Casper and Rook

This prompt will almost certainly have to include game spoilers, so if you are mid game, or haven't played through to the end, please consider one of the other prompts. I will not be holding back in this one. 

Spoilers:

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The Basics:

I'd love to see a little scene or illustration between these two, whether it's serious, goofy, sad, what have you. Rook (Adder Ingellvar) in the current timeline, is around the age that Casper was during Inquisition. (Casper is approaching their 50s, and Rook is in their mid to late 30s). If you're looking for information about characterisation or appearance, I would consider reading the first two sections in my other documents for Rook and Casper. Both characters are nonbinary, and both prefer neutral pronouns.

Together:

We all sort of know how the Lavellan scenes go down. I'd say that Casper probably expresses more aggravation than in-game inky does, and they are angry, specifically over Varric's death, but they seek Rook out to get a read on whether or not Solas is too far gone to save, as well as to reassure they will help fend off the current threat throughout Thedas. Casper willingly leaves Rivain, where they'd spend several years, to rejoin the former Inquisition in their efforts. They likely pool resources from both their time as the Inquisitor, and the brief stint they spent as a career criminal under the pseudonim Anglerfish. They've levelled out a lot over the years, but they are still Casper. They can still be sarcastic and a bit rough around the edges, but there's a lot more maturity there now. They also aren't likely to shy away from talking about their feelings like they might have once upon a time.

Adder, for their part, has always had a softer approach to things, or at least a more diplomatic one, but they'd mesh well with Casper in the humour department. They're well practiced at throwing out one liners instead of directly addressing their thoughts or feelings, and Casper and Adder would likely play well off of each other, essentially yes anding each other's jokes. That said, Adder IS more likely to talk about their feelings if someone opens up to them first, which Casper is more than willing to do if they see a need. I could see Adder also passing along some of the more sentimental materials they've found that Solas has left behind. Especially the one letter you get from your DAI romance. (The Solas romance is the second to last.)

Solavellan

The Basics:

Casper Lavellan is a nonbinary dalish elf. They're short for an elf, under 5 feet, and thin but muscular in the rogue-ish sort of way. They are technically a mage, but spend about half of the story of Inquisition refusing to accept it while doubling down on their rogue related skillsets. They start out with a slightly modified version of June's Vallaslin, but lose it later in the campaign post Crestwood. Casper is in their mid to late 30s in Inquisition, and closing in on their 50's in Veilguard. Casper initially, canonically, vowed to stop Solas, but their tune changed with time and the emergence of more information. They're firmly in the camp of saving him by the end of veilguard. You'll find some spoilered veilguard info at the end that might be important if you plan to create end game content. 

Casper:

General: Inquisition Casper is a bit like an agitated hornet. They're resentful, combative, and feeling cornered at the start of the campaign, and that comes out clearly in how they push others away and act recklessly in battle. Over the course of things, those feelings become more of an undercurrent, though they never fully lose their knack for exasperating the people around them. They become more confident and decisive, a bit more secure within their relationships, and they even start to sort of accept their role as the Inquisitor. They get a start to managing their lightning magic, with Solas' help (though by the end of trespasser, they're still only okay at it at best, and still prone to the occasional magical fit). What happens at Crestwood stalls a lot of their momentum, and Solas' disappearance at the end of Inquisition reverses it entirely. They carried out the rest of their perceived responsibilities for the Inquisition and then retreated from the pain of it. The events of trespasser only serve as a springboard to launch Casper right back into a self-destructive, resentful obsession with closure. They disband the inquisition, burn as many bridges as they can, and curtail into an attempt to make a name for themself so formidable that even the Dread Wolf can't ignore it. One that he had no hand in manipulating the course of.

Veilguard Casper has had ten years to work through their feelings. They've self destructed, acquired found family, spent a lot of time healing, and even, in a sense come to terms with the fact that Solas would never give them the closure they needed. They've matured significantly in that time (though they've never lost their flair for irritating others or their sarcastic sense of humor), and by the time things take a turn in Veilguard, they've already fogiven Solas for their own sake. There is a lot they're angry over. A lot they wish they could say. But that sense of betrayal kind of bled away years ago, and that they choose to help the pull Solas out of his own hole now, is for Solas' sake, not their own. Though, they do love him, of course, and it's hard for those feelings not to reemerge in some form.

Together:

In Inquisition, Casper and Solas balanced each other out in a lot of ways. They challenged each others views and behaviours and vexed each other quite a bit, but also showed an unexpected propensity toward supporting one another. Of course, In Solas' case, at least at the start, he had ulterior motive forcing him  him to tolerate Casper's prickliness in order to find common ground. But what he found on the other side was a similarly prideful person who was also mired in regret, and who was desperately afraid of loneliness. Casper just wanted to feel seen, so, he offered that, in his typical fashion, which wasn't always necessarily kind or free from motive. Fortunately for him, Casper didn't need or want kind initially. They needed someone who was willing to actually hear them. Eventually tension gave way to genuine respect, and then unexpected moments of openness or care, and finally a gentle camaraderie that seemed to run much deeper than their companions could fully comprehend. It wasn't fast, but it was intense, and it was the steadiness of Solas' approach that coaxed Casper to open a part of themself to him they had allowed few others to see. 

In Veilgaurd, they don't have much to go off of beyond those years. They met once, five years after Inquisition, where Casper angrily declared that they would love him to spite him, and that every effort he made to the contrary would be in vain. Solas left them unsatisfied in that encounter, but his words do become the catalyst for Casper changing themself. Perhaps what you need to know, is that Casper is angry with Solas' choices, but willing to be reunited with him. 

Written References:

There's a bit of interaction at the start of this chapter of my post-trespasser fic

Several comics (finished and unfinished) that illustrate a bit of their interactions

Visual references:

Casper reference material drawn by myself

Casper as drawn by others

Casper Screenshots (spoilers)

Extra, non essential, biographical info:

(There is still potentially important spoiler info at the bottom of this page. If you've finished the game, and want to do something ending related, give it a look.)

• Casper found themself in haven, not because they wanted to be there, but as a byproduct of inter-clan politics and their begrudging cassification as a mage forcing them into preparation to become clan Lavellan's second. Both the move from their own clan to clan Lavellan at a young age, and the pressure put on Casper to adhere made them dig their feet in further, outright refusing to learn control, and sabbotaging the attempts their clan made to help them. That said, their feelings about their own culture, the clans they're associated with, and how they relate to all of it are complex. They weren't born a part of clan Lavellan, but they keep its name. They don't ascribe to a belief in the dalish gods, and at the start of inquisition still reject a lot of dalish custom and cultural norms, but they will still firmly defend it. Leaving was, in some ways, a relief to them, but it is also a decision they feel guilt and grief over, and while they have no personal desire to return permanently, a part of them will always be nostalgic for the places they hailed from. 

Spoilers:

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• When Casper met Solas in between Trespasser and Veilguard, Solas' response to learning how single-minded and obsessive Casper's pursuit of him was acts as a foil to the same release from service that Mythal offers Solas in the end of veilguard. Solas offers Casper the recognition of their struggle and freedom to let go that he desperately needs himself. But that isn't what Casper needs, and Casper becomes angrier, ultimately ending the encounter dissatisfied. What his words did do was mobilise Casper. It makes them realise that Solas simply cannot soothe the anger, betrayal, and guilt they're feeling, because it isn't Solas they need to forgive or derive worth from. It's themself and the people that show them overt, enthusiastic care.
• In the end game, when Mythal's essence is channeled to release Solas, it is in part because Casper recognises that Solas has always spoken and acted in a way that betrayed his own hopes and needs, and that what was a clumsy attempt to give Casper closure at one time, was also essentially him offering them the freedom he couldn't give himself the way he would need it offered. Specifically acknowledgement and the okay to lay his crusade to rest by the only person who could possibly understand the depths of his pain. 

Rook/Emmrich

The Basics:

I romanced Emmrich with a nonbinary Qunari Mournwatch Rook named Adder Ingellvar. They're in their mid to late 30's (36-39 range). Their build is a bit slighter than their in game model, and they are a bit shorter and less muscular as well, having spent most of their time in and around the necropolis.  I included some spoiler info at the end of the post to keep from ruining any late game content for folks.

Rook:

If you played your Rook a mix of purple and good, you'll have them down, mostly. They tend toward masking discomfort with humor, but they will soften themself when they sense that whoever they're talking to needs a softer hand, and harden themself against people that are clearly antagonistic, often with a bit of biting sarcasm thrown in for good measure. They are not super Qun aligned, having grown up with the Mournwatch. They can also be a touch more bewildered and internal than the in-game rook, given more easily to wonder and appreciation, and also more easily thrown into the occasional bit of rumination or self-directed anger. Adder has always been very focused on their work. They're fast to make accquaintances, and charming/disarming in a completely unintentional way, but they are very slow to accept people into their heart because they tend to form strong attachments in their relationships. Often, those attachments are simply unable to be reciprocated by others the way Adder needs them to be in order to feel secure, and they err on the side of avoiding intimate connection by default. 

Together:

I like a lot of what happens by default in the game, though I would say Adder has a softer approach to flirtling, and they express interest more cautiously. Often they'd try to play a flirt off as a joke before even waiting to see how it was received, and would spread the flirting out somewhat evenly in an attempt to enjoy flustering Emmrich without tipping him off too soon.  The necropolis is small enough that Adder and Emmrich likely knew of each other before the events of Veilguard, but they didn't know each other personally, and primarily moved in different circles.  Adder shares a similar history of fear revolving abandonment and a lack of close relationships. They yearn for people that see and treat them the way they do the people they care about, but frequently disappointment, and a tendency to go from zero to a hundred has soured most connections they've made before they've had time to blossom. This has made them much more careful and witholden in their approach to potential new connections, and is the primary reason why they haven't had what they'd consider a real relationship yet by their late 30s. This also means that once mutual attraction was formally established, their relationship with Emmrich probably did deepen more quickly than it should have, and the new relationship energy was both intense and likely a touch insufferable to the people around them. Limerance aside, their relationship, even before they expressed their feelings, was full of affectionate teasing, exasperating each other, inside jokes, and a lot of quiet discussions or periods of silence where they realised how much they truly reflected one another. They did get to know each other rather well before putting their cards on the table. 

Visual References:

Adder Screenshots (spoilers)

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• I made Emmrich a Lich. Adder was positive toward this change, realising how central to Emmrich's identity it was, and they encouraged it, even after Manfred died. Coming from the Necropolis themself, they understand the nobility in Manfred's sacrifice, and the beauty in his willingness to face death for a friend. 
• Adder also wishes they hadn't been the one to influence Emmrich's final decision, and they initially regret the choice they made when they witness Emmrich's grief in small ways. They feel powerless to help him as he consistently insists he is okay to spare Rook's feelings, given their role in the decision. Instead, Emmrich insists he is simply adjusting to the intensity of his new state. Either way, it is clear to Rook that he may not have been ready to make the transition when he did, and that he could have waited longer to allow himself time to prepare mentally and grieve his lost friend.
• The two of them do argue a bit about it when Adder attempts to bring up their concerns. Emmrich, still grieving and defensive, interprets it as an admission that Adder wasn't as comfortable with his transition to lichdom as they'd insisted they were. Adder counters with the fact that change is discomfort, and whether or not they were able to bounce back quickly they'd rather not shy away from the important things simply because they are uncomfortable. But Adder does admit that in the moment, it felt as though they were being forced to bear the brunt of an incredibly personal and life changing decision for Emmrich, and they felt pressured to choose an outcome. They believe that perhaps they'd chosen wrong because becoming a Lich leaned into Emmrich's already avoidant nature, though they don't say this thought out loud. Realising how Rook had felt pressured does shift Emmrich's perspctive, and he tries to apologise, but they resolve the fight in a somewhat non-comittal way when Adder becomes overwhelmed and says they'd prefer to talk about it later. They don't talk about it, of course, and it crops up again in a big way in the fight they have before facing Ghilan'nain, where Adder finally directly alludes to both Emmrich's avoidance issues and his perception that Emmrich has simply transfered his fear of death to them.