Whuffie's Dragon Age Blog

I update sporadically when I’ve got something interesting to ad.

My blog is a work in progress. I’ll fix bad grammar or poor sentence structure when I catch it. (Special thanks to Bloodsong who helps proof some of my fiction.) I’ll add to old posts because I learn some new nuance about the game or I’m able to get a helpful screenshot.

I’ve always been a casual video gamer, particularly fantasy games. I started out on Diablo II, played that for a few years, moved on to Never Winter Nights 1 for many years, got distracted by Vampire: Redemption for about 6 months, then ended up in the world of Dragon Age. It caught my attention more than anything else had for awhile.

Occasionally, I’ll write fiction for Dragon Age because I’ve always enjoyed writing. There’s been times when that was fan fiction, but most of my writing is for the World of Darkness while role playing with my best friend.

I’ve also put up tutorials up for my own reference and other people. As much as the Toolset is talked about, I’ve had trouble in spades finding clear directions. If I can spare someone else some agony, then I thought “why not share?”

(Below: Christof from Vampire Redemption complains, “I used to be the favorite around here until you came along!”)

Wow, the difference in the graphics from 2000 to 2010.

Yep, Alistair, Nathaniel and Ser Gilmore are my favorites. Leliana is my favorite female character. It should come as no surprise that Alistair is in most of my fan fiction, from best friend to love interest.

So who in the heck am I, anyway? Honestly, I’m just another video gamer, probably not much different than you, if you’re here for Dragon Age Origins. My blog used to be normal. That is to say, I posted about things nobody cared about except my best friend and maybe my Mom. “Oh look, those pictures you took on your last vacation are so nice!”

Yeah, sure, thanks mom.

I used it as a journal of sorts, or a platform to rant to / at the world because … well because I could! Everyone needs a good rant sometime.

Then one night I got This Idea that I didn’t want hair in my elf’s ears. It seemed so simple at the time, and I cracked up the DA Toolset. I had a bug of some sort which never went away until I installed a new Hard Drive. In trying to find instructions on what to do with a head morph, I nearly clawed my way up the walls in frustration. Finally, a ray of light and Hallelujah Chorus rained down upon my monitor thanks to someone with the nickname Beerfish. I finally understood what to do with a head morph.

I had tried so many things I was petrified that I’d forget what I’d done, so I put the instructions up on my blog. That way, much like my Vampire: Redemption notes, they would never get lost, even if my computer wheezed, gasped, and died a gruesome horrible death.

People began to wander over here and visit me. First it was just a few, then a lot of people, then a whole stampede on a daily basis. I was flabbergasted but happy that I had visitors. Breathing people who weren’t related to me actually looked at my blog?! Wow. I was in awe.

I decided that if I learned something else that I’d put it up, too, so these mysterious strangers could have something else to look at.

Then one day I woke up to find out Dragon Age Origins had completely usurped my blog forever. I also decided it was fun to write stories and share things I’d learned about this game which I came to love so much. Thus, I made a commitment that I’d put up at least 2 posts per week. One is usually fiction, the other is something else. Typically, it’s something technical related to actually playing the game, but I’ve also done music videos and all sorts of things.

Okay, so that’s all fine, but what’s a “Whuffie?” In my case it’s pronounced woof-ee and I’ve had people calling me that when it was just a nonsense word and had no meaning. It’s a spin off from the word wolf. The most literal translation I can give you is the drawing you see at the top. It’s a werewolf with a goofy streak and a pot belly. In a sense, it’s an adopted persona if I was to make myself a fictional character. The nickname sprung up from playing Werewolf: the Apocalypse online for years and because I’ve liked werewolves all my life. Normal kids wanted to be astronauts, veterinarians or a princess. I wanted to be a werewolf. Which, by the way, I never managed and never will except once a year on Halloween.

If you see something here which bores or offends you here, then move on. There’s so much more to offer out there than wasting your time on anything you find dull or offensive, particularly me. Go forth and find something which piques your interest. That’s the great thing about the internet. If you like what you read or find it helpful, then by all means, stay. Pull up a chair, grab a snack and browse away.

If you’re really curious, I’m a reader, a hobby writer, a pen and paper role player, and have a pair of pet snakes, a dog, and bearded dragon lizard. I’ve loved vampires and werewolves long before Anita Blake, Sookie Stackhouse or the Cullen family were even a thought in their author’s heads. More like Gary Brandner (The Howling books), Robert McCammon (The Wolf’s Hour and They Thirst) and of course, Stephen King’s Cycle of the Werewolf. I wasn’t old enough to have gone running home from school to see the original Dark Shadows series, with Jonathan Frid. I did catch them when they aired as reruns on the Sci Fi Channel, and picked up on the one in the 90’s with Ben Cross. I also followed Nick Knight’s journeys to regain his humanity. Of course my all time personal favorite of the era was the half hour program simply called Werewolf.

When I was able to see the first Dark Shadows present the first ever vampire struggle for his humanity on TV, I began to toy with fan fiction. This was somewhere in the early 90’s. I still watch The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, and The Gates. Some things just haven’t changed.

I’m an artist by trade who works anything from Warhammer miniatures to oil paint portraits of people. There’s a great deal of creativity around my life. (Drawing to the right something I whipped out to be colored in Photoshop for my web site.)

I keep my comments turned off. I’m not here to collect comments, gather clicks, or try to be the best blogger on the blogging block. Some people enjoy the socialization on a blog, but I’m not really interested in keeping up with that aspect of it.

My fan fiction is long and heavy on description. Because I’ve only played the game, there are liberties taken and places it won’t be “canon.” Sometime that’s deliberate, sometime not. I write because I have a story to tell, and that baffles some people, particularly those who insist I should do it for profit or think I’m a good writer. I have no desire to write for money. That’s a hard road with little gain and a lot of pain. For those who succeed and do it well it can be a dream come true, but it can also turn into a nightmare. I have a job already, and I create there, too. It has it’s own problems and rewards, and I want to continue to love my writing. When asked in an interview why he writes, Robert McCammon had this to say: “What inspires you to write?

I have a story I want to tell. Actually, I have a story I want to read. So I write it for myself, first of all. ” That’s very close to how I feel about it, myself. (Quote taken from here.)

I literally write for myself first as a stress reliever and because of a compulsion to tell my tale. Because of that, I don’t do male/male or female/female relationships nor do I write hard core erotica/porn. I have absolutely nothing against anyone who reads or enjoys any of the above. It’s just not my thing. What I do try and do is bring the world to life through all the five senses and try to put the reader as close to being there as possible. My characters are important to me, and I try to help them “live.”

If you like it, I am humbled and happy to have entertained. If you don’t, then see above about moving on.

If want to contact me (politely please!) you can warden @ painteddungeon.org Please be aware I’m not interested in link exchanges or affiliate links. This has nothing to do with other sites or fellow fans. I just blog for fun, and don’t have any burning desire to self promote. The only links I use are to the mods or tutorials I’ve personally tried and liked.

Enjoy your stay!