#illario is such an interesting character tbh

[rookinthecrownest]

Out of Curiosity

[deputyrook]

Everyone whining about Lucanis’ romance as if Illario isn’t right there. The lusty, angsty, flirty crow is in the room and they’re blind.

(Yes I am salty abt the fact that there’s only 16 Illario/Rook fanfics on ao3)

You are 100-million-percent correct, although I can't blame people who only played DAV and didn't read Tevinter Nights from not getting it 🥲 he comes off as so much more charming/likeable in Wigmaker Job than in game, and though I can understand he's had a hellish last year, I do mourn the Illario we could have seen even a glimpse of in DAV.

He's such an interesting character though, and I think there's a lot of potential for Illario/Rook. the more I think about all of the shit he went through and the way he's been treated by Catarina/the Crows the more I'm a fan tbh

Here's my AU: Rook goes to recruit Lucanis, finds out he's 'dead', and recruits Illario instead. He joins the team kind of pissed off, because even dead, Lucanis is still the assassin the heroes want. And then Rook can start a romance with him (he's so charming and flirtatious, with a bit of a dangerous undercurrent), only to find out later he worked with the Venatori to betray Lucanis (who has escaped and is now trying to track him down.) Think about the drama. A brother he's wronged trying to find him........ an evil blood mage-ex-girlfriend who wants you both dead......... rook torn about whether to trust Illario when he says he regrets what he did.................

[zei-ord]

ok this is quite literally late night ramblings but i was thinking about Taash, and the … interesting… writing choices around their multicultural identity which, while maybe intended to be a choice between following tradition/expectations vs doing what allows you to express yourself, ended up as some strange rivain/qun dichotomy that i found strange (and ironically binary for a story about a character learning about themself as a nonbinary individual). i was wondering why the writing even felt the need to force us to make this choice between one or the other, before realising that other companions also have this dichotomous choice as a key part of their story.

emmrich, obviously, is the choice between lichdom and manfred (and tbh probably the best written version of this forced choice)

davrin is the choice for what to do with the griffons

harding is choosing between the titans anger and her own identity/compassion

lucanis is choosing whether or not to work with spite, i’m pretty sure (edit: i’ve been corrected- it’s actually about what to do w illario)

neve’s is about the lengths she’ll go to to protect dock town (i think? it’s like - do what is necessary, even if it’s morally wrong, or do the ‘right’ thing and be a hero? plz correct me if i’m wrong)

bellara … i actually don’t know. her story is essentially about her brother, but she doesn’t really have any agency about what he does? i could be wrong. if anyone has an idea/remembers what her choice is, plz lmk (edit: i’ve been helpfully reminded it was about whether or not to keep the archive.)

all this to say, i was just ruminating on how the characters are written, and then there’s this clear formula that they’ve imposed on all the character stories which… aren’t all executed successfully to the same extent. i’d have to explore the individual character stories a little more, but i feel these choices are somewhat reflective of how well the character’s individual plot lines were written, or, at the very least, how those plot lines were adapted for gameplay.

[dellamortethelesser]

In an au where Lucanis is transmasc and figures things out/comes out post ossuary, how do you see the dynamic between Lucanis and Illario being different? iirc part of Caterina's favoritism towards Lucanis comes from him being the child of the favored daughter, so would that be exacerbated by Lucanis being "female" throughout his childhood? Do you think the dynamic would be different again if Illario was also transmasc and if so how?

Sorry for the long ask! I've been thinking over this au for a while and as a noted dellamorte cousin enjoyer I thought I would ask you for your thoughts

ok sorry i've been sitting on this ask for a hot minute. had to consult with @vigilskeep for some lucanis thoughts.

i think the main point of difference here is that you're looking to explore a dynamic where lucanis was raised "as a girl" and illario perceived the relationship as having had a "sister", which is very interesting imo. yeah, i think it would exacerbate the blatant favoritism issues to an even worse degree because that would truly make lucanis the stand-in for his mother, caterina's favorite daughter. i don't necessarily think the dynamic between illario and lucanis would change so severely except to understand that the resentment would run deeper but probably more... concealed? like there's no point expressing it because there's no changing it, if that makes sense.

lucanis is not a character i think could ever have the space, language, or perceived freedom to understand himself as trans and come out as long as he is under caterina's thumb and in the crows tbh. post-endgame more than post-ossuary to me but it's your AU so the beautiful thing is you can write that however you want. he would need time and space to explore that and support to pursue it for sure.

(i also think that lucanis being transfem would be a similar situation but caterina would be more supportive bc it reinforces the favored daughter idea).

illario being trans wouldn't matter to caterina, i think. she already has a tendency to look down on him a little bit more. i don't want to say she wouldn't support him but i don't think she's marketing herself as an ally for him either. she never stopped him doing shit she didn't approve of anyways because who cares? it's only illario.

anyways all of this is my rather subjective opinion and it's partially informed by my being trans--it's truly up to you how you'd want to write or interpret those relationships and interactions (such is the beauty of fanworks and aus) but that's kind of where my thoughts start and end. i like considering it in a vacuum but i personally don't tend to headcanon these two as trans in any way

[butterflydm]

DAV continues (with an unexpected romance)

One of my biggest quests in DAV is to pet every animal that the game allows (which are a lot). The controller vibrates when I pet them! Genuinely the true petting experience!

I am so glad that the game allowed me to voice being suspicious as fuck of Illario at the end of "Bloodbath" (which ended up being a pun, how dare they, lol) because I am suspicious as fuck of Illario! He was able to use blood magic to get Spite to back off?

And I feel like I was suspicious of him in earlier scenes too. Maybe my suspicions will prove unfounded but... he's a non-mage using blood magic to control a demon. Suspicious!

So my basic plan is to do every side quest possible before continuing with any main quests. Sadly! I didn't realize that Neve's walking tour interaction would go away after recruiting Davrin (because of the dragons attacking Minrathous and Treviso), so I will need to do that one on my second play-through, which will either be a dwarven character (because they would have a very different reaction to all things Solas) and/or a Shadow Dragon (so that I won't pick Treviso - because it makes sense to go to Treviso because it just seems more vulnerable than Minrathous!).

Turned down a romance option with Harding. I do want to flirt a lot more in my second run, I think, but I am, like, laser-locked on Lucanis for this one, lol. Literally catnip, what with being an Antivan Crow and needing to deal with spirit/demon issues.

I've gotten close to being genuine friends with several companions and I really like being able to walk into them having conversations with each other (which I feel like was more of a thing in ME3, and I liked it there too). I also like that the game flags when they have a conversation available for Rook.

On a more serious note... um, it sounds like the Griffons died in the fourth Blight because they all got blighted? Maybe? I went through the Cauldron and it feels really sad and depressing. I think that the Gloom Howler might have originally been a Warden? This is my guess. Maybe a Warden that went down to the Deep Roads hearing the Calling?

I really love how much care it feels like was put into these main regions and stories. There really aren't any thrown-away side quests that aren't connected to something (I love DAI but... man, the fetch quests and random collection bullshit. I did 100% completion on that game ONCE and never again. after that, my Inkys only did what made sense for them as a character, lol).

Super-exciting development: So I turned down romance opportunities for both Harding and Taash, and now Taash is asking me for advice about gifts for courting Harding!! I vaguely remember reading pre-game that DAV would have something like that (like how Dorian and Iron Bull can get together in DAI or Garrus and Tali in ME) but now it's happening and I'm so excited! Will there be more side romances? Stay tuned! (this is probably the best play-through for it, since I'm so focused on only Lucanis in particular, lol)

I was also able to push a bit forward on my romance with Lucanis -- I got the moment when you can either accept or decline to continue your flirtation. Since his happened earlier than some of the others, I wonder if that means he has a potential other relationship if Rook declines to follow through on the flirtation (or if it's based on high friendship with him).

This scene was just as delightful as the coffee date. Genuinely, this type of romance in RPG always delights me? The messier the romance the better, tbh. I'm so thrilled for my tiny elf Rook for getting their almost-kiss and hope that they get everything their heart desires when it comes to Lucanis.

We also had a conversation with Spite during that scene and that was very interesting, because Spite feels like Lucanis hasn't lived up to his side of the deal. Very very interesting! Their deal was about working together to escape the prison and to take revenge on their captors (and to live, which was interesting).

Anyway, I'm about to go on another group mission to help the Wardens (another great thing! This is the second group mission we've done in the game, where we take along the rest of the team too, and I love it so much), but I wanted to post because I hit a couple of fun romantic milestones. I will be playing more tonight and tomorrow. <3

[malfattore]

KNOWING YOUR PARTNER WELL CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE WRITING TOGETHER A LOT EASIER. ( REPOST DO NOT REBLOG ! )

○  NAME: Erin // Xy.

○  PRONOUNS: he/him

○   PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION: Discord or Tumblr, either or is completely fine. I reply to both the same, tho im slow.

○    NAME OF MUSE(S): Malfatto, William de Saint-Prix, Nightstalker Joe, wow i’m really going down the basic names now, I roleplayed artorias and pate from dks but not anymore. I also muse Verulo and a small amount of Illario from acb but on the side, and more so Verulo. He’s a bit of an older muse that I did nothing with besides throw comments in for (still do, since im not sure who he fits with)

○    EXPERIENCE/HOW LONG (MONTHS/YEARS?): 10 years, off and on? Could be more tbh I’ve lost count I feel old

○    PLATFORMS YOU’VE USED: for rp, I mostly use Discord but Tumblr is nice too, when it’s functional lol

○   BEST EXPERIENCE: In General? Musing with people and creating a deep and expansive world around what little canon information we even received from Ubisoft — as well as Personal, @ardentfew @larosafatale @templarlanz @officialcahin (also w/ ur bitch ass (affectionately) baltasar) you guys have added so much to my musings and experiences to define Mal as he continues to age as my oldest muse at like 10 years now? I genuinely appreciate it wholeheartedly. These are probably my best experiences over this whole blog’s lifespan. Also I have to throw in @vilestblood, you always made me feel so welcome and appreciated as a newcomer, it really did make the whole experience for me, and while i’m over here for now, I hope you know how often i still appreciate you. I hope I can repay all of you somehow.

○    RP PET PEEVES / DEALBREAKERS: Treating my muse(s) like he’s either a sex object/disrespecting my boundaries on his sexuality, a Villain to exclusively to fit your narrative/headcanons, or automatically assuming I condone the actions of my muse just bc I am expanding on his emotions or more positive traits. as well as just seeing him as a shipping objective — Besides the fact that I am not interested in shipping Malfatto out as he is single-ship to one character and i’m more interested in defining his friendships than another spouse.

○    FLUFF, ANGST, OR SMUT: I’m a whore for angst but i’m more of a hurt-comfort kind of guy tbh, I don’t mind the pain of loss and complete defeat and hopelessness, i adore depressing themes but I do want a comforting concept to end off on. I love fluff within plot and smut is the same, I don’t particularly want just baseless smut for the sake of smut (tho it can be interesting sometimes) but if it fits well, it legit makes my heart skip djdjjhdj

○    PLOTS OR MEMES: I love memes on tumblr so much, esp as an icebreaker, but I love plotting things out more extensively so I can learn more about your characters and where they can interact more personally.

○    LONG OR SHORT REPLIES: Both but I prefer longer if the short we are talking about is like one liners. Unless we are in a very fast paced setting like discord chat, one liners make me lose muse pretty quick.

○    BEST TIME TO WRITE: Anytime I can get some quiet, I admittedly cannot write in a noisy setting. My brain is too panicked with stuff going on that I can’t zone in.

○    ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S): I always joke around and say that he’s the kinnie so Honestly, yes? it sounds awful to relate to the serial killing doctor, who also tortures random civilians, guards, and sex workers BUT that aside, I understand his impulsivity and I understand his traumas, at least on a semi-adjacent level. We like similar things and find comfort in the same settings, though i did not expect to build him like this. I’m enough like him that I can somewhat? understand where he is coming from mentally when he does stupid impulsive shit that eventually gets his dumbass floored while also being very aware that his reactions and opinions are not something I would even consider. He’s fun he’s like the little devil on my shoulder telling me to act on impulse and commit arson when i have anxiety even over looking like i’m shoplifting

TAGGED BY: No-one. I stole this from general tags.

TAGGING: @larosafatale @ardentfew yea idk who else is active anymore, steal it

[icharchivist]

How do you make a playlist 200 songs strong from two short stories???

IT'S ONLY 100 SONGS. a little over 100.

and i do it the exact same way i wrote a 3.7k words analysis/focus thinkpieces about the exact same character. By being perfectly sane and normal about this character.

And tbh the first short story, The Wigmaker Job, is really just a little treasure in characterization, so there's just a lot you can get out of it imo.

There's also two big facts: first, that i've been interested in Lucanis for a few years by now, so i have more solid outlines on what of expect of him. Second, that everything about him has been tailored to fit my interests so much so that i already have a backlog of songs to look into to see if it fits or not.

Usually i look into keywords or specific keyscenes, and key personality traits.

I have a full playlist about having fun killing people, so it already gave me a proper pool to pick from for Lucanis' assassin's way for example.

For example:

One of the key scene of The Wigmaker Job is that Lucanis was sent to kill his mark, Ambrose, quick and clean, While Ambrose knew he was coming.

but once he saw how horrible this man was, especially to his slaves, he decided instead to raise hell, psychologically and physically torture Ambrose, destroy his party and kill the people who have enabled him ("Ignorance is bliss, not innocence"), using the help of demons, turning Ambrose's horrors against him, all while seeing himself as an harbinger of revenge who is GOOD at what he does and all the skillsets he have.

From this scene, I can for example secure the song Can't Go To Hell by Sin Shake Sin

"Walk right in all you sinners and saints / Tonight's the night we're gonna take off these chains / Some wounds will never mend / It came with a warning, now we're all out of time / This romance with ignorance has left us behind / Sit back, relax, begin / It's too early for surrender, Too late for a prayer / We can't go to hell if we're already there"

This one is the most in the nose, but i have various songs about planning a murder and being vicious about it. Another Way Out by Hollywood Undead, Kill of the Night by Gin Wingmore, Murder by Within Temptation, Hunt You Down by The Hit House or Seven Devils by Florence + The Machine, to name a few.

Therefore also outside of just the Ambrose affair, i have general vibes for murders since it's his job, and he's good at it. But he's also not really vibing with the way his organization work, especially since his training required him being tortured from a young age. Makes him perfect for Killer by The Hoosiers

I hate my work / But I'm in control I'm fearless now / But it cost my soul (...) It's alright to scream / I'm screaming too Why'd you think I do the things I do? For shadows haunted me like ghosts So I became what I feared the most I conduct fear like electricity / A manmade monstrosity Don't turn out the lights Kiss yourself goodnight cause there's a killer And he's coming after you

Then we can get into more spoilers territory. The Wake implies Lucanis is believed dead and once we see him in the trailers he has wings, something he didn't have before his "death". Makes him perfect for Phoenix's themed songs like Phoenix by Netrum.

Or i can jump of from the relationship he has with Illario, his cousin who describes his relationship with Lucanis "more like brothers, really" and the way Illario mourns him into The Wake, and add Brother by Lord Hudson into the playlist just fine.

Or i can jump off from one theory i had that turned out confirmed by a spoiler i didn't want to see ( (: ) and gleefully add Man or Monster by Sam Tinnesz or Dancing with Demons by Palisades

And, arguably, there's also a few songs that are purely interpretation based from the stories that may end up getting changed with the game. For example, I personally consider that the way Lucanis talks about his grandmother's abuse and torture is pretty fucked up and shows a complex approach to his family especially that pushed me to put Under The Water by The Pretty Reckless in the list. But i may remove it if it turns out he's really just chill about it in the main game.

And this last point comes back obviously to haunt the playlist: there's probably a lot of songs from the list that will disappear once i know even more about him and realize my base interpretations doesn't allign as well with what's in the game.

And there's more themes that inspires me that i just am not going deep into. From the enemies he made, to also just the fact I'm familiar with the organization he's from from previous games and books, that i have ideas of what themes seems set up to be explored with his character

but hey. here goes :)

but yeah it's a mix of, the short story was already really rich in information about him, that he's been made in a lab to cater to my interest so i already have pools of musics to pick from, and, of course, that i've been The Most Normal About Him :)

so hey, food for thoughts!