Figured it was about time I create a masterpost to pin on my blog.
Name: Kogarashi, Amanda, "hey you"
Editor, (fandom) writer, freelance artist
Multifandom geek and generally crafty jack-of-all-trades (master of none)
~ I Draw ~ I Write ~ I Craft ~
Outside links here, but the most relevant is probably my Archive of our Own page.
You can buy me a cocoa (Ko-fi) if you want to throw a tip my way, and you can buy things with my art on Redbubble (slowly adding to inventory).
I also have a side blog for reblogging art I like, and now a side blog for reblogging other people's fiction.
I have a tag list for things like tag games. Want on (or off) the list? Just leave a comment on the linked post.
Fandoms, collected posts, commission info, etc. below the cut to keep this shorter on my page.
Quick links to my OCs:
Castelin Cousland | Aelinn Hawke | Tyria Lavellan | Saadrah Mercar
There are a lot of fandoms I'm in (or at least consider myself a part of, even if mostly on the sidelines). The biggest three would probably be:
Sonic the Hedgehog
Dragon Age
Mass Effect
But you'll find me posting things from other fandoms from time to time. If you followed me for one specific fandom but it seems like my hyperfixation has shifted, if you stick around long enough I'm sure it'll shift back.
I've got some sets of posts where I've put together a masterpost to link them all in one place, or have a collective tag for useful things. You can find them here:
Writing Tips (mine specifically; you can find more under the tag "writing advice")
Art Resources (I may not have every resource post properly tagged for this one, but I did my best)
My fandom headcanons
My tumblr dividers - free to use, credit is nice but not necessary, don't claim them as your own work or use them in commercial works
Yes, I do take commissions for both art and writing. If you don't see a type of commission listed below that you're interested in, you can always send me a message to ask.
OCs or canon characters (or both)
No NSFW
I find mechs difficult but I'm willing to give it a fair go
Digital delivery
Payment will be handled through Ko-fi (if you don't see an option on Ko-fi, message me), or you can send me a DM to discuss alternate payment methods.
What you Get:
High-res digital copy of your commission
Limited personal-use print rights (no re-selling, but you can get it printed on media/merchandise of your choice for your own use)
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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I like to think that AO3 and fanfiction are a bastion against dead internet theory. Sure, there's the AI and the bots, but at its heart fandom is still a community of passionate people going "LOOK AT WHAT I MADE" and having people go "THAT'S SO COOL" right back.
So yeah. You wanna beat the bots? Make things. Comment. The internet's not dead as long as you're still here making noise.
I'm not dead yet! Just...got waylaid by illness, which kept me from writing (or doing much of anything brain-intensive the second half of this week, yay).
But I have the second Sonally Week prompt written now, and late is better than never (and frankly, how many times have events said "there is no 'late' in posting"?), so I'm getting this shared now.
It's a Sonic story. The prompt is fire. You know where this is going.
🔥 VOLCANO 🔥
Prompt 2: Fire
“Oh, come on!”
The indignant shout on the comms pulled Sally’s attention away from the map she was trying to decipher, and she looked out over the low wall that hid her from the rest of the volcanic cavern to scan the twisted outcroppings and heat-baked stone edifices that jutted out of the magma pools below. Another Lightkeeper stronghold, also long abandoned to the ravages of time and the forces of nature, and now invaded by a swarm of excavating robots.
And a supersonic hedgehog.
It took a moment to spot him. What remained of any pathways in the cavern were hard-packed, so she couldn’t mark his passage by his usual telltale plume of dust kicked up in his wake, and his inarticulate shouting over the comms didn’t give her any clue where to look—and frankly he was lucky Rosie wasn’t there to hear his mouth; where did he even learn half those words?—but a moment later one of the half-crumbled ruin walls suddenly fell with a rumble and a cloud of stone chips and sparking electricity, accompanied by a whoop and a “yeah, that’s what you get!” directly in her ear.
She sighed and dialed down the volume just a bit, and went back to her map.
Just their luck that they’d chosen to go after the same Stone as Snively, though honestly that was probably for the best, if only to keep tabs on him, and actively thwart his efforts.
“Yikes! Saw blades!?”
Even if that meant having to race him through a volcanic cavern full of old traps.
Continue reading on AO3
Oh, fun fact: when writing the scenery in this one, I was not only channeling the writing I did for the Marble Zone chapter of my fic Awakening (link to the chapter in question), but also some of the visuals from Dragon Age: the Veilguard, specifically Sharksmouth Cave, because it's a massive volcanic cavern with ruins inside.
There's definitely no obligation to read, especially if you're not into Sonic stuff. 💙 But I love you all the same, so tag!
Reblog this if you would not only accept, but welcome fan art, moodboards, etc. of your fics
All of these used to be so common for people to show their appreciation of different fics and authors, and I think it’s a shame people don’t do it anymore. I love seeing fan work for my fics!!
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Hey all Twitch streamer, Twitch has you opt in by default that your streams will be use to train GenAI. To opt out, you have to go your "Settings" and in the tab "Security and Privacy." At the bottom of the tab, there is the "Training for Generative AI" setting.
Thanks for the tags, @pixiedurango, @sorcerousadventurer, @sandcastlekings, and @redaresss, and to @jellyeliart for starting this. :)
Shamelessly share the song or piece of music that is *your* current favorite! If you discovered it yesterday, been listening to it on repeat for weeks or months or years, find it really meaningful, find it fun or funny, find it super technically well made, you like it just because, any reason at all: please share!
So I'm totally going to blame @arisofsky for this one, for sharing Jenny Baker last week. I'd also just started actually putting together playlists for my four DA ladies, because I'd done enough of those music games about them that I could have at least ten songs on each list. And while this isn't one of the Jenny Baker songs she shared, it's another one I found while scrolling through Jenny's YouTube presence and it fits my Hawke (and Fenris) perfectly.
Specifically the breakup phase of their relationship. Definitely works in a modern AU, but I think it even fits in canon, even though Hawke obviously doesn't move three thousand miles away to find herself again. He's left his fingerprints all over her (unintentionally), she's managed to fall in love when she didn't intend to, and she can't stop thinking about him or seeing him everywhere (maybe literally in the case of canon, but whatever).
Oh gosh, I've been tagged by so many people on this one already, I'm just going to drop my whole taglist at the end. Thanks guys! This was fun!
Get a screenshot of your OC's eye color and surround it with 8 things that are of the same color.
You know the drill. All four DA ladies, coming right up. These are, like, 75% vibes and only 25% actual literal objects that are the right color. 🤷♀️ Also I gave each of them at least one quote because some quotes came up on the vibes search and I liked them, but they aren't in the boards themselves.
Castelin Cousland first, and lucky girl, she's the only one whose eye color matches her signature color. Which also meant when I was looking at armor pics on Pinterest, photos of Grey Warden cosplay came up. Is it cheating? Probably. Do I care? Not in the slightest. 😁 Give me sea vibes all day long for this girl, and I'm happy.
Also that quote is definitely 100% the Fifth Blight motto.
The rest of the ladies under the cut.
Next up is Aelinn Hawke. Whose eyes are green, so her moodboard is green instead of red. And my goodness, was Pinterest being brutal to her (there were several quotes about pain and being the architect of your own catastrophe and all that jazz; I narrowed it down to two). Skulls, ribcages, broken glass, green fire...you name it. I know the tile at the bottom was labeled as a "healing hand," but I couldn't see it and not think about the icons DA uses to represent mages, at least a little bit, so that went in here too. Even if it really should be an arrow to represent force magic instead of a spiral.
I couldn't decide between these two quotes, so I just decided to use both. We've got the rot underneath Kirkwall, but also growing from the pain of everything she goes through.
Third, we have Tyria Lavellan. Who has purple eyes, so she's stolen Saadrah's signature color for today. And my goodness, was this the most lighthearted one to put together. Lots of flowers, lots of stars, lots of lights. (Also a glittery lava lamp that almost made it because of the whole "pink glitter gel ink" thing, but I had to make a cut somewhere.) I really wanted Tyria's optimism and compassion to show in her moodboard, and I think I got there.
Hence the quote.
Finally, Saadrah Mercar. Who has silver eyes officially (if you see screenshots of her with darker eyes on my Tumblr, shh, pretend they're silver). And so help me, Pinterest kept trying to just feed me textures, which was not helping. Definitely did some more targeted searches for her, as opposed to the others were I mostly put in "[color] aesthetic" and just scrolled. I couldn't not include knives, and also keys for a Rook who "opens doors," and if you've read my "Shadow and Crow" fic for her, you'll know why there's fancy but oddly-shaped silverware in the bottom corner.
Also I think that quote is perfectly her for how she goes through the companion quests, especially Lucanis's. Pretend it says "silver" instead of "gold." It's at least on the correct background color.
And now, tags! If you haven't done this yet, show me what you've got! 💙
I've been replaying Veilguard and it's so interesting to note how, during the time we're still in the Ossuary, Lucanis avoids using Spite's name for the majority of the dialogue: it's always <he / him / we> or "the demon".
And saying stuff like "[sighs] he says he can help" often prompts Rook to ask "who's he?", which is always met with "the demon". It's unhelpful and vague, but it feels very intentional. He's trying to distance himself from Spite. There's a couple of reasons why I see him doing it 🤔💭
To separate himself from Spite down to the existential sense. He's afraid of losing his true self in the corruption, a sentiment that reminds me of that note we find in one of the cells with a "failed experiment":
The act of giving something a name kind of humanizes it, which could be a problem. First of all, he doesn't want to get emotionally attached to Spite, since he wants to find a way to separate them. But the fact of the matter is Lucanis already emphatizes with the spirit.
Talking to him after Spite's "tantrum" proves as much - he says no-one ended up in the Ossuary willingly, not even the demons. You can tell he's conflicted between wanting to get rid of Spite and not wanting to think about it too deeply, because if he does, he might change his mind.
Isn't that why one of the rules in a Nuzlocke is to name everything you catch? Isn't that why sometimes people won't acknowledge what their relationship to each other is? Without a name, it's easier to let it go. Not to mention he can't be caught suddenly ~caring~ about Spite when the other companions (except Emmrich) are still freaked out by him.
So, instead of calling him by name, Lucanis is trying to establish that he's on the same level as his rescuers about this whole "demon" thing. If he started treating Spite like a person, suddenly there'd be doubt about how far along the possession is. Lucanis doesn't need us to find him to be more of an "abomination" than he already is.
I haven't ever chosen Minrathous and I don't think I'd be able to, but I wonder if there's a clear difference in treatment from Lucanis's end...
If you try the Minrathous route, you find out that Lucanis actually cares about Spite very deeply. Something I don't think we get deep enough into during the Treviso route. If you save Minrathous, you don't get the conversation in Café Pietra after saving Caterina and dealing with Illario. Instead, Lucanis has a dialogue with Rook at the fireplace in the Lighthouse.
Lucanis starts the conversation saying,
I've been thinking. Treviso is as safe as we can make it. So when my contract to you is fulfilled, Spite and I will go our separate ways. Literally. I'm going to seek out a way to separate us, wherever that takes me.
Which may initially sound as though he just wants to get rid of Spite no matter what.
HOWEVER!
The dialogue goes some fascinating places...
Rook: And what about the other person in this equation? How does he feel about it?
Lucanis: He dreams of freedom. I've... shared those dreams. He never chose this, Rook. Something must change.
_
Rook: If you can manage it, that's a good idea.
Lucanis: It's the only answer. For both of us, and for my family's safety.
Rook: So why don't you sound happier about it?
_
Lucanis: Being possessed... It's not like separating oil and water. Each element permanently infuses the other. Spite wears my face. Uses my skills. I know I've grown stronger, so... Say I cast out Spite, with all he's learned from me. What then? What if I free myself, but unleash a true Demon of Vyrantium?
First of all, I think it's interesting that not only can Lucanis use Spite's abilities to empower himself, he himself seems to have grown physically stronger from their connection, as well. He talks about it as though it's something that could last without their connection, too.
Second of all, he definitely sympathizes with Spite and has very mixed feelings about the idea of their separation.
Anyway.
Rook can be either reassuring and/or doubtful about it.
Rook: A demon who's worked in a team, saved people and made friends.
Lucanis: He'd lose them if I cast him out.
Rook: You keep saying that... like you'd miss him.
Lucanis: He's been part of me. He'd be alone.
Rook: Spite will only be alone if he chooses to be. But you can't control that.
_
Rook: You sound like you've still got some doubts. For all you know, Spite comes out with your knack for vanilla-and-nutmeg tarts.
Lucanis: Rook.
Rook: My point is, you don't know what will happen.
Lucanis: I know that Spite - a part of me - would be alone.
Rook: Spite will only be alone if he chooses to be. But you can't control that.
_
Rook: If it came to that, you could handle him. Or are you worried you wouldn't be able to put him down?
Lucanis: I worry that I'd... miss him.
Rook: If Spite gets his freedom, it's his choice what to do with it.
The conversation continues:
Rook: All you can do is trust that you're making the right call. For both of you.
Lucanis: (sighs) I know. But from someone else, it's easier to believe.
Hardened or not, Lucanis cares about Spite. He cares about him a lot. He thinks about him with compassion and a great deal of sympathy. He's so concerned about the possibility of abandoning him, leaving him alone, making him experience loneliness. Not only that, he thinks he would miss Spite, as well. What a beautiful development from how we first meet them.
i do think we should normalise being like. platonically enamoured with someone. perhaps i love and admire you dearly and there's nothing romantic about it
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saw a comment that misspelled “kind gesture” as “kind jester” and am now imagining a beautiful world where we praise good samaritans by calling them kind jesters. good on you, you gentle fool. you’ve made the world a sweeter and sillier place.
a fine example: the other day I pointed at a passing shark and, while looking one intern right in the eye, went “Man is that bae or what huh?” and the look on his face was something i will treasure for years
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Thanks for the tags, @sorcerousadventurer, @jenn2d2, and @redaresss! Your cow-ified OCs are so cute!
I've been under the weather today, and simple, silly things like this are perfect for the energy levels I've been able to drum up. Here are my DA girls as cows!
Yaps below the cut (I was feeling silly).
Don't let the roses or the lack of horns fool you; Castelin is absolutely the one running the paddock, not Alistair. She's liable to bite anyone who gets too close to her bull, has been known to kick at milking time, and will 100% pick a fight with any cow the farmer tries to match up with Alistair.
Aelinn, meanwhile, is a scrappy thing, leading a bunch of the more rough-and-tumble cows around through the farmer's fields. Yes, she's broken both of her horns in scraps with bulls from other paddocks, but she's really more playful than bitey. Watch out, though; the farmer's pretty sure she's managed to set fire to the barn at least twice just by knocking over a lantern. The farmer was most surprised the day he came out to the pasture to find her dozing with the bull Fenris by the pond, because Fenris is a known biter.
On the other hand, Tyria is the sweetest fluffy angel, and the one that the farmer brings out for schoolchildren to pet. The only person she's ever bitten was a rather rude visitor who had gone on a rant about paving over the farm to put in luxury condos, and frankly the farmer can't really be mad at her for that. She also tends to chase off any other farm animals—cattle or otherwise—that bother her preferred bull (Cullen).
Saadrah is absolutely that one weird cow your grandpa has who's known for getting into strange places like the barn roof, despite her size. There have been at least three (minor!) car accidents on the road that goes past the farm, from people rubbernecking the fact that there's a COW on the BARN ROOF. She's also uncannily good at working doorknobs somehow, and has been found raiding the fridge in the middle of the night or lounging on the couch before. Her favorite bull in the pasture is, of course, the smallest one (Lucanis), and she's the only cow he puts up with. Saadrah did bite one particularly mean woman who showed up with intent to purchase Lucanis for her burger restaurant; the woman demanded Saadrah be put down, but Saadrah disappeared onto the roof with Lucanis somehow and wouldn't come down until the woman had left.
Thanks for the tags, @pixiedurango, @sorcerousadventurer, and @redaresss!
Find 10 images of your type in fictional characters (ocs allowed — yours or others) and show em off and let your mutuals be the judge of character 👀
Yeah, ten ain't happening, but close enough.
Also worth noting, my "crushes" on fictional characters tend to be a bit more in the vein of "I really dig this character and would read shippy fanfic about them with [other character]" rather than necessarily me crushing on them. Though some of these definitely fall into "might say something about me" or "shares traits with my husband which makes sense."
Names and yaps under the cut.
Okay, I'll give you a freebie: the top row look enough like my husband that he's cosplayed one of them before and been my facial stand-in for art references for another. Beyond that...we've got at least two demi guys, and two guys that are voiced by Gideon Emery, and I'm not sure what other trends we've got going here so please, feel free to tell me what you spot. ;)
Alistair Theirin (Dragon Age Origins)
Cullen Rutherford (Dragon Age Inquisition)
The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant, Doctor Who) (honorable mention not pictured: Twelve)
Lucanis Dellamorte (Dragon Age the Veilguard)
Garrus Vakarian (Mass Effect trilogy)
Fenris (Dragon Age 2)
Simon Arish (Control)
Balthier (Final Fantasy XII)
Erend Vanguardsman (Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West)
Ronan Aldwir (Dragon Age the Veilguard, my friend @shadrachanki's Rook)
Sonic the Hedgehog (yes, really)
Edgin Darvis (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves)
Again, not really crushing in the sense of "I want to date them," but rather "I totally ship them with this other character please." Some of them come a little close by virtue of me shipping them with a player character I had a hand in giving personality to (the Bioware ships, really), but still. Not me.
