#ILONA LAIDIR: HEADCANON

[afraidofchange]

Ilona 'Rook' Laidir - a very short headcanon post

She's lived in Rivain and has been with the Lords of Fortune for quite a few years now; good friends with Isabela (and in fact, once had a threesome with her and her wife, Desdemona Hawke*)

She's a warrior and frequently favours a two-handed weapon; she is strong and jacked as hell, and surprisingly good at parkour for a woman of her stature (she is 4'5" - tall for a dwarf!)

She shaves her own undercut and doesn't really need a mirror to get the back

She is a scrappy fighter; she starts fights AND ends them. She enjoys rough housing and generally having a good time

She tends to be a bit playful/sarcastic when in awkward situations; but she can be serious when she needs to be

Ilona tends to be pretty open about her personal life, though with some limits (especially about her family - she only has a few of them left living).

She will flirt with any woman she finds attractive, though when she starts to get feelings for someone, she'll rein it in; she also sometimes finds it hard if someone is just as forward as she is (she's not used to having moves made on her first!)

She started liking Neve from the start, and so far, adores sometimes being called "Trouble" as an actual nickname.

[afraidofchange]

Honestly if/when I finish the game and add Ilona, I am honestly okay with making her just as a companion for the DAV team because tbh her Goofy Goober vibe (along with being a tomb raiding, scrappy, rough around the edges Lord of Fortune), means she's definitely Not the kind of person who would help with people's personal problems. Like she might crack a joke and try to help along that way, or to suggest that sometimes life deals you a shitty hand, and it's okay to feel your feelings but you just gotta keep carrying on.

Ilona to me, (as she develops in my head) is someone who has lost a lot of her family over the years, and really only has her mom and her maternal uncle, and that's about it. No siblings, only adopted cousins, and she easily makes friends but for her, having intimately close friendships is a rarity with her lifestyle. Lovers and girlfriends have come and gone, but getting attached is hard for her. She may be small but she herself loves big, and sometimes worries it might be too much

So all in all, I think for the most part, I'll be writing her as a companion more so than 'Rook', unless of course someone is writing one of the canon companions and would like to interact in that context :)

[afraidofchange]

What does your muse do in their routine to take care of themselves (physically, mentally, emotionally or otherwise)?

ask things about Rook - @hoboblaidd

So I touched on it here, but just for @sanctamater , I'll mention Ilona's skin care routine.

Ilona does have good skin on its own without many issues (though like most teens, dealt with acne as she grew up). She tends to have a standard routine with washing her face, and then treating it with a blend of honey and oatmeal, and a little bit of vinegar that ends up being like a bit of a face mask. She will also tend to try and remove dead skin with a semi-dull blade (think a medieval version of a derm-plane razor) now and again.

Otherwise, if she's on a job with the Lords, she tends to just do the bare minimum until she gets home.

Also, given that she is a dwarf, she has naturally growing facial hair, but chooses to shave it; again, if she's away for work, she'll let it grow in until she returns or has the means to shave it (out of her own preference). To take care of her skin that way, she also adds coconut oil to moisturize her shaved face as well as, her undercut.

[afraidofchange]

What is a promise someone made to your muse and broken it that your muse never forgot about?

ask things about Rook - @weptfreedom

When Ilona was young, her father - Tharick - promised that before he left for the Deep Roads (called upon by the army to fight back Darkspawn, what else?), that not only would he make a triumphant return, but if he found anything interesting like a lost treasure or old artefact, he'd bring it back to her.

Unfortunately, Tharrick was killed in action when he and his fellow soldiers were utterly overrun by darkspawn, with only two survivors from the entire unit. Ilona was 10 years old when he died, and her mother, Arinda, decided in her grief, to take her and her daughter to the surface where her brother already resided in Tevinter, staying there for a few years until finding their way to Rivain, where Ilona spent the rest of her adolescence.

In that time, she's never forgotten her da's promise, and every year that she celebrates his nameday with a giant stein of ale, she curses him out for failing to keep it, often tossing a coin or two into the sea in his memory.

[afraidofchange]

What does your muse do in their routine to take care of themselves (physically, mentally, emotionally or otherwise)? + Ilona

ask things about Rook - @sanctamater

Physically, Ilona is very on top of her fitness and athleticism. She has to, with the weapons she uses (primarily a two-handed hammer/axe), but also for her size. She's 4'5" (tall for a dwarf), and in order to keep up with her taller Lords of Fortune - and later, those in the Veilguard - she has to run and climb twice as hard. This leads to a beefy, muscular build, where she is able to support her own body weight and then some and she maintains this by working out in her downtime and lifting weights (and definitely borrows Taash's equipment when she can).

Mentally, Ilona deflects a lot serious shit with sarcasm and humour. She always tries to take a load off through that, but when it comes down to it, she will be forward through a serious situation, even if it makes her uncomfortable. Dealing with that, usually comes paired with a drink or three, and maybe, maybe talking about it.

Emotionally, I think Ilona has seen a lot despite being in her mid-30s. She lost her father young - but old enough to remember everything about him -, moved to the surface and acclimated to a whole new world, and made a life for herself as a Lord of Fortune, coming across all kinds of enemies in fights. She's had numerous relationships over the years - casual, short flings, and a handful of longer-term relationships - and she's really learned to learn and to let live after they end (whether by her decision or her partner's), taking in the lesson for the future. In terms of taking care of herself in this sense, I think she'd be open to talking to friends about her current state (she should probably write a diary but her penmanship is shit).

[afraidofchange]

How would your muse confess their love to someone? + Ilona

ask things about Rook - @sanctamater

I think Ilona has a generally flirtatious demeanour about her when she's around her crush; she'll make occasional compliments off the cuff now and again, and will gauge how the other person would respond. If it's positive or even neutral, she'll keep at it in the future, but if negative or off-putting, then she'll move on.

However, once engaged in a relationship, Ilona is very much a steadfast presence with her partner. She's extremely loyal and will do the absolute most -- even if people think she wouldn't, with her more carefree personality. When it comes to love, she shows it through action. Protecting, doing things for them, and making her presence a constant is how she shows her love.

When it comes to confessing it? Well, there will be a point where she'll say it. She can be sarcastic and goofy most of the time, but when it comes to being serious, she means it. It might just be when they make dinner, or when they're simply occupying the same space. She'll tell her partner she loves them at a random point when she feels it's best to say it -- and she'll really drive the point home by being unafraid to say it again and again after the first time.

[afraidofchange]

tfw you ARE your father's daughter

[afraidofchange]

Ilona hates snakes, which is so funny considering her girlfriend's whole motif is, well, snakes.

[afraidofchange]

Ok sorry to reblog myself AGAIN but I just did [redacted]'s personal quest conclusion and like??? This set of 'sarcastic' Rook dialogue really confirms my view of Ilona being someone who has experienced loss / isn't good at comforting others through it because she barely deals with it herself?

Spoilers under the cut

And then a bit later:

and

This is SO her... incredible.

Honestly if/when I finish the game and add Ilona, I am honestly okay with making her just as a companion for the DAV team because tbh her Goofy Goober vibe (along with being a tomb raiding, scrappy, rough around the edges Lord of Fortune), means she's definitely Not the kind of person who would help with people's personal problems. Like she might crack a joke and try to help along that way, or to suggest that sometimes life deals you a shitty hand, and it's okay to feel your feelings but you just gotta keep carrying on.

Ilona to me, (as she develops in my head) is someone who has lost a lot of her family over the years, and really only has her mom and her maternal uncle, and that's about it. No siblings, only adopted cousins, and she easily makes friends but for her, having intimately close friendships is a rarity with her lifestyle. Lovers and girlfriends have come and gone, but getting attached is hard for her. She may be small but she herself loves big, and sometimes worries it might be too much

So all in all, I think for the most part, I'll be writing her as a companion more so than 'Rook', unless of course someone is writing one of the canon companions and would like to interact in that context :)

[afraidofchange]

WAIT LMAO I didn't realize Neve actually calls Rook 'Trouble' as a nickname??? I WAS RIGHT????

Ilona 'Rook' Laidir - a very short headcanon post

She's lived in Rivain and has been with the Lords of Fortune for quite a few years now; good friends with Isabela (and in fact, once had a threesome with her and her wife, Desdemona Hawke*)

She's a warrior and frequently favours a two-handed weapon; she is strong and jacked as hell, and surprisingly good at parkour for a woman of her stature (she is 4'5" - tall for a dwarf!)

She shaves her own undercut and doesn't really need a mirror to get the back

She is a scrappy fighter; she starts fights AND ends them. She enjoys rough housing and generally having a good time

She tends to be a bit playful/sarcastic when in awkward situations; but she can be serious when she needs to be

Ilona tends to be pretty open about her personal life, though with some limits (especially about her family - she only has a few of them left living).

She will flirt with any woman she finds attractive, though when she starts to get feelings for someone, she'll rein it in; she also sometimes finds it hard if someone is just as forward as she is (she's not used to having moves made on her first!)

She started liking Neve from the start, and so far, adores sometimes being called "Trouble" as an actual nickname.