This blog was created to boost and celebrate the fanworks and diversity of Thedas and the fans who devote their precious time to keeping this fandom alive.
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Name: Alythess Cousland
Pronouns: She/Her
Origin: Human Noble
Class: Rogue
Specialization: Duelist / Legionnaire Scout
Role: The Warden / Hero of Ferelden
Age: 24 years old by Origins
Are they inspired by any real world culture? When I first made Alythess, she had no real influence besides the one set by Thedas' lore. The more I develop her and my views on the Couslands, the more I find myself researching 5th Century Gaelic Ireland history.
Do they have any rivals? The Howes, naturally. More than anyone else.
What is your favorite headcanon about them? I've gone back and forth with this one, but Alythess might ultimately end up indeed being a werewolf to tie with the Cousland's past history with them. Likely a dormant lineage that ends up manifesting on her post-joining as the Darkspawn blood affects her body. 🐺
Are they friendly? Yes, and no. Alythess can be very stubborn and set in her ways, and has a tendency to antagonize people that have either wronged her personally or have wronged others in position of need. Overall, she's friendly - just... don't step on her toes.
What is the happiest ending you can think of for your character? She gets to find a cure for the Calling for her and all the other Wardens, and most importantly manages to be able to have kids in the process.
*I've made "Emotion Driven" a faded out option in her slider because I genuinely have a hard time figuring Alythess out. By all her tendency to analyze situations obsessively to find the best possible logical and practical outcome, she's very driven by her emotions while doing so. I guess one goes with the other!
A little character portrait thing I did of Astrea Cousland, my canon Grey Warden (turned Queen of Ferelden), that I started maybe late December but just finished last night. I'm still getting back in the grove of drawing/art, but I'm sort of happy with this one. <3
Click for full res! ✨️
A little compilation of some of my favorite Dragon Age art I've done this year so far! Can't wait to have a new game full of more sad/funny little guys to draw 🥰
Click for full res! 🌙
It became apparent to me rather quickly that I wouldn't be able to replicate the Dragon Age tarot style so I decided to blend it with my own :)
This is my Dalish/Circle blood mage El'la (it/she/they/he). Based on The Hermit. I'll put a lot more context and a symbolism breakdown below the cut ✨️
We want it to be a spotlight on diverse creators in this fandom sphere, and a place where people who are not of these minority groups can support our creators with some likes, reblogs, follows, and other attention.
We need help filling our queue! Please reblog this post to increase our reach!
We do not collect emails or other info through this form.
Do you want the entire rest of the Dragon Age fandom to not stop thinking about them too?
Or maybe you don't have an OC of your own but you absolutely LOVE having OC brain rot for all of the OCs who cross your dash every single day, and you just want to find EVEN MORE awesome Dragon Age OCs so you can continue having EVEN MORE Dragon Age OC brain rot every single day.
Heck, maybe both. This is a judgement-free zone. In any case, if this might be you, then consider responding to my... DRAGON AGE OC ZINE INTEREST CHECK
Is it fancy? No! Will the zine be? Probably! But the zine has to exist first for us to find out! If the thought of an entire zine filled with art and writing about Dragon Age OCs sounds like something that YOU might want to have in your life, or that YOU might want to be a part of, please fill out the interest check. And please share this post and the link around to your Dragon Age friends.
The mod team is excited to announce the official name for Dragon Age Annual 2025: Legacies! Join us as we celebrate the characters we've always loved and look forward to new legends to come.
Applications are open for both Artists **and** Writers! This year's production will also feature additional slots for writers to participate on a mini zine.
If you'd like to know more about our theme, Myths & Legends, before you apply, you can check out our theme ideas and suggestions document here!
Here's a brief idea of where you should draw inspiration for this theme:
Don't be afraid to think outside the box for inspiration! As always, our suggestions are not restrictive or exhaustive, and you are welcome to propose ideas outside of our list for consideration!
Contact the Mods: ask | email: [email protected]
Follow Us: bluesky | twitter | instagram | website/newsletter
Little hair appreciation post with blurry screenshots because you don't realise how EXCITED I am about this--
Paragraphs are from this very useful post by @felassan (you probably know them but if you don't, go check their blog and consider supporting!!)
"Epler took special care to show off the extensive curly and textured hair options in the game, including several versions of braids and locs, noting that increasing these options in particular was very important to the team" [source] " “We have dozens and dozens of hair types,” she said. “And they’re fully affected by physics.” The quality and variety of choices I saw delighted me. The rows of bouncy, luxurious-looking hair of all curl types and textures (and yes, the annoyingly ubiquitous “Killmonger cut” was among the options, what can you do?) brought the biggest smile to my face in the hour I spent with Busche and The Veilguard." [source]
💜
Our preliminary writer sign-up form is now open! If you're thinking about participating as a writer, submit your fic ideas so that the mod team can estimate how many artists we will need and how many will need to be comfortable with making art for an NSFW fic.
The information submitted on this form is non-binding and will not be shared with anyone. There will be a separate form to submit your final pitch for matching before artist sign-ups begin on August 1.
This form will ask you for the following information:
Once you submit your sign-up form, you can (and should!) start working on your formal idea pitch, that way it's ready to go when the pitch form opens in July.
For your formal pitch, you will need to provide:
If you have any questions about writer sign-ups or preparing your idea pitch, please check out the Event Documents or reach out to the mods as noted below.
We look forward to seeing everyone's ideas!
Full Event Documents: Rules | Code of Conduct | Event Guidebook
Contact The Mods: ask | discord | email: [email protected]
DA: Terminus will be a project focused on the theme of endings within the franchise. As a new chapter looms, we will be delving into endings, good and bad, and exploring the euphoria, hope, pain and loss that comes with them.
We will be welcoming a range of artists and writers to help create this project for charity, but first, an interest check to see what YOU want from it all.
Please take a look at the survey, and share this post if you can!
For more information, check out our carrd, here.
Maybe even just fans of color in general; are there any spaces meant for creators of color to come together? I am also looking for specifically Black creator spaces as well, and if there are any other groups that has discords for their community, feel free to reblog or comment as well!
*white folk, while I encourage you to reblog, this isn't for you, and that's fine! Please be respectful and do not request into these spaces that are meant for people to find community with themselves. fandom is very large and it is very hard to find people that look like us within. E.g. there only being 3% Black people on AO3.
The Black Artists and Creatives Discord https://discord.com/invite/aaEd9JGj
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.
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.
Have questions? Contact the mods: ask | email: [email protected]
“Some bonds break because of too much care.”
The Tabris Cousins, 9:41, Ten Years Post Blight. Featuring @inquisimer’s Ariya Tabris, @rosella-writes’s Rosalie Tabris, and my own Shaesa Tabris. The Shadow. The Pillar. The Vanished.
Close-ups below the cut!
Do you have any advice/suggestions/requests for non-black members of fandom as far as how to respond to racism in fandom spaces? Obviously we shouldn't be speaking over black voices, but it doesn't seem fair for black members of fandom to have to do all the work of making a fandom space safe and welcoming for themselves.
You are correct! Tbh, these are tips for being a good ally in general:
Odds are, whatever manifesto you have in your mind about the injustice of antiblackness in your fandom, a Black fan has already said it multiple times. While I appreciate the sentiment, I must admit I'm salty when I see that people are more supportive of (usually white) voices that discuss my lived experience, over my own voice and my lived experience. What does that really solve? You need to be following Black fans too, that way you're actually in the know when these things are happening.
If I'm getting jumped and you (who had the power to help) show up afterwards to say "I really empathized with your pain", I'm not going to think "wow they cared, I'm so grateful". I'm going to think "WOW they really let me get my ass beat!" Same idea with this. That's honestly the most painful part for me; it's not the lone racist themselves, but the hordes of people who back them up, and the rest (some of whom you may even consider a friend) who might disagree but say absolutely nothing.
When you see that a Black peer is being railroaded and you KNOW it's wrong, step tf up! Be willing to say "you're out of pocket for behaving this way, and I will not be supporting you now that I know you're a racist". I will never know you're an ally if you're only an ally in your head! It's the thought that counts, but the action that delivers!!
If you share that you're against antiblackness in fandom spaces, but next you're reblogging whitewashed art, or an artist known for whitewashed/racist pieces, or still following someone who's made covert/overt antiblack statements, etc. just bc you "enjoy their stuff"... You're not being an ally. Be willing to hold those creators accountable, and when they disappoint you, unfollow them. Be willing to tell your friends, "hey, that person did/said this thing that was anti-black and were unapologetic about it". And if your friends don't care? Now you know who's around you. I'm not saying it's easy, but... Do you stand on business, or would you rather allow racism so that you can stay comfortable? Because your Black peers have to live under this discomfort you're only momentarily experiencing. It's far harder for me to approach these people and hold them accountable. And if I see that you're still kicking it with known antiblack racists... I'm probably not going to assume highly of you, either.
You might not know what to look for, and if you don't, you're gonna miss a lot. What is actually antiblackness will often be posited as "drama" or "fandom wank". Or, if they're really trying to sound progressive, it'll reveal itself as dogwhistles in other important topics like queer representation or misogyny (e.g. how white women often claim misogyny when confronted with their racism, or TERFs). That's how it gets swept under the rug. Learn to recognize microaggressions, learn to recognize the signs. It requires work! Listen to and believe your Black peers when they explain what they saw! Bc trust, once you see it... You'll realize there's a lot of it lmao. And that's what many fans are afraid of confronting.
That's what I have for now, if anyone else has anything to offer. 👍🏾 Thanks for asking!
Discord is not a requirement for the event. We will communicate redundantly through email and this Tumblr. All of our event information is also included in our Big Bang Guidebook!
But we do have some cute EXCLUSIVE discord emojis! And the camaraderie of other creatives working on a challenge like this can make an event extra special. It can be the gateway to friendships and future collaborations too!
Quick Links: ▸ What is This Event? ▸ Rules ▸ Code of Conduct ▸ Content Guidelines ▸ Writer Requirements ▸ Artist Requirements ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ Full Documents: Rules | Code of Conduct | Event Guidebook
It's here! Please also check the edits we made to our initial announcement. More information about event requirements, code of conduct, and mods will be shared as we approach our event. Happy planning!
Writing Time: July 1 - October 31
Art Time: August 11 - October 31
