@ladies-of-thedas Week 2018 Day 1: The Fifth Blight / Lady Warriors
The first lovely lady is Cassandra Pentaghast! I like that she’s a badass, but also has a romantic and idealistic side!
If you like this, check out my Morrigan and Isabela flower language portraits too!
Red rose = love, respect
(used a reference from kristyvictoria on DeviantArt)
sorry for including my warden for this prompt since i know this event is supposed to be more focused on canon characters, but tbh when i saw the first prompt i was like “oh finally something to kick my ass into gear and draw some brayleli”
Greetings to the first ever Ladies of Thedas Appreciation Week!!! It’s actually eight (8) days because we wanted to appreciate women longer than a week. The way this event will work is, we will need content creators to make Stuff (TM), submit it as per our submission guidelines, and we will reblog it here. It’s all pretty straightforward, but if you have any questions, hit that ask button and send an inquiry. Without further ado...
Event Rules
1. The main point of this event is to cherish and appreciate women of Thedas so they have to be the main focus of your submission. Men are allowed to be involved in some minor way (as your Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor LI, as friend or family member etc), but the spotlight needs to be on the women. Hence m/f pairings are allowed, but this week is the time to celebrate women-loving-women (wlw) and f/f pairings in particular.
2. All forms of art are allowed: fanfiction, fanart, mood boards, mods, gifs, songs, videos, etc. If you make it, we will reblog it.
3. This event is supposed to foster appreciation and overall positivity. Any promotion or condoning of bigotry, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. will not be allowed. Please be mindful of others. Mods reserve the right to refuse a submission if they feel it violates this rule.
4. This week is meant to celebrate women of Thedas in all shapes and forms. Thus graphic depictions of abuse, gratuitous violence and general depictions of incest, pedophilia, bestiality, etc are not allowed. No underage or dub/non-con either. Keep it positive, consensual and use your common sense, please.
5. NSFW works are absolutely allowed during this event. Please mark them with appropriate tags when you make your submissions.
If anything on this list is unclear, or if you have questions about how your creation fits within the rules, please send an ask and we will get back to you ASAP. Please see submission guidelines to find out how to submit your work.
Submission Guidelines
There are two ways to submit your work–
1. FOR NEW POSTS
If you created something specifically for Ladies of Thedas please post it to your own blog on the appropriate theme day, then tag it with #LadiesOfThedas and which day it is for. Please don’t use ’@’ as a main way of tagging for this blog because Tumblr is known to ignore those and we’d hate to miss your submission.
2. FOR REBLOGS OR EXTERNAL LINKS
If you created something in the past, but you still wish to share it, please submit a link below with appropriate tags and a mod will reblog from the original source. It can be from Tumblr or from AO3, either is fine.
DO NOT submit the same creation through link submission and through tagging. It creates extra work for the moderators which makes them irritable.
Do allow for some time for your creation to show up on this blog. People have jobs and need to sleep. If you still don’t see it after a few hours have passed, contact us and we’ll investigate.
Themes of Each Day
Day 1: October 7th
The Fifth Blight
We’re kicking things off with the events of Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Awakenings. Being a woman is Thedas has to be challenging at the best of time, so it had to be extra difficult to survive the Fifth Blight. There both good and bad times while the darkspawn flooded Ferelden. Does your Cousland have a weakness for Leliana’s beautiful voice or is she secretly pining after Morrigan? Just how does Tabris get along with Shale? Or perhaps you have some interesting theories about Surana’s relationship with Velanna? What kind of difficulties would a woman in the time of the 5th Blight have to deal with? It’s time to answer these burning questions.
OR
Lady Warriors
We have seen some phenomenal female warriors within Dragon Age canon and they deserve all of our love. They fight, they train, they become the best companions for our characters. This is the time to showcase the muscle, the perseverance, and the soft hearts these women display. Do you have a theory as to why Cassandra started reading romance novels? Does Aveline ever spar against Donnic? Or maybe you want to share everything there is know about Mhairi? This is the spot to do it.
Day 2: October 8th
Kirkwall
We all know Kirkwall was a pile of dung and a half, and no matter what, shit hit the fan. But before it all went to hell in a handbasket, Hawke's crew must have had their share of good times. They were a family of sorts, a ragtag group of unique individuals who chose to spend time together. There had to be holiday parties, girls night out or just an evening of stargazing with that special lady-love, right? They all have stories waiting for you tell them.
OR
Lady Mages
They are dangerous women, but not in a physical way. Sure, they might whack you with their staff, but their power lies within - the power of magic. Whether they come from the Circle, a stray Dalish clan, or from the depths of the Korcari Wilds, mages have an innate ability to heal or destroy with a simple gesture. There are many powerful mages within Thedas - Morrigan, Wynne, Merrill, or Vivienne - and they all have hidden stories just waiting to be told by you.
Day 3: October 9th
The Inquisition
A giant green rip in the sky, a magic-filled mark, and the whole world standing against the Inquisition. The women were an important part of it all, but not all of their stories have been told. What is Vivienne’s favorite spa treatment? Can Cassandra really deadlift The Iron Bull? Or maybe Lace Harding has your heart with her gentle smile and a no-nonsense approach to scouting? Tell the story here.
OR
Lady Rogues
Deep shadows, quick movement, and dangerous concoctions are their domain and folly on anyone who crosses their path. Rogues are dangerous, whether with daggers or a bow, and can dispose of their enemy in a blink of an eye. Some of our favorite rogues include Leliana, Isabela, and Sera, but their stories could benefit from expanding upon. What kind of past interactions would they have with women in their own group? Were they prone to romance or was friendship all they ever sought out? Or were they all about loving that one woman and no one else? Perhaps the job was all that ever stayed on their mind, but we won’t know unless there are stories to tell us about it.
Day 4: October 10th
Side Characters
Are you upset that Anora didn’t get the character development she deserved? Is there more to Leandra Hawke’s story that you want to talk about or maybe Maevaris caught your fancy and you wish to expand upon her history and past endeavors? Today is the day to do all that. Give us the ‘wacky’ adventures of Dagna or maybe further political intrigue of Florianne de Chalons. Or maybe an introspective piece on how to be a Queen as told from Rowan’s perspective? Sky is the limit.
OR
Non-combative Ladies
Women find themselves in various walks of life and being a fighter isn’t always the most extraordinary thing they can do. They can be diplomats, consorts, politicians, merchants, or farmers, just to name the few. They don’t have to fight to be important, to be noticed. Some of the most notable ones are Josephine Montilyet, who is capable of bringing a nation to its knees with a stroke of her pen. There is Maryden Halewell, whose voice and musical talent become known far and wide. And there’s Delilah Howe, who stayed true to her heart and never become poisoned by her father’s legacy, only to become a wife and mother. There are many more stories and they should be told.
Day 5: October 11th
Female/Female Romance
Love is in the air! This is the day we’ve all been waiting for: the romance. Let’s talk about your favorite wlw (women-loving-women) pairings from across Thedas. Are you weak for Leliana singing her heart out for an enchanted Tabris? Or maybe Isabela and Merrill on a ship together has your heart in a pitter-patter? Better yet, are you all for Dagna and Sera getting together? This is the time and this is the day. And remember, it’s okay to tweak some things here and there, because darn it, we all deserved to romance Cassandra with a female Inquisitor.
OR
Female/Female Friendships
Love is still in the air but it’s of a different kind! For all of the folks uninterested in the bump and grind, this is the time to write about some of the best friendships between women of Thedas. Some of the examples include Leliana and Josephine, both successful and influential women in their own right, but so soft and caring towards each other. What kind of a relationship does Wynne and Shale have, while they travel across the world together? Are Aveline and Isabela actually constantly sniping at each other or is there a deep and strong friendship underlying everything. We are dying to know.
Day 6: October 12th
Women of Color
Between the real world and the Dragon Age franchise, women of color have been undervalued and underappreciated for a long time, so we’ve decided to change that. Just to start with, you have Isabela, Josephine and Vivienne as notable women of color who are dynamic, interesting, and with agency. There are more out there - or there should be - so this is the time to let them have their moment. Also, we’re doing this a little differently: If you’re a person of color who creates here on Tumblr, we want to hear from you and feature your work. Please don’t hesitate to participate!
Note: This should not be the only day that women of color are featured. Any and all themes are open to star a character of color.
OR
Family and Home
No matter how you slice it, family is important, esp. a mother in a young girl’s life. Home is where the heart is and many women of Thedas haven’t shown where their heart lies. Did Josephine’s mother brush her hair at night or was it a nanny’s job? How did Hawke women spend their time when the men were away? We don’t see a great deal of the Couslands, but our Warden’s mother sure seemed like a badass woman. There had to be more to their stories!
Day 7: October 13th
Alternate Universe
Suddenly, a wormhole appears and we are transported into a different world! Do we meet Cassandra, a street-smart detective who is hot on the trail of a notorious cat burglar? Or is Josephine Montilyet a pirate empress, ruling the seas with equal measure of steel and diplomacy? Could Isabela become a bike rider, clad in leather and endlessly seeking the horizon? Is Morrigan an Avvar shaman who helps her female Thane take care of their people during the worst of the Frostback winter. I guess we’ll find out the moment we see your stories.
OR
Post-Inquisition and Dragon Age 4
There have been a ton of speculation about the future of the series, so we want to give people a way to give us a glimpse of what you think will happen in the future. Will Josephine stay in Antiva as the world changes or will she throw her lot with her old friends? Does Morrigan continue as a pawn in Mythal’s game or does she fight her fate and comes out victorious? Will Merrill continue living her quiet life or will she come out of hiding to fight against the Dread Wolf? All theories are good theories.
Day 8: October 14th
FREE DAY
Hello and welcome to the last day, where we have no prompts and you can do whatever you want. Perhaps you’re just joining us and you’ve missed a theme from an earlier day, but you still want to submit it. Or maybe you wrote something that doesn’t fit into any of the previous categories? Or maybe you just don’t like labels. That’s okay! This is the time to let your creations shine. Show us what you’ve got!
aveline with a buzzcut in varric’s epilogue card at the end of trespasser is my favorite thing ever. she’s still guard captain but i was not gonna draw her armor. i also didnt want to draw her alone and her and merrill are definitely still friends. merrill might tag along on guard patrols, and her and aveline make sure people who commit crime against the elves dont get away with it.
