#samson dragon age

[albaharu]

you get captured by your enemies and you find out they have a song about how tragic you are via the dwarf who is doing unethical experiments on you

[the-shaper-ate]

Saw a couple posts about this and wanted to share my two cents.

The people who make the comment about switching Cullen and Samson in DAI have a misunderstanding of the role both characters play in the story (in my humble opinion).

Samson is one of several examples of how you can’t exist as a “good Templar” in the order. A Templar can have good intentions, but at the end of the day they are the strong arm of the Chantry itself. Anyone who tries to dissent or show a modicum of kindness to Mages is made an example of. We see this with both Samson and Cullen.

However, Samson’s addiction paired with his resentment over how the Chantry treated Templars leads him down a dark path. He exists as a foil to Cullen— a harrowing reminder of what Cullen could have become.

A friend and I were discussing this topic, and she beautifully put that Samson and Cullen represent a dichotomy: “do you want revenge, or do you want freedom?”

Samson, in an effort to “get back” at the organizations that wronged him, inevitably ends up being leashed to a new master. He cannot ever be free, because he cannot let go of his hatred, resentment and anger.

Cullen, in contrast, finds freedom and new purpose within the Inquisition. He chooses a better path, one that isn’t motivated by revenge. He recognizes that while he could be angry at the Chantry or the things that happened to him, the only person he has control over is himself.

Samson and Cullen are two examples of broken people in a broken system. Cullen directs his pain, regrets and trauma inwardly, and focuses on his own actions in order to recover. Samson directs his pain and trauma outwardly— and inevitably ends up hurting the ones he should have been protecting.

The pair can’t be interchangeable in the game, because they have entirely different ways of viewing the order. While they both were impacted by the Chantry, the way they process their trauma is entirely different. That’s what makes the current placement so poignant, as true foils.

[neidhart]

martyr rage

[zundely]

...My hand slipped

More of Samson Advisor AU because I just couln't help myself. I'm not amazing with armor design but hopefully it works well enough.

I aslo gave him a cat because I am selfindulgent like that- a mangy stray for my mangy stray of a man. Her name is "Serah Cat" because Samson gives me the vibe of a guy who would just accidentaly adopt a cat of the street and would call it whatever seemed funny at the moment.

He also smokes elfroot to help with the chronic pain he definitely has, looks tired 24/7, is very very proud of his men, snippy about both nobles and the Chantry whenever he gets a chance, has to be physically forced into anything looking at least semi- presentable, to great dismay of Josephine, who is also possibly the only person capable of forcing him to put on a formal wear for an event. (No one says no to Josephine)

[inquisiorastoria]

Day 18: Red lyrium

[stcnemss]

which was the battle that took yall the longest in inquisition? Mine was Samson holy shit I redid it so many times and I had to be in the tactical camera at all times☠️

[the-drowsy-captains-art]

I know its not canon but I have a little headcanon that shard of lyrium is actually a part of him.

And a shameless plug for a fanfic about it.

[muddiestpath]

"Let's bring back an obscure da2 npc as the military advisor." but they got it right

[greenapplespider]

Samson/Bethany from Dragon Age

Interesting rare pair. Rating cute but tragic.

Prompt follows as such: Bethany and Samson start a bit of a romantic fling in act one. Samson catches feeling for Bethany rather hard and the fact that she doesn’t come back from the deeproads hits him like a truck (if they existed in Thades). He spirals hard into depression and his lyrium addiction.

Making the song of red lyrium all the sweeter, by Inquisition, because what else is left for someone as pathetic as him?

[stark-illerbase]

Having Fenris in the party while you talk to Samson is so fucking funny ik Hawke is squinting between the two of them like "Have you ever noticed you two sound eerily similar? Apart from the accents of course"

[direct-from-orzammar]

31 Days of Dragon Age: Day 26

Favorite Inquisition NPC

This might be cheating, since Samson wasn't technically introduced in DAI. But he went from a character I liked but wasn't my favorite in DA2 to a villain that I like better than the main one. Then again, I'm not crazy about Corypheus, and I think both he and Calpurnia are way more interesting than him. So the bar was kinda low there.

This is also informed by the short story Paper and Steel. And honestly, I love a good sympathetic villain. At least, I sympathize with him. His whole arc and descent into villainy is tragic. It's tragic in how much it reflects the templars that were driven to desperation and how the harm that the Chantry and the Circle inflicted went far deeper than what was obvious on the surface.

Now don't get me wrong. The Templars are perpetrators of horrific violence. And we see abuses of the power that they hold over mages countless times in the series. But I think my opinion on Samson really changed when I learned why he was ejected from the order, and about how we went out of his way to protect Maddox. I think there were some genuine good intentions that paved his particular road to hell. Corypheus told the right lies, and Samson fell for them. He fucked up. He fucked up bad. But so many of his mistakes and failings are so painfully human I can't help but be captivated by his story.

[illusivesoul]

"Meredith should consider reinstating Samson. When it came down to it, he showed where his heart is" "Thank you"

[miseryscrowned]

Sadira and Samson as a gift for my friend @lavellanvibes 💜💐

[zundely]

Because I recently got inspired by the idea floating around again and know no self-restraint

Some Samson Advisor AU thoughts, here we go:

Because I am self indulgent like that I belive the blueprint for what Samson would be like as a Commander is pretty close to Samuel Vimes from the Discworld series by Sir Terry Pratchett- both characters have had to struggle with addiction and poverty in their lives. He also, as most of Sir Pratchett characters do, has a sense of humor that I think would also fit here. All in all I think a Commander Samson would be the type to first teach man how to fight the proper way and then go "good good, now forget all that, because we will learn the type of fighting that will save your life in a dark alley"- good mix of proper military technique and some streetsmarts. Also this quote

2. Speaking of that quote, I do not like how Cullen's personal quest is written- so instead of central choice being should Samson take lyrium again, I would like Samson's personal quest to be more about his relationship to power and authority after whole Meredith situation. I would like to see Samson have some thoughts about the amount of control over people he now has and how easy it is to slip into patterns where you take all of that for granted. Maybe one of his man has been caught stealing or on some comparable misbehavior but Samson is reluctant to punish him in a way that is expected because he knows this particular solider is in a tough spot, and well- he knows all to well how not all orders can be obeyed. And the inquisitor could choose how to deal with the situation, by this showing the type of leadership you expect of Samson- either one where you allow him to be a little softer, and in line with what his conscience dictates or allow no wiggle room and demand full obedience- which could mean he becomes the type of leader he hates, one that needs to put a leash around his people's neck and constantly tug at it to have them fall in line.

3. That said I think Commander Samson would be the type that seems a bit rough on the outside, a little bit pessmistic but he makes effort to remember each individual solider, know something about them etc. He knows how to it is to serve a cause that doesn't give back anything to you and would try his best to make his soldiers feel that they matter.

4. Damn the fact he ain't conventionally hot, I would bet there are people out there who would romance him. And I think they all should be able to- granted, I think Cullen should have been bi and not race-locked as well. But if we are talking romance I think the first few times you would flirt with the guy he would sort of half-jokingly flirt back and then after a couple of times there would be a scene where he goes "Wait... you are actually serious about it, aren't you?" And he would reveal that yeah he is obviously interested in you, not sure why you are in him but he is not going to stop you. For whatever reason I also got an idea in my head that one of his romantic cutscenes would basically be "You work too hard and I haven't seen in you eating in... might be never honestly, how do you stay alive, anyway I made us a dinner". Don't know why, I just get the vibes that Samson knows how to cook.

[chernychnyi]

ok i'll bite... switching places au

[abyssal-ilk]

replaying dao and da2 will really make you think damn. sure wish samson was my advisor in dai! why is cullen here.