a big collection of questions based on color language! all questions under the cut 💕
❤️ RED ❤️
1. What is the easiest way to make your OC angry?
2. What aspects of a person—appearance, personality or otherwise—are attractive to your OC?
3. Does your OC enjoy sex?
4. How important is the concept of strength to your OC?
5. Is your OC vengeful?
6. Are people afraid of your OC? If so, is that fear warranted?
7. What would others consider the most attractive part of your OC?
🧡 ORANGE 🧡
1. How would your OC describe themselves as a child?
2. Does your OC embrace or suppress their emotions?
3. What first impression do strangers get from your OC?
4. Is your OC a risk-taker? Do they take well-calculated risks or are they impulsive?
5. Is it easy for your OC to step out of their comfort zone?
6. Does your OC hold others to the same standards they hold themselves to?
7. What is your OC’s favorite season?
💛 YELLOW 💛
1. Is your OC an optimist or a pessimist?
2. How energetic is your OC?
3. Does your OC lie easily? What scenario(s) would justify lying in your OC’s opinion?
4. Does your OC have many secrets? Would they ever tell a person these secrets?
5. Does your OC have a strict morning routine? If so, what is it?
6. How cautious is your OC?
7. Is your OC humorous?
💚 GREEN 💚
1. Does your OC get jealousy easily?
2. Does your OC believe in the concept of luck?
3. How much does your OC enjoy nature? Do they enjoy being outdoors?
4. What is your OC like when they’re sick? Do they try to push through it or are they completely bed-ridden?
5. Is world peace something your OC believes is possible?
6. Is your OC generous? If so, is their generosity conditional?
7. How adaptable is your OC? Are they open to change?
🩵 CYAN 🩵
1. Does your OC get stressed easily? Are they cool under pressure or are they easily made anxious?
2. What brings comfort to your OC (person, place, object, etc.)?
3. How easily distracted is your OC?
4. Is your OC more humble or arrogant?
5. Does your OC like to swim?
6. Are your OC’s decisions influenced more by their head or by their heart?
7. How observant is your OC and how much does it affect them? Are they clueless or nearly paranoid?
💙 BLUE 💙
1. Is your OC confident in themselves?
2. Is your OC comfortable letting others see them cry?
3. How independent is your OC?
4. How trusting is your OC and does it have an effect on their relationships?
5. Does your OC have a comforting presence?
6. Can your OC stand up for themselves?
7. Is your OC structured or do they go with the flow?
💜 PURPLE 💜
1. What is one of your OC’s biggest dreams and do they believe that dream will come true?
2. How affluent is your OC? Does their level of wealth matter to them?
3. Does your OC daydream often?
4. Does your OC have any artistic hobbies?
5. Does your OC have a commanding presence?
6. Is your OC book-smart or street-smart?
7. Is your OC stylish? How much do they care about the clothes they wear?
🩷 PINK 🩷
1. Does your OC like traditional romance?
2. How playful is your OC?
3. What is your OC’s favorite love language?
4. How good is your OC with children? Would they ever want any of their own?
5. Does your OC believe in soulmates? Have they ever thought someone was their soulmate?
6. Does your OC have a favorite flower? If so, what is it?
7. How easy is it for your OC to empathize with other people?
🤎 BROWN 🤎
1. Is your OC reliable?
2. What animal do your associate with your OC?
3. How protective is your OC?
4. Is your OC polite?
5. How much does your OC enjoy traveling?
6. Does your OC abide by the rules?
7. Is your OC a homebody? Are they consistent with doing chores?
🩶 GRAY 🩶
1. How forgetful is your OC?
2. Is your OC open to compromise?
3. Has your OC ever thought about having children? Do they believe they’d be a good parent?
4. Is your OC emotionally open with the people around them?
5. How mature is your OC?
6. What is one of your OC’s happiest memories?
7. How helpful is your OC’s advice? Do others come to your OC for their advice?
🖤 BLACK 🖤
1. How far will your OC go to achieve their goals?
2. Does your OC have a strict bedtime routine? If so, what is it?
3. What is one of your OC’s greatest fears and how much does it affect them?
4. Has your OC ever broken a promise?
5. Is your OC comfortable at fancy gatherings?
6. What does your OC have nightmares about?
7. How well does your OC sleep?
🤍 WHITE 🤍
1. How much does your OC care about cleanliness?
2. Is your OC religious? How do they feel about religion?
3. Will your OC take care of someone while they’re sick? Are they good at it?
4. Is your OC a perfectionist?
5. Has your OC ever upended their life and restarted from square one?
6. Does your OC idolize their past?
7. Does your OC enjoy the simple pleasures? Are they satisfied with the bare minimum?
or: brood has had many thoughts about the crows and lucanis for a long time now
While this meta is about Lucanis and Veilguard, I need to begin with Zevran.
In DAO, Zevran takes a job he knows he cannot do. But after the Warden unexpectedly spares him, he becomes a Crow on the run—and he stays a Crow on the run for the rest of his life. It is important to consider this, and to consider that Zevran is no one in particular, not politically. He is not important to the Crows' politics or to any politics outside of that organization. Essentially, he's one of many.
Despite this, the Crows hunt him.
There is no choice for anyone to stop being a Crow, ever. It is a lifelong commitment for even the most ordinary and unremarkable (again, speaking politically, although also in terms of skill) among them. For Lucanis Dellamorte, grandson of Caterina, the current First Talon? For Lucanis Dellamorte, who has been trained and groomed to succeed Caterina? For Lucanis Dellamorte, who is uniquely skilled amongst the Crows, so much so that he got his own unique moniker and was the immediate recommendation for Rook's team?
If there was no choice for Zevran, there is certainly no choice for Lucanis. His preferences are immaterial. His desires are immaterial. His duty is paramount—it is treated as paramount by those around him, and it has been drilled into him that it is paramount. And Lucanis is deeply bonded with all those he considers family, even when those relationships are deeply strained; this absolutely includes Caterina.
Caterina is abusive. We learn as much in game. It is treated as unremarkable by Lucanis, inevitable, and that tells us something that is repeatedly confirmed: the Crows, as an organization, are abusive. Their training is torture now, just as it was for Zevran.
If he had been able to make a choice, to step down, to say "no," that would have shown the Crows in a softened light. One could argue that it might only have shown Caterina in a softened light, but we have to remember that Veilguard is doing two things at once with their characters: they are showing them as individuals, and they are showing them as representatives. Caterina is one of the faces of the Crows, both in-world and within the narrative. The fact that she is abusive has a narrative parallel. The fact that she doesn't give Lucanis a choice has a narrative parallel. The fact that she announces his new role in public has a narrative parallel.
The Crows are an organization. Part of that is performance, as performances establish and formalize conceptual, abstract principles. There is a veneer of glamor and glory that is a thin coating over the force and demand, and that, too, has a narrative parallel.
If Lucanis could choose, could say no, that would undermine what the game had spent so long showing us. That underneath the witticisms and the flowery language of freedom and protection lay a violent demand. We see this even in the visuals of the Crows: they have ornate, elaborate outfits. But no amount of preening and presentation will change the knife in their hand or the blood on it.
It's not softening, it's a misdirect. And it's not even that much of a misdirect, as the game repeatedly reiterates that, yes, these are killers. Lucanis, for all his kindness, for all his warmth, for all his sweet care for others, is himself a cold-blooded killer. He will take contracts and he will fulfill them. It seems that in his story he leaves some people alive and leaves innocents alive, which reflects favorably on his personal morals, but it does not make him other than what he is.
It is also a mercy that is permissible under the guise of precision and skill. He kills only who he must! That is skillful! Even if there is mercy in it—and to be clear, I think there is—the mercy can be ignored when other Crows are interpreting what he's done. That, imo, shows a deep political savviness as well, which makes sense to me, as Lucanis has been navigating the upper echelons of the Crows for so long.
So there is no way, narratively, for Lucanis to turn down the role of First Talon. A Crow has no real options… but a wily Crow can find routes within the limits, and Lucanis is a wily Crow. He will not be Caterina. Nor is it realistic to assume the Crows will be completely transformed under his leadership, especially considering the inter-organizational tensions and the very real possibly that a league of trained assassins could—and probably will—try to assassinate the First Talon, especially if he immediately starts making drastic changes that are counter to their established identity.
Even saying yes to an offer he cannot say no to will not save him, but it will limit the risk. And, notably, it will all but eliminate the risk to those he cares about. But a Lucanis who turns against the Crows? Who denies the title that is seen as his birthright, his destiny, Caterina's true legacy? That Lucanis will be a target not just of political opportunists within the Crows, but of the Crows themselves. And that Lucanis becomes a free-for-all, protected by none; and the Crows, brutal as they are, may well seek out those he cares about. Illario, possibly, but I'm thinking more of a Rook he is friends with or partnered with, or Neve. They might also go after others from the Veilguard, perhaps viewing them all as potential allies of their deserter leader.
Because the thing is… the Crows, as an organization, cannot abide someone, anyone, leaving. But they especially cannot abide a would-be-leader leaving. If Lucanis can turn his back on the Crows, can sever his ties to the organization, and can live, then who else may? The organization itself cannot tolerate that.
I speak of "the organization" as an abstract but thinking-feeling entity, which I think is fairly accurate. No one Crow embodies the entirety of the organizations' self-concept, but rather, all Crows embody elements of it, propaganda and performance and promise, suave words laid over cutting edges, all aware of the violence just beneath. And, as is always the case with such organizations, organizations that could easily and accurately be compared to cults, (I am not making light of cults/authoritarian control groups by saying that, mind. I am utilizing the BITE model) the inter-community elements are meant to create an internal narrative that is constantly reinforced, until it becomes second-nature and largely unquestioned. For instance, I fully believe that Viago believes that the Crows are protecting Antiva. That the Crows are the thin line between safety and annihilation. That Treviso, under the rule of the Crows, is free.
But Viago is and has been part of the Crows. He is and has been influenced by their concepts through constant exposure. And I think that he, as an individual, wants that to be the case. He wants the Crows to be defending Treviso, to be defending Antiva, even if, at the organizational level, it is more accurate to say that they are defending themselves.
We are seeing inside the cult. Thus, we are unlikely to see significant deviation away from the prevailing ideology. But the fact that recruits are tortured, the fact that the Crows are a league of assassins, the fact that they hold so much power over Treviso, these are things we are shown and these are things we are meant to know. None of it is made secret to us. None of it is subtle. And this, coming from a videogame franchise that has represented organizations based on authoritarian control multiple times: the Chantry, the Templars, the Circles, and yes, the Crows…
What's more, we see that in Thedas, assassin leagues are largely accepted so long as they are considered part of the area they operate in. Orlais' House of Repose, for instance. Even Josephine insists that the House of Repose must follow their contracts, that they are obligated to abide by their own rules.
Of course, anything could be different. Veilguard might have chosen a different message and, with it, a different route to support that message. The Crows might have been changed. Many things might have happened, and I'm not criticizing anyone who wanted those different things to happen. But within the narrative we got, I think that all elements make a lot of sense and cohere very effectively.
There will never be another character like Blackwall Dragon Age. He's a Grey Warden. The first time you meet him, he saves you from being kirked. He's an idealist. He's a romantic. He's a war hero and a protector and a knight in shining armor. He's a liar and a bullshitter and a coward. He's a family man. He's traumatized by his family's tragedy and his own failures. He's a sports fan. He hates nobles. He's trying to impress nobles. His best friend is a lesbian half his age. He made a suicide pact with his coworker. He's a fuckboy. He genuinly likes women. He helps his friends get laid. He makes toys for children in his free time. He's a child murderer. He always lies about who he is. He always tells the truth about who he is. He gets psychoanalyzed by Varric without either of them realizing it. He fucks so loud it scares the horses. He idolizes courtly love. He's not a Grey Warden. He's every Grey Warden that ever walked on Thedas.
These are the slides after DAI, before Trespasser. The Inquisitor was seen as "a leader of a changing world order" with the "power to shake kingdoms".
And the message is clear - anyone who becomes capable of changing the existing order is treated as a threat by the institutions that benefit from that order.
Whether you disband the Inquisition or place it under the Divine, the independent power disappears - an independent force capable of reshaping the landscape can't be allowed to remain independent.
Whether it was intentional or not, the parallels with Solas continue strongly even in this.
Solas stood against the established order of his age. He challenged the Evanuris and inspired rebellion. History remembers him through propaganda and he becomes a monster, a liar, the Dread Wolf.
The Inquisitor experiences a version of that same process. Once their influence grows large enough to threaten the status quo, they too become someone whose power must be limited and whose legacy is rewritten by those in authority. In Callback (but starting in Trespasser), the established powers don't see the Inquisitor as a hero anymore. They see someone with too much influence. Skyhold is taken away and the Inquisitor is spoken about as though they're a dangerous, charismatic figure whose power must be contained.
Which makes me think of Rook, and specifically how I view Rook.
While I would have loved the Inquisitor to play a much bigger role in VG, looking at it this way makes their absence make more sense to me. By this point, the Inquisitor has been deliberately diminished by the existing powers. They can't set foot in Minrathous without the Venatori trying to assassinate them, and the Grey Wardens don't trust them. The Inquisitor isn't free to move through the world as they once did because they have become too influential and too dangerous to the established order (like Solas). They are indeed too powerful because once again it is the Inquisitor who naturally assumes leadership in the defence of the south with people rallying around them.
What's interesting is that this pattern even extends to Dorian. His desire to reform Tevinter grows out of his time with the Inquisitor and with Solas. Inspired by what he experienced there, he returns home and co-founds the Lucerni to push for meaningful political change.
And what happens? Once more, the movement of change becomes a threat to the established order. Maevaris is framed for treason, the Lucerni is dissolved, and the work continues underground as the Shadow Dragons. It's just another reminder of the Inquisition's influence and how dangerous it was. It inspired people across Thedas to challenge the systems they had always accepted. Just as Solas' rebellion was dangerous and inspired in others the same. And this makes sense why both Solas and the Inquisitor have become figures that many people want removed from the board.
So now Rook. Unlike Solas and the Inquisitor, Rook isn't an agent of change like they were. Rook doesn't challenge the existing order or try to build a new one. Instead, Rook's role is to bring people together. They convince factions with very different interests to work toward a common goal because, with Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain threatening the entire world, there really isn't another choice.
I could argue that Rook succeeds because they aren't carrying centuries or years of history and political baggage (yes, they challenge their own faction, I'm not talking about that, they are a relative unknown compared to the Inquisitor). The factions can rally behind Rook because they aren't a threat of a changing world order in the way Solas and the Inquisitor have become. They're simply someone everyone can work with against a common enemy.
And it's interesting to me that Rook can respond to Solas and the Inquisitor in very similar ways, seeing them primarily through the roles they have played in the world rather than simply as people. Solas is blamed for creating the current crisis, while Rook can accuse the Inquisitor of having to clean up their mess. In different ways, Rook places the burden of the world's current state on both of their shoulders.
Even the help Rook asks of them reflects the same parallel. Rook asks the Inquisitor to use their influence to gather armies and information, yet the Inquisitor can't. Solas faces a different limitation. Trapped within the prison of regret, all he can really offer is his knowledge and guidance. Both are reduced to supporting roles, not because they have nothing left to give, but because circumstances have left them unable to lead the way they once did.
If the Inquisitor had tried to lead the same charge as Rook, I imagine many would have viewed them with suspicion. They're a political or religious figure whose motives are constantly open to interpretation (like Solas). I'm sure many would assume they had their own agenda, especially an Inquisitor Lavellan who romanced Solas. In a world already filled with rumours and propaganda surrounding both of them, it isn't difficult to imagine those stories being weaponized to undermine the Inquisitor's leadership.
And yet, despite it all, Solas and the Inquisitor are still doing what they've always done, just in the background. The Inquisitor leads the defence of the South, while Solas spends those few weeks fighting alongside the Shadow Dragons. Neither has stopped acting according to what seems to be their nature. Whatever their larger goals or whatever the world chooses to believe about them, both continue trying to prevent unnecessary suffering and protect others wherever they can.
And as always, I welcome any new insights or things I might be wrong on. This is only my perspective.
actually there is a Rook who picks that thread off political action up - Mercar, whose origin story and faction are all about challenging the status quo. which is one of the reasons I love the Mercar-Solas dynamic so much (especially with an elf/mage Mercar) because here you have someone with a very similar history of standing up for what they believe to be right despite overwhelming odds, and being driven into exile for it. the First Warden calls this out explicitly - they have a detailed criminal record! - and tbh I wish the game had leaned harder into that baggage.
with the elf mage detail, you can go further - Rook and Solas have both held a position of tenuous power (mage in Rook's case, part of the Evanuris for Solas) and benefited in however small a way from the very systems they set out to destroy. there's a shared history there.
when Solas looks at the Inquisitor, he sees someone bound up by the systems of power they threatened to destroy - much as Mythal was (which hits extra hard for an inky who drank from the Well). when he looks at Rook, he sees himself as he was when he was younger. that balance of personalities didn't work the first time around, but this time the two of them make it through and show Solas how to break out as well.
The third prompt for Doriaweek was "night at the ball". I have been wanting to redraw one of my old arts from 2017 for a long time and the pose seemed very fitting for this one.
Thanks to @velnat004, @epiphany-jones and @ratbagjasper for the tags!! Remembered that Rook Appreciation Week is very very soon the other day, so I'm scrambling to get this gifset done. She's looking pretty good so far!
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