A Peaceful Sunset In Waterdeep.

A peaceful sunset in Waterdeep.

Did this piece ages ago and totally forgot to post it :|

a little repose in some quiet corner of skyhold / needed to draw something cute after the last angsty one of these two (then of course their happiness just makes me think of the doom and gloom in store for them...)

anyway! closeup <3

more baby Dorian 

Kia ora whānau and welcome to the fun zone

I'm Jacs (Jay or Sticks also works), and I'm an rpg enthusiast, history nerd, and fantasy book megafan.

Check out fanfic I've written here on my ao3

I have a prompt list for Dragon age here

I also do art!

If you want a book rec I LOVE recommending books to people

Find my Dragon Age Drunk Writing Circle Stuff here

My main OCs include: Ghilara Lavellan (polycule map), Mara Tabris , Slate (BG3) , and Mithrian

I'm a bit of a trollop for angst BUT....I want our romance with Solas to bite us in the ass in Dreadwolf.

I want companions like Dorian to ultimately come to the conclusion Solas cannot be redeemed and he is unable to trust his best friend to make rational decisions regarding Solas when the whole world hangs in the balance. Their friendship begins to crack beneath the weight of her stubborn love.

I want the Inquisition, or whatever is left of it, to try and hush rising rumours that the Dreadwolf and the Inquisitior were intimate. Because the public are turning on the Inquisitior FAST. Finding out she was bedding the one who wants to destroy Thedas? The racism and sexism are more prevalent than ever. Public officials speak out that Lavellan can't be trusted. Graffiti on the buildings depicting "dreadwolf's whore" in crude writing and just HORRIBLE things that Lavellan can't stomach seeing. Their enemies taking full advantage of these rumours and destroying the reputation the Inquisitior had built in her fight for Corypheus.

I want Mythal or one of the Evanuris to also find out. The Dreadwolf had a lover? A mere mortal elf? The Evanuris FINALLY have something to use against Fen'harel. They target her, trying to kidnapp or downright murder her. Mythal managing to keep Solas on a tight leash reminding him she knows about Lavellan and she did drink from the Well of Sorrows.

I want to see how Lavellan cannot sleep because Solas might be tracking their movements or learning information when he follows her through dreams. Or how she's obsessively sleeping just to try and see him, talk to him, beg him to change his mind.

Yeah I want - no I NEED IT to have repercussions

Gotta Infodump About The Lady Trent Series

So I finished reading the Lady Trent series by Marie Brennan (first book is A Natural History of Dragons). And I just can't get this series out of my head, theres just so many really fantastic elements about it.

Basically there series follows Isabella Hendemore throughout her life, as her written memoir (you find out about why she's called Lady Trent later). By the time she is writing it she's much older and super famous for her work. Its set in a Victorian-esq society and Isabella is minor gentry, and wants to become a dragon naturalist. However, as a woman she faces a ton of obstacles. The series chronicles her rise to fame and scholarship.

As a character, Isabella is Highly autistic/neurodivergent coded. And she does the most wild and reckless things in the name of science and I love her for it. OSHA would hate her. Like (spoiler) the woman jumps off a cliff in a makeshift and untested glider and thats not even the wildest case.

There will be some spoilers here btw, but I'll try to keep them light. But honestly, just go read the book (and then message me because I LOVE to yap about books)

One of the most enjoyable parts of this book was the relationship between Isabella and Thomas Wilker. Their relationship starts off thorny as Tom, a lower class man, resents Isabella and makes jabs at her gender, while Isabella, a woman, resents Tom and jabs at his working class status. And while they don't get along in the first book, as they grow and mature as people they become such close friends. They are constant collaborators in the scholarship of the other, they support each other, they are angry about how the other is looked down upon by other scholars for being woman/working class. And there's never ANY sense of romance between the two, but the relationship is I would say the most influential in the series. Moreso even than Isabella's romantic partners and even her son. And like, Tom never has any romantic relationships (not even as an aside like 'and Tom got married and it was a lovely ceremony'), but there is still never any expectation that they would get together because man+woman=romance?? Also I'm claiming Tom and Natalie (she's another character in the series) for the aromantic community fyi.

Theres a certain moment in the last book (SPOILERS btw) where Isabella reunites with Tom and her husband Suheil, and guys. I got a bit teary when I read her and Tom reuniting. To me it was more meaningful even than her relationship with her husband. How her and Tom always had each others backs and never give up on each other. (and don't even get me started on the very last chapter of the series that was just fully teary)

And as well as just being a great relationship, its such a great example of intersectionality in academia and scholarship. Both Tom and Isabella are underdogs for different reasons. So Isabella as gentry is allowed to be granted a peerage, while Tom would never be allowed. But then Tom is granted access to academic institutions which can let in the right type of lower class man, but never a woman. And just! The way that they get so mad on the other's behalf! And (after the first book at least) they don't hold it against the other! Like when Tom is accepted into academic institutions Isabella is really happy for him even though its a space she's rejected from. Because they both understand that their struggles present differently.

I also think its great that Isabella isn't presented as an overly nurturing person or an amazing parent. A lot of times when you get a female character in stem writers will make sure that they're still 'womanly enough', by being nurturing and good mothers and stuff. But that stuff never comes easy to Isabella! But she's never judged by the narrative for it and is able to explain her decisions instead of just feeling bad about it. And the people close to her, and the people that matter also don't judge her for it! But also! Even though it doesn't come naturally she is still able to interact with her son and encourage him and his interests and its still a really interesting and great relationship!

JUST THIS BOOK SERIES OKAY

Every time though she would talk about her scientific discoveries and said 'oh but you readers won't be interested in the exact science and if you are just go read my published articles'. LIKE NO I CAN'T! TELL ME ABOUT THE DRAGON BIOLOGY ISABELLA! TELL ME ABOUT THE MINUTIA OF THEIR EVOLUTION! BECAUSE I CAN'T READ YOUR ARTICLES CAUSE THEY DON'T EXIST IRL