#eight little talons

[strawberrypinky]

They're honestly one of my favourite couples, lol.

Eight Little Talons on the brain

[avvarqueen]

Sketchy sketch 💕✨

[biowho]

Eight Little Talons but it's just parts where Viago is down bad for Teia

[elvhendis]

My favourite thing is how in Eight Little Talons when Viago is on the floor dying from poison damage and Teia comes in, she says something about how this isn't how she imagined seeing him naked before asking where his damn antivenin is, and this mf takes his last ounce of strength to gurgle "☝️Wearing... trousers...." before passing the fuck out

[saessenach]

my love, my light, my darling - Teia Cantori in Eight Little Talons ✨

as always, close-ups under the cut!

[lusanchromchinnn]

Viago De Riva your Undiagnosed But Extremely Obvious OCD is fascinating and so so revealing of your character and motivations ohh my gosh. Like of course your obsession is poisons and being poisoned! I refuse to believe that growing up adjacent to the royal court wasn’t the driving force behind this because literally where else would someone hear so many stories of people succumbing to assassination by poison. I bet nobles were dropping like flies to the crows every day. I bet he saw his father’s food taster (we know he visited during Viago’s youth) and realised how truly possible it was to die from a bite of food. Bonus points if he actually witnessed a food taster keel over in front of him. Paranoia through the fucking roof as he researches poisons for years on end before he’s ever presented with the option of joining the crows. Maybe he only drank out of clear glasses he could hold up to the light. Maybe he insisted on preparing all of his own meals rather than let servants near his food, much to the chagrin of his mother. AND OH GOD HIS MOTHER.

We know she was an alcoholic, and that Viago hated her drinking, it scared him as a small child. But what if his mind won’t let him watch her sip a glass of wine without the image of it being her last. She could be a target as a mistress of the king, just as he is as a royal bastard. Perhaps he becomes the one who uncorks her bottles and pours her glass after glass, because he’d rather her drunk over dead. Of course, there’s the very real possibility she succumbs to alcohol poisoning, which is so ironic and so fucking sad. He pours her final glass and becomes what he fears most.

It’s a no-brainer that he joined the crows later on. Not only does it give him access to the poisons and antidotes he’s craved for years, but it gives him a sense of control. He’s making himself less of a target than his half-siblings (and it’s more socially acceptable for a crow to wear gloves constantly lmao). He’s so skinny because he refuses to eat unless he’s 100% positive his food is safe, checking and double checking even if he prepares it himself. He knows, logically, that his fears are unfounded, that he (or someone he trusts completely like Teia) made this dish, or poured this drink. But he needs to be sure, or his brain won’t stop screaming that he’s going to die! Right now! God forbid he’s proven right too, like with the adder in the wardrobe that he survived because of his doses of antivenom. I just knowww his compulsions got so much worse for a while after that, it was so cathartic and miserable for him. I understand this freak and his freak ways. What a guy, thank you Courtney Woods.

[ofcrowsanddragons]

Lucanis hating the fact that people are afraid of him and feeling there's a darkness in him (maybe Zara just found what was there all along)

But the darkness can't be related to his job (because he can't start thinking that his obedience to his family or devotion to his job is a problem)

The darkness can't be related to the way that people are afraid of him, because they're only afraid of him because of his job (Catarina keeping entire houses afraid of what could happen if they're next)

The darkness must be his defiance, the spite that forms his little rebellions against the First Talon

It's only natural that people are afraid of him. That's the weapon he was created to be. (It's what rises within him in spite of that which he needs to suppress.)

(Trust him and Spite to find a new way to be devoted to his family, in the end.)

[eonianshadow]

oh how I wish to take a look at antiva

[dalishious]

Teia Cantori is bisexual

In Tevinter Nights "Eight Little Talons" she says she has a history with a lot of people, gender-neutral, and she actively flirts with Rook regardless of gender in The Veilguard!

[rambutanjpeg]

just admiring your good looks

[schrodingersroachie]

viago and teia in eight little talons

[emryx]

This deserves its own post because I’m proud of it—Viago may be dying but it’s okay because Teia’s playing with his hair. Reading Eight Little Talons was so GAH I love them and their complicated asses. Caterina the ultimate cockblocker 😒

[hyperions-light]

Ooooo A letter from an enemy regarding Rook?

🫡 Thank you for asking!

My Dear Viago,

Greetings from Seleny; the weather is simply gorgeous here in the summers. I do hope you are faring as well in Salle.

I’ve been asked to write to you regarding a matter of discussion amongst some of the Talons. They have recently expressed concern about a certain member of your House, who is known for their unorthodox methods. I believe you know of whom I speak.

The others have found that this agent— while often as efficacious as you say— can be disruptive. They seldom carry out orders as directed. Their technique, while impressive, lacks discipline. Surely, House de Riva does not wish to be represented by such an indecorous individual. I can say for certain that your predecessor would never have allowed it.

We wish to extend our assistance (should it prove necessary) in removing this cowbird from your nest, so to speak. I have heard that the weather in Ventus is beautiful this time of year-- perhaps they might enjoy a sojourn in the Imperium? I can arrange it.

Do let me know if the thought appeals.

Yours Most Sincerely,

Emil Kortez, Fourth Talon

BONUS:

Emil,

It does not.

— Viago de Riva, Fifth Talon

[the-northern-continent]

The good news for the Executors is that the poisoned fruit has already ripened. The bad news is that it’s somewhere in Viago’s collection, and they still haven’t cracked his labeling system.

[elvhendis]

I have been yelling about Viago and Teia in various discords but it's not enough, I have to start yelling on my tumblr too asdfgsjfk

(Context: They're trying to get information out of a fellow Crow and Viago suggested trying a serum he concocted that makes people pliable)

He admitted RELUCTANTLY

(Viago: Sit.

Me: SIR I'M SAT)

Mind you he's still wearing his gloves, man's not even touched her AND HE'S PUTTY IN HER HANDS

[saessenach]

Thinking many thoughts about Miss Andarateia Cantori tonight because what do you mean we get to be in her house for the entire game, in which she and her boyfriend/partner-in-crime run a gambling den, assassin guild ANd find the time to argue with the public administration while opposing a military occupation?? who does it like her??

Joke aside, I think she's an incredibly fun character, and I'm really happy that hers was the lens through which we saw the Crows this game. Whenever I see random posts and critiques commenting that the Crows were too "sanitised" or "found-family", I want to yell a bit, because DATV never claims that to be the case!! Obviously everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but what we see is anchored in a very specific context: not just Treviso under Antaam occupation, but also the Cantori Diamond, which falls under Teia's jurisdiction.

She's an elven orphan turned Guildmaster and Talon, who desperately wanted to find family in the Crows! While the other Talons resisted her attempts at every step (some more succesfully than others ksks), that implies 1) her approach towards her own House was probably not dissimilar and 2) it got her the Talon position in her 20s. Ergo, her modus operandi was probably fairly successful.

For all that she threatens to evict anyone who treats her like a landlord (lol), the Diamond is very much a reflection of her as a character. It's all completely in line with both her general characterisation in 8 Little Talons and with the point she reaches at the end of that story when confronting Emil. I don't think it's a coincidence that out of our two POVs in 8LT, she's the one discussing Crow ideology with their would-be-murderer:

and

and

Following this particular set-up, of course orphans like Jacobus are treated kindly; of course fledglings have time to gossip in quiet corners while training; of course she helps the Dellamortes however she can?? She decided these people are family to her, and she wants to do better by them than what she got. This is wildly compelling to me personally, because she's such a delightful mix of idealism and disillusionment, honesty and manipulation, compassion and retribution - and she's so fucking obstinate about it!!!

There's also the little connection with the Crows' beginnings, specifically in Treviso. Iirc, it's mentioned in 8LT that her base is Rialto (she's also got gardens there), so a part of me wonders whether the Diamond was an inherited property from a previous Cantori Talon, or whether she got it up and running between then and the events of the game. I think that between that little tibdbit and with Lucanis being named First Talon at the end of the game, it's pretty obvious that the theme of rebirth is very much the point in the Crows' plotline - a messy, hopeful and spiteful rebirth.

All of this is to say, what we get doesn't at all negate the other aspects we've seen from the Crows in previous games, but rather puts them into perspective. The game just goes on to ask - isn't there another way to do this? what else is there room for us to be? is there any chance we might find some kindness in this world? and one of the ways these answers are explored is through Teia's character (we start this series with Zevran's story within the Antivan Crows - an elven orphan bought from a brothel, who doesn't have the power to change this guild, and end with Lucanis, Viago and Teia, who is, specifically, an elven orphan picked up (?) from the streets, who remains one of the powerhouses of the organisation. I love a bit of narrative symmetry ✨)

And honestly, I find this entire thing delightful - it's cheeky and dramatic and a lot of fun, and it makes sense for these characters, if you only sit with it for a second and give it a bit of thought!

(PS the way she draws Viago into her orbit and the way their partnership works is another rant entirely, and they drive me absolutely insane nghhh)