kai-dimir

[kai-dimir]

The gardens of the famous De Riva estate are filled with a multitude of flowers. Rose gardens adorned with rare specimens, paved paths leading to flower beds overflowing with fragrant buds, and intricate vines twining around walls adorned with colorful petals of purple.

The owners of the estate take great care to ensure the flourishing of their garden.

However, it is important for guests, especially uninvited guests, to be cautious when picking flowers in the garden, even during such a festive occasion.

No matter how beautiful the flowers are or how intoxicating their scents are, it's important to remember that even the most delicate petals can be the last thing you feel.

The flower that grows in poisonous soil will produce dangerous fruits, be aware.

... actually i made a research and every flower on this pic is poisonous so yeah. don't eat anything similar.

[kai-dimir]

Hey, I would read this over and over again.

No joke I love this idea 🥰💜🤩

Short Blurb Sunday

Sorry I haven't been feeling myself lately. Just tired. I should be back this evening to read all your lovely stuff

Anyway here's a little fun thing because silly makes me happy

The small egg warbled as Bellara watched expectantly. The surface dipped and moved as if the leathery shell was alive and not the tiny life force within. Everything they had worked for, all their hopes and dreams, came down to this moment. And as the hatchling finally made its first pip free, she couldn't help the excited whoop that escaped her. “Mr. Volkarin, come quick!” she waved her boss over as the man came to inspect their progress. “By jove Dr. Lutare! We have done it.” He clasped the small woman in a hug as both beamed with pride. “We are the first people in 66 million years to see a dinosaur draw breath.”

No pressure tagging @mythals-whore @tarasmom @hedwigoprah @becausedragonage @davrinsleftpectoral @kai-dimir @fiberpunk027 @jenn2d2 @tkwritesdumbassassins @brennacedria @blackwall-my-tiny-husband @operative-arrow @librivore42 @obsessed-with-book-boyfriends @fireheartedpup @bonesandivy @vime5 @notyourmamasdeerbat @griffongrey @master-of-the-elements @chaoslifeforme @carrieing0n @serstolas @beachhotdog @nirikeehan @basedonconjecture @bygonesigh @redheadsramblings @aetherflowers @in-the-drowning-deep @sandcastlekings @mezzomoment @serialsforbellara @libdibs @zennihilation @chaosherald @skullypettibone @eiluned @waxlyricalmoon @grand-crow @thatgaymerguyb @biowaredisasterbisexual @officialnostradamus @dags-over-caravans @babydinosaur930 @amlusa @rat-spit-village @gutz-ingellvar @dialmformud @elishnord

And if you are reading this....

You

[kai-dimir]

i am normal and can be trusted around electrical equipment

[kai-dimir]

Tag game

I was tagged by @lotusfueltofire

Rules: simple color whatever applies to you

I’ll lightly tag @pwney @clericblood and @trash-nerd

i’m over 5'5 / i wear glasses or contacts / i have blonde hair / i often wear sweatshirts / i prefer loose clothing over tight clothes / i have one or two piercings / i have at least one tattoo / i have blue eyes / i have dyed or highlighted my hair / i have or have had braces / i have freckles / i paint my nails / i typically wear makeup / i don’t often smile / resting bitch face / i play sports / i play an instrument / i know more than one language / i can cook or bake / i like writing / i like to read / i can multitask / i’ve never dated anyone / i have a best friend i’ve known for over five years / i am an only child

I’m 5’4. So close.

I have a basic set of black frames with rounded square lenses. I have a red pair of safety glasses for work. Side guards, special lenses, and such.

I have 3 piercings currently. One in my lip and one in each lobe, but I’ve had well over 10. Many attempts at many ear piercings that never worked out.

I have 7 tattoos. I’ve gotten a new one every year since I was 25. Sometime 2 in a year.

All my freckles are on my shoulders and arms.

I’ve been told by a coworker I have testing bitch face.

I play the cello.

My favorite think to make are amaretto cupcake. Fantasticly sweet and alcoholic.

Im currently reading primative war. Dinosaurs 🤩

I met my best friend in kindergarten (around 5 years old.) she’s my pharmacist now. Gives me all the stuff for my broken body. Only person I trust to put needles in me.

[kai-dimir]

[kai-dimir]

OC tarot card

@kai-dimir tagged me for this one!

Here is the quiz link.

I looked up the results we can get from this, and there was no Tower card (the one people have told me Angel is like). But this one also makes so much sense... through emotion and self-discovery, comes enlightenment and a new you.

Angel, in his healing journey, is a lot like that. Always compartmentalizing, putting away emotions in neat little boxes, it's comforting to hide. Until it is not. I think that when you change, it's a bit uncomfortable, but a new you emerges through.

Soft tagging: @apothe-cary @styxdysnomia @crushedv3lv3t @casa-dei-corvei @styxdysnomia @vixenofcadmea @kindlyfeline @waxlyricalmoon @starlightchaser @handsignals @curiouswisp @beachhotdog

[kai-dimir]

Did you know that you can waste your free time by not knowing which activity to do so you do none of them

[kai-dimir]

this fic is gonna be so good when i [checks notes] start writing it

[kai-dimir]

OC tarot card

Link to the quiz

I was tagged by @trash-nerd

I can see this fitting him if he were a companion. I have his story written out so that he ends up killing his father. Justice for his clan and mother.

He’s a crow. To some he’s a hand of justice. A killer sent to take revenge on their enemies.

In his normal story line, I have him seeking out his father’s identity and taking a contract out on him with Viago. It’s what he feels he has to do before he can marry Lucanis. The closing of a chapter so I new one can begin.

Gently tagging @lotusfueltofire @waxlyricalmoon and @crushedv3lv3t

[kai-dimir]

I love this so much!!

If you’ve never seen hand made yarn it’s lovely!

Taash Week 2025: Day 7

Thank you very much to @datvcompanionweeks for organising!

Given that I have some days off (yippee!) I decided to finish spinning the skein for Taash as well.

Material-wise, I had a bit of a hard time choosing for Taash because everything seemed somehow too "soft" for them. I originally wanted to pick a wool that represented their strength and tenacity but alas, I didn't have any of the rougher breeds in colours that fit. So I went for something soft and smooth because Taash deserves softness too! The blend consists of merino and baby llama. Silk, which is, incidentally, a very tough material, is used to represent their jewellery and dar-saam. I used a mix of hand-dyed tussah silk and recycled sari silk for the colourful bits.

For the colours, I went for LoF hues of blue and teal. I added yellow silk for their gold jewellery, red sari silk for the dar-saam ropes, and the multicolour bits symbolise treasure and glittering gems.

I really like how the sari silk bits add pops of colour that remind me of jewels :) This blend spun like a dream and almost flew out of my hands, which is suprising given that the sari silk likes to make spinning a bit unruly. If I were to make a larger batch of this, I might actually spin a fine red thread separately and have it plied around the main yarn to give a little more contrast and to imitate the way Taash's dar-saam coil around their arms. ...might even add some tiny golden coins here and there that could dangle and catch the light. Hmm....

[kai-dimir]

Gotta love when you say something and it put you’re mental health on a tailspin for the entire day.

In other news I’m reading Primative war because I love dinosaurs!

[kai-dimir]

My goal with this comic is really to make everyone hug.

In writing this scene and thinking about how Taash would be handling all this, it really struck me that Taash is the youngest of the team (being around 20ish, with Bellara being 23 and then everyone else over 30) and goes through some of the most dramatic personal changes. They've lost basically everything, including who they thought they were before they joined the team. While that was definitely for the better, it's still a loss, and it takes time to move past it. They don't have the perspective and self-assuredness that can only come with age and experience.

So yeah this all just sucks particularly hard for them.

I finally got to update! I'm hoping to be a bit more regular after next week. Maybe. Hopefully.

[kai-dimir]

Yeah I just want to use my last 1 1/2 brain cells to think about how the Veilguard members found out Rook can’t swim.

[kai-dimir]

took a stab at ashur's gala finery as Divine from bendingwind's Tarquin/Ashur fic: Glittering ✨

they showed me the inspo and my brain went brrrrr shiniiiiiies

[kai-dimir]

Which Evanuris is your Rook most alike?

I was tagged by @trash-nerd and @lotusfueltofire thank you !💜

I’ll lightly tag @larknnightingale @let-gavin-free and @emmieloumay

RULES: Color the words that most resonate with your Rook. Count where you collected most words, and then search for the corresponding Evanuris codex and add it to the post! Add a pic of your lovely Rook as well (if you want).

Kai “Rook” De Riva

——-

Results: Mythal - 5 | Elgar'nan - 3 | Falon'din - 4 | Dirthamen - 6 | Andruil - 4 | Sylaise - 12 | June - 14 | Ghilan'nain - 9 | Fen'harel - 5

We dedicate our crafts to June. Before him we wandered the forest with no purpose. Bare with only the berries, nuts, and streams to nourish us. June taught us to make needful things. Bows and knives to hunt and harness and aravel for our halla.

I was honestly expecting Andruil. I forget about June and Sylaise. It make sense for them to be so close for him though. He’s a crafts man who craves a home and family.

Mythal

maiden-mother-crone, diplomacy, motherly instincts, supportive, extinguishing fires, deeper meanings, idealism, resilience, survival, fine leathers and fine silks, silver filigree, raven feathers, driftwood, the iris flower, overwhelming yet restrained power, the dark moon, ultramarine fire, double meanings - double desires, hope, the Hawthorne, undeterred belief in oneself, veiled yearning for power

Elgar’nan

the black sun - the blood moon, Patriarch archetype, possessive protection, authoritarian, hunger for power, relentless yet sometimes passive, subjective, strategic, leader, restrained emotions, tradition, heavy leathers and heavy golds, envy and desire, retribution, a fiery temper, conditional generosity, consuming fire, thorny roses, wings of gold, birds of prey, domination, manipulation and temptation, obsessive, abundance

Falon'din

black waters, myrrh, dark soil, hushed sounds, white, dark side of the moon, rebellion, vanity, the fade, journeys, shadows and reflections, illusions and deep knowledge, arcane, the dark arts, immortality by looking at the abyss, owl calls through the darkness, mania, desire to be admired, the Undertaker's hands, Nightshades, easily corrupted, deep emotions, ambition and competition, onyx

Dirthamen

ravens and bears, hunger for knowledge, whispers, mercury, thick fog through pine forests, North, mountains, blacks and purples, books and libraries, deep blue ink, matters and facts, initiation through knowledge, masters and disciples, order and discipline, loyalty, delve deep, power through knowledge, know-it-all, teacher, curiosity

Andruil

the hunter's moon, fur, iron, anger, spilled blood, dense woods, swamps and dark lakes, the beating of hooves, autumn rains, moose racks, thick moss, the thrill of the hunt, courage, determination, sensual desires, will to possess, purpose, strength and clarity, bluntness, blind to nuance, restless, victory through blunt force, physical prowess and flexed muscles, strained bows, blood-red

Sylaise

harvest moon, flowers and herbs, warm bread and home, everlasting fires, tales around the hearth, healer and protector, hiraeth, the call of the home, beauty and warmth, respite and refuge, potions and balms, intoxicating scents, flower crowns and white gowns, sensuality, fertility, a large family, deep devotion to a partner, hidden devastating power, high goals, underestimated yet beloved, glory and creation, dreams come true, pink gold and apple flowers, sun rays filtered through leaves

June

creation and invention, bronze and quartz, puzzles and labyrinths, lyrium, leather and wood, smoldering embers, anvils, geometric shapes, innovation, mastery, desire for progress, technology, high tech, logic, hard work, diligence, bolts and oil, welding sparkles, practical outfits, protective gear, sharp blades, mechanic whirring, sharp logic, discovery, technical drawings, teamwork

Ghilan'nain

devotion, mystery, fearless, experimental, direction and motivation, medical knowledge, objective morals, orchids and hallas, love for animals, deeper understanding, emotional and sensitive, delicate, persuaded by loved ones, blurred lines, hyper focus, cruelty, ruthless, childish, shrewdness, flesh, blood and bones, creator, perfector, blood garnets and trembling sinews

Fen'harel

the wolf moon, pride and vulnerability, wisdom and mania, sharp teeth, furs and leathers, rebels and isolationists, planet Pluto, the great change, uproot, unearth, fixations and deep knowledge, paradoxical subjectivity, hypocrisy, eyes that see it all, silent judgement, adaptability, revenge, blind purpose, grey morality, unfulfilled purpose, ether and dreams, mournful howls, thwarted purpose, thwarted heart, Loki arketype, well laid plans that fail, sharp tongue, sharp mind

[kai-dimir]

This is so cute!!! 🥹💜

an uncanny resemblance.

Caterina Dellamorte & Rook de Riva. side of Rookanis. Illario is also hanging around.

1700 words. Vague mentions of Crow abuse. hashtag justCrowthings

[in which I, not a writer, thought I'd take a crack at Rook and Caterina's relationship, because that woman is endlessly fascinating. and also inventing a ton of BS 🏃‍♀️‍➡️] Nyk if you see this, don't read unless you don't care about spoilers for Lucanis' story :D

----

Caterina did not make much of Rook based on their limited encounters. A capable Crow – a troublemaker, but one that ultimately understood her place.

And if she did not, she would be reminded.

She’d only glanced at the dossier in passing after Rook had botched the operation with the Antaam, of which Caterina had voted to punish the little bird publicly – a whipping, in front of every head of every house. They could not afford to train up new Crows as quickly as they could kill them, and to dispose of one that could dispatch twenty Antaam on her own would be a waste.

Caterina had noted Viago’s reluctance and Teia’s protests, despite their best efforts to mask their feelings on the matter. She raised a brow at the both of them, tapping her cane with a finger.

They yielded.

At best, Rook returned Lucanis to her, and for that she accepted her grandson’s attachment to the short elf.

But sitting now, at the head of her dining table, watching as Illario does what he always does – make noise – and Rook parrying his words with her own, Caterina Dellamorte is struck with a sense of déjà vu.

Looking at her grandson’s adversary seated across from him, she sees the way Rook leans forward at the table, grinning as she rests her chin and part of her lips behind her fist. She encourages him to elaborate on his tale – shifting their verbal spar into an easy chat. Illario begins to tell one of his many, many stories, leaning back into his chair as Lucanis sighs beside Rook, giving her a helpless shrug. Caterina can see her place a hand on his arm on the table, and her smile grow a fraction behind her hand.

“What happened next?” Rook asks. Illario smirks at Lucanis, who lets out another sigh.

“Amalia, your food is cold.”

“Come now, my love. It is our daughter’s first contract in Tevinter. And then what happened? I must know. Did you run into the bard again? Did you find out what they were even doing there? What about the dwarf?”

“Federico, do not encourage her.”

The dinner table had gotten slightly noisier over the course of three months. It started with one uneventful evening, with Rook staying for dinner at Illario’s insistence after one of her shifts guarding him as part of House de Riva’s continued work with House Dellamorte. Caterina raised a brow at him, but Rook stepped in, agreeing a touch too loudly.

“I hope the food is to your liking, Rook,” Caterina had said once everyone was seated that first night. Rook nodded, humming in lieu of a response, food already in her mouth.

“Federico, slow down. You’re getting food everywhere.”

“Can you blame me? I’ve been in Orlais for a month. The food they eat... Maker!”

“Do they feed you poison for every meal at House de Riva?” Illario smirked at her.

“Not every meal. Just breakfast,” she rolled her eyes. Lucanis stifled a snort. “I’ve never taken a good, hot meal for granted. Have you ever been in an Orlesian prison?”

“A story for another time. Come, eat. Your food will get cold,” Caterina cut in.

“Of course,” Rook nodded. “I can come by in a few days, if that’s all right?”

Illario grinned, raised a brow and looked to his cousin. Lucanis cleared his throat quietly, and looked to Caterina.

“We’d be delighted to have you back,” she said without masking her annoyance. Rook smiled brightly.

And then she returned.

And again.

And again.

And again, again, again, again.

Over and over for three whole months.

And tonight, again.

Like a weed. Or mold.

Caterina does not pay any mind to Illario’s tale as he tells it, but watches as Rook shifts in her place, turning her head to Lucanis. She cannot see her grandson’s face, their guest seating herself closer to Caterina’s spot at the head of the table and blocking her view of him. A bold move, or perhaps a very foolish one.

“I cannot believe you sat yourself closer to the head of my house. You must have a death wish.”

“Your mother insisted she get to know me better – how could she do so with me seated so far away, and on your other side?”

“You’re a fool.”

“I’m your fool.”

----

Having retired to her quarters and reading several letters, Caterina can hear the sound of a pebble hitting one of the balcony windows. She stills.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to get your attention. Take a walk with me?”

“You’re out of your mind.”

“It’s just a walk. I swear.”

“It is never ‘just’ a walk with you, Federico, and you know it.”

“So are you coming down or should I come up?”

She settles back into her pillows when she cannot hear her grandson descend.

“Why are the guest rooms on the other side of the villa anyway?”

“To keep you away from me.”

“Oh. Well it’s not working very well, now is it?”

Caterina scoffs just as her grandson chuckles.

She finds herself running her hand across the covers of her bed, across the empty space next to her.

----

The moment Rook finishes her dessert at another one of their family dinners, Caterina speaks.

“Rook, walk the gardens with me.”

Lucanis freezes. Illario stops talking immediately.

And without missing a beat, Rook accepts, rising from her seat before either can say a word.

She offers Caterina an arm as they stroll the gardens under the moonlight. The older woman takes it.

“You are close with Andarateia, yes?” Caterina asks. The more time Rook spends at her home, the more Cantori Caterina can pick out – from her easy laugh to her physical closeness, to her ability to walk the line between her grandsons. She can see how much influence the Seventh Talon has had on her.

“I am. I met her when Viago took over as my master,” Rook answers, gaze ahead, an easy smile on her face – one that reaches her eyes. “I don’t know a single soul Teia hasn’t won over.”

“Mm,” Caterina hums. “I know your former master.”

“Are you well acquainted?”

“I know her in passing only,” Caterina clarifies, turning them left. “Dreadful woman.”

Rook laughs. Caterina pauses, stopping both of them.

“Let me look at you, child.”

Caterina holds her cane out to Rook, waits as she takes it from her. With her free hand, Caterina takes her chin in her fingers, tipping her face lower.

“What do you see?”

“I would never lie to you, Caterina.”

“You lie with your smiles and your eyes. You tell me you are unhurt when I know my father himself came for you. You tell me things will be fine when they are not.”

“I see someone who can smile and lie with her eyes,” she says. “Your former master taught you well.”

“I apologize. It is something she drilled into me as early as she could,” Rook offers. She averts her gaze momentarily, exhales, and then meets Caterina’s eyes once more. “What do you see now?”

“Then look into them now – what am I saying to you, Caterina Dellamorte?”

“That you love me. That you will fight for me. That you are a fool, Federico. Loving me is no simple thing.”

“And yet I simply love you.”

“A fool.”

Rook laughs again.

“I get that a lot.”

“A stubborn, insufferable, grinning fool, accustomed to failing, again and again, but always getting back up. Persistent. Like a weed,” Caterina continues. “Tell me, Rook, what do you think you’ll accomplish coming to stay with us as often as you do?”

“Truly?” Rook raises a brow. “To ease some tension.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all,” she nods. “I know how our houses work. Viago always told me I have remarkably low ambitions.”

“And what do you intend to do with my grandson?”

“I intend to love him until my very last breath.”

“I see you are a romantic as well.”

“I am Antivan, more or less,” she shrugs. That grin is back on her face, as easily as it left. Caterina looks into her eyes once more, holds her stare. For her part, Rook does her best to keep her insufferable smile below her eyes. They are a rich brown, indulgent and curious, with a flicker of gold and mischief. Caterina suspects they light up when the sun hits them right.

So much like his.

“We Crows don’t typically live very long. I intend to spend however many days left I have in this life helping him – loving him. Shield him from anything and anyone.”

“If I did not think you a fool before, I do now.”

“Yes, but I’m his fool,” she says without shame or reservation. “I don’t have very many people left to lose. I think you’re already aware of that.”

“Your former master is a dreadful woman, yes.”

“Yes, but she made me. Just as you made Lucanis and Illario.”

Caterina raises a brow at her less than subtle comparison.

“You speak far too freely, child.”

“I know,” Rook says in a low voice. Caterina applies just the slightest bit of pressure to her chin. Both women do not move. Caterina can see something flicker in those brown eyes as she speaks. She knows it well. She remembers seeing it every morning and every night, in the eyes of her beloved.

“My mother will kill you.”

“Not if I can help it.”

“You can’t.”

“Watch me.”

They hold just as they are, in the middle of the garden beneath the moon, until Rook holds out Caterina’s cane to her. Without tearing her gaze away, she releases her chin and takes it. They continue their stroll.

“Loving him will be no simple thing. He is First Talon.”

“And yet I simply love him.”

“You hopeless and idiotic romantics,” Caterina huffs, once again turning their direction, this time back to the villa. “All the same.”

“Did you have one close to you?”

“... I did. Most Crows do,” Caterina nods, looking ahead. “A truly hapless fool.”

“I feel like I would have liked them.”

Caterina hums.

He would have liked you, too.

----

End notes: thanks for reading this far if you got this far lol

I've seen a few different takes on Caterina/Rook's relationship, and wanted to tackle how my Rook (kind of an insufferable little shit and a hopeless romantic) might act/feel towards Caterina. In the game, their interactions are limited but pretty cordial, and respectful on Rook's part, despite everything. I wonder if Caterina kind of begrudgingly is okay with Rook. I also wonder what her husband was like, to have such a big family, and whether she might find herself thinking of him, especially with her grandson newly in love. What was he like? Is he anything like Rook? And then I spent my evening not drawing lol

[kai-dimir]

fictional men who have the “it’s okay to murder people but it’s never okay to disrespect women” energy>>>>>>>>