livingmoth

[livingmoth]

Meanwhile, at the Cobbled Swan.

Inquisitor: things are terrible. We are Not doing well. We are persisting alongside the horrors, but make no mistake. The cost is high.

Rook: *furiously taking notes* mm hmm got it. Just one more thing before you go?

Inquisitor: ?

Rook: You can come out, Lucanis

Lucanis, sprinting in from the shadows: I heard you fought a wyvern.

Inquisitor: ??

Lucanis: *please* tell me about the wyvern

Inquisitor: Well...are you asking about the Hissing Wastes or Crestwood?

Lucanis: 🫨

[livingmoth]

age reveal after everything they went through? wack

[livingmoth]

decided to make some art of casper in his lvl 1 outfit as well as his new outfit (and winter form)

[livingmoth]

There is another aspect to the Rookanis romance that I think is really interesting and that is authenticity, especially from Lucanis. Lucanis is not a flirt. He isn’t good at it and he isn’t comfortable with it. The early Rookanis relationship is two people learning to care about each other. There is almost no ‘flirting’ but there is a lot of focus on caring. However, then comes the pantry scene.

Lucanis comes out of nowhere and is suddenly Mr Flirty, sensual and seductive. The scene goes badly, however, and it ends because Lucanis suddenly pulls away and leaves. It left Rook understandably confused and a little hurt. That pantry scene was Lucanis trying to be something he wasn’t. This is a man who has read romances and has watched his cousin operate. He is a people pleased who knows what people want and is trying to be that person. Then Rook touches him and it falls apart (what exactly that touch did is up for interpretation and could be a whole different post). As much as he genuinely cares about Rook at this point, (and I do think he has feelings for Rook by this point) he isn’t comfortable. He has a lot of things going on and there are a lot of things telling him not too. He isn’t ready to take the next steps and he can’t pretend like he is.

However, this is what makes the pastry scene actually really good. This comes after Inner Demons, where he is raw and real and unable to hide anything. However Rook sees this and still supports and cares for him and helps get him on a path towards healing. It doesn’t frightened them away and so Lucanis tries again. However, instead of being his cousin or a character from a romance, he is just Lucanis. He bakes them a pastry he knows will go well with their favorite drink. He doesn’t try for sensual and hot. He is earnest and a little awkward and Rook accepts this. This is the real Lucanis and by accepting the pastry declaration, they are accepting the real Lucanis, not the suave Antivan crow, but the man who likes knitting, wyverns, and cooking.

Lucanis never goes back to that flirty persona, even during and after the romantic scene. His feelings are very clear and he is passionate about how much he cares for Rook, but it is real Lucanis (he does flirt a little bit but never gets to the point of the pantry scene). He does not try to be someone he is not and Rook accepts the person Lucanis is. It is one of the many reasons I adore this romance.

[livingmoth]

in tears rn

[livingmoth]

My big secret is that I thought that your lover would be the one Solas tricks you into thinking is dead after Ghilan'nain is killed and when I found out it's Lucanis no matter what, that Rook screams and runs to Lucanis no matter what, I lost my damn mind and I've been riding that high ever since.

Let me be clear in that I think Rook loves all their companions deeply. Let me also be clear in that I am very biased. But there's something so raw in that moment, after Rook shouted for Neve/Bellara before Elgar'nan stole them away, after Rook shouted for Harding/Davrin after Ghilan'nain kills them.

Rook has lost two companions already, snatched from him in a blink and irretrievable. No bodies to bury or burn. They are completely lost. And there is something so raw and aching in the fact that it's Lucanis that Rook can run to. Lucanis's body they can touch, whose coldness they can feel, whose stillness.

I imagine that is when it all really felt terribly real, that Rook had lost people and wasn't getting them back. This is the moment where the price of victory sinks in as deep as a blade. It's Lucanis whose "death" drives that point home, Lucanis who briefly shifts into Varric to remind Rook about the loss that started it all.

Since I romanced Lucanis first, I assumed that the game would replace him with whoever you'd committed to. But to see that it's him no matter what, that the final resounding crash and culmination of all Rook's losses thus far ends with Lucanis?

Solas says "Did you think you'd win the day without some painful sacrifice?" while Rook gazes down at Lucanis. My god, there is so much love in that. I can't talk about the tender look on Lucanis's face when he ran to Rook when Ghilan'nain dropped them or I'll start biting my computer but my fucking god, there is so much love between them.

[livingmoth]

Thought occurred to me

Emmerich bestows a romanced Rook with all kinds of pretty jewellery, yes? This is what we've decided. It's cute, it's amazing, I love it. 10/10 factoid about him. But who else would look at pretty shiny things and be all "i know someone who would LOVE this"

Because it's Laidir Rook. THINK ABOUT IT

They're a pirate. They have a habit of getting pretty baubles anyway. PLUS. They're Rivaini (I mean, if they're from somewhere else originally in your headcanon... But you can't tell me you serve with the pirate/tomb raider faction from Rivain and not pick up some of their customs and beliefs). We learn from Taash's companion quest that, if you make them embrace their Rivaini heritage, they begin wearing a lot more jewellery. Because it means something! They turn their mother's horn into jewellery to remember them by and everything, and they mention explicitly that that's a Rivaini custom.

Therefore, Laidir Rook does this. You can't tell me differently. Like a little magpie, they collect shiny things and at some point, just. Slip them into their companions' pockets. Pretty crystal for Bellara. The perfect pebble for Neve to go skipping across the water with. Manfred jingles because of all the bangles Rook manages to slip onto his arms. Small little gemstone animals for Davrin. You get the idea.

Was this headcanon a big excuse to think about Em slipping rings on Lucanis' fingers and other tiny trinkets into his clothes while he's sleeping? Yes. Yes it was. Decorating that man like a little Christmas tree.

[livingmoth]

I usually hate modern aus but can't stop thinking about my Rook pulling up to the big double gates of the Dellamorte Estate in her beat up old SUV she inherited from Varric, driving down the long driveway to this old, historic, three story mansion before getting out to ring the doorbell in her scuffed up Doc Martins, thrifted goth couture, and jingling with every step with the amount of bracelets, necklaces, and chains she's got on her with a giant bouquet of red roses in hand. Lucanis practically flings the door open with excitement and takes the roses with the biggest, sappiest smile and then quickly starts ushering Rook back into the car while she's in the middle of saying something dumb and cheesy like "your chariot awaits" because he doesn't want Caterina or Illario showing up.

Meanwhile Caterina and Illario are posted up in one of the upstairs windows with opera glasses to catch a glimpse of Lucanis' mysterious new sweetheart and are sharing mutual looks of disgust as they watch Lucanis and his three piece designer suit (because he panicked and way overdressed for the chic wine bar Emmrich suggested they go check out for date night) get his ass in the dirty 20 year old junker Rook is driving around in. After all these years single the fact that Lucanis is settling for whatever the fuck Rook has going on (because she definitely radiates gremlin energy) is absolutely baffling.

The fact that the car is covered in bumper stickers that say things like "I EAT SAND just a little sometimes as a snack" and "these curbs aren't gonna hit themselves!" is not helping Rook's first impression. To be fair to Rook though half the stickers on the car are left over from the Kirkwall Crew slapping them on over the years but Rook did add those two herself because she thought they were funny.

[livingmoth]

more anders' doodles this time with hawke :)

[livingmoth]

I hope this guy fucking dies because

A) he's Mr Beast

B) he has WAY too much money if he's renting out the PYRAMIDS OF GIZA????

C) renting out actual historical landmarks that have already been desecrated and destroyed over thousands of years for a goddamn youtube video is actually disgusting.

idk if you think that they're "just the pyramids", they're the ONLY remaining wonder of the ancient world!!! Not to mention!! they're TOMBS!! sure, the people who were inside are long gone, but like?? idk, maybe i'm oversely sensitive, but being a white dude and desecrating an ancient burial site (for profit) and thus disregarding thousands upon thousands of years of history and culture is probably Up There with the scummy stuff this jackass has done

[livingmoth]

suck, and i cannot stress this enough, my cock to the fucking base

[livingmoth]

Happy Dragon Age Day!

p atreon link (x)

[livingmoth]

the contrast in lucanis' early game responses to bellara and davrin are sooo funny and also quietly devastating. the vibe is like

BELLARA: heey so... how are you feeling lucanis? generally, I mean. or specifically, if you'd rather talk about something in particular! well, you usually don't, so no worries if not, you know, no pressure, only if you'd think it'd maybe, I don't know, help! I know it doesn't always. but ah, um... are you -- alright? (in the pantry. we should probably stop asking you about this but are you sure you're alright in there? it's where the parsnips live. and you now, too, I suppose! just... you and the onions. and a demon. sorry, didn't mean to remind you! you see I'm only asking because um for a second there I thought the dark circles under your eyes were actually bruises and it jumpscared me a bit)

LUCANIS (tired but soft): I'm fine, Bellara. Really. Don't worry about me.

VS.

DAVRIN: So hey lucanis. just out of interest. what the fuck is your damage anyway. why are you like this

LUCANIS (at his most 'orders one black coffee and drives away' and also honest): Well you see Davrin since you're asking: I am in hell. Also go fuck yourself.

[livingmoth]

[livingmoth]

my mom and my mom.

[livingmoth]

first day as a second century warlord i have my men tie branches to their horses’ tails to stir up dust and make it look like there’s a lot of us but i forget it just rained so there isn’t any dust and the enemy can clearly see there’s like twenty of us all spread out in a line

[livingmoth]

this shit is so funny