Photo
May 21, 2013
17 notes
lywinis: tumblr / ff.net / twitter Lywinis isn’t really active in the dragon age fandom anymore, but when I first started getting into the games, her fic was and still is some of the best stories I’ve ever read. I was blown away by several of her Sebastian stories. She’s absolutely a sweetheart, and I adore her to bits, though we don’t actually talk that much. Oh man, just pick one thing Lywinis wrote that I like? Ok, she wrote Aquila - which diwa started making into a comic.  (editor’s note: which now has its own domain at http://aquilacomics.tumblr.com, and is the source of the art on this post.)  I remember her being a little fed up and saying she was done with the DA fandom, so hopefully this will remind her of the good parts. She’s a sweet person who deserves the praise. Thanks! Submitted by thedivinemissema diwa: tumblr / dArt diwa’s one of my favorite artists, not only for the resources she blogs and reblogs, or the design and calligraphy posts, or even the work she’s done with lywinis, but also the varied art she does on her own, especially Fenris and Sebastian, since this is a DA blog.

lywinis: tumblr / ff.net / twitter

Lywinis isn’t really active in the dragon age fandom anymore, but when I first started getting into the games, her fic was and still is some of the best stories I’ve ever read. I was blown away by several of her Sebastian stories. She’s absolutely a sweetheart, and I adore her to bits, though we don’t actually talk that much.

Oh man, just pick one thing Lywinis wrote that I like? Ok, she wrote Aquila - which diwa started making into a comic.  (editor’s note: which now has its own domain at http://aquilacomics.tumblr.com, and is the source of the art on this post.) 

I remember her being a little fed up and saying she was done with the DA fandom, so hopefully this will remind her of the good parts. She’s a sweet person who deserves the praise. Thanks!

Submitted by thedivinemissema

diwa: tumblr / dArt

diwa’s one of my favorite artists, not only for the resources she blogs and reblogs, or the design and calligraphy posts, or even the work she’s done with lywinis, but also the varied art she does on her own, especially Fenris and Sebastian, since this is a DA blog.

Tags: lywinis diwa aquila Sebastian Vael Dragon Age TFAB the fandom appreciation blog

Photoset
May 13, 2013
860 notes

Lady Zolstice: tumblr/dArt

A lovely anon pointed me towards LadyZolstice’s work, in particular, her modern au Dragon Age characters. I don’t know how many of you know me personally, but if there’s one thing I am head over heals for, it’s modern AUs! 

And how utterly gorgeous are these artworks?

What a lovely spin on the Dragon Age characters! They look so ridiculously dapper. You’ve managed to retain a lot of their individuality too. There is just such an abundance of character in your artwork, in their expressions and their poses. I am reminded very much of Disney characters.

You have such a wonderful understanding of these characters’ faces. It is a rare ability to be able to strip them back and simplify them. If one were to remove things like hair and clothing, they would still be unmistakably themselves! But we would never remove their gorgeous clothing and hair, because UNF!

While she does lovely work with NPCs, she also makes brilliant characters of her own: Anjali Mahariel, Sinead Shepard, and Carrick Hawke.

Thank you, LadyZolstice!

Tags: ladyzolstice Dragon Age tfab

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May 01, 2013

Anonymous asked thefandomappreciationblog:

I know it makes me a bit conceited, but I really hope I get featured here one day.
Nonsense, that doesn’t make you conceited at all!

Truly, it makes me happy to know that what we do makes other people happy and that people want to be a part of it. 
I hope we feature you one day too, but gosh we are slow-pokes.  

Tags: ask thefandomappreciationblog ask tfab tfab thefandomappreciationblog anonymous

Text
May 01, 2013
3 notes

siawrites:

Everyone should know their worth: linaleahpersonal reblogged your post: Were doing something a little…

thefandomappreciationblog:

linaleahpersonal reblogged your post: Were doing something a little different today….

I personally wouldnt be able to chose, so my copout suggestion would be - profile them all in alphabetical order?

siawrites reblogged your post Were doing something …

SO HARD TO CHOOSE!

Ah!  This is what happens when I read too quickly because I’m trying to get ready to leave the office for the day.  

Shenzi is awesome.  She was one of the first to Beta my work.  And when I lamented not having screenshots to share of my Shepards, she was generous enough to take their pictures.

Avery Shepard and Kaidan were her particular favorites.  

Then she grew a catalog of saved files and learned to mod in different face codes into both ME2 & ME3.  She became quite the expert at subbing in Shepards in different places in the games.

Meghan Shepard was her next guinea pig.  Shenzi once joked that Meghan and Garrus were so meant to be together that even her computer thought so:

Sending Garrus to be near Meghan in this shot when every other Shepard she’d taken a pic of there had been solo, Meghan and her turian couldn’t be separated.

Rachel is my final Shepard.  (As of right now, at least.)  By the time I’d gotten her face code for Shenzi, she’d gotten quite good at modding the saves, such as removing the helmets for portraits on Alchera.

Shenzi’s fic, Just Because Horizon Was That Bloody Awful, was an even better way for that mission to have gone than it had in game, in most VS fans’ opinion.  She wrote what a lot of had thought should have happened.  And were afraid of happening while we frantically ran through the colony.  She took that terror and used it in her fic.  And used it well.  

editor’s note: There exists photographic evidence of my cast of Shepards only because of Shenzi … and I quite recently saw Kye Shepard of SinVraal’s fics wander across my dash thanks to her as well, so she’s still going strong, helping out those fans who can’t get pictures of their favorites themselves. Thank you Shenzi! <3

Tags: TFAB Shenzi123

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April 30, 2013
3 notes

linaleahpersonal reblogged your post: Were doing something a little different today….

I personally wouldnt be able to chose, so my copout suggestion would be - profile them all in alphabetical order?

siawrites reblogged your post Were doing something … 

SO HARD TO CHOOSE!

But,.. Shenzi is a good friend and she gives me so many screenshots and Betas for me whatever I write…. So, I think she’d be a good profile. 

I want the others to get a spotlight, too, though.

Apparently we are less eloquent then we thought.  Our most recent post wasn’t written as a question of voting for someone for us to profile.  If that was the idea, we would have just stayed on hiatus until we had the time and the resources to profile them all in the first place.

This is your chance (all of you) to share why these people are awesome.  Because they really really are. (Reblog, ask, submit, reply … whatever you’re comfortable with.  We’ll reblog anonymously if that makes you more comfortable.)

Don’t choose, that defeats the entire purpose of what we’re trying to do.  Just talk about them.

Any of them.  All of them.  Tell us about the fun things that happen, or your favorite story or screenshot, etc.  Inundate us with gif spam when the words fail.  Anything goes. <3

If you’ve never come across any of their work before, maybe take a look, and give us a first impression.  That’s part of what we’re trying to do here, after all, introduce our followers to parts of the fandom they might not have seen before, and give everyone a chance to share in the appreciation.

One assumes you all followed us because you like that goal … let’s all chip in and make it happen.

Tags: TFAB

Text
April 30, 2013
30 notes
We’re doing something a little different today.  We’ve had a few comments come in, people wondering why we’ve been posting so slowly, and well, real life does get in the way.  And the truth of the matter is, it’s difficult, when given a name, to set aside the time to give them the attention they deserve to make a proper appreciation post.  We don’t want anyone to feel neglected if their post is not up to the standards of some of our other posts, but on the other hand, sometimes we, as moderators, might not know their materiel well enough to do it justice.  
(Or, on the other hand, if someone we know personally is nominated, it can be difficult to step back and not let our partiality show.)
So, instead, we’re asking for your help.  We’re going to combine a few anonymous submissions we received, and ask you, our followers, to share with us (and our other readers) why our fandoms are so spectacular, and what amazing things these people have done in support of them.  Stories, anecdotes, art, favorite pieces, favorite meta, favorite random conversations; everything and anything is fair game.
Share the love and appreciation! That’s what this blog is all about.
***
squishyeeyore: ff.net / tumblr / dArt
I would like to suggest Squishy for fandom appreciation.  In all of her fanfics, she demonstrates such an intimate understanding of the lore and the characters.  She strives with everything she writes to maintain the integrity of their original designs and personalities while adding beautiful, original ideas and quirks to each of them.  In particular, Painted Elves has really changed my understanding and appreciation of the Dalish Warden; I can never not see the grief in the Warden’s eyes when he thinks about Tamlen.

shenzi: tumblr / ff.net / photobucket 

Shenzi is an amazing person.

She’s only written one thing for any of the fandoms, but she’s an active participant in them regardless.

She is the queen of screencapping for those unable to do so. (She has a collection of Shepards – mostly not hers – that she saves for people so that they can have those special moments.)

She is very supportive and helpful of her friends, most of whom are crazy artists of some sort. She offers support and wonderful proofreading skills when her time permits.

Her one story that was a wonderful AU tale about how she’d rather have seen Horizon go in Mass Effect 2. Kate Shepard has a raw and earnest portrayal of someone struggling with what was done with her, and the relationship between Shepard and Kaidan is beautifully detailed.
elenilote: AO3 / dArt / ff.net / tumblr 
If you are ever in the mood for some SMOKING hot smut just head over to dear sweet elenilote’s archive! Her words elicit a deep wanting need that puts you right in whatever character’s shoes she happens to write. She is VERY versatile and you will not be disappointed in the 65 drabbles/stories in her collection. Just pic a character and enjoy…

cherith: tumblr / AO3 / lj / ff.net

Creator of the Mass Effect and Dragon Age Random Pairing/Prompt Generators and Dragon Age Drabbles here on tumblr, as well as the Women of Dragon AgeFandom Challenge, Cherith also helps run the Dragon Age Big Bang.

She supports other artists directly with her commissions, and indirectly with her support, beta skills, and general all around brilliance regarding everything I love about Thedas, from characters to world building.  

She creates her own art as well, as a fanmixer and a writer. Whether working alone or collaborating, she is a vibrant and important part of Dragon Age to me.

thunz: ff.net / tumblr / #thunz speaks

Thunz writes fan fiction which draws people in even when they aren’t a fan of the series.  I know nothing about Mass Effect except the little I’ve seen on Tumblr.  The writing pulls you in.  Not only that, but he shares the love of other fans by reading their own work aloud for them and recording it.  (Editor’s note: most notoriously for a non-fandom piece about an avocado *laughs* Poor man, remembered more for a joke than all the lovely poetry and fic he’s read for us.) So I vote some love of fic and the author both for Mass Effect and Thunz.

Tags: squishyeeyore shenzi123 elenilote cherith thunz TFAB thefandomappreciationblog Mass Effect Dragon Age

Photoset
March 07, 2013
54 notes

Whitethornwolf

Just wanting you guys to check out whitethornwolf. She is the most beautiful person and she honestly gives so much to the fandom. She has so much fiery passion in her, and she pushes herself to work so hard almost constantly and that’s what separates professionals from us who do it just for fun. Watch out for this one. 

- Anonymous submission

I cannot fathom the amount of detail that goes into her linework, especially in her clothing. Tanya has so many strengths as an artist, I find myself increasingly fond of her really natural poses.

She has a particular interest in elaborate clothing and armour, which you can really see in the beautiful costume design and concept art that she creates for friends and for fun. While you’re probably most familiar with whitethornwolf’s single character sketches, she also paints powerful couplings and scenes. These have such a striking overall tone and feel to them. 

It’s impossible to dedicate a post to our Tanya without dedicating any words to hers. I find that Tanya’s writing has a certain ambience to it. It is quirky and adventurous and in character, and its the same wonderful quality as her art.

On top of her art and writing itself, I always find myself admiring Tanya’s attitude towards her work. She has so much passion and dedication to her art and writing, and, having known her for quite an amount of time now, it is so easy to see just how greatly she’s improved in so little time! What an inspiration!

Tanya has emergency commissions open right now here so make sure to go have a squiz : )

Thank you, Whitethornwolf!

Tags: the fandom appreciation blog fandom appreciation blog tfab dragon age whitethornwolf

Photoset
February 27, 2013
59 notes

linaleah: tumblr / dArt

It’s always fascinating to see how someone else manages their creativity, how someone else is inspired to make art.  Leah does a remarkable job of categorizing her progress for the rest of us to admire.

She can replicate art from the game itself: the Isabela necklace featured above was made for reinenox’s cosplay.  Or, she can extrapolate beyond the game’s visuals to give us such lovely work as that Halla choker for Merrill, or a necklace inspired both by Isabela’s gold and Fenris’ lyrium.  Such a valuable artifact that must be.

(And she’s not just a one-fandom artist, either; she’s been known to create pieces for Avengers and SWTOR and Mass Effect .)

She doesn’t just make jewelry though; she’s done art for both waves of the recent Dragon Age Big Bang, Merrill/Carver as well as Brosca & Aeducan.  (editor’s note: And a Sebastian for me, for my birthday.  I’m a little biased in Leah’s favor on this entry, sorry all. ^_~)  She does craft work and wirewrapping, and always has new ornaments for the holidays as well.  She is a remarkable versatile artist, and it’s always a pleasure to see what she may decide to make next.  

And we’ll end this with something, perhaps not fandom related, but an image I have always found both beautiful and hopeful, her hand-made Tree of Life:

image

As always, if there’s anything you’d like to add, feel free to drop us a note of any sort.  We love to hear from you. <3

Tags: linaleah Isabela Fenris Merrill reinenox thefandomappreciationblog tfab

Photoset
February 20, 2013
144 notes

naiadestricolor / jcryckman

Oh, where to begin, where to begin …  such a multi-talented artist, from sketches to bold colors to 3d modeling.  There is such depth of understanding and interest, too, especially in regards magic and Tevinter.  

Naiad’s art so clearly echoes a love of lore, and a sense of place, and more than everything else an investment in who these characters are, and who they could be, their love, their pain, their joy.  (Their irrepressible attitudes, as witnessed by the two Garret Hawke pieces at the top of our photoset. ^_~)

There is, for example, one of our favorite pieces of Aveline fanart ever, that manages to be sweet and romantic and still as firm and strong and determined as Aveline’s shield. 

Perhaps the best illustration of this breadth of skill can be seen by the multiple explorations of Feynriel:

That is by no means an exhaustive list of Naiad’s glorious artwork, or discussions of lore and world design, but we hope it gives you a place to start.  And enjoy. :)

Thank you naiadestricolor!

And, as always, let us know if there’s something we missed, or something you’d like to add.  <3

Tags: naiadestricolor garrett hawke malcolm hawke jowan ser thrask olivia thefandomappreciationblog tfab jcryckman

Text
February 14, 2013
1 note

Anonymous asked thefandomappreciationblog:

It would be lovely to see more people shown their worth via this blog. There are many struggling artists and writers that could probably use the boost, to know that they are appreciated within the fandom.

Hi there Nonny, 

Yes, it would be lovely, I agree. I am sorry that we don’t post more, truly, I am. 

I don’t want to make excuses for either of us because I’m not sure I deserve them, and I don’t want to speak for anyone else, but sometimes it is a lot to read and a lot to dig through to find artwork or writing (especially if the blogs or the submissions don’t link to them), and sometimes life chooses to pull us down at the same time. 

When we started we were managing a post a week, but circumstances out of either of our control let that slip. So we no longer have a set posting date. 

But I’ll take this opportunity to point you towards the submissions tab. At the moment we are happy with the amount we have, but more are always welcome! : )

The other thing I would say is that If you’d like to become a moderator for us, you would be more than welcome. We have a loose structure for posting, but I think all you really need is a bit of passion and heart. Other than that, the drafts folder is a free-for-all ^-^
Anyway, jump into mine (wadebramwilson) or Jilly’s (faejilly) inbox any time and we will invite you : )

Thank you for the ask, it is always nice to know that there are people who believe in what this blog can be (despite its downs) as much as we do : )

(ps: sorry, new tumblr has broken anonymous asks, it seems)

[edit: whoops, we both responded ^-^]

Tags: anonymous tfab the fandom appreciation blog fandom appreciation blog dragon age mass effect