hihi i'm tezz, this is my dragon age blog. my main is @tezzaa, i'm 26, agender lesbian, use any pronouns, and unfortunately i have contracted a horrible disease that makes me care about this terrible terrible game franchise. 18+ only pretty please ty
my main protags are:
calliphora surana, she/her, mage lelimancer. let's all make the extremely sheltered teenager our leader and put all these expectations on her and it'll be fine because she's good at it and claims to enjoy it and is like. sooo chill about it and definitely won't abandon her post and go mia in a few years aha
marian "rian" hawke, he/it, red warrior merrillmancer. butch dyke eldest daughter syndrome to the max, cares so deeply but unfortunately is cursed with rude cunt autism and comes off as an asshole
faithful trevelyan, they/them, mage josiemancer. late bloomer into their magic in a deeply embarrassing event where they froze a classmate in templar training.
i'm afraid to say i found vg too ass to make a rook i found personally compelling. maybe someday though lmao
will update this later elaborating properly on the trio ^-^ ok be nice byee
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last week you and your friend were discussing whether it would be possible to keep a pet rat hidden from the templars. you saw her today in the library dusting the shelves. if you asked her if she remembered that conversation she would say yes, and then she'd go right back to work. if you asked her for help mending the tear in your sleeve she'd do it, but she wouldn't tease you about your sloppy needlework like she used to. and if the knight-commander decided it was best to transfer her somewhere else, nobody at that circle would even think to ask questions like that, would they. they'd just leave her to clean because to them that's all she is. the other day you overheard one of the templars talking about another apprentice who'd been causing trouble, saying he couldn't wait until the day the kid would finally be made tranquil so he could have someone on hand to clean his boots. the current knight-commander was originally from a circle in orlais. when he came to your circle, he brought his tranquil personal secretary with him.
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fereldans are always like ohhhh the grey wardens can't have political power we don't trust them because centuries ago there was an attempted coup. nobody ever wants to talk about how sophia dryden was right
Arlessa Sophia Dryden was the young Arland's rival for the throne of Ferelden. Dryden was a strong and charismatic leader with much support from the Bannorn. When Arland finally won the crown, Dryden refused to relent. She pushed her claim, was caught, and accused of treason. Her sympathizers continued to support her, however. In order to appease them, Dryden was spared execution, and forced to join the Grey Wardens instead.
Dryden survived the Joining and dazzled the Grey Wardens at Soldier's Peak with her leadership skills and charm. She eventually rose through the ranks to become Warden-Commander of Ferelden. Before Commander Dryden, the Grey Wardens were seen as a relic of an older time and an unnecessary drain on the nobles' coffers. Dryden, though, with her political connections, reinvigorated the Wardens and rapidly increased their numbers.
In the meantime, Arland proved himself a devious king, willing to go to brutal lengths to silence his opponents. Arland's reign of terror grew worse with each passing year, and some of the banns approached Commander Dryden in desperation, begging her to intercede. She agreed, and thus was the rebellion against King Arland born.
FREE MY GIRL!!!! au where you can put the rotting corpse on the throne of ferelden as an immortal queen bc you people can't hold onto your fucking kings
I'm sure that's true, but something tells me googling "nun tied up by other nuns" "hot wax" "confessing sins" will likely get what you might call rather un-academic results
the Implications of veilguard's ending are so wack bc it's like
the most large and stable country remaining is... tevinter. the notoriously corrupt, brutal, slavery based empire, that once ruled over the entire continent, and has ambitions of doing so again. and even in previous games, was constantly kidnapping people from other areas to enslave them. cool! i'm sure they won't do that again, when all the other countries are weakened. they may have elected a new leader, and that's all it takes to fix them.
the elves are now well known as having Evil Elven Godsβ’οΈ. so presumably, they will have to mass convert and assimilate, to even have a small chance of survival against the amount of retaliation they'll face. they were already seen as subhuman, and were only barely holding onto their culture and faith despite it being literally illegal in many places. and tevinter, the new diplomatic hub, is known for mostly enslaving elves. great! this will cause no problems.
all of the other places in southern thedas got blighted offscreen, due to the protagonist's actions. now you might think, perhaps this is like da2, where the blight was relatively "localized" and mostly offscreen, but much of the plot still deals with the refugees and suffering it causes? surely there would be a huge number of people trying to flee, and you would see them? no, it's optimistic. so you don't really see any survivors fleeing the destruction... i guess implying that no one even escaped? uh oh. but maybe that's for the best, bc having to directly see the chaos and suffering might make rook feel Regretβ’οΈ. and it would interfere with the party having camping trips, or having coffee and nice food (how are food supplies still ok after all this, let alone luxuries like coffee? don't worry about it kitten)
and of course the entire setting dangles on solas remaining alive in eternal solitary confinement. and if he dies at any point, the world ends catastrophically. this is morally fine, of course! we love the city of omelas. and people are known for handling solitary confinement really well, it definitely doesn't cause terrible mental and physical effects, and often lead to death. and solas, the guy who could not even get dalish elves to like him at first, can surely handle negotiating with the blight. also he might have been stabbed already. so that could just kill him very quickly too?
thankfully, the credits roll before any of these cause a problem. bc it's really important to have optimism in media, and nuanced depictions of fascism like "only Bad Peopleβ’οΈfollow tyrants! once you get rid of the tyrant, the Bad Peopleβ’οΈ will stop!"
What is the greatest length your OC would go to for something that doesnβt matter? like an overly expensive ironic purchase, or putting themselves in danger to get a stunning photo
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wynne: the elite hate us and want to see us eradicated because of circumstances beyond our control. our only way to enact change and regain our basic human rights is through solidarity and respectable compliance to demonstrate our humanity and worth.
dragon age: cowardly. sanctimonious. a hypocrite.
anders: the elite hate us and want to see us eradicated because of circumstances beyond our control. our only way to enact change and regain our basic human rights is through direct action against the establishment and radical opposition to those that oppress us.
dragon age: unhinged. dangerous. a monster.
sera: the elite hate us and want to see us eradicated because of circumstances beyond our control. our only way to enact change and regain our basic human rights is through rejecting the system and those who uphold it while simultaneously rallying the common folk to our side so we can dismantle the establishment from the inside out.
dragon age: crazy. stupid. childish.
vivienne: the elite hate us and want to see us eradicated because of circumstances beyond our control. our only way to enact change and regain our basic human rights is through tactical advancement within the establishment and the manipulation of those in power so that we can rise to the top and force out our oppressors to change the system ourselves.
i am not asking for moral purity and i am not asking for clean depictions of characters with viewpoints i personally find sympathetic. i AM however pointing out the consistently poor and biased representation of certain themes and characters in the game and how that bias is clearly bled from a preestablished distaste and lack of understanding for certain "unpleasant" political beliefs.
an unbiased narrative would not refuse to allow the player to empathize with characters like sera's ideology and have every dialogue option engage with it as if it were bizarre and incomprehensible.
an unbiased narrative would not ensure that there is literally no character not even an unnamed group of random rebel mage npcs that sympathize with anders or use a romanced player who agreed with his actions as a mouthpiece for why his "monstrousness" isn't untrue it's just ambiguous at best.
an unbiased narrative wouldn't frame vivienne's personal quest in such a shady manipulative and underhanded way despite there being no actual indication that her goal was anything but what it appeared to be. because it assumed the player's preestablished disdain would take care of the rest.
an unbiased narrative wouldn't paint what any sane person would have understood as rape through an imbalance of power as the victim's selfish decision of her personal loyalties over the man who impregnated her and then proceed to portray this through the man's heartbroken and passionate letter explaining why in no uncertain terms the victim was wrong and awful and selfish for doing what she did
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.
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