hey, thanks for coming over! I hope you enjoy my art sideblog ✧ദ്ദി( ˶^ᗜ^˶ ) just as a heads up, I'm currently working two separate freelancer jobs and don't have a lot of time to draw. please be aware of my low-effort sketches...
I've been focused in posting about baldur's gate 3 and dragon age: the veilguard due to being two major sources of comfort for me. astarion (bg3) and lucanis (da:v) in particular have character arcs that helped me work through stuff I'd been struggling with for a while, so I'm extremely grateful to everyone involved in developing them
take a look at my DA:V tag directory below the read more for a bunch of thoughts on lucanis, spite and dragon age lore in general (╭ರ_•́) 🔎
dividers by saradika-graphics found here: [x]
FEATURED TAVS / ROOKS
ZYRA MIRTHVEIL he/she/they || tiefling of asmodeus, charlatan, bard || college of lore
BRRANWIN (@muffinapologist) she/they || half-orc, folk hero, fighter || battle master
EZORR (@ink-cartoon) they/them || blue dragonborn, folk hero, wizard || school of abjuration
SAAR LAIDIR he/him || qunari, lord of fortune, rogue
CASTER (@dandyboyandy) he/him || dwarf, veil jumper, rogue
I've been replaying Veilguard and it's so interesting to note how, during the time we're still in the Ossuary, Lucanis avoids using Spite's name for the majority of the dialogue: it's always <he / him / we> or "the demon".
And saying stuff like "[sighs] he says he can help" often prompts Rook to ask "who's he?", which is always met with "the demon". It's unhelpful and vague, but it feels very intentional. He's trying to distance himself from Spite. There's a couple of reasons why I see him doing it 🤔💭
To separate himself from Spite down to the existential sense. He's afraid of losing his true self in the corruption, a sentiment that reminds me of that note we find in one of the cells with a "failed experiment":
The act of giving something a name kind of humanizes it, which could be a problem. First of all, he doesn't want to get emotionally attached to Spite, since he wants to find a way to separate them. But the fact of the matter is Lucanis already emphatizes with the spirit.
Talking to him after Spite's "tantrum" proves as much - he says no-one ended up in the Ossuary willingly, not even the demons. You can tell he's conflicted between wanting to get rid of Spite and not wanting to think about it too deeply, because if he does, he might change his mind.
Isn't that why one of the rules in a Nuzlocke is to name everything you catch? Isn't that why sometimes people won't acknowledge what their relationship to each other is? Without a name, it's easier to let it go. Not to mention he can't be caught suddenly ~caring~ about Spite when the other companions (except Emmrich) are still freaked out by him.
So, instead of calling him by name, Lucanis is trying to establish that he's on the same level as his rescuers about this whole "demon" thing. If he started treating Spite like a person, suddenly there'd be doubt about how far along the possession is. Lucanis doesn't need us to find him to be more of an "abomination" than he already is.
I haven't ever chosen Minrathous and I don't think I'd be able to, but I wonder if there's a clear difference in treatment from Lucanis's end...
A Copa do Mundo da FIFA 2026 começa HOJE, e pra comemorar:
BEASTIEBALL JÁ ESTÁ DISPONÍVEL EM PORTUGUÊS BRASILEIRO! ◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜
(Sim, é um jogo de vôlei e não futebol. E nem são os humanos que praticam esportes. Mas sei lá... vai que é isso que a gente precisa pra finalmente trazer o Hexa pra casa?)
This lovely image was made by one of my best friends, @ink-cartoon
A couple of months ago, I had a conversation with @dandyboyandy about what Spite would buy if you left him unattended at the market. I mean, other than ingredients that smell nice (with no regards to if Lucanis can make a single, coherent dish out of all that random crap).
I asked if he thought Spite would buy seemingly "useless" things from pawn shops, because they used to be sentimental objects so they're imbued with a vast array of energy and feeling. To a random buyer, it might just look like a shitty pottery vase no-one else wanted, but to a spirit? There's potential for so much history there.
Something else he'd get: those clay "plates" made in school where a kid puts their hand in it for the imprint (then usually has their name and age in it). @dandyboyandy mentioned "he'd definitely buy those things, and try to fit even his pinky in the hand imprint" which is so cute to me...
Spite would also buy things that are clearly PERSONALIZED gifts that found their way to thrift stores (and if those don't exist in Thedas, just pretend it's set in a modern AU). Lucanis would later be looking through their wardrobe just thinking "where did we get all these knit sweaters with other people's names on them ∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?"
Characters: Rook [Saar] Laidir, Lucanis Dellamorte, Spite Dellamorte, Isabela (mentioned)
Pairing: Spite/Rook/Lucanis (Spiterookanis)
Word count: 1135 words
Content warnings: suggestive imagery, brief mention of sex toys
This is a companion piece to @dandyboyandy's "That which can't be trained for" (check it out here), but can be read as a standalone fic!
For a Lord of Fortune, Saar lacked the experience most would expect from members of his faction.
It wasn't due to innocence or disinterest. He wasn't sheltered - Isabela had practically raised him, and while she wasn't about to expose a teenager to her dalliances, she was the last person to forbid Saar from going out and experimenting on his own.
The other Lords were happy to provide him with answers too. Luckily, there was always a Qunari on board, and Saar learned many biological facts about himself he wouldn't have learned otherwise. He was thankful to have grown in such a welcoming (and at times shameless) environment.
Saar wanted to put his knowledge to the test eventually, but... he didn't care for one-night stands. And an actual relationship was out of the question. There was so much emotional baggage to work through before he was in a good place for that.
Instead, he started his treasure hoard. It was, perhaps with good reason, unconventional to keep a collection of sex toys. It raised some eyebrows when matters of hygiene came up. Saar's contacts would always include instructions of use and cleaning methods, though, and they hadn't failed him yet.
To summarize: he wasn't an experienced lover, but he wasn't oblivious either. Saar knew exactly what he liked, he just never had a partner to try them with. Until now. Now, he had two partners, and a lot of pent-up energy buzzing just under the surface.
Saar was afraid this overeagerness could scare Lucanis off. The Qunari really didn't want to ruin whatever was blossoming between them. He still couldn't believe someone like Lucanis would want to kiss him, or that spirits were even able to develop romantic interest.
Spite had been more adventurous from the jump. He got handsy when they made out and enjoyed leaving behind marks. When Saar noticed Spite's interest in his chest, he gently guided a hand to cup one of his breasts. The spirit's wicked grin stretched Lucanis’s features in an uncanny way as he gave it a test squeeze, marveling at how different their bodies were.
But in matters of biting, human teeth weren't efficient enough for Spite, so he'd convinced Lucanis to let him try growing fangs. A temporary change to the body that would be gone by the time they switched back. That's how he sold Lucanis on trying out claws, too.
Sadly, these enhancements would leave the body sore for days, which meant Spite made up for the inefficiency with enthusiasm. He was a stranger to feeling shame: Spite didn't hold back any noises and Saar could often feel saliva dripping down his collarbone to the valley of his breasts.
Saar was happy to match his energy. Spite lit up when he felt sharp teeth hovering over his pulse, overcome with shivers of both anticipation and impatience. He'd growl if the Qunari took too long, furiously bouncing on his heels, and it was the closest to what Lucanis would call a 'tantrum' these days.
It made Saar wonder if this was a shared sentiment between his boyfriends. He once asked Emmrich if everything Spite felt was merely a reflection of how Lucanis felt towards him and, therefore, didn't mean the spirit was actually in love with him. Emmrich reassured him that their union might've been unconventional, but they were still separate beings.
The two shared a mind, but Spite was still himself, and his feelings were very much his own. This sealed Emmrich's fate as a personal relationship coach since, the next time they spoke, Saar asked him if it was okay to kiss a spirit.
But Lucanis's senses did influence Spite. The impulse to eat things he shouldn't or describe things in twos, to smell your surroundings like a bloodhound. There was a nuance to how they shaped each other's worldview that was still beyond even their comprehension.
The only difference came in how they externalized it. Lucanis learned from a young age that drinking vanilla extract wasn't advised, despite how nice it smelled. Spite, on the other hand, was impulsive and acted purely on instinct. He was still learning about what wasn't safe for consumption. The intermingling of their experiences only endeared Saar further to both.
When Lucanis pulled him aside to talk, he was worried about them breaking up. Had he been too pushy, despite his best efforts? Did Lucanis regret consenting to letting Spite roam free? Perhaps it bothered him that the marks on his body were left for someone else.
It turned out the assassin was… jealous. He wasn't being possessive - it wasn't that he had qualms about ‘sharing’ his partners with each other. Rather, this felt remarkably similar to the time he was jealous about Spite getting chin scratches and pats on the head. Lucanis wasn't against Saar doing it, he just wanted in on the fun.
"Lucanis. wANTS pet. LIKE, THE CAT?" had been Spite's response back then. He wondered what would be the reaction this time that he was asking Saar for permission to bite. Not just bite, either. Lucanis wanted to mark him like Spite did, testing the leathery skin with his teeth.
He knew Qunari bodies were more resistant than the average human's. It would be harder to mark Saar than the other way around. But the phantom sensations he got from memories of Spite ravishing Saar's neck had him grinding his molars, searching in vain for a target that wasn't there.
Saar noticed his hesitation in bringing it up and offered to mark him first. He was happy to initiate most of their encounters, including their first kiss. It was clear Lucanis was proficient at giving but had trouble claiming things for himself, partially out of fear of losing them, but also due to shame. The expectation that he must be perfect.
Once Saar deemed the expanse between Lucanis's neck and shoulder had been sufficiently decorated, making sure to stick to the spots that would get covered up by the armor, he sat back to appreciate his work. Even without looking up, he could tell the assassin was visibly less nervous.
He saw the exact moment the fog in Lucanis's gaze parted before springing into action. Saar got light-headed just thinking about it. When he looked himself in the mirror the next day, his first instinct was to press down on the bite marks, almost as if to check if they were real.
They were very real, as a matter of fact, and the dark blemishes adorned his collarbones like tattoos. A shiver ran down Saar's spine when he realized his outfit, be it for the mission or the Lighthouse, would not cover an inch of this. It was… thrilling.
He doesn't think twice about who he's bringing along for the next quest.
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.
I KEEP FORGETTING TO SHARE THIS, but one of my favorite things to come out of my tomodachi experience happened in the very beginning, when I got the "I need to clear my head" minigame for the first time. you can tell how old this screenshot is because of how lucanis's mii is still in the early stages of development. BUT ANYWAY, I HELPED HIM, AND...
Harding: You know I heard there was an Orlesian Duke or something who kept wyverns as pets.
Lucanis: You can do that?
Harding: It's probably not easy to keep a wyvern...
Lucanis: I already have a snake. And it cannot be worse than keeping Illario.
To me, the implication seems to be that Illario is the snake he's talking about. The punchline here is the reveal at the end, the misdirection.
@dandyboyandy believes the joke lies in how out of pocket Lucanis's comment is. He does, in fact, have a pet snake... and on a completely unrelated note, it can't be worse than his cousin (who's more like his brother). Like, he just takes the opportunity to dunk on Illario for free.
It wouldn't be unheard of, since Crows like Viago keep snakes as pets to extract their poison, but I wanted to know what's the consensus on this.
I've been organizing my veilguard saves to make sure I've one just before every lucanis scene (normal behavior btw) and last night I had a fucking meltdown over spite punching him all over again
Confession: Lucanis is hereby sentenced to death by snu snu. He'll be pinned under Qunari Rook all night until they've sucked up every ounce of the Dellamorte bloodline from his balls
I know the reason we only ever see Spite as "purple Lucanis" (other than when he's in control, in which case it's Lucanis with pink, glowing eyes) is so they could repurpose the same model. It's still weird to me that he's wearing full armor in A Moment's Peace, instead of matching the casual outfit Lucanis is wearing right across from him:
Spite's notably wearing the same outfit back when he punches Lucanis because he wants to talk to Rook, which at the time I thought meant as a sign the two were "out of sync". For a while afterwards, I wondered if it was because Spite had been stuck at the Ossuary in Lucanis's mind, so he was in a perpetual "fight or flight" mode even in the Lighthouse:
The only time we see Spite with different clothes is when he's in control of Lucanis's body, which (for the sake of this post) doesn't count. In the future, @dandyboyandy and I would like to go into why we prefer to see Spite's form shaped around Lucanis rather than that of an eldritch entity, but that's a rant for another day! For now, this is about the fashion.
Why does it matter? Spite could very well be a static representation of who Lucanis is, right? WRONG, seeing as Lucanis's hair and facial hair both grew during his time imprisoned (confirmed by Mary Kirby here). It's safe to assume Spite was fed to him soon after he got there, which means the spirit would've looked different at first, too.
Spite reflects the same changes in appearance Lucanis had during that period of time. It stands to reason that his form could or would adapt to other changes. There's just one problem: maybe the logic only applies to Lucanis's physical appearance, and clothes aren't part of his body. It's not like Spite is putting on and taking off clothes in the Fade.
How would it even work, if Lucanis takes off a piece of clothing, does it disappear off Spite's body? And it would have to happen in real-time. @dandyboyandy brought up an interesting angle: Spite, not having a corporeal form, could change clothes like the Crystal Gems from SU:
DON'T TELL ME IT'S A PART OF THEIR BODIES I don't want to think about it /lh This applies to Spite's non-corporal form, so it's fine. This should only be a problem if you wanted to fuck him in the Lighthouse separatedly from Lucanis,* in which case not even Solas can stop me anyways, so I don't care if his clothes are made of human skin.
* "How can Spite and Lucanis both be corporeal at once? Sounds like it should be impossible, even if this takes place in the Fade" - don't worry about it. I've got DA expert @dandyboyandy on the case. Trust me.
I'd argue he doesn't change out from his armor in Veilguard because the contract isn't over yet, and healing from the Ossuary (both real and the one inside Lucanis's head) is going to be a long process for him. Maybe when the dust has settled and the world isn't ending anymore, the three of them - Rook included - finally feel safe... together, happy.
That's when Spite has a different outfit on: just some comfy, casual clothes. And who knows? Maybe he doesn't even notice it at first.
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<
