[jejejijiju]

A commission of dragon age

[tokutenshi]

These are all amazing and I love them.

[tokutenshi]

I don't use chatGPT or any other ai service. I don't want to. Today my manager told me I had to because the owners "encouraged everyone" to use it. I said no, I feel it's ethically wrong because it's trained by scraping the works of other people who aren't compensated and didn't consent to it.

She said if I refused to use ChatGPT we would "have a problem". She said my ethics didn't matter. She said as long as it wasn't religious, it didn't matter. BTW, she's also HR.

What do I do that vitally needs ai generated emails? Accounts receivable. Collections. They want me to violate my personal ethics and remove the human element from getting companies to pay their bills. I was just told yesterday that I was doing a good job with the aging report, but once it was revealed it was all me, suddenly I'm lazy and making mistakes.

I just nodded and bit my tongue like always while I screamed inside. I am waiting on callbacks for two jobs next week. Maker willing, I won't have to deal with this nonsense anymore.

[luna-azzurra]

Writing Advice that Will Save You from Crying over Chapter 3 Again

☽ Sometimes “writer’s block” is actually just your story being broken and your brain knowing before you do. Respect the vibes, go back. Something stinks.

☽ If you’re stuck in the middle, skip to the part you’re excited to write. Chronological writing is a suggestion, not a law.

☽ “Kill your darlings” is not about deleting every cool thing you love. It’s about not hoarding scenes like a dragon with dialogue you wrote in 2017 that doesn’t even make sense anymore.

☽ You do not need to write like your favorite author. You need to write like you, caffeinated and slightly unstable.

☽ Talking to yourself in the mirror as your character is not weird. It’s called method writing. You’re not unhinged, you’re dedicated.

☽ Aesthetic Pinterest boards and playlists are writing progress if they make you feel like a god again.

☽ You can write the climax before you finish Act 1. You can rewrite Chapter 1 thirty times and then delete it anyway. You’re not behind, you’re in hell with the rest of us.

You’re allowed to write stuff that’s not “marketable.” You’re allowed to be weird. Write the story that would make you feel seen. The niche finds its freaks.

☽ Beta readers are not gods. Take what resonates, ignore what doesn’t. If five people say your story drags at Chapter 8? Maybe listen. If one person says “make it all about the dog,” maybe don’t.

[ariaste]

As a professional author, cosigning all of this 1000000%, especially that first point that "writer's block" is sometimes your brain knowing something is broken.

It took me SO FUCKING LONG to learn what that reaction looks/feels like in my mind and body (for example: exasperated boredom of the story, generalized feeling of resentment and peevishness at myself, existential despair every time i look at the document, physical exhaustion or a vague weighty feeling like I'm carrying something heavy, or even just a vibe of "mehhhh don't really feel like it" that goes on longer than a couple days). Once I learned to recognize those signs and translate them to "Oh, did I fuck up four paragraphs ago? Whoops, I sure did!!!", my quality-of-life and my writing output (and my joy in the work) improved DRAMATICALLY.

[tokutenshi]

I desperately need more storage in my room so it doesn't always look messy and had the "brilliant" idea to put risers on my bed so I could double the about of storage space under there. Now there's some kind of 'princess and the pea' situation going on...

[andr33yy]

Being in fandom spaces is so surreal-

Bc once your age hits a 'serious' number, you start to think - "damn, I should probably stop geeking and get more serious." But then you scroll and see a 34y/o woman writing fics after driving her kids to school, a 40y/o dude making fanart of his fav super heroes and you realize - "nah, I'm actually good"

[eshesmites]

Listen.

I’m very serious here.

NEVER

NEVER EVER stop being nerdy about shit that you love.

If someone thinks it’s dumb, who the fuck cares. THEY’RE dumb. They can go fuck off with their dumb fucking faces.

There is NO age at which you have to stop loving what you love and become a “real adult.”

Fuck outta here with that nonsense.

Love what you love, and love it unapologetically.

Life is too short to give a shit what other people think. Life is too short to give up on something you love for the sake of appearances or “maturity” or any other such bullshit.

We’re the adults now. We get to decide what that means.

And in my house, that means we’re fucking nerds. We love stories and imagination and creativity and badass fucking swords yo. We love heroes’ journeys and visions of utopian scifi futures and fairy tales and video games. We love excellent writing and bombastic storytelling and gentle explorations of human nature couched in fantastical worlds. We have an annual board game weekend where we host upwards of fifty people whom we have collected over the years.

Do not resign yourself to cookie cutter mediocrity. You know what you enjoy. No one can take that away from you.

[tokutenshi]

Never feel silly for experiencing joy.

[atarial]

my updated thedosian friends picture is done! redrew (and scaled) everyone and added the veilguard cast :D

old version here

[tokutenshi]

I bought a shirt from the Hot Topic website years ago with the original image on it and I sincerely hope the artist was properly compensated. It's good to see the newbies so seamlessly included.

[dragonageannual]

‼️ONE WEEK LEFT‼️

Just ONE WEEK left to pre-order your physical copy and merchandise of Dragon Age Annual 2025: Legacies!

👉 Click Here to Order Now 👈

Get your hands on the unique and incredible fanart & fanfic in our 2025 calendar, zine, and merch. Almost all of our stretch goals are UNLOCKED - check out our shop to see what bonus items will be included with your purchase!

All proceeds go to support War Child UK

Digital Orders of the calendar & zine will remain open until January 31st, 2025.

If you can't purchase right now, enter to win a FREE community copy! Entries close October 31st.

🎨Meredith Tarot by @tramweye | Ameridan by @fael-draws | Varric Tarot by @dirthenera | Emerald Knights by @chenkingart | Duel of a Hundred Years by @eeriepete

Contact: ask | email: [email protected]

Follow us: bluesky | twitter | instagram | website/newsletter

[tokutenshi]

I had to wait for payday to roll around again, but I finally pre-ordered the calendar. I try to get it every year and encourage others to pick one up as well.

[returnofismasm]

Given how much of the immediate backstory to Dragon Age: Inquisition was found in Asunder and the Masked Empire, I think some people might be wondering if any of the short stories, anthologies, or comics are also "homework" for The Veilguard. Obviously, the game's not out yet, so I can't be 100% sure, but here's my best recommendations based on what we know about the characters (done in alphabetical order because why not).

Bellara: She's new! The Veil-jumpers are in a single issue of the Missing, but she's not any of the ones named there. They investigate magical disturbances around Arlathan forest, and that's kind of all we know.

Davrin: Also new! The reason he seems to have a juvenile griffon (or at least, why there's a griffon at all!) is covered in the events of the novel The Last Flight, but it's hard to say how much any of those specifics are relevant to Davrin.

Emmrich: Emmrich (and Manfred!) is in Down Among the Dead Men in Tevinter Nights, and another, The Eternal Flame released during a Dragon Age Day and archived on the wiki. We learn he's a senior member of the Mourn Watchers, somewhat eccentric, and capable of talking to the dead. Also he's got a last name, Volkarin, so that's neat. All of that seems pretty easy to catch people up on in-game. (Down Among the Dead Men is really good though).

Harding: Harding is in the Missing, accompanying Varric on his hunt for Solas. Her buddy-cop-comedy-ing it with Varric is apparent from the trailer. Her apparent magic powers are completely new though!

Lucanis: He and Neve probably have the most backstory in Tevinter Nights of the bunch. Lucanis's story is found in the Wigmaker Job and he's mentioned in Eight Little Talons, both in Tevinter Nights. A Dragon Age Day short story called the Wake seems to have implied that he died, so mayhaps he faked his death? To hopefully set some people at ease, even though he's advertised as "The Magekiller," the mages he's killing are Venatori, so it's all good. I doubt he'd have beef with Neve or Emmrich or a mage PC JUST because they're mages. Also he's got a last name, Dellamorte.

Neve: Neve has a last name too! It's Gallus. Neve is the viewpoint character of the Streets of Minrathous, where she stops a Venatori plot to unleash a giant sealed demon underneath Minrathous. Her story is very Noir-vibes in a fantasy setting. She's also in the Missing for an issue, where she meets Varric and Harding and they work together to help escaped slaves avoid recapture by the Venatori. The giant sealed demon business did feel very "preview of a boss battle" but who can say if it actually is.

Taash: Like with Bellara, Taash herself is new, but the Lords of Fortune have featured elsewhere. They're in a number of stories in Tevinter Nights, as well as in Dragon Age: Absolution. The group doesn't seem to have a formal role, they seem to be sort of "adventurers for hire." Side note though, Ataashi is Qunlat for dragon, so I wonder if that's where Taash got her name.

[tokutenshi]

Excellent info to know. Thank you for doing the leg work! I've had Tevinter Nights for over a year but haven't had a chance to read it yet - guess I better get on it!

[tokutenshi]

I think the reason I'm feeling this DA:TV Fall 2024 release date is too soon may be because I don't have a local group of friends or a discord. I haven't been getting notifications from people who saw a new bit of info or people discussing theories, I've been playing catch-up after the fact with tumblr and Facebook posts. (I'm in some Facebook DA groups, but they're too large and everything dissolves into bickering).

I should be excited about the game coming out this year, but I just feel lonely. I know I won't be able to play it when it comes out, I know I'll have to avoid spoilers as best I can, and I know I won't have anyone to gush with when I do get to play.

It should be a time to revel with the community but I find myself hesitant to speak up about anything.

[dragonageannual]

Contributor Applications Are Open!

We are looking for a team of artists, writers, and beta readers to help produce our 2025 charity calendar! This year's theme is Thedas' Myths & Legends.

🚨 Applications will be open until Friday, June 14th, 2024.🚨

Please Note:

All contributors are expected to adhere to our Code of Conduct DAA is a not-for-profit project and all contributions are done on a voluntary basis. There is no monetary or product compensation for contributors Contributors will need to complete works in 2 - 4 months to meet production deadlines. We ask that you only apply if you are confident in your ability to deliver your assigned piece(s) on that timeline. We do not accept any applications of AI-generated works or where others' creations have been traced or used as "bases". All works should be your own.

Review Our Guidelines & Apply Now On Our Website!

Have questions? Contact the mods: ask | email: [email protected]

Thank you and Good Luck!

[tokutenshi]

I am never confident in my time management or abilities to participate, but I will always support

[tokutenshi]

The transmission on my 10 year old car has failed (while I was driving it) and the cost of repair is more than I paid for the car. Now I'm scrambling to figure out where to junk my car (as no dealership will take it as a trade in) and where to find a new vehicle.

[agoraphobe]

[tokutenshi]

This hits me very hard. I don't know if I ever really had friends or just people who had no choice but to interact with me. School band, church youth activities, kids who sat next to me all the time in class because of alphabetical assigned seating, friends of my siblings (mom: "take your sister with you!").

I vividly remember one of the church girls effectively "dumping" me so she could be better friends with another church girl who was "a better person" than me.

On one hand, it's good to know I'm not crazy and other people have experienced this loneliness, but on the other that's very very sad.

[tokutenshi]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

I did it. I got the chapter posted just in time to still be Dragon Age Day (in my timezone, at least)

[tokutenshi]

Happy Dragon Age Day!

This year I donated a customer doll slot and two sets of ornaments for the charity drive, but they've already been purchased.

Stay tuned for later today (much, much later) when I hope to link my new fanfic chapter!

[tokutenshi-crafts]

OPEN - November 23, 2023

Plushie Commissions!

Dolls made to order!

Each doll is $50 USD plus shipping, with a $3 payment (via Ko-fi) per doll to get on the waiting list, $22 due at time of commission production, with the remainder ($25) due at time of shipping. Payment only accepted through Paypal at this time.

Dolls are approximately 8" with dwarves being slightly shorter than humans and elves, while qunari are taller, just like in real life! Wait…

Dolls are made from alova suede with minky fabric for hair, perfect for affectionate head-petting. Eyes, brow, and mouth are stitched in with further face details hand-painted on. Horns and some embellishments are made with felt, but several other types of trim may be used as the design permits.

—

Custom protagonist and Original Character plushies! 

Simply provide screen shots, art, or a physical description of your character and preferred outfit as well as the desired expression. Once the concept art is approved, I’ll get right to work on producing your squishable avatar.

—

Companions, Baddies, and other NPCs can be yours to cuddle!

Starter outfits are used on default for canon character, so if you would like another outfit or something special, please specify at time of commission.

**NOTE: As these dolls were originally intended as companion pieces for the official Sanshee dolls, any character released by them is unavailable. That being said, characters can be requested in a form other than the norm. For example, Commander Cullen is not allowed, but templar Cullen, Knight-Captain Cullen, post-Trespasser Cullen and any sort of AU version (Avvar, modern, etc) are fair game!

**UPDATE: The version of Alistair shown above is no longer available as an official doll has been released. Fell free to request him in Grey Warden armor or something else he’ll enjoy just as much.

—-

Getting your OTP? For an additional $5, you can add kissy magnets!

Already have your love interest at home? I’ll include step by step instructions on how to perform plushie surgery and implant the companion magnet on your own

—-

Fill out the Waiting List form and send $3 via Ko-fi to get started!

[tokutenshi]

November 23, 2023 - Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm alive again! The waiting list is now open and I deeply appreciate everyone's patience with me.

I am still working on some order from the list before I closed it, so if I haven't reached out yet, please don't think I've forgotten you.

[tokutenshi]

I finally worked up the courage to go through all the steps to see a therapist, and there's a 3 month wait to actually see anyone (if there will even be any openings). Glad I put myself out there and admitted so much in the interview just to stew in anxiety and self depreciation without any assistance.

[tokutenshi]

Happy birthday, love🎉

Thank you.

It's hard to believe that for many reasons and some days, I'm convinced the world would be better without me. (The thought of my daughter being raised by her father keeps me focused, because however much I may be messing her up, I'm still better than him.) Mostly, I'm certain I'm irrelevant.

But, yeah, I made it through another year and hope to actually improve myself this time.