#the thing is that viago CLEARLY loves you

[vigilskeep]

what gets me about viago’s letter to de riva at the start of the game is that he tells them to consider this trip with varric a contract, in the most completely-giving-up move ever. i thought from what i saw before the game came out that since he referred to it as a contract, de riva must have been sent to help deal with solas by the crows, who do have an interest in the world not ending. but no, de riva fully joined the team of their own volition, and viago just threw his hands up and said please think of it as a contract so we can all pretend i have any control over you whatsoever. and then they didn’t even get the “contract” wrapped up.

[thesummerstorms]

You know that conversation you can have with Emmrich where he asks what your plans are for your body when you die?

I think Arsinoë accidentally horrified him. Not by clinging to non-Nevarran ideals about cremation, but by telling him she never thought anyone would care that much one way or the other.

She would be dead, so she wouldn't care. And honestly, a majority of compradi die as Fledglings without graduating; she thinks their bodies were probably burned (since you have to do something with bodies) but they certainly don't have funerals, so it certainly wasn't worth worrying about then.

Emmrich interjects, trying to wrangle his own shock long enough to point out that she's not a Fledgling now, so surely...?

Well if she dies now, Arsinoë all but shrugs, it would depend on the circumstances, wouldn't it? She isn't someone important like a Talon or the scion of an established Crow family. She certainly isn't Caterina Dellamorte, who warrants something verging on a State Funeral.

If she died, there is still a non-zero chance it would be at another Crow's hands, in which case it's anyone's guess what happens after.

If she dies honorably fulfilling a contract, then Viago might feel obligated to do something if he isn't pissed off at her failure and she's isn't still in Exile. He's her mentor, so probably he would manage at least a small pyre. Maybe even a flower or two for the flames if he's letting himself feel sentimental. Teia would probably be there because Viago was.

But just as often, when a contract goes wrong, there's no time to go back for the body. The mark get ahold of it, or whoever's left on the contract has to focus on survival rather than the dignity of a corpse that can't feel any of it.

But really, none of that would matter to Arsinoë, would it? She'd be off wherever dead souls end up going, or maybe in oblivion, who knows. She doesn't have any family to be horrified by her corpse unless you count Viago, who is Fifth Talon, has bigger things to worry about, and will get over it.

But anyway, why do you ask, Emmrich?

Emmrich is too aghast to answer clearly at that point because every single point of Arsinoë's answer goes so deeply against everything that is ingrained in him as part of the Mourn Watch, from the belief that a corpse just doesn't matter to her sincere belief that no one would care enough about her for any particular mourning rights.

And the thing is Emmrich does care. It's his professional duty to care, but he's also become fond of his young friend and he cannot handle imagining that she could die on this mission or the next and potentially receive no rites at all.

Cue Emmrich starting to plan how he's going to have Rook interred in the Grand Necropolis when the time comes. It may involve some string pulling, especially if (hopefully) she dies not on this mission but in the distant future, and even more so if he precedes her and has to leave the job in one of his colleague's hands. But Maker help him, there will be a plan and her death will be respected.

When it comes to light, Neve is uncertain and a little weirded out, but also a little offended by all this. She's fallen in love with Rook, but even before that, the respect between them would have warranted a pyre and Arsinoë's name on the Wall of Light if there was no one else to arrange things. Is this why she's never asked about what happened after Varric-

Lucanis is horrified by the idea of Arsinoë as one of the spirit-possessed skeletons in the Necropolis or one of the jewel-eyed skulls in its many niches; he snaps at Emmrich about Nevarran obsession and respecting Rook as Antivan.

Emmrich refuses to budge. She expected the Crows to do nothing for her. She deserves better, deserves to be remembered, even if she isn't Nevarran.

Lucanis seems fully stunned by the idea that Rook believed this in the first place, given Viago's attachment. Given Lucanis's own growing feelings. Emmrich does soften a little bit when he sees that Lucanis truly didn't realize, but he also doesn't fully divert his plans.

Gathering a grave-dowry is normally left to a lover or family member if the deceased was themselves unable, and Emmrich is neither. But needs must, and though his friend now seems attached to Neve and Lucanis, hearts can be fickle. A plan is better. So he puts away small things here or there, eyes which of Rook's enchanted rings and amulets she seems to favor just in case.

It almost helps him live with the knowledge that Arsinoë believed she would die unmourned. Almost.

[vaguely-concerned]

teia and viago's idle animations when you first approach them in the cantori diamond before a slow poison being them just gesturing vehemently at each other is something that can actually be so personal. to meeee. as is the way teia's body language stays open and bold if clearly frustrated and 'vi c'mon please work with me here' at points through the whole thing/animation loop, while viago has a defensive kind of vulnerable-seeming one-arm-crossing-his-chest-to-grab-the-opposite-elbow pose he retreats to between bursts of gesticulating exasperatedly or beseechingly back at her. there really was no reason for bioware to put this much of an individualized touch on a set of animations that no one but crazy people like me and fellow eight little talons heads are going to look at for more than say two seconds, but I really appreciate that they did do it haha. it builds up under their characterizations so well that they emote with specificity, even if most players will only see it for a split moment. there are so many good little character animation details tucked away in this game I swear! sometimes I think about how much work goes into even these little things like establishing the sets of 'non-flashy' animations in game dev and I feel my sanity start to slip away. no one should ever make a game that's fucking nuts.

(also viago being like 'yes yes it's an atrocity and ongoing injustice and everything but more importantly it's insulting' sfsdkjhfsadfjaskj I LOVE him so bad. king of Priorities if nothing else always and forever)

[cybershock24601]

A Crow with a Mournwatcher is so good be it Emmerich/de Riva or Lucanis/Illgellvar and in FACT in some ways, better than two crows or two mourn watchers because while two people who match each other's freak4freak to the point where they're like "we're the only two normal people here everyone else is strange" is really fun what's even BETTER is a couple who've both got different flavors of freak going on. You come away from a conversation with one with the other being clearly going "D:" about what the love of their life just said and you're like "thank god one of these two is normal" and then the so called normal one shatters those hopes when their "honey that's off putting" reply is JUST as unhinged but in a different direction.

You get me because this is pretty much exactly why I had my Ingellvar romance Lucanis and my de Riva go after Emmrich. They're all freaks but of a different flavor.

The necromancer/assassin pairing is so good because they're both morbid as hell but rarely in the exact same way. It makes them very good at pointing out when things are Not Normal to their partner, it's just that their respective definition of Normal is also way off the mark so they might as well have said nothing at all.

For example, Ingellvar jumping into a conversation Lucanis is having with Viago about poisons and having a surprising amount of insight and depth of knowledge about poisons. Viago asks her how she learned so much about poisons because most normal people really don't know much about them at all and Ingellvar with the brightest smile replies that she picked up on it when she first started doing autopsies and needed to determine causes of death. Lucanis jumps in to say that it's best not to discuss dissecting dead bodies in polite company like the whole conversation wasn't about the best poison to use to kill a guy.

Or de Riva hanging out with Emmrich in the Necropolis and following absolutely no lab safety precautions, like gloves or proper eye protection, while messing around with toxic chemicals giving Emmrich a heart attack only for de Riva to assure him that it's fine because Viago made sure she was inoculated against most poisonous and toxic substances. Emmrich has to take a deep breath to calm himself before explaining just because she's inoculated does not mean she is completely immune especially with the volumes of poisons she is working with and start bundling de Riva up in lab safety gear before assisting her in her experiments because Emmrich is actually really curious about how this particular poisonous concoction of Rook's will turn out.

[inquisimer]

Loving the rook and viago dynamic, chefs kiss 🤌.

If your taking requests, I love the idea of rook slowly becoming more angry or snappy after the regret prison. Thought the "I've been taking care of myself for a long time and don't need your help" prompt would be perfect for an angry rook to their bro. viago

YESSSS I love them so much, Crow Dad makes me [screeches unintelligibly]. And yes, I always take prompts, thank you for this one!! It had me looking at Arlow & Viago's relationship through a different lens, which was great 💜

Arlow de Riva & Viago de Riva | 680 words | endgame spoilers, referenced major character death

-

Arlow’s fingers slipped against her armor’s leather straps again and she huffed, frustrated. It was a buckle, it shouldn’t be so damn hard—

“Need a hand?”

She stiffened, fist clenching around the strap instead. “No. I’ve got it.”

Viago stepped into the meditation chamber anyway, the door shutting with a deafening click behind him. The blackout curtains over the windows kept the room dark, save for a few clusters of candles that flickered over the sharp, familiar planes of his face. Arlow stared pointedly down, cursing under her breath when the strap slipped from her grasp again.

“Yes, clearly,” Viago said dryly. He leaned against the buffet at the back of her couch and folded his arms. “The offer stands, if at any point you’d like to be less stubborn about it.”

Arlow ignored him. She wasn’t going to tell him that dregs of Solas’ Fade prison lingered on her, a numbness in her fingers and toes, a persistent chill that no fire or blanket could ward off, an unmistakable sense of being watched and judged and found wanting. He didn’t get to kick her out of the nest and expect things to be the same once she’d found her wings; she’d gotten this far and she would get through this, too.

Her fingers slipped once more. “Cazza,” she muttered.

“Arlow—“

“No, Viago,” she snapped. “I just need to—“ She pinched the strap between her nails this time and pulled it through the buckle. It left a little half-moon indentation in the purple leather, but it was fastened and it would fade. Much like she assumed the bitter coating on her teeth when she looked at Viago would fade… eventually.

She knew he was proud of her. She knew that he cared, in that closed-off, brusque way of his. But her heart was only getting about two-thirds of the way to letting him back in, because Solas’ trap finally had her dwelling on the way this contract started.

If Viago were caught in a prison of his own regrets, would he see her, leaving with Varric? She’d told Lucanis that she knew he didn’t have a choice, with the other Talons out for blood. And she did believe that. But the job had finally scraped her too raw for that to be anything other than a cold comfort.

He could have saved her. And someone else might have tripped into Varric’s crosshairs—someone who might have saved him. And Davrin. And Bellara.

Guilt and regret crept up her throat. They curled around her neck and trailed after her like a smoky shadow she just couldn’t shake. So she clung to the anger instead and let it shield her from the breakdown they threatened.

“Did you need something?” she asked, pulling on her gloves and flexing her fingers. “I should go check on my team.”

“Look at me.” His stern, quiet voice brokered no argument; it never had. Reluctantly, Arlow put the wardrobe at her back and did as he ordered. Her eyes were steely and the hard line of her jaw invited no comfort—not that she expected he would have offered, anyway.

His own expression was as inscrutable as always, almost foreboding in the odd shadows cast by the half-melted candles. For a moment, Arlow had the sense of how everyone else must see the Fifth Talon—terse, unyielding, the quiet threat of an expert assassin without any of the care that she was accustomed to.

It almost chilled her enough to make her relent. Almost—but her hands were still numb, and her heart still hurt. She still needed the anger, or she was going to get someone else killed.

“No, I—“ Viago cleared his throat. “No. You should go.”

Before we say something we both regret, Arlow thought. She knew what it would be for her. As he glanced away—he never looked away first—she wondered what he was afraid of letting slip. And she wondered, as she gave him her back, if he, too, felt the painful echo of watching her walk away.

She left.

[therookandthecrow]

I was thinking more about my headcanon on Davrin's crush on Lucanis, and that he carves a wyvern for him and leaves it on the nightstand in his room because he's heard that Lucanis loves wyverns. While it is a sweet gesture, Lucanis doesn't know how to accept such a gift, because he clearly knows that Davrin is into him, but he's got his heart set on Rook by that point, and doesn't know how to let him down gently.

He does keep it on his nightstand, because it was sweet of him to give such a gift, but, at the end of the day, he's getting into a relationship with Rook and thinking about said Rook much of the time. It's a parallel to how Lucanis was rejected by Viago after he'd gifted him daggers, at least Lucanis thought that he was rejected by Viago for that gesture. It just comes to show, no matter how handsome and charming you are, anyone can be rejected.

I like to think that they have a heart-to-heart late-game, and Davrin confesses that he did have a thing for Lucanis, which was actually far more than a crush, but he had fallen for him, but he didn't want to come in between what was happening between him and Rook, because he saw the way that he looks at Rook, and he sees how Rook makes him happy.

In the fic for my canon Rook, I like to think that Lucanis tells Davrin that he sees him as a good friend, and that he is truly sorry that he can't offer him anything more than friendship. He'd also thank him for the gift formally, after he explains that he didn't know how to receive such a gift, and that it was sweet of him to do that and that he'd probably not have accepted it out of shame, because he doesn't reciprocate his feelings.

It's something that I want to explore in my fic, when I write it, because I am apparently not good at managing my time well between playing the game and writing stuff.

[wishforhome]

wings of change | chapter 5: ink and blood

3,050 words | eventually explicit (like probably in the next chapter or two i hope) | chapter 5/??

main pairings: lucanis/rook/spite/viago/teia, lucanis/rook/spite, viago/teia

“You’re very handsome when you’re concentrating, you know,” she said conversationally. “Rook,” he huffed, a hint of warning in his tone. “You’re as bad as Teia.” “What? It’s true. And I hate this – healers, needles, medical tests, all of it. Need to distract myself somehow.” He carefully lifted a slim needle from the table next to them. The delicately carved dragonbone gleamed in the low light as he balanced it between thumb and forefinger. “Why did you agree to this, then?” “Because it’s you.” She kept her tone light, teasing, but there was a seriousness behind the words. His eyes darted briefly up to her face as his fingers tightened slightly on her arm, and she gave him an encouraging smile.

Read on AO3

Teia investigates. Viago and Rook collaborate on a science experiment. Lucanis meets with an ambitious ally.

Go back to the beginning

At some point after the holidays I'm not going to be able to maintain this chapter-a-day pace, and that makes me sad.

Spoilery author notes below the cut

Viago is so ridiculous and dumb and I love him. Because clearly the way to avoid someone you're attracted to is to *stand between their legs* during a medical procedure. You'd think Viago would know better, but he did the same thing in Eight Little Talons, and I don't think he's learned his lesson.

There's a bunch of moments in this chapter I'm so pleased with. But mostly: VIAGO.

[miriani-lavellan]

Final Thoughts

Well, I beat the game. Some thoughts:

The Very Good

Combat (for mages, haven't played the rest) was a massive improvement over DA:I. It got a little repetitive after I learn the button combos, but this was solved by respeccing and doing something different. Fights felt pretty satisfying, and I didn't feel like I was getting interrupted during side quests/exploration as much as DA:I. And FINALLY, finally, I had to think a little tactically again. Not as much as in Origins, but definitely more than DA:I. It turned out not being able to take control of my companions directly didn't matter as much - you do command and direct them when you tab.

It looks fkn great. And I mean, amazing. The marketing really didn't do it justice - it made it seem super stylised for some reason. It's honestly just like a massively upgraded DA:I - they clearly saw they were doing it right that game and chose to develop it further. Everywhere we went, I felt like I was properly in Thedas again, and I super super wanted to dive into the screen and have a little ocean swim at some points.

Sidequests were all excellent. No more wasting time with busy work, every side quest felt like it was worth the effort, either for a little satisfying side content, or puzzle solving. And they matter more in the outcome of the area, too.

Your decisions have outcomes later in the game, and the game makes it explicitly clear this is happening because you did this. As someone with limited time on their hands, I didn't want to save scum or end up irritated because I didn't realise I was making a key decision.

I thought the companions were an amazing bunch, and I enjoyed getting to know all of them. The quests did an amazing job of making me feel like I was a leader trying to get to know the people they were trusting with so many lives - I felt like I was putting effort into my relationships and being rewarded for it.

The ending quests were fantastic. I bawled my eyes out at The Reveals.

The CULTURAL differences!! We are NOT in the south any longer, and also decades have passed since the attitudes and actions of some key characters in the series. I love that Rook's outlook on spirits, mages, and other things seems to be different from our past heroes. I love that things are different here. The vice grip of the Andrastian chantry is not present here, and that was a culture shock for me. We've been hearing this whole time from characters with different 'unusual' outlooks on life, usually because they came from the places we visit in this game. Now we really get to see it.

The sorta 'key' NPCs, Isabela, Teia & Viago, Antoine & Evka, the Viper and Tarquin, Irilen and Strife were all amazing.

The Good

The music was lovely. I missed Trevor Morris - I feel like he captured Thedas best, and there were no moments where the soundtrack hit me like In Hushed Whispers and Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts - but the music was definitely great.

We got a LOT of closure on big, big questions. I'm sure the lore people will point out some inconsistencies or whatever, but for me it answered and satisfied all of my questions in a big big way. Felt pretty good to have guessed correctly on some things too!

I love that you got some input in the Inquisitor's actions, instead of it being determined by only your 'past choices' selection. In the light of what were uncovering, that was extremely appreciated. I'm still not sure I made the right decision, but what happened and what can happen definitely felt like proper closure on the Solavellan era that tied me up SO bad for a while.

The romances (and I've seen them all, if only played Lucanis) were fulfilling, although I agree with some comments they might have been paced better. Lucanis' lock-in scene was particularly confusing - how it goes down makes perfect sense for the character don't get me wrong, but some follow up would have been nice.

I love the companion relationships that blossom when you have your romance locked in. There was a little set-up that made me jealous between Neve and Lucanis early on though. :)

What I Sorta Wished were Different

The pacing of the whole story felt quite... idk. It seemed all piled towards the end, in a way. The main quests definitely didn't seem to tell a continuous thread like the DA:I quests did - there was a kind of theming and stuff with those that DA:V doesn't seem to have. That being said, there was nothing about the main story I didn't enjoy as such.

I wished we could hear a little more about our decisions from past games. Even a few codices would have been nice.

The Well of Sorrows should have mattered.

It would have been nice to get more variation in armour. There were lots in DAI that seemed to fit my character thematically, I didn't really find any for Rook I really loved. I thought some of the companion armours were a little gaudy looking too.

[crossdressingdeath]

Jacobus: I lost so many people to the Antaam. My family. My cousin. By right, his contract against the governor is mine. And I say Ivenci doesn't deserve to die. They deserve to live. Governor Ivenci: What? Jacobus: On trial. Paraded in public. Everyone will know who hurt Treviso, and you'll suffer for every minute of it. Governor Ivenci: You can't... you can't do this. You can't let this brat decide what happens to me! Rook: By House de Riva's rules, Jacobus can claim the contract. Governor Ivenci: You can't put me on trial. I'm still governor of this city! Jacobus: Not after the Crows go to the merchants and the king about the qamek. Rook: The message, about Treviso and the future of the Crows, has already been sent. Your contract is due, Ivenci.

Hm. What was that about how people that think the government is beneath them are bad? I vaguely recall something about that. One might think that insisting you can't be put on trial because you're the governor falls into that category but... well, here we are.

Anyway. I really do love that this is the end of Jacobus's arc (if you save Treviso). If you talk to him and Heir (and to a lesser extent Viago and Teia) and look at notes throughout the game you get a lot of context of the Crows being worried about him because he's too bloodthirsty and desperate for revenge for his cousin's death; I love that at the climax of that arc he stops, takes a look at what the people around him have been trying to teach him, and says "no, I'm going to do this right". It's also fun in terms of Ivenci constantly insisting that the Crows think they're above the government and go around killing people in the streets; it feels very fitting that at the end of the Crow story a Crow looks Ivenci in the eye and tells them that they're going to be put on trial with the permission of the king and merchant princes and Ivenci tries to get out of it by insisting they're the governor (and so presumably above being tried for their crimes). Really puts all their hypocrisy and the clearly inaccurate claims they were making into perspective.

Also I love how smug de Riva is about the whole thing. They're so pleased with themselves. They've done an excellent job and now they get to go back to the Diamond and tell Viago what an excellent job they (and Jacobus) did, everything's coming up Rook.

[mushstump]

No one asked but I will talk about my rooks anyway. First one is Helena.

File:

Warrior from the crow faction, didn't romanced anyone from the team (actually I did, but I don't consider canon bc I just want Neve's cookie really bad)

Saved treviso

In the story, romances Teia and Viago

She is in her late 30's

Codename: troy

Helena Almandir was a former marine from the Alliance, N7 Vanguard and her job was do the dirty job. She became an spectre but the news were kept quiet bc of her job still being essentially spy and assassinations. Helena parents, an Egyptian man and a Greek woman, were both marines and she grow up mostly in Arcturus. She had a little brother called Hector and was friends with Commander Shepard. In the reaper war, Helena helped the woman as much as she could.

Helena Almandir was listed MIA in the reaper war along with her ship. Helena Almandir and her ship, Ithaca, fell into Thedas and was heavily damaged. All crew died in the impact and Helena was heavily wounded, only saved by health potions and Teia.

Here is where it starts, Teia and Viago in a job saw the strange star crashing and went to see what it was. When they arrived, most of the bodies, clearly not from Thedas and not demons, were aligned and next to the last of them was a wounded woman, her helmet was broken and her strange clothes were almost completely destroyed. They helped her, not sure why but they needed to understand what happened.

All that survived from this crash was Helena tags, a photo of her old life and her gun, a pistol.

Story goes by, and Viago and Teia manage to help Helena become part of the society in Thedas, even making her. A Crow after they heard what she used to do. Neither of them had illusions of Helena ever completely heal from her past, a human from the stars, who saw her crew die and didn't knew her family and friends were alive, or even if they won the war. But life didn't stop

In seven years, Teia, Viago and Helena sexual tension would grow so much that eventually it exploded and the three of them started a relationship. Full of drama, but the only certain of the three was that neither of them would let the other one get hurt.

Ten years later, Helena still mess up sometimes in common senses and if people looked twice they would see something strange. Varric and Harding saw it, but kept quiet thinking she was an ex templar.

When the dragon attacks, Neve saw the absolute panic in Helena's eyes and she knew that Minthratous wouldn't be the chosen one. Ir hurts for her that her best friend didn't help, but she couldn't put the blame it on Helena.

Veilguard team discover the truth after Weisspauht, fights happened and neither of the team was prepared for a hardened Helena.

"I've been in a war that it looked like there wasn't any hope. And we fought anyways. I don't know if we won the war, I pray every night for the answer be yes. But I won't let this happen here, whatever it takes"

Let's just say that Renegade route was a thing, dismissing the racist and genocide thing.

Details and Headcannons!

Helena is a biotic. In this AU I made that biotic is a material similar to lyrium so when she needs she takes lyrium potion like templars, her body hells her not to get addicted but it gives her really bad migraines so she almost never uses her biotics, besides having to act like a non mage human duh

Viago is angry at her bc she was careless and sent her way to dismiss the rumors about a woman with strange magic (dismiss means kill all the witnesses)

Teia likes to tease both of them, she kissed Helena first but Viago was the one that said the first "I love you"

Jakobus house becomes "House Madini" in honor to Helena. This little shit knows she is an alien but kept quiet so he wouldn't be grounded.

When Helena gets really homesick she drinks coffee and spend the day with her cat.

Helena broke part of the lyrium dagger and made three bullets with it to use her pistol on gods Solas is angry at her for doing that, but he can't hide the absolute horror of seeing Elganarn empty eyes with a hole in his forehead. He fears that he could be next. And he really would, if it was the bad ending.

Eventually, Bellara shows a prothean beacon asking if she knows what it it's and Helena uses for send a message to the space. She found a home in Tendas, but her soul won't heal until she knows what happened

(her brother is alive, Shepard too. But her parents died in Arcturus)

[vigilskeep]

I just started playing a Crow Rook and literally WHAT is going on between Rook & Viago. Why is he so worried about them, why does he care?? It’s not like they’re actually his kid or something…? Rook could probably even be his same age. & we know it’s not a romantic thing! Would love to know your thoughts on it. It’s giving me Hawke & Meeran for some reason lmao

i think they left this open to player headcanon in a way that i personally find delightful and entertaining. the incontrovertible canon facts are that he worries about them, that he is distinctly less bearable when they’re not around, that he has so much faith in them that he puts all their failures down to them being thoughtless or acting out on purpose, and that he expresses all of this via frustration when it’s clearly love. why and how we got to this point is up to you!

so i can only really talk about how i’ve been interpreting that. to Me, viago is so uptight and distrustful that i would struggle to believe in this dynamic if he hadn’t known rook for a really long time. which makes sense, because crows who belong to a house grow up together. i mentioned this way back when we first saw footage of him with rook de riva, but to me he talks to you a lot like an older family member who still kind of thinks of you as a kid. i read into it as him acting sort of like the equivalent of an older brother with a big like 5 or 10 year age gap, but that is obviously dependent on your rook’s age and feelings

i am going to delve into closely-canon-based headcanon territory for a moment but show my workings as i do it. viago is not from a crow family like lucanis. he is not related to whoever was his predecessor as house de riva’s guildmaster. he is a royal bastard who elected to join the crows rather than be exiled, because that is, for some fucking reason, the system they have in place. since his memories prior to the crows are distant boyhood ones, and the crows typically start training early, i think we can guess that he was at most a teenager when he joined the house

please take a moment to picture lanky teenage viago de riva, with all his distrust and temper, accustomed until now to certain noble comforts, terrible at making friends, inclined less towards physical strength and more towards poisons and the fantasy equivalent of excel spreedsheets. does anyone honestly think for a second that when this kid arrived, all house de riva’s scrappy cutthroat embittered crow recruits didn’t immediately smell blood in the water? does anyone honestly think he would have had a good fun time or been well-liked? that he eventually rose to talon by asking nicely or indeed anything other than his ability to cultivate fear as the foremost poisoner in the entire antivan crows? does anyone, for that matter, believe that every crow knows how good at poisoning viago de riva is because his afaik unmentioned predecessor died of super 100% natural causes?

and if rook de riva grew up with viago—which as i said, makes sense!—that would mean they were there. if they’re close enough now to, despite everything they did, have no fear of their talon and for him to be completely incapable of anything harsher than calling them an idiot, isn’t it reasonable to assume they must have been, then, the one person he had? the person who chose and kept choosing to stand by him during all that, when he was the easiest target in the house and it was still a very foolish gamble to make. young and impulsive, sure, but who else would have backed him? young and impulsive, but also so brilliant and determined that he firmly believes there’s no dragon they couldn’t chase away. if we accept all those workings, isn’t the question less why does he love them, and more: how could he not?

[adamwatchesmovies]

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Taika Waititi is a big name now so I'm not sure I can call What We Do in the Shadows a hidden gem, but it FEELS like a hidden gem. Outrageously funny, this satirical mockumentary on vampires happily takes a stake to the bloodsuckers but also loves them. Try to keep an eye and ear out for countless clever references between the wild fits of laughter.

A documentary crew (wearing crucifixes) follow four vampire roommates who share a flat in Wellington. Viago (Taika Waititi) is the 379 year-old prissy and motherly household member who tries to keep everyone in line. Vladislav (Jemaine Clement) is 862 and fondly remembers his tyrannical days as “The Poker”. At 183, Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) is the “young rebel” of the group. In the basement, Petyr (Ben Fransham) sleeps in a stone coffin and generally keeps to himself… not that the others mind. The 8,000 year-old vampire kinda creeps them out.

Basically, we’re following a bunch of dorks through their day-to-day misadventures. These vampires would be pathetic if they weren’t so endearing. Out of touch with mortals for hundreds of years, they struggle with things we take for granted, such as getting into outfits that will get them invited into clubs. If only they could look at themselves in a mirror! Too bad vampires don’t cast a reflection. They stick out like sore thumbs everywhere they go but no one would ever believe they’re supernatural creatures. I know when I think vampire, I don’t picture a bunch of guys who pull pranks on unsuspecting victims by hypnotizing them and who only manage to be scary when they jump out of a closet yelling “BOO!”

In another movie, you might grow to dislike the vampires as they murder people while the camera crew follows them. Not today. Anyone who crosses their path kinda deserves it ��cause come on! How could you be dumb enough to willingly enter these guys’ lair? Deacon has been promising to his familiar, Jackie (Jackie Van Beek) that he will turn her into a vampire for years - why she wants to become one is a mystery to everyone watching - but he’s clearly just stringing her along so he can have someone to clean up the blood from the kitchen floor after a meal. The more you learn about them, the more their eccentricities emerge and the funnier it gets. There's a scene where a vampires tries to show off his ability to transform and he botches it so badly it's the funniest thing I've seen in years.

At 85 minutes, What We Do In the Shadows is just the right length. It moves quickly from one joke to another. So fast, in fact, you may miss more than one gag while trying to compose yourself. And then, just as you wonder what aspect of vampirism is left to be lampooned, the movie’s over. Aww man! Already?

I’m not equipped to tell you just how hilarious What We Do In the Shadows is. I can’t even tell you what my favourite part was because I can’t choose. I can tell you to stick around for the end credits (all the way to the end) to get the maximum enjoyment out of it. This film only gets better the more you know about vampire stories, and even if you don't, it will have you in stitches. (April 5, 2019)

[thesummerstorms]

This is sweet. I love them so much.

Also a good reminder to me/in general to be careful not to accidentally lock them into a singular dynamic of interaction when it clearly can both go ways.

But mostly I love the fact that whole last line from Viago.

"As it was with gods and reavers, I'll believe [that you will take a break] when I see it."

What a comparison to make. Also, what is Rook and their eyewitness account, Viago, chopped liver? Lmao. (Joking, mostly. Escaped homicidal gods are kind of a thing you need to see to believe.)

[thebonerpit]

I finished Veilguard ;_;

Overall I really enjoyed it. I do have some issues but I also have a lot of things I absolutely adore. And tbh it's hard to judge it only on one playthrough because I feel like I missed a lot of companion dialogue etc. It's hard to compare it to any of the other games that I've had YEARS with y'know?

So spoilery things under the cut, be warned! And a lot of yapping.

I called Varric being dead about halfway through. As soon as that scene happened where he was like "ahh I'm tired, I need to go lay down" I was like oh either he's only alive because the Fade is sustaining him and it's draining slowly or he died back at the ritual, and yup. I'm actually kind of shocked they went there tbh! He's never been a favourite for me so I was ok with it but yeah it was wild.

DORIANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!! Oh my god the scream I scrumpt when he showed up. And he looks gooooood oh boy. And MAE! Literally the two characters I wanted to see the most ha ha. I was absolutely terrified something was going to happen to him though. I specifically saved Minrathous instead of Treviso in case he might have been hurt, and I didn't make him Archon because I thought it would make him a target. But I think he's fine regardless which is a relief lol.

I genuinely teared up the first time we meet the Inquisitor. The music in the background omg ;_; Hearing her voice again was incredible. I cannot BELIEVE all the shit that happened in the South though. I was reading those reports with my face like :OOOOOOOO the entire time. Redcliffe, Denerim, Kirkwall, all destroyed? WHAT? It kind of gives me some great ideas for fic though lol. I'm not upset about it because I think there's of course an opportunity for them to rebuild and they never said "hey btw all the characters left in the South are dead" so I'm saying they're not. The Skyhold mention also made me cry ha ha. Same with the conversation with Harding where she talks about all the Inquisition companions. I definitely think they did surprisingly well with callbacks to that game without basically any choices carrying over. Clearly some things were vague and they couldn't include everyone but I was actually quite happy.

Prince Sebastian Vael mention!!!!! Lmao I also screamed at that.

I loved seeing all the characters from the comics and Tevinter Nights show up like Strife, Antoine and Evka, Teia and Viago, etc. That helped to make it feel a lot more connected to the DA universe for me. Also some other cameos like VALTA (sort of lol), Johanna Hezenkoss, and Felassan ;_;

However, I'm really disappointed that there was literally NO mention of Fenris. He was with so many of those characters in that comic and some of them talk about their adventures, yet no one says oh btw Fenris was there too?? CRAZY. Also sad that neither Zevran or Merrill showed up simply because the story would have been incredibly relevant to include them. Instead we get Isabela... yay :/.

So the romance... once again I fucked myself over. I romanced Davrin and I was absolutely loving it. My Rook was as stoic as I could make her, down to business type, and she meshed so well with Davrin. They were absolutely adorable with Assan and they had such a cute scene where they admitted they were really falling for each other... AND THEN HE FUCKING DIED. WITH ASSAN. I was getting war flashbacks of Alistair lmao. I made him the leader of the other team because I trusted him to get the job done and I mean he did I guess?? But wow I did not expect any of your companions to die. And it HAS to be either him or Harding. Both of those options are so hard but did I really need to pick my fucking romance /sob. I didn't go back on my choice though because I'm fine with a bit of tragedy in my first run anyway but yeah it was pretty devastating. It was feeling very 'Mass Effect 2 suicide mission' so I was like great I've done all of their personal quests, relationships are maxed, we are GOOD... screw you Bioware lol.

The companions overall were... fine? Idk the only ones I really loved were Davrin, Emmrich, and Harding. I just felt like it was almost too easy to have everyone like Rook, and like each other. I missed Fenris and Anders constantly at each others throats. I missed Morrigan absolutely destroying Alistair every time he opened his mouth. I missed Blackwall and Dorian bickering but slowly growing into friends. There was almost NONE of that. Davrin and Lucanis had the tiniest bit of conflict and I got a few scrappy dialogues between Emmrich and Taash but they were all resolved so quickly. I wonder if the reactions to characters like Sera and Vivienne scared them off writing more complexity. Sadly Lucanis in particular was disappointing but I think he was much more closed off because I didn't save Treviso so maybe I'll get more out of him next time.

In the same vein, I didn't love how there were basically no opportunities to get disapproval from the companions. I think there was only one big moment where there were approval/disapproval notifs but almost all the rest were constant approvals. I liked the fact that in the previous games it was at least moderately difficult to get along with everyone in one playthrough. Like if you were bffs with Vivienne it's likely Solas would not have liked you. In this game I don't even think it's possible to have low approval?

One thing I really loved was the reactivity to your background! I played Mourn Watch and not only did I get a bunch of amazing dialogue options but I had special dialogue with Emmrich which was SO SWEET. I decided not to romance him because the Rook I made just didn't feel like a good match but man it was so cute to see them talking about life in the Necropolis and having someone who understood that. Really curious to see what the other factions have!

Combat was super fun as a warrior with the Reaper specialization. I was a necrotic damage machine lol. Throwing the shield was AMAZING and it gave you so much more range and motion in battle. I liked synchronizing abilities between party members and it was nice to not have to have 1 rogue, 1 mage, 1 warrior since the abilities can still work in a lot of different configurations. I wish the companions did a BIT more in battle... I definitely prefer the Inquisition AI for that for sure.

There were a lot of insane lore reveals (eg. the Evanuris originally being spirits and stealing Titan blood/life force to make their bodies was... WHAT) and most of them I thought were cool or interesting. I personally loved the teaser at the end for the Executors but I guess a lot of people didn't? Idk I don't agree that it invalidates any of the previous antagonists motivations or whatever because we don't know anything about what type of influence they would have had over them. It's way too early to speculate but I would be HYPE for that to play a role in a sequel (and maybe see what's actually "across the sea"???)

Ok I could really go on forever here lol but I want to finish with the ending. I thought it was beautifully done. I got the "true" ending where you use Mythal's essence to convince Solas to bind himself to the Veil (which, tbh, was very "Loki becomes the World Tree" y/y?) and my Inquisitor went with him. I think for a romanced Lavellan it's perfect imho. I don't know if it would have the same impact with another Inquisitor but idk even the whole scene with Mythal basically releasing Solas from servitude to her was quite emotional. Solas as a presence in this game was one of the best parts and I wish we had more convos with him in the Fade!

[roookery]

Actually I'm not done yet.

"The crows rule Antiva. Treviso will be free." Where does that thought end? At what point does he consider Treviso free? Sure, the crows rule Antiva, but it's still merchants faces that decorate their coins. Antiva is ruled by money and murder. Does Viago truly believe Treviso to be free once the traiter is found and the antaam defeated? Or does he long for something bigger.

We know from Tevinter nights that his status as a royal bastard is a painful subject for Viago.

And he very clearly struggles with his status as both a talon and a bastard, whether it is merchant princes or the crows, it clearly is not the king himself. In Eigth Little Talons the reader learns that Viago believes he could restore the throne to a position of power, and that that knowledge eats at him.

Then we meet him again in Veilguard, Treviso is under Antaam occupation, and this has to bring up this resentment. If he could push it away before, I don’t think he's able to after the occupation. We hear nothing about Antivan nobility, whether related to the king or as powerful merchants. The crows are actively providing services a healthy government would have normally provided, such as the makeshift hospital in a blighted Treviso. He knows how to rule, he knows the intricacies of politics that come with being a talon and how to garner support amongst the people, if the love for the crows shown in Veilgaurd is anything to go off off.

The crows let the king know they are at war with the Antaam as a courtesy, because of Teia, not Viago (who doesnt seem very eager) Besides, he keeps bringing the focus back on finding and unmasking the traitor instead of the occupation itself, stating that exposing and killing them would be the thing that shows everyone that the crows rule Antiva.

The king is powerless. But Viago is not. Antiva's weaknesses are more clear than ever, and as Viago himself says, their "freedom" could just be sold to another invading force if the root of the problem isn't examined. Do you think it eats at him? Knowing that the lack of political leadership and standing army is to blame for the situation? So, the crows rule Antiva, but when will a specific crow take it's throne?

How long does it take after the events of veilguard for Viago to stage a coup to take his fathers throne?

[izzy-b-hands]

Viago: So, as you know, since Katherine and I opened up our relationship-

Cut to a shot of Katherine surrounded by shirtless vampires, though by their trouser style and still-on cravats, they're all clearly from the same time period as Viago. She has a Type.

Viago: We've both been exploring lots of new feelings and new wants and well...

He blushes as Anton pops up behind him, waving.

Viago: One of my new wants is...Anton! Actually, the only new one so far-

Deacon, unseen in background: What about that orgy we all had?! I thought you had fun at the orgy?

Viago: I did, but I spent most of it with Katherine and Anton! (to camera, whispered) I think his memory is going the older he gets; what a shame.

Deacon: It is not, and I can hear you, you know!

Viago: I can come say it to your face-

Anton: Hey, hey! There's no need. It's alright. You're both just riling each other up now.

Viago: We are, we are. You're so good at that!

Anton: I lead a conflict resolution class, actually. Only once a month though.

--

We cut to a shot outside of a plain looking building. A foldable sign out front lists the time for a new night session of Anton's conflict resolution class.

Another shot through an open window shows a circle of people of all sorts sat together, including Anton, speaking to everyone, and a delighted Viago watching him.

Back to our talking heads, outside of the building while the class participants walk to their respective cars/transport.

Anton: It was really well attended, better than the late afternoon sessions! I might start holding more of them at night. Well, as long as my teaching assistant can come along.

Viago: I think he could make that happen.

They kiss, softly and briefly, before a nervous and giggly look to the camera. Clearly this is their first time kissing on camera in front of the crew.

--

An intermission type card tells us a week has passed. We then cut to a shot of the vampires' home at night, windows lit up with light and sound. Loud sounds. Potentially bad sounds.

Viago, clothes torn: So, things are okay! I know they don't seem like it, but-

A crash interrupts him, and a shirtless and bloody Anton falls down the stairs into the foyer.

He stands, looking absolutely like shit, and limps over to cling to Viago.

Anton: It'll be over soon, yeah?

Viago: Yeah. Just your body dying, and unfortunately it still hurts. You think the worst of it is passed?

Anton nods.

Viago: Okay, we'll get you a bath-

Anton whines, slightly dog-like in nature (think a v sweet golden retriever that for whatever reason really does not want a bath.)

Viago: I know, but you're a mess, my love!

Docu Crew Member: Did...did he ask you to turn him?

Viago and Anton nod.

Anton: Not sure what being a vampire and werewolf will be like. But I was sick of our schedules never matching up, and I already can't do things during the day too close to the full moon.

Cut to B roll footage clearly taken over multiple days, in the day time, near the full moon. Each brief shot shows Anton stopping to scratch against things like a dog, barking at a cat while people walk past him and stare, and finally him chasing a squirrel through a park.

Anton: So, I thought hey! Why not make it so we can spend time together more often, and I can get a night shift job and just take days off near the full moon as needed!

Viago: I'm excited. We've got dates planned, some with Katherine, when she gets back from her cruise.

Cut to a shot of Katherine sat in a cruise ship's ballroom, taking shots from vampires of various genders, but all turned at a much older age like she was. They're dancing and supping on drug and alcohol infused blood and having the time of their lives.

Viago: But for now, it's the two of us.

They turn to gaze at each other, and Viago gently pushes the camera away as Anton kisses him hard and pulls him towards the stairs and presumably whichever bedroom wasn't completely wrecked while Anton finished turning from werewolf only to vampire/werewolf

The camera person hesitates a few steps towards the stairs, then thinks better of it, and the camera shuts off.