heniareth

[heniareth]

Granted I don't think there's anything wrong with enjoying media on a surface level. I think it's more boring to expect deep engagement and lengthy explanations from fans all the time. But also, you know, maybe avoid the critical tags if critique isn't your tempo. Or if negativity and confrontation makes your stomach hurt. 😭

[heniareth]

Do we know anything about how elves are treated in Nevarra? Is it safe to presume they they live in alienages like in southern Thedas, and when their magic is discovered, would the have the opportunity to join the Mortalitasi or is that reserved for Nevarran (human) nobility and an elf would be sent to the circle instead? This is one of the reasons I wish they didn't retcon the complex race relations in DATV. An elven Mourn Watch Rook feels like they could easily be the exception to the rule, given their unique origins as a foundling in the Necropolis, but reading the wiki page, I don't feel like there's any lore on what life is like for the general elven population of Nevarra.

Chantry law demands the existence of alienages. However, Nevarra is known to skirt the rules of the Chantry in other ways because of their unique culture around death, so it might be they have avoided the creation of alienages too? I can't find any mention of an alienage in Nevarra, but that does not mean they don't exist.

Except for a few outliers, every mage in Nevarra is part of the Mortalitasi in some way, serving as arcane protectors, priests, political advisors, and scholars, with their work depending on the fraternity they are a part of. Most mages are first put through the Circle of Magi for basic training, but there are couple examples of Mortalitasi keeping secret apprentices, like Sidony, or I suppose like Rook Ingellvar. (More I've written on the Mortalitasi here!)

Circling back to elven life in Nevarra though... we don't have a lot to go on. There is only really the elven character in the Tevinter Nights story, "Murder by Death Mages" to look at as a single example.

Cyrros laughed, and Sidony glared at the interruption. He was dressed as well as most of the noblemen here, almost as lavishly as Reinhardt. His thick, honey-coloured curls were slicked back in a way that almost fully hid the tapered point of his ears. An elf in such finery, mocking and touching a member of old Nevarran nobility, and no one batting an eye—this was someone welcomed with open arms and stacks of gold in circles fuelled by secrets and scandal.

Cyrros gained power and nobility through collecting and trading secrets of the nobility; he's kind of a Nevarran equivalent of an Orelsian Bard. But his introduction above does establish that it is rare to see an elf of such high social status.

—

SOURCES:

Codex entry: The City Elves (DA:O)

Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights - Murder by Death Mages

[heniareth]

Elom and the little bird

More comics over here

[heniareth]

I was reading earlier today about how, in Scandinavian folklore, the nomenclature that's usually rendered as "ring" in modern English can variously refer to bracelets, armlets, or torcs as well as to finger rings. It's usually clear from context which is intended, though there are some legendary "rings" whose form is not specified in surviving accounts.

This ambiguity is, of course, not present in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings; though the work and its titular object are inspired by these sagas, the One Ring is clearly described as a finger ring. However, my brain has seized upon the finger-ring-or-bracelet ambiguity and spontaneously produced an anachronistic 1990s teen movie version of The Lord of the Rings in which the One "Ring" is a cursed slap bracelet.

[heniareth]

i miss her like a mf...🚬

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hiii 💕 since you asked, 23 for the kiss meme c:

One good thing about Orlesian wine...

(or: when Kieran is finally asleep and Morrigan's back from a neverending ball)

Hi Mary, thank you so much for the prompt! I actually had two ideas for this prompt, I went for the wine moms first. :3 (I'll probably draw the other one later on)

kiss roulette meme

[heniareth]

Non Amazon book resources

Look, I know Amazon is a sensitive topic. It has been allowed to dominate the market, and for indie writers, it is a huge (if not their main) source of income. Personally, as an indie writer, I have tried to always keep my work available elsewhere (because you can't trust Amazon not to screw you over, I mean just look at Audible. For those who don't know, Audible royally fucks over authors, and the narrators don't do that great either). But even for me, the loss of Amazon sales would highly affect my ability to keep going without getting another job or three. So I get it. Nonetheless, they cannot be trusted not to drop queer writers and readers, so it's best to have alternatives now.

If you are a reader or an indie author looking for different platforms to buy and/or sell books, even if only to start branching out a little, here is a list.

I doubt it's comprehensive. Feel free to reblog with more.

Kobo and Kobo Plus -Kobo is the biggest online 'Zon alternative. Kobo Plus is sort of like KU. On either one, you get points for buying books and can use the points to get more books. Works for ebook and audiobooks. (And, if you have a non-Kindle ereader, it works for Kobo but it also works for like, fanfiction. I'm just saying. I got a refurbished Kobo a while ago and it's lovely.)

Bookshop.org -print as well as ebooks (authors, make sure you click "expanded distribution" on your bookselling platform of choice if you want your stuff for sale with Bookshop--which also benefits local bookstores!)

Smashwords/Draft2Digital - mostly ebooks but D2D does have a print option

Itch.io - ebook only (but gives a larger chunk of profits to authors than 'Zon does. Authors take note.)

Gumroad

Rainbow Crate -special edition print queer books. (I know there was some controversy with them but I am out of touch and don't know what it was, and most people who use them seem happy with them??? but if you know other queer/romance book crate services, lemme know)

The Ripped Bodice -brick and mortar stores but you can also shop online

Check out your local bookstores---many will order print copies for you if you request them

The authors' websites if they do direct sales

Barnes & Noble- yeah, it's a corporation and they are not great either, but it's not Amazon and sometimes a well-meaning relative gets you a gift card. And, for the moment, they do in fact sell queer romance and queer fiction. I know because I just used a gift card to get a paperback of The Prince and the Assassin. lol

Powell's Books- Portland's famous book store sells new and used books (and you can browse the stock online) --print only. They sell queer romance as well. I got a copy of Drag Me Up by RM Virtues there. That's not super relevant, but I was pleased :)

New link: Queer Books Weekly-- free and affordable books with queer protagonists

Tubby & Coos Bookshop: curates pocket bookstores featuring underrepresented voices

And from user @bobthebenevolentpirate (thank you!)

Giovanni's Room in Philadelphia was founded in 1973 and is “The Oldest & Very Best LGBTQ & Feminist Bookstore in the Country.” They ship to US addresses, but you can also email them about international shipping. The people who run it are lovely humans and have started providing harm reduction supplies/info to people to respond to the needs of the community! They deserve all the support

Also consider library books!

And for those in America--you can use library apps to read books. Yes, the authors still get paid! Libby is a big one. You can get audiobooks too, AND it can connect you with the Queer Liberation Library.

Also there is Hoopla - digital content

In Europe, I know there is Vivlio, which is French and I believe sells ereaders and also ebooks.

[heniareth]

making a new post bc the old one has lost traction so!

hi! my name is Leo, I'm a trans uni student who's been screwed over by student finance. slightly less screwed than before as they have updated my total but are still reducing 2k from what I should be getting!

It's under the minimum amount due to reductions, and I need 7.6k (not including £100 a month for bills (not including groceries etc!)) for my rent for the year. I have about £500 in my bank atm which is not enough to cover rent, bills or food for this month (by the 19th Dec) so any donations or reblogs would be greatly appreciated <3

my ko-fi

my paypal

commission info

[heniareth]

Genuinely kind people don't get enough credit. People seem to think that being nice is just a personality trait, but it's actually a commitment to treat people well, even when it's hard. It's not just being nice to the people you like.

It's choosing to be kind to people when you're in a bad mood, or when they're being annoying.

It's choosing to be kind to people who your friends don't like.

It's choosing to be kind to people who you don't particularly like.

It's choosing to be kind to people who you envy.

I'm not saying that you can't be a kind person and stand up for yourself, or tell someone to fuck off when they're doing something genuinely harmful, but there are a million petty reasons people use to justify treating people badly.

It is a conscious choice, made over and over, often several times a day, to treat people with kindness and respect, even when they make it hard. So appreciate the consistently kind people in your life, because they work hard to be that way, and they really don't have to.

[heniareth]

desegregate all sports now. no more gendered sports. its stupid

if you absolutely must, in primarily muscle force-based sports, create competitive classes like in boxing except separated by body comp, not just pure body weight. i mean, if you must. this will eliminate any tiny advantages in muscle mass. some will say basketball should have height classes but frankly some of the NBA's most impressive players were not tall so idk that this actually matters ever

the primary athletic impediment to all women is overwhelmingly cultural and psychological. i have won probably half the physical competitions with cis men that i have engaged in, friendly or otherwise. even without the benefit of a lifetime of people trying to make me throw or hit balls, i have won wrestling matches, sparring matches, funny backyard foam sword fights, video games, equestrian activities, dance, endurance tests of various kinds, etc. i'm small and weak. men think theyre stronger and more skilled than they are, women think the opposite about themselves

humans just arent that differently-sized or -shaped, as a species. we have almost no sexual dimorphism at all compared to the vast majority of other mammals.

animals that have similar levels of sexual dimorphism to humans, for example cats, dogs, and horses, do not generally have competitive events segregated by sex. the dog agility trials dont normally have separate leagues for male and female dogs (gendered competitions exist they're just unusual). because it doesnt matter. there is no kentucky derby 2 just for girl horses. thats not a thing

remove all gendered categories from online shopping websites and universalize clothing and shoe sizing. im sick of having to search two entirely different sections of ebay when im just trying to find a nice velvet loafer in size 39 EU. what the hell is "women's clothing"

[heniareth]

Cowboy who introduces himself by telling you often and hard he cries feels like a tumblr text post

[heniareth]

why did you just touch me with a 10ft pole

[heniareth]

evanescence bring me to life and britney spears toxic are sisters to me

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[heniareth]

the type of "cozy game" I'm most familiar with is the soothing ambient abstract puzzle game, abstraction is another ideology-distancing tactic. and again, in that absence of explicit textual representation you're made to focus on the act itself and what the game is presenting to us as etherially satisfying

I played hexcells recently because im on a big minesweeper kick, it's so nonrepresentational that it eschews the language of mines and flags altogether. but that absence draws attention to it, it's a choice that makes me wonder why minefield imagery was the norm for this set of mechanics in the first place, and the fact that the game is lowkey way less compelling for just being about "marking cells" is super interesting to me, what are the mistakes to me, then? what happens when I click wrong? the game's active denial of urgency or peril in its text and overwhelming monolithic ambient aesthetic makes it feel hollow, and the fact that it punishes your mistakes at all feels arbitrary. maybe it's still mines and I'm just a worker in some distant office building controlling a surveying probe with an interface that disguises my purpose

[heniareth]

our franchise is so progressive and class-aware and culturally conscious. we focus on the Real struggles of the common people. and we make sure our dilemmas are always rooted in complex socioeconomics and never in anything so petty as Good and Evil. we only ask the hard hitting questions. such as Do The Mentally Ill Deserve to Live? or Does The State Have a Point About Enforced Eugenics? or Is Genocide Acceptable If The Victims Are Unpleasant To Be Around? or my personal favorite: What If This Society That Has Been Caricaturized By The Dominant Colonialist Religion As Being Bloodthirsty Savages And Conquering Invaders Is Actually Inherently Warlike, Violent, and Xenophobic In The Exact Ways The Dominant Colonialist Religion Has Claimed?

with special guest star Every Woman On The Planet Only Fit Into Four Categories (Madonna, Whore, Child, or Madonna But With A Sword) and recurring character Black Woman You Should Never Listen To Because Trust Me Bro

[heniareth]

observation: among a certain subset of tumblr users, the term “blorbo” has become unchic, but the concept it describes is still important; and so it has been replaced with “The Character”