#david gaider the stolen throne

[pumpkincalico]

Maric just shrugging off a cryptic warning Flemeth gave him about a man he just met not 3 days ago will never not be funny-

[kaziaxd]

David Gaider writing women is so weird (bad). Like Rowan, for example. Most of the time, he treats her like any of his male characters because she's a knight fighting on the battlefield etc., which works fine.

But sometimes, he's like ah shit. I need to remind the audience that she's female. So I'll make her *spins wheel* be jealous of Maric for him *spins wheel* saving a woman from being raped. That's a normal response for a woman to have, right?

[emeraldforestraven]

I’m currently reading the Dragon Age books (I know, I know…very late to the party haha). I haven’t read a lot of them yet, only finished The Stolen Throne the other day and started the Calling a few days ago.

And eventhough I really don’t regret reading them, especially since they really add to your perspective and knowledge and can be quite entertaining when it comes to the dialogue…please tell me they get better over time?

Any opinions here on the books? Did you enjoy reading them? Do you have a favorite? (No hardcore spoilers though please!)

[thebaldursmouthgazette]

I’m trying to read the books for lore purposes but the trouble is they are not good

[dorkofclanlavellan]

I've finally gotten through reading The Stolen Throne and am several chapters into The Calling. (It takes me forever to finish books ever since video games took over as my form of escapism/dissociation.

Why the fuck does Gaider use the word belatedly so much?

[elevanetheirin]

Rowan and Loghain from The Stolen Throne, rough sketch

[transmasc-tabris]

.

[himluv]

DA Review Series: Asunder

I'm back with another review, and finally breaking into NEW territory for me! While I've read all the graphic novels, I had not read Asunder, The Masked Empire, or The Last Flight before this summer!

<<< Previous Review: Until We Sleep

Title: Asunder Author: David Gaider Publication Year: 2011 In-World Year: ~9:40 Dragon Verdict: This was my first time reading Asunder and it is HANDS DOWN required reading if you're a DA fan. There is so much lore and politics and it not only sets up Cole's origins and the state of the Seekers, but also gives us closure on Wynne and Shale. And it is by far the best of Gaider's books. An undeniably important entry in the series.

Asunder takes place not long after the end of Dragon Age II, in the Orlesian Circle of Magic called The White Spire. We meet so many important figures in this book! Divine Justina, Knight-Captain Evangeline, Senior Enchanter Rhys, Lord Seeker Lambert, and of course, Cole.

Basically, things are not going well in the Spire. Tensions are at an all-time high between the Mage's and the Templars, and a recent attack on the Divine by a rogue mage has brought the Seekers of Truth to the tower to investigate.

To make matters worse, there is a killer loose in the tower, and the only suspect is Rhys, a respected Spirit Mage. Rhys knows who the actual killer is, but knows no one will believe his story about the sad, invisible boy who can make people forget.

So, Rhys is eventually taken into custody for the murders. He's convinced he will rot away, neglected in the tower's prison, but is surprised to learn that he's needed for a mission to Adamant Fortress. And that his mother, Wynne — hero of the Fifth Blight — has requested his presence.

So, along with the Knight-Captain Evangeline and Wynne's stone golem companion, Shale, Rhys heads to the Western Approach, with Cole following at a safe distance. Once there they meet an elven mage who has reversed his Tranquility via spirit possession.

Knowing what the mages might discover, Lord Seeker Lambert has sent Evangeline with orders to keep the Chantry's secret at any cost. But Evangeline is not a monster, and she believes that Circles should be sanctuaries, not prisons. She agrees to escort Wynne and company directly to the Divine, disobeying the Lord Seeker's orders.

From there things escalate quickly. Wynne sends news to every Circle that the Rite of Tranquility can be reversed, and across Thedas mages vote for their independence from the Chantry.

The Seekers and Templar try to quash this "rebellion" at the White Spire, but Cole kills the Lord Seeker and the mages flee to the Western Approach. And so begins the Mage-Templar war that is raging at the start of Inquisition.

Asunder is a direct prequel to Inquisition, and explains SO MUCH about the state of Thedas before the Conclave. It provides so much context that I didn't even know I was missing, and it was honestly REALLY GOOD.

I zoomed through this book, the tension was great throughout, and I loved all of the characters. Like... I liked it so much I began to question if David Gaider actually wrote it. Which is unfair to Gaider, I suppose. He definitely levelled up from The Stolen Throne to Asunder, so credit where it's due.

Basically, I highly recommend Asunder if you haven't read it yet. There's great world-building, politics, and crunchy lore to gnaw on.

[vigilskeep]

do you ever get the impression that cassandra had a bigger role in the game(s) but due to retcons and a cut dlc she was reduced to a seeker who likes romance novels? she showed up in kirkwall with a number of subordinates, clearly had authority and was someone important, but in inquisition she is just a companion who is also "right hand of the divine," whatever that means. i really feel like she was intended to be a more major character, probably an antagonist, but isn't.

i don’t think cassandra was ever intended to be an antagonist, except in the way she performs that role at the start of the framing device in da2. we’re supposed to identify with cassandra in da2 as she is slowly won over by the romance of hawke’s story. that’s not a character we’re intended to fear later. she also shows up at the end with beloved good-aligned companion leliana, which despite leliana’s behaviour during seb’s personal quest, would still feel like a baffling choice for an antagonist setup. the interrogation ends with both varric and cassandra wishing each other the maker’s protection during these grim times. we’re meant to feel like there’s a real problem cass is trying to deal with and needs help for

you’re right that the cut exalted march dlc is worth mentioning. it’s hard to say how which way that would have turned the narrative, but it seems hard to believe we’d end up with the divine’s death and the ensuing inquisition portrayed as they are now. cass wasn’t already canonised as a hand of the divine back then, was she? i don’t know if she would have been involved, especially as da2 specifically sets her up for the inquisition

but i think there’s a much simpler way to explain cassandra’s diminished character in dai: she suffers under the curse of the Gaider Woman

david gaider’s dao prequel novel, the stolen throne, introduces us to the textbook Gaider Woman. this is rowan guerrin, maric’s warrior fiancée, who you won’t remember from dao because after having cailan, she died of Dead Mother Disease. it’s a tough life out there in fiction. anyway, rowan is a warrior fighting for her country’s freedom, who immediately gets pulled into an absurd love square, struggles with her feminine side including putting on a dress to try to win her man over, and at the end of the novel, coming to the conclusion that her purpose is to provide a soft comfort to her king when the world becomes too much: “perhaps this was what queens did. perhaps they held their kings in the darkness, deep within their castles and allowed them that moment of weakness they could never show to anyone else. perhaps they gave strength to their kings, because everyone else only took it from them.” (she arrives at this directly after he murders his other girlfriend and she has to comfort him about it. yes, that’s as insane as it sounds. don’t read the stolen throne.)

anyway, the author of this book is the man who wrote cassandra, a fact which i guessed before i even looked it up. why is her violence never taken seriously as a threat or problem? why must she have a softer, more feminine side? why must the narrative constantly congratulate itself for giving you a Strong Woman? because the way cassandra is written is simply how david gaider feels about women. she’s a cookie cutter example of how he writes them, rowan’s far from the only other one

i think plain old misogyny is far closer at hand than retcons in creating the cassandra we ended up with. and also the changes in how dragon age wants to deal with the chantry, which is separated from the templars and not a credible threat in itself but a handful of bickering old women who cannot do anything effectively (You’ll Never Guess What Gender It’s Run By And What Gender The Templars Are)

[notebooks-and-laptops]

I think that Bioware should have let me write The Stolen Throne based on a pitch by David Gaider because I think I would have done a better job of it than he did

[ham-of-despair]

dragon age novels...

The leap in quality between The Stolen Throne (utter dookie), The Calling (occasionally compelling slop) and Asunder (one of the most beautiful stories to come out of the DA franchise) is so jarring. David Gaider the surprising little cretin that you are

Also why are you obsessed with giving your handsome male characters multiple female love interests to fight over him? Aren't you gay? What do you want from us?

[kaziaxd]

Just started reading the stolen throne and initial thoughts are that david gaider is incapable of writing strong women without them being dead or about to die

[idlenight]

Top 9 People You Want to Get to Know Better

thank you @glitchy-npc for tagging me <3

tagging @aurrieattorney @spectrealenko @themelonlad @side-stepping @silvery-bluish @just-a-tiny-goldfish @gingerbreton @the-cooler-sidestep. My apologies if you already got tagged recently, either way do this if you want to or not, I ain't forcin ya.

favorite color: these days it's yellow!

currently reading: the monster of the week rulebooks. As for actual books i've been trying to get past chapter 4 of the Stolen Throne by David Gaider (a dragon age book) it's... rough going.

last song: Two Week World by the Garages

last series: uhhh either Heartstopper s2 or Good Omens s2? I can barely get myself to watch things I seriously want to watch. Only watched these because my sister guiltripped me into it with a sad little pout.

sweet, savory, or spicy?: Savory <3

currently working on: fuck budy what am I not working on. I got destiny fics floating half finished, a few fhr art wips. But currently right now right this second that I'm taking a short break on to do this is my MoTW preperation for tonight... which... is in 30 minutes haha i'm in danger.

[villainanders]

Taking an aesthetic photo of someone holding a book in a mildly sensual way but when you look closely the book is DRAGON AGE: THE STOLEN THRONE by David Gaider

[saitessa]

Tagged by: @sybbi 💕

Last Song: Arthur's Theme (Best You Can Do) by Christopher Cross

Currently Watching: Rewatching the og ATLA 🥰

Currently Reading: The Stolen Throne by David Gaider and Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell

Sweet/Savoury/Spicy: Savoury

Relationship Status: Single

Current Obsessions: Ace Attorney since I've been replaying Apollo Justice now that it's on Switch, and Baldur's Gate 3

Last Thing I Googled: Mark McGurl The Program Era Summary

Currently Working On: Tweaking a fiction piece for an upcoming symposium.

Tagging: @maddiemiran @midnight-clover @noodle-artist

[blossom-adventures]

Summer Reading/Writing/Arting Tag!

I’ve been tagged by the lovely @thequeenofthewinter to take part in this tag game, thank you for the tag my dear friend ☺️💙

I’m going to offer this to anyone who wants to do it, but I will also personally tag… @andywinter16 @bostoniangirl21 @bougainvillea-and-saltwater @miraakulous-cloud-district @seradyn @wispstalk @savage-rhi and @hauntedadagium as is customary with my tags in these sorts of games, there is absolutely no pressure to do them yourself, and I hope you’re all having a good day 💙🌸

1) Describe one creative WIP project you’re planning to work on over the summer. Just one! *looks over to the list I have of current WIPs…* Ummmm… ok I’m in the early drafting of a new FFXV fic, it’s an OC fic, still currently untitled. My OC - Violet - is twin sister to Gladio, she is set to inherit the title of Marshal from Cor, so he trains her a lot more than most others. There are 2 main relationships that I’m going to be including in this fic, the first is OC x Nyx (I was going to do this as an OC x Ignis fic but I find it far easier to write Iggy as a friend) and Cor x Titus Drautos. Titus is going to be a major character in the story for various reasons (but not the main one that FFXV fans know him for, this version of Titus is not going to be Glauca, I have a lot of plans for that 😉)

2) Recommend a book. I must admit I haven’t read a book for ages! I need to start on Dawn of the Future, I might read that this summer 🤔 so I will recommend, The Stolen Throne, by David Gaider, I always seem to end up recommending this, but it’s so good! I really enjoyed reading it, it’s a Dragon Age novel but I think, it could be read by non Dragon Age fans, it’s a prequel to the main game series

3) Recommend a fic! Winter’s fics, both In The Midst of Winter and An Invincible Summer are absolutely amazing Skyrim fics, and the latter is one of the few I’m currently up to date with, the only other I’m currently up to date with is Twin Of The Chosen King, by rosapagina on AO3 it’s an OC x Nyx story that I’m really enjoying right now! I would love to recommend more and the lovely people I’ve tagged to play this game all have great stories and I wish I could recommend all of them, honestly, there are such talented people writing fan fics right now!

4) Recommend music! Hey I’m going to be predictable! The soundtrack for Final Fantasy 15 is absolutely incredible, it has so much variety, it goes from really quiet and emotional strings and piano (Somnus - Instrumental) all the way up to metal and disco/rave stuff, it’s stunning!

5) Share one piece of advice! If you don’t have inspiration to write, don’t force it! Otherwise it will turn out bad and it will annoy you, trust me, the last month has proven that to me