#with emmrich or her dad lol

[volkoss]

Seven Sentences

Both @veilkeeper and @lavender-tea-fling tagged me in variations of “share seven lines of your WIP” meme, so I come bearing a snippet of the Hezenrook side-project I wrote on the tram this morning:

———

“Your father is likely holed up in some Orlesian backwater,” Hezenkoss hisses. When Klara remains stubbornly silent, Hezenkoss continues undeterred, apparently content to fill the room with the sound of her own ranting. “But you already considered that, didn’t you? So why are you here?”

Though the older woman’s eyes are hidden behind her ever-present goggles, her gaze weighs heavy on the tips of Klara’s ears anyway. “I think you know what happens to pretty young elves in Orlais. Just as well you came to me instead.”

The obvious response would be to remind Hezenkoss that she had been the one to issue the invite, but instead Klara finds herself answering, ��Y’know, nobody’s ever called me pretty before.”

Tagging: @choccy-zefirka @rosella-writes @say-lene and anybody else who wants to do this one!

[trashwithvariety]

A little reminder of home? Of growing up.

nosce te ipsum on ao3

[invinciblerodent]

🖊🖊🖊🖊🖊🖊 ALL OF THEM PLEAAAASE

aaaaahhhhh thank you!!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Always open for gushing! Please, send me a 🖊 anytime!

rapidfire round on some family stuff that I've been playing with/fleshing out lately~

I didn't think that the way the Shadow Dragon Rook's relationship with their family came up in the game fit Ver, so I'm kinda twisting it: I've only recently decided that in my canon, the "Mercar" that's mentioned in-game is actually Ver's uncle by marriage, and he is the husband of Abelia (maiden name Caeso), her paternal aunt.

Abelia (one of the reasons Ver also has a floral name!) was very close with her brother (Linnaeus Caeso), and unlike most of the family, loved her sister-in-law (Melisa Bayart), so she was the one who talked her husband into adopting their orphaned niece. (Ver doesn't call them mom and dad- to her they are still Auntie Abbie, and Uncle Valerius or "Sir".)

The person who filled in sort of the "paternal" role in her life is an old surface dwarf, Brogan- she's been renting the flat above his little restaurant (or I guess "eatery" is more accurate, it's just a little hole in the wall that's been the same since before she was even born) in the district I call Catsbane for literally over a decade now, and would have had a lot more hungry nights without him. (He was also the one who gave her ex/roommate Adris a job as a dishwasher when he lived there with her, and the only reason the Templars got in to arrest Adris as an escaped slave was because old Brogan with the meat tenderizer is... well, not much, against three soldiers armed to the teeth.)

(he still calls her "columbae mea", an old Tevene term of endearment I made up- it means "my dove/pigeon" in Latin, and he started calling her that because in her early 20's, she only ever "came home to roost", sleep and/or metaphorically lick her wounds.)(let me lean into the "old queer man nurturing the young queer woman like a daughter he never had" trope okay, it makes my heart so happy)

Tristan is/was the eldest of five siblings, and all of the others are still alive by the time Veilguard rolls around: he has two little brothers, Adam and Henry, and two little sisters, Edith and Matilde (Matty for short).

I want to say that they (along with his parents, Wymond and Margaret/"Meggy") are the reason he wanted so bad to fight at Ostagar originally, even though he was poorly trained, and only 17 years old: to protect them as best as he could.

He's not kept in touch with them since his death (his family was informed that he had died on the battlefield, though they weren't updated that while that's still kinda true, he also kinda got better in the meantime), and unlike many Fereldans from the area near the area affected by the Fifth Blight, his parents and youngest sister stayed in their old home until the 9:52 combined Blight chased them north too.

The one thing that Wymond laments in the move is that from now on, he will no longer be able to visit his eldest son's empty grave on Tristan's birthday, which was kind of a ceremony he had been doing, faithfully, for 20+ years now. (I'm toying with the thought that Meggy was hit even harder by Tristan's death, and even to this day, she can't even stand the sight of the headstone- but if he were to show up today, she would be the only one to recognize her son in this tower of a warden, lol.)

Marcus canonically doesn't have a family so it's difficult to talk about that, but since there is that skeleton you can find during Emmrich's recruitment quest that sounds like he left the Ingellvar Rook behind, I did come up with a little story for his background!!!

I though that originally, he was born to a minor noble's daughter who was engaged to be wed to someone else, and one of the family's (free, but poor) servants, in a very classic, tragic love story. (Originally it was far darker, but that piece of dialogue made me want to pivot to a more sad than horrifying one, lol.)

In a nutshell, his mother managed to hide the pregnancy from everyone while she was carrying him, and the child was to be raised by his father's nearby, though estranged family (under the condition that the mother secretly sends them money to support her son), but then she unfortunately died in childbirth, and Marcus' father was left in a very difficult situation: either he could unceremoniously get rid of the body of his beloved (against all Nevarran custom), pretend not to know what happened to her, and raise their child alone and in secret (with no help, because there was no support coming, and the family pulled out), or to come clean, give his love the honor and the burial that she deserves, and have the child be taken away- or, potentially even to be accused of having murdered her, and get imprisoned, or worse.

So, he did the only other thing he could think of to give the both of them the best chance: he stole into the depths of Grand Necropolis with the infant, left him (along with a piece of his own heart, so to speak) in a place where he knew that the Mourn Watchers would find him, and then flee the country. The circumstances of his death are still quite unclear, but he was found dead soon after, still within Nevarra City, so.... well, he didn't get far.

So yeah, while he's no bastard prince and this has nothing to do with anything regarding him, Marcus is technically of noble birth- but nobody knows it, not even him, and there is nobody alive who could confirm it.

As far as anyone is concerned, he's just a soft-spoken, pretty boy with considerable magical and academic talent, and no familial ties to speak of.

[rom-e-o]

Belisma/Guinevere watching Emmerich interact with small children as they're out and about in public.

Maybe they're standing in line somewhere and there's a parent in front of them with a toddler and the little tyke is just staring intently at Emmerich and he just gives a little smile and wave. Or maybe makes a funny face. And the toddler just breaks into a grin and giggles in the cutest way.

Maybe they're out doing errands and come across a lost little boy, so scared and crying and not sure where his mum/dad is, so they "go on a side-quest" (lol) to reunite him with Mum/Dad. And Emmerich carries him, first in his arms, then transitioning him up to his shoulders. And he and the boy are chatting the entire time, the child's tears and fear completely forgotten. The little boy laughs in delight and marvels at how high up he is on Emmerich's shoulders.

Maybe they're on a date, getting some ice cream and a little girl starts crying because she dropped her cone on the floor. So Emmerich steps over to Mum/Dad who already looks completely strung out and has a brief exchange before ordering another cone exactly like what the little girl had and gets down to her height to offer it, having a quiet little conversation that makes the little girl smile and giggle as she takes her new ice cream.

Maybe on a stroll they come across some children. One of them is seated on the ground, obviously in pain, holding a wrist or ankle or something and is in obvious distress the others are all freaking out trying to figure out what to do. Here comes SuperEmmerich (or maybe AwesomeEmmrich because Superman is probably Awesomeguy in the au😅) to the rescue sweeping in to ask what happened. The other kids probably scram because they don't want to get in trouble. After discovering the injury isn't very serious just quite painful, Emmerich heals the child, all while speaking soothingly and drying their tears. Then he and Isma/G'iney safely escort the child home.

Maybe they're in a waiting room somewhere and there's a little girl there who is clearly quite bored and getting fussy. Emmerich can't help but start performing some of his prettier magic spells for her entertainment. Before long the tyke is laughing and clapping, completely entertained and demanding further pretty magic: "Again! More! More!"

Every interaction he has with little ones, whatever it is, is just so natural and sincere and gentle and kind. Wifey is just slathering him with tender kisses at the end of the day, praising him and admiring him for his golden heart.

Awww. Okay, firstly, I love this. Also, it gives me a reason to wax poetic about this side of him, haha.

So, we see Emmrich being a nurturing, kind presence, even in the face of calamity. Specifically, helping unite a child with their parent. We see him act that way with little Mila as they search for her father as literal hoards of darkspawn attack.

The Siege of Weißhaupt, where this happens, is a grueling battle. It's an endurance test of waaaaves of enemies.

Your team gets tested.

Yet, even as the team talks about the hopelessness and comes to terms with the fact that this might be their last stand, Emmrich still speaks to Mila calmly and reassuringly. He also asks her good questions and listens to her answers.

He reassures her that her father is okay, and to keep going. He's a calming influence.

And she's reunited with her father. All is well!

So, I can totally see him being a sweet and caring guy that puts kids at ease. He knows that a friendly wave or a kind gesture goes a long way, especially for an innocent soul. He has some experience with those early days with Manfred too - cleaning up messes, helping him walk, etc.

I LOVE him replacing the ice cream cone for the child that dropped theirs ("It's such a simple gesture, but it makes everyone feel better") and him performing simple magic for the child in the waiting room as well ("You learn to never take it for granted. What's mundane to you is extraordinary to another.")

He's such a nice, sweet guy, and very patient. It makes sense why he could rear Manfred the way he does - he very much treats him like his child. He uses a guiding hand and is always patient. If he scolds Manfred, it's pretty gently.

Belisma/Guinevere sees all these instances, at it just exemplifies what they love about him. He's an intelligent, esteemed man of wealth and status, yet he'll stop everything to brighten a child's day. He's never too good for anything, and he's never patronizing or condescending to them either.

"No wonder Manfred is such a fine gentleman already," she says after giving him a long smooch, "Look at his example."

"Oh, you mean today? My dear, nothing I did was admirable. Just being a good samaritan, as we all should."

"I think it was. I think I loved watching you be so gentle and caring with those children ... fatherly, even. You're a good role model."

"F-Fatherly? I don't think ...do you really think so? Maybe?"

"Oh, definitely." <3

Wifey's already imagining him cradling their baby a few years out, and it's the most easy image in the world to conjure.

[svartalfhild]

Some fun DATV things I'm experiencing:

Playing as female Rook makes the first few quests until you get Lucanis very Girls Night, which I really started to notice after a friend pointed it out and she is so right.

Neve is bestie.

Lucanis' intro cinematic made me feel so attacked. That shit was so my brand lol.

Lucanis and Neve's banter is hilarious and if I don't romance Lucanis I may end up shipping him with Neve.

Did Bellara's first personal quest and almost cried. Hit me a little close to home.

Neve's hangout quest was delightful. I want to chat and snack and walk around with her all day.

Neve and Bellara's developing friendship is so fun. I want to see a scene where Lucanis gets involved in their cooking adventures.

Shopping and getting coffee with Lucanis was like Oh No He's Thoughtful And Charming And I'm Weak.

Chose Lucanis over Neve in that one decision that made me want to scream and now she's hardened and I'm so sorry bestie I was thinking of the defenseless people and I will never be okay again.

Varric playing mentor to Rook got me right where it hurts. He's there for when you need an adultier adult to tell you that you're doing okay and that he's proud if you. I cry forever.

Assan and Manfred are my SONS and I LOVE THEM and I make the most ridiculous noises when they are on screen. THEY ARE SUCH GOOD BOYS.

The quest to acquire Emmrich is fucking delightful if you're a nice Mourn Watcher and you bring Bellara along. Just three huge nerds enjoying each other's company while doing dangerous shit.

Davrin and Emmrich's banter is like two dad's comparing notes.

As a Watcher, Myrna kinda feels like my mentor-mom, which is funny.

More thoughts to come. Just wanted to scribble down a few things so far for the people to let y'all know I'm having a fucking blast.

[chaoticstrata]

WIP Wednesday

A slightly longer one since I didn't have anything last week I wanted to share. lol

Snip of Kai de Riva visiting home with two tagalongs--well three since one has a feather son who made his presence known. lol

--------------------------------------------------------

Rook laughed at that as he stepped inside, heading over to the brewer. He could feel his mother’s eyes on him the moment he was past the threshold. With a soft sigh, he said, “Go on, out with it.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Mihnna chuckled as she worked on the tea.

“Uh huh. You’re just giving me that look for no reason whatsoever,” Rook stated, looking over at her with a look of his own that read that he wasn’t buying any of her shit.

“What look,” she replied with all the innocence of a child getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

“That one you get whenever I show any interest in a man,” he snorted, adding the coffee grounds to the brewer.

“So you’re saying you do have an interest in him?” his mother inquired gleefully. “The young Dellamorte boy?”

Rook felt his ears turn red--damn those pointy bastards--as he sighed. 

“More than an interest,” he admitted, wincing a little when she squealed, “But it’s…complicated.”

“Because of the possession?” she asked.

He wasn’t even surprised she noticed Spite. His mother was an experienced mage in her own right and studied further into the knowledge of spirits and demons after what happened to his Da. Rook had never done so himself, but after speaking with Emmrich at length he realized that Spite was more than just a malevolent demon. He wondered if his mother realized that too, since she wasn’t worrying about him having an interest in the older man.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Rook nodded.

“Spite’s part of that complication…he’s alright for a demon--he sounds a little unhinged, but he’s friendly enough if he likes you,” he replied, finishing up setting everything for the coffee. He then started on the cioccolata calda. “It’s more than just the possession, though…”

He explained to his mother what happened in the Ossuary, how Lucanis and Spite came to be stuck with one another, the year they spent there, and their confrontation with the Venatori witch. By the time he finished Mihnna looked like an angry mama bear--he wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to kill Illario herself at this point.

“That poor man,” she murmured, adding lemon and honey to Davrin’s tea.

“Yeah,” Rook said, setting up a serving tray for the drinks, placing both his and Lucanis’ on it. “He’s still working through it…hence the ‘complicated’ part.”

She nodded and placed the tea on the tray before reaching out and lightly squeezing his arm. He gave her a soft smile before picking up the tray with all the drinks and followed her out…and almost proceeded to run into her when she stopped suddenly past the threshold. It took all his Crow reflexes not to spill the drinks on her. Holding up the tray, he looked down at his mother in confusion.

“What-”

“Is that…a griffon!? A real griffon!?” Mihnna asked excitedly.

Rook looked up toward the patio table and sure enough, there was one wiggly griffon cub squawking at his ‘Dad’ for treats. Davrin looked both amused and annoyed as Assan rubbed his face against the Warden’s leg. Lucanis was grinning behind a fist, obviously trying not to laugh.

“Ah, I see Assan decided to grace us with his presence,” Rook commented with a deep chuckle. His mother practically squealed in delight as she b-lined to the feathery menace. Making his way over as well, he started to pass out the drinks.

“Oh what a princely name,” Mihnna cooed at the griffon cub, smooching his face between her hands and scratching behind his ears. Assan’s eyes went squinty as he started to purr loudly for her. She giggled in delight as she said, “A princely name for a handsome prince.”

“Well,” Rook chuckled, “Someone’s going to be spoiled by the time we leave…”

Davrin sighed into his cup, shaking his head. “Like he needs to be spoiled further.”

“Only a little bit, I promise,” his mother chuckled, giving the Assan one more good scratch before taking her seat. The griffon instantly placed his head in her lap, purring and chirping for more scratches. Mihnna smiled and started to scratch him again as she took a sip of her tea. Looking up at her son she asked, “So, tell me all you’ve been up to?”

“I thought Viago already told you,” Rook replied, finishing his brownie.

“He did, but you know him…”

“He called me an idiota with every other breath, didn’t he?” Rook laughed. When his mother just grinned at him, Rook shook his head--a fond smile gracing his lips. Taking one long gulp of his cioccolata calda, Rook delved into what’d they’d been up to thus far. He kept much of it brief because he knew it would worry her more than she needed. Both Davrin and Lucanis--and Assan--added in some commentary here and there, but mostly let Rook do the storytelling. Maker, he wished he could have dragged Varric there, he was a far better storyteller…plus he knew his mother would love the old dwarf.

After he was finished, his mother sighed heavily, “I’m not sure if that makes me feel better…or more worried.”

“Mamae,” Rook laughed softly, “I’ll be fine, I promise.”

“I know, I know…you’re too much like your father--stubborn, tenacious, and too much of a good man,” she sighed again, placing a hand to her cheek.

Rook ducked his head hearing that, a soft smile on his lips. Worry wormed in again, at the mention of his father, but he refused to let it show, knowing it would worry her further. 

“Well, he did raise and train me, after all,” he chuckled, looking up at her with a lopsided grin.

Mihnna looked like she was about to comment when Assan let out the biggest yawn in her lap. She laughed, and scratched behind an ear, “I think someone is ready for bed.”

Rook chuckled again, looking at both of his companions. “We probably should head back to the Lighthouse…”

“Let me pack up some cookies for you, for the rest of your friends,” his mother said, gathering up the empty trays and cups. She shooed them away when any of them tried to help. “You’re my guests…I will not have you doing dishes.”

Both Davrin and Lucanis looked ready to argue, but Rook’s snicker cut them off. “Take it from me…you want to listen to her.”

That got him a look from his mother before she shook her head with a soft smile and headed towards the kitchen. Assan, despite being a sleepy little bird, bounded after into the kitchen, squawking happily.

“Little brat,” Davrin sighed, getting up and following after him to keep his feathery son out of trouble.

Rook chuckled and leaned back in his chair, hands stretching high over his head. He let out a soft grunt and something popped in his shoulder.

“Are you alright?” Lucanis asked, startling Rook.

“Sorry, what?” he asked, looking at the older Crow as he lowered his arms.

“Are you alright?” Lucanis repeated, eyes soft as he looked at Rook. “Ever since you asked if your mother was here alone…you’ve had more worry radiating off of you.”

“Oh?”

“Well, that’s what Spite says,” Lucanis admitted sheepishly.

“Ah,” Rook chuckled, his eyes fell to the table with a sad smile, “It’s my father…he was sent on contract several months ago…they stopped receiving messages from him...”

“And that’s unusual for him.”

“Yeah,” Rook sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “It doesn’t help that he was sent to Minrathos either…”

[ndostairlyrium]

ooo for the alternate LI ask game (feel free to pick and choose if this is too many!):

Ela and Neve

Ankh and Emmrich

Ellero and Merrill

these combinations :'D aaaaa of course I'm doing all of three u-u this is super fun <3

Ela and Neve

Oh absolutely!

Powerful Complex self-made woman who prefers to live in discomfort rather than giving up on her ideals? She's interested.

They both have a classical sense of justice, and are not afraid to act whenever something doesn't add up. Besides, I think they'd compensate each other, like, Ela is more straightforward, Neve is more subtle and street savvy, but they have similar goals, Ela's are just a little bit broader.

Also Ela doesn't really have a complex sense of humor :'D Neve would be very flattered to be considered one of the funniest persons Ela has ever met.

It would be the most cavity inducing romance tbh. Tons of acts of service, longing stares, and quality time.

Ela would fight tooth and nail to spoil Neve, as she's rather chivalrous. Neve on the other hand is very independent, so they would fight to open the door for the other, or argue a lot whenever Ela stresses Neve when it comes to heavy tasks.

"Dude, I'm a mage, I don't even have to use my hands!" "That's not the point!!"

20/10 I'm happy for them, they need six cats

Ankh and Emmrich

That's very interesting, actually!

I would say no out of personal preference only, but it can work. There's not even such a huge age gap between the two, like, ten to fifteen years? No biggie. Alright, let's fulfil her Morticia and Gomez Addams fantasy u-u

Maybe it could be a slow burn kind of thing, with a build up rather than an immediate interest between the parts. He's not her type physically, but she's not that superficial. I would argue about her being his type, but the guy canonically ends up with Strife, and she's basically cut from the same cloth lol she turns into a dad in her forties.

Emmrich is a very intelligent person, curious, driven, and treats death in the way Ankh wants it to be treated, respectfully but not too seriously. Huge turn ons!

They'd discuss rituals, prayers, and tradition for hours, strolling in the Memorial Gardens. One of her long time dreams is to visit the Necropolis, she would bury him with all kinds of questions.

I think her passion over the subject would refrain Emmrich from opening up immediately about his thanatophobia, for a while at least; once she learns about it, she would suggest him she could help to find a way to deal with it, but wouldn't force her opinion too much. Phobias are phobias, you can't alleviate them with love alone. She can relate to a degree, but not entirely, and she wouldn't dare to overstep his boundaries.

I think she would brag forever that she's in a relationship with a lich, and there's a huge degree of envy involved. About that, I think she would ask him if an eternity devoted to his studies would be preferrable to an existance full of experiences he craves, accompanied by his loved ones in a smaller perception of eternity.

They would realize they're in love after he's taken a decision tho. That experience changed him and she's seeing a new light in his eyes, a resolution that was already there, but hidden <3

Also her and Manfred in the same room would be super cute and annoying. They would drive the man crazy :'D

...now I want that Shrouds Kiss cutscene for her so bad! hahah <3

7/10 super cute and elegant. Not my jam, but still!

Ellie and Merrill

Oh no

It's a manic pixie nightmare ship :'D

They both tend to wander and get lost, their quirkiness is not random as it looks, they're both socially awkward, ironic, and have a similar point of view when it comes to magic and Fade.

He's not as smart, but he's educated, and very instinctive when it comes to magic. I think he would be fascinated by her knowledge and sense of wonder. He's a natural born cheerleader, he would support whatever she does <3

Their ideal date would be a picnic in one of those super green fields of grass you can find at higher altitudes. They would exchange notes (of course they brought their grimoires!) as he makes crowns with wildflowers for her. It's a study date, but it's also romantic, and they can speak freely about literally everything.

12/10 neeeeerds *throws confetti at them*

[wildxtreasures]

Play Session #18

tldr; DAVRIN KISSED ISOLA DASJKF

the music at the beginning of isana negat is so good???

i just want to stand outside and look at the mountains here, the vibes are immaculate

stalgard is a real one tbh

WERE IN THE TITAN

the crystal heart and veins is so badass, taash is so right

THE SPINE?????

CRYSTAL HARDING??????????

taash and rook protecting harding?? bringing her to compassion??? i cry 😭😭😭

HARDINGS INQUISITION ARMOUR WITH LIL EMBROIDERIES OF HER FRIENDS I CRY EVEN MORE

BELLARA IS WRITING A SERIAL ABOUT ROOK I CANT I LOVE HER OMG

bellara asking rook if there is interest is so wonderful and don't worry bellara, next time!!!

omg talking to zara, please spill the tea girl

illario wants to be first talon, dude is a wet blanket!! illario don't be delusional !!!

Dagna mentioned in the codex !!!!

Emmrich, my man, ily, thank you for asking how i want my body to be prepared at my death

Antoine loves his wife so much, i love him so much

pls read the Codex entry "A Dog Named Ostagar" and cry

davrin's voice gets so soft when talking with valya and i adore it

the way davrin speaks with mila is making me swoon omg

im trying some combos i haven't done before and neve and emmrich are so good together, like such a deep respect for the other

lol @ the reference to going through the Fade in DAI and having to fight a bunch of spiders

going through lucanis' fears and thoughts was so good and interesting? there's a lot of good writing there without being too heavy-handed

my only wish is just a little more on Spite, he's a spirit but could there be something more there? something in the way he talks gives cole vibes and i feel like there's another conversation of why and how spite chose lucanis

DAVRIN SANG TO THE HALLA I CAN'T

i love eldrin, he's my dad now too

assan giving little berries to the halla, my heart

WE KISSED REPEAT DAVRIN KISSED ROOK

IT WAS SO CUTE

MY LITTLE HEART

BEAUTIFUL PERFECT

[bunbunsama]

Funnier moments for the Veilguard crew in my worldstate include:

1. Sil’lean & Zev have a running bet on who their daughter (Rook) will end up with first; their first son ending up with the leader of the Shadow Dragons was not on the bingo board (ie all of Sil’lean’s kids are like their dads lol)

2. Rook telling Taash “It’s nice to see your moms active in your life” feels like a joke but her mamae & babae have become very active in supporting her new hero lifestyle

3. First Warden called Rook “simple minded” & not only does her da’s (still) hot necromancer husband come to her rescue, her mamae suddenly starts planning to take over the Wardens as a whole

4. Heroes of Veilguard getting to experience the full spectrum of “wait, your mom is the HoF & she’s married to the Black Shadow, AND your bio da is the Inquisitor who is married to the new Archon???” BONUS: “Your mom can turn into a dragon! What kind? How big? How does she do that? YOUR BROTHER TOO???”

5. Lucanis getting an awkward yet wholesome talk with Sil’lean, who also was once imprisoned & tortured & had a demon put into her (love those southern circles) & she can hear Spite, see him in faint light, & Lucanis realizing where Rook gets her goodness from. BONUS: Zev talking to Rook about how he helped Silli through that trauma, how he talked her down from throwing herself out the widow of the circle tower after they defeated Uldred & how in saving her life, he’s saved as many lives as he’s taken

6. Morrigan, exasperated: “Did he (Solas) listen when your tried to talk him down those years ago?”

Bel, just as tired: “now you sound like my ex-wife”

Silli, storming in: “Probably because she has good sense.”

7. The bet did not include the potential that Rook has the same taste as her bio da if she pursues Emmrich. Silli unceremoniously tells them they are going to dinner with her no questions asked, only to travel to Soldier’s Peak where Loghain (cause fuck you that’s why) is still kicking thanks to Avernus’ weird tincture they drank all those years ago. Silli still visits when she can & everyone knows but says nothing to the soft way they handle each other & how she kisses the corner of his lips when she pretends no one is watching. The age gap is miles long betwixt them, a half-elvhen son with dark wavy hair & silver-blue eyes as proof, & she hopes maybe it can settle Emmrich to the idea that it’s okay.

8. Rook spending so much time hiding that she’s a spirit mage while her mom & brother practically exudes old magic

9. Bellara telling Rook about her younger brother & suddenly Bellara finds herself surrounded by Rook’s younger siblings (she knows the twins cause they’re the youngest VJ) who ask questions & listen to her ramble as to make sure she knows she’s not alone

10. Everyone being embarrassed for Rook at how openly, unapologetically down bad Zev is for Silli & how they are barely PG-13. Rook is used to it & happy that they finally are able to be together since she may have joined the crows solely to help Zev in his mission to fuck around & find out AND help Silli with information regarding dragons

I have been enjoying re-imagining Veilguard with my worldstate & finally having the game that lets me explore Silli’s first born.

[himbopunk]

For hakim: i think the concept terrifies him cuz hes scared of commitment so itd take a little bit post-game to feel comfortable with the idea but eventually the idea that he wants to spend his life with lucanis nests in his brain and the second lucanis proposes he Will say yes. (Not sure how this is working with the neve throuple situation. i feel like shed be similarly a bit touchy on it and i feel like hakim just barrels into the subject one day like. Hey neve you wanna get married and shes like what the hell rook). i feel like the wedding would be in antiva, though rook would kind of prefer to do it back in rivain, i think theres a certain amount of appeasing caterina that has to be done. he is wearing as much as his rivaini gold and such as possible though. oh god i want to design wedding outfits now.

i think esp w the throuple sitch that the actual ceremony is done first fairly privately, so its like caterina, illario (lol), teia, viago, the veilguard so davrin, bellara, emmrich, taash, i'm undecided if they ever manage to track down hakim's dad but if not theyd leave a seat open for him and harding despite knowing they wont be there & isabela is there cuz shes the closest thing hakim has to family at this point. i dont. Know if neve has living family i never remember seeing her talk about it??? shrug. maybe rana and tarquin show up. uhhh strife, antoine and evka. thats it. the reception though? oh buddy the reception is a party, tons of crows, lords, raiders and even some shadow dragons in one place means someone is getting poisoned (alcohol or otherwise) and something is getting blown up by the end of the night.

traditions wise i feel like its mostly a traditional antivan wedding that teia and caterina did most the planning for with rook occasionally throwing in some must haves for rivaini like. theyd all be tiny superstition things you do at weddings like to appease spirits n such. which is funny bc i dont think hakim generally comes off as superstitious but hes a sailor at heart i guess. i think seer rowan officiates also for this reason. i think neve has some little things she brings to it as well but i cant. Think of anything specific other than like food and attire

for iktom... he heard that dialogue w harding and emmrich where emmrich says hed hoped hed get married someday and is immediately hearing wedding bells. he struggles to wait until the endgame to ask about it and i think emmrich and him had both mentally prepped a whole thing on how to approach the subject but in reality what happens is theyre doing a small mission in arlathan or something helping out in the postgame and when they defeat whatever it is iktom blurts out DO YOU WANNA GET MARRIED and kills emmrich on the spot DHFKSKGKS trying to figure out who the funniest third person to be here would be. i can picture bellara there like omg... i dont think iktom cares Where the wedding is, though i dont think he wants a huge to do about it. i think it happens in nevarra and its a fairly closed event... more than Just Family probably but nothing spectacular.

emmrich does a lot of the planning, iktom only has a small handful of anderfel traditions to add to the mix (i think his first wedding was mostly dwarven in tradition so they may be things he didnt get to do then and kinds regretted not doing) (i think theres like One qunari thing also he talks to taash about cuz the qunari dont exactly. Have marriages under the qun so?? but maybe theres other ideas of partnership n such or a symbolic gesture that still works & emmrich is very excited to incorporate). I know emmrich is going to serve absolute cunt in the outfit he picks god. iktom is going to pass out. i feel like one of them cries. iktoms outfit is fairly plain in comparison but maybe has a little flair cuz lucanis helped with it. get him a nice little like shoulder cloak situation idk.

i think antoine and/or evka officiate the wedding, mamfreds the ringbearer For Sure. a bunch of mourn watchers and a handful of spirits that emmrich is friendly with are there, including hezenkoss' skull fsr. handful of wardens, iktoms father if hes still alive by this point. his ex wife, and staalgard (who is buddies w his ex wife And harding atp so.) i think illario viago and teia show up with lucanis and neve. (at one point illario starts flirting with iktoms ex wife and lucanis warns him hes playing with fire) (if bouquets are tossed taash reaches over everyone to grab it and harding is very flustered about it)

Hey, hope you all had a good weekend! Unfortunately, it’s Monday =/ Fortunately, it’s time for Rook Intro Hour! 🍀🌺🌼🌸

How it works: I ask you a question about your Rook(s) and you answer it with as much brevity or verbosity as you desire. You can do this whenever you want, and I’ll reblog it + add some comments! There’s no time limit— if you want to do the older ones, they are collected here! (The post is updated on Fridays!)

Today’s Question(s): Does your Rook want to get married to their LI(s)? Do they care about where? Is there a specific tradition/traditions they want to follow, when they do? Who would they invite? What would they wear?

Have fun & thanks for sharing!

[litlunacy]

I think I finally have Nymaraya's dynamic with the companions down (now that I finished the whole game lol). Rambles under cut for some spoiler stuff, companion and endgame.

Bellara - Romance! They are like two very weird peas in a pod. Pair of Dalish nerds looking into ancient magic and history (tho Bellara is def better at the actual tech stuff, Nym is more about the stories and spirit communication). Nym calls her Flutterby cuz she thinks it's cute and a bit silly, then feels a lil awkward when Bellara tells her Cyrian used to call her "Hummingbird". But Bellara likes it still anyway. They do puzzles together and sometimes Bellara even lets Nym proofread her stories (not the spicy ones. Nym has to beg and tease to pry those from her. and then uses them for irl ~inspiration~, much to Bellara's embarrassed delight).

Lucanis - Surprise bestie? I didn't expect this, so neither did Nym, but they actually got on super well. (Went from calling him Pantry Boy (derogatory) to Pantry Boy (affectionate)) Also she's kind of adopted Spite just a bit. Add him to the collection of Weird Children (which includes her snake/spirit Ghilana, Manfred, Assan and every single wisp in the Lighthouse). Becomes overly invested in playing matchmaker as soon as she realizes he's into Neve.

Davrin - As two Dalish who left their clans for adventure and to find themselves, they start off on pretty common ground. She absolutely plays the enabling auntie to his strict griffon dad. Her general air of goofy bullshittery needles him sometimes, but they're pretty good friends anyway. Wants to hear about every weird creature he's ever come across.

Neve - Nym tries really hard to be friends with Neve, but their vibe just stays stuck at cordial coworkers. Especially after Nym chose to save Treviso instead of Minrathous. They get along fine, with no real hard feelings, but Nym never gets over the 'awkwardly trying way too hard to make up for it' phase (yes this includes the matchmaking).

Emmrich - Put him in a bubble with Nym & Bellara and just listen to the immediate and unstoppable nerdfest that last for hours. Nym was born in a Dalish clan in Nevarra, she's always been interested in the Mortalitasi, and now she's roommates with a Mourn Watcher???? Girl's in hog heaven. Discussing spirits and the Fade and asking so many questions about her own curiosity spirit companion (Ghilana and Manfred absolutely hang out and cause trouble together). She would move into the Necropolis Memorial Gardens if given half a chance.

Taash - Rocky start, she tries so hard to get them to give more than one-word answers (Davrin was totally laughing his ass off Taash's entire recruitment mission, watching Nym struggle), but eventually they find a balance and become good friends (it's the dragon talk. Nym loves creature talk, any creature, and dragons are badass. Taash agrees.) Nym is so excited her cheese advice works to get them & Harding together, and is absolutely devastated by the events of Tearstone Island and how hurt Taash is because of her decision.

Harding - Obviously friends! They've been working together for a while, they get on great, they're both invested in being chipper to keep up morale and hyping each other up (Mayhem!). Nym finds Harding's stone magic weird but also fascinating and definitely encourages her to try weirder and more complicated things with it. Harding's garden room is one of Nym's comfort/happy places, until after Harding is gone and then it's the room that hurts her the most.

Aaaaaand now I've made myself sad again. Oops.

[revvethasmythh]

spoilers under the cut because it's endgame stuff!

i was incredibly indignant about getting sent to Mind Prison when it happened (solas, when I GET you--) but it undeniably FUCKED, so i can't be too mad. big fan of the mind prison, every protagonist should get thrown into a fucked up situation like Mind Prison.

Varric's whole situation was not a surprise at all, that felt very much signaled if you've been paying attention (and lol at the dialogue options to be like, "I think I knew". I didn't choose them, because that's not how my rook felt, but *I* knew).

I DID know what would happen to whoever led the distraction team and tbh the choice came earlier than I thought it would and really cemented that it had to be Harding for me. mechanically, you can pry Davrin out of my cold, dead hands. i NEED him in my party, he and lucanis are my best specced team to synergize with my skills. but also, on an emotional and storytelling level, I think losing harding is the BEST thing I could have done, because rook trying to honor her beliefs ("no one is beyond help, rook. i have to believe that, or none of this matters" "I know that the world is good, and that I love the people in it") and how much she believed solas could be redeemed is truly THE thing driving rook toward the redemption ending. rook had been cynical about solas in every conversation with harding on the topic, and harding always cautioned that you need to reach out no matter what. that there's a chance for everyone, even when you think it's long past too late. i don't know if rook if enough of an optimist about people to really believe those things herself, especially after the shit solas pulled, but for harding? to honor the sacrifice she made by doing what she would do? yeah, she can reach out one last time, for her sake.

that said, i am SHATTERD for taash, though. taash had this line where they were like "I knew it was mistake. everyone i love dies." and i was like 😭 oh okay am i just supposed to keep going after that, okay. anyway taash 🤝 the hero of ferelden on me killing off their love interest in pursuit the most personally emotionally satisfying story. i think they should either start a support group, unionize against me, or, frankly, both.

re: the bellara or neve choice, i knew something would happen to the person chosen but not exactly what and i thought I'd spare neve from the Horrors for ONCE in this playthrough but frankly in retrospect i think neve would have preferred being the one taken because she disapproved of me letting bellara deal with the wards and is EXTREMELY Not Good about what went down after. she was fully just IN bellara's room being upset when i went to talk to her. i try to spare her some Horrors and i think i fucked her up even worse, there is no winning here lmao

shoutout to emmrich and davrin, also, because i just KNOW they were Team Dads after everything went down on that island. like, everyone else is a COMPLETE mess. neve is broken about bellara being gone, taash is broken about harding being dead, lucanis is broken about rook being missing--absolute fucking clusterfuck happening in the team, and i just know it took all of davrin and emmrich's combined strength of will to keep the team even a little bit glued together after all that. it really must have been so unbelievably shattering for the team that was left and, yeah, an excellent vein to tap for fic etc.

anyway, on to the last half of the game later today!

not to be dramatic but. Something Happened

[rookamell]

Ooh I love this one! Cora has major issues with her mother since she is a majorly religious semi noble Orlesian lady who was not impressed when her daughter turned out to be a mage. I'm talking she was the one who called the templars not impressed. They do not get along. She's the one who named her Cora which is a big reason she likes to use "Rook" instead. HOWEVER she has father figures coming out of her ears. Her real father is my hero of ferelden's brother and they were living in redcliffe when Cora was born. He found her after the mage rebellion in redcliffe where the Southern mages were being given shelter by Alistair and ended up dying when the archdemon attacked Haven. She picked up father figures everywhere tho. She's close to Leliana (who had a crush on my hof so I headcanon she has a soft spot for Cora because they look alike) Dorian is a surrogate father for her time in Tevinter even though both of them would rather rip out their own tongues than admit it. Varric is like another dad, even though she didn't know him as long as the others, and her uncle Aidan Amell loves her very much too because she sends Kieran a birthday present every year and she really looks like her dad who he was very close to both before and after the Circle. They don't spend that much time together but he does make sure to know where she is at all times and to send her letters semi regularly. She very much looks like her dad, but she looks enough like her mother that it bothers her a bit.

Her dad would have been extremely proud, her mother... she is, but she wouldn't ever say it. She'd probably use Rook's new status to try and rise a few steps on the social ladder in Orlais. (Because the Game never ends lol). She sends letters to her brother and he lets their mother know that she's still alive, at least before she started travelling with Varric.

Cora goes South after the events of Veilguard to see whether her family is still alive/alright (mostly her brother) so her mother meets Lucanis, Davrin, Emmrich and Taash when they go with her. Emmrich will definitely accidentally flirt with her. She doesn't approve of Lucanis because she can't bear to see Cora happy she has very intense feelings concerning her late husband and her daughter and the act of falling in love in the first place and she actually does care that her daughter's partner is in such a dangerous profession and might leave her heartbroken one day like she was. She has no way of expressing that tho so Cora just thinks she doesn't like him/is jealous. All of them come to Antiva for the wedding eight months later.

Oh and I forgot to add her dad and the fact that her mother/brother are sitting in blighted ferelden are major parts of her regret prison

Heeey Howdy! 🤠 Happy Friday!

How it works: I ask you a question about your Rook(s) and you answer it with as much brevity or verbosity as you desire. You can do this whenever you want, and I’ll reblog it + add some comments! There’s no time limit— if you want to do the older ones, they are collected here! (The post is updated on Fridays!)

1/24/25– I schedule the RIH posts out one per hour between 8:30 am - 10:30 pm MST. I already have posts scheduled out for most of the day today, so your rbs will be a bit delayed! Thank you for your patience !

Today’s Question(s): Does your Rook have parents? If not, surrogate parental figures/mentors? Do they like them? Do they resent them? Are Rook’s parental figures proud of them? Do they talk to them regularly? Have or will they meet your Rook’s LI or the other members of the Veilguard?

Answer as much or as little as you like! Have fun?