There's light somewhere

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 06:18:55 GMT

I've been struggling with writer's block despite having the URGE

but a friend bullied me back into art and I've done a full page of my Grey Warden hehehe

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WIP Wednesday

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 04:12:53 GMT

Hawke is nowhere to be found.

It’s like Varric’s soul had been ejected from his body and a spirit is piloting it; Varric shoves past bodies closing in around the Inquisitor—too close, he cannot breathe. When Enid’s gaze meets him, the elven woman freezes. She’s ashen and sweaty.

“Where’s Hawke?”

He sounds like a lost child, even to his own ears.

“Where’s Sorley, Enid?”

Enid’s expression breaks and hardens in one jerk of her head. She walks past him, momentarily pressing her hand onto his shoulder. She squeezes it then walks forward, her voice sharp and solid as she announces the cost of their victory.

GUESS WHICH BITCH GOT TO THAT CHOICE! GUESS WHO CHOSE SAD VARRIC HOURS! AGAIN!!

All silliness aside, I am in an angsty-writing mood, and that turning point feels absolutely rife with fun little moments. This WIP doesn't quite have a title, but it's definitely going to be a lose collection of stories centered around the aftermath of the Fort Adamant assault. So far, planned plotlines include:

Varric & Cassandra interactions. I ship these fuckers so hard, though I think a lot of this will be solely platonic relationship building. Unless
Blackwall's whole personal quest and his relationship with my Inquisitor, Enid. In the game, he always places her on such a pedestal, so I think it'll be fun to have that get a little broken when it comes to Enid's backstory lol
My Hero of Fereldan just showing the fuck up. I know why Bioware didn't want to insert the Warden into Inquisition, but I really think it a missed opportunity. Like??? Morrigan, Leliana, and Cullen are all there, so there's some very funny interactions that could happen. Also Fiona getting absolutely fucking grilled by a Alistair-romanced Grey Warden.
Morrigan just avoiding the Warden because the last proper interactions they've had was "let me bang your boyfriend" and "what do you mean we're still friends????" Like, how the FUCK do you recover from that?
I also have a fun Iron Bull/Warden interaction (read: non-romantic smut) twirling in my brain. So many characters involved with this scene are bad with feelings lmao
Anders not having a good time with Hawke's death. How much of a plot point is it beyond references are a bit beyond me atm, but it'll still be there.

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Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:40:52 GMT

I am 220 pages into The Stolen Throne, and I'm already annoyed with the how the romantic subplot is being handled. I love me a romantic subplot but ugh not a fan of what it's done to Rowan. What do you mean Maric just no-guilt sleeps with a "random" woman and Rowan is left to be a good betrothed?? Out of curiosity, I read up on her fate and what do you mean she's fridged for The Calling?

Fuck you, justice for Rowan!

Also, I'm having a hard time believing Rowan and Maric are in love. Their betrothal feels a bit more lavender-coded. May eventually play around with a mostly-canon compliant fic centered around her and give her death a bit more dignity. And the attempts at yearning need to go harder. Duty vs love is a great theme for everyone, I wish it leaned a bit harder on it.

What i do like about it, though, is the general dynamic between Maric, Lorraine, and Rowan. They're great, I love them, and Loghain has two hands.

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Tue, 03 Mar 2026 04:30:38 GMT

You know what's fun? Laying down in a dark room, throwing on a flashlight, and making shadow puppets for the cats

2/2 of my assholes have been mildly entertained by it. The little one gets particularly annoying about it tho, especially when I want to READ DAMN IT

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In Which A Bitch Grabs Some Books

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 21:06:37 GMT

So, I've recently took a dive into the other DA media and whoops.

My friend ~~bullied~~ peer pressured me into picking up the Dragon Age RPG core rule book, which is really cool to just peak through. The art they've pulled seems like it's from across the years and included Inquisition. Anyway, I'll be reading it down the line.

I've also picked up the first two novels, and my lord, I love what I've read of book one so I scoured thriftbooks for the last three. So far, my favorite characters have been Rowan of Redcliffe and the surprise Shale appearance. It continues this series strange obsession with cheese gags, though in a more throwaway line way than the silly Easter eggs.

I've also lucked out on getting a few random graphic novels at the local brick and mortar thrift bookshops because I refuse to give EA and Bioware any more money because fuck them for what they did to the team on the whole lol I'll probably make a proper post on my thoughts as I go through the series on the whole.

EDIT 3/4/2026: I have book 3 on the way and 4 & 5 ordered (THRIFTBOOKS, PLEASE GIVE ME THE SHIPPING CONFIRMATION I BEG OF THEE), but I apparently missed that Tevinter Nights is a novel (er, rather, short-story collection) rather than a graphic novel. Guess I need to shell out for the sixth book because it's probably a regular paperback rather than mass market.

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OC Posting is Fun

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 22:24:57 GMT

Being ass deep in CRPGs for the last year makes me wanna do OC posting. I have so many just from playing the Baldur's Gate series and Dragon Age series. i also kinda want to revisit some of the OCs I made as a tween which I still think held up with their base ideas but fell theough on execution or were Digimon OCs that I wanna explore as someone closer to my age, much like when I first wrote them.

Also do more poking at the no-longer-Genshin-Impact story that keeps nudging me expectantly. ~~Oh, the hard times of being an adult with not enough time on their hands~~

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New Itch.io Bundle!

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 01:03:45 GMT

Looks like itch.io creators hit the time for Big Bundle for Fundraising/Charity button!!

No ICE in Minnesota has over 650 contributors with over 1.4k items, including indie games, physical games (TTRPGS, journalling, etc), ebooks, and other misc items. For just $10 USD, you can get all this and the proceeds go to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.

I've bought one of these mega bundles years ago, and I still haven't really gone through everything five years later. I'll admit, it's a bit overwhelming (lol) but it's really fucking cool!

Also, because it's itch.io, the $10 USD is just the "minimum," so you can toss in as much as you want.

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FIC: Prickly Feelings

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:44:22 GMT

Title: Prickly Feelings

Fandom: Xenoblade Chronicles (series)

Characters: Sena, Mio (mentioned), Other characters mentioned

Prompts: #25: thistle (100ships)

Author’s Notes: Set early in XB3. This is meant to be a one-sided Sena/Mio, but can be read as platonic as well.

( Read more... )

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I Need to Stop Taking These lol

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:34:12 GMT

#01 – Adamant	#02 – Snow	#03 – Lion	#04 – Spark	#05 – Amber
#06 – Lust	#07 – Bronze	#08 – Mint	#09 – Arctic	#10 – Black
#11 – Moonlight	#12 – Sunlight	#13 – Blue	#14 – Navy	#15 – Tea
#16 – Neon	#17 – Twilight	#18 – Blush	#19 – Wine	#20 – Nude
#21 – Rhythm	#22 – Brown	#23 – Linen	#24 – Ember	#25 – Thistle
#26 – Cherry	#27 – Orange	#28 – Vanilla	#29 – Bone	#30 – Harlequin
#31 – Cadet	#32 – Chocolate	#33 – Peach	#34 – Lead	#35 – Cream
#36 – Sand	#37 – White	#38 – Crimson	#39 – Pink	#40 – Ocean
#41 – Dove	#42 – Platinum	#43 – Yellow	#44 – Earth	#45 – Midnight
#46 – Pearl	#47 – Frostbite	#48 – Pumpkin	#49 – Electric	#50 – Purple
#51 – Coral	#52 – Salt	#53 – Crow	#54 – Rainbow	#55 – Cloud
#56 – Flame	#57 – Red	#58 – Ash	#59 – Rose	#60 – Slate
#61 – Green	#62 – Ruby	#63 – Olive	#64 – Lipstick	#65 – Spice
#66 – Grey	#67 – Denim	#68 – Rust	#69 – Flirt	#70 – Sunset
#71 – Sable	#72 – Desert	#73 – Jade	#74 – Sage	#75 – Buff
#76 – Jet	#77 – Plum	#78 – Leather	#79 – Liberty	#80 – Metal
#81 – Sepia	#82 – Lavender	#83 – Scarlet	#84 – Crystal	#85 – Chestnut
#86 – Shadow	#87 – Lemon	#88 – Mystic	#89 – Silver	#90 – Coffee
#91 – Seafoam	#92 – Lime	#93 – Punch	#94 – Pickle	#95 – Champagne
#96 – Copper	#97 – Bittersweet	#98 – Honey	#99 – Candy	#100 – Gold

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FIC: Awake, Awake Children Bold

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 19:42:44 GMT

Title: Awake, Awake Children Bold

Fandom: Dragon Age (series)

Characters: Original Spirit Characters, Original Surana Warden, Solas

Prompts: “Relative values: Families” for genprompt_bingo on Dreamwidth, “Lyric with "sleep" or "awake"” from Lyric Titles Bingo on Dreamwidth, Lyrics from “Welly Boots” by The Amazing Devil

AO3 link

Author’s Notes: This was at first inspired by expanding on my Warden’s background, but it’s taken a life of its own as I played through Awakening, Dragon Age 2, and parts of Inquisition as we got a deeper look at spirits. An alternative take on the Warden’s section of the Fade during the Broken Circle quest.

( Read more... )

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Thu, 05 Feb 2026 18:37:14 GMT

01.	Rain.	02.	Fireworks.	03.	Music.	04.	Memory.	05	Sunset.
06.	Truth.	07.	Together.	08.	Kiss.	09.	Strangers.	10.	Crush.

From 10trueloves. I'm using Shadowheart as part of the fills.

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Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:21:39 GMT

This looks cool:

Multifandom: Domaystic 2026

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Wed, 04 Feb 2026 03:11:27 GMT

I love browsing the tags on Bandcamp. After listening to more Bloodywood (I recommend "Tadka"!!! It's about how wonderful their cuisine is!! AND THEY'RE RIGHT!), I decided to browse further into the folk metal tag, and one of the early recs is Kalaveratekah, a Mexican (Nahuatl?) folk/death metal band.

The drive of the music is pretty sick. The vocals are pretty growl-y. The flute and guitar rifts are pretty cool. I'll have to check out more of their stuff, and see if I can't find translations for the lyrics.

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Dragon Age: Veilguard First Impressions

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:19:20 GMT

I decided to reward myself a bit after some good news in my job by jumping ahead to play a bit of Veilguard, and my first impressions are a bit mixed.

Mind: I've dropped over two hours trying to setup configurations on my Legion Go so it would stop shutting down due to overheating (optimization needs to make a comeback I swear), so my takes may be a bit harsh. But most of my complaints will be to gameplay and one or two story bits found in the first hour and change.

( Read more... )
TLDR: I have mixed feelings, but I'll probably play a bit more before I really make up my mind if I like it or not.

Anyway, if I continue it, I'll probably be doing some Rook fics because I do genuinely love the gremlin I made.

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New Sewing Project: Commense!

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:01:13 GMT

So a friend of mine gave me a cosplay bug, and she's sent me down a rabbit hole.

The basic concept she's tossed at me is this: vague princess vibes mixed with the Dratini line. I volunteered for Dratini, and started thinking about how I can make something interesting out of it (while also being able to wear it on non-cosplay occasions).

My immediate idea was to go for an A-line style skirt, and because I've been playing a lot of Dragon Age lately, my immediate thought was for Western medieval Europe. It fits the general silhouette I'm thinking of and it would make me learn drafting (it's also incredibly forgiving by the looks of it).

A quick look up and I found this really neat tutorial from a historical sewing website.

I just need to do a bit more research on what's made by those in the reenactment community.

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New Sewing Resource

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:01:10 GMT

A cool resource I just stumbled upon (or upon me, since I learned of it through a Youtube short for one of the models) for cosplayers is First Stop Cosplay. They have several patterns dedicated for beginners. I haven't tried the patterns myself, but after checking out their patterns, there is a lot of good basics to work from like blazers, blouses, and skirts.

And, given how many anime and video game characters are some flavor of school uniform, cover a wide swath of different characters.

They do have more advanced patterns like their Winx sets and the Hatsune Miku pattern.

Downside is, their notions collection is fairly limited, but for a beginner, that will actually be a bonus. I hope they do expand to include bias tape and thread. In the meantime, any newbies look at this, I would recommend finding a local fabric shop (if you're super lucky to have something like this), any chain craft store (except Hobby Lobby, fuck Hobby Lobby), or Wawak for other notions.

They also feature tutorials for beginners as well.

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Oh, A Fanfic TTRPG System!

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:07:07 GMT

This just crossed my feed recently: Archives & Allegories

I haven't taken the time to read much of what is there, but just being a general lookie-loo, it looks interesting. It's a solo RPG centered around writing fic of your favorite characters. The system is still being written as of right now, so I can't really give a good idea of what my feelings are for it yet. I'll admit, the number of stats does feel a bit excessive for a solo game, but this may also just be the fact I haven't really been drawn to super crunchy solo games

~~I say this as I've been wanting to do solo D&D for a while, but get sidetracked by everything else.~~

I have another recommendation that kinda fills this interest: This Ending Sucks, So I'm Going to Write a Fanfic

This game has been on my brain for the last week since hearing about people's responses to the ending of Stranger Things and the conspiracy theroizing about a secret 9th episode. Everyone who knew of the tumblr Sherlock fandom during the aftermath of the final episode are probably suffering from deja vu.

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Dragon Age 2 Random Thoughts

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 04:29:19 GMT

So, I ended up finishing DA2 a bit ago, and--

I see why it's kinda the oddball of the original trilogy, but I gotta say, I really do like what we got. For a game that had a stupidly short development cycle, it turned out not too bad. I loved DA:O and liked DA:A's character roster, but I really do like DA2's characters more (and yes, half the cast were present as minor characters in DA:O/DA:A, but my point still stands). I do appreciate how they complicate the mage/Templar struggle through Fenris and Anders (and Merrill showing a secret third option); DA:O mostly showcased the Circle and Templar setup as a net neutral to net positive through the Broken Circle quest line and Wynne's own background, but with "acceptable" sacrifices (YMMV given how one views Jowan and the Tranquil rites) (My personal opinion is that the system as is is fucked and either needs major overhaul or have something to replace it).

Isabela and Anders will live in my head rent free for quite a while lmao

I may replay the game later to keep Carver alive because apparently he gets a big fat crush on Merrill, and goddamn it, I wanna see the surly little bastard be a fucking mess for this fucking goober. Merrill reads as incredibly ADHD-coded (easily distracted, poor mind-to-mouth filter, questionable impulse control), and I love her for that.

Sebastian is...there lmao

I played the Legacy DLC, and boy, was I just screaming the entire time. Some people could count Corypheus as a "Somehow, Palpatine returned" situation, but given Archedemons already have very specific ways to keep them dead and Corypheus and the Architect are just really fucking weird, I think I'll just chalk it up to that. We'll see what DAI suggests when I get around to finishing it.

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My Favorite AUs [Snowflake Challenge #9]

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 18:09:53 GMT

Challenge #9: Talk about your favorite tropes in media or transformative works.

Okay, so!!

I actually have a lot that falls under this category, but it's more stuff that gets me excited to write rather than read, but here are two I will definitely go feral for:

1. Role-swap AUs: I am a big fan of "these two characters are mirrors of each other" tropes, so the next logical step is a role-swap or McGuffin swap. The one that really informed this was the Digimon fanfic called Yang Yin by Akino Ame.

What makes me so obsessed with this concept of switching "roles" boils down to what it does to the character and the new relationships they may need to form. I've written one when I was much younger, and I've toyed with some other ideas (Inuyasha but the brothers swap swords, Detective Conan but Ran is the one who gets shrunk).

2. Soulmate AUs, but those that explore the ramifications of it: This is because I personally find the implications of many "fate" and "destiny" in more mundane settings to be ripe for juicey character drama and horror. How does soulmates work if you're aromantic? How does queerness and platonic relationships work in a world where you're guaranteed the "perfect" partner? What if your soulmate is otherwise incompatible with you? What does it mean to be someone's soulmate? How does it mean, society-wise, for those to never meet their soulmate?

Do you see what I mean about how interesting it can be to explore? Some really good fics I've read suggest different types of soulmates (platonic, romantic, rivalry), while others have an almost queer-platonic bend to the interpretation.

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Wed, 14 Jan 2026 00:52:20 GMT

I have just been so exhausted the last couple of days, it's been kinda hard to focus on anything once I get home. I wanna write, but my focus is out the window. I wanna read, but my brain doesn't want to sit with the words for too long before a distraction pops in.

Billion dollar question is what is causing it? Is it the non-stop bad news? Is it the fact it's so damn dark when I get home? Is it because I'm coming down with a cold? Is it depression? Is it secretly all the above?

~~honestly, wouldn't be too surprised lol~~

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A Wishlist [Snowflake Challenge #5]

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 01:10:05 GMT

Challenge #5

In your own space, create a list of at least three things you'd love to receive, a wishlist of sorts. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it and include a link to your wishlist if you feel comfortable doing so.

I'll admit, I have a long list of things I would like to "receive," but a lot of that can be certain levels of "I hope x gets justice" and that "I wish y would grow a goddamn spine." I hate my country's politics, and how so many are goading on the extra-judicial dehumanization and cruelty. Insert long redacted rant here.

So, onto the actual wishlist!!

Microgenre Mixtapes: Hey, you, yes you with the cool hair! Do you have a microgenre you want more people to get into? Well, I have two ears looking for a good time. Jokes aside, I really am a slut for music recommendations, and I would love to explore more micro genres or other music scenes. If anyone wants to rep their favorite (or current favorite thing), can they give me a fun "sampler platter" of 3-5 songs?

Stickers: This is more for myself and less for others, but I wanna start collecting stickers to use in my journal. The problem is, I want a larger variety for subject matter. I really like to use stickers to decorate my RPG journals, but all that I can find are perfect for the usual scrapbooking topics. I want to decorate my journals with dark and spooky shit as I do with constellations and cute shit. If anyone has suggestions for online stores that sell stickers with neat art, drop them in the comments! Indie artists, do some self promo!!

Someone to scream about Dragon Age or Baldur's Gate with me: I have entered this fandom ten years from it's big heyday, and I'm still working through DA2 with the intention of finishing DAI and meeting DAV where it's at. So...if anyone knows of an active group or discord server, especially geared towards writing fic, that would be fun! Same goes for Baldur's Gate as while it's not the big focus of my fannish attention, I still love this series and it's characters. And someday, I'll be fully diving into BG1&2 with all it's DLCs.

Tell me a bad joke. The punnier, the better.

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FIc: Cute [The Many Uses of Shapeshifting]

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 02:33:36 GMT

Title: Cute
Author: glitteringstars/heart hotel (ao3)
Table, Prompt: N/A
Fandom: Dragon Age (Series), Specifically Origins
Pairing / Character: Morrigan, Surana Grey Warden
Summary:

The Grey Warden comes to Morrigan to learn about shapeshifting. Hilarity ensues.

Rating: General Audeinces
Warnings: N/A
AO3 Link Here

Notes: A particular idea I had while at work. During my playthrough, I had my Warden learn shapeshifting magic post the Broken Circle. I, very unfortunately, did not realize how much bad it is, gameplay-wise. But given the Fade had all those sections where one learned shapeshifting, I thought it would be a funny excuse for my Warden to try it in the physical world.

( Read more... )

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Fic: Menace [The Many Uses of Shapeshifting]

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 02:27:13 GMT

Title: Menace
Author: glitteringstars/heart hotel (ao3)
Table, Prompt: N/A
Fandom: Dragon Age (Series), Specifically Origins
Pairing / Character: Morrigan, Alistair, Others Mentioned
Summary:

Morrigan finds an interesting way to bully Alistair one morning.

Rating: General Audeinces
Warnings: N/A
AO3 Link Here

Notes: Just a goofy oneshot I thought of while I was bored at work.

( Read more... )

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Wed, 07 Jan 2026 00:41:48 GMT

I keep forgetting that the DA Ultimate Editions have the soundtrack (or partial soundtrack) in the steam versions. If this is the only way I can get the DAI soundtrack, fine I'll buy the PC version when it goes on sale

My kingdom for the return of physical media culture

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A Thank You Note to Creatives Young and Old (Snowflake Challenge #3)

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 23:49:38 GMT

Write a love letter to fandom. It might be to fandom in general, to a particular fandom, favourite character, anything at all.
( This is less of a letter and more of a 'thank you' note. )

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