I am done with the HP fandom in general. I will be mass blacklisting everything on that topic. If you wanna unfollow me for that, valid!
@ my DA peeps: If you’re gonna be acephobic and deny Lucanis being demi, please unfollow. I knew it before Mary said anything. It’s obvious if you paid attention. (But of course I’m also grey-aroace so the coding was obvious to me.) like LET ACE PEOPLE HAVE ONE FUCKING WIN. Especially since DA… is still really behind when it comes to ace rep. Like really behind compared to basically every other kind of queerness.
My blusky (where I am more frequently) is also safeandsolid. My AO2 is currently "AlliCassandra" but I'm gonna change that eventually.
IDK what my frequency of posting will be? I may just figure out how many posts I want to post a month here and then set up a queue so I only have to log in once a month.
EDITING:
I truly do prefer blusky, find me over there @safeandsolid.bsky.social.
I'm working on getting my account together on here again. Mobile I think is decentish (I love that photo I got of my Rook, Yasmina de Riva, in photomode!! She looks like she's in one of the DA comics! "WOOSH!") but redoing my theme on web is gonna take time/energy.
My main interest as far as DA is the Crows (Lucanis, Viago, Teia, Crow Rook) If you hate the Crows in this game... You might wanna unfollow me or mute all their tags. (don't worry if you're an old follower--I still love Cullen too. <3)
I've decided I will be asking askbox closed unless I am online and decided to open it up for a meme or something. Anon will be kept off for the time being through. Honestly, just being on here makes my nervous system feel rattled so it's best to keep it closed.
Y’all liked my “actually Emmrich is a good bf choice” analysis so here’s one for mi vida Luca
Yk how people say cats liking you is the perfect test of understanding consent? That’s what Lucanis is.
Man was literally in the trenches, had the threat of his blood taken hostage over his head AND a Spirit implanted into him. Of COURSE he would take a hot minute to trust anyone.
I believe The Rooks who truly romance him must have a special archetype of being outrageously patient but also very communicative.
As one of the best Crows, Lucanis is used to making clever assumptions. It’s how he knows the team disturbingly well. Because of this, he knows people don’t trust him, shouldn’t trust him.
And to a certain extent, he would be right. Most people would be offended that he seems to flirt but keep turning away (see the almost-kiss scene).
But we all know Rook isn’t most people. Rook can be irrationally unhinged but Lucanis’s Rook can also see through and accept Lucanis’ need for space.
The whole first half of the “romance”, Lucanis tries to flirt while also second-guessing his actions and Rook’s reactions. He overanalyses and smacks his own head when he reviews his self-rejections and realises Rook IS responding positively.
And every time, he comes closer to believing Rook does reciprocate his flirting. It comes out in his expressions, it comes out in his speech.
Making Rook’s favourite dessert was the first time he genuinely tested his theory that maybe Rook does like him. But at the same time, he makes enough dessert for the whole team so if Rook does reject him, he can settle for having AT LEAST made something nice for the whole team.
When Rook spells out that they see Lucanis making their favourite dessert, Lucanis still tries to wave it off as they also made it for the team. But then Rook specifically mentions that obviously they know Lucanis would make enough for the team, but he made Rook’s favourite dessert.
Remember how he is still struggling to accept Spite himself? Rook and Emmrich are the few people who accept Spite as a part of Lucanis, that Spite exposes the rawest emotions of Lucanis. Although Emmrich does see Spite as its own being like Taash, Emmrich treats Spite like its own independent person.
Meanwhile, Taash treats Spite like a petulant child that needs taming, Harding and Neve are confusedly anxious, and Davrin is only half-joking about killing Lucanis if Spite takes over. (Expanding on the Neve-Lucanis romance later)
The coffee date where we “confirm” the romance? Rook sees Lucanis serving Spite his own cup and is pretty much like “yk what? hell yea”. Rook has always treated Spite as a part of Lucanis, and has partially made Lucanis Lucanis. I like to think the Lucanis who accepts Spite is the best one.
This is also what sets Rookanis separately from Neve/Lucanis. In the love scene, Spite brings out the wings. It’s a part of the love scene. Rook reassures Lucanis later that if Spite does come out when Lucanis is sleeping, Rook is more than comfortable entertaining/socialising with Spite.
In contrast, Lucanis sends Spite away if he and Neve spend spicy time together.
Yes, Rook sees Lucanis as a talented rich kid who deserves his Demon of Vyrantium reputation. But Lucanis’ Rook also sees him as the orphaned grandson of the most powerful Talon who feels like he had to perfectly embody the Dellamorte name at all times. Lucanis’ Rook has seen how Spite takes over, Spite’s powers especially nearly killing Illario, and still goes “that’s my man 🙂↕️”
One Emmrich-Lucanis banter moment has him confessing he has NO IDEA what Rook sees in him. Him - First Talon, Dellamorte’s favourite grandson, rich enough to have an in-house opera house, with all the charm and fitness of being the Demon of Vyrantium - confused that Rook allows him to feel like he is losing hours of his life because he wants to spend even more time with them? 😭
Unlike most romances (most similarly FenrisHawke and EmmrichRook), Rookanis has to work through the male LI’s traumas/flaws because that sets the foundation for the romance to bloom. The male LI’s main flaw (Emmrich’s age, Fenris’s lyrium-related slave past, Lucanis’ kidnapping + Dellamorte name + Spite) has made them believe it would be near-impossible to find someone who loves them at that point. But Hawke/Rook does anyway.
once again thinking about that "I have other plans for the evening ;)" line when Lucanis suggests sneaking away from the Murder of Crows party. Like. Did Lucanis know how sexual that would sound. Did he get back to the lighthouse and start making his lil coffee, sitting there completely oblivious
Or did he genuinely intend to celebrate beating the shit out of Illario by railing Rook. And fucking chickened out bc he scared himself with his own rizz again. I know this disaster of a man doesn't have a social script ready for sex; do we think he loaded makecoffee.exe in a panic. either way, poor rook is red face blue balls ready to climb the walls
Teia: Soooo… how were your 'other plans' last night?
Rook: Lucanis made himself coffee.
Teia: …
Teia: Blood of the Maker.
Teia: Did he at least make some for you?
Rook: There was enough left over for a second cup.
Viago: I could poison him for you. No charge.
Teia: Vi, no.
Viago: He'll recover.
Viago: Probably.
Something Veilguard did so well that I haven’t seen in many new (or old) games was show the emotion on character faces. Guess BioWare learned that much from the ME: Andromeda debacle. But this man, THIS MAN AND HIS PUPPYDOG EYES.
This is the fucking funniest exchange in the entire game. This is peak fight banter. I cannot believe Lucanis actually says this during the final run through Minrathous
Viago: I invite you into my home.
Viago: I teach you the joys of poisons.
Viago: I'm forced to wait an hour for coffee I didn't even want.
Viago: And then I come home to find you chewing on my protégé's face!
Lucanis:
Crow!Rook:
This is a man who finally knows he can have it all. He can be a Crow. He can have love. And maybe he can be First Talon. We all know that’s not what he truly wants, but, with Rook’s support, he might be able to embrace the role and bring sweeping reforms to the Crows. Let’s include Teia and Viago in this, too, because with them by his side, anything feels possible.
This is a man who has found family in a group of people he never would have had the opportunity to meet or even approach. He found strength in these friendships. He cared for his companions, not just through his formidable skills, but in the little things: making their favorite foods, offering advice, even financial advice, sharing relationship insights (though he’s always quick to point out he’s clueless), or simply sharing how he sees the world.
This is a man who got to grow as a person outside his very small circle in Treviso and the Crows. Most importantly, he’s begun to heal. He can be Lucanis without all the labels attached to him. He can be an amazing cook, read every romance novel he gets his hands on, hyper-fixate on wyverns, and no longer be just "the Demon of Vyrantium."
This is a man who has accepted that he’s an abomination, possessed by a Spirit of Determination, and has found peace with his demon.
This is a man who can have a relationship, the kind of romance he’s always wanted and longed for, but denied himself for so long. And to his own surprise, he can be a wonderfully supportive partner.
This is a man who can have his coffee and sleep, too. Maker knows he needs a nap, and as long as Rook is holding him as he drifts off, it will be the best sleep he’s ever had in his goddamn life.
