#losing davrin was bad enough

[dalishbee]

I lost Davrin and Assan and I'm so upset :')

[hyperions-light]

screaming and crying and throwing up because Davrin and Lucanis can’t be friends until their fundamental conceptions of who they are and how the world works are destroyed

Davrin the Monster Hunter meets Lucanis, the Demon of Vyrantium, and he sees a Monster. The first thing Davrin says to him is that if Spite takes over he will kill him, and Lucanis responds with more than typical ire for him, because he agrees— he IS the monster (in his own mind) and Davrin has identified what he’s trying to ignore. (Harding also threatens to kill him, but Lucanis never reacts in that way to her).

Davrin conceptualizes himself as a bulwark against the darkness, the grim defender. He IS Weisshaupt, and Weisshaupt cannot fall, but it does. He stabs an Archdemon and does not die, and he doesn’t know why. What is he if not this? He did not protect anyone, he did not save anyone; he did not succeed in preserving anything he valued.

Lucanis has lost everything, but he is still a professional, he is still a Crow, and if he is now a monster he can use that to his advantage. He can control it; he WILL control it. He will go back to work and make things right the way he knows how. But when it’s time to do what he has trained for, he fails. What is he if he cannot even do the thing for which he was made? The only thing he has left?

And then Davrin goes to the Cauldron, and he finds the Gloom Howler, and she was a Person. She was a Warden, and an elf and the keeper of griffons, just like Davrin. Suddenly, she’s not a monster anymore; she’s Isseya, and she’s hurt.

And Lucanis goes to Treviso to kill Zara, and it’s taken from him and he loses control. He has to ask Rook for help, which he has been trying not to do, because he hasn’t confronted the real problem. And in that moment, he loses everything he had left; Illario, because he sees him for what he is, and his cloak of professionalism, because if it had been a job he would have stopped. But her death was not enough, and now he’s not a Crow, and he’s not in control, so what is he?

AND NOW that everything that can be broken has been broken and every bad thing they were afraid of actually happened and the world is ending, NOW they can be friends! Now they can rebuild themselves together ! Because Davrin isn’t ONLY the Monster Hunter, he’s also the man who raises Assan and sings to the halla and talks Isseya down! And Lucanis is not a monster at all. He’s just a man who goes grocery shopping for his friends and cooks special meals for everyone and loves his family no matter how much they hurt him.

Shokra toh ebra! You must struggle with what you are, but you can struggle TOGETHER !!

[wolfsong-the-bloody-beast]

As a Rookanis lover, I've got to say that I enjoy seeing affectionate Lucanis from the external perspective on a different playthrough. It's something you can't see while romancing him with Rook, because he wouldn't tell them how much he wanted to get it right and how nervous he was about it, because he wants to look good for them.

But he totally fusses over preparing the dessert for his sweetheart. Which is adorable. And he does not like it when you later tell Neve that he got flustered over it. He wants to make a good impression.

And I can't believe people say you can't be evil in this game when you can straight up lie to him that it's a bad idea. :( That's an option for Rooks who like kicking puppies.

Also...

Assassin mode: On. 😆

An interesting difference I found here is that this is the point where Rook's romance with Lucanis locks in, and they officially become a couple. Rook recognizes what he's trying to say, likely thanks to all the previous experiences they've shared together - besides all the time spent together, getting to know each other, at this point they've almost kissed, and Lucanis also admits to having feelings for Rook during Inner Demons. The romance lock-in for him and Neve happens later, though. In my playthrough (where my Grey Warden Rook romanced Davrin but still saved Treviso), it actually happened waaay later, probably because I did Inner Demons soon after it became available, and the romance lock-in scene for them happened after Blood of Arlathan. (I haven't played enough yet to know whether it always happens this way, but I assume you can postpone or switch order for certain quests, which will affect your timeline for this.) So, with Neve, he may take significantly longer than with Rook.

And that is not meant to be any commentary on the quality of the relationships. I'm just observing the bird man for science. Especially because I've seen some people say that he doesn't act consistently between his romance with Rook and Neve. But... I don't think so? He still takes it slow in both cases. This is one of the examples. But of course, Rook and Neve are two different individuals that get involved with Lucanis under different circumstances and from different positions in the team, so it makes sense that the progression is not completely the same. Lucanis' relationship is flavoured by his partner, but they both make him happy and they're both equally valid.

I've also repeatedly seen some nonsense takes about how Rook's romance with Lucanis is supposedly inferior to Neve's, how he ignores Rook's affection, and isn't actually that much into them, which is honestly insane to me, because Lucanis expresses interest in Rook way before the scene with the dessert. Not only does he eagerly play along with Rook's flirting during their first coffee date, he initiates it. Most of the time, Rook's "flirting" takes the form of caring, expressing concern, and showing support. Lucanis is not used to that and he's also experiencing the horrors 24/7. But it is him that tells them that they always manage to cheer him up ("How do you always do that?" - "Do what?" - "Break apart my perfectly gathered clouds of doom.") and when they keep being supportive, he pins them against the wall. He straight up tells Rook that he doesn't want to lose them in Inner Demons. And I could go on. All that happens before the point when he starts courting Neve on a playthrough where they become a couple. Neve gets one cute dialogue cutscene with him and a few lines of dialogue/banter, because she's a companion. There's no reason to be jelly.

But back to the post.

From what I've gathered, it seems that the first pie didn't do the trick with Neve. I imagine they still spent nice time together, but from their actual lock-in scene later, it's clear that Lucanis didn't express his interest yet (or maybe didn't do it clearly enough, because his style is pushing a snack your way and hoping you'll get the message), or Neve wasn't ready to/didn't pick up on it. After the scene with the dessert (after Inner Demons) with Rook, Lucanis writes in his 4th logbook entry about spending time with them late at night. But with Neve, it's just this:

No mention of spending time with her yet.

When Rook and Lucanis become a couple, he makes this addition in the same logbook entry:

Which is another reason why it's clear they're just not there with Neve yet at this point. Also because Lucanis then prepares another pie later for her, and that's when they finally admit they like each other. But that's something for another post.

Also, I will tolerate no clowning towards Neve on this post. We love and respect Neve in this house. Sometimes she's my boyfriend's girlfriend, and sometimes she's also my girlfriend. I will protect. I'm writing this for fun, because I want to study the bird man from all angles. It's good extra material for my Rookanis headcanons. I also assume not everybody has done multiple playthroughs, so I thought maybe other people could appreciate it.

EDIT: I've made a follow-up post.

[fandom-go-round]

If you’re still writing for dragon age I’d love if you did head cannons for all the veil guard companions and how they act after losing an injured rook to the fade and getting them back + nursing them back to health. I live for a good hurt / comfort and your writing is incredibly well done!

Warnings: Angst, Perceived Character Death (Rook), Nightmares, Self Blame, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms,

Davrin:

Davrin is clinical until he isn’t. Losing you had been devastating enough the first time; he isn’t going to lose you now due to injuries. He hovers a lot, letting the others heal you as much as they can and then sitting right back by your side. The team had been trying to organize, to help the allies you’d help, but all that fades to the background now that you’re back. Davrin is going to defend your bedside for as long as it takes.

It takes you a while to wake and he does his best to distract himself. He trains, works with Assan and attempts to show that he’s fine. He’s not, of course, and the others know it but they do their best to help. The first time you open your eyes, groggy and disoriented, he ignores the way tears gather in the corners of his eyes. He gives you a minute before leaning in to hold you close, almost squeezing the air of out you. He’s never going to lose you again.

Taash:

Taash alternates from being pissed to being hollow with loss, which leads to more rage. They’ve just lost their Tama and now you? One of the best things in their life? They don’t know what to do and it mostly ends with them wanting to hit something. They do hit and run missions with the other factions, but that stops once you come back to the Lighthouse. Taash isn’t the best nurse but they’re not bad, changing your bandages and telling you stories. They aren’t the best at sharing their day but they refuse to leave you for long.

This entire ordeal has been murder on Taash’s patience and it may never come back. The moment you’re awake Taash is relieved but also a little ashamed. They feel like they should have been doing something productive, not being upset. Reassure them and let they hover over you. Their hovering looks more like demanding you eat and start to move. Their touch is gentle, however and you soak up the attention like a sponge.

Lace Harding:

Lace isn’t a stranger to loss, but you hit her harder than the others. She lost friends during the Inquisition, but you loom in her mind like a specter. It’s worse now that she can dream; she sees you disappearing over and over. She doesn’t sleep much and distracts herself, sending letters and trying to track down Elgar’nan’s next move. The others worry for her but she puts on a brave face; the circles under her eyes start to rival Lucanis’.

She stays by your beside until you wake up, head bobbing with the urge to sleep. You wake up to her dozing next to you. Wake her up and she’ll start scolding you, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Lace dotes on you for the next few days, getting you things and making sure you’re comfortable. She wants to touch you so badly but you’ll need to make the first move; hold her hand and she might just cry with relief.

Lucanis Dellamorte:

He blames himself for you going missing; he replays the moment over and over in his mind. If only he was faster or moved in a different way. It’s a dark slope he goes down and Spite doesn’t help, raging against you going missing. The guilt doesn’t dissipate once you’re back, in fact it’s worse. He wants to be with you so bad it hurts, but he feels he’s unworthy.

Spite solves this problem for him. Once Lucanis goes to sleep, Spite goes to your bedside and curls up next to you. You wake up to an exhausted Antivan man in your bed and it’s cute as much as concerning. Lucanis is so embarrassed he wants to sink into the floor, but when you start talking to him, he relaxes. You have a heart to heart and he feels better, leaving after to let you rest. None of the others say anything and he makes a huge dinner as a thank you.

Bellara Lutare:

Bellara throws herself into the study of the Fade, working around the clock to try and figure out what happened. Emmrich might be the expert, but she can help and she’s not going to sit around doing nothing while you’re gone. She gets so focused she forgets to eat and drink; Neve has to literally drag her to bed one night. Once you’re back, Bellara is finally able to sleep but it isn’t restful, not when you’re not up yet.

She does cry once you’re awake, not in front of you but in the hallway. She can hear you talking to Lace, and she’s so overcome she collapses against the wall. She soaks in your voice, your laugh (weak but stable). It takes her a little while to get herself under control, but she smile is genuine when she goes into your room. You notice she’s been crying but don’t say anything, smiling back. Later, she wants to talk about everything, but right now all she wants is to hear your voice again.

Emmrich Volkarin:

Part of him feels like he should be more prepared for this, but he’s not. Emmrich has been surrounded by death but this is different. There isn’t a body, no remains to care for and no time to really mourn. He does his best to take time to grieve, but there’s never going to be enough time for him. Fade research and working with the other factions helps; he feels your absence like a stabbing wound. Rooms aren’t as bright when you’re not in them, and it’s hard for him to focus, he keeps getting lost in his thoughts.

He does his best to heal you once you’re back with them. Emmrich isn’t someone who normally gets touchy, but this is an exception. He doesn’t want anyone else to care for you and the others are accepting, even if they don’t agree. When you finally open your eyes, he feels like the sun is rising for the first time since you’ve left. He has so much to tell you but it’ll have to wait. He wants to soak up as much time as possible with you before the final fight.

Neve Gallus:

Neve throws herself into her work, or at least, that’s what she says. She pours over notes and clues, trying to figure out how Solas has come back, but no thoughts ever stick. Her theories slide through her fingers like sand and she feels like she’s going crazy. She blames herself; for losing you, for getting too attached, for not seeing this betrayal coming. When you finally awake up, she feels so goes boneless in her chair. She needs a moment to collect herself before going to see you.

Neve does her best to show she’s alright but it’s easy to see through her. After you fall back asleep, she vows that she’s not going to lose you again. She wants your kind of trouble and you’re both going to survive this damn it. She pushes herself to get ready for the big fight, both for her city and you. Support her but also remind her that you’re on her side; you’re going to finish this together.

[rook-laidir]

Banter Time!

~

Emmrich: Rook, have you been taking Manfred to The Hilt?

Rook: Not recently. I’ve been teaching him some Wicked Grace, though.

Emmrich: Ah. That explains it.

Rook: Explains what?

Emmrich: Manfred has taken to placing buttons on the table whenever I place my notecards down.

Rook: Aw! He knows how to gamble! Wanna show the rest of the Lords what you know, buddy?

Manfred: (Excited hiss)

Emmrich: (Sighs)

~

Rook: Are all of the Mourn Watch mages?

Emmrich: A great deal of them are necromancers, but we have plenty of watchers whose talents lie outside of magical abilities. Are you looking to join? I’d be happy to put in a good word for you.

Rook: No. Definitely not. I’m perfectly happy above ground.

~

Rook: Hypothetical question: How hard do you think I could hit someone with your little monster carvings?

Davrin: Don’t you have arrows?

Rook: I could run out of arrows.

Davrin: You’re telling me that if you run out of arrows, your first instinct is going to be throwing a wooden carving of a hurlock at whatever we’re fighting.

Rook: I just like to keep my options open. Besides, it would be at least my third instinct.

~

Davrin: I got word from Antoine and Evka. They need us in Hossberg to talk about those samples you collected.

Rook: (Groans)

Davrin: You still have to go.

Rook: I know, it’s just…

Davrin: Cold, blighted, and gross?

Rook: And wet, don’t forget wet.

Davrin: It is the Wetlands.

Rook: Next time, can we find the drylands? The warm lands? The “cold drinks and a nap” lands?

Davrin: I’ll see what Harding finds along the way.

~

Rook: Did you make me hot chocolate earlier?

Neve: Who says it was me?

Rook: Well…It was kinda…

Neve: That bad?

Rook: It’s the thought that counts.

~

Neve: Ashur asked for you the other day. One of the freed slaves the Shadow Dragons are harboring, she only speaks Rivaini.

Rook: I can translate.

Neve: We’d owe you one.

Rook: At this point, I think we owe each other enough to call it even. But I wouldn’t say no to some dinner.

Neve: I’ll bring some fish from Hal’s.

~

Harding: I think I’m gonna head over to the Hall of Valor later.

Rook: You ok? You seem kind of out of it.

Harding: Yeah, I’m ok. I just…need to hit some things.

Rook: I get it.

~

Rook: So what’s up with all the hands in Arlathan?

Bellara: What do you mean?

Rook: There are hand statues everywhere.

Bellara: Most of them were originally attached to bigger statues. Ones with bodies:

Rook: I bet the guy the big one was attached to was pretty hand-some.

Bellara: I knew I shouldn’t have asked.

~

Taash: Drinks at The Hilt later?

Rook: Who’s buying?

Taash: Whoever loses worse to Isabela at Wicked Grace.

Rook: You’re on.

~

Spite: Smells like oranges and chocolates. Fear and fury.

Rook: Is Spite saying I need a bath?

Lucanis: Ignore him.

[vigilskeep]

give me the Sol good & bad endings in detail pretty pls 💖

sol as a character is defined by the crows and the blight, so here’s a spread of what i might have to work with

some bad sol endings:

crow version: the Widow Dellamorte. sol commits to being first talon lucanis’ right hand, but fail to protect him when the rest of the crows go to war with the ascending dominance of the dellamorte-de riva-cantori block. desperate to cling to whatever they have left of him, they allow themself to be possessed by spite—a fuller meld than spite/lucanis ever was, more in the anders/justice style—and become a vengeful winged monstrosity effectively haunting the dellamorte villa. black veil over golden heavy armour. for now, they still recognise their friends

blight version: the blight finally catches up. sol was intensely careful about fighting the blight right up until the final days, where there was nothing for it but to cut blindly into blight cysts. obviously it’s awful and pointless for them to suddenly die after all that, which is why i think we should at least explore the possibility. for awful and pointless drama. the ending they were kind of hoping for, just when they no longer want it??

alternate blight version: okay this isn’t an ending per se but i still think ghilan’nain should have gotten to turn them into a sick crow-themed blight monster at some point, as a special treat. this can also be a neutral or good ending depending on how much of themself they retain and how much of a monsterfucker lucanis is. sorry for saying that

some neutral-ish sol endings:

crow version: the First Talon’s Executioner. this is the version where sol goes back to the crows and it’s essentially business as usual. i can’t imagine this as good, but with their renewed appreciation for what they have and the lifetime of focus and activity ahead in order to just keep their heads above water, it could be survivable. and lucanis is there. but then i think about how permanently damning the step is where you start raising the next generation for it and i feel a bit sick

blight version: warden sol! sol finally gets up the nerve to cut ties with the crows, making the necessary choice for themself even if it means losing the people they love most. they take the joining and build what life they can alongside davrin, evka, and antoine, slaying darkspawn and finding a new path for the wardens following the tracks of a changing blight. it’s ugly and terrifying and hard, full of horror they never get used to, that will still be making their skin crawl until the day it kills them and drags them down, far from the comforts of home. but as a life, it is, at least, theirs to choose

some good sol endings:

crow version: a newly re-energised sol takes their place at lucanis’s side but considers things in ways they never could have before. why does going back to the crows have to mean they’re locked in place? they aren’t the underdog just clawing for survival that they once were, and they don’t have to act like it. they can do better! they have viago and teia and lucanis and people listen to them. if the dread wolf can change, can’t the crows? through a certain connection via the wardens, they make a contact who has very interesting ideas on the crows’ future

blight version: sol accepts they can’t stay with the crows, does a whole tear-stained confession to a shocked and distraught lucanis, and walks away. they settle into helping davrin, evka, and antoine against the changing blight. nobody actually requires them to take the joining because, hey, they’ve already gotten rid of more than enough archdemons for one person (showoff), and sometimes it is actually helpful for them to do their crow thing as the combatant the darkspawn can’t sense coming. maybe a year or two later, the world’s most miserable first talon (“they don’t even let me do my own assassinations anymore!”) quits his job, thoroughly disappoints his grandmother, thrills his demon, hands all his power to teia, and shows up somewhat nervously with as many antivan delicacies as he fears forgiveness will require

[fromthedaswithlove]

Lucanis x Rook Ingellvar, Bad Ending! Mourning, sad, longing… Uh. Yeah. Angst. Please.

Rook, 

I went to Myrna and Vorgoth today. They say there is little known about where you went, only that they grieve your absence. 

Emmrich has made no progress on what’s happened, only that you were dragged into the Fade alongside Solas. 

He was able to free Neve and Davrin from Solas’ petrification spell, something about Nevarran rituals that were created to counter something like it. It is hard to understand the necromancer at times, especially now that you are gone. 

I should have been with you, Rook. But you asked that I stay behind, and now you are gone again.

Was it not enough that Tearstone Island was a disaster? Ghilan'nain was slain, but at the cost of losing you. Why was that not enough? 

Spite has been quieter than usual, I think that he misses you as well. That or he could sense you somewhere in the Fade? Emmrich doesn’t know for certain either, which is more alarming than if Spite decided to sleepwalk through the Eluvians again. 

Neve had taken me to the Wall of Light in Minrathous, lighting a small beacon in your honor. It was kind of her to include me, but it does not soothe the ache of you being gone. 

Taash plans to go dragon hunting with Davrin soon, to get out of the Lighthouse for a while. I, too, was thinking about returning to Treviso, there is so much of you here in the Lighthouse…

I love you, Rook. I wish I got the chance to say it more.

Lucanis

[rookamell]

WIP Wednesday

Tagged by the wonderful @serensama thank you!!

I will tag @flowersforthemachines @pixiedurango and anyone else that wants to join I was doing this in a rush but edited tags so I can see more WIPs @saessenach @mythals-whore

From the developing au:

The blood magic might have bothered him more, if it hadn’t saved his and Lucanis’s lives. And frankly, if it had been anyone other than Rook doing it. He wondered where she’d learned, though perhaps living in Tevinter for eight years meant you picked up a thing or two.

Lucanis had better pray to his Maker if he had one word to say about it after he woke up. Davrin wouldn’t even feel bad setting Assan on him.

He grimaced when he entered the library and saw Rook on the couch, asleep. She was clean, at least, her hair dark with moisture and loose against the pillows where she lay, a bandage tied shoddily around her right hand.

Neve was there as well, hands on her hips as she looked over at Davrin.

“I take it confronting Zara went well?” she asked, tucking dark hair behind her ear, one eyebrow raising.

“You figure?”

Neve grinned, almost reluctantly.

“Well,” she said, “You’re covered in enough blood to fill a bathtub, and Rook was tired enough to fall asleep in the middle of the room. And hasn’t woken up from us talking yet.”

“And Lucanis is passed out in the pantry,” Davrin added, more for the look on Neve’s face than anything else.

“We’re alive,” he said, and shrugged before he had to push Assan away from eating his cloak.

That made Neve grin again.

“Good start,” she said, then nodded her head toward Rook. “What happened?”

“Blood magic,” Davrin said, “Lucanis’s deadbeat cousin showing up to make everything worse. What didn’t happen?”

“Good thing Rook was there, then,” Neve said. “If it was that bad.”

“You have no idea,” he said, gazing down at her, asleep on the couch. Shit, she had to be tired if she was still asleep after that whole conversation. He and Neve hadn’t even been keeping their voices down.

“She’ll probably debrief everyone at dinner.”

“I’ll tell Bel she’ll need to cook today,” Neve folded her arms, frowning down at Rook.

Davrin nodded, then started toward the baths again. If he had to spend one more moment covered in this congealed blood…

“Davrin.”

“Yeah, Neve?”

“That cut on her hand,” Neve nodded her head toward Rook’s shoddy bandage job. “Awfully strange place for a wound to be.”

Neve was smart. Too smart. She’d probably already put two and two together.

They won’t hear it from me.

“She saved me and Lucanis,” was all he said. “Not my place to judge how, Neve. Not yours, either.”

“There’s some lines you can’t cross,” Neve said, a scowl on her features. “Not without losing parts of you.”

Next thing you know, you’re standing in a hallway full of corpses.

“Maybe,” he said. “Maybe not. One thing you learn in the Wardens is that the Blight has to be stopped. No matter what. And besides,” he shrugged, and finally, finally, turned towards the baths, determined to make it there this time.

“This is Rook we’re talking about.”

[basic-x-witch]

The Twin's Gambit

Chapter Two: Sadness Consumes Her

TW/ depression & references to off-page self unaliving attempt 

Day 3 after losing Rook

The voices carried down the corridor, sharp edges of desperation and anger cutting through the muffled quiet of the lighthouse.

“Lucanis, please. I simply must speak to Bishop. The sooner we begin brainstorming solutions, the sooner we can set our minds to rescuing Rook!” Emmrich’s voice was raw and strained, his usual composure unraveling further with each word as he mindlessly figited with the small, black, stone, castle shaped chess piece in his hand. He was always yelling these days. Nyx didn’t think he meant to, but it seemed like he couldn’t help himself anymore.

“Mierda, Emmrich,” Lucanis replied, his tone low and deliberate, a sharp contrast. “She’s possessed by a despair demon, and her twin sister sacrificed herself to an elven god to save her. She needs time. She’s not ready.”

Nyx rolled over in her bed, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. Even the muted light filtering through the enchanted walls felt oppressive. Everyone was so loud. Couldn’t they see she just needed silence? She wished they would all just… leave.

“Every moment we wait for her to grow up and get her emotions in check is another moment we’re wasting—and Nymphadora could be dying!”

The words were like a thunderclap. The lighthouse seemed to hold its breath, the ever-present hum of magic fading into an eerie silence. The stillness pressed against her ears like a physical weight.

“You are not the only one who cares about Rook,” Lucanis hissed, his voice colder now, sharper. “And if you think for one second that you can take your grief out on Bishop, I’ll remind you why they call me the mage killer. You and I know better than anyone that this isn’t something she can just ‘get over.’”

“Enough!” Another voice, Davrin’s, interjected with firm authority. “Both of you need to stop. Fighting isn’t helping anyone. Least of all Rook.”

Nyx stared blankly at the wall, her mind detached from the argument unfolding outside her door. Their voices rose and fell, but the meaning of their words slipped through her fingers, ungraspable. She let her thoughts wander instead.

The paint on the lighthouse walls—could it even be changed? Probably not. What kind of paint would even work on magical walls? Something enchanted, perhaps?

Was time even passing?

It was impossible to tell anymore. Days felt like minutes. Minutes stretched into eternity. She felt weightless and heavy all at once, sinking into her mattress as if the bed might swallow her whole. That didn’t sound so bad. At least it would be quiet.

_____

The door to her room creaked open, the beam of light from the hallway cutting through the dimness and falling squarely across her eyes. Nyx winced but didn’t move, staring at the wall as though the light wasn’t there.

“Bishop? Can I come in?” Lucanis’ voice was soft, a quiet unfamiliarity layered beneath his usual cadence.

She didn’t respond. Words felt like too much effort, he either would come in and leave when she didn’t respond, or he would leave now and save them both the trouble, just like the others had.

 If the lighthouse could be painted, what color would she choose? Maybe green—no, purple. Purple was better. It would feel like night, like home. A blend of the Mourn Watch and the Antiva Crows regalia she came to appreciate.

The Mourn Watch. The Crows.

Her chest tightened. Has anyone told Vorgoth and Myrna? Their biological father, Castello de Riva, did he know? Surely someone had, but the thought stuck in her mind like a barb.

Her face was wet. Tears. She didn’t even realize she’d been crying until she blinked and felt the dampness on her cheeks.

Lucanis stepped inside anyway, carefully navigating the chaos of the room. He dodged the overturned chair, stepped over the scattered books, and paused beside her bed. She barely noticed him, her gaze fixed somewhere past him, unfocused. Was this why Emmrich was angry? Because of the mess she’d made with the books? No… her father would have been disappointed, though. Right. Her father, Vorgoth.

“Bishop, did you hear me?” Lucanis’ voice came closer, hesitant but steady. He hovered beside the bed, unsure of himself. He’d never been in her room before. Maybe he’d come in more often if the walls were purple. “Nyx… are you alright?”

She sat up so suddenly that Lucanis jumped back, narrowly avoiding her head colliding with his face. Nyx swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood, her movements jerky and rushed. Armor—still on. Good. There was something crusted on her sleeve. Blood? Maybe. It didn’t matter. Her eyes darted around the room, scanning the wreckage of books and furniture.

“Lucanis, where are my shoes?” Her voice cracked, hoarse, and uneven from disuse.

“Your… shoes?” His confusion was evident. “Nyx, what-?”

“My shoes, Lucanis. I need them. I have to go.”

“Go where?” His voice shifted, tightening with an edge as Spite surfaced. “The little bird. Flying away. So very good at losing chess pieces, aren’t we?”

“I have to go home!” she snapped, her voice rising as panic bubbled over. “My dad doesn’t know. Someone has to tell him. I need to go now!”

“Nyx.” Lucanis stepped closer, his voice softening again, grounding her. “We told him. He knows. It’s okay.” he says calmly “Plus I sent word personally to the de Riva house. Viago said he would inform Castello. He would want to know..”

“No, you don’t understand.” She shook her head, frantic. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for something she couldn’t find. “Where are they? Where are my shoes?”

“Nyx.”

His hands found her face. She flinched at the coldness of his touch, startled. Lucanis rarely touched her. Hesitation, or maybe caution, was his nature. But now his hands were firm, steady, holding her still as if she might drift away without them. His eyes locked onto hers, and she couldn’t look away.

“It’s midnight in Nevarra,” he said gently. “I’ll take you tomorrow. I promise I’ll take you to see Vorgoth tomorrow.”

His sincerity cut through the haze, anchoring her. It was always like this with him. Lucanis spoke, and the world steadied. Her world, at least. 

“Tomorrow?” Her voice cracked again, softer now.

“Yes.” He nodded, his hands still holding her face. “I promise. We’ll go tomorrow.”

“We’ll make sure he goes! To the Necropolis!” Spite interjected, Lucanis’ voice taking on that eerie edge before fading again.

“Tomorrow,” he repeated, quieter this time. “I promise.”

Tomorrow. Was time passing?

___

Day 4 after losing Rook

They didn’t go the next day.

It wasn’t Lucanis’ fault. It was hers. Most things these days were her fault.

As the haze began to lift, clarity became its own torment. She was inconsolable. Everything-everything-sent her spiraling. A misplaced word, a familiar scent, the sound of her own footsteps echoing in the hallway. She screamed and cried until her throat was raw, until her body gave out and left her sick and shaking. No one knew what to do. Neither did she.

She tried. She would push herself to leave her room, determined to rejoin the others, to help, only to be undone by the smallest of things. The book Nym had been reading left open on the table, a teacup that had been Rook’s last before everything fell apart. Her own reflection in the mirror. Every reminder cracked her open anew, and the sobs would come until she thought they might drown her.

She hadn’t dared face Emmrich. She couldn’t bear it. He was locked away in his library, anyway, probably pouring over tomes in search of Rook, doing what she should have been doing. Or maybe he was avoiding her. Possibly both. Gods, how could she blame him?

Bellara had finally convinced her to remove her armor. It wasn’t an easy task; she’d resisted, clutching at it like a shield against the world. When the magic-infused robes came off, the truth was revealed-there had been blood on her sleeve. Lucanis’. She hadn’t even noticed. It was from the blow he’d taken during their fight with Ghilan’nain, the wound she should have been paying attention to, could have healed if she could make her magic obey her. He still wore a bandage.

Of course, she hadn’t noticed. She was always blind to everyone else’s pain.

Lucanis, for his part, never said a word about it. He simply remained nearby, his presence steady and unfaltering, even when her grief lashed out like a storm. He didn’t touch her again, but he was always there, lingering and encouraging.

 He came to her that evening, knocking softly before stepping inside her room. She sat in front of the small mirror on her desk, staring at her reflection. Her hair was a mess, tangled and unkempt, a perfect mirror of how she felt. She’d been staring at her brush for…a long time.

“May I?” he asked, standing just behind her. His voice was as careful as ever.

She nodded, too tired to argue, and he moved to sit beside her. He worked gently, untangling the knots with the patience of someone who understood that rushing would do more harm than good. His fingers moved with surprising skill, combing and smoothing her hair as if weaving it back into something manageable—something whole.

“You should braid it,” she murmured after a while, her voice soft. 

He tilted his head. “Braid it?”

She nodded. “Like Rook used to do. She always said it made me look pretty, and less… feral.”

A faint smile ghosted across Lucanis’ face, though his eyes held their usual solemnity. “I think you look just fine as you are,” he said quietly. But still, he began to braid, his movements slow and deliberate.

As he worked, the act became something more. A rhythm, a tether. Something small and mundane, yet grounding. By the time he finished, the tightness in her chest had eased, just a fraction, and she could breathe a little easier.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice barely audible.

Lucanis met her eyes in the mirror. “We’ll get through this, Nyx,” he said, his voice steady with conviction. “Together. We’ll find her.”

And for the first time in days, she didn’t feel entirely alone.

…

It didn’t last.

Emmrich had finally come to her.

Nyx sat in the kitchen, though not at the table-she couldn’t bear that. Too many memories lingered there, ghosts seated in every chair. Instead, she perched at the counter, the one Lucanis and Bellara used for cooking. It was unfamiliar to her, untouched by the past. A sanctuary, however small.

When Emmrich entered, she barely recognized him. For as long as she’d known him, Emmrich had always been the picture of composure: pressed robes, meticulously groomed, his every movement precise. Now, his hair was unkempt, his shirt rumpled and wrinkled. The deep shadows beneath his eyes seemed to carry the weight of an entire lifetime of grief. He still held that little chess piece in his hands, a small achor keeping him from completely loosing himself to grief. A reminder of why he couldn’t afford to give up.

“Bishop,” he said softly, his voice strained but gentle. “You look better, dear.”

Nyx wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He didn’t look better. He looked broken.

He approached her cautiously, as though she might shatter if he moved too quickly. When he reached her, he laid a tentative hand on her shoulder. She flinched but didn’t pull away.

“My dear Nyxahlia,” he began, his words slow, deliberate. “Please… as deeply as my heart is wounded by the current flow of events… having lost the love of my life… knowing that the last true discussion I had with my darling Nymphadora… was an argument over my own selfish insecurities and fears…” His voice cracked, but he pressed on. “I would never presume to understand the depth of what you are suffering through in this moment… having lost your sister. I’ve tried to give you the space and time I thought you needed. But now…” His grip on her shoulder tightened, not unkindly, but enough to convey the urgency behind his words. “Nyxahlia, please. You must know. If she is alive… Would your bond not tell you if she was lost to us?”

Her throat tightened, and for a moment, she couldn’t speak. She stared down at the counter, her fingers tracing aimless patterns on the smooth surface. When she finally managed to find her voice, it was thin, fragile.

“I’m sorry, Emmrich,” she whispered, her words heavy with guilt. “I don’t know.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

“You don’t know?” His voice wasn’t accusing, but the disbelief in it cut her nonetheless.

“No,” she said again, her voice trembling. She dared to look up at him, her eyes meeting his. “I can’t feel her. Not the way I should. It’s… empty.”

Emmrich’s face crumpled, and he took a step back as though her words had struck him physically. “Empty,” he repeated, barely more than a breath.

“I’m sorry,” Nyx said again, and this time her voice broke completely.

For a moment, it seemed as though Emmrich might say something more, but he didn’t. Instead, he turned and left the kitchen, his footsteps heavy and uneven. The weight of his grief hung in the air after he was gone, suffocating in its intensity.

A quiet presence filled the room, and she looked up to find Lucanis standing in the doorway. He didn’t say anything, just watched her with that same steady gaze he always seemed to have now.

“You heard,” she said, her voice hollow.

He nodded, stepping closer. “I heard.”

She shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. “I don’t know why he thinks I can help. I can’t even hold myself together without her.”

Lucanis pulled a chair closer and sat beside her. “No one’s expecting you to have the answers, Nyx.”

“Emmrich is,” she muttered, running a hand through her tangled hair.

Lucanis reached out hesitantly, his fingers brushing hers. “Let me help,” he said softly.

She didn’t argue, too tired to resist. Lucanis moved behind her, his hands deftly working through the knots in her hair. His touch was gentle, and though he said nothing, his presence was steady and grounding.

“You don’t have to do this alone,” he murmured after a while. “None of us do.”

By the time he finished braiding her hair, the tightness in her chest had eased, just a little. She reached up, touching the braid lightly. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Lucanis met her gaze, his dark eyes filled with quiet conviction. “We’ll find her. We’ll start tomorrow.” Nyx nodded, though she wasn’t sure if she believed it anymore.

...

Day 6 after losing Rook

The sky outside the lighthouse was dark like it knew the normal ambiance was not appropriate to his mood. Lucanis stared at the balcony from the courtyard below, his jaw tight, his hands clenched at his sides. The stone railing looked no different than it had yesterday as if it weren’t complicit in what had almost happened.

His jaw clenched, and he turned sharply, walking back inside.

The others were scattered, their silence as heavy as the air outside. Bellara stood by the window in the main hall, her usual energetic demeanor dulled by exhaustion. Emmrich was nowhere to be seen, likely still locked away in his library. Lucanis didn’t even think he knew.

Lucanis walked straight to Bellara, his steps decisive.

“I need your help,” he said without preamble.

Bellara turned, raising an eyebrow. “With what?”

“The balcony,” Lucanis said grimly. “We’re making it impossible to climb over.”

Her expression darkened, but she nodded. “Lead the way.”

Together, they climbed the stairs to Nyx’s room. Lucanis paused briefly in the doorway. Nyx was still asleep, curled tightly beneath her blanket, her braid trailing over her pillow. She looked impossibly small, her face pale and drawn even in sleep.

Bellara’s sharp intake of breath told him she’d noticed too. “Let’s be quiet,” she murmured, stepping past him and onto the balcony.

The stormy wind caught her hair as she surveyed the stone railing. “What exactly are we doing here?”

“Make it higher,” Lucanis said. “or stronger. I don’t care how. Just make sure she can’t…” He trailed off, his throat tightening.

Bellara nodded, her usual demeanor softened. She placed her hands on the stone, her fingers glowing with faint blue light as she began to weave her magic. 

Lucanis watched as she added intricate engravings along the surface-not for beauty, but to reinforce the enchantments she was embedded within.

“That should do it,” Bellara said after a while, stepping back to admire her work. “No one’s getting over that without serious effort.”

“It’s good,” Lucanis agreed, testing the new ward with a firm push. It didn’t budge. “Thank you.”

Bellara brushed her hands off, the faint shimmer of magic fading from her fingertips. “You’re going to have to tell her what we did. She’s not going to like it.”

“I know,” Lucanis said, his voice steady. “I’ll deal with it when the time comes.”

They went back inside, leaving the balcony behind. As they descended the stairs, Lucanis hesitated. “One more thing,” he said.

Bellara turned, her expression questioning.

“She needs to feel safe. Not just trapped,” he said. “Is there a way to make it... softer? Warmer, somehow?”

Bellara’s lips twitched in the ghost of a smile. “You mean less like a prison?”

“Yes.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “I can work something in. Light wards, maybe. Subtle, but calming. They’ll feel like a gentle shield rather than a cage.”

“Do it,” Lucanis said.

Bellara gave him a long look, then reached out and clasped his shoulder briefly. “You’re doing the right thing.”

“I hope so,” he muttered.

Hours later, when Nyx finally woke and stumbled out to the balcony, she saw the carvings elegant and protective. A faint shimmer of magic lingered in the air, soft and warm like a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Lucanis didn’t say a word when she glanced at him. He simply waited, braced for whatever reaction would come.

For a moment, Nyx ran her fingers over the carvings, her expression unreadable. Then, with a small, tired nod, she stepped back inside.

She wasn’t back. Not yet. But it was a start.

Time was passing. 

…

Day ?? after losing Rook

The lighthouse was quiet, save for the distant hum of the fade magic. Night had settled in, casting long shadows across the walls. In the dim glow of the single lantern, Lucanis sat on his cot in the pantry, his boots discarded to one side and his head in his hands.

“Knock, knock,” came a soft voice.

He looked up to see Nyx standing in the doorway, her arms crossed but her posture hesitant. She looked better—less hollow, her braid neater, finally back to caring for herself as she used to.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

Lucanis sat up straighter, gesturing to the small space. “Not much of a grand entrance, but it’s yours.”

Nyx smiled faintly and stepped inside, pulling over an overturned crate to sit on. Her gaze flicked to his cot, then back to him. “Still camping out here, huh?”

“It’s fine,” Lucanis said, shrugging. “I’ve had worse.”

She tilted her head. “I know that’s true. But you don’t have to, you know.”

Lucanis raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Nyx looked down at her hands, picking at her nails. “You’ve been here the whole time. Watching me, helping me, making sure I didn’t…” Her voice caught, and she took a steadying breath. “Making sure I didn’t break. And you’ve barely even rested because of it.”

“Nyx-”

“Let me finish,” she interrupted gently. “I’m not saying I’m fine now. But I’m not where I was. And I’ve been thinking... we’re safe now. You and me.”

Lucanis’s brow furrowed. “Safe?”

“With each other,” she clarified, looking up at him. “Spite and Despair-they’ve… they’ve made peace, haven’t they? What happened between them, all those centuries ago, that’s their pain. Not ours.”

Lucanis leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed. He’d felt it too. The strange, tentative calm between his demon and hers, the way their presence no longer felt like opposing forces locked in an eternal standoff.

“They’ve let go,” he admitted. “And it’s made it easier. To think. To feel without everything twisting.”

Nyx nodded, her gaze searching his face. “Exactly. So maybe… maybe we can let go too.”

He studied her for a long moment. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying…” She hesitated, then forged ahead. “You don’t belong in this pantry, Lucanis. You belong with me. We’ve been keeping each other at arm’s length because of what’s inside us, but that’s over. You can come to my room. You can stay there with me.”

Lucanis blinked, his lips parting in surprise. “Nyx, are you sure? After everything-”

“I’m sure,” she said firmly. “We’ve already spent so much time fighting this. I don’t want to anymore. And if I wake up in the middle of the night, if you do, I want us to be there for each other. Like we should’ve been from the start. You’ve brushed my teeth for me, for gods’ sake. We are supposed to be together.”

His shoulders relaxed slightly, and a small, rare smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “All right,” he said softly. “If you’re sure.”

“I am,” she replied, standing and offering her hand.

Lucanis took it, letting her pull him to his feet. Together, they gathered his few belongings and made their way to her room. She cleared a space near the wall for his cot, but when they finished, they sat side by side on her bed instead, talking quietly until sleep crept in.

…

The next morning, Nyx woke before dawn, the faint light of the rising sun spilling through the curtains. She glanced at Lucanis, still sound asleep on his cot, his breathing even. Her resolve solidified.

She left the room quietly. The lighthouse felt still, almost reverent in the early light as she made her way to the library.

She found Emmrich slumped over a desk, surrounded by stacks of books and half-burned candles. He startled awake when she cleared her throat.

“Bishop?” he asked, blinking blearily. “What are you-”

“I’m ready,” she said, her voice steady.

Emmrich straightened, his expression caught somewhere between relief and disbelief. “You mean-”

“I mean I’m ready to help,” she interrupted. “If there’s no spell to find Nym, then we’ll make one. Whatever it takes, Emmrich. I’ll do it. We’ll do it.”

His eyes filled with unshed tears, and he nodded, standing and placing a trembling hand on her shoulder. “Thank you, Nyx,” he whispered.

She nodded back, her determination unwavering. “We’re bringing her home.”

—-----------

[weaveandwood]

The Snake and The Crow: Blighted

Pairing: The Viper x Female Rook (Bianca, an Antivan Crow mage) Words: 3.2K Rating: Mature Warning: Veilguard spoilers Summary: Bianca makes an impossible decision, one that makes her lose either way. AN: well I did it, I turned a smutty one shot into a thing. Enjoy the angst! Read on AO3! Read Part One

This was the first time she didn’t want to go through the eluvian to the Shadow Dragon’s pawn shop. This was the first time she didn’t know what she would find as she crossed that threshold, knowing how narrowly the crisis was averted at Treviso. It felt wrong stepping into the pawn shop at this hour, wearing her crow leathers instead of the ratty old Shadow Dragons robe she had pilfered from Ashur the first night they were together. 

“Why do you need this old robe?” he asked, holding it up.

“It’ll make it easier for me to sneak in with no questions asked, don’t you think?”

“I knew there was a reason I liked you, Rook.” He smiled easily at her.

“If you don’t want me calling out ‘The Viper’ when you make me come, you better start calling me Bianca when we’re alone,” she teased while starting to get dressed.

“Fair enough. Here you go…Bianca,” he laughed, handing the robe to her.

Chaos welcomed them. She didn’t know what she was looking at, only that she was being summoned to follow someone she didn’t know and everyone was running around. She looked around for a sign of him – his silly snake hat she teased him about, his large stature, the shape of his coat – anything that would indicate he was okay. She found nothing. Panic began to creep into the edge of her awareness, making her vision start to go hazy and her body start to overheat. Where was he?

Lucanis got outside first, then Davrin, and finally her. Neve was pissed - pacing, yelling, asking sarcastically how Treviso fared. Lucanis did his best to answer questions they all knew Neve didn’t really want answered - she wanted to rage, and they let her. Bianca saw Tarquin over Neve’s shoulder, glaring at her specifically. Ashur should be nearby, he was rarely out of Tarquin’s sight. Where was…

Her heart dropped. Ashur was laid out on a makeshift cot, holding his side. He had been looking at her, likely since the moment she stepped outside. He always did have a habit of finding her first – not that she ever minded to find those piercing blue eyes fixed on her. She felt the sting of tears, trying with all her might to blink them away while clenching her hands into fists to resist the urge to go to his side and take one of his in hers, to intertwine her fingers with his and kiss each one just as he did the last night they were together – Maker what was it, less than 24 hours ago? How quickly everything fell apart. 

She found herself at his side anyway, barely listening as everything was explained. He held her eyes with his as she heard half-sentences. Minrathous destroyed, Venatori coup, claw to the gut. Blighted. That drew Davrin’s attention, and from the look on his face, she knew it was bad. Very bad. She couldn’t help the hot tear that slid down her cheek at that moment. She brought her hand up to wipe it away as quickly as she could, hopefully before anyone noticed. Hopefully before he noticed. 

She felt like she was underwater – every sound muffled, the air thick around her. She couldn’t breathe. Just the night before, they had been laying in his bed talking about maybes, talking about after. She had gone through the eluvian to the Lighthouse with a smile on her face, as she always did after nights with him, but this one was different. This one felt like the start of…something. 

And now that something was blighted and bloody in front of her. She noticed for the first time the webs of inky black that surrounded his eyes, the first sign of the sickness inside him. So much for no strings attached – she was wrapped in them and they grew ever and ever tighter, circling her neck and threatening to choke the life from her. Her breaths came quickly, shallow. This is my fault, this is my fault, this is my fault. 

“This is your fault,” Tarquin’s voice cut through her haze clearly, a sword honed to injure. Her eyes snapped to him. She couldn’t say he had ever felt particularly strongly about her before, but looking at him in that moment she could only see hatred and anger. 

“My fault?” she asked, her voice thick with both rage and sadness.

“This is all you. The risen gods, the blight, the dragon. Now the city has been lost to the Venatori…because of you.”

She knew it wasn’t true. She knew she had an impossible choice - Treviso or Minrathous. Home or him. She would always lose one way or the other. Still, his words struck true, right to the heart, and she was in danger of bleeding out in front of all of them. She turned away from the group, unwilling to let them see the shake in her hands and the unshed tears in her eyes. It did not deter Tarquin, who moved in front of her, unwilling to let her hide from this confrontation.

“He would have been fine if he hadn’t been…distracted.” He said quietly, as though he knew how dangerous voicing this accusation was. It did not ease the disdain dripping from each word he pointed directly at her, every syllable a stab into her heart. She was back in Treviso, a small child fresh from the slaver, being tortured with dulled knives so she would learn the pain her contracts would know as their final breaths left their bodies. “The last thing he looked at before we left to fight was that damned eluvian, hoping you would come through.” 

She was wrong. This was worse than torture.

“Everything we’ve worked so hard for,” he said, glancing at The Viper before turning his ire solely on her once more, “all of our plans, our goals, the changes we were going to make…all ruined – because of you.” This is my fault, this is my fault, this is my fault. The refrain kept running through her head, louder and louder and louder until she wanted to double over and cover her ears in an attempt to block out everything. What did he expect her to do? She wasn’t a savior, she wasn’t a herald, she wasn’t a champion, she wasn’t a hero. She was someone who pissed off her superiors and got sent on a wild elven god chase across Thedas.  

She barely felt it, the slightest graze of a finger against her own, almost missed at the edge of her perception. She had involuntarily backed up against the cot while Tarquin lobbed his accusations and Ashur had stretched out the hand that wasn’t covering his wound. He wouldn’t know it, but just this small act of connection, of mercy, saved her from collapsing in on herself. She felt the dulled blade of Tarquin’s claims retract from her heart. She could begin to breathe once more. 

“Enough, Tarquin,” he said. His voice still carried the tone of command in it, though Bianca could tell he was weak and straining. He needed rest. He didn’t need to watch whatever this was. “I have access to magic that will slow this. It will give me…time. This isn’t on Rook. It is what it is.” 

She looked at him and she was back in that bedroom, lying next to him while he played with her curls. She had wished they had been in a different world and he convinced her that the world they were in now was the only one that brought them together. She would give it up for him to remain as he was - no rattling breaths, no blight, no blood spilling out between the creases of his fingers when he coughed. 

“This is not my fault,” she said quietly, unsure if it was meant for others to hear or only for herself. Ashur’s finger grazed her once more, a show of support meant only for the two of them. 

“Of course you’d say that – you’re from Treviso, why should Minrathous matter to you? I don’t know what I expected.” Neve muttered. 

She lost it. 

“This is not my fault. I am sorry that this happened to Minrathous. Truly. But Treviso is my home,” she said, looking directly at Ashur, not sure if it was to make him understand or to apologize or something else entirely. Her composure finally broke just as her voice did. Grief filled her as she looked around at the injured, the dead, the destroyed homes, the destroyed futures. Grief for friends, families, lovers. Grief for herself, grief for Ashur. Grief for potential. The strings they were so desperate to avoid attaching to themselves had felt like they had become thicker, living things – weights that strangled and threatened to drag her underground just moments ago. They were brittle now, one wrong move and they would snap. She should let them, she thought. She should free both of them from this. No more distractions. An endless emptiness clawed through her at the thought of cutting off all ties to Ashur, never feeling his warm hands on her again, never feeling his mouth on her neck or his breath on her ear. Never seeing the burdens lifted from him for just a moment when he shuddered into her and called out her name. It was too much to think about, a bottomless pit of sadness threatened to swallow her up right then and there.

She cleared her throat, taking a couple breaths before turning her furious gaze to Neve before landing on Tarquin. “My home. Treviso doesn’t have a floating palace, it doesn’t have an army, it doesn’t have The Viper, or Tarquin, or Neve Gallus. It has houses of assassins who are hell bent on murdering each other in claims for power. Oh, and an occupation of Antaam. That’s it. If you want to blame someone, blame Solas. Blame Ghilan’nain. Blame Elgar’nan. But do not blame me. Do not think this is easy for me. I will remember this for the rest of my life.”

A pause. She did not break eye contact with Tarquin. 

“Tensions are clearly high here. You should go back to the Lighthouse. I’m staying here for a while to help sort out this mess,” Neve said, dismissing them quickly. 

Bianca gave one last look to Ashur before turning to go back through the eluvian. She felt his eyes on her as she walked away from him, hoping it wouldn’t be the last time she saw him. 

She sat in her room and cried the rest of the night. 

“You’re not sleeping,” Lucanis said, sitting down next to her at the dining table before handing her a large mug of coffee. 

Bianca huffed into her drink. “You’re one to talk.” 

 “I am well-equipped to recognize the signs,” he smiled, rotating his mug into his hands. “Still thinking about the other night?” 

That was an understatement. It had been three days since they last traveled through the eluvian, leaving Neve and Dock Town behind. Leaving Ashur behind. She still didn’t know how he was – there hadn’t been any communication from anyone. Every time she tried to sleep, all she could see was his eyes, piercing and icy, surrounded by black. All she could hear was the slow drip, drip, drip of blood from his cot to the ground. All she could feel was the tip of his finger against hers.

So no, she wasn’t sleeping. She hummed into her cup and nodded. 

“Rook, you have to know you are not responsible for what happened in Minrathous. To think the same could have happened to Treviso…well, I for one am glad you were there. And I know Teia and Viago couldn’t be more grateful. I don’t think I heard Viago call you an idiot once,” he laughed, staring into his cup. He paused, tilting his head slightly. “Spite is also glad you were there.”

“Well, at least someone was. And I know. It’s just…a lot to take in. The stakes feel so much more real now.” The scale of the loss hadn’t quite hit her yet, and wouldn’t until she could see for herself without the chaos. So many lost their lives and even more were injured, their livelihoods gone in an instant. It was no longer a hypothetical ‘when the gods attack’ – they did, and Bianca’s team was not ready for it, not in the slightest.

The two sat there in amiable silence for a long while, drinking their cups of coffee in the earliest hours of the morning, the only ones stirring in their little corner of The Fade. It was nice to just sit with someone and not have to talk, or plan, or lead. It was a little odd for her to be doing that with the grandson and presumed heir to the First Talon, she could admit that. What a funny turn her life had taken. She was a nobody, an orphaned elven slave child purchased by the Crows to pad their numbers. She was disposable, a thorn in the side of her house, sent away at the first chance. Now, she was joking with Lucanis Dellamorte, fighting elven gods, and realizing too late she had feelings for the leader of the Shadow Dragons, who was either fighting for his life or dead. If she wasn’t so anxious, she would laugh.

“I’m not asking her, leave me alone,” she heard Lucanis mutter to himself. Spite must be causing trouble in his head. Again.

“Ask me what?” 

He sighed, pushing his now empty mug away from him and turning to her. This felt serious – based on the look on his face, Bianca wished she had pretended she hadn’t heard him. She took another drink to avoid eye contact.

“Did you have…something with The Viper?” he asked. She choked on her coffee, her eyes widening for a second before schooling her face back to neutrality, just as she was trained. They had been so careful, or so she thought. She knew everyone’s schedules by heart, she only went through the eluvian when everyone should have been asleep…Oh. 

“I’m a highly skilled assassin, Rook. I know how to be places and not be seen. Besides, it was Spite who put it together first. The last job we had together in Minrathous…he said you and The Viper smelled like each other.” Bianca’s mind wandered – she knew exactly the day he was speaking of. They had met up later than usual and Ashur was frustrated from a hard day and insatiable. She tried to suppress a smile into her mug as she remembered him laying her back on his desk, feasting on her as if she were the finest meal before taking her so hard she thought the desk may break. She didn’t come back through the eluvian until two hours before they had to leave to go back to Dock Town and winced at all the ladders they ended up climbing that day. 

“I was in the library the other night when you hurried down the stairs wearing Shadow Dragon robes, which was strange to me, because you only like tight fitted leather, and you only wear Crow colors,” Lucanis continued. “Though, I couldn’t confirm anything until we went to Dock Town after Treviso.”

“How would that confirm anything? All that happened was me getting yelled at by Neve and Tarquin over something they think I could have changed the outcome of.” 

He gave her a half smile to go with her half-truth. 

“The Viper was looking for you, that night. I saw his eyes go straight to the door once he saw me, waiting for you to cross through. I saw you move to him without realizing it. I saw the way you two looked at each other. I saw the way he reached out to comfort you in the smallest of ways,” he said, getting up to grab the coffee pot, refilling both of their mugs. “It was obvious, once I thought to look.” 

Well, shit. 

“You ever think about leaving the assassin business behind and starting a detective agency with Neve?” she asked. “Seems you have a natural gift.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t already know,” he said, sitting back beside her. She liked this, being friendly with Lucanis. She felt like she hadn’t had a friend in so long, if she ever really had one. She just wanted someone on her side. 

“If she does, she hasn’t mentioned anything and I don’t think I’d ever hear the end of it once she started. Tarquin definitely had it figured out. I’m not sure it really even matters anymore. Knowing what Davrin has told me about the blight…The Viper is likely already dead, or something close to it.” She blinked back tears. If he was dead, and that was the last time she ever saw him…Maker, what was she doing? They had only been sleeping together for a little over a month. There had been one discussion of maybe, after, possibly, potentially, but it wasn’t like they were a committed couple or anything. So why did it feel like she was dangerously close to losing so much? Why did the backs of her eyes sting, why couldn’t she sleep, why could she only think about how he tried to comfort her when he was bleeding out? 

Get it together, Bianca.

“Anyway, we weren’t really serious or anything. It was just fun, a way to blow off steam a few times a week. He understood the pressures of leading a team and the stakes involved,” she shrugged. 

Lucanis nodded, offering her another half-smile to go with her new half-truth.

“Just some fun,” she repeated. Was she trying to convince him, or herself? “I should probably go get the day started. Thanks for the coffee. And the talk. I really needed it.”

“Anytime, Rook. Crows stick together. Before I forget, I was tidying up in the library a few hours ago and noticed some new missives on the table. They must have come in overnight. I must admit I’m still not sure how we get messages in The Fade.”

“You and me both. Thanks, Lucanis.” 

She walked from the kitchen to the library, hugging Assan on her way as was her habit whenever she passed him. As expected, she saw two missives on the table to the side of the seating area. One was in familiar handwriting, a note from Neve saying she would be gone for a while longer to check on her contacts, friends, people she cared about. Bianca wondered what it would be like when she returned. She understood Neve’s feelings completely, and would have felt the same if she were in her shoes. Still, she hoped Neve would be able to understand Bianca’s reasoning – she didn’t abandon Minrathous, she sent Bellara and Harding there. They were fierce and capable and cared for Neve just as much as she did. So why was all Neve’s anger directed at her? She sighed and set down the letter, reaching for the other one. Short, succinct, with handwriting she didn’t recognize. 

B – meet me. tonight. same time, same place. – A The paper fluttered out of her hand to the floor. He was alive.

[divorcedwife]

Im especially interested in your opinion of the companions! Did you like any, how would you rank them, how did they compare to other games.

I did enjoy veilguard myself cause admittedly im a combat enjoyer (boo me now) and the combat was great to me. But what is usually good in dragon age/bioware even if everything else sucks are characters and their stories and interactions and that was so bad in veilguard imo.

Still I liked Davrin and Emmrich and Bellara myself, rest were very mixed, and these three also suffered from bad dialogue and Bellara also from some overt cutesiness.

hehe noooooo i wouldn't boo you! this game really made me realize that i prefer video games as a form of interactive storytelling rather than purely for gameplay, but i mean, i feel like im the weirdo here if anything. video games are games first... as much as i like the combat (especially when it's in big open fields, with opportunities for cover ; god is it satisfying to slowly take down a mob of enemies through clever dodging and hiding, i wayyyy prefer that to spamming the flashy special moves), it feels empty to me if i dont feel connected to the world. ideally, i'd love to play games where i enjoy both, but if i have to pick, i'll prefer a game that i find unfun to play but where i like the writing

i think it's a pretty weak cast, yeah. individually, but also as a group, they lack chemistry to me. most of them get along just fine, but not in a way that's particularly fun or exciting. their relationships aren't interesting to me because they're very samey, both in that most people are friendly and also that they start out friendly and end up friendly. dai isn't a game i love, but for all its flaws, it definitely had fascinating character interactions to me. blackwall's friendship with sera is so different to his friendship with cassandra or with solas, and he's initially wary of cole but grows to like him after a while. and these people all have their opinion of blackwall changed forever by revelations. that's what's lacking to me in companion relationships! growth... change... i did enjoy davrin and lucanis's bickering at least. i also did like how emmrich talked to companions, his therapy talk was actually charming every time i liked emmrich and davrin the most! my only problem with davrin is how often he felt shackled to assan, like the writers felt the need to remind us that he has a cute griffon every three seconds in case we were losing interest. but as a character, i found him really cool. i like how level headed he is, i love how he can't tell when lucanis is messing with him on purpose, those feel like great warden traits. emmrich, i really liked that he had the flaws to match his qualities - i love it when he complains about needing to teach TEN students (gasp!), or when davrin asks him if he knows how to wash dishes and he responds like someone who hasn't washed a dish in ten years, and so on. that's definitely what i found lacking in most companions - actual flaws! it's mind boggling to me how much of the lucanis banter i heard was spent clarifying how unproblematic he is. like he doesn't kill children, doesn't kill people who acted in self defense, doesn't kill innocents. what??? he doesn't even have flaws from growing up rich in a mansion... or being the ultimate nepo baby.................... that made most of the companions feel pretty shallow to me, like they were born right before the game began and had lived nothing

lucanis has enough little things about him i like that i would still say i liked him, but he's not getting honours from me. i like his design (it's very satisfyin to draw somehow), i liked spite, i liked the idea that he's trapped in the ossuary in his mind, i loved going to the mansion and seeing how barren and sad it is there. but i think his romance is my least favorite of any i've done in any dragon age games, and i would say that he was a worse boyfriend to have than the one who tried to kill me and also than the one who turned out to be an axe murderer in disguise, cause at least these two liked talking to my characters! lol

i'd put neve next but if im being honest with myself, i disliked more about her than i liked. i liked her bitter cynic pessimist traits, but i found her somewhat inconsistent on that and generally too friendly. the remaining characters, i didn't find anything compelling about them, i dont remember any moment that i liked with them :-( i really wish i did! i gave everyone as fair a shot as i could, i didn't start out this game looking for things to hate, but they really didn't do anything for me. i think bellara suffered from the fact that i dont really like all the technology in this game, i prefer low magic sad unwashed fantasy. at least she was very beautiful so she does get point for that

[crossdressingdeath]

Davrin: So who will it be? 1. Harding leads the distraction. 2. Davrin leads the distraction.

Hm, yes, who do I want to send on this discreet mission to get behind enemy lines and distract our opponents while my team moves in? The trained scout who I know from DAI has been taking on tasks that require her to get behind enemy lines without getting caught for over a decade, or the Warden who every darkspawn in the place will immediately be able to sense and whose only justification for why he should go is "there will probably be darkspawn" (there will be darkspawn no matter which team he goes with)? Why the fuck would I send Davrin.

No seriously, I didn't know whoever I sent would die at this point (I knew something bad would happen but I managed to stay spoiler-free enough that I didn't know about the sacrifice), I wasn't choosing based on "who do you want to sacrifice" reasoning. Based purely on in-universe knowledge Harding is the better choice by a pretty significant margin. And that's not a knock against Davrin, to be clear! He's great at what he does! But stealth is Harding's forte in a way it really isn't Davrin's; basically this is a job for a rogue, not a warrior, and him being a Warden doesn't make up for that. If he's going to get sensed by any darkspawn present either way I'd much rather have him with me so I have a Warden at my back fighting Ghilan'nain; if I wanted to avoid him getting sensed by darkspawn entirely (which... I mean I kind of do, but his skills are more valuable than the team's ability to move undetected and it's not like Rook's team is particularly subtle once they get going anyway) I would've left him at the Lighthouse. Sending Harding as the distraction is just the smarter play.

Also Harding dying is more narratively satisfying to me, her arc and general demeanour suits that sacrifice way more than the "I choose to live" vibe of Davrin's arc and especially if you also sacrifice Neve Rook going into that final conflict having lost everyone who started this mission with them is delicious. It's wild to me that Davrin is even an option (he shouldn't be, and aside from any race-related reasoning I suspect part of the reason he is is that they wanted to kill a companion off but didn't want it to always be the same one—if only so that there wasn't one romance where the LI always dies, which would piss off anyone romancing them—and most of the others wouldn't be suited for the distraction mission at all or have nothing in their arc suggesting noble self-sacrifice, while Davrin at least has the Warden viewpoint pointing him towards that), but I really don't think the game is encouraging you to kill him like I've seen some people argue; I think it's very much encouraging you to kill Harding. She makes more sense to send as the distraction, her arc and dialogue bring up that "whatever it takes" motif way more than Davrin's do (Davrin's kind of has a strongly opposing theme of living and moving forward when you survive what should've been your final sacrifice; having him use this second lease on life to sacrifice himself again is just weak), the narrative impact of losing your first companion—the one you started this whole quest with! The only other person who travelled with Varric for any length of time!—is stronger than losing your fourth (fifth if you count Varric, but either way Davrin is very much middle of the pack in terms of order of acquisition), and Assan is a consideration; he absolutely isn't and shouldn't be the only reason to spare Davrin, but the fact remains that people really don't like seeing cute animals die even in fiction so knowing that Assan will die with Davrin will be an incentive to sacrifice Harding over him for a lot of people. Basically sorry Harding but I'm probably going to sacrifice you in every run where I don't romance you. It's just a stronger story.

[mythals-whore]

for the director's cut: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING (I'll let you choose whatever part you want to explain, I know you have many :D)

Thank you so much for indulging me my beloved mutual, and thank you for your support :') you are so so kind<3

⭐️

My first and biggest confession is to tell you that Chapter 25, which is my personal favorite chapter (with the dancing and drinking and jealousy) was originally a one-shot that was not meant to have any real bearing on the story. I thought it would just be fun for them to have a night out. Um...and then I wrote it and as soon as I got to this part:

The moment they’re through the door of his room, he has her pressed against the wall, mouth intent on hers. It’s possessive and hungry and all consuming. And she understands it, returns it, pushes back against it. The same thing is coursing through her like a spell or a prayer. mine mine mine

I realized I built up the tension too much and these two were about to absolutely lose their minds.

And honestly writing this chapter was the closest I have ever come to being possessed. (I was listening to Gimme Gimme Gimme from the Mamma Mia soundtrack, if that feels at all relevant)

Honestly that whole chapter messed with a lot of my plans. I really wanted her falling for him to be more subtle and really have the 'actually requited but they think isn't unrequited love' for a while longer. Originally I intended her spending the night for the first time to be more of a question for Davrin of not knowing why she was doing it and being a lot more uncertain of her feelings.

I actually got so scared of this one-shot becoming a chapter that I tried to write a different version of it, (and when I hated that I started on a third version) but nothing hit as hard. The tension in Chapter 25 is one of my favorite things I've ever written and the smut I wrote for that chapter makes me blush.

And in the end, think the conflict of both of them knowing it's more than casual after that but never being brave enough to talk about it has worked really well.

⭐️

I never found a way to make this clearer so this is something that i am excited to put out there, Cyri’s line from the very first time they get together is: “if you’re expecting me to fall in love with you, I can assure you I don’t know how”

Obviously there are a lot of reasons that being with Davrin is a bad idea from Cyri’s perspective but a main one is definitely that she doesn’t think she knows how/that she’ll end up hurting him/losing him in some way. So that line that seems sort of cocky is actually a secret show of vulnerability. It's a double entendre of sorts where she is promising him he isn't different or special (he is) but also it's her warning that like, 'even if I do have feelings, I have no idea what to do with them and this will crash and burn and you'll get hurt so it's best for you if you don't' (which may or may not be directly tied to the Ashur narrative)

And that line ties into the swimming/drowning love metaphor.

mine, yours, ours, us. And when she goes under again, that is the song still ringing in her head, the chorus, weaving between her ribs

Falling in love feels like drowning and he's the one who teaches her to swim: this was kind of a half-formed thing but I really liked it? In the above chapter 25, there’s the first mention of “going under” which, as we know is like a nice way to say orgasm or whatever but this part to me was always the moment that (whether she acknowledges it or not) she realizes she’s in love with him/at the very least has many more feelings than she meant to. And then later there’s this:

Because now there’s no pretending at it. “I don’t know how to do this.”

Which is Cyri basically admitting that she doesn’t know how to do any real amount of intimacy outside of sex, and it's the first time she really decides to try and Davrin is so so patient and willing to help her figure it out. And then:

Davrin pulls her into himself like an undertow sweeping her out to sea. Cyri wonders if knowing how to swim would have even helped her against the strength of this current. She never had learned to do anything but drown.

Which i personally was a huge fan of(: because at this point she’s no longer fighting it but she’s not really trying to swim either? It's a very small thing but it made the payoff of the firefly chapter so much better for me personally. Because in both things (swimming and feelings ig) she trusts him enough to try. To me, the symbolism of her trusting him to teach her is her also her trusting him enough to not let her drown/get lost/overwhelmed by her feelings either. Sort of like a "I trust you not only to not hurt me, but to teach me not to hurt us"

There's so much here as well with 'panic makes it worse' like in a drowning situation, panic makes you breathe harder and often means you're flailing and wasting energy. So it's sort of like the harder you struggle the more likely you are to drown. And then there's the idea that someone who does know how to swim can be dragged down by a flailing drowning person (which is what Cyri is afraid of, because in the past that's sort of what she did love-wise)

and of course, we have the actual first instance of my love-is-drowning-how-do-i-swim metaphor:

Finally he reaches her, but she’s thrashing—panicking. With effort, Davrin is able to wrap an arm around her waist, keeping them both afloat through sheer force of will, her frenzy close to taking them both under.  “Rook!” he splutters through the water she’s splashing into his face. “Rook, calm down!” It’s at once plea and command. “Stop struggling! I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”  He’s towing her to shore now, as effectively as he can. And she seems to realize—to understand at last that he’s helping her and not dragging her under.

Like, this little excerpt could be their whole relationship I think. And also is sweet if you read into it as like "Davrin is strong enough to keep them both afloat if Cyri would just stop struggling so hard against it."

Staying afloat, she learns, is as easy as breathing.

This was important to me because (despite my various personal posts over the past several days) I am not a strong swimmer. But the thing about swimming is like, if you just inflate your lungs that will keep you afloat even if you're not going anywhere. If any of us have done the thing where you lay on your back and breathe in, you float, right? So that's sort of what I was going for here. The love comparison is that like, loving someone isn't difficult. The relationship part might require effort, but loving them as a concept isn't scary if you just let yourself do it.

So the whole concept being that she’s terrified of falling for someone because she doesn’t think she knows how to do it properly and that it’ll be hard and scary and she’ll mess it up but Davrin makes it really easy and is so so patient while she figures it out :,)

I'm pretty proud of this little thread myself, so thank you so much for asking and allowing me to put it all out there for everyone (((:

[glittering-darmallon]

Rook Literary Device Asks

Post made by @antivan-sprig can be found here

Thank you @larknnightingale, @booksncatsworld, @teamtakagi, @a-mumbling-nerd, and @virenasalin for the asks

Allegory: What does Rook dream about?

Luca: His ADHD brain comes up with some WEIRD dreams(again another self-projection on my part here0. Let's see, there was the time he dreamed he was invited to speak in front of the Magisterium, but the chamber was invaded by wisps. The wisps didn't do anything but they did insist on negotiating.

Another time when he was home on holiday as a teenager, he dreamed he found his feet glued to the floor, but the most delicious looking cake was right there on the table….just out of arms' reach.  He will forever be mad that Vitus woke him up before he could problem solve to get that cake.

Luca to Davrin: I had a dream about you last night. Davrin, intrigued with a flirty smirk: "Oh yeah what about? Did I look good?" Luca: Well….you got stronger and all the buttons popped off your shirt. You looked real good there. But then you grew feathers and turned into a griffon. It was…you looked like a griffon and yet I could still tell it was you. It was weird. Davrin: Your brain comes up with some very specific and endearingly odd things. Don't change.

Canelo: If he sleeps at all, and manages to dream they are almost always nightmares which will be answered in the next question. The last time he had a happy dream that he can remember he was 18 and Zenzera and Zafferano were still alive. All the dream entailed was him being able to save enough money to quit s*x work and get them a small cabin outside Treviso and he was able to support his family by hunting and setting up a market stall to sell his surplus catch

Valrys: If they could dream…skeleton rave, no doubt. Skeletons would be wearing shutter shades, glow sticks, the necropolis would be a banging party.

Or being surrounded by cute baby animals they could pet

Valo-Asaara: The most innocent dreams most of the time. Dreams of a nice day at the beach, playing with dogs, doing things with his friends.

He has layers, but he is not complex. What you see is what you get and it is the same in his dreams

Repetition: What are Rook’s nightmares? Did/does this change with age?

Luca: Birds. All his nightmares ever either involve birds (He has been terrified of the things since he was small and a neighbor's chickens attacked him) or being given away by his family- This one has not happened since he was a kid. As an adult, he has overcome this fear of abandonment, even though his relationship with his mother rattles the chains on that box he puts the fear in. However, he routinely has this one nightmare where everyone actually does hate him instead of his RSD as a result of his ADHD just saying they do.

Canelo: Most of his dreams are nightmares. And it's generally the same two over and over.

Reliving his SA before joining the Crows or seeing Zaffa's limp and lifeless hand fall off the stretcher and out from under the sheet that had been draped over him, his hand just dangling back and forth taunting him- from there his mind spirals and makes up events to fill in the blanks and it is always heart-rending.

He wakes up crying and sweating every time

Valrys: If they could have nightmares it would be of something bad happening to their chosen family, a great evil attacking the Grand Necropolis, though they imagine they would also have a night mare of Ghili'nain actually killing Lace instead of just wrapping her up in that creepy tentacle.

Valo-Asaara: For as happy as he is, he does have the occasional nightmare about losing his parents, or how he imagined they died. He doesn't know much about avalanches, but he assumes they got bludgeoned by debris (instead of the more likely suffocating under snow that is too packed in for them to crawl free). He also has a fairly frequent recurring dream where those he cares about realize his lack of smarts is more trouble than he's worth. Big fear of inadequacy here.

Omniscient: Are there any secrets Rook is hiding? From others? From themselves?

Luca: Yes, I know it seems counterintuitive but his vanity stems from low self-esteem, which is a result from vastly different levels of parental affection. His mother, a soporatus in a family full of mages was treated terribly(physical and emotional abuse), and grew up insecure. In an inverse of that, Luca is the only mage in a family of Soporati (all Charon's family are soporati) and she keeps her contact with her family light (their social position helped Charon get a chance at higher military ranks. She knows her family [Charon and the three kids] quality of life depends on her maintaining this affiliation). Though it wasn't her intention, she passed that insecurity onto Luca through her words and treatment of him (nothing like what her family did to her physically)

So with that context, Luca has tried his whole life since his magic manifested to gain her love and acceptance, and he feels no matter what he does it is doomed to fail.  He doesn't really like himself, but he wakes up each morning and tells himself, "Everyone does NOT hate you," and continues to keep making a difference as best he can. But he is embarrassed by this insecurity so he keeps it to himself. Davrin and Neve have caught on though.

Valrys: They are envious that Lace got magic from touching that dagger, when they are also a Dwarf and nothing happened to them when they first touched it. They have wanted magic all their life. Yes, they love and support Lace through learning about her new magic, but they just really wish they'd been gifted some too.

Valo-Asaara: I think Valo is very bad at keeping secrets. It's too complicated, so the only secret he'd be keeping would be that he truly thinks Viago hates him but is too afraid to ask. So,  he just keeps it to himself every time he sees him.

Canelo: He is a whole vault of secrets. In time he tells a lot of them to the Veilguard. That he lived on the streets for a while, that he raised his siblings from the time they were two and he was 15, that they were all orphans, that they are now dead, that he was recruited to the Crows because he unknowingly killed Viago's target in self-defense, that he used to be a prostitute. He tells all secrets but one.

When he explained that he got his scar in that fight where he killed the guy, he just says it was a fight and that he killed the guy with garden tools that were nearby. He keeps the fact it wasn't just a fight, but a sexual assault as well that resulted in Canelo going ham on the guy. Only Viago knows the truth of this, and that is because he happened upon the scene as it was happening, but wasn't able to get close enough to help before Canelo killed the Noble himself. Viago was there for the aftermath and kept pressure on Canelo's chest and neck so he couldn't bleed out while he called for the Crow that had been following as guard for Viago (at his insistence) to get help.

Canelo may eventually tell Lucanis this. Or he may take it to his grave. He hasn't decided yet

Archetype: Describe what another character might notice about your Rook physically.

Luca: That is he is BIG for a human. I've said before, he's the height of some Qunari, and though a mage he is broad. It's the main reason he focused in battle magic. His size is literally the first thing people notice about him

See look. Davrin has muscle. He's tall for an elf, and Luca just looks soooo much bigger than him

Valrys: That they are really talented at makeup. No matter what gender they are presenting, their eye makeup is always on point. As seen below

Valo-Asaara:  If they can get past the fact he's a giant, it's his eyes. They are so pale grey they almost colorless. He gets a lot of compliments on them.

Canelo: Depends on what part of him they see first. If they don't notice the hair, and he's wearing his Tiddies out for Thedas Armor (The Invitation), they notice the scar. If he's wearing something else, it's the jaw so sharp it could cut glass. And if they don't notice that, it's likely that what they thought were blue eyes were actually blue with brown centers

Since I've talked a lot about his hair and the scar, here's more on his eyes

Onomatopoeia: Describe how Rook speaks.

Valo-Asaara: Has no inside voice. Man is a golden retriever in person form. He's full of energy and that transfers into his voice which is booming. Okay, he does have an inside voice, it's just louder than most peoples. He has an odd Antivan accent mixed with a little bit of a Seheron one from when he lived there and the Par Vollen one of his parents. It confuses people when they first meet them.

Valrys:  They're eloquent  and very good with words. If a voice could sound diplomatic, that would be what they have. Their  accent, I think the Grand Necropolis is so insular, that it might have its own dialect of Nevarran and its own accent. Since they were raised in the place that is the accent they have. But also when they want to get the point across succinctly, they suddenly start speaking VORGOTH.

Luca: It's a deeper voice, but not too deep. And I think, given that he's from Ventus/Qarinus, he might have a similar accent to Dorian's father (I like to pretend, Dorian purposely lost his own Ventus accent in order to further distance himself from his parents). He speaks like he's received an lengthy education, but not to the point of being pretentious. He's just choosy with his words. But there is also a lilt to his voice as well. He relies a lot on charm.

Canelo: Ever heard of the trope "Vocal Dissonance"? Ever watch the Dragon Prince and hear Aaravos speak? That  face with that voice? Yeah Canelo has that super deep voice going on but with a thick Antivan accent with a very pretty face. His voice VERY much does not match his face. Lucanis likes to describe it as dark honey stirred into black coffee.

[nirikeehan]

🔥 for the Veilguard companions?

Unpopular opinions game here

*deep breath* They all suck and I hate them?

I will preface this by saying I only "experienced" Harding, Neve and Bellara before I quit playing the game about six hours in. That was more than enough. The rest I only know through their (far superior) TN iterations, various clips from YouTube, or word of mouth from friends.

Harding: Girl what happened. You were so smart and professional and personable in Inquisition. I know a huge critique of VG in general is that everyone is "too nice" but Harding hated me from the jump and screamed at me the one time I tried to ask if she was okay. It was like being slapped in the face and I never wanted to interact with her again after that.

Neve: Girl what happened TIMES TWO. LOVED NEVE IN TEVINTER NIGHTS. "The Streets of Minrathous" is one of my favorite stories from that anthology. In TN Neve is a gender-flipped hard-boiled detective, dedicated to solving the case and trying not to get too entangled with the emotions that can come along with dealing with people who fall through the cracks of society. She's streetwise and cunning and just a gem to read about. In VG her lines were so wooden, her dialogue painfully stupid, and she actually said "sometimes I stand around and ask too many questions" when I had seen her ask zero questions up until that point. Also her shirt was FULLY OPEN at me hours after I met her, but she didn't have any tiddies so the mixed messaging the game was aggressively pushing at me re: her sexualization was weird as hell.

Bellara: Made me want to defenestrate myself. Her dialogue, voice acting, and character design literally made me wonder if BioWare had decided to market this game to kindergartners. I felt like I was watching a children's show when she was on screen. I think she is actually what broke me, even though I didn't put the game down forever until I got to the part where there was an extended, clunky dialogue scene about finding the lyrium dagger I very clearly had just seen in Varric's chest.

Emmrich: Why wasn't he Audric? Audric was fucking cool. The TN story was about Audric. Did the BioWare marketing team decide a corpse wasn't fuckable enough and the girlies gotta get that old man?

Lucanis: Hilarious story: I hated Lucanis in Tevinter Nights. I found him incredibly difficult to take – he read like a borderline psychopath and he was the only one I accidentally learned was going to be a party NPC despite my full media blackout pre-game release. I finished the story and went, "Oh great, am I gonna have to spend the whole game keeping this asshole in line?" IF ONLY. I learned after already giving up on the game they turned him into sad coffee boy with a demon grafted to him for some reason. Every time I've seen a clip of his voice acting I needed to step away from the second-hand embarrassment. His line delivery is THAT BAD. I can't even get into how stupid and juvenile and unnecessary Spite is; I'd be here all damn day. The fact that there's no possible ending where he can leave the Crows makes me want to tear my hair out. That the horse this game backs really is "dynastic rule is fine actually" is nOT the one I wanted to ride into 2025 as we lose democratic institutions all around us, etc etc etc. The underlying propaganda there makes me queasy – when Inquisition was, at its heart, the opposite of that: a meditation on power and whether it corrupts absolutely. Also his hair sucks ass. Why couldn't it just be one length???? why???????? Were they too busy making Rook's hair super flippy for the combat scenes they could they didn't have time to figure out how to animate a ponytail????

I've since found TN Lucanis compelling in how psychologically damaged he is, and enjoy using fic to make him face his inner turmoil without any magical gimmicks, which is maybe the only way I'll find peace.

Davrin: Gonna be honest, I've barely heard a thing about this character and forget he exists. I'm gonna guess he's the Rose Tico of the crew, aka the one who was added for diversity but then no effort was made to incorporate him into the plot in a way that truly mattered. Also, considering when I tried to play BG3 the only character I remotely found compelling was Wyll, who also got short shrift due to being The Black One, he may have been the only one I might have found tolerable.

Taash: Same as Davrin – all I've heard about Taash is The Controversy, and I just think it's kind of a shame a character that could have really grounded the Tevinter-Qunari conflict as promised in the art book and Tevinter Nights got reduced to a Saturday morning special about gender.

I feel like I'm missing one???? Am I missing one???? LOL

Final bonus unpopular opinion: I think based on Tevinter Nights, Viago would have made a better party NPC than Lucanis. His character design is fucking cool – imagine how he could have been throwing poison bombs and screaming about getting contaminated the whole time. His personal arc could have been about helping him over his obvious OCD and/or putting him on the fucking Antivan throne. The romance could have been freaky as hell since he's terrified to touch anyone. I just think that would have been a delight.

[cassiaorsellio]

🙇🏽 For the first time ask game, and since you mentioned that you are enjoying Davrin's romance (💙), the first time your Rook realized they thought of Davrin as more than a friend?

pinging @lordcaptains since she asked a similar question. I think they're tied enough that I can answer them together. Not doing this as a writing snippet, just as a Yap.

Attraction is not quite instant, but quick. Physical attraction that is — she has eyes after all. But I would say his confidence is probably what attracts her out of his personality and she's pretty open about that (I like that confidence), quickly followed by how competitive he is and even his duty and devotion to the Wardens, his determination. They're traits of his that show up pretty early on, I think. The competitive streak is definitely something: makes them very much a push and pull, back and forth sort of flirtation and that competitive streak is definitely something that carries through their relationship (the whole "not bad, Rook, for a Shadow Dragon" comment? That's him issuing a challenge to her and oh she will rise to that bait — and he'd expect nothing less.)

As for actual 'I think of him as more than a friend', it's probably unsurprising but that moment at Weisshaupt when he was going to kill Ghilan'nain's archdemon. Hissera was genuinely terrified that she was going to lose him. She's never felt that sort of terror before. And it didn't sink in until after the storm (so to speak) that 1. yes, this is a Grey Warden thing. It's an occupational hazard and she's going to have to reconcile with that and 2. maybe perhaps the reason she was so scared about it was because she thought of him as more than a friend.