#ashadahlen

[sunderlorn]

@ashadahlen replied to your post “Fucking hell, I seriously underestimated the potential impact on my...”

sunlight is such a healing thing...someday I want a south-facing room with tons of windows so I can sit in the sun like a cat :)

God yes. I have some friends with a topfloor south-facing kitchen with big tall windows in it and I am so mad and so jealous. Just let me soak all that up and become more powerful than anyone could ever possibly anticipate, prepare for, or imagine.

[shadows-of-almsivi]

Smell! (:

Once upon a time, in a dreary and awful city where I lingered far too long, there was a tradeship captain who’d sail in often from Khenarthi’s Roost. Well, I say ‘tradeship’ in the most charitable sense imaginable. He was ostensibly a moonsugar smuggler, though more fine-mannered than most others of his profession, and certainly far more vain. A golden-eyed Ohmes-raht of about my stature, he swathed himself in bright, expensive fabrics and ostentatious jewels, an inveterate peacock who somehow was never accosted for his riches in the slum alleys. He first hired me, not for my expected services, but to wash and comb the sea-salt and sand from his hair for him. He paid me extra to weave bright songbird feathers into his braids.

He was delightful, really. Quite pretty, too. I will admit that I may have felt some honest attraction to him, his elven features fine and sharp-boned beneath downy-soft fur the colour of pale sand. He wore complicated eyeliner akin to the marks of tigers, and stained his hands a deep vermillion in elegant patterns that spread like lace from file-buffed claw to shapely wrist. 

He wore a very distinctive perfume, a custom blend that he wore far too much of. I could always tell when he had come into port by the lingering scent of burnt sugar, leather-musk, yellow aphrodisia and red sand-lily. I could track him through the alleys by scent alone, and I think he took enjoyment in being stalked this way, always greeting me with a delightedly indulgent smile when I would finally run him down and drape my arms about his neck. He’d purr and murmur in my ears, let me lure him back to the den to share my poppy-tar, feed me tiny grains of moonsugar from his fingertips and elsewhere until I was reeling and mouth-sore and boneless. My clothes would utterly reek of his perfumes for days afterwards, but he was always the most pleasant of clients; sweet-natured and easy-going, very funny, bored from the sea and in possession of far too much money, which he seemed to derive deep pleasure from spending on me in ridiculous ways. 

He often paid my rent for me if I asked him. I remember on one of his visits, flush with the gold from the latest moonsugar shipment, he had me point at clothes and trinkets I liked in the markets, bought them all, and then made me wear them for him that evening over dinner and drinks. He liked to have me on his arm as he walked the town, and on his knee while we relaxed in the tavern with his raucous friends and crewmates; I always had quite a lovely time, decked in whatever finery he had bought for me and sharing a secretive grin with him at the swell of his flesh beneath my rear. His tail flicked rhythmically when he was content and pleased, which was often, and he taught me the filthiest sea shanties I have ever heard. 

I still remember the words, and find myself humming the old tunes from time to time. 

they’re lovely <333

[nen-the-pigeon-archive]

thank you! It was quite a while since I’ve pictured them, but today I was making deer horns for my sister and I thought - why not? I really like them! :D

[shadows-of-almsivi]

"Dear Mom", for the meme! :)

Dear Mother,

I pray each morning that you still live. It has been so very long since I last heard your voice that I become afraid that I will forget its sound. Some mornings, I do not quite recall my own sister’s face; I can never, however, forget yours. It looks at me too often from the mirror. There are days when the resemblance is so strong that I cannot bear to look upon myself.

I know in my heart that I have not done you proud. In my nightmares, you turn me away, and spit on my name as I leave. I weep far too often, now, to be any child of yours, and my hands are dredged in more blood than I have any right to have spilled.

I have wanted much in this life I’ve dragged myself through without you, but nothing so much as to see you again. I pray that one day we may meet once more, though I do not know what I will be able to say to you should that day ever come. You did not raise this monster; I did this to myself, and I would never allow you to come to blame for the atrocities I have committed.

Forgive your wayward thirdborn. Send my love to my brothers and sister, and hold Father for me. Three willing, I will return to you someday.

With all the love yet in me,

Mori.

[nen-the-pigeon-archive]

9, 14, and 19 for the "If You Were Inquisitor" meme! (:

9. What would Varric’s nickname for you be?

Rainbow! But really, I don’t know. Marbles maybe.

14. What would your room look like?

It would probably be a constant mess. I never paid attention to room customisations, so I guess I wouldn’t change much? But I would probably decorate it with trophies and keep lavender hanging above the desk. There would be sketches everywhere. I think the overall interior would be grey, green and purple, with little gold details.

19. Would you do pranks with Sera?

Sure I would!

[nen-the-pigeon-archive]

ashadahlen replied to:“We’re lost, we’re broken, but we’re alive Inktober day 4”

hot -damn- i love this. the composition, the background, muah.

thank you! it looks much messier in my sketchbook, but what is photoshop for :D

[nen-the-pigeon-archive]

This isn't spam fan mail! :D (I don't really have anything else to say rn but I thought I'd put something not spam in your inbox!) tell me a random fact about your smol wardens?

Spam messages are the worst (｡•́︿•̀｡)

Anyway, smol wardens!

Linnea and Khaguran’s friendship began with them exchanging clever remarks about the details of their joining (aka how they got to the Ostagar, getting into Korcari Wilds, the ritual etc.), their appearance and actually anything, what basically ended up with them shouting at each other right before the Joining ritual. Their argument was so intense, they became friends before the battle even started.

[anniemst]

So how does Ashalani begin to use blood magic for healing? Does she continue that as Inquisitor, or does she hide it? Does this have any influence on what specialization she trains in, as Inquisitor? Is Lani sad that she's not welcome back to the clan, and does that affect how she takes care of the Lavellan war table missions? Hope you don't mind all my questions! <3

I don’t mind at all! I love answering questions, I just don’t want to end up telling too much. I can definitely talk a bit more about her blood magic though.

I haven’t quite decided how Lani begins to use it. Maybe it just comes natural when you’ve already got your hands soaked in it, or maybe a demon whispered it to her. I can’t imagine she’d seek it out.

Ashalani definitely does her best to hide her ‘talent’. It isn’t exactly fitting for the Herald of Andraste, and it’d easily add a whole lot of logs to the fires those who think her a heretic are preparing for her. As for whether she continues to use it or not, you’ll have to see. She usually cuts from her left hand though, so that’d get far more tricky once the anchors there. 

Part of the appeal with blood magic was how it came far more naturally to her. She's really not the best at normal magic, and she’s very inefficent in how she uses the magical energy she draws in, leaving a lot of excess ambient energy to pollute the next spell. When the source of power is tangible though, like it it when she draws from blood or the anchor, she finds it far easier to manipulate.