#my rook has two dads

[arainywriter]

I love how veilguard is just rook being adopted by retired but helpful dad varric and reluctant deadbeat father solas

[moeblob]

Rice. From my plot that's literally just a game of chess. (he's a rook)

[damallarky]

So nothing gets me out of a ten year writer's slump like Dragon Age, apparently. I was going to write a quick character study for my Rook, but then it took a life of its own and turned into a 5000+ word monstrosity.

You can also read it on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57135346

Anyway, my first fic in ten years. Enjoy!

-

At the Black Swan tavern in Minrathous, an elven man with bright red hair sat on a massive barrel, tuning a lute. At first glance, it would appear that he was entirely engrossed in the instrument. If they paid close attention, however, they would notice his green eyes dart imperceptibly from guest to guest as if taking stock of each person who entered the tavern. 

To be fair, this was exactly what Renan was doing. The Shadow Dragons had been given a tip that the Venatori were having a meeting here tonight. He had been given instructions to keep an eye on them, make a note of how many attended, and if there was anyone there he recognized. 

Ren was good at that, using his talent at the lute, voice, and good looks to get him information, and he used his particular skill set often. Sometimes, he played in chamber halls and ballrooms of the Minrathous elite, and they were goldmines, to be sure. But if he was honest, he preferred the establishments of the working class. One would be surprised at how much information could be gained at the taverns and brothels of the world. 

Even better, Ren was familiar with this particular tavern, having played here countless times before. 

‘See anything good yet, Hope?’ He thought through the bond to his spirit companion, currently flitting between the rafters somewhere. He thought he had caught a glimpse of black feathers once or twice, but he couldn’t be sure. 

‘No. Not yet.’ He heard her say. 

Suddenly, in his mind’s eye, he saw the vision of a mouse cleaning itself on one of the rafters, not noticing the great, winged beast lurking in the shadows a mere foot away.

‘Hope…’, Ren moaned internally, ‘I just fed you.’

‘Well, yes… But I am still hungry.’

‘Well, I don’t want to find puked-up mouse bones on my pillow tonight. Again.'

‘Ugh. Fine.’ Hope grumbled.

Ren could practically feel the eye roll from his companion, and he struggled to keep his face neutral. He was halfway through tuning a string to A when his own stomach began to grumble. He hadn’t had much to eat today, or at all, what little he did have going to fill his daughter Esana’s belly. 

‘Maybe I should catch a mouse for you to eat.’ He heard Hope say. 

‘Thanks, but no…’

‘When was the last time you ate?’

‘In the morning.’

‘Which morning?’

‘…’

‘Renan…’

‘…Yesterday.’

‘RENAN.’

Ren winced against the shrill voice echoing in his head. A man sitting at a table nearby gave him an odd look, to which Ren responded with a sheepish wave.

“Lute strings!” He said in way of explanation. “They don’t make them like they used to.”

The man merely grunted and went back to his tankard. 

‘Look, Hope.’ He said. ‘I promise I will get something to eat tonight after we’re through.’

‘I will hold you to that, Renan.’

The tavern began to fill in earnest as more workers ended their day shift. Amongst the crowd, Ren noticed a group of shifty-eyed men gathering at a nondescript table closer to the back of the bar. It had probably the worst lighting in the entire tavern, but the darkness made it particularly well suited for those who maybe didn’t want to be watched too closely, such as lovers…. Or secretive organizations.

Interesting…

‘Is Esana still in our room?’ Ren asked as he tuned a string to E flat. 

‘Yes,’ came Hope’s reply, ‘She was asleep when I left. Why?’

‘Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because I don’t want a repeat of last time, where she snuck out for an entire hour without anyone noticing after I explicitly told her not to?’

‘Ah, yes. Wherever does your daughter get her complete and utter disregard for authority? It is truly a mystery for the ages.’

Ren couldn’t help but laugh at that. Hope had become quite adept at using sarcasm over the years. 

‘Fair.’ He said. ‘I suppose she does come by it naturally.’

‘What is that mortal saying about apples and trees?’

‘Har har. Alright you made your point.’

Out of the corner of his eye, Ren saw a man walk in that he recognized. The thin, balding man was a Magister, albeit a low-ranking one. Ren couldn’t remember what the man actually did in the Magisterium, exactly, only that it was something asinine.

Asinine or note, that didn’t explain what he was doing here, of all places. The Black Swan was a little too plebeian for most Magisters.

‘Well, well.’ He thought ‘Look who’s slummin’ it up with the rest of us. Interesting.’

‘That is the man in charge of grain tax collection!’ He heard Hope say.

‘He is?’ Ren asked. ‘How do you know that?’

‘Because I pay attention, Renan.’

‘Oh… Well, I’m glad one of us does…’

Ren’s interest peaked even further as he watched as the magister walk to the back, taking a seat at the table with the group Ren had noticed earlier.

Very interesting…

‘Alright, it looks like the Venatori dinner party has started. Table in the back.’ He said. ‘Let’s get to work, shall we?’           

‘We shall. Good luck, Ren.’

‘You as well, Hope.’

Ren walked up the stairs to the small stage at the front of the bar. With a bright grin, he played the first few notes of the song on his lute and began to sing.

“Oh, come along with me, love.

Come along with me.

Come for one night and be my wife.

And come along with me.”

While still playing the notes to the chorus on the lute, Ren stopped singing to address the crowd.

“Grata! Bienviedo! Welcome good people of Minrathous.” He said. “My name is Rook, and I am here to add a little song to your evening. But enough with the pleasantries! The night is young, and I don’t know about you lot, but I am far, far too sober!”

His grin broadened as the crowd began to laugh and cheer. Ren heard a few of them shout, “Here, here!” and his playing grew stronger as he egged the crowd on further. 

“So, let’s raise a glass,” Ren crowed, “and let the night of drinking and debauchery begin!”

And, with that, he began to sing once more, his voice strong and clear.

“Well it is of a jolly butcher, as you might plainly see,

As he roved out one morning in search of company.

He went into a tavern and a fair girl he did see

And said ‘Come for one night and be my wife,

Oh come along with me!’”

Ren jumped off of the stage and began to weave in and around the tables as he continued his song. 

“He called for liquor of the best

And he made such fortune play

‘Come have a drink, it'll make us think

That it is our wedding day’”

‘I cannot hear them, Renan.’ He heard Hope’s voice say in his head as he played. ‘Distract them so I can fly down and slip underneath their table.’

Ren began to maneuver himself to the back of the bar, stopping every so often to play at another table to make it look less conspicuous. He danced around a waitress as she was carrying mugs of ale, giving her a bright smile that made her blush prettily. Finally, he stopped at the Venatori’s table, placing his foot on the edge of the table top with a thunk. Balancing his lute on his knee while he played, he leaned forward and winked at the Magister, who fumed. So focused were they all at the elf and his sheer audacity, that they didn’t notice the small black figure silently fly down from the rafters, dodge the various foot traffic, and tiptoe underneath the table.

‘I made it, Ren!’ Hope crowed, triumphantly.

Ren beamed at the crowd and continued his song.

“Well, he called for a candle to light their way to bed

And when he had her in the room these words to her he said

‘A sovereign I will give to you for to embrace your charms.’

And all that night, that fair young maid lied in the butcher's arms.

Oh, come along with me, love

Come along with me!

Come for one night and be my wife

And come along with me.

Well, about one year later he went roving out once more,

And he went into the tavern where he'd often been before.

He wasn't in there very long when his fair maid he did see,

And she brought forth a baby three months old and placed it on his knee.”

Some of the crowd began to chuckle as they realized where the song was going. Ren’s playing picked up in volume as he reached the punch line. 

“And when he saw the baby, he began to curse and swear

And he said unto that fair young maid, ‘Why did you bring him here?!’

‘Well, he is your own, kind sir’, she said, ‘Do not think me strange

Well, that sovereign that you gave to me, well I gives you back your change!’”

The crowd burst into raucous laughter, and Ren couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride as he finished the song.

“Oh, come along with me, love

Come along with me!

Come for one night and be my wife

And come along with me!”

With a flourish he played the last few chords as the crowd’s laughter turned into applause. He gave a bow, and as he stood back up he saw a flash of red dart through the crowd.

“Dammit.” He muttered. 

‘What happened?’ He heard Hope ask. He turned to the crowd.

“Thank you! You have been a wonderful audience!” Ren exclaimed. “Don’t forget to tip your waitresses! If you need me, I’ll be by the bar.”

The crowd quickly went back to their food and drink, and Ren made a beeline for the bar. 

‘I thought you said Esana was sleeping.’ He demanded through the bond. 

‘She was!’ The spirit replied. ‘I thought she was. Oh! But she might have been faking, now that I think about it. The snoring was a bit too loud.’

To which Ren could only groan.

The Maker had to have it out for him. That was the only explanation. 

‘Don’t move, Hope.’ He said. ‘Keep listening in on the Venatori. I want to have something to report back to the Dragons before the night is over.’

“Only one song tonight, Rook?” Asked one of the waitresses, Rosa, as she carried a tray full of food and drink.

“Can’t be helped, Rosa.” He said as he approached the bar. The barkeeper, a jovial older man with a wiry frame and bright eyes named Julius, poured him a glass of water with a knowing grin.

“Loose something?” He asked.

“Ugh.” Was Ren’s articulate response. Julius only laughed as Ren downed the water in one gulp before setting the glass back down on the counter with a thunk.

“You didn’t happen to see which way she went, did you?” Ren asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“Aye. She snuck out the back door.” 

“Thank you, Julius.”

“Best of luck, Rook!” 

-

Ren stepped outside, taking a deep breath of the cool night air to center himself. He needed to remain calm. Esana couldn’t have gotten far.

In the distance he heard the sound of cheering. Children cheering. He relaxed slightly; he had a feeling whatever was going on, Esana was probably around, if not directly involved.

He followed the sound of cheering until he turned a corner and found himself staring at a veritable horde of children all gathered around a circle. In the middle, playing what looked like a game of bones against an older human boy, was Esana.

“That looks like another game for me!” She exclaimed as she grabbed the copper pieces and put it in her already fairly substantial pile of winnings.

The boy didn’t seem too pleased. 

“That’s not fair!” He cried. “You cheated!”

“How do you cheat at bones, Dax?” One of the other children asked. Dax’s face only grew more red as the other children began to laugh. 

“Yeah, Dax.” Esana taunted as she began to count her winnings. “Don’t be a sore looser.”

“Why you-“

Whatever Dax was about to say was cut short by the sound of heavy footsteps coming down the alley. Out of the darkness, a behemoth of a man emerged. He had lank, dark hair that clung to his face and a scar that ran from one side of his neck to the other. He approached the children, most of whom had already scurried away, and sneered at them with yellowing teeth. 

“What do we have here?” The large man asked as he loomed over the children eyeing the pile of money. “You brats got some money for me?”

“No!” Esana cried. “That’s mine!” She stood up, putting herself between the man and the coin. 

Ren could have sworn his heart had stopped beating then, as he watched the giant man loom over his daughter. His daughter, who looked so very small standing in that man’s shadow. Thinking quickly, Ren grabbed a bottle from a nearby drunkard and flicked a coin his way before the man could complain too much.  

“What did you say, little knife ear?” The man sneered as he pulled an out a wicked looking dagger. “Perhaps I should teach you a lesson of what happens when pests like you talk back to your betters.”

Esana’s eyes widened as the knife was held merely inches from her face. The man made to grab her, but before he could do anything, Ren staggered out of the darkness as if drunk, practically barreling into the man. He made a show of spilling the contents of his bottle all over the man’s clothes. 

“M’so sorry, serah.” He said, slurring his words together. “It seems I-“ and he hiccuped here for effect “-I can’t seem to hold me liquor! Can’t seem to carry it neither.”

Ren gave his best drunken laugh as he pointed to the almost empty bottle of booze. Predictably, the man took the bait, grabbing Ren by the collar and shoving him hard against the wall. 

“Stupid elf! I should gut you here and now!” 

Too busy threatening him, the man didn’t notice Ren pull on the Fade, summoning flames in his left hand. 

“Gut me?” Ren asked, feigning innocence. “While you’re on fire?”

The man stared at Ren in confusion before bursting into laughter.

“On fire? You must be drunker than I-“

Suddenly, the man let out an inhuman screech as Ren held the flame against the man’s alcohol drenched clothes, quickly setting them ablaze with a satisfying woosh. The man dropped Ren as he tried to quickly strip off his burning clothes.

Ren, for his part, didn’t need to be told twice. Grabbing his daughter, he took off running down the narrow alley. 

They had made it almost halfway back to the Black Swan when he stopped to catch his breath. He looked down at his daughter and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. Getting down on one knee he began to look her over.

“Are you alright?” He asked. “Did he hurt you?”

“No. I’m fine.” 

Ren nodded. That would have to do. For now, at least.

Together, father and daughter ran the rest of the way back to the Black Swan. When finally they arrived at the back entrance, the adrenaline seemed to leave Ren all at once, leaving him drained. He sank onto one of the large crates nearby, placing his head in his hands as the reality of what almost happened hit him like a druffalo. 

Esana stood there nervously, sensing, perhaps, that she had crossed a line somewhere. 

“Papa, I’m-“

Ren cut her off. 

“Esana,” he began, frustration filling the void where fear and adrenaline once were, “How many times have I told you that you cannot go out at night on your own?”

“I was just-“

“And yet, you continue to deliberately disobey me. And for what? A handful of coin?”

“It wasn’t just a handful…” she muttered. 

Something inside Ren snapped.

“HE COULD HAVE TAKEN YOU!” Ren shouted as he gripped his daughter’s shoulders desperately. “PAWNED YOU OFF AT THE SLAVE MARKET! OR WORSE, HE COULD HAVE KILLED YOU! DUMPED YOUR BODY SOMEWHERE AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN NONE THE WISER. WOULD THE COIN HAVE BEEN WORTH IT THEN? WELL?”

Hot, angry tears streamed down Esana’s face as she pulled herself out of her father’s grip and ran into the tavern. Ren tried to grab her but she was too quick.

“Esana!” He yelled. “Esana get back here!”

Instead, he heard the sound of a door slamming from upstairs, where the guest rooms were. He looked around the tavern and noticed that it was mostly empty, save for a few stragglers who seemed too deep into their cups to notice the elven family drama going on around them. He also noticed a distinct lack of Venatori. They must have left earlier as well. 

Shit.

With a sigh, Ren felt all of the previous anger bleed out of him, leaving him bone-tired. With great effort, Ren dragged himself to the bar, rubbing at his eyes before anyone could see the moisture in them. 

“Julius,” he called, “Can I have another glass of water, please?”

The barkeep popped out from the kitchen, a bowl of something heavenly smelling in one hand and a tall glass of water in the other.

“I’ll do you one better.” He said, setting the bowl, some sort of stew, in front of Ren. “Here, eat. You look like you’re about to keel over where you stand.”

“Julius, you are a gentleman and a scholar.”

“Yes, yes. Tell me something I don’t know.”

Ren took a few spoonfuls before his appetite left him entirely as the monster currently gnawing at his stomach felt more akin to guilt than hunger. He stirred the soup in lazy circles with his spoon, occasionally making a half-hearted attempt at taking a bite before giving up entirely. 

“I need to go talk to Esana.” He said with a sigh.

“Rook, wait…”

Ren looked up and was surprised to see the old barkeep looking at him with eyes full of understanding… and a bit of sorrow.

“I don’t usually tell people this for obvious reasons, but… my father was also a freeman.” He said. “And an elf, too.”

Ren’s eyes widened. A lot of things about Julius suddenly made sense. The slight build, the bright eyes…

The easiness in which he accepted Ren and Esana… 

He looked at the man in a whole new light then, silently wondering how he never noticed the way Julius’s ears tapered to a point, a tell-tale sign of the man’s heritage.

“I’ll be.” Ren exclaimed. “I’d had no idea I was in the presence of a fellow knife-ear. I’ll make you a flower crown. Maybe even show you some of my favorite places to frolic naked in the moonlight.”

“I am quite capable of going to a whore house on my own, thank you.”

Both men burst into laughter, loud enough in the almost empty tavern to draw the attention of the last remaining guests. The confused stares sobered both men up fairly quickly, and Julius continued whatever point he was getting at.

“Before I was born,” he said, “my father had somehow managed to buy his and my mother’s freedom. Never did quite figure out how he managed to pull it off...”

Julius’s eyes grew distant as he stared at something only he could see. After a moment, he blinked, and turned his attention back to Ren. In all the years he had known the man, Ren had never seen an expression so solemn on his face as he did now.

“When I was Esana’s age, I also never… appreciated the sacrifices my father had made for my family. For me... And Maker, there were so many…”

“And you do now?” Ren asked.

“Aye.” Said Julius. “I do now. Very much so. And I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but Esana will too.”

Ren considered the older man’s words as he took a few more bites of his stew. He pushed himself off of the counter and dusted himself off. 

“Thank you, Julius.” He said. “For everything.”

“Anytime, Rook.“

Ren made his way up the stairs and down the hall to where he and Esana were staying. As quietly as he could, he crept in, closing the door behind him. 

They were fortunate enough to stay in a room with two cots this time, an upgrade to their usual fair. He noticed that the cot on the left was occupied by a relatively Esana sized lump buried underneath the blankets. On the desk , underneath an open window, was a rook. It sat atop a wooden perch as it cleaned its feathers with its long, grey beak. 

Hearing the door close, it looked up and flew over to where Ren sat on the empty cot, silently landing on his knee.

“Hey, Hope.” He uttered.

“…Why is your doublet singed?” Was the spirit’s response.

“Good to see you too.”

“Renan…”

Ren looked down at his doublet, his favorite one too, and, sure enough, he noticed singe marks all long the bottom hem. 

And lo, did the Maker say “Fuck this Elf in particular.” He thought.

“I suppose it does not matter. I am sure it can be fixed.” Hope said kindly. Then, through the bond, he heard: ‘Esana was very upset, but she would not tell me what happened.’

‘She decided to pick fights with grown men and then I lost my temper and yelled at her.’

‘Ah. I see.’

Hope climbed up Ren’s arm to perch on his shoulder.

“I think I am going to go out.” She announced. “Stretch my wings for a bit.”

“Have fun.”

Hope rubbed up against his cheek affectionately, nuzzling him much like she had when he was a boy, newly arrived in the Tevinter Imperium and being sold off like chattel.

‘You can fix this.’ He heard her say through the bond. 

With that, Hope flew out the open window and into the warm summer’s night, leaving father and daughter alone to talk. After a minute or two of sitting silently in the dark, Ren spoke.

“I know you’re awake, Esana.” He said. “Can we talk? Please?”

A loud sniffle from underneath the covers was the only response he got. With a sigh, Ren pulled off his boots and set them neatly by his bedside table.

“It’s ok, Esana. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.” He said as he took off his now singed doublet. “I’ll talk then, ok?”

Ren took a moment to gather his thoughts. He stared down at his hands, looking at the small knicks and callouses from years of playing the lute. He unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt, and let the loose sleeves reveal old scar tissue across his wrists from where too-heavy shackles had rubbed his skin raw years ago. They certainly weren’t pretty, which was part of the reason why he always covered them, but they weren’t the worst of his scars. He knew his back was a gnarled web of lash marks, fifty in total. They still ached from time to time, too…

He made a vow, long ago, that the Imperium would never hurt him, or his loved ones, ever again. And he intended to keep that promise.

“I love you, Esana.” He said, finally. “And I am very sorry that I yelled at you like I did. I shouldn’t have lost my temper.”

In the darkness, Ren saw two bright blue eyes (her mother’s eyes, he thought distantly) peek out from underneath the covers, watching him warily. Taking that as progress, he continued.

“The truth is, I was scared. What you did was incredibly dangerous. I truly thought that man was going to hurt you, and that terrified me.”

Esana crawled out from underneath the covers and sat on the edge of the bed, hunched over and refusing to look anywhere but her bare feet. Ren noticed that she was already in her nightgown. She must have changed after she stormed upstairs. 

With a small smile, Ren patted the empty space beside him in invitation. Esana quickly crossed the short distance to sit with her father, but still refused to look up at him, even after he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to his side. 

“I just wanted to help.” She said miserably, swiping at her eyes as fresh tears  began to fall. “I thought that if I could earn money like you do, then you would let me join you for once.” 

“Esana…”

“I just wanted to be like you. I’m tired of being treated like a baby.”

Ren tucked an errant lock of red hair behind his daughter’s ear. 

“Esana,” he said, “I don’t need you to be like me. In fact, that’s the last thing in the world I want you to be. And while I appreciate the help, I’m your father. It’s my job to take care of you, not the other way around.” 

“But I want to help!” Esana cried, almost desperately. “I want to be out there, with you!”

Ren chewed his bottom lip as he pondered Esana’s words. He certainly did not want to expose her to the drunks of Minrathous, but he also knew that soon she would be turning thirteen. Too old to stay willingly cloistered away. Maybe he could bring her along every now and then, introduce her little by little to his world in a way where he could monitor her and keep her safe, rather than having her go out behind his back…

Still, he couldn’t help but feel he was missing something. Something important. There was a frantic edge to Esana’s pleading that Ren couldn’t understand. Not for the first time, Ren wished his wife were still alive. Leena would have known what to do. She was good at that sort of thing.

“I’ll tell you what,” Ren began, cupping his daughter’s chin gently, “how about I teach you how to play that spare flute I have? Then, you could play with me. Sometimes.”

Esana stared up at her father with wide, disbelieving eyes. 

“Sometimes!” He reiterated. “Only the jobs that I think are safe, ok?”

“Really?” she asked, excitement and a strange tinge of something akin to relief shining in her eyes.

“Yes.” Ren laughed. “Really.”

Esana launched herself at him, wrapping him in a tight hug which he returned without a thought. 

“I love you, papa.” She said.

“I love you, too, Esana.”

Not long after Ren noticed his daughter’s eyelids grow heavy and her shoulders begin to droop. He chuckled as he watched her try to stifle a yawn.

“Alright little Nuglette, I think that’s enough excitement for one day. To bed with you.” 

“Ok, papa.” Esana murmured sleepily as she crawled back into her own cot. Suddenly, that frantic edge that Ren noticed earlier returned.

“Papa…” she said, “Could I stay in your cot? Until I fall asleep?”

“Sure.” Ren said with a small smile.

Esana quickly scurried from her cot to join her father. She snuggled herself up against him, and he felt her relax as if she had been holding in some sort of tension. 

“Esana,” Ren asked as she tucked herself in the crook of his arm, “Is everything alright?”

Esana hastily nodded, not quite looking her father in the eye. Ren sighed.

“You know you can talk to me, right?”

Another nod. 

“Ok. Good night, Esana. Sweet dreams.”

Ren didn’t notice Esana wince at the mention of dreams. He didn’t notice his daughter squeeze her eyes shut, desperately trying not to think of the monsters in her dreams that hounded her, begging her to let them in. 

Instead Ren began to sing softly, voice barely above a whisper as he sang an old Elvish lullaby, one that his own mother sang to him when he was little. It didn’t take long for Esana to drift off into the Fade. No nightmares plagued her this time, safe as she was in her father’s arms and a song promising only pleasant things echoing in her ears. 

For Ren, however, sleep evaded him despite his exhaustion. If he was honest with himself, he didn’t mind and was content to watch the rise and fall of Esana’s chest as his daughter slept soundly, snuggled up against him. Truth be told, he cherished moments such as these because he knew that sooner rather than later, his daughter would grow too old to cuddle with her papa. For now, though, he placed a kiss upon his little girl’s brow and held her as tightly as he could without waking her.

He didn’t know how long he stayed like that, only that it was near dawn when Hope flew in through the window, the first rays of light gently reflecting off of her feathers, giving them a purplish hue. 

“Morning, Hope.” Whispered Ren as he watched her land on the bedside table. 

“Good morning, Renan.” She whispered back. “I am happy to see you two worked it out.”

“Yeah. Me too.” Ren shifted slightly to face his friend. “You were gone an awfully long time. Did something happen?”

“I ran into Neve Gallius. She would like you to meet her later this evening.” 

“Ah… and what did our favorite Ice Queen want? Did she say?”

“Only that she would like to introduce you to an aquantence of hers. Some sort of… novelist?”

“Of course she does…” Ren murmured tiredly, not really paying attention. 

They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the silence of the early morning. Ren was just about to finally drift off to sleep when Hope looked up from where she was preening her feathers and stared out of the window with an unusually concerned expression.

“Renan…” she whispered, so quietly Ren barely heard her. 

“Mmm?”

“There is a storm coming.” Was all she said.

-

Little did Ren know, as he later found himself staring up at the terrifying visages of his Dalish mother's myths, how true those words were about to become. 

[lkblackham]

Had the image of a half human, half Qunari baby pop in my head and got some good therapy practicing drawing cute babies.

Being the child of a nurse-midwife, I have witnessed many births and many different kinds of new dads (on video, to be clear - my mom didn't drag me around to births in person). And so, it is my belief that Emmrich would definitely be the weepy type of new dad. I love those dads.

My personal fanfic headcanon stuff that may or may not be cringe, I make no apologies:

1) Qunari kids, much like goats, do not fully grow their horns until they hit puberty. Which is definitely for the best, because a) birth OUCH and b) can you imagine a hyperactive 2-year-old running around with what amounts to two giant spears attached to their head?

So for the first 12+ years of their life, they just have cute lil forehead nubbins that still really hurt when they headbutt you during a tantrum.

2) It's a girl. Because we all know that Emmrich has strong Girl Dad energy.

3) Atash and Emmrich had a really tough time with names - both given names and surnames. Atash isn't particularly attached to her surname (Laidir) and so was totally fine with just 'Volkarin' for their kid. Emmrich was insistent on including 'Laidir', however, as he felt very strongly about Atash's heritage and story sharing an equal part with his in naming their daughter. So she's got 2 last names - one for Nevarra and one for Rivain. She can pick whichever she prefers, or neither, or both. What matters is that both are there to begin with.

This line of thinking also, obviously, complicated the given name. It's really hard when you're pretty certain this is going to be your only kid, and you're from two very different cultures with their own ideas about names, AND you have a rather tragically long list of people you love who have passed on and deserve to have a child named after them. Not to mention, both of you have names you just personally like, saved away in your head just in case you ever did have a kid to name.

In the end, Atash and Emmrich came up with a compromise, for which they really hope their daughter won't resent them in the future: they gave her *four* names. One for a family member, one for a fallen friend, one for her Qunari heritage, and one that's just hers and no one else's.

So, all together, it came to:

Lobelia Elannora Lace Nazay Laidir Volkarin

It's. It's a lot. Atash and Emmrich both acknowledge that. But it felt wrong to not include those tributes in their daughter's name.

Besides, this just means she has a lot of options, right? Right? Right. Definitely.

(They also acknowledge that Lace Harding would think this was absolutely ridiculous and laugh at them over it, but that mental image being there is part of why they did it)

And yes, of COURSE they chose a flower name.

4) Manfred is really friggin excited to get the chance to watch someone grow up and maybe teach THEM some things himself. Emmrich is really friggin excited on both a personal and academic level to raise his daughter alongside his ward, teaching her about spirits while Manfred learns from her about mortals.

Manfred's also a really great diaper changer because he doesn't have a nose and he's not squeamish about literally anything.

(Not that Atash or Emmrich take advantage of this.)

(Often.)

BY THE WAY, VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: I do not believe that the default Happy Ending for everyone is having kids. In another universe, Emmrich and Rook are just as happy teaching Manfred how to be a person and mage (or not, if Emmrich became a lich) and going off on their own kid-free adventures. YOU MAKE THE CHOICES THAT ARE BEST FOR YOU and fuck what the tropes say.

This is just *my* fantasy cringe fluff. You do you. ♥️

[loony-binz]

Some bitchass TWST hcs (feel free to request someeee)

Epel is trans (fight me) 

Vil has to be hyper-aware of his facial expression because he has resting bitch face

Leona is a piece of shit stoner

Adding to that, Jack always is on the verge of tears around Leona because the stench of marijuana is PUNGENT

Riddle has naturally rosy red cheeks, so a lot of people think he’s either embarrassed or irritated with something

Rook has freckles from all the time he’s spent in the sun, and uses makeup to cover them (CANON?!?)

Floyd watches National Geographic like it’s the Super Bowl

Azul is like Velma, where he always drops his goddamn glasses, and sometimes Floyd purposely pushes him so his glasses fall off

Cater almost leaked his own nudes like the dumbass he is

Ruggie decided to steal some of Leona’s edibles thinking they were normal brownies, and claims he saw the face of God (it was Mickey)

Rook was found in the school vents at least once

Ortho has threatened to dox someone via an anonymous account because they bullied Idia online

Ortho has successfully doxxed someone

Idia’s hair has almost burnt down his room because he couldn’t defeat a boss

Lilia has a tattoo, but he refuses to reveal where (it’s a tramp stamp)

Malleus has fallen for every single deez nuts joke known to man

Sebek has also fallen for every single deez nuts joke known to man

Ace is scared of spiders, and Jamil canonically hates bugs, so one time the entire school freaked out because they had heard the most HIGH PITCHED and LOUDEST scream they’ve ever heard. Turns out it was Ace and Jamil cooking when they found a spider.

Kalim smacked his head on the top of a door frame while riding a magic carpet

Ortho accidentally leaked Idia’s fanfic account, and Cater bookmarked his fics

Jade knows Lilia is Silver’s dad, and has threatened to have make out with him just to make Silver uncomfortable 

Silver listens to the shittiest music you can think of

Deuce sings in the shower

Trey unironically thinks minion memes are funny, and it has made Cater cry

Riddle can eat an entire cake in one sitting without feeling an inkling of nausea

Kalim, Lilia, and Cater made the shittiest track you could ever think of and posted it to SoundCloud

Idia found their track and almost threw up

After Idia’s fanfic account was leaked, Cater showed it to Kalim and Kalim tried ask what ABO was. 

Ortho told him what the acronym stood for, and Kalim thought he was talking about robots, so Jamil shut off the internet for a week

Jack tried to high-hive Epel, and Epel’s hand was red afterwards

Trey and Che’nya made an entire cake and sent it to Riddle’s mom anonymously with the words “eat my ass” written in frosting

Neige secretly owns a Vil stan account

Vil secretly owns a Neige hate account 

Someone tried to make a “ur mom” joke to Malleus and he just responded with “my mother is dead.” With a completely straight face

Idia is the pinnacle of toxic k-pop stans (kinda canon but-) like it’s so bad that it blows the toxicity of the k-pop stans in this world out of the water

Vil had to slap the sense back into Epel because he was binding unsafely 

He also got him the most boujee ass binder you’ve ever seen

Trey has a model of teeth. Not even like dentures just like- a model of the average human mouth. 

Leona is a thigh man. Argue with the wall.

Cater and Idia have gotten into the CRAZIEST internet beef

Somehow, out of the two of them, Cater got cancelled

edit: YUHHH so I made a masterlist and a pinned post!!! For all that like my HCs PRETTY PLEASE send me some requests!! I wanna get to writing again! •v•

[kiame-sama]

Hello, I have some questions for Humans are Extinct au that kept me up last night. Tw. Teeth and oral surgery

Is Sebek’s dad still a dentist in your au? And what if human needs their wisdom teeth removed? What would be the laws and regulations of disposing human teeth in this context? If human asked, would they let them keep their teeth? I once asked my dentist if when they remove mine if I could keep them and they said sure so I’m kinda curious if they would let reader keep theirs

Who is offering to buy reader’s wisdom teeth if they are allowed to keep them? Or are they gonna be put in a museum bc hey, modern human teeth?

Yes, he will remove them, there are complex laws regarding Human teeth, yes, they all would try to buy them, and yes museums will fight for those teeth.

- Sebek's father is still a dentist and is likely the only dentist Malleus will allow near his Human as he is the father of one of Malleus' Hoard members. Naturally, Sebek's dad will be sweating bullets and very nervous to be the only dentist allowed to operate on an extinct species. Those nerves and stress will begin to fade as he realizes the Human has teeth like that of many Fae- duller and less sturdy, but still close enough- and his own professional confidence will return.

- He will likely be the only one who can remove the Human's wisdom teeth and will genuinely feel badly for the Human when their face gets all swollen and painful after surgery. He will want to keep the teeth- because Human teeth are good luck and these are Premium Human Teeth- but will happily let the Human keep them should they want them. He may ask to keep one just because of the Fae's proclivity towards Human teeth and he is excited to show he is trusted enough to work on a Human (literally a trophy to him that other Fae would be exceeding jealous over).

- There are laws about the buying, selling, and trading of Human artifacts and many Historical societies demand all Human artifacts be taken and put on display/studied but most Fae will not part easily with remnants of their Humans. Human teeth are Fae family heirlooms and are considered good luck, often passed down through generations from Fae who raised their own Humans and gathered the baby teeth. Some places such as the Queendom of Roses and the Coral Sea also have family heirloom Human artifacts that they hold tightly to. (Crowley has a full collection of Human artifacts, from baby toys to several sets of teeth, the crow loves the shiny things Humans made and loved Humans in general)

- Malleus and Lilia both desperately want those teeth to keep but they won't push for the teeth if the Human wants to keep them. Leona may offer to buy one or two just for the hell of it. Riddle will honestly cry if he is given one of these teeth and he will literally put it on a pedestal to show it off. Rook wants one and will wear it as a necklace ornament for the remainder of his life. Vil will add it to his collection of beautiful things and won't let anyone take it from him. Malleus, Ortho, and Idia would get the teeth to gift to their respective ancestor. Malleus would give a tooth to Maleficent who will be pleased as punch with the offering. Ortho and Idia would give a tooth to Hades (who has literal hundreds of Human teeth already due to his genuine love for the Humans he kept on the Isle of Woe) but he would treasure it all the same.

- Museums can try to push to get those teeth, but they would have to go to the Human directly about it as Malleus will burn them and none of the others would willingly give up such a gift. If the Museum wants the teeth, they will have to fight for them and there is no one who would win against Malleus in a fight other than Hades or Maleficent.

[harunayuuka2060]

Vil: Would you like to repeat that, Idia?

Idia: No. I said what I said.

Vil: ...

Vil: Rook, what did he say just now?

Rook: Roi de Ta Chambre wants a makeover, Roi du Poison!

Vil: ...

Vil: Why? What happened?

Idia: It's none of your business.

Rook: Is it because of the incident at the mall? *smiles mischievously*

Idia: !!!

Vil: What happened at the mall?

Rook: Roi de Ta Chambre, MC, and Monsieur Sleepyhead were together when someone approached them.

Rook: And that person said to MC and Monsieur Sleepyhead,

Rook: "Are you two couple? You look great together!"

Vil: ...

Idia: ...

Vil: *smirks* I understand it now.

Idia: I've changed my mind. I don't want a makeover.

Vil: Too late. *stops him from leaving*

Idia: This is so embarrassing, Ortho... *Vil turned him into a total heartthrob*

Ortho: *taking pictures of him* Mom and Dad will like this.

Idia: Please stop...

Ortho: *giggles*

MC: Idia, Ortho, I'm back-

MC: ...

Idia: ...

Ortho: Welcome back, MC! Idia has been waiting for you!

Idia: ...

MC: ...

MC: *pinches their own cheek to see if it's just a dream*

Idia: That's it! I'm changing! *embarrassed noises*

MC: No- Wait!

Ortho: *laughs*

Silver: Idia got jealous of me?

Vil: Yes.

Silver: Why? MC corrected the person who had mistaken us.

Silver: They proudly said that Idia is their husband.

Lilia: *chuckles* He probably didn't notice.

Vil: Idia sure was hopeless when he wanted to.

Idia: *hiding under his blanket*

MC: ...

MC: Idia.

Idia: What? You're just going to tease me.

MC: ...

MC: *gets under his blanket*

Idia: I- No- I don't want you here!

MC: *cuddles him*

Idia: ...

Idia: I know it's stupid of me to get jealous.

MC: But I'm more stupid for making you feel that way.

Idia: Why? We're just besties.

MC: Married besties. *smiles*

Idia: ...

Idia: *screaming internally*

[spinfins]

The Lighthouse is full of surprises, you guys. The Dread Wolf was a hoarder of some very strange shit.

Like the self stirring spoons Lucanis found and banished from the kitchen because they only stirred Allegro.

Or the box Assan and Manfred found that switched the gravity. THAT is an interesting story.

But this one is about Bellara. She is so curious. So very, very curious. And the Lighthouse is FULL of surprises.

So when Bellara finds the little owl statue, she touches it. It’s fine, Rook touches owl statues all the time. It's not covered in any complex machinery, or ominous magical auras. So she touches it.

And then she’s on the floor, and suddenly everything else is ten times as big as it used to be.

Oh dear, she tries to say, and hoots in alarm instead.

Emmrich is quite busy when Manfred brings the tiny owl to him. “Very nice, my dear,” he says in a way Manfred knows means he is not actually paying attention.

‘No,’ Manfred hisses insistently, thrusting the tiny feathery ball under his face, ‘Important.’

“Why yes, she is a lovely specimen of the Micrathene Whitneyi, colloquially known as the ‘Elf owl.’ And she is also perfectly healthy and very agitated. You should put her back,” Emmrich says, and does not notice the owl or Manfred glaring at him.

They go to Neve next. Neve is smart. Neve notices things even Emmrich misses.

“Hey Fred, what’s that you’ve got there?”

Manfred hisses and presents the little owl where she is perching on his bare boney fingers.

“Oh isn’t that cute!” Neve says in a high-pitched tone she would never display to anyone but a wisp or tiny animals (they’re in the same category really.) “Say, Fred. Have you seen Bel? I need to ask her a question.”

They go to Rook, because surely Rook of all people will know how to fix this. Rook fixes everything.

“Oh! Gods no!” Rook flails over the back of the couch and scrambles away like a crab. “Take it to Emmrich, Fred! Take it to Emmrich!”

Hmmm. Perhaps Rook has been touching too many owl statues.

They are at a loss. Manfred takes Bellara back into the courtyard and stands undecided. Will she be a tiny fluffy owl forever? There are worse fates, they suppose.

Then Bellara pops back, cradled in the skeleton’s bony arms as he hisses in surprise.

“It’s some sort of cloaking device!” She squeals, “It has a timing mechanism! It must have worn off by itself. And it's powerful enough it fooled your dad!”

Manfred puts her down and hisses excitedly.

“Let’s go try it again!”

Needless to say, Emmrich pays much better attention when not one, but two little owls return to his lab, one composed entirely of bone.

[littlemissayu]

“YOU SPOKE!!” – Their kids first words (Night Raven 3rd Years-Malleus & Lilia)

A/n: Yes I ‘m well aware I haven’t updated/posted my other oc request from my event, even though it ended over a month ago BUT it’s getting done and I will try to finish as fast as I can. I ‘m just posting this because it’s been delayed forever and I need something to get my writing juices going.

If you see me mention gender it’s based off of my Twst boys as Parents series that you can find here!!

Warnings: FEM! Reader, pregnancy,domestic fluff, babies(ofc), google translate translations, I’m only doing their first kids/first set of kids

pairing(s):3rd Years x fem!Reader(separate/romantic)

Yummy/Delicious- Hears you say it everytime Trey makes a really good baked treat(aka all the time). Now I know delicious is probably a hard word for a baby to say which is why I also have ‘yummy’. They say it for the first time after Trey gives them a small part of a macaroon. You could just see how Trey’s eyes lit up when he heard his little one speak for the first time!!

Smile!!/Cheese!!- The two of you (mostly Cater) always say these phrases to your kids, so it’s no surprise when their first words are smile and cheese. With the family album(that I 100% believe Cater would start making once you get pregnant). When Cater heard his babies speak for the very first time he got super sentimental and excited calling you over(if you weren’t already there)

Papa!- Now this is solely based on my personal headcanon that Leona’s first kid would be a girl and a total Daddy’s girl. Always with him, even though you carried her for 9 MONTHS, homegirl got evicted from the womb and wanted to follow around papa. I also believe this happened as he was getting something and turned his back to her so she tried to get his attention. His ears immediately shoot up and his eyes open wide. He instantly picks up his cub and rushes over to you to tell you what your daughter just said. But dw, her next word ended up being mama. Is so proud of his little girl~

Pretty!- You’re always saying this to your husband so she eventually just picks up on it. Also hears other people saying it about either you or Vil; not to mention you and Vil do occasionally call her “pretty girl”. So she’s just surrounded by the word so it's no shocker when it’s her first word. Vil just beamed at his daughter, truly feeling the sentiment. His little girl, his pride and joy has spoken for the first time BUTTTT sadly he wasn’t there to witness it. So all that happened when he came back from work. He almost left early after you told him over the phone. But he could be more proud of his kleiner engel.

Up!!- Now this is because this little Hunt loves being picked up, especially when her father is flying on his broom. They love the feeling of being high up and flying through the sky with her father. Rook is always open to giving his petit oiseau what they ask. When his little one said their first words he couldn’t help but outburst with joy. He couldn’t stop praising them for speaking, then when you came in or called out to him/your child, he began praising you for giving this wonderful child.

Play!!/Uh oh- Now 2 things to establish, 1. Ik “uh oh isn’t a word” but I’m just gonna have to count it and I will explain why 2. Why are there 2 different words, well if you read this fic here!!, you’ll learn that I believe Idia has twin boys therefore I wrote 2 different words. Now onto my explanation; for ‘play’ it just makes sense, sitting on his dad’s lap watching him play games that say and display the word ‘play’ on the title screen ofc that would be his kid’s first word it just makes sense. Now for your other twin boy this was his first “word” because whenever Idia gets frustrated on the game at a certain point he hears you say “uh oh”, meaning “Dad’s about to burst”. They also have learnt(bc they're a very smart child) that they can use this for other times when something is about to go wrong so they do say it when something might go wrong. Idia seemed nonchalant at first place but then a smile grew on Idia’s face from his adorable talking twins.<3

Heartsabyul Masterlist

Savanaclaw Masterlist

Pomefiore Masterlist

Ignihyde Masterlist

[oepionie]

—"IT WAS JUST TWO LOVERS" various

💭masterlist

⊹ [ tags ] — hurt/comfort fluff, insecurities, mentions of overthinking, past relationship, they are down bad◞

HE LEISURELY PEPPERS KISSES against your cheek, hands dragging up and down your sides as you giggle at his saccharine affections. Both of you were entangled in bed, legs and arms drawn together as you had fleeting conversations about whatever came to mind. 

"First love? Is that a term back in your world?" He murmurs, burying his face deep into the crook of your neck. Your lover wraps his arms tight around you, pulling your body flush against his.

A tender laugh leaves your lips as you thread your fingers through his hair. "Yes, that's a term. It's the first person you've ever loved. That one person that you will never forget. It's special since their love will leave an imprint on your heart, which will be there for all of eternity."

"I see." He hums, a forthright tone settling onto his tongue. "Well, in all honesty, you certainly wouldn't be my first love."

Oh.

Hand halting its ministrations in his hair, a bitter and agonizing feeling creeps up your chest as you force out a laugh. "I-Is that so?"

Well...perhaps you should have expected this. It was a thought you didn't want to admit to for the longest time. It only fueled your insecurities and left you feeling vulnerable, spiralling into a dishevelled mess of crying and overthinking.

Perhaps it was not so surprising, you lament.

He was a prince straight out of a fairy tale. Surely he has loved and has been loved by many other before? An uncomfortable silence followed soon after as you tried to muster up a response but couldn't. Your voice lodged itself in your throat, words failing you. 

"I think the term has no merit to it, anyway." He murmurs, a soft smile gracing his lips. Your lover gazed at you affectionately as you blinked down at him and tilted your head in confusion. His love tinted stare pours over every detail of your face, observing how strands of hair fell over your cheeks, how your eyebrows drew together or how your lips pulled itself into a frown—he delighted in all of it. 

"If I had love so impactful and grand as the first, why would I need another love?" Brushing his thumb against the corners of your lips, he eased your frown away. "First love, hm? That would be you then, dearest. Though, it would be far more fitting to say that you're my only one true love."

✩— MALLEUS, JADE, Lilia, VIL, ROOK, Jamil

Likes, Comments, and Reblogs are greatly appreciated and really motivating on my end!

Taglist: @keedas @spadecentral @crypticbibliophile @pastellepastary @cassidycampfire @cocomollo @poisonioushearts @kawaiipotatoghost @ramvuda @the-lost-anime-dad @kyraxiyn @mayaaaeo @rainybeebs

↳ want to be added?

[letterstoear]

Picking you up from Sam’s shop at 2am for no apparent reason

Synopsis: What happens when he picks you up from Sam’s shop? 

Heartslabyul | Savanaclaw | Octavinelle | Scarabia | Pomefiore | Ignihyde | Diasomnia | Bonus characters |

Notes: Character x gn reader, short drabbles, twisted wonderland, can be read as lovers or friends, Diasomnia ver.

Please check out my shop too: Shop — Letters to Ear (squarespace.com)

🐉 Impossible to think he would check his text messages, boy rarely charges that thing

🐉Doesn’t get your text till the next time he charges it and is like oh, that happened

🐉Yeah, you’re like left sitting there at Sam’s shop thinking to yourself why you sent it to him in the first place

🐉The moment he reads said text, Malleus is asking you all sorts of questions about what he missed

🐉This should have been a precious moment for him to get invited somewhere and he messed it up

🐉Apologizes and promises that he’ll pay better attention to his phone, yeah good luck dragon boy

🐉The two of you schedule a proper late night hang out which Malleus is super excited about

🦇Is up and ready to pick you up like a little kid from school

🦇It actually does remind him of those little kids who would get picked up from school by their parents

🦇Lilia, of course has never done so for Silver, that boy was homeschooled

🦇Arrives at Sam’s shop fully prepared to walk you home and take care of you like his own kid

🦇You are to him a child who is miles behind life

🦇Imagine his surprise when you wanna hang out with him late at night for like no reason

🦇Abandons his dad role for a friend role in a flash

🦇Late night talks, playing video games, and just crying about life

🦇Lilia is prepared to do it all

🦇It’s also a first for him too, so he’s pretty amazed by it all

⚔️He’s fast asleep

⚔️Yeah there’s no way he’s getting up for you

⚔️However he will see the text and confront you about it

⚔️Silver’s concerned, why were you wanting to see him so late at night? Did you get home safely?

⚔️Ease his worries please

⚔️To make up for not making it to you last night, Silver plans a new hangout session with you

⚔️This time around he’s going to try his best to stay awake

⚔️Is like a 50/50

⚔️If he is awake he’s probably having the time of his life, if he’s asleep he’s like oh dang I messed up

⚡Doesn’t rush to your side

⚡Calls you up and is like how dare you mess with my sleep schedule

⚡Takes his sleep very seriously. Malleus’ bodyguard needs their sleep!

⚡After calling you about whatever it is you’re on about Sebek is tempted to pick you up

⚡If you did really need him to pick you up late at night he would rush over to you

⚡Mainly because he knows you’re not going back to bed anytime soon

⚡Similar to Rook and Vil, Sebek would probably say you should go back to bed too

⚡That’s it, end of conversation

⚡The next morning you probably got a bunch of bags from staying out late at night and boy does Sebek yell at you for it

⚡Sebek’s got good intentions

⚡Has you promise not to stay out late at night

[yuri-is-online]

For all of the yutu's, which ones are more papa's boy(s) and which ones are more parent's (yuu) boy(s)?

Ah good question lets see... I think most of them start out having Yuu as the favorite because that's who raised him, but that changes after they finally get to meet their dad. For some of them anyway.

notes: this is part of my fyuuture kid au, information about which can be found on my masterlist under the series section.

Heartslabyul

Riddle

Bad timeline! Riddle Yutu is Yuu's little baby with massive daddy issues because it's hard to be a papa's boy when he's not around ;-;. Good timeline! Yutu is a Papa's boy, he wants Riddle's approval so so so badly, he's always bringing his tests home to be hung up on the fridge so he can be praised.

Trey

Yutu likes Yuu best, Yutres is a daddy's girl, and Yushi says she has no preference but her favorite parent is whichever one is going to give her permission to do what she wants at that particular moment.

Cater

Doesn't have a preference. He loves both of his parents equally and just wants them both to be together in the same house. He relates to his father heavily, but one of the things they have in common is how fun they find it to be around Yuu.

Ace

Ace! Yutu takes after his father in a lot of ways! One of those is that Yuu is his favorite person and everyone else is mid in comparison (he does love his dad too ofc he just enjoys getting under his skin.)

Deuce

Bad timeline! Yutu is very much a parent's boy but I think good timeline! Yutu is actually a grandma's boy. I can see Dilla spending a lot of time helping Yuu and Deuce out and she just screams that she would be a cool grandma. Hopefully Yutu also really likes eggs.

Savanaclaw

Leona

Daddy's boy. Leona! Yutu loves Yuu don't get it twisted but he wants to be like his dad so badly. There's just something about that grumpy lion that makes little kids ask "is this a role model?" and then not wait for an answer before trying to climb all over his back while he pretends to swat them off.

Ruggie

Bad timeline! Yutu is a parents boy, good timeline! Yutu has no preference. He loves both of you so much! His dad is so cool and Yuu are the best, how could he possibly pick which one of his parents is better?

Jack

Doesn't have a preference. He acts super aloof about it, like he's beyond the need for his parents but really he wants to make the two of you super proud with how self sufficient he is. It makes his tail wag really fast.

Octavinelle

Azul

Parent's boy. He does mend a lot of his issues with his father in the good timeline, but he just likes being spoiled by Yuu no matter what timeline he's in.

Jade

As previously established the only form of authority Yutu respects is his parent, Yuu. He does get softer on his dad in the good timeline, but Yuu is still number one in his heart.

Floyd

Depends on his mood. Sometimes Yutu is a daddy's boy, other times he's yuu's baby. There's no real rhyme or reason to when or why, unless he's in serious trouble then he always goes to Floyd because he's at least got a 50/50 shot of leniency there.

Scarabia

Kalim

You are both his favorite. His father is wonderful and so full of life and his parent loves him so much. He thinks you are both the most important, and gets very defensive about it.

Jamil

Good timeline! Yutu is a parent's boy as a baby but grows into a daddy's boy as he ages and comes into his own. He loves both of you so much it could be a burden under the wrong circumstances.

Pomefiore

Vil

Daddy's boy. It runs in the family and Vil embraces it wholeheartedly. A part of him has always wanted this, he didn't think it was possible to be even more grateful for your love than he was but Yutu is such a gift he swears he's re-learned the meaning all over again.

Rook

Roland is the daddy's boy, and Yutu is the parent's boy. It makes Rook weep to wonder about what would happen if perhaps if you had a little girl? ( •̯́ ^ •̯̀) no? ( •̯́ ^ •̯̀) he just thinks that maybe it would be fun to see what would happen- (he is on his knees begging please please please he wants to be a girl dad so bad)

Epel

Parent's boy. He has an alliance with his dad though, it's super sweet to see them run up to you in the middle of the fields with apple blossoms they spent lunch picking to give you. Your boys love you very much.

Ignihyde

Idia

Uncle's boy. He loves both of his parents equally but Ortho is easily his favorite person and can you really blame him? Idia doesn't he's really happy to see Ortho embraced by his son as part of the family.

Diasomnia

Malleus

Princess Tamago is daddy's little princess of course, but I think both of the kids like Yuu best. Malleus isn't jealous at all, no not at all say Yuu, he is your favorite right? Because you are his too and he was here first-

Lilia

Silver is his favorite person, but Yuu is a close second. Lilia likes to fake cry about this because baby Yutu would get all offended and scream about how he was being silly because he loved him too! Ah yes but he's not Yutu's favorite oh woe is him.

Silver

Daddy's boy in theory, parent's boy in practice. He loves his dad but they're both a bit dense so connecting with each other can be difficult sometimes. It doesn't diminish the strength of their connection any, but it does cause some angst in those teen years.

Sebek

Parent's boy. Sebek Yutu thinks of Yuu the same way Sebek does Malleus, but he's much more normal about it as he gets older than Sebek ever was. (He does think his dad is cool but he doesn't want to admit it.)

Extra

Rollo

Parent's boy but Rollo is absolutely whipped for his child. Rollo isn't always the best at communicating his feelings, and he's very determined to not have the same thing happen to his child as happened to his brother. When Yutu looks up at him with his little eyes and calls him Papa... it melts him. He's very proud of him he's just not always as loud about it as Yutu might like.

[mellosdrawings]

Twisted boys worst to best, GO!!

I'll make it my fav to my meh if thats fine with you. I fear I would spend hours on a detailed analysis for what I consider to be perfect chara design and motivations otherwise.

-Azul (perfect, 12/10, makes my autism go brr, I still need to do that full analysis for him because I love him too much and have too many thoughts, must pull)

-Jamil (perfect, 11/10, someone please give this man freedom and his weight in cookies, must pull)

-Cater (perfect, 10/10, flashy guy with completely dead eyes, reminds me of Childe, pull if possible)

-Rook (perfect, 10/10, makes my autism go brr, perfect world view ideology, rewired my brain chemistry, pull if possible)

-Idia (perfect, 10/10, peak brother, family angst makes my heart go brr, insufferable asshole, pull if possible)

-Jade (9/10, creepy, would go mushroom hunting with him so we could see who's the most autistic about fungi, sometimes pull)

-Vil (9/10, perfection, made me fall in love instantly during his chapter despite me expecting to dislike him, fawn whenever I see him, pull if possible)

-Leona (8/10, absolute asshole, insufferable dick, wish his flashback was done better so we could see how horrendous it could have truly been, plan on rewriting something someday about that, should be on the pull if possible list but I have no self control for this fucker so I always pull for him)

-Riddle (7/10, made me fall in love with the game, used to kin him in all the wrong ways lol, would've overblotted too in his place, no pull)

-Ruggie (7/10, freaky evil little guy syndrome, has the funniest synergy with Leona, love him, would pull for him if I was rich)

-Kalim (10/10, best character ever and people underestimate him and his potential too much, would smother him in kisses, despite being perfect he is still low on the list coz I'm a mess, sometimes pull)

-Floyd (7/10, creepy asshole, love his mood swings and how everybody just works around it, perfect trio with the two others, sometimes pull)

-Deuce (6/10, lovely little mama boy, doing his best, I want to cheer for him, no pull)

-Trey (6/10, perfect house husband, love how hard he tries to be normal even though he's just as much a freak as everybody else, no pull though was tempted once)

-Sebek (5/10, I see potential but I'm not yet familiar with him, golden retriever vibe, would give him a smooch, no pull though I was tempted once)

-Silver (5/10, not familiar with him yet but he has very interesting themes, no pull)

-Epel (5/10, little dick, needs to learn to move past his misogyny and I love that theme for him, but keeps being done dirty by the story who refuses to have him learn the lesson, no pull)

-Lilia (4/10, should be one of my fav coz I absolutely love the "retired war god who settled down to become a father" trope, but I just can't get the spark with him for some reason..., no pull though I was tempted once)

-Ortho (5/10, best baby bro, has a lot of potential, but rarely ever used properly, no pull)

-Jack (4/10, best tsundere boy but kinda boring in my opinion, no pull)

-Ace (5/10, very good character but I would've blocked him so hard coz I can't stand that kind of behavior lol, no pull)

-Malleus (3/10, just like Lilia his trope is usually one I love but I seriously can't care about him no matter how hard I try, no pull)

Others:

-Crowley (10/10, peak character, would punch him in the face if he was real, must pull)

-Sam (9/10, very interesting, would love to see his card or have him more often on screen, would pull)

-Crewel (9/10, dom daddy, gives a mix of Vil and Leona vibe lol, must pull)

-Trein (9/10, father and widower, cat dad, would make him tea and scones, must pull)

-Vargas (3/10, surprisingly one dimensional when the game is so good at fully fleshing its characters, waiting to see more)

-Rollo (9/10, absolute asshole, desperately needs a hug and therapy, should also probably go in prison lol, very interesting fodder for Idia, would have pulled if I had any extra gems)

-Fellow and Gidel (10/10, brothers, assholes, completely out if it and loving them for it, still need to read their stories but I already love them, must pull)

-Skully/Skelly (10/10, looks like the weirdest little shit, super cringe, already loving him but still need to see, must pull)

[etheries1015]

Hi, I hope you're well and I'm sorry to randomly pop in but I finished reading this and I just have to let my sad brain that's obsessed with Lilia go off.

You had Vil and Rook help give Mc a makeover right? What if they found out Mc got stood up. Me personally (I'm biased), I feel like they'd become subtly more protective. Not intrusive, not controlling, but they'd keep a more watchful eye on Mc because they don't want to see them get hurt again.

Okay, okay, but then my brain needs an extra layer added in with angst, so Lilia notices this change in behavior from the Pomefiore beans. At first he's glad Mc has people looking out for them, glad they have a support system. But Rook figures out it was Lilia who stood Mc up and tells Vil. The two start trying to find reasons why Mc shouldn't be around Lilia without telling them that's what they're trying to do directly, just "Oh Lilia’s in there, hey let's go hang out in the courtyard instead!" Subtle diversions.

Lilia starts becoming more aware of their behavior. He tries to convince himself that it isn't a big deal and things were awkward there anyway, maybe distance was the best for him and Mc. However, Silver starts noticing Lilia is more focused on Mc, and starts voicing that he misses their company. Silver has a general understanding of what happened that rainy day, as his father let a bit of it off his chest "Oh, Don't worry, there was just an unfortunate misunderstanding that needed to be cleared up!" Silver isn't taking any shit, he confronts his dad. When Lilia explains that he's too old for romance, much less romance with a human, Silver scolds him about how he never raised him to be that way. Why did Lilia believe so differently than he tended to in this singular instance? What did race have to do with the situation? "If Mc is undeserving of a chance with you, why did you take me in and give me a chance to be in your life?"

Kinda went on a tangent...if none of that made sense I apologize, I'm very sleep-deprived and angsty rn lmao. Anyway, take care of yourself and have a good day 😊

I absolutely love this take!!! I'll give you a little more detail below, however, you outlined it very well.

Part 2 of Lilia X reader Rejection

Time had passed agonizingly slow at ramshackle dorm. Not only had you contracted a cold during your outside endeavors of rain and heartbreak from Lilias rejection, you also couldn't bring yourself to face any other students in the state of misery you were in. This, of course, had not gone unnoticed by a few. Ace and Deuce were naturally worried for you, however Rook and Vil were also left out of the loop with what happened that day raising their worries and causing them to come to you about it.

Coming by ramshackle and seeing you in such a state of misery was truly heartbreaking for the two. You opened the door with puffy eyes and a running nose, hunched over with a blanket covering the majority of your body. Immediately Vil sprung into action, pulling the blanket off of you and preparing a bath while Rook had made soup and medicine for you. Whilst chastising you for your sudden disappearance and sickly state, you had finally broken down and had given them the rundown of all that night's events. You needed support, and luckily the two were more than happy to give it to you. After learning it had been Lilia who stood you up and then humiliate you in front of the gates of the school, by the time you had indeed returned to the school, you noticed the way Vil and Rook would try and steer you away from any places that Lilia could be. They couldn't hide this very well, I mean, you knew all of Lilias's classes and the places he often visited in the school. Who wouldn't be able to notice the way your close friends had tried to distract you from this?

They noticed how standoffish you now were, how your look off in the distance was so distracted, so empty. They were, however, not the only ones to see this change in you. Lilia would steal glances from you from across the room and the halls, and simply thinking to himself you would soon forget your silly feelings and move forward with your smile per usual. He was grateful for Vil and Rook being by your side and figured this would be for the best. Being away from Lilia for the time being while you sorted out your emotions was going to be much better for you, and perhaps you'd be able to find yourself around Lilia like you used to. The time when you stayed up late with him playing video games, how you called him at the most random of times to tell him of your day, the way you would always be surrounded by so much fun. He was excited to get back to that, to the day you forgot your romantic feelings for the fae, and he could enjoy your company once more.

however...those days did not come as he had hoped.

It can be hard to imagine Lilia regretting something he believed so strongly on initially, however, he can't stop the stinging of pain that plagued his heart after seeing you in such disarray. The way you sat in the rain alone the way the rain blended in with your tears and the way your eyes were red...from him. He caused that pain. The bitterness he had felt from your confrontation hadn't gone unnoticed, those around him had begun to realize there was a shift ever so slightly around him. The air had become thicker and his smiles seemed to be far more forced, much like this instance with his son.

"Father," Silver approached the fae, "I haven't seen (y/n) around per usual. Has something happened between the two of you?" He inquired. Silver had rather missed your company, your cooking and the kindness you had shown him. He found you almost like another parental figure, Silver was incredibly fond of you and since the moment you had confided in your feelings for Lilia he was cheering you on from the sidelines in your advances to his father. When you had vanished without as much as a letter, Silver had become anxious and decided it be best to follow up with Lilia. The red eyed fae couldn't bring himself to meet the gaze of his child , avoiding it by staring at the computer screen had had been playing games on with a forced smile painted upon his lips.

"Don't worry, Silver. (Y/n) and I had a simple misunderstanding, and they are simply processing their emotions right now. Sometimes distance is the best cure for such fallouts," he said. The room became silent for a moment that felt like an eternity, before Silver took in a deep sigh and confronted his thoughts to Lilia.

"You rejected them?" He said quietly, Lilias head perking up in slight alarm at the sudden question. The turned on his chair to face the taller human, gaze far more serious than before.

"I see you knew about the prefects growing affections for me?" Lilia asked, attempting to keep his tone at a calm and collected manor. Silver flinched at the look his father was giving him, yet cringing ever so slightly at the idea of confronting his guardian in such a way. He nodded gently and fiddled with his fingers nervously.

"...why?" Silver asked, his gaze seemingly afraid to look into his fathers eyes. He knew he had kept this from him and indeed felt a little bit guilty, however what was he to do? He was certain Lilia returned the feelings, why the sudden change of behavior?

"They're a human, and I'm an aging fae. It simply was not meant to be," Lilia tried to quickly wave off his explanation to his son in hopes the subject would be dropped, yet the words he had used stung silvers heart. With his eyebrows furrowing and the increasingly frustrated feeling bursting in his chest, Silver began to question the fae far more sternly than before.

"What do you mean?" He asked, "So what if (y/n) is a human? They obviously are very important to you. Weren't you the one to tell me that fae and humans should live together in peace despite those differences?" Silver sounded almost desperate, hoping for some sort of explanation from the contrarian that sat before him. Lilia let out a deep sigh, he could tell that his patience for this conversation was running thin.

"Silver. This is...different. Perhaps you don't fully understand seeing as you're human as well, but we live...a very long time. I am a very old age, and I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to properly handle a romantic relationship, much less with a human who has time to find someone who will grow with them instead of focusing their time on a...dying fae," Lilia hesitated the final words, quickly attempting to dismiss this with a wave of his hand as he turned away from his son, however the silver-haired boy scowled with astonishment at this with a hint of sadness in his shaking voice.

"Yet you took me in as your own, father," Silver pointed out. Before Lilia could respond to his, he continued.

"I thought you raised me to see our races as equals. You gave me the chance to grow as your son, yet you won't give (y/n) the chance to grow as your lover? They care about you very much, that is plain to see as day. I think...those feelings are far more important than the way you see age. You can't throw aside how they feel because they should find another "human" to share their lives with, we both know that is not what (y/n) wants. I'm very sad you are talking like this, Father. I'm disappointed in you, I thought you were wiser than that." Leaving Lilia stunned and wide-eyed, Silver walked out of the room. Lilia let out a shaky sigh as he shook his head and scoffed at the ridiculous situation, his head burying into his hands. A moment of silence rang before his eyes closed and head lay upon his desk, muttering beneath his breath;

"I miss them..."

--

Check out my masterlist!

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Catching up! So today we’re mostly having replies related to all the stuff we posted recently.

Starting with the most important question.

Anonymous asked:

Wait, Idia got called a brocon? When?

He did! Grim called him a brocon in 5-13 right after we saw Ortho for the first time :3 (timestamp on 5:42 just in case)

Anonymous asked:

How does that smoke beer donut taste?

(this is about this drawing)

Very smoky! And like something Gidel isn’t supposed to eat…

Anonymous asked:

I wanna see some of your traditional art

Actually, Anon, you’re looking at it…

The majority of things that we post daily was originally drawn traditionally, and then coloured digitally. I really want to do more art that is 100% traditional, but never get a chance to for a bunch of reasons :(

Anonymous asked:

I love your analysis holy cow! see its because of Book 5 that i cant stop seeing Vil and Rook as mom and dad. i love this ship mind you, (they are my comfort ship and it gives me life whenever you draw them you beautiful soul) but even if some didnt see them as a romantic couple--in my opinion they still have that VIBE you know? Like whenever they're there you just cant help but feel like BRO THEY WOULD BEAT UP YOUR BULLIES AND THEN GROUND YOU AND SEND YOU TO YOUR ROOM FOR FIGHTING IN THE FIRST PLACE LOL is it just a me feeling?

(this is related to this post)

Thank you for your kind words, Anon! I am very happy you enjoyed the analysis and that you like my RookVil art <3

Yeah, I think these two being very parental is pretty obvious and pretty intentional! All jokes aside, Pomefiore trio really feels like it was written in a way that they would read as a family. We don’t usually like this trope because characters playing house could get pretty boring, and a lot of family-related tropes don’t resonate with us at all. So I am surprised to this day that we love Pomefiore’s vibes so much. I’m guessing that it’s because of how unusual of a family they are, how Epel actually fights with Vil a lot, and how he grows from being a little brat to being a little brat that is eager to grow and excited to show his senpais his new cool magic tricks, while they tease him but still are very proud and excited for him. Like, they’re strict and would smack him (well, Vil would) but they also want him to grow. Woah, that sounds way too wholesome ew lol

Anyways! Even if we exclude Epel, and this is another thing I’ve talked about a lot, I genuinely feel like Rook and Vil were intentionally written as a couple that has been together for quite some time, at least coding-wise. There are just too many tropes and situations that they have that are usually used for couples… Alright I’ll stop myself or I’ll rant about them again even though I just did a couple of weeks ago.

blackbutlerfandomnerddomain asked:

I just love baby Vil so much, makes me wonder what happened

(this is about this drawing)

Adults with shitty opinions + kids that can’t separate reality from fiction happened… truly, two of the worst things that could happen to a possible friendship between actors.

A couple of asks about this drawing:

Anonymous asked:

Oh oh! I saw! Che'nya art! We (smiley kitty fans) are starving! Thank you for the food! It is delicious! May we have another plate, please?

Poor smiley kitty fans! :( I am so sorry you’re starving! Please enjoy your food.

Unfortunately I don’t have any more smiley catfood for you…….. yet.

Anonymous asked:

*see Chenya *

*starts biting at the bars of my containment*

Better question for him..... What that tongue do??? 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

What that tongue doesn’t do, Anon? Wink

Anonymous asked:

Question. How much of Riddle's body do you think Che'nya would lick to clean him?

In theory, he’d probably get bored pretty quickly, but I kind of want him to just keep licking… Riddle thought it would be over 15 minutes ago, but Che’nya’s still licking… The moment he would be done with his face, ears and head (cat saliva in Riddle’s hair…), Riddle would realise that Che’nya is determined to lick him all over. Time to call Trey…

blackbutlerfandomnerddomain asked:

Riddle gets licked my Chenya often in my lil delulu ass world

Sometimes Che’nya randomly appears, licks his cheek and disappears again.

Anonymous asked:

Bro I gotta know, what do the tweel's dick(s) look like on their merform? I was scrolling on ur bluesky and saw this one with jade and idia and something between idia's legs and I was like "is that his dick?" If so DAYUM! May that bussy rest in peace

Love your art and speedpaints btw💗

Thank you for enjoying my art and especially my speedpaints! I am very happy to hear that <3

Hehe I’m glad you liked that one! I had a lot of fun with that piece.

I feel like I draw merpeen differently every single time lol but I love the design we came up with for that Jade/Idia drawing, and in fact I do have a post in which I talk about how it probably works! There aren’t any pictures there, but there are some interesting thoughts…

[littlexlioness]

Reason’s different factions would make interesting partners for Emmerich:

 

Lords of Fortune:

I head cannon my LOF!Rook being a history buff who helps appraise artifacts

She and Emmerich geeking out over ancient finds together

Emmerich having to convince LOF!Rook to only take back stolen artifacts taken by the Venatori, or the Antaam from their rightful resting places

Emmerich trying to get those goods back to their families or into a museum

For GOLD and Glory

Love language would absolutely gifting one another gold jewelry even if Rook doesn’t understand what exactly Grave Gold is supposed to be  

Emmerich gifts her a blade with the biggest ruby she’s ever seen in the hilt and she wears it like a badge of honor strapped across chest for the rest of her days

I’d imagine they travel a lot together, Emmerich takes a sabbatical from the university and LOF!Rook shows him around Rivain and encourages him to finally rest and enjoy life above ground

She’s a total show off, and makes him watch as she  and Tassh fight in the fighting pits

He’s absolutely horrified, both at her blatantly risking her life for fun and at Isabela’s crude announcing which only gets worse the further she gets into her cup

Going to the Hilt after a fight and trying to convince the old man to drink with the rest of the Lords

Drunk Emmerich is probably one of my favorite things to think about

He doesn’t even mean to, but it was so hot outside during the fights, and he’s dehydrated, and he was drinking during the fights to numb his nerves and next thing he knows he’s, corpse whispering to long dead Lords of Fortune so they can tell their best drunken stories in the packed bar

Word gets around fast that Emmerich can talk to the dead, and he gets a reputation as someone who can tell the best drunken stories by corpse whispering to long dead Lords of Fortune

Emmerich if mortified that he used such an important gift for something as silly as drunk, boastful stories at a bar

LOF!Rook thinks it’s hilarious, and loves that Emmerich is trying to build a good relationship with the other Lords

Grey Warden:

I head cannon GW!Rook has being a warrior and the two of them being very opposites attach

Quite nights with Emmerich reading and GW!Rook sharpening her sword

GW!Rook teaching Manfred who to weild a sword and Emmerich being HORRIFIED

But someone has to be able to protect the professor while she’s away on missions!

GW!Rook being close with Davrin and the five of them ( Rook, Emmerich, Manfred, Davrin, Assan) having family diners together

Having an ongoing “Best Child ”competition where Davrin and Rook are always trying to show each other up and show off what new tricks and skills Assan/Manfred has learned

Both of them would be facing their mortality together

Emmerich with old age and Rook with facing her calling sooner rather than later

I think this could be a really sweet and angtsy dynamic that could absolutely destroy Emmerich if he forgoes lichdom to save Manfred

I can see Rook being the sunshine in the relationship and trying to teach Emmerich that mortality isn’t something to be feared, but something natural and that you have to life your life to the fullest in the little time you do have

GW!Rook eventually adopting one of the griffon babies and when her calling comes, Emmerich continues to raise the cub as a memory of the woman he loves

He becomes very protective of the cub and spends most of time either grading papers or trying to break up the mischief the griffon cub and Manfred would be getting into. Single dad style

Or the opposite, Emmerich passing before GW!Rook and Rook raising Manfred like a son and living with the fear of passing away and leaving Manfred without someone to take care of him

(Davrin would absolutely take in Manfred if anything were to happen to Rook or Emmerich) ((or of course, any of the Veilguard would, but Davrin would be first in line))

Mourn Watch:

Emmerich being horrified to learn that Rook was the crypt baby the undead found decades ago in the catacombs when he was a student himself

I think the shared dialogue a MW!Rook has with Emmrich is really sweet, watching them geek out together over shared interests is the best

I really liked the scene where Taash and Emmerich are arguing and MW!Rook comes to Emmerich’s defense by asking Taash if they have an issue with Rook’s necromancy

Memorial Gardens dates

Rook helping Emmerich face his fears of mortality by promising to always be there for him

I think this is the one relationship where Emmerich could chose Lichdom and it isn’t a dealbreaker, because to the Mourn Watch Lich’s are just a higher standing of mages

I could even see MW!Rook being super proud of their partner being a lich and boasting about Emmerich’s ascension to other Mourn watchers

Emmerich being horrified and delighted that MW!Rook’s “Father” is Vorgoth

On one hand, the vast plethora of knowledge he must hold!

On the other, an eternal being of darkness is the father of the woman he loves and probably dwarfs his power in comparison

Imagine having to ask an ancient spirit of unknown knowledge and power if you can marry their adopted daughter? Emmerich isn’t a coward, but he has enough wherewithal to be rightfully cautious of dangerous situations

Plus Myrna’s rest bitch face is v. intimidating

I think of a lot of late nights reading together, practicing magic and preparing of Emmerich’s classes by the fireplace

MW!Rook’s favorite activity would be helping Emmerich grade papers and making fun of the students who obviously have no idea what’s going on in class based on their answers

She writes the most encouraging little notes and feedback on these papers, and it makes Emmerich’s heart swell that she’s so involved

You can’t convince me that at least once MW!Rook and Manfred make a dramatic entrance during on of Emmerich’s classes, in the middle of a lecture or a test of something important, steal a kiss, drop off his lunch and just saunter out without any explanation

None of the student believe that Emmerich was actually a hero of the Veilguard in the first place but when Rook the Hero just walks into class and plants one of their professor? Now they’re all confused.

Rook LIVES for this confusion and makes it her mission to interrupt class as often as possible ( Usually once a week, on Friday’s when Emmerich said he would take the day off but snuck off to his early morning class anyway instead of staying in bed)

Emmerich is half mortified ( he understands the salacious gossip around a man his age, with his position at the university, and a beautiful young woman who is also the hero of the Veilguard) and half peacocking in pride ( Because yes, his wife is the beautiful young woman who saved the realm! And she chose HIM!)

MW!Rook teaching Manfred “Human” things and how to use magic

Being proud parents together, especially as Manfred learns how to speak more fluently and learns about magic

Crows:

I just love the idea of Viago being horrified that Crow!Rook chose an old necromancer of all things to be her husband

Like, can you even poison someone who can raise the dead?

I can also imagine Viago and Emmerich EVENTUALLY developing a nice relationship, where they both make fun of how impossible Rook is and talk about poison, and death

Maybe Viago sends some of the bodies of his victims to Emmerich as a thank you gift for taking are of little sister/daughter

I think they would be really interesting because they both have such a close relationship with death but in different ways

With Emmerich being that death in inevitable, but always treating the dead with respect and appreciation

Crow!Rook treating the death like something that in inevitable and constant

I think she could teach and demystify a lot of Emmerich’s fear of dying by talking about how they both face death everyday, (Especially while they were in the Veilguard) and they walked away triumphant together

It helps a little, but Emmerich fear of dying of old age never quite leaves him especially with a younger partner

Emmerich being able to corpse whisper to targets who were taken out before the Crows could get whatever information they needed out of them, and helping fulfill contracts

Crow!Rook being so proud of her partner helping out even if the other Crows are a little wary of making skeletons talk

Viago begrudgingly adopting Manfred and teaching him about poisons

This works out well because how do you poison a skeleton?

Manfred is very excited to work with uncle Viago and tries his best to be on good behavior

Crow!Rook is stupid proud of Manfred and gets very nostalgic of her time as a fledgling

Teia absolutely LOVING Manfred and being obsessed with the little skeleton boy who will help with errands and serve tea? Precious

She especially loves that Manfred can get under Viago’s skin just like fledgling Crow!Rook did/does

There’s something about potential contractors being served tea by a little skeleton boy that puts people on edge and makes them nervous that Teia just EATS UP

She more than once has asked Emmerich if he can raise undead for the Crows to use on missions

Emmerich says no and Teia is actually upset (she loves the intimidation factor) ((what a showman)