flightsoffandom

[flightsoffandom]

As I've been playing DA2 the last couple of nights, the comparisons between it and VG can't help but arise, and I think one of the biggest for me is Kirkwall itself.

Sometimes when VG critical assholes show up, I see defenders say “well it went through dev hell and they really only had 3 years to do what they had to do,” as if in apology for many of the complaints that arise. Except that if that's true, my god look what they gave us just in the environments alone. Not just how beautiful they look (I'm constantly blown away by the Necropolis, Treviso, and especially Arlathan). It's how, in appropriate settings, they're peppered with people who have dialogue that doesn't endlessly loop, some of which with you can interact, some faction-specific.

DA2 is constantly held up in comparison as a game which went through similar dev hell, and Kirkwall feels... Empty. It's supposed to be chock full of refugees, and it just isn't.

I always happy to run through Dock Town or Treviso, blighted or not, to hear what's going on, to see the street performers, to get the latest news, to hear how people feel about current events. The areas feel populated and fleshed out. If you're overlooking the poor and unhoused in VG, you're doing it deliberately.

This isn't an indictment against DA2 so much as positivity towards VG. We shouldn't have to feel like we need to make excuses like “they only had x many years to really develop this game-” however many years they supposedly had, just in the environments alone, nevermind combat, companions, dialogue, romances, and the overarching story, we were given something really beautiful.

I'm never not going to grin when trotting through a city and suddenly catching a minstrel picking out “Sera Was Never” to a tiny crowd of listeners.

[flightsoffandom]

[flightsoffandom]

*rook de riva getting their ass handed to them in a fight*

Viago: you're a disappointment to the crows

Rook: yeah well look who trained me

*Viago has joined the fight against rook"

[flightsoffandom]

Rook: You mean you didn’t spend all that time dreaming about having coffee with your inner demon?

Lucanis: And with you. But here we are.

The look on Lucanis face just before he responds to Rook’s comment says so much.

It said, yes, he never thought this would be happening to him. He never thought he would be sitting getting coffee with someone he loved. He never thought he would be getting coffee with someone who loved him back. He assumed after becoming an abomination all that was behind him. He would kill all the Venatori and then didn’t think beyond that moment because there was nothing for him beyond getting their revenge. All of those dreams and hopes he had pre-Ossuary were long gone and he did not dare dream of something so tender and sweet there.

He never dreamed of getting coffee with Spite. He never dreamed of getting coffee with someone like Rook and yet, there they were, together enjoying a drink at his favorite cafe in his beloved Treviso. It was more than anything he could have dreamed.

[flightsoffandom]

oh boy if we thought the inquisitors love letters in DAV were good can you even IMAGINE the love letters lucanis would write rook? Just a random paragraph about rook in his daily schedule was DEVASTATINGLY POETIC imagine if you gave this man time to COOK with the QUILL

[flightsoffandom]

Can't believe that my poor man Lucanis had to specify that the dessert was enough for everyone because he was afraid Rook wouldn't have accepted it as a token of his love.... Maybe he even prepared himself to how reply help-

[flightsoffandom]

It makes me so sad that some people don't get Lucanis' ways to show affection. I mean... This man has been raised and taught to be an assassin, to show zero emotions towards his contracts and enemies. And Caterina isn't the warmest parent figure out there, right? So Lucanis has been neglected physical contact and words of appreciation (platonic and romantic) for most of his life, that shit carves a hole within you that it's hard to fill, even with the right person. Because I think Caterina only praised him when he did a good job. Plus he being demisexual doesn't help in that area. His only ways to express his feelings are acts of service and promises, and that's what he does with Rook, he pours all his devotion in their relationship even if he struggles with the romantic sphere and PDA.... Also, add being held hostage for a year and having to deal with a demon that you couldn't control before idk yesterday? He makes me so emotional...

[flightsoffandom]

Spite wasn't Lucanis's biggest issue in VG and I sort of get annoyed when people are like "Spite should have been a bigger problem!!!" Because yeah maybe before weisshaupt they should have had the two of them more earnestly disagreeing and that making it harder for Lucanis to physically be able to do his job but he spells it out for us multiple times in the Ossuary and afterwards: Spite doesn't want to be there. None of the spirits in the ossuary did. They didnt want to cross the veil spite is literally just as lost and hurt and confused as Lucanis the only reason they survived and didnt become one of those undead we have to kill is because of Lucanis's empathy and being able to put himself in Spite's shoes and see that. I don't think Spite would then actively try and sabotage the only person in the world who's been relatively kind to him he just wants Lucanis to let him be free like he promised. Like he gets frustrated and annoyed but its because Lucanis doesn't listen because listening means confronting all the other shit going on in his head and that is what he's afraid of. Not Spite. I think once he's out of the Ossuary he uses Spite as a scapegoat for all his other trauma like oh I have a demon in me so I don't have time to think about the fact that my cousin betrayed me or I was tortured or my grandmother is an abusive piece of shit SPITE IS NOT LUCANIS'S MAIN ISSUE

[flightsoffandom]

I like the implication that before Lucanis comes by Rook's room post Fade Jail, he speedruns contacting every single ally they have to let them know

1) Rook's safe, and needs rest.

2) If they bother Rook about anything before sunrise, there will be contracts on their heads.

It's in line with "putting Rook's safety above his own happiness but Rook's safety is his happiness so it all ties together" thing he has going.

[flightsoffandom]

For any relocated TikTok users

you can say sex and kill its fine

If you don't have a profile picture people will assume you're a bot

theres barely an algorithm, if you want to see cool shit reblog things instead of just liking them

follower count doesnt matter

tumblr fame gets you one thing and it is Yelled At

no one knows what the fuck the nsfw policy is

block anyone that annoys you even a little bit

And most importantly:

post cringe

[flightsoffandom]

Emmrich actually IS the suave and charismatic gentleman we've all been waiting for. Forget your Alistairs and your Cullens. Emmrich says dear and darling and has enough Big Dick Energy that you sense him coming from three rooms away. What's that shift in the air? Emmrich's natural necromantic aura touching the Fade? Well yes but also the sound of his monster cock swinging in his perfectly tailored trousers.

Emmrich talks to Rook like there's a love letter addressed to them specifically lodged in his voice box. He touches them like he paid money for the privilege. Emmrich uses his wealth to help others, he is NOT a person who desires power, and he expects the same of others. One time he looked at Rook and said, "The only good noble is a dead one," and even though Rook knew he was talking about the residents of the Necropolis, or perhaps because of that, it made Rook so wet they had to go sit down against a tree and bang their head a little to calm down.

Sometimes Rook shows up in Emmrich's room of an evening and without even missing a beat Emmrich says, "Come have a seat, darling," and Rook sits next to him only for him to tut and pat his knee. Immediately, Rook is perched there like he's Santa Claus.

"The things one can sense when truly in tune with the fade are inspiring," Emmrich says, and other such nonsense as his touch finds the path of least resistance to Rook's skin without hesitation. His fingers are cool and kind and they trace up the side of Rook's ribs like they might slot perfectly between them, like Rook was built as a home for his hand.

"You're killing me," Rook says, because he is, because Rook could actually choke and die from how badly they want to feel Emmrich's mustache on their thighs.

"Yes, but only a little death," Emmrich says. He smiles and his bangles jingle merrily away as he plays with Rook's chest. "Every time I touch your body, I'm already longing for the moment I'll touch it again."

"Guh," says Rook. "Hrng. Hunh."

"I quite agree. I find that words fail me when it comes to...how you make me feel, dearest." This is what Emmrich says, but fails utterly to demonstrate as he leans in and delicately bites Rook's earlobe, whispering seventeen of the twenty filthiest things Rook has ever heard. Things like I'll eat you like a cake, though you're more delicious and the Fade sings your name when I'm in you and--

"If I have to hear ONE MORE THING about that necromancer's cock," seethes Solas, who did NOT know that he was signing up for nightly pornographic lullabies when he decided to kick it in the back of Rook's head. This is the fourth time he's said that this week. He will hear many, many more things about that necromancer's cock.

"YES EMMRICH," echoes through the Fade, "Gods YES, harder! Give it to me!"

The spirits of the Fade, who like Emmrich a whole helluva lot more than they like Solas right now, twirl and giggle.

[flightsoffandom]

Had this thought running around in my head.

Sleeper Build Emmrich Volkarin.

Emmrich probably would gain loads of muscle from running around with the Veilguard and Lucanis would make it his job to make sure Emmrich eats enough like an Italian grandmother.

Between eating well because of Lucanis and work out sessions with Taash. Plus running around Thedas with Rook, he’s bound to get quite fit. On top of that, he does enjoy keeping up with his morning stretches and exercises.

After the events of DAV, he returns to teaching and the baby goths are going to notice that their favourite bean pole of a professor is looking more jacked, back muscles peaking through his shirt, his arms looking significantly more veiny through his grave gold. He’s noted to not be wearing his usual vest, when prompted about it, he causally jokes about gaining weight (you know, domestic bliss with a new wife and all) and is getting a new vest tailored.

I imagined my Rook (Lenore Ingellvar) rejoining the Mourn Watchers and becoming a combat instructor after the game, she’s popular with her students because of her younger age and friendly disposition. Most of the students think they have a shot with her because Professor Volkarin is a nerdy bean pole and Professor Ingellvar deserves “a real man”.

Que Emmrich dropping into one of her classes one day and one of the boys, a young noble from House Van Markham maybe, openly challenging Emmrich into hand to hand combat because he thinks Professor Ingellvar is too much of a catch for an old man like Emmrich.

Lenore sweetens the pot by saying that the student who manages to land a single hit on Emmrich gets to sit out on physical conditioning. A total of 10 students step up to the challenge, eager to impress their favourite instructor and an opportunity to also one up the senior watcher.

Emmrich offers to take them 5 at a time. He moves unnaturally fast for a man of his age and manages to take all of them down fairly quickly. Emmrich puts Lil’ Van Markham into a chokehold and the boy forgets to tap out so he knocks out completely.

Save to say the student body learns of the meaning behind his nickname: Emmrich “Vol-carnage” Volkarin

[flightsoffandom]

In several banters Lucanis mentions that the Crows/Houses are by no means a monolith, or even like eachother. Lucanis doesn't even consider the Crows to be an organization due to the amount of killing eachother.

Which to me makes all the hashtag vialguard critical posts about it just completely useless.

A House can exist which buys children from brothels. A House can exist where they are rich and relatively civilized and keep it only in the family. A House can exist where Viago De Riva recruits by rescuing a plastic-eating feral cat from a drain pipe.

It doesn't make it a retcon, or an overhaul of the lore, or the game getting waterboarded with disinfectant. We just get introduced to a different Houses and perspectives.

It would be completely insane if all of the Houses followed the same list of children torturing commandments and ways of operating. Them all being varied makes the world feel more engaging.

It's like hearing your friend rant about Florida, then visiting Seattle and angrily complaining on Twitter that your friend lied to you about the USA. No chat, god didn't retcon parts of the USA. You're just in a different state.

[flightsoffandom]

to those of you who are moving here from tiktok, from someone whos used both tiktok and tumbr for years...

1. DO NOT censor your posts

dont censor sex, abuse, suicide, dont censor it. we dont have censors like tiktok does, you wont be banned for talking about these things and tagging them properly helps people avoid them (also, we dont have shadowbanning here)

2. we dont really have an algorithm

you follow who you follow, and you see posts from who you follow or what you search. the 'for you page' is basically useless here. this also brings me to my next two points

3. dont crosstag

we get it, on tiktok you have to crosstag for reach, but thats not really a thing here. just tag your posts properly (also posters often leave more info about the post in the tags!! and when you reblog stuff you can leave your own notes in the tags, kind of like the old "repost comments" on tiktok)

4. dont expect to go viral/be famous

"viral" isnt really a thing on here (at least not for the average blogger). your posts will probably get 2-10 likes and you wont get nearly as many followers than on tiktok. thats just how tumblr is

5. blocking is your best friend

tiktok is VERY discussion based, and while tumblr is much more discussion based than other social medias, its still not a good place for ragebait/discourse. dont interact, itll make your experience worse in the end, just block and move on

6. you cant go into someone elses house and start rearranging their furniture

this is tumblr, not tiktok. dont diss old tumblr users for how they use the site or try to change them, thats like going into someone elses house and trying to rearrange their furniture. we've been here longer and we're familiar with the site and its culture, either find your niche, adapt, or find a different app

[flightsoffandom]

Ohhhhh imagine whilst Rook’s in the Regret Prison Lucanis yelling at Spite to pull Rook from the Fade like he does with bridges and rocks.

OHHHHHHHH imagine Spite pulling everything from any weak spot in the veil in a desperate attempt to find them, landscapes littered with junk from the fade because Rook opens doors and if Spite can just find the right door Rook can open it.

[flightsoffandom]

Just remembered when I worked in a restaurant we all made it a point to untie the aprons of other servers without them noticing and I WILLLLLL be drawing rook trying to undo the tie on Lucanis’ corset with out him noticing. Perhaps even undoing his apron too, no one can stop me.

[flightsoffandom]

Reminder for when he “saves” it. He was the one who wanted this, and now he gets to be the hero and win favour with young constituents. Don’t give him the credit for fixing his own problem.