Age 38. Nonbinary. She/They. AroAce.
Late Diagnosed Autistic with ADHD that self Medicates via coffe and Cannibus(It's legal where i live.)
I live by three Tenents.
1. If you don't like it, don't read, watch, consume or engage.
2. Practice the Ancient art of Mind Your Buisness.
3. Everyone deserves food, shelter, medicine and a living wage.
If that bothers you, see Tenet 1.
I am here to blab about blorbos and share fanfiction.
Fandoms include but are not limited too:
Mass Effect. Dragon Age. Skyrim. Kingdom Come Deliverence. Zelda and many many more.
Welcome to the Dragon's Den!
Enjoy the Chaos.
PLEASE SEND ME YOUR DISPATCH HEADCANNONS!! this is a threat.
i’ve been in the mood to write, but i’m entirely out of inspo. anonymously or not i’d love to hear from you guys!! it doesn’t have to be ship specific either… but the brain worms are getting to me 🤗
My most recent headcannon is inspired by the, if Conquest from invincible was the one sent to earth trend that is going on.
In this, Katun-Ur was built as a weapon by his people but he himself refused to be one. And so, all of the stuff he says about how he was treated back on his home planet was his people using social engneering in order to get him back in line since he was too powerful for them to kill outright.
Problem was, his autisticly coded ass didn't pick up on it so he just fucked off instead.
Landing on earth and becoming Phenoman was the first time in his life people were happy to be arpund him, hence why he becomes a bit of a workaholic and is one of the reasons his breakup and suspension hit him so hard.
Hence why when he starts going to therapy he discovers that he hates himself, which is the main center of his depression.
I just think characters like Halsin and Blackwall should look a little more like sumo wrestlers and a lot less like shredded, 0% body fat, dehydrated Marvel superheroes.
Been getting into Cyberpunk and having fun with the photo mode.
Here is my heavily overstimulated V, counting circles on the matt so she doesn't stab people or catch thier cyberware on fire, while Jackie keeps an eye on someone about to do something stupid.
Jackie: *seeing someone with more balls then brains ready to pick a fight with V* Oi! Pendaho. Today is not the day and she is not the one. Keep movin if ya want to keep your gonk ass above ground.
Solas is the cycle breaker in a Narcisstic abusers family/cult.
I thought of this while i was at work on autopilot and now i can't unsee it.
So now you get to chew on it with me.
El'garnan is the first spirit to become a flesh and blood creature. When he became an elf, je figured out that the time a spirit settled into a body is the perfect time to indoctrinate them for his own use.
Once he figures this out he hand picks different spirits to essentialy become his children, amd then uses them to continue perpetuaring a cycle of abuse and control.
Mythal becones one of his favorite instruments to perpetuate the cycle but she fucks up by coercing a spirt of wisdom.
A type of spirit that is buikt to question, observe abd teach about the world around them.
At first they are sucessful, hence the thing with the titans, but eventally Solas gets time to really look and observe and realoze well...
Shit's fucked.
And so he rebel's.
Of course, he doesn't go about it in the best way possible but again, shit was fucked, and he did the best he could.
However, now he is the balck sheep of the family that escaped that hears how his siblings (The elven race as a whole) are now suffering because of what he did and is trying to fix it.
Even if there is actually nothing to fix beacuse well...
Shit was fucked.
Still is fucked.
And there really isn't anything he can do to unfuck it without causing more damage.
So, as the Inquisitor/Rook you are put in the place of the person telling him, "Dude. What happened isn't your fault. You did what you could. There is no way you could have known what would happen. This isn't something you can fix so why don't we point thay energy at something that you can."
There's a lot of Dispatch characters that get slander, and I hate it, actually. Just because Coupé, Sonar, Waterboy, Phenomaman, Blonde Blazer or Invisigal wasn't your choice, doesn't make them not worth Robert's time or the time of others. There is no perfect choice, and genuinely, I don't think any choice is worse than the others.
But today, I want to talk about Blonde Blazer and Phenomaman specifically.
To start with, I don't think Blonde Blazer was wrong to break up. They had different views of their future, and that's okay. Do I think maybe a bit more communication could have happened? Yes, but I don't blame Blonde Blazer for it.
So ... Phenomaman.
I have seen a lot of discourse around Phenomaman for their break up, and just ... y'all, he's autism coded. He talks about the paparazzi like he doesn't truly understand them and he doesn't read subtext very well. If Blonde Blazer does not say directly she doesn't like the situation, he will not understand it. He needs clearer communication about what makes Blonde Blazer uncomfortable than what he was getting.
I mean, I don't think Phenomaman said he hates Mandy. He said 'the chef who made this food just for us, made it for Blonde Blazer, not Mandy'. Which can be read of Phenomaman wanting to meet the expectations of others and viewing that as an important part of being a hero, which, given how his life on Earth seems to have been, makes sense.
Plus, there are many valid reasons that Phenomaman might prefer Blonde Blazer. Admiring her strength. Not having to worry about accidentally harming her the way we see with Robert frequently. Not having much in the way of his own life off camera being an outsider to Earth. Or simply not being aware of a normal life as a possibility. He sees Blonde Blazer as like himself. Just the protector and the mission. While Blazer gets to have a life in addition to that as Mandy, Phenomaman cannot have that the same way.
Most importantly, Phenomaman does not hate Mandy or dislike her. He just cannot connect to her the same way. This is not a crime.
Here's the meat of the issue for me right now. The people who say that it's not Blonde Blazer's job to tell Phenomaman about the world. She shouldn't have to accommodate his very valid issues with communication and the culture of this planet. To that I just have to say ... if that's how you view the world, being your friend sounds like a very miserable existence.
First of all, Blonde Blazer is some level of 'in charge' at SDN. She's the boss, in every way that matters. She absolutely has the moral/tactical responsibility to make sure her alien employee is getting an education to properly communicate with other people, at the very least, because it means he is more useful.
Secondly, Blonde Blazer was Phenomaman's girlfriend. Yes, I know there are 'manchildren', people who claim to need support they don't actually need, but to an extent, as someone's partner, you support them. People have struggles, and it's up to their community, including and maybe even especially their partners, to help them through it.
It's not too much to expect for a partner of someone who is blind to be willing to read out lists of ingredients, or of someone with allergies to try to pick out food without allergens, or of someone dying of cancer to help them get the medication and emotional support they need.
It's not too much to expect for ADHD people to want partners who help accommodate their executive function, who help get their tasks done.
It's not too much to expect that if you pick an autistic partner, that sometimes, you'll have to help them with social cues or that you'll have to change how you communicate. It's not too much to expect that when you pick a partner from another country, that you help them learn the customs and culture of your country. If you love someone, you don't leave them out to dry!
And that's exactly Phenomaman's situation.
I would say, even in friendships, when you love someone, you learn to accommodate them. The number of friends I have who let me go slowly and gather my thoughts or who let me find quiet places or explain things clearly is very heartwarming. If someone is part of your life and community, you accommodate them.
Sure, some people are adult children, who weaponize their incompetence, but here's the thing. If you aren't willing to support someone through their hardships, if you aren't prepared for their problems, don't date them. Just like Blonde Blazer. You don't have to date someone who is disabled, autistic, or from another country. You don't have to be a life partner or help someone through their struggles if you just stay out of the dating pool and stick to flings and nothing serious.
And if someone is demanding more accommodations than they're giving? Having all kinds of other red flags? That's the kind of person you don't want to be with, not someone who just has needs.
Phenomaman deserves to have a partner who is willing to take the time help him understand and to clearly communicate. Blonde Blazer deserves a partner who wants the same things as her. Neither of them are the 'bad guy' for this break up.
Don't say ableist things and claim it's for the sake of feminism.
As someone who has both ADHD and Autism i picked up on it right away. And as someone who has met a few manchildren in my near 40 years of existence, Katun-Ur is far from it.
Not too mention, people changing and drifting away happens all the time. It's why few peiple keep thier childhood friends into adulthood.
Life is about change, amd sometimes those changes pull people apart.
The main thing i do have a bone to pick about is how they wrote him to believe he isn't a person. It is a unfortunately common frame of thought when refering to people that are neurodivergent and it pissed me off that they wrote that in.
He ain't human, sure. But that doesn't make him not a person.
Which is why i gave him an reformed "Super Villain" who is like Dr Strange but Folk Magic edition crossed with a bit of eldritch horror boyfriend who comes with an Appalchian version of the Adams Family who imedietly adopt him into the family.
Even in my first playthrough I was able to beat him at archery, after a bit of save scumming in order to learn how archery worked in the game, but i have mever once been able to beat him at swords.
Now, to be fair, i was at total lvl 6 and had found at least one of the dlc treasure chests before this point but even then i knew i was shit at the combat system still and hadn't figured i would be able to do it.
But dude (gender neutral), i fucking locked in. My ADHD hyperfocus kicked in and i was in it. Zeroed in, just having the time if my life fully knowing i was still gonna loose.
So imagine my shock when Hans stops the fight and hands over his bow.
Yoooooo! It was so much fun! Only, now i kinda wish i could give it back.
He was so like dejected when he handed it over.
But, i plan on taking good care of it.
And maybe rewriting a couple chapyets in my fic to reflect my current playthrough.
Me and the sibs were joking about Dispatch, and we were discussing what's the deal with Phenomaman's/Katon-Ur's species - the people of Urgot-52dc aka "Urgoths", and why he's considered "repulsive" by their standards.
We came up with three main theories:
They're insanely jacked and hyper-masculine. Full oiled-up ancient Greek/Roman vibes. Phenomaman is considered a weak af among their species.
They're like high-fantasy elves, who's ideal form leans towards grace and soft features. Phenomaman is considered too buff and hairy for their standards. Flambae is as bear as they can handle until they get start getting scared.
Swapped sexual dimorphism/gender expectations; female Urgoths are larger than the males, and males brighter & more mobile. Big buff Amazonian ladies + tiny pretty house husbands. Phenomaman is considered "ugly" because he defies his planet's societal expectations.
Mixture of all three; its a planet with multiple societies.
The third theory (or a mixture) is the most fun to work with, since this means Phen's species have very different beauty ideals. It also makes his attraction to Blonde Blazer kinda based on his own biases - she's the strongest woman he knows and therefore the most beautiful/compatible for him. But since thats not her true form, Mandy feels uncomfortable continuing the relationship with Katon-Ur based on surface traits alone.
This also means a surprising member of Z-Team is considered the most attractive male...
Accidentally made a mini chat fic out of this idea! Under Read More:
(*the Z-Team are relaxing in after a long shift*)
Prism: "Hey, Kat? If you're considered busted on your home planet - what makes someone a baddie? 'Cus I speak for the whole team when I say I'd take you home in a heartbeat!"
Phenomaman: "Thank you for your kind reassurance, Prism. I have been informed before that baddie in this context means someone of great attractiveness. The standards of beauty on my home planet are much different from the ones of Earth - particularly this quadrant. I do not wish to offend anyone if I explain these standards."
Z-Team: (*excited/interesting chattering!*)
Flambae: "I'm not scared. I know I'm hot shit on this planet at least."
Sonar: "I'm a half bat half man. I flushed beauty standards down the toilet with my last baggie."
Golem: "I ain't even made of meat."
Malevola: "So... is Blazer considered hot on your planet, or do you have a specific fetish you aren't telling us about?"
Phenomaman: "I can assure you, Ms Gibb, that by my people's expectations, Blonde Blazer is considered a great beauty by skill alone."
Z-Team: (*annoyed/disappointed grumbling*)
Invisigal: "Knew it."
Phenomaman: "-Even if she'd be considered too small and... bright."
Z-Team: (*confused/interested noises?*)
Punch Up, emphasising: "Small. And Bright. She's like 6 foot tall, mate! That's on the taller side for most women!"
Prism: "Wait wait wait, what do you mean by bright? Like her literal colour palette? Or the whole blazing thing? Am I cooked?"
Phenomaman: "Apologies. I will explain further. On my planet, the females are typically much larger than the males. In ancient times, it was considered advantageous to woo a woman of great size and strength, as to foster strong progeny. As millennia drew onwards, the broad standard of beauty shifted to women who could easily defend both themselves and their mates singlehandedly, while also being able to hunt without detection. Males in turn, have polar physical expectations. This is broadly speaking of course, many people like myself are born with defying traits."
Z-Team: (*frantic questioning!*)
Coupe: "So, who among us would be considered the most attractive woman on your planet?"
Phenomanan, uncomfortable pause: "It would be a tie between Ms Gibb and yourself Coupe. Although, Ms Gibb is vibrantly red, her height and defined musculature makes her visually stunning. Meanwhile, Coupe's dark colouration and swift hunting prowess would have her considered an excellent potential mate."
Malevola, delighted: "Ha!" (*high-fives Sonar*)
Coupe: (*light blush as Punch Up hypes her up*)
Sonar, remembering: "Oh dang, wait! Thats like a thing in bats too! Chicks are bigger and badder cus they be fighting opps every day of the week, while the guys just hang around."
Coupe, recovering from her blush attack: "It is seen in many birds as well. Among, hawks and falcons, both parents are needed to defend the nest. The female is larger as to better survive laying eggs, and to continue hunting afterwards."
Phenomaman: "I am shocked! I did not know this planet had such familar structures! Though I have seen what you call a pea-cock before, I assumed it was a rare exception."
Phenomaman: "I suppose it would have been my former teammate and work colleague Brickhouse. Her size, strength, and her grassy coloration would have her considered what you may call; a supermodel."
Prism, impressed whistle!: "Ain't no debate from me!"
Malevola: "You ever hit on her before? I mean.. you had no problem dating Blazer so..."
Phenomaman: "I will admit, I did feel surface-level attraction to Brickhouse when we met. However, when we became closer in a platonic sense, my attraction faded and replaced itself with camaraderie. She has also expressed her singular attraction to earth women in public conversation many a time."
Malevola, excited: "Is she single? Do you know if she has a type?"
Phenomaman: "Last time we conversed, Brickhouse expressed disappointment that she did not have a life mate. She has told me before that she is attracted to women of similar physical condition as herself, and preferably with what she calls a cute accent."
(*sounds of a portal opening up*)
Sonar: "Malevola just left the building."
Prism: "Yooooo girl! Catch that tiger!"
Phenomaman: "I confused by what has happened. Has Ms Gibb run off to confront Brickhouse in combat?"
Flambae, laughing: "Nah, man. You just sent an admirer her way."
Phenomaman: "OH! I am glad to have been involved in this matchmaking! I wish them the best of luck!"
Punch Up: "Wait wait wait... if big strong women are the norm on your planet... then what about the lads?"
Robert: "I admit, I'm curious too. Especially since the first thing you said to me was that I'm small."
(*teasing "oooo!!"s from the Z-Team*)
Phenomaman, a lil embarrassed: "Again, my people's standards are quite different from humans. As I've explained before, since females are typically larger and camouflaged, the ideal male is often... more slender. And brightly coloured."
Flambae, laughing: "You fucking serious? The guys on your planet are all twinks?"
Phenomaman: "I fail to see the correlation between yellow snack cakes and small men."
Sonar: "Small, portable, brightly coloured. May or not contain white stuff."
Phenomaman: "Ah. Now I understand."
Robert: "So then, who of us would you consider more attractive? By your people's standards I mean."
Phenomaman: (*stares between the men with a mixture of discomfort and calculating*)
Phenomaman: "Please promise not to be angry with me when I reveal my opinions."
Phenomaman: "You all have varying flaws and strengths in terms of attractiveness. Flambae is brightly coloured and pleasing to the eye, but his aggressive nature would be frowned upon as a potential life mate."
Flambae, scoffing: "Whatever man. I'm not even into women, alien or otherwise. I defy the norm."
Phenomaman, continuing: "Robert and Punch Up are indeed small, portable men, but they have comparatively very dull plumage. I shouldn't discount this however, as my own is equally dull. The later would be ultimately considered the more attractive of you both, due to his sturdier body."
Punch Up, proudly flexing: "Niiiice! You hear that, my queen? We're alien beauties!"
Robert: "Huh. Feels weird to be not be considered an ugly guy by aliens."
Phenomaman: "Robert, you actually teeter the line between the male and female ideal. Your physical traits clash most interestingly. If you were female, you would be considered most beautiful!"
Prism: "You hear that, Bobby? You GNC af!"
Robert, sarcastic: "Good to know."
Sonar: "So I'd be-"
Phenomaman: "Considered prey I afraid. Or a trophy."
Sonar: "Dang it." :(
Phenomaman: "Your ears and soft hairs are quite adorable though."
Sonar, mood lifted: "Oooo!"
Phenomaman: "And you Golem! Your gentle approach to children and animals makes you attractive by means of personality!"
Invisigal: "I did. I've heard people goon over you from voice alone, dude."
Prism: "Okay, so if the guys here are only sorta hot, then who's the hottest guy you've met?"
Phenomaman, stalling: "Er... well, by the standards of my people... Robert's friend Chase was most handsome as a young man, swift too. But by current appearances, the most ideal male by sense of attractiveness would be-"
(*sound of water splashing, and wet footsteps!*)
Waterboy, out of breath: "Hell- Hi, guys! Ma'am- Malevola texted that I shou- needed to be part of this conv- debate!"
Phenomaman: ......"
Z-Team: (*shocked faces as the realisation hits them*)
Flambae, disbelief: "...no fucking way."
Phenomaman, blushing: "He is very slender and most certainly brightly coloured!"
Prism: (*cackling!*) "Get it Whiteboy!"
Sonar, philosophically: "The moistest man in existence, the hottest man in existence."
Coupe: "I mean... I can see it. He's like a nervous, soggy canary. Very easy for a woman of means to snatch up and bring home."
Waterboy, confused: "Exc- pardon me!?"
Flambae: "Congratulations. Phenomaman's backwards-ass species considers you the most attractive man alive."
Waterboy: "W-what!?"
There are demands that they get a second opinion (mostly by Waterboy himself) from another inhabitant of Urgot-52dc, but Phenomaman disagrees - explaining that he does not wish to "incite a bloody tournament for his hand". Whatever that means???
Behold! The ideal male form!
Add any more fun ideas you can think of with these! I love writing dialogue for these goobers :3
Changes my Eldritch Horror adjacent OC who looks like a goth version of legolas and changes him to a more folk horror version of the same, replacing black hair with vibrant curly red and his goth metal head attire with a man who wears a rainbow assortment of flannels, blue jeans and brightly colored tennis shoes that mirror his tropically colored massive merfolk form.
There.
No wait...
Change his size insecurity, due to the gender dymorphisim that also appears a lot in aquatic species that makes people make fun of him because of how large the rest of his family is, (There all female), to him being the most brightly colored of a species that thrives on hiding in the shadows and is normally dark or neutrally colored, possibly on top of the former.
Perhaps hidden by the mask he wears when out on hero work?
Something that he pretty much wore everywhere when he first met Blonde Blazer and Phenomaman before the game. However, with sone intensive therapy and help from his family, by the time the game starts he has all but gotten over it and he rarely uses the mask anymore accept when he actually goes out in the field as his Hero persona.
Only, before Blonde Blazer and Phenomoman break up, Katan rarely if ever saw him when he wasn't wearing it so after the break up, something happens to wear the mask breaks and he sees his real form, red curly hair and all, and finds that even he is not immune to the beauty standards of his people in regards to males, even of another alien species.
This is a chance for me to share some of the more darker aspects of my brain and borrowing the disclaimer form my fav podcast Old Gods of Appalachia:
This is a horror focused dark romance story and may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised.
Warning: Dark Themes, Violence, Blood and Gore.
Context: This idea came to me while i was binge watching the Hannibal TV show and saw the scene where Hannibal is fighting Jack, easily seeing Emmerich in Hannibal's place and so this idea was born.
The AU: What if there was a whole town of Serial Killers, Psychopaths and maybe a few supernatural predators, that pull a Dexter or a Hannibal on those types people won't miss. And by not miss I mean, pdf's, grapists, abusers, those that would easily be seen with a specific white outfit, etc.
"True Evil never lasts till sunrise in Graveveil. If you hear screams in the middle of the night, no you didn't."
In this Au my Rook Dante is the son of The Grave Mother, a mysterious and seemingly immortal Matriarch of the Necropol family that owns the land the town of Graveveil sits on and the entierity of Graves county that is covered in a thick forest around said town. During the day He works as the town's handyman and local groundskeeper, a charming muscle bear dork who wears one of a dozen different colored flannels, many a black graphic t-shirt with deisgns that range from metal band all the way to DND and video game references, jeans and work boots pretty much 24/7.
At night however, he is the Master of the Hunt, a primal hunter predator style killer who leads the other "Guardians" of the town and points them in the right to direction when a "Wyld Hunt" needs to be called.
His teenage daughter Jesse is just like him and leads the younger "Guardians", who often protect the school yards and parks from any that may prey on the young children that call the town home.
Emmerich in this AU is a retired "cleaner" who works as a Mortician and Funeral Director who had to recently relocate for...organized crime and serial killery related reasons.
He and his adopted nine year old son Manfred, end up taking the open postition for a Mortician/Funreal Director/Coroner in Graveveil that mysteriously became available just as he was being forced to relocate.
Taking advantage of the location of the seemingly remote mountain town, he and his son move to Graveveil, keeping thier past a secret and hoping that they had covered thier tracks enough that thier enemies wouldn't find them.
And to complicate matters, Emmerich, man who often perfered to keep his romantic entaglements to one night stands due to his professions, and his new role of a single dad, found himself falling hard and fast for the charming and kind grounds keeper that welcomed he and his son into his family as if they were always meant to be there.
These feelings end up leaving him conflicted and not a bit afraid when he begins to notice signs of his past indeed finally catching up to him.
When the night the inevitable finally does happen, he is forced to bloody his hands once again, fighting for his life inside of his own mortuary.
However when Dante walks in the mortuary to witness him straddeling the back of the man who's arterial blood he just caused to pool out on the floor, he fully expects to have to coat his hands in the blood of the man he loves and relocate once again.
But instead, Dante just looks at him, looks at the man whose neck he sliced out with a scapel, looks back at him again and then sighs in relief.
Emmerich is no doubt stunned at Dante's nonchlant reaction that is until he shows him the other two goons in literal pieces he and his daughter had carved them into in order to protect his son of whom they were babysitting.
Once they clean everything up, Dante informs him that not only were they also killers but a good 1/4 of the population of Grave Veil and the surrounding Graves county were too and was the reason why the state never bothered to send a police force thier way.
The killers or "Guardians" were the police force.
Dante tells him, "Here in Grave Veil we like our diversity, our inclusion, our peace and our quiet. If you are the same way and mind your buisness, you have nothing to worry about. If not...well...you better make sure your back is to the county line long before the sun goes down."
After that, the town that was originally only meant to be just a place to hide until the heat went down, turns into a home and a sanctuary for the lost father and son, the two of them finding family that matches thier freak, and a town that appreciates it and puts it too work.
A heavily androgenous elf walks into the room heading straight for the food table. They get about hlafway therre before they realize everybody is staring at them and pauses.
"What?" Looks around for a second, "Oh! Right. Not used to people wantin to pay attention to me so...uh...Hi, i guess. The name's Raven. Just Raven. No second name. At least not yet anyway. Master's house kinda...burned down just before my escape and all my records with it. Not that it matters much. Can't read that well anyway. The letters tend ta...move around. Uh...what else? Oh. And I don't rightly give a fuck about what people call me. Figurin out what box ta put me in is other people's problem, not mine, I got better things ta do. Like my wife. Or future wife, technically. So uh...yeah. I'm gonna go raid that food table now so if you need me that's where i'll be."
Raven, soon to be Raven Gallus, is a very simple creature who loves gossip so long as it doesn't involve them. They don't spread rumors but collect them like a crow with shiny things.
Their ability to get around virtually undetected has allowed them to be a very valuable informant for the shadow dragons and thus their little eavesdropping hobby has netted them a pretty nice little job.
Outside of that, they just kinda like to be useful. Spying on a target for Docktown's favorite detective, getting milk or food so someone's kid doesn't starve, fixing a leak in a roof, whatever little helpful task people need doing that they normally wouldn't be able to afford Raven is there to help in exchange for food, arrows or even just a place to sleep for a night or two.
Which i was how they met Neve.
By the time they met, Raven had been a free elf, mostly, for a few years. Their master, though kind and treated them well, had many enemies and they eventually caught up. Before the attack on his home, an attack both knew was coming, He had made sure that he had ensured their freedom before his inevitable demise as well as provide them with the skills they would need to keep themselves alive.
Skills they used to help many others like them, which obviously brought them not a few enemies themselves.
One such one ended up roughing them up pretty bad and in their escape ended up on Neve's balcony.
Neve, the kind woman that she was, and using the excuse of returning the favor they had done for her a few times now, took them in and let them heal up on her couch. During that time, they bonded and both, though Raven won't figure it out until during the events of the game, developed a mutual crush on each other that was the basis of their friendship for many years.
And until Raven joined the Veilguard, Neve was the only true friend they really had, even amongst the other Shadow Dragons.
Neve and them had a very bad habit of keeping people at arms length even as they helped people and with Raven having been essentially a orphaned Dalish their master had quite literally found in the woods, socializing wasn't Raven's usual cup of tea.
Their better at it now though but could still use a bit more practice, hence why their here.
His mother was the eldest daughter of the Inglevar's heir, at the time, who fell in love with a "common man". A man who was actually a Rivanie merchant prince that was out sowing his wild oats Coming to America style and fell in love with her.
When she fell pregnant he left to make arrangements so that he could marry her but came home instead to his elder brother in the midst of a hostile takeover that ended in his death.
When her family, and more specifically her grandfather who was the patriarch at the time, found out about the first part, he tried to force her to first abort the child and then later abandon it.
She refused both and so ended up disowned and thrown into the Necropolis to die along with her newborn son.
Unfortunately, The Grave Mother, (The Greater fade Spirit that calls the Necropolis home) wasn't able to save the mother. The son however, she was able to bring back and claim as her own and thus Dante came to be.
Vorgoth raised him as his own and was not shy about informing Dante how he came to be.
Needless to say, despite the chance to be a noble, Dante had very little interest in letting his mother's family know he existed.
Unfortunately, at around 16, a well meaning fellow MW let the cat out of the proverbial bag, causing him to be forcibly removed from the Necropolis and into the Inglevar manor.
There he met his grand father, a man who had been powerless to stop what happened to his daughter, because he had been away at the time, and had, though no one could prove it, ended the reign of his tyrannical father on a rather permanent basis after he returned home.
Unfortunately, due to an over doting wife and his work trying to fix the family's reputation keeping him away fro long periods, his son had turned into the type of man he knew would drive the family into the ground.
Finding Dante had come at an opportune time, especially since his life of working himself into an early grave, was beginning to catch up.
And so, he began to teach Dante how to continue his work, which was boosted by Dante's title of being the Guardian of the Necropolis aka a Child of the Grave Mother, and before passing away a year and a half later, made sure that his son would not have any access to the family treasury without going through Dante first.
The only problem was, that due to knowing he had been ousted as the family's future Patriarch for a bastard son, and, because even before his death he was still working himself into the ground, his grandfather wasn't at the manor as often, his uncle often subjected him too a lot of abuse.
Abuse that got so bad, that by the time he turned 25, he attempted to find a more permanent escape, featured in the story below.
It's Okay I Got You
Not long after, he returned on a more permanent basis to The Necropolis, remotely taking charge of the family's finances with the help of Vorgoth and coincidentally running into a cousin amongst the Mournwatch of whom would be much better at handling it all then him.
A year later, he got a letter from a woman named Isabella, yes that Isabella, who claimed to be looking for her younger brother after discovering his existence in an old journal of her fathers.
Once they met, Dante learned of his father's fate and gained an elder sister that then introduced him to the woman that would become his wife.
Mari was a merc, now retired, and was looking for a more stable sort of work. Meeting this slightly depressed dork of a Mournwatcher that not only provided her with said job in the Mournwatch but gave her a chance at the family life she had always wanted had been a bonus.
However, with the combination of Dante's Uncle being incredibly bitter about losing his place and learning not only the true nature of Dante's father but that now he was soon to have a child of his own, something he had failed at doing no matter how many wives he burned through, decided he was going to get back at Dante by trying to steal his child and raise it as his own.
When weaponizing Nevarran law failed to work, he took matters in his own hands and sent goons to go do it for him but wanting to make sure it got done right, went with them to do it.
And it ended up being his end.
Because, a merc is still a merc at the end of the day and if she is a mother on top of that? Well...
Let's just say, his Uncle's funeral was a closed casket for a reason.
But, due to the laws in Nevarra around slaying nobility, even in self defense, her fate had been sealed. Or would have been, if a Grey Warden that frequented the area hadn't been visiting. Even though it only ultimately delayed her death, at least in that, she died saving a village from Darkspawn instead of swinging from a hanged man's rope.
And this...is where Emmerich comes in.
Well, too be honest had had always been there.
Emmerich had been in love with Dante since the day they met. Featured below:
Noble Blood Country Heart
But, due to Dante never showing any reciprocating interest, had been content in being his best friend and one of the few people Dante truly trusted. He was the only person that stuck around while he was dealing with his Uncle's abuses. He helped him get free of his family and gave him a roof until he could build the little farm he raised his daughter on. He was there to watch her, and find resources to make sure she survived long enough to eat solid food.
And in fact, it was the day he woke up from a much needed nap and witnessed him sitting on his couch reading to her that something just...clicked.
But, due to just having loss this wife and everything he was still dealing with he didn't act on it, too afraid that what he was feeling was him just clinging to something familiar and rebounding he put his growing feelings to the side and focused on raising his baby girl.
But, by the time Jesse turned six, and those feelings had only gotten stronger, he knew that he in fact was not just rebounding.
Of course that sent him into a whole other type of spiral which his little girl, of whom he had told everything too in a fit of madness and was now super excited because she just learned that a boy can marry another boy and realized that she might be able to get to promote Uncle Em to Pa, took it into her own little hands to help. Featured below:
Welcome to the Family Darlin
It takes them another good five or so years before they marry, mostly because of the busy lives of keeping their two kids, Jesse and Manfred, out of trouble, teaching, being the heads of their departments and running a small farm on top of it all.
By the time the game starts, he and Emmerich have been Gomez and Moritcia levels of happily married for nigh on 15 years.
And the only reason Dante, and Jesse who is around 22 by then, end up with the Veilguard is because they nearly beat a couple of nobles to death after they tried to drag a few of his poorer teenage female students, a few of which Jesse herself was mentoring, to try and do no good very bad things too.
So, to keep them from suffering Mari's fate, Vorgoth sent them away until the heat died down.
In which, during the game Jesse, who loves dragons and has made half of her grave gold look like dragon scales but also shares her father's love for people that can snap them in half and/or dom the fuck out of them, meets Taash and folds instantly.
And the second she sees Them breathe fire? Done. That's the one. I want that one. If i fumble this bag i will remain single for the rest of my life.
Dragona doesn't have any family, or at least not traditionally.
Originally a spirit of Survival that pulled a Cole on the first ever attempt at what eventually happens to Lucanis, he was shoved into the physical world in the form of a young teenage boy once named Caleb.
Getting use to life outside of the fade was...difficult, especially once his torturers sold him to House Aranai not long after the formation of his body but, being a Spirit of Survival, made the process much easier than what it would be for say...a spirit of compassion.
However, after a contract went wrong, because someone essentiually double targeted that same person, he ended up accidentally and unknowingly, saving Lucanis's life.
After getting transferred to the De Riva house once he had recovered from his injuries in the Delamorte manor, he found the meaning of what found family is. In Teia he found a sister and best friend. In Viago he found a Mentor and Elder brother. A mother in Catarina, an annoying little brother in Ilario, and two soul mates in Lucanis and Spite.
The Crows are his pack. His family. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
All kinds. Ballroom, folk, erotic, belly dancing, didn't matter. It's in the way he moves, in the way he fights, it is in almost everything he does.
It originally started as a way to gain more agility, flexibility and body control. A tool to elevate his skills and increase his chances for survival.
It was also the one thing House Aranai couldn't take away from him. Or wouldn't when he proved it was also useful in matters of seduction.
However, after Catarina forced him to be transferred to the Diamond, he found that dancing could also just be fun and enjoyed for what it was. A form of expression.
He and Teia are the best of friends because of this.
Outside of that, ^^, he loves cats the same way Lucanis loves wyverns. He loves most animals to be perfectly honest, since, as a mage, he is as close to a druid as the Dragon Age universe allows, but he especially loves cats.
He likes how you have to earn their trust instead of being bred into blind obedience. He likes that they are independent and don't require constant attention.
He especially likes how it is obvious where you stand with them.
He loves cats because he understands them and relates to them a lot.
And may or may not be why there are so many of them either around the Canatori Diamond or the Delamorte Manor...
Bonus: Dragona's version of "puppy dog eyes" featuring Aela, one of my five cats.
Dante is part of an AU where the Necropolis is the home of a great sentient spirit know as The Grave Mother, in the same way a dragon has a lair.
In this Au, the Grave Mother can't speak, or at least not with words, and so often claims a denizen of the Necropolis, usually a child but not always, to speak for her.
One of the powers granted to the Child of the Grave Mother, is being able to use their voice to calm down and in many cases help heal injured spirits. This can also be used on demons if they grow strong enough.
Dante is one such child and not only sings to calm spirits but also just because likes too. He loves music. And is a pretty decent singer. Can't play an instrument to save his life but he can sing.
I like to imagine this song is him and Vorgoth jamming in the necropolis while there working:
Vorgoth and the other wisps and spirits are doing the beat-boxing.
Outside of that however, despite being born, technically, a nobleman, he prefers living a simple life on his farm just outside the Necropolis.
He loves farming just as much as he loves music and if you get him started he will yap for hours about it.
He will talk about his chickens, his cows daisy and marigold, his rookery where he raises all his ravens that act like security cameras around the Necropolis, all different stuff he grows and what he makes out of it, everything.
"There is nothin like bringing in a massive harvest knowin you did that. You grew that. The work of your own hands resulted in all that. Wouldn't trade it for nothin."
One moment the space is empty, and the next an elven man appears as if they just blinked into existence. He is wearing not extravagant but definitely well made and nearly perfectly tailored clothing. A rich blue dress shirt with sleeves rolled up is wrapped in a black corset vest with silver dragons embroidered into it. His pants are simple and black as well as his shoes but clearly made of materials only those with a significant amount of wealth can afford.
It is clear however, by the way his free hand fiddles with it, he is not accustomed to such fine things, though he wears it well.
He stands as if he is ready to spring into action at any moment, his mismatched purple and blue eyes scanning the room, while his right thumb is rapidly spinning a black bone ring around his right middle finger. A bland companion to the fancy gold band on his left ring finger indicating a recent change in relationship status.
His free arm wraps around his middle, and though his back is straight, his shoulders give the impression he is trying to hide in plain sight, clearly not used to or comfortable being the center of attention.
His voice is that of a slow moving river through a haunted forest as he speaks clearly, firmly but nervously:
"Uh...Hi. My name is...uh...shit...which one was it now? Oh! Right! Lucanis explained it. Um, My name is Dragona Delamorte, formerly Dragona De Riva, Dragona Aranai and...Survival. In that order. Eh...My Husbands sent me here to keep me occupied while they settle into their new role and so that i hopefully make a few new friends, so...What else... Oh! And if i suddenly go completely still out of nowhere, don't worry, it's normal. I just sort of...walked out of my own body for a second. It's a whole thing, but it's fine. Thanks for uh...having me, I guess. Uh...I am...gonna go find a nice corner facing the exit to brood in now." *Disappears again*
Dragona is featured in a few posts I made for Lucanis Week, featured below:
