#rook just listens

[ode-to-fury]

AAAH ALSO what if Rook does their little Rook thing to Caterina? Weeks and weeks of them sharing a house and Rook is like... look she respects that Caterina has her position as First Talon (or had. Rook has to keep reminding herself it's had now) because of immense talent and ruthlessness and hard work but she's never going to like the woman that put the boys through all of this and pit them against each other with the First Talon decision but she tries to connect because Maker damnit she's Lucanis's grandmother and they love each other despite everything and I have to try at least. But she just gets... nothing back. Blank stares at friendly questions, or small, polite smiles at jokes, or jabs at how she used to be a lot better or smarter or prettier when she was Rook's age (idk just go with me here) or how she wonders whether Rook is really cut out for this kind of life or blatantly ignoring her in favour of Lucanis like she does with Illario and Lucanis is irate about it, but Rook tells him to just give it time because he's fought with his family enough for several lifetimes and she cannot be the cause of it starting again. Until one day she and Caterina are alone (maybe Lucanis is on a contract and Illario is helping, or both of them are meeting with the other Talons idk) and Rook is staring up at a portrait of Lucanis's mother because that's Lucanis's mother and she can see where he got his eyes and Caterina walks in the room looking like she wasn't expecting anyone else to be in there and Rook just smiles and goes "he has the same eyes" and before Caterina knows she's baring her soul to Rook about her dead daughter, her favourite daughter and telling her a story about when Lucanis was born because Rook is just like that?

Thinking about post veilguard rookanis like I always am and today I'm mulling over Illario and Caterina's reactions because like... there's been very many discussions about whether Caterina would like/dislike accept/not accept Rook and I don't think it's that simple. I think at first she assumes it's casual like it's always been for Illario because surely Lucanis wouldn't be that stupid? Surely he wouldn't fall in love and give himself that big of a weak spot? And then... Rook sticks. They get engaged, they're planning a wedding, Rook is already helping with First Talon things and it seems like that is actually the one thing making it bearable for Lucanis. And how the fuck is she supposed to handle that? Her poor little boy... is Rook good enough to stay alive for him? Should she kill Rook now to avoid heartbreak in future? Lucanis... what have you done?

And then Illario... man what would Illario think? Here is his cousin who has never shown any interest in the myriad of people Illario has seen show interest in him (because lets face it Lucanis is a handsome man there had to have been some Crows going 👀👀) so of course when Rook happens he probably thinks like oh it's a first love infatuation thing I remember when that happened to me. Three months from now I'll have the old Lucanis back and then... thag doesn't happen? Rook is a Dellamorte now. For so long it's only been the three of them and now... Cousin, you're really in love? I just like thinking about the idea that both of them don't really click how deeply Rookanis care for each other until it's way too late to do something about it

[selunesfavouriteprincess]

i love that Neve canonically throws hands. like she’s a literal mage there’s no reason for her to be doing all that but she will get right up close and physically fight enemies in this game. woman of the year

[postcardsfromheapside]

"I'm a mage and idk why he's trying to show me magic in this scene, but okay pookie" - comment I've seen at least 3 or 4 variations of.

He's not "trying to show you magic." He's a particular kind of necromancer known as a corpse whisperer. He tells you this within several minutes of meeting you, and that it's rare even among the Mourn Watch, who are an elite group of necromancer already.

Emmrich isn't just a necromancer, he's a Fade expert (that's what he was hired for by the Veilguard, not his necromancy), an alchemist, and it could probably be argued he'd do a passable job teaching philosophy and history as well.

He's showing you HIS magic. He's inviting you to witness the things he finds wonderous, hoping that you do as well. This isn't him condescending to you, he's helping you glimpse something most people can't and hoping it intrigues you, since it's intrinsically part of him, and he cannot hope to have a relationship with someone without them at least accepting it.

(Also casually revealing that he's capable of Talking You Through It but that's a post for ANOTHER TIME)

[viennacherries]

Cherry's Veilguard Twitter AU - Part 4

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

[pinacoladamatata]

[blondeaxolotl]

Random Vil thought after seeing your Pomfiore art, when he's happy/flustered his little wings flap. So imagine Vil and Idia kissing and his wings flap rapidly

That's so cute but unfortunately my immediate thought was the first time that happened Idia thought Vil looked like the goose from untitled goose game (so did Rook and Epel)

Here's also the non gif ver

[treviso-nights]

the significance of rook as a protagonist who is 'unable to be evil' is because the inquisitor can be. and hawke. and the warden, for that matter. in dai there are companion disapproval cutscenes for a reason: you have either fucked up so badly or killed so many people that they literally stage an intervention for you. rook, by contrast, is a tremendously appropriate protagonist for veilguard—not just because they’re handpicked by varric but because they are good. like their goodness is the point. it is the story.

and i get why some players would be upset by that and feel constrained by the moral paradigm the narrative inherently embodies. players like options. however, rook's goodness (in whatever capacity) does not necessitate that they're a bad/flat protagonist considering they have unique backstories which tells us about the quality and the context of that goodness. in my opinion, it's a natural byproduct of the overarching story of the dragon age games: yet another person thrust into a role and political position they did not ask for but must pursue for the greater purpose of all.

the thing about veilguard though is that no possible protagonist could be as bad or as evil as the evanuris (and by extension, the chaos ripping the veil down would do at this point in time), so to play as an evil!rook feels counterintuitive to the point of the game regardless.

if we WERE to get the option to play an evil!rook who, for example, supports the evanuris and blights the world alongside them, it just means there's no more world to play in. dragon age is over.

furthermore, there's no option to help solas bring the veil down because it is an evil option. it's not a dev mistake that rook doesn't get the opportunity to side with our favorite war criminal. to most thedosians, the end of the veil means the end of their life. solas is one of the most unreliable narrators in the series, so the idea that he has harm reduction measures in place is unmeasurable because he is a proven trickster. those who'd take the chance anyway would still be considered evil by all who are affected in the wake of it.

—and i agree that it would be fun! but it's not veilguard's story because the stakes are higher than they have ever been in previous games, and thedas needs someone else to save it once again.

[housederiva]

Does your Rook have a signature poison?

(Rook's been slowly trying to build his immunity to poisons by the way... not that that has anything to do with the tea pot she's holding here)

Rook (just Rook) de Riva specializes in assisted suicides, it's more comforting if the contract can pretend they're just drinking a cup of tea beside a newly formed friend. Wyvern's bane is a poison Viago mentions in eight little talons, when you begin to digest it you just asleep - and don't wake up. Rook's tweaked it a little bit though

[vaguely-concerned]

having seen at least the rough outlines of all the romances now I have to say that I think emmrich's is probably objectively the best in terms of coherence and completeness of story arc (with the understanding that ultimately the 'best' romance is whichever one makes YOUR heart sing anyway so objectivity is a silly thing to claim that way, it just felt like it's the arc with the most well-paced focused content and the least dangling threads)... but lucanis' is my favourite haha. just. the whole kneeling before your beloved full of reverence but without any of the distance that usually implies??? his complete undramatic certainty and calm in every scene with rook after this, having spent the whole game caught between fear and longing???? mr. lives in a pantry but it says nothing about my psyche don't worry about it it's purely for tactical reasons that I keep myself contained in a small dark room not entirely unlike a cell, love among the parsnips -- finally coming to rook in their room and it's so comfortable and comforting???? after all the times rook supports and comforts him through the game he's finally able to return the same to them when they need it while being so calm and steady and it's so fucking sweet and feels so effortless and with no price attached?????? he basically assigns himself the role of your bodyguard and he WILL stab a god over it??????????????? the turn to protector (which was in his heart all along longing to get out and find a place) of it all????? he sounds like he's found himself unexpectedly stumbling into such a soul-lightening state of revelatory existential relief, full on 'you only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves' mary oliver style, and he goes and he shares that with rook and protectively envelops them in it when they're hurting??????????????????????????? hello for the maker's sake hello can anyone hear me?????

[fartholder]

A lot of comparisons can be made between the gameplay reveal and the opening of DA:I, but these happen in the same order:

A bridge collapses as you cross it and you fall down under it

You pick up your gear, a rift opens and you get attacked by shades

You arrive at the site where a ritual to tear down the Veil took/takes place and the camera pans to Thee Rift

You get attacked by a pride demon

When first watching the gameplay i thought it was a little funny, but thinking more about it, it looks like a very deliberate choice on the developers part, especially because it then goes on to put Solas and Varric in the same "roles" as Corypheus and Divine Justinia, respectively.

[too-many-rooks]

High quality fatherly advice.

[jangmi-latte]

hey. just because i'm losing my shit and going feral over savanaclaw rook doesn't mean i dislike his present one mkay? we making it clear. after all, i fell for the present rook before this one so don't come at me and question, "did you even read the main story?" or some batshit question because, girl. i know it was rook's decision to move. i know it was rook who willingly wanted to change. and if i'm being completely serious, rook looks better now that he's in pomefiore than he did before because he really worked hard to look after himself under vil's guidance. be honest now, a man who looks after himself is way better.

so don't come and attack me saying it was vil's fault because vil was just standing there and having basic conversation with rook when it was rook who decided all of this. damn, even vil tried to stop rook and he said it himself, "you know how stubborn he can be once he has his mind made up." mkay? rook WANTED vil to change him because his passion drove him to change. vil is being a good friend. honestly, a friend i'd ask for.

now did YOU read the main story?

[buckynats]

I asked @greseadraws to draw Harding ranting about the bookclub pick while Fel listens affectionately. Why go to bookclub when you can just have your girlfriend summarize the story in angry bursts of emotion instead?

Less chance of catching a stray arrow to the heart that way too

[chialattea]

I fucking LOVE my wife DAVRIN dragon age I hope you all Davrin haters’ computers EXPLODE how do you look at this man and not feel a little religious like yes sir don’t mind Assan we’ll be doing a dark ritual all of our own all night long I will put warden stamina to the test buddy— guys I have a plan for getting rid of the evanuris and buddy, it’s baby-proof (heh)

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

for real though when my Rook Aldwir found out Emmrich was dating Strife it's like. STRIFE??? The head of my faction who doesn't even say hello to me when I come home to Arlathan? Who didn't bother to show up when those two dragons were beating the shit out of me even though Viago who I've only met twice came AND brought poison to help??? Strife who told me to get out for saving some people and then only begrudgingly was like "fine. i guess." when i showed up again after 6 months and having almost died????? like get it girl he's hot for sure but how did you crack that. how did you make him like you. please teach me.

[ryllen]

jade who got heartstruck by someone who listens, and trey who generally takes interest on really listening to what people have to say, about things he doesn't know yet