My Three Romanced Companion City Elves Are Too Good For Solas’ Shit

I am not a genius, because I am not smart enough to know that everyone is stupid. But I am content, because I am just smart enough to know that everyone is brilliant.

me because what’s better than boundless optimism

Game of Thrones + Troubled birds Part 1 (Part 2)

pros and cons of the dragon age games provided by me, your local dragon age gay

DA:O

pros: 

the introduction to the series!

DOG

you can select from multiple origins that provide not only an in-depth backstory but also a closer and more personal look at the different cultures that reside in thedas/ferelden

gives you a lot of lore and context that is vital to understanding the rest of the games

there are so many goddamn possible endings it’s actually incredible even minor choices you don’t think will impact the game can heavily affect character personalities (i’m looking at You, alistair and leliana)

the dialogue wheel Does Not Exist thank u lord

ZEVRAN!!!! Z E V R A N!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cons: 

it’s the oldest in the series so it sure looks and feels like it

some people don’t like the combat mechanics; i don’t think they’re too bad but i like playing games like pillars of eternity so :L

“the grey wardens don’t involve themselves in politics” say local grey wardens as they singlehandedly decide the future of ferelden’s monarchies

the FUCKING deep roads oh my GOD

skip the fade is the best mod in existence

morrigan isn’t a lesbian??? exCUSE ME????

Morrigan Disapproves :’(

DA2

pros: 

just like dragon age: origins this game introduces certain story beats that are CRUCIAL to the next game

DOG

imo it has the best combat/level up mechanic in both games

down to earth story that focuses less on world-shattering events and more on the ugly, complicated, diverse relationships between people

provides more information on the qunari culture than the first game did with the introduction of the arishok + fenris

really delves deep into the conflict between mages and templars, and all the conflicts therein

unafraid to tackle the concept of horrible loss, sacrifice, the right to freedom, and the consequences of vengeance

in this house we are ALL bi for hawke

VARRIC <33

cons:

Local Champion Despairs Of Friends, Threatens To Turn This City Around If They Can’t Get Along

the introduction of… the dialogue wheel :(

“mages aren’t people like you and me” says cullen rutherford directly to the apostate future champion of kirkwall with absolutely no shame

i’m so goddamn tired of mages and templars and blood mages oh my GOD

me about halfway through the game: “can’t we just uproot the chantry and start afresh this is so stupid”

me later: “NO NOT LIKE THAT”

WE CAN’T KISS VARRIC :(

DA:I

pros:

you can play as any of the races of thedas!!! (qunari PC… bless up)

FROSTBITE ENGINE EVERYONE IS SO BEAUTIFUL

a deeper look into chantry hierarchies and the politics of thedas

semi-open world full of mysteries and things to explore!!

the approval system is much more streamlined with your companions tossing in their two cents whether they’re present or not

there’s so much elf lore in this game it’s spilling out the sides

companions come from all corners of thedas, providing us a more comprehensive look at the different countries

HIGH DRAGONS BITCHES WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO [IRON BULL VOICE] ANAAN

varric is back!!!

cons:

you get the “chosen one” storyline that’s been done 400 times before

THE FUCKGIN SHARDS…….

no dog :(

since the game concerns nearly every single country in the known world + their leaders it feels a little impersonal compared to the other two

Where In The World Is Zevran Arainai

if you play an elf inquisitor i’m so sorry

you can’t kiss cassandra as a woman even though she’s a romantic soft butch knight in shining armor i’ll never forgive u bioware

epilogue dlc that literally sets up and provides the premise for the next game WHY is this a dlc and not in the base game i just???

WE STILL CAN’T KISS VARRIC???

I love Star Trek have I ever mentioned

Star Trek + Onion Headlines (1/?)

Part 2

to be perfectly honest. i don't care if it is cheesy or cliched or idealistic. i like stories where the core of it is about kindness, the warmth we can offer others and the gentleness we receive in return. maybe the moral of the story IS love triumphs. it better fucking be

fantasy lesbians. enjoy

prints available in my store now! ✨

Iconic Literary Locations in the UK

VEILGUARD FIC RECLIST

these are mostly (but not all!) lucanis/rookanis centered bc that's what i'm into. i have taken the small liberty of truncating some summaries since this is such a long list (with apologies), and tagging the authors where i can find them on tumblr. if i mistakenly tagged you and it's not your fic, or if i didn't tag you and you'd like to be, please let me know! not everybody has their urls in their ao3 profile so i had to cross my fingers and hope for the best lol. please make sure you read the tags for content and spoiler warnings.

How It Sang in Other Days by @viagothots [M, rook & viago, 26k]

Long before Rook de Riva took the contract on the elven gods, she learned to survive as a compradi of House de Riva. More importantly, she learned to survive Viago.

rec notes: ok, so i'm a little biased bc i helped beta read for this one, but the sheer depth of the characterization here is bananas. rook and viago's relationship is so much more complex than platonic or romantic, love or hate. it's a hard, unflinching look at the dark side of the crows that veilguard skirted around, and its take on the crow characters is both perceptive and honest. my favorite four words in this fic are "not like i was." you'll see what i mean when you get there. mind the warnings, but don't miss it - it's such a ride. and if you love a good torment nexus, i can promise you the rest of this series is just as mind-blowing as this installment. i can't rec this one highly enough.

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The Killing Kind by @teddywesworl [E, rookanis, 3.8k]

Lucanis was at Zara Renata’s mercy for a year. That sort of thing will leave a man with scars.

rec notes: absolutely my favorite rook/lucanis fic ever. please definitely mind the warnings on this one too, but it paints such a perfect picture of lucanis's character and the issues he might face after the ossuary, the spite voice is SO good, and the slow burn being somehow even slower is actually a fantastic choice. bonus rec for this author's other fics, particularly and any thing that may not misbecome the mighty sender, which has the best inner demons take i've ever seen, the eagle, which is competency porn, and the baseless fabric of this vision, which is actual porn but with fantastic character work.

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When the Floodwaters Come, I Will Help You Swim by @itsrainingpandas [E, rookanis, 5.5k]

They've been taking the relationship slow, as agreed. But after a freak storm isolates Rook and Lucanis in Treviso, and there's a fireplace and a bed, the desire between them becomes harder to ignore.

rec notes: i absolutely LOVE this entire series to pieces. the author has a MASTERFUL command over tone and mood and is able to shift both effortlessly. this rook is funny and brave while still being ruefully self-aware of and in touch with her own emotions, which adds a refreshing balance to a closed-off character like lucanis, and i'm constantly charmed by her. it was almost impossible to narrow this series down to a single fic to link to, but i chose this one because of how good the sex scene is; the dynamic here between rook and lucanis feels really good and natural. honorable mentions to Your Heart is a Haunted House and The Social Habits of Crows, which both feature illario and nearly got put on this list instead.

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How You Come Home by @punishandenslavesuckers [M, lucanis & illario, 3.2k]

Lucanis Dellamorte takes his cousin out for a night on the town after Illario returns from a rough contract. He doesn't seem like himself and Lucanis will do literally anything (including bar hop in Treviso) if it will bring Illario back home. Properly. AKA: Being a Crow is a nightmare sometimes and Illario commits the crime of decompressing in a 'frivolous' way. Lucanis has his back though.

rec notes: the way the shape of illario's damage is to clear to us without necessarily being clear to lucanis (whether it's because he can't see it or doesn't want to) is masterful, and when so much of their relationship both in canon and fic involves turmoil it's nice to see them just...love each other, even if it's difficult to show or say. this author is very good with characterization, and i also really enjoy Your Inexorable Company and Unseen Influence in this series, though as always, please be mindful of the warnings.

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Phantoms by @thewitchofelpis [T, rookanis, 700]

“It’s a nightmare, Spite. Lucanis is having a nightmare.”

rec notes: short and sweet, but i like how deftly it and evenly it covers all three characters' issues. i love the coziness of this author's style, so if you like this one, definitely check out the others.

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In Spite of You by @blazingquill [E, rookanis, 11.4k]

Lucanis lets himself be vulnerable. It takes a while. OR: Spite watches Lucanis’ slow breakdown over Rook. It lasts months.

rec notes: the pov/pronoun work in this one wrt to possession is extremely twisty and fun and refreshing, and the last line hits SO PERFECTLY. everything here feels so earned.

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Lucanis's Logbook, 6 by @flowersforthemachines [G, rookanis, 3.3k]

Lucanis’s journal kept throughout the time between Rook’s disappearance at Tearstone Island and the day she’s rescued from the Fade.

rec notes: this feels so well-integrated with canon, and the style perfectly matches the style of lucanis's actual logbooks from the game. having the fic itself use the actual look of the veilguard interface was such a wonderful touch and added immensely to this experience.

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Other Plans for the Evening by hollyvipe [M, rookanis, 5k]

Inspired by the Nick Thornborrow concept illustrations showing some very intriguing concepts they didn’t go with, like Rook and Lucanis in a lake in Treviso?! In this reimagining of a world where we got the lake scene, our lovers have already done the ‘commit to a relationship cutscene’ but Rook is still a bit unsure where that leaves them. Sure, he made her a dessert and remembered her drink… but are they actually together? And something I think a bit more exciting happens after his ‘I’ve got other plans for the evening’ tease.

rec notes: this one ties a lot of "missing scenes" together in a way that is satisfying, and it also scratches the itch for a romantic moment here than was in the game. i really enjoy the mood of this one!

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feed me promises, keep my heart well by @alltears [G, rookanis, 3.9k]

a month after thwarting the gods, rook falls back into the fade. sort of.

rec notes: rook walking through the mansion at night is just creepy enough to be that extra little bit unsettling even though we know what's up, and lucanis and spite's solution to the problem is very clever. i also really enjoyed their dialogue with each other: it's tetchy without being openly hostile, and funny without breaking the more serious mood.

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Tomorrow We Die by @thecaryatid [E, rookanis, 2.8k]

Rook has a breakdown. The obligatory romance scene rewrite.

rec notes: this fic has the most interest after-affect of the fade prison i've come across. it's really compelling, sad, and also just a little spooky. i really enjoyed the comparison between solas and spite as entities inside rook and lucanis's heads.

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Volcanic by kaienne_pepper [E, rookanis, 6.1k]

Caldera de Riva, elder sister to the Fifth Talon currently going by "Rook", is no stranger to using unconventional means of distributing poisons. Unfortunately, on this minor of contracts, her mark doesn't mind distributing substances non-consensually either. One glass of wine later and two little Crows find themselves in a very compromising situation. Or: Lucanis and Rook both end up drugged during a contract and work each other through the effects.

rec notes: this is one of the first rookanis fics i ever read, and though i'm not normally a sex pollen girlie, i really enjoyed the vulnerability in this one and how in-character it was.

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Say The Desires That Are Your Deepest by @purplesauris [E, rookanis, 12.4k]

Lucanis finally allows himself to indulge in a late morning now that the world has ceased trying to fall apart around them.

rec notes: pegging fic of all time (even though there is technically no pegging) and one of my favorites. the way lucanis and rook navigate the New Sex Thing is really good, and the smut itself is both hot and incredibly intimate. it's nice to see lucanis still struggling with spite now and then even after the events of the game are over, it paints a more realistic picture, and i love the way they talk with one another when things are more settled, the spite voice is great.

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A Mirror to the Void by @wishforhome [E, rookanis, 1.9k]

Lucanis is not inexperienced with sex, but it's been more than a year since anyone has touched him. Since he's touched himself. He's worried about Spite, but Rook is asleep next to him and her presence makes him feel safe enough to try.

rec notes: sexuality is such a fun and complicated thing to navigate when there's a literal demon up inside you, and i thought this was a good portrayal of it.

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Just Wanna Hold You by whoframedjessicarabbit [E, rookanis, 400]

Lucanis is too stressed to get it up, and is surprised when he receives love and affection.

rec notes: short and sweet, but the tag #hold dick gentle like a hamburger was too compelling not to click on, and it does not disappoint if you're a fan of broken dick fics.

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Of Kindling Expectation by @nelsynoo [G, rookanis, 2.4k]

The Lighthouse is awake again after centuries of lying dormant. With a new host of inhabitants, the Lighthouse tries to figure out what they need and re-shape itself accordingly. Rook and Lucanis might not realise it yet - but they need each other.

rec notes: i've never read anything quite like this - it's from the lighthouse's pov, which is such an interesting and creative idea. the pov makes me feel as cozy as if i were an inhabitant of the lighthouse itself.

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thank you for reading the reclist, and hope you enjoy <3

Star Trek: Discovery midseason finale tonight! Check out the first 8 of my retro episode posters as you prep for Episode 9: “Into the Forest I Go”.

‘Come on, Ginny’s not bad,’ said George fairly, sitting down next to Fred. ‘Actually, I dunno how she got so good, seeing how we never let her play with us.’ 'She’s been breaking into your broom shed in the garden since the age of six and taking each of your brooms out in turn when you weren’t looking,’ said Hermione from behind her tottering pile of Ancient Rune books. 'Oh,’ said George, looking mildly impressed. 'Well, that’d explain it.' 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Anything is possible if you’ve got enough nerve.

[instagram @potterbyblvnk]