⟡ Howdy, I'm Andy! I draw stuff sometimes. He/Him, trans man | Adult
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Characters: Lucanis Dellamorte, Spite, Rook Laidir (Spiterookcanis) (When writing, @the-muffin-master 's Rook, Saar was the specific one in mind)
Summary: Out on a mission Lucanis mulls over the hickeys he received the night before (And he flies free with love in his heart).
Word count: 1,729
Assumptions were made. Rallying leaders, competent and deadly warriors. There’s something to be said about the confidence that that exudes.
But anyone within the inner circle of Rook and his ragtag team would know that Rook and the Demon of Vyrantium were both…hopeless. Love struck and obvious.
Arlathan forest. Rook, Lucanis and Bellara. Lucanis wasn’t sure he was the best one to bring here, specifically; wasn’t Davrin a hunter? A forest was a perfect spot for it. Then there was Assan of course. And hadn’t he heard Davrin mention something about his fellow Dalish here?
A little nagging feeling said he should bring it up, but when he went to open his mouth Spite had quibbled,
“Rook! Ours.”
A thrill ran down Lucanis’s spine and his head swam with pride that despite not being specialized in the area like Bellara was, that Rook time and time again tended to take Lucanis with.
Just because they were in a relationship didn’t mean he expected anything. He didn’t really have a basis for what to expect if he was perfectly honest.
So off the three went. He wasn’t completely useless – plenty of demons popped out of the forest. He could handle them while Rook and Bellara dealt with the magical elements.
Whatever treasure was behind the magical seal must be good if whoever was here – ancient Elves? – had sealed it behind three or four separate laser contraptions across the forest.
He and Rook were still working things out, though there was some comfort in being of similar experience levels. Pressure was taken off because of it.
Lucanis’s life was dedication and study to the family craft; assassination. And so, there was something…truly, purely freeing when he or Rook made a perceived blunder and ended up giggling and smiling over it.
He’d been taught the art of seduction. It was the sort of dance that he’d never mastered. Two left feet. But in privacy with Rook the expectation to be this way or that melted away and he was allowed to learn in a way he’d never been allowed to before; softly.
He leaned against a tree, his breath quivering at a memory. He side-eyed where Rook and Bellara were – still puzzling over things. Good.
One hand, two gloved fingers specifically, wandered up his neck, pressing under his collar to brush at his bruises, hickeys. From the outside maybe he looked as though he were checking his pulse. Which…strange. But fine.
Except for the amount of times he kept doing it. Each time he seemed distracted, not paying attention to the fact that he was doing it.
Lucanis’s gaze was hazy; he was looking off into the trees but it was obvious he was in his mind.
Rook had been figuring out how much was too much. Qunari were large in every respect and their teeth were no exception. He’d drawn back, brows furrowed with worry when he’d punctured Lucanis’s neck and drew blood.
Needless to say that in the moment, most of Lucanis’s blood had been down south (though they hadn’t gotten that far in the end).
Lucanis's neck had came out the other end a battlefield. And it hadn't gone unnoticed by his local demon, who decided to spend his precious free time pressing upon the hickeys for that delightful pleasure pain.
Lucanis had given Spite a scolding when time had marched forward and suddenly he was handed back the body with a raging boner and five minutes to mission.
He'd gotten it taken care of, as a professional does, but it had been tight.
And now here he was, grazing over the hickeys while out on mission. Perhaps he'd need to apologize to Spite, later....
There, a rustling. Even distracted, Lucanis’s body was coiled like a snake, ready to strike. The noise was subtle but there – and he was grabbed from behind. On instinct he kicked and got Rook’s voice in return.
“Ow, haha.” Rook's voice was easy, friendly and light. The fight left Lucanis immediately and he turned his head as far as he could in his position to look at Rook.
“Sorry.”
“Maybe sneaking up on an assassin wasn’t the best idea, huh?”
“Probably not, Rook.” He chuckled but didn’t try to get out of Rook’s arms. Lucanis looked around.
“Bellara’s up ahead.” Rook had seen the question in his gaze.
“Why are you back here?”
“Maybe because you’re back here. How's an assassin get so distracted~?” There was a smile in Rook’s voice. Even without seeing him fully Lucanis could imagine it in his mind’s eye.
"I..." He knew Rook was teasing him, so apologizing didn't make sense. But he couldn't conjure up the correct flirty banter.
Rook came in with the rescue.
"How pretty...where'd you get 'em?"
Before Lucanis could ask 'Get what', a breathy moan was pushed out of him; one of Rook’s hands had wandered away from his hips to curl under his collar to the bruises.
"You know well where I got them." Lucanis's tone was warm.
Rook’s hand kneaded gently against his hip. Lucanis bore a lot of restraint not to go with the natural rhythm of it and move. This wasn’t the time, they were out in a forest.
“Was it alright that I had you come? I realize I’ve been having you on all the missions lately. I should have checked in.”
Oh, Rook. That was something that made Rook a great leader instead of just a good one. Acknowledgement of what he could change, implementation of those things.
“LUCANIS. And SPITE. Are Rook’s. FAVORITES!” Spite bellowed in his mind. Lucanis could feel the rumble of Rook’s laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
“Spite…that’s sweet. He’s right, you know…” There was a soft vulnerability to the words.
“Oh.” Chirped Lucanis. He forgot sometimes that Rook could hear Spite now.
A beat of silence.
“UM!” There was a nervous sort of fluttering sound in Rook’s voice. It was adorable, really. He was gigantic but could still sound so small.
“Well, I mean that’s uh,”
Lucanis took this moment to turn around in Rook’s arms so he could face the Qunari.
“I think you must be my favorite, too.” Lucanis’s voice was quiet, rich and deep. Just for Rook. Rook stared at him for a beat, his cheekbones coloring. Then, the Qunari lunged forward, bending over to embrace Lucanis, hiding his face in the assassin’s neck.
Right in the middle of all the hickeys. Lucanis gasped and looped his arms around Rook in return, finger tips digging into his shoulders just a touch.
“Sorry, did I – does it hurt?”
“No, hah, it doesn’t hurt.” Lucanis’s voice was breathy.
“It's…alright then?”
Lucanis huffed a laugh. Maker, he adored Rook. “Yes, it's alright, Rook.”
With that explicit permission given, Rook nuzzled his nose against the crux of Lucanis’s shoulder and neck along the bite marks. Each time his breath ghosted across one or his nose nudged a bruise, Lucanis’s fingers flexed against Rook’s shoulders and his breath would hitch, near imperceptibly if Rook weren’t so close.
I love you.
The phrase bed itself in Lucanis’s mind. He squeezed Rook. He didn’t know how to say it out loud for real, not yet.
“Fly!”
The non sequitur made Lucanis’s mind halt in confusion.
“Pphhff, oh. The other night when you fell asleep, Spite and I got to talking.I told him that even with his wings, you probably couldn’t take me flying. But I told him that I could throw you high enough you felt like you were. Or, him. Both.”
Lucanis drew a hand back to hover over his mouth as he chuckled. Not that he really hid his smile at all.
“Fly. Rook, fLY!!”
It wasn’t as though Spite couldn’t speak fuller sentences, especially now that Rook had an inside listen to him even without his speaking through Lucanis. But it was just his way, the short, clipped sentences. Who needs a hundred words when your point is across in three?
“What do you say, Lucanis? Alright if I send you two flying?”
Rook’s soft eyes made his heart beat fast.
“Alright. But then we’ve got to get back to Bellara.”
Ever the professional. Rook grinned, crouched and hauled Lucanis up in his arms, princess style, as though he weighed nothing at all. Lucanis floundered, then cleared his throat as though that would make the flailing he’d just done disappear.
Rook said nothing, though the glint in his eye and the curve of his smile showed he wasn’t forgetting it. They were only a few paces from a clearing so that Rook wouldn’t throw Lucanis straight into a tree.
“Ready?”
Lucanis took a breath. He’d been practicing letting Spite in half way, a sort of meditation that Rook had been helping him perfect. A way to allow Spite to feel more of the bodily sensations without either of them missing things.
“Ready.”
Lucanis and Spite’s voices overlapped, mixed and melded. Rook counted to himself softly, one, two, he crouched and then: three –
Lucanis was in the air. Spite was in the air.
Lucanis, as all Crow children were, was taught acrobatics as a simple basis for future teaching. They had zip lines installed all across the city. Even before Spite had granted him literal wings he wouldn’t say he was unfamiliar with flying.
But Maker, this was something else.
Uncoordinated, completely free of expectations on his part. Rook threw them and Rook would catch them. There was no doubt in his mind. And his only job in this moment? Enjoy it. Feel it. Funnily, it was Spite who helped him key into the moment.
“HA HAH, FLYING!!!”
Lucanis was laughing too; Spite’s laughter was deep and rough. If you didn’t know him he’d sound downright villainous. Lucanis’s was open and airy, relief manifest. Their stomach twisted, anticipation, fear, elation, freedom.
Back down in Rook’s arms. Back up into the air.
Had Lucanis ever felt like this? But when he tried to begin filing through the memories, he was cut short, pulled back into the here and now by Spite.
“OURS. OURS, OURS!!!”
Spite bellowed into the sky, still laughing. Lucanis laughed more. Then safe in Rook’s arms. He curled in against Rook’s chest like a contented cat. That big, soft Qunari drew his fingers through Lucanis’s hair.
With the purchase, you will receive: Two png versions of the character without a background, one version with an outline and another version without an outline.
Summary: Spite's taken a personal interest in the body he's bound to and wishes to replicate previous sensations. (Sequel to A Helping Hand)
Word count: 770
Content: Masturbation
Spite was irritating. Ridiculous.
But now he was voracious to boot. It seemed Spite had also felt the euphoria that came with an orgasm and now insisted at any sign of tension in Lucanis’s body that they have another.
Lucanis could only hope that the others didn’t notice how red in the face he’d been lately (He’d need to apologize to Emmerich later for his distance…but he couldn’t risk him hearing any of this).
“It's not an every day…occurrence!” Lucanis hissed out.
He was getting good at understanding Spite even when he didn’t say a word. He wondered if it had to do with what Spite was? For a spirit, was the simple act of thinking or feeling bleed out of them, regardless of whether they'd said so vocally?
In either case Lucanis wasn’t necessarily pleased with his further understanding.
“It is not something with a clear cut answer. I am saying it is not every day. For other people it might be.”
Spite went silent in his mind…then, perked up like a dog as though he’d found a clever work around.
“LuCANIS, sleeps. I won’t leAVe. Fire in the BELLY.”
Oh.
Well….
It wasn’t as though Lucanis didn’t need sleep. He needed it, desperately. And given how absorbed Spite had been when he’d been watching…he hated how normal this felt. Like bribing a pet with a treat so it didn’t tear up the rug.
“....Fine.”
He flopped down on his cot, then, thinking better of it, got back up and pushed a barrel heavy with potatoes and the like against the door. One boot, then two, and there went his pants and his underclothes, which he folded up. Now he was left in his shirt and vest, his cock out for the whole world. Or, the whole pantry.
He would not be having a repeat of being intruded on with his literal pants down. And it wasn’t as though he could persuade Spite to be subtle or quiet. This was already a massive breakthrough as is; trying to control the demon further would only cause headaches.
Okay. Now he could lay down. This felt awkward. Spite was practically vibrating in his mind. He sighed, closing his eyes, trying to relax.
Was it meditation or something else? Either way that space between asleep and awake was enough room for Spite to slither in and take control of the body, more or less. Lucanis himself was still…somewhat conscious. That typically wasn’t the case. So that was…interesting.
Spite’s touch was rough, initially. He’d grabbed at his (their? Maker, this was strange…) cock like he was grabbing for a weapon. Spite winced, learning quick that he couldn’t just handle it like that and have it feel good.
Then he was..petting it? Ghosting fingertips over and along its shape. Spite snorted and growled; frustrated at how strangely difficult this was. It was easy enough to yell at Lucanis to keep going and more, but now that he was having to try to do it manually there seemed to be a learning curve.
He turned around, laying on his stomach, with a hand reaching…ah. Oh. Lucanis understood. Spite had been curious about that…
“Stop, Spite. You’ll need…there’s a bottle in my pack. You’ll want to coat your fingers in the oil.”
“WHY. Oil?” He grumbled.
“It won’t feel good otherwise. It will hurt.” Lucanis was feeling what Spite was doing like some kind of strange echo. He was feeling it but not as though he was physically touching himself. The sensation was unusual but not necessarily unpleasant.
Despite his grumbling Spite followed the instructions given. He’d perhaps over-oiled and both his hands were dripping in it. Lucanis would bang his head against the wall if he could. Ah well.
How many times would Lucanis’s mind drift to ‘like a dog’ when it came to Spite? He wasn’t trying to minimize him but…he was bouncing and kicking a leg as he stroked their cock madly as though quite overcome. He wasn’t muttering or mumbling, it was all growls and throaty noises.
In fact, he apparently was so overcome that he came right there, giving the tip a good squeeze and twist for good measure. Lucanis couldn’t help chuckling. For all of Spite’s fight he was outdone quickly when forced to deal with the full restraints and restrictions that came with a physical body.
"Spite," There was a smirk in Lucanis's voice. "You forgot why you needed the oil in the first place."
Spite made a rumbling noise in the back of the throat, a little warning without any actual substance. Lucanis chuckled.
WATCH OUT, WORLD. I'M HERE FOR THE CALLARIO(E) AGENDA 🗣️
@dandyboyandy's Caster is my favorite ship for Illario, so they're often my dress-up dolls when I'm playing (they HATE those fucking outfits). their dynamic is very refreshing to me and my pal's a fantastic writer!!!
he's friends with my rook, saar can't exist in a universe without him >w<
This post will catalogue information on the topic of Qunari horns. I am sorting the information by game / closest game to date given.
Green highlighted sentences are my TLDR; pinpointing the exact detail shown off in the sources, specifically the in-game ones. All dev conclusions will be in orange.
I have done this to try and ease the load when it comes to forming interpretations of how Qunari horns work.
I consider in-game information to be the most canon and what an interpretation should be built around, as that is what was given to the players and published.
Interview / forum answers are take-or-leave; they are not necessary for a full understanding / fleshed out interpretation and should be included or not as one sees fit.
From left to right: Hornless, regular (one pair of horns), multiple horns
All sources below were already gathered by the editors of the DA wiki. I am only looking to organize and categorize.
General
(Below is something anyone could go through and count via the models and quoted from the wiki. I did not go through to count horns myself, so the count below may be wrong.)
"All of the Qunari seen in Dragon Age: Inquisition have one pair of horns, whereas all but one Qunari seen in the base Dragon Age II have two pairs of horns - one big and one small one; the Arishok is the only one to date to have eight horns in total; it is unknown what determines the number of horns or their size. It should be noted that Salit has six horns in total."
Qunari may have more than two horns.
DA: Awakening
Qunari horns do not have nerves and thus they feel no pain / are not bothered by horns being broken.
This quote from Mary Kirby comes from the Bioware DA forums (Archive). The date compared to the release dates of the games puts this quote as being after both Origins and Awakening but before DA2.
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“Not all qunari have horns,” says Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider. “Some are born without them, but it has never been considered a defect. Instead the mark is considered special, indicating one who is clearly meant for a special role in their society—as a Ben-Hassrath who enforces religious law or as an envoy to other races. It is also not uncommon for qunari who abandon their beliefs to remove their own horns, for reasons not yet clear.”
The above is a quote from David Gaider from an article with Game Informer in 2010, a year prior to DA2's release.
This particular quote feels as though it falls off at this point now that we are at Veilguard. However, the point of, "--but it has never been considered a defect." is echoed by Mary Kirby further down.
Sten, a hornless Qunari, was part of the Antaam and send with a squad to find out about the Blight in DA:O. Warriors turned scouts, basically. Given that, it doesn't feel as though Sten being hornless inherently granted him better opportunities.
Thus, the implication that simply being hornless would grant one a 'special role' does not feel accurate. Sten was put into the Antaam as all Qunari are; because he was best suited to the role.
2. Ben-Hassrath is not an especially special role. It is part of the priesthood but a Qunari enters into it the same as any other, if they are fit for the role.
3. Iron Bull is a horned member of the Ben-Hassrath.
DA2
junk item Horn Balm from Dragon Age 2, which was worthless and could indeed be found in many of the game's crates as a random spawn item.
We're given more detail on the balm in DA:I from Iron Bull,
Iron Bull: You know what I miss? Horn balm. It's impossible to get it out here.
Varric: Really? Back in Kirkwall you couldn't kick open a crate without finding a jar of the stuff!
Iron Bull: Really? You got any?
Varric: Ah, no. We usually just threw it away.
Iron Bull: (Grumbles.) ...horns itching... (Grumbles.)
This dialogue gives us the detail that Qunari horns itch and that they have developed a balm to alleviate it.
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hoorayforicecream wrote…
Why do Salit and his followers still have their horns? I thought they cut their horns off to show they weren't following the Qun anymore.
Mary Kirby: They don't all cut off their horns. Many of them do it because they think it makes them look scarier.
Bioware Dragon Age Forums (Archive), about 6-7 months after the release of DA2.
Tal-Vashoth may cut their horns to appear more intimidating.
Firky wrote...
So, if qunari just see horns as natural variation, like hair, why do saarebas -es have theirs cut off?
Well, Ketojan and the Redemption saarebas and the saarebas model in DA2. (Although not concept art. Maybe).
Mary Kirby: Many of the hornless Qunari wind up in the Ben Hassrath, so culturally, Qunari associate not having horns with being imposing or scary. Saarebas have their horns cut as a warning, "This guy is dangerous." It's also the reason Tal Vashoth often cut off their own horns -- they think it makes them look tougher.
Hornless Qunari have higher rates of ending up in the Ben-Hassrath
Saarebas (Qunari mages) have their horns cut to warn of their danger. Tal-Vashoth in turn cut their horns to appear more intimidating.
Speculation: Are there higher rates of hornless Qunari in the Ben-Hassrath because lacking horns would aid them in spy work....? Do hornless Qunari children engage in different forms of play than those with horns, leading them to develop skills more useful as a Ben-Hassrath?
This could support (somewhat) David Gaiders sentiment above that being hornless grants you 'special roles' (In which he specified Ben-Hassrath). Though again given Sten's position, it reads as though the more optimal phrasing would be more like Mary's that, "Many of the hornless Qunari wind up in the Ben Hassrath,".
Fraq Hound wrote...
The Qunari themselves not having a name for those born with this defect (If it is indeed a defect) is more puzzling to me. I mean they name everything else, why not this?
Mary Kirby: It's not a defect. It's a minor genetic variation. The equivalent would be closer to having naturally copper-red hair. The Qunari just say, "Oh, he's hornless," in the same way we'd say, "He's ginger." It's just an adjective, not a classification.
Elfman wrote...
I thought hornless Qunari were "special". Not in a Sandal way.
Mary Kirby: Sure. Qunari think they have unusual traits in the same way that some people think gingers have special traits. Maybe they're more hot-tempered, or they have a higher pain threshold, or they have no soul, or whatever. It doesn't mean it's actually true.
Being hornless is noticeable but not necessarily of higher consequence or reward. As note worthy as having red hair. Random superstition is added to them that does not hold any actual water.
DA:V:
Taash: Hey. Neve. Benst also had a jewler add some stones to his lockpick-hand. Pretty gems and stuff.
Taash: I can get you a name if you want.
Neve: Why would I want gems on my leg?
Taash: Cause it's like a boot you wear every day. Might as well look nice.
Taash: That's what I did after I broke my horn. And my horn will grow back.
Neve: I work Minrathous. Put gems on my legs in the morning and they'd be stolen by lunch.
Neve: Besides, I like to keep a low profile when I'm hunting.
Taash: Oh. Sneaky. Makes sense.
Two things can be taken from this -
The addition of jewels / jewelry to horns.
2. Qunari horns grow back.
This is opposing to real world horned animals, according to this source, "If an animal’s horn is broken or damaged, it will remain that way forever. It does not grow back. Horns are permanent; they are not shed, but grow with the animal throughout its lifespan."
Antlers grow and shed off regularly. Thus, this implies either that Qunari horns are more like antlers and are simply called horns, or they are a fantasy hybrid of the two concepts.
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Emmrich: You've chosen to perform the eb-ketarra, Taash?
Taash: Yeah. You know about the Qunari horn-grafting thing?
Emmrich: Watchers study other death practices.
Taash: Huh.
Taash: Eb-ketarra. Know what it means?
Emmrich: Imperfectly. A horn growing twice?
Taash: It's more like "growing memories." My mother's strength adds to mine.
Emmrich: Thank you, for sharing that.
Taash: Sure.
Qunari have a death practice where one will take a piece of the deceased's horn and graft it to their own.
Following, in addition to this, we have this conversation which takes place during the quest, Words of Fire and happens during a cutscene.
Karash: You have grafted your mother's horn to yours.
Taash: Yeah. Alchemist with the Lords did it for me. It'll grow now like my own.
Karash: And she will always be with you.
Through the use of alchemy, a horn can be grafted onto another so that it will grow along with the base.
I spent some time looking into what is considered alchemy and how it differs from apothecary (as both exist in DA). Needless to say its a lot of stuff that perhaps doesn't belong here. Do let me know if anyone would want to hear about that and I'll make a separate post.
DA alchemists create things such as explosives and the flasks of elemental concoctions that can be thrown. Apothecaries are more healing, making potions and cures.
Examples in universe include a de-aging serum and attempts to use alchemical methods to make an efficient coagulant. So, I think I can suspend my disbelief and see an alchemist being able to sort out how to not only graft a horn onto another but also make sure it isn't sitting there as dead material.
Aaanndd that's a wrap! If you got all the way down here, thanks, and I hope you got somethin' out of my silly need to catalogue and speculate fictional race details. ദ്ദി(｡•̀ ,<)~✩‧₊
(The sweet red head qunari in the header is Saar who belongs to @the-muffin-master!)
This post is not an 'end all be all' of knowledge on this topic, nor is it exhaustive.
In Thedas, the ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤworld is made up of three layers: The 'real', the Veil and the Fade.
For ease of understanding I'll be calling the regular world where characters live, the real world.
The Veil is a wall between the real world and where magic comes from: the Fade.
The Fade reflects the real world. This means that to some extent, much of history is recorded within the Fade. Emotions from the real world manifest into spirits and demons. And of course, this is where magic comes from; when a mage uses magic it is not an internal force they're pulling from but an external - opening a hole in the Veil to pull magic out from the Fade.
In universe, the layman who is not a mage and does not interact with magic / mages much have simple views on spirits and demons.
These views are thus: Demons are evil and are drawn to mages (Which is why so many believe that containment of mages is just, because they are a natural danger).
Spirits? Rarely spoken of. At times, not even believed in.
Why is this?
It has to do with how few actually appear in the real world.
Spirits are considered 'good' and embody 'good' emotions / concepts: Compassion, justice, wisdom, etc. Demons embody 'bad' emotions / concepts: Lust, gluttony, rage, etc.
The world is filled to the brim with hunger, rage and lust and thus, demons are consistent and constantly banging at the Veil to wreck havoc in the real world. They are voracious and their hunger never satiated. They feed on their given emotion within people, driving people towards disaster.
Things like compassion are far harder to find and spirits encompassing the 'good' emotions don't tend to want to go into the real world. They typically only appear when they are pulled by an immense calling that relates to their given emotion.
However, a spirit / demon may be changed and transformed by influences in the real world.
The change from one emotion / concept into another is, as the rest of this, not as black and white as turning something 'good' into something 'bad' or vise versa.
An example is a spirit of Justice turning to Vengeance.
Or let us ponder the DA:V character, Spite. In a sliding scale between 'good' and 'bad' emotions, I would not necessarily seat spite directly into bad, yet he is decidedly considered a demon by NPCs.
This all to say that the arbitrary black and white in universe treatment of spirits and demons is over-simplified.
But! This is just a general primer and starter to a series of posts I'm writing, laying out in universe definitions. ✌️
Lucanis is a pretty fun subversion of what people expected him to be (an edgy assassin that lives up to the name of DEMON of Vyrantium, or the Mage-Killer). It's so interesting how helpful and caring he can be, despite taking lives for a living. Lucanis (as @dandyboyandy pointed out to me) treats assassination like it's just another office job.
This allows for him to be a sweetheart without falling into the trope of "asshole who only likes you and hates everyone else". On the contrary: he has friends everywhere - in The Wigmaker Job, Illario even mentions it in passing. Let this be a reminder that you should read Tevinter Nights!
There's so much I want to talk about I don't know where to start.
Lucanis saying he isn't a good teacher (dialogue with Taash)
He has a few adorable interactions with Taash trying to teach the Qunari how to be a good Crow. Lucanis has a hard time communicating his point, leading Taash to apologize for "being a bad Crow", which he then promptly replies with no, "he's the one who's a bad teacher". Luckily, it ends with Taash coming up with something perfect for them!
Taash: Hey. I'm sorry I'm a bad Crow.
Lucanis: You're not a bad Crow. I'm a bad teacher. The goal of the clever line is to unnerve your enemies, so they don't swarm you while you're vulnerable after you strike.
Taash: And to look good.
Lucanis: And to look good, yes. But you don't need a clever line to unnerve your enemies. Try your growl.
Taash: (growls)
Lucanis: Perfect! Your enemies' morale will be shattered. I will have Teia order you a cape.
Taash: Yes!
(This is the end of a dialogue chain, with three party banters before it.)
Lucanis gets a little exasperated at some points, but is always trying his best to get through to Taash and be supportive. He immediately clocks when his lessons aren't being helpful and corrects himself, switching tactics. His desire to find new, different ways to approach the subject instead of doubling down or giving up is very cute!
A jerk could've kept trying to make Taash learn the same way he was taught, not taking the way their brain works in account. Or he could've been like "it's not my fault you're stupid" and given up.
Harding calling Lucanis out for also being a people pleaser
Lucanis has a very cozy cutscene with Harding where they're drinking coffee and he realizes she doesn't like it (but keeps drinking it anyway). He tries to gently call her out on being a people pleaser, making herself smaller (no pun intended) as to not be a burden, etc. This sentiment is also present in some of their party banter:
Harding: I'm not always agreeable.
Lucanis: Aren't you?
Harding: Am I?
Lucanis: You're trying to agree with me right now.
Harding: I… damn it, Lucanis.
But at the end of this particular dialogue chain, Harding brings up an interesting point about Lucanis's own habits (UNO REVERSE):
Harding: You know, Lucanis… you always try to keep the other Crows and everyone around you happy.
Lucanis: No, I don't. It's impossible to make Crows happy.
Harding: Oh, yes, you do.
The interaction proceeds to split into two different branches, depending on whether or not you've completed the quest Inner Demons:
[BEFORE] Harding: You were rushing around helping Teia with funeral plans. Instead of plotting revenge or something.
[AFTER:] Harding: You do everything Caterina tells you. You spared Illario. You're nice to Teia and Viago.
Then it converges back into the most damning part with his response:
Harding: You made Taash five batches of deep-fried peppers yesterday.
Lucanis: Everyone likes deep-fried peppers.
Harding: That's exactly my point!
This reminds me of something he says in the romance scene where he prepares a dessert to pair with Rook's favorite drink: "there's enough for everyone". His sweet and caring nature isn't at all subtle when you stop to think about it, it's all around them. He's kind of awkward, but he's such a team player (which is interesting, given that in @dandyboyandy's words, "assassination isn't typically a team sport").
You wanna know what gets me about this shit?
Isn't it curious that he's shown these traits, to begin with? Other than what's relevant for Lucanis to be a competent assassin, what are the things that are important to HIM to remember? And the answer is: his friends' diets (Emmrich being a vegetarian) and preferences (Rook's favorite dessert), things the people he cares about might want or need.
Lucanis goes to the market to get each and every one something and never expects anything back. He's taken by an emotion akin to childlike wonder when you give him the wyvern tooth dagger. It's so GENUINE.
But why does he have those traits? Lucanis grew up in an empty ass house after losing most of his family to the War of Succession. It might be safe to assume he didn't have a bunch of friends growing up, either. From his childhood to the point where he was sent out on contracts, his inner circle must've been mostly Illario, Caterina, Teia and Viago.
Half of these are very closed off people. So this is an innate part of him (to remember, to care, to nurture) that he probably didn't have a use for for most of his life and he's just NOW getting to use it. It's not even just the romance side of things, but the friendship one too! And, after so long, Lucanis has the luxury to be able to care so openly. He's scared to lose it, but he can't help having faith that maybe this time it's different.
By the prompting of OP, I'm formatting my previous tags (and some extras >wo/) into this full blown text reblog u3u/
SO: The above is a great show as to why Lucanis isn't boring. Honestly, there would be just as many people saying he's boring if they went the expected route of an edgy, closed off asshole.
Or the strict policy professional.
Lucanis straddles that line. Because he is professional. But he doesn't let that get in the way of his cooperating with his fellows.
And really, isn't it so showing of his innate sweet nature that after a YEAR of being tortured and hurt, not expecting a rescue. Having a demon forced upon him.
That he has such a quick turn around to milling in the Treviso markets with Rook. Yes, it is probably a comfort to finally see home again after so long, but. He isn't guessing what the others might want.
And really, this could have strictly been a grocery run.
Instead, each and every thing he picks up is specific to a companion. Stuff that they have mentioned or he notes they could need (Like how Neve needs some fruit given her heavy diet of fish).
Its all so personalized when really, I doubt that anyone would have batted an eye if he was more in his head. Because again, he has a DEMON in him.
Which both Harding and Davrin are overtly aggressive over, threatening his death at their hands if Spite were to get out of control. He understands the implications that come with being a quote unquote 'abomination'.
It would be expected even, for him to be a bastard about everything. But he's not. Despite how shitty and closed off socially he could be...he chooses to be sweet.
To fight his pain by helping others. Yes, his current contract is to work with these people to kill Elven gods.
But he doesn't have to think about their preferences. He doesn't technically have to cook. Nor think about everyone's diets. He could just say, 'this is what I made' and leave it at that.
But I'd say out of all the companions he clearly and overtly shows his thoughtfulness and care for everyone. Is it a tactic to keep from having to think about his own inner turmoil? Well yes. But that isn't the whole of it.
As OP's writing points out with the conversations he has with Harding, he was like this before the Ossuary. Or else Illario, Viago and Teia would be confused about his behavior.
DESPITE the darkness, DESPITE the hardship, the struggle, his spite drove him on and he didn't lose himself even when he thought he did.
and isn't that the most ironic thing of all is that he was SO SCARED that spite made him someone else.
Lastly, all of this reminded me of a conversation between Cole and Cassandra from Inquisition.
So, at some point Cassandra had actually met a spirit of Faith, though she didn't know it at the time. Cole figures this out through her feelings + memories. obviously she feels...conflicted about all of it.
Cole: Oh. That makes more sense.
Cassandra: Why do you look at me when you say that?
Cole: You found faith, not just a feeling. It was a spirit.
Cassandra: We do not need to speak of this further.
Cole: I'm a spirit that touched a body, you're a body that touched a spirit. We're the same but backwards!
Cassandra: Please, stop.
The next banter has Cole clarifying his meaning.
Cole: It's you, Cassandra.
Cole: Breathing from the belly, cold air warmed, stones beneath me, candle before me, Maker all around.
Cole: Then nothing, empty, I'm cut, cauterized, then caught, cleansed by a light that carries me home.
Cole: You're thinking backwards. You don't have faith because of the spirit. The spirit came because of your faith.
Cole: It's you.
Cassandra: Thank you, Cole. I appreciate that.
So Lucanis's situation / feelings have a similar feeling to this of, "This thing (spirit / demon) has made me Other / Different / Taken something which I previously defined myself by".
When in fact, the spirit came BECAUSE of those traits in them that they displayed SO strongly as to call them. The spirits did not change them; the spirits came because of who they are.
I’m a big fan of Dragon Age and the world its built. Of course I was excited when Veilguard news began! And then there’s the internet.
Typically internet things don’t influence me so much. But the consensuses I kept seeing about Veilguard, did. Perhaps its the kind of fear that comes with being a fan of a series going on its fourth (four and a half technically, with Awakening) game.
Even after talking to my cousin about it, who had also played all the previous games and said she loved Veilguard, I couldn’t shake the unease the internet had placed in me.
I enjoyed playing it. I like Veilguard.
But the criticisms had me bracing for impact at every turn. Instead of going for the romance I initially was looking to do, I chose the one the internet told me was the most satisfying. I found myself echoing other’s criticism and feeling bad that I’d…liked it. More or less.
So lost in all this, I couldn’t talk about it freely; I was always putting down the equivalent of wet floor signs. ‘Yeah I really liked this – BUT YOU MIGHT NOT a lot of people didn’t find this worked well…’
I don’t think I was able to truly enjoy it until my pal @the-muffin-master, without any previous biases or fears about the series as a whole, had fun.
They had fun. They enjoyed the world and its characters and happily wanted more.
I was able to shed the general consensuses about things, take a breath…and look in again. And I got to have the fun that I wanted.
But I don’t think it should have taken a friend to crack this for me. Even a neighbor who was on her second or third playthrough, ironically, only had negative things to say.
Then why are you still playing it?
I understand, okay. I’m not allergic to media analysis and criticism. I don’t need people to say Veilguard was perfect . Obviously it wasn’t.
...Nor was any of the previous Dragon Ages.
Dragon Age 2 was infamous for its asset reuse, so much that in game they had characters comment on it.
I can’t even begin to remember the complaints about Inquisition, but I remember reading them.
And don’t get me started on the areas in Origins that do not give you any warning and then locked you in! Sometimes by yourself (RIP mage wardens). Hope you had the psychic foresight to get all the potions you needed!
I acknowledge there are issues with the game. Locking us into only being nice (thus, the 3 tone indicators more or less being moot), unable to have any real negative relationships because you cannot lose companions permanently due to the unique powers each gives you for traversing terrain.
Depending on your playstyle, there are large sections where it feels like you’re doing nothing, while others drop 10+ side missions in one big heap.
But despite that...I still felt the spirit of Dragon Age in it. There were so many interesting things tied up, revealed, shown.
I feel like its easy to talk about what you’d want and not look at what you have. Its fair to feel disappointed in the promise of what Veilguard was supposed to be and having your expectations let down.
But damnit! There’s so much fun stuff in it!
It boggles my mind when I see people say that they consider, ‘Inquisition the end of Dragon Age’, or echo similarly worded sentiments that equal out to, ‘There is nothing in Veilguard and the series as a whole would be better without it’.
Summary: Lucanis, weak from lack of sleep but also thrumming with caffeine finds his mind sending the demon in his head rather...risque imagery.
He's trying desperately to quell it.
Word count: 1,161
Content: Masturbation
Lucanis would not identify as shy. What he was included: professional, well trained and well groomed, for a sloppy appearance implied sloppy work.
It didn’t matter that Teia teased him. She found something to tease everyone with and while typically her assessments had kernels of truth – in Lucanis’s case, it was just to try to fluster him.
He was not shy.
Cautious, now there was a Crow word. Yes, he was….cautious, about what he thought or did now that he was unwillingly hosting a demon in his body.
So here he was. Exhausted and near delirious due to sleep deprivation and caffeine overdose, bouncing his leg, hands gripping his knees. He blinked – he was sure it was only a blink -- and now he was leaning back against the wall with a hand teasing over the front of his trousers. He thought about sitting back up but his body wouldn’t follow.
“TOUCH.”
Spite’s voice cut through the fog built up in his head. Somehow, even half awake he heard the demon’s voice in crisp, clear and guttural detail.
“FLAMES IN THE BELLY….”
Lucanis’s cheeks grew hot. It wasn’t that he...didn’t know. Of course he knew! Antivans weren’t especially shy about sex education. Certainly not the Crows, given that a whole subset of specialty was seduction. Illario’s specialty.
So yes, when the time came he trained in such ways too. So maybe Illario was a seducer from go and Lucanis wasn’t. Not as though that was the only way to get a kill.
Illario had tried more than once to get Lucanis to play backup. Said he should ‘loosen up’ and his target ‘had a sister’; then went on like that with hand gestures and “Hm?” and “Yes?” as though Lucanis would join in on whatever sort of...conversation this was supposed to be.
Alas, Illario had never, not even once gotten him to go. Lucanis didn’t need to ‘loosen up’. He was loose the correct amount --
The word stirred an ache in him and Spite purred. He chuckled darkly like Lucanis had shown off a glowing weak point.
“FINGERS. CAN GO THERE. TOO!” He sounded amused by the revelation. Lucanis was burning up.
“…No . Quiet.” Lucanis tried to have some bite but all he sounded like was pathetic. Sitting in the kitchen pantry on a cot, talking to himself as he tried desperately not to fuck his own fist because the demon in his head was watching --
“AAHH...LIKE THAT!”
“Mierda…” Lucanis groaned. He was losing his grip on his mind and kept accidentally sending words and images through for Spite to gape over.
“GRIP, GAPE...TWO, THREE...HAH HAH, FINGERS!”
Lucanis groaned again but it was one part irritable grumble and one part needy whine.
“The door doesn’t even... lock. This is a pantry.” That thought spiraled into images of being caught with his pants at his ankles and Spite’s sandpaper voice filling his head. Him red with embarrassment at being caught but unable to stop, the pleasure, the pressure, the voice in his ear --
Spite was laughing.
“THE FIRE, IT BUILDS!”
Sounded like something an arsonist would say as they watched a forest fire billow out, not a sentence to describe Lucanis’s body all hot and sweaty with need. The bulge in his trousers was far too noticeable now.
He blinked. A groan ripped from his throat as he tried hard to open his eyes. When he finally got his eyelids set to half he saw that his hand had found its way into his trousers. There were his underclothes and his cock, pulled out and standing tall.
He sucked in a breath and with great effort pulled his hand away.
“NO, NO, KEEP. TOUCHING!!”
Lucanis thought about rolling his eyes but couldn’t actually get them too. He could barely get his body to do anything he was thinking he’d like it to do right now. Spite was still yelling at him. He hadn’t felt this clumsy with his hands since he was a child, catching stray knife cuts during training.
He winces like he’s in pain but its just the thought of actually having to look down at himself.
But otherwise he’s going to be groping in the air till he lands on his cock which is...just as embarrassing for him as just directly looking at it and grabbing it like its a cup or a knife.
He doesn’t expect the rush of relief he gets when his hand once again wraps around his cock. He sighs like its his first drop of water in days. The friction of a dry hand on his dry cock is unpleasant at first. But, ah, of course, smear some of the pre-cum and – things are going better.
He’s really trying very hard not to...think, dirty. He just needs to get this over with. Spite is hooping and hollering in his head. This seemed to happen more with physical experiences, he’s noticed, physical sensation, the heightening of Spite’s excitement.
He knows Spite can’t actually physically touch him, yet somehow, it feels as though Spite’s licking along the rim of his ear, along his neck, whispering in that gravely voice.
“MORE, MORE!”
Spite’s encouragements seems to work; Lucanis isn’t even thinking at this point, really, but he’s adjusted himself to sit more comfortably so he can spread his legs, his hands motions quickening. There’s a sort of sloppy sound coming from all this and if he had any blood to color his face he’d be blushing. Alas its all been pooled down below.
He grits his teeth, careful to pull his tongue back. He’s sweaty and every sound seems amplified; his breathing, the sloshing noise, the little whimpers and groans he’s trying hard to push back down his throat.
“OVER...THE CLIFF!!”
Spite rallies and Lucanis isn’t quick enough to get his free hand clamped over his mouth. He’s sure he was loud, yelling, groaning, whining as he came hard, spattering cum all down his pant legs. ‘That’ll be hell to clean…’ A little voice in his head mutters.
He jolts awake at someone’s startled voice, the pantry door promptly closed again. What time is it? As if he could tell in the Fade, really. He somehow ended up strewn out on the floor, pants shimmied down far enough for his cock to just be laying out along with him.
“...Time, Spite?”
Spite was surprisingly good at keeping time in comparison to, well, everyone else, including him. It probably was because he was a demon.
“FOUR, FIVE? HOURS.” Spite sounded amused.
He’d had to explain the concept of time to Spite, the meaning of seconds, minutes and hours. But once he knew the language that they kept time with he was able to accurately give it. So. Lucanis had passed out after cumming five hours ago and ended up on the floor with his pants down.
