarms" and Goes by Fox/Little Fox [he also has a normal social media as his IRL self, but that is more PR for and agricultural sector of DB industries] Kit also mods for the others when they start and he's not also streaming
Dan doesn't stream himself, he made Kits model and layout [which is a farm] and also Mods for him when he streams and plays games with him in vc, he ends up making the og models for the others when they start streaming, his online name is "Accident prone plant" and people usually call him Accident/Plant
Del, he thought it was a fun idea and pulled JD into it, they have a shared theme, Del is a wizard, he mostly plays science based games [think logic puzzles] or RPG games. His online name is "Drojamar the Brilliant" Everyone calls him Drojamar
JD is a Knight to go with the fantasy theme he and Del share, he plays fighting games mostly, he tries to play a big brother type character to chat. Jd's online name is "Big Brother Knight" his character's name is Jaxter Darling.
[Del and JD's are based on old go to characters from old dnd and online games they used to play a lot as teens and youngins]
Kait was confused as FUCK when she found out what they were doing in downtime when not eating or doing anything else, she played while in VC with them for a long time, their chats became obsessed with her, a fan made her a beefy mommy barbarian type model which she now uses. Everyone calls her Beef, but technically her online name is "The Wild Wastelander"
Fahz, they had to force and Bully Fahz into not outing who he was online, he kept saying "you can't perfect this baby" and shit, his model is mostly just himself but with white hair because JD and Del begged him to not just be himself on stream 100% he goes by "Phaz3" [yes, phase spelt with a z and a leet speak 3 e, he gets mad when you point it out]
Morgan is my BF's oc, nonbinary kid of the dead Jan Rojas, [I say kid, but Morgan is like middle aged in current timeline] Morgan is a horse person, they live, breath, and sleep horse [horse autism, my BF really likes the gears horses], Morgan plays any and all horse games, like Barren Barbra [will explain below] Their username is "1Horse_Fan1" but their chat calls them "Fan" mostly, they play games with Kit sometimes [will explain this down below as well]
Now the fun parts:
Random shit we talked about today about this AU:
Fahz has a kind of out of play accent, so we came up with the idea of him getting the accent from "Porka hog" a show that teaches kids how to butcher animals in the first few seasons and progresses to teaching kids now to cook said parts, yes it's based on Peppa Pig, and the show is mostly cartoony till the butchering part where it gets really detailed [ALSO, the one butchering the animals are also animals, main character is a British hog, hence the name]. Kit hated this show because he thought the voice was bad/annoying. Everyone makes fun of Fahz when they find out about this being where his accent comes from [he grew up in new Ephyra and they KNOW this]
"Barren Barbra" is the gears universe Barbie, she can do anything except have kids [this is a hold over from years gone past, she was propaganda], She's kinda dated but people are enjoying her newer more chill rebrand, name stays though.
"My little horsey" It's my little pony but the gears universe, military cog soldier focused, famous soldiers showed up as special guest stars during the war [you can't tell me propaganda shows wouldn't be allowed to continue to be made] and they had to do some retcons when JD was born to Marcus and Damon years later [side note, Morgan thinks the show is a lil silly for the pastel candy coloured coats, otherwise likes the show]
Morgans farm is just down the road from the estate/ Fenix farm! this is how Kit knows Morgan [also because they are Rojas kid Damon likes to keep an eye on them]
The shows would be in my main AU too, but talking about them here is way more relevant
Hey guys, Jane here! Some of you might have seen from my partner that they just lost their job. I don't make a ton of money as a barista so,, I'm opening up some emergency commissions to help keep us afloat while they look for a new job! I'm adjusting my prices a little and adding some new options so please read carefully, and thank you for sharing or helping however you can! 🙏💖
Greyscale Sketch - 25$
Colored Sketch - 35$
Style Imitation - 45$ depending on style complexity!
(note: I'm most comfortable working in the DT17/DT87 and PPG art styles, but I'm willing to try anything! )
Fully Rendered - 50$
(note: this is the style that is the hardest/takes the longest and I have a queue of about 11 clients waiting already, so keep in mind it may take a while!)
Above are commissions already finished for @silcosbunny @versipellish and @sugarcoated-selfship so they're what you can expect in terms of quality!! These prices are for pairs, additional characters and complex designs will be an extra charge of normally no less than 5$!!
Please check out my partner's donations post if you want to throw just a couple of dollars our way or can't afford a full commission 🙏
I ask that you please be patient with me during this time, share/reblog if you can't commission or donate and thank you for all the help I've gotten before!! I love you all, we'll be keeping our head up during this time.
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.
baratheonpilled
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
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gracieabrams
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