Never trust your brain when it has a "short and cute idea for a nice interaction between character" caused by one voiceline. Anyway, I think Lyon absolutely capable enough to cook. Marie is a bit too clumsy for cooking, although she can do it. Roathe is a mess, he's never cooked for anyone ever, so... The conscripts are just delighted to have a treat too.
It's honestly kind of depressing as a person who really likes Dagath that most people's take-away from her lore is that she was in a relationship with two people and likes horses.
And not y'know— The fact that it was an orokin couple keeping a dax as a sex slave and dehumanized her to the point where they refused to use her name, they'd call her everything, but her actual name. Grandmother even mentions in the story how the couple only cared about her, because the "relationship" was taboo.
They literally killed her horse, because she gave it the small kindness of a name, something that she couldn't bare to rob it of. She nearly dies in the "accident" they cause to to kill Rakhali before handing her over to be a warframe. Ballas even gives her a permanent smile to rub salt in the wound. And then they try to kill her by blasting a laser through her skull, because they got bored.
Dagath isn't seeking vengeance on her exes, she's a woman who was robbed of her identity and autonomy by the Orokin and reflects their sins back at them when they meet her. Which is what makes it so important that Grandmother gave her her name, she gave her an identity while sacrificing her own. Something that Dagath could hold onto and be feared by and reclaim power from her abusers.
I was originally just going to leave my comments in the tags, but I was inspired to go back and listen to Grandmother's story, so I have some thoughts
Dagath was a Naberus (Halloween) frame, and thus her vibes are meant to be spooky, and her overall lore is invocative of ghost stories and horror tropes. a very popular trope within ghost/horror stories is an inability to acknowledge the true depravity and discomfort that ghosts and horror icons often experience as a cause of their state. simply, they are not viewed as victims, they are not portrayed with sympathy or empathy because they are meant to be scary.
it is doubly insulting, in my opinion, for her to live a life in which she was not seen as a human, but a possession (Grandmother literally says this in the story) undeserving of a name, and THEN become "the hollow rider", an Orokin/Tenno ghost story. a faceless wraith full of rage, a visage meant to scare. all without fully understanding WHY she was that way, what had caused her to be that way.
Grandmother acknowledging Dagath and giving her a name is powerful, in her lore and the way we as Tenno interact with her after. she ISN'T a horror story, a ghost. she is acknowledged as a human, as a victim. she is no longer a wraith to fear, but a being that deserves respect and empathy. and we, as Tenno, get to continue her legacy of defying the Orokin, and honor her memory by identifying with her and using her frame. and we, as Tenno, SHOULD empathize with her story - being used, being seen as possessions, as weapons.
it is also worth noting the language Grandmother uses in the story. she refers to being given a name a "simple kindness", and refers to her own offering of a name as a "gift" as a part of Naberus revelry. she also explicitly states, at the very beginning of the story, that names have power.
Grandmother gives her a gift, shows her kindness, and... offers her power. she acknowledges Dagath fully.
it is also... lucky, I guess. that her name was Dagath. "the mirror that accuses" is awfully fitting, especially when we understand that names have power, offer identity and purpose.
I think it is also fitting that she is offered this name by an Orokin woman. it is not reparation, but it should be meaningful that an Orokin can empathize and understand. its also... I have nothing to back this up, but the Orokin tend to have very... lofty names compared to other characters. names that denote their sense of superiority and the power they possess, at least. it is a gift indeed to be given such a name, of an Entrati no less !
I hope this remains in the spirit of your post, sorry to hijack.
tho I will also add this (and I want to state I DO agree entirely with you OP) as an attempt to play devils advocate. Dagath does consent to her relationship with Corphel and Irilia (the Orokin couple), does revel in their attention and enjoys her position. she still defies them by giving her horse a name when they forbid it, causing them to plot against her, which results in her effectual death. she is turned into a Warframe, hollowly is returned to their sides, and they end up falling out of love with her, choosing to destroy her. she, as a Warframe, does not "die" and is left shattered - she remembers only her loneliness and betrayal. she is hollow, shattered, nameless... and seeks out to destroy those that destroyed her. she kills Corphel and Irilia, leaving them faceless like they left her. that ISN'T a love story !
whether she loved them or not becomes irrelevant when you know the rest of the story - they used her, abused her, and abandoned her when she no longer suited their needs. she was betrayed. she was alone.
I won't even speak to the fact that someone who loves and KNOWS THEY ARE LOVED probably isn't going to be inspired to defy the wishes of their lover !! whether consciously or not, she knew she was a novelty to them, and that is why she sought true companionship with Rakhali - her needs were not being met by Corphel and Irilia, or else she would never have fallen in love with her horse, or felt the need to seek comfort from her horse.
also, its also worth reminding: Dagaths design is supposed to be invocative of flayed horsehide and bones. she was literally marked by her "disloyalty" to the Orokin to shame her ! you don't do that to someone you love. and this was BEFORE the couple "got bored of her".
so like. I don't know. there is no part of her lore or design that can convince me she was loved by the Orokin couple. and if someone chooses to believe she did love them and did consent to the relationship, their treatment of her should still be utterly damning !
looking at Dagath's story in context of everything else we know of the Orokin - she is not an anomaly. she was a ghost story to the Orokin and they were very right to be scared of her, of her rage, of what she did. and what she did was hunt down oppressors like them and enact their violence back at them. of course they would turn her into a ghost story - returning to my original point. a tale they could turn their back on for most of the year, chalk up to legend and laugh about. the very act further removed her identity, her story. and, most importantly, turned her into the monster. in continuing to tell the tale of "the hollow rider" they dehumanized her, and taught the Tenno and others to fear her instead of empathize with her. they saw her as an angry wraith instead of a spirit bent on retribution in a language the Orokin could understand, an entity of rebellion and defiance.
and, honestly, so many of the stories for the warframes are told from the Orokin perspective, not acknowledging their suffering or the cause of their suffering. we, as Tenno, should empathize with their stories and live their legacies. both personally (as in terms of the originals) and with the understanding of how they fit into the wider narrative - being agents of defiance against the Orokin and other oppressors.
↳ What’s your character’s biggest fear and how does it screw up their relationships? Are they terrified of being abandoned? Do they push people away before they can leave? Are they scared of not being enough? Or being too much?
↳ What’s something they’re stupidly passionate about, and how does it drive their entire life? Like that thing they’d fight someone over. That core belief, hobby, or dream that lowkey fuels every decision they make (even when they say it doesn’t).
↳ What’s one childhood memory they can’t shake and how did it shape the way they see the world now?
↳ What weird habits or quirks make them totally them? Do they always talk with their hands? Hum when they’re nervous? Refuse to eat foods that touch?
↳ Do they have a secret talent no one expects? Like, are they surprisingly great at card tricks? Can they play the piano at concert level but never talk about it? Bake the world’s best banana bread?
↳ How do they handle failure?
↳ Who’s had the biggest impact on their life, and why? Friend, enemy, sibling, teacher, ex?
↳ What do they believe in, deep down? Like, what’s their moral compass? What lines won’t they cross? What kind of person are they trying to be, even if they mess up along the way?
↳ Is there an item or feature they’re weirdly attached to? A necklace? A hoodie? A scar? A pair of old sneakers?
↳ Do they have recurring dreams or nightmares? And what do those dreams mean? What are they trying not to deal with while awake?
Once you start asking yourself this kind of stuff about your OC's, they gain unimaginable dimension and become a thing of their own and not just an extension of their creator. So does their stories and the way you can depict/portray them. Even the art of any sort you make about them changes and enriches.
i hate when top wildlife predators are just lil babies teeny tiny babies
. that is a serial killer
owo based on ych by monstromer
