#dragon gargoyles

[lairofdragonagelore]

Ferelden: Redcliffe - Future

Main quest:  In Hushed Whispers

As we explore the castle and save our companions from the future, we explore corridors with a series of statues that make little sense. It only seems to be reasonable once we learn this future has no Veil, and this is how it looks like the Waking World with the Fade, fused one another, under the god Corypheus. I imagine the corridors reflect or have elements from the Fade, or from what the Fade reflects of this place.

This post has compiled the most relevant information during the main quest for completion’s sake. These quests have little “archaeological” value, but since I’m visually covering the majority of the game, I can’t put them aside since there are some exceptions, such as the Temple of Mythal.

[This is part of the series “Playing DA like an archaeologist”]  

Along the corridors of the Redcliffe Castle, we find andrastian statues such as maferath crying on the sword [1], andraste variations [1], the Man holding bigger head [2], Tevinter diapason-like artefacts [3], and alamarri mabaris clipped with skulls [4,5]

Avvar heads [1], Tevinter banenrs with glyphs [2], strange clipping combinations of different assets to pretend to create a new one [3], sacrificial altars [3,5,6], dragon gargoyles [4], more Tevinter artefacts [7] and classic keepers of fear [8].

More artefacts appear by the end of the castle: upside-down artefact of Temple of Dumat  [1], torture devices [2], more avvar heads or Eroded dragon skull [3], Maferath statues and Keepers of Fear [4], Andraste in Ferelden style [5] and Free Marches statues with alamarri mabaris clipped with skulls [6].

I found it curios that this universe is an abomination in Solas’ opinion, so I guess he has in mind something different for the future of Thedas when he destroys the Veil.

Trying to reach the outside of the castle, we see more of these strange clipped statues and in the darkest corner, we see the unusual statue of Beheaded ram-man.

Some rooms display Andraste iconography of her life and more Ferelden items. In this case, they display Templar rugs. Rugs are something to question, since we keep seeing Inquisition rugs and carpets in places where there is no way they could be there. So in general, my conclusion about rugs is not to pay them too much attention, so maybe I may have done a mistake in Emerald Graves: Din'an Hanin with doing such a extreme analysis over a damned rug, lol.

We find the codex A prayer, where we are again suggested to connect darkness with Blight. There is an implication that the Old Gods were gods at some point, but not anymore, and the Maker was always invented. One can suspect this prayer is based on Corypheus’ knowledge shared to his subjects.

The art of clipping artefacts: diapason-like artefacts in combination with a sacrificial altar and some red lyrium. In this room there are Tevinter urns too.

We see again Man holding bigger head statue and two stylised dogs, both Orlesian statues.

Here we find an angry Leliana, changed and transformed due to the torture. We learn she is also immune [or resistant] to Red Lyrium, like Seekers are. This implies lore-wise that Leliana may have been touched by a spirit at some point in her life. 

Once more, we have another character in DA series who speaks this line so similar to Flemeth/Myhtal: “I’ve suffered, the whole world suffered. It was real”

Red Lyrium

When we meet Fiona, we see she is half  a vein of red lyrium. Later, we see Templar in similar ways along the castle. A creature become a vein of red lyrium  just by exposure. This implies that the spread of the Red Lyrium has doom connotations. So far, we don’t know how to rend it inert, and it infects by mere exposure, living creatures as well as objects. It’s a disease even worse than the Blight which can be contained if living creatures are blocked from an area.

We are given several bits of info about the nature of the red lyrium. Dorian question if it’s a disease as the Blight, that only affects living creatures. This red lyrium seems to affect things and objects as well, growing out of them.

Exterior

Now, having the interpretation of this statue of the Faceless figure holding a crown  as the Maker, makes this cinematic angle even more dramatic, with a gigantic Andraste, shattered, trying to reach down to the Maker.

Solas informs us that there is no Veil in this world, so all the non-physical situations we are seeing, the nonsense of the statues in the corridors seem to be justified. 

Now without Veil, we make sense of the mixed sculptures we saw in the corridors, reflection and reality overlapping each other. As we go up looking for Alexius, we keep seeing strange statues, like Keepers of fear

We reach to a place where we can explore more corridors heading to Alexis. This particular set seems to be carefully done to imply something:  The Maker with red Lyrium, the Andraste warrior, the Blocky bearded humanoid [which seems to be in the shadows] and this Adonis human statue.

When we reach Alexius’ chamber, we see an Elven Ancient Shard-based door. It’s impossible to know if it was taken from an ancient tomb or its a reflection of the Fade and overlapped with the reality. Curiously, this door requires red lyrium-based shards. 

[farm-grown-queer]

Oohhhh my fucking god

[moldspace]

made some silly funny vases recently

[aizel-kon]

All the covers I painted for “Deal With a Demon” series by Katee Robert so far. More to come!  ┬┴┬┴┤( ͡° ͜ʖ├┬┴┬┴ Just something for my monster appreciators 

[cemeterything]

holy shit theres dragonology merch

[calicobigamy]

Essence of a Babygirl (a tumblr joke essay)

Babygirl, the term has spiked in popularity, but what is a babygirl? Is the term a bit more complicated than at first glance? What is the essence of a babygirl? Today I will be answering these questions. 

Urban dictionary describes babygirl as thusly:

“A term used towards grown fictional men who have the fandom in a loving chokehold.”

A Mashable article titled The internet's 2022 horny dictionary defines babygirl as

“... a term of endearment for when a man is being cute, comfortable in his masculinity, or weak in an evocative way.”

These descriptions are wholesome. They create an avenue of masculinity that can be vulnerable and attractive at the same time. A term for a type of masculinity that creates room for a multi-dimensional character in fiction. Various fictional characters have been affectionately dubbed as “babygirls”. One of the most well known being Leon Kennedy from the Resident Evil franchise. 

However the term is also used to describe characters that are remarkably not wholesome. Characters like Izzy Hands, played by Con O’Neil from the incredible show written by David Jenkins called Our Flag Means Death and Marvel’s Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, have been called babygirls. This must indicate a spectrum of “babygirlness” that scales from wholesome to not wholesome. 

A good babygirl can be seen at a glance, but what makes these other characters part of that babygirl spectrum on the negative side? As my colleague (@robogart) and I studied the issue we realized that negative babygirlness included more nuance. 

We created a study group to determine what attributes make up a bad babygirl. Included in our study was: Izzy Hands (Our Flag Means Death), Gal Dukat (Deep Space 9), David Xanathos and Oberon (Gargoyles), Anders (DA2), Yami Bakura (Yugi-oh, 4kids Production), King of All Cosmos (Katamari), Patches (Fromsoft), Ratagin (Great Mouse Detective), and the Six Fingered Man (Princess Bride). 

The five characteristics that we found amongst all of the babygirls we picked from various media were: being decidedly not wholesome, pathetic, emotionally unhinged and dastardly, but all in all containing some kind of charm. 

We went through and put all of our babygirls to the test with our system. The results were surprising, with Izzy Hands coming out decidedly less babygirl than we predicted and Ratagin being the epitome of babygirlness. 

What did these tests show about babygirlness on a whole? The spectrum ranges from morally good characters to bad, but all share a few common traits. However they express their vulnerabilities, either as completely unhinged or emotionally accessible, we as the audience are captivated and find “their weakness evocative”. Another aspect that is continuous through the spectrum of babygirlness, whether good or bad, is that a babygirl is secure in his masculinity however he chooses to express it. Babygirls on either end of the spectrum do end up having a “loving chokehold on their fandom”. Those people in the fandom are not necessarily of quantity, but of quality. Especially for the baby girls on the “bad” end of the spectrum. 

In conclusion a babygirl can be summed up as a fictional male character that is evocative in his vulnerability and at the same time confident in his masculinity regardless of his moral compass.

Co-Written with @robogart

THANK YOU FOR READING ALL THE WAY TO THE END OF THIS SILLY LITTLE ESSAY!

Please feel free to copy and paste the bad babygirl diagram and see where you babygirls fit!! I am excited to see your favorites!!

[kohltrast]

drew my sona!!

[leftski-art]

Finally getting around to sharing my character for a Pathfinder campaign I'm currently part of!

He's a Gargoyle Bloodrager who drowned at sea and was later resurrected by the goddess who resides within it to act as her emissary

[shadowpuppetteer]

Ghostbusters

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

What We Do In The Shadows

Gargoyles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

American Dragon Jake Long

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

(and pretty much the rest of the Marvel Universe) Ok, is there a name for this trope of urban fantasy being specifically located in New York? #locationstropes

[tearblossom]

The past few days I've been doing nothing but reading this series and the sex scenes contained therein lol.

Here's my very blunt review. Sorry if tmi but I'm a woman of few words.

[dianthusandhisreds]

「 ✦ 𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕦𝕤 𝕒𝕤 𝕒 𝕓𝕠𝕪𝕗𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟙 ✦ 」

𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓾𝓪𝓰𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓭𝓲𝓼𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓪𝓯𝓯𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷:

♡ Malleus, like the dragon (fae) he is, is very fond of collecting/hoarding small trinkets or things he finds interesting, like his “pet” Gao-Gao Drakon-kun. It comes so natural to him that he believes everyone must feel that way, so expect him to shower you with gifts at every chance he gets.

♡ He also enjoys going on long walks with you in the middle of the night (he loves seeing you ramble on about the things you are interested in); so you often find yourself joining him on a stroll in the warmer part of the botanical garden in wintertime.

On that note, if he notices that you are cold, he’ll immediately suggest going somewhere warmer or he’ll cast a spell to warm you up.

♡ As for (public) displays of affection, Malleus is the kind of man who will ask you for permission before kissing you on the lips, often kissing your hand or forehead instead. As for hugs, you and him will probably have long cuddling sessions on your couch while you watch TV or while you game/read.

𝓗𝓲𝓼 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓼:

♡ He’ll be ecstatic if you ask him about his favourite places or gargoyles, especially the latter. Hoo boy, better get ready for a lengthy lesson about them, their use, their evolution through history… You get the drill.

♡ The thing is, you can’t really stop him. I mean, look at this guy, his eyes light up every time someone shows even the slightest interest on his tastes. He’s just, so, happy. Why bother yourself with buying lightbulbs when you have a gleeful Malleus illuminating the whole room?

Speaking of which, after repeatedly telling Malleus he can come and visit you at Ramshackle whenever he wants to (as long as it’s not at an ungodly hour in the morning), he starts coming over all the time.

At first, he’ll look very awkward, just standing there in the middle of your living room, unsure what to do. Eventually though, he will warm up to his surroundings, and kind of make himself at home: popping in just to say hi; chatting with the ghosts, helping you out in the kitchen…

𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵 𝓪 𝓫𝓲𝓽 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷:

♡ To be honest, Malleus isn’t really good at knowing what to do or what to say when you are not doing well, but he’ll try his best because I mean, he’s going to be king, if he can’t help the one he loves, how is he going to aid his future subjects?

♡ He would usually ask Lilia for help, but because the old bat is emotionally constipated and just shrugs off his problems until people overblot , he decides to ask Trey or Deuce, as he knows you three get along.

♡ For the most part he’ll just hold your hand and draw circles on your back (if you are feeling like it) while he softly whispers reassurances in your ear. He doesn’t mind having to repeat words of encouragement over and over if it means that someday, you’ll believe them. After all, you have helped him numerous times, so what kind of person (?) would he be if he just left you suffering like that?

[lairofdragonagelore]

Orlais: Shrine of Dumat

A Shrine of Dumat was built in Northern Orlais. Apparently many came here to pray to Dumat, and received answers.

This post has compiled the most relevant information during the main quest for completion’s sake. Most of the time these quests have little “archaeological” value, but since I’m visually covering most of the game, I can’t put them aside since some of them are key in the lore and in terms of objects, statues and ruins, such as the Temple of Mythal.

[This is part of the series “Playing DA like an archaeologist”]  

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore ]

Siding with Templars

Side quest: Under Her Skin

We are introduced to this quest trying to understand what Calpenia is doing with a slave merchant located in Val Royeaux. When we enter to his house, we see a gore scene which, after being explored, allows us to find a crystal that dagna will research later: a crystal of memories.

Here we are introduced for the first time to this device: It preserves memories: voices and some rudimentary images of a given moment. We are not told what or how these crystals are made of, but with its blue glow we can suspect it’s lyrium-based. Dagna will add that this is a device that shapers use in Orzammar, so we have more suspicions about the object being made of lyrium: we know that the shapers record the memories in the Shaperate using lyrium.

I found it quite interesting because it means that lyrium, treated in some way, can carry memories.  This has a potential correlation with the lyrium and its song, and with the codex of  A Flowering Imago [check it in Ancient Elven codices; Vir Dirthara], where one can interpret it that Uthenera and pools such as the Well of Sorrows [DAI] or the “The Well” [DAO, Ruins of Brecilian Forest ] are related to the preservation of memories, and they may be related to lyrium as well.

Thanks to the crystal, we find a memory of Calpenia with Corypheus, where she asks permission to prepare to become a vessel at the Shrine of Dumat, but Corypheus forbids her. This makes Leliana suspect that there is something in this shrine that may break the relationship between Corypheus and Calpenia.

We investigate the shrine and we find it at the North of Orlais.

When we have access to the shrine, we find a very interesting comment from Cole: he speaks of an old pain. He usually refers to elven pain as such. The most interesting detail is that he refers to the Old God of Dumat as “something that listened until it didn’t”.  He doesn’t speak of gods or spirits as he usually comments during the Jaws of Hakkon. It’s the only hint we have about the nature of the Old Gods: they are “something [which potentially means that it is not a spirit] that listened”.

The shrine is pretty interesting. It has many Tevinter objects we saw before in Coracavus or the Still Ruins:

To enumerate the most relevant ones: the Tevinter artefact with spikes or the Artefact of Temple of Dumat.

All over the place there are many dragon heads which seem to activate a defence system, summoning demons from the Fade. 

Inside, we have two levels.  

Before exploring the levels, we can see a red crystal standing out from the general room: a memory crystal.  We have seen before that memory crystals are blue, assuming they are made of lyrium somehow. Here, we find these versions that give us more confidence in believing these artefacts are truly made of lyrium: these red ones can be "infected crystals" that belong to Corypheus,  of Corypheus simply imitated  the technique to create analogous ones with red lyrium [we know that Tevinter has a talent for arcane imitation and appropriation]. 

On the superior level we find two objects: an inspector and a Sacrificial altar. In a semi-hidden room when we head deep into the shrine, we find a place that looks like a storage/library room: it has these scarab-like lamps that here are clearly shown as tools for illumination, and several containers with the symbols of the sun, plus a scroll-library where another memory crystal is stored.

On the lower level, we find a lot of rubble. One of the Tevinter artefact with spikes is covered in rubble

and there are several Tevinter urns

From the lower level we can walk upstairs to reach a bigger chamber

where we see a big diapason-like object. Over it, there is an “injector” glowing in green, which again, I suppose it’s something reacting or containing Fade-like magic. The base of this object is just a small table, with a red memory crystal

At the sides of this small chamber we can find doors we didn’t see before, which have a rhombus on its top, and big hinges that resemble snake scales. As usual, Tevinter design is always pointy and dark-metal based.

One of the most interesting things, lore-wise, of this shrine are these crystals which trigger the quest  Corypheus's Memories. We find out that Corypheus recorded some words, maybe to remind to himself. The total compilation and set of conclusions and truths that can be drawn from there are presented in the following list:

Corypheus’ memories

Awake, in a world twisted into perversion and ruin. Awake, only to discover the light of wisdom has gone black. Samson has failed. But Calpernia stands ready.

Corypheus truly awoke like we saw him in DA2: confused and unaware of the time that had passed. He dismiss and detests the current state of the world.

This is what makes him change his goal now.  

We see here the reinforcement of what he did in Haven: In DA2 he awoke after the breach of the Fade by the seven Magisters, and realised that the gods did not exist. He kept asking for help to Dumat during the last combat against Hawke, in a last desperate action. Dumat’s silence only reinforced his certainty that there are no gods. Now, in Inquisition, we see he had time to process this sudden loss of faith, and his goal now is to become a god for the “good” of people.  In his “Tevinter” way, of course. He is looking for power, but also to fill a vacuum that he knows is too hard to handle for mortals.

I recited the old verses. How easily they come, even after so long a slumber. Yet still I do not feel the presence of Dumat - hear no whispers, no commands. Silence has fallen.

Probably this line comes from the time after surviving the final fight in DA2. He is still trying to reach Dumat, but he only hears silence.

How does this age stand such desolation? They sing to a "Maker" who answers no prayers. Once I have ascended, I will be their answer. I will be their light.

He acknowledges the nonsense that the Maker is. He wants to be a god to be the light that humanity, and Thedas, needs. Again, I like to highlight this fact because the game repeats it several times. Corypheus is an awful char but his motivations are not only and exclusively power-hungry based. There is something of “being the God that humanity deserves” that motivates him. Again, in his Tevinter way.

Calpernia prepares to set foot in the place where regret dwells. To bring it into the light. She cannot know what must be done. Cannot understand. In time, she will forgive.

He is well aware of the artefact “Well of Sorrows” or “where the regret dwells”. I suspect this knowledge must have come with the usage of the Orb, unless ancient Tevinter knew that much about Evanuris and Ancient Elves.

He says he needs Calpenia to become the vesel of the well to “bring it to the light”. Once more, he is well aware of the servant condition that is forced upon the drinker of the well. And once more, I assume this knowledge came to him due to the orb.

The Anchor has been stolen, by a stripling. I shall descend on this Haven with fire and fury and take it back. Let us see what manner of "Herald" this age has bred.

He recorded this memory before attacking Haven; he still thinks that he can remove the anchor.

Did the others never return from the Black City? There is no record even of our names! We are vilified by legend. They spit on our deeds and claim we brought darkness into the world. We discovered the darkness. We claimed it as our own, let it permeate our being. If the others have not returned, they are lost. I am alone in my glory.

This line is very significant: He seems to perceive himself as the only survivor of the breach of Fade. 

When I read this line, I found some ironical parallel, to some degree, between the Sidereal Magisters and Fen’Harel: they ended up being written in history in a similar way: they did something that had not terrible intentions [the Magisters wanted to know why the Old Gods had gone silent, and Solas wanted to stop the Evanuris from destroying the whole world], but the means used to reach that goal were brutal, and after centuries, the story reminds them, when it does, as villains.

Here we also see a reinforcement of the relationship The Blight= darkness. Corypheus explains here what he announced in Haven: they found no gods in the Black City, and instead, they found darkness [the Blight] that embraced it. This implies that they turned into these high darkspawn on their own volition.

A slave girl who burned with potential, ignored by all save myself. Her master did not see it. No one saw it. This world has gone craven and blind.

I’m not sure what kind of gift Corypheus is refering to that Calpenia has. I suppose it’s her ability to become a vessel.

The next chamber is a place where we see three injectors pointing to a platform, several dragon gargoyles, Artefact of Temple of Dumat and the objects I called “Water dispenser”, which name seems even more ridiculous in this room. Clearly we can’t trust this object as something always related to water.

In the middle there is a platform where a Tevinter Magister is kept captive. It’s made of the hexagonal figure of two dragons eating one another.

We meet the scholar magister, calpenia’s ex owner, who is the one who knows most about Old Gods in all the empire. He starts talking about a light, and then he says “he came down in fire and splendour”. It’s such a vague line that it could apply to any Old God since most of them returned doing this as archdemons. He knows about the deal of the vessel, and we are informed that the vessel role is something made by Corypheus because he can bind souls into obedience as he has done with this magister.

Siding with Mages

Side quest: Before the Dawn

The whole Shrine of Dumat is reused if we side with the mages and go after Samson in the quest given by Cullen.

When we side with mages, we learn more about Red Lyrium than Corypheus:

Samsom is wearing a red lyrium armour that should have killed him. It seems he is extremely resistant to red Lyrium [maybe he has a similar immunity that Leliana?] It is implied that this resistance may have been due to his Templar past. Hence, we, as players, can suspect why any attempt to turn non-templar humanoids into red lyrium monstrosities have failed: the subject meant to be transformed needs some resistance to lyrium.

Red Lyrium still consumes Samson despite his resistance, but clearly it does it very slowly.

We learn about Maddox, the mage whose love letters Samson smuggled when he was a Templar and cost him his position. The mage was made tranquil immediately afterwards.

So, to go after Samson, the Inquisitor heads to the Shrine of Dumat.

In this case, the existence of decoration and assets that made it so iconic to a temple of an Old  God when siding with Templars is lacking here. There is almost no Tevinter devices in it, every Tevinter artefact has been removed and replaced with templar banners, and even the dragon gargoyles are not in the front. Everything has been replaced with Templar banners or red tents. It lost all its charm.

The inside lack of any memory crystal, Tevinter artefact or anything.  The lower level is non-accessible, and burning.

We only  see these artefacts that Solas recognises as tools to work with Red Lyrium in a safe way.

We find here a massive piece of red lyrium with these water dispensers in the place where the last crystal memory was during the exploration when siding with the templars.

The last chamber, where we find the scholar and the injectors when siding with the templars, only shows dragon gargolyes and a lot of red lyrium placed where the injectors used to be. It’s in this place where we find Maddox

Once finished exploring this Shrine, we can return to Dagna and we obtain the red lyrium rune that will weaken Samsom

[gwinverarrouz]

Just finished rereading the first Bartimaeus book and yeah, yeah, I can see why I loved these books so much as a child :>

I feel like these illustrations aren't 100% faithful to the source material but maybe they're how Bart wished things happened, you know??

[nemurian]

@bigboobyhalo Your sacrifices have been accepted by the great Dapper. I'm so sorry but I don't think you'll be getting them back anytime soon. Or ever.

[2dmax]

ive been taking a course on watercoloring & this is probably the best thing ive made so far. largely due to the subject being a furry

[c-m-li]

My Roman empire are the early 2000's cartoons that went super hard but didn't have to: