#Emmrich's fear

[djali-de-riva]

It's very fitting that The Veilguard came out during the season of mourning, regrets and overwhelming depression. Thanks team.

[timethehobo]

Kind souls hurt the most.

[mageofquandrix]

Look, I know we all joke about Emmrich, but let's recap this man's schedule immediately before the romance scene: (spoilers, obviously)

fought Ghilan'nain 

fade prison recovery efforts

curse diagnostics

banged Rook (within an inch of their life if Rook the next morning is anything to go on) in a coffin

got up an hour before dawn to exercise.

offers to get Rook breakfast (or possibly went back in the coffin for round 2)

His hips are fine.

[confusedlucifer]

what if Emmrich and Rook Ingellvar were invited to the Hezenkoss soirée as guests of honor-

(they/them for this Rook)

bonus:

yapper's delight corner: i think a lot about the conversation trans Rook can have with Emmrich and his line about (paraphrasing) "someone who found themself is very attractive" and i think Valdís would immediately challenge him on it and turn it into a question - has Emmrich found himself?

and so - the gown. i spent a while looking for the right one and settled on this one - (Cheney Chan 2023) because Emmrich loves flowers and i have no doubt he has looked at it (and other dresses) for years not having the courage to wear it by himself - until now, feeling assured by a partner who has found themselves enough to say fuck it to expected gender presentation and what his peers will think of him

also the gold jewelry was picked out by Emmrich for both of them, the ribcage a special gift to Valdís :>

[heylittleriotact]

No wonder Emmrich.exe stopped working when Rook asks if the tea in the memorial garden at the end of their outing was set up to impress them.

Death-man brought Rook to this place to try and help them sort through some of the feelings they need to confront in order to healthily mourn the death of someone who presumably meant a great deal to them.

The “light refreshment” was waiting at the end as a deliberate part of Emmrich’s care as a death professional. When I was in funerals we had coffee, tea, and freshly baked cookies waiting for every family that came in for arrangements, visitations, services, or after-care meetings: they’re comforting little gestures that people tend to really lean into during a difficult time.

So yeah. Given the circumstances and the reason for the outing to begin with, it would be a lot like someone showing up at the funeral home to make arrangements for their mum, looking at my spread of coffee and cookies and being like “Ooooh… are you hitting on me? 👀”

I would have had the exact same reaction Emmrich did lmao

[birb--birb]

Current mental state

[jaal-ama-daravv]

[leupagus]

On Taash

I think one reason people keep pretending that Taash's character is badly-written is because they remind them of what they were like as a young adult: blunt, convinced that they were always right (and everyone else was stupid), and flailing around for an identity that didn't hurt. That often makes for an unpleasant person to be around, and someone who at times is even unlikable. But we never see the beam in our own eye while discussing the splinter in someone else's, so I think there's a certain degree of "well I certainly wouldn't yell at my mom like that!" (You would, honey. You would.)

IMO, Taash is one of the best-written companions in Veilguard precisely because they are thoughtless and callous and blow up at people for no reason at times. They're trying to figure their shit out! They got voluntold to work with the Veilguard without any warning, under a leader who's a complete stranger and alongside people she's never met and often has fundamental conflicts with. They've got an extraordinarily complicated relationship with their mom, who gave up her entire life and culture and place in the world out of love for them, but who withholds approval in a way that so many of us can relate to. They're confronting the wrongness of their old gender expression (woman), then embracing a new one (nonbinary) almost as soon as they learn about it—which is how a LOT of identity works, remember? Remember learning the term "trans" or "bisexual" or "genderfluid" and thinking oh shit that's me? It's relatable, but it's still uncomfortable as hell. Considering all that Taash has on their plate, including hiding a fundamental aspect of who they are (their dragonbreath), it's a wonder they're as stable as they are.

As for the conversations about their identity that people are claiming are "cringe" or "unrealistic"—my babies, I have listened to more people talk through their gender and sexuality journeys than you've had hot dinners, and let me tell you they often sound a LOT like Taash. That's not a bad thing! But it's like learning a new language—or heck, joining a new fandom—where you use the unfamiliar terms in clumsy ways and want to talk about it all the time, even to people who aren't fluent. (Taash talks about other shit too; yes, a lot of their quests touch on their gender, but a lot of them don't and frankly expecting someone who's only just figured themselves out to not talk about it is...kind of cruel. Of course Taash isn't a real person, but man I hope you people complaining about how often you have to "deal with" Taash's gender conversations don't have any friends who have trusted you with those conversations.)

Taash is extraordinary in so many ways—the way they talk to Spite directly like a kid who needs firm boundaries; the possible romance they have with [spoiler]; the nuanced and emotional way they talk about dragons; the way they care for birds and refugees and anyone else in their orbit, if they're allowed to. They are one of my favorite companions (although right now it's kind of a seven-way race between all of them), and I have snort-laughed at more of their lines than any other companion by a country mile.

It's just a shame that so many people saw a reflection of the more grating parts of their own personality and so decided that Taash is badly-written, instead of considering the possibility that they are simply badly-heard.

[anew-flame]

Going through my Veilguard screenshots of the final battle and noticed Emmrich in the back like that Ben Affleck meme

Like this man is exhausted. Mentally, physically, spiritually. Getting ready to fight a second Elven “God.” Facing his fear of death head-on yet again.

“Oh dear” does not even begin to encapsulate how sick this man is of this shit.

[acepalindrome]

So I got the first bits of Emmrich backstory, about how he was sent to the Necropolis as a child after being orphaned, and that he was absolutely terrified of the place at first. I also got a banter between him and Davrin about how he had to wash dishes as an apprentice.

So now I’m thinking about tiny baby Emmrich, scared out of his mind, furiously scrubbing the pots he was told to clean and trying very hard to not make eye contact with the animated skeleton doing the same job next to him.

[swiftloop]

"My dearest heart, you are the most magnificent thing to ever happen to me." - Emmrich Volkarin,

Right before he breaks my heart.

32:9 Ultrawide, Fade-Touched Settings

[timethehobo]

Still haven’t gotten to him yet but I needed a self-indulgent doodle. 😔

[mageofquandrix]

So you guys know that banter that Neve and Emmrich have, with the fraudulent enchantment he bought?

I just ran into Rana, who said she was tracking down a fraudulent enchantment scheme, which are supposed to make the wearer immortal.

Oh Emmrich. I wish Thedas had anti-anxiety medication, buddy.

[feyunir]

I have a creepy one for today. I felt like practicing some hard shadows.

Emmrich: Ah Rook! Would you join me for some... tea?

Imagine Emmrich being puppeteered by a fear demon. 😱

[nostalgiaclown]

BONEHILDA AND MANFRED?!

[yappacadaver]

Crazy wild shit man