darethshirals

[darethshirals]

Forgot to post these here too, “BEST HUGS” series Round 2🤍✨

(with a bonus hug with my Rook)

[darethshirals]

FAVORITE ART REFERENCES

Hi angels!! I've had a couple folks ask, so I threw together a little list of some of my favorite free art tutorials for anyone interested. These are primarily geared toward traditional media, but almost all of the techniques discussed can be applied to digital drawing/ painting as well. Under the cut for length and grouped accordingly (but let me know if you're looking for something specific)!

Basics: Mapping basic anatomy How to map facial planes How to shade anything Tips on composition Painting light

Portraiture: Color and value mixing for portraiture (inspired by Old Masters) Color mixing/ theory for skin tones (and determining value/ hue/ chroma) Color mixing for dark skin tones Painting soft features/ lighting Skin rendering Fabric: How to draw drapery folds Every type of clothing fold Drawing clothes from imagination

Hair: Anatomy tips for hair How to paint realistic hair Fur: Painting long fur Wolf fur (Had to put this one in. You know why.)

[darethshirals]

Does anyone have pictures or something of the companions in the character creator in their underwear or something where you can see their bodies/body types without armour? For non-horny reasons I promise I just am not technologically advanced enough to do this by myself

[darethshirals]

quickest little sprinto-sketch for your viewing pleasure <3

[darethshirals]

Some facts about Emmrich (and also the Necropolis, Nevarra and other related things) gathered from the banters

I went through all companion banters on DanaDuchy's channel after playing the game to write down all facts about companions/the world that I haven't seen brought up anywhere in the game as a writing reference (and for funsies).

Note: This list may not be exhaustive. I might have missed some something or didn't write it down because I considered it common knowledge. If you have anything to add, please DM me or send an ask! (do specify what banter the information is coming from, though)

Note 2: Posts from this series (mostly) don't include information from banters specific to quests or between companions and faction members. I plan to do another playthrough to capture more of those and will add any relevant info to the character posts.

Other characters' posts: Bellara, Davrin, Harding, Lucanis, Neve, Taash. I'm also planning a post about just the Lighthouse some time later

About Emmrich:

Family and early life:

“Volkarin” is a commoner’s name. Emmrich’s father was a butcher, and his mother was a cook 

When Emmrich was around 5 years old, his neighbours had a pig named Lucy. He was very fond of her, and she’d always let him hug her around his neck

Emmrich grew up poor (clocked by Neve based on the way he always saves his candle stubs, shows up first for meals and never leaves food on his plate) 

Emmrich grew up hearing that all dragons were so hostile they had to be slain and is surprised that Taash has found ways to deal with them peacefully 

General:

The gold Emmrich’ wears is called “grave-dowry” (or “grave gold”). It’s a Nevarran custom to wear precious objects one would like to take to their grave

Emmrich’s bracelet (not specified which one) was gifted to him on the day he became a full Watcher. The ring with a large stone was the last gift from his father. The skull pin doesn’t have a story, he just likes it

Emmrich isn’t fond of the Nevarran nobility

Emmrich’s shaving cream smells like potash (at least to Taash)

Emmrich uses moss perfume with flowers

Decades ago, Emmrich used to see an Orlesian woman who was an art appraiser

If Emmrich wasn’t a watcher, he would like to be a botanist

Emmrich displays some interest in Ferelden, mentioning that many of its heroes greatly shaped the history. Harding says that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said about her homeland

Emmrich doesn't like beer because it's bitter

Emmrich prefers tea (he mentions purchasing a Brynnlaw curled-leaf blend in Nevarra), but he can also drink coffee 

Emmrich doesn’t eat meat (seafood and insects included), but he indulges in cheese. It seems to be a Watcher thing - he says that each Watcher must decide what they will and won't take a life for, and meat crosses that line for him

Emmrich likes melons, mushrooms and pineapples. He also enjoyed a plate of fried leeks and potatoes at Halos’s stand in Minrathous

Emmrich always thought he’d get married one day

After a Minrathous merchant sells Emmrich fake charms, he causes him to see skeletal faces on the windows and hear spirits whispering that false goods endanger lives as punishment. Emmrich agrees to stop once Neve tells him that she can convince the merchant to get back to selling linen if the visions cease

On magic and studies:

Some deaths may leave emotional imprints so intense Emmrich may feel them decades later 

Emmrich thinks the magic of old Elven artefacts is “rigid” 

Emmrich isn’t very good at figuring out Elven artefacts (by his own admission)

Emmrich’s first published work was A Monograph on the Vagaries of Determining a Body's Time of Death

Emmrich is roughly familiar with the dragon anatomy

Emmrich knows a lot about how bodies work (muscle-wise etc.) from the time he performed autopsies 

Watchers study the death practices of other cultures. Emmrich knew about Eb-ketarra and the Rivaini traditions even before Taash performs them at the end of their questline

On life in the Necropolis: 

When Emmrich fell for another boy during his youth, he showed him a corpse he was allowed to practice dissection on. The date was ruined by a passing wisp possessing the body and causing it to sit up and ruin the mood 

Emmrich tutored Dorian during his term in the Necropolis (“Tremendous potential, but appallingly flippant towards the dead”)

Emmrich and other watchers live in the Necropolis (Emmrich has a flat there)

On life at the Lighthouse:

It took 8 skeletons half a day to bring that slab of marble into Emmrich’s room

He didn’t bring his entire collection of books to the Lighthouse (there are more)

Emmrich talks to skulls in his room 

Lighthouse kitchen reminds Emmrich of the mortuary

Relationships with companions:

Emmrich offers to introduce Bellara to Audric, the Necropolis librarian (who appeared in Tevinter Nights’ Down Among the Dead Men)

Emmrich calls the Archive spirit a work of art  

Emmrich and Davrin disagree on parenting methods. Emmrich thinks Davrin should better discipline Assan and teach him boundaries, while Davrin suggest Emmrich should let Manfred learn more on his own (e.g. let him fall so he learns how to get up) 

Emmrich turns to Neve when he needs help acquiring some reagents he can't get his hands through normal ones, and she agrees to help him out (smuggling is involved)

Emmrich isn’t too thrilled about Neve taking over the Threads, questioning of what’s going to become with the organisation and the future and thinking it may become corrupt (sort of mirroring the way Neve is apprehensive about his lichdom) 

Taash likes Emmrich’s lich helmet. They are not usually fond of skulls, but that helmet is fine because it’s on fire

Taash thinks that gemstones like amethyst or green opal would look good with the lich helmet

Emmrich doesn’t seem to like unrealistic books as he criticised Harding’s “Gore-Knight” novels for their incorrect interpretation of magic. He is worried about people misunderstanding magic and spirits

Emmrich calls himself Harding's 'de facto physician'

On Manfred: 

(If Rook chooses to save Treviso) Manfred brings Neve tea by his own volition. Emmrich thinks it's because Manfred sensed she might need a friend

Manfred is as aware of his surroundings as most people (to a certain degree)

(If revived at the Necropolis) Manfred learns to say Emmrich’s name 

(If revived at the Necropolis) Manfred becomes much more talkative 

Manfred likes boiling tea because he is fascinated by steam

Emmrich suggests Manfred tries tending to plants in Harding's garden 

Manfred is curious about Spite and wanders into Lucanis’s room at night

Spite and Assan miss Manfred if he’s gone

On Lichdom:

Emmrich smells fine to Taash even after he becomes a lich 

Emmrich’s lich helmet burns with veilfire. He once tried using it in combat, but the flame ended up blinding him

Emmrich thinks Strife would no longer be interested in a relationship after he becomes a Lich. That doesn't prove to be true

Lich!Emmrich doesn't need to eat but still comes by the kitchen for company

The energy of Emmrich’s magic changed after he became a lich

Other liches call lich!Emmrich “Young Volkarin” 

Lich!Emmrich no longer has muscles, but when he tries out Taash’s pull-up routine, he can still feel something like “a spectral memory of flesh”, as if he had pulled a tendon

Emmrich starts seeing more books in the Lighthouse library after becoming a linch

About spirit, demons, and the Necropolis: 

There are spirits of Temperance and Diligence 

The Watchers avoid using the word “demon” because it creates bad expectations and can negatively influence spirits 

Some in the Mourn Watch suspected that elves originated from spirits, though it was just one of many theories, and not a particularly popular one

Chambers in the Necropolis can go missing (according to MW!Rook, they turn up, eventually)  

Even after the despair demon is banished from the Necropolis, the halls remain cold. However, the effects will abate with time

There are horses on display in the Necropolis

Watchers rarely get possessed thanks to the special wards of the Necropolis. Possessions also don’t happen as often because the necromancers already provide spirits with bodies, so they don't need to possess anyone by force

Bellara calls the background magic of Necropolis tidy and quiet

There something called “The Deep Necropolis” featuring sections like “The Unspoken Valley” and “The Charnel Bridge” (which has something called “nightmare fog”) that hosts all kinds of entities. Bellara is very excited to visit once the nightmare fog clears

Vorgoth ensures that the transgressions of those who use magical to cruel and abusive means will not be tolerated (whatever that means)

About Nevarra:

Many great Nevarran artefacts have been lost to time, including the Skull of Sabinar, the Key of Dead Dreamers, and the Crown of the Moon

There are strict rules about selling enchantments in Nevarra. You can’t sell anything without a licence and an inspection from the mage Circles

A Tevinter poem “Faustina's Song”, a romantic epic from the Steel Age, is very popular in Nevarra, and its quotes are used on ‘more than one’ epitaph in the Necropolis. Neve is surprised people even read it outside Tevinter 

Pineapples don’t grow in Nevarra

[darethshirals]

“Bellara, my dear girl, whatever is the matter?” Emmrich asks, standing from his desk. Rook is still leaning against his desk, unconcerned to have been caught in a little flirtation. They are there for professional reasons, picking Emmrich’s brain about the magic of Solas’s dagger. It may have devolved. Emmrich is hardly complaining, but he is concerned by the way Belarra clutches the borrowed book to her chest. Her nails drum a rapid pattern against the cover and she looks up at him, mouth open as though to speak, before abruptly turning away. 

“Nothing!” She protests, shaking her head sharply. “I just - well, I borrowed this book. Without asking. Sorry. And I wanted to give it back and, well, here you are, with Rook.”

“Please don’t be worried about that,” Emmrich soothes, shoulders relaxing. He steps out to accept the return, pretending he doesn’t feel Rook’s gaze follow him. 

“Well, it’s not that I’m worried about,” Bellara corrects, admitting her worry before she realizes it. Her gaze jerks back up and Emmrich notices that her cheeks flush pink before she begins speaking again and it’s the fourth time she uses the word well. “I’m sorry! I - well, I mean. Oh…”

“Why are you apologizing? Is it damaged?” Emmrich asks, trying to gain control of the situation. 

“No! It isn’t. It’s fine. I’m fine, and I-” Bellara’s eyes are wide as she shakes her head again and then she looks past him, obviously finding Rook. 

“You seem real fine,” Rook says, teasing is second nature and Bellara’s pink flush becomes vibrant red. “Say it again and maybe I’ll believe you.” 

“Hi, Rook. Uhm, bye Rook. Bye Professor. I’ll see you both later.” It isn’t an answer and Bellara still looks like she may implode. “Oh, right! The book, here!” 

“Thank you.” Emmrich holds his hands out and Bellara drops it as though burned. So quickly he nearly misses the opportunity to catch it. The pages of the tome flutter and a few loose scraps slip free. Emmrich frowns. Perhaps it is damaged after all. 

“I’m sorry!” Belarra repeats, already backing out. “I didn’t mean to read it. It was just there and, you know - anyway.” She disappears before the dread can settle fully in Emmrich’s stomach. He notices first the book in his hand is one that, until he’d returned it to the shelf a day prior, had been atop his desk, and next that the pages on the floor don’t match the ones within. The parchment is too crisp, fresh, rather than worn with age.

“Bye, Bellara,” Rook calls, appearing behind Emmrich, curiosity unassuageable. “What do you think that was about?”

“Oh, dear,” Emmrich murmurs. “I think…” Then Rook is leaning down, picking the spilled parchment from the floor and Emmrich is too slow to stop it. The pages are new to them, despite the fact that the pages are entirely for them. “Wait, Rook - I can’t believe I placed a book back on the shelf with letters in them,” Emmrich chastises himself and Rook gawks at him. 

“That’s what you’re worried about? It’s just a letter, but she was so…” Rook trails off and their eyes fall to the pages as Emmrich reaches out, trying to retrieve them without making it an event but it’s too late. “They’re addressed to me.” Rook is peering at him from over the page and Emmrich sighs. 

“The letter is for you. I wrote it while you were in Minrathous but you returned before I could send it,” he admits. The words he wrote are earnest and wanton and he isn’t ashamed by them. Though they were definitely intended for a sole reader. “Surely she didn’t read the whole thing?”

“Let’s see,” Rook says, grinning as they begin to read. “Having spent a lifetime without your presence, it is an incredible wonder how it takes mere hours to feel the loss of you.”

“Well,” Emmrich begins, shifting. He isn’t ashamed of the words, but it is something different to have them read aloud by his lover. “She must have read that and stopped.” Rook looks up at him from beneath their lashes, expression mischievous.

“Not a chance,” they affirm. They’re still smirking when they return to the page but the expression slowly melts, softening. “The memory of your body bare beneath mine is a dichotomy of pleasures. Supple and lovely enough to sustain a man’s want for beauty into the next age; and yet so enticing I fear memory alone may drive me mad.” 

“I fear that may have been enough to cause such a reaction,” Emmrich interjects as they pause. “It’s-”

“Hush,” Rook interrupts.They’re reading silently now, skimming the page and Emmrich can’t help noticing how their lips part sweetly and their breath quickens. The letter is indiscrete. Missing Rook stirs something within Emmrich that spills onto the page, eager in ways he’s not felt in years.

“It is incredibly personal, I’m sorry I left it where it could be found,” Emmrich offers when the silence has gone on too long. It’s a surprise of its own when Rook is suddenly in his arms, hands on his chest and the back of his neck in that way they have. Almost as if they could climb him. 

“It’s beautiful,” Rook barely gets the words out before their mouth is on his. Their kiss is hungry, indulgent, and Emmrich forgets about the inciting context. He clutches Rook against his body, hands on their hips, pressing into the small of his back. When his fingers slip lower, cresting the curve of Rook’s rear, they make a soft sound but the second surprise is that the kiss breaks. Rook’s shoulders are trembling.

“Darling?” Emmrich asks, concern returning only until he realises Rook is laughing, their head dropped to his shoulder as the sounds bubbles out. “Pardon me?” 

“I’m sorry,” they gasp between giggles, “I just can’t believe Bellara knows about the mole on my ass, now.”

[darethshirals]

okay but like a soft dom who tells you to ask politely for what you want and tells you to use your words not because you have to earn it or they’ll deny you, but because they want so badly to give you what you want and want you to know you deserve to want. soft doms who want to give you anything and everything they just need you to tell them because they can’t read your mind. they never want to deny you, or humiliate you for what you want, they just want you to learn to voice your wants and needs without shame, even the ones that feel vulnerable. soft doms who tell you to use your words because they’re going to praise the hell out of you for setting boundaries and voicing your desires because you deserve to have them just as much as anyone else. they want you to get comfortable with asking because they want to give you every last thing your heart desires.

[darethshirals]

Confession: I bet Emmrich's nose and mustache would feel super good in between the legs

[darethshirals]

i love solas but I always give custody to varric 😭

[darethshirals]

Dragon Age Pride Month Prompts

Let's celebrate the diverse and wonderful characters and OCs from the Dragon Age universe. Six prompts per week (take a day off to relax with the Maker). A mix of SFW and NSFW prompts. Feel free to add your own to the theme. Fan art, writing, poetry, you name it! (NO A/I - be real and authentic!)

[darethshirals]

Most fuckable final boss?

The Archdemon

The Mother

Meredith

Corypheus

Elgar'nan

[darethshirals]

Yay Thedas Weekend! For Emmrich/f!Mercar: "Tell me where it hurts, and be specific." from the injury dialogue prompts?

Hi hi! This is so late because I got way too into this idea lmao thank you for enabling me to provide this nonsense for @thedasweekend

Rook dislocates her shoulder and goes to her resident necromancer for some medical assistance (and no other reason whatsoever.) Rook makes it weird. Pre-romance because the unaddressed sexual tension is hilarious, and I have a puckish side that will not be denied

Mature - 1,491 words

“Rook, are you sure you’re okay?” Neve emerged gracefully from the Vi’Revas, turning back to make sure Bellara and Rook were close behind.

“Oh, you know,” Rook laughed through a wince, “I’ll just need to lay down for a bit.”

“Rook. You fell off a building.” Neve’s tone expressed concern, but her eyes betrayed an amusement at how ridiculous their trip to Treviso ended up being. It was Bellara that had the idea to ambush the group of Venatori by catching air off of a zipline. It certainly caught them by surprise when Rook had overshot the landing and flew over the edge of the roof.

“It’s fiiiiiiine, Neve,” Rook dismissed. “I’m just happy that I landed in that cart of cabbages.” Neve was unconvinced; Rook seemed to be fine, but her mageknife arm has remained at her side since they dispatched the Venatori.

As the ladies made their way up the steps towards the main room of the library, Neve got an idea. “Hey, Rook,” she tossed her pen at Rook’s left side, “Catch!”

Rook reflexively reached out her hand to catch the pen. “Fuck—” she cried as her arm stalled out and the pen fell to the floor.

“Ah, yes, how silly of me to be concerned.”

“Ya know, Rook, you should really get your shoulder checked out,” Bellara chimed in. “I can stabilize injuries in a pinch, but I’m not a professional.” Rook rubbed her shoulder, feeling the odd angle that her bone jutted out. Perhaps this wasn’t an injury she could walk off after all.

Neve’s lips curled into a smirk. “Let’s go, Bellara— Rook has an appointment with our most enthusiastic healer.” Rook dramatically rolled her eyes as the two ladies split off towards the kitchen while she continued up the library stairs.

Rook hesitated to knock on the laboratory door. The ladies were right to tease her; Rook had flirted a few times with their resident necromancer, but she could not get a read on how he felt about it all. It started out as playful friendliness on her part, but she quickly found him to be an interesting man of superior intellect; it also helped that he was extremely easy on the eyes.

The sound of Manfred's feet clacking down the hallway snapped her out of her daydreaming. “Hiss!”

"Hiya, Manfred! How's my favorite boy doing?" Rook couldn’t help but smile as she patted the top of his skull. The second Emmrich revealed his skeleton assistant, she insisted he come along with them. Manfred had taken very quickly to her upon their arrival to the Lighthouse as well. They played many a game of Rock Paper Scissors, after all.

Manfred grabbed at Rook’s hand to lead her into the laboratory, as he always did, but Rook winced in pain. “Ah— Sorry, buddy, that’s why I’m here, actually.”

He stopped in his tracks, tilting his skull in confusion. “Hiss?”

Rook could hear Emmrich’s hurried footsteps down the stairs, clearly startled by the commotion. "Manfred, are you alright? I heard a shout— Oh, Rook! What might I do for you, my dear?”

“Hiss!” Manfred pointed at Rook’s arm.

“Hey, Emmrich,” Rook smiled. “Had a little mishap in Treviso and was wondering if you might be able to take a look at it.”

"Ah,” Emmrich clicked his teeth, “Of course, darling. Please show me where it hurts, and be specific." She gestured to her shoulder with her other hand. Emmrich ghosted his fingers over the bone, wincing as she flinched under his touch.

“Just so! Rook, your shoulder is almost certainly dislocated. Thankfully it appears to be a simple subluxation— if it were a full dislocation, this would have been much more unpleasant.”

“Soooo…. would you be able to pop it back in so I can get back into the field?”

Emmrich simply gestured for Rook to lay down on the exam table. She hesitantly hopped up onto the table and waited for instruction.

He stepped away for a second, returning with a small throw pillow. “Please lie down, if you would,” he instructed. As she laid her head down, Emmrich tapped the table gently next to her ear.

“Oh, thank you,” Rook blushed and lifted her head for him to gingerly slide the pillow under her.

Rook looked up at him through her lashes as he stood behind her head. From this angle, her mind wandered to dangerous places. It would be so easy for her to tilt her head back and open her mouth for him to use as he pleased. She was grateful that Emmrich couldn't read her mind.

"First thing's first, my dear," he asserted, "I must ensure your trapezius is as relaxed as possible. It would cause you more harm to attempt this while you are tense."

He reached over to grab some kind of massage oil, pouring a coin-sized amount onto his hands and rubbed them together to distribute it evenly. This was not how Rook had imagined this would go, but she certainly didn’t mind. “I’m going to touch you now,” he explained. “The oil might feel a tad warm.”

Come on, Rook, she pleaded with herself. Think about something unsexy.

All rational thought ceased completely as hands met skin. Whether it was something in this massage oil or whatever kind of magic he was imbuing his hands with, Rook felt the most delicious warmth spread through her muscles. He started at her neck, wrapping his delicate fingers around her throat. As his thumbs began to work the deep-set knots down the back of her neck, Rook fought the urge to sink into his touch.

“My word, these muscles are tight.”

“I appreciate you helping me out,” Rook admitted. “I owe you big time— Neve was practically ready to drag me back through the eluvian to see the Shadows’ medic.”

“Perish the thought, my dear. You do so much for us all, it’s the least I could do.”

His thumbs continued to rub circles into her neck— breathing steadily was becoming increasingly difficult. Emmrich must have sensed this, as he pulled his hands away. “Rook, I fear you aren’t relaxing. Perhaps it would help to do some breathing exercises.”

“Okay,” Rook exhaled, “How do I do that?”

“Oh, it’s quite simple. Just breathe through your nose, like so,” he demonstrated, “and out through your mouth.” As Rook began to do the same, Emmrich poured more oil onto his hands. She felt herself becoming lightheaded as her breathing remained shallow.

He tutted soothingly as he returned to his ministrations. “You’re breathing too quickly, my dear. I find it helps to count down in my head,” he suggested. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Rook felt her shoulders finally easing, her eyes closing as she surrendered to his touch. His hands started moving towards her front along the clavicles. “That’s it, darling. Slow. Deep.”

This is getting way too erotic, Rook thought as she rubbed her thighs together for some kind of relief. She could feel herself starting to blush across her chest as his hands continued further away from her shoulders. There was no way he didn’t know what he was doing to her, right? She searched his face for any indication of his intentions, but he appeared to be completely unfazed. Rook closed her eyes once more and tried to focus on the task at hand. The last thing she’d want to do is make him uncomfortable, especially while he was doing her a kindness. She had barely noticed as his left hand swiftly crossed over to meet with the other, working towards her injured shoulder. His right hand moved gently around the joint towards her back, and without warning he quickly snapped her shoulder back into place.

“Oh fuck—” Rook threw her head back as the most obscene moan escaped her lips. As she came back to herself, Rook saw the color had almost completely drained from Emmrich’s face. The professional composure had finally slipped— the sound of her pleasure practically bounced off the laboratory walls and straight to his cock. She thanked the Maker Himself that she was still eye-level with his quickly tightening trousers.

“My word,” he breathed. His hands were still holding onto Rook’s shoulder for dear life, as if to ground himself. He quickly removed them before he lingered too long. “I mean, that is to say, you should be all set now.”

Rook sat up and flexed her arm for signs of pain. “It feels good as new! Thank you again, Emmrich.”

“You are most welcome, darling. If you’re amenable, I would like to see you again— to ensure that nothing else needs to be done, of course.” Clearly still flustered, Emmrich retreated to find a cloth to wipe his oily hands on.

“Oh, you know me,” Rook smirked. “I’m sure I’ll find any excuse to come see you again.”

[darethshirals]

Thank you @themournfulwatcher for this 🖤

[darethshirals]

I’ve said it before n I’ll say it again:

Emmrich is perfect for old Hollywood screen-grab redraws

Reference under the cut

[darethshirals]

Love a good faceriding session that turns into 69, because you couldn't stay upright with how he's going at it.

When you're propping yourself up on his stomach and his cock is right in front of you, painfully hard and already leaking pre-cum... You might as well return his service, no?

[darethshirals]

Thinking of a man moaning "thank you" when he finally gets to cum inside 💕

[darethshirals]

Confession: I want to hear Emmrich struggling to read the passages off of a book on the fade while I suck him off