#konstantin ingellvar

[elcor-thespian]

I haven’t played through Neve’s romance yet, and I’m trying to stay as unspoiled as possible for the romances I haven’t done.

But it is so funny to me that she refers to a romanced rook as Trouble, because my rook that’s romancing her is the sweetest, kindest, softest boy in existence. Compared to my other 6 rooks it’s full on ironic to call Konstantin Ingellvar trouble.

You could spill soup in this man’s lap and he’d apologize to you.

[anderfels]

tell me about ur ocs so i can make mine kiss urs 🫣

yes, hello! assuming this is for dragon age!! some blurbs about them underneath the cut!!

origins:

julien tabris - on the more reserved side. actions speak louder than words. tends to keep his emotions to himself. pretty tumultuous on the inside. someday, that dam is going to burst. lovisa aeducan - sweet, if a tad condescending. quick to anger, but quick to cool down. however! she's also an eternal grudge keeper. forgive, don't forget. doesn't enjoy not being listened to (<- got sent to die in the deep roads the last time people didn't listen to her). saoirse cousland - the light in her died with her family. she'll claw her way to greater power no matter what it takes. nothing like this will ever happen to her again. ruthlessly pragmatic.

2:

konstantin "kon" hawke - the person you go to if you want something done and you want it done right. charismatic, yet confrontational. domineering. doesn't much care for what other people think of him—unless it gives him an advantage. red/purple. safiya hawke - genuinely wants what's best for people. takes on other people's problems whenever she can. gradually becomes more jaded and cynical as life in kirkwall goes on, but she still tries. if she won't, who will? blue/red (as a last resort).

inquisition:

davhalla lavellan - forced optimism. if he thinks too deeply about his situation for more than 3 seconds he might break down. heavy is the head and what have you. excels at compartmentalization. just wants to go back home to his family and friends. meraad adaar - please get her out of here. she doesn't want this. all of this responsibility. all of these people's lives depending on her. all of them looking at her, scrutinizing her every move. constantly anxious. she'll do her best with what she's given (and to be fair, she does damn well), but man.

veilguard:

arvid thorne - listen, okay, he's actually a chill dude. he's able to make jokes. it's just that when the going gets tough, he locks in. as severe as an axe wound. no nonsense. off the clock, though, he enjoys a nice lager and some banter. dante de riva - down-to-earth, shy boy-next-door, you think he's cute then oops! knife between your ribs! it takes a bit to chisel through that exterior. then he stares at you like a deer in headlights. like wow you weren't supposed to get this far lol. eleni ingellvar - curious! insatiably curious! wants to know anything and everything. awkward. means well. abandonment issues because she never really got over being left in a crypt as a baby. bit of a show-off.

i am, of course, an advocate for ocs kissing other ocs 😤 thank you for asking about them! is it okay for me to say that i've also gone through your ocs? i quite like ramsay, elwyn, and antonio! but also ngl crises of faith are kind of my jam so i also have my eyes on ariadne 👀but also i love the idea of a cousland being inquisitor? that's so cool? ahhh!

but also like don't feel obliged to make them kiss if none of mine seem interesting to you. okay?

[elcor-thespian]

YES I get to talk about my character's names.

Nephele Mercar (my canon Rook): So I unintentionally made protagonists for the first three games that I strongly associate with an element. My Warden, Ilayna, is a fire mage, my Hawke is very Water sign coded and loves the sea, and my Inquisitor, Terrwyn, is Dalish and very connected to the earth. Once I realized that (Maybe like 6 months ago?) I knew I had to make my protagonist for this game Air themed. So I picked a name before I knew anything about the game, and I can't believe that we have a companion named Neve, which sounds so similar to Neph. I also named my Hawke Seraphina and then when DAI came out....I'm just saying if I had a nickel for every time DA introduced a companion with a name that sounded like a shortened version of my character's name, I'd have 2 nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.

Nephele means "cloud" and in Greek mythology she was a nymph made from a cloud and was the mother of the centaurs, and is also connected to the Golden Fleece.

Names for my other DATV characters under the cut:

Nasreen "Raven" Aldwir: Each of my characters has a different bird code name given to them by Varric. They are all present at the Lighthouse, but Nephele is the protagonist.

Nasreen is a Persian name that means "wild rose". I really wanted something with a nature connection, and something that maybe hinted at something a little darker/edgier. I also just love this name and I think it's pretty.

Aleksei "Magpie" Laidir: means "protector of man". I gotta be honest, I don't remember why I chose this. I often have a harder time choosing male names. I also didn't have the firmest grasp on who his character was going to be at the time. If I were to name him now I probably wouldn't pick this, but now I'm very attached to it and I feel like it fits him perfectly (Although again, it's close to Elek and IF I HAD A NICKEL)

Brenna "Kestrel" Thorne: Brenna is a name I've liked for a while and wanted to use, and for a bit it was going to be my dwarf character's name. Depending on where you look, it might mean "high hill", "princess", "strength", "dark hair" or "burn". I feel like if you mixed all these ideas in to a soup, you would come out with my character.

Elspeth "Crow" de Riva: This was the DATV OC that I named last. Elspeth is the Scottish form of Elizabeth and means "chosen by God". Again, I do not remember why I landed on this. It's not Italian or Spanish. I don't think Elspeth is fully Antivan, and she had this name when she got to the orphanage. I think some people just call them "El", since it's easier to say in an Antivan accent. Elspeth is non-binary and they don't love their name because it's pretty feminine, but they also don't have a strong idea of what they would change it to. I kind of like that their name is at odds with the type of person they are.

Konstantin "Wren" Ingellvar: Russian name meaning "constant or everlasting". I wanted something German/Slavic/Russian, and this was the name I liked the best. I also think that the meaning works for him. He's not the biggest fan of his code name, and to be honest neither am I. But I'm in too deep now.

Paloma "Dove": Paloma literally means "dove". Paloma is my ex-Saarebas character, and so they chose their name. There wasn't a ton of thought behind it. She does a lot of people watching, and she heard a mother calling for her daughter, Paloma, in the market one day. She liked the sound of it, and she wanted a name that wouldn't stand out too much in Minrathous and she had no concept of what a normal name would be. She practiced saying it over and over and decided she could live with it.

It’s Monday Morning 👎👎👎🚫🚫

It’s the Rook Introduction Hour ! 🥳🥳🎊🎊🙌

For new people, it works like this: I ask you about your Rook, and if you want you can rb and answer, and then I’ll rb it back here and comment a bit !

I really made you all work last week, so let’s do something easier: What is the significance of your Rook’s (first) name? Who gave it to them— did they pick it themselves? Do they have any nicknames (besides Rook)? Who gave those to them? Do they like their name?

Feel free to answer as much/little as you like!

[tiadres]

I've been pondering my Rook and here's how my idea has evolved. As I've mumbled here before, my inspiration started from an old Dragon Age ttrpg character of mine (from a very brief campaign), a Nevarran Grey Warden mage named Konstantin. I got the idea of basing my Rook loosely on him, but I feel like I've since drifted pretty far from that. Currently my idea for my Rook is that they're a necromancer and a member of the Mourn Watch. I absolutely love the Mourn Watch background, where baby Rook was found in the Grand Necropolis and raised by the Mortalitasi, I think that's the most exciting of the backgrounds! Originally when I was trying to base Rook on Konsta, I intended to make them human, but honestly in my heart I feel like I want to make an elf. Also when I was thinking about Konsta it was also clear that Rook would be a man, but now I'm not super certain about that either; after all, I usually make my player characters women, and making a necromancer elf lady sounds very appealing for me. I also looked up some names and I find myself really liking the sound of "Ingrid Ingellvar". Since that's a very feminine name, that nudges me further into making Rook a woman. Her nickname could be Inga, which I think sounds really cute! Considering that my old character Konstantin Hager was an older human man and a Grey Warden, and now I'm set on making Inga Ingellvar the young elf from The Mourn Watch, it's safe to say that Rook won't be based on Konsta anymore since the only things the two characters have in common are that they both are mages from Nevarra 😅 But ideas gotta start from somewhere, and then they evolve as they do!

[elcor-thespian]

I just had a cute head canon for the two Qunaris that I have in Veilguard.

Konstantin grew up in the Necropolis and hasn’t had any Qunari in his life he could talk to. He’s read about Qunari culture and has a lot of questions but no one to ask.

Paloma is an escaped Saarebas. She has a wealth of information but a very complicated relationship to the culture she was raised in.

I just have this image of them sitting cross cross applesauce on the floor while Paloma paints vitaar on his face for the first time and tells him stories. They both are making friends with someone of their own background for the first time.

Not these children healing each other’s wounds with community.

[elcor-thespian]

Konstantin "Wren" Ingellvar

[elcor-thespian]

Putting my answer for all 7 Rooks below. Should I be going to bed instead? What are you a cop?

Nephele Mercar:

A) "You're still running. You never stopped. One day the past will catch up with you, little girl. Hope is an illusion. Safety is an illusion. Enjoy this fantasy while it lasts. One day soon you will end up right back where you started from."

B) Her step father

C) Home

Nasreen Aldwir:

A) "Have you told them what you are? What you do to the people close to you? They only love you because they don't know the danger they are in. Once they find out who you really are, they'll leave, and never look back. And they should. They're better off without you."

B) Human mob

C) Abandonment

Aleksei Laidir:

A) "Under all of that posturing, under that persona, you're still just a poor kid hustling on street corners to make ends meet. You think you're a hero? You're no one. You were born nothing, into an insignificant family, destined to lead an ordinary life. And you'll die here, without a trace."

B) Sharks (he was enslaved after his ship was sunk, and there were sharks in the water)

C) Insignificance

Brenna Thorne:

A) "Was it worth it? Did you get everything you wanted? You got to be the knight in shining armor. And all it cost was everyone you loved. I wonder if your siblings will ever find out where you died. I doubt they'll care."

B) Actually having a hard time with this one, but I think it would be fun if it was actually other Grey Wardens. Not that she's afraid of the Wardens themselves, she's afraid that giving up her life to the Wardens was ultimately a mistake.

C) Your Mother Was Right

Konstantin Ingellvar:

A) "They didn't ask to be responsible for you. An inconvenience. And growing larger by the day. They wish they never would have found you, would have left you where they found you. At least you could have made yourself useful."

B) Falling Rocks (like a cave in)

C) Being a Burden

Elspeth de Riva:

A) "Can you honestly say you've ever done anything right in your whole life? Helped anyone? Accomplished anything? Viago wishes he never met you, certainly that he never gave you his name. What a dark mark on the House of de Riva."

B) Mad Titan/rock constructs

C) Disappointed Her Family

Paloma:

A) "Do you ever wonder how you were allowed to escape? It should have been harder. Should have been impossible. What if they've been following you all this time? They could take you back at any minute, kill the people that helped you, and make your life so much worse than it was before. Maybe you never left at all. Maybe you're still there."

B) The Antaam

C) Enslavement

Rook question of the day 💁

If your Rook encountered the Fear Demon we encounter in Inquisition

A) what would the Fear Demon taunt them with?

B) what would the Fearlings look like? (Physical fear, spiders etc)

C) what would their tombstone say? (Immaterial fear, dying alone etc)

[elcor-thespian]

For the tarot ask, I was wondering about the livers and the star (if you have time)

Your rooks are so interesting!

Crying screaming up. I can't believe someone wants to hear about my children. Bless you.

The Lovers: Who is your Rook's most significant relationship within the Veilguard? How do they help Rook feel seen and understood?

I feel like it's cheating to use a romantic relationship for this. We're going to go deeper.

Nasreen Aldwir and Nephele Mercer

I'm actually going to go past the obvious too and not say Nasreen and Aleksei. Nasreen and Aleksei are essentially siblings, because they were raised together from the time Nasreen was about 11 to 18. But they've been estranged for several years, and while they do get to that point again by the end of the game, Nasreen harbors a lot of resentment towards Aleksei and she won't confide in him at first the way she used to.

Nasreen definitely sees Bellara as a mentor, which makes it all the more complicated when Aleksei joins and starts flirting with her. But she has a really hard time making friends, and I don't think she would classify anyone in the Veil Jumpers as such. Similarly, Nephele has been a Shadow Dragon for much longer than Paloma, and Paloma looks up to her a lot, and idolizes her (much more so than Bellara and Nasreen). I don't think Nephele notices this at all.

In my canon, each of my 7 "Rooks" were independently agents of Varric's that he would call on at different times for different reasons. When the game opens, Nephele, Elspeth, and Paloma are the ones with Varric, with Nephele being the one that the game opens on in the bar, and the one that disrupts the ritual and becomes the protagonist. The next day or the day after they go to Arlathan, where they pick up Nasreen and Bellara (and then Brenna in D'Meta's Crossing).

Nephele is great at making surface level friends, but doesn't allow people to get very deep with her. But for some reason these two just locked eyes and immediately got each other. You ever have that with a friend? Like, thank god, someone who's freak matches my freak (platonically).

Nephele opens up to Nasreen in ways she hasn't with anyone before (although not quite as much as she eventually does with Lucanis), and she just instinctively trusts that Nasreen will listen without judgement and not share anything she tells her. Nasreen has never had a female friend, and can talk with her about things she's never had anyone to talk to about before, especially when she starts to develop feelings for Emmrich. Nasreen has no dating history and is very much of her depth. Nephele is a professional flirt. In many ways their relationship is very big sister, little sister.

Aleksei Laidir, Konstantin Ingellvar, and Paloma

I am so obsessed with these three's dynamic it's not even funny.

Both Konstantin and Paloma are very quiet, apparently stoic people for different reasons. Paloma is a deeply traumatized person (ex-Saarebas), who desperately wants to engage but has no experience in having conversations or making friends. She will think so deeply about exactly what she wants to say, that oftentimes the conversation will move on before she can say it and so she ends up saying nothing. She's not nervous about how people will take the things she says, she literally had her mouth sewn shut for years and doesn't have the practice with forming words. When she does eventually speak, it's startles people since they've often forgotten that she's still there.

Konstantin is the poster child for low self esteem and social anxiety. He is so worried about what people think about him, and he desperately wants to make a good impression. Through no fault of his own, his size (7'2" Qunari brick shithouse) means that he is often banging in to things or breaking things and he is just trying to get through life as unobtrusively as possible. So, like Paloma (and Nasreen, and Nephele) but for different reasons, he doesn't have any close friends.

Aleksei is the polar opposite. This ADHD king has never thought once about something he's said or done, let alone twice. He is constantly fucking up and as long as it all works out in the end, that's a win. He is very socially capable, like Nephele, and the two of them can charm their way in or out of any interaction.

Konstantin is sort of an assistant/bodyguard for Emmrich (Emmrich would say that he's his mentor, but Konstantin feels bashful about that term because he isn't a mage so he really tries to downplay it), and comes with him when he gets recruited.

The day they move to the Lighthouse, Konstantin is unpacking his and Emmrich's things, and Aleksei decides he's going to help. He's been at the Lighthouse for like a week now and basically no one has asked him to do anything useful or important, so he's feeling very superfluous. This leads to a lot of hijinks because a lot of what needs unpacking and sorting through is books, correspondence, notes, etc. and Aleksei can baaaarrrely read. He doesn't want anyone to know, so he does a lot of picking things up, putting them down in random places, rearranging piles indiscriminately, and just generally making things take 10x longer than they needed to.

However Konstantin really doesn't notice because the whole time Aleksei is chattering away: introducing himself, giving the backstory of what Konstantin has missed so far, and gossiping about the other companions. It's probably the longest anyone has ever spoke to Konstantin. And what's more he asks lots of questions, which makes it easier for Konstantin to engage than if he had to come up with talking points himself. And Aleksei seems GENUINELY interested in what he has to say. So what if it takes them 6 hours to put away a few books?

In the same way that Nephele and Nasreen are the embodiment of the importance of female friendships, Konstantin and Aleksei are absolutely what a non-toxic male friendship looks like. Aleksei is constantly including Konstantin in conversations and advocating for him, and Konstantin would absolutely die for this boy.

Ok so where does Paloma come in. This is all like two days after the dragon attacks on Minrathous and Treviso. Paloma had been really confident in her role in this as a Shadow Dragon, and had just been tagging along with whatever Neve and Nephele were doing (side note: I picked the name Nephele before we knew about the companions and I refuse to change it. Sometimes people in friend groups have similar sounding names). However, when Nephele helps Treviso and Neve leaves the Lighthouse, it's a lot less clear what Paloma is supposed to be doing. She's still at the Lighthouse, but she's going to Minrathous during the day to help with relief efforts, but she still very much idolizes Nephele and wants to support her. It's all very muddled and the vibes are BAD. Paloma isn't used to making decisions, she's used to being told where to go.

Konstantin and Aleksei are hanging out most of the time now and at one point a couple days in Paloma hears them while walking by Konstantin's room and she lingers in the doorway for just a second. Aleksei immediately invites her in and gives her the same welcoming treatment (even though Paloma has technically been on the team longer than him).

So now we have two giant Qunari sitting criss cross applesauce on the floor while Aleksei is basically doing the yapping of 6 people. And Konstantin and Paloma just kind of keep exchanging looks like "What is happening and how did we get here?". But they roll with it, and before you know it they've both been surgically attached to this small boy. Who they keep having to stop from blowing himself up on a daily basis.

Aleksei is so important to them because he lets them engage at their own pace without ever showing any judgement and without any awkward silences. They both end up talking more in those hang out sessions than they probably ever have in their lives.

Meanwhile, Paloma and Konstantin's relationship is so important that it makes me sick. Konstantin has literally never known another Qunari. They do pick up Taash pretty soon after this but they are not nearly as easy to get to know. Konstantin clings to Paloma (not literally, Paloma's not a touchy person) because he finally has someone else around that at least looks like him, and for the most part acts like him. They actually don't have that similar of personalities, but it's enough.

Paloma, conversely, grew up primarily around Qunari (yes, we're using the word Qunari to describe specifically people that look like her, obviously any person of any race can technically be Qunari), and she had a BAD time. Her relationship with her heritage is very fraught, and she has made a point to avoid any Qunari since leaving the Qun (which is easy to do in Minrathous). So it's very healing to have this positive relationship with another Qunari who is very sweet and quiet and kind, and also is very comfortable with magic having grown up in the Necropolis. Paloma ends up romancing Taash, and I don't think she would have had the ability to do that without first forming that friendship with Konstantin.

Brenna Thorne and Elspeth de Riva

We're in the home stretch folks. Brenna and Elspeth have very similar personalities, and are on the same page about a lot of things. They are both warriors and spend a lot of time training together. They aren't particularly emotionally close with each other for the bulk of the game. I don't think most people get that close to either one of them.

However, when Davrin dies, Elspeth refuses to leave Brenna alone. She sits with her at all hours, and she and Lace make a blanket fort for the three of them to sleep in in Harding's room (other people join the blanket fort from time to time during the time Nephele is in the fade prison. Especially Aleksei, who is having a Bad Time dealing with Bellara's disappearance). Most of the time they don't talk. Sometimes they do. But Brenna is never alone.

Brenna's family disowned her when she became a Warden, which she's never really let her self dwell on. She's used to dealing with everything by herself. She was just starting to get to the point with Davrin where she saw herself letting someone in, and that was taken away from her. If no one had been there to step up, Brenna probably would not have recovered. She absolutely would have died in the final battle. But she realizes that this isn't just a group of people that she happens to be fighting with right now. She finally has a family again. And she's going to fight to protect that.

Which brings us to

The Star: When things get dark, what gives Rook hope?

I'm going to sum it all up here. Obviously, the entire Veilguard is a found family. But specifically these 7 come to view each other as siblings. They are inextricably connected. Throughout the game and beyond, they know at each of these people will support them unconditionally, and most of them have never had a family to count on before, and those that have haven't had them for a long time. These people are used to being their own protector, and finally have someone to rely on. They would each happily fight to protect that peace.

[elcor-thespian]

New Rook Question: If there was a third statue in their regret prison, who would it be and what would they say?

My answers below the cut:

Nephele Mercar: Neve. Basically doubling down on everything she actually said after Minrathous was attacked. Nephele is positive that none of the Shadow Dragons forgive her and that they never will.

Nasreen Aldwir: Her mother, Zofiyah. "I died protecting you because I thought you were special. I thought it was worth it. But all you've ever done is prove that I made a mistake. You've never accomplished anything. You don't even want to be alive. What a waste. I should have let them take you instead."

Aleksei Laidir: Nasreen. "You left. I trusted you. I thought we were family. Why wasn't I enough for you? Did you ever care about me? "

Brenna Thorne: Her youngest sister, Eveleen. "You left. I trusted you. I thought we were family. Why wasn't I enough for you? Did you ever care about me? " (The way I need Brenna and Aleksei to bond over being failed older siblings, I swear to God)

Elspeth de Riva: Viago. "I knew taking you in was a mistake. All you have ever brought to this family is headaches and disappointment. You are a failure, and I wish we had never laid eyes on you."

Paloma: Tarquin. "You've never stepped up for the Shadow Dragons the way we've needed you to. What do you ever do to help anyone? You were so willing to accept our help when you needed it. All you do is take."

Konstantin Ingellvar: Myrna. "Unfortunately our investment in you seems to have been misplaced. We of course have long since lost hope that you would develop any magic ability, but we hoped you could have at least proved yourself useful in other ways. How unfortunate." (The way I need Elspeth, Paloma, and Konstantin to bond over feeling lie a burden uggghhhh)

[elcor-thespian]

Doing head canons for no reason, here are three hobbies each of my Rooks have that have nothing to do with fighting.

Nephele Mercar: antiquing, singing, makes her own clothes

Nasreen Aldwir: playing guitar/writing music, botany (specifically poisonous and carnivorous plants), reading (magical theory)

Aleksei Laidir: climbing, star gazing, gymnastics

Konstantin Ingellvar: Sketching, writing poetry, reading (politics and history)

Elspeth de Riva: wine making (she spends a lot of time at the Dellamorte Vineyards), cards, wrestling

Brenna Thorne: embroidery, knife throwing, reading (adventure stories) Paloma: people watching, fashion, meditation

[elcor-thespian]

Working on playlists for each of my Rooks, but here are some highlights

Nephele Mercar: I do not make the rules, every single Lucanis shipper has Espresso and Birds of a Feather on their playlist. So let’s pick something a little deeper.

When it comes to internal conflict, a great song for her is Buzz by Maddie Medley. It really captures that sweet spot of a deeply traumatized person who is stuck between desperately wanting someone to touch her and never wanting to be touched again.

If you don’t mind, then I don’t mind, and I hope this was worth your time.

Please get too close to me. When I push away, let me push away, please.

Nasreen Aldwir was very much inspired by the elven instrument you can have in your room. She processes a lot through writing music, so her playlist is very important.

You could tell me she wrote and performed Crane Your Neck by Lady Lamb after meeting Emmrich and I would believe you. So much of this song is exactly her. Down to the feral screaming. Lots of bone and nature imagery as well which is *chefs kiss*.

I used to have a pretty nice spine but I neglected to give it a name, so each time I tried to straighten it I couldn’t get its attention.

It’s a goddamn joke how we can hurt even in the sun.

Cuz if you’re dreaming about dying you’re not really living darling. You’ve gotta be starving, you gotta be starving for it.

Alexei Laidir: we need a whole separate playlist for the relationship between Alexei and Nasreen, but as far as just songs about him, we’re going with De Selby (part 2) by Hozier.

I wanna run against the world that's turning, I'd move so past that I'd outpace the sun.

Brenna Thorne: I’m trying to hard to not pick songs by the same artist, or to pick songs that are just about their love interest. But I can not deny how important Unknown/Nth by Hozier is to her, or how important Davrin and his death are to her story. But we are going to go deeper than that and find something that is JUST about her.

I feel like there's probably a better option, but I'm going to go with Belly Side Up by Bent Knee.

Show me what you're made of, don't turn your belly side up, put up your dukes, don't let nothing get through

My beautiful disaster lesbian Elspeth de Riva. Messy by Lola Young.

Cause I'm too messy, then I'm too fucking clean. You told me get a job then you ask where the hell I've been.

Paloma: Venom by Little Simz Paloma doesn't talk much but imagine a Qunari just staring you down while this plays in her head.

If you coming come at me directly, don't need no one to defend me. Soul's in a place even I can't get to, don't fuck with the deadly.

Konstantin Ingellvar: Open Heart by Adrian Chalifour. My sweet soft boy.

Baby you're an open heart. You just can't love unless you're falling hard, and you won't quit until it falls apart, and leaves you bleeding, no time for healing.

[elcor-thespian]

Fashion Inspo with my Rooks

The largest picture for each (except Brenna) is what they wore to their wedding

Nephele Mercar

Nasreen Aldwir

Aleksei Laidir

Brenna Thorne

Elspeth de Riva

Paloma

Konstantin Ingellvar

[elcor-thespian]

Even more answers to questions no one asked! This time from Thematic Headcanons.

I have 7 Rooks so for each of these that sounded interesting I just used a random number generator.

Family Themed Headcanon: Konstantin Ingellvar does not have any idea who his actual family is, but they were raised communally but Senior Watchers, and would say they were primarily raised by Vorgoth. Emmrich very much treats him as a son, which Konstantin doesn't really realize.

Friendship Themed Headcanon: Nasreen Aldwir has had exactly one friend in their life up until the beginning on Veilguard, and it's Aleksei (my Laidir). At the beginning on the game she would say she has no friends. Bellara does not know that and absolutely thinks they are friends (eventually Nasreen agrees).

Romance Themed Headcanon: Konstantin (rolled the same number again!) develops crushes so easily. He's always got like 8 active crushes. He never acts on them beyond being super nice to them and pining for them. Poetry writing is involved. The second he meets Neve Gallus he immediately forgets all other crushes that have ever existed and fills up multiple notebooks with doodles and poems about her. His greatest fear is someone (coughAlekseicough) discovering these journals.

Love Themed Headcanon: Aleksei will sleep with just about any consenting adult, but he's never been in love. Lots of people have been in love with him, and it often takes a 3rd party pointing it out for him to notice. He's very quick to break it off at that point because he genuinely doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. The VG has to have an intervention with him at some point because he's openly flirting with everyone all the time, not realizing that Bellara has caught actual feelings and is getting her heart broken. When told he needs to either commit to Bellara or stop giving her false hope he realizes he like ACTUALLY likes her and then gets very very nervous around her.

Sad Headcanon: Brenna Thorne's family cut off ties to her after she joined the Wardens. She's the oldest of six, and she's only six years older than her youngest sibling, so they were all very close. Her and her sisters used to talk about being in each other's weddings and she kind of always held out hope that one of her siblings would invite them to their wedding. A month before the events of the game she found out that her youngest sister was finally engaged, and that she isn't invited to this one either.

Lie Themed Headcanon: I rolled a 1, which is Nephele Mercar, my canon Rook, which almost feels like cheating. She lies about so much shit, especially to cover up her biggest lie, which is that she isn't from Tevinter and her whole backstory is made up.

Here is a list of my Rooks in order of best liar to worst liar: Nephele Mercar, Brenna Thorne, Elspeth de Riva, Nasreen Aldwir, Aleksei Laidir, Paloma, Konstantin Ingellvar (bless his heart)

Headcanon about a secret they keep: Aleksei literally hasn't told anyone about the fact that he was a slave for a period of time after becoming a sailor, or that he can barely read (the only person that knows that is Nasreen because they grew up together). Aleksei actually isn't a very good liar, but he is good at deflecting and redirecting. If you do manage to corner him he will fold immediately.

Sleep Themed Headcanon: This is the last one I'm going to do tonight, so let me fire a little bit for each of them:

Nephele: Has a lot of routines established around sleep, because she has a lot of anxiety and nightmares that can make sleep difficult. She has special incense, an herbal supplement, a warm beverage, a specific configuration of pillows. If she can't do all her steps she almost certainly has nightmares, if she can fall asleep at all.

Aleksei: One of these obnoxious people who can function perfectly off of 3-4 hours of sleep. But when he's tired he just sort of drops wherever. It's not uncommon to find him on the floor of someone's room, or curled in a chair in the dining room, or literally on top of Assan.

Nasreen: Sleeps best outside, due to growing up Dalish. When she first moved in to a permanent house, she would go days without sleeping. Her adopted mother noticed and started staying up with her to bake, talk, do mending, etc until she got comfortable enough in the home to be able to go to sleep with everyone else. She still has trouble sleeping inside new buildings and had trouble adjusting to the Lighthouse at first.

Brenna: After years bunking with the Wardens, Brenna can't sleep if it's too quiet. She also has a lot of trouble sleeping at first at the Lighthouse because everyone is so far away from each other. It reminds her of being a kid, growing up as a noble, where everyone of her sibling's rooms were down another hall, but they would often sneak in to each other's rooms at night.

Elspeth: Being a Crow, Elspeth has been trained to be nocturnal. The constant light at the Lighthouse actually makes her tired, because her brain thinks it's always day time. It's very confusing. She also drinks a lot of coffee.

Paloma: Paloma finds it very hard to fall asleep, but when she does she is the heaviest sleeper in the group. There is simply no waking her until she wants to get up. People have tried shouting at her, sitting on her, splashing water on her. No use. She will not be moved.

Konstantin: Konstantin is very sensitive to light since he grew up underground. The second he senses light he'll wake up, so he has a room in the Lighthouse with no windows. Once he starts sharing a space with Neve he learns what blackout curtains are.

[elcor-thespian]

The rule is for every hour I clean my house, I can spend one hour yapping about my digital children. SO:

I'm doing Rook and partner questions for each of my Rooks. One question at a time.

6) What are their favorite things to do together? Do they share any hobbies? Do they teach each other their hobbies?

Here are the couples:

Nephele Mercar (human rogue) - Lucanis

Nasreen Aldwir (elf mage) - Emmrich

Aleksei Laidir (elf rogue) - Bellara

Brenna Thorne (human warrior) - Davrin

Elspeth de Riva (dwarf warrior) - Harding

Konstantin Ingellvar (Qunari warrior) - Neve

Paloma (Qunari mage) - Taash

Nephele and Lucanis both cook, although she doesn't let him know that until they are officially together. Nephele is from Rivain and her cooking style reflects that, so they spend a lot of time experimenting in the kitchen together showing each other different recipes and techniques. Nephele has never been a good baker however, so Lucanis is trying to help her get better (it's not going well). But Nephele also sews, and she's trying to teach him and that's not going well either. She get's bored when trying to learn to knit and it doesn't make sense anyway because they live in Antiva WHEN are they going to wear all of these scarves and sweaters. Lucanis points out that she doesn't need to make her own clothes anymore either because they can pay someone to do it.

Nasreen because a rabid reader when she meets Emmrich. She's never felt one way or the other about reading, she just hasn't had consistent access to books. But she starts burning through his library and WHAT DO YOU MEAN that this isn't your full library? There's more?? As she's reading she's coming to him with questions which turn into long conversations and eventually (as she learns more) debates. What do you mean debating isn't a hobby? It is if you're doing it right. Also they both have an interest in plants, although Emmrich prefers flowers and she prefers poisonous and carnivorous plants. Nasreen also plays guitar and sings. Emmrich doesn't have any musical ability but he loves listening to her.

Aleksei is functionally illiterate which initially made him feel pretty out of his depth with Bellara. But he's not a quitter so he used it as a way to get closer to her and now they're working on hie reading and writing by writing stories together. He is however, naturally gifted in alchemy and chemistry, which is a fancy way of saying he can make shit that explodes. He also tinkers around with mechanical things. How did you think we got the gun for the Saboteur specialization? Bellara and Aleksei's first date.

Brenna and Davrin are that annoying ass couple that work out together and hike. I mean good for them. Just can't relate.

NEVER forget that Lace Harding was an official member of the Sing-quisition. NEVER. Can Elspeth sing? Not in the slightest. NEITHER of these idiots can cook, so most of the time they go out to eat and try new food in whatever city they've ended up in. Elspeth is really in to wine hand has a share in the Dellamorte Vineyards post-Veilguard (Lucanis was like, of sick, you want to take some of this responsibility off of me? Done.). She's not good at gardening (they are fighting for their life trying to keep a single succulent alive, so Lace helps with that aspect.

Konstantin is a talented charcoal artist and poet, but he absolutely does not share this. Neve finds out eventually, and shows him her doodles in her notes (you know the ones). Once he is officially assisting her detective work (He is her Watson and is THRILLED about it), he does composite drawings of suspects, sketches of crime scenes, etc. He also does a lot of reading (mostly history), and will read to Neve to help her relax.

Paloma and Taash is hard because they really are opposite people and I haven't played through the romance yet, and Paloma is the character I've played the least. Paloma and Taash do meditate together (for different reasons and with different results). I think Paloma does also get into the dragon stuff. I think it would be really hard to date Taash and not be in to dragons.

[elcor-thespian]

What's your Rooks favourite place to be? Like either in the lighthouse or adventuring. Do they throw everything to the side to go to Arlathan Forrest any chance they get? Do they prefer the music room to the library?

Ok when I tell you that I am generally so touched somebody asked me a question in response to my most recent post. I have been on this site for 10+ years and no one really ever interacts with me. And this is such a great question! Please answer it too and tag me so I can read it!

Answering below because this is going to be long

My canon Rook is Nephele Mercer, and my first thought in response to this was the the market in Traviso. Nephele had a pretty horrific childhood, and once she ran away from home she's been sort of building the bridge out in front of her to make ends meet. Even with the Shadow Dragons she never really felt safe or like she could relax. She is also fascinated by luxury because she's never had anything nice.

It's hard to explain but some combination of the purple lanterns and the warm night air makes her feel like she can finally slow down. It feels homey in a way she doesn't know how to describe. The first time she saw it when they were rushing past with Teia all she wanted to do was stay behind and look around. And the second she got to go back she visited every single stall and talked to everyone she could. Probably also bought more than she could afford.

And fast forward to her being the wife of the First Talon, she absolutely refuses any discounts anyone tries to give her. She pays people what they're worth, and then some.

Now I also have 6 other OCs that while they aren't the protagonist of the game, they are all also present a the Lighthouse and are associates of Varrics. They also all have bird code names because I think I'm cute.

Nasreen "Raven" Aldwir: I actually think that Nasreen's bedroom is the music room. She likes to be alone, and she likes small dark quiet places, so it's a great place for her to hide out in. She also is a musician (a huge inspiration for her character was the elven instrument that you can have in Rook's bedroom). At the beginning of the game she would borrow stacks of books from Emmrich and hide out in her room for hours, occasionally going back to ask questions. Eventually she got more comfortable staying in Emmrich's office and reading on the couch.

Aleksei "Magpie" Laidir: This boy must be near to water at all times. He grew up on an island and now he's a sailor. But literally any body of water will do. Lake in Arlathan, beaches of Rivain, canals of Treviso. He's like a duck.

Konstantin "Wren" Ingellvar: I don't know that Konstantin has ever felt comfortable anywhere, bless him. He probably feels most comfortable in the halls of the Necropolis because at least he understands the rules there, and he can spend a lot of time alone without questions. His life's goal is to not to be noticed, but he's a 7'2" Qunari built like a brick shit house. I think after a few weeks his favorite place to be is the library, because that's where the most people who are happy to see him are likely to be (I'm sobbing. I love him)

Paloma "Dove": Paloma is also a Shadow Dragon (There's 6 backgrounds but 7 romances, so someone's got to be the bonus Jonas). Paloma and Elspeth (below) are the two I've played the least so I don't have them as fleshed out. I think she likes to be around people, but struggles to talk to them. Paloma is an escaped Sarebaas, and she's still not used to talking or other people expecting her to say something. She likes people watching, either in the Shadow Dragon hide out, at bars, marketplaces, or at the docks. She feels very protective of Minrathous, the place that took her in when she needed a place to go, so part of her people watching is being ready to shut shit down if she sees trouble starting.

Elspeth "Crow" de Riva: My first instinct is to say "wherever Harding is", because she is Lace's self elected body guard, but that feels too easy. She's definitely a city kid, and growing up as a Crow means she's a night owl. I actually think she spends a lot of time at home. Or wherever Viago is so that she can annoy him. I wonder what it says about them that I can best describe them in their relationship to other people?

Brenna "Kestral" Thorne: For a long time Brenna would have considered anywhere with a high concentration of Wardens to be her favorite place. Being a Warden means she is constantly shuffled around, so she doesn't get attached to places easily. 6 months after the events of the game, she gets permission to go watch over the griffons in Arlathan, essentially on mental health leave. She ends every day watching the sunset with the griffons on the hillside where she and Davrin had their picnic.

So yeah this was really fun! Would love to answer some more if anyone is interested.

[elcor-thespian]

Oh boy, it’s time. Tell me your Rook’s astrology big three.

My answers below the cut. And yes I know they have different constellations, that’s not what this is about. It’s about vibes.

Nephele Mercar: Libra Sun, Aquarius Rising, Cancer Moon

Nasreen Aldwir: Sagittarius Sun, Capricorn Rising, Scorpio Moon

Aleksei Laidir: Aries Sun, Sagittarius Rising, Cancer Moon

Brenna Thorne: Leo Sun, Virgo Rising, Gemini Moon

Elspeth de Riva: Cancer Sun, Leo Rising, Sagittarius Moon

Paloma: Pisces Sun, Scorpio Rising, Taurus Moon

Konstantin Ingellvar: Virgo Sun, Cancer Rising, Pisces Moon