#he is cold blunt and serious but ultimately not unfeeling

[prettyboykatsuki]

Ari would you talk a bit more about how Sae can love you like someone born first, like an older brother with examples maybe? Only if you want to of course! You're one of the few people i trust with characterization so it's always a delightful experience to read how you view them!

yes!

its kind of hard for me to verbalize this ajkfdkjsf but i think older brothers tend to put a pressure on themselves to act a certain way even in the instances that their parents aren't putting outside pressure on them to succeed. this is effected by the gender of their younger sibling to an extent but it's just sort of an older sibling instinct.

a lot older brothers in relationships are sort of universally the same in relationships? they're not... nice. like that's not the word i would describe them with usually. kind but not nice. i think where rin can love you in a softer and more vulnerable way - sae is perpetually stone faced and almost a little cold around you to the point you have a hard time understanding his feelings

sae can love you like someone born first as in, he'll always look out for you, always give into you, and always be lenient towards you. he probably won't express any part of himself that openly like it won't show on his face but if you spend any time with him it's a bit obvious.

sae as a character i think values people who have a sense of independence and can accept him where he is - but contrarily i think he needs to be needed and the way he loves you reflects that conflict.

he'll do almost anything for you once he gets to that point in his own feelings but he won't approach you warmly or communicate these things to you at all lol. he has the distant kind of love that makes you feel like there's a wall between you and a debt you can't often repay.

to me that kind of stoicism and kindness feels very familiar to first born kids and big brother in general. this what i can do for you. i can love you practically and give you answer and solutions.

he seems like he needs to loved softly for that reason.

[blacksunscorpio]

Scorp you're a genius! So relatable and I love how you don't judge others or anyone who comes to you for help. Keep it up! I just had to ask since I see that you make pop culture references to make analogies with astrology. You've mentioned GoT a few times and im a huge fan! Can you do a quick post on Game of Thrones characters and their potential zodiac signs? I'd love to hear your input! Thank you so much!!

Game of Thrones Characters & Their Zodiac Signs

Aries

Khal Drogo- Impulsive. Warlike. Bloodthirsty. Alpha. Conqueror. Hardcore athlete [did you see him on that horse?] Extremely sexual. Forceful. When he first meets Daenerys, he forces himself on her. Afterward, however, he is the first to go to war if he feels the people around him have been disrespected.

Aerys Targaryen- Impulsive, sadistic. Boastful. imperial. He would be the Emperor [reversed] in Tarot, lol. Not as good with being a tactician as he ought to have been. Cruel. Rage problems. The need to be the first and the best. Fire and blood, anyone?

Taurus

Maergery Tyrell - Classy, wealthy, sexy, laid-back, frank but with an air of elegance. Highgardeners have a love for the finer things in life. A love of fine wines and foods. Beautiful clothing and aesthetics. RICH RICH. Get on their bad side and they will take their time finding a way to subvert your authority.

Robert Baratheon- Love of luxury, bullheaded, strong, takes no shit. Fixed in his opinions of others, highkey jealous. In his youth, he enjoyed the gifts of Venus: Charm, wealth coming from the noble house of Baratheon, widely considered handsome by almost all in the 7 kingdoms. 

Gemini

Tyrion Lannister- Silver-tongued. HIGHKEY intelligent. Social. Charming. Great sense of humor. A freak [in the sheets]. Chatty. Always finds his way out of a sticky situation. Finds a way to use his intel to bolster diplomacy between his family and the families who hate them.

Little Finger- Cunning, quick-witted, works behind the scenes, manipulative, a  snake, jack of all trades. Top dog in the social circles of the 7 Kingdoms. There wasn’t a person who didn’t know of him and his... reputation. He singlehandedly, through his Machiavellian tactics, caused the events of Game of Thrones to unfold. 

Cancer  

Cersei Lannister- Protective, moody, caring [to her kids], motherly, cantankerous, jealous. A savage. People don’t give Cancer’s the credit they deserve in terms of what they’re capable of. Cersei is a prime example of the type of person who can show unrivaled levels of devotion to the one’s they love. “No one matters but us.” She can be cruel because she lets her emotions rule her actions. When her safety is threatened, she makes sure no one else feels safe either. She loves with a ferocity only rivaled by...

Catelyn Stark- Another mother who would die [quite literally] for her children. Fierce, Protective. Doting. JEALOUS. Let’s not forget how she treated Jon all because she believed Ned’s lie about him being a bastard. Followed her son into battle. Damn near lost her hands fighting off Bran’s would-be assassin. 

Leo

Jaime Lannister- Proud. Handsome. Princely. Funny. We seem him go from underdeveloped Leo [arrogant, selfish, bully, prideful, snob, loyal to no one but himself] to developed [Kind, helpful, warm, honest]. Fought bears for his friends. Skilled and proud fighter even without the use of both his hands. Unfortunately, his loyalty caused him to stay loyal to his twin towards the end, but such is the nature of a Leo. They’re hard-pressed to abandon those they truly care for.

Brienne of Tarth- LOYAL. Proud. Devoted. A bit of a flare for drama especially brandishing her sword. Brienne is the definition of Leonine traits. Hard to miss. Devoted to those who show her kindness, i.e Renly, Catelyn, Jaime, Sansa, etc. Always at the front lines in war screaming “STAND YOUR GROUND”. Unrivaled levels of bravery and courage. Not to be fucked with. A true Queen.

Virgo

Samwell Tarley- Intelligent. Scholarly. Methodical. Always with his nose in a book. Unproblematic king. Caught the things everyone else missed, especially when he was an apprentice in Old Towne. Figured out how to cure Jorah Mormont’s affliction on his OWN without any formal training. Genius.

Lord Varys- Remember, Virgo is also ruled by Mercury who is the most cunning of the planetary rulers. Varys always had a spy to collect intel on everyone. A tactician. Never lost his temper. Always had the scoop but didn’t partake in gossip for gossip's sake. Not afraid to be critical or tell those “in charge” his opinion. We can see this specifically when he critiques Aerys, Daenerys, and Robert. 

Libra

Davos Seaworth- a skilled diplomat. Davos is always seen seeking balance and fairness in the situations he finds himself in. The minute you see this man in a scene you know he’s going to give a moving speech and get someone out fo a sticky situation. He convinced the Iron Bank to support Stannis. Convinced Daenerys to entertain Jon Snow when they traveled to Dragonstone. Always breaking up a fight. He is in full support of law and order, especially when he called for Melisandre’s head after discovering her part in Shireen’s death [RIP.]

Rhaegar Targaryen- Had a love of music. Harmony. Balance. He brought two families together [Stark and Targaryen]. He was also blessed by Venus in my opinion because he was said to be extremely handsome. A fabulous singer. A fighter yes, but a lover first. Very good with diplomacy but not the best with defending himself against his cousin sign, Taurus [Robert Baratheon].

Scorpio

Daenerys Targaryen- Many see her as an Aries but I have to respectfully disagree. Daenerys is a Scorpio in my opinion. Remember, Scorpio is honorary fire. She was literally “reborn from the ashes”. A Phoenix, Scorpio’s final form. She went from a silent and meek girl to a skilled and commanding Empress. Unlike Arians, she did not jump headfirst into battle. It took many arrows in her dragons, many slights to her ego, copious council from her advisors, dozens of her loved ones lost for her to go nuclear. Like her father, she hungered for power, a very Scorpionic trait. However she, unlike her father, listened to reason [Jorah, Tyrion, and Barristan Selmy]. She had a long fuse until she didn’t, and then that’s when she rained fire and blood on everyone in King’s Landing. She was skilled at retribution and was unapologetic with it *cough* the Tarleys *cough*.. Unlike Arians who pop off at the drop of a hat, she gave her enemies fair warning if/when they crossed her.

Arya Stark- You already know what it is with this one. Arya is pretty much death [Pluto], personified. Stealthy. A tactician. VENGEFUL. I think we all fist-pumped when she served Filch Walder Frey his sons in that pie. Never forgets a slight. Keeps a list of people who’ve wronged her [All Scorpios can probably relate]. You never see her coming. She is “no-one”. She is the assassin that slips through the back. She may seem calm at first but trust that she has been planning your downfall for a while. LOYAL. The definition of a Scorpio.

Melisandre- Dark. Mysterious. Unafraid of the occult. So much of her life is unknown and I’m sure that’s how she preferred it. Even her Lord of light was mysterious. Strong supernatural abilities and highkey psychic. Knew immediately how many “eyes” Arya would “close.” Had ties to the underworld which is demonstrated with her ability to resurrect the dead. Came through at the clutch in the last battle wielding fire [Mars] with her witchcraft. It’s no secret that Scorpios are some of the most skilled in sorcery.

Sagittarius

Missandei- Exotic. From Naath which is an island just above the mysterious continent of Sothoryos. A world traveler. Lucky enough to escape slavery [until the end]. Jupiter's influence is here in my opinion because she is so kind and friendly. Also a polyglot and gifted with the ability to speak 19 languages. Her fire is seen at the end of the series when she tells her best friend “Dracarys”-- meaning “fire” in High Valyrian. She isn’t afraid to call wrath down on others.

Olenna Tyrell- Loud, unapologetically blunt, zero-filter, feisty. Olenna to me is the definition of Sagittarius. Always speaks her mind. Clap back queen. Will call you out. Was also quite promiscuous in her younger years. Very charismatic and extremely likable despite her penchant for saying whatever was on her mind.

Capricorn

Tywin Lannister- I can’t see the patriarch of the most notorious family in Westeros being anything other than a Capricorn. Methodical. Structured. Business-minded. Karmic [A "Lannister always repays his debts"] Cold. Cruel. Unfeeling. Like Saturn, he is the father figure. Basically ran the 7 Kingdoms for Aerys, [which was probably why the latter was so salty towards him.] Always has a plan. The man you want in charge if we’re strictly talking about law and order. Vindictive [had the mountain kill Elia because Rhaegar rejected Cersei.] He’s the ultimate son-of-a-bitch.

Jon Snow- Brooding hero that he is, Bae Jon Snow is without a doubt a Capricorn in my eyes. Duty-bound. Serious. A leader in his own right. Could also be cold and unfeeling in terms of distributing karmic justice. Lest we forget the “fetch-me-a-block” situation with Janos Slynt. In addition, the moment he was resurrected he took vengeance against the black brothers who betrayed him. Saturn, Like Pluto, is all about karmic justice. The beating he put on Ramsey after The Battle of the Bastards was one thousand percent a karmic beating. A proper lover as well, according to Ygritte, Jon also knew how to handle himself in the bedroom, a trait very akin to Capricorns.

Aquarius

Bran Stark- I thought about making Bran a Pisces, but then I changed my mind. Remember Uranus rules sudden insights and hardcore psychic receptivity. It also rules sudden and unexpected catastrophes or surprises/ sudden breaks. Bran suffered a literal “tower” moment at the beginning of the series which resulted in his psychic powers developing. Once he became the three-eyed raven, he became very detached from the world.

Grey Worm- Aquarius is also androgynous. Grey Worm is a eunuch. He is always down to fight for a cause though, specifically his queen’s. Cares about others, specifically Missandei, and was seen towards the latter season speaking up for the Unsullied against the slavers. Fierce combatant but also very detached. His job is his job.

Pisces

Jaqen H’ghar- Much like Neptune, Pisces’ ruler Jaqen has a mysterious and illusive personality. He wears “many faces”. Skilled at illusion and very very intuitive. Has a soft side though which is clearly seen with how he treats Arya. Hardly ever flies off the handle. Calm. Cool. Collected.

Hodor- Sweet and gentle giant, Hodor is a Pisces to me. Affected by psychic trauma, it’s revealed why “Hodor” is the only thing he can say. Calm. A bit of a baby. Caring. Easily adaptable [think of all the terrain he carried Bran through]

Eddard Stark- I don't care what anyone says, Ned stark to me represents the most developed form of a Pisces. Like the Hanged-Man in Tarot that represents sacrifice and which Neptune Rules, he willingly sacrificed his reputation as honorable for his sister, Lyanna. He later sacrifices himself for his children when he died at Joffrey’s [little bitch] command. He is wise. Though appears cold, he is actually a well of feeling and caring. Unfortunately, he also suffered from the naivety of Neptunian influence which is why he wasn’t very skilled at the Game of Thrones, which calls for more tactical ruthlessness. Pisceans however also have the rage of Poseidon flowing through their veins [which people like to forget]. This was displayed when he pinned Petyr Baelish to the Wall in King’s Landing for daring to dishonor Cat by inviting her into a Brothel. RIP, King Stark.

[kimmysfandomblog]

7, 12, 27, 29 for kamuhina if that’s okay-

Perfectly okay, Fishy!!! Thanks for the ask! 💕

7. What do they get up to on a night out?12. What first changes when it starts getting serious?27. Why do their friends get annoyed with them?29. Why do they fall a little bit more in love?

7. Hmm, I think it really depends on where in the relationship they’d be in! At first, I can see Hinata just trying to take Kamukura out to average date spots, like movies, walks in the park under moonlight, or eating out. Kamukura, though, is just not impressed at all and it’s awkward as heck since Kamukura doesn’t refrain from saying this or that is boring. Hinata feels like a failure, but even if Kamukura was the one who proposed dating in the first place, Kamukura doesn’t even attempt to ask Hinata out. However, even after each failed date, Kamukura will still accept when Hinata asks him out the next time. Eventually, Hinata figures out Kamukura may not find anything interesting in the date itself, but he still cares an awful lot for Hinata! Eventually, Hinata and him come to a balance. Kamukura is still unmotivated to take Hinata out anywhere, but at least Hinata now joins in the snark-fest XD

“Kamukura, that girl’s gonna open the door and invite the monster in…. even though her boyfriend told her not to, isn’t she?” “…”(a few minutes later, the girl did just that) “Of course she did.” “This movie is boring.” (chuckles) “You got that right.”

Later on, they actually do become a bit more adventurous, and Kamukura even tells Hinata where they should go a couple of times, where they’ll see a rare sight, like meteor showers and eclipses, or he predicts a rare animal is going to come to this place, and Hinata may want to see it. Kamukura doesn’t pay all that much attention, though. He’s only interested in Hinata, the one who makes him feel something despite being completely and utterly normal.

12. When things are actually getting serious… does this mean when Hinata feels more confident Kamukura isn’t just going to dump him? I guess that they must have talked through any inferiority Hinata feels to Kamukura, then! I like the idea of Kamukura getting a bit possessive over Hinata, and Hinata calls him weird for it because he can make his own decisions and protect himself, thank-you-very-much, but he’s also a bit flattered since Kamukura doesn’t do anything for anyone. Of course, Kamukura is also a bit more bold and may cause some harmless things to happen to Hinata, if only to see how Hinata would react XD And Hinata, I think, may initiate the physical intimacies, like kissing and holding hands, and hugs, but even when Kamukura decides not to respond, he knows it isn’t from lack of love or want. They eventually come to a balance of understanding, but this would be after quite a while of Hinata fighting with Kamukura because Kamukura can’t express his feelings very well.

27. Their friends are a bit weirded out by the Kamuhina couple XD Hinata and Kamukura are not very affectionate to each other, especially in public, and they are always bickering about little things, and Hinata often gets frustrated at Kamukura, too. At the same time, they don’t even know how it began, since they kind of figured out Hinata used to have a pretty sizable amount of animosity towards this unfeeling guy, and the next thing they know, he’s going out on dates and getting into trouble because Kamukura wanted to see how he’d get out of it XD As for Kamukura’s friends (Kaede? Nanami? Komaeda?) they’d be kinda shocked he was the one who started it and it doesn’t make any sense to them, honestly, but if Kamukura and Hinata haven’t broken up by now, then something must be going right. It’s good if Kamukura was actually able to find someone he can stand to be around and not call boring XD

29. Why do they fall in love, huh? I think that with Kamukura, he wouldn’t really know, and that fascinates him, even if he doesn’t show it. Someone so plain, so average, so boring without even a hint of talent caught his attention. Moreover, it’s clear the guy doesn’t really like Kamukura, yet Kamukura feels a connection. He tries to logic his way out of it, saying it must be to do with teenage hormones, some kind of chemical in the body. He doesn’t really believe it to be “true love” since such a thing doesn’t exist in his mind, and it wasn’t even like he immediately fell in love with Hinata. Something about how Hinata doesn’t worship him for his talents, yet still acknowledges they are a part of him, speaks to him. Something about Hinata being so plain with nothing besides good intentions and ambition intrigues him. The feelings he grew for Hinata, he can’t even say it is because Hinata has ever been really kind to Kamukura. However, Kamukura sees how he treats all the others: despite being untalented, despite knowing Hinata doesn’t feel an ounce of self-worth in comparison to these guys, Hinata still attracts people to him somehow. He’s one who listens to everyone’s problems, he is invited to and joins events with the Ultimates, he is eventually able to get snarky about them as if he was on the same level…. Izuru shouldn’t be attracted to this guy, yet he is, and he is getting feelings like envy and fondness for a guy that is clearly annoyed by him.

As for Hinata, Kamukura is such a stand-offish person who refuses to interact with anyone that he finds him so annoying. Here is this person, who has all that Hinata thought he dreamed of: the talent, the respect, the acknowledgement. This guy does nothing. Quite literally.He calls all of the people who have tried to interact with him boring, even the ones that call themselves Kamukura’s friends because he at least tolerates their presence and lets them drag him into events he doesn’t have any passion participating in. He’s really cold and blunt, and he’s hurt people’s feelings before, and Hinata is pretty sure he hates Kamukura. Yet, even through the rage, Hinata is really curious about this guy. When Kamukura seems to not be cold, but rather distant to his classmates, Hinata can see the change, even if he doesn’t acknowledge it until finally the curiosity gets to him. He usually comes to Kamukura and blows up at him about not doing anything despite everyone falling over for him and all his talents, but this time he wants to know how Kamukura got his talents. Instead of an answer, he gets asked out. He tries to logic his way out of it, because he still feels he can’t forgive Kamukura completely (I mean, he’s definitely been told multiple times how boring and insignificant he is, and questioned on why he still comes to class activities when he’s a Reserve Course Student, all things that burn him like fire and he doesn’t know that this is Kamukura genuinely not knowing what is so attractive about Hinata). Kamukura…. he’s just not the type to woo a person. He’s super blunt about it. Hinata is curious about Kamukura, and has been since the beginning, so Kamukura says that if he really wants to figure him out so badly, then he should just accept going out with him. Hinata rejects him and runs away with Kamukura staring him up. A few days later, after just having to deal with Kamukura’s icy glare solely on him (how could he have ignored that stare for so long before?) he accepts being Kamukura’s boyfriend (he’s just got a few rules: no one finds out about it, Kamukura can’t go on about how boring he is, and he can end it anytime he wants to.)

And it is rocky at first, but the more time he spends with Kamukura, he sees Kamukura less as a symbol of his oppression as an average student (and he never realized it himself that is what he was seeing Kamukura as) and more as another human being, put on a pedestal so high that he feels equal to no one, and so emotionally stunted that he can’t express himself the same way. Before he knows it, Hinata realizes he actually likes spending time with Kamukura, especially once it is cleared up that Kamukura might find their outings boring, but he still likes spending time with Hinata, and actually has interest in Hinata (and Kamukura kept his word in never calling Hinata boring). Kamukura has changed, and Hinata realizes he can actually understand Kamukura better now. When he finds out how Kamukura’s life was like (cold, void, meant only to succeed and never allowed to fail), he’s angry at the ones who did this to Kamukura. His feelings of love were not immediate, but evolving at a slow rate. Before he knew it, he was acknowledging how pretty Kamukura’s eyes are, and how much he likes it when Kamukura looks at him. It took him some time to confess it (he’d already been in a relationship for over a year now and everyone knows they are dating at this point), but for once Kamukura looks a bit stunned, and his eyes a bit lighter. Neither of them have any regrets anymore.

[lavalampelfchild]

I Just Lost Cole...

So in my quest to experience a new worldstate I've never used for a DAI playthrough using an entirely throwaway Inquisitor, I accidentally created a character I like. Her name is Ceda, she’s an elf, and she almost always chooses the more serious/almost-aggressive options. To me she has thus far come across as practical, blunt, and emotionally disinterested in making friends. She takes her job seriously and keeps her feelings to herself. And she doesn’t agree with people just to get their approval. So, in an honest playthrough thus far, Iron Bull is the only one who’s really approved of her attitude and actions. With that in mind, I wasn’t exactly expecting her to make a lot of friends.

But I just lost Cole (after playing Champions of the Just and allying with the templars) and it blindsided me. I mean, Ceda’s cold in conversation, not very diplomatic, and she doesn’t care to beat around the bush, but I wasn’t playing her to be cruel.  And yet…

I know that Cole greatly disapproves of allying with the templars, so that started us off on some rocky footing, and, as per her usual tendency, Ceda didn’t welcome him to Skyhold with open arms or positive approval dialogue choices because that’s just not how she does things. So I suspect they never really moved past that initial disapproval from Champions of the Just.

Add to that my decision in Here Lies the Abyss, which was to allow the Wardens to remain and serve the Inquisition because that’s what I genuinely prefer to do, and I decided that Ceda would feel it practical to keep experts on slaying darkspawn around in case a large group of darkspawn (like in western Orlais) needed to be dealt with. She may also have been a bit arrogant in assuming that she and the Inquisition would be able to handle the Wardens should Corypheus get a hold over them again.

Of the decision to let the Wardens remain in Orlais and join the Inquisition, Cole greatly disapproved again.  

So there we have it: two doses of “greatly disapproves” and nothing much else.  Ceda has not concerned herself with choosing diplomatic dialogue options, nor has she done much to go out of her way and talk to people about anything other than the Inquisition.  Beyond “how are your people doing”, “what do you make of the people you work with”, and “is there anything I should know” she hasn’t been big on the chatting.  

I think that those two huge disapproval moments, plus the lack of Ceda talking to Cole and choosing options in dialogue that would earn even slight approval to soften his disposition toward her, ultimately led to Cole’s leaving the Inquisition.  At the end of the day, I didn’t have Ceda talk to him enough or help out NPCs in the Hinterlands enough to earn back even a bit of that lost approval. In hindsight it makes sense.

In the moment, though, I was shocked as hell because I legitimately didn’t think I was that close to the low disapproval scene for Cole.

And then the shock passed and I found myself frustrated and annoyed.  Because, in my attempt to roleplay a character as accurately to what she was becoming over the course of the playthrough as possible, the game interpreted a socially cold and distant personality as morally unfeeling.  And that’s just not true of Ceda.  The way I’ve been envisioning and trying to play her, she believes that focusing on the Breach instead of every individual sob story they come across is the best strategy for restoring some semblance of peace to Thedas. But apparently, the game decided that she instead didn’t like helping people. So, in one sense, I have this feeling of being cheated by a game with limited and linear programming that is designed a certain way, and which favors certain paths over others. (I’m reminded of the Paragon v. Renegade paths in Mass Effect)  This is not the first time BioWare has done this, (nor will it be the last, I suspect) and it annoys me now as much as it did before.

But on the other hand, a surprisingly fantastic character moment just emerged from this, and there seems to be an interesting opportunity for growth and development here.  For both Cole and Ceda.  On Cole’s part, from a narrative perspective, he greatly misinterpreted Ceda’s character in this moment because she has not thus far projected any of the warmth that he normally tries to when helping people; she hasn’t given herself or her efforts to compassion toward individuals as Cole would have preferred, and instead directed her focus and actions to more of a “larger picture” plan by making calls that she knew not many people would like, but that she felt were best for all involved.  

Like allying with the templars to avoid fostering resentment and division amongst Inquisition members and the templars who would technically have been prisoners had she not given them equal status.  Or allowing the Wardens to remain and aid the Inquisition because their talents were useful, and if they wanted to see that as an opportunity to atone, then so be it. She knows what it is to fudge up and want to fix things.  

To Cole (and many others) this was opportunistic, ruthlessly pragmatic, and led him to believe that Ceda was willing to brush their crimes under the rug because she thought their usefulness outweighed the pain they’d caused others.  And that made Ceda, in his eyes, the Wrong Person to be Working With.

To Ceda, those decisions were the best ways for her to help people in the long run. They allowed the Inquisition to bolster its forces, and allowed her to keep close and constant watch over other organizations that messed up and helped cause the whole mess in the first place. If accused of being ruthlessly pragmatic, she would agree and ask how that’s bad. If accused of not wanting to help people and brushing crimes under the rug, she would stiffen up and demand to know how before preparing a rebuttal.

Because despite Cole’s accusations, and despite their different approaches to the same thing - helping Thedas - Ceda was and is trying, and Cole isn’t entirely correct in his claim that she doesn’t like to help people.  She doesn’t go about it the best way all the time, and she certainly could work more on compromising, but her intentions are similar to his. I haven’t decided much of her backstory (honestly I hadn’t intended to because her initial purpose was to allow me to try out a different worldstate for her playthrough) so I don’t know as much about her motivations and beliefs as I do for my other OCs, but I know that she has morals and holds to them proudly.  I know that she wants to stop the Breach and doesn’t particularly care for the power that comes with leading the Inquisition, though she knows that she can and should make use of it. I also know that she’s no saint and that she is capable of stubbornness, arrogance, and - yes - ruthless pragmatism. But it’s the complex relationship between all these things that I would rather focus on instead of failing to meet the game’s black and white standards of morality.

For Cole, this could be a moment of coming face to face with the complexity and nuanced nature of mortals. Part of what frustrated me about Cole’s accusation of Ceda was that it came from a character who can literally see into the minds of others, and if that’s the case, then he should be able to see into Ceda’s mind and know that she, at the very least, isn’t a coldhearted monster who’s willing to let all the innocent people die and all the crimes go unpunished to achieve her own goals.  This is a limitation of the game and programming, I understand, but I like to imagine that narratively, Cole does more thinking about the odd contradictions he sees in Ceda’s mind and actions, and that it leads him to a more nuanced view of her as an individual, and of the mortal mind/nature in general.

For Ceda’s part, this could be a moment of development because it forces her to confront and acknowledge how people see her and interpret her actions.  In Cole’s case, it was negatively, and she lost a valued member of the Inquisition because of it.  It wasn’t enough of a wake-up call to have her begging him to stay (I played the scene in-character for her, and she basically allowed him to go without putting up a fight because it’s not her place to force people to stay when they don’t want to; plus she doesn’t want someone there when they’re unwilling anyway) but I headcanon it as being enough to impress upon her the potential consequences of miscommunication and a lack of transparency on her part when it comes to her own goals for the Inquisition and her principles regarding the decisions she has to make.

I also think that it could get her to start thinking more about her own place in the Inquisition and what it would take to actually open herself more to dissenting opinions and learn to compromise a bit. Especially if it remains a part of her narrative canon that Cole made her forget and she’s not entirely sure where these thoughts are coming from, only that there’s some vaguely distressed and perplexed part of her mind that won’t let up about it.

Ultimately, I think I’m going to roll with this loss for the rest of the playthrough, and see what happens. It might be that Ceda will feel compelled to act a bit more diplomatically and with more concern for how others respond to her actions in the future, I don’t know.  But regardless I’m too attached to the potential story that could go along with this unexpected development to go back and meta-game it away.

Besides, I liked how the scene concluded with Cullen basically coming out to say, “You okay, boss?” as Ceda had some trouble maintaining composure after Cole made her forget.  I thought it was sweet of Cullen, and also the timing was perfect because Ceda had just finished berating him for not telling her about his decision to stop using lyrium (because she saw that as potentially compromising the Inquisition’s forces if the withdrawal got too bad), and declaring that she didn’t care what decision he made so long as he did his job.  I headcanon that she also declared that Cullen would be deferring to her judgment as well as Cassandra’s because she doesn’t trust Cassandra to remain unbiased when assessing Cullen’s condition.  So, basically, this was a nice little turnabout moment that I enjoyed. Kill her with kindness, Cullen! (Say that ten times fast.)

[nyx-ships]

If you ever need a prompt, maybe like, an au where hunter!Ohm meets vampire!Bryce (who's never met a human??) And is super annoyed because Bryce follows him like a puppy and smells him any chance he gets.

Title: Different

Pairing: Brohm

Rating: T

Word Count: 4245

A/N: Ahhh, sorry for the long wait, anon! I had trouble figuring out how to write the ending, and I wanted it to be a bit longer since it took me so long. But, now the wait is over, and you can finally read what I hope is an okay fic :3

Enjoy :p

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Another swift, silent kill to add to his list.

Another ridding of this horrible, cold, unfeeling species to add to his list.

Another being of evil obliterated from this world to add to his ever growing list.

How many was it now? How many monstrous lives had he destroyed for the greater good?

300 dead and still counting.

Well, now it was 301, but who was keeping track?

Oh, that’s right, he was.

He, the one who willingly kills them without so much as a second glance.

The one who willingly watches as the life drains from their eyes without so much as a roll of his own.

The one who willingly tears them apart, emotionally and physically, with a smile and a scoff.

They didn’t call him a hunter for nothing, after all.

But, he wasn’t just any old hunter. He was The Hunter. Everyone knew him, everyone either feared or looked up to him.

Really, Ryan was the best. Known throughout the world as Ohmwrecker, Vampire Mutilator. And he couldn’t disagree with the title, because it wasn’t far from the truth. Not at all far from the truth.

He tended to get a little…..brutal with his victims. Well, butal was an understatement. In the vampire world, Ryan was the monster.

Because no amount of begging or pleading stopped him from ripping apart a vampire’s flesh with a silver blade, no amount of babbling or crying stopped him from putting a bullet through their skull.

And that’s the way he liked it. He liked the merciless killings that left him with a pile of blood and a heap of flesh. They gave him this sort of adrenaline that pumped through his veins, and it reminded him that he was alive and real, doing something that mattered.

It reminded him that the world needed him.

After the death of his family, his mother, father, and two brothers, Ryan was left alone, suffering from the loss of his loved ones. He didn’t know if life was worth living, if he would ever be able to move on.

Because when his 16 year old self walked in on the mess of blood, the two men hunched over his mother’s crying form, the rest of his family already dead and discarded to the side like trash, he couldn’t understand what he had done to deserve this kind of pain.

Because when his mother looked him in the eyes and mouthed for him to run, while Ryan did, he couldn’t understand why the world would do this to him.

When he heard the dying scream that he knew belonged to his mother, when he crouched in that alleyway and let the first few tears cascade down his face, when he remarkably went back to his home to see the damage, Ryan couldn’t grasp why he was tortured like this. Why he was given this.

As he stared down at the bodies, stepped in his family’s blood, looked into their dead, lifeless eyes, he could not fathom why this type of grief was put upon him.

As he leaned down next to his mother’s still barely rising chest, listening, hoping she would say something, he wanted to know why.

When all that came from her mouth was gurgling and a red trail down her cheek that mixed in with salty tears, he still couldn’t understand anything. He still couldn’t understand why the Hell the world would do this to him.

He got good grades, he did his chores, he was always nice to strangers, he was an optimistic kid with morals and goals.

What did he do wrong to deserve this type of suffering?

Looking back on it, Ryan still didn’t have the answer. Maybe it was because life wasn’t fair, the world was cruel, and the best people had to be knocked down.

Either way, the loss of his family ultimately led him to his job. As cheesy as it sounded, he became a hunter for revenge, to avenge, and to help make sure no kid had to go through what he did.

Along with that, he became quite different than his old self. In his mind, he improved, but really, was hiding away and closing yourself off an improvement?

No longer did he say hello to his neighbors when he got up each morning.

No longer did he smile and wave as people walked by, as they passed him to continue their lives.

He shut himself off from the world, mainly to hide his weaknesses. It was a little known fact that vampires from around the world often stalked him, tried to find his Achilles heel, in order to take him down.

To prevent that, Ryan did the only thing he could. He closed off his emotions, wore a constant poker face, and cut ties with any and all of his childhood friends.

And it worked. Not one of these undead beings had gotten anywhere close to killing him.

To him, it was an improvement.

Ryan chuckled at the thought as he stared down at the mess he had made.

This one right here had tried to kill him. Brian was his name. And man, he didn’t go down without a fight.

Brian insisted on finding his weak point, on ending this famous hunter, Ryan respected that.

But boy, had that worked out for him.

Now he was nothing but blood and bones, with a bullet in his brain and coordinated slashes across his body.

Ryan kicked at the dead body, before leaning down and searching the corpse’s pockets for something, anything, he could keep as a little souvenir.

He scowled when the blood dripped onto his hands, but it didn’t really bother him too much. It wasn’t like he wasn’t covered in it anyway.

Call him sick, but Ryan liked keeping little knick knacks from his travels and killings. He had quite a few wallets and phones, some necklaces and bracelets, pairs of glasses, little good luck charms, handkerchiefs, even little tubes of makeup.

All so he could remember his victims.

They reminded him what he had to do, that no vampire should be allowed to live. Not when they preyed on the weak and feasted on those who couldn’t defend themselves.

He pulled out a wallet, and took the id, deciding to leave the money holder and just stick to having information.

He looked over the license, taking note of Brian’s age and full name, staring at the picture that conveyed false innocence and human-like features.

It almost made him laugh.

“Thanks, Brian.” He smirked, pocketing the license, “ It was fun while it lasted.”

With one last look over and another kick, Ryan began to retreat from the alleyway, knowing the police would deal with body. They always did.

All he had to do was give them an anonymous tip as to where a vampire had been seen, and they’d deal with it.

He pulled up his bloody bandana, not bothering to wipe off any excess, he could do that later.

Besides, it was 3 in the morning, who would be out to see him like this?

“No one in their right mind woul-”

“You know, it’s really not nice to torture them like that.”

Ryan froze in his place, the bubbly voice coming from behind him, back by the body.

His fists clenched tightly, nails digging into skin as a million thoughts ran through his head, regarding the voice and what to do.

“But I must admit, it’s kinda cool how precise you are.”

Ryan held his breath for a few seconds, the voice undeniably close, too close for comfort. This could end badly if he wasn’t careful with his approach. He’d hate to have to kill an innocent person for being nosy.

“What the hell?” He mumbled to himself, the light laughter from the stranger tipping him over the edge. He growled quietly, pulling out his gun stealthily and cocking it, his finger resting lightly on the trigger, ready to do some serious damage.

He listened for any type of movement, to help him know exactly where to go to be face to face with the person that belonged to the upbeat voice.

When he heard the slight rustling of clothes behind him to the left, his breathing hitched and his eyes narrowed as he took control of the situation.

In one quick turn, he had his gun pressed against the stranger’s forehead, other hand reaching for a knife, but the voice started again, its happy tone keeping him from grabbing his secondary weapon.

The blonde before him put his hands up in mock surrender and stared down at Ryan, eyes playful, not at all deterred by the fact that there was a gun to his head.

“Whoa there, I was just admiring your work, that’s all.”

Ryan narrowed his eyes at the male, taking in his pale skin and the two teeth that poked out of the sides of his mouth when he smiled.

He was undoubtedly a vampire, his features showed it all, but Ryan couldn’t seem to find the guts to pull the trigger. There was something achingly familiar in those eyes that held him back.

And he cursed himself for it.

So instead, he growled lowly and tightened his grip on the gun, trying to at least scare the man into thinking he would kill him.

But the blonde just giggled, staring down at the body next to him and touching it with his foot, grimacing a bit as the blood got on his white sneakers.

“Hmm. Good thing no one really liked Brian,” he paused, “they all thought his impressions were annoying.”

The blonde grinned, waving at Ryan and extending his hand, his happy exterior contrasting harshly with Ryan’s blunt, emotionless one, “I’m Bryce! And you must be…..?”

Ryan didn’t make an effort to tell Bryce, so the  blonde just nodded before looking to the bandana, eyebrows raising and mouth opening slightly in what seemed to be awe.

“You must be Ohmwrecker! You’re that famous vampire murderer, right? I’m gonna call you Ohm for short. Can I call you Ohm? It takes up less air.”

Ryan instinctively brought his gun down, baffled and annoyed by the young man’s ignorance and complete comfortability with being face to face with a vampire hunter. With him, nonetheless.

He pinched himself, hoping this was all a bad dream, but he didn’t wake up, and unfortunately for him, Bryce kept talking.

“This isn’t a dream, silly! I’m Bryce and I’m really here. You’re Ohm and you’re really here!”

Ryan sighed. He had never hesitated to kill a vampire, but Bryce was different. And he suddenly knew why. It didn’t take much though, really.

He reminded Ryan of his young self.

As annoying as he was, he seemed innocent, almost childish, and Ryan had sworn long ago not to kill anyone with those qualities. Probably because he never thought he would meet a monster who harbored such traits so fiercely.

But here he was, standing in front of Bryce, who was exactly what a vampire shouldn’t be. The epitome of it, really.

He was bubbly, bright, radiated this curiosity and kindness, and quite frankly, it confused Ryan.

In over his ten years of hunting, he had never met a vampire like Bryce. Never.

So distracted by this realization was he, Ryan didn’t even notice that his gun had been taken, and his knives were stripped from his waist, along with his ammo, leaving him pretty much defenseless.

He only noticed when he saw Bryce fling his items over the wall of the alley, a disgusted look on his face as he touched the weapons, but his smile returned, and at that moment, a familiar fear pooled in Ryan’s stomach, but he chose to ignore it, only looking at Bryce with an annoyed/appalled look on his face, which the blonde simply laughed at.

“I didn’t want you killing me, silly.”

Apparently, Ryan had forgotten how quick Bryce was. He let his guard down and now his stuff was gone.

Ryan went to open up his mouth, but Bryce held up a finger, shushing him so he could continue.

“And don’t worry, Ohm, I won’t kill you, that’d be a waste of a pretty face, don’t you think so?”

Ryan made a face that was mixed with confusion and disgust, but the blush that rose to his cheeks betrayed his intended reaction.

Bryce raised a brow, acknowledging the blush, but thankfully, he said nothing.

Ryan rubbed a hand over his pink-tinted face, staring up at the barrier that separated him from his weapons.

No one had tired him out in such a short amount of time like Bryce. He was a natural at it too, and Ryan wouldn’t lie, the blonde was starting to give him a headache.

He sighed inwardly, walking past Bryce to the wall, getting ready to climb the damn thing and get his stuff back, but a hand around his wrist and a tingling of his neck had him stopping his movements, shivers trailing up and down his spine involuntarily.

His eyes took in the sight before him, fear rushing towards the front of his brain on instinct, and he felt his heart racing and blood pumping as he stared.

Bryce had his head in the crook of Ryan’s neck, which he fit perfectly in, and he kept inhaling deeply, sometimes shakily, lips parting ever so slightly to exhale against Ryan’s flesh, seemingly smelling him.

Bryce looked perfectly content, like he belonged there and nobody could stop him from figuring out the man’s scent.

And Ryan sure as hell wasn’t going to try.

Ryan couldn’t move, he didn’t dare. Not when Bryce’s mouth was centimeters from his neck. It didn’t matter that Bryce had told him he wouldn’t kill him, what if he turned him into one of them instead?

The last thing Ryan wanted was to be a monster. The last thing he wanted was to become the being he absolutely despised the most in this world.

He’d rather die, really.

Ryan swallowed the lump in his throat, and Bryce looked up between dark lashes, eyes slightly dilated, and quite frankly, it scared Ryan.

But, to the human’s grateful surprise, instead of biting down on his flesh and taking away his humanity, Bryce fully rested his head on Ryan’s shoulder, his grip on the brunette’s wrist tightening ever so slightly.

He looked like he was having trouble focusing, like his grip on Ryan was the only thing keeping him from doing what was expected.

It was obvious what was happening.

Bryce was holding himself back from hurting the cute hunter. And Ryan took note of this. His restraint alone was enough of a reason to trust him, but Ryan was still wary when Bryce spoke into his skin.

“Minus Brian’s blood and tears, you smell really good. Kinda like tea and blueberries.”

Ryan could’ve easily torn himself out of Bryce’s hold, the male was distracted by his scent, but he found himself staying put in the blonde’s grasp, finding some sort of enjoyment from the intimate action.

Ryan gulped, he was really losing it.

He enjoyed being held by a vampire.

He. Enjoyed. Being. Held. By. A. Vampire.

All of his morals, his promises, the whole avenging his family thing?

All of that was melted away by Bryce’s touch. And it scared Ryan. It scared him to think that a little contact could completely erase who he once was.

He mentally slapped himself for feeling disappointed when Bryce backed away. He scolded himself when he stared at Bryce’s lips and wondered what it would feel like to have them pressed against his own.

He had just met this guy, not only that, but this kid was a vampire, why was he having these thoughts?

He shook his head and forgot all about retrieving his weapons. He just wanted to get home as fast as possible. Take a shower, a nap, maybe binge watch Westworld again, just forget about Bryce and leave this weird encounter behind.

But, it looked like Bryce had other plans.

“Where are we going?” He asked, following behind Ryan as he walked out of the alleyway, casually slipping his hand into Ryan’s without so much as a second thought.

Ryan looked down at their hands and pulled away instinctively, looking up at Bryce with yet another confused look on his face.

“I’m going home. You’re going back to wherever you came from.” He paused, eyes traveling from his face to their hands, and then back to the blonde’s light smile. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Ryan pulled down his bandana, revealing the rest of his face, including the well-trimmed beard, and Bryce stared, looking a bit mesmerized now that he could see his lips.

Bryce’s smile grew stronger, eyes shining as he stared down at Ryan, grabbing his hand again and holding it tighter. Ryan didn’t even bother trying to pull his hand away this time.

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m holding your hand, Ohm!”

Ryan sighed at the nickname, pinching the bridge of his nose and inhaling deeply. He didn’t have the patience to ask why.

He kept walking, ignoring Bryce for the most part, except when he asked him some questions, that Ryan answered, as long as it would keep the blonde from staring at him so intently when he wasn’t talking.

“How many have you killed so far?”

“301.”

“Do you ever get nightmares about them?”

“No.”

“How old are you?”

“33. How old are you?”

“21.”

Ryan paused, stopping for a moment at the new information. He was young, severely young. At least for a vampire. Most of the ones he killed ranged from 300-1000 years old. Yet here Bryce was, less than all of them, still a newbie to the world.

Bryce noticed Ryan thinking, so he changed the subject, obviously uncomfortable with his age.

“So, Ohm. Why didn’t you kill me?”

Ryan continued walking as he answered, nearing his house in the distance. Really, he shouldn’t let Bryce know where he lived, but he seemed pretty harmless, at least so far.

“You’re different than all the others.”

“How so?”

“You’re…..innocent.”

Bryce laughed loudly at this, and Ryan noticed his two fangs glint in the streetlight, but he wasn’t at all bothered by it.

When Bryce gained his composure, he ran his fingers along Ryan’s knuckles, lost in thought, but speaking coherent words.

“I’m far from innocent. I’ve killed a lot of innocent people, humans. But…thanks.”

He smiled down at their hands, his voice a bit quieter than before as he spoke for a second time.

“But I guess we have that in common, huh? Killing a lot of the innocent…”

The brunette felt the slight jab to his heart, but he pretended not to hear Bryce, deciding on keeping his mouth shut and not starting trouble for now.

Ryan pulled his hand away to unlock his door, and Bryce took this as an invitation to smell him again, obviously taking great pleasure in his unique scent as Ryan spoke.

“Well, you haven’t killed me yet, and you didn’t try to kill me earlier, so I see you as innocent compared to my other….encounters.”

He dodged over the word kills, knowing Bryce wouldn’t end up like the rest.

When he opened his door, Bryce jumped back, the small dog at the doorstep taking him off guard.

Ryan leaned down, patting the small dog’s head and ushering the creature inside. When he was halfway down the hall, he looked back, and to his surprise, Bryce wasn’t in the house.

The blonde was still standing outside the door, playing with his hands and staring down at the wooden floor, looking a bit uncomfortable. His normally bubbly attitude turned hesitant, and his eyes were downcast.

“Well?” Ryan asked, motioning towards the door and Bryce’s current state, a hand on his hip, “aren’t you coming in?”

Bryce sighed, obviously hesitant to respond, but he did anyways, hoping for the best.

“We’re not allowed to come in unless we’re invited…”

Ryan’s eyes widened at that, and he was about to speak, but thoughts clouded his mind and took hold of his attention, and he instantly thought back to his childhood, the horrifying realization hitting him like a truck:

His parents had invited two vampires into their home.

His parents had invited two deadly creatures into their home, where they had children.

Ryan tried to reason with the newfound discovery, maybe they didn’t know they were vampires, maybe they had no idea. But he saw right through that.

His father had been a scientist. He had often studied the undead murderers, he knew everything about them, especially how to detect one.

There was no reason for them to not know.

His parents, his father, willingly let two dangerous beings into their family home.

He grasped the door knob tightly, not even aware that he had somehow ended up back at the opening to his house.

His eyes were slightly glazed over as he replayed the memory for the second time that night, and he swallowed harshly, a million questions burrowing into his being and resting just beneath his skin.

Bryce looked on, slightly worried and disturbed as he watched the mental war go on in front of him, and he spoke up, voice soft and wary.

“Are you….alright?”

Ryan snapped out of his his thoughts, noticing that his knuckles were now white from how hard he had been gripping the handle. He brushed it off, and he looked up, clearing his throat and his mind.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Just….you’re invited in, Bryce.”

He could’ve easily said no, he should’ve said no. But he didn’t. For the first time in his life, Ryan didn’t hold any hatred for the person in front of him, he liked him, in fact. He didn’t see Bryce as a threat, and he actually wanted to know this blonde standing before him.

Bryce let the  smile come back, and as Ryan stepped back, he walked in, the scent of the brunette growing stronger and sweeter, and Bryce really liked it.

As weird as it sounded, he didn’t want to take Ryan’s blood or turn him into a vampire, all he wanted was to sit with the older male and be close to him, have deep talks and meaningless laughs.

His smell, instead of making his mouth water, made Bryce’s heart flutter. Really, he should be killing the male right now, but he couldn’t.

He didn’t want to.

And Bryce was sure Ryan knew that.

Why else would he let him come in?

He followed Ryan into the living room, and when Ryan sat down on the couch, so did Bryce, scooting up next to him so his legs were on the couch and he was leaning up against Ryan a bit, continuing to smell him every chance he got.

And Ryan let him. Ryan also let him rest his head on his shoulder when he noticed the younger male’s eyelids beginning to droop as the tv played quietly before them.

At that point in time, the vampire hunter knew it was getting to be morning time, and that he could’ve easily opened the blinds and ruined everything for Bryce.

But he didn’t.

In fact, he glanced around the room to make sure all of the blinds were closed and the curtains were covering them, because no matter how much his mind protested with him, his heart told him not to let anything happen to the blonde now in his arms.

Bryce was now cuddling into Ryan, his arms latching onto Ryan’s one free arm and pulling him close, body pressed against the older’s side, head in the crook of his shoulder, soft intakes of air sending a shiver through the brunette.

It seemed like Bryce took great comfort in Ryan’s scent. Like it soothed him instead of hungered him, and Ryan was not only confused by this, but also grateful.

He tore his eyes away from the stupid commercial on his tv, and looked down at Bryce, slightly weirded out when a smile graced his own chapped lips.

It seemed like Ryan’s scent was Bryce’s safe thing, like he felt at peace with Ryan’s tea and blueberry smell radiating off of him.

And Ryan was surprisingly okay with that. He was fine with the blonde taking in his scent, fine with the way he snuggled into his shoulder and gripped him tightly.

It as like Bryce had awoken something within Ryan, something emotional.

Throughout his years of hunting, not one vampire had been able to get this close, to soften his harsh tone, to tear down his stone cold facade.

And as confusing as it was, Ryan was glad Bryce was the one to do it, because he was nothing like the others.

And as Ryan repositioned himself so he had a blanket pulled over the both of them, he was glad Bryce was there, in his arms.

He was comfortable holding a vampire in his embrace with no weapons and no intention of letting go.

He was perfectly okay with this change in him, absolutely fine with the different mindset now placed in his head.

Ryan was completely content, for once in his life, and he somehow had the feeling that Bryce would only continue to make things better.