I’ve been thinking about the marble that used to scroll across the top of my Expage back in 1999.
I’ve been thinking about running.
I’ve been thinking about hiking. Or rather turning myself into a hiker.
I’ve been thinking about Antarctica. Both the continent and the one my son and I made from magic clay.
I’ve been thinking about the Antarctic Treaty System, too. 58 nations participate in it, and it prohibits military activity, nuclear explosions, and the disposal of nuclear waste, while promoting free sharing of scientific data. Why can’t the rest of the world be like Antarctica?
I’ve been thinking about the upcoming season of youth soccer that my husband and I are going to coach.
I’ve been thinking about how I want to curate lists to other interesting blog posts that I’ve discovered on the internet. Except that I haven’t discovered blog posts recently, and I really miss that. I miss reading personal blogs. Everything is either a professionally published article or a Substack (which seems like it tries to be the old internet, but it just isn’t, and I can’t really explain why). How do I even find personal blogs in the year of our Lord 2026?
I’ve been thinking about philosophy. Nothing in particular about it other than I just wish I were well versed in Philosophy. I think about Philosophy like I think about Hiking.
I’ve been thinking about how hard it is to not post something on the internet that isn’t somehow related to the marketing of some product that can be purchased through an affiliate link.
I’ve been thinking about painting with watercolors even though I am absolutely terrible at it (and this isn’t me simply being humble. Truly, I am terrible, but it is fun anyway).
I’ve been thinking about the Medieval Era. Nothing in particular about it other than I just wish I were well versed in the history of the Medieval Era. I think about the Medieval era like I think about Philosophy or about Hiking.
I’ve been thinking about how Springtime is coming, and I’m so excited for it, but I’m also dreading all of the impending yardwork and home improvement projects we have to tackle this year.
I’ve been thinking about posting this list for over a week now, but I’ve grown so self-conscious about posting anything on the internet. I definitely didn’t feel this way back in 1999, when I first published my Expage. The one with the marble that scrolled across the top of the page.
I don’t know when or why this changed, but lately I struggle to read fiction novels. These days, it takes actual effort to read beyond 50 pages of most books. By the time I do, the library book is usually overdue. I can’t tell if I’ve suddenly become bad at choosing books or if reading articles online or reading non-fiction has changed the wiring in my brain. But then, I discovered ARip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong. It checked the boxes for beautifully illustrated setting, clever plotting, and great character chemistry, and it was the first book in years that had me turning on my book light in bed and reading until I could barely keep my eyes open.
In 280 words or less…
In this historical mystery with speculative and cozy-adjacent elements, modern-day homicide detective, Mallory Atkinson, is going for an evening jog when she hears a woman in distress. Mallory is then drawn to an alley where she is attacked and loses consciousness. When she awakens, she finds herself trapped in the body of Catriona Mitchell, a housemaid and not-so-reformed thief in 1869 Scotland. Mallory then discovers Catronia was attacked in a similar fashion that same night (some 150 years apart), which created the link needed for time travel. Mallory tries her best to assimilate into Victorian Scotland but when she learns her employer, Dr. Gray, is a medical examiner and undertaker, who works (off the record) with the local police department to solve murders in Edinburgh, she can’t resist temptation. Soon Mallory finds herself involved in solving the case of who tried to murder Catriona (as well as secretly solving the mystery of how to return to her own time period and body.)
The Review
Remember when I said lately, it requires effort from me to get passed the first 50 pages of a book? I felt that way at first about A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong. It opens in a way that many cozy mystery fans would be familiar with when starting a new series: the protagonist is in the middle of a major life change and is expressing all of the strong emotions that come along with it. They may be a recent divorcee or widow, they may have just quit their humdrum job and moved to a new town for a fresh start, they may have finally retired and cashed in their life savings to start a hobby farm… In A Rip Through Time, the story opens with Mallory Atkinson, a Vancouver police detective, visiting her dying grandmother in Edinburgh, Scotland. At first, I didn’t feel anything– no grief, no connection to Mallory’s sadness. I can never tell if it’s me or if it’s the writing, but I almost returned the book to the library unfinished because of it. Once I made it to chapter five though, everything changed.
Mallory’s personality starts to take shape once she wakes up and finds herself trapped in the body of a housemaid in 1869 Scotland. She’s no longer completely preoccupied by grief now that she’s forced to navigate a culture and society that is foreign to her and is becoming acutely aware of her sudden lack of autonomy and social standing. Then, Armstrong begins to play with the “fish out of temporal water1” and “blithe spirit2” tropes, which was just fun, as modern-day Mallory stuns Dr. Gray and Detective McCreadie with her knowledge of forensics and policing. The interactions between the three are often snarky and comical. Additionally, the contrast of modern-day detective work compared to Victorian era detective work was fascinating since forensic science as a discipline was just beginning in the 1800s. The exploration of murder and forensics in this novel reminded me of a non-fiction book I read a year or two ago: The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime by Judith Flanders 3. In it, Flanders explores the relationship between murder and society in Victorian England and how, even though murder was relatively rare, it was often sensationalized which led to broadsides and theatrical performances and even laid the groundwork for detective fiction like Sherlock Holmes (and one could even say like A Rip Through Time…?)
The banter and chemistry between the characters feel all the more alive against the vividly and, at times, grimly painted backdrop of Victorian Scotland. Armstrong’s writing brought 1869 Edinburgh to life, and I found myself time traveling right alongside Mallory– to Gray’s well-kept townhouse in New Town, with penny dreadful scattered on tabletops, to the pubs and pawn shows and seedy back alleys of Grassmarket, to the muddy streets of Old Town congested with small businesses and tenements of questionable stability.
Armstrong often writes thoughtfully about the social issues of the time period too, which helped ground the story even more firmly in the past. During the story, Mallory develops a strong friendship with Isla, Dr. Gray’s sister. They become each other’s confidant– supporting each other as bold and brilliant women. Their friendship becomes a sort of subtle rebellion against the social hierarchy of the time, one that crosses economic class lines and challenges expectations based on gender. Elsewhere in the story, Armstrong explores racism and colonialism, burgeoning anti-immigrant sentiments, and the morality of scientific progress.
By the end, A Rip Through Time reminded me of the joys of escape through fiction. I had so much fun exploring a different time and a different country. As the series progresses, I’m looking forward to seeing how the relationships develop between Mallory, Gray, Isla, and McCreadie (I already have my theories!), and I’m looking forward to watching Mallory and Isla challenge gender norms in the Victorian era. About an hour after finishing the final chapter, I sneaked away from the work desk to go to the library where I checked out book two from the series, The Poisoners Ring. THAT is a testament to how much fun I had with this book. I rarely seek out the other books in a series. And if I do, it’s usually years after finishing the first book. I just really want to know what happens next!
The Teas
Scottish Breakfast Tea with milk and sugar
Your favorite Scottish Breakfast blend
Even though Dr. Gray starts his day with a cup of coffee, I’m recommending a cup of Scottish Breakfast tea instead. The tea is a blend of black teas from Assam and Ceylon, and it sometimes includes black tea from China. Of the traditional breakfast teas from the U.K., Scottish Breakfast tea tends to be the strongest, and it offers malty and oaky aromas. I love sipping this one with milk and sugar.
Victorian London Fog from Harney & Sons
I know A Rip Through Time doesn’t take place in London, but it’s does take place in the Victorian Era, which makes Victorian London Fog a lovely companion for this book. It is a blend of black tea, oolong tea, bergamot oil, lavender, and vanilla flavor. In lieu of this particular type of tea, might I recommend reaching for your favorite lavender infused Earl Grey?
Your favorite Assam
Mallory, Isla, Detective McCreadie, and Dr. Gray often meet during afternoon tea to discuss the cases, and Assam could certainly have graced the table. This malty cup of tea might give them the caffeine boost they need to keep them alert while they investigate the darkened, back alleys of Grassmarket at night.
Coffee for Mallory so she doesn’t haven’t to sip Dr. Gray’s dregs
One comfort Mallory misses from the modern day is a cup of coffee. A good cup of coffee. Mallory is desperate for the brew and the jolt of caffeine (especially since she can’t quite figure out how to wake herself up before dawn without an alarm clock), so she will sneak sips from Dr. Gray’s abandoned coffee cups.
I love the brevity of a month-in-review kind of post– the ones where bloggers share the podcasts/albums/books/events/video games they consumed recently but without an accompanying thousand-word analysis of the experience. I used to compose posts like this (read: Five March Favorites), but I am so, so terrible at sticking to structured content calendars. So, here is my latest attempt at a (probably, almost definitely, unregular) feature. Here are the books, tea, and geekery I have enjoyed lately:
Books
Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Petersen
Can’t Even critiques the the systems many Millennials were born into like the college-at-all-costs pipeline, social media-driven lifestyle curation, and the burden of invisible labor nearly all mothers carry even in (especially in?) the year of our Lord, 2024. Petersen’s strongest chapters discussed the “enshittification” of the workplace by examining labor theory and history since the 1970s.
I would be enraged after reading this book, but I’ve read it all before. If you’re a Millennial, who exists at all online, you’ve probably read the arguments before, too. Nevertheless, Can’t Even is relatable, and the book satisfies the craving for confirmation bias.
My biggest critique of this book is the author’s declaration that Millenials are the “burnout generation”. She then dispels that notion in the first chapter by arguing burnout is a state of existence we inherited from our Boomer parents. Which I agree with, by the way! I don’t think Millenials have a monopoly on burnout, and I think trying to imply that only invites the generational infighting I’m so tired of reading about.
The Best American Essays 2023 edited by Vivian Gornick
I love essays. I think I secretly want to be an essayist. It’s probably why I’ve always been drawn to blogs and blogging, which seem like informal essays [this post is not an essay]. Essays take my favorite approach to storytelling (nonfiction) and turn it bite-sized, conveying complex ideas concisely. (How appropriate that The Best American Essays 2023 includes a meditation on concision by George Estreich).
I’m only halfway through, but I’ve already read a few memorable essays. Any Kind of Leaving by Jillian Barnet shatters the usual savior-like portrayal of adoption, and this essay almost made me cry. We Were Hungry by Chris Dennis is a brutal, sort-of-love-letter to McDonald’s from an ex-addict. Ms. Daylily by Xujun Eberlein is an achingly intimate story about a daughter trying to piece together her mother’s relationship with another woman during Mao’s reign and the Cultural Revolution in China.
This anthology also feels like it will be a time capsule for future generations with essays about gender identity, the prison system, and the immigrant experience in the United States. It makes me curious to read earlier books from this series (started in 1986) to see if earlier editors managed to curate a collection of work that embodies the year it was published, too.
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Some of the best graphic novels I’ve read in recent years have come from the Middle-Grade section of the local library, and New Kid by Jerry Craft now gets added to this growing list. New Kid follows Jordan, a Black middle schooler who wants to attend art school but is enrolled in a rigorously academic private school instead. At his new school, Jordan confronts bullying, classism, code-switching, and microaggressions as he struggles to find his place among peers who do not look like him.
The characters and the friendships that develop between them are delightful. The book was laugh-out-loud funny. And, I loved the playfulness of the chapter title illustrations, which were inspired by popular films like the Lord of the Rings, Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Star Wars.
Tea
A few Sunday’s ago, a surprise from the good folks at Plum Deluxe arrived on my doorstep– this World of Tea care package inspired by France, which includes five curated blends from their shop and five blends exclusive to this sampler. I’m looking forward to sipping through this collection, but I think I need to acquire some croissants first. Especially for the Cafe Breakfast Blend, which is infused with coffee beans.
The tea featured in my favorite Pragon teacup above is the Huckleberry Happiness blend, a random sample included with the care package. It’s a fruity black tea blend that pairs well with sunny mornings filled with birdsong.
Geekery
Citizen Sleeper
Citizen Sleeper is the cozy, slice-of-life cyberpunk video game I didn’t know I needed in my life. I am obsessed with the artwork, the soundtrack, the story, the wholesome characters like Lem & Mina, the gameplay– everything!
This game follows a “sleeper”, a digitized human mind encapsulated in an artificial body, who escaped their old life of indentured servitude to Essen-Arp Corp. As the story opens, the sleeper has sought refuge on a lawless space station called the Eye. There, the sleeper meets a colorful cast of characters, builds friendships, navigates factions, and ultimately tries to survive and rebuild their life among a hyper-capitalist, interstellar society.
Citizen Sleeper is a text-based game that functions like a Tabletop RPG, where payers “spend” dice to drive the story forward, complete actions, and determine outcomes of choices. It’s sort of like a virtual choose-your-own-adventure story with several different endings, so I’m already looking forward to replaying this game.
Open Roads
In Open Roads, gamers play the role of sixteen-year-old Tess, who has just discovered a secret stash of love letters tucked away in the attic of her grandmother’s house after her grandmother passed away. Tess convinces her mother to go on a road trip to discover how deep these family secrets are buried.
Wikipedia tells me this is a “walking simulator”. Players can navigate a scene and interact with the environment to reveal more of the story. It’s a low-stakes (no-stakes?) video game that had me hooked because 1. it’s set in the early 2000s, so it’s satisfying the craving for nostalgia, and 2. it takes place in Michigan, my home state!
It’s a very short video game; players can probably complete it in an evening. But, after solving the mystery surrounding the grandmother’s secret love letters, I kept hoping Tess would try to discover the secret stash of bootleggers gold, which was a topic that surfaced throughout the story. Open Roads left me wanting more, but in a good way, I think. The story was compelling enough, the characters were charming, and the gameplay was calming, so I just wanted to keep playing.
Skyrim
I am a creature of habit, so I’m usually just replaying a handful of games (Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Stardew Valley), and lately, I’ve been devoting my time to Skyrim. In this open world, action roleplaying game, players explore Skyrim, the northernmost region of the continent of Tamriel, by navigating the politics of a region divided by civil war, joining factions, slaying dragons and draugr, and delving into dungeons to discover valuable loot. (It seems strange to summarize this game since it’s so iconic).
I’ve had this game since it was released in 2011, and I’ve never completed the main storyline(s). I’ll sink 40 hours into a character then take a break for a few months. When I return, I forget what I’m doing and just start a new character with a new play style. Lately, I’ve been playing as a mage. I recently finished the College of Winterhold questline, and I’m now working on the Dawnguard questline, but I don’t love this playstyle, and I already want to start a new character.I started a new sneak thief character. Why am I the way that I am?
Have you enjoyed some books, tea, or geekery recently, too? Let me know in the comments!
A few years ago, I plucked an unsuspecting graphic novel from a shelf at the library–The Sacrifice of Darkness by Roxanne Gay, Tracy Lynne Oliver, Rebecca Kirby, and James Fenner. I remember this graphic novel being solidly okay, but it encouraged me to actively seek out graphic novels going forward. Now I bring one home after every library visit. They are mostly middle-grade or young adult books since that’s what is immediately available to me at my local library, but they are nevertheless incredible. Some have even made me weep! Here are 7 graphic novels I’ve read in the last year (and a half?) that I cannot stop thinking about:
This was Our Pact by Ryan Andrews
On the night of the Autumn Equinox Festival, a town gathers to float paper lanterns down the river. Legend has it, the lanterns will float away and right out to the Milky Way. This year, Ben and his classmates make a pact to follow the lanterns to find out if the legend is true. However, it’s not long before the pact is broken, and all who remain are Ben and the one kid who doesn’t quite fit in, Nathaniel. Together, they travel farther than anyone has gone before, and along the way, they discover a world full of magic and unexpected friendship.
This Was Our Pact was delightful. It was magical. It was whimsical. It had a talking bear! And the whole time I thought, this world could come to life in a Hayao Miyazaki film. The artwork was stunning, too. Like, you could open up the book to the illustration of the Milky Way, and the page could just swallow you up like the sky.
Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas
Aiza has always dreamed of being a knight; it’s the highest military honor of the Bayt-Sajji Empire, and it’s her only path to full citizenship as a member of the marginalized Ornu people. When Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war, Aiza enlists. She navigates new friendships and rigorous training all while hiding her Ornu background from her friends and superiors. She also learns that the Bayt-Sajji military might not be fighting for the greater good after all, forcing her to choose between her heritage and her loyalty to the empire.
Lately, I feel as though I’ve abandoned YA books because the authors I’ve picked up struggle to address social issues well. The stories often feel stilted or like the author is just reiterating a talking point they read on social media. It feels cringey and vaguely Afterschool Special-esque. But, I think the thing that impressed me most about Squire was its ability to address complex themes like propaganda, imperialism, colonialism, and minority identity under a conquering empire without sacrificing rich storytelling. Also, the story features badass girls with swords, which is always awesome.
Incredible Doom: Volume 1 by Matthew Bogart and Jesse Holden
Simply, Incredible Doom is about outcast teens finding refuge from abusive parents and acceptance from peers after being bullied at a new school through the bulletin board system of the early ’90s (sort of a precursor to the modern internet). Plus, it has a punk house, 90’s DIY aesthetic, and some wonderful Star Trek geekery!
Even though I didn’t have internet access at home until the late 1990s and didn’t experience BBS, this graphic novel made me feel so nostalgic for the internet of yesteryear. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book and the early days of personal websites since.
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
Kate Beaton narrates her experience working in the oil sands of Alberta, where she is one of a few women among thousands of men, in this graphic novel memoir.
This is probably the only book on this list that doesn’t target a YA or middle-grade audience and pheeew! This book was heavy. I went into reading this book thinking it was going to be about the environmental impact of the oil sands, and the author does touch on it. But, it was more about the cultural and human impact of living in an insular and isolated community.
As a woman, Beaton dealt with sexual harassment and sexual assault. She doesn’t excuse these actions but still manages to hold compassion for many of her male co-workers, who are complicit in perpetuating a toxic and dangerous environment for women. Ultimately, the men were victims of the oil sands too. Without access to mental health resources, pervasive loneliness and depression permeated their lives as they spent years away from families and communities outside of work camps or watched corporate bosses sweep the accidental deaths of oil sand workers under the rug because they were viewed as expendable. Ducks is a devastating, empathetic, and nuanced portrayal of just how badly the environment and human lives were exploited to churn out a corporate profit.
P.S. Don’t skip the afterword. Beaton addresses her assault more directly here, and it provides much more context on how it was treated in the graphic novel. It helped me process some of the emotions that surfaced as I read this story.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
Freddy Riley’s world revolves around her girlfriend, Laura Dean. Laura is cool and popular and exciting, but she’s also a jerk who only seems to use Freddy when she’s bored. Freddy’s self-esteem and friendships are suffering because of it, so Freddy is trying to figure out how to ditch Laura once and for all.
I found this coming-of-age story absorbing, but the thing that sticks with me after all this time is the artwork. The illustrations are inked simply in black and white with the occasional use of pink. It was beautiful, absolutely striking.
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
On the surface, This One Summer is about Rose and her annual summer vacation at Awago Beach. This summer is different though because Rose’s parents keep fighting. Luckily, Rose’s friend Windy is at the beach too, and together they find ways to distract themselves from family drama.
Below the surface, This One Summer is a quiet novel about a girl teetering on the cusp of adolescence. It’s about leaving the freedom and naivety of childhood behind and learning to navigate the tumultuous world of pre-teen/teenage girlhood. It’s changing bodies and pushing boundaries and noticing boys. It’s also about all the ways we learn to form opinions of ourselves as girls based on how the world around us (men and boys in particular, but also the media we consume and other women harboring internalized misogyny), reacts to our existence. Girlhood (and womanhood) is such a powerful experience, but sometimes it is a profoundly devastating experience, and it was captured here within the pages of This One Summer. And by God,thisbook made me weep.
There are two stories I think of that capture the essence of being a preteen girl so perfectly: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (which I read as an actual preteen) and now This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki (which I read as an adult and through the lens of being a mother). It was absolutely brilliant.
On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
Throughout the deepest reaches of space, a crew rebuilds broken-down structures to reassemble the past. As the newest crew member, Mia gets to know her team, the story flashes back to her time in boarding school, where she first fell in love. Soon, Mia reveals her purpose for joining the crew was to track down her long-lost love.
On a Sunbeam is a warm blanket. There is so much love between these pages it soothes my soul. First, it is in the form of Sapphic relationships, especially between Mia and her first love, Grace. When Grace is suddenly ripped from Mia’s life, Mia attempts to defy the vastness of the entire. friggin. universe. just to find her again. Second, it is in the form of a found family– the crew Mia connects with to rebuild abandoned buildings in space.
Beyond the storytelling, Tillie Walden’s illustrations are stunning, and her artwork is among my favorites. Her artwork in Are You Listening? is pretty incredible too.
I am obsessed with the Dragon Age video game series. Like, replay-the-video-games-every-year obsessed. Like, check-for-Dreadwolf-updates-every-other-month-even-though-I-know-there-are-no-new-updates obsessed. Like, would-buy-all-the-Dragon-Age-collectibles-if-I-did’t-have-to-be-responsible-with-money obsessed.
Dragon Age is a fantasy role-playing video game series that takes place on the continent of Thedas. The video games focus on the events that take place during the 100 years of the Dragon Age:
from the story of the Grey Wardens, who defeated the horde of twisted Dark Spawn during the Fifth Blight
to the growing unrest between the mages of the Free Marches city-state and their militant handlers, the Templars
to the re-creation of the Inquisition, an independent political and military organization trying to restore order to Thedas following an explosion at the Divine Conclave that resulted in the death of the leader of the Orleasian Chantry (their church, if you will) and a tear in the veil that allows demons to escape from the Fade (a magical realm) into the world (phew!). And, they must do this while navigating a world torn apart by the Mage-Templar War and an Orlesian Civil War.
Beyond the current video games, there are books, comics, flash games, tabletop RPGs, web series, a movie, and a Netflix animation. The world is immersive. And, rumor has it, there is to be a full reveal of Dreadwolf in 2024. (But, who knows. I feel like Bioware has been teasing us about DA4 since 2018).
I’ve never anticipated the release of a game this much, so I had the brilliant idea to read and play through as many of the 34 Dragon Age installments I can get my hands on in chronological order for my “canon playthrough”. (Okay, as I admit this to the world, my plan sounds more bonkers than brilliant, but I think other passionate fans of the series would understand.)
The Book
And so it begins with Dragon Age: the Stolen Throne by David Gaider. The events in this novel take place 30 years before the 1st video game, Dragon Age: Origins. In fact, it takes place before the actual “Dragon” Age. The novel opens with the country of Ferelden under occupation by the neighboring Orlesian Empire. The Rebel Queen of Ferelden, who has been fighting against Orlais, is murdered by traitorous, Fereldan nobles, but her son, Prince Maric survives.
Fleeing from his mother’s assassins, Prince Maric runs into a band of outlaws led by Loghain (who Dragon Age fans will recognize as the antagonist from Dragon Age: Origins). The two reluctantly team up, reunite with the Rebel Army, and fight to expel the usurper Orlesian King of Ferelden. Of course, no Dragon Age story would be complete without the threat of villainous mages, a foreboding visit from the Witch of the Wilds, morally ambiguous Chantry leaders, and passionate romances between companions in between brutal battles for the future of Ferelden.
I give it a solid…TWO STARS.
The Stolen Throne was both too short for the story Gaider wanted to tell and too long for the story that was delivered. The author stuffed several years of story into 400 pages, so naturally, some elements of good storytelling were sacrificed. Gaider spared readers several years of redundant battles by summarizing a year of war into a few paragraphs. But, this also meant that crucial character development and relationship building were glossed over, and arguably, the characters, the interpersonal drama, and the dialogue between them is what makes the Dragon Age series so special.
In the end, I would only recommend this book to folks who really embrace the fandom. I’m not sure there is enough here to keep even a casual player enticed. And forget it if you’ve never played a game before. So much of the world-building was lacking, so without prior knowledge of the world of Thedas, the Stolen Throne reads a bit like a generic sword and shield fantasy novel.
The Teas
Your Favorite Shou Pu’erh
The Fereldans are a puzzle. As a people, they are one bad day away from reverting to barbarism. They repelled invasions from Tevinter during the height of the Imperium with nothing but dogs and their own obstinate disposition. They are the coarse, wilful, dirty, disorganized people who somehow gave rise to our prophet, ushered in an era of enlightenment, and toppled the greatest empire in our history.
– Empress Celine I of Orlais, in a letter to her newly appointed ambassador to Denerim
The Dragon Age continent of Thedas is an amalgamation of cultures and civilizations in Eurasia spanning from the Early Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period. Ferelden, the setting for the Stolen Throne, seems to resemble the period following the Anglo-Saxon conquest of England– not quite “barbaric” but not yet as opulent as Orlais or Tevinter. Not opulent at all, actually. It’s rural and dirty and always on the verge of battle against darkspawn or neighboring Orlais, and really I just imagine most people smell of wet mabari (a breed of war dog revered by Fereldans).
And so, for my first tea, I suggest your favorite shou pu’erh. For the uninitiated, shou pu’erh is a fermented tea that, to me, is akin to licking a wet forest floor in the middle of Autumn, but in a good way. (Usually. I had a shou that tasted like how the animal pens at the county farm smelled, and that ended up down the drain. But, honestly, that sounds perfect for Ferelden, too). I sipped Pu-erh #1 from Friday Afternoon Tea, which is an undaunting introduction to pu’erh. It offers aromas of earth, wet wood, and dry leaves. (It appears this tea is no longer available, but check out more aged teas from Friday Afternoon here.)
Soldier’s Blend from Friday Afternoon Tea
Loghain glanced uncomfortably at the knights who had been assigned to his command, once again wondering just how he had allowed himself to end up here. Thirty mounted men in heavy plate armor, each with more combat experience in the last year than he had in his life, and he was supposed to lead them?
the Stolen Throne by David Gaider
Picked simply for its name, the Soldier’s Blend from Friday Afternoon Tea is a blend of black tea, chicory root, cacao nib, and natural vanilla flavor. It’s reminiscent of a dark chocolate bar with a pop of tangy acid. I prefer to sip this one sweetened to draw out the creamy vanilla notes and to tame the dark chocolate flavor (I’m a milk chocolate girlie).
Shield Maiden from Friday Afternoon Tea
The knight sheathed his sword. Reaching up to his helmet, he pulled it off, and Loghain realized the man’s voice had sounded strange because it wasn’t a man at all. Masses of thick brown curls were plastered against the woman’s sweaty pale skin, yet Loghain found it didn’t mar her striking appearance. She had high cheekbones and a strong chin that a sculptor would have ached for, yet carried herself with a confidence that told him the armor was no affectation. She was as much a soldier as the men she led, and while it was not unheard of in Ferelden for a woman to be skilled in the art of war, it was uncommon enough to be surprising.
the Stolen Throne by David Gaider
Rowan is easily my favorite character. She is betrothed to Prince Maric and will someday be Queen of Ferelden. But, in the meantime, she charges headfirst into battle alongside her army to win back the throne stolen by Orlais. Her story is part honor, duty, and total badassery, but it is also part unrequited love, which wrecks me every single time. She should have been the main character.
Rowan kind of reminds me of Eowyn from the Lord of the Rings, so to honor Rowan, I’ve selected Shield Maiden from Friday Afternoon Tea, which is a blend of elderflower, pink peppercorn, roasted dandelion root, ginkgo biloba, cacao nib, and shavegrass. This golden-like-the-sun brew has a thick, luscious mouthfeel and it offers aromas of dried grass and dried wildflowers. There is also a soft heat from the pink peppercorns.
Your Favorite Rose-Infused Blend
Delicate to the nose, comfort to the tongue, and, strangely, a half-remembered whisper to the ears. It is described as—and inspires—a wistful spirit. A vintner’s opus.
Dragon Age codex entry on the tasting notes for Vint-9 Rowan’s Rose
No Dragon Age story is complete without romance. (Except for Dragon Age 2. My headcanon Hawke only has eyes for Varric, who is not one of the game’s love interests :( and yes I am still bitter about this.) In The Stolen Throne, we get a double-whammy of unrequited love. ~*~spoilers!~*~ Loghain pines for Rowan who pines for Maric who has been promised to Rowan but pines for Katriel. sigh.
For the final tea, I suggest your favorite rose-infused blend. To sweep me off my feet, I sipped the Orlesian Gray from Lady Gray Kitchen. It’s a citrusy Earl Grey blended with rose, lavender, and rosemary. As an added bonus, this particular blend was inspired by the kingdom of Orlais from the Dragon Age series!
About the Blogger
My name is Jackie, and I am a millennial / mother / Michigander / blogger / wannabe runner / accountant / local library enthusiast / gamer, kinda. This is a personal blog, which means I’m not entirely certain what you’ll find here, but it will definitely not show up on the first page of Google search results.
By Golly, Ollie! 