#but now Rook wakes up in the night and finds Taash + Spite

[rookanis-de-riva]

I would love to hear your thoughts on a/b/o in the DA-verse!! Two of my favorite subjects lmao

Like, I just imagine Taash such a weirdo about scents and being completely unashamed about it. That combined with lack of social cues, chronic idgaf, and a love of mischief? Perfect recipe for embarrassing any and every lighthouse paramour, pre or post getting together 🤣

I imagine openly scenting and overt sniffing would be considered rude in most cultures (Shathan *tried* to instill some manners in her child but it's not their fault they have such a strong sense of smell!!) So Mx. Taash "she smells so good" (in *canon*) would be such an instigator, pointing out crushes, asking why don't you just bone already, etc.

Okay, sorry, that was just in my head re the post you reblogged about taash smelling lucanis and rook's attraction to each other 🤣 back to the topic in genersl, whats your hc for the companions' presentations? Your rook's too, and how their relationship with Lucanis is affected by presentation dynamics, etc? No pressure, I'm just curious 💕

YES, I love talking about this!! my personal headcanons for companions:

Alphas: Neve, Taash, Davrin, Spite

Betas: Varric, Harding, Lucanis, Rook

Omegas: Bellara, Emmrich

some fun worldbuilding I've done with my dragon age A/B/O idea is that Alphas are most commonly warriors, Betas are rogues, and Omegas are mages. this isn't a hard rule, just more of a social norm. so if someone's presentation doesn't match up with their role, that's Interesting(tm) about them

my Rook doesn't have a lot of mana, so he fights like a Rogue with a few extra zaps and some very small square barriers. he has to be really accurate with placement on his "barriers" bc they're only a few inches wide, so he usually keeps them up around his wrists and forearms for a more natural blocking motion

likewise, he's also a Beta on the cusp of being considered an Omega, but without enough of those hormones to actually present as one or go into heat

the Crows are primarily Betas, who have naturally lighter scents or sometimes never even develop scent glands at all. this means they're also far less likely to have a soulmate (or at least the instinct for it) and some people believe Betas form weaker pack bonds overall

so: more difficult to track, easier to hide, less messy attachments

Illario is an Alpha though, which is just so juicy-fun to play with and gnaw on! he would be the presumed heir in any other situation, but he got born into the ONE family + profession where Betas are preferred, and Alphas are seen as too volatile, too brash and hard-headed, too bulky and muscular for stealth, too likely to mate with an Omega and start their own pack

so now we have Illario, who is so deliberate about his appearance, to be well-dressed and sophisticated, with long hair and kohl-lined eyes on the pretty side of handsome. outfits that slim down his profile, always smiling and charming, aggressive yes--but never a threat

and the worst part is, Caterina is also an Alpha so she gets it. but self-recognition self-loathing through the other has her being twice as hard on him as Lucanis because she lost her entire family and she will move golden and black cities both to make her grandsons unkillable

but for Illario, that means nothing he ever does (as an Alpha) will be good enough

[browniejeane]

Has anyone done a rookanis While You Were Sleeping fic yet? Asking for a friend...

Just imagine....orphaned, alone Rook, working a menial job. falls for Illario at first. he's hurt, Rook saves his life. taken to the hospital. Dun dun dun, he's in a coma! Miscommunications happen - Rook is now a fiancee. Teia, Viago, Caterina are all around his bedside losing their minds as to how this could happen. Not to Illario. Jacobus and Chance are glancing at her like, who tf is this broad. And Rook's just...there. eyes wide, totally lost, but afraid to leave. Out comes the story of how she saved Illario from blood mages/venatori/what-have-you. Gets dragged back to the villa, ends up spending the night. In comes Lucanis, who had been away on a mission. He thinks something is amiss with the relationship between Rook and Illario. Rook leans into the miscommunications and things she's learned just by watching. Manages to convince Lucanis and family that she's really Illario's fiancee. Spends more time with the Dellamorte/de Riva/Cantori clans.

Chance finds out the truth. But loves that Rook loves them all so much, he keeps her secret. Tells her he knows, but that he's going to make sure that she stays part of the family. What's this? Oh no! She ends up falling for Lucanis. Is utterly bewildered by this - rants about it to Taash and Bellara, who are torn between letting it play out and coming clean and letting them all know it was a lie. Before she can make up her mind....Illario wakes up. Family, who have all come to adore Rook, convince him he has selective amnesia. He goes along with marrying Rook.

meanwhile, rook has had a big falling out with lucanis, who no longer wants to work in the family business -- he wants to branch out and do his own thing. see wyverns. run cafe pietra. no more killing. he says that he can't just drop everything and do that. not with the family relying on him the way they do. and how dare she open her mouth and suggest such a thing - she has no right to tell him how to live his life or speak to his family. She snarks back that somebody has to bc otherwise, hes going to be miserable forever. he says hed rather be slightly miserable but with family all around than comfortable and alone. she thinks he's being ridiculous - they part on bad terms. She decides she's going to go through with the wedding to illario.

Enter Zara on their wedding day, ranting and raving about how he actually had proposed to her. Forget the fact that she had run off with Calivan - that man didn't matter to her. She just needed some time apart for perspective. Except, whoops, Rook says she can't marry Illario because she's in love with Lucanis. And Lucanis says she can't marry Illario bc he loves her too. But she can't be with Lucanis bc there's too much they don't know. So the whole story spills out and then she runs while the wedding melts down into chaos. Just as she's getting ready to bounce out of treviso for good, WHAM. They appear. Lucanis. Teia. Viago. Caterina. Chance. lucanis has caterina's prized opal ring. He's on one knees. she says yes. they kiss. crows fly out of nowhere. they get married on a bridge in treviso. they honeymoon in ferelden and go wyvern watching. come home and lucanis runs the cafe, happy as a clam and with family all around. adopt a dog named spite.

roll credits. (no? just a me thought? alright. thanks for coming to my ted talk.)