#harding × rook

[pineflowerart]

What if I was a dwarf, and you were my 6 foot tall partner, and I kabedon'd you

(Thanks for the idea, @oracle-of-space )

[dancing--lights]

12 and 13 for the Rook and partner ask game? For both Neve/Rook and Harding/Rook if you're up to it!

Thank you for asking! The ask game is here if anyone wants in on it.

12. Any inside jokes?

I think for my Mercar Rook and Neve, the recurring reference to surprises and trouble could be considered a very flirty, very loaded inside joke. And with their shared experience of living in Minrathous, and propensity to deflect with humor, Tevinter and its reputation often becomes the butt of their jokes.

For my Thorne Rook and Harding, I like to think that, in the months traveling together before the events of the game, they acquired a few inside jokes and pulled them out on occasion, mostly to give Varric a hard time. Some good-natured teasing would be fun for all of them, I think. I'm actually going to write about this Rook pre-veilguard and will hopefully get to include some of this (if I can get myself to write 🫠).

13. What song(s) do you associate with them?

This is one of my favorite things to think about! I have a whole playlist for Neve (and Rook, by proxy) but a couple of highlights on it for me are these:

I also have a playlist for Rook and Harding, but it's set to private because it's all over the place. I have a bad habit of making playlists way too long, but I tend to use music as my main source of inspiration for character building and brainstorming ideas. Here are a couple:

Again, thank you so much for the ask! This was fun. I think way too much about these guys (gn) in my head, so it's good to get them out.

[fanfoolishness]

Just losing my mind at the implications that the companions have all been trying to help Rook grieve Varric, and Rook doesn’t know

Emmrich, wise and long-familiar with grief, being told by Neve and Harding what happened; understanding why sometimes he overhears Rook’s muffled voice in the Infirmary, talking to no one. He takes Rook to the Memorial Gardens and mentions he talks to his parents, thinking Rook might be comfortable with the same. Rook lights candles and rings bells but Emmrich watches, sorrowed, to see Rook still seems in deep denial.

Neve takes Rook to the Wall of Light; a Shadow Dragon Rook knows just what this means but any Rook can understand the solemnity, the power of remembrance. Neve reenergizes Brom’s light and looks to Rook, hoping Rook will mention wanting to make one for Varric. Rook is kind and comforting to Neve, but Neve is lost in wondering why Rook doesn’t take the chance to open up. She can’t figure it. Maybe Rook just can’t face it, not yet. Maybe Rook does something privately. She isn’t sure but it nags at her.

Davrin’s not big on talking about feelings. He’d rather just move on. But he sees the way Rook seems a little hollow sometimes, a little distant; he sees how Rook takes so quickly to Assan. “Hey Rook,” he says, and invites them to come with him and Assan to safe places in Arlathan, where the woods are clean and green and growing, where real sunlight dapples through the trees. Rook always seems to love these outings, seems lighter afterwards. But Davrin feels a little confused in that Rook never seems to realize the outings are mostly for them.

Taash is another person not big on feelings. But they know how much feelings can twist you up and mess with your head. When Lace tells them about Varric they feel badly for Rook, and think to how they feel when they’re struggling. Epic fights, dragon fights, drinks with the Lords. Taash is perfectly capable of doing all that on their own. But maybe bringing Rook along will help get them out of their head a little bit. Does it help? Taash isn’t sure.

Bellara’s double-versed in grief after what happens to Cyrian. Rook helped her through trying to reach him, and Bellara wonders, in her own pain, if she can help Rook a little bit too. Especially if Rook is elven, teaching Rook about the braziers and the challenges is another tool she can share about her or their people, another way that might help Rook with their grief. Neve’s told her that the Wall of Light didn’t seem to help Rook much, but maybe a different funeral tradition could help them instead. Rook helps her light the braziers and Bellara feels her heart lightening, though she wonders at Rook, who seems more moved by Bellara’s reactions than anything else.

Lucanis is nearly as allergic to dealing with feelings as Davrin is, but he immediately clocks how Neve and Harding are acting, and asks what happened before he joined them. They tell him about Varric and that they’re worried about Rook, that Rook seems to just be shoving those feelings down without dealing with them. Lucanis is no stranger to that, but while it’s fine for him, he doesn’t want to see someone who risked their life to save him share that struggle. He brings Rook to Caterina’s funeral planning to show Rook it’s okay to admit the loss and honor it. When that doesn’t seem to make a dent, he falls back to his standard - lavish meals, small gifts, coffee. He knows it would help him. He just wishes it helped Rook too.

Lace hurts the worst after losing Varric and Lace is where Solas’ magic comes the closest to faltering. Rook can see Lace is down, she’s quiet, she’s afraid after what happens with the gods escaping; but Solas’ magic holds and Rook can still never see quite why. Lace would love to sit over drinks one night and share stories about Varric, but she sees that Rook doesn’t seem ready, and she doesn’t want to push. Instead she writes letters to Ma, to the Inquisitor, to Cassandra, to Aveline, maybe even to Hawke. She writes out her stories with Varric’s old quill and she carries a bolt of Bianca with her. A dozen times she goes to talk to Rook about him, and when she tries Rook turns away or changes the subject. It hurts, but Lace knows she can’t make Rook talk about him, and she hopes in time it will get better.

This just absolutely crushes me the more I think about it 😭

Edit: Varric’s death is Rook’s personal companion quest every other single companion tries to help them with, and can’t 😭😭😭

[wepepe-draws]

The Veilguard companions + Varric Tethras

The crew who took the picture:

(Yes, it’s prosthetic arm)

[sketchytea]

this was supposed to be a new years picture but we're way past that already. so now this is just. an ode to a found family 💜

[krembruleed]

the veilguard ( ˘ ³˘)♥

[20genderchild]

They will volunteer.

[densewentz]

no im not thinking constantly about the early game hilarity of when its just the ladies of da:v lounging around the dining room watching a freshly freed Lucanis bus about the stoves making food for his new strange flock of poorly fed women.

[minidoodles97]

I just think it's kinda funny if Rook is a Grey Warden mage given Varric's experience with them in both DA2 and DAI. Truly a wildcard.

[ydktun]

家人侠参上

[heyitsjaki]

Sorry Harding, I hope you didn’t need that Defy rune for anything 🤣

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[diesvitae]

Day 01: Veilguard Starting my Veiltober challenge on twitter [x] with a meme. I won't be able to do big illustrations because I'm working on comms BUT I WANNA DO THIS SO MUCH

[celiansartblog]

The team takes a stroll around Arlathan Forest and Lucanis is long-suffering

Follow up here : LINK

Also little bonus cause I like seeing that man suffer :

[theyvegotnobreeches]

Rook: *punches the first warden*

Bellara and Emmrich: what the fuck-

Everyone else: *cheerful clapping*

[marsalta]

[viennacherries]

Cherry's Veilguard Twitter AU - Part 2

Part 1