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Most Holy.

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my favorite song on my Illario playlist is “cocaine and abel” by amigo the devil if you even care

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*taps the mic* Lucanis taking Rook's last name. that is all thank you.

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I know you posted this like long ago yesterday but I opened the post in my browser so I'd remember to send an ask when I got off work and then I. Didn't do that. So if you're still looking to cause violence

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

and

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

I got these questions twice!!

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

Lucanis was not treated "Better" by Caterina because he was the favorite. Idk where anyone got that fucking idea. Because Illario is salty about not being the fave? Being the abuser's favorite isn't a silly fun time fam, take it from me. They were treated DIFFERENTLY from each other, sure, but NOT better or worse. Lucanis talks about being beaten with her cane, for fucks sake.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

Unfortunately it seems Davrin is one of the most popular companions??? Which is crazy [read: racist :)] because he almost stole me away from Lucanis several times. I maintain that if Davrin was a white guy he'd be the most popular out of every single companion. Otherwise I'm not super sure who is widely disliked because I mostly stay in the Lucanis corner.

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Anyone else sick of the notion that being the abuser's favorite means you get abused less

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LMAO great work everyone 💜 there were 1,812 works in 2024, and the current count has now exceeded that:

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most precious daydream

thinkin about lucanis' struggle with his wants vs. familial expectations, rook being a catalyst for his reach for freedom and understanding the crows from an outside perspective, and all of the cut content and epilogue scenes ...

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I think people misunderstand "x fell first, y fell harder " trope because it's not about like the one who fell harder loves the other person harder. It's just that the one who fell first falls in a graceful way, one step at the time, maybe gradually over a span of time. The one who fell harder smashes trough the air, there's blood everywhere, everything is fine-

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Curious about this so I made a poll. Word of god says one thing, datamining apparently says another, throw that all out and tell me what you feel in your hearts!

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murat's parents.

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All I’ve Ever Known but Fenris & Fenhawke Happy Valentines ?

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🔥 choose violence ask game 🔥

the character everyone gets wrong

a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom

screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

what was the last straw that made you finally block that annoying person?

worst discord server and why

which ship fans are the most annoying?

what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

worst part of canon

worst part of fanon

number of fandom-related words you've filtered

the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

worst blorboficiation

that one thing you see in fics all the time

that one thing you see in fanart all the time

you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

there should be more of this type of fic/art

it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...

part of canon you found tedious or boring

part of canon you think is overhyped

your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

ship you've unwillingly come around to

topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

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you should come within biting range. no reason

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Caved in a little bit

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Lucanis, laying in bed: Get out of my room.

Illario, standing just outside of the door frame: I’m not in your room.

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Most Antivan Crows do not live long enough to experience a midlife crisis

The Crows supply their ranks generally from orphans, illegitimate or abandoned children, children purchased from slavery, whore houses and other similar sources. Some are born into the Crows already, but those would be a very small minority, for reasons explained below.

Lucanis mentions that Crow training involves a lot of acrobacy. After a brief search, sports with similar physical requirements such as gymnastics, ballet and martial arts have the ideal starting age in the range of 4-10 years, 15 at the latest, when the children's joints are still flexible (and their minds can be easily manipulated). Zevran is canonically stated to have been taken at the age of 7.

Crow training is intense and brutal, involving straight up torture as tests of pain tolerance. From the 18 fledglings of House Arainai taken in the same year as Zevran, only two survived to the end of their training (World of Thedas Vol. 2). Training with real weapons, harsh punishment, possibly the Spartan custom of underfeeding the children and driving them to stealing food for themselves to encourage learning stealth and resourcefulness, and very likely killing any who try to run away, all these are very likely factors for the high death rate among fledglings.

If the average age of newest Crow fledglings is 6, they might be ready for promotion to the rank of Assassin very well as early as the age of 14-15. This is where the second meat grinder starts, these new Crows will already have plenty experience, but the first solo contracts will still likely take many of them, either killed by their targets, by their Masters for failing the contract, or by themselves to avoid the pain and humiliation of returning to their Masters unsuccessful. This period might likely have the highest suicide rates in general, as the new Crows are still relatively emotionaly vulnerable but old enough to comprehend their position in the world and the weight of their actions.

Promotion to the rank of Assassin also certainly brings great benefits that only increase as the Crow's career progresses and their contracts bring them more coin. The comforts and opulence of Antiva are for them to take, and someone who has grown up only knowing hunger and pain will certainly not hold back. Alcohol, drugs, sex, all the addictions and diseases will surely take the lives of many Crows.

An Assassin's career begins early and ends early. To use sports and dance once again, most porfessional gymnasts and ballet dancers retire between the ages of 25 and 35 as their physical capabilities decline. Those who have survived this long will be granted the rank of Master and oversee the distribution of contracts and the training of fledglings, and will participate in actual assassinations much less. This is also where one might strive to become a Grandmaster or even a Talon. At this point, a Crow will have enough prominence within the organization that they might become a target themselves. Only the most skilled, well-connected and ruthless Crows will continue to rise and, most importantly, continue to live.

If a presumed average number of fledglings per House is around 20, 2-3 will make it to Assassin. In one Assassin's 20 years long career, that would make only about 50 new Assassins out of 400 fledglings. Probably only about a half of those will make it to 35. Even fewer will make it to 50. Out of 400 children bought or stolen from the streets.

Caterina Dellamorte is over 70 years old.

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Been thinking after I got an ask about it as to why I like Mercarllamorte Rookanis so much and the sort answer is that I love torture

The long answer is more complicated and kind of central to my Rook (Adrian) specifically but I thought I'd talk about it in case anyone struggles to rationalize the decision to choose Treviso as a Shadow Dragon

On a personal note, Adrian feels a little bit abandoned by his city. He doesn't have the same love for Minrathous that Neve has for Dock Town. Especially as an elf, he's always felt like an outsider, often looked down upon by the members of his same economic class as a result of his adoption into the Mercars. And although he doesn't find the Mage classes all that trustworthy, I think he would feel that they'd at least want to protect their own territory, for lack of better terms. And to be sent away by the Shadow Dragons for his choices, and not so warmly welcomed back, I think a small part of him, underneath all that actual rationalization, would tug his heart towards Treviso a bit more.

And then there is Lucanis. I think Rook would feel that Lucanis needed him most, whether that was true or not. Lucanis telling him to go where he felt he was needed would make him feel, for perhaps the first time, that he was given real permission to make a choice. Between that and Treviso not having a real army the way the Capitol does, it would feel easier in the moment to make that choice. And he would feel, when he saw Lucanis so happy to see him, that he made the right one.

All this to say that the devastation of arriving in Minrathous would be so, so potent. Rook arriving to see people he knew hanging is horrible, Adrian being dark skinned and elvish especially. To know that the faith he put in the mages was misplaced, that the Shadow Dragons (who had, for all intents and purposes, claimed to not need him) needed him after all....

And Rook of course would know that there was no good choice, that if he had chosen Minrathous then Treviso would face the same devastation, but it doesn't take away the sting of Neve's anger, or the bitterness of the Shadow Dragons feeling betrayed at his abandonment when he had felt the same thing after the venatori incident. He would feel devastated that his presence alone had turned the tide so much, and an overwhelming panic at the idea that he had somehow ended up so important.

And he would know in his heart that he would make the choice again, if only to see the relief on Lucanis's face.