Lucanis Kiss Scene in Dragon Age the Veilguard

So, I've seen the whole thing about Lucanis being an inexperienced demisexual virgin and... while I'll say that personally, I think these little crumbs of "well I intended for this to be such and such way" well after the fact are... eh... kinda toeing the line of bullshit (yeah, I know she created him but... that's like Mary Shelley coming back from the dead and going well the monster I created actually likes the warm glow of fire, my husband just changed it! it'd be a little... meh... you'd make the meh face, is all I'm sayin') but anyway! 

Point being! I don't have a particular opinion about Lucanis' sexuality as I think that's open to interpretation and very head-canon-esq territory. But what I am narrowing my eyes suspiciously at is this theme that seems to be running wild in the wake of Mary Kirby's info-droplet. And has everything to do with explaining away the Kiss scene. 

But I just wanted to do a quick post about this.

The kiss scene. How Lucanis gets all up in Rook's grill and then at that last second, backs off and leaves the room. Everyone's going on about how this is an example of him panicking and while... I kinda get that... I also kinda don't. Dude don't panic. He lives literally locked in his head specifically so he doesn't panic. Now - it could easily be argued that he was being drawn slowly out of that prison by the encounter but at the same time... was he though? Again, head-canon territory.

The issue I take with it is this... just because someone is demisexual... just because they're inexperienced... doesn't mean they have to be... well, rude. I get it. Someone realizes they are in over their head. I'm not saying he should have gone through with something he was uncomfortable with, no. At any point, in any situation like that, one is uncomfortable - bow out. But bow out with grace. His body language went from interested to decidedly not interested. From turning his entire body away from Rook all the way to not even looking at them again as he left the room. And then not even speaking with them about it, like... at all, ever. That's not just rude, that's truly shitty. Like Rook just... doesn't have feelings at all? I'm not saying it was enough to make someone start bawling (I mean, it might but that's not what I'm getting at) but what if your Rook is also demi? And like... they're really growing close to Lucanis? And he does that? Fucking ouch. Rejection is fine, it happens but it's the way in which someone rejects someone or the situation. For a game that is trying so hard not to hurt anyone's feelings, it sure is turning a blind eye to Rook.

I know everyone is different, perceives things differently, etc. But it's almost alarming how people are so willing to write this off under the guise of inexperience, being overwhelmed, etc. And it's like... that's fine and Rook can be understanding of that. But that, getting that close? Drawing them in that far? Only to turn away like that? If you've got an insecure Rook? Which the game allows you to play out in talks with Varric, by the way. And Lucanis does this? I mean, there's just so many ways this can backfire and there's no mention of it after the fact. It's just... forgotten.

But that's been a running theme in the game. Rook is just... forgotten. I mean, they themselves isn't. But their heart is. Their feelings. The only people who ask after them that way is Varric (not real), Solas (god of fucking lies), and I think Emmrich asks once or twice. That's gotta be disheartening, if you think about it. But I'm not going to go too deep into that, because I'll write a whole other ted talk about it.

I also feel the need to point out that this is almost like a systemic problem with games. DA2 Fenris post scene reminds me of this. Yes, dude has some serious trauma and serious issues that Hawke couldn't even begin to comprehend. Leaving them like he did after? Yeah, not great. But at least he tried to talk to them about it. He didn't just go "I gotta go" and literally leave with not another word, ever, about it.