Heads, Hearts, and Headcanons in Dragon Age Origins

OGHREN: Let's show them our hearts, and then show them theirs.

One of the greatest things about RPGs is how personal they feel, and of course that's by design. They're role-player games by definition, after all, and the best of them, like those in the Dragon Age series, allow us to immerse ourselves in their world, creating characters, atmospheres, relationships, and more. We feel like we're there; we feel like we're them. And that's fantastic.

If you read this blog, you already know I'm a headcanoning fool, and I know from my fellowships with many of you out there that I'm not unique in this! As with the greatest fiction, I love the feeling that I can transport myself and feel like I'm somewhere else while I play—that wonderful sense of escape the moment that opening music starts up, whether it's Inon Zur's haunting and delicate melody, or Trevor Morris's more somber, thoughtful overture. And right away, just from those first few music notes, I'm the Warden, I'm Hawke, I'm the Inquisitor, I have fabulous mage powers, I'm surrounded by a found family of cool, interesting companions, and (of course) I'm instantly attractive, fascinating, and talented. What's not to love?

So let's talk headcanons, and all those little things you find yourself thinking and imagining that add texture to your Dragon Age world as you play. Each of us has our favorites—so here are some of mine!

I'll start with Origins in this post, but I'll be looking at each game to follow, in separate posts, too. I was going to do all of them in one post, but—incredibly!—I am actually not going to put them all in one giant post for once. (I KNOW! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME??)

But onward.

Imagining Origins

I have some odd little headcanons when it comes to Origins. 

First off, when it comes to the effects of drinking from that cup for the Joining, I always felt like it was, a little bit... personal. I felt like, when your Warden undergoes the Joining, that they not only get that connection to the Archdemon that we hear about, but that the Archdemon also gets that connection to you. I mean, personally. That the Archdemon sees you in those nightmares, knows you, and you are now on a very short list. 

That's the reason—to me—for that piercing moment during the Joining when the Archdemon looks right at you. Because it does. It sees you. It hates you. You, personally, among the others on that very short list. And it is going to get you. That's pretty damn terrifying.

I also headcanon that there's a LOT of guilt to Duncan over the Joining, or there should be, because he's pretty morally damn shady there on a number of levels. It's a situation where the Wardens are actively suppressing the actual danger of the ceremony, because (understandably) if it were common knowledge that the Joining was lethal, even fewer would volunteer than already do (although they also conscript people, but that's a discussion for another day). So instead, we get that heartbreaking ceremony where people like Daveth don't survive the sip, or where Ser Jory says, "Um, WHAT JUST HAPPENED? And... er... what are the odds again?!" and then gets skewered to preserve the secret, etc.

And to be fair to poor Jory (who gets a lot of flack from the fandom), I don't think he's a coward. I think there's a world of difference between volunteering for a straight-up fight with a sword against an enemy —and volunteering for a service that also involves undergoing a secret mystical ceremony in which your odds of survival have been hidden from you for PR reasons until now. I always feel sorry for him, and for Daveth, and for poor Mhairi in Awakenings (I adored her), another who simply doesn't survive the sip... and countless others. 

Want a different take on the Grey Wardens? Play a conscripted Cousland—it's an interesting and more complex point of view to play a protagonist who didn't volunteer for this or choose it in any way (although the Circle Mage origin is basically a "do this or die" situation as well). Suddenly, Duncan and even Alistair are a little darker around the edges.

I do appreciate that Duncan is all quietly regretful and nobly sad about Jory and everything, but let's face it, once you get past the hotness and Shakespearean magnificence of Duncan and his beard and voice and general hotness (wait, I said that already), he's still maybe not walking on the side of the angels, here. I just think, knowing  if he's the good man he presents himself to be (or seems to want to be, if we want to talk semantics), that he's probably suffered his share of guilt-stricken sleepless nights. 

(In which case, CALL ME, DUNCAN! Wait, oops, did I say that out loud? Never mind...)

Messages in Roses...

And then there are the companions who become our Warden's family. I definitely headcanon that we see the last vestiges of innocence for both Alistair and Leliana in Origins, and I find that especially moving in hindsight. Leliana might be an experienced bard in DAO, but there's still enough innocence and belief to her that a simple rose can inspire her to an odyssey that will change all of Thedas. And for Alistair, a different rose may inspire his feelings of first love.

It's especially fun for me to think about Alistair's internal journey in Origins too, because he's such a contradiction—someone we really see finish growing up. The Alistair as the story begins is an innocent young man who still has a lot of the boy to him—he's sweetly unsure of relationships and is still full of awe and wonder about a lot of the world. 

But while Alistair is wide-eyed and naive in some ways, he's a contradiction in others. He's lighthearted and funny, true, but there's real sadness underneath—this is a guy who was hated and resented by his stepmother and sent out to sleep with the hounds. 

I'm always affected by the idea that, even in the Blight, part of Alistair is living the dream for much of Origins. At last he's free to be the hero he dreamed of being in all those cold nights, and he's finally free to travel like the heroes he imagined, and stand right alongside his adored father figure Duncan. Being a Warden is all Alistair has ever wanted, and when I think about this, and about the lonely little boy he must have been, it's no wonder that he falls so hard for a female Warden, or bonds so quickly with his companions. I also get a kick out of how quickly Alistair bonds with Wynne as the instant adoptive Mom he probably always wanted but never had, so I headcanon some homely moments at camp like Wynne teaching Alistair how to wash his own socks, or the basics of camp cooking, and more.

I also think about Leliana here... she's someone whose faith is so deep and profound that I have no doubt she's talking to the Maker on the regular in those quiet evenings when she's alone and thinking about her path.

The Quieter Moments at Camp

I always love going back to camp in Origins, and it's where I have the most fun imagining the relationships playing out as our companions evolve through the story.

First off, after seeing his expression during Leliana's song at camp, I absolutely think Sten's tent is always somewhat near Leliana's, simply because he is starved for things like music and art and softness, and he loves to sit and listen to her play or sing, even if he won't admit that out loud. I think the DAO party trails a constant stream of rescued cats and kittens that Sten feeds, pets, and plays with at camp (gruffly, of course, and loudly claiming he is "training" them), and that Alistair is a sucker for Barkspawn—I think he'd always have a fondness for them, so my headcanon is that Alistair would give Barkspawn lots of treats and playtime, while Sten watched disapprovingly, worrying loudly about Barkspawn being "spoiled"—but then of course he'd sternly lecture Barkspawn about all of this later on... and then give him treats.

I also like to imagine that Morrigan's little witchy separate campsite moves closer and closer and closer to the main campsite night after night as they travel, so that eventually it's right there next to leliana's, while she's still loudly protesting that she doesn't really like any of these people, and 'tis laughable that they'd ever accuse her of such madness.

I also privately believe that Oghren is more upset about Branka than he appears to be, and that there may have been some quiet tears in the late nights over at his side of the campsite. This is also why I think he's so constantly drunk, as well—as a way to manage his grief.

Shipping Origins

Romantically, do I have ships? Oh, yes, so many ships. Starting with the fact (and yes, this will shock those of you who read this blog regularly) that Sten means "kadan" in the romantic sense when he uses the word for his Warden. It doesn't help me that not only does he do this, and it's enormously affecting on that front, but Sten also has that ridiculously beautiful voice (thank you Mark Hildreth), which makes it even more swoonworthy.

Interesting side note: I've written a fanfic about this (yes, be afraid, be very afraid), but I will note that while I think Sten loves the Warden (and vice versa), for me there's even a headcanon reason why he's not a romanceable choice in-game. There's a reason he doesn't speak. It's hopeless. This isn't a situation for happy endings. Sten will leave after all of this and go back to Seheron (or Par Vollen). 

I've written about this before, but Sten is an interesting character to me precisely because he is a series of contradictions. He falls in love with the wide world outside of Seheron in DAO, and falls in love with its kittens and cookies and art and new cultures... but he is not a convert. He still sees these things from the point of view of the future conqueror. So he will not stay here. He will go back home. And even if he loves the Warden—he's still leaving if he survives. Unlike Bull, I believe nothing can sway Sten from belief in the Qun.

But on to happier ships. Most importantly, when it comes to my internal headcanons, if Zevran does not hook up with the Warden? I think Zevran totally hooks up with Wynne instead. This is a headcanon for me on the same level of belief as Adoribull. It's real for me, and it makes me profoundly happy. Nobody talks that much about somebody's bosom without being actively interested in seeing and touching said bosom. And I think they'd be good for each other. She'd drop some of that overly prim exterior (methinks the lady protests too much), and he'd have an emotional relationship that went beyond political expedience, work, or momentary pleasure.

The other little sort-of romance happening in Origins for me is Shale and her feelings for Sten. Now, this isn't exactly headcanon since it's something that we actually see via the banter dialogue (and it is funny, charming, and oh-my-God so subtly heartbreaking), but that dialogue leads to some headcanons for me, too. We know from those banters that Shale and Sten evolve their friendship to "kadan" levels of comradely affection, and we also know that Shale slips up at a later moment to reveal that she actually has feelings for Sten that not only seem to be romantic, but genuinely physical and sexual.

The fact that she feels these things almost 1200 years after her transformation, with her spirit confined to a hulking body made of stone, is really sad to me, especially because it seems to me that Shale doesn't seem to feel anything on a sensory level, to the point that she casually references being "whittled down" during her time in Honnleaf, for instance. She's truly a prisoner of stone. Since a sensual life is denied to Shale as part of the tragedy of being a golem, the revelation that she does in fact desire Sten physically is even sadder to me.

Which means that I headcanon that there are plenty of nights at camp where Shale contemplates the stars, unsleeping, listening to the small noises of the sleepers around her, and feels ancient and separate... and very, specifically, lonely. Although she will of course never admit it.

(Note: for some reason, the Dragon Age Wiki on Shale is currently referring to her as "it," and I'm very confused by whoever made this change, since Shale openly identifies as female in her dialogue. Or is she now considered nonbinary? In which case, shouldn't her pronouns be "they"? Sound off if you know!)

The Witch and the Bard

So many ships, so little time!

Let's see... yet again, there's the obvious fact that, as with Sten, the game won't let me romance someone I want to romance (Morrigan with a female Warden), which means I immediately ship that, and I always will. I'm still sad about that female Warden/Morrigan romance not being possible, because I do think (as with Cass in DAI) we're given glimpses of an interest in our heroine that goes beyond friendship, at least in moments. And I think there would be something soft and charming to it, and it would illuminate Morrigan in ways that a more stereotypical heterosexual romance (where she seems more focused on dominance and gamesmanship) does not.

Beyond that, I also ship Leliana and Morrigan a little in Origins. They're both so prickly with each other, and Morrigan is so completely over the top in her venom if they're rivals for the Warden that I feel like there's more than simple envy there. Especially since Morrigan relentlessly implies that Leliana is  inexperienced and frigid, and I'm sorry, it seems to me like Morrigan is forgetting that Leliana is a bard, and by her own accounts a skilled one in every sense of the word. She slyly talks about assassinating a mark after taking them as a lover, so Leliana even in Origins is certainly not the blushing nun Morrigan rather hilariously insists she must be. 

But beyond this, I do feel like there's real interest there as well, a spark between the two women. Leliana talks openly about Morrigan's beauty, and wants to take her shopping! I mean, I admit that this isn't exactly "go on a date with me," but come on, shopping with Leliana could totally be a date. Besides, we're in my mind, anything goes.

Meanwhile, while we're talking about ships here, let's face it, there's enough open snark, bickering and banter between Morrigan and Alistair that they're practically begging to be a rom-com and are inches away from realizing that all their arguing was actually just love in disguise. In some other universe, they realize their mutual attraction, throw themselves at each other, have surprisingly good sex for about two weeks, then break up, to both of their mutual relief.

Now none of us has to see the movie! You're welcome.

Schmooples, Barkspawn, and a Dash of Pounce

Meanwhile, I also headcanon that Barkspawn takes a little while to get used to Schmooples, but eventually plays with him, that Oghren is constantly secretly plotting to eat Schmooples, and that Schmooples has to sleep in Leliana's tent with her, curled up at the foot of her bedroll, so that Oghren won't make bacon out of him. Even if/when Leliana hooks up with anyone else in the party.

I also think Sten would have played with Schmooples secretly (since he's a softie about animals), and we already know he talked to Barkspawn, so of course he played with him as well (which I've already detailed earlier here too). My favorite mental image is of Sten getting Barkspawn to practice fetching in all these sort of gruesome scenarios, like, Barkspawn brings him a skull and he's all, "You are a good and honorable creature. I will boop the nose." 

Still, as far as animal headcanons, my favorite one in all of Dragon Age, however, has to be the mental image of sweet, brave little Ser Pouncealot leaping at the faces of Anders's enemies in Awakenings. Because in my head, he's basically riding around in Anders's backpack, and in battle, he crouches on Anders's shoulder, then jumps right out at people. Mrreowrr! Attack!

Goddesses and Archdemons

I adore Flemeth as a character, although even three games in, I'm not sure if I trust her, so I love every single scene we get with her, and especially listening to the gorgeous combination of violin-meets-rusty-gate that is Kate Mulgrew's fabulous voice. And I especially love her subtle amusement at our complete befuddlement at the greater events of Thedas. I mean, here's our young Warden, who depending on the chosen origin story is varying levels of traumatized, scared, tired, and new to all these great matters, talking to what we will later realize is basically an ancient queen and demigoddess. 

Flemeth sees all of Thedas as a chessboard and, for good or ill, is moving those pieces. Meanwhile, we're just trying to get through all this with a little nightmare-free sleep and a clear idea of the next 24 hours, and most of the time, we're failing at both. Flemeth's operating at a whole other level, and so, it turns out, is Morrigan. Morrigan may hate her mother, but she, too, still seems to serve that larger picture, because even if we kill her mother in her dragon form, she will still show up in the end to offer the Dark Ritual.

When it comes to Flemeth and Morrigan, it's interesting that Flemeth sends Morrigan off as her Official Swamp Witch Representative of sorts, even while knowing (it's pretty clear) that Morrigan will not only betray and attempt to supplant her, but that on some level Flemeth deserves that betrayal. Seriously, listen to the stories Morrigan tells about her childhood. Flemeth was a truly horrific mother, and Morrigan's tearful gratitude over the beautiful little mirror as the first actual freely given gift in her life will always enrage me.

So it's interesting for me to headcanon that Flemeth expects Morrigan's betrayal and may have even orchestrated it as a necessary next step. And whether or not we try to kill Flemeth on Morrigan's behalf (which I pretty much don't do anymore, because the fight's a tough one, and it's much more interesting to talk to Flemeth instead), I always imagine that afterward, when we leave, she goes back into that lonely little hut, and maybe she finally allows herself to realize what she did to her daughter. Flemeth may be ancient and cold, but yes, I think there are tears.

I don't love Anora, meanwhile, although I think she's an interesting character, but her instant pragmatism and willingness to betray us if we rescue her always makes me laugh. There's not even a break in the action, she's just, "Nope! They are not my rescuers, and I am not a part of this in any way!"

Nevertheless, when I imagine the Landsmeet, if Loghain is executed, from the Origins gore that instantly sprays across her face as her father dies, I definitely headcanon that poor Anora went off afterward, had the appropriate breakdown, and thereafter lost most of her taste for statecraft. Or, in an alternate universe, it's fun to imagine the moment sending Anora into a cinematic-level revenge spiral.

Meanwhile, the final battle with Urthemiel is sort of comical for me in some ways, because I spend the entire thing divided between my attacks on the Archdemon and spamming heals to protect my adorable Hot Young Teagan from harm. (I used to protect First Enchanter Irving too, but after Dragon Age II and what Kinloch Hold (keep in mind, reputed to be one of the "kinder" holds) put Anders through, honestly, Irving can fuck right off.)

Aftermaths

Depending on how that last battle goes, I have a number of minor headcanons. We get some sketchy details on life after the events of Origins, and of course most of those are presented as rumors (a very smart choice, once the game became part of a series).

If the Dark Ritual is refused and the Warden dies, like most of us I usually imagine the lives of their Companions afterward—not just the obvious sadness of the romanced Companions who have lost their love, but the effects of that loss on the lives of the others, too. There's some incredible fan art out there that explores some of these, and one of my favorites, by Remington-Zero, involves Zevran talking with the Warden, for instance, and it turns out he's making the latest visit to their gravestone.

Of course, we can also end Origins not just with the loss of our hero and avatar, but with the potential loss of so many of our friends—with the loss of Alistair or Sten as companions, with the deaths of Sten, Leliana, Wynne, Zevran, Shale, or poor Barkspawn (NEVER HAPPENING! Don't "at" me!), and in every case that loss is potential fuel for imagined grief.

We do know some of the fates of our friends who survive, and see many of them again in later game story chapters. Among those we don't hear much about... among the aftermath stories I imagine with Origins is the idea that Shale goes and finds the secret to unlocking her dwarven female form again, and while I don't think she goes and romances Sten and finds true love or anything, I do like to think that she meets up with him again in some far-off time and place, probably after he's Arishok, and that he smiles when he realizes who she is, and hugs her. (Yes, I headcanon that Sten hugs people, albeit grudgingly, and that he gives great hugs, although no, probably not quite at The Iron Bull-level of hug greatness).

As far as Barkspawn, after I saved him (since I always save him) I imagine that he had a long, long life, and that even as a Grey Warden canine, he was old but still alive at the time of Inquisition's events. I also absolutely know, with certainty, that after all the adventures of Origins are done, that when he returned to Par Vollen, Sten carried a rescued cat in his satchel... as well as a recipe for cookies.

What are your favorite Origins headcanons? Please share them in the comments!

The State of Dumped, Drunk and Dalish—and Upcoming Expanded Content!

Hello, you!

I hope this finds you well. 

I wanted to update you on some new changes you'll see to my blog here, and on future plans for blog formatting and organization, as well. I'm gonna be doing some new things here!

Cleanup and Organization

First off, I know there's a lot of content here to try to wade through, and it's a little confusing, so I've done some housecleaning to try to make stuff easier for you to find.

I've now organized Dragon Age posts by topic, and in smaller groups so that you can more quickly find what you're interested in. 

These new categories include:

• Useful Dragon Age Lore Analyses
• Dragon Age Trailer Analyses
• Dragon Age Interviews and Transcripts
• Solas: Character, Goals, Romance
• Iron Bull and the Qun
• Friends, Enemies, Companions (Analyses)
• Personal Updates, Silly Stuff and Flights of Fancy
• Additional Dragon Age Analyses (Alphabetical)
• Dragon Age Fandom Links...

Eventually (see way down) I will be mirroring this blog onto a section of my new website that will enable me to sort everything in a more logical way, but I hope this helps in the meantime.

Dragon Age Content Going Forward

I also wanted to let you know that I am going to be committing to at least two Dragon Age posts per month going forward. It's really important to me to maintain that.

With this in mind, here are some post topics I have in progress:

• Cole at the Crossroads (Spirit or Human)
• Leliana Character Analysis (arc across all 3 games plus Trespasser)
• The Choices of Thom Rainier
• Meaningful Banters: Viv Plays Tamassran
• Solas's Romance, Part 5 (THE WORST DATE EVER)
• Fenris Analysis (Dragon Age II)
• Alistair: The Hidden Prince
• Plus tons of "Trespasser" character analysis

But what do YOU want to see that I haven't covered yet—or that I haven't covered enough? I know I have characters I haven't addressed yet, and I will get to each of them! Eventually.

I am also going to be putting a lot more work into my poor barely launched YouTube channel, so more on that later, and I hope to be posting some video versions of my most popular posts here, as well as some interviews with other Dragon Age fans and analysts in our community that I will release as videos and podcasts. So, lots of great stuff on the way!

Going Beyond Dragon Age (New Content)

Meanwhile, I'm kind of excited and nervous to announce that I am also going to start posting new content on here that is not directly applicable to Dragon Age. 

This doesn't mean I'm gonna stop writing about Dragon Age—never! But I have a lot of thoughts about a LOT of things, and they are interests shared by a lot of you folks, too.

So let's talk about more than Dragon Age! 

With this in mind, I am going to be regularly adding columns about Critical Role—all heavily spoilered posts, and on all campaigns past and present, and which will eventually move to its own section.

Note: I'm working on a new website that will encompass Dumped, Drunk & Dalish as well as my upcoming Critical Role analyses and other fandom writings, so thanks for bearing with me until I get that done.

Other fandom subjects I'll be writing about here will include a bunch of potential topics past and present, just wherever I see resonance to current news or reason to reexamine:

• Mass Effect (all games)
• Loki
• The Lord of the Rings
• Gaming
• Supernatural
• Killing Eve
• Community
• Shadow and Bone
• Marvel Movie Moments and Characters
• Doctor Who
• The Witcher
• Penny Dreadful
• The Mandalorian
• The Magicians
• Into the Border Lands (and other streamed TTRPGs in addition to Critical Role)
• Sherlock Holmes
• Fandom ships and shipping
• Fictional Villains (and Why Are They So Damn Hot?)

(Yes, more bullet points. I can't help it. They're so ORGANIZED! Sigh.)

Meanwhile, I'm gonna talk about my health stuff again for a few moments, so bear with me below. Or skip to the next section! I won't judge...

Inspirations and Motivations (the Point of All This Stuff)

So here's the thing. As you probably saw from my earlier post on this, I almost shuffled off this mortal coil back in March when I went into heart failure. And it was one of those things that happens where (if you're me, anyway), you go, HOLY SHIT, I HAD SO MUCH I WANTED TO WRITE ABOUT! I'm not kidding. I was pissed.

There's nothing fun about lying on a gurney near death and thinking about all the things you didn't get to say or do. It affected me very powerfully, and still affects me now—and I swear, I know, I know, I keep talking about it! I promise this is the last time! But this is important for me to share because it is what has inspired me in these latest blog changes going forward.

Over the past three months, I've had to learn how to walk all over again, I'm still on oxygen, and after hours of physical therapy, have only just graduated to using a cane for short distances. Recovering from this has been the hardest thing I have ever done. I never knew exhaustion that went all the way through muscle and bone. I never knew that simply walking across a room with a walker would feel like hiking a mile. I'd never imagined a level of tiredness so deep that I didn't have the mental or physical energy to write a text. That trying to keep up with my freelance work would feel like scaling Everest (because I'm a freelancer, I was working the day I came home, as best I could, to try to keep myself afloat). Even writing short e-mails and updates was challenging. 

The tiredness was just all-encompassing. My first month home from the hospital, I was so tired that I fell asleep constantly and hilariously everywhere—living room, kitchen, bathroom (overshare! BUT SO FUNNY), dining table, at my desk, during Zoom meetings (luckily I wasn't on camera, wasn't snoring, and evidently only nodded off for a few seconds at a time). Seriously. Everywhere. 

But slowly I've gained back strength, and man, has that been humbling. I will never, ever again take walking or mobility or independence for granted. The first time I was able to walk in the hospital? I cried. Because I'd spent seven days contemplating the very real possibility that I would need months of rehab before doing so again, if I ever would at all. So—on the positive side, every step forward since then has been literal, and something for me to celebrate.

Although heart failure is a permanent condition on some levels, there's a lot I can do, and have been working toward, to get to my best possible prognosis. My physical therapists are fantastic people and making them proud has been a huge achievement for me. Thanks to this effort, and their help, eventually I will be back to nearly full health and mobility, and will ironically also end up in my best physical shape of the past decade or so. It's awesome! 

Except for the scary statistics emphasized by my Terminator cyborg doctor a week ago. Not to get maudlin, but while I'm doing great and working really hard to recover physically, the fact is that while I'm young for congestive heart failure (it was a perfect storm of combined factors exacerbated by lockdown—watch your salt intake, peeps!), it doesn't change the fact that 50% of people with my condition are dead in the first year. 80% of those diagnosed with it die within five years. 

Meaning, I have a 2 in 10 chance of seeing 5 years.

Freakages and Flailings

Did I freak out about these statistics? Yeah. I did. I'd already done a hell of a lot of soul-searching over the past few months, and this just kicked me into an even higher gear of evaluation and goal-setting. 

So if I seem to be a little all over the place lately—if I seem like I'm oversharing right, left, and center, well—apologies. But yeah, I am. And I'll probably keep doing it. Because I just want to be however I am. I want to be a little more honest. I want to cut down on the bullshit that doesn't matter. I want to enjoy whatever time I have and do so being myself and expressing myself. I want to champion wonderful people and causes, I want to be brave, and kind, and engaged. I want to end every day knowing I did my best to live fully.

Please know that I'm going to work really hard to stick around, but no matter what, I want to write things I'm passionate about, that I care about, and that are fun to discuss and analyze. I'm also going to be working a lot harder on my outside stuff—my fiction (including fanfics), plays, et cetera. 

I don't have kids, so my words are the only legacy I have, and they mean a lot to me. I want to be remembered.

Expanding Horizons

So that's part of it. I want to write and discuss all these characters and ideas we all bond over, and I hope some of these new topics will be fun or interesting for us to discuss together, too!

The other part of this is that I really want to earn people's support in a bigger-picture way, if they want to act on that support (no pressure!). Meaning, stuff like Patreon or however else you or anyone wants to support or share my work. I have not been a good Patreon artist thus far, but that is changing NOW, and if you already support me, hang in there, and I will come through for you with stuff that's only for you. 

Ultimately, I've spent two decades prior to this like most freelancers, writing content I was extremely proud of, but that didn't touch my heart. I've waited long enough. The more I write, I hope, the more  I will connect with all of you as well as new audiences. And, if I earn it, the more support I'll get. Everybody wins!

I am passionate about magic, about genre fiction in all its forms. I love fantasy. I love other worlds. I want to play them, watch them, read them, write them, and explore them. And then I want to talk about them with fellow fans and friends like you.

So I hope you'll support me and come along.

A Little Magic in a Stressful World

Thanks for this chance to update you, and for bearing with me on this very strange, scary, yet often wonderful journey over the past three or four years. You have no idea what it means to me to have gained your attention and readership, as well as (in so many cases!) your friendship and support through some difficult and dark times. 

The past few years especially, as we've all battled COVID restrictions, fear, isolation, and more, I have watched the Dragon Age community come through for each other, mourn losses, show kindness, and share lightness and humor when we all needed it. I've watched Dragon Age writers and artists tirelessly answer questions even when the questioners were rude or dismissive (luckily, a minority). I've watched Dragon Age team leaders champion the fan artists among us every single day. And I've been so humbled by how many at BioWare have supported our celebration of Dragon Age Day and helped us achieve our fundraising goals even when many of these people were exhausted already from work, deadlines, and COVID.

So we're in a pretty comfortable little corner of our fandom at the Herald's Rest, and I feel lucky to be a part of that. Those of you who read or follow me, you're amazing. And you're the reason so many of us in our community (including me) got through lockdown as semi-unscathed as we did.

Ultimately, I hope the blog updates and changes mean you'll stop by here more than before, not less. But we'll see how it goes—and I hope you'll let me know your thoughts on what I can improve, what I can add, and what would mean most to you.

Thanks as always, and take care out there...

Angela