#i wasn't kidding when i said he and solas are the same person

[brydde]

* ✉ [ @4ger ] asked : ❛❛ if bry.de was a video game final boss, how would the battle unfold? consider things like mechanics, the music, the setting, the stage, potentially the story etc. is he one of those fuckers who get a second stage when you think you've already beaten him once? ❜❜

The game has started with Bry.de pulling you out from the dark, and it will end with you condemning him into this dark. (Pull his plug, watch him go out like a light bulb.) He has been a friend, a teacher, but now he's the thing standing between you and the world as it was, as it has always been. An uncomplicated reality with rules. A realm where all your loved ones live, but you don't belong. Awake. Asleep. Real. Not real.

Your character wakes up in a dream in a forest high up in the sky. Bry.de is there, waiting in a clearing. There's no need to say anything. He knows what you have come here to do. An oppressive soundtrack begins to play.

You call for your trusted weapon, Nightmare. In an instant, a flaming sword materializes in your hands. Instead of calling for his own blade to meet yours with, Bry.de looks at the sky and wishes for rain. And rain it falls, dousing the flames on your sword, rendering the fire damage null. The game prompts you to approach. You have no other choice.

You fall upon him with Nightmare. The QTEs are tough. You fail most of them. (You are meant to fail them. It's a deliberate game design.) Bry.de easily sidesteps your every attack. When he does retaliate, it's only to push you back. You barely take damage from it, but it gets frustrating after a while. His voice is full of pity when he pleads for you to stop. Your character hurls swears at him, angry that he's in control even now.

You realize the only way to make him take damage is to weaken him first. Change the arena to your advantage. You know his weakness. Why not use it to douse his flames like he had yours? You close your eyes and dream of a city. High-rise buildings rise from the ground around you two, tearing the trees from the earth by the roots. The ground shakes, and so does your controller. The buildings groan as they shoot up towards the sky. Above the groaning buildings, aeroplanes soar through ominous grey clouds with engines louder than thunder. Trains and cars appear around you only to crash into each other, polluting the air with toxic fumes and creating more sound. Every loud noise comes together to create an ear-bleeding cacophony that seems only to affect Bry.de. You and Bry.de fight for dominance of the dream. Black, oily liquid flows from his eyes, nose, and ears. He's covering the city in it. You stand ankle-deep in this mysterious black blood. He looks like he's screaming in pain, but no sound comes out of his mouth. You win, you think, when Bry.de falls to his knees, hands covering his ears.

The game gives you two choices. You can cut Bry.de's connection to the Dreaming, or you can eradicate the Dreaming entirely. Cutting him from the Dreaming means sending him into a dreamless sleep, never to wake. Tens of thousands of dreamers will follow him, eventually. They will live for a while, but it will be a slow death for every single one of them. Bry.de has a plan to save them all. Forever. If you let him go, he could save them all. But his plan involves breaking the world as you know it. You're not sure what "breaking the world" entails. Will it save tens of thousands only to doom billions? Bry.de is sure it won't, but he is just a man (despite you looking at him like a god).

Destroying the Dreaming means destroying all things beautiful and dreamt. It means no more dreams for you. No more dreams for the dreamers. But it also means no more nightmares. No monsters to bring back to hurt your loved ones. It will be a quick death. You'll just go to sleep; every dreamer and dreams will go to sleep, but it means you'll have made the world safer for the non-dreamers.

So, death either way. You could have a chance of a good life if you let him win, but the game doesn't give you that option. You have no other choice.

Whatever you end up choosing doesn't matter. It ends the same. Bry.de grabs your blade when you approach him. He looks you in the eyes, more aware than you realize and strong still. You realize he hasn't lost this fight. This is him surrendering out of his own free will. He's tired. He's so, so, so damn tired of fighting. He loves you. If you want this, he'll let you have it. You have chosen wrong, but he doesn't hate you for it. Time is a spiral. He will come back again. Maybe you two will be friends again. Maybe you both can change the world forever together next time. He guides Nightmare into his heart. It cuts not only his flesh (dreaming and waking), but also his connection to the Dreaming. He has made the choice for you.

His head falls forward. In the dream and in the waking world, Bry.de takes his last breath. Your controller shudders in your hands as he takes his last breath. The controller's light changes from red to white.

The world is still open for you to explore after this seeming victory. There are quests to complete, people to save. You still have your other companions, but it feels as though you are walking the world alone. He's not there to ask about a relic you found. He's not there when you need him to do his magic. You feel Bry.de's absence in everything.

[tumblingghosts]

hey backpacks!

so, i've had this thought for a while about the Time Travelling Kiddos™ and thought you'd be interested in it!

in the other scenario where instead of the original 4 (aelia, achilles, athena, and plutarch), it's seneca, marcella, sol, and antonia, i suddenly had the imagery where sol (or anyone really, but sol is the most fitting for me!) has a sort of superpower.

like, she can show a memory that's hers or someone else's.

she shows the original 4's memories, from when they were fourteen when their parents just died, to them in their original timeline.

there's a memory where the fourteen year olds original 4 are talking about their newly dead parents.

it goes like this:

plutarch: who do you think killed them?

athena: kill? the cops said all of their deaths were accidents.

aelia: don't be stupid, thena. it was murder. there's no way all our parents die consecutively.

achilles: so, they were all murdered by the same person.

plutarch: yeah. who do you think did it? june ruby's dad? he always seemed suspicious..

athena: come on, plutarch. he would never do that. he's our parents' best friend.

aelia: wait, he's onto something here. there must be a reason why my parents stopped hanging around him a few weeks before their death.

livy and pippa definitely shed a few tears at the memories. the others almost did too, but they held back :)

hi gigi! sorry it took so long to respond to this- but i've finally written out my time travelling kiddos thoughts! also love the idea of solasta having a power to show memories!

so i know that solasta's power wasn't the main point of your thoughts, but it got me thinking- what if their time travelling machine was the cause of those powers? like if she can show memories, that has to be events from the past, and i could see a scenario when they are first building the time machine where things go 'wrong' and the machine malfunctions, except not quite.

as the kiddos are trying to rewrite their plans to build a new time machine & work out what exactly went wrong, sol is thinking about the exact moment that the time machine imploded and accidentally ends up displaying that memory. cue a freak out over where the heck did that hologram come from, were we being recorded, oh that's not a projection, what is happening??

it takes a bit to realize that not only is solasta the one doing it, but she's able to do it her other memories if she focuses on the event enough. it takes more trial and error to work out that she can also show memories from other people, but it usually requires the person to be actively thinking of the memory before sol can show it. safe to say that the kiddos realize that this new power can help them with their og plan.

there is a bit of talk about building the original machine again to see if they can all get powers, but it is ultimately decided that it's too dangerous. after all, none of them know what exactly caused the powers in the first place. maybe it was how they built the machine, maybe it was something else entirely. solasta was just one of the people in the room when the machine backfired, and she wasn't even the one standing closest to it, so who knows what happened?

anyway, seneca, marcella, sol, and antonia ultimately get a working time machine going and off to the past they go! it's much easier to convince their parents of what's going on when sol has a power than can quickly explain their story- who needs physical proof in the face of projected memories of their older selves, married and with a family? they're pretty devastated that their kids had to lose them at fourteen, and spent the last four years as orphans, especially when there was no war to cruelly take them away- no, it was just a power-hungry classmate. and now facing their children who are the same age as them with stories of their school years that future them never got a chance to live and support them through.

or potential alt scenario is coriolanus being nosy about the new transfer students & solasta learning that her power has more to it than they first thought. sol is showing the convo of the kiddos discussing their parents' deaths, when coriolanus (snooping) comes near enough for her power to trigger, showing some future (past for the kiddos, but future for the mentors) memories of snow being very responsible for their parents deaths. if the memories of the kiddos speculating that snow killed their parents was devastating, then actually seeing how he committed the act (either by poison or by hiring people to murder) is angering. coriolanus can't bolt bc by that point the kiddos' parents have realized he's there & also everyone involved is pretty horrified that their classmate/friend could so callously decide that they were a liability that has to die.

fix its all around bc solasta has shown memories of the future, and the kiddos' parents have decided that if their future starts to looks like it is starting to head towards that future, then they are going to be 'handling' coriolanus themselves. they will be growing up with their children, thank you very much. the kiddos are very worried about june ruby, but their parents assure them that they will make sure everything works out, and they make sure it does! with the addition of sol's power, it makes it pretty easy to dig up dirt on gaul & get her ousted from her position by recording sol's projected memory, pretending that it was 'hidden camera footage' from the event, and sharing it with the right people. highbottom is able to end the hunger games without gaul pushing so hard for its continuation.

so no tenth hunger games (or any ones past that) & the kiddos parents are keeping a close eye on coriolanus. the social pressure causes his grades to slip a bit, not much, but enough for clemensia to take the lead in academics. he doesn't get the plinth prize, and has to sign up as a peacekeeper to make the ends meet. coriolanus is seething all the while, but it's where he meets lucy gray & falls for her hard. pretty shortly after, sejanus goes 'wtf coryo, why didn't you just ask for help' (since he was not informed about the time travelling kiddos or the news they brought) & provides some assistance so he isn't trapped in the twenty years of service. but other mentors are still high-alert around him though, so coriolanus isn't going to be going around murdering anybody.

anyway, snowbaird is together, sejanus lives, nobody dies in the arena bombing that never happened in this timeline, and all the would-be tenth games tributes are off living their lives in their respective districts bc the games have been cancelled :)

thanks for the ask! appreciate you lots gigi <3

(also, any ideas for how the mentors might meet the kids that would have been their tributes had the timeline not changed? the thought of persephone never getting to meet mizzen is making me sad, but i couldn't think of a way they'd get to meet unless pippa travelled to the districts or mizzen came to study in the capitol...)

[cityandking]

1, 5, 15, 22 for narayani, lira and rasa!

ty!! // inquisitor as companion asks

1. If not for the Conclave, what would drive your character to join the Inquisition?

NARYANI — answered! LIRA — lira would be found in the storm coast, also following the warden trail there. should the inquisitor come upon her, lira will ask why the inquisitor is interested in the wardens, and lira will say she is a warden seeking the same answers and offer her services to help the inquisitor in that quest. the inquisitor can accept her offer or refuse her. either way, it won't become clear she's the hero of ferelden until later, when the inquisitor either comes upon her and leliana together in haven or when leliana mentions it (she was always quick to disappear, but it seems she has improved these past years. I did not know she was in the region.) RASA — also answered!

5. If they romanced someone as Inquisitor, would they still fall for that person as a companion? How would that play out? How would they react to that person being romanced by the “new” Inquisitor?

NARAYANI — romanced solas, but she would not have any outward reaction to an inquisitor romancing solas except for a) some teasing banter and b) a conversation about it if solas removes the inquisitor's vallaslin. if the inquisitor does not romance either of them, some of their later banter will involve the third party member quipping that they argue like a married couple, but there will be no confirmation of any relationship. additionally, if both are unromanced, narayani will make reference to looking for him after the end of the game. this will be reiterated during trespasser, and the inquisitor can ask her about it. narayani will not say if she found him or not, but will comment on them being closer than it had seemed and regretting his disappearance. (I miss our arguments.) [she totally found him in the intervening two years; her end card will mention an apology for her deception and that she went after him, regardless of the inquisitor's decision to save or stop him.] LIRA — cannot be romanced by the inquisitor and has no opinions on any of the inquisition romances. if the warden contact was alistair and he survived the fade, she will make a comment at the end of the game that she intends to follow him to weisshaupt and admit that she has left much to him unsaid. I think it is time I said it. thank you for the lesson in bravery, inquisitor. [look, obviously this doesn't account for any worldstate where another warden and alistair got together, or lira's canon endgame with king!alistair, but whatever. whatever! it's my au and I make the rules! tbh I think even in a king!alistair worldstate, after the game ends she goes to find him.] RASA — companion!rasa would still be a little dazzled by dorian, but he wouldn't be upset if the inquisitor romanced dorian. he'd wish them the best. in terms of secondary/companion romances, dorian and bull still take precedence; rasa will not have a secondary romance. there will, however, be mentions of rasa and cullen being particularly close friends.

15. Without the influence of their decisions for the Inquisition, which of the companions do they get along with? Which ones do they bicker with?

NARAYANI — answered! LIRA — lira obviously hasn't got the burden of inquisitor to deal with but that said! she has some opinions: blackwall: she admires and respects his work ethic and dedication. knows 1000% that there's something fishy with him but isn't going to dig it up. it's his business. (the inquisitor can ask her if she knew he wasn't a real warden; she'll admit yes, but it wasn't her past to drag to light.) cassandra: very much respects her, and cassandra would appreciate her bone-dry sense of humor. cole: isn't even the top 10 weirdest things she's seen. she wishes he'd stop digging around her head but she kinda likes the kid. reminds her of being so much younger, which is a sweet and well-worn ache. dorian: lira would be slightly annoyed by the grandstanding, but he'd remind her of zevran, which would go a long way to endearing him to her. iron bull: somehow nothing and also everything like sten. she'd like him well enough, but it takes a long time for her to see him as himself. he has banter where he calls her on it sera: lira doesn't fault her for her childish demeanor, but has no patience for it. prone to offering one-line retorts that don't shut sera down as much as delight her; over time, this becomes fond and familiar for lira too. solas: lira can appreciate his insight and his wisdom, but she doesn't trust him one whit. she asks dorian, vivienne, morrigan, leliana, and even bull about. the more shrugs she gets, the more unsettled she is. varric: varric mostly makes her sad. he's older than he looks in the same way that she is; he's lost friends in the same way she has. he puts on a much better face about it, but it's a familiar grief. they'd be good drinking buddies. vivienne: it's funny comparing vivienne and wynne—both circle enchanters, both so self-assured. for all lira respected wynne, she never liked her all that much, and it's equally funny how vivienne makes her feel just as small and ill-shaped as wynne did. RASA — also answered!

22. If you have another Inquisitor, how would those two get along, specifically?

NARAYANI — companion!rani would initially be so suspicious and dismissive of inquisitor!vesper and her patience/mercy (softness) and her interest in elven history and her moderate position on the circles, but vesper would win her over with her genuine curiosity and her willingness to hear rani's perspective and take her advice and her admittance that she doesn't want to see the circles reinstituted but wants education available for mages and doesn't know how else to do that. also they both hold no love for the chantry, which goes a long way to endearing rani to her. they'd end up good friends, eventually. // on the flip side, companion!rani would be immediate friends with inquisitor!rasa. he's got all that positive energy, and he's dalish. she'd have no barriers to befriending him. LIRA — companion!lira would see a surprising amount of herself in inquisitor!vesper's iron dedication to getting things done, and would try to be a shoulder to lean on. it would be an awkward start, but they'd be good friends eventually. // companion!lira would be respectful of inquisitor!narayani and understand the pressure of a duty one doesn't ask for, but they'd be stilted and awkward—rani would have a great deal of respect for lira but not a great deal of patience. fortunately a) lira at 31 isn't nearly as annoying as lira at 20, and b) respect is 50% of friendship for rani, so that's a good start for them. they'd eventually have a strong working relationship. // companion!lira, like everyone else, would like inquisitor!rasa quite a lot. RASA — companion!rasa would get along swimmingly with inquisitor!vesper, and be just a wee bit protective of her even though she's a few years older than him. vesper, personally, finds him quite like the younger sibling she never had. // companion!rasa would get along well with inquisitor!narayani; he'd be steady and familiar and wouldn't ask a great deal of her, which would be a relief for rani.

[ma-serannas-vhenan]

10 Character's I Would Love To Kiss

Thank you @dharma-writes for the tag! 💜

K-kiss? Not exactly my thing but there are a few that I would be more than willing to.

I: Solas from Dragon Age Inquisition

If you look at this blog for even two minutes you'd be very aware that I'm enamored with this man. Honestly he was the main reason I started the Dragon Age series. His past and his personality are forever a bittersweet thing to me, I can't wait to find out his true plans. He seems like he'd be a good kisser, nice lips and being a centuries-old god and all.

II: Fenris from Dragon Age 2

Fenris is the second reason I decided to buy the Dragon Age series. He's such an interesting character to me and his growth is heartwarming, especially if you romance him. Bioware also had no right to make him that attractive. The man needs some love and I'd be more than happy to give it to him.

III: Thane Krios from Mass Effect

Fish man, take me by the hand

He wasn't the start, but he did kick my love for reptilian fish men into overdrive. I love the silent, thoughtful, soulful type, and while he's all of those, being a religious assassin who seeks forgiveness on top of it makes a stunning combination. I'm still not over what happened to him, he deserved better. I'm well aware that I'd hallucinate and get high if I kissed him, but I'm still open to it.

IV: Aloth Corfiser from Pillars of Eternity

You know when you see a character for the first time and just know that they're going to latch onto your heart? Yeah, that's what happened when I saw Aloth. He only latched on harder when I learned of his backstory and saw his friendship with the Watcher. While I want to hug him first and foremost, I'm definitely not against smooching him.

V: Ignis Scientia from Final Fantasy XV

This man has a brain, sass, style, and an accent and he knows how to use all of them. He caught my attention immediately but it was his devotion, the care he had for his King, and friends that held me. I may or may not have shed a tear when he lost his eye sight. Plus, every girl's crazy about a sharp dressed man.

VI: Reno Sinclair from Final Fantasy VII

This dude, dorky dumbass, I'm not quite sure when he wormed his way into my heart but he's been there for a long time and there's nothing I can do about it (not that I really want to). As I said above, he is a designated dumbass in my mind, but I'm also extremely fond of him. Kissing wise, he looks like he could teach me something look at his lips.

VII: Axel from Kingdom Hearts

Good lord, the first time I saw Axel I was eight years old and dude that was the first time I'd ever thought someone was good looking. I was an innocent babe, playing Kingdom Hearts 2, and then he just strutted on screen in all his glory and fried my brain. I haven't been the same since. I have many feelies when it comes to him, I want to love him and I want him to be happy.

VIII: Jak from Jak and Daxter

Heckin' mood Jak is a character that I was and still am very attached to. The series was the first one I'd ever really gotten into, and I latched onto Jak the moment I saw him. He's an amazing character and watching his development throughout the games endeared him to me. He deserved a lot better than he got.

IX: Prince Zuko from Avatar The Last Airbender

An all-time favorite character, with one of the best redemption arcs I've seen to date. As a kid I liked him purely for his growth and because I thought he was cool, but I recently rewatched the show and his dedication, idealism, and awkwardness shined through. The man is a dork and he's moody, but damn it I love him for it.

X: Uta from Tokyo Ghoul

This weird man clawed into my mind about four months ago, he speaks to the attraction to the gothic and morbid that I had (still do I suppose) in my early teens. The tattoos, shaved head, black aesthetic, and lean build speaks to me, along with the fact that he's dorky as all hell. I get the feeling he's sort of satanic and super kinky though.

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