#but i also love rook AS ROOK. not just as a name to stick on all characters in this role. as a character in their own right

[crossdressingdeath]

I think that part of the reason you've had more fun with Veilguard that a lot of other people is Percy. I know you've put a lot of character building effort into him but that started before the game released. Other players don't have the advantage of that connection with Rook. If you weren't playing with Percy, do you think you'd have as much fun?

Yes. You know how I know that? I've played characters other than Percy. I talk most about him and play him most because he has the most internal worldbuilding and he is my precious darling blorbo from my head (and also I am a mage girlie at heart and that orb/dagger combat is so good), but I've also played both Mercar and Ingellvar and I've had just as much of a ball with them (aside from not liking warrior combat all that much, but that is very much personal preference and nothing to do with the objective quality of it).

I've talked about this on discord before, but there are absolutely games that I play repeatedly because I like My Little Guy rather than because the game itself is really worth the time commitment to me. DAI and BG3 come to mind; I have never played anyone but Alaris and Kyvir in those and I likely never will. I've vaguely thought about playing other characters or romancing someone else, but then I've remembered how long that will take and put it off for later, or more likely never, because my desire to see that additional content doesn't outweigh the sheer amount of time I'd have to put into it. DAV is not one of those games. I keep coming back to Percy because I love him best, yes! But I also loved playing Mercar and getting the Shadow Dragon stuff and rogue content. The Ingellvar content is incredible. I'm taking a break from DAV at the moment (both to play other games and because I don't want to do what I've done with too many games and play myself into boredom with something I love), but I'm really looking forward to when I pick it up again and run through the other Rooks and romances and the companion paths I haven't done yet. I genuinely love the plot, the combat is actually fun, the characters delight me (there isn't a single companion I want to strangle to death which is. a first in this series). Percy adds to my enjoyment, but he's not the reason I enjoy it.

And I'm gonna be honest here. If people can't connect to Rook... that's a skill issue. Rook is a gem. Best protagonist in the series (you could also argue Hawke but I like Rook better and this is my post so it's Rook). And they're the best protagonist specifically because they're not a blank slate to project your character onto! They have an actual personality! They have character! There's plot hooks for them beyond "uh well you gotta do the thing because it's a video game and you're the player character and if you don't the world ends" or vague chosen one bullshit! They're not some piece of wood with a face drawn on it like Quiz was, they're charming and funny and awkward and they have insecurities and regrets and history and preexisting relationships that actually come up in-game and they are so damn good. I actually had to rework Percy a fair bit both pre- and post-release to fit him onto the character and canon backstory of Rook de Riva as I learned more about them, and it was worth it because the character Bioware came up with for this role is a delight. They stand on their own without having to headcanon a whole backstory for them while still leaving plenty of room for player freedom and headcanon, and that's something that I really think Bioware is not being given enough credit for.

[nosyp]

Twst Third Years reacting to someone else calling you 'honey' or 'sweetheart'

First Years | Second years

A/N = Likes, reblogs and comments r apprecaieted btw!

Trey Clover

He raises an eyebrow. Like what did he just say?

“Honey? Sweetheart? That's a little forward, don’t you think?”

Gives the person a polite but firm smile, subtly stepping closer to you.

HE WILL try to keep things calm but is lowkey plotting how to make sure that never happens again. Like you should probably... do something about him.

BUT in private, he’ll ask you if you’re okay with it, but also makes sure to remind you he’s got your back.

Cater Diamond

He laughs at first, but the playful glint in his eyes slowly shift into something more possessive.

“Oh? So you think you’re that close to (Y/N)?”

Gives the person a teasing grin before pulling you closer to him.

“You know, I think I’m the only one who gets to call them that. So how about we leave the nicknames to me, yeah?”

When alone with you, he’s definitely more affectionate but might joke about it a bit more.

Leona Kingscholar

Glares at the person, his face darkening in the process.

“The hell did you just call them?” he scowls.

He doesn’t hold back. His tone DRIPPING with irritation.

“You’ve got some nerve. Back off, they’re mine.”

Will pull you closer to him, practically growling if the person doesn’t get the hint.

Vil Schoenheit

Freezes for a moment, then smiles, but it’s far from a kind smile. It's more of... getoutofmyfacebeforeismackyouintotomorrow typa smile.

“How cute, you think you’re that familiar with them.”

Casually places a hand on your shoulder, making sure the other person notices how close you two are.

His voice is laced with poison: “I think you should stick to more formal terms. After all, you’re not exactly their type.” ouch that kinda hurts.

Vil keeps it classy but is definitely claiming you in his own way. He's probably not gonna let you out of his sight after this.

Rook Hunt

He simply... smirks. He's entertained. He's slightly enjoying this... but of course with a possessive glint in his eyes.

“Oh? Honey, you say? You’re a bit too forward for my liking.”

Leans in close to you, wrapping his arm around your waist.

“(Y/N) belongs to me, in a way that no one else can even dream of.”

He loves the tension it creates, and you can expect him to be a lot more possessive afterward.

Idia Shroud

His face turns red, and he freezes up.

'W-Wait, honey? Who the hell do they think they are?' his mind races.

You can practically see the steam coming out of his ears as he starts muttering to himself, fidgeting nervously. He's like a kettle about to BURST.

'I-I don’t like it when other people call them that! I get to call them cute names, okay?' he thinks to himself.

He doesn’t show it on the outside, but internally, he’s definitely marking his territory.

He tries to listen in on the conversation to know more about him for... reasons. AND goodluck to his online reputation cuz it's gonna be non-existent or absolutely ruined in a matter of seconds.

Malleus Draconia

Stares at the person, unblinking.

“Did you just refer to them as honey?”

His voice is calm, but his eyes have a dangerous glint.

Steps closer to you, his presence overwhelming.

“No one else has the right to address them that way. They belong to me.”

Will silently observe, but you’ll feel his possessive nature once the clouds start getting dark and raindrops fall from the sky. Then the air around you seems to shift, heavy with his unspoken claim.

Lilia Vanrouge

He chuckles, but his tone is laced with amusement and something more.

“Oh? Sweetheart, you say? How bold of you, but I think you’ve got it wrong.”

Laughs to himself and then ruffles your hair affectionately.

“(Y/N) is mine, so maybe you should pick a more appropriate nickname.”

While playful on the surface, you can feel the possessive edge in his words.

A/N = I love third years the most tbh

[hellsslibrary]

I want to ask for Riddle and Epel's virginity fanfiction. Like headcanons or plain text is up to you, as well as all kinks and fetishes! Have a good day!

✧･ﾟ:* Riddle and Epel lose their virginity to a male!reader *:･ﾟ✧

DNI: minors.

!!Warnings: loss of virginity (obviously), toxic masculinity in the Epel part, anal sex, soft experience, fingering, a little teasing, Rook(sorry).

Riddle.

This must be planned fully in advance BEFORE this process. It should NOT and CANNOT be spontaneous. Everything must be planned from cover to cover.

He is too worried about this, so he will definitely discuss everything with you for several days in advance. Yours and his fetishes, kinks, boundaries, your yes and no, and so on.

And after that, he will think over everything to the smallest detail together with you, and only then will he agree to this.

He will completely and absolutely give you control (especially if you are not a virgin). Like, in any case, you have more experience, at least from reading similar texts, dear reader.

And he'll probably do whatever you want, as long as it's not too kinky for your shared first sex.

"[Y-your name], are you sure everything's going well? It's... It's a very strange feeling," Riddle whimpers, lightly squeezing the sheets underneath him.

You lift your gaze up to him while your two fingers are inside him, rubbing gently against his prostate. You rub soothingly on his thigh, lightly releasing the pressure on his prostate.

"You mean you don't like it? I can stop, Riddy," you whisper, kissing his forehead gently.

Riddle's cheeks turn crimson and he shakes his head, smiling tremblingly.

"I like it, it's just... Unusual, you know?" he moans, covering his mouth with his hand and tugging at his hips, feeling you tremblingly press on his prostate.

"I don't really understand, but of course... I guess you're ready anyway," you hum, sticking your fingers out, causing Riddle to whine in frustration.

When he finally feels your cock in him, it's definitely a weird feeling. Given his upbringing, I guess that's the last thing he could imagine in his sex life, especially if he's doing it with a guy.

But he still loves it! Your penis stretches his insides so nicely, adjusting them to fit him. It's so cute, hehe.

And when he finally gets used to this strange feeling inside him, he is definitely just in ecstasy! It's such a strangely powerful feeling, he's never felt it during the inevitable puberty jerk off sessions.

"[Y-your name]..! So damn good! D-don't stop, please!" - he muffled screams into the pillow, squeezing it in his grip.

Your hands grip his trembling thighs tightly as you keep thrusting into his hole. He shrinks so cutely around you with every thrust, like he's getting even tighter than before, which sounds surreal.

"I'm not going to, Riddy~. Don't worry, you'll come today like you've never come before," you whisper, chuckling as you continue your gentle but quick thrusts inside Riddle.

He buries his face into his pillow, doing his best to muffle his moans, whimpers and almost screams. His nails dig into the pillowcase as his legs unconsciously wrap around your waist.

He furrows his brows, feeling a slightly familiar pleasure in his stomach, although this time it's much more intense and bigger. Riddle immediately realizes that you were right.

But who turns down the chance to experience the best orgasm of their lives with their partner? Just an idiot, I guess.

Epel.

He, to put it mildly, is experiencing enormous difficulties in this. His concepts in his head just start a war, like "Damn, I love him and I want to have sex with him!", "No, it's not true! It's feminine to love men, and even more so to be a bottom!" Or something like that.

But in the end, he agrees to it, referring in his toxicly masculine head that he is doing this for love and will endure it courageously (And also probably due to conversations between Vil and Rook, who somehow found out that you were going to do sex...Though this shouldn't come as a surprise considering them, especially Rook).

But he obviously doesn't, lol.

"Oh, wait, wait! Fuck!" he whimpers, frowning and squeezing your shoulders as you slowly finger him.

"What's wrong, Epel? Are you hurt?" You stroke his cheek, causing him to unconsciously lean into your hand.

He shakes his head, making a sound like a growl and squeezes his teeth and lips, trying to shut up, digging even harder into your shoulders with his fingers.

Although he still gets used to this feeling sooner or later and even begins to enjoy the way your fingers move in him and press on the right places, he still feels strange about it.

He, like Riddle, had no idea that he would have anal sex, especially with a man. True, in his case, his concepts of the "Right Man" and all that are to blame.

"Fuck! Too much, [Your Name], so much!" he whimpers, still grabbing your shoulders and wrapping his legs around your waist.

You keep pushing his small frame onto your cock, causing him to throw his head back in pleasure with a loud moan, feeling your cock enter at just the right angle.

You lick your lips, squeezing one of Epel's nipples, which causes him to meet your cock on the way up, causing him to make the loudest moan you've ever heard.

"Wow... I never thought that you would moan like that, but I can't say that I don't like it," you whisper, taking his lips in a kiss, trying to drown out his moans, because you began to feel some insistence look at your back...

Epel furrows his brows, grabbing your hair in his hands and pulling you closer to him, kissing you back, slightly awkward though.

His thoughts turn to mush in his head as he feels you thrust into his insides, making his body bounce in your lap.

It was probably one of the nicest things he's ever experienced... And he doesn't regret it one bit.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

In what ways would you change Yuu (or would you get rid of them entirely)? The writing feels inconsistent on their place/importance. If they were just a conduit for the player to watch the events unfold that's one thing but in another story they are an active player.

I'd personally play into the beastamer aspect more. They are supposedly the reason why Ace, Deuce, and Grim were able to work together thus I'd want them to have more agency in making plans, giving orders, etc. Rook calls them Trickster but in what way (lol). The vagueness of being a self insert pains me. I'd also want to give them some magically infused weapon (or has a magestone embedded) just so they aren't fodder or sideline material.

Mmm… As much as I dislike the blank slate self-insertiness of Yuu (I’d prefer to read about an actually realized character), I wouldn’t want to get rid of them altogether. I think they’re important for the role they serve in the narrative even if in execution is inconsistent and not done well.

The problem with “changing” Yuu is that there has to be a certain level of ambiguity due to the design of the game. You cannot give them too much personality or you risk alienating the audience that likes to project or self-insert. There’s also a limit to how much uniqueness a mobile game can lend its players characters; the format isn’t exactly known for having super in-depth player arcs, it’s known for their colorful casts of rollable characters. The devs have to toe that line carefully, not to mention juggle Yuu’s participation with letting the other characters shine. It is for this reason that I won’t be doing a total overhaul of Yuu or just deciding “give them a personality!” as what I’d change about them. Rather, I’ll be proposing alterations while thinking like a dev (ie preserving the current story and as much of the self-insertiness as I can while also trying to give Yuu more to do/say).

Now Yuu, being the outsider to this world, is perfectly poised to have others dump exposition on them. This serves the dual purpose of being able to diegetically explain things to the player. (We wouldn’t get this advantage if the player character was changed to be like… a Twisted Wonderland resident; you could explain some magic things to a layman, but a resident wouldn’t need more common knowledge like country names exposited to them. Were this the case, we’d need an additional excuse for Crowley to take in a native.) It’s also convenient to have them be the “eyes” for the player to experience the world through, since Yuu is able to conveniently be present for most major main story events. It essentially makes them a human-shaped video camera.

I’ve often heard people suggest that if we need a POV character, why not go with Grim since he basically serves the same purpose now anyway. My answer to that is: Grim is also an arrogant asshole who picks fights, just the same as any other NRC student. If Grim were the player character, he wouldn’t be contributing much or helping to guide the other students learn to get along. We need Yuu here to be that driving force for change because Grim simply isn’t capable of it when he’s instigating himself half of the time.

A smaller thing about Yuu that I love is the idea of them being the school photographer! (This is something that is shown in the second anniversary animated video too!) It gives us context for the cards we roll and it implies that Yuu is the one documenting these precious memories. I want Yuu to stay if only for this reason.

Personally, I wouldn’t make Yuu a combatant. This is antithetical to their role and I feel would instead work against them (or at least create a scenario where Yuu has to have some level of battle prowess; this impedes on the self-insert nature of them). Sticking a magic item in their hand makes little difference since they most likely wouldn’t know how to handle it in the moment. (Nor would a magicless human even be able to use some of them; for example, a magestone is completely useless to them.) A magicless human with no combat experience is just another liability to account for, not to mention it actively puts them in harm’s way. It might be cool in theory, but I think in practice it goes against the very concept of Yuu. They’re meant to be here to show that there is “another way” to the NRC students—that violence doesn’t solve all your problems, proof that you don’t need to be a powerful being to “change” others or the world around them. They’re supposed to be underestimated and not seen as much of a “real” fighter, and they’re supposed to prove those notions wrong by demonstrating their worth via other avenues. In this “the weak obey the strong” school, Yuu has to be the one to show them that strength comes in forms that are NOT magic power or battle prowess.

I feel that Yuu works best on the sidelines as a supporter and strategist. Strategy is, after all, half of the battle, and it’s a part that people tend to overlook in favor of the flashier fighters. But strategy is crucial and it can turn the tide against a formidable foe (as we see in the prologue)!! I think this is something the NRC students need to be made more aware of too, so Yuu should stay as the strategist; they just have to be given more opportunities to show off those skills!

With all of that being said, here is what I would change about Yuu:

Drop the beast tamer thing. It gets mentioned prominently like once in the prologue and then never becomes truly relevant. Maybe it’ll become important when it comes to taking down OB Grim, but that will be SO late in the main story that the payoff doesn’t seem worth it. There are no examples of Yuu’s beast taming skills ever being used in the main story, so the whole “oh you have the makings of a beast tamer” thing is so useless. If you really want to keep it, then let Yuu’s innate talent/skills for beast taming help them out at least once per main story book. This means I’d want to see instances of Yuu getting other creatures (ie not just Grim) to help them out.

Allow Yuu the agency to act on their own when it comes to finding a way back to their own world. Going home is so often relegated to a single line or a few sentences and then not addressed again until next book. Have Yuu take initiative instead of waiting around for updates from Crowley. They should go out and ask questions, investigate on their own, etc. Maybe have them get involved in each book’s conflict because they happen to get mixed up in it while conducting research instead of being TOLD to go and fix a problem. Book 6 marks the only real time I can think of Yuu making a drastic decision against Crowley’s advice. It puts them at great risk, and that’s something they’re willing to take for the sake of saving their friends. We need more moments like this throughout the rest of the story. However, Yuu won’t be allowed to do whatever they want unrestricted because 1) it falls out of the scope of a mobile game title and 2) we want to largely retain the capacity to self-insert. So when I say give Yuu more agency to act, I mean it ONLY in the sense of being more proactive in their efforts to get home.

Add a short comment or two from other characters depending on which dialogue options are picked for Yuu. It would be too ambitious to incorporate a full-on branching storyline or strong “choose your own adventure” elements, but at least have the other characters consistently comment on whatever brief dialogue option Yuu has rather than ignoring them 90% of the time. This wouldn’t alter the story in any way but it sure would be nice to have a little more flavor text and more of Yuu actually being acknowledged as present.

Yuu should fully commit to being a planner and strategist. We get to see this aspect of Yuu like once or twice in the prologue (when they tell Grim where to spit fire at the ghosts/planning how to beat the Phantom in the mines) and then are left to extrapolate this to the rest of the game. Maybe you can argue they figured out Azul’s scheme in book 3 too, but this isn’t good enough. If you’re going to set up the idea, then have consistent segments in each book that reinforces that idea. Have Yuu brainstorm ways to jailbreak in book 4, have Yuu be perceptive enough to notice that Malleus isn’t feeling great in book 7 (only for Malleus to brush them off/insist he has a solution), etc.

Have a short story segment that explains how or why Yuu earns their nickname “Trickster” from Rook. We got this with Floyd, so the other known nicknamer should reveal this, especially since the name “Trickster” implies intelligence and cunning. Yuu should have an opportunity to demonstrate this (in book 5 maybe?), which earns them Rook’s respect and the new title. This should also be informed by other parts where Yuu shows how smart they can be.

More time bonding with Grim. I say Grim specifically because I commonly see him as a hated character in part because of how he “steals lines/time” away from Yuu. (Adeuce and Malleus are fine as they are because the former already stick up for/help Yuu out and the latter is meant to stay mysterious until late in the main story.) This means that if you don’t already like Grim, the whole “Yuu chases them to Styx HQ to save Grim” plot point in book 6 rings hollow. To truly build a bond with Grim, please give us moments prior to book 6 that show how much they care for one another and are linked to each other as partners. Times when Grim causes inconveniences for Yuu don’t count. Give me instances of them cuddling at night or talking to each other about their hopes and dreams or whatever. This would establish the value that Grim sees in Yuu, as well as the value that Yuu sees in Grim. It makes it more believable that Grim would cry when he’s alone or realizes he hurt his partner, and that Yuu would defy the headmaster’s advice and put themselves at risk to save Grim.

Better incorporate the ghost camera and its usage in the main story. The ghost camera provides an in-universe explanation for gaming meta (ie the card illustrations); in the main story, it’s hardly ever mentioned save for its introduction in the prologue and when Yuu takes a picture of Mickey with it. What should happen instead is Yuu will take a picture of the characters involved in that chapter. This way, it’s a physical reminder of the time everyone spent together and the bonds they’ve developed. It further strengthens the idea of the students learning to get along and Yuu being there to facilitate that while also keeping the ghost camera relevant.

More time where Yuu actually bonds with/“changes” the other characters. One huge gripe I have with the main story is that we’re TOLD that Yuu’s presence changes and improves the boys for the better, that they teach them how to get along. Very little of the actual main story supports this (outside of the prologue). At best, Yuu has a very short chat with some of the OB boys at the end of their respective book. Yuu should have a little more time in this regard. I don’t know, maybe Idia is still struggling to socialize when he comes over to play video games at Ramshackle so Yuu has to gently encourage him to give it a try or says something to help include him in the conversation. Little things like that! Keep the strong interactions the other characters have in changing the OB boys (like Trey being the one to rush to Riddle’s side, the twins teasing Azul, etc.), but have Yuu help facilitate them opening up emotionally and being vulnerable with one another.

This last point is debatable (I keep changing my mind about it), but possibly make a point of showing how Yuu is adjusting to this new world. This honestly might mess with the self-insert aspect (which is why I debated to leave this out), but I also feel like it might be interesting to reinforce Yuu’s desire to go home h demonstrating homesickness or issues with settling into Twisted Wonderland.

To summarize, the changes I’d make largely involve making TWST commit to briefly mentioned details (that they largely don’t follow through on) and making Yuu actually do a little more to warrant crediting them with resolving issues + fostering friendships. A lot of the problems that exist now are due to promising a lot but then poorly executing on what was promised.

[earthgrudgefear]

Hi, I'm a big fan of your blog, and also a Kakuzu connoisseur. Would you be willing to share headcanons or canon related thoughts about him?

i would love nothing more

1. very cool jaded old bounty hunter. he cares about money but it's not because he wants to be rich. he's not materialistic, he doesn't want to show it off, he doesn't even want people to think he has it. he cares about money cause it's reliable, it's permanent and tangible.

1b. which means i think in a modern setting he wears clothing until it's threadbare, as long as it's still wearable why not wear it right?

2. he is the kind of person to tell you to buy gold

3. fucked up he dies so quickly. kishimoto really introduced this character with so much power and so much story and then somehow we ended up with jack shit

3b. like i know shikamaru is a genius but there's ZERO chance that plan could have worked. there is just too much plot armor and people are scared of the truth

4. insane tsundere old man, likes his partner so much it makes him look stupid.

5. he has major trust issues but he's very loyal to the akatsuki, he really found a home there. it tries to say he joined for profit, but he would be making no less money if he hadn't joined. he's completely anonymous outside the group, but he sticks around still. think about it.

6. love that he says things like 'cash cow' and 'chump change' who talks like that

7. listen i didn't want to talk a lot about hidan because you asked specifically for kakuzu but they're too inseparable. they really were meant to find each other. they're looking for the same thing, but (of course) they go about it differently. hidan says the only thing you can rely on is religion, kakuzu thinks that's bullshit because that's just an idea, you need to put your faith in something Real, and money is real. they say this and zetsu tells them that actually the only thing you can have faith in is yourself, but that's not true for them, because actually they have each other. and they have so much faith in each other.

7b. i like their matching names also. i like that he spoke in shogi metaphors and referred to hidan as the rook which means he knew the whole time and definitely didn't tell him. they're so soulmates

8. why didn't we get to see him fight hashirama? how unfair

[inquisimer]

OC Meme: Marisol Cantori

Tagged by @wishforhome to do this OC meme, ty friend 💜 doing this for Marisol, and it ended up being a really good exercise in rounding out some details for her!

tags forward to: @shivunin | @rosella-writes | @crabs-with-sticks | @pickelda | @the-rebel-archivist | @effelants | @asexualtabris - blank template at the bottom (:

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GENERAL

Name: Marisol Cantori

Alias(es): Rook, anything that suits the contract, probably some other nicknames that I haven't chosen yet bc I just love to give characters nicknames

Gender: Female

Age: (oh god I have been playing fast and loose with this so bad) somewhere in the range of 23 - 26 during DATV

Place of birth: Antiva City (alienage)

Spoken languages: fluently: Common, Antivan, Orlesian, ASL/CSL (Antivan/Crow Sign Language); not fluent, but knows a bit of Tevene and Nevarran

Sexual orientation: Bisexual

Occupation: Thief (formerly), Antivan Crow, Spellblade of House Cantori

FAVORITE

Color: neutral metallic - bronze, silver, rose gold

Entertainment: people-watching, thievery, competition of any sort

Pastime: leather carving (and enchanting), flirting, riddles (telling and solving)

Food: dark chocolate, oranges, soft cheeses

Drink: coffee, any lyrium-infused alcohol

Books: mystery and romance! she also enjoys reading non-fiction firsthand accounts of travel/adventuring, a holdover from being in the Circle

HAVE THEY

Passed university: Yes and no, depending on how you spin it! Marisol passes Crow training without any real issue, but she was never Harrowed

Had sex: yes

Had sex in public: (something something Antivans and hot blood and passion) more like semi-public, but yes

Gotten tattoos: yes! Marisol has a geometric/floral design on her left arm inspired by her memory of drawings from her friend in the Circle. She also has a unique Cantori tattoo on her back (either between her shoulder blades or at the small of her back, I'm still deciding, vote now on your phones)

Gotten piercings: She has multiple ear piercings and a nose piercing, but she rarely actually wears any jewelry in them.

Had a broken heart: Once, when her roommate in the Circle was made Tranquil

Been in love: at the risk of being overly poetic, Marisol is in love with her freedom and independence. On a more literal level, she is absolutely in love with Teia before DATV, and with both Teia and Viago (and Lucanis, let's be real, it's going to happen) post-DATV.

ARE THEY

A cuddler: yes!! she runs cold, and physical touch was dangerous or discouraged in the Circle, so she loves to cuddle now that she can.

Scared easily: nope!

Jealous easily: definitely not

Trustworthy: her word is only as good as whatever you've done to earn it

FAMILY

Sibling(s): one younger sibling who was a newborn when Marisol was taken to the Circle! When she goes back to the alienage, she finds her family home burned down, finds out that her parents were killed in the fire, and assumed her sibling is dead too. In truth, her sibling ends up in an alienage orphanage and eventually sold into the Crows and is a de Riva fledgling.

Parents: were laborers in the leatherworking industry, die in an alienage fire a few years after Marisol is taken to the Circle.

Children: none biologically, but she is good with kids in general! She helps train the Cantori fledglings and is often emotionally motivated by things happening to children that are outside of their control

Pets: she gets a spirit dog in the Lighthouse! a spirit of [devotion or tenacity or loyalty] (vote now on your phones) that manifests as a dog, to be specific. At first, he only manifests in the Lighthouse or parts of the Crossroads, but eventually after some emotional suffering practice, she can call him to places outside the Fade as well.

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GENERAL

Name:

Alias(es):

Gender:

Age:

Place of birth:

Spoken languages:

Sexual orientation:

Occupation:

FAVOURITE

Colour:

Entertainment:

Pastime:

Food:

Drink:

Books:

HAVE THEY

Passed university:

Had sex:

Had sex in public:

Gotten tattoos:

Gotten piercings:

Had a broken heart:

Been in love:

ARE THEY

A cuddler:

Scared easily:

Jealous easily:

Trustworthy:

FAMILY

Sibling(s):

Parents:

Children:

Pets:

[dancing--lights]

OC: Livia "Rook" Mercar

Thanks @rooksbooknook for tagging me! This was fun.

GENERAL:

- Name: Livia Mercar

- Alias: Rook, Mercar, Liv (by a very select few)

- Gender: Female

- Age: 30ish? When you're found on a battlefield as a baby, the accuracy of your nameday is debatable I suppose

- Spoken Language: Common, Tevene (mostly swear words let's be real), some Qunlat

- Sexual Orientation: very much a lesbian

- Occupation: before Veilguard? She mostly did odd jobs when she wasn't working for the Shadows, usually as a bodyguard or escort, and occasional accomplice to thievery

FAVORITE:

- Color: red, and, this is a simp answer, but after falling for Neve, teal 🙃

- Entertainment: can I say the Cinder Vault? Just kidding. She does like a good party, but would be just as happy spending time with a few close friends at home or a tavern.

- Pastime: sketching figures and portraits mostly in charcoal, reading, she dabbles in playing a couple instruments but never committed to mastering one (her father thought it was a waste of time), she also never backs down from a good fight

- Food: I think I have to say chocolate, right? Growing up in Ventus, and then living in Minrathous later gave her an appreciation for the local sea food

-Drink: Well, she told Lucanis hot chocolate so...

HAVE THEY...

- Passed University: she apprenticed at a Circle, whether that constitutes passing... she got by lol

- Had Sex: I'm gonna say yes. She's a bit of a flirt.

- Had Sex in Public: I guess see the above haha. I wouldn't say just out there for everyone to see, but the occasional clandestine meeting in a dark and empty tavern room? Why not

- Gotten Tattoos: no, but she wouldn't be opposed

- Gotten Piercings: no again

- Gotten Scarred: yep, plenty! I went into this in my version of The Nessus Job, but she definitely has scars

- Had a Broken Heart: absolutely

ARE THEY:

- A Cuddler: Yes, she'd be down to cuddle

- Scared Easily: No, and when she is, it usually comes out as stubborn anger or determination, she pushes through it

- Jealous Easily: I think she'd sooner step back from someone if she thought they needed it, rather than caging them in that way, even if it hurt (cue conversation with Neve before Tearstone and her just being like "if this isn't something you want... 🥺)

- Trustworthy: She hasn't always been a sterling example of reliability. She had a rebellious streak growing up that sometimes showed up as listlessness, but the Shadows gave that direction. And she's always tried to stick up for those that needed it, and show up for the people she cares about.

FAMILY:

-Siblings: none

- Parents: Legatus Charon Mercar found her after a skirmish in Ventus when she was a baby, she was raised by him and his wife. She sees them as her parents, but it's complicated sometimes

- Children: Not right now? I could see her being open to adopting a few kids, though, for sure

- Pets: After all the Veilguard stuff and relief efforts in Minrathous have settled down a bit, I'd like to think she convinces Neve to let her adopt at least one cat. Maybe two.

Absolutely do not feel obligated to do this, but I'd love to see more of your Rooks! @rooks-dagger @dudewheresmynug @larkinna

[gryffintheparrotcat]

Things in Veilguard that have annoyed me so far, in no particular order:

(I'm about to recruit Emmerich and Taash, if you're not there yet consider yourself formally spoiler warned)

1. Solas hates bloodmages now, this makes no sense.

2. Bioware still doesn't know people darker than #8D5840 exist. This is the fourth game, you'd think the devs learned this by now.

Player characters pass the paperbag test, that is not a good thing. I swear I've seen npcs with darker skintones but Rook can't have a slice?

3. Dalishs are just chill with their gods being evil and real and instead of addressing all that we just go and watch another elven community get massmurdered.

4. We're in The Elvenenslaver And Qunarihater City™ and there are 0 slaves and everyone is friendly to my elven and my qunari Rooks.

4. My Rook having an Elgar'nan vallaslin has not been acknowledged even once.

5. The qunari are going against Qun orders and are just cartoonishly evil now. Neither of these things align with previously established lore.

6. The Crows are all a big happy family. Sorry Zevran.

7. The Grey Wardens are incompetent. Again.

8. My Rook being called kid by Varric and others, that is a grown adult man.

9. Being called Rook. I didn't like that title much to begin with but the fact that it's not even earned this time makes it even more annoying. He has a last name!

10. The companions doing jackshit in combat. I'm a mage not a tank, can someone else kite the enemy?? I miss the pause button

11. The controls being different again. Why is spacebar a whole different button in each dragonage game? Were these ever made while considering people who may play one after the other?

12. Harding not being a romance option for the inquisitor. I never played Viviennes semiromance (i'm always siding with the rebelmages so we haven't exactly been getting along) so I can't say how deep that is and if she should be an option, but i will note that she is also not an option.

13. Harding saying she wasn't in the inner circle of the inquisitor. Harding darling I promise you inquistior adaar loved you dearly. I'm pretty sure I talked to Harding far more than I talked to Varric in Inquisiton.

14. "The previous games aren't relevant because they play in the South" WHAT ABOUT KIRKWALL? What about Navarran Princess Cassandra?? Dorian is here why not the others?? Not even mentioned once?? Cmon.

15. No proper wrinkle slider in character creator... again.

16. Not being able to resize eyes in character creator. Why??

17. No slider for the stomach to stick out. A for effort on even adding bodysliders to begin with but I was hoping for proper tummys for once.

18. The dialogue wheel. And more specifically how little origin/class specific options there are as a mage elf with a vallaslin specifically. And not being able to be mean, just a bit blunt. Meeting Davrin and him being a bit prickly at first was a breath of fresh air ngl. I don't need evil alright, I get it I'm playing a hero now. But let my Rook be a bit spicy sometimes. Neve complains about a Crow prioritising Treviso over Minrathos? Let Rook be an ass about it.

19. I brought Neve & Mage Rook to recruit "The Mage Killer" and neither have voiced any discomfort about that? Or acknowledged that at all? Neve has some party banner with Lucanis but even there it's more of a L "Are you scared bc of the title?" N "lol nope".

Hopefully I won't have to make a pt2 any time soon.

[kckt88]

Take My Breath Away What If! NSFW Alphabet ft. Aemond & Aegon with Vaeryna.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon or Fire & Blood characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used.

Comments, likes, and reblogs are very much appreciated.

A = Aftercare (what Aemond & Aegon are like after sex with Vaeryna)

Aemond: After he’s finished basking in the afterglow of sex, Aemond will fetch a cloth and clean Vaeryna up whilst nuzzling her neck and pressing gentle kisses to her skin.

Aegon: Asks if she’s ok and then wants to cuddle.

B = Body part (their favourite body part of theirs and also Vaeryna’s)

Aemond: His favourite body part of his own is his hair, he just loves it when Vaeryna pulls on it when they have sex or how she runs her fingers through it whilst he’s bathing after a hard training session. His favourite body part on Vaeryna is her breasts, he loves licking/sucking her rosy nipples, especially when she’s producing milk to feed one of their babes.

Aegon: His favourite body part is his hands; he just loves to run his fingers along Vaeryna’s soft pale skin and listen to her giggles as he tickles her. His favourite part of Vaeryna is her lips, they are plump and look fantastic wrapped around his cock.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Aemond: Loves to cum inside his wife. Although he prefers to spill his seed inside her cunny, he also enjoys spilling inside her mouth on occasion and watching her swallow.

Aegon: Likes to cum anywhere, he’s not fussy.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Aemond: The whole threesome thing they have going on – His mother would probably have a heart attack if she knew.

Aegon: Maybe the threesome thing, but he’s pretty sure that his mother and the council would literally implode if they knew Vaeryna had sucked his cock whilst he sat on the Iron Throne.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Aemond: Only bedded 3-no 4 people, (he doesn’t like to reminisce about his past involvement with the whore on the Streets of Silk or Alys) but the years he’s been with Vaeryna have served him well and he knows his wife’s soft luscious body and how to make her scream his name.

Aegon: Had more sex than hot dinners, man has a wealth of knowledge that he likes to put to good use.

F = Favourite position (this goes without saying)

Aemond: Loves being on top, there’s just something about the intimacy of being able to look into Vaeryna’s eyes or how he can kiss her as he thrusts his cock inside her, he also loves it when she wraps her legs around his waist and holds his body close as she tells him she loves him.

Aegon: Loves Vaeryna being on top, his fingers digging into her waist as she rides him like an unclaimed dragon. But then he does thoroughly enjoy being bent over by his brother.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Aemond: Can be very serious during sex, mutual pleasure is very important.

Aegon: Depends on the day.

H = Hair (how well-groomed are they?)

Aemond: Well-groomed and clean.

Aegon: Doesn’t actually have a lot of hair down there as that’s where some of his burn scars are from the Battle above Rooks Rest.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Aemond: Will often tell Vaeryna how much he loves her and perfect she is, loves to tell her when they have sex. His wife knowing how much he wants her is important.

Although he does enjoy it when Vaeryna runs her fingers through the sparse hairs on his chest as they cuddle afterwards or the way she noses the trail of hair that leads from his bellybutton down to his cock.

Aegon: Does asking Vaeryna if she’s ready for his cock before he sticks it inside her count? He’s not sure about the whole romance thing, its not something he’s ever been used too.

J = Jack off (masturbation)

Aemond: Has regular sex so he doesn’t need to touch himself that often, but there have been times when Vaeryna was heavy with his child and they couldn’t have sex so he indulged in the act of self-pleasure, seeing her all round, and swollen with his seed does things to him.

Aegon: Everyday, can’t help it. He loves to touch himself as he thinks of Vaeryna and Aemond.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Aemond: Lactation Kink, Breeding Kink, Spit Kink, Daddy Kink, Slight Dom, Hair pulling.

Aegon: Loves a bit of over stimulation, hair pulling, and he likes to be slapped.

L = Location (favourite places to do the deed)

Aemond: Their chambers (The bed, the desk, the floor in front of the fireplace and in the bath) but he is partial to a bit of outside fucking.

Aegon: Anywhere really, it doesn’t matter.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Aemond: Pretty much anything when it comes to Vaeryna, she knows exactly how to get his cock hard.

Aegon: Vaeryna has a certain smile she reserves just for him, and he knows exactly what it means.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Aemond: Nothing to do with piss and NO he will not let Aegon stick his cock inside him-he’s a top.

Aegon: Anything goes-He’s not shy.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Aemond: He could spend all day, every day devouring Vaeryna’s delicious cunny, he loves bringing her to peak on his tongue. As for receiving, Vaeryna and Aegon have different techniques, but he loves it either way.

Aegon: Loves devouring the cunny, especially Vaeryna she’s gets so deliciously wet, its glorious. But he does love it when she returns the favour, the way her teeth gently graze against his length drives him crazy.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Aemond: Depends on how he feels, he loves slow and a gentle, making sure to take his time, but he also loves fast and rough.

Aegon: Doesn’t matter, he loves it all.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Aemond: YES!! Especially that time they had a quickie in the council chambers.

Aegon: Of course, can’t complain. The risk is half the reward.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Aemond: In a threesome with his wife and brother, pretty self-explanatory.

Aegon: Up for anything freaky, doesn’t discriminate.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Aemond: Very fast recovery time (it’s actually scary how quick he can be ready again) loves going multiple rounds.

Aegon: Needs a cup of wine and a quick rest, then he’s good to go.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Aemond: Never really thought about it.

Aegon: Is not ashamed to admit that he does have a number of wooden cocks.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Aemond: Loves to tease to the point of frustration, enjoys listening to Vaeryna begging for his cock.

Aegon: Doesn’t have much patience for that kind of thing.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Aemond: Can be loud/vocal.

Aegon: Moans and whimpers.

W = Wild card (a random head canon for the character)

Aemond: Would love to fuck Vaeryna on dragon back-he can’t believe they haven’t done it yet.

Aegon: Loves Vaeryna more than he admits, her reaction to his burn scars meant everything to him. He considers himself ugly, but she makes him feel beautiful.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Aemond: Very impressive. Length and girth. Man has been blessed.

Aegon: More girth than length, his groin is heavily scarred so doesn’t like to dwell too much on that area.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Aemond: High- He can’t get enough of his wife.

Aegon: High – Would live in bed if he could. Spends most of his time day dreaming about Vaeryna and Aemond.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Aemond: Depends if he wants another round, but he loves cuddling up to Vaeryna and holding her naked body against his as he drifts off.

Aegon: Instantly out cold, the release he feels just completely relaxes him.

[pomefioredove]

hiiii

could you make a list of ur ocs and their descriptions from ur noble bell college fic at some point i am itching to draw them already

JUMPING UP AND DOWN!!! I actually wrote something like this for the first two characters who have appeared so far but I didn't post it cause I was like "eh, not that important"

SO I'm just going to copy and paste it here

the other original characters (I have... three? rn) I'm still working on

Pierrot Gregoire

I'm sure a lot of people kind of went "who the hell is this supposed to be" since Pierre himself was not in the Disney adaptation

...which is kind of the reason I wanted to include him, since he's my favorite character from the novel and is almost never adapted accurately (stop making him cool and romantic and interesting!!)

the naming choice was rather easy. obviously, it sounds like his name. "Pierrot" is also a pantomime character, and I thought the connection to the theater was fitting. he is literally like a sad clown

appearance:

tall, taller than rollo (around 183 cm/6 feet)

thin

thinner face/long nose

round, green eyes

hair is more of a muted blond, cut just below his chin, obviously a little unkempt (curls and sticks out in odd places). he has bangs too

I don't know if I could describe his stupid little hat. but he has a stupid little black hat. it looks like the tall cousin of a beret

he looks kinda sad and tired all the time and his uniform is always a little worn down

nonetheless he is very smiley. to me. he loooves to chit chat. he talks to himself in the third person

sort of resembles rook (which could mean nothing at all!!!)

this artwork and this artwork of Pierre himself are close to what I envision

Gregoire more or less plays a role similar to ADeuce at NRC. I'm still trying to figure out how I want to write him, but he will be novel-like more than anything. so he's like... clumsy and socially unaware and loves to talk. his fatal flaw is cowardice, but otherwise he's... niceish. compared to everyone else, at least. I already know I'm going to write him nicely

Bou de Neige

a very long time ago I saw an oc of the h.rose. the horse. disney frollo's fuckass evil horse. and I cannot remember anything about the oc, but the very concept left such an impression on me that I could not help but make my own

for those of you who are blissfully unaware, Frollo's horse is named Snowball. Bou de Neige is a play on boule de neige, which is the direct translation of snowball. according to the internet, "Bou" also means ox in Catalan. close enough! and it sounds like "boo", referencing the scary nature of the horse. I'm not going to add a picture but those animators really knew how to make a scary horse

the design I have in my head is loosely based off this npc model:

except his hair is the same style but darker, he has sharper features (CRAZY winged eyeliner) and maroonish eyes? he's not even a horse beastman he's just some freak

at the time the fic takes place he's kind of an asshole, so he always looks a little pissed. he gets better before glomas dw :)

this freak is the vice president of the student council

picture also reminded me to say that these outfits are most certainly not every day wear. to me, they're equivalent to the ceremonial robes at nrc. the actual uniforms are less... intense. I can draw clothes so I'll deal with that later, these are good references for now

[jenn2d2]

Summary: Emmrich finds out about Rook's history before the Lords of Fortune as a galley slave in Tevinter. Later on, they spend a quiet evening picking apart one of Emmrich's favorite books, and Rook tells him about Rivaini naming traditions.

[Set before the romance lock-in.]

General Audiences

Small fic for my Lord of Fortune Rook, Anna Laidir. (below the cut or at the link above)

The evening had begun in a pattern Emmrich had started to consider normal. He'd spent the day on the Rivain coast with Rook and Taash, quelling some Antaam and equally unruly undead. They'd located missing supplies for the Crows, managed to save at least one of them in the process, and returned back to the lighthouse in time to wash up for dinner.

Rook and Taash had some additional business on the coast, so he'd had plenty of time to work with Manfred to organize his notes. Taash had raised some interesting possibilities about some uncatalogued form of 'blue' undead, and he wanted to ensure that he passed the information on to several of his colleagues. Myrna, he was certain, would be particularly interested in the lightning they could wield from Taash's own experience.

Dinner with colleagues, spending time in their company afterwards, then retiring to read in the Library with Rook or in his room with Manfred if she was too busy. Emmrich had only been with the Veilguard for a little over a month, but this was a routine he found more than pleasant to fall into.

Lucanis had his turn to make dinner tonight, and everyone had gathered around to enjoy a vision of slow cooked meat, sauce and pasta. Emmrich's portion included roasted root vegetables and mushrooms in place of the meat, and was as noteworthy as meals he'd had in more elevated circumstances. Lucanis and Rook had visited the markets in Treviso this week, so there were a even number of pickled vegetables, salads, and sliced fruit to round out the meal. It felt like everyone's mood improved as they savored dinner and talked about their day or swapped old tales of adventure.

"Hey! Emmrich!" Taash shouted, waving over towards him. They were seated at the end of the long table next to Rook and the fireplace. Bellara and Harding did the dishes behind them, while Emmrich and Neve had moved to the back corner table with books and Neve's case notes. "Did you get everything you needed for your undead thing? I can describe 'em again, better. It's easier here without all of the fire and Antaam."

"Oh, that would be lovely, Taash," Emmrich looked up from his book on Aetheric Convergence. "I've just organized my notes this afternoon, so I would be happy to meet with you tomorrow morning. Would you be amenable to reviewing them over an early breakfast?"

"Okay." Taash gave him the briefest half-smile, and turned back to Rook, who flashed him one far more brilliant, then also turned away. The two resumed chatting animatedly to Harding, who was struggling to keep up with the drying as she got pulled into the tales the Lords of Fortune spun of their day's adventures.

Maker's breath, that smile. It never failed to make his heart skip a beat.

"I'm pretty sure that grin is registered as an offense to the peace in at least three jurisdictions," Neve muttered wryly beside him, looking down at her notebook. "Thank goodness it's only directed at you, Professor."

Emmrich made a noncommittal "Hmm," as he went back to reading, letting the flow of conversation in the room wind around him. Rook seemed to genuinely enjoy his company, but that interest still felt delicate enough that he hesitated to treat it too casually. If Neve noticed his reticence or the barest smile of his own, she was kind enough to not comment further.

Assan and Manfred were engaged in some complex game with a stick the next time he looked up. Lucanis brought fresh coffee for himself and the detective, as well as a pot of an herbal tea from Treviso for Emmrich to try that was most exquisite. Mint, thyme, lemon, and a bit of verbena lurking around the edges. They exchanged some pleasantries, and he went back to his book as Neve and Lucanis enjoyed their coffee and company quietly.

"… that's when Rook said that if I'm Rivaini, like her, I can be lots of things," Taash gestured expansively, their voice excited. Their arm narrowly missed Davrin as he sat down at the table.

"Lots of things?" Davrin asked, "Like what? Tall, loud, and fiery?"

"No. I mean, yeah, that, but like… Qunari. And fiery. And also.. other stuff, like fighting dragons. I get to keep the best bits. UGH. Rook said it so much better."

Rook laughed, slapping Taash on the back. "I just said that being Rivaini means you get to choose what bits of your past are yours now. I'm a Lord of Fortune, but I've been a galley slave in Tevinter, and other stuff in between. I keep what makes me.. who I am."

Emmrich looked up from his book, a cold feeling spreading in the pit of his stomach. How could she be smiling and laughing as she shared such an explosive revelation about her past? Beside him, Neve swore almost inaudibly, and while he remained silent, he shared the sentiment.

"Shit, Rook, really?" Davrin leaned forward, his face jovial, but his tone a lot more serious. "Galley slave in Tevinter? You can't just casually throw that into conversation."

"It was a really long time ago," Rook leaned back in her chair. "Honestly, I didn't even remember that some folks didn't know. I know Isabella told Varric when he recruited me, so I assumed Lace knew. I've been out of it for ages, and no, before anyone gets excited," she shot a warm look at Lucanis who had started to inspect one of his daggers, "there's no need to track down the bastard Magister that owned that ship. He got his fifteen years ago, I promise."

"Wait, that long?" Taash looked confused. "How old were you? Are you? You know what I mean."

"I think I'm thirty six?" Rook shrugged and looked into her tankard with an amused expression as she thought before taking a drink. "I celebrate my name day near Wintersend, since that's when I said goodbye to the Wave Maker and hopped onto the worst fishing boat I've ever seen. No idea how old I was when I got on board. I don't really remember much before being on the ship."

"That's how you got your name, though, right?" Taash asked. "I thought you were just related to Marcus somehow. You both have red hair. This makes way more sense."

"Yeah, does Marcus even have fam—?" Rook shrugged as Bellara cut in.

"But you were a kid sometime," Bellara said, eyes wide as she tumbled into the next sentences and trailing off. "What day before Wintersend? We could do a party! Would you want a party? You don't have to talk about that if. You know. If you don't want to."

Emmrich wanted very badly to ask what Taash had meant about Rook's name. He knew from Neve that Rook's mentor, Varric Tethras, had given her the name 'Rook' when they started working together. She wasn't entirely clear on whether it was referring to the chess piece, cheating at cards, or quite possibly both.

Rook laughed at the flurry of questions from Bellara, waving her free hand. "I don't mind at all," she smiled, leaning forward to put her tankard down. She rested her elbows on the table and er long, red hair framed her face in the firelight. "There's just not a lot. I remember some kind of school? I learned how to read Trade and Tevene at some point."

Emmrich wondered if Rook was as relaxed as she looked, all easy smiles and comfortable answers as Davrin, Taash, Harding and Bellara peppered her with questions. He searched her face, trying to puzzle out the answer to a question he didn't quite have the words for yet. The cold feeling still sat like a stone in his middle, pressing him down into the chair as the rest of the evening's talk fell away from him. Emmrich couldn't help but wish there was some way he could have known, some way he could have done something. Time magic was a fool's errand, but he could understand the appeal at times like this.

Lost in the maze of his thoughts, he didn't realize the conversation at the table was over until Rook stood up to leave. She met his gaze with a questioning one of her own and he realized he must have been staring at her for some time. It felt like a cowardly retreat, but he flinched and looked back down to the unread book in his hands. There was no gesture he could think to make, or words to say, so he hid in the ones on the page before him.

______

Emmrich knew the hour was late as he took his leave of Neve and Lucanis, but finishing his reading had been both informative and calming. The discipline of years of work and study could be such a balm for disquieting thoughts, but it was well past when he would usually head back to the library or his own quarters. Crossing the courtyard, he couldn't help but smile to himself as Manfred ran ahead with a book and the stick he and Assan had been playing with earlier.

"Manfred!" Rook stood just inside the second door, as Manfred waved both book and stick excitedly. "That is a pretty great stick."

Manfred hissed excitedly in return, and ambled up the stairs towards Emmrich's room.

"I was just going to look for you," Rook said, turning towards him as he stepped into the Library, her expression unreadable. "You had some old Rivaini stuff you asked me to look at. Well, a Nevarran book with old Rivaini stuff."

"Oh. I am most apologetic, Rook," his thoughts in disarray once more. "I had forgotten that I asked for your assistance. If it is too late…"

"No!" Rook responded quickly, turning to walk back to the table at the center of the room. "No, sorry. It's not late for me. If you still want to."

Emmrich followed her lead, and settled into the couch as they had lately on so many nights. He could see she'd already brought the notes, books and scrolls he'd asked for her assistance on and had taken the time to set them up neatly. He found himself touched by the detail and passed a hand across his face, thinking fondly on the absolute chaos of Rook's own notes and belongings in her room.

"Emmrich, are you okay?" Rook asked, placing her hand gently on his and giving a light squeeze. "Shit, is this about earlier? After dinner?"

"Not entirely," he squeezed her hand back, then let go to pick up one of the larger books on the table and opened it onto their laps. "Perhaps a bit, but you shouldn't need to feel like you need to manage my overwrought feelings. I was simply surprised, and a bit mortified that I hadn't thought to ask about your life before you joined the Lords of Fortune. I fear I missed most of the conversation."

"Okay," Rook nodded, and moved closer to hold her half of the book, deftly flipping it open to the first bookmark with her free hand. "Let's move onto the exciting world of bad translations."

Emmrich placed his right arm gently around her back and rested his hand on her hip as they leaned closely together. His heart raced as he breathed in the smell of cedar and red fruits in the soap she preferred mixed with the smell of old books and parchment. It reminded him of a particularly heady spiced wine you could get heated at the winter markets in Nevarra.

Rook began to talk through the 'warrior prince' segment illustrated in the travelogue of Cadius Drakon. He was purported to be a long-dead Nevarran explorer with a clear nom de guerre, but his memoir held some of the best translated examples of of ancient Rivaini tomb engravings. It had been one of his favorite books as a child. Unfortunately, as Emmrich had been learning, the stories of the exploits were mostly invented from whole cloth.

"You are positive about the battle section? Caspar Friel has some persuasive writings on that portion alone," Emmrich asked, as they got to a particularly complex set of glyphs, depicting the brave death of the warrior prince. He'd always liked this part of the book, and was chagrined to find the adventures weren't remotely true.

"Oh, don't look so disappointed," Rook pulled a scroll off of the table and smiled at his crestfallen expression. Emmrich been thrilled to find that her experience with the Lords had included a more than passing familiarity with several ancient languages. It had, however, poked several holes in some of his more romantic fancies about long lost tombs and grand heroes of forgotten ages.

"I promise the real story is a lot cooler. She's a Warrior Queen, for starters," Rook handed him the scroll, open to a spot with the same illustration and notes in her cramped handwriting. "I can take you to see the ruin some time if you want? My friend Marcus lives nearby, and he keeps an eye out to make sure folks don't just stumble into all of the death traps."

"Marcus? Was that the man Taash mentioned earlier?" Emmrich asked, diverted by curiosity from the very alluring notion of exploring ancient tombs with Rook as his guide.

"I thought you weren't listening," Rook teased.

"Oh, I heard pieces," Emmrich admitted, feeling more at ease now that he'd had time to organize his thoughts. "I was lost imagining some self-indulgent fantasy where I could bend time itself and somehow have helped sweep in to break your chains. Foolishness."

Rook looked surprised, and a blush began to creep across her cheeks.

"I.." she paused, starting again, her voice rich. "Emmrich, how much do you know about Rivaini naming customs?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. Other than the normal Andrastrian traditions for marriage, births, and adoption."

"Rivain has those, like you'd expect, with some extra stuff because of the matriarchs," Rook looked away towards the bookcases and leaned forward slightly, but her gaze seemed focused further out. "But if you wash up on shore, get taken out of a sinking ship, or otherwise get your ass pulled out of the ocean, you're now ocean-found. You get a chance to pick something new."

"I already had a first name," she paused, "I knew I was Anna. But I didn't remember anything else useful, so the Lords gave me the choices. Keeping one I had was out, so I could take the name of the captain of the ship I got on, the name of the ship I'd left, or the name of the person who took off my chains ."

Anna. Possibly the only piece of her that she kept all this time. Emmrich had heard Lace mention her name once, and filed this new information away in the other catalog of details about Rook that had begun to fill the edges of his life.

"I counted as ocean-found , but the fishing boat captain's name was Grognar, and that was about as appealing as the ship I'd been stuck on all those yearrs. When we got to shore, and Marcus Laidir struck off the manacles I'd worn for years, he was happy to let me take his family name."

"I imagine he finds that work rewarding in many ways," Emmrich said, "Especially if you share his family name with many others."

"Yes," Rook looked back to him, her cheeks still flushed and eyes bright. "At least as proud of that as he is his metalwork. I've got brooches of his on my lighter armor. Some of those would give your grave gold a run for its money."

"Oh?" Emmrich raised an eyebrow in amusement, his imagination failing entirely to provide any image that reconciled ornate brooches and armor. "I'd very much like to see that, my dear."

Rook only laughed, and leaned back into the circle of his arm, reaching to point at the scroll. "That will have to wait at least until after I tell you the thrilling tale of Queen A'Tanni and her bloody rise to power in ancient Rivain."

Emmrich found himself enchanted, as he always did, as Rook wove an epic story of ambition, violence, power, and at least three beheaded husbands. All while patiently, if crassly, explaining the glyphs and what they meant. He reflected, not for the first time, that if his language or history classes had been like this in the Necropolis, fewer students would have skipped the lectures.

______

In far too short a time, Rook caught Emmrich stifling a yawn, and began clearing up the table before he could think to object. Manfred was only too happy to assist with carrying the books and scrolls upstairs, with more enthusiasm than caution. Emrrich took his own copy of Drakon's work in hand, Rook's notes tucked with care into the appropriate chapters.

Rook paused as they reached the hallway that led to his rooms. "Dinner the day after tomorrow? I'm really looking forward to it. Is there anything I should bring?"

"The gift of your company is more than enough, I assure you," Emrrich replied warmly.

"Well then, sleep well, Emmrich," Rook flashed him a small smile, and turned to continue towards her own room, waving her hand above her head as she walked. "Taash works out right before breakfast, so don't be surprised if she's a little aggro before she eats."

Aggro? Emmrich supposed he'd find out in the morning, but it reminded him of something else he had wanted to ask earlier in the evening. "Rook?"

"Yeah?" She turned back to face him, her face dancing in light and shadow as the astrolabe spun above.

"Thank you for indulging my curiosity earlier, but why did you ask if i was familiar with Rivaini naming customs?"

"Oh, I was just thinking that if your time-bending plans ever worked out, I'd be Anna Volkarin," Rook winked at him, then turned quickly down her own hallway, leaving Emmrich thoroughly speechless.

[blinkvlink]

things i predict will happen in the upcoming books

• the detective will be cage-gassed. (it's physical also i doubt that it's magic so it would work on them)

• Tina/Verda will get kidnapped if they know.

• N will go into the berserk state and hurt detective (im willing to bet my money on that this is book 5 stuff)

• A and M relationship inevitably begins at the end of book 4

• The mayor learns/ already knows the stunt Rebecca has been pulling (Book 4 since Sera has been saying he will have an intense role in book 4)

• Douglas will go rogue if you are hard on him enough

• Aunt big baddie reveal either at the end of book 4 or in the middle of book 5

• book 6 has no direct villain and is more so focused on picking up the pieces of whatever the fuck is gonna happen in book 5

• murphy will come back by attacking the detective if he escaped in the first book

• book 7 is like an endgame event where everyone the detective won over as allies (maa-luse, sin etc) comes back to fight the supernatural rogues.

• rook will make an appearence one way or another.

• rebecca will not die but will get very hurt (book 5)

• F will get kidnapped in book 5 (there is this ask where someone asks sera what would each UB member would tell to past version of themselves about their romance with the detective and F says 'They came for you')

• Drinking the detective's blood thing will happen as a last resort after the LI takes a mortal wound from the aunt big baddie. (book 5)

• If your relationship with bobby is good, A's route will use this factor the most and the detective will have the choice to get closer with Bobby while A foams at the mouth in the background.

• M's crystal is going to be broken by a villain (maybe book 5) and theu will go delulu for a while as they regain their memories.

• Douglas will hurt the mayor bad in an argument they have if he is a supernatura

• If Auntie exists, her name will be either choosable or just the whitest name you can imagine

• ending of the LT (who you will be sticking permanently with will be at the end of book 4 OR towards the end of book 5

•In book 5, LT, A's and M's routes will take a back seat when it comes to angst while F and N's will get worse.

• Alima (the girl thats in love with M) will come up to the detective and be like 'leave them while you can before they hurt you' ORRR 'whats so special about you? why didn't they want me but they want you?' OR BOTH before M shows up and goes 'go the fuck away' and has a fight with her.

• A's love confession will be right before the offical relationship starts. So like they will go 'I LOVE YOU!!!' and then, like maybe a few chapters later or right after it will be offical

this is it for now. i will add as i come up with more.

[sweetbunpura]

NRC relationship with Rollo and Yuu’s kids.

Lotta boys!

Heartslabyul:

Riddle tries... he swears he does with the three of them. Jehan is his saving grace with Celine being the second and Tadashi being the least.

Trey's favorite and the one he bounds with most is Celine. Jehan and Tadashi are not allowed in the bakery after covering each other with flour during a fight....and that is a recent ban.

Cater is the hype man for the kids. They're learning something new? Cater is encouraging them all the way there. He is the #bestuncle

Adeuce get counted as one cause Yuu doesn't trust Ace to watch the kids alone. The pair love the kids, and the kids love them.

Savanaclaw

Leona won't openly say it out loud, but he honestly adores the kids, but namely Celine. Does like teaching and kicking Tadashi's butt in chess.

Everytime the kids hang out with Ruggie, they learn how to steal something. Old habits die fast, so Ruggie passes them on as skills. Rollo has several issues about this.

Jack is one of the best uncles/godparents known to the family. Thank the seven for Jack and his ability to wrangle Tadashi.

Octavinelle

Azul teaches the kids some life skills, how to study properly, how to manage to their money, how to trick unsuspecting people, I mean what?

Jade and Floyd shouldn't be allowed to watch the three of them unsupervised! Jehan knows mutiple ways to poison someone with mushrooms, Tadashi picked up learning how to squeeze people, Celine is just spoiled by the twins.

Scarabia

Kalim 100% spoils all of the kids, anytime they visit, they come back with multiple suitcases full of stuff Kalim either bought them or gave to them.

Seven bless Jamil, He's free and he still decides to watch the kids on occasions. He teaches Celine some stuff, Jehan is well behaved enough to not cause problems, and Tadashi is duck tapped to the ceiling-no, don't ask how he got up there.

Pomefiore

Vil loves the kids because they get somewhat spoiled with him, but they all have to be on their best behavior. So Celine and Jehan gang up on Tadashi to make sure he's behaving.

Rook.... Rook watches the kids when he's one of the last options Yuu and Rollo have. Cause Rook will watch the kids and bring the fear of the seven in them as well.

Epel's been teaching them to use their cuteness as weapons, Rollo questions everythin, Yuu jokes that out of all the things Vil taught him, this is the one that sticks.

Ignihyde

Idia doesn't exactly watch them, but he likes them because they're Yuu's kids. Watching them is Ortho's job

Ortho spoils them non-stop and loves being called uncle.

Diasomnia

Mallues, also known as Jehan's favorite uncle. He truly loves all of the kids and gives them his blessing each time they were born. Malleus has joked about raising Jehan in Briar Valley and Yuu had to stop Rollo from attacking him.

Lilia, worlds greatest grandpa who is not allowed to cook. He couldn't say no to not being the kid's grandparent, he loves them so much.

Silver's calm which is perfect for Celine and Jehan. He loves the kids and is proud to be named "Uncle" and godparent.

Sebek never really lost the volume of his voice and Tadashi always causes him to raise it. Despite how loud he is, he promised the Flamme family that he would protect the kids with his life.

[needlesslycryptic]

The Veilguard coming out has me weirdly nostalgic, so I had a sudden urge to drop an ask. I've been following you (under a few changing usernames and initially from a different blog) since, like, 2015 or 2016. Loved your Inquisitor then, was inspired to do more work on my own characters by how you drew her (you even had a dedicated aesthetic-inspo blog!). So in a way it's really cool to still have you active on my dash. Can't wait to eventually see what your Rook might be like!

(I've also commissioned you like three times. Yes, people, this is an advertisement!)

(I honestly wouldn't know under which name to introduce myself tbh, but unless you clean your followed blogs my old one is probably still in there under tarraxahum-ish)

Ohhh thank you sm!!!!Hope it's ok to follow back! It seems like a lifetime ago fr. I was just thinking about my Demetria and what my Rook might be ( i still have an inspo blog that was initially for her and now is just a generic inspo blog), i just didn't really have time to consider any options so i'll just go with whichever seems more interesting in the Character Creator haha ( i know it's lame but i didn't have any free time recently, it's been hectic). Honestly this feels unreal, i'm so happy many of my friends are still around and we can experience Dragon Age together in real time just like 10 years ago. I'm prepared to make loads of art aaahhhhhh

Thank you sm again for sticking around for so so long!!!!!! Happy Dragon Aging!!!!

[morrigan-sims]

OC A-Zs / OC Alphabet

I was tagged by @someone-elsa to show off one of my sims for each letter of the alphabet. (Fancy graphic optional, but I love playing in photoshop too much not to make a little graphic.) I could have made this a lot easier by including other characters that I've made sims of (Yasha and Nocticula, for example) but I decided to be strict about it and stick to my own OCs/sims. Surprising to absolutely no one, it ended up being very heavy on the D&D characters, though a decent number of RTQ/ATQH characters (the ones that I created) made it onto the list.

[a (very long) guide to who's who under the cut!] (and I do mean long. You have been warned.)

A - Avra Shadowbreath [D&D]

(she/her) My shadar-kai/reborn phantom rogue from my ongoing Curse of Strahd campaign. Devout worshipper of the Raven Queen, and a massive hypocrite. Kind of a bitch sometimes. Legally and biologically dead. Also a werewolf now.

B - Byron Lockwood [D&D NPC]

(he/him) Rook's least interesting half-brother. The "forgotten" middle child of Lord Alistair and Lady Evangeline Lockwood. Extremely boring. Only Lockwood brother with a job (and shockingly he's not terrible at it). The worst combo of all your shitty bosses.

C - Carrion Vice [D&D]

(he/him) My second-favorite OC at the moment. Biologically a tiefling but mechanically a beasthide shifter. Path of the Fractured barbarian. Transforms into a fucked-up monster when he rages. In an ongoing Dungeons of Drakkenheim campaign.

D - Daldinia Veneta [D&D, misc]

(she/her) A sim I made for my random D&D CAS challenge and now want to play for real someday. Reborn circle of spores druid. Named after one or two species of fungi.

E - Elira "Ellie" Duskstep [D&D]

(she/her) High elf abjuration wizard who I might never play, but I love none the less. Very autistic. Has a grey cat familiar.

F - Fallon Oakes [RTQ/ATQH]

(she/her) My queen, the first love of my life, the woman who changed my life. Queen of Anvia and the protagonist of my story. Stubborn as hell. Thinks she has to do everything alone.

G - Gwendolyn [misc]

(she/her) The hypothetical child of Amelie (I can't find the pics I know I posted of her??) and Adrian. I don't know much else about her. She was really just a CAS experiment.

H - Havoc [D&D, Video Games]

(they/them) A tiefling swords bard who stared out as a random sim, became a dnd character idea, and then ended up being my first Tav for BG3.

I - Irina [misc]

(she/her) One of two sims I have named Irina, who hilariously were both made for other simblrs. Made for @/wildfairies ages ago. A classy vampire lady.

J - Jay [D&D NPC]

(she/her) Elf. A former member of the crew of the Tide Breaker, and Rook's only friend before meeting the Vanguard (our dnd party). Made a very brief appearance in-campaign to save Rook's life before being tragically eaten by a giant rainbow snake.

K - Kholl [D&D NPC]

(he/him) Elf. Former surgeon of the Tide Breaker. Jay's mentor. Dragged Rook back from the edge of death more times than he should have had to.

L - Laverna Rosefist [D&D]

(she/they) Tiefling thief rogue. The first dnd character I ever made. Originally made for a simblr thing. Has gone through several iterations before reaching her current (and final) form. A (seemingly inevitable) product of my obsession with both tieflings and rogues.

M - Morana Novak [D&D]

(she/her) Fetchling curse patron witch for a Pathfinder game I'll eventually be playing in. Necromancer. Very practical about death. Has a sketchbook full of detailed drawings and observations about corpses she encounters. Nicknamed "mortician" by one of her party members. Her familiar is a raven named Miro. Autistic as hell and has no empathy whatsoever.

N - ?

O - Odynia Adrasteia Erinyes [D&D]

(she/her) Aasimar vengeance paladin (with a dip into hexblade warlock) sworn to Nemesis. Currently playing in a Greek mythology themed campaign. Made a literal "eye-for-an-eye" exchange. Charged with keeping a man alive who kind of doesn't want to be alive.

P - ?

Q - ?

R - Rook [D&D]

(he/him) My favorite OC of all time, my beloved idiot bastard man, the love of my life. Half (wood) elf swashbuckler rogue. Bastard son of a nobleman who ran away and became a pirate. Compulsive liar and Very Good At It. Chaotic motherfucker. Accidentally made the BBEG get very attached to him (and he to the BBEG). My little punching bag. Had daddy issues. All his parental figures end up shitty or dead.

S - Sera [Video Games]

(she/her) My PC for my first playthrough of Pathfinder: Kingmaker. An aasimar traditional monk. Has an AC of 50 and can make up to 8 attacks in one turn. Never takes her halo off.

T - Tessa Smallwood [RTQ/ATQH]

(she/her) The palace healer at the royal palace of Anvia, near Carisfell. The sweetest person you'll ever meet, but will ask you to please take care of yourself. (A hard ask if you're Fallon, apparently.)

U - ?

V - Val (Kyron Valris) [D&D]

(they/them) Tiefling hexblade warlock. Captain of the smuggling ship the Devil's Scorn. Hired by the Vanguard to chase down Captain Wolf in order to rescue Rook after he was kidnapped. (Aka, my temporary character when he was gone.) Former gang member. Criminal with strict morals. Has more common sense than the entire Vanguard put together. Still isn't entirely sure whether or not they regret taking this job.

W - Wymond of Oryn [RTQ/ATQH]

(he/him) Fallon's biological father. Member of a low-level noble house from the neighboring kingdom of Oryn. A lying, traitorous piece of shit who is directly responsible for the death of Fallon's mother. The only thing he and Fallon have in common is their eyes.

X - Xavier Blackthorne [RTQ/ATQH]

(he/him) Fallon's emotional father, even though she would deny this. Her mother's personal guard before her death, now the captain of Fallon's guard. The nicest man you'll ever meet. Has a habit of collecting strays. No biological kids, but the strongest dad energy in all of Anvia.

Y - ?

Z - Zenara "Zen" Raventhorn [D&D]

(they/them) Tiefling fiend warlock. The first dnd character I ever played. An accidental result of my Mighty Nein obsession. Occasionally gets possessed by their patron and wakes up in the middle of a mess with surprise new powers as an "apology".

[biowaredisasterbisexual]

5 and 10 for the Rook + LI ask game!

Thanks so much for the ask! I love these ones. From the Rook and LI Ask Game:

5. Do they have different cultural backgrounds (e.g. a Rook who was raised in Antiva with Harding who was raised in Ferelden)? If so, do they ever share parts of their culture with each other? If they're similar, how do they celebrate their culture together?

Neve and Rook’s backgrounds have a fair bit of overlap. They’re both Tevinter, both from Soporati families (even if Neve isn’t Soporati anymore), both from major cities. Still, there are some differences. Unlike Neve, Rook grew up in Ventus and in military culture due to his adoptive family and was also influenced by his maternal grandparents who lived in his house. His grandparents grew up in rural areas near the border, so there’s some cultural nuances he picked up from them as well.

The two of them share a cultural understanding that, along with their personal views of that culture, its history, and its trajectory made them fast friends very early on. But when Neve is sick, Rook busts out his grandma’s recipes from growing up in the sticks and makes Neve a porridge that she actually enjoys but could not have identified until he tells her about it.

10. Do they have any nicknames for each other? Who uses terms of endearment more?

Neve, of course, calls Rook “Trouble.” Which he should feel offended by, but she’s right, and besides it makes him feel loved. Rook, unlike his late mentor, has never really been the nickname giving type in any relationship, platonic or romantic, beyond shortening someone’s name. Sometimes, to tease her, he’ll use her full name instead of just Neve, but otherwise she’s Neve to him. He doubts he could come up with something more perfect anyway.