#also when Manfred was mentioned and i was like ?????? Emmrich??????

[a-whiff-of-a-dream]

finally got around reading the first two stories of Tevinter Nights last night and Down Among the Dead Men by Sylvia Feketekuty kinda made me want to start my first Rook with the Mourn Watch, ngl

[felassan]

Compilation of snippets from the DA:TV acting talent panel at SDCC (Dragon Age: Meet the Heroic Companions of Thedas) today (July 26th). DA:TV spoilers under cut.

Huge props and tysm to the users who live-tweeted and clipped this panel, you are heroes 🙏💜!!

The panel was moderated. In attendance were John Epler, creative performance director Ashley Barlow, and the actors of Lucanis, Neve, Emmrich, and Harding - Zach Mendez, Jessica Clark, Nick Boraine, and Ali Hillis respectively.

The panel ended with a Q&A session.

(BioWare have stated that a recording of the panel will be made available at a later date.)

Edit/update: I've now been through this post and tidied it up :)

---

Here are some pictures from the panel [source]

Here are some more pictures from the panel [source]

In this Twitter thread there are also some video clips of parts of the panel [source]

BioWare tried to avoid spoilers in the panel [source]

Key points/summary of DA:TV: hunting Solas, found family companions, stop the elven gods [source]

When auditioning the companions, BW were specifically looking for character chemistry [source]

BW used motion capture for the game [source]. Mo-cap was mentioned a lot in the panel [source]

Lucanis sees assassination as a job. His mind is as dangerous as his knives and he is also "kinda hilarious" [source]

There was mention of other Crows [source]

Zach Mendez read Tevinter Nights like three times [source]

A clip of the actors doing mo-cap was shown [source]. Photos of Zach mo-capping for other characters was shown [source]

BioWare said that Zach brought a certain darkness to Lucanis [source]

Zach is excited for the romance and is looking forward to the stats [source]

Zach mentioned that he used his own relationship with his brother in his portrayal of Lucanis [source] (surely this means ILLARIO.. ?👀)

Zach played a lot of darkspawn originally while auditioning [source]

Ali Hillis really welcomed Zach into the DA family [source]

Neve is from Minrathous. She has fun banter and is a cynical detective with a heart of gold. They want to show a rebellious side of Tevinter [source]

Jessica Clark loves Neve's loyalty, dedication, and different vision of Tevinter

Neve is fighting for the people [source]. Jessica: "She is really really fighting for those people, and she loves those people. So, yes, she's cynical, and yes she's kind of tough and brusque and all these other things, but when they say there's a heart of gold, there really, like, to have that kind of a passion and dedicate your life to something like that, I think that's definitely my favorite part about her" [source]

Jessica loves how much Neve loves Docktown and its people [source]

Neve sees a different vision for Tevinter than what has previously been depicted in the series [source]

The actors were separate from one another while recording lines but still bonded really well and organically [source]

There are several Veilguard gc [source] (groupchats?)

Ali is an angel and very supportive of the new cast [source]

Emmrich is a "stone cold silver fox" (this is a quote from the panel moderator) [source]

BioWare knew the reaction they would get about Emmrich from the fandom [source]

Nick Boraine feels like he's been preparing for Emmrich all his life. He's obsessed with death (as a comfort and not scary) and enabling people to transition into death. He is attracted to this aspect of the character [source]

"You're gonna need a dictionary for Emmrich" for all the magic spells [source]

"Interesting how this character caught fire compared to the other sexy characters" [source] (I think this was said wrt Emmrich?)

BW had a great time recording with Nick, he is a very consistent actor [source]

Nick and Matt Mercer have never met [source]

Manfred plays off of Emmrich. "I set the tone" [source]

What has Harding been doing in-between DA:I and DA:TV? She's been working closely with Varric and the Inquisition remnants. She and Neve already met in the comics [source]

Ali vividly remembers the beginning of voicing Harding, she says it's brilliant writing. She really thought of Harding's personality and traits. She's so happy to be back [source]

wrt the Covid-19 pandemic and the year 2020, BW had to pivot with working remotely and were able to push through their projects. [source]

"[Harding] chasing Solas for a decade..." "that was a great relationship that [you] developed... and now I'll stop talking now". Ali was excited [source]

John Epler talked about how companions may but heads, and won't be predictable [source]

There are thousands and thousands of lines and so many characters to meet [source]

Zach "unfortunately has been around the DA Reddit before recording as Lucanis" [source]. He feels inspired by all the fans and cannot wait for us to play it [source]

[new textblock due to character limit!]

John Epler on Emmrich: "I mean honestly, I will say, like, we expected a great reaction to Emmrich. Went beyond what we expected for sure. But it’s been fascinating to see, because again, Emmrich is this character, he’s more of the professorial, more, he brings a wisdom and kind of a calmness to the group, so even when things are at their worst, there’s that one person in the group who is kinda like, ‘okay, y’know, we've got, let's figure it out, let’s take a deep breath’. And just his journey through his character arc, and his interactions with the others, it’s been fantastic to see. Even just finding opportunities for him to bounce off the other characters, you know, the way he talks to Bellara, the way he talks to Neve, it’s all so different, but it’s also just, again, based around this core of this warm, kind-hearted, professorial necromancer. Which, again, is not something you see a lot of in media. I mean, usually, necromancers are depicted in a very specific way. But it’s been, it's awesome to see how Emmrich has grown and just, really one of the most, one of my favorite experiences has been just working with Emmrich’s writer, working with Emmrich as a character." [source]

All the actors are excited about the dialogue and narrative, and for us to explore DA:TV [source]

Ali says that we will really find ourselves in this game [source]

During the recording process, the actors all hear the previous person's recording and react or respond to it [source]

Due to Covid-related lockdown, a lot of recording was done over Zoom, and the writers besides Ashley Barlow (creative performance director) would jump in on the call to talk about the previous person’s lines [source]

A question was asked about the background factions. "Characters not causes". [source]

You can work with the Grey Wardens in the game (for example) [source]

The actors all met this weekend. They are an "un-chosen" family [source]

Zach stood in for multiple characters for mo-cap, for example he was Assan [source]

Lucanis has a heart but is stubborn and stuck in his ways. Zach is excited for fans to help his character open up as the story progresses [source]

Jessica is incredibly honored to join the DA universe. She is new to voice acting for video games. “This is play pretend. Playing Neve allowed her to step into her power.” [source]

A question was asked on what their first exposure to fantasy was, and do they implement this into the acting? John talked about Lord of the Rings and how every media you experience will seep out into your work [source]

Ashley didn't want the dialogue to sound modern [source]

Zach loves Theseus and talked about the symbolism in DA [source]

Jessica loves Greek mythology and lore [source]

Nick talked about The Hobbit and how he would dress up in big boots and a cape when his mother would read to him [source]

Ali recently went to Greece and felt like she saw DA everywhere [source]

A question was asked - "From your companion's perspective, which previous companion would you romance?" Zach kind of has a thing for The Iron Bull, saying "oh that awakened something inside of me". He also likes Dorian. Jessica was too overwhelmed to answer. Nick was also overwhelmed by the question, but thinks Solas is sexy [source] [source]

Ali fangirled over Lucanis and Emmrich [source], prefers Emmrich [source]

A question was asked - "Is DA:TV and DA:I streamlined together?" [paraphrased]. Answer: DA games are not as streamlined as Mass Effect and act almost as standalones [source]

The cast were asked about which aspect of their character is their favorite. Ali loves the little quirks about Harding. "Lucanis is a good cook!?" ** Neve is very dry and pretty closed off about it. For Emmrich, it's the "exploration of the idea of death and necromancy" [source] (** FINALLY CITATION for this? :D)

A question was asked: "How do you decide to introduce the lore in each game?" BioWare answered that it depends as they build each game. They always know the base lore, and see opportunities through game mechanics and characters. They try not to infodump [source]

A question was asked: "Any favorite party banter?" Ashley Barlow said to listen for "hand to bone combat" [source]

The game takes place approximately 10 years after the end of DA:I. You start the game hunting for Solas. The game is built on some core principles: be who you want to be in a world worth saving and with characters that matter. The companions are always at the heart of DA and they are at the heart of this game too. [source]

The moderator asked John Epler about what is bringing this party of people ("this rogues' gallery") together. John: "I mean, it's the end of the world, and each character that you bring into your party understands that the world is ending, that they need to stop that, and you're really building, what I would say is, more of a found family. These are characters who may not start off liking each other, may not even start off liking you, but over time they grow to understand the importance of what they're doing and just, how critical it is to stop the elven gods" [source]

"He is kind and has some spectacular lines. He is a natural nerdy scientist. He loves learning." [source] (Emmrich? ^^)

Ali didn't realize that Harding was such a beloved character. She thanked fans for bringing this character back [source]

Ali is super excited that the game is releasing. She said that there has been an evolution to Harding's character and that she's been chasing Solas for like a decade at this point [source]

Jessica loves the writing in the game [source]

Nick loves its narrative [source]

Ali said that this game is going to take you into a world that will blow your minds [source]

On Manfred: Nick was asked what it was like having another character to bounce off of. He said "Oh man! I mean, that is such a hard question, because Matt and I have never met, and we worked completely separately, and, I, I mean I know that the rapport is really great, but it's in the ether, I mean it is just, the magic that these guys create, telling us how to respond, how to do that, but it's, I can't wait to meet Matt" [source]

BW still said that the game's release window is Fall 2024 [source]. Nothing more specific was given [source]

There are also more snippets here in this Tumblr post, go check it out!

[source, two]

[jaal-ama-daravv]

dissecting the mortal emmrich romance path scene

dissecting the graveyard scene

mortal vs lich romance path

emmrich x rook cinematic (mortal)

lich version dissecting the alternate romance path dissecting the argument scene (lich path) dissecting the romance scene (lich path) emmrich x rook cinematic

welcome back my dears

Emmrich Volkarin - Choosing Mortality/Resurrecting Manfred

gonna start with how MUCH I love rook defending emmrich and therefore instilling confidence in him throughout the game, however it is particualry noticeable in this segment.

more

oh yes

after being knocked on his ass from johanna skeleton construct he is visibly hurt, but this is both physical and emotional pain. I implore you once again to read The Flame Eternal for context behind Emmrich and Johanna.

emmrich's fear of death and cowardice rearing its head in the face of untold danger, until our beloved manfred makes the ultimate sacrifice, and demonstrates great courage.

oh baby, thats the stuff. Rook instilling confidence in her necromancer.

god is real and he is a hot necromancer. look at the confidence surge through him.

moving on

The scene cuts to Emmrich and Rook at the Necropolis asking to revive Manfred. Emmrich seeks out the advice from the Lich Lords of the Necropolis who inform that there are ways to return his spirit, at a cost -

alright here we go. If emmrich chooses manfreds life over accepting his death, he will no longer be able to achieve lichdom as emmrich wouldve have failed to accept death as a natural part of life. in emmrich relinquishing lichdom and choosing to revive manfred instead it delves deep into his character. for emmrich to give up lichdom would mean admitting that some things mean more to him than his fear of death - that choosing to live, that he could choose to be couragous, and face life head on, in spite of inevitable death. emmrich is a known coward, but this - choosing this path, means being resilent, being courageous, overcoming cowardice in the name of love.

it should also be noted that in the lich romance path, during the arguemnt scene, emmrich is not able to accept the inevitable death of rook. THEREFORE -

im telling you. man goes rogue, full blown, scarlet WITCH, rogue.

back to the mortal side -

this is actually tragic. if you know both romance paths for emmrich, you know that regardless of which path emmrich follows, he does not accept death when it comes to himself, his love, or manfred. he just cant. this game portrays regret wonderfully, so wonderfully i cry.

Rook's right, emmrich is much braver than he thinks. he rushes off to help rook FIGHT GODS, facing death every day considering we all know a romanced rook takes him on every mission. emmrich has also mentioned TWICE that rook inspires him, with how they have travelled so much, and how they are indomitable.

dont get me started on how confident he is in act 3. it makes me giggle.

this next line has confused a number of people so let me put my spin on it and break it down -

Death's abyss - referring to the act of dying, and emmrichs fear of death always recedes - the fear of death dissapears with someone to brave it for - inferring to rook, facing death and being brave is easier with rook in his life

these two are made for eachother. mourn watch rook in particular, the love, desire, and connection OOZES that destiny. and my heart, explodes.

This could also be interpreted as wanting to brave death's abyss for manfred, but from a romanced rook perspective, it makes more sense for it be considered as rook. and im unsure what unromanced looks like yet - so im going with that.

this line reiterates my point that the above line is referring to rook. facing alot of things would be easier if manfred was back... like idk, rooks death, maybe.

I cant tell you how much love shoots through my body knowing emmrich wants to face death and brave it for rook. which also makes the argment scene more tragic in a way, but we'll get there dear friends.

In choosing this path, Emmrich demonstrates resilence. and whilst he regrets the lose of lichdom, he knows that he has chosen the life he has always dreamed of. a life of love. a life with his eternal flame, rook. a life with their magic flinging skeleton son, manfred. an undying love that transcends. emmrich has yearned for the love he has in his life now, for a very, very long time. talking 45 odd years here. the man is terrfied, and lichdom was a way to avert his fears, but this, he is truly happy, despite his fears.

@askfordoodles reminded me of a banter dialogue that is available between Emmrich and Davrin. They discuss their sons, Assan and Manfred, and Davrin states, "What have we signed up for?", where Emmrich responds, "Love, I think." and yes, that most defintiely includes rook. emmrich, chose love. whilst it is stated that lichdom is his lifes work and dream. coming from someone who also overworks and grinds out work to get through the weight of the day without a thought of vulnerability. I understand him. When a chance of love opens its doors, its scary, a chance to be hurt. this man took that chance, to have the family he never had growing up. and never believed he would achieve. rook gave him back his heart and made him stronger for it. emmrich chose to pursue the life that his parents would've wanted for him. the thought...the dream.. that confirms his romance.

im not crying, you are. holy shit.

keep in mind this is man who grew up poor and alone. he has low self-esteem and never believed he was worthy, let alone would find the type of soul devouring love he craved. that love that you would go to the end of the earth for.

my heart is full.

He calls himself a coward on a frequent basis. but here? what growth. whilst his fear of death may never leave him, it is significantly easier with rook that loves him as deeply as he does. and manfred, a son to pass his knowledge onto.

it then ends with Emmrich stating that in regards to him giving up lichdom for manfred, he would not exchange the life he has now for anything. his now family -

"The Volkarins"

short-ish post, but the next one will be very long where I'll touch more on Emmrichs personality traits more in the argument scene as this is where his traits really shine through, see you soon ♥

[lkblackham]

Had the image of a half human, half Qunari baby pop in my head and got some good therapy practicing drawing cute babies.

Being the child of a nurse-midwife, I have witnessed many births and many different kinds of new dads (on video, to be clear - my mom didn't drag me around to births in person). And so, it is my belief that Emmrich would definitely be the weepy type of new dad. I love those dads.

My personal fanfic headcanon stuff that may or may not be cringe, I make no apologies:

1) Qunari kids, much like goats, do not fully grow their horns until they hit puberty. Which is definitely for the best, because a) birth OUCH and b) can you imagine a hyperactive 2-year-old running around with what amounts to two giant spears attached to their head?

So for the first 12+ years of their life, they just have cute lil forehead nubbins that still really hurt when they headbutt you during a tantrum.

2) It's a girl. Because we all know that Emmrich has strong Girl Dad energy.

3) Atash and Emmrich had a really tough time with names - both given names and surnames. Atash isn't particularly attached to her surname (Laidir) and so was totally fine with just 'Volkarin' for their kid. Emmrich was insistent on including 'Laidir', however, as he felt very strongly about Atash's heritage and story sharing an equal part with his in naming their daughter. So she's got 2 last names - one for Nevarra and one for Rivain. She can pick whichever she prefers, or neither, or both. What matters is that both are there to begin with.

This line of thinking also, obviously, complicated the given name. It's really hard when you're pretty certain this is going to be your only kid, and you're from two very different cultures with their own ideas about names, AND you have a rather tragically long list of people you love who have passed on and deserve to have a child named after them. Not to mention, both of you have names you just personally like, saved away in your head just in case you ever did have a kid to name.

In the end, Atash and Emmrich came up with a compromise, for which they really hope their daughter won't resent them in the future: they gave her *four* names. One for a family member, one for a fallen friend, one for her Qunari heritage, and one that's just hers and no one else's.

So, all together, it came to:

Lobelia Elannora Lace Nazay Laidir Volkarin

It's. It's a lot. Atash and Emmrich both acknowledge that. But it felt wrong to not include those tributes in their daughter's name.

Besides, this just means she has a lot of options, right? Right? Right. Definitely.

(They also acknowledge that Lace Harding would think this was absolutely ridiculous and laugh at them over it, but that mental image being there is part of why they did it)

And yes, of COURSE they chose a flower name.

4) Manfred is really friggin excited to get the chance to watch someone grow up and maybe teach THEM some things himself. Emmrich is really friggin excited on both a personal and academic level to raise his daughter alongside his ward, teaching her about spirits while Manfred learns from her about mortals.

Manfred's also a really great diaper changer because he doesn't have a nose and he's not squeamish about literally anything.

(Not that Atash or Emmrich take advantage of this.)

(Often.)

BY THE WAY, VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: I do not believe that the default Happy Ending for everyone is having kids. In another universe, Emmrich and Rook are just as happy teaching Manfred how to be a person and mage (or not, if Emmrich became a lich) and going off on their own kid-free adventures. YOU MAKE THE CHOICES THAT ARE BEST FOR YOU and fuck what the tropes say.

This is just *my* fantasy cringe fluff. You do you. ♥️

[tethrarisms]

So far, I think what I love the most about Emmrich is his empathy. Obviously, his passion for knowledge and politeness are outstanding. But it's just when you truly have him on the party that you can have a glimpse of these little moments. When he can sense the spirits' feelings, if they were abused or not, if they're in pain, if they had a good life. His relationship with Manfred is absolutely the sweetest, always caring for Manfred's welfare. He also mentions that he couldn't accept having ten students at a time because he wants to give special attention to each one of them, and couldn't do it if they're that many. It comes naturally to Emmrich because he is an optimistic person, contrary to his circumstances. He has to, given his constant fear of dying.

On a side note, this is what it feels like to grow up in a positive (well, for a Nevarran necromancer's point of view) environment, unlike the usual circles you see across Thedas. Emmrich had the opportunity to thrive in a place of death because he was cared for. Meanwhile, oppressed mages are constantly on the edge of pushing themselves towards blood magic the moment they sense death, which is pretty much all the time given how Templars are supposed to watch them or how vulnerable to possession they are.

This made all the difference in Emmrich's life, and this is why he's such a lovely character. Because he was cared for in a moment of need, and now he wants to repay by being kind to others. And that warms my heart so much.

[stankhole]

predictions for veilguard romances under the cut. would love to hear what you guys think will happen with the characters

davrin

confident and seems like the type that would immediately flirt back

would use assan playing cute as a way to pick up dates

later you find out the sad reasoning behind why he left his clan & joined the wardens

taash

her wearing armor reminiscent of the shokra-taar/antaam-saar makes me think she’s a qunari still following the qun

she’s initially only interested in a physical relationship and has to work through her upbringing under the qun to become comfortable with a romantic relationship

wants to ride rook’s bones to dust after they take down a dragon the first time

harding

she feels like she has an obligation to the inquisition/rook/varric/whatever organization she’s a part of so she’s initially hesistant to enter into a relationship. she’s been a forward scout for so long she’s used to being all work and no play so when you flirt with her she enjoys it but doesn’t take it too seriously, she’s been traveling with varric recently so she’s used to it after all

she’s also confused because of the magical powers she gains and is afraid of hurting rook since she can’t control them

you help her get control of her magic/figure out where it’s from and you bone

lucanis

virgin

been raised to be a perfect assassin so he doesn’t know what to do when someone shows genuine interest in him

since he was raised to take over as the next talon, he’s used to having his life planned out for him so when he gets the freedom of making his own choices he doesn’t really know what to do

final romance flag is either after he tells his grandmother he doesn’t want to be the new talon or after his cousin finds out he’s not dead

please let him mention zevran, even if just in passing

bellara

sunny and goofball personality, likes to make their lover laugh

very intelligent, a big history nerd and would love to take you to romantic places in arlathan and give romantic ancient gifts

thrill seeker, first kiss scene happens after doing something reckless, be that a veil jump or boss fight

emmrich

grandpa thinks he’s too old for you and you deserve someone younger, but when you don’t back down you realize that peepaw absolutely ~ f u c k s ~

married to his job for the past 30 years, his only friends are his skeletal assistants

manfred will absolutely walk in on you two getting busy at some point

i hope desire demons make a comeback and show up in his story

somehow knows cassandra; is like her 5th uncle 3 times removed

neve

knows what she wants and isn’t going to hesitate if you show interest in her

but will not be fully invested in the relationship aspect at first because of her cynicism. eventually comes around when she realizes how devoted you are to making minrathous/the world a better place

has worked with dorian/ dorian is an informant for her

god bioware please give her a dwarven strap that matches her prosthetic. she’d be unstoppable 🙏🏻

[jainydoe]

Misdirection, Ch. 2

Chapter 1 Chapter 3

They meet for coffee and she dents his car.

Things have gotten worse since he’d arrived at The Crossroads. 

Firstly, the blazer he’d planned on, a lovely wool in moss and taupe, was at the dry cleaners - Manfred, finger painting, etc. - which meant having to go with his second choice, which was really less coffee-shop and moreso cocktail-bar, he felt like a fucking waiter, and the one t-shirt slash casual thing he did own was something Manfred had made in his daycare class and Emmrich was having it framed, anyway, and on that note, actually, he wasn’t about to wear something that said I have a child and love him so so much, also he’s a relic of my failed marriage and would you wanna be his new mommy? Sign here. 

He wasn’t overthinking things. Maybe just the outfit, though. She wasn’t going to care what he wore, so long as it said I can afford you. The drive was nearby enough, in the area of downtown riddled with the local youths. He peaked in the rearview mirror at the rotting ghost of a reflection looking back. It almost said Hey old-timer, drive all the way to the playground for some fresh, young poontang? Pervert. 

As if watching from afar, he could see his gaze ricocheting off every corner of the shop, on the two women studying, the boy with headphones, the barista, the other barista, the woman leaving the bathroom. None of them said I’m here for sex but then again, neither did he. He hasn’t communicated an air of I’m-fuckable-and-sociable-and-laughable-and-loveable in years, but doubts his attire is lending itself to that fact. 

I’m dressed like this is a goddamn job interview.

He’s acting like it, too. Going over the important facts. Things to remember. Don’t bring up your kid. Don’t mention what you do for a living. Say you’re in banking or something equally obnoxious and uninteresting. But also, be the most interesting man she’s ever met. Who happens to work in banking. Don’t compliment her too much. Women hate that. Well, Johanna hated that. So maybe some women still like it, actually. Don’t overcook. Compliment her medium-rare. As for dialogue with others, he’d been preparing himself for the traditional No, I’m not her father, no, I’m not her boyfriend, either, and rehearsed this script as he grabbed his burnt cappuccino and took a seat at a table far from the rest of the crowd. Somewhere by a window where the shadows won’t be too unkind. 

He doesn’t check his watch for a while, because he’s an early type of guy and this gives him time to briefly flip through the book that had made itself comfortable in his work bag for weeks. It’s unrelated to his job. It’s about a woman’s journey abroad and yoga and yogurt. It will, most certainly, add nothing to his life. It’s for pleasure. Today is about pleasure. That, in itself, almost turns him on. Then the sun gets brighter and his coffee is finished and he sees it’s been forty minutes. He even double-checks their messages. Reads over them a third time for good measure. So. That’s probably a bad sign. He doesn’t know if he’s relieved. But this allows him to go home and grant himself an early glass of wallowing-wine. He’ll even leave a trail of clothes behind him, all leading to a hot bath where he can let himself stew and wrinkle and be comforted by the fact he didn’t even have to really put himself out there, at all. He was daring and exciting and that was enough for him, thankyouverymuch. He tells himself the gaping disappointment in his chest is about not getting fucked and that’s all. Another thing to ignore. Farewell, dear Rook, I wish thee some other loaded shmuck. He’s unlocking his car, and he hears it before he sees it. A chipped Suburu, a SAVE ARLATHAN bumper sticker, something fast paced and loud and probably feminist blaring through the windows. She parks to the right of his Lexus and tries opening the driver’s door when it crushes against his, offering a sliver of room and just enough damage to ruin a day.

“FUCK.”

It’s her. Bold and italicized. He’s stunned as she drops her face into her hands, and he can’t tell if she’s laughing or crying. And as if watching himself from afar, unable to debate, he glides slowly towards her, clearing his throat as he nearly hides behind his trunk. 

“Ahem, are you alright?”

“NO.” She huffs, hand on her forehead, looking anywhere but him. “No, I’m late for this, this thing, so I was in a hurry and that’s why I dented your car. At least I think it's your car. Sorry about that. I’m sorry.” Her face scrunches in the way all do when trying to hold it together. She looks up, and he can see she’s wearing mascara and blinking faster and faster. “Um, you may as well know it’s gonna take me a while to pay for the damage, I, uh,” she laughs and he can hear her throat bubbling, “I was gonna maybe find a way to help take care of money stuff today but, uh, me being late and all, doubt that’s gonna happen.” 

He nods. “Job interview?”

“Something like that.”

He curves his hip around the back of the car, resting it against the side, arms crossed. She’s quite tragically lovely. Not a damsel, but unabashed in her weakness. Not dissimilar to those crucified. He imagines her weeping in linens, then imagines her weeping on his eiderdown comforter, then laughing, then sighing, then. He wants to boil himself in hot tar for seeing a pretty girl and immediately comparing her to something holy. But that only makes him think of her on her knees. Needy and apologetic.

Please, God, don’t let it look like I’m trying to be suave. “That’s a funny coincidence. I’ve been here for almost the last hour waiting to, uh, interview someone, myself.” 

She stops staring at his car and switches to his arms. At his car, again. Then in his eyes. He can’t hear anything but his own breath. “You’re interviewing someone?”

“Something like that.”

She bites the corner of her mouth, looking him over then extending her left hand. It’s small and a bit rough, completely unlike his. It’s enchanting. She’s enchanting. He wonders if the rest of her is rough, too. Or if some parts are silk. Or crushed velvet. She tries on a smile, “I’m Rook.”

“Emmrich.”

“Charmed.”

“Completely.”

He doesn’t seem to be mad. In fact, it’s almost as if he’s merry. She sits in a booth by a window, chest shivering and fingers drumming as she waits for him to return with her order. You don’t have to get me anything.Oh, are we not on the same page regarding this arrangement, he’d whispered, something passive and devious behind his veneer of propriety. 

Figures, she’d fuck up his car, be late and begin the date by crying. Maybe, before it ends, she should take a shit on the hood of his dented Lexus and thank him for solving her daddy issues. He already finds her, well, enough of something to continue this date. May as well seal the deal.

“Your coffee.” He slides her cup next to her hand, along with a small, cardboard box. “Almond croissant. They’re quite lovely.” She lifts the tabs, taking a look at an over-powdered, massive, monstrosity of a pastry. It’s perfect. “Tell me, do you usually take your coffee black, or were you being modest?” He’s somewhat direct. It’s appreciated. “Maybe a bit of both.”

“Hm. Then what is it you desire?” He’s a relic from another time. She looks at him. Seriously, this time. He’s wearing a vest on a Saturday morning and shaves his mustache into that vintage style. He smells like the expensive type of cologne they don’t sell in department stores and on his hands are metals and jewels that outshine her. It doesn’t make sense. They don’t make sense. As if watching herself, she sees a girl slumped into cheap vinyl, unsure and uncomfortable. A scrappy wench with scars and other mistakes holding onto her body, across from a man. A man who has his shit together. A man who is studying her, as if circling, smacking a rod against the parts of her that need work and lifting her chin with the end, a challenge on his lips. He’s a man who hasn’t brought up the fact that she’s a trainwreck, and instead, bought her a coffee and croissant and doesn’t mention the fact she already owes him money. Does he really find her daring?

This is an interview. This is a job. Think of old movies. Of Audrey Hepburn. Of Hedy Lamar. He’s got something dark in his ensemble, a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that says he’s whacked it to Vampira. Elvira. She can be his Mistress of the Dark. 

“Perhaps I desire whatever it is you’re willing to offer.” It’s close to the right answer. He looks her up and down. As if deciding something. She opts for honesty and crosses her toes in hope. “I don’t really know what I want.” 

It seems to work. He props his knuckles under his chin, leaning closer and quirking up a smile. It’s small and just for her. There’s something that feels good about that.  “I suppose we’re in the same boat, then.”

“You’ve never taken on a mistress before?”

He coughs a bit and grows pink at his edges. “Not like this.”

“So you’ve had a mistress, just one you didn’t pay for.”

“Oh, I paid.”

“Money?” “Among other things.” “Reputation? 

“Sanity.”

“She sounds like a real peach.” That makes him grin. Maybe he likes cheek. “Can I ask you something daring?”

“I don’t see why not.”

She leans forward. Don’t sound like you’re lying. Because you’re not. But he might think you are. “You’re a real good-looking guy. Maybe you got burned by someone way back, sure, but you definitely don’t strike me as the type to need to pay for companionship. Not that I’m not interested, I am.” He gets pinker. Fuck it. “I just, well, look, okay, I gotta know now. What’s wrong with you?”

His face scrunches up in the way all do when trying to hold back laughter. Perhaps she is charming. “Maybe I’m just someone interested in a professional.”

A professional. She’s never been a professional anything. But he doesn’t know that. “Well, then you’re barking up the right tree.” She crosses her arms and hopes it comes across proud instead of haughty. Like a bigshot CEO in Balenciaga and real furs and not a girl in a boa with a tiara that says BIRTHDAY QUEEN. 

“Of course. What do you say to dinner tomorrow night? A more ample opportunity for us to assess compatibility.” 

She shakes his hand and calls it a deal. Finishes her coffee, her croissant, and for good measure, wipes the powdered sugar from her cheek and brushes it against his lower lip. A promise. A dare. An invitation. She hopes it leaves him with an image: a brave young girl with sweet lips and a sultry attitude, and it’s this hope that she banks on as she revs out of the parking lot, breaking too quick and fumbling too fast to call up the only person who can help in a time like this. 

Her voice on the other line is melted butter. “Rook, what a lovely surprise!”\

“Neve? Okay. I’m seducing an older man tomorrow night and I think he’s taking me to a fancy restaurant and I don’t know what I’m doing. So.”

Her laugh echoes through the car. “I’ll be at yours in twenty.”

The icewoman cometh.

[papagrazza]

Syrup | NSFW LucaNeveRook oneshot

I did it, I wrote the Rook x Lucanis x Neve oneshot I’ve been thinking about. It’s nothing fancy and sorry if it’s cringe, I originally wrote something a little more tame but that was boring and going to be too long so here you lil horny brains go.

NSFW/18+ warning, this isn’t super explicit but I wouldn’t exactly read it to my mother. Enjoy

Also Rook owns a bed for the context of this fic, though it only get mentioned at the end. Can someone please buy them all proper beds?

Word count: 3697

“I’ve never seen such a colour on you before.” Neve smiles sweetly, a knuckle grazing over Rook’s cheekbone, brushing stray hair away. Her knees nuzzle comfortably up against the side of their leg, the chaise cushions sinking them into one another under their combined weight. Rook smiles behind their chalice, peeking over the rim at the pair of dark, calculating eyes that swirl with unspoken temptation. Whatever shade of pink Rook is, half of it was on Neve’s cheeks too, her lips wine stained and drawn between teeth. Her hand creeps down to their collarbone to idly fix the hem of their shirt and then rests innocently upon their shoulder. Rook had leant in a little closer without realising it.

“Does it suit me?” They ask with all the nonchalance they can muster from the bottom of their cup, sipping and swallowing and then setting it down on the nearby coffee table. Neve’s hand leaves their shoulder to rest an elbow on the back of the lounge, fingers combing through her dark hair, she hums in thought.

“It does, though I wonder how far it reaches?” She says it like Rook can’t hear her, looking away to let her eyes wander across the rest of the group. Quietly she enjoys the way Rook adjusts themself, clears their throat and rolls out their shoulders from the corner of her eye. Luring them in and then letting the line fall slack, over and over, she’d mastered the art of making Rook dizzy with this back and forth teasing all afternoon. And Rook, like a lust drunk fool, would bite the bait every time.

They sit in a cushioned nook of the dining hall, a well grazed tray of bites to eat of Harding’s design sits at the centre, half a dozen bottles of Rivaini wine strewn about, cups ever flowing, banter in abundance. Music swells up into the high ceilings and tumbles down, Emmrich’s magic suspends a couple instruments he’d pinched from the music room that had opened itself to them the day before, in the air above the dining table. An old Nevarran folk song bounds off the walls. Assan snoozes in Harding’s lap, snoring deeply in tandem with Taash who has passed out in a heap of cushions on the floor. Davrin regails stories from his early monster hunting days and Bellara, utterly fascinated, burns through questions like a certain crime scene investigator she so admires. Manfred dances elaborately with an old broom on the other side of the hall.

Rook tries desperately not to linger too long on Neve’s words, but they’d been flirting senselessly for days and it was still too early in the night to go spilling good wine in a fluster. Besides, Rook wasn’t the only one enjoying it. Lucanis had been watching the whole time, stealing glances over his own coffee mug, his contribution to group conversation coming short whenever Neve placed a cherry on Rook’s tongue, or dragged her sharp blue nails up their thigh. Originally he’d been sitting in the armchair beside Rook chatting pleasantly about their adventures, sharing stories, the closeness sweet and charming and entirely unambiguous. When Neve came and claimed the seat beside Rook the back of her legs had brushed over Lucanis’s knees and his words fell into his mouth. When she lay a hand upon Rook's thigh, who had started to shift to allow her more room, Lucanis finished his wine in a few practised gulps, set his cup aside and stood to ‘attend to the kitchen.’

“You and Lucanis are rather close, he seems quite taken by you.” Neve says quietly when he’s out of earshot, Rook offers a sheepish smile to no one in particular and rests back, one leg over the other. They take a quick breath and drink in the smell of salt and cinnamon that lingers on her hair.

“That so?” Rook ponders calmly, their eyes casting towards the kitchen where a dark silhouette leans over the counter, stirring a steaming cup of what can be assumed is coffee. His shoulders drawn and set stiffly. He seems to be muttering to himself and they could have imagined it but for a second Rook thinks they catch a pink glow emitting from him around his head.

“He’s enjoyable company. Easy to be around.”

“Or perhaps incredibly… frustrating?” Neve suggests.

Rook raises a brow at her, a smirk trying to pull at their lips. A sudden swirl of confidence warms their stomach, more than likely the effects of wine strong enough to knock out even their Qunari companion, more likelier Rook was full of Neve’s teasing and wanted to dish some back to her instead. See how much of her own work the stoic, icy detective could handle before she came undone. They turn to Neve, peering down their nose at her, enjoying the way her eyes narrow curiously and how her lips come apart like she’s eager for something. “Then again, I could say the very same of you.”

“Could you?” She purrs back and loops hair behind her ear. “Though you’ve hardly scratched the surface of how enjoyable and frustrating my company can be.”

“Then I ought to scratch a little deeper.” Rook’s leaning in again, her breath fans across their cheeks, thick as cherry syrup. Her eyes are latched on their mouth, the cushions sink even lower and Rook’s hand tentatively grazes over her hip.

“Perhaps you ought to.” She murmurs, the music fades out, the voices of the others blend into white noise, Rook can’t make out anything a foot from their peripherals, and they can’t tear their eyes away from her for the life of them. For a moment it doesn’t matter who sees them, Neve’s shirt sinks so low, enough that from this angle Rook can see the smooth skin of her stomach, the curve of her breasts, her blush seeping down her neck like it had been poured over her. Rook wants to touch her, wants to know how far she’ll let them. When they reach out to try a shadow moves into place beside them, shielding their line of sight from the others. Rook’s hand withdraws back into their lap in a flash, a thwarted sigh and a tender laugh from Neve give way to a gruff cough that steals their attention off one another. Neve leans back comfortably in her seat like she wasn’t as committed to the moment as Rook, and they’re promptly reminded of their little game. Perhaps Rook had read too finely between the lines after all? And Neve really was just stirring them on for the fun of it? She’s been doing it since Rook at let slip of a particular fantasy they’d had one evening in the dim of the library while the pair had enjoyed each others silence over their respective novels. Rook had read something scandalous and Neve had looked at them in a different light since, or at this rate they could have just been imagining it this whole time. They try not to be too disappointed by any of it.

A familiar hand grasps a bottle, another expertly cradles three smaller glass goblets. Lucanis looks down over them with a whole new air about him, like he’d dunked his head in cold water and recollected himself.

“Pardon my interruption, as enlightening as three glasses of Qunari wine have been, I think it’s an appropriate time in the night to crack open something a little more… passionate in its profile.” He says to them, brandishing the bottle for Rook to look at. A thick bodied, plum coloured bottle, carefully corked and waxed shut, stamped with the sigil of a crow. Rook nods, the wine Taash had supplied went down well enough, but it had the structure of a cup of hot rocks, and the lingering burn threatened to toss away one inhibition after the other with every mouthful. And Rook was about ten mouthfuls tossed. “I had this Antivan port stashed for a quiet moment but it’s much better shared, and I thought you two would particularly enjoy it.”

“Generous of you. You sold me at passionate.” Neve tells him and pats the seat he’d once been occupying, encouraging him to get close. For a moment Lucanis hesitates, something flickering in his eyes and Rook can’t tell if it’s candlelight, a glint of spiteful pink or simply something a little more ulterior. He pauses and it's like he’s chewing on his next words, his earlier suavity seeming to have already started to melt away again. Rook nudges the side of his leg with their knee, his eyes flick to theirs like he’d been electrified at the touch. Rook smiles.

“You sold me at a quiet moment.”

•

“Do you cut your own hair, Lucanis?” Rook asks, watching Neve smooth back the soft black hair, choppy and uneven in places, down the side of his head. Lucanis hums in thought, his eyes shut and head leant back, chest rising and falling steadily, a hefty redness has made its home across his cheeks and his little glass goblet, empty for the second time, he holds atop his thigh. He sits on the floor and rests back against the lounge in Rook’s room. They’d pushed it in a little closer to the far back wall so they have their own little private nook, not that anyone was likely going to come looking for them at this hour. Neve, sitting upon the lounge above him carefully refills his glass from the plum coloured bottle, swiping a small spill dribbling down the side with her thumb and sucks it clean. Rook takes a sharp breath and repositions themselves to sit cross legged with their back against the wall below the aquarium. Tender blue light bathes them, the shimmering off the rippling water has been the only movement for a while. All the booze they’ve consumed has lulled them into a dreamy, languid state. Rook eyes the bottle, they’ve made a significant dent in it, candlelight through the back of the cloudy glass reveals it to be half-empty. Its missing contents now fill them with a slurry of giggles, caressing warmth they can’t seem to not share with one another, and the quiet longing to be closer still.

“I do, though it’s been a while since I did some upkeep on it.” Lucanis tells them, reaching up to roll a tuft of his beard between his fingers. Rook's eyes are sticky on his hands, his defined knuckles, signs of past scuff still mark his skin, a vein runs up his arm, clearer whenever he flexes. His fingernails are short and well groomed and enough buttons of his shirt have come undone to reveal the hair across his firm chest. When Rook’s eyes travel back up to his face they find him already watching them closely, the hint of a knowing smile plays at his lips. “I hope the scruffy look isn’t too displeasing.”

“You and ‘displeasing’ are not a pair of words that go together in my vocabulary.” Rook tells them with a low voice, allowing their eyes to hang there on his when they normally would have averted for feeling bashful. “I quite like the rugged look, it’s… stirring.”

“Stirring?” He replies softly, his foot affectionately brushing across Rook’s leg. “You’re too kind.”

“Lucanis,” Neve cuts in, shooting Rook a look that somehow suggests that she’s plotting against their better interest, or for it. Lucanis turns his attention to her. “May I ask something a little… intimate?”

A beat passes as Lucanis either ponders this or steels himself for whatever’s to come, he sits up a little straighter, so does Rook and he smirks, resting an arm up on the lounge. Rook can’t help but feel like they’re the only one who can’t command the atmosphere the way they do, Neve is a master at playing the scene, and Lucanis, who is probably trained to respond to her advances in a similar likeness, has done rather well to hold his own. But Rook? They were hardly holding themself together, the copious amount of wine in their brain was doing them no wonders. After all, they’d been copping Neves charms all afternoon, now they were alone and Lucanis was here, Lucanis who had been dousing them in desire with every look he sent their way. Aside from that this was the exact situation they’d been dreaming up for weeks.

Perhaps they were still dreaming, this was the Fade after all. Or maybe they’d already succumbed to the liquor and passed out and Solas, fed up with all of Rook’s desperately pathetic pining, was messing with his head.

Whatever it was, all they could do was what they were told.

“Is that not what you’ve been setting up this whole evening for?” He quipped and over a smile she rolls her eyes. “But of course, we’re among friends, no?” He looks to Rook who can do nothing else but nod. Neve steals a short glance their way, then she throws her legs over the side of the lounge, her golden cobra peg rings out a lingering sound as it meets the cobbled floor. She says nothing as she saunters over to Rook and offers her hands for them to take and stand. Lucanis observes silently and swirls the wine around his goblet, letting the sweetness spread across his tongue. Rook, helpless to her whims, goes where they’re put, their back pressed up against the cool aquarium glass, her knee slots comfortably between theirs and their breath is hooked out of their throat on that lure she’s been dangling in front of them all night again. She kisses their throat, just twice, but it’s enough to stoke the fires.

“Neve…” Rook manages through hot air, wanting to ask for more, wanting permission to give in. She looks over her shoulder to Lucanis who has perched himself in the spot she’d once been sitting, leant forward elbow to knee and is staring with an intentful expression. One practically begging to be invited.

“When you look at Rook, writhing and red, what are you thinking?” Neve asks him, she leans in so that her chest presses flat against Rooks, her bare skin could burn through Rook’s shirt and char them raw and they’d thank her for it. Gods, one touch from her and they were utterly useless, so much for being their steadfast, unshakeable leader. They could face a thousand blighted Darkspawn with their bare hands but when Neve touches them with such tenderness and Lucanis’s stare refuses to falter, Rook gives in to them immediately.

“Well, I enjoy it. I’ve never seen them like that.” Lucanis’s hands cradle his cup below his nose, shielding his mouth and whatever expression fights to show. His gaze is heavy as lead and Rook has to look away for fear of coming apart.

“And when I touch them like this?” Her hand slithers up the side of Rook’s thigh, her nails hooking in over the hem of their pants and tugging down an inch or two to show him the smooth skin of their abdomen. Rook seethes through grit teeth but holds their hands at their sides, latched for dear life on the rivets around the glass for something to keep them grounded.

“I… like it.”

“You don’t want to rip my hands away?”

“I don’t…” Lucanis starts and stops, there seems to be a thousand racing thoughts behind his eyes. Then his face scrunches as though a deep pain overcomes him and he groans. When the discomfort subsides a different expression has found him, a devious pink glow falls on his lashes. “He wants to touch. Touch both! RIP CLOTHES!”

“Spite?” Rook gets out, Neve moves back a bit when the demon’s voice croaks through, caught off guard by his sudden appearance. Lucanis shakes his head like he’s wrestling for control and he succeeds, but not before Spite can get out quickly: “wants Rook. Wants Neve. So bad! Shut up! Go away.”

“How interesting.” Neve says to herself. a pleased smugness weaves through her tone, she turns back to Rook. “There, now you know. So what should we do?”

“What? You’re… asking me?” Rook mutters out when Neve steps away and they have to push their strength back into their weak legs to keep themself upright. Neve’s movements are slow but precise, she circles around the back of Lucanis, who after fighting for control over his own body is breathing a little heavier, among other reasons. “Of course, you’re the star of this show. You may be easy to toy with, Rook, but I wouldn’t play you for no reason.”

“Is this what you want?” Rook asks to one and both in the same, Neve nods without any hesitation. Lucanis seems to need a few more seconds to think about it. “And don’t just say yes because Spite threw you under the bus.”

“Although if you didn’t and I misread all the clues you’ve been giving us, I’d have to seriously review my skill of deduction.” Neve jokes. “But they’re right, you’re under no obligation to stay just because I lured you here.”

“Everything is always measured with you isn’t it, Neve Gallus?” Lucanis says with a tired drawl, running his hand down over his face like tomorrow's hangover was already becoming him. Rook still stands where they’d ended up earlier, dishevelled and afraid and painfully turned on. “But yes, I won’t lie, it's been on my mind.”

“We haven’t even gotten to the fun part and you’re already uttering my full name?” Neve says and puts her hands on her hips. “I’m pleased you’re on board, Rook hasn’t stopped fantasising about this since your little coffee date.”

“That long? And I only caught on now?” Lucanis’s brows rise high in awe. “Mierda.”

“Not everyone can be as quick to the chase as some of us.” She throws him a sweet smile and Lucanis opens his mouth to retaliate when Rook cuts him short.

“Guys,” they shift their weight to one leg, letting their head fall back against the glass, exposing their chest where their shirt will allow as well as the rash-like blush that spills from their cheeks, to their ears, down their neck and along their collar bone. Lucanis and Neve fall silent. “All night you’ve done nothing but drive me mad, so if one or both of you don’t do something about this I’ll go and jump from the top of the lighthouse.”

“Sorry. I’ve made you suffer, haven’t I?” Neve’s laugh is lulling and she reaches out a hand for Rook to take and tug on roughly. She falls into their embrace with a surprise yelp and it quickly thaws into a barely restrained moan when Rook’s lips find her neck and kiss at her skin feverishly. Rook’s hands clamber down and claw across her lower back, untucking her shirt from her belt and sneaking up to finally feel her warmth. She’s cooler to the touch than Rook had anticipated, but with these hot coals she’s been prodding at the last few hours it brings a much needed reprieve to the heat in their belly. Rook raises a hand up to gently cup her jaw and bring her even closer but before they can steal the chance to plant their lips on hers she draws herself back. Then with one quick, expert maneuver she’s placed herself in Rook’s spot. “As much as I enjoy having you to myself, I did intend to share.”

“Lucanis.” Rook huffs feeling a warm presence suddenly looming like a thick shadow behind them, the smell of coffee and the syrupy scents from the port fill what little space is left between them all. Rook looks down and feels the hands they’d been gaping at earlier slide around the sides of their waist. His fingers digging and searing wherever they touch. Lucanis’s chest is full flush against Rook’s back, his cheek grazes over theirs as he leans in to dot kisses along the curve of their shoulder and Neve breathes out contentedly while she watches.

Her hands travel down Rook’s arms to hold their hands in hers, then she brings them slowly to her chest and allows them to cup the soft skin there. Rook sighs heavily and finally Neve pulls them in with a hand on the back of their neck, her fingers tangling into their hair. She kisses them long and deeply, her lips slick and soft and her hot air fills their mouth. The port stains her tongue and her taste intoxicates Rook like nothing else they’ve consumed tonight. They sink into her, their hands crawl across her bracing skin and in turn Lucanis’s grasp at their hips hard.

A soft growl escapes him when he presses himself into Rook’s ass and though they can’t see his face properly Rook assumes he might be fending off Spite again. “Lucanis?” They call breathlessly and look over their shoulder. Neve busies herself with unbuttoning her blouse and undoing the clasp of Rook’s pants.

“Sorry, he’s fighting me for you. Give me a second.” Lucanis grunts as Spite visibly flashes across his face. Rook throws a glance at Neve.

“They’re fighting over you Rook, I don’t know about you but that’s incredibly hot.” She says with a shrug and her top falls to the floor. “I’m not worried. The more the merrier.”

“I never knew you were so…” Rook trails off, their eyes uncontrollably trailing down over her bare breasts. Her skin is smooth and unblemished save for a few minor scars, Rook’s fingers run over her lower stomach and Neve smiles, then grabs their shoulders and turns them around so that they face Lucanis.

“Inclined to a more adventurous sexual nature? Or utterly irresistible?” Neve finishes, her nails clawing into the soft skin of Rook’s hips and pulling them back into her, slotting together like their bodies were designed for one another. “How long have we been practically getting off on one another's scent alone? Besides, you’re the one that put this bright idea in my head.”

“Rook.” Lucanis says drawing their attention back onto him. Rook lips come apart to tell him it’s okay if he wants to stop but before any of the words can find their tongue he does. When he kisses them it’s with half as much reservation and twice as much need as Neve, and he cups their neck with one hand and their upper thigh with the other and squashes the space between them. His foot perches itself on one of the steps beneath the aquarium and his thigh digs softly into Rook's groin, pulling a pleasurable moan up from their chest. At the same time Neve’s hand has sunk below the waistline of their open pants and sweeps across the heat with careful, practised strokes. Rook has to rely on the two of them to keep them upright, as the strength in their legs starts to falter.

“You guys don’t understand-” Another moan. “How bad I’ve needed this. Needed you.”

“Are you listening, Lucanis?” Neve asks over Rook’s shoulder, her hand ventures lower, wet and warm and the talon only grunts into Rook’s mouth in response. Rook’s hands paw at the mound in his pants. “We’ve really spoilt our precious leader, we’ll never sleep peacefully again.”

Lucanis musters up a brittle laugh, one that crumbles into a series of breathless moans when Rook finally manages to get past the elaborate buckle of his belt and dive down beyond his own waistline. Every noise that comes out of him is sweet and invigorating, and Rook has to latch onto him to drink up and savour his every moan. “Or maybe, at last, we will.”

“Then we best move this to the bed.”

End

[jessicafangirl]

Building A Mystery

Here it is kids, my Vampire Volkarin fic, chapter 1. Life and the universe kept me from getting this one up sooner than I would like but I hope you enjoy this first glimpse into Mystery and Emmrich's tale. You can also read here on AO3

Let me know what you think kids.

Mystery Ingellvar AKA Rook and Emmrich Volkarin found each other at the end of the world. Together they stopped this from happening along with their team. After defeating the Elven Gods, the heroes of the Veilguard now keep watch from the Lighthouse and fight to keep evil from returning to the realm. During one of these battles Rook is nearly killed and Emmrich realizes that even though he gave up Lichdom to save Manfred he now has left himself nearly powerless to keep the woman he loves safe. Emmrich leaves the Lighthouse and Mystery to find a solution which will change their lives forever.

Okay let's get one thing straight. I LOVE Emmrich. He's everything. Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, Cardinal Copia, and any and all silver foxes I've loved all rolled into one. He deserves all the love.

Anyway, now that I've got that out of the way, my other love is vampires. And to me it makes sense that Emmrich would decide if Lichdom was off the table he'd figure out a way to make this a goal and make it work. Love makes us do funny things.

We may or may not have an appearance of a pale elf some of you may know here or at least be mentioned.

Mystery is the name I figured out for my Rook after I made her. It fits for an orphan left on a pile of skeletons in the realm of the dead don't you think? Myst is in her 40s (so Emmrich is still a little older) but she's just as much of a wallflower who didn't really interact that much with people until she ran into Varric a few years ago. He saw her talents and her knowledge and decided, yeah that'll do. That meeting opened up a world to her she'd only read about in history books and novellas.

Instead of being around people and adventuring around, she had spent her time amongst the dead reading, training. She'd never ran into Emmrich but when she does finally meet him it's like one of those elegant heroes from the books she read all her life had stepped out of the pages for her.

So that's a little background for you. Give me all your angst baby. I'm here for the tasty angst.

______________________________________________________________

Emmrich was gone.

That was what Rook woke up to when she’d come round. Emmrich was gone and no one knew where to. She’d nearly died…again. At least in the Fade she couldn’t die, no matter how hellish it was while trapped there. She’d actually just disappeared and not been almost skewered by a well-placed blade by an undead warrior with really good luck. At least until Taash had roasted his undead flesh off his bones. The blade had just missed her heart.

Rook’s blue eyes were hazy as she came to, everything hurting. Her first word was his name. But Emmrich didn’t answer her. Instead Lucanis came to stand beside her, taking her hand in his gloved one. “Shhh, it’s okay. You need to rest.” His softly accented voice wrapped around her.

Rook didn’t want to rest; she wanted to know where her Necromancer was. But she didn’t have a lot of choice in the matter as the dark was pulling her back down again. She thought she heard Manfred’s familiar hiss as she slipped away, Lucanis telling the skeleton “I know, but we can’t bother her with that now.”

The next time she came round it was to daylight streaming through a window somewhere nearby. She had no idea how long she’d been out, but her dreams had seemed very real. More like memories…but she was seemingly watching it all take place from somewhere other than her body. The fight…that was first….the smell of blood and corrupted dead flesh. There was a scent to the undead who were brought back with dark magic…it wasn’t clean…it was foul. Not even the usual smell of a typical corpse, something Rook was used to thanks to her time in the Mourn Watch and the Necropolis.

No, the corrupted dead were beyond normal rot. It was as if the evil that had beget them permeated everything, even maggots wouldn’t feed from them. If some did, they’d die from the tainted feast, falling off them limp and lifeless.

The battle hadn’t been a long one. The mage who had decided to try their luck at the powerful forces needed didn’t realize just how much they had taken on in their bid to take over the city. It had wound up destroying them…too much infernal magic. The mage had died spectacularly in a ball of their own fire leaving a number of undead to deal with before the city was overwhelmed.

Rook saw in her mind’s eye how elegant Emmrich had been, his hands graceful as the green energy that he had flowing through him shot out and brought a final, merciful end to many of the creatures. He’d call out a “Well done my love.” When she’d take down their foes and she’d shout back when he’d do the same “Dashing and dangerous my dear.” Rook swore she could see the blush on his pale cheeks when she’d done that.

She’d been surprised. That’s what had happened. She’d taken care of the two undead she’d been fighting but a third had been in hiding. The pain had been quick, breathtakingly intense and then more concerningly gone and replaced by a chilling cold that spread through her quickly. Rook felt the blade pulled out from her chest and from far away heard Emmrich’s tortured cry of “Noooooo!”

She’d fallen to her knees and was oddly calm when she looked up at the moving cadavers face, red flames in place of eyes. This was it…I’m so sorry Emmrich….it’s my fault. I’m so sorry. It repeated over and over in her head. But before the creature could deliver a final blow it was ripped away from her in a blast of green. The undead was thrown with such force at a brick wall on the other side of the plaza that it exploded in a shower of gore, blood, and bone.

Rook had seen it and watched in numbed awe and disgust combined. It was impressive but not pleasant to look at. Her eyelids were so heavy then and it hurt to breathe. The blood was staining her shirt under the thin armor and the cold was now stretching from her chest out through her arms and legs. The blood was warm though…it was taking her warmth with it as it steadily left her. “oh….”

The wave of dizziness made her world spin and then Emmrich was there, kneeling beside her, catching her and pulling her into his arms. The scents of lilac and sweet incense met her nose, washing away the scents of decay. “My darling.” She heard his gentle voice, the words that sounded so brittle against her ear trembling. “My love you must hold on…stay with me Rook…you must stay with me.”

“Emmrich…” She heard herself as if far away, “I’m sorry…didn’t see them.” Rook had pressed her cheek against his warm chest, the heat of him radiating through the soft silk of his shirt. He always smelled so good….she’d miss that.

He’d held her so tightly for a moment, she’d heard a choked sob trying to be kept at bay in his long throat. “Shh…I need…I need you to stay awake my Mystery.” He pulled away just enough to start working the clasps of her armor. He had to see the damage; he had to fix this now. The rest of the battle was nearly done, he could hear the clashing of weapons, the sounds of other magic being launched at their foes. Emmrich could hear the distant panting of Lucanis who had followed him as he ran to where they were to keep watch while he tended to her.

She remembered the pull of the armor against her wound, the hiss of pain as the Necromancer pulled it away. His green and gold flecked eyes had widened at the sight. “My love….” He’d whispered the words, as though he didn’t realize they were said out loud. Her shirt was stained red from her blood, the injury deep. He’d immediately started crafting healing magic to stop the damage, the bleeding.

She’d been hurt bad, and Rook knew it, could feel it, could see it in Emmrich’s tortured expression. The familiar tingling, the slight burn of the magic leaking into her skin made her hiss. The fact it hurt this bad was another sign of the severity of the wound. Rook had blacked out then, her eyes too heavy to keep open any longer. The next time she came to some half-wakened state it was to darkness. Things were blurry, her vison unclear. There was a numbness to her body, like a limb when you’ve slept too long on it. The feeling spread out from her chest to her toes and fingers. And seemingly her brain as she couldn’t make out details in the gloom. But then there was a flare of green fire, familiar in the near black of the room.

“Emmrich….” Her voice was unfamiliar to her ears, weak, barely a whisper. Just that word took all her strength…but it was a word worth the sacrifice, worth any sacrifice. And then he was there beside her, the green fire surrounding his fingers like ghostly flames of jade.

When her heavy eyes met his she saw in their depths fear, sorrow, exhaustion but a determination no other could have matched. “I am here my love.” He said, the lilt of his voice reaching her ears like a caress. “You must save your strength. Do not talk dearest.” His hands hovered over her heart, above the wound in her chest. He spoke an incantation of healing, the dialect actually unfamiliar to her…or maybe she was simply too still in shock to recognize it.

The thrum of magic rippled over her skin and through her and with it a feeling that she could only say was Emmrich. In that magic that came from within him she felt his love, his strength and will to mend her wounds, to make her whole again. The scent of lilac and bergamot filled her nostrils. She could almost hear his voice now in her head “I will not lose you my love. I will not let you go. We’ve been through too much for you to leave me now. I’ve only just found you. I cannot lose you. I will not lose you.”

The heat from the magic entering her spread throughout her entire body. It felt like comfort and Mystery could feel it pulling her back down into sleep. The glow of green faded then and she heard Emmrich let out an exhausted sob as he fell to his knees next to the mattress.

No…no Emmrich shouldn’t be crying. Never. She couldn’t bear the thought. Rook reached out her fingers and let them thread into his silver laced hair. “I love you…don’t…cry.” She managed to say even though the words sounded far away to her ears.

At this he raised his head in surprise, his fingers clasping hers tightly, the gold of his rings still warm from the residual magic. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, his mustache tickling her skin. “I…I love you my Mystery.” Rook heard him take a ragged breath as he pressed her fingers against his cheek. Even in her stupor of a state she could feel the stubble of a beard starting to form. Emmrich’s control had returned, Rook could sense it in the way he straightened his back as he placed another kiss to her fingers. “You must rest. Let my magic do its work dearest heart. Do not fight the pull of sleep, let it in and dream of our home.”

Rook didn’t want to sleep. She wanted to stay with him, but she saw a soft glow of green light where their hands were clasped together, and a warm wave of sleepiness started taking over her. “Want…to stay…with you.” Rook said drowsily, her eyelids so heavy.

“You will darling…you will.” She heard Emmrich say from far away. Rook felt something slip onto her ring finger then, still warm from the green fire. “This I vow my love.” Sleep took her then.

She vaguely remembered opening her eyes the next time to a familiar chamber, now no longer shrouded in darkness. There were walls of books surrounding her, beautiful and filling the air with the scents of old paper and leather…the perfume of knowledge she’d named it and Emmrich had smiled so lovely at the phrase one night while they had been researching a ceremony to remove a haunting.

He’d kissed her without a word suddenly after she’d said it. Rook had been happily surprised by the action. “What was that for?” She’d asked him, grinning like a school girl with the biggest crush.

“Because you have a beautiful turn of phrase my dearest…and I could not resist the temptation of the lips that could conjure such lovely prose.” The Necromancer had replied, his ring covered fingers lightly caressing her cheek as he smiled down at her.

She’d shook her head at the thought such a man who could craft such elegant flattery would think she was the one with the knack for phrasing. Emmrich’s voice and his own way with words was one of her weaknesses. With the way the firelight had caught his eyes and glinted in the lovely silver streaking his hair, blazing within the gold of his rings and bracelets she decided she wanted to plunder the treasure that was her necromancer.

He’d noticed the way her eyes had darkened, the blue depths sapphire, her lips turning up in a smile that meant dastardly thoughts had entered her head. “My love…what are you plotting?” He’d asked, cheeks flushing and the question only slightly breathy.

She’d pushed him to the settee, and he’d fallen back against the cushions, still graceful though surprised. Rook remembered draping herself over him and the poor man was trapped. “We…we…really should be exploring…” She’d gotten at least two buttons undone on his shirt at that point and her mouth had found his throat, as did her teeth. The sound he’d made was probably supposed to be a word, but she’d been hard pressed to figure out which one. And she’d had other things on her mind like the rest of the buttons.

A quick intake of air “Exploring….ways…to…” he tried again. Emmrich was a determined sort that was true. But so was Rook. Half the buttons now and she started peppering his chest with kisses, her cheek rubbing against the graying hair that covered the center above his heart. “stop….” He managed to gasp out.

She remembered lifting her gaze to his, seeing his green eyes nearly closed, the color so dark she could barely see where the pupils ended and the green began. Her fingers ran along his side, sliding to his hip. “Did you say you want me to stop?” She’d asked, one brow raised.

He’d had one very short look of panic cross his face. “Don’t…don’t stop.” He’d practically begged. “Never…stop.” He’d then pulled her up to where she was literally sprawled on top of him and held her face in his bejeweled fingers. “Never…” He’d said and then kissed her fully, taking her breath away along with his own.

The memory was sweet. One of a treasure trove that had managed to outweigh the bad she’d collected so many of in her life. The scales were getting more even all thanks to a man who could make the dead speak and her life sing.

But he wasn’t here right now. The room was missing what made it truly special, made it home. She sat up, wincing just slightly at the pull on her injuries and sore muscles. She was healed for the most part. She moved aside the long silken shift that covered her to look down at where the blade had pierced her.

It had been worse than she imagined it or remembered clearly. There was an angry scar marring her pale skin, just to the side of her heart. This was evidence of how close she’d came to dying…the fact Emmrich’s healing magic, something he was powerful in, had not been able to leave her unmarked. How long had she been unconscious? Where was Emmrich?

Brain still hazy from the ordeal and just coming round, Rook pulled her shift back into place and slowly swung her legs off the bed. The sheets, the pillow cases smelled like him. The cologne he wore that held the scents of lilacs and bergamot. There was a hint of incense too. All of this was Emmrich, and it calmed her slowly growing anxiety a bit.

Rook glanced down, feeling something unfamiliar on her left hand. There now was a golden ring, sigils of protection carved into the band with a stunning pale green emerald. In the light the green matched Emmrich’s magic almost perfectly, as though he’d given her a piece of himself that could always be with her. She ran a finger over the stone, tears pricking her eyes.

She went to stand and nearly stumbled, her muscles not used to the motion. Rook grasped hold of the wooden column of the bed nearest her letting out a gasp as there was still pain in her chest. The movement of her arm pulled the still tender muscles and freshly healed flesh.

A familiar hiss from across the room met her ears and Manfred’s skeletal visage appeared quickly following it. The sweet spirit gently took hold of her arm to keep her steady.

“Thank you…Manfred.” Rook managed to say, her throat dry and raspy.

Manfred settled her back on the bed to sit with her feet on the floor. After a few more hisses and gestures, Rook took the hint she was supposed to stay there while Emmrich’s favorite student headed off. He returned a minute or two later followed by Davrin looking relieved and worried in equal measure. It was a strange combination.

“Rook…how are you feeling?” The Warden’s kind eyes studied her.

“Sore…and thirsty.” She looked up at him.

Davrin saw how pale she was. There didn’t seem to be a fever though, just exhaustion showing in her blue gaze. He moved to a table nearby and poured some water into a cup, bringing it over to her. “Drink this slowly. You’ve been out for a while.”

After a few sips she kept hold of the cup, grasping it in her hands tightly to try and keep her fingers from trembling. Her voice she wasn’t so successful with. “How long is a while?”

Davrin glanced away. “On and off for about eight days.” He answered her.

Rook gasped at that. Eight days. She’d been more damaged than she thought. Emmrich had to have been exhausted.

“Where’s Emmrich? Sleeping I hope?” she asked, taking another drink.

Davrin didn’t answer her, and Rook noticed. “Davrin…where’s Emmrich?” Her voice was hushed to her own ears.

The warden turned, his eyes not able to meet hers still. “He left two days ago…when he knew you were going to be okay.”

As if knowing he’d waited to make sure she was alright would make his absence better. Where did he leave to though? “What happened, why did he leave?” Rook’s voice hitched up, a strange feeling running up her spine. Emmrich wouldn’t just leave. He wouldn’t just leave her…at least she didn’t think he would.

Davrin leaned against the bottom left post of the bed, crossing his arms over his chest. “None of us knew he was going until Manfred walked into the main all carrying two letters on a tray like a butler. One was addressed to the team and the other’s for you.”

He pulled an envelope from his tunic’s pocket, one that was familiar to Rook from Emmrich’s desk. They were from his best stationery, the pieces he used for his most important correspondence. Davrin slipped it into her shaking hand.

He quickly glanced away, pursing his lips. “Honestly, I hadn’t seen him in a state like that before. I should have known something was up.”

Rook’s blue eyes stared at the envelope in her hand like it was the most poisonous spider she’d ever seen. She placed the cup of water on the bedside table as though the weight of the envelope needed both hands to keep it in her grasp. “What sort of state Davrin?” she asked him in a hushed whisper.

Davrin was reconsidering being the one to bring her the letter and the news. “The closest I can compare is when you were lost to the fade. He looked haggard. Haunted as though he hadn’t slept since you were brought back here. I know the amount of healing he had to do worked on him but…it was more than that.”

Rook closed her eyes and fought back a sob, her breath hitching. “What did your letter say?”

The warden sighed. “He told us he had to go away for a while and to ensure you were taken care of until his return, Manfred as well. He had a personal quest to follow. He didn’t leave any more details.”

Rook was in shock. He’d left Manfred behind? She felt her face grow visibly paler, her heart beat speeding up in anxiety, a creeping feeling of dread growing up along her spine. Her muscles winced as she felt a tremor pull at her still healing wound.

Davrin didn’t want to leave her alone, but he had a feeling whatever was in the letter would be better read privately. The warden moved away from the post of the bed. “I’ll go check in with Lucanis on getting you something to eat. Manfred won’t leave your side no matter what we tried so we’ve been taking shifts with him.”

She looked up at him, her blue eyes distant. “Thank you Davrin…thank everyone.”

He gave her a nod, placing a large hand on her shoulder with far more gentle care than anyone would expect and then left.

Mystery’s fingers shook as she stared down at the envelope. Delaying this wouldn’t do any good but she couldn’t stop the scenarios in her head. His loss of lichdom had finally come home to him and he couldn’t stand seeing her, the one that had talked him into saving his skeleton of a son instead. He couldn’t deal with how needy she was. He’d realized he could do so much better than she.

The old doubts could come so fast, return so quickly that it made it hard to breathe for a few seconds as they strangled her. Her own parents hadn’t wanted her…why would the most handsome, most magical man she’d ever met still want her around?

As if knowing her thoughts the ring on her finger grew warm. In a trick of the light she thought she saw the stone glowing. He’d not part with something like this if he were tossing her aside, leaving her behind, would he? Mystery ran shaking fingers through her short blonde hair, twirling the single braid nervously around her finger. Emmrich would do the same thing sometimes before they would head into a dangerous situation, his thumb stroking it with a sweet smile “For luck.” He’d say, then press his lips to her hair.

She felt a single tear hit her cheek and she wiped it away taking a shaky breath. “Get it over with Myst, just do it.” She told herself.

The envelope opened easily as she carefully pulled the green wax seal that held the shape of a skull away. The pages were thick, and she held them to her nose for a moment, catching the scent of the lotion he used, the fragrance of lilac and some herbal mixture that would always linger when he touched her. Mystery unfolded the pages and there in Emmrich’s beautiful, precise handwriting was his message to her. She took a deep breath and began reading.

My beloved Mystery,

I’ll be gone by the time you read these words. I would not have left your side if I didn’t know for certain my healing spells worked and you would be well. Nor would I have left you without knowing you’d be in the safest, most trustworthy hands of our friends, our family as they’ve grown to be.

What I’m doing and where I’m going is too dangerous to risk you or Manfred. And while the danger is great the reward shall be a way of ensuring your safety and my ability to keep you safe. To ensure we are together always my darling.

I will never regret choosing Manfred’s return to us over lichdom. Our little family fills my heart with joy and wonder every day. But this latest near loss of you, so close to losing you my beloved, has shown me that I must find a way to keep you safe and to protect you. A way to ensure I am there to fulfill the promise of my vow. My dearest heart, I believe I have found a way to do this and perhaps give me what lichdom could as well in some ways. While you recovered I planned, I worked, and drank more than my share of Lucanis’s strongest coffee. I don’t know if I’ll be able to recover from so much of that brew.

My Mystery, it is the hardest thing I’ve had to do, leaving your side like a thief in the night. But know that I will return to you as soon as I’m able. When I do, I may be changed, and I hope I am. But in your eyes and in my heart know that I’m the same man who loves you more than life itself and whose life truly began when you found him.

Forgive me for leaving you like this, but I know if I had told you I was going I would not have been able to resist if you had asked me to stay. I can deny you nothing my darling, but this separation will be worth it in the end. And I will then be by your side forever more.

Yours always and with love, E.

Mystery reread it three times before it finally hit her that he’d left because of her, just not in the way she had worried about. Now it was a whole other level of fear and sadness that took over her thoughts and guilt. Oh Maker, the guilt that fell over her. Her stupid and careless mistake that had nearly cost her her life had taken away one of her reasons for living.

“Oh Emmrich…” She felt the tears come then in earnest. There was no stopping these. The vagueness of the letter wasn’t helping. What had he gone to do that was so dangerous he wouldn’t allow her and Manfred to go with him? He’d been right, she would have made him stay somehow.

She heard a soft hiss come from behind her and Manfred appeared holding one of Emmrich’s embroidered handkerchiefs. “Rook…ssssad.” He said and she could do nothing but shake her head and take the piece of cloth.

Of course it too smelled like him as she wiped at her eyes. “Yes Manfred, I’m sad.” She managed to say. She needed to pull herself together even if her heart was shattering into a million pieces of worry, guilt, and pain. Manfred needed someone to keep an eye on him, to keep him on his path of studies. She had her other obligations for keeping the realm safe as one of the heroes of the Veil Guard.

Mystery still didn’t know quite how all this happened, how her life had gotten to where it now was. It was so much. All of it. But Emmrich was always there, or at least he had been, to keep her grounded. Emmrich with the sweetest words, the most skilled fingers, and kisses that could melt a slab of iron with the heat they could contain. Her Necromancer was all prim and proper etiquette for the world to see, but when it was just the two of them, particularly during the moon lit hours, another side would emerge.

Emmrich Volkarin had a hunger within him that was directed at her. It wanted to consume her. Those words filled with charm and politeness would disappear as those magical fingers would pull at the buttons keeping her shirt on and her flesh from his touch. That smooth, honey voice would grow lower and would start muttering phrases that would make her cheeks burn even now just remembering it. “My Mystery,” he’d say, “I shall take my time solving you. But tonight I will uncover all I can, taste every part that is you until I have my fill.”

His mouth would find her neck first, his mustache tickling her skin while his tongue ran along her pulse, tasting her as he’d promised. His teeth would suckle then, leaving her gasping as he marked her, the first of many such brands he’d leave all over her.

In the morning she’d ask him to place a glamor on the ones visible just so they weren’t flaunting themselves too much and he’d sigh and grumpily do so. “Not all of them my dear, I feel I’ve earned the right to remain for you to remember.” He’d say after a wave of green magic settled over her skin erasing the little purple marks.

Mystery would shake her head and smile, kissing his chin and giving it a quick nip. “As if I could forget.”

She couldn’t keep thinking about those nights, these memories. She’d just crumple onto the floor and Manfred was right there hovering and making tiny little erratic, nervous noises. Rook gripped the handkerchief tightly and sat up straighter, turning to the gem eyed skeleton. “Manfred, Emmrich has gone on a trip, but that doesn’t mean you are getting out of your lessons.”

Manfred nodded. “Left…with Rook.” He said.

She gave a watery smile. “Yes, he left you with me. So tomorrow we will start on your lessons, okay?”

“OK” The skeleton replied, seemingly feeling better about things.

Rook found it so strange how you could tell when Manfred was smiling when he was literally a skull. But she could at this point. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Good…I think I need to take a nap for a while, why don’t you go back to reading the tome for tomorrow’s lesson?”

Manfred nodded and headed back to his chair and the book that was still there. Rook watched as he picked it up and started his studying again. Mystery placed the letter on the bedside table and then curled up in the bed only wincing a little at the pain in her chest. That pain was nothing compared to what she now felt but hopefully it would all heal in time.

She only hoped that Emmrich would let her know he was okay or better yet be back sooner than later. Any other outcomes she wouldn’t let take root in her mind or heart.

[rom-e-o]

I need headcannons for Belismerich babies.

And in the same vein, I need headcannons for big brother Manfred.

BELISMERICH 💕 I’m honestly obsessed with the pairing name.

Okay, so babies! Yes. Tbh, I can imagine them having a family together. He’s obviously comfortable with the idea, with Manfred canonically being a son to him. Once the world is safe and sound and these two marry, Emmrich retains his position as a professor (though with a more lenient schedule). Belisma remains a Watcher in name, and she and Emmrich share responsibilities of reading rites to the dead, keeping the memorial gardens in check, etc. The couple is quite comfortable, emotionally and fiscally.

Manfred also continues to learn, becoming a mage in his own right and becoming more dexterous as well. He learns to open doors without help (the handles are tricky) and can even write basic words! He’s also learning to read. 🥹

So, with everything going so well, they decide that it’s time for them to have a family. F

I could see these two adopting a child (both being orphans, you know) and conceiving.

I see them with two babies: one boy (conceived) and a girl (adopted).

Emil (Boy):

He has Belisma’s dusty/ashy hair color, but Emmrich’s hazel eyes.

He becomes a dancer like his mama, loving ballet but being more prone to gymnastics. By the time he’s a schoolboy. he’s entertaining the other children with elegant flips and spins. And terrifying his teachers by climbing trees and buildings, then jumping off with perfume spins and flips.

He wants to be a Watcher, but also, a performer. This pleases both parents. As he gets also, he gets a sassy personality, haha. A little flippant (especially to the nobles; a bias he got from his father’s disdain for nobility, haha) but always serious when it comes to respecting others and the dead.

Em: He inherited your grace, my darling.

Isma: And your eyes. Not you mention your disdain for life-leeching nobility.

Em: Haha. When the wealthy learn that death plays no favorites, perhaps I’ll favor them more in turn.

As an adult, he’d be a rogue-type Watcher, favoring a bow and arrow.

Amaryllis (Girl):

The young girl wanders into the Grand Necropolis, crying and screaming that her Mother is missing. Agents go out, but the woman is never found, but a scrap of her dress is found near a rocky cliff.

Emmrich and Belisma have space in his lodgings for the girl, and the accommodations are quite nice. A private, spacious apartment with extra rooms and a library. By that time, Emil is born. Ama warms up quickly to the baby, and even likes Manfred. He’s easy to talk to, and brings her tissues. (“Crying. Good.”)

She’s a great baby-sitter, and Manfred teaches her fire magic. She learns magecraft fast, and Emmrich and Belisma (also being mages) are so proud.

They officially adopt her a year later, because she asks them to. They are more than happy to oblige.

She adopts her father’s love of botany, and wants to become a professor like him. 🥹

She’s very prim and proper, and quite mature for her age. She has very curly hair and is also taller, like Emmrich. She looks like she could be his biological daughter, haha.

As an adult, she would be a mage Watcher, and would love to one day assume her father’s post.

Now, BIG BRO MANFRED:

The teapot Manfred always carries? It actually belonged to Emmrich’s mother. One of the few items he kept to remember her by. Manfred is trusted with it, so obviously, he is trusted openly with carrying very valuable possessions.

Manfred carries Emil a lot, in his arms and in a baby bjorn. He actually is sad if he doesn’t get his quality time with the infant. At home, Manfred is always peering into the bassinet, or sitting with them by the fire, supervising. When they get too close, he pushes them back. “No. Hot! Bad!”

He swaps out his travel gear for being a walking diaper/baby bag, haha. His ribs are filled with blankets, toys, etc.

With Ama, he loves going on walks with her. He’s a great listener (haha) and is very kind. He’s a little easier for her to talk to at first than the others.

As she gets more into gardening, he’s out there helping her plant blue creepvine, Shroud’s Kiss, and other adored blooms.

And if boys dare to shout rude remarks at her. They get a VERY hostile hiss.

[imdoingaokay]

What if Rook was the HoF and the LI's child? Who would figure it out?

warnings - spoilers for Veilguard! especially some spoilers about the companions! please advise!

a/n: omg what is going on with me? I can't stop typing lol.

I tried to keep it vague on... everything lol, especially if Rook is biologically related to the HoF and their LI or not. I also tried to keep the HoF/Rook's gender vague as well. (I'm also thinking about doing the other games... maybe... y'all didn't hear that from me though)

There’s a hint of familiarity when everyone sees Rook. Something about them. Their accent, their stance, the way they fight. It’s all… familiar. 

They’re young. Late teens or early, early twenties max. They don’t even remember The Fifth Blight, and yet, they know so much about it, repeating stories of a time not experienced by them. It’s… strange.

Everyone knows that they should just ask Varric. That seems like it would make the most sense, right? But that’s a little hard to do and… well, it doesn’t matter. They discuss it all amongst themselves often, pooling together their knowledge. Unless Rook fesses up first, they’ll figure it out… sooner or later.

Alistair:

Warden - It’s Davrin who figures it out first. No ifs, ands, or buts. He puts two and two together rather quickly. Maybe it’s the similarities in appearance, maybe it’s the overwhelming knowledge of the Wardens, more so than a normal Warden would know. Regardless, there’s something that’s… different about Rook. He’s fairly likely to ask, but he may have some difficulty. He doesn’t want to simply ask “Are you related to The Hero of Ferelden?” or “Are you related to The Grey Warden Alistair?” but he also doesn’t want to not ask. Eventually, when the pair get some time, he mentions the similarities between Rook and The Hero, and if Rook doesn’t get it, he’ll give up and just ask.

King - It’s Taash. It’s ages ago when they saw Rook’s face in a portrait (one that was stolen, but that doesn’t matter) from Ferelden. Maybe it's a family portrait with the whole family, maybe it's just Alistair and Rook, or maybe it's just Rook. But... they stand so regally, it’s the type of portrait that Taash commits to memory. They bring it up point blank (honestly, if nobody does bring it up before them, Taash will be the one to ask), probably during a group meeting so everyone knows.

Leliana: Harding is the first to notice the similarities between Rook and The Spymaster. She tries to look back into her mind, thinking of a time, roughly a year after Corypheus was defeated, when a small visitor came to Skyhold, clinging to Leliana’s leg like their life depended on it. They were so young, and Harding barely got a good look at their face. It made sense that she wouldn’t recognize Rook immediately. If Rook doesn’t bring up Leliana or recognizing Harding, Harding may not bring it up at all. The most Harding may do is bring up Leliana, waiting for Rook to mention their relationship. If Rook doesn’t get the hint, Harding will let it go and will be okay with never knowing. That is until Taash asks.

Morrigan: Bellara is the first to notice, just because she sees some similarities and then begins to overthink everything until she comes to the conclusion that Morrigan is Rook’s mother. However, she is the last person willing to ask, unless she blurts out her suspicions at one point. If Bellara doesn’t ask, Emmrich will. Simply because, despite Morrigan’s best efforts, she shows Rook enough affection to remind Emmrich of the affection he holds for Manfred. One quiet evening in the library, he finds the courage to ask about the relationship between the two. By the end of the conversation, if Rook is willing to discuss their parents, Emmrich feels a bit closer to Rook… and a bit closer to Manfred.

Zevran: This depends on if Rook looks similar or is biologically related to Zevran or not. If they look like Zevran, Lucanis definitely clocks them fairly quickly, especially if they’re a rogue. Lucanis may have met Zevran, and he can definitely see the resemblance. He’s fine not bringing it up, it’s not like Zevran has a good history with The Crows. That is, until Spite decides to bring it up, mentioning that Rook smells familiar. That ends up being the opener to a long discussion on Rook’s family. By the end of it, Lucanis learns a lot, not just about Rook, but also more on the "failed Ferelden job" he'd heard about.

On the flip side, if Rook isn’t biologically related to Zevran, and doesn’t look like him, it would be Neve who notices first. She’s a detective, she’d figure it out. Maybe Rook mentions their family, or maybe they clam up at a question or two, Neve gets curious and starts digging until she finds out. And when she does, she doesn’t bring it up, for a while at least. When she doesn't, it may be to ask Rook if their parents are alright and if they need someone to look out for them. Regardless of what Rook says, Neve is pleased that she was correct in her assumptions.

[mynameisalanwake]

my thoughts after finishing my Dragon Age playthrough, pt. 4 - The Veilguard

i'm writing this one as i finish playing through, so it may be a little longer than the Inquisition post, but i have so many feelings i need to get out!!! right off the bat, though - i thoroughly enjoyed this game as a stand-alone action RPG AND as an installment in the Dragon Age franchise, for different reasons. this is my second favorite in the whole series, DA2 is first and it was VERY close to DA:O for the second place spot. i think everyone who has an iffy feeling about DATV might need to play through the whole series again and revisit the universe.

3 days later and after finishing DATV for this playthrough: this is 100% my longest post because i had so many feelings so i'm sorry and thank you for reading!!! i'll be back with my thoughts on playing as a mage and elf (mostly)!

Dragon Age: The Veilguard major decisions made: - warrior (Slayer) human, non-binary Rook (Dany Mercar) - Shadow Dragons - brought Harding with me to stop the ritual - saved the mayor in D'Meta's Crossing - romanced Neve - encouraged Neve to be a protector for Dock Town, side with Threads - encouraged Harding to embrace her calm side - encouraged Taash to embrace Rivaini culture - saved Minrathous - Lucanis imprisoned Illario (i didn't get to make that choice technically) - Manfred LIVES - Bellara destroyed the Archive - griffons live with the Dalish - Dorian is Archon - mostly stoic/sarcastic responses, angry/fist when available, nice answers when talking to sweeties like Evka/Antoine - whatever it takes (again, not really a choice) - sacrificed Harding :( - Bellara blighted because i wanted my romance scene - everyone else ok tho - TRICKED THAT UGLY EGG HEAD MOTHERFUCKER

ok so first things first. playing as a trans Shadow Dragon romancing Neve is canon 100%. i have gotten so many amazing, interesting, and engaging dialogue options that i missed out on in my first playthrough as a Qunari Grey Warden (which still had a LOTTTT of bonus dialogue and a direct tie-in to the story). i'll indicate specific points where i felt much more immersed as i continue - i initially only picked the Shadow Dragon faction to feel connected to Dorian, as a lot of my choices for previous games were based on who has the most involvement as the series progresses, but i didn't realize just how tightly Rook themselves would be woven into the story. this is also my self-insert character, which is why they're non-binary, which gave me bonus dialogue with multiple characters, not just Taash! even passing conversations with Maevaris and Tarquin mentioned it. for both faction and gender choices, even my base dialogue choices have little additional bits on it - for example, at the end of Neve's personal quest, i had both a romance and Shadow Dragon dialogue option, but when i selected the romance option, it was a combination of "of course i was here for you! we're both Shadow Dragons!..... and also i love you!" this is my second time romancing Neve, but it felt like an entirely different experience this time around. just two young idealists in love tryna save their city and stop ancient elven gods, no biggie <3 (i was initially going to romance Emmrich on this playthrough, but even though IRL i'm almost 30, my Rook still felt incredibly young and when i finally picked him up, i looked like a baby next to him. overall it came down to 1. the writing that made Rook young, 2. my character having a baby face, and 3. the dialogue options i had chosen up to that point just made me feel a little too immature/brash for Emmrich. i picked him up a little too late i think because the chemistry with Neve as a Shadow Dragon was UNDENIABLE. i'll revisit on my mage playthrough i think). also, Neve becoming Threads crime boss was incredibly sexy as much as i love the detective agency with Rana

HOWEVER. i don't think your experience with immersion and engagement with the game should be determined by your faction, race, class, gender identity, or who you romance. i wish they had dedicated just as much time to giving good background dialogue options and connections to NPCs to every other path a player might take. this was an overarching issue i ran into throughout the game with other choices, like Solavellan v non-Solavellan.

the combat peaked in this game, hands down. as a console player, having all of my relevant combat buttons (dodge, light attack, heavy attack, and jump) as my four right thumb buttons was a game-changer. this one still doesn't have the talent/ability wheel, but i don't mind that too much because most of your skills are passive, anyway. there are multiple mechanics, like the gear looting and specialization themes, that feel like they could've been updated to reflect the flip to single player. i also missed having 3 companions in my party, but now that they're invincible, i guess i don't have to worry about being as well-rounded as before. even though i wasn't a huge fan of the controllable party, it was a jarring change from what i was used to! it's good to have both mages AND rogues with healing abilities, though. i don't really like how the specializations are faction-themed - as a warrior, it also didn't make sense that the Reaver specialization (which was in ALL the other games) was replaced with the Reaper/Mourn Watch themed spec. it would've made more sense to have Lords of Fortune as the Reaver (since they do dragon stuff) and give the Crows or Dragons the Slayer spec.

i very much appreciated not just being given busy work, like in Inquisition. even though it doesn't feel like i make quite as many world-state changing choices, i do feel like every quest i do is meaningful regardless - just the fact that i'm doing it at all is improving someone's life, which feels good. sure, Arlathan has some really annoying puzzles, but they really paid off because they would open up shortcuts or were actually integral to progression in the story. every faction quest, companion quest, and side quest had intention! one side quest i think about in particular is a shared concept between Arlathan and Dock Town - you run into a spirit who wants you to help them investigate deaths around the map. they're early quests, so i'm sure they're meant to help you explore and open up the map, but it didn't feel like a chore to do. instead, you get bits of lore relevant to the faction on this part of the map and feel more connected to the community you're trying to ally with and assist. my first playthrough as a Qunari Grey Warden had a really pleasant surprise with the quest on the Rivain coast & the first Qunari Warden! i'm pretty sure i had special dialogue (not selected, just banter/one-off) when i found the first journal page, especially since i had Davrin and Taash in my party. companion quests also weren't just fetch quests - they're deeply entrenched in their faction and their personality, which makes them feel like they make an overall difference instead of just improving your relationship with said companion.

companions. i have feelings about these companions. i love them just as much as my Inquisition, but again, i feel like their writing suffered from the scaling between multi-player to single player. Neve is perfect, 10/10 no notes - very clearly a play on old school, film noire detectives. is it heavy-handed? sometimes. is she perfect? yes. the narration as we pan in on a rainy Dock Town is everything to me. she is my chance to romance Nick Valentine. i also really enjoy Emmrich's story arc - helping him grapple with his mortality (and bringing 'Fred back every time) is incredibly satisfying, and he is just so sweet and you can tell he cares so much about every member of your party. Davrin is a fantastic character and i feel so bad that Epler boiled the end-game decision down to "Harding or Assan?" it really does a disservice to Davrin and the growth he has over the course of the story, especially since he didn't die killing the archdemon at Weisshaupt. yeah, Assan is cute, but you gave me such a complex character and almost a foil to Emmrich. lean into it! give me a conversation between the two where they discuss their feelings on life and death. there was so much content missing there (and also i feel like Epler was a little racist about it but.........). also, Davrin is really hot for absolutely no reason at all, put ur titties away. i would romance you my next playthrough but i really have to sacrifice you instead of Harding at some point. these guys are my top three, i think. to the next few...

i feel like they worked really hard to differentiate Bellara from Merrill, and it worked 100%. she was distinct and her backstory/companion quest was heartbreaking. i know, i know, people mention they should have had Merrill instead of Bellara or Emmrich, but i like that our companions were all new travel partners. Bellara was a fresh pair of eyes and a new source of elven history (especially since i've never played as an elf in this series), and it was interesting to help her grapple with her side of the religious crisis that results from the whole elven-gods-attacking thing AND her brother being a pawn for someone on Solas's level. i also loved that she plays as a rogue while being a mage! having her staff be her "bow" was such a creative choice and it really tied her visual and character design together nicely.

Harding was such a sweet character in Inquisition, and of course i flirted with her as Inky, but i felt like the Titan storyline was a little weird for her. maybe if we had gotten a little more interaction with the Deep Roads (i know!! i don't want to go down there, either!!!) or Orzammar or Stalgard or something earlier on, i think it would've tightened it up, but it seems like this story would've better fit Dagna AS IS. they definitely didn't bring Sandal back because he's a harmful stereotype (love the guy, but a little cringe to think it's funny to have an "idiot savant" trope in 2024). instead, we were just immediately thrown into her internal conflict and then the external conflict. her companion questline wraps up so quickly! i loved having her in Veilguard and would've liked more with her. i know they were trying to keep world-state decisions fairly vague, but bring Dagna to the Lighthouse so we can workshop this whole dwarf magic thing. my girl would've been SO hype!! BUT! Harding's romance with Taash is absolutely adorable, the unsent letter she writes to her ma in the beginning makes me ugly cry every time, and while i HATE that end-game decision, i really feel like it wraps up her (and the Titans') storyline really well to send her back to the stone. if anything, she's "missing in action" - i don't think she's gone, as that whole Titan reveal was too big to just let go like that. it's not a decision i'm happy to make, but unfortunately, it just fits my canon. Taash's reaction was :(

speaking of - i absolutely loved Taash as a character and helping them explore their gender as a non-binary player AND character. it was genuine and raw. i know a lot of people have problems with the modern handling of sexuality and gender, especially since the Qunari characters throughout the series have given us language for this and other queer characters have danced around their identity, but that's kind of the whole point of Taash's character - they don't fit with the Qunari, just as they don't fit into a gender binary. coming out to your family isn't some pretty candlelit dinner where you wax poetic and talk in circles about your gender identity, it's an extremely vulnerable moment where sometimes you have to be straightforward. Dorian and Krem never outwardly discussed their labels because they came from a world where the labels were the main problem. however, my main gripe with Taash's character is they're literally non-binary, but i'm forced to make a binary decision over their cultural identity, either Rivaini or Qun. when you choose the Rivaini option, i guess it does discuss bringing both cultures together, but that's not how it's presented to you or how Shathann reacts to it. it's just happening by default because Taash is Qunari but they want to be Rivaini. there's very little nuance for Taash's character and storyline, which you could argue is part of their characterization, but at least let me show understanding to their mother during the coming out scene! they were also one of my other planned romances for my canon playthrough, for the direct tie to Isabela, but they just give off sibling vibes that are amplified by our gender convos. i love my lil dragon sib so much!!! we'll see what happens when i play a non-trans character, i guess!

.....to what may be my most unpopular opinion. i love Lucanis, don't get me wrong. he is a sweet cinnamon roll and while i've never romanced him, i know he's incredibly loved in the fandom. BUT. he's literally an Antivan Crow. it's not like we've never had a Crow in our party who gave us all the Crow lore about buying child slaves and killing them if they're not good at assassinations. i know he's supposed to be THE nepo-baby of the Crows, and he was locked in the Ossuary for a year, but he's just a little.........too squishy. i don't want to discuss how he handles the grief of Treviso being blighted, as that's all dependent on player choice, or the lackluster romance i've heard so much about, because it's clear there was just a lot of cut content there. my problem is truly more with the Crows as a whole than with Lucanis, since there are story reasons why he acts the way he does. i just think the writers did a lot of "telling" us about the changes with the Crows instead of "showing" us. Caterina was literally JUST in a DA book being incredibly evil and abusive - why is she a cool grandma now? what changed her mind? i want abrasive dialogue. i want Lucanis to hear what the others think about Crows and try to defend it, or to hear him stand up to Caterina. this is the one character that could have been bitchy based on the lore!! and they chose to completely declaw the First Talon. the Crows in general are the biggest break from the lore of the series, which is why i understand why fans feel like this was "written with HR in the room." hardened Lucanis should kill Illario, not throw him in jail. Illario was banging your biggest nemesis and almost ruined your city!!!! fucking KILL HIM!!!! also, Spite was a letdown after meeting Anders/Justice - again, completely declawed. i know possession is different for a non-mage, but it seems like the writers just cherry-picked where it would be funny to have the demon chime in and didn't want to lean into any tension, like with Davrin at the beginning. Anders literally blew up a chantry!!!! give Lucanis that same edge!!!! i honestly don't care that he was a sweetheart, but give me a good reason other than "the Crows have changed *shrug*." (if i'm missing anything from the books or other non-game media, please let me know!! but also they should make that lore more accessible to just game players) Zevran would've called Lucanis a little bitch too and i'm sorry to be the one to tell you that (he also would have flirted with him like CRAZY).

this would've been a great game to bring the rivalry mechanic back instead of the straight up "neutral -> friends" pipeline. let me romance hardened Lucanis or Neve as a rival! as a Qunari - let me push back on Taash's love of Rivaini culture! let me question Lucanis about the Crows' recruitment methods, ESPECIALLY as a Shadow Dragon!!! we get a fantastic codex entry of Dorian at a Magisterium meeting throwing DOWN with Bataris over slavery - let my character be just as passionate! i think it would've made more sense with the friend group dynamic, which i felt was closer to DA2 than any of the other games - a found family who ends up working together to solve everyone else's problems and eventually save the world. the writing is there, just not in my character's dialogue or companions' conversations. the stakes are a little higher in DATV, and Rook is positioned to be a sort of therapist character, which could explain the general "good vibes" of the gang, but i really wouldn't have minded some internal conflict outside of the Minrathous/Treviso decision. the biggest change was being required to recruit all companions AND they're stuck with you til the end, which i guess makes sense story-wise - i have always recruited and tried to keep all of my companions, so this wasn't a big problem for me, but it made the companions' stakes seem a little lower as they were almost forced to hang out with me and like me.

now. the Minrathous/Treviso decision. arguably the only big world state decision in the game. i think fans have gotten a little too attached to Lucanis as a character to think normally about this. there IS no right answer, which is why this decision is so hard. yes, Treviso is covered in blight and we have to mercy kill some Crows we were introduced to, but Dock Town (which is the part of Minrathous that gets attacked!! reminder!!!) is a poor area of Minrathous mostly protected by vigilantes, same as the Crows defending Treviso. the Archon's Palace isn't going to do shit, especially since the Archon was assassinated during the chaos of the dragon. saving Treviso gives the Venatori basically free reign over Dock Town, where people are already being abducted for blood magic rituals on the daily. it isn't supposed to be a mindless, easy decision!!! i was so sad the first time i saved Treviso and went back to Dock Town! it is literally covered with lynched bodies hanging from rafters. the fact that i get judged in FB groups and reddit threads for choosing Minrathous over Treviso, to the point where people say they can "tell everything about my character" based on that decision, is absolutely insane. i heard the same thing about whether you choose Dorian or Maevaris as Archon (a decision you DON'T GET TO MAKE if you save Treviso!!!!), which, again, is absolutely insane. that decision doesn't even have any impact on the world, at all. these are supposed to be incredibly nuanced, difficult decisions that you make either based on what you've learned throughout the series as a whole, just this game (with codex entries and NPC convos), or... your intentions to romance Lucanis. LAME. y'all are too horny for big world state decisions. also, everyone complains about Neve/Shadow Dragons blaming you for Minrathous getting fucked over.....yes, and the Crows/Lucanis do the exact same thing! i stopped randomly talking to NPCs in Treviso after that decision because they literally only wanted to bitch me out. i'm a Shadow Dragon! of course i'm going to go save my city! i got so much bonus Shadow Dragon dialogue but not a single "...but we get it, Rook, gotta save your peeps." i didn't even get any "understanding" dialogue except from Teia/Viago, who, as the de facto leaders of this faction for the game's purposes, should have been even angrier. it's nonstop until the very end of the game, it's the driving force behind the governor working with the Antaam so he just rubs it in, and even in the end slide, there's a slight dig at the fact Treviso is still blighted. i can tell most people who are doing multiple playthroughs aren't saving Minrathous at all solely based on their reactions to people who do - why replay if you're not even going to try to choose the other city?

this is already so much longer than any of the other reviews i've written so far - maybe because i'm actively playing through it?

to address the lore problem: i think that VG IS faithful to the lore, but the problem is the writers relied very heavily on codex entries from THROUGHOUT the series & the external material instead of what we actually saw, heard, and experienced during our journies through Thedas. it reminds me a lot of Fallout 4: it IS faithful to the lore, but it's missing the teeth and grit and the nuance that made it interesting. Northern Thedas is a whole new region for players and we've only ever heard rumors about it! Neve does address the issues with rumors of Tevinter (Taash asked if she was wealthy and Harding will usually have plenty of banter questions about what we heard during our time in Ferelden), but that's about all. it's also been a decade since the last installment - lean into it! what happened with Solas's army? he didn't just "decide he's not management material" - this guy's head is so far up his ass, he would've just been pretending he's NOT a manager while still bossing everyone around. we actually get to see Dorian come back to Tevinter and he's actively trying to make a change, which is where we left him in Trespasser after his father passed. he FEELS like he's grown and changed over the past decade, especially when i'm thinking about my inky and the conversations we had together, where the rest of the world has just stayed stagnant until someone tells us it's changed. Dorian's writing shows that change is possible to implement and explain well. they had plenty of opportunities to not retcon, but update the lore, and i feel like they missed their shot. as a poli sci & writing student, i can come up with eighty different geopolitical situations that would cause these areas to change within a decade with very little effort and without bringing in any of my world state choices from the previous three games (or, at least, keep them vague enough that it doesn't make a difference). i read every single codex entry i found on this playthrough and it made a HUGE difference - i've never read the codex entries in the past games, LOL.

the dark fantasy issue - i think people who critique DATV as not "dark" just sprint through the map and don't take the time to absorb the environmental storytelling, which is crazy because all of the other games have relied just as much on their environments. the Halla sacrifice at the Venatori gathering? gut-wrenching. if you don't save Minrathous? there are literally lynched Shadow Dragons in the streets. whoever you sacrifice for the distraction gets gored by Ghila'nain's tentacles!! i think the problem is in the last decade, random violence has become so normalized and accepted that we're not as appalled by it when it pops up in media. also, some of the stuff in Origins specifically that's called "dark" is just sexual assault and racism, which i'm fine with not having in a fantasy game in 2024.

onto the Solas of it all. i am not a Solavellan. i got along with him well enough in Inquistion, but after playing DATV and going BACK to DAI, i was PISSED. the writing for Solas between DAI -> Trespasser -> DATV is so consistent and well done that i felt every ounce of betrayal my characters did. do i think DATV was geared toward Solavellans once the game pivoted to single player? absolutely. was it disappointing? yes. did it add an extra layer to my anger/betrayal? yes. Solavellans get their own ending!! that's crazy!! my Inky DESERVED to get a punch in, at the very least. all of the other DAI players were just left in the dust, some only getting the stupid letter!! i get that due to eliminating most world state choices that they couldn't bring too many characters back, and Inky had to be as bland as possible, but like i ended up specifically romancing Dorian because i knew it would give me the tightest connection to DATV and it did pay off, but i was literally just licking up crumbs.

playing through this game the second time all the way through, Solas's dialogue is absolutely infuriating. i was sitting there flipping off my TV and shouting at him because you can see RIGHT through him once you know what's happening.

good lord. i finished the game finally after taking three days to write this and i am INCREDIBLY sore emotionally. that final act is just nonstop hit after hit to my heart. i cried from the moment i picked Harding to lead the distraction up until the very end. hearing Dorian breathlessly make sure his amatus is alright had me GONE - his voice actor is so talented. i'm literally doing a fem!inky playthrough for DAI to force myself not to romance him again. i think he's officially won out as my favorite character in the Dragon Age franchise after wrapping up Dock Town/picking him as Archon/act 3.

i know that they couldn't give inky any personality, but it really fucking sucked to hear him ask if Solas could be reasoned with. after everything you've been through, Aedan? absolutely the fuck not. leave that whiny bullshit to Lavellan, you're a goddamn Trevelyan and your husband is the Archon! we are going to beat the shit out of the egg and you're going to like it! i do wish he and Morrigan could've shown up to watch me fuck him over - i did the "reason" ending my first playthrough, but my first inky was friends with Solas and i never made it to the end of DAI so it really wasn't very satisfying at all.

the trick ending feels 100% correct in this playthrough - there's something so poetic about this angry, sarcastic abolitionist in love with the crime boss protector of their shared city pulling a fast one on an ancient elven mage (THE TRICKSTER GOD) who used blood magic to trick them into thinking their best friend (yes Varric is our best friend) is still alive when they were killed MONTHS ago. it felt right for my inky, for my Hawke, even for everything my HoF worked toward.

all in all, this game ranks second in my Dragon Age rankings, but it is a VERY slim win over Origins. this game improved upon a lot of mechanics i struggled with in Origins, which made up for spots where writing was weak in VG. i think DATV needed to: - fix the companions as a whole - throw some cut romance content back in PLEASE. i romanced Isabela in DA2, which is probably the most nothing burger of a romance in that game, but she and i still kissed more than Neve and i kissed!!! we are literally in a Fade castle with our romanceable companions for MONTHS at a time and we only kiss like twice?? absolutely insane. let me go to Neve's office and kiss her you cowards. give me the exposition dialogue options for my companions at the Lighthouse in general. let me chat to them about their factions or their side romances. let me ask Lucanis if he's a virgin like i could with Alistair. - get rid of specialization themes - not a gamebreaker, just an annoying and pointless mechanic. - give Inky their soul back - there were three choices for Inky: romance, Inquisition, and Solas. while i would've loved my Inky to talk about his romance, we don't need lines recorded for each specific one (and i technically did get some crumbs), but i would've loved to see my disbanded Inquisition/stopping Solas choices be more prominent in the dialogue. that would've been, what, four different sets of lines? it's not like Inky talks very much at all. if you're whittling my (in-universe) 15 years of choices over 3 different games down to just 3 choices that i made in one single game, make them actually carry weight in the narrative. i was foaming at the mouth to get Solas by the end of Trespasser, but Inky wasn't anymore, and i imagine after a decade of waiting that was a HUGE letdown for people who played DAI the way i did.

for my next playthrough, i'll be doing (primarily) elf mage - fem HoF, male Hawke, Lavellan (i have to Solavellan at least once i guess), and probably a transmasc Rook because i CAN

[felassan]

Snippets. 🐺💜 DA:TV spoilers under cut.

Kala has heard rumors that there may be merch pins coming of Assan and Manfred [source]

(Previous comment for context - Dev Brenon: "You can sprint, there is also a dash/dodge move you can do for short range mobility - though I don't tend to use that much when exploring.") A user asked on this, "Will it be a push-to-sprint key, a sprint toggle, or other (to be explained later)?". Brenon replied with some more detail on this feature: "Right now it's a pseudo-toggle, you press it once (while moving) to start sprinting and then as long as you keep moving you keep sprinting. If you let got of the movement controls, you stop sprinting." [source: the official BioWare Discord]

User: "if a choice i made 30 hours ago affects me.. best believe im restarting the whole game". Brenon: "Uh oh''. User: "UH OH???". Brenon: "I mean... we do have "decision saves" before big choice moments, but there are still a bunch that depend on a whole mess of stuff you've done earlier... so... yeah... RIP :P" [source: the official BioWare Discord]

They hope to get a bunch more BioWare-themed emojis for the Discord [source: the official BioWare Discord]

Trick Weekes has been signing DA:TV stuff with "with love and appreciation for your patience" [source]

Carly: "theres so much id love to say, but i unfortunately can't , that being said, i hear y'all and love working on a game for such passionate people and hope y'all enjoy when it does come out 💕" [source]

Actor signing attendees report that it was amazing and that we're in good hands with this acting cast. You can see more photos from it here [source].

Dev signing attendees report that it was packed. You can see another photo from it here [source]. and here is a photo of the sign from it [source]

Another photo of the booth [source]. Sometimes at the booth the devs had a Solas statue [source] (this is done by Dark Horse). I think Dark were also displaying somewhere a Varric and a Cassandra statue too, and I think these were the ones that Dark Horse do too (Varric, Cass), but I can't find the image or video where I originally saw this anymore, sorry >.<

The companion tarot-style art from the website was shown on the big screen at the acting panel [source]

A few more details from the actor panel, from an attendee: John Epler said that this is the best group of companions written because of their relationships with each other, not just Rook. They can become friends, lovers, rivals with each other. Zach thought that Lucanis was the coolest character he gets to play. It sounds like he mentioned Illario [I'm assuming] by name. Lucanis is quick-witted. Neve is a bit of a romantic. Jessica found voice acting freeing as it felt like playing pretend when she was little. In her role, she felt like she could embrace being very powerful. Neve is passionate. On Emmrich, "wisdom, calm to group, warm-hearted, loves learning". Emmrich has some fantastic lines. Along with working with Varric to track down Solas, Harding has also been working with Rook and Neve. Ali talked a lot about how much collaboration there is between BioWare, the actors and the material they're given to work with. Harding has been through some things and has more of an edge to her, but they can't talk about it! [source]

A few more details from the actor panel, from an attendee - Jessica Clark: "A lot of the time, we kind've really all bonded in the way that we were intended to, you know? And that's why we've been so excited all week and all weekend, because we can be like 'oh my god you're here', 'oh my god you're here, you're here, you're here', finally, you know? You know, I know on a lot of projects people are like 'oh yeah, we're all like, we love each other', but we really do, we really really do, and it just evolved so organically, and there was something magical about it just being our voices in the beginning, you know, like, sort've taking anything else out of the [equation.]" [source]

A few more details from the actor panel, from an attendee - Nick Boraine: "I think I've been preparing for Emmrich all my life. I was very attracted to the role initially, and I was so, I was so, I was overjoyed when I got it, because I think it was, the writing of Emmrich is really fascinating, it's this, this man that is obsessed with death, on one hand, but on death as a comfort, death as a transition, death as something that is not scary, and that, that ability to enable people to transition and the investment that he gives in that sphere, which we don't give in our own lives. I was immediately attracted to that and I thought that that was, I'd never seen that before, so to go in these two ways, to talk about death and to talk about it in a way that is kind, and that the transition becomes a kind transition, that was fascinating to me, and I think, will be fascinating to you too." [source]

A few more details from the actor panel, from an attendee - Zach Mendez: "[before they started shooting] I did kinda get an idea about how passionate the fanbase was, which made me really excited. I don't wanna say nervous, because I don't say I'm nervous, I say I'm excited. And so, before the first day of shoot, I was very excited. And luckily, you know, Ashley and them, didn't have me do too much on the first day. I played a lot of darkspawn. I darkspawn-ed my ass off, though. I want you guys to know, I really. And when I got home, I thought to myself, 'Zach, did you darkspawn hard enough?' I was just worried. You know, and within an hour I got texts from Jeff, who's a part of this cast as well, and G, telling me what a great job I did, and then I'll never forget, I got a call from Ali Hillis down here, and I'll remember that conversation, because for thirty minutes she made me feel like I was welcome in the Dragon Age family, and it gave me so much confidence moving forwards. So thank you, Ali, so much, I still remember that." [source]

[Character limit text break!]

Varric and Manfred: "not romanceable" [source] ?

Neve mostly eats deep-fried fish [source], it makes up the bulk of her diet [source]

Bellara loves pan-fried fish [source]

John on SDCC: "thank you to everyone who came out to the signing. thank you to everyone who came out to the panel. thank you to everyone who said hi, swung by the booth, or otherwise expressed how excited you were about the game. absolutely amazing experience. was wonderful to see you all" [source]

There's a lot of lovely concept art for DA:TV [source]

Trick Weekes: "One of the things I was proudest of was inviting leads from other teams/departments into writing peer reviews and having them later say, "Wow, those critiques went deep, but everyone stayed professional and compassionate the whole time." My junior-most writer knew she could tell me I was wrong." [source]

Violet: "As we get closer to DATV, I just want to send out a reminder Var lath vir suledin 😭" [source]

Derek on the casting department: "They really did an incredible job! Every single one of these folks deliver such amazing performances." [source]

Derek: "a lot of great talent doing awesome stuff from KY nowadays. I count myself extremely lucky that I can work on such an amazing project with such a wonderful team straight from my home state!" [source]

Michael Gamble: "i know a few people on the DA team, and i want them to have a nice time." [source]

User, on the recent word count news: "Sooooo , when will I (we) get to hear all these words". Michael: "hopefully when the game is out." [source]

User, on the news of no microtransactions: "This is great news that I hope survives past the review period". Michael: "it will" [source]

User: "What class have you been playing as in DAV mostly?" Michael: "mage. i light everything up. everything." [source]

DAMP / multiplayer mode is not returning [source]

Ghil: "Im very sorry for the teasing tweet but to be very real, i really miss playing veilguard and to stop THERE and have to wait over a year is killing me tbh. Im bothered. My crops are dying. I am withering. I want to know what happens" [source]

A user asked a question around if there are dialogue options and choices available in the game that indicate a mixed or less favorable positive perspective on Solas. Bria, a Councilmember, shared: "As an Egg Cracker, I was pretty satisfied with what we saw. I don’t want to go into spoilers but I was able to play my Rook the way I wanted when it came to the Sad Egg Man." [source]

User: "would you be able to tell us if you can change your perspective while in a fight? Those circles we saw on the video were kind of hard to see from that angle". Ghil: "Like a bit- no promises but they told us a lot of stuff like that would be in an accessibility feature. I get pretty motion sick so I remember talking about backing it up a bit." [source]

Kala: "The amount of gasping, screaming, @/ElbenherzArt having to lay on the floor, @/hattedhedgehog and @/chaosbria having to stand up from excitement and us just being in shock the whole time. Yeah 🔟 😎" [source]

Kala shared that there are moments in the game that she knows people will freak out about [source], that in terms of marketing, she knows that the devs have more things planned [source], and that she found Bellara endearing, despite not usually vibing with optimistic and energetic characters [source]

Kala shared that she feels that the Lighthouse is way cooler than Skyhold [source]

Also, in early May 2024 Zach appeared on a podcast:

Zach: "I'm very excited because it looks like at the end of this year, the video game that I've been working on for about three or so years is gonna come out, and I'm really excited for that. I'm gonna come back on and I'm gonna promote that, you guys, you will have no choice, I'm coming back on." Host: "Does the video game feature dicks?" Zach: "I can't say too much about it, but it, it doesn't ignore dicks, you know what I mean? It doesn't, you know what, there might be, yeah, there's, it's a sexy video game, it's a hot video game." Host: "So are you a character?" Zach: "I'm a character in the video game." --- Zach: "I'm gonna come back on to promote the hell out of that, because I'm really excited about that. I'm still working on that, and that's been, like, I'm super grateful for that, because that's been going on for like three years and it's been consistent work." --- Zach: "I'm super excited about it [...]" "Other people help you make really amazing things, when humans get together they make pretty stuff, and this game looks amazing"

[source (acting career segment. source link isn't work-appropriate. I don't recommend the podcast)]

[jaal-ama-daravv]

Thanks a lot for doing the dissections! It's honestly amazing how you pinpoint the smallest things about Emmrich. Always a delight to read! Not sure if it's a huge revelation or anything, but I had a couple of things on my mind. Mostly baseless ramblings and rather long ones, I apologize in advance 😅 One, pertaining to his innate kindness. In a chat with Harding, he admits that he had to 'debate' that one's life experience and education are what makes a person, not being born into nobility. That's why, I think, if Rook admits to him they are trans (or just generally Taash moving forward as non-binary), he just never questions it and accepts it at face value. He will never subject anyone to the kind of scrutiny he was under, consistently having to prove his worth only because he has commoner origins. Two, I legit think he went on a quest to find a companion after any attempts to do so within the Mourn Watch failed. He's obviously well-traveled: in numerous conversations, he alludes to having spooked bandits in Anderfels, having dated an Orlesian art appraiser, Myrna mentioning he left the Grand Necropolis at some point long ago, etc. I sincerely doubt she would stay in the Grand Necropolis for long enough to kick off the courtship, which means he'd have to be out and about in the world for quite some time, enough to get involved with a person. Three, and that's a really big stretch — at the point where he joins the Veilguard, I don't think he enjoys his life at the Grand Necropolis all that much. He's not quite satisfied with the conditions of his tenure, he laments how things were a lot better and more proper earlier. It even feels like he's using Manfred as an excuse of sorts when he notes that Manfred was developing rapidly outside of the Necropolis. And he agrees to join the Veilguard fairly easily. I would also argue that, when we truly want to stay and belong somewhere, we get the roots deep in. We want comfort and nice things for our home — and he does that for himself but, for instance, the tombstones of his parents are very plain. And I'm sure he can afford something a lot more stately but he doesn't do it. Not out of disrespect for his parents, of course, but maybe because he doesn't see why. He's arrived to the point of going through the motions in the Grand Necropolis because he can conduct his research and hone his craft there freely, but everything else that's part of being a Mortalitasi & a teacher has dulled down for him. Anyway, hope this was somewhat coherent. Thanks a lot for how you feed the fandom and I hope you enjoy PoE — it really is an amazing game!

Oh thank you! It's great to utilise my game design narrative experience for the Emmrich lovers. So glad you like them 💞

You'll be glad to hear that Point 1 and 3 I touch on heavily in the full breakdown! Point 1 plays a huge role in who he is, it's admirable and relateable.

Point 2 I definitely agree with - How fast he jumped on board ready to save the world. He simultaneosuly calls himself a coward but shows so much bravery. Ah I love him.

I love your thoughts, thank you so much for sharing. and PoE is so interesting so far, though granted I'm on 4 hours in. I'm here for Aloth and I can't wait to play more

[awardenandacrow]

NAIMERYN’S RELATIONSHIPS

*this has been expanded and added on to since the last time I posted it*

*Super* big sister protective of Bellara. She’s just a cute wittle cinnamon roll with a heart of gold who tries to carry the whole damn world on her back by herself, and she must be protected at all costs. Will support her to the death whatever she decides about Cyrian (I’m not done with my first playthrough yet so I have no idea how any of this shit ends). Can’t wait to read her story.

Can’t put her finger on it, but Irelin bugs her. When she found out she and Bellara used to date, she accidentally started to hold a grudge about her not making Bellara happy, even though she doesn’t actually have any idea why they broke up or what the relationship was like. When Taash mentioned Bellara told them Irelin didn’t like how much she was into ancient Elven stuff, Naimeryn unconsciously decided Irelin Just Doesn’t Get It, and Bellara deserves better anyway. Strife is okay, but intimidating. Anyone too serious, Naimeryn expects to start yelling at her at any moment. Strife fits the bill. Softens towards him a bit when he and Emmrich hit it off.

Morrigan was friends with Saimaeria. That’s literally all she needs to know. The rest? Just makes her cooler. Or scarier. Maybe both.

She admires Emmrich because he’s so sure of himself even amidst a group of people who grew up *very* differently than he did. She adores Manfred and would use her staff as a baseball bat against anyone who tried to hurt him, and makes a point of playing RPS with him as often as she can. She usually loses. Emmrich knew she was all right when, upon meeting her and asking her to help in the Necropolis, she approached a wisp, held out her hand to it, and gently said, “hi, little friend. Can you help us?” He is, however, immensely disappointed that as someone who faces the possibility of death so often, she hasn’t thought about what she wants done with her body afterwards (she has. She lied. She didn’t want to upset him with talk of the Calling, and how her body will either be lost in the Deep Roads, or she’ll survive the Darkspawn long enough to turn into a ghoul). She’s not sure about this whole lich thing, but if that’s what’s going to make him happy, she’ll support it. Luckily for him, she tends to be a good judge of what a person needs, even if they can’t see it, and may just help him avoid doing (no not doing) something he’d end up regretting for literal eternity…

Vorgoth creeps her out. She never knows where to look when speaking to him. What *is* he? Doesn’t want to be rude but also… would rather talk to Myrna. Although Myrna is intimidating. So direct. So unbothered. So ethereal. She wants to be friends with Emmrich’s friends. She really does. He’s just… so much more personable than they are.

Upon meeting Lucanis: Neve: “huh. A non-mage abomination.” Naimeryn, internally: “oh no. No one told me he’s HAWT.” They are the quintessential, she fell first, he fell harder couple. He fought it as long as he could. She was doomed the moment he said “as you wish” upon being asked to ask Spite to pull them a path out of the fade the first time in that damned Antivan accent. Started wearing lavender perfume after Lucanis described first kiss coffee as honey and lavender cream. Spite says she smells like Blight and Lavender. She initially treated Spite with cautious courtesy because she didn’t want him to hurt Lucanis anymore. Lucanis describing him as a petulant child, and Emmrich telling her that “some spirits are dangerous, but many would be surprised how that can change with just an attempt at understanding or an offer of help” caused her to change her attitude. Although he is a demon, and as a mage (especially with her upbringing) she should hate him, she treats Spite with the same respect and humor she does everyone. Spite likes her. Spite also picks at Lucanis’s feelings for Rook like a scab because he thinks Rook is his ticket out, which causes Lucanis to fight them more… until Spite drags her into his head and basically says “bitch look at her showing up for you. For us. Knock it off. You’re being dumb” (although his resolve was crumbling before this). If this were an AU where their story took place in our universe, Naimeryn’s song for Lucanis would be “Miracle” by Paramore. If nothing else, she absolutely does not know when to give up.

Something about Illario felt off to Naimeryn from the moment she met him, but she thought his personality just rubbed her the wrong way, or that her old fear of being used was brought up by his flirtation. His every attempt to flirt with her in front of Lucanis was therefore met with a swift diversion of attention back to Lucanis. When the truth came out, her rage was true and pure. If Lucanis left it up to her, she might kill him herself, lack of mage knife training be damned. She also, however, understands that Illario is important to Lucanis, and will not encourage that course of action unless she’s 100,000,000 percent sure that’s what Lucanis wants to do. Hence he’s not dead. Or locked up. (Fuck him. It was what was best for *Lucanis.*)

She loves Teia. She’s so cool. So sweet. So feisty. Teia *immediately* clocks both of their feelings and is captain of the ship. Teia gifts Naimy crow armor and if anyone questions her about it she just points her dagger at them and glares in “I dare you to continue this line of questioning.” Naimeryn thought Viago was surprisingly calm about Caterina’s “death,” and briefly suspected he might know more than he was telling, and may never forgive herself for having such poor judgement. In all fairness, Viago will admit to not trusting her much at first, either… though seeing her dedication to Lucanis and her drive to help the people of Treviso brought him around. Caterina is important to Lucanis, and therefore important to her, but *damn* that woman is scary. Another one she thinks is going to just start yelling at her.

Always checks in with Jacobus. She knows he has plenty of people looking out for him, but she can’t help it. She worries. She knows what it’s like to be the only one left, surrounded by people who care but… don’t get it.

Is cautiously optimistic about Solas. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” and his advice has been sound this far, but she has not forgotten how this all started in the first place. She doesn’t blame him, necessarily — she believes she is at least partially to blame; as a mage, she should have known that interrupting a ritual that big could, and probably would, have unforeseen and big consequences. But also, she doesn’t *not* blame him — after all, he *says* there’s nothing worse than being wrong, and being afraid to change when it’s pointed out, and it seems like people have been trying to point it out to him for… a while. So like. What gives, dude?

Caretaker is baby. Threaten Caretaker at your own risk.

Every time Naimeryn falls out a window or into water or off a ledge or down an unexpected slidey slope Lucanis PANICS and throws himself after her like “MIERDA Rook wtf” and Davrin nonchalantly rolls his eyes and walks down the stairs/slides down the ladder/makes the jump and is just like “yep that’s my clumsy dumbass sister I have no idea how she convinced them to let her be a warden.” They are siblings in every way except literally. He teases her relentlessly. She takes none of his shit. Even though they were both reeling after Weisshaupt, she pulled him back from the survivor’s guilt edge. He never questioned her again after that. They’re surprisingly huggy. Lucanis is 0% threatened, as he and Davrin also have a weird sibling rivalry thing going on. Davrin finds their relationship amusing, and is not shy about teasing them both, at any opportunity. Assan is her baby as much as Davrin’s, and she’ll never let him forget it. He trusts her advice about the young griffon.

The First Warden and she never got along. When he was a recruit and she was a teenager running around Weisshaupt, he thought she got special treatment because she’d been brought there by the Hero of Ferelden herself. When he was named First Warden and she completed her Joining, he called her a charity case, and said she didn’t deserve to be a Warden. When she didn’t wait for reinforcements, he claimed she didn’t have the discipline to be a proper Warden. When he learned she’d let “new Blight” into the world, he was ready to throw her in jail until her Calling came — until Dorian intervened. Knocking him out was a pleasure. Letting him kill the archdemon so Davrin didn’t have to die? An obvious choice. She’s not usually one to hold a grudge, at least not on her own behalf, but the man made her life hell for fifteen years. She doesn’t think he deserved what he ended up getting, though.

Has always loved Evka and Antoine, from the moment they met (literally on their way to the battle that would completely change her life). She knew of them previously, but they got more field work than she ever did, and she had always envied their relationship from afar. Never thought she’d be lucky enough to find someone to love and be loved by like that.

She and Harding were fast friends. Has been massively supportive of Harding’s magic, because she remembers how it felt being forced to hide and suppress her own for so many years. Harding affectionately thinks she’s nuts for having a thing for demon boy, but has softened towards Lucanis because of it. Was the first one to tease her about it — first semi-maliciously in an attempt to get her to come to her senses, and then with good-natured resignation and support when she realized unless Lucanis did something about it, nothing was going to happen anyway. Naimeryn’s encouraged her to embrace her pain and anger — it’s a part of her now, and it’s not something to reject or fear. Knowing is a heavy thing. Emmrich wondered why Naimeryn didn’t accompany them to Ferelden or camping, since she’s also from there. Harding knew better than to invite her.

Had read all of Varric’s books before she ever met him (she worked in the library, remember?). At first was Bellara-to-Neve levels of in awe of him, and grew to respect him immensely. She relies heavily on his advice. She wonders frequently if she should have tried to talk him out of talking Solas down, and if she had, if he wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Whenever she visits the infirmary to see him, she gets a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach, but tries to hide it. If the dagger affected Harding so profoundly, what damage has it done to him? All Harding did was touch it. It was IN him. She checks in on him frequently, afraid that he’s in worse shape than he’s letting on. (YALL WHO HAVE FINISHED THE GAME: I know something is going on here but I don’t know WHAT and I don’t want to know until I find out for myself. I got a vague spoiler that there’s SOMETHING. I don’t want an actual spoiler. Thanks in advance.)

When it comes to Neve, Naimeryn feels like she never does anything right. She admires the other mage and wants desperately to be close friends with her, but then she started their relationship getting her hurt. Then, when she’d almost healed from the repercussions of that call, she’d abandoned her when Neve needed her most. When Neve was understanding about her making “an impossible call,” Naimeryn only beat herself up about it more. When Neve pushed her away, she felt like she deserved it. She went to Dock Town without Neve often, trying to clean up the mess she’d made, but asked the others not to tell Neve. She forgot that she’d asked no such silence of Rana, or the remaining Shadow Dragons. When Neve started to let her back in, Naimeryn jumped at the chance to make her top priority, and hopefully regain her trust. They’re not out of the woods yet, but Neve appreciates the effort she’s making. Also, Neve approves of Rookanis. Teia’s first mate on the ship.

Feels responsible for the Viper, and knows Tarquin also holds her responsible. Has not seen him since she was too late to save Minrathos from the dragon. Blames herself for not being able to find Lorelei, and not getting to Hector in time, and for every Shadow Dragon hanging in the streets. At first, she would cut them down and fight the venatori that tried to stop her, but there would always be more the next time, and Neve had to step in and put a stop to it. It was the only time they fought about Naimeryn choosing Treviso — and the only time Naimeryn has ever seen Neve cry. Suspects Rana may have a thing for Neve — and why not? She’s Neve Gallus, dammit.

Was at first intimidated by Taash. Taash at first thought she was cute, then saw her with Lucanis and went “ooooh, no. *THAT’S* cute.” Naimeryn supported Taash to find themself, and to embrace the Rivaini part of themself if that was what made them happy. She defers to Taash completely on dragon missions, and when anyone tries to imply they’re more knowledgeable than Taash about dragons. She tries to smooth interactions with Taash’s mother, though she worries she always makes it worse. Taash, on the other hand, is very appreciative, and respects Naimeryn a great deal. They also have a protective streak over Naimeryn even though they know she’s competent in battle. They’ve first hand witnessed her drunk, however, and just shake their head, grab her, and end the night (which is frustrating. Dammit. *They* we’re having a good time!).

Isabela is stunning, and flirty, and powerful, and WOW. Naimeryn’s is in awe of her. Isabela, like Taash, thinks she’s adorable. Also, damn, don’t bet against that blue haired elf, you’ll lose all your hard earned gold!

[butterflydm]

magic in thedas (more DAV posting)

There's a... idk, if you would call it a joke or a meme or a serious meta. Maybe depends on the person talking about it. But there's a... a trend, let's say, about how there's always an "apostate mage" in your dragon age party who has their own agenda that is not moved by yours, sometimes termed a betrayal, though I think that's more a matter of perspective. Morrigan, Anders, and Solas all have their own potentially world-changing plans that are (mostly) unchanged by what the protagonist chooses to do -- the methods and attitude are the largest effect that your protagonist has on them.

I don't get the sense that any of our mages in DAV are like that, not where I am in the story, and maybe that's partly because in a game that isn't shaped around the southern chantry, the phrase "apostate mage" lacks the bite that it has in the south. There isn't that separation.

Progress continues as I work on my companion's quests.

I got some more Taash & Harding flirting, which I always enjoy:

I did Bellara's personal quest next. I was afraid her brother would die, and he did, but at least we didn't have to kill him. He realized what a mistake he'd made and did what he could to fix it. Small victories. The funeral that Bellara created for him out of the knowledge she got out of the archive spirit was also really nice.

There is a lot of sadness and loss in the companion quests so far. Harding facing the grief and anger of the Titans (and herself); Taash losing their mom; Emmrich needing to let Manfred go if he wanted to pursue lichdom; and now Bellara losing her brother.

But it also really highlights not only how Rook is there for each of them, but how they're there for each other too. I really feel the love between all of them.

After Emmich did his lich ritual, when he told everyone about it afterwards... it was sweet, and charming, how they took it in stride. I mean, this is the team that literally lives in the Fade! So they're pretty used to weird. But it also really speaks to how much I believe that they care about each other. There have been a lot of little side conversations that have shown growing connections between lots of different pairs of people -- not just the romance between Harding and Taash, but Neve and Lucanis talk a lot, and Darvin and Taash are doing exercises together, and they just... they hang out with each other. They have a cooking rotation!

It really is a contrast to some of the past teams, though, which were sometimes more marked by their venomous barbs than by empathy and compassion. DA2 was particularly pointed in this regard at times, with it sometimes feeling like Hawke was the only thing holding the friend group together (that said, Isabela mentioned to us recently that Kirkwall taught her what love & family is, so that's sweet).

There was also a really nice wrap-up outing for Harding, where we went back to see Stalgard and met his sister Durra, and Harding shared her connection with the Titans with them. Very emotional. Harding really got a chance to process her feelings about the Titans, and about the future for the dwarves as separate from the Titans.

After that, I went to Treviso to knock out things there -- first I had to get the location of the ritual site (turns out that our lead was the Butcher - the leader of the Antaam, who had realized he was acting as a pawn of the gods and he gave into the whispers of the gods and lost himself in order to give us the location. And that really did fit for me with some stuff we've gotten from Qunari in positions like that before -- I'm thinking of the Arishok who was in Kirkwall. There's a rigid sense of honor that sometimes ends up being helpful for their enemies).

Then we finished up Lucanis's Hero of the Veilguard quest, which ended up being very heartwarming and kinda a nice contrast after some of the heartbreaking ones I've done recently. I don't know if it would have gone differently if I'd had Spite & Lucanis decide to focus on revenge against Illario as opposed to saving Caterina, but it was the least bittersweet of the personal quests so far -- we were able to save Caterina, and the confrontation with Illario ended up with Lucanis getting affirmed as the First Talon in front of the Crows.

(this whole sequence also reminded me that Lucanis is, like, really really wealthy! Like, damn, Rook has a rich boyfriend)

I really do like how much more sympathetic DAV is towards demons & spirits -- this definitely started earlier, in DAI, but even in DAI, there were a lot of hardcore Chantry NPCs who disliked the idea of sympathy towards spirits.

I think Varric being the person brought forward as the point-man (who recruited Rook) really is the spine of a lot of that, because Varric has gone through it with spirits and demons and explored all kinds of emotions. Varric's sympathy towards Cole feels like that's the sort of approach that the game as a whole has brought to spirits in general in DAV. A different sort of sympathy than Solas felt -- Varric explicitly very much did not understand all the magical underpinnings of what Cole was, and cared deeply about him anyway.

Which, I really do feel, and I've felt this more as I've gone through the game -- being a person that Varric would recruit felt like it really defined the edges and angles of who Rook can be as a person. You have to be the sort of person that Varric is willing to trust to be their second-in-command -- the Varric who experienced DAI, who genuinely believed in the Inquisitor and who had long conversations with Solas and Cole. That's not the same person as the Varric who recruited Hawke for the Deep Roads expedition. He was looking for a different kind of person in Rook than he was looking for in Hawke, back in the day.

Of course, I've also really focused on the possibility of redemption as a character, because it felt really fitting for a Gray Warden (and that was really kickstarted early, with the ability to send the Mayor of the blighted town to the Gray Wardens). So every time one of those big choices has come up, that's the side that this Rook has been on -- including things like encouraging Lucanis & Spite to focus on saving Caterina instead of avenging themselves against Illario. So I do wonder if that ending would have been darker if my Rook were darker. I also wonder if this storyline would have been darker if I'd chosen to save Minrathous instead of Treviso -- I definitely want to do a replay of the game as a Shadow Dragon so that I'll pick Minrathous (any other Rook makes it harder to justify, because Treviso just comes across as more vulnerable due to Minrathous having such a high concentration of powerful mages) and see what potential changes might be there. I'm guessing it has a 'ruined' map that needs to be rediscovered the same way that I needed to do for Minrathous in this run-through.

Also, this moment made me yearn for the ability to romance both Lucanis and Davrin at the same time:

(Davrin is the only person who could have wooed my Rook away from Lucanis)

But I've reached the point in the game where I'm almost putting off playing more than I could because I like the world so much and don't want it to end, which is very silly and contradictory of me, but something I've definitely been known to do in the past, lol. It's especially silly and contradictory because I would love to read other people's thoughts on the game but don't want to be spoiled about the events of the endgame.

I've cleared out the crossroads and fully explored the Lighthouse, and now I only have two companions left to take to Hero status (Neve and Davrin). I took care of the blighted dragon in the crossroads and was able to max out the Caretaker's workshop, and I'm getting pretty close to maxing out all the factions (only the Dragons left).

Next step is to take care of everything in the Wetlands and finish up Davrin's personal quest (and hopefully save Assan's family!). Then I meet with the Inquisitor again, and take care of any outstanding issues in Minrathous (including Neve's personal quest).

If we get a DA5, I'm guessing it'll be about the Devouring Storm that the Qunari ran away from (when they crossed the sea to reach Par Vollen) - Ghilia'nan recently mentioned bad dreams about masked eyes across the sea.